YMMV / Better Call Saul S6 E7: "Plan and Execution"

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • This episode does leave a strong, deliberate interpretation of whether Kim and Jimmy are a pair of sociopaths and, more specifically, how they actually feel about Howard. As pointed out by Huell before, he could not find a discernable reason for why they would torment Howard when they're already well-off. Jimmy could not give him an answer, either. Howard, however, comes to the conclusion they are legitimate sociopaths entirely motivated by the thrill of hurting others. With Jimmy, in particular, he claims it's his born nature while he's skeptical Kim is naturally that way. Ironically, Jimmy has continuously demonstrated great guilt and shame at what he's been doing while Kim has comparatively shown little of either and is actually the one encouraging Jimmy's worst traits. And despite everything, when confronted by Howard, they are visibly ashamed and guilt-ridden when he lays them out instead of cursing or mocking him if they genuinely hated him. When Lalo arrives on the scene, they are also very concerned for his well-being and freak out when he's killed.
  • For a specific point, when Jimmy assures Howard that he'll still land on his feet. Were they just empty words he threw out to try and placate Howard? Does Jimmy genuinely believe Howard will be able to move past this, and therefore doesn't see why Howard is taking it so personally? Or did Howard's scathing assessment hit home and Jimmy is merely attempting to assuage his own guilty conscience? For what it's worth, the episode's script includes a detail in that scene indicating Jimmy and Kim don't sincerely believe he'll fully recover from the events of the day.
  • Lalo's casual murder of Howard. Did he do it For the Evulz, possibly also while trying to intimidate Jimmy and Kim into going along with whatever scheme he has planned against Gus? Or was he acting out of more pragmatic motives, not wanting to take the risk that if he let him go, Howard might eventually recognize him as "Jorge de Guzman" and notify the authorities, which would leave Lalo with a police (and probably FBI) manhunt to deal with on top of everything else?
• The Woobie: It's near impossible to not feel sorry for Howard Hamlin. Despite being born to a life of privilege, he's forced to do Chuck's dirty work in keeping Jimmy away from a legitimate law career, which ends up redirecting all of Jimmy's (and eventually Kim's) anger to him. The only way to free himself from Chuck is to go deeply in debt, he blames himself for Chuck's suicide, ends up in therapy, his marriage begins falling apart... and his literal last day has him professionally and publicly humiliated, smeared as a drug addict, and ultimately murdered just for seeing someone he had no clue about.
  • The events of the next episode "Point and Shoot" later make Howard's death even darker. Mike's men stage his death as the Suicide by Sea of a cocaine addict, and if that's not enough, he's buried in Gus' underground meth lab- next to Lalo.