![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerAcross season 6 of Better Call Saul a number of sub-plots are drawing to a close. One that's new-ish is Kim and Jimmy conspiring to pull down Howard Hamlin with a con.
Jimmy has his own reasons for disliking Howard. In season 5 he plotted a few nuisance pranks to annoy and embarrass Howard. He seemed ready to give it up after that as he was just kicking a man while he was down, but then Kim took new offense to Howard and pressed him to think bigger with revenge.
What offended Kim? It was when Howard confronted her in a courthouse hallway in ep. 5.07, ratting out Jimmy to her for his pranks. Kim didn't mind that Howard was complaining to her about Jimmy. She already knows that Jimmy is that kind of person. She knows it and actually likes it. What offended her was Howard's overbearing manner of framing it as I'm warning you for your own good and you need to know what kind of creep you're with. One thing we've seen with Kim is that she really gets bothered when people criticize her judgment or imply she's ignorant for staying with Jimmy. And Howard's such a douche overall that any douche-y thing he says sounds extra douche-y the way he says it.
The goal of this new scam is to force a quicker resolution to a class action lawsuit against a nursing home chain. Jimmy was the lawyer who found and initially developed this case. He's out of it now, but as the finder he stands to earn a sizable sum when it settles— well over a million dollars, based on the defendants' most recent offer. But Howard, now the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, and the other senior attorneys are dragging out negotiations, possibly for a few more years, hoping for an extra 30%. Jimmy— and now Kim— would rather they just take a quicker deal so they can get paid out now.
The gist of the scam is that Jimmy and Kim are discrediting Howard. They're engaging in various steps to make people around Howard, especially his co-counsel, Clifford Main of Davis & Main, suspect that he's developed a cocaine habit. If people like Cliff think Howard's becoming untrustworthy, they'll move to settle the case quickly instead of risking Howard spinning out of control and jeopardizing the settlement.
What's the motive here? Well, Jimmy and Kim both hate Howard. But while Jimmy seemed happy to stop kicking at Howard last season, it's Kim who's really looking to punish him now. Money's a motive, too. But again, while Jimmy was scraping for money months ago, it's no longer urgent to him to get this case settled. It's Kim who really has her eyes on the money. The settlement would fund her decision to quit corporate law and instead conduct pro-bono defense work for sympathetic clients. So, really, this con to destroy Howard's career is Kim's idea— and Jimmy even challenges her as much in dialogue. And that's sad because throughout the series Kim has always been the smart, hardworking, straight shooter. Now she's becoming just as bad as Jimmy. Or worse!
Jimmy has his own reasons for disliking Howard. In season 5 he plotted a few nuisance pranks to annoy and embarrass Howard. He seemed ready to give it up after that as he was just kicking a man while he was down, but then Kim took new offense to Howard and pressed him to think bigger with revenge.
What offended Kim? It was when Howard confronted her in a courthouse hallway in ep. 5.07, ratting out Jimmy to her for his pranks. Kim didn't mind that Howard was complaining to her about Jimmy. She already knows that Jimmy is that kind of person. She knows it and actually likes it. What offended her was Howard's overbearing manner of framing it as I'm warning you for your own good and you need to know what kind of creep you're with. One thing we've seen with Kim is that she really gets bothered when people criticize her judgment or imply she's ignorant for staying with Jimmy. And Howard's such a douche overall that any douche-y thing he says sounds extra douche-y the way he says it.
The goal of this new scam is to force a quicker resolution to a class action lawsuit against a nursing home chain. Jimmy was the lawyer who found and initially developed this case. He's out of it now, but as the finder he stands to earn a sizable sum when it settles— well over a million dollars, based on the defendants' most recent offer. But Howard, now the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, and the other senior attorneys are dragging out negotiations, possibly for a few more years, hoping for an extra 30%. Jimmy— and now Kim— would rather they just take a quicker deal so they can get paid out now.
The gist of the scam is that Jimmy and Kim are discrediting Howard. They're engaging in various steps to make people around Howard, especially his co-counsel, Clifford Main of Davis & Main, suspect that he's developed a cocaine habit. If people like Cliff think Howard's becoming untrustworthy, they'll move to settle the case quickly instead of risking Howard spinning out of control and jeopardizing the settlement.
What's the motive here? Well, Jimmy and Kim both hate Howard. But while Jimmy seemed happy to stop kicking at Howard last season, it's Kim who's really looking to punish him now. Money's a motive, too. But again, while Jimmy was scraping for money months ago, it's no longer urgent to him to get this case settled. It's Kim who really has her eyes on the money. The settlement would fund her decision to quit corporate law and instead conduct pro-bono defense work for sympathetic clients. So, really, this con to destroy Howard's career is Kim's idea— and Jimmy even challenges her as much in dialogue. And that's sad because throughout the series Kim has always been the smart, hardworking, straight shooter. Now she's becoming just as bad as Jimmy. Or worse!
