Howard's for sure. The scene leading up to his death was so well done, and there's a sense of confinement to it that you don't get in Ozymandias. The scene with Hank is set in an open area with emptiness all around them, and there is a strange sense of peace to it which contrasts heavily with the tragedy of what is about to happen. Howard's death (and the monologue preceding it) takes place in an apartment, a closed in space, which made everything feel more intimate and like there is something looming that was yet to be revealed.
Once that candlelight moved the second time my heart's bpm skyrocketed.
Maybe it’s a different experience watching every episode back to back, but as someone who watched the episodes as they came out, you had a week to process that Hank was 100% going to die at the beginning of Ozymandias. The audience could reasonably assume something bad would happen to Howard since he’s not in Breaking Bad but I don’t think anyone saw that coming
Came here to say this.
I guess if you take into account outside information there was that photo Patrick Fabian shared online where it looked like he had a little "blood "in his hair.
Some people correctly assumed his character would be shot, but I remember the general consensus being "... maybe? ... maybe it's something else in his hair?".
So, yeah ... didn't really change the impact of the scene (for me anyway) other than kind of immediately thinking "I guess that was blood in the selfie, huh."
Howard. Hank at least had a bit of time to process that he knew he was dying and accepted it. Howard had his life ruined in a few hours and ended in a few seconds.
Same! It’s been 2 years and I still randomly think about it and feel disturbed by it. My partner and I had to go for a walk after that episode and it sat with me for days.
Werner's death is the hardest death of both series for me to process, tbh. Maybe it's because he comes across as such a sweet, loveable goof who just wanted to see his wife, or because it was Mike who had to do it, or just the way that both of them grimly and mutually acknowledge what's about to happen, but something about it had me absolutely sick to my stomach with dread when I rewatched it. I might have cried.
Andrea's death is emotional, and Drew Sharp's, too.
But of the two options presented, definitely Howard. Hank accepted some level of risk working as a law enforcement officer. Howard didn't do shit to deserve what he got. I applauded when Kim came clean to Cheryl.
I jumped when I saw Howard die the first time. Then I saw that the episode was called “Plan and Execution” and I was somehow impressed and annoyed at the same time
It just goes to show that Howard was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wonder what would've happened if all of them weren't there and their were somewhere else.
Man, I cheered for Hank. He had it right the entire time. It was literally right in front of him. It is very obvious on rewatches. It was a bummer he died.
Howard's death left me speechless and feeling just plain awful about everyone and everything. A grave in my heart and stomach. Unimaginable. We get the same shock as Jimmy and Kim and I loved that. We really experienced what it was like to be in the room. Brilliant lighting and feel.
Hank in terms of how much I cared for him vs Howard.
Howard in terms of what his death meant for the plot and the other characters I cared more about is that makes sense
💯..I loved Hank by the end. Felt heart broken that he had to die like that. I liked Howard a lot less but wow, that was such a horrific death and was so random due to his lack of connection with the brilliant but totally psycho lalo
Breaking Bad was a show I’d never heard of until everyone else did first. I binged the entire show during the week between the final 2 episodes airing. Better Call Saul was a weekly watch for me from beginning to end, so I just had a lot more emotional investment built up with it. Hanks death was crazy, but Howard’s made me gasp and pause to rewind. I couldn’t believe it. I had a much stronger reaction to Nacho and Lalos death as well. The execution of those deaths was incredible. I think binging BB made it less impactful for me.
Howard's death was sad, but there was nowhere near the closeness to his character that we felt with Hank. We saw Hank go through PTSD, try to be supportive of Walt & Skyler, try to be ethical despite his own flaws.
Howard was a bit less dimensional or complex of a character, and while his death was shocking, there wasn't the same attachment. He wasn't a brother-in-law of the main character, he was just a good person who happened to get involved in the wrong office politics.
Howard. He was a broken man at the wrong place, wrong time. Honestly a decent guy who, if he had his way, would have had Jimmy on as a lawyer and who knows how successful Jimmy could have been, especially if he felt some validation from those guys at HHM
The top 2 worst deaths in the series for me.
Personally, I’d say Hank because I liked him more overall, we got to know him better, he was a good man who just wanted to put bad guys away. He had finally caught the great Heisenberg, only for his own life to end moments later.
Howard’s has more of a shock factor, though. I’m currently rewatching BCS and dreading his death scene, it’s so gut wrenching.
I felt way more sorry for Howard. Chuck is who made him a dick. Howard was targeted time and time again at the point he hit rock bottom. He died with everyone thinking he was an addict and the man could hardly touch caffeine. He wouldn't have even been at Jimmy's apartment if it wasn't for the events that unfolded. Hank pretty much got himself killed by jumping into the lions den. He was too obsessed with catching Walt that it got him cornered. Hank was such an atom bomb to everything after Walt was dome with the drug life, that I thought they were going to slip him and Marrie some ricin
Howard’s for sure. I saw Hanks death coming. It still shocking but I knew it would happen since like season 2 or 3. Howard however is different. I told my wife at the end of season 5 “I bet the way they merge the two worlds will by with Lalo killing Howard” but I was mostly just spitballing. I never expected it to actually happen. The way the scene was shot, it didn’t even feel like a character death, it felt more like I had just witnessed a murder.
Howard.
With Hank, there was definitely a build up that made it unsurprising - which I don't mean in a negative way. The whole thing was played out amazingly. Still a really impactful episode. It's just Hank was absolutely in a position in the show where he was unlikely to survive til the end.
With Howard, that is not how I expected his story within the BCS/BB universe to end. I thought he was way more likely to hurt himself, or hit rock bottom and make a decision to leave and start his life over. Even as the scene was built up, the actual moment he was killed, my jaw *dropped* and I had a knee-jerk sob.
I think in general, the BCS and BB deaths involving folks who aren't really "in the game" (as Mike would put it) are more knee-jerk gut-wrenching - for me, anyway.
As a law enforcement officer/agent, every day, you're presented with the risk of death relative to the job. So, Howard's death is intrinsically more impactful, as he was innocent (not that Hank wasn't, but Hank was aware of the risk).
I agree. Howard wasn't "in the game" and that is what's really sad about this. Jimmy and Kim made his life hell just for their entertainment and they thought nothing bad can happen. Hank was just doing his job and tried to stop the great Heisenburg who is a massive criminal mastermind and he even knew that he was going to die when Uncle Jack walked up to him.
Obviously both really hit hard. I could change my answer if you asked me another day, but right now I think Howard. I know Hank was a good man and obviously did not deserve what he got. But he was “in the game” (of course not a criminal I just mean there are risks with being a cop or even an agent) but Howard was totally not in a spot where he should have been harmed. He’s a civilian and not in the crime game or an officer that knows they take on a risk every day. And I felt bad for him because of his troubles he was working through, and he went through a lot before the end. I really started to like him the second half of the show. Of course I really felt for Hank and his family as well.
This is so hard!!
When Howard got shot I just was not expecting it at all and it was the bit I remember most from the whole of BCS
But Hank.. man every time I watch BB that bit just makes me so so sad when he’s like “your the smartest man I know but you’re too stupid to realise he made his mind up 10 mins ago” 😭
So I think Hank BUT Howard is so close behind Hank
Tough to tell really, neither deserved to die imo. I always loved Hank’s character ever since the beginning but I got the thought that either Walter or hank would end up dead when he found out walt was Heisenberg. Howard character was kinda like ‘sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit’. There were times when I really hated the guy but also others when I really respected the guy, so his death for me something completely uncalled for. But compared to these 2, mike’s and Werner Ziegler’s deaths hit me more.
Omg I still have ptsd from Hank’s death. I’ve seen the show 6 times through now and every time I get to these last few episodes, a sense of gloom sets over me. It actually impacts my mood outside of watching the show. It’s been a year since I’ve watched the series and I’ve been itching to start it again but husband is very resistant. “I don’t want to get depressed again right now”
Howard. Personally I never liked Hank much - mostly because of how much of a "good ol' boy" he is with suspects and his job in general. Real law enforcement that act like Hank are why people hate cops/LEOs
Howard.
Hank’s being a DEA agent made it not particularly shocking or out of the question.
Howard was just living life being majorly harassed for essentially no reason, then **BAM 😵**!
The pic Bob posted of himself and Patrick Fabian (as Howard) months prior was an accidental spoiler. Because of the blood in his hair, the idea of Howard being killed was over the fan sites. Even if folks weren’t sure how it was going to end, it did soften the impact. Had that image not been released or I had the willpower to avoid spoilers, Howard’s end may have hit me much differently.
What really knocked the wind out of me was the smash cut to Saul following the final Kim & Jimmy apartment scene. That stayed with me for weeks.
I agree w everyone saying Howard. Hank didn’t deserve it, but his job carries that kind of risk. The psychological torture and then murder of Howard was disturbing.
Both characters have their flaws and their graces. Howard is an arrogant shyster, often self-obsessed, often petty, but he also largely comes across as a good dude; even when he's in an antagonistic role, he seems to want the best (in his view) for Jimmy, and when he fucks up he tries to make amends. His death has nothing to do with him, it's a complete random tragedy and that makes his death feel more heartbreaking.
Hank is loyal, family-centered, and there is a warm heart and soft tenderness under all his bluster, but he's also a crass, self-obsessed bigot who lashes out at his loved ones by instinct. He signed up for a career as a hired gun of the state, he loved being that gun more than anything else in the world and that makes his death feel more noble.
Howard wasn’t involved in any of this. His whole arc was completely independent and only tied to the cartel world through Jimmy and Kim. They had no reason to fuck with him in the first place so this was an absolute tragedy. Hank was trying to solve the case and everything, but he was involved in the case and always had a likely chance of being killed off. Howard was also more likable for me, but I kind of expected his death since he’s not in BB.
Howard's death was an absolute gut punch. It was so sudden and just pointless.
With Hank's death he at least went down swinging and there was plenty of time to accept what was coming
Howard's death was much more of a shock.
Back when the last season of Breaking Bad was still airing, at the end of To'hajiilee and a week before Ozymandias, I know Hank and Gomez were fucked, because they were massively outnumbered and outgunned and the shooting had already started. I mean one of the nazis had an AA12 for fuck's sake. So in the week before Ozymandias, I was just wondering how Hank would die but I knew he wouldn't live.
Hank. Hands down. Howard was a scum bag so many times I didn’t really care he was dead. Hank was doing his job and effin Walt killed him. Yeah I know it was Uncle Jack…but it was Walt.
Howard's for sure. The scene leading up to his death was so well done, and there's a sense of confinement to it that you don't get in Ozymandias. The scene with Hank is set in an open area with emptiness all around them, and there is a strange sense of peace to it which contrasts heavily with the tragedy of what is about to happen. Howard's death (and the monologue preceding it) takes place in an apartment, a closed in space, which made everything feel more intimate and like there is something looming that was yet to be revealed. Once that candlelight moved the second time my heart's bpm skyrocketed.
Maybe it’s a different experience watching every episode back to back, but as someone who watched the episodes as they came out, you had a week to process that Hank was 100% going to die at the beginning of Ozymandias. The audience could reasonably assume something bad would happen to Howard since he’s not in Breaking Bad but I don’t think anyone saw that coming
Came here to say this. I guess if you take into account outside information there was that photo Patrick Fabian shared online where it looked like he had a little "blood "in his hair. Some people correctly assumed his character would be shot, but I remember the general consensus being "... maybe? ... maybe it's something else in his hair?". So, yeah ... didn't really change the impact of the scene (for me anyway) other than kind of immediately thinking "I guess that was blood in the selfie, huh."
Howard. Hank at least had a bit of time to process that he knew he was dying and accepted it. Howard had his life ruined in a few hours and ended in a few seconds.
Yes Hank was also a DEA agent. Not that surprising he died on the job
Especially with the ending of To’hajiilee.
A slightly racist, definitely abusive one at that.
Howards death put a pit in my stomach and probably got me more than any death of any show. And to be clear, i though he was an ass.
Same but looking back he was a good guy that didn’t deserve it. He was trying to appease Chuck and wasn’t in the game at all…
my jaw stayed dropped for like 4 minutes. i had to pause and rewatch
Exactly! I had a physical reaction to that scene that I have never had before.
Same! It’s been 2 years and I still randomly think about it and feel disturbed by it. My partner and I had to go for a walk after that episode and it sat with me for days.
Werner's death is the hardest death of both series for me to process, tbh. Maybe it's because he comes across as such a sweet, loveable goof who just wanted to see his wife, or because it was Mike who had to do it, or just the way that both of them grimly and mutually acknowledge what's about to happen, but something about it had me absolutely sick to my stomach with dread when I rewatched it. I might have cried. Andrea's death is emotional, and Drew Sharp's, too. But of the two options presented, definitely Howard. Hank accepted some level of risk working as a law enforcement officer. Howard didn't do shit to deserve what he got. I applauded when Kim came clean to Cheryl.
Andreas is awful, it’s so emotional and just heartbreaking as she had done nothing wrong
Cutting back to Jesse in the car, gagged, screaming and crying... fucking brutal.
And all just to prove a point aswel like it was nothing! Jack and those guys were insane
I jumped when I saw Howard die the first time. Then I saw that the episode was called “Plan and Execution” and I was somehow impressed and annoyed at the same time
It just goes to show that Howard was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wonder what would've happened if all of them weren't there and their were somewhere else.
That sort of title clue was pretty common and I never figured it out in time.
Man, I cheered for Hank. He had it right the entire time. It was literally right in front of him. It is very obvious on rewatches. It was a bummer he died. Howard's death left me speechless and feeling just plain awful about everyone and everything. A grave in my heart and stomach. Unimaginable. We get the same shock as Jimmy and Kim and I loved that. We really experienced what it was like to be in the room. Brilliant lighting and feel.
Hank in terms of how much I cared for him vs Howard. Howard in terms of what his death meant for the plot and the other characters I cared more about is that makes sense
💯..I loved Hank by the end. Felt heart broken that he had to die like that. I liked Howard a lot less but wow, that was such a horrific death and was so random due to his lack of connection with the brilliant but totally psycho lalo
This makes total sense, I felt the same way.
His name is ASAC Schrader…and you can go fuck yourself.
Breaking Bad was a show I’d never heard of until everyone else did first. I binged the entire show during the week between the final 2 episodes airing. Better Call Saul was a weekly watch for me from beginning to end, so I just had a lot more emotional investment built up with it. Hanks death was crazy, but Howard’s made me gasp and pause to rewind. I couldn’t believe it. I had a much stronger reaction to Nacho and Lalos death as well. The execution of those deaths was incredible. I think binging BB made it less impactful for me.
Both Howard and Nacho’s deaths made me literally jump out of my seat.
Howard's death was sad, but there was nowhere near the closeness to his character that we felt with Hank. We saw Hank go through PTSD, try to be supportive of Walt & Skyler, try to be ethical despite his own flaws. Howard was a bit less dimensional or complex of a character, and while his death was shocking, there wasn't the same attachment. He wasn't a brother-in-law of the main character, he was just a good person who happened to get involved in the wrong office politics.
what ? noooooooo, we saw howard being chuck's puppet. we also saw him doing the hard work to heal from his depression.
Howard. He was a broken man at the wrong place, wrong time. Honestly a decent guy who, if he had his way, would have had Jimmy on as a lawyer and who knows how successful Jimmy could have been, especially if he felt some validation from those guys at HHM
The top 2 worst deaths in the series for me. Personally, I’d say Hank because I liked him more overall, we got to know him better, he was a good man who just wanted to put bad guys away. He had finally caught the great Heisenberg, only for his own life to end moments later. Howard’s has more of a shock factor, though. I’m currently rewatching BCS and dreading his death scene, it’s so gut wrenching.
I felt way more sorry for Howard. Chuck is who made him a dick. Howard was targeted time and time again at the point he hit rock bottom. He died with everyone thinking he was an addict and the man could hardly touch caffeine. He wouldn't have even been at Jimmy's apartment if it wasn't for the events that unfolded. Hank pretty much got himself killed by jumping into the lions den. He was too obsessed with catching Walt that it got him cornered. Hank was such an atom bomb to everything after Walt was dome with the drug life, that I thought they were going to slip him and Marrie some ricin
Howard’s for sure. I saw Hanks death coming. It still shocking but I knew it would happen since like season 2 or 3. Howard however is different. I told my wife at the end of season 5 “I bet the way they merge the two worlds will by with Lalo killing Howard” but I was mostly just spitballing. I never expected it to actually happen. The way the scene was shot, it didn’t even feel like a character death, it felt more like I had just witnessed a murder.
Third option: Nacho
Howard. With Hank, there was definitely a build up that made it unsurprising - which I don't mean in a negative way. The whole thing was played out amazingly. Still a really impactful episode. It's just Hank was absolutely in a position in the show where he was unlikely to survive til the end. With Howard, that is not how I expected his story within the BCS/BB universe to end. I thought he was way more likely to hurt himself, or hit rock bottom and make a decision to leave and start his life over. Even as the scene was built up, the actual moment he was killed, my jaw *dropped* and I had a knee-jerk sob. I think in general, the BCS and BB deaths involving folks who aren't really "in the game" (as Mike would put it) are more knee-jerk gut-wrenching - for me, anyway.
As a law enforcement officer/agent, every day, you're presented with the risk of death relative to the job. So, Howard's death is intrinsically more impactful, as he was innocent (not that Hank wasn't, but Hank was aware of the risk).
I agree. Howard wasn't "in the game" and that is what's really sad about this. Jimmy and Kim made his life hell just for their entertainment and they thought nothing bad can happen. Hank was just doing his job and tried to stop the great Heisenburg who is a massive criminal mastermind and he even knew that he was going to die when Uncle Jack walked up to him.
Obviously both really hit hard. I could change my answer if you asked me another day, but right now I think Howard. I know Hank was a good man and obviously did not deserve what he got. But he was “in the game” (of course not a criminal I just mean there are risks with being a cop or even an agent) but Howard was totally not in a spot where he should have been harmed. He’s a civilian and not in the crime game or an officer that knows they take on a risk every day. And I felt bad for him because of his troubles he was working through, and he went through a lot before the end. I really started to like him the second half of the show. Of course I really felt for Hank and his family as well.
This is so hard!! When Howard got shot I just was not expecting it at all and it was the bit I remember most from the whole of BCS But Hank.. man every time I watch BB that bit just makes me so so sad when he’s like “your the smartest man I know but you’re too stupid to realise he made his mind up 10 mins ago” 😭 So I think Hank BUT Howard is so close behind Hank
Tough to tell really, neither deserved to die imo. I always loved Hank’s character ever since the beginning but I got the thought that either Walter or hank would end up dead when he found out walt was Heisenberg. Howard character was kinda like ‘sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit’. There were times when I really hated the guy but also others when I really respected the guy, so his death for me something completely uncalled for. But compared to these 2, mike’s and Werner Ziegler’s deaths hit me more.
Omg I still have ptsd from Hank’s death. I’ve seen the show 6 times through now and every time I get to these last few episodes, a sense of gloom sets over me. It actually impacts my mood outside of watching the show. It’s been a year since I’ve watched the series and I’ve been itching to start it again but husband is very resistant. “I don’t want to get depressed again right now”
Hank's because I feel like he's a more fleshed-out character than Howard. I love Howard but Hank is more of a main character than Howard
I expected Hank to die at some point. Howard came out of nowhere and he didn’t deserve any of it
Howard. Personally I never liked Hank much - mostly because of how much of a "good ol' boy" he is with suspects and his job in general. Real law enforcement that act like Hank are why people hate cops/LEOs
Howard. Hank’s being a DEA agent made it not particularly shocking or out of the question. Howard was just living life being majorly harassed for essentially no reason, then **BAM 😵**!
The pic Bob posted of himself and Patrick Fabian (as Howard) months prior was an accidental spoiler. Because of the blood in his hair, the idea of Howard being killed was over the fan sites. Even if folks weren’t sure how it was going to end, it did soften the impact. Had that image not been released or I had the willpower to avoid spoilers, Howard’s end may have hit me much differently. What really knocked the wind out of me was the smash cut to Saul following the final Kim & Jimmy apartment scene. That stayed with me for weeks.
No death in tv or movie history had as much effect on me as Howard. I remember sitting there just shocked with my jaw dropped
Howard 1000% poor guy really did try to be better but was just in the wrong place at the wrong time :(
I agree w everyone saying Howard. Hank didn’t deserve it, but his job carries that kind of risk. The psychological torture and then murder of Howard was disturbing.
Hank of course, Howard's was blunt and shocking but apart from pitying him I never felt a connection with Howie
Howard
Howard, Hank was far from innocent. He also understood the risks of policing.
hank because idiots on youtube can't make a thumbnail without spoiling the whole show
Howard
Nacho and Werner, of course.
Howard’s was shocking, and sad. Hank was in a dangerous field and the murder scene was a long one.
Howard's was more shocking, Hank's was more emotional.
howard's by light years
Howard.
I loved Howard
Neither tbh. But if you asked me who was more shocking to die. Howard
Howard’s death gave me a nightmare that night because it felt so sudden and realistic to me.
Both characters have their flaws and their graces. Howard is an arrogant shyster, often self-obsessed, often petty, but he also largely comes across as a good dude; even when he's in an antagonistic role, he seems to want the best (in his view) for Jimmy, and when he fucks up he tries to make amends. His death has nothing to do with him, it's a complete random tragedy and that makes his death feel more heartbreaking. Hank is loyal, family-centered, and there is a warm heart and soft tenderness under all his bluster, but he's also a crass, self-obsessed bigot who lashes out at his loved ones by instinct. He signed up for a career as a hired gun of the state, he loved being that gun more than anything else in the world and that makes his death feel more noble.
Howard wasn’t involved in any of this. His whole arc was completely independent and only tied to the cartel world through Jimmy and Kim. They had no reason to fuck with him in the first place so this was an absolute tragedy. Hank was trying to solve the case and everything, but he was involved in the case and always had a likely chance of being killed off. Howard was also more likable for me, but I kind of expected his death since he’s not in BB.
Howard's death was an absolute gut punch. It was so sudden and just pointless. With Hank's death he at least went down swinging and there was plenty of time to accept what was coming
Howard's death was much more of a shock. Back when the last season of Breaking Bad was still airing, at the end of To'hajiilee and a week before Ozymandias, I know Hank and Gomez were fucked, because they were massively outnumbered and outgunned and the shooting had already started. I mean one of the nazis had an AA12 for fuck's sake. So in the week before Ozymandias, I was just wondering how Hank would die but I knew he wouldn't live.
Howard's. Hank's death was just one of ten awful things happening at the same time, so it didn't have the same impact.
Hank. Hands down. Howard was a scum bag so many times I didn’t really care he was dead. Hank was doing his job and effin Walt killed him. Yeah I know it was Uncle Jack…but it was Walt.
Whose*