There was no way “Bingo” was going to top “Five-o” in terms of storytelling or drama. It would be ridiculous for them to even try to top last week’s harrowing tale of despair about Mike that made the audience have to mentally decompress for an hour or two. Then again, when it comes to Vince Gilligan and company, you never can be sure, can you? Just when you think you’ve hit “10” on a scale of 1 to 10 that measures insanity, you discover a week or two later that there’s a *new* 10. That was the case at least with Breaking Bad from seasons 2 to 5. While “Bingo” doesn’t quite live up to that expectation, it does move the story along.
Following Mike and Saul’s Jason Kidd spill routine that lead to Mike lifting the young officer’s notebook, they’re recalled to the police station where the young cop from Philly threatens both Jimmy and Mike with jail time along with a lot of bravado and enthusiasm. It feels as if the episode is going to be about Jimmy maneuvering to get the soon to be dynamic duo out of trouble but instead he quickly reminds the cops that there’s no crime in returning lost property. This particular item was dropped in the parking lot and Mr. Ehrmantraut happened to pick it up. No crime, no foul. Mike decides to relieve Jimmy of his duties at this point as he elects to speak to the elder officer from Philly one on one.
“Three’s a crowd,” he says much to the annoyance of Jimmy who insists that those “Philly cheesesteaks” want to lock both of them away, but Mike isn’t divulging any details, he merely has a chat with an old friend, the partnership of Jimmy and Mike is dissolved.
Cue the title sequence (which features a shot of the massage device Saul is using when Mike threatens to “beat you ‘til your legs don’t work” in Breaking Bad.)
We’re now back at Chuck’s house. Chuck has been busy trying his own form of desensitization therapy in order to get re-acclimated to the outside world in all its electromagnetic glory. While Chuck’s disorder is psychological and not physical, it’s sad to note that regardless of the cause, his pain is real. We’ve seen the bad guys in Albuquerque, and it’s unfortunate to see Jimmy’s older brother struggle. He’s able to last a total of two minutes before returning inside. When he explains his determination to Jimmy, Jimmy is understandably happy. He’s also an opportunist. Seeing that his brother is ready to be a productive member of society again, Jimmy hauls in boxes of legal documents in the house for storage, claiming that business is booming. Jimmy then purposely refers to them by an incorrect classification. He’s now given Chuck both something to do and reason to look over his shoulder as a good older brother would. Chuck is left alone presumably to rummage through and work on Jimmy’s cases and Jimmy has an assistant. That level of manipulation is the Saul Goodman we’ll know and love in the future.
Remember the Kettlemans, the lunatic family who trashed their own house and camped out in the woods with millions of embezzled dollars? Well, they’re back and unfortunately for everyone, embezzled money doesn’t buy intelligence. Kim Wexler is their principal attorney and when the Kettlemans are told that their only real option is to take a plea or Mr. Kettleman will spend years in prison, Mrs. Kettleman decides that it’s an unacceptable deal and that if Kim can’t get them a better deal she’ll go elsewhere. The Saul we know in the future has stories about ex-wives and occasionally hits on his secretaries, but Jimmy McGill seems to genuinely care for this woman. He wants her to be happy, and he wants to be the one that makes her happy. The two quietly smoke cigarettes in a dark parking lot, almost like Frank and Claire Underwood from “House of Cards” but unlike the Underwoods who are in a position of power, Jimmy and Kim are just two people making their way in the world.
We learn that Kim has effectively been demoted after losing the Kettlemans to Jimmy and she’s heartbroken over it, which means that it’s now Jimmy’s problem too. The noir theme that started in “Five-O” makes a reappearance during Kim and Jimmy’s time in the parking garage together and again during a montage later that harkens back to the times we’ve seen Mike go to work as a P.I. or an enforcer accompanied only by his creativity and background music.
The noir elements may end up being a staple of Better Call Saul, something that sets it apart from the grit and grime of Breaking Bad. One of Breaking Bad’s better elements does make a reappearance, however, the aforementioned montage scene. As the Kettlemans are an unfortunate combination of both dumb and stubborn, Jimmy is forced to get creative, and seeing as how he expertly helped Mike out of his earlier situation, Mike's services are enlisted once again. When the Kettlemans idiotically pretend there’s no money left for them to pay back as part of a please, Jimmy is quick to remind them that not only did he see the cash first hand, they played tug o' war over it.
Still, they want him to find another way as they refuse to admit their guilt. In a scene that calls back to when Mike put listening devices for Saul in Walter White’s house, Mike embarks on one of his legendary stakeouts. Mike, ever the stone faced pragmatist, uses his time on the stakeout to listen to the game with his headphones. The scene is a nice reminder of just how skilled he is as an ex-cop and how enjoyable it is to watch him go to work unencumbered.
After locating and retrieving bundles from the Kettlemans, Mike and Jimmy confer before Jimmy once again confronts his uncooperative clients. The Kettlemans are incensed that Jimmy stole (the money they stole) from them and threatens to have Jimmy arrested at which point Jimmy points out that Mrs. Kettleman isn’t terribly logical, even on her best day and that reporting a lawyer for stealing money that was stolen would result in mutually assured destruction making it not the best course of action for any of the parties involved.
Mr.Kettleman, the “brains” of the operation, realizes that the jig is up and that in order for the kids to have some sort of normal life with their family, he’ll have to serve a short term in prison. With the money taken by Mike and the Kettleman’s debt paid in full, the couple reluctantly accepts the reality of the situation but not before breaking down in tears. While they aren’t the best decision makers and they brought their legal woes upon themselves, Jimmy sees the emotional toll his decision has taken on them as it essentially breaks up a family for a short period of time. It’s hard not to sympathize with Jimmy as he seems to be on the losing end of everything in life. These are the conditions that are going to lead him to become the cynical, opportunistic Saul of the future. Why invest in being moral and living up to Chuck’s standards when there’s more punishment in doing the right thing than there is reward?
Back at the law office, Jimmy’s stunt has succeeded in restoring Kim to her former position, having re-obtained the Kettlemans as clients once again and having them move forward with the please. Jimmy, who had previously pitched the idea of he and Kim working together, is both a winner and loser in this scenario. He succeeds in helping Kim, but he also loses the opportunity to work with her in the office space they earlier scouted together. That’s the story of Jimmy’s life. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
“The things you folks need to know about me, I’ve got nothing to lose,” he states bluntly to the Kettlemans at one point before hanging his head and realizing the futility of his work.
When returning to the empty office space alone, he walks into the sunny, corner room Kim said she admired. Gazing out of the window, he’s pensive for a minute before he slams the door shut and we hear him violently assault the wall or door before he collapses into tears. Whether it’s Kim, the result of the Kettleman case or the health of his brother, Jimmy is overwhelmed and depressed. It mimics the end of “Five-O” but it’s not as emotionally draining as when we saw Mike break into tears over the corruption and death of his son.
What we have now are two characters, who will turn to lives of crime, and we can now see why a life of crime for both Jimmy and Mike was preferable to earning an honest living. Their moral compasses are being eroded and they need to adapt to survive.
“Bingo” shifts the spotlight back to Bob Odenkirk, who does an excellent job of making us feel and understand Jimmy’s pain, but it’s not as harrowing as “Five-O.” “Bingo” is simply what comes next. While Jimmy tells Mike they’re even after the Kettlemans are outmaneuvered, we’ve now seen this duo work well together in multiple instances, and sooner than later, this will become a full partnership of mutual benefit to both men.
It’s difficult to analyze Better Call Saul without Breaking Bad because of the rich character background we’ve been given Jimmy and Mike. BCS straddles the line between being a standalone series that’d work well on its own and being a spinoff prequel. Knowing their futures, knowing these characters as we have over years as opposed to weeks makes their struggles all the more painful for a knowledgeable audience to endure. The montages, the sweeping scenes of New Mexico, and the theme of good guys turned criminals are all familiar, but what separates Better Call Saul is its sad, reluctant nature and its newly introduced noir elements.
Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks are both excellent as leads while having a very different dynamic from that of Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston. The series is establishing itself as both a more than competent standalone show and spinoff. It’s hard not be excited, because if we’ve learned one thing from Vince Gilligan, if the show is good, you can expect it to be great sooner than later.
