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BETTER CALL SAUL Review — Episode 7: Bingo

Last week’s episode provided us with a welcome focus on the mysteries of Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) and how the ex-cop found his way to Albuquerque, New Mexico — but now we’re back in Jimmy McGill territory and all feels right with the universe. We do get a few moments dedicated to Mike’s lingering legal problem at the top of episode 7 (“Bingo”) but it’s safe to say that this particular chapter is more about Jimmy’s present-day issues than it is in delivering more back-story on the supporting characters.

Speaking of awesome supporting characters, Chuck (Michael McKean) stops by to remind the viewer that the “Jimmy cares for his big brother” subplot is most assuredly headed somewhere pretty interesting, but for the most part, episode 7 deals with the wonderfully obtuse embezzlers known as the Kettlemans, the ever more likable and legally astute Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), and Jimmy’s newfound happiness regarding his new focus on “elder law.” Which basically means he hangs out at the old age facilities, spinning bingo balls and wooing new clientele.

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When we last saw Craig and Betsy Kettleman (Jeremy Shamos and Julie Ann Emery), they’d just given Jimmy a $30,000 “retainer” to keep his mouth shut about their thieving ways, but now they’re back in Kim’s office, blithely ignorant about how the law works, and annoyingly insistent that they never stole anything in the first place. Then they fire Kim (bad move), make a beeline straight to Jimmy, and continue playing the same old tune: not only did Craig not steal over a million bucks from the county, but Betsy is single-mindedly intent on walking away from this situation scot-free.

By now we’ve all come to accept that no good deed goes unpunished in the world of Better Call Saul — but that’s sort of what makes the series’ moments of good behavior so juicy. The coolest revelation in “Bingo” is how far Jimmy will go to get Kim’s back when she finds herself in a tight situation; and while we love to see Jimmy behave in shifty fashion, it’s even more satisfying to watch him try to convince the adorably obtuse Kettleman couple that they should grow up, wake up, and go apologize to Kim.

While “Bingo” offers some nice moments in relation to Jimmy’s rising reputation, clientele base, and bank account, the bulk of the episode is dedicated to showcasing Kim’s legal skills, Jimmy’s natural gift for argument, and the dangers that inevitably arise when the clients you really want are a pair of clueless, belligerent weirdos.

Ooh, we also get some great shady stuff with Mike near the end of the episode, but I don’t feel like spoiling this fantastic little heist sequence.

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