"Better Call Saul" Recap: "Bingo"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

If anything, last night's episode of Better Call Saul to me, fundamentally changed any theories or guesses I had about Jimmy McGill and how he becomes the scumbag lawyer we know and love all because of his surprising actions in this week's tale "Bingo".

But before I came to that earth shattering moment, it was a nice touch for this episode to resolve last week's earth shattering episode with Mike as we see the grizzled former cop and his Philadelphia P.D. pal have a moment friend to friend, where the truth about Mike was quietly understood between the two of them, and left alone. 

But the shocker of the night came courtesy of the Kettleman's and their epic stupidity. It turns out that while Kim has done her damndest to find a way to win this messy case, she is faced with a no win scenario. The District Attorney wants blood, and offers a generous plea deal to get Craig Kettleman to plead guilty and serve a little time behind bars. This of course makes the Kettleman's decision crystal clear, fire Kim and hire Jimmy as their lawyer, making a point to rub in his face the fact they "paid" him a "retainer fee" when he found them on their "camping trip."

Jimmy begrudgingly takes the case, only to discover the same result as Kim, forcing him to get a little creative. He sends Mike to retrieve the money from the Kettleman's home, which he does in impressive fashion so that Jimmy can put what little money he has left from his bribe back in the pile to send it to the D.A.'s office before confronting the Kettleman's where he demands they head back to Kim and Hamlin and McGill and take the deal.  Craig and Betsy try to work their way out of it and turn it on Jimmy, with no success. He has set them up in fail proof fashion, because he truly has nothing to lose, and they finally do as they are told. 

Which brings us to the big question. What is it exactly that turns Jimmy into a scumbag? Sure we have seen him do some questionable things already. We know he has a past of unsavory choices, yet to do what he did last night shows off one incredible man. He saved Kim's career, sacrificing a potential future in a fancy and respectable office to simply do the right thing. I know we will find out in time, but it suddenly makes me worry that this isn't a simple story about a bad guy who was always bad finding his "true path", but a grand tragedy about a man who could have been something great, gets lost through the cracks. I'm sure we will start to find out what brought Jimmy McGill to become Saul Goodman...soon enough.

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