Bingo (Better Call Saul)

Plot

At the police station, Jimmy and Mike return the notepad to Detective Abbasi, claiming they found it in the parking lot. Despite Abbasi's accusations against Mike, his partner Detective Sanders privately assures Mike that he has little to fear. Jimmy finds Chuck standing outside his home, claiming to build up tolerance to electromagnetic fields outdoors as he feels useless. Jimmy stores some legal documents at Chuck's house with an ulterior motive for him to get involved in cases. Jimmy brings Kim to an office suite he is considering for his practice and asks her to join him as his partner. She turns him down due to her loyalty to Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill.

Later, Kim meets with the Kettlemans and proposes a plea deal that involves a sixteen-month prison sentence, returning the $1.6 million in embezzled money, and an admission of guilt. Since losing a trial would mean a thirty-year prison sentence for Craig, she recommends this course of action. However, Betsy flatly rejects the deal, maintaining her husband's innocence and denying that there is any money to return. They fire Kim and seek out Jimmy for legal counsel. Jimmy initially urges them to accept Kim's deal, but Betsy blackmails him by pointing out that their "retainer" paid to Jimmy would implicate him taking a bribe. While picking up records from HHM, Jimmy discovers that Kim has been demoted as a result of losing the Kettlemans as clients.

Jimmy, concerned for Kim's job position, takes action. On Jimmy's orders, Mike sprays a fluorescent liquid on a stack of bills, and plants it on a toy truck left outside by one of the Kettleman kids. After they return the stack with the others, Mike breaks into their house and uses a black light to trace the stolen money to a false bottom in a bathroom cabinet. Jimmy has Mike deliver the money to the district attorney, after which Mike states they will be "square". The next day, Jimmy visits the Kettlemans. Discovering the money missing, Betsy again threatens to reveal that Jimmy is also guilty of taking a bribe. Jimmy replies that if she does that, she will be guilty of a crime in addition to her husband, and their children will have both parents in prison rather than one. The Kettlemans relent and return to HHM to accept the plea deal with a grateful Kim, while a frustrated Jimmy returns to his prospective office space to release his anger.

Production

This was the second episode written by supervising producer Gennifer Hutchison for the series. It was directed by Larysa Kondracki.

Reception

Upon airing, the episode received 2.67 million American viewers, and an 18-49 rating of 1.3.

The episode received generally positive reception from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 reviews, it received a 90% approval rating with an average score of 7.5 out of 10. The site's consensus reads, "A more low-key episode than the heart-wrenching one that came before, "Bingo" feels like a turning point in Jimmy's ongoing quest to be a better person. IGN gave the episode a 8.8 rating. The Telegraph rated the episode 4 out of 5 stars.