Better Call Saul episode 7 Bingo

Jimmy and Mike wait on a bench inside the deserted courthouse.  The Philly detectives arrive and Jimmy hands over the stolen notebook.  Jimmy is upset at the two men for threatening Mr. Erhemtrout with multiple phone calls demanding its return. Jimmy explains that they found it in the parking lot and immediately called the detectives to return it. The younger detective tells Mike he needs to speak to his daughter-in-law about his case. He hopes, “That what you are, didn’t rub off on them.” Mike asks Jimmy to leave. Jimmy warns him not to talk to them without him, but exits.

The older detective sits down and talks with Mike as a friend. He apologizes for the attitude of his younger colleague, “He’s young, wants to make his mark.” He relates that once they talk to his daughter-in-law, they’ll leave New Mexico. He elaborates that most in the department thought Hoffman and Fensky “had it coming.”  The older man adds, “The kid’s gotta learn, there are some rocks you don’t turn over.”

Jimmy has waited for Mike to emerge from the courthouse.  Jimmy is eager to learn what Mike told them. “Those two Philly cheesesteaks want to lock you up and put me right beside you!”  Mike tells Jimmy that his services are no longer required. Jimmy is upset to this end to their relationship.

Chuck is outside, counting to himself.  Jimmy enters bringing groceries.  He is shocked to find Chuck outside.  Chuck explains that he is working to build up his tolerance to electromagnetic fields.  Chuck says, “I want to get better, I need to get back to work, I need to feel useful again.”  Jimmy brings in some case files that he has no room for at his nail salon.  He brings in several boxes.  As he leaves, Chuck begins snooping around the boxes. (Is this Jimmy’s plan to get Chuck to focus on work again?)

Jimmy meets Kim to look at a beautiful office for lease.  He explains that he needs a new place with room to grow.  He leads her to the various offices, then shows her the corner office and indicates that it could be her office.  Kim is flattered but explains she owes Howard, literally, for putting her through law school.  She feels she’s a few years away from making partner.  The opportunity that Jimmy is offering her is just too risky.

Kim meets with the Kettlemans in Howard’s fancy conference room.  Kim says the D.A. has overwhelming evidence and it would be a bad idea to go to trial.  She explains the best thing she can do for Craig is have him accept a deal with about a year and a half of prison.  The deal would require the embezzled money be returned. Betsy is not taking this advice well.  She says, “There is no money, there never was!”  Betsy decides to fire Kim and they leave the law office with Kim and Howard pleading with them to return.  Betsy commands Craig, “Don’t look back!”

It’s Bingo day at the nursing home, sponsored by everyone’s favorite elder law attorney. (The Bingo cards read, “Need a will, Call McGill”) As a woman wins and tells Jimmy about her cats, Jimmy’s cell phone rings.

Jimmy meets the Kettlemans at the diner.  Betsy explains they parted ways because they “disagreed on their defense strategy.”  Betsy is upset Kim treated them like they were “guilty.”  She reminds Jimmy that he promised to represent them in the woods and even accepted a “retainer.”

Jimmy is at a rare loss for words and excuses himself to the bathroom.  He calls Kim to explain, “Ned and Maude Flanders are starring in the 25^th  hour! Mrs. Cuckoo Bananas said you treated them like they were guilty!” ( The 25^th hour is a 2003 movie starring Ed Norton about his last hours before going to prison. I had assumed the show was set more in the late-nineties?) Kim responds that he must convince the Kettlemans to return to her law firm, because it’s the best deal their going to get.

Jimmy returns to the table and urges them to return to Kim’s counsel.  Betsy firmly states that they were “incompatible.”  Jimmy grows impatient, “It’s time to parachute down from Cloud Cuckoo Land and apologize.” Betsy ponders this and says, “If there were any money, we would have to return ALL OF IT!” (Including the money they paid Jimmy.)

At the offices of HHM, Howard tells Jimmy that Kim’s office has been moved to the “cornfield.” (Jimmy’s term.) Jimmy chides Howard for punishing Kim.  Howard leads him to a room filled with Kettlemans’ files.  Jimmy asks for help but receives nothing but a large dolly to move the boxes with.  As he exits the elevator to the garage, a dramatically lighted Kim is waiting for him. “That prick is firing you?” Kim shoots back, “You had to take their case?” Jimmy had no choice, but tries to be confident saying, “There’s got to be a way!” Kim scoffs, Craig Kettleman apparently issued checks to himself made out to “cash.”  Kim advises him the only way to win is if they return the money.

Jimmy works hard in his closet office.  He searches his books for terms like “embezzlement.” He looks up to the opening in the ceiling where he had stashed his cash. Sighing, he removes it.

Mike is behind a gate spying on the Kettlemans. He removes a stack of money and sprays it with a substance, and places it on the kid’s remote control truck.  Mike moves back behind the gate and waits.  Craig eventually comes outside and finds the money in the truck.  We observe the ensuing fight wordlessly through the big windows.  Mike watches passively while listening to a ballgame on the radio.

Once the house is dark, Mike climbs the stairs and breaks in though a sliding glass door.  Using a black light, he follows the illuminated fingerprints made by their handling of the decoy cash.  He finds the money behind a false cabinet under a sink.

Mike returns to Jimmy’s office with a duffle bag full of cash.  Jimmy adds some money too the stack. “What are you doing?” Mike wonders.  Jimmy sighs, “The right thing.” (He uses air quotes to illustrate.)  Mike states that they are now square in terms of their exchange of services.

Jimmy pays a visit to the Kettleman’s.  He implores them to take the deal.  Betsy again says, “No deal.”  Jimmy asks them to check on the money they supposedly didn’t steal, under the bathroom sink.  They do, shouting and screaming ensues as they realize the cash is gone. “I’m going to call the police and have you arrested!” (People actually do stupid things like this!) Jimmy repeats, they need to go back to Kim.  Betsy warns Jimmy about the bribe he accepted.  He tells her that implicates HER, which means that she too could go to prison and “would probably wind up running her own gang!”  Craig breaks down and reasons with her, he has to accept the blame “for the kids.”  Jimmy deadpans, “I’ve got nothing to lose, you should see my office!”

Kim travels down the elevator to meet Jimmy who has driven the Kettlemans to her office. As the three of them make their way to the elevator, Kim mouths, “Thank you.”

Jimmy makes a last visit to the office space he can no longer afford.  He looks longingly at the view of what could have been Kim’s office.  He closes the door, and gives it a good kicking.  Tired and defeated, he sits down on the floor.  The phone buzzes and he forces his English accent, “Law office of James McGill, how may I help you?”

There are only three episodes left this season!  What’s been most surprising about the show so far is the sad humanity of Jimmy.  He definitely has many more layers then we saw on Breaking Bad.  This series will be a strange pararell to the descent of Jimmy into Saul, just as we saw Walter White’s metamorphosis into Heisenberg.  At least we know that Saul will not die at the end of the series!