By no means the funniest or the most fascinating episode, "Bingo," the newest installment of AMC's Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul, nevertheless transpires into its most entertaining yet heartbreaking hour to date. Mixing pathos both high and low, this seventh episode may very well be the freshman's series best episode to date.

As last week's powerful Mike (Jonathan Banks)-centric "Five-O", "Bingo" brings our attention back to the titular Saul, a.k.a. Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk). Trying to do both the right thing and also get his own business off the ground through elder law, Jimmy finds time both to help Mike through his sticky Philly situation, seen in the last episode, while also hosting Bingo games at the local nursing home, where cards plaster his face and his contact information.

He even has his own fancy new office in the works, which he shows to his lawyer gal pal Kim (Rhea Seehorn). He does this in hopes she'll join him on his side, as she did say she had an interest in elder law. Of course, she's too much indebted to Jimmy's competition law firm HHM to give her services to our main character's business. She does find herself at Jimmy's disposal, however, when Warren and Jo Jo Kettleman (Caleb Burgess and Sage Bell, respectively), the Christian criminals from the third episode, make their Better Call Saul return. When HHM refuses to get them out completely scot-free, they sneak their way back into Jimmy's arms in hopes he'll get them out of the papers for good. He knows he can't help them more than Kim could. He also has his hands tied, though, as he took their bribe in hopes he could help with his other client.

These slippery slopes all are what make Better Call Saul a tale of lost opportunities instead of promising returns, but anyone who has seen Breaking Bad knows this going in. The proof is in the pudding the fans already gobbled up. Instead, this remorseful if still steadfast series sets to study what made Jimmy become Saul. The line of moral ambiguity transfers, but the danger and excitement is not as present. This is a more somber, reflective story.

What makes "Bingo" so good is, much like "Five-O," it shows Better Call Saul coming to terms with how to play with the moment. In this 2006 year, we can reflect on what has become of these returning characters through who they were and how we see them change. The ominous possibilities of this are detracted through flashy camera tricks and the quick editing show creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould love so very much. As we see Jimmy weigh with the idea of actually doing the right thing, thinking about his actions instead of speedily talking his way out to the end zone, we get to finally see the growth and weight to his performance which the show has mostly just promised the fans thus far.

Odenkirk continues to do great work here, and the layers he brings to this once amusing if fairly one-note character gets better with each new episode. The best part of "Bingo" is how it plays with the use of space. Director Larysa Kondracki—the filmmaker behind 2010's The Whistleblower and a newbie to the Breaking Bad world—and cinematographer Arthur Albert makes great use of empty landscapes to display the sense of emptiness and discerning melancholy Jimmy feels throughout this episode.

Additionally, shadows in conjunction with harsh light plays well into the piercing suspense of a tense moment. It makes the emotions most resonate and gives the visual weight known to be found in Breaking Bad's best scenes. Also fantastic is "Bingo"'s opening scene, which is so thoroughly written and well set-up by longtime Bad scribe Gennifer Hutchinson that it almost feels like a short film or a mini-play. The latter especially so as its three-minute uninterrupted, distant long shot shows Banks and co-star Barry Shabaka Henry as Detective Sanders do their magic.

Better Call Saul was never lost, but "Bingo" and "Five-O" prove its truly growing a sense of itself as it comes along in its season. The characters are now officially reestablished, the settings are now familiar and the intentions are clear. Now its time for this Breaking Bad child to truly become exceptional.

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