Definitely wonder how long it tAkes for somEone to notice weirD thingS lIke that, they Can't All be intentional My friend.

I honestly wasn't sure if anyone was going to catch that.

After the powerhouse return of Tuco in the previous episode, I was very much looking forward to this one because I knew it would be the litmus test for the series to stand on it's on. The series can't rely or expect to have familiar characters from Breaking Bad popping up to sustain it. BCS definitely needs to find it's own voice and I think they did just that tonight. This episode pretty much reaffirmed that Saul can carry this show on it's own and be very entertaining while doing it. Loved the "interrogation" scene with him and Nacho. Loved the scene with Saul basically doing detective work himself, which did a lot to prove that he is a smart and capable lawyer that knows his way around both sides of the law. Of course my favorite scene was Mike and Saul, but not for the reason you'd expect it to be. Sure, it was funny to see Mike throw him to the ground, but I liked seeing that moment where Mike chose to believe Saul's story about the self-kidnapping scenario. Once Mike refused to press charges, you immediately see whatever "bond" you think they have in Breaking Bad form right then and there and I like being able to tie both series together for this small, but crucial interplay between the two. What makes it even more fascinating is that this little moment basically sealed their fate as you know what eventually happens. Had Mike pressed charges, in all likelihood, the events of BB would have been much different as both characters would have gone their separate ways.

FYI, I gotta stop calling him 'Saul' since he is not technically Saul yet. Ack! Jimmy it is......

After the first two episodes, I have been waiting for the inevitable drop. Not that I don't think the writers and Vince Gilligan have what it takes to sustain this. They are after-all the same team that gave us Breaking Bad. But with this show, I've been worried that the magic would run out pretty quickly. But here's the thing, after last weeks episode and tonight's as well, I am more than confident that this show can go for at least 5 seasons and not have to rely on any Breaking Bad connections. The character of Jimmy/Saul is so strong that any connection to Breaking Bad now is kind of a moot point. If this show was a new series right out of the box with no connections, it would still be one of my favorite shows on air right now. It's just a bonus that it's taking place in the BB Universe. Loved the Con job at the beginning which gave us more insight into who Jimmy was/is. By the time we get to the end, I absolutely knew that the whole thing with the Billboard Guy falling over was another Con job to bolster his image with potential customers. It was great. I'm really liking Kim (Rhea Seehorn). She got a little more screen time with Jimmy. They have great chemistry together and I see this turning into a romance. But given that we never hear about her in Breaking Bad, it's going to be a tragic love story is my guess. Hey, maybe the writers take it somewhere else. WitPro? Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself here.....Also great is that I'm starting to dig Chuck McGill's story line as well. Really curious to see where they take him from here.

Epic doesn't even begin to do this Mike-heavy episode justice. THIS is the episode I was hoping for the moment I heard that they were going through with making Better Call Saul and it was certainly all I could think about this past week, hoping Vince Gilligan was going to deliver. Boy, did he ever. We finally learn the biggest moment in Mike's past that basically changed the course of his life would and of course lead to his downfall in Breaking Bad. Yes, we learn that he was already a dirty cop back in Philly, but it's learning about his son, who was also a Cop and the one shining light in Mike's otherwise tainted world. As soon as his son was killed by other dirty cops, his own partner, was there ever any doubt what would come next? Retaliation is the only thing that we wanted, and we get just that. We also learn about who the Woman is, who tuns out to be his daughter-in-law. This was everything I had hoped for and it does alter your perception of the man that it will change your view of him the next time you are watching BB.  How Mike-heavy was this? Jimmy/Saul was basically reduced to a cameo appearance on his own show and it was certainly awesome. Amazing performance by Jonathan Banks. Get this man a f*cking Emmy already! Love, love, love this episode and this series.

One of the biggest mysteries about Jimmy/Saul was whether he was ever a "legitimate" lawyer. Well, it's safe to say we finally get our answer in the exceptional Bingo episode. We already know that Jimmy is a good lawyer, but did he ever get the chance to show the rest of the world just how good he is? He checks out floor space for his new Office with a view to kill for and he is going big now that his Elderly Law practice is taking off. But that's as far as he gets before his house of cards comes tumbling down. I looked at this tragic outcome of his akin to that of a Baseball player in the minors getting called up to the Big Leagues and before he can even dress for opening day, he gets cut from the team, never to return and having to slum it for the rest of his career in AAA. Very sad.

What's really tragic is that by Jimmy "doing the right thing" in returning his "retainers fee" that the Kettleman's gave him, is that he gets punish for it because it ends his dream of the big leagues and  it set in motion for his own downfall. This was a fascinating episode to watch, especially the implication of his good deed. Had Jimmy kept the money (which would have been the one "bad" thing), he would have gotten his office space and had a legitimate practice where he could do some really good things for the rest of his life. But choosing to do the good thing in turning over the money, it forces him into eventual survival mode where all he will end up doing are bad things in as seen in Breaking Bad. It's a great Catch-22 moment. Loved it. I also loved that at the beginning of the episode, Mike terminates Jimmy as his lawyer and they go their separate ways. We don't have to wait long before we see how their "partnership" truly begins.

Seeing Mike surveilling the Kettleman's to find the stolen money at the behest of Jimmy to pay off his debt was great. We finally get to see Mike doing his 'Fixer' thing that he does so well and we see just how good at it he really is. This goes to show that Mike and Jimmy are in fact two peas in a pod in spite of them being at odds with each other all the time. The Kettleman story-line has been great so far, but I think this is the last we will be seeing them given how it ended with them returning to the 'Big' Law Firm. I'm really digging the scenes between Jimmy and Kim. Rhea Seehorn is great in the role and it's clear that she and Bob have great chemistry together, which gives their understated attraction to each other more sizzle. Better Call Saul is the best TV Series on the air right now. If you guys aren't watching this, you are depriving yourself a remarkable show.

We got two great stories in this episode. One was of course Jimmy's and the other was Mike's. I was actually leaning toward Mike's as being the "better" of the two. That is until the final 5 minutes where Jimmy confronts Chuck and finally gets the bottom of why Howard Hamlin wants nothing to do with him. For the entire season, we are led to believe that there is a deep animosity between Hamiin and Jimmy and our reaction to it is wanting to know what exactly did Jimmy do to p*ss him off. Well, the big reveal is that we find out that Chuck has been the one behind keeping Jimmy "in his place" the entire time because he doesn't view him as a 'real lawyer'. This is some messed up Cain and Abel betrayal here and I can now see this as being the straw that finally breaks Jimmy's back and sends him on his way to becoming Saul. Another masterful performance by Bob Odenkirk.

As for Mike's story, it had all the hallmark signs of vintage Breaking Bad. Loved the scene between Mike and the 'Guy with too many guns'. It was fantastic to see Steven Ogg in the role and as much as this scene was to build up the Mike character, it was Ogg that steals the scene. For those that aren't familire with Ogg, he plays Trevor (likeness and voice acting) in GTA V. Nice to see that Nacho is back and hopefully they are setting up something big for the Season Finale. Totally got a kick out of Mike schooling the Nerdy Drug dealer about how and what to do should he pursue this line of work.