What I’m Watching: Vegas

Vegas: Season 1, Episode 11 “Paiutes” (B+)

I’m never fully for the idea of a flashback structure for an episode whose story doesn’t particularly demand it, and the frequent quick shots of Ralph being knocked out and transported to an open grave only served as false positives to heighten the sense of danger that was yet to come in this otherwise quite well-constructed episode. The most recognizable guest star of the hour was RJ Mitte, best known as Walter Jr. on “Breaking Bad,” whose criminally-influenced younger brother turned out not to be crucial to the plot as multiple threads intertwined to connect Jack’s undercover work with Ralph’s near-death experience. I love that Mia and Jack are now a certifiable couple, having flirtatious pillow talk in the morning after spending the night together and coming to each other for help. Let’s just hope that Johnny doesn’t find out about their relationship, since his fury over Vincent’s creative solution to their predicament got his blood pumping and set him on edge already. It’s good to know that, while he’s still a villain, Vincent does have better moral intentions than Johnny, and hopefully Laura’s work with Katherine will result only in the conviction of Johnny rather than Vincent. Going to D.A. Reynolds was a bad idea since he’s in Vincent’s pocket, and I can only hope that Laura doesn’t find her life endangered because of it. The mostly serious events of the episode were complemented nicely by the opening scene with Bobby Stephenson, of “Jericho” fame, coming into the sheriff’s station guns hot to teach Dixon a lesson about sleeping with his wife.