Groundfloor of Bingo, Baby, Bingo!
Bingo, Baby, Bingo!
Created by: Gideon Devin Rex
Synopsis: The show is titled “Bingo Mafia” and is a dark comedy about a group of grandmothers who run a mafia-like organization out of a Bingo hall in Willis, TX. The granny mafia mainly traffics stolen art, tools, and electronics. They also protect vendors at the robust local flea market. The overall story is about the relationships between Joyce, Aaron, and Lila after Lila starts to suspect that Joyce may be a criminal.
Main Characters:
Joyce Hawthorne, white female, known as the “Godmother,” is 78. She is a widow. She is 4’9” and about 160 pounds. Somewhat chubby but very strong. She is polite, but firm in speaking. She doesn’t tolerate tomfoolery. She raised her Grandson, Aaron, from birth after his parents died in a car accident. She inherited the mafia family started by her mother in the 1920s, during prohibition. She is known in the community as a gentle philanthropist who has the best garden in her neighborhood. She lives in a nice, but modest home. She drives a 1964 MG MGB which always reminds her of her faithful husband Bert. Secretly, she rules the Bingo mafia with an iron fist and crushes her competition.
Aaron Douglas, white male, 25- grandson of Joyce. He is clueless about the bingo mafia and would never believe his granny could be capable of running a criminal empire. He has just graduated college with a degree in marketing and is moving into a rented house with his girlfriend Lila Arreaz. They met in their junior year in college, out of state. He is a very polite person but a bit goofy and clumsy. He is beginning his career as a salesman for an insurance company. He is tall 6’1 and mildly handsome, somewhat athletic but not “built.” He has good moral values, but is not obviously religious.
Lila Arreaz, Spanish female, 25- recently graduated from college with a degree in engineering. She is excited to start her life with Aaron. She is about 5’4” and is 150 pounds and carries it well. She speaks English, Spanish, Latin, and German. She comes from a family with a strong Catholic faith. She is not an Atheist, but she has doubts about Catholicism. She is intrepid and diligent. She suspects that Joyce is a criminal after overhearing Joyce threaten someone for not paying their Bingo dues. Aaron just laughs it off and thinks she must be mistaken. Lila delicately pursues evidence against Joyce, but that is difficult as she is also beginning her career at a local tech company that designs robots for residential use.
Supporting Characters
Seraphina Thorne-mixed ethnicity, female, 26, She is 5’8, very pretty. Thin, but curvy. She is a year older than Aaron and dated him in high school. He doesn’t know why she broke up with him, but the truth is that Joyce forced her to break up with him because she knew Seraphina cheated on him and she was a “bad apple.” Seraphina comes from a somewhat loving, but dysfunctional “wrong side of the tracks” type family. She isn’t bad per se, but she will do what it takes to make something of herself. She just found out Aaron has moved back to Willis with a new girlfriend. She has feelings of jealousy. She occasionally flirts with Aaron, but he doesn’t bite. She does her best to steer clear of Joyce. She is fully aware of Joyce’s position as “The Godmother.”
Doris, 80, Asian, female who could rig a pipe bomb with a smile. She is jovial and known for her always pleasant demeanor, even when punching someone’s face. She is Joyce’s lifelong friend and confidant, always by her side, except for when she flew transport planes for a couple years during the Vietnam War. She is the main advisor to Joyce and treasurer for the Bingo Mafia. She has seven kids from three different fathers. She has a wanderer’s spirit.
Gladys, 76, white, female, is one of three capos, whose laptop looked older than she was but could hack any bank’s firewall; and serves as the group’s main enforcer. She is the meanest of them. Nobody like here, except for Joyce. She saved Joyce’s life many times over the years. She has no kids of her own, just a variety of exotic pets.
Betty, 95, white, female, the oldest capo, whose fake wigs and eyelashes people politely pretend are real. She was Joyce’s mom’s youngest sister. Her three kids live all over the world. She lives with her husband Marty in a small condo. They are still very vibrant and loving people.
Gisela (Geese) Jones- 57, black, female, known as the baby of the core group. She is a junior capo and a very matter-of-fact person. She joined the Bingo mafia five years ago and moved up quickly. She is ambitious. She has two kids about to graduate college and she believes she will eventually succeed Joyce as “The Godmother.” Will eventually be a main character.
Jonas Patel, 26, Indian, male, is Aaron’s best friend from high school, who is now the gym teacher and football coach at the local high school. He has two young kids with his wife Emma, who is an English teacher at the same high school. He is 5’5” and 130 pounds, Friendly looking.
Emma Patel, 24, white, female, is Jonas’ wife. She is an excellent mother and English teacher. She is 5’1 and 120 pounds, and cute.
Stephanie (Steph) Miller, black, female, 25 she is Lila’s best friend from college and is kind of a third-wheel in Aaron and Lila’s relationship. Much to Aarons’ annoyance, she is also moving to Willis, Tx to stay close to Lila. She is unemployed, but has “daddy’s money.” She is an extreme extrovert with an obnoxious personality. It is a universal mystery how she is friends with a relatively conservative Lila. She is average height, weight, and nerdy, but not ugly.
Gordon (Big Mac) Douglas, black, male, 35, A scary looking and imposing body, but jolly and intelligent person. He is the bouncer for the Bingo Hall. He makes sure clients don’t get too crazy. Joyce would definitely date him, if she were fifty years younger. He was an amazing college athlete, but life took some turns for him. He was falsely convicted of a crime after college and spent four years in prison. He is just now getting his life together.
Pilot Episode Plot: The first episode focuses on introducing the main and supporting characters to the audience. Aaron and Lila have graduated college and rent a house in Willis, TX to start their life and respective careers together. He calls his buddy Jonas on the way to let him know it is officially happening and they will hang out this weekend. They hadn’t seen each other in several years. His grandmother Joyce is waiting for them at the new place as they arrive for the first time. Aaron and Lila were not expecting that. Joyce hugs Aaron and shakes Lila’s hand. She informs them that she will be happy to pay for whatever furniture or cooking supplies they need, knowing that Lila is a terrible cook. At the Bingo Hall, the bingo mafia gathers and waits for Joyce’s arrival. They talk about recent collections and talk trash about the new bingo announcer they hired at their Bingo hall that is called “Bingo, Baby, Bingo!” or “Triple-B” to the regulars. Joyce arrives as the first bingo session starts for the night and there is a full crowd. She makes her way to the meeting room and she informs the group her grandson and his girlfriend have officially moved back to the area. Everyone is excited, except for Joyce. Their main topic of discussion for the night is an issue with a new vendor at the flea market that is undercutting prices of the regular vendors. They make a plan to send Gese over to handle it. Aaron and Lila drive around looking for food and decide to pick up a pizza, then drive back home. The only furniture they have is a couch and a bed. They just want to eat and have a romantic night. Unknown to them all, Seraphina lives in a house across the street and saw them arrive earlier in the day, but said nothing. When she saw them pull up after getting pizza, she went outside in a miniskirt and stared at them while pretending to get into her car, and flaunting her curves. Aaron didn’t notice, but Lila asks if he knows her. He has no clue. Then Steph shows up uninvited and crying. They reluctantly ask her to spend the night there with them. The episode ends at Joyce’s house. Her and Doris are having a nightcap of whiskey and biscuits. They discuss in detail the issue Joyce has with Aaron’s girlfriend. She suspects, wrongly, that the girlfriend will hurt him the same way Seraphina did many years ago.
