Recap / Better Call Saul S 2 E 2 Cobbler

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Season 2, Episode 2:

Cobbler

Written by Gennifer Huchinson

Directed by Terry McDonough

Air date: February 22nd, 2016

"Simple Simon the Ass Man? Dutch Apple Ass? Guys, am I not speaking English here?"

"Are you still morally flexible? If so, I might have a job for you."

— Mike Ehrmantraut

Chuck is playing the piano when Howard arrives with his grocery delivery. When Howard informs Chuck of Jimmy's new job at Davis & Main, he is seemingly pleased with the news but starts fuming after Howard leaves.

After a meeting at HHM with Davis & Main, Jimmy and Kim share a cigarette in the parking lot as they discuss the perks of his new job, one of which is a company car that Jimmy goes to collect. He officially leaves his old office at the nail studio and watches as his old car is towed off before getting into his brand new Mercedes company car.

Daniel coincidentally meets Mike at the gate of the police parking lot since he has been called in to answer some questions about his stolen baseball cards. Mike informs him that he is actually under suspicion and orders him to drive back home again, promising to get the cards back for him instead.

Mike goes to the car repair shop owned by Nacho's father to talk Nacho into giving Daniel's baseball cards back. Nacho first refuses but agrees when Mike mentions that Tuco Salamanca doesn't know about the business that Nacho has been doing behind his desk. At the transfer, Daniel hands over his conspicuous Hummer in exchange for the cards and $10,000 in cash.

At HHM, Chuck shows up in the middle of a meeting and wants to talk to Jimmy after it. Jimmy however is still deeply hurt by his betrayal and not thrilled to talk to his brother. He is however saved by Mike calling him to say that he has a job for him.

Jimmy accompanies Daniel to talk to the police about his stolen cards. Daniel tells them that he managed to track down the cards and wants to drop charges but because he is clearly nervous, Jimmy sends him out. Jimmy tells the officers that he knows that they found the space behind Daniel's couch and assures them that it has nothing to do with any criminal business. Instead, he claims that Daniel used it to hide some private video tapes of him doing a "Squat Cobbler" – sensually sitting in a pie while crying. The officers seem perplexed but ask no further. As Jimmy and Daniel leave, Jimmy tells Daniel that they have a video to shoot.

Jimmy meets up with Kim, bringing leftover pies along and telling her about the story that he made up and the video that he shot. Kim does not react well to the latter, since it is fabricated evidence, and seriously asks Jimmy to never tell her about such things again. Jimmy, equally seriously, promises that he won't.

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Tropes

• Bad Vibrations: Mike's coffee cup ripples when Daniel approaches the parking booth in his massive Hummer.
• Blatant Lies: In regards to the hiding place where Daniel stashed his cash, Jimmy "explains" to the detectives that Daniel used it to hide special videos that he wants to keep private, of himself rubbing his ass on a pie while crying.
• Butt-Monkey: Oh, poor Daniel. His Hummer's now in Nacho's hands and on its way to the chop shop, and in order to get himself off the hook with the cops, he has to fabricate a video of himself rubbing his ass on a pie while crying.
• Call-Back: During the first drug deal between Nacho and Daniel, Mike told Daniel about how his research into Nacho before the meeting allowed him to feel comfortable not carrying a gun and being outnumbered, since he knew Nacho could not risk the deal turning violent for fear of Tuco finding out. Now, that research also allows him to force Nacho to give up the baseball cards, as he can threaten to let Tuco know that Nacho is starting to strike out on his own, which would result in Nacho getting buried somewhere out in the middle of the desert.
• Call-Forward:
  • As they're leaving the police station, Jimmy assures Daniel that "Everything's good! There's just one little hanging chad..." Which is very similar to a line he'll say when helping Jesse buy his house back from his parents.
    Saul: There's just one little hair in the soup... the price.
  • Another phrase that will appear in Breaking Bad is when Jimmy says "I'm gonna get down to brass tacks here," to the detectives, which he also says on his first meeting with Badger.
  • Kim gives Jimmy a new "World's Second Best Lawyer" thermos, which looks remarkably like his "World's Greatest Lawyer" mug in Breaking Bad.
  • While in the first HHM meeting, Jimmy is shown discreetly playing footsie with Kim underneath the table, just like Walt does to Skyler under similarly taboo circumstances.
• Cool Car: Jimmy ditches his old Suzuki Esteem and trades it in for a company Mercedes sedan.
• Cup Holders: Jimmy's new Mercedes has them. Problem is, the thermos he just received from Kim doesn't fit in them.
• Dramatic Irony: "Yeah, like I would make ["squat cobbler"] up..."
• Dramatically Missing the Point: When Kim's face falls on hearing about the faked video, Jimmy assures her that the pie they are eating was not used in the taping.
• The Dreaded: When strong-arming Nacho into returning Daniel's baseball cards, Mike reminds him that it's either that or crossing his fingers and hoping Tuco doesn't find out.
• Embarrassing Ringtone: Daniel's cell phone has a chiptune version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for its ringtone.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Mike has no problem threatening to inform Tuco of Nacho dealing drugs independently if Nacho doesn't give Daniel his baseball cards back, since Nacho going behind his boss's back was something he did knowing the potential risks. But he does draw the line at threatening Nacho's family, who are not involved in the criminal underworld and have nothing to do with anything Nacho does as a cartel enforcer.
• Everyone Has Standards: Kim may have enjoyed ripping off Ken Levine and spending a night with Jimmy, but she's utterly mortified when she learns about him fabricating evidence to get Daniel off, and further warns him to never share such illegal activities with her ever again. Also subverted in that this line in the sand doesn't last long for her.
• Foreshadowing: Jimmy's and Clifford's meeting with each other in the latter's office is on the surface polite yet awkward at the same time. It's obvious they're just not on the same wavelength with each other.
• Godzilla Threshold: Mike considers the situation with Daniel to be extremely serious and if Nacho does not fix it, Mike is prepared to call Tuco as a final resort.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Chuck pretends to be happy for Jimmy joining Davis & Main to Howard's face, but it's easy to see the resentment building up inside of him. The way he asks if it's a partner-track job is especially revealing. His envy becomes such that he can't even play the piano properly after Howard's gone.
• Humiliation Conga: As a result of not listening to Mike, Daniel has his house broken into. He's robbed of all the money he's made, his drug supply, and his prized baseball card collection. All he has left is his new Hummer, which he loves, and he has to trade that to Nacho in order to get his baseball cards back. To add insult to injury, Nacho mentions his plans to break up the Hummer for parts, because "it looks like a school bus for six-year-old pimps". Then, to avoid trouble with the cops, he has to make a fetish video of himself sitting in pie while crying.
• Insistent Terminology: Jimmy points out to the officers that Daniel's "squat cobbler" videos aren't pornography, they're fetish videos. Though this isn't so much Jimmy being nitpicky as the fact that the laws around producing actual pornography for money are a lot more stringent than those relating to fetish videos (which were practically nonexistent at the time the episode is set, and still fairly loose nowadays).
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Nacho initially is irate and confrontational with Mike when he suggests he give back Daniel's baseball cards, but very quickly goes along with his idea when he threatens to rat him out to Tuco.
• Mid-Life Crisis Car: Mike describes Daniel's Hummer as one when he confronts Nacho at his father's upholstery store.
• Not What It Looks Like: Inverted: if you thought in the previous episode that Daniel made up the baseball card theft to cover for his drugs being stolen, you'd be wrong.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Mike when he goes to Manuel Varga's shop under the pretense of wanting to get his seats re-upholstered. He asks Manuel if he works on cars (which is like walking into a Baskin-Robbins and asking they do ice cream), dismisses Manuel's recommendation to get a new car instead of wasting money upholstering such an old car, and then has to be talked out of getting it done in ultra-expensive alligator skin, which would clash horribly with the style of the car. The fact that Manuel doesn't even try to take advantage of him goes a long way in establishing him as a honest person with great integrity.
• Only Bad Guys Call Their Lawyers: Mike explains to Daniel why he shouldn't go in for police questioning.
  Daniel Wormald: Well, if you must know, I was robbed. Somebody broke into my house and stole my property.
  Mike Ehrmantraut: Your drugs.
  Daniel Wormald: Yeah, but obviously I didn't tell the cops that. I'm not stupid.
  Mike Ehrmantraut: You've already spoken to them?
  Daniel Wormald: A couple of them came by my house. But it's not the drugs that I care about. I mean, I care. It's my baseball cards I need back.
  Mike Ehrmantraut: Your baseball cards?
  Daniel Wormald:Yes. I have a very valuable collection of baseball cards, and someone stole them.
  Mike Ehrmantraut: I guess I shouldn't be surprised I have to tell you this. But it's probably a bad idea that you willingly talk to the police, being a criminal and all.
  Daniel Wormald: I'm not here as a criminal. I'm here as a crime victim. Just because I occasionally sell some pharmaceuticals, I no longer have a right to protection from crime? And I was very careful when I talked to them. I... they have no idea about my other business.
  Mike Ehrmantraut: If you already made your report, why are you here?
  Daniel Wormald: They called me. They have a few more questions. They are very dedicated to finding this thief.
  Mike Ehrmantraut: Since you're new to this, let me explain it to you. They've invited you on a fishing trip.
  Daniel Wormald: What's that? A fishing trip?
  Mike Ehrmantraut: Those cops have no interest in helping you get your cards back. You're obviously under suspicion.
  Daniel Wormald: There was nothing there for them to see.
  Mike Ehrmantraut: I refer you to our previous conversation and this BLINKING NEON SIGN of a vehicle that says "drug dealer." They suspect you. They will get you in there, pretend to be your friend, lull you into a false sense of security, and then they will sweat you. And you will break.
  Daniel Wormald: I don't... I... [chuckles] I disagree.
  Mike Ehrmantraut: Not open for debate. You go home now.
  Daniel Wormald: But I have an appointment.
  Mike Ehrmantraut: Break it. And if they call you, do not answer the phone.
• Perp Sweating: Mike discusses this with Daniel, telling him that the police have no interest in finding his baseball cards and are planning to interrogate him. He briefly walks him through the process, mentioned above.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Daniel shows up for police questioning, Mike can't resist the urge to chew him out for all the stupid mistakes he did, like buying the Hummer or even calling the cops in the first place.
• Refuge in Audacity: The "squat cobbler" story. See, if you're going to tell a lie, you tell a big one, one so weird it seems to absurd to be made up, and even that while the cops don't believe it, it's believable that Daniel would want to keep it secret, even with video evidence.
• Rule of Symbolism: Jimmy effortlessly fits his new "2nd Best Lawyer" cup, a gift from Kim, into the cupholder of his old Suzuki Esteem. He can't fit it into the cupholder of the company car provided to him by Davis & Main. As Jimmy soon learns, he doesn't "fit in" with the firm he's just joined.
• Shout-Out: Mike first notices Daniel's arrival when his coffee cup starts trembling.
• Skewed Priorities: Daniel is less upset about the fact that his hidden drugs have been stolen and that his house is in shambles, much less that he is in danger of being arrested, in lieu of freaking out over his baseball card collection. Mike lampshades just how stupid the man is when talking with Nacho.
• Stupid Crooks
  • Daniel still does not understand how stupid his actions were and how close he came to being arrested or killed. And that you can't really call the cops to investigate a crime against you while expecting them not to notice your own.
  • Jimmy is proud of himself getting the two detectives to believe his ridiculous story about the Squat Cobbler, and he seems not to understand how reckless he actually was. His actions could get him disbarred and sent to jail. He then brags to Kim about what he did, seemingly ignoring the fact that lawyers are ethically, morally, and legally obligated to report what he did. By keeping quiet she becomes complicit in his actions. We're starting to see Jimmy transform into Saul, but at this point, he does not yet fully have a grasp of how the Amoral Attorney thing is supposed to work.
• Suspicious Spending: Even after Mike, Nacho and Jimmy work their asses off to avoid getting Daniel in hot water, he's still indignant when Nacho voices his intention to sell and destroy the Hummer for parts, since he's smart enough not to drive around in "a school bus for six-year old pimps".
• The Villain Knows Where You Live: Anti-hero example when Mike shows up at Nacho's father's upholstery store to have an excuse to talk to Nacho in private. He does stress that he has no intention of threatening or harming Nacho's family to get his cooperation.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Kim rips into Jimmy for fabricating the Squat Cobbler videotapes to back up the lies he told the police. What he did was highly unethical and could end his career as a lawyer. In addition, by telling her what he did, he made her ethically complicit in his actions. If the truth comes out, she could be disbarred as well.
• Writers Cannot Do Math: Daniel's baseball card collection, just based off the handful of valuable cards he mentions having, is probably worth millions of dollars (the Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card in mint condition he specifically mentions is worth around a quarter-million by itself in 2002). Clearly, Daniel is meant to be portrayed as a middle-class individual, who has resorted to stealing drugs from his employer to make extra money, so him owning such an incredibly valuable collection of baseball cards doesn't make very much sense. Granted, it's mentioned that some of the cards were inherited from his father, which was why he called the police to get them back in the first place.

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