Better Call Saul “Cobbler”

So, there’s a bit to this episode where Jimmy, to get a client out of trouble, basically says the guy sits on cakes to offer thrills, so to speak, to paying clients.  Oddly enough, this is not the first time I’ve seen something like that on television, even if there’s no footage of Jimmy’s client doing so.

Granted, the other time was with a character played by a pre-Oscar Brie Larson on Showtime’s The United States of Tara, and while sitting on pretty much anything isn’t my thing, I think if I had a choice between Captain Marvel and Colin Robinson, I know who I would rather see sit on a pie.

Now, if you got this far, well, welcome to the third paragraph.  Otherwise, why would Jimmy even be discussing this sort of thing?  To put it short, pathetic wannabe drug dealer Pryce thinks the cops are legitimately out searching for his lost baseball cards, and that involves a trip to the courthouse where Mike happens to be on gate duty.

Now, pretty much anything involving Pryce is rather amusing given A) I know the actor from What We Do in the Shadows and I can pretend it’s the same character on both shows, and B) it’s a funny plotline.  The various shows Vince Gilligan brought to life in this sort of universe generally do a good job of balancing humor with tension, so he’s a welcome presence as far as that goes.

He’s also not what I really want to focus on here as instead, the episode highlights more why Mike is awesome and why Jimmy might be in some trouble in the near future.

For Mike, it just means he knows how to nonviolently track down Nacho at his place of (legitimate) employment and cut a deal to return the baseball cards for the gaudy Hummer.  Mike has his resources, and while he is capable of violence, he prefers not to use those methods.  Violence is a last resort when its necessary at all.

Now, the threat of violence is a different story, and Mike doesn’t even say he’ll be the one committing the violence.  Mike’s that smart.

But why would Mike help a dork like Pryce out at all?  That’s simple:  Pryce could get Mike in more trouble.  Mike walked away from Pryce without any real concerns, but he does value his own freedom.  It’s something of a wonder Pryce didn’t get caught sooner.

But then there’s the Jimmy  angle.  Jimmy gets a call from Mike to represent Pryce.  Mike needs a lawyer with some moral flexibility, and Jimmy does successfully get Pryce out of trouble.  He just needs Pryce to make a tape afterwards just in case.

Now, here’s where it gets a little interesting.  Chuck learns of Jimmy’s new job and does come down to a meeting to clearly mess with his brother’s head.  Why?  Chuck may be right about Jimmy’s morally lackadaisical attitude, but that doesn’t make Chuck any less of a dick.  He seems to want Jimmy to fail.  I expect that from Chuck.  What I don’t expect is Kim’s response to Jimmy’s story.  She’s fine with how Jimmy got Pryce out of trouble until the very moment he had his client falsify evidence.  Kim had no problem running a scam in the season premier.  She had no issues with scamming the stockbroker.  She had no issues with Jimmy’s spinning a tall tale to get Pryce off the hook.  She did have a problem with Jimmy’s violation of ethics in this one area, and she asks him not to tell her that sort of thing again.

So, Kim has some limits.  Chuck is still a dick.  Jimmy is just this side of a criminal.  And Mike is still really good at what he does.  Good to know.