Welcome to the TV Recap series Better Recall Saul that chronicles the adventures of Better Call Saul and a young criminal lawyer as he cuts his teeth down in ABQ (and his Breaking Bad buddies might stop by to wish him luck). Feel free to join every Tuesday as the adventures unravel and the story behind one of the funniest and sleaziest lawyers in TV history begins to take form and remind us why he is such a great character in the first place. Is this spin-off meant for greatness, or is it the worst idea that AMC has ever done? You'll have to read on to find out the truth.
Season 2, Episode 2: "Cobbler"
"Are you still morally flexible?"
-Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks)
Plot:
With Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) back working in the offices, his brother Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) decides to visit him at work. Meanwhile, Jimmy is enjoying his relationship with Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), though she is apprehensive to his illegal behaviors. Meanwhile, Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) meets up with Daniel Warmlot (Chuck Proksh), who is collaborating with the cops to get his baseball cards back. Mike pulls a few strings to get the cards back, which includes selling Daniel's flamboyant car. However, the police are still curious about Daniel's case and invites him in for questioning. Daniel turns to Jimmy, who works his magic by suggesting that Daniel makes fetish videos (a lie) and was ashamed to admit it to the police. While it works, Jimmy discovers that Kim is upset by this decision and she asks him to keep his illegal affairs out of her knowing ears.
Rating: 4 out of 5
MVP:
Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks)
It's a tough call, as the episode is of two halves. There's the half with Jimmy saving the day in the best ways possible. Then there's the first half that reminds us why Mike was such an integral character on Breaking Bad. He does the heavy lifting, even helping Daniel retrieve his lost merchandise that he is too sentimentally attached to. Mike knows how to play the game and keep Daniel - arguably the most incompetent criminal in the ABQ universe - out of trouble. It also shows a certain loyalty that prevented him from merely letting Daniel walk into a fire on his own. Mike is a great guy if he's on your side, so treat him with some respect.
Best Scene
If there's one thing that is sometimes problematic for this show being a prequel, it's that we don't get a sense of how Jimmy turns into Saul Goodman. Then there are moments like the one in which Jimmy gets Daniel out of a tough corner. Using his wits, Jimmy comes up with the idea of the squat cobbler, which is a fetishistic form of sitting in a cobbler and dancing around. It's crass and bizarre. It's also Jimmy giving into the commitment of a lie in such a way that you see Odenkirk's performance evolve with every word. It's a comical one for sure, but his confidence sells it as more than a gimmick, and that manages to be enough to convince me that we're closer to Saul Goodman than ever before. The only question is if Kim is going to keep him from getting there any sooner.
Overall Thoughts
If nothing else, season two is starting to feel like it knows what it's doing better than season one. While there's occasional callbacks, they're more ingrained into the plot, and Odenkirk's performance is starting to evolve into something far more interesting. While I don't know that I care about sticking with Daniel much longer, the chemistry that he shares with Mike is very entertaining and easily the best part of this episode. Still, I think that maybe the Kim and Jimmy relationship is the big crux of the show right now, especially since there's allusions that maybe she is the thing that makes him officially break bad. It will be a sad day, especially with the way that the plot has evolved and made them more endearing. Still, season two has gotten off to a strong start and one can hope that it's only getting better.
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