That's what that meant! (Finally getting a punchline from a Season 1 episode)

[brightknightie]

Oh, wow. I just today got a joke in FK that I've been missing all these many years. One very specific joke. From the tag of s01e11 "The Hunters." You probably understood this joke the first time you saw the episode! But I don't have the most keen social insight. All this time, I've vaguely wondered what was up with that exchange; did one of the actors blow a line, or was it just written a little awkwardly? No, no, it was entirely me not getting the joke:

NICK: All I'm saying is that Anderson was right. There's more to being a good cop than picking up dead bodies. And you're a good cop.

SCHANKE: Is this a compliment? I'll try not to get a swelled head.

NICK: You want me to tell you the truth?

SCHANKE: Yeah. Yeah, I want the truth.

NICK: You lost that battle a long time ago, Doughnut.

I take some comfort in that Schanke perhaps doesn't immediately get the joke, either. He looks confused!

The joke is that "the battle" Schanke lost "a long time ago" is to "not get a swelled head." It has nothing to do with being "a good cop," which is what Schanke was fishing for. After giving Schanke several paragraphs of unusually supportive reassurance after the episode's traumatic events, Nick pivots to making fun of Schanke in their more usual dynamic.

Facepalm. How could I have never grasped this before? But I do now, and it's lovely. First-season FK. Seriously. So good! Always. :-D