Emperor of Ocean Park (2024) s01e01 Episode Script

1
[SERIOUS MUSIC PLAYS]
Mr. Judge?
Mr. Judge, I'm here!
Mr. Judge?
[TEA KETTLE WHISTLING]
[ANCHOR] So what are your thoughts
about the open border issue?
- What's the solution?
- [GUEST] Lock 'em all up.
If Sleepy Joe isn't gonna
do anything about it,
I, quite frankly, think
Americans should feel
the freedom to take matters
into their own hands.
Mr. Judge?
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS]
[CLATTERING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
[OLIVER] Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Is there nothing you can do?
I see.
Are you sure?
Mm-hmm.
I'm with Claire and the kids.
- That was Mallory.
- And?
And apparently there's some protesters
blocking the entrance.
A small to-do, he says.
Maybe we should pull over, Dad,
wait until they've cleared out?
- [OLIVER] Nonsense.
- [CLAIRE] Oliver.
I'm not running from a group of hippies.
We're gonna walk in there as planned
with our heads held high.
That's the way Garlands do it.
Sweetheart, let's think about this
As planned with our heads held high.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
[SIRENS WAILING]
[CROWD SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]
My body, my choice! My body, my choice!
- A small to-do, Mallory?
- Not too late to turn back.
Let's go.
[CROWD] Hey, hey, ho, ho!
Judge Garland has got to go!
Hey, hey, ho, ho!
Judge Garland has got to go!
Hey, hey, ho, ho!
Judge Garland has got to go!
- Dad!
- [PROTESTOR] Fascist!
- Dad!
- [PROTESTOR] Fascist!
Move!
[GRUNTING]
[BIG PUN'S "TWINZ"]
Fascist! Fascist!
[CROWD SHOUTING]
Ready for war, Joe ♪
How you wanna blow they spot? ♪
I know these dirty
cops that'll get us in ♪
If we murder some wop ♪
Hop in your Hummer ♪
The Punisher's ready ♪
Meet me at Vito's With Noodles ♪
We'll do this dude while
he's slurping spaghetti ♪
Everybody kiss the fuckin' floor ♪
Joey Crack, buck 'em all ♪
If they move, Noodles
shoot that fuckin' whore ♪
Dead in the middle Of Little Italy ♪
Little did we know that
we riddled two middlemen ♪
Who didn't do diddly ♪
It'll be a cold day in
hell the day I take an L ♪
Make no mistake, for real ♪
I wouldn't hesitate to kill ♪
[MIDTEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[PHONES RINGING]
Standby.
[RECEPTIONIST] Hi, Professor Garland.
You know Kimmer's not here, right?
Yeah, no, I'm actually
here to grab the
Emergency contact forms
for Bentley's school.
Shoot, I forgot. I can
grab them from her desk.
That's OK. I can go grab 'em.
Would you? I'm slammed.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[SCHOOL BELL RINGS]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
[SARA] Mariah!
Sara, hi.
Text me about that
raffle, OK? I want to help.
[SARA] Ah, you're the best.
[PRINCIPAL] I highly doubt
the board will approve
such a big purchase.
We need a new Smart Board vendor.
So for now, just
Give us a minute, please?
What can I do for you, Mariah?
You can tell me why my son
was forced to sit at another lunch table
while Aiden Corbat called him Jim Crow.
Oh, God, it that's horrible.
Maybe it's a misplaced
application of what
they've been learning.
They were doing a unit on civil rights.
Clearly the unit wasn't very effective.
Calling the Black kid Jim
Crow doesn't even make sense.
I promise you, he will
be punished accordingly.
I don't want a punishment.
I want expulsion.
I have four good kids
enrolled at this school,
plus I'm on the fundraising committee,
so I know that we are the top
givers three years running.
Donations don't buy
on-demand punishment.
Well, in this case, they will.
Or I go to the press.
And it won't be Channel 4
Action News at 11 or whatever.
It will be The Tribune or The Times.
I'm still Facebook friends
with half this nation's
top journalists.
Don't fuck with me, Tom.
I want that junior
Klansman out of my school.
[PHONE BUZZING]
Hey, Uncle Mal. To what do I owe
the pleasure of this call?
[MAL] Mariah, I'm sorry.
[KIMMER] Please leave
a detailed message.
[VOICEMAIL BEEPS]
Kimmer, I've been trying
to get you all morning.
We need to talk.
Hey, what's wrong with you?
You look like your puppy just died.
I was in Kimmer's office.
Found flowers someone sent her.
- Red roses.
- Shit.
That is unequivocally the
most romantic type of flowers.
Great observation, Dana.
[DANA] I mean, it's just confirmation
of what you already knew, right?
All the late night phone
calls and mysterious errands
and meetings and business trips.
Dressing nicer, working out.
Kimmer has always looked good.
Yeah, like, normal good.
But this isn't normal, man.
I mean, your wife's ass
is like a work of art now.
I'm sorry, but it is.
Look, I know the behavior
of a cheater when I see it.
[SCOFFS]
I just need to talk to Kimmer first.
[PHONE BUZZING, ALARM BLARING]
- [DANA] Is that her?
- [TAL] No, my sister.
Mariah, hey. I can't talk right now.
I'm gonna be late for class.
Wait, slow down. What?
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]
[DOOR OPENS]
You look
it fits great, honey.
One of the aides had an extra set.
You look like a bitch in that bow tie.
If I saw you on the
street, I'd fuck you up
just for wearing it.
He looks like Malcolm X.
Nah, Malcolm X was cool.
He looks like Tucker Carlson.
- I like Tucker Carlson.
- [ADDISON] Oh.
Oh, you like some stuck-up,
white, neo-con frat boy?
- Shocking.
- [MARIAH] Shut up.
What's Becky's name this week, Becky?
See, the operative
phrase is "this week,"
'cause next week is Lashonda,
Ming Li, or Mirabella.
I don't discriminate.
[MARIAH] You need to be more like Tal.
- What, and wear a bow tie?
- No, romantic, faithful.
Find a long-term,
committed relationship.
Tal ain't in no long-term,
committed relationship.
Tonya dumped his ass.
- Tonya dumped you?
- No! She didn't.
We're doing the long-distance thing.
[ADDISON] She bought a
one-way ticket to Tokyo, bruh.
She leased an apartment
and accepted a job there.
Read between the lines. It's over.
[SIGHS]
[DOOR OPENS]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]
All right.
Let's talk some numbers.
Fact is, the days of 99 to 1
confirmations are long gone.
But we've convinced about half
the Democrats to vote for you.
All the blue dogs love you
even if they won't admit it on camera.
[LAUGHTER]
So if half our friends are with us
on the other side of the aisle,
what does it mean for the count?
It means whichever way you cut it,
Oliver Garland will be the
next Supreme Court Justice
of the United States of America.
- [CLAYBOURN] Yeah! Yeah!
- [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Hey, you got that thing?
Can you sign this for me, Judge?
[BOTH LAUGH]
On second thought, make it out
to Senator Edelman.
- [LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE]
- Yeah!
[LAUGHTER DISTORTS AND ECHOES]
[CHUCKLES]
[HOST] Known for his
staggering intellect
and steadfast fairness while
on the Seventh Circuit Court,
it was his turn to far right politics
that brought Judge Oliver Garland
notoriety in later years.
Earning the nickname
Titan of the Tea Party,
Garland and his incendiary
rhetoric became a fixture
on talk radio and the speaking circuit.
Of course, what he will
be most remembered for
was his failed nomination
to the United States Supreme Court.
His controversial
connection to Jack Ziegler,
a former CIA operative
[DANA] That is about enough of that.
[NOTIFICATION CHIMES]
A bunch of the faculty
are already emailing,
talking about a school-wide
memorial for your dad.
- A bunch?
- Well, Theo at least.
Called him "one of our
most distinguished alums."
Yeah, I can't even think
about that right now.
Matter of fact, I need
to make some more calls.
[DANA] Of course.
You can let it out, man.
[STAMMERS] I think I'm just in shock.
Well, don't keep that shit
bottled up for too long.
It will eat you from the inside.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]
[EXHALES SHAKILY]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]
[HOWARD] Your mother and
I will meet you at the car.
Go, go. Go with Szuza.
How you holding up, champ?
You've had your nose in
that thing the whole ride.
[MARIAH] Look at this.
What am I looking at here?
My father's medical records.
Why do you have these?
He started sending them
to me five years ago.
Said it was easier than my
health-based interrogations.
At first I was hoping
to find some answers,
but look he was healthy.
Blood sugar, lipids, weight,
all down from where
they were five years ago.
OK.
What if it wasn't a heart attack?
What, like a stroke?
No, what if it was meant
to look like a heart attack
or a stroke or something natural,
but really, it wasn't natural at all?
Sorry, I
I really don't understand
what you're trying to say.
The judge had a lot of enemies.
I get it.
You want to make sense
of this whole thing.
When my old man died,
I wanted answers too.
Remember, I thought I could find them
by getting in touch with nature?
What's your point, Howard?
There's no easy answers.
Maybe there's no answers at all.
I don't know.
But the only thing I
know for certain is that
chasing down these
conspiracy theories
it's not gonna get you anywhere, babe.
Yeah?
No, that's my car.
Marshall, you go with Szuza.
- [PHONE RINGING]
- Marshall!
When you grow up and
make millions of dollars,
you get your own car, OK?
[RINGING CONTINUES]
Hello?
[JACK] Hello, Mariah.
This is Jack Ziegler.
Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.
Marc. Hi.
I was devastated to
hear about your dad, Tal.
My sincerest condolences, of course.
I mean, he was a force.
Thanks.
If there's anything
you or Kimmer need
I think we're good.
My family's waiting on me, so
How is Kimmer handling
all the federal appeals
court nomination rumors?
Fine, I suppose.
[MARC] Hope she's having
a better time than me.
My phone's been ringing off the hook.
Everyone suddenly wants my advice
since my name was mentioned.
Nobody gave a damn about my opinion
when everyone just thought
I was gonna be a professor
for the rest of my life, you know?
Look, I know this selection
process can be brutal,
but we've been colleagues
for a long time.
Kimmer I love Kimmer.
So all the usual
backbiting and mudslinging,
there's no need for it, is there?
It's in the president's hands now.
- It always has been.
- [MARC] Exactly.
So let's just keep it civil, yeah?
My dad just died. I gotta go.
Is Grandpa gonna be a ghost?
No, he won't be a ghost, buddy.
[BENTLEY] So he won't
haunt us? You sure?
I don't think so.
We're here!
Was he your grandpa too?
No. He was my daddy.
Oh. Was he a good daddy?
Hello? Anybody? We're here!
Hold on, hold on one second.
- Hey, Ben.
- [MARTIN] Bentley!
- Hey, buddy. Good to see you.
- [MARTIN] Come on!
Sorry for your loss.
Took you long enough.
Not all of us own a helicopter.
Honda's a little slower.
We live two hours away.
You live down the street. No excuses.
[HOWARD] I gotta go take this.
- Love you.
- [MARIAH] Love you.
Addison, hurry up!
We need to see Mal.
If we leave now, we can beat rush hour.
Dang, are we not allowed in the chopper,
or is there a minimum
income level required?
Shut up. This is serious.
I have a ton of shit to do.
I just want to get it over with.
Mal's squeezing us in
between depositions.
I will leave you!
[TAL] Why are we meeting with Mal?
'Cause he has Dad's will
and some instructions
about how he wanted his funeral.
We're going to a reading of the will?
No, they only do that
shit in movies, Tal.
He's just gonna hand it to us,
the assumption being
that we're literate.
Addy, hurry up! We need to go.
[ADDISON] Relax!
I'm here.
Oh, there he is.
There he is. [CHUCKLES]
Oh, you're looking good.
What, you working out?
Pickup basketball here and there.
OK. All right.
Tal, Bebe. Bebe, Tal.
Addison's date to his father's funeral,
because who doesn't
bring a date to a funeral?
No offense, Bebe. You're lovely.
None taken, Mariah.
Well, excuse me.
Y'all brought your significant others,
assuming Kimmer's on her way.
Business trip. She'll be here.
I'm only here for moral support.
And to lend a helping hand.
Speaking of which,
Bebe, uh, could you get
the formal place settings
from the basement?
And they will need to be washed by hand.
- Sure, of course.
- Thank you.
Glad to help.
Boys. [SNAPS] Let's go.
[MAL] Those funds can be
used to settle property taxes
and credit card debt, which is minimal
according to his last bank statement.
The remainder will be donated
to Abby's memorial
scholarship fund, of course.
What'd he leave us, though?
You didn't mention that yet.
The Shepard Street property to Mariah,
Martha's Vineyard summer home to Tal,
and Chicago Bears season
tickets to you, Addy.
[TAL] What'd you do
to piss the judge off?
Ah, whatever.
Soon as the Bears get
their QB situation together,
those tickets will be worth
more than both those houses.
[MAL CHUCKLES] Lord willing.
Go, Bears.
I gotta get back upstairs.
Sorry to rush, but I wanted to make sure
you had the info ASAP.
Wait, Uncle Mal, what
about, uh, an autopsy?
- [MAL] Come again?
- [MARIAH] Will there be one?
[MAL] Mariah, honey,
they only do autopsies
when there's suspicion of foul play.
Now, given the judge's age
and his battle with hypertension
You're right. It's fine.
Take care of yourselves.
He planned everything,
down to the color of
the flowers on the altar.
Funeral guest list, me.
Food, me.
Obituary, me. Of course.
Though they'll probably
print what they want.
Addison, can you
Yeah, sorry, I can't help you.
You don't even know
what I was gonna ask.
Well, the judge chose me,
his pride and joy, his firstborn,
to eulogize him, so
I'll be busy with that.
Tal, can you double-check
with Father Brown
and the funeral home?
Make sure the judge's
wishes are carried out.
On it, boss.
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
[SERVER] And for you.
This is cold. No tip.
Come on, Mariah.
A tip is a financial incentive
to provide good service.
It is the free market at work.
If I provide a tip despite bad service,
I'm betraying my economic principles.
They're not gonna interpret that
as a demonstration of your principles.
They're gonna interpret
that as, "Negroes don't tip."
Well, then maybe they
shouldn't be racist.
No tip.
It's almost like the only
reason you're a Republican
is so you can justify being a dick.
- Almost.
- No.
I am a Republican because
I believe in low taxes,
life beginning at conception,
and the motherfucking
right to bear arms.
All right, you can
stop trying so hard now.
- What's that mean?
- It means that Dad's gone.
Who you trying to impress?
[OLIVER] Honor, duty, justice.
If you look behind me,
you'll probably see my kids
roll their eyes at the
mention of those three words.
[LAUGHTER]
That's because in my household,
they usually heard those words
when they were in a bit of trouble.
Those principles, that's how
we decided what they did wrong
and how they should be punished.
Honor.
Did they behave in a way
that reflects positively
on their family, their God,
their country, and themselves?
Duty.
Did they try the hardest to
do what was required of them?
Justice.
Did they strive for fairness,
especially when holding themselves
and others accountable?
These are, Senator, the same standards
that I try to hold myself up to
as a jurist and as a man.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
Honor, duty, justice.
[EDELMAN] That was a
that was a very endearing
and, dare I say, quaint answer.
[CHUCKLES]
But I'm looking for
something more substantive,
Judge Garland.
Just last year, in
Alonso versus Secure-Tech,
you ruled in favor of a company
that fired an employee
who abandoned his post.
But he had reason to
believe that his post
had a carbon monoxide leak.
Should he have stayed there and died?
Is that a principle of yours,
death before violating company policy?
I believe the matter
you are referring to
is being appealed to the Supreme Court,
and it wouldn't be prudent
of me to comment further
on an ongoing litigation.
My dissent covers my
opinions on the piece,
which are far more nuanced
than how you presented
them in your question.
So you stand by your ruling, then?
It does represent your principles.
Is that what you're saying?
I'm saying, read the dissent, Senator.
Has anyone in the current adminis
[INDISTINCT WHISPERING]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]
[SIGHS]
There he is.
Welcome back to the hearing, Senator.
[LAUGHTER]
[EDELMAN CLEARS THROAT] Last question.
When's the last time you
had in-person contact
The gentleman's time has expired.
[EDELMAN] If the chair
will indulge me
The gentleman is no longer recognized.
- [GAVEL BANGS]
- When's the last time you had
in-person contact with Jack Ziegler?
[CROWD GASPING]
[INDISTINCT MURMURING]
The gentlewoman from Iowa is
recognized for five minutes.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
What, you still listen to Nas?
Uh, yeah, he's the GOAT.
You ain't got no T.I.? Jeezy?
You think Dad met up with Uncle Jack?
"Uncle Jack"? [LAUGHS]
You a grown man calling
some old white dude "uncle."
Stop it. It's weird.
Whatever. Jack.
You think Dad saw him?
Hell nah. Do you?
I don't know. I caught a vibe.
A vibe? [LAUGHS]
Jack's a political pariah.
The judge is way too
savvy to be involved
with somebody like that.
College buddies, roommates. Dad's loyal.
Loyal, yes. Stupid? Nah, son.
You do know everything Jack did, right?
Google "Jack Ziegler, Washington Post."
OK.
Yeah, right here,
right here, right here.
"The Post's investigation
reveals that Jack Ziegler,
a former CIA operative,
may have personally directed
his Zed Magna Security employees
"to commit these crimes while working
as government contractors
in Iraq and Afghanistan."
There's a laundry list
of illegal arms sales,
money laundering, and
contracted killings,
et cetera, et cetera.
The dude is a real-life Bond villain.
Come on.
The judge would never.
[OMINOUS MUSIC BUILDING]
So, uh,
the funeral director and I took a look
at what your lawyer provided.
We've got everything worked out.
You're in good hands.
Thanks for your help, Father Brown.
Can we switch "in loving memory of"
for "honoring the life of"?
It feels more appropriate.
Of course. Consider it done.
It'll be a lovely service.
The judge requested
some of the same hymns
from your mother Claire's
and your sister Abby's funerals.
I better get going.
Feel free to call my cell
if anything comes up.
Tal, wait.
What would you like the inscription
on the tombstone to say?
That should be in the packet.
Your father didn't specify an epitaph.
Either he forgot or he meant to leave it
to you and your siblings.
We'll need that inscription
as soon as possible.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]
[ADDISON] Hey, boy.
What you doing?
Looking for any indication
of what the judge wanted
on his gravestone.
Hmm.
Just slap on a quote from
Reagan or Lincoln or something.
He was into that
dignified Republican shit.
Nah.
It doesn't sit right.
He planned everything.
It's our duty to honor his wishes.
I just need to figure out
what those wishes were.
All right.
Well, whatever you're
doing, hurry up, all right?
I need you to help Bebe
inflate these mattresses.
And why can't you help her?
Well, I'm still perfecting the eulogy.
Check on her when you can, bro. Thanks.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
[DOOR CREAKS]
[KIMMER] Hello?
Tal?
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]
[LAUGHTER]
Mariah, will you please
release my girlfriend
from indentured servitude?
Excuse me, your girlfriend offered.
You offered to help, right, Bebe?
- I did offer.
- See?
Besides, I'm in mourning,
so I don't know why
you're picking on me.
Hmm, 'cause under normal circumstances,
y'all know how eager Mariah is
to do everything for herself.
[LAUGHTER]
Not funny.
[LAUGHTER]
I think it's great you guys
are in such high spirits.
I was a blubbering mess
when my grandpa died.
[KIMMER] Garlands don't cry.
Stick around long enough,
and you'll learn that.
They don't show any emotion,
except for maybe indignation.
Don't forget entitlement and
baseless self-assuredness.
- Can I get a amen?
- Amen.
[HOWARD] Maybe ease up on this wine.
[ADDISON] Kids are getting on my nerves.
[LAUGHTER]
[FAINT RAP MUSIC PLAYING]
Tal, why do you still have these up?
I guess Mom and the
judge never got around
to taking them down.
And no MJ?
You're from Chicago.
Didn't you at least have
the one with his arms like
Scottie was the engine.
Everyone in Chicago knows that.
Without Scottie, there's no Michael.
Even Michael said it. Last Dance.
[CHUCKLES]
I spoke to Ruthie.
Apparently, my name is picking
up steam for the nomination.
The FBI might even
start vetting me soon,
like talking to my friends, family, you.
Mm.
We should talk about
what we're gonna say,
just so we have a unified narrative.
What are you working on?
["CAN'T FORGET ABOUT YOU" PLAYS]
I'm trying to come up with an epitaph.
What do you got?
"Here lies Oliver Garland,
"survived by the deeply rooted complexes
he ingrained in his children."
[NAS] There comes a day in your life ♪
When you want to kick back ♪
Straw hat on the porch
when you're old, perhaps ♪
Want to gather your thoughts ♪
Have a cold one ♪
Brag to your grandkids ♪
On how life is golden ♪
Tal.
Are you all right?
Yeah.
No, actually.
We need to talk.
About?
Who's sending you flowers at work.
What flowers?
Red roses in your trash can.
Those.
They were from a client.
Clients don't send roses.
They probably came from
some 20-year-old intern
who doesn't understand flower protocol.
And the note?
What "good times" are
you sharing with a client?
It doesn't mean anything, Tal.
Don't don't get in
your head about this.
You don't have anything to worry about.
I'm yours.
This is yours.
[CHRISETTE] Can't forget about ♪
Can't forget about ♪
Can't forget about you ♪
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
I can't.
Jesus, Mariah!
I've been trying to
get you alone all day.
OK. Why?
'Cause I have something I
want to talk to you about,
but I don't want to say
it in front of everybody,
especially Kimmer.
I don't want to give
that bitch any more ammo.
Why does she have to be a bitch?
[LAUGHS] I don't know. Ask her.
That's not the point though. Um
Dad didn't die of natural causes.
He was murdered, Tal.
And Uncle Jack did it.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]
See, before Zed,
Uncle Jack was in the CIA.
Yes, at one point.
So were a lot of other people.
That doesn't mean they're
all capable of murder.
What do you think he was doing
down there in Central
America in the '80s?
He was assassinating
leftist guerrilla leaders,
pulling the trigger himself.
That's public knowledge.
That's urban legend.
Isn't it more likely that the judge,
a Black man in his 70s,
just had a regular-ass heart attack?
- Thought you'd hear me out.
- I am hearing you out.
I'm also doing you a favor
by gently challenging your theory,
which is conjecture.
Jack Ziegler just materializes
out of thin air to murder Dad
after no one in our family
has seen or heard from him in forever?
That's not true.
[TAL] What's not true?
That no one's seen or heard from him.
He called me the other
day, out of the blue.
[TAL] What did he want?
[MARIAH] To talk about you.
What about me?
He said, um,
you're the one that Daddy would trust,
the one who would know
about the arrangements.
The funeral arrangements?
No. The other arrangements.
Tal, what was he talking about?
No clue.
I'm serious. I have no idea.
Howard already thinks I'm suffering
from grief-induced delusions,
and Addy only cares about himself,
so that leaves us.
Leaves us for what?
To figure it out. Investigate.
Uncle Jack shows back
up in our family's life
right around the time the judge dies?
That's weird.
Weird, sure. Creepy, even.
But it's just a coincidence.
[SUCKS TEETH] Fine. Whatever.
I gotta go think of an inscription
for Dad's gravestone.
It's not complicated.
Just write something that
says how you feel about him.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]
I'm so sorry, Tal.
[INDISTINCT WHISPERING]
Hang in there, Tal.
[PERSON] Talcott, I'm
so sorry for your loss.
Who is that with Addy?
That's international supermodel
and fashion icon Bebe Stanhope.
Who now?
Sally, she was on the cover
of Sports Illustrated.
She's the face of Diet
Pepsi. You know who she is.
Thought she looked familiar.
What's Addison see in her?
Is it serious?
I don't think now's the time
to do the whole kissing cousins thing.
By marriage. It don't count.
It was gross then, and it's
honestly still gross now.
Maybe it's best left in the past, Sally.
Hmm.
Just Alma is looking for you.
Just Alma? She's still alive?
Unless I'm seeing ghosts,
she's kookier than ever.
Somebody ought to put her ass in a home.
Speak of the devil. Gotta go.
Auntie Alma, how you doing?
What's this auntie business, boy?
It's Alma. Just Alma.
Sorry. Just Alma.
Of course.
Your dad had big plans for you.
Like what?
Now, that's not for me to say.
He'll let you know.
But he's dead, Alma.
Boy, don't you think I know that?
Just because he's dead doesn't
mean he won't let you know.
I gotta go check on the limos
taking people to the service.
You just wait and see.
See what?
How frightened of your father they were.
You'll see. If they come.
Scaredy-cats might not even show up.
I'm not following, Alma.
Jack Ziegler, for example.
He likes to act scary,
but he was terrified of the judge.
Scared shitless.
[ADDISON] Now, it's no
secret that the judge and I
never saw eye to eye politically.
My first national TV appearance
was a full-throated
endorsement for Obamacare.
Now, afterwards, he called me.
He congratulated me,
told me he was proud,
but that, ultimately,
he thought my ideas were pusillanimous.
I had to consult a dictionary
to realize that was an insult.
[LAUGHTER]
He then proceeded to
spend the next 146 minutes
giving me a law
school-level lecture about
government overreach and health care.
He cited cases
a lot of cases, y'all
from memory.
But that was the judge in a nutshell.
He was a proud father
a fierce advocate for his beliefs,
a constant teacher
a man who touched and
influenced many lives
And a man who was a
loyal friend, always.
You see Justice Wainwright's here?
Yeah, in the back like he
doesn't want to be seen.
Coward.
But that's not the headline.
Greg Haramoto, 7:00.
[ADDISON] He was a man who
did what he thought was right.
May he finally rest in peace.
[FATHER BROWN] Thank you, Addison.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]
Why are we doing this alone?
I think Father Brown wants
us to have a moment alone
to reflect on Dad's passing
before the service ends.
What a load of shit. I just
want to be done with it.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]
Tal, what the fuck is that quote?
Is that Nas?
Did you put a rap lyric
on our father's headstone?
Yes, I did.
The judge actually loved that song.
You guys said I could
put whatever I wanted.
Oh, my God, you are such an idiot.
We're gonna have to redo it.
[SCOFFS]
[MARIAH LAUGHS]
[SOBS]
[SNIFFLES]
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]
[TAL] I'm gonna say what
I have to say anyway.
I know this long-distance thing is hard,
but I'm dedicated to you, Tonya,
and I'm not gonna let thousands of miles
and a 14-hour time difference
make me break that promise.
'Cause I love you, Tonya.
Uh
[LINE BEEPS]
[MARIAH] Please tell me
that's not the first time
you told Tonya you love her.
The end of some cringey voicemail?
- It was cringey?
- [SCOFFS]
I hate to say it, but Addy's right.
It's over.
If you gotta leave a message
like that, it's last call.
Once the lights come on,
bouncer's gonna throw you out.
Might as well leave with some dignity.
- The bouncer?
- It's a bar analogy, Tal.
The point is, you don't have to
swear a lifetime of allegiance
to every girl that you date.
What are you doing,
besides eavesdropping?
Uh, going to the business
center to finish an article
and hiding from Mom.
I swear, it's like as
soon as she sees me,
she starts nitpicking me
about finding a husband.
You'd think being on a
team that won a Pulitzer
for investigative
journalism would exempt me,
but no, she is grooming
me for life as a housewife.
I'd rather die at my fucking
desk than be a kept woman.
Do you think all the stuff they say
about Uncle Jack is true?
All? No.
I think at least half of
it's liberal propaganda.
And the other half?
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]
That's the half we should be scared of.
[OLIVER] Mariah.
Your mother's looking for you.
Of course she is. [SIGHS]
You OK, son?
Yeah, I'm fine, I think.
How about you?
Everything good?
It will be.
I trust it will be very soon.
Get some sleep.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING]
"Honor, duty, justice."
You should have put that on there.
Now you tell me.
You know, I always
thought that was supposed
to describe us kids.
Obviously, Mariah's honor.
Always looking for praise and accolades
and, quite frankly, Daddy's approval.
And you, you're duty.
You're reliable, honest, determined.
Ol' dependable Tal.
So that makes you justice, then?
What? Aw, hell no.
No, man, I'm the firstborn.
- I'm a rebel, a trailblazer.
- [LAUGHS]
[CHUCKLES] I defy easy classification.
Nah, Abby was justice.
Remember how she used to
go on about what was fair?
Some socialist version of equality.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]
And Dad would get so mad. [SCOFFS]
Remember those long
lectures he would give her?
All that Old Testament
Republican law and order bullshit.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS CONTINUES]
I'll be down in a minute.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
Uncle Jack?
Hello, Talcott.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Your father was a formidable man
and a good friend.
What are you doing here?
I came to pay my respects.
And talk to you, of course.
You could have called.
There could be others listening.
Best to speak in person.
I've been keeping tabs on your wife
and her potential nomination.
Why?
Curiosity, I suppose.
It's really the president's call.
We wouldn't want any interference.
Of course not.
This country is best
when it's a meritocracy.
And it's so often anything but that.
If it were, your father would've died
a Supreme Court justice.
[COUGHING]
[EERIE MUSIC PLAYS]
I must ask you something, Talcott.
Something others will ask as well.
And when they ask, you must be careful.
Some of them are good, some bad,
but none will be who they say they are,
and not all of them mean you well.
You understand?
Not really.
What did you want to ask me?
I must know about the arrangements.
Mariah mentioned that,
but I don't know about any arrangements.
Yes, you do.
The arrangements your father made
in the event of his untimely demise.
If I knew, I'd tell you, but I don't.
I traveled all the way here.
Please don't make it a waste, Talcott.
I don't know how many
times I can say it
- This is not a time to play.
- I'm not playing.
- I really don't know.
- Just tell me about
the goddamned arrangements.
Right now.
[ADDISON] Yo, Tal, you good?
Yeah, I'm good.
I'm good, right?
Fine, Talcott.
You do what you think's best.
But when you're ready to
discuss the arrangements,
come to me first, no one else.
I would not want to see you harmed,
you or your family.
Are you
Is that a threat?
[SCOFFS]
Of course not.