Suits LA (2025) s01e02 Episode Script

1
Previously on "Suits LA"
I testify, I'm a dead man.
- I thought we were friends.
- We are friends, Billy.
- Now, get back inside before someone
- [EXPLOSION]
- What happened? Are you all right?
- I'm fine, Samantha.
And I'm still coming to
your client's thing tonight.
- I don't care about that right now.
- I think you do.
- Billy didn't make it.
- I need you to get in there
- and act like he's still fighting.
- You have one day.
You better think of a Hall of Fame move.
I am not losing this case.
They're saying a lot of very
specific things happened last night.
What, that I killed my
partner in my own backyard?
- Why would I do that?
- There's residue on your hands.
- Because we were shooting.
- Stuart lives for this.
- He is the man for the job.
- I cannot go with someone
who doesn't believe me.
The entire 25th floor is gone.
You should back out of the
fight for head of entertainment.
It gives us the best shot at
working together after I get it.
You pick a side before you
know who's going to win.
Until you figure that
out, you're nothing.
Samantha, was it your idea
to cut me out of the new firm,
- or was it Stuart's?
- His.
Lester, he doesn't believe you.
I do. My client pleads not guilty.
- You're both gonna regret this.
- Lester won't,
'cause I have never lost a case,
and I'm sure as hell
not gonna start now.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Just the woman I wanted to see.
Oh, I was going to say the same thing.
- To who?
- Your mom.
My mom passed away years ago.
Way to suck the fun out of the morning.
You here to tell me I have a tumor?
I wanted to talk about Dylan Pryor.
- Give it to me.
- She's got two movies.
One's an indie, the other is
a potential action franchise.
I'm sure you can guess
what the priority is.
Of course. Of course, I can.
- Erica?
- Yes?
You have no idea who
Dylan Pryor is, do you?
You have no proof of that.
- I could know.
- Erica, who's Dylan Pryor?
I'll tell you who. She is your
client, who we signed last week,
who you need me to take
care of, which I will.
That'll be all.
Are you dismissing me?
Can I?
Eh remains to be seen.
Get out.
- Did it work?
- No. Okay.
Fun and games aside,
Stuart taking half the firm
is still the talk of the town.
Dylan Pryor is a new client.
You are the new head of entertainment.
Ted, I understand what the stakes are,
and I know that you're focusing
on Lester's murder trial.
Whatever Dylan Pryor
needs, I'll get it done.
[BRIGHT MUSIC]
- Hi.
- Hey.
What are you doing on our floor?
It's lonely up there. I'm the
only one left on the whole floor.
Well, do you wanna come down here?
- You've got Stuart's office.
- Why would I do that?
I've got the floor to myself.
Mm-hmm.
Hey, since you're down here,
what do you know about
Hanrahan in the DA's office?
Why?
Is Hanrahan prosecuting
your shady producer murderer?
Those aren't the exact
words that I would use
to describe Lester, but
you're yeah. Go on.
Well, let me just say,
if I knew old man Hanrahan
would be the one prosecuting me,
I'd rob a bank. Client got lucky.
I get the feeling you're not
the biggest fan of Lester.
I'm not a fan of people buying
their way out of trouble.
He's not buying me. He's paying me.
And his only trouble is being accused
of a murder he didn't commit.
Now, if you don't mind,
I'm gonna go interview
my shady producer murderer and
check in on old man Hanrahan.
Between us,
I don't think you should
be referring to your client
as a shady producer murderer.
It's counterproductive.
♪
Are you kidding me? Who drops a
Good & Plenty into the paper feeder?
Leah?
[PRINTER PARTS CLATTERING]
- Are you okay?
- [SCOFFS]
Why? What happened?
Um, how can I help you?
- You like movies and television, right?
- Of course.
What kind of entertainment
lawyer wouldn't love
you know, I'm more
of a book girl myself.
- Why do you ask?
- What do you know about Dylan Pryor?
Is this a trick question?
I've seen every movie she's ever done.
There's nothing I don't know about her.
Great, then grab her
file, and come with me.
- And don't eat that.
- Of course, I won't.
[PLAYFUL MUSIC]
♪
Mm. She was right.
So you and Simon went
to your movie's premiere,
- everyone had a good time?
- Yeah, had a great time.
And you know, went back
to the house, did ecstasy.
- How many pills?
- We each took one.
It wasn't working fast enough,
but we didn't think
it was working at all,
so we split a third pill.
- Then the guns came out?
- Yep. Simon took the Luger.
I took the Glock. We set up the target.
A picture of the head of the studio.
Hey, you know the man. He's a bastard.
- Not in dispute.
- We start shooting.
That's when Simon starts
getting a little weird.
- Weird? Weird how?
- He starts saying he's a fraud.
No one really knows him.
I start to realize I'm
I'm watching a man battle with
himself for his own sanity.
He starts getting darker and darker,
saying he doesn't deserve to be here.
That's what he said. "I
don't deserve to be here."
That's when it happened.
He raises a gun to his head.
I try to stop him, but he snaps at me.
He is he is fully
crazy at this point.
And I grab his arm, but
I mean, Simon's, like, a
thousand times stronger than me,
and the gun is now
aimed right at his head,
and I'm screaming at him, "Please.
Please, Simon. Don't do
it. Don't do it, Simon."
And next thing I know, bang.
Simon is dead,
and I've got his blood all over me,
and I don't know what to do.
Finally, I call 911.
I get there, and they
arrest me then and there.
My best friend of 20 years
is lying on the ground,
and they arrest me.
Okay, Lester.
Okay.
We got what we needed.
We've got a meeting with
the prosecutor later.
I'll give you a call afterwards.
I'll let you know how it goes.
All right.
BOTH: All right.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
♪
- What's on your mind?
- Something's not right about your boy.
I mean, he tells a good story,
but I know a liar when I see one.
Kevin, it's different out here.
People lie. They cheat.
They do whatever they can to
push their project through.
Would I trust Lester with my girlfriend?
I would, but, you know,
look at me, and look at him.
I don't have anything to worry about.
If I'm her,
- I'm going with him.
- You're delusional.
One word. Jamie.
Jamie was a one-time thing.
Kevin, seriously,
Lester's a lot of things.
He's not a murderer.
♪
Well, you didn't bring my
ass out here to believe him.
You brought me here to find out
anything they can use against us,
so I'ma do that.
But, Ted, you better start
wrapping your mind around the fact
that he may have done this.
♪
See the money, wanna
stay for your meal ♪
Get another piece
of pie for your wife ♪
Everybody wanna know how it feel ♪
Everybody wanna see what it's like ♪
I'll even eat a bean
pie, I don't mind ♪
Me and Missy, it's so early ♪
Busy, busy making money ♪
All right ♪
Y'all step back ♪
I'm about to dance ♪
The greenback boogie ♪
[PHONE BUZZES]
Dylan. Hey. Good to hear from you.
Who's Erica Rollins, and
why is she calling me?
She is the new head of entertainment
and an excellent attorney.
An excellent attorney
that I have never even met.
- Look, Dylan
- Rick, I knew Ted was gonna pawn me off.
I just thought that
it was going to be you.
It was going to be me, but
I left for another firm.
But trust me, Erica is fully
capable of taking care of you.
Rick, look, I signed
on to do an indie movie
that my friend wrote,
but the schedule conflicts
with my Warner Brothers movie,
and I'm not letting an indie movie
- get in the way of my career.
- I get that,
but I can't represent you.
I am prohibited from poaching.
Then can't you convince Ted
to handle this for me instead of Erica?
I wish I could, but
to tell you the truth,
I don't think Ted would
take my call right now.
[SOLEMN MUSIC]
Right on time. I like that.
You're not old man Hanrahan.
You think they'd send a high-profile
case like this to Hanrahan?
He's who they send when
they don't care what happens.
I'm who they send when they do.
I'm who they send when
they have no chance,
but they need a win anyway.
Lester Thompson needs a win, all right.
But this plea deal is the
closest he's gonna get.
- That's where we're gonna start?
- Why not?
- It's where we're gonna finish.
- Then maybe you didn't hear,
but Lester pled not
guilty at his arraignment.
Well, he should have pled insanity
because I heard he
dropped one of the premier
defense attorneys in the nation
to put his life in the hands
of a glorified black shirt,
no tie talent agent.
You forgot former federal prosecutor.
And I never did work at the local level,
but unless whatever that is
says you're dropping the charges,
- I'll see you in court.
- Okay, but you should know
I'm not three hours into this thing,
and I've got the victim's
blood all over your client,
the coroner's report
inconsistent with suicide
and a line around the block
of people begging to testify
that Lester Thompson's
love language is lying.
So you might wanna run this bad
boy by your client just in case.
♪
Ted, you really didn't have to come.
Samantha, it's your client's big night.
I told you I wouldn't
miss it, and I won't.
I promise when this is over,
I'll make you feel better.
- Come on. He's about to go on.
- Please welcome to the stage,
Cameron Logsdon as Mark
Wahlberg, Christopher Walken,
- and Denzel Washington.
- Hey, New York. How you doing, huh?
Feeling good? A lot of
beautiful ladies in here, right?
Huh? You know what they
say about beautiful ladies?
They like tough guys. I mean, come on.
Look at this guy right here.
Looking good, brother. Huh?
Got into a bit of a
scuffle? That's all right.
You know what? Just hit the gym.
Put up a little bit of weight.
Doesn't matter what happened to you.
[LAUGHTER]
[AS CHRISTOPHER WALKEN] Hey,
you know, you don't get beat up
if you bring a gun.
[NORMALLY] You know what? I
don't think he got beat up, huh?
I think he had a run-in
with Plymouth Rock,
only he didn't land on Plymouth Rock.
Plymouth Rock landed on him. Huh?
[AS ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER] You know,
the next time they swing on you,
you just need to duck
♪
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
- You wanted to see me?
- Yes.
Please close the door.
We have something to talk about.
HR sent this over.
Rick's being made head of
entertainment. What about it?
Our agreement was, you
keep someone at Ted's
for six months, and
they keep an eye on him.
Then whoever it comes
over and gets this title.
We had an opportunity to
weaken Ted out of the gate,
- and I took it.
- A call you made on your own.
I'm not signing off on this
without getting something for it.
I thought we were gonna be partners.
Stuart, you came to me
a week before we merged,
wanting to cut Ted out.
It was against my better judgment,
but I went along with it. Now you,
a criminal defense attorney,
are trying to dictate who I
name head of entertainment.
So who's not being a good partner now?
I'm gonna have to double down here.
Bob the janitor is now
in charge of real estate.
I appreciate you accepting this.
Now, do you want to
tell Rick, or should I?
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Just to be clear,
we're entitled to Dylan's
services for six months,
and we intend to enforce those rights.
We're all aware of that,
but it's a small role, and
Dylan's new Warner Brothers deal
can't kick in until
after she's released.
- How is that my problem?
- Fred,
I know you're concerned
about our rights,
but Dylan is my friend.
And I'm the one who's putting
up the money for this movie.
I can have her out in three months.
Give us another month for safety,
and you can have two months back.
- Fine.
- Excellent.
I'll draw up an amendment
and get it right to you.
I just have to say, I'm a huge fan,
and what you did for Dylan was huge.
Of course, I would do it
for her. She's my friend.
Anyway, I'm really
excited to see this movie.
You plus Dylan? Fire. [BLOWS AIR]
BOTH: You do that too?
What?
I'm older, so I started it.
Okay, well, I better go. Erica
doesn't like it when I'm
- anything.
- I got that.
It's okay. You're doing great.
Oh, my God. Thank you.
It's a beautiful view.
Well, I am head of entertainment.
It's still a beautiful view.
That better not mean
what it sounds like.
Rick, the deal was six months.
Entertainment is Samantha's
purview, not mine.
And I made a deal with you, not her.
I don't like this any more than you.
It doesn't make either of us look good.
But I have a way that you
can still get that title.
Bring in a big client,
and the job is yours.
Oh, that's a great idea, Stuart.
But the only way I can do that
is with someone I already
have a relationship with,
which means poaching from Ted,
and we are precluded from doing this.
Do it anyway. They're not
gonna sue us over one client.
- I don't work that way.
- If the shoe were on the other foot,
- Ted would poach, and you know it.
- I don't care.
- I'm not Ted.
- I've got my issues with the way
Ted operates more than anyone,
but if you want that promotion,
this is the way to get it.
[SOLEMN MUSIC]
♪
You still think he's just a flawed liar?
Hi, Kevin.
It's bank records. It's nothing.
Are you kidding me?
Do you know what I
had to do to get these?
Look, the man was
stealing from his partner.
These are transactions.
There's a thousand explanations.
It doesn't prove anything.
I'm not talking about proof.
We're talking about the truth,
something you used to want to know.
You think that I don't
want to know the truth?
I don't know what you want,
but the Ted I used to run with
would know this is evidence.
And you know damn well, if
you were prosecuting this,
you'd be jumping for joy
to get your hands on it.
- I'm not prosecuting him.
- Well, someone is.
If she finds this, her
opening statement's gonna be,
"If Lester's stealing money from Simon,
he'd damn sure kill
him if he found out."
God damn it. Why are you trying
to convince me that he's guilty?
I don't care if he's guilty or not.
I'm following the trail so you
don't get blindsided at trial.
The question is, why
the hell are you trying
to convince yourself he's innocent?
♪
This is not what we discussed.
No, on what basis are you
Okay.
Fine. Yeah. I understand your position.
Leah, what did you do?
- About what?
- The Dylan Pryor agreement.
I sent over the
amendment like you asked.
Well, they're not letting Dylan out.
Why would they suddenly do that?
All I did was specify
the end date of the indie
and the start date of the Warner movie
so that they couldn't
wiggle out, like you said.
I told you to put the date
of the Warner overall deal.
You told them she already
had an actual role.
They already knew it.
It's public knowledge.
The deal was public knowledge.
That she had a specific movie was not.
I'm sorry. I was just being thorough.
Never give the other side more
information than they need.
You might as well have
said if Warner Brothers
wants to start their movie on
time, they either recast Dylan
or pay that clown a small fortune.
I get it, but this is Dylan's friend.
- She agreed to be accommodating.
- Okay.
For future reference,
the writer is never
the one calling the shots.
The guy with the money is.
Erica. Leah. Trouble in paradise?
- Leah.
- I'm not here. Never was.
Hi, Rick. We hate you.
What are you doing here, Rick?
Because I'm a little busy, and you're
a little don't work here anymore.
You know who wishes I still worked here?
Dylan Pryor.
- Excuse me?
- She called me earlier.
Wanted to see if I could handle
the movie conflict instead of you.
I told her I was
prohibited from signing her.
- Which you are.
- And that you're an excellent attorney.
- Which I am.
- But then she wanted me to get Ted
to handle it instead
of you, and I thought,
"Why get her Ted when
I can just give her me?"
So if you wouldn't mind
signing this simple waiver
allowing me to represent Dylan
You think I'm gonna give you the right
to poach my client like
I was born yesterday?
I think I can fix her
problem, and you can't.
Well, we're never gonna find out
'cause I'm not getting
drawn into a contest with you
- that I've already won.
- I thought I was talking to the Erica Rollins
who always said she's better than me.
I didn't realize I was talking
to the one who's afraid of me.
You think saying I'm afraid of
you is gonna get you what you want?
You know what I think?
You've been dying to go one
on one with me for a long time.
So let's get it on.
Give me the damn thing.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
But, Ricky,
when you lose, I don't want
you coming back here crying
about how I kicked your ass.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
It wasn't Hanrahan.
Who was it, Abrams
- or Brown?
- Smith.
- Smith is no joke.
- Meaning?
Let's just say there's nothing
that woman won't do to win.
Listen, we both know I
overheard you downstairs.
Why is this case so important to you?
The people that we represent
aren't used to being told no.
And every so often,
they need a criminal
attorney to bail them out.
If I can't show the town that
my firm can still do that,
every client that I have
will eventually leave
and find someone who can.
And that's why you need
Lester to be innocent.
You need a win.
And the idea of getting a
guilty man off turns your stomach.
It's not just that.
Every instinct that I have
tells me that Lester
Thompson is not a murderer.
And if I can't trust my instincts
That's never happened to you before.
It happened before. When it did
I lost everything.
Ted, you've been moody
since he picked on you.
Admit it. You're sensitive.
I'm not. I'm not sensitive.
I just I don't like impersonators.
I think you don't like him because
you think he wants to sleep with me.
Samantha, if that were true,
I wouldn't like any of your clients.
You don't like any of my clients.
Didn't you say that
you were gonna make me
feel better after the show?
I did, in fact, say that.
When does that part start?
Why don't you tell me where it hurts?
I mean, it hurts me here all the way.
All the way down to there.
How about I start in the middle?
No, I think it would be a good idea
if you started it in the middle.
[LAUGHS]
Wait.
I can't believe I'm gonna say this.
- I gotta go.
- What?
- But we just got back.
- I know.
It can't wait.
Teddy, where the hell are you?
I went to Samantha's client's thing.
Our back's against the
wall, and you're at a show?
I thought that we were dead in
the water and that I had nothing.
All right, look, I'm pulling
the agents off right now.
Don't do that. You told me
that I needed a Hall of Fame move.
I got one. I want you
to keep the agents there
and gather up all the tapes
we have of Billy's confessions.
And one more thing.
Who would have planted
the bomb at Billy's?
I don't need proof. I just need to know.
It's gotta be Jimmy Patriale.
Okay. Gather those tapes.
I'll see you in the morning.
Whoa, Teddy, what are you gonna do?
Get us another witness.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Mr. Dodson, I don't have much time,
- so
- You sure don't.
You managed to threaten
Dylan Pryor's career
and hold Warner Brothers
hostage all in one day.
I thought Erica Rollins
was handling Dylan.
She thinks she is, but
I'm here to tell you
you're gonna release
Dylan after four months.
Why would I do that
when I need her for six?
Because you made a promise to Dylan.
And I'm not afraid to sue
you to enforce that promise.
You'll lose that lawsuit.
Maybe I will, but the headline will read
you deal in bad faith.
How many movies are you
gonna get made after that?
You're accusing me of
dealing in bad faith?
You are the definition of bad faith.
There is no justification to hold Dylan
for six months to shoot five scenes.
Oh, you haven't heard.
Since you brought me something to read,
I have something for you.
You see, we had Tina do a
final pass on the script,
and it ended up pushing Dylan's
scene count from 5 to 40.
Makes it a much better
movie, if you ask me.
But, you know, I'm just a money guy.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
- Erica, can I talk to you?
- What is it, Leah?
I'm thinking something through.
Rick just sent over a new
script for Dylan's film.
I know. He sent it to me too.
It's very aboveboard of him.
Dylan's scene count skyrocketed,
- and now we're screwed.
- Well, did you read the script?
Because I think there's a
way we can work with Fred
and everyone can get what they want.
What Fred wants us to hold Dylan hostage
so Warner Brothers
pays him to let her go,
- which they'll never do.
- So what are we gonna do?
We're not gonna do anything.
You're gonna set me a dinner with Fred,
pick a nice place with a lot of people,
and tell them I have an
offer from Warner Brothers.
- But you just said they won't pay.
- They won't.
Sometimes you gotta say whatever
it takes to get 'em in a room.
So she says, I'm gonna
meet you at the bar,
- and I'll wait for you there.
- FBI! FBI! Don't move!
Jimmy Patriale, you're under arrest
for the murder of Billy Esposito.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I got you now, Pellegrini.
You're going down.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Call Sapperstein. Get him down there.
♪
Jimmy, we know you set the bomb off.
We got three witnesses.
- They all put you there.
- I was in the neighborhood.
A bomb went off, so I left.
- End of story.
- Say we don't get you on the bomb.
We're gonna get you on the
bomb. Say that we don't.
Billy Esposito says that you're
Pellegrini's go-to hit man.
He has direct knowledge
of you killing five guys.
- That's life.
- Anything you had
went away when Billy went away.
You can't use it. Ain't that right?
- 100%.
- One problem.
Billy is right over there.
No way. I saw that explosion.
Billy's dead.
Is that a fact?
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Jimmy Patriale, that scumbag.
Let me in there. I'll
show him how dead I am.
Relax, Billy. We're not
gonna let you kill a witness.
Besides, you're busted up head to toe.
Let me in there for ten minutes.
We'll see who comes out.
Just tell us what hits you did together,
and he'll get what's coming to him.
All right, the first hit
I remember was August '98.
It was hot as hell. He
comes down in a sweatshirt.
I tell him he might as well have a sign,
I got a gun under here.
Here's the deal, Jimmy.
I arrested you right
in front of Pellegrini.
He's gonna think that you talked.
Whether you do or whether you don't
makes you a dead man.
Or I put you in federal
protective custody.
Jimmy, don't say another word.
I can get you out of here.
What happens when you get out of here?
Because do not think for one second
that he is here for you.
Get the hell out of here.
- Jimmy, think about what you
- Now.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
What do you need me to do?
♪
Can I come in, or you still hate me?
Can it be both?
Sorry for coming at you so hard.
I'm sorry for putting up a wall.
You were kind of being an ass.
I had to do something.
You were coming at me like a bull.
Didn't I just apologize for that?
I don't know, I wasn't listening.
Kevin, I didn't wanna
hear what you had to say
because I was afraid you might be right.
Well, since we're coming clean,
I wasn't exactly truthful
when I said I was okay keeping
a guilty man out of prison.
Because you were built to put them away.
Yeah, I was.
Tell you what.
Comes right down to it, and you are sure
that he did it, I
will let you walk away.
What about you? You're gonna walk away?
I'll drive off that
bridge when I get to it.
For now, it's time for Lester to tell us
what the hell is going on
with these bank records.
Headed by the winds
in this desolate place ♪
I'm driving against the ice ♪
That whips across my face ♪
Sorry I'm late.
Had a call to make.
So I heard you convinced Warner Brothers
to make accommodations simply by
throwing a little money at the problem.
Oh, I convinced them to throw
money at the problem, all right,
- just not in your direction.
- [CHUCKLES]
You said you had an offer for me.
I do find a new star for
your movie because Dylan is out.
No, she's not. We have an agreement.
Oh. Now you care about agreements.
Look, if you're about to say
that I'm dealing in bad faith,
Rick Dodson already tried that.
Let me tell you something, friend.
I ain't no Rick Dodson.
Dylan's original deal prohibits
her from making another movie
while under contract to you,
but there's nothing stopping
her from performing promotions
for the new Warner Brothers franchise.
They can't make her promote a movie
she's not even gonna be in.
Here's a preliminary schedule.
As you can see, the dates
mildly overlap with yours.
- This is our entire shoot.
- Really?
Let me see.
No. No. See, here's a day.
And then here's another two days,
and then, of course, if you
want her to work on Thanksgiving,
we can make her available for that,
although her mother's
pumpkin pie is fantastic.
You're not gonna get away
with this. We'll sue you.
Do what you gotta do, Fred,
but that phone call
was Warner Brothers
confirming that they'll back up
the money truck to litigate
you into the ground.
Won't you help me make a change? ♪
Ten years? Are you kidding me?
You're lucky the DA is
willing to offer you this
because your story doesn't add up.
I didn't murder Simon,
and I'm not taking any deal
- that puts me in prison.
- Lester, I'm looking at a man
whose bank records show that he was
stealing money from his own partner.
All right, th this
isn't what it looks like.
No, it looks like after
you stole his money,
he wound up dead in your
backyard from a gun that you own.
I explained that to you already.
- That's not good enough.
- What do you want me to say?
- How about the truth, you lying sack of
- Ted!
hey, don't look at him.
You're a cold-blooded murderer.
And you've been giving us the runaround,
- and I'm sick
- All right, I stole the money!
All right, look, a few
months ago, I found out
Simon had funneled
half a million dollars
out of the production
into his personal account,
so I started taking the
money out of his account
- and putting it into mine.
- Lester
why are you just telling us this?
Because I knew you would react
exactly the way you are right now.
- I'm not buying any of this.
- Neither will a jury.
What about the fact that
I started paying it back?
- There's no record of that.
- There is.
Every time I submitted the
movie's expenses to the studio,
I kept some receipts out of the stack.
So the studio got paid
back by reimbursing you
less money than what they owed?
I was trying to do the right thing.
I guess Robin Hood is the good guy.
Robin Hood didn't kill Little John.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Lester, if there is anything else
that you would like to tell us,
now would be the time.
Simon didn't start losing
it that night out of nowhere.
I told him I was on to him,
and he thought that if I could
find out, the studio would,
and it was only a matter of time
before he ended up in prison.
So that's when he lost his mind.
But I swear to you,
I did not murder him.
[SOFT TENSE MUSIC]
- You good?
- Not yet.
But it's a start.
♪
Dylan. Hey. Look, I know we've
had a minor setback, but I
Rick, it's okay. I just came
by to tell you in-person that
You're staying with Erica, aren't you?
I am.
She put Fred in his place
and got me out of the indie.
Look, I just wanted to
say that I would have
really liked working together.
My first meeting with you
wasn't like my first meeting
with any other lawyer. You
you really cared about
what matters to me.
Well, you're not so bad yourself.
Not a lot of actresses would come
here to tell me that in person.
Well, I was just at Erica's,
and you're both in Century City,
so it was, like, a two-minute walk.
You probably didn't need to hear that.
See, this is why I'm better when
other people write my dialogue.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
It was good. You're a good writer.
It's like a romantic
comedy with a tragic ending.
- Okay, well
- Yeah.
Actually, Dylan, before you go,
did you take a look at that rewrite?
Because I might have an idea.
[SOFT DRAMATIC POP MUSIC]
♪
Did you use my client to
trick one of your suspects?
♪
- Samantha, he wanted to do it.
- Of course, he did.
He doesn't know what
he's getting himself into.
- You do?
- I know you were in an explosion
the other day, and you
won't tell me what happened.
You know what? I did what I had to do,
and I'm not gonna apologize for it.
Well, there's a shocker. You
know what your problem is?
You think just because
you put bad guys away,
you can take advantage in
every other aspect of your life.
I agree with everything
that you just said,
except for the part
where that's a problem.
Don't use one of my clients again.
Okay. You know what the truth is?
That I do think all those things.
I also think that you
went to law school,
and instead of using it,
you're a glorified salesman.
You think you're not a salesman?
You sell people all day long.
Yeah, I do it to put
the bad guys behind bars.
You know, you're really not that
different from your father after all.
That's
- that's not fair.
- He uses people for personal gain.
You use them for the greater
good, but you still use them.
There has to be somebody
you don't use, Ted.
I don't use you.
You did today. And you know what?
I'm proud of being an
entertainment lawyer.
I make people's dreams come true,
and if you don't respect it,
you can kiss my perfect ass.
I was wrong.
I will not do it again.
I'm sorry.
You bet you're sorry.
What would I do without you?
You'd be lost.
Don't you ever forget it.
♪
Let you down ♪
Working for you ♪
Hey.
Looks like Lester's records check out.
He put most of the money back.
I'm not saying it's proof,
but it's not nothing.
Kevin, if this prosecutor finds out
that he was stealing money,
she is not going to care
if he put some of it back or not.
So what you're saying, um,
- you wanna cover it up?
- No.
Then what?
We'll drive off that
bridge when we get there.
You sure got us driving
off a lot of bridges.
Yeah, just like the old days.
I remember this guy.
Great ballplayer.
What's his name? Harry
- something like that.
- Harvey.
You know that.
- I know I never liked him.
- Why not?
Because he's the only person
I knew cockier than you.
That's funny. That's
exactly why I liked him.
Yeah, plus, he was too pretty.
Can't trust them pretty ones.
Are you saying I'm not pretty?
If you gotta ask
- Can't argue with you there.
- I don't see why not.
You've been arguing with me about
every other damn thing today.
- Don't say it.
- No, I haven't.
[CHUCKLES]
[BRIGHT MUSIC]
♪
Uh-uh.
The deal was, you
don't come back crying.
That was the deal if I lost.
This is my firm's new
agreement with Dylan.
I don't understand. I
got her what she wanted.
No, Erica, you got her
what she thought she wanted.
Movies like this rewrite,
that's where Dylan came from,
and I knew that because
I listened to her.
So after you took Fred to the woodshed,
I convinced Dylan to
let me go back to him
and make it so she could do both.
So you came here to rub my nose in it?
You know I wouldn't do that.
Erica, the reason we stopped doing
what we used to do
is because you never
respected the way I work.
Caring about my clients
does not make me less
of a killer than you.
It might even make me more of one.
Maybe you're right.
But, Rick, you have no idea why we
stopped doing what we used to do.
What?
I can't tell if you're
lying to me or yourself.
[SOLEMN MUSIC]
♪
Stuart, you were right.
I'm right about everything.
Can you be more specific?
I guess you are willing to poach.
No, I said I didn't work
that way, and I don't.
Erica signed a waiver.
You gave her an excuse to
go head-to-head, didn't you?
- How did you know that?
- Are you kidding?
I worked on the same
floor as you two for years.
Eventually, you were
gonna do one of two things.
They both begin with F.
- I put my money on fight.
- Nothing gets past you, Stuart.
What was the other one?
- Philander.
- Huh.
Technically, it's a P-H,
but it still has the F sound.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Hey, if I wasn't right
about the poaching,
what was I right about?
If I can't deliver a big client,
I don't deserve that promotion.
- That's not what I said.
- I know.
That's what you meant.
♪
What you doing up here?
Since everyone left, I like to
come up here when I wanna be alone.
So I hear we no longer
represent Dylan Pryor.
Care to explain that one?
Rick beat me straight up
after I let him bait me
into a fight I didn't need to have.
Erica, losing Dylan hurts
us, especially right now,
and I'm not gonna sit here and
pretend like I'm not pissed.
Is there a but in there, or are
you just gonna leave it at that?
Have you seen the picture of
me and Denzel in my office?
The one at the Lakers game?
Everyone's seen it, Ted.
Isn't that the point?
I was born a Knicks fan.
And I I never thought that
anything would change that.
Kobe Bryant changed that.
Sometimes he won. Sometimes he lost.
When the kid was a rookie, he
shot four air balls in a row.
But he never backed down from a fight.
You got baited into signing a waiver
because you are a competitor,
and I would rather you
get baited into a fight
than back down from one.
In fact, I wouldn't
have it any other way.
- Are you saying I'm Black Mamba 2.0?
- Easy does it.
Erica, you have to
learn from your mistakes.
And what we learned
today is that we will
Never underestimate Rick Dodson again.
Hey, how did you hear
about Dylan so fast, anyway?
I saw Rick, and I asked Leah
what he was doing in the office.
Hey, by the way, we gotta
keep Leah away from me, okay?
- She's very
- I know.
I'm working on it.
She's not that bad once
you get to know her.
Yeah, I'll never know.
♪
Erica, I'm so sorry.
Did you need the room?
I was just leaving.
Why did you ask if I read
the Dylan script earlier?
Because it was great,
and I messed up earlier,
and I was looking for a way to fix it,
and the rewrite was the kind of movie
that put Dylan on the
map in the first place,
so I thought we could get
everyone what they wanted.
- Like you said before.
- It was naive.
I won't suggest
something like that again.
Maybe it was naive, but
if I'd listened to you,
then we'd still have Dylan as a client.
Is this real?
Are you complimenting me?
I feel like hugging you.
- It's getting stronger.
- Oh. Leah, don't.
- Oh, my God. It's happening.
- Please don't.
It happened.
OK, that wasn't that bad.
All right, well, I'm gonna
leave while I'm ahead.
How did you know that
the script was good?
What do you mean? I read it.
Um, I'm gonna tell you something,
and I don't need it leaving this room.
You can't tell if a
script is good or bad
because you're not a
fan of movies or TV.
Then why become an entertainment lawyer?
'Cause if you wanna be
part of the action in this town,
this is the business you need to be in.
The way I can tell something
is good is probably because
I always wanted to write movies.
- Oh. Well, then why
- Because when
you're a first-generation
Korean American,
you become a lawyer or
a doctor, not a writer.
I'll tell you what,
I'll teach you to do what I do,
and you teach me about movies and TV.
How would you say deal?
I'd just say deal.
Well, we gotta jazz
that up. It's kind of
On your own time.
Oh, yeah.
Deal.
It's a deal.
Deal.
Dealio. Yeah, that's the one.
Am I interrupting?
No.
Did you happen to see
we have a new client?
A new star client
signed by Rick Dodson.
You want me to give him
the title now, don't you?
- The man did earn it.
- He did.
You wanna give him the
good news, or should I?
Why don't you do it?
You mind if I ask why so generous?
Two reasons. One,
like you said,
entertainment is what you do.
- And two?
- You were right.
Cutting Ted out was a huge thing.
I dropped it on you at the last minute,
and I never expressed
how much I appreciate
you taking my side, given your history.
Hey, you want a drink?
It's why I got into
law drinks at work.
It's funny.
Here you are fighting for Rick
when, at the time, you wanted it
to be Erica Rollins that came over,
not him.
What can I say? He killed
it with Dylan Pryor.
Did you tell him that?
He's getting head of entertainment.
I'm not gonna glaze him on top of it.
What the hell is glazing?
It's an expression from my son.
Basically, every time I
give someone a compliment,
he uses it to make me
feel bad about myself.
To be honest, I'm not even
sure I'm using it right.
[PLAYFUL MUSIC]
Probably not.
♪
I have to say, you have
done well for yourself
in the private sector.
You looking to make a change?
- We could use some bodies around here.
- Pass.
Then let me give you
what you came here for.
I took that sorry plea
offer to my client.
- Pass.
- Good. That deal's off the table anyway.
You came all the way
here to tell me that?
I came to get a jump on
my discovery obligations.
Turns out your client's wife
was sleeping with the man he murdered.
[INHALES SHARPLY]
I don't know what you used to call it,
but down here at the local level,
we call it motive.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
What are you doing here, Elizabeth?
Amanda. So nice to see you.
I forgot you work here.
I was just delivering a
little message to Mr. Black.
In-person? As I recall, you only
do that when you're gloating.
You are still sore about what
happened to that client of yours.
- What was his name again?
- You know damn well
his name was Dante Everson.
You killed him.
Just as much as if you
shivved him yourself.
Well, if you don't want to get
your bleeding heart broken again,
I suggest you not get involved
in the Lester Thompson case.
- It's a loser.
- Oh, I had no such intention.
But now that I see your smug face,
if Ted ever asks for my help,
I am gonna come running.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪