Rebel (2021) s01e03 Episode Script
Superhero
1
He gets the guesthouse.
And you go to marriage counseling.
- What?
- What?
You guys don't get to
just quit each other,
not without at least a fight!
Stonemore Medical heart valves
are poisoning people.
CRUZ: We're gonna
get enough money from them
till they feel the sting.
I'm gonna spend my afternoon
making those Stonemore calls for you,
and, in exchange, you are
going to get a drink with me.
I might also want sex
to scratch an itch,
but I'll decide that after
approximately three drinks.
- Deal?
- You'd have sex with me again?
- Why are you quitting?
- My dad offered me a job.
Who's the big, new client?
Stonemore Medical.
PARHAM: We're here live in studio
with activist, advocate,
and author Annie Flynn Ray Bello,
discussing her latest book,
"Put on the Cape:
How to be the Superhero
You're Waiting For."
So, Rebel, how do we put on the cape?
We stop waiting for Superman
to show up and fix it for us.
I like what you write about
ranting at the TV.
Well, we all do it, right?
We see something unjust,
we get all worked up,
we start screaming at the TV
and trash-talking on Twitter.
And then it's tempting to stop,
but don't.
Take that energy
to a school-board meeting
or or a town hall.
Things only change when we change them.
You can give in to despair
or you can get mad and motivated.
Alright. Let's hear from
some more callers.
We've got Jackie
from the San Fernando Valley.
JACKIE: Yeah, hi. Rebel?
The water in my apartment is brown.
I tested it, and the lead
levels are really high.
And I read your book,
and I put on the cape.
I mean, I really
I put the damn thing on.
Good for you.
No, it was not good for me.
I complained to my landlord,
and he didn't do anything,
so I filed a complaint with the city,
and then my landlord
started harassing me,
and now he's trying to evict me.
He can't do that, Jackie.
He's doing it right now.
There are movers here.
They are physically removing my stuff.
Can they do that?
I have like $97 in the bank.
Where am I gonna go?
You're not going anywhere.
If it was a legal eviction,
a sheriff would show up at your door
with an executed judgment.
I'm scared.
That's what your landlord
is counting on.
Uh, Jackie, give your contact
information to the screener.
I'm gonna help you.
Which means she thinks
I'm gonna help her.
Wait for it.
She thinks Benji's gonna let you
keep doing her pro bono work
on his dime?
You did tell her you left Cruz, right?
- [RINGTONE PLAYING]
- Oh.
That's me. Hold on.
Yeah. Wait for it.
And there it is.
- AMIR: Cassidy.
- What? She'll find out eventually.
And kill you.
No. She won't. She'll be happy for me.
She'll understand that I'm a grown woman
who can make my own choices.
[BOTH LAUGH]
I was pretending to be a normal
person with a normal mother.
That was fun.
It's not too late
to change your mind, you know.
And why would I do that?
Because you're on the wrong side.
Really? You're judgmental.
Actually, I do aspire to be
a judge one day.
Mm.
I'm still judging you.
- Oh, shut up.
- [BOTH LAUGH]
- [DOOR OPENS]
- MISHA: My 9:00 a.m. cath patient died.
Oh. I'm sorry. What happened?
He was hit by a car.
Oh. I thought you meant he died
during the cath.
Why would he die during a cath?
- It's a straightforward procedure.
- No, no, no. I know.
You just walked in here and you
said, "My 9:00 a.m. cath died."
I assumed you were sad or some
My 9:00 a.m. cath died, so I'm free.
Let's do this.
Oh.
Oh. Uh yeah.
Great. He Here?
Here's fine.
Okay. Do you want to lock
the door or something?
By "this," I meant the study.
The heart study that your mother
has called me about
no fewer than four times a day
since we started
and I haven't had time to collate,
but now my 9:00 a.m. cath patient
Died.
So I have time.
- Right.
- Yeah.
Yeah. Okay. Let's do this.
Thank you.
♪
Whoo-hoo ♪
Thanks for dropping her.
No problem. Zig, have a good day.
I'll see you at 2:00?
What's at 2:00?
- Therapy.
- Therapy.
♪
Should we get our stories straight?
You were gonna file for divorce
without telling me.
Then you got pissed
and pointed a gun at me.
And now I'm kindly letting you
stay in my guesthouse.
- That I built with my bare hands.
- That's about it.
♪
I don't have a good feeling
about therapy.
It was your idea.
Oh, thank you. Did you get my message?
There's a slumlord in the Valley
who's too cheap to provide
his tenants with clean water,
and now he's harassing them.
Why can't people be decent, Lana?
Why do they so often suck?
Ooh! That reminds me.
Where'd you get that hickey?
- What?
- Is this allowed?
- Getting hickeys?
- Can we not talk about my hickey?
I just spent $27,000 on rehab,
getting you clean.
It is my understanding that
in your first year of sobriety,
you shouldn't be getting hickeys.
I'm just asking your Aunt Lana
what the rules are.
You are a lot this morning.
Yeah, well, I've been up
since 5:00 this morning
doing press for the book,
and I may have had too much coffee.
Could you, uh,
talk to Ziggy about hickeys
while I see if Cass is here?
- She's not.
- Where is she?
You're not gonna like it.
You let her go work for Benji?
She's her own person, Annie.
Yeah, but you're practically her uncle
and one of the best lawyers
I've ever known.
- You couldn't talk her out of it?
- There's more.
Oh, no. I can't take any more. Unh-unh.
The world is filled with slumlords
and angry almost-ex-husbands.
I just I can't take any more.
Benji's repping Stonemore.
- What?
- Yeah.
He took Cassidy
and he's repping Stonemore?
Yes.
And she went. Willingly?
Well, they didn't throw her in the trunk
in the middle of the night,
if that's what you're saying.
He's her father.
I'm sure he made her a good offer.
This is some kind of chess move.
- Yep.
- This is some kind of move
that's gonna hurt my daughter
really badly in the end.
It's not a coincidence None of it.
You read Sharon's autopsy?
I did.
- You want to talk about it?
- No.
The hearing
on Stonemore's motion to dismiss
is this afternoon.
No worries. You've got this. Easy-peasy.
"Easy-peasy" is not a phrase
I would use here.
Have you met your ex-husband? He's wily.
[SIGHS] You know, when I met him,
he was working at a free legal clinic.
I wandered in there one day
because I wanted someone
to explain to me
some stupid lawyer crap,
and every time I would ask the question
at the firm where I was working,
they looked at my cleavage and
spoke to me like I was stupid.
So, I wander into Benji,
who also looked at my cleavage,
but he didn't talk to me
like I was stupid.
He was fiery, and he was
passionate, and I married him.
I will never understand
how he got from that to this.
He likes money.
What's there to understand?
If he argues that we have
insufficient evidence?
We say we have a medical study
under way.
If he argues that this lawsuit
is a fishing expedition?
We argue that if they haven't
done anything wrong,
they shouldn't be afraid
of the fish we catch.
If he claims that we brought
the suit too soon?
We say that, uh,
as far as we're concerned,
we didn't bring it soon enough,
that enough good people
have suffered and they've died,
and this stops now.
You got this.
You're mad and motivated.
- Where are you going?
- I'm mad, too.
I'm gonna go kick some slumlord ass.
Jackie's been documenting
all the harassment.
He slashed her tires.
He turned her electricity off.
He reported her to animal
control for an illegal ferret.
She has a ferret?
No. He's just making stuff up
to get her to move out.
Hey, you remember last year,
when, uh, Grady said he was unhappy
and we went to Mexico
for a three-day weekend
and had margaritas
and sex in the afternoon
and I thought everything was good?
You remember that guy I dated
with the boat?
Ah, boat guy. He was cute.
And he was steady. Like it was a virtue.
Dinner at 6:00, sex at 9:00,
two episodes of "Breaking Bad,"
and then bed.
Ooh. That sounds good.
Except dinner at 6:00.
Who's home at 6:00?
Well, in his world, everybody
should be home at 6:00,
and in mine, I get home when I get home
and if I want to watch reruns
of "Girlfriends"
instead of "Breaking Bad,"
that should be okay.
But he didn't think it was okay.
And the problem was, neither one
of us ever said anything
about our resentments
to the other person.
And then, one day,
I looked at that sweet, sexy man
and I thought, "I will die if I
spend another minute with him."
[CHUCKLES]
So Grady's boat man and I'm you
and I should divorce him?
No, no, no, no, no.
You're you, Grady's Grady,
you guys have a kid together,
and you love him.
So you say all the things
that bother you
and you listen to what bothers him,
and maybe you guys still have a chance.
- Oh, boy.
- No, I already let them
Looks like we're here just in time.
LUKE: [CLEARS THROAT] Hey.
Would you mind drafting the
interrogatories for Townes LLC?
We, uh, use the standard forms.
You mean the same forms every
firm uses for interrogatories?
Sorry. Of course you know the forms.
I just I had no idea how much
your mom let you do over there,
- so
- I didn't work for my mom.
I worked for Cruz.
And I filled out
plenty of interrogatories.
Great.
Well, uh, Benji just needs
all hands on deck this morning
- for the meeting, so
- Oh, well, I should
Oh, uh, except for you,
'cause it's Stonemore, which
I guess is your mom's thing.
- I didn't work for my mom.
- For your mom. I know.
You worked for Cruz.
And it's a conflict.
So, anyway, uh, Townes LLC? Thanks.
I owe you.
I told those guys they couldn't evict me
without that thing you said they needed.
An executed judgment.
But they just kept throwing
my stuff in garbage bags,
and I'm like, "You can't do this."
But they did it, and they put
a padlock on my apartment.
And now I'm just waiting
for my friend Sheila
to come and get me, so thanks a lot.
Okay. We're gonna help you.
I don't want help.
I just want to get to
Sheila's house and smoke a bowl
and wake up tomorrow
and go back to Milwaukee
and move in with my mom
and stepdad, Ken, who I hate,
but at least there's clean
freaking water!
I'm calling the management
company, but there's no answer.
Yeah. There never is.
They're just, like, this faceless bully.
So we got to make them show their face.
Okay, look, I have
a quick press conference,
and then I'll be back.
This is Lana.
Tell her everything you know,
and we will make sure
you don't have to move in
with your mom and Ted.
I think it's Ken.
Oh. Whatever.
- I really don't like Ken.
- [CAR DOOR CLOSES]
I was born with a heart condition,
had my first valve replacement
at just 18 months old.
It was a pig valve.
My parents called it Porky.
[LAUGHTER]
When it wore out, um,
Porky was replaced by Miss Piggy
and then Babe.
A lot of surgeries, a lot of pain,
a lot of missed school.
Then, in college,
we tried a mechanical valve
because they last longer,
but they require you to go
on blood thinners.
I mean, I was covered in bruises.
I lived in fear.
I quit cheerleading.
I didn't dance at my brother's wedding.
I was just scared all the time
until Stonemore came up with
a valve that wouldn't wear out
and didn't require blood thinners.
And that felt like a miracle.
And I don't use that word lightly.
To me, it's a miracle.
It's been four years, and
I never even think about my heart.
It just beats.
The Stonemore valve
didn't change my life.
It gave me one.
So I am begging you,
please do not let them
take it off the market.
Thank you.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Cass?
You know, I finally make a decision
to live life on my own terms,
turns out I can't.
I'm stuck doing
someone else's interrogatories
because I'm conflicted out of
the biggest case the firm has.
I know. And I'm sorry,
but what can I do?
Put me on Stonemore.
Cruz filed the case after I left.
Stonemore was never my client.
Rule 1.7 isn't limited
to client relationships.
My representation of Stonemore
wouldn't be limited
by my prior relationship to Cruz Law.
What about your relationship
to your mother?
So let me get this straight.
I left Cruz because of my mom,
and now I can't get on your
biggest case because of my mom?
[CLEARS THROAT] Sorry to interrupt.
I just got an alert.
I think you should see this.
[CELLPHONE CLICKS]
Today we start our case against
the Stonemore Corporation.
These balloons represent
the thousands of victims
that couldn't be here today
because they're too sick,
because they're being poisoned
by their own hearts
thanks to Stonemore Medical.
She's winning in the press.
She always wins in the press.
But we can beat them in court
If you let me help.
♪
[CAR DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
- He's having a party, huh?
- LANA: It's his anniversary.
He and his wife, Lillian,
have been happily married for 30 years.
He's made of money.
JACKIE: What's with the balloon?
Party favor. Let's go.
I'm scared.
Oh, don't be.
Threatening legal action is fun.
- I can't afford a legal action.
- He doesn't know that.
- What's his name?
- LANA: Tim Park.
- [DOORBELL RINGS]
- Mm.
[DOOR OPENS]
Hey there, Mr. Park.
Happy anniversary.
Do I know you?
Cape, Jackie.
Yeah. Okay. Hi.
I'm the person you keep harassing.
I'm so sorry. I have no idea
what you're talking about.
There are toxic lead levels
at your property, sir.
- I own a lot of properties.
- LANA: 8730 Van Nuys.
No, I wasn't asking. I was saying.
I'm an owner. I'm not a manager.
You need to speak to the manager.
- I have done that.
- She has done that.
They stonewall and harass her.
I thought you'd like to know
that we are preparing to file
- a legal action.
- Understood.
In that case,
you'll want to speak
with my attorney, Jack Bryant.
Either way, my team takes care
of those details.
Now, if there's nothing else,
my grandkids are making a snack,
and I was told to supervise.
Thank you for the balloon.
They'll love it.
♪
Okay, then. We asked for change.
Then we demanded change.
What's our next step, Jackie?
Power in numbers.
Power in numbers.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Oh. Hey. You're still here.
How was the scheduled C?
The C was an A-plus.
I keep staring at these numbers,
trying to draw conclusions,
but But what?
You have 26 patients who got
the new Stonemore valve, right?
There's 8% who had elevated ANA titers.
9% met the criteria
for autoimmune
and connective-tissue disorders.
The control group was 5%.
That's at least
a 3% elevated risk of disease.
It's not statistically significant.
Well Well, let's compare it
to the clinical trials.
There were no clinical trials.
- No clinical trials?
- Mnh-mnh.
- They never tested the valve on humans?
- No.
It's a loophole to get around
any additional FDA testing.
They change it just a little bit,
claim it's essentially the same valve,
- so it gets grandfathered in.
- Hmm.
Kind of like you and me.
Are you saying that you were
grandfathered into my pants?
It was a joke.
It wasn't funny. Sorry about that.
[CHUCKLES] No, it was funny.
You can lock the door now.
- Yeah?
- Mm-hmm.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
What is she doing with the Slytherins?
Don't do this.
Do what?
She can't be here. You can't be here.
Actually, I can.
These are people. They're sick.
And you're gonna play games?
I'm not the one who covered
the courthouse steps in hearts.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
Helen Peterson et al
vs. Stonemore Corporation,
defendant's motion to dismiss.
- Julian Cruz for the plaintiff.
- Benjamin Ray for the defense.
Your Honor, before we proceed,
I'd like to make you aware
of a potential conflict of interest.
My former associate, Cassidy Ray,
would appear to be working
with opposing counsel.
She was my associate
until less than a week ago,
and it's completely unethical
for her now to be representing
the defendant in this case.
Your Honor, Ms. Ray left Cruz Law
prior to this case being filed.
Your Honor,
Ms. Ray knew about this case.
Her mother is the plaintiff advocate.
Is her mother an attorney, Julian?
Last I checked, she didn't even
finish undergrad.
Can I say something?
- No.
- No. No.
JUDGE BOBIAK: Approach.
Your Honor, Ms. Ray's presence
on this case
creates a conflict of interest
between myself
and my clients, given
my position as her former boss
and her mother's position
as our firm's advocate.
Opposing counsel knows this.
He seems to have assigned
Ms. Ray to this case
precisely to conflict me off of it.
You give me too much credit.
Your Honor, we ask that you
remove Ms. Ray from this case.
Well, she'd still be working
for the defendant's law firm,
- so I still see a conflict.
- Your Honor, there's people
Mr. Cruz, while my eyes do take
up a large portion of my face,
I can assure you I am not,
in fact, a Disney princess,
so I thank you to not
interrupt me when I'm speaking.
I don't like tricks, Mr. Ray.
Should this case proceed,
I don't want to see antics
like this again.
That being said, we cannot
and will not proceed
until both represented parties
have been apprised of this conflict
and both given their written consent
to proceed in spite of it.
And if my clients don't agree?
Then your clients will have to
find themselves a new attorney.
[GAVEL TAPS, SPECTATORS MURMURING]
♪
♪
Uh, hi. Sorry to bother you.
See, that's the thing ♪
We're gonna do you right ♪
Let's get it, get it, get it ♪
Oh, hell no.
Yeah, we gotcha ♪
Mm-mm-mm-hmm ♪
Yeah, yeah, we gotcha ♪
Mm-mm-mm-hmm ♪
We got your back ♪
That's a fact ♪
You don't even got to ask ♪
We gotcha ♪
- Whoo-ooh ♪
- Hi.
I live in 108,
and the landlord's
been harassing me because
She asked the landlord
for clean water
Not just for herself,
but for everyone, and
He ignored her,
and then he locked her out.
Can you believe that? I mean, yeah,
he is not the greatest landlord,
but rent's cheap.
Anyway, my kid is napping,
so I need to, you know,
get a bunch of stuff done.
Oh, man, do I get that.
I had three kids myself,
so I understand those
precious hours of free time.
Why should you have to
waste them researching
while your kid is lethargic
and having developmental delays?
Is it a boy or a girl?
Boy. Uh, Will.
Oh, I love that name. My boy is Nate.
Nathaniel. He's a grown-ass man now.
He's a doctor. Where was I?
- Developmental delays.
- Oh, right.
Why should you waste
those precious few hours
looking into the terrible effects
of lead poisoning on children
when I can just tell you
that besides the delays,
it can cause hearing loss
and abdominal pains
and, in extreme, severe cases, seizures
and even knock wood Death.
- [CELLPHONE CHIMES]
- Oh.
- Uh, I got to go meet Grady.
- Go, go, go.
- Jackie and I are having fun.
- Okay.
Bye.
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[GRUNTS, EXHALES DEEPLY]
[LINE RINGING]
- Mom.
- REBEL: Hey, Zig.
You don't have to remind me.
I'm on my way.
No. Hang on.
Something's happening.
I don't really understand it.
But Cassidy's here,
and she's not supposed to be
here, I think.
- Cassidy's where?
- Here at court.
- Benji put her on the case.
- He did what?
Yeah, and and it's
a conflict or something,
and it means that Cruz
might not be able to do it.
Put Cruz on.
No. He's talking to Helen
and those guys right now.
Okay. Okay. Uh, hold on.
[TIRES SQUEAL]
[HORN BLARES]
Ah.
[HORN BLARES]
Please.
Yeah.
[CELLPHONE BUZZING]
- [SIGHS]
- I just got a text from Rebel.
[CLEARS THROAT] She's running late.
Did she say how late?
Nope, just running late, which
means she's not gonna show,
because if she was gonna show,
she'd say,
"Running 10 minutes late,"
or, "Running a little behind."
"Running late" means not coming.
She's busy saving the world.
H-How in the hell can I compete
with the whole damn world?
And you feel unimportant to her.
[CHUCKLES]
Let's put it this way.
I don't remember the last time
that I didn't eat dinner alone
or with Ziggy, our daughter
Who I love
I love to cook dinner for her.
But is it wrong to wish
that just once, one damn time,
that I'd come home
and find somebody had cooked
some food for me?
Cassidy Ray, you are
simultaneously destroying
both my case and my
marriage. You know that?
How am I to blame
for your third failed marriage?
He put you on Stonemore, Cassidy.
Your father is using you.
Mom, I asked to be on the case.
Oh, you don't even see it.
You think him luring you
to his firm was a coincidence?
Mom, can you just, for once
Can I what?
Can I just sit by
and watch 3,000 people die?
No, I can't. I'm surprised you can.
You don't have a case, Mom.
You have sad people, Mylar
balloons, and no real case.
You're putting Cruz through hell
making him relive Aunt Sharon's
death for no reason.
[SIGHS] Wow.
You are as blind as I was
when it comes to your father.
I would blame myself
if I hadn't been warning you
- your whole life.
- My father didn't lure me.
I am not a fish.
I am a grown woman,
and I make my own choices.
If that's true, those are
piss-poor choices, Cassidy.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
So, what do you think?
Will Stonemore sign off?
BENJI: They already did this morning.
LUKE: We need to file the motion
to compel in Anderson v. Voight.
Deadline's coming up.
I don't understand.
[CELLPHONE WHOOSHES]
Dad?
Cassidy, I charge $1,000 an hour.
That breaks down to $17 a minute.
The way that I'm able to make money
and still get home to Vanessa
every night for quality time
is that when I am working,
I work every minute
that I possibly can,
courtroom recesses included.
I saw Duncan last night,
and he signed off.
We're good.
I wasn't on the case last night.
There was no conflict last night.
♪
Wow. My mom was right.
You orchestrated this whole thing.
You asked to be on the case, Cass.
- You knew I wanted to be on it.
- I did.
I used what I know about you,
and it went exactly as
I expected it to with the judge.
Better yet, Cruz's clients
can now very well decide
it's too much of a risk
to move forward with him at all.
The motion and the entire case
are dismissed,
I'm home in time
for a pre-dinner martini,
and you are in the big leagues.
Mm.
I get why you're mad,
but please don't be hurt.
There's always a bigger picture.
You can't see it when you're inside it.
[CELLPHONE BUZZING]
I got to take this.
Benjamin Ray.
The best attorneys
use everything they have.
Oh, please.
"Do my mindless interrogatories,
but do not come to the big
meeting with all the cool kids.
I probably shouldn't even
have mentioned it. Oops!"
What am I supposed to do?
Say no to my boss?
He asked me to tee you up.
I hate the world. I'm leaving. I quit.
[SIGHS] No.
No, you don't quit. You're angry.
You're embarrassed. You feel used.
You know, fair enough.
But you don't just leave, okay?
You stay and you use him right back.
Look, Cassidy, you have to admit
this was brilliant.
I mean, your dad is brilliant.
He didn't just use you.
He gave you a seat at the big table.
He made it a win-win.
Look, if you quit now, you
wasted a massive opportunity.
♪
So, what does this mean?
If we hire another law firm,
it delays things even more?
Yes, it would. I could recommend
some top people,
but they would time,
and they would need convincing.
Is that what you think we should do?
- You have to decide for yourselves.
- Oh, well, that's helpful.
DANIEL: How are we just finding out
that her ex is representing Stonemore?
Well, we didn't know until last night.
Why not? Why are you playing catch-up?
You told us this guy was the guy.
- He is.
- Well, based on what?
Did you get second opinions?
Daniel, my mom's been leading
this group for free for years,
so now's not the time to
question her leadership.
Oh, guys, this is what he wants.
My ex is playing 3-D chess,
and him hiring our kid
to get you to fire Cruz
was his big move.
He's hoping you'll retreat,
lose momentum,
start turning on one another.
Well, that's exactly
what seems to be happening.
- It just feels like dirty pool.
- REBEL: Yeah, it is.
And what you saw today is just
a taste of what you're in for.
And Julian Cruz is the guy, Daniel.
He's the best.
And not just because
he's a great legal warrior,
but because he's one of you.
He understands the pain you're in.
He's never gonna doubt you
or minimize it
or wonder if your symptoms are real.
He watched the pain
get so intense for his wife,
she took her own life.
Annie.
Outside.
Excuse me.
Oh. Hey.
Hey!
- You said you read the autopsy.
- I did read it.
- It said overdose.
- It was an accidental overdose.
Sharon was meticulous
with her medication.
Well, maybe she took extra
because she was in such pain.
Fine.
Okay. Fine.
But Stonemore caused that overdose.
And whether it was accidental or
intentional, it doesn't matter.
It matters to me, Annie,
because I am Catholic,
and it matters because maybe
we could have saved her.
And there's no reason
why those people needed to know
- any of my personal business.
- Yes, there was.
Sorry to interrupt,
but, um, we all agreed
we want you to stay on the case.
And that's why.
Okay. Let's do this.
Hey.
Oh, uh
Call your dad. Tell him I'm gonna speed.
Should we get food?
No. This isn't that.
We can't eat food together?
No. Sorry. I thought that was clear.
Listen, Misha,
we got off to a bad start.
But it was two years ago.
Let me Let me take you to dinner.
I was raised right.
I write thank-you notes.
I use place mats.
I have a grandmother I call "Nana."
I have a grandmother.
- What do you call her?
- Joanne.
When's the last time you saw Joanne?
- Last year, Christmas.
- I see Nana once a week.
I go over to her house.
She makes me dinner.
My point is, this is good.
The sex is really, really good.
But I just think
that we're two different people,
and I don't know that Nana
would like you.
Are you kidding? Nanas love me.
I'm 36, and I have rules and boundaries.
And one rule is,
when a guy shows you who he is,
believe him.
So I would like to keep this
to just sex and work
If that's okay with you,
but I don't want you to feel used,
'cause I know how bad that can feel.
So Option B is we can
just keep it work and work.
[SIGHS]
No. I'll take Option A.
Great. I'll prepare the stats
and give them to your mom.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
Man.
[CAR DOOR CLOSES]
I'm here. I'm here. Look, I tried.
Did you get Ziggy's message?
Yeah, on my way out of therapy.
But I tried. I really did.
- You always really try.
- Oh, Grady, please.
C-Can we just reschedule, please?
How many times are we gonna reschedule
couples counseling
around your work schedule?
You don't see a problem here?
There's only a problem
if you make it one.
I love my work. I am my work.
You used to love that about me.
- What?
- I was Annie when you met me.
I was Annie when you married me.
You called me Rebel
because you loved what I did
and what I stood for.
You loved that I would make up
my own rules
as long as I felt
that what I was doing was right.
And what I did today was right, Grady.
I-I tried to be here, but it was
right for me to go to court.
Ray Bello.
What?
Annie Flynn Ray, Grady Bello.
Ray-Bello. Raybell.
Rebel I nicknamed you Rebel
because when you added
your name to mine,
that's how it sounded to me.
It wasn't that deep.
Alright, you're trying to
kick me when I'm down,
and that's cool because you're mad.
But, Grady, what we had was good.
What we had was good until you
started competing with my work.
It doesn't have to be a contest.
Oh, there's no contest, babe.
You'll pick your work every damn time.
- [RINGTONE PLAYING]
- That's Lana's ring.
You should probably take it.
Grady Just take it.
[RINGTONE CONTINUES]
♪
[CAR DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[ENGINE STARTS, REVS]
♪
I take my point of view ♪
But I could use a little help ♪
Help me ♪
I ain't got nothing to prove ♪
Ooh-la-la-la-la-la ♪
To love ♪
Walk a mile in another man's shoes ♪
Oh-ho!
Rebel! How awesome is this?!
Clean water!
I love it.
Has Park called the cops on you?
LANA: Hasn't even shown his face yet.
[GROANS]
You can't be here.
I have guests. This is trespassing.
REBEL: I tell you what.
You stop lying and cheating
and being a general horse's ass,
and they'll leave.
They have a moving truck
all ready to pack it up,
but first you need to promise
to fix their pipes.
My security team is on their way.
Hey! How dare you?!
How dare you?
These people are here to talk to you.
The least you can do is listen.
I have a baby, Mr. Park.
I'm raising him on my own.
It's hard every day.
But I'm doing it because
I love him and it's worth it.
I'm not asking for your help
to change his diapers
or provide his education.
I'm just asking
for you to un-poison his water.
I-I am calling the police!
The police have families
and children, too, Mr. Park.
I know because I used to be one.
And, damn, how we hated people like you
that make a big mess like this
then called upon us and demanded
that we clean it up.
Call them.
I'll tell them why we're here.
I'll even tell it to a judge.
And I will, too.
You don't scare me anymore.
And you can't intimidate me.
Because today,
you sent goons to my apartment.
They shoved me out the door,
and that's assault.
They locked the apartment,
and that is
some kind of other illegal thing.
I know my rights,
and the ones I don't know,
I'll learn, and I'll put you in jail.
Or you could do the right thing
and they'll get
the port-a-potties off your lawn
before the party.
Fine.
- Whoo-hoo-hoo!
- LANA: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
We're gonna need that in writing.
Would you like to do it yourself
or get your team on it?
Come on. Let's go.
You wear the hell
out of that cape, Jackie.
♪
BENJI: The plaintiffs claim
the Stonemore valve is poisoning people.
Are there people who are sick
with the Stonemore valve?
Clearly, there are.
And I feel for them and their families.
But are they sick
because of the Stonemore valve?
There is absolutely
no scientific evidence
to support that claim.
And, Your Honor, you stated
you don't like tricks.
Playing on your heartstrings
by showing up here
with a group of people that are
clearly suffering
that's just a trick.
It's not a study.
It's not science.
It's not a correlation,
no matter how many balloons they
put on the courthouse steps.
While we're respectful
of their injuries,
the plaintiffs' claims are not yet ripe,
and we ask you to dismiss them.
JUDGE BOBIAK: Counselor?
Your Honor
I'm a widower, but I still
shop like it's the two of us.
It's an old habit. So stuff goes bad.
One day, you have a yellow banana.
The next day, it's black,
and it's turning all the other
bananas in the bunch black.
Now, did you know that
one spoiling piece of fruit
would spoil all the others?
I actually didn't know that.
Is that true?
Your Honor, with all due respect,
do we need to hear about
Mr. Cruz's produce?
My point is, Your Honor,
is that this case is past ripe.
People are dying,
and families are suffering.
And we have sufficiently alleged
a correlation.
We have a plaintiff who had
the Stonemore valve removed
and his symptoms
completely reversed themselves.
Now, we are, of course,
running a larger study,
but if you ask us to wait the months
and the years for that
formal study to be complete,
then, Your Honor, there's gonna
be thousands of people
And I'm gonna use my produce
metaphor again here, Mr. Ray,
so get ready
They're rotting, Your Honor.
They're gonna die waiting to be heard,
and they're gonna take
their families with them,
because there's nothing worse
than watching the person
that you love wither on the vine.
These people here,
they deserve their day in court.
They deserve to be seen.
They deserve to be heard.
And these people, they're not a trick.
These people here are what's at stake.
Thank you, Your Honor.
♪
BENJI: Mm.
What are you doing, Benji?
You too?
I just got my ass handed to me in court.
That's enough for one day.
I played Barbies with that girl hard.
Hours sitting on that floor,
wanting to get high so badly.
But Rebel trusted me
to babysit my niece,
so I sat on that floor, and I played.
And it takes time.
You got to put the dress on,
brush the hair,
change the dress.
So time passed, and I played
with those damn dolls
and that girl of yours,
and those hours on that floor
are in many ways responsible
for my sobriety.
So I am going to watch over her.
I played Barbies, too.
I know.
I know. I know you did.
And I know that Rebel
didn't always make it easy
for you to see her.
I know all the players,
all the mistakes,
and all the regrets.
And I know about that stunt
you pulled today.
But I also believe
that you brought Cass here
because you want to make up for
the time that you didn't get.
So starting now, make up for it.
Don't mess it up worse.
Okay.
Okay.
Did you hear about Aunt Susan's
raccoon in the attic?
Did I hear? She called me screaming.
- [LAUGHING]
- "Aah!
Benjamin! Benjamin! Come get
this raccoon outta my house!"
[LAUGHING] I swear. That was her.
Amir's supposed to come over tonight,
but he's not texting me back.
I think he's mad.
You ever met his grandparents?
No.
Do you think we're the kind of people
you can bring home, meet your family?
Our family? No, thanks.
I thought Mom was calculating
and manipulative.
Turns out my dad can throw down, too.
Well, some families have dinner
every Sunday.
What is going on with you?
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Hey, I texted you a million
times, and you didn't ans
Uh
Do I go in there?
Hard to say.
It was a prompt.
Me not responding to your messages
was me giving you a prompt.
"Amir must be angry.
Maybe he heard about what I did
in court today.
Maybe I should go and apologize."
I waited at the office for three hours.
[METAL SCRAPING]
Hi, Nate. Sorry.
I'm not here. Ignore me.
Yeah, Nate, that's a good idea.
Why don't you not be here right now?
No, it's okay, Nate. Stay.
I'm leaving.
I just came to get my stuff.
Listen. Wait. I was blindsided today.
My dad set me up,
and you want an apology from me?
Not me. I wanted an apology to Cruz.
I wanted an acknowledgement from you
that you screwed over
your mentor in court today.
You almost cost him the case!
I desperately wanted you
to come back to us
and say that you quit Benji
and ask for your job back,
- because that would mean
- What would it mean?
That would mean that you're
somebody I could respect.
That would mean that you're somebody
that I could keep seeing.
♪
I'll see you around, Nate.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR SLAMS]
Eat.
♪
[SIRENS WAILING]
[PLAYING MID-TEMPO MUSIC]
♪
♪
[TAPPING, MUSIC STOPS]
[INSECTS CHIRPING]
I told you that my parents weren't home.
You could have just used the front door.
Well, I like this better.
It feels dirty.
What's up?
Just my family. Not even my parents.
Like, my whole family is just
Just what?
Going to war.
That sounds dark.
Feels dark.
Uh you, uh, you want me to go?
No.
I want you to stay.
♪
When I feel cold ♪
I'll keep you close ♪
And if I could hold you ♪
- And take you home ♪
- Thank you.
When at night ♪
Your toes touch mine ♪
[CLEARS THROAT]
I'm Angela.
- I'll sing you to sleep ♪
- What?
Angela.
Oh.
If you were mine to keep ♪
Now you say your name.
Right. Uh, Grady.
But my heart ♪
Do you mind if I join you
so we don't have to yell?
No.
I mean yes. I-I don't mind.
And nights end with your breath ♪
♪
I wish I could leave you, my love ♪
Hello, Grady.
But my heart is a mess ♪
♪
- [PLAYING DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC]
- [FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
Good job on the motion.
Sorry I missed it.
Me too.
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
I was brilliant, but not cocky.
Ah. Not cocky.
You sure about that?
♪
Ziggy said I slayed,
which I assume
is the highest form of praise.
[EXHALES DEEPLY] That it is.
Okay. Why aren't you home?
I, uh I didn't stop today.
I was all over town.
I was back and forth, upside
down and sideways, and I won.
Everything I did today, I won.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Usually that feels good.
But Grady hates me,
and I don't want to go home.
And I'm here because I need to know
that you don't hate me, too.
I'm sorry if I crossed the line today.
The night that Sharon died,
uh, I was working late
at the kitchen table,
and she came in to say good night.
And she seemed she seemed happy.
She seemed fine.
And she said, "Hug me, baby."
And, of course, I did.
And then, as I was pulling away,
she said, "No.
Not yet."
And, uh, we hugged each other
for like I don't know
Like 30 seconds,
and then she she took my
And she looked at me and said, "Okay.
I love you."
And she went to bed.
And I didn't know that, uh
that I was hugging my wife
of 38 years goodbye
for the last time.
But maybe she did.
Maybe she knew.
♪
What am I supposed to do with that?
♪
[PIANO KEYS CLANG]
Cruz!
Cruz!
- Cruz! Help!
- [HEART BEATING]
Cruz. Cruz!
He gets the guesthouse.
And you go to marriage counseling.
- What?
- What?
You guys don't get to
just quit each other,
not without at least a fight!
Stonemore Medical heart valves
are poisoning people.
CRUZ: We're gonna
get enough money from them
till they feel the sting.
I'm gonna spend my afternoon
making those Stonemore calls for you,
and, in exchange, you are
going to get a drink with me.
I might also want sex
to scratch an itch,
but I'll decide that after
approximately three drinks.
- Deal?
- You'd have sex with me again?
- Why are you quitting?
- My dad offered me a job.
Who's the big, new client?
Stonemore Medical.
PARHAM: We're here live in studio
with activist, advocate,
and author Annie Flynn Ray Bello,
discussing her latest book,
"Put on the Cape:
How to be the Superhero
You're Waiting For."
So, Rebel, how do we put on the cape?
We stop waiting for Superman
to show up and fix it for us.
I like what you write about
ranting at the TV.
Well, we all do it, right?
We see something unjust,
we get all worked up,
we start screaming at the TV
and trash-talking on Twitter.
And then it's tempting to stop,
but don't.
Take that energy
to a school-board meeting
or or a town hall.
Things only change when we change them.
You can give in to despair
or you can get mad and motivated.
Alright. Let's hear from
some more callers.
We've got Jackie
from the San Fernando Valley.
JACKIE: Yeah, hi. Rebel?
The water in my apartment is brown.
I tested it, and the lead
levels are really high.
And I read your book,
and I put on the cape.
I mean, I really
I put the damn thing on.
Good for you.
No, it was not good for me.
I complained to my landlord,
and he didn't do anything,
so I filed a complaint with the city,
and then my landlord
started harassing me,
and now he's trying to evict me.
He can't do that, Jackie.
He's doing it right now.
There are movers here.
They are physically removing my stuff.
Can they do that?
I have like $97 in the bank.
Where am I gonna go?
You're not going anywhere.
If it was a legal eviction,
a sheriff would show up at your door
with an executed judgment.
I'm scared.
That's what your landlord
is counting on.
Uh, Jackie, give your contact
information to the screener.
I'm gonna help you.
Which means she thinks
I'm gonna help her.
Wait for it.
She thinks Benji's gonna let you
keep doing her pro bono work
on his dime?
You did tell her you left Cruz, right?
- [RINGTONE PLAYING]
- Oh.
That's me. Hold on.
Yeah. Wait for it.
And there it is.
- AMIR: Cassidy.
- What? She'll find out eventually.
And kill you.
No. She won't. She'll be happy for me.
She'll understand that I'm a grown woman
who can make my own choices.
[BOTH LAUGH]
I was pretending to be a normal
person with a normal mother.
That was fun.
It's not too late
to change your mind, you know.
And why would I do that?
Because you're on the wrong side.
Really? You're judgmental.
Actually, I do aspire to be
a judge one day.
Mm.
I'm still judging you.
- Oh, shut up.
- [BOTH LAUGH]
- [DOOR OPENS]
- MISHA: My 9:00 a.m. cath patient died.
Oh. I'm sorry. What happened?
He was hit by a car.
Oh. I thought you meant he died
during the cath.
Why would he die during a cath?
- It's a straightforward procedure.
- No, no, no. I know.
You just walked in here and you
said, "My 9:00 a.m. cath died."
I assumed you were sad or some
My 9:00 a.m. cath died, so I'm free.
Let's do this.
Oh.
Oh. Uh yeah.
Great. He Here?
Here's fine.
Okay. Do you want to lock
the door or something?
By "this," I meant the study.
The heart study that your mother
has called me about
no fewer than four times a day
since we started
and I haven't had time to collate,
but now my 9:00 a.m. cath patient
Died.
So I have time.
- Right.
- Yeah.
Yeah. Okay. Let's do this.
Thank you.
♪
Whoo-hoo ♪
Thanks for dropping her.
No problem. Zig, have a good day.
I'll see you at 2:00?
What's at 2:00?
- Therapy.
- Therapy.
♪
Should we get our stories straight?
You were gonna file for divorce
without telling me.
Then you got pissed
and pointed a gun at me.
And now I'm kindly letting you
stay in my guesthouse.
- That I built with my bare hands.
- That's about it.
♪
I don't have a good feeling
about therapy.
It was your idea.
Oh, thank you. Did you get my message?
There's a slumlord in the Valley
who's too cheap to provide
his tenants with clean water,
and now he's harassing them.
Why can't people be decent, Lana?
Why do they so often suck?
Ooh! That reminds me.
Where'd you get that hickey?
- What?
- Is this allowed?
- Getting hickeys?
- Can we not talk about my hickey?
I just spent $27,000 on rehab,
getting you clean.
It is my understanding that
in your first year of sobriety,
you shouldn't be getting hickeys.
I'm just asking your Aunt Lana
what the rules are.
You are a lot this morning.
Yeah, well, I've been up
since 5:00 this morning
doing press for the book,
and I may have had too much coffee.
Could you, uh,
talk to Ziggy about hickeys
while I see if Cass is here?
- She's not.
- Where is she?
You're not gonna like it.
You let her go work for Benji?
She's her own person, Annie.
Yeah, but you're practically her uncle
and one of the best lawyers
I've ever known.
- You couldn't talk her out of it?
- There's more.
Oh, no. I can't take any more. Unh-unh.
The world is filled with slumlords
and angry almost-ex-husbands.
I just I can't take any more.
Benji's repping Stonemore.
- What?
- Yeah.
He took Cassidy
and he's repping Stonemore?
Yes.
And she went. Willingly?
Well, they didn't throw her in the trunk
in the middle of the night,
if that's what you're saying.
He's her father.
I'm sure he made her a good offer.
This is some kind of chess move.
- Yep.
- This is some kind of move
that's gonna hurt my daughter
really badly in the end.
It's not a coincidence None of it.
You read Sharon's autopsy?
I did.
- You want to talk about it?
- No.
The hearing
on Stonemore's motion to dismiss
is this afternoon.
No worries. You've got this. Easy-peasy.
"Easy-peasy" is not a phrase
I would use here.
Have you met your ex-husband? He's wily.
[SIGHS] You know, when I met him,
he was working at a free legal clinic.
I wandered in there one day
because I wanted someone
to explain to me
some stupid lawyer crap,
and every time I would ask the question
at the firm where I was working,
they looked at my cleavage and
spoke to me like I was stupid.
So, I wander into Benji,
who also looked at my cleavage,
but he didn't talk to me
like I was stupid.
He was fiery, and he was
passionate, and I married him.
I will never understand
how he got from that to this.
He likes money.
What's there to understand?
If he argues that we have
insufficient evidence?
We say we have a medical study
under way.
If he argues that this lawsuit
is a fishing expedition?
We argue that if they haven't
done anything wrong,
they shouldn't be afraid
of the fish we catch.
If he claims that we brought
the suit too soon?
We say that, uh,
as far as we're concerned,
we didn't bring it soon enough,
that enough good people
have suffered and they've died,
and this stops now.
You got this.
You're mad and motivated.
- Where are you going?
- I'm mad, too.
I'm gonna go kick some slumlord ass.
Jackie's been documenting
all the harassment.
He slashed her tires.
He turned her electricity off.
He reported her to animal
control for an illegal ferret.
She has a ferret?
No. He's just making stuff up
to get her to move out.
Hey, you remember last year,
when, uh, Grady said he was unhappy
and we went to Mexico
for a three-day weekend
and had margaritas
and sex in the afternoon
and I thought everything was good?
You remember that guy I dated
with the boat?
Ah, boat guy. He was cute.
And he was steady. Like it was a virtue.
Dinner at 6:00, sex at 9:00,
two episodes of "Breaking Bad,"
and then bed.
Ooh. That sounds good.
Except dinner at 6:00.
Who's home at 6:00?
Well, in his world, everybody
should be home at 6:00,
and in mine, I get home when I get home
and if I want to watch reruns
of "Girlfriends"
instead of "Breaking Bad,"
that should be okay.
But he didn't think it was okay.
And the problem was, neither one
of us ever said anything
about our resentments
to the other person.
And then, one day,
I looked at that sweet, sexy man
and I thought, "I will die if I
spend another minute with him."
[CHUCKLES]
So Grady's boat man and I'm you
and I should divorce him?
No, no, no, no, no.
You're you, Grady's Grady,
you guys have a kid together,
and you love him.
So you say all the things
that bother you
and you listen to what bothers him,
and maybe you guys still have a chance.
- Oh, boy.
- No, I already let them
Looks like we're here just in time.
LUKE: [CLEARS THROAT] Hey.
Would you mind drafting the
interrogatories for Townes LLC?
We, uh, use the standard forms.
You mean the same forms every
firm uses for interrogatories?
Sorry. Of course you know the forms.
I just I had no idea how much
your mom let you do over there,
- so
- I didn't work for my mom.
I worked for Cruz.
And I filled out
plenty of interrogatories.
Great.
Well, uh, Benji just needs
all hands on deck this morning
- for the meeting, so
- Oh, well, I should
Oh, uh, except for you,
'cause it's Stonemore, which
I guess is your mom's thing.
- I didn't work for my mom.
- For your mom. I know.
You worked for Cruz.
And it's a conflict.
So, anyway, uh, Townes LLC? Thanks.
I owe you.
I told those guys they couldn't evict me
without that thing you said they needed.
An executed judgment.
But they just kept throwing
my stuff in garbage bags,
and I'm like, "You can't do this."
But they did it, and they put
a padlock on my apartment.
And now I'm just waiting
for my friend Sheila
to come and get me, so thanks a lot.
Okay. We're gonna help you.
I don't want help.
I just want to get to
Sheila's house and smoke a bowl
and wake up tomorrow
and go back to Milwaukee
and move in with my mom
and stepdad, Ken, who I hate,
but at least there's clean
freaking water!
I'm calling the management
company, but there's no answer.
Yeah. There never is.
They're just, like, this faceless bully.
So we got to make them show their face.
Okay, look, I have
a quick press conference,
and then I'll be back.
This is Lana.
Tell her everything you know,
and we will make sure
you don't have to move in
with your mom and Ted.
I think it's Ken.
Oh. Whatever.
- I really don't like Ken.
- [CAR DOOR CLOSES]
I was born with a heart condition,
had my first valve replacement
at just 18 months old.
It was a pig valve.
My parents called it Porky.
[LAUGHTER]
When it wore out, um,
Porky was replaced by Miss Piggy
and then Babe.
A lot of surgeries, a lot of pain,
a lot of missed school.
Then, in college,
we tried a mechanical valve
because they last longer,
but they require you to go
on blood thinners.
I mean, I was covered in bruises.
I lived in fear.
I quit cheerleading.
I didn't dance at my brother's wedding.
I was just scared all the time
until Stonemore came up with
a valve that wouldn't wear out
and didn't require blood thinners.
And that felt like a miracle.
And I don't use that word lightly.
To me, it's a miracle.
It's been four years, and
I never even think about my heart.
It just beats.
The Stonemore valve
didn't change my life.
It gave me one.
So I am begging you,
please do not let them
take it off the market.
Thank you.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Cass?
You know, I finally make a decision
to live life on my own terms,
turns out I can't.
I'm stuck doing
someone else's interrogatories
because I'm conflicted out of
the biggest case the firm has.
I know. And I'm sorry,
but what can I do?
Put me on Stonemore.
Cruz filed the case after I left.
Stonemore was never my client.
Rule 1.7 isn't limited
to client relationships.
My representation of Stonemore
wouldn't be limited
by my prior relationship to Cruz Law.
What about your relationship
to your mother?
So let me get this straight.
I left Cruz because of my mom,
and now I can't get on your
biggest case because of my mom?
[CLEARS THROAT] Sorry to interrupt.
I just got an alert.
I think you should see this.
[CELLPHONE CLICKS]
Today we start our case against
the Stonemore Corporation.
These balloons represent
the thousands of victims
that couldn't be here today
because they're too sick,
because they're being poisoned
by their own hearts
thanks to Stonemore Medical.
She's winning in the press.
She always wins in the press.
But we can beat them in court
If you let me help.
♪
[CAR DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
- He's having a party, huh?
- LANA: It's his anniversary.
He and his wife, Lillian,
have been happily married for 30 years.
He's made of money.
JACKIE: What's with the balloon?
Party favor. Let's go.
I'm scared.
Oh, don't be.
Threatening legal action is fun.
- I can't afford a legal action.
- He doesn't know that.
- What's his name?
- LANA: Tim Park.
- [DOORBELL RINGS]
- Mm.
[DOOR OPENS]
Hey there, Mr. Park.
Happy anniversary.
Do I know you?
Cape, Jackie.
Yeah. Okay. Hi.
I'm the person you keep harassing.
I'm so sorry. I have no idea
what you're talking about.
There are toxic lead levels
at your property, sir.
- I own a lot of properties.
- LANA: 8730 Van Nuys.
No, I wasn't asking. I was saying.
I'm an owner. I'm not a manager.
You need to speak to the manager.
- I have done that.
- She has done that.
They stonewall and harass her.
I thought you'd like to know
that we are preparing to file
- a legal action.
- Understood.
In that case,
you'll want to speak
with my attorney, Jack Bryant.
Either way, my team takes care
of those details.
Now, if there's nothing else,
my grandkids are making a snack,
and I was told to supervise.
Thank you for the balloon.
They'll love it.
♪
Okay, then. We asked for change.
Then we demanded change.
What's our next step, Jackie?
Power in numbers.
Power in numbers.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Oh. Hey. You're still here.
How was the scheduled C?
The C was an A-plus.
I keep staring at these numbers,
trying to draw conclusions,
but But what?
You have 26 patients who got
the new Stonemore valve, right?
There's 8% who had elevated ANA titers.
9% met the criteria
for autoimmune
and connective-tissue disorders.
The control group was 5%.
That's at least
a 3% elevated risk of disease.
It's not statistically significant.
Well Well, let's compare it
to the clinical trials.
There were no clinical trials.
- No clinical trials?
- Mnh-mnh.
- They never tested the valve on humans?
- No.
It's a loophole to get around
any additional FDA testing.
They change it just a little bit,
claim it's essentially the same valve,
- so it gets grandfathered in.
- Hmm.
Kind of like you and me.
Are you saying that you were
grandfathered into my pants?
It was a joke.
It wasn't funny. Sorry about that.
[CHUCKLES] No, it was funny.
You can lock the door now.
- Yeah?
- Mm-hmm.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
What is she doing with the Slytherins?
Don't do this.
Do what?
She can't be here. You can't be here.
Actually, I can.
These are people. They're sick.
And you're gonna play games?
I'm not the one who covered
the courthouse steps in hearts.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
Helen Peterson et al
vs. Stonemore Corporation,
defendant's motion to dismiss.
- Julian Cruz for the plaintiff.
- Benjamin Ray for the defense.
Your Honor, before we proceed,
I'd like to make you aware
of a potential conflict of interest.
My former associate, Cassidy Ray,
would appear to be working
with opposing counsel.
She was my associate
until less than a week ago,
and it's completely unethical
for her now to be representing
the defendant in this case.
Your Honor, Ms. Ray left Cruz Law
prior to this case being filed.
Your Honor,
Ms. Ray knew about this case.
Her mother is the plaintiff advocate.
Is her mother an attorney, Julian?
Last I checked, she didn't even
finish undergrad.
Can I say something?
- No.
- No. No.
JUDGE BOBIAK: Approach.
Your Honor, Ms. Ray's presence
on this case
creates a conflict of interest
between myself
and my clients, given
my position as her former boss
and her mother's position
as our firm's advocate.
Opposing counsel knows this.
He seems to have assigned
Ms. Ray to this case
precisely to conflict me off of it.
You give me too much credit.
Your Honor, we ask that you
remove Ms. Ray from this case.
Well, she'd still be working
for the defendant's law firm,
- so I still see a conflict.
- Your Honor, there's people
Mr. Cruz, while my eyes do take
up a large portion of my face,
I can assure you I am not,
in fact, a Disney princess,
so I thank you to not
interrupt me when I'm speaking.
I don't like tricks, Mr. Ray.
Should this case proceed,
I don't want to see antics
like this again.
That being said, we cannot
and will not proceed
until both represented parties
have been apprised of this conflict
and both given their written consent
to proceed in spite of it.
And if my clients don't agree?
Then your clients will have to
find themselves a new attorney.
[GAVEL TAPS, SPECTATORS MURMURING]
♪
♪
Uh, hi. Sorry to bother you.
See, that's the thing ♪
We're gonna do you right ♪
Let's get it, get it, get it ♪
Oh, hell no.
Yeah, we gotcha ♪
Mm-mm-mm-hmm ♪
Yeah, yeah, we gotcha ♪
Mm-mm-mm-hmm ♪
We got your back ♪
That's a fact ♪
You don't even got to ask ♪
We gotcha ♪
- Whoo-ooh ♪
- Hi.
I live in 108,
and the landlord's
been harassing me because
She asked the landlord
for clean water
Not just for herself,
but for everyone, and
He ignored her,
and then he locked her out.
Can you believe that? I mean, yeah,
he is not the greatest landlord,
but rent's cheap.
Anyway, my kid is napping,
so I need to, you know,
get a bunch of stuff done.
Oh, man, do I get that.
I had three kids myself,
so I understand those
precious hours of free time.
Why should you have to
waste them researching
while your kid is lethargic
and having developmental delays?
Is it a boy or a girl?
Boy. Uh, Will.
Oh, I love that name. My boy is Nate.
Nathaniel. He's a grown-ass man now.
He's a doctor. Where was I?
- Developmental delays.
- Oh, right.
Why should you waste
those precious few hours
looking into the terrible effects
of lead poisoning on children
when I can just tell you
that besides the delays,
it can cause hearing loss
and abdominal pains
and, in extreme, severe cases, seizures
and even knock wood Death.
- [CELLPHONE CHIMES]
- Oh.
- Uh, I got to go meet Grady.
- Go, go, go.
- Jackie and I are having fun.
- Okay.
Bye.
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[GRUNTS, EXHALES DEEPLY]
[LINE RINGING]
- Mom.
- REBEL: Hey, Zig.
You don't have to remind me.
I'm on my way.
No. Hang on.
Something's happening.
I don't really understand it.
But Cassidy's here,
and she's not supposed to be
here, I think.
- Cassidy's where?
- Here at court.
- Benji put her on the case.
- He did what?
Yeah, and and it's
a conflict or something,
and it means that Cruz
might not be able to do it.
Put Cruz on.
No. He's talking to Helen
and those guys right now.
Okay. Okay. Uh, hold on.
[TIRES SQUEAL]
[HORN BLARES]
Ah.
[HORN BLARES]
Please.
Yeah.
[CELLPHONE BUZZING]
- [SIGHS]
- I just got a text from Rebel.
[CLEARS THROAT] She's running late.
Did she say how late?
Nope, just running late, which
means she's not gonna show,
because if she was gonna show,
she'd say,
"Running 10 minutes late,"
or, "Running a little behind."
"Running late" means not coming.
She's busy saving the world.
H-How in the hell can I compete
with the whole damn world?
And you feel unimportant to her.
[CHUCKLES]
Let's put it this way.
I don't remember the last time
that I didn't eat dinner alone
or with Ziggy, our daughter
Who I love
I love to cook dinner for her.
But is it wrong to wish
that just once, one damn time,
that I'd come home
and find somebody had cooked
some food for me?
Cassidy Ray, you are
simultaneously destroying
both my case and my
marriage. You know that?
How am I to blame
for your third failed marriage?
He put you on Stonemore, Cassidy.
Your father is using you.
Mom, I asked to be on the case.
Oh, you don't even see it.
You think him luring you
to his firm was a coincidence?
Mom, can you just, for once
Can I what?
Can I just sit by
and watch 3,000 people die?
No, I can't. I'm surprised you can.
You don't have a case, Mom.
You have sad people, Mylar
balloons, and no real case.
You're putting Cruz through hell
making him relive Aunt Sharon's
death for no reason.
[SIGHS] Wow.
You are as blind as I was
when it comes to your father.
I would blame myself
if I hadn't been warning you
- your whole life.
- My father didn't lure me.
I am not a fish.
I am a grown woman,
and I make my own choices.
If that's true, those are
piss-poor choices, Cassidy.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
So, what do you think?
Will Stonemore sign off?
BENJI: They already did this morning.
LUKE: We need to file the motion
to compel in Anderson v. Voight.
Deadline's coming up.
I don't understand.
[CELLPHONE WHOOSHES]
Dad?
Cassidy, I charge $1,000 an hour.
That breaks down to $17 a minute.
The way that I'm able to make money
and still get home to Vanessa
every night for quality time
is that when I am working,
I work every minute
that I possibly can,
courtroom recesses included.
I saw Duncan last night,
and he signed off.
We're good.
I wasn't on the case last night.
There was no conflict last night.
♪
Wow. My mom was right.
You orchestrated this whole thing.
You asked to be on the case, Cass.
- You knew I wanted to be on it.
- I did.
I used what I know about you,
and it went exactly as
I expected it to with the judge.
Better yet, Cruz's clients
can now very well decide
it's too much of a risk
to move forward with him at all.
The motion and the entire case
are dismissed,
I'm home in time
for a pre-dinner martini,
and you are in the big leagues.
Mm.
I get why you're mad,
but please don't be hurt.
There's always a bigger picture.
You can't see it when you're inside it.
[CELLPHONE BUZZING]
I got to take this.
Benjamin Ray.
The best attorneys
use everything they have.
Oh, please.
"Do my mindless interrogatories,
but do not come to the big
meeting with all the cool kids.
I probably shouldn't even
have mentioned it. Oops!"
What am I supposed to do?
Say no to my boss?
He asked me to tee you up.
I hate the world. I'm leaving. I quit.
[SIGHS] No.
No, you don't quit. You're angry.
You're embarrassed. You feel used.
You know, fair enough.
But you don't just leave, okay?
You stay and you use him right back.
Look, Cassidy, you have to admit
this was brilliant.
I mean, your dad is brilliant.
He didn't just use you.
He gave you a seat at the big table.
He made it a win-win.
Look, if you quit now, you
wasted a massive opportunity.
♪
So, what does this mean?
If we hire another law firm,
it delays things even more?
Yes, it would. I could recommend
some top people,
but they would time,
and they would need convincing.
Is that what you think we should do?
- You have to decide for yourselves.
- Oh, well, that's helpful.
DANIEL: How are we just finding out
that her ex is representing Stonemore?
Well, we didn't know until last night.
Why not? Why are you playing catch-up?
You told us this guy was the guy.
- He is.
- Well, based on what?
Did you get second opinions?
Daniel, my mom's been leading
this group for free for years,
so now's not the time to
question her leadership.
Oh, guys, this is what he wants.
My ex is playing 3-D chess,
and him hiring our kid
to get you to fire Cruz
was his big move.
He's hoping you'll retreat,
lose momentum,
start turning on one another.
Well, that's exactly
what seems to be happening.
- It just feels like dirty pool.
- REBEL: Yeah, it is.
And what you saw today is just
a taste of what you're in for.
And Julian Cruz is the guy, Daniel.
He's the best.
And not just because
he's a great legal warrior,
but because he's one of you.
He understands the pain you're in.
He's never gonna doubt you
or minimize it
or wonder if your symptoms are real.
He watched the pain
get so intense for his wife,
she took her own life.
Annie.
Outside.
Excuse me.
Oh. Hey.
Hey!
- You said you read the autopsy.
- I did read it.
- It said overdose.
- It was an accidental overdose.
Sharon was meticulous
with her medication.
Well, maybe she took extra
because she was in such pain.
Fine.
Okay. Fine.
But Stonemore caused that overdose.
And whether it was accidental or
intentional, it doesn't matter.
It matters to me, Annie,
because I am Catholic,
and it matters because maybe
we could have saved her.
And there's no reason
why those people needed to know
- any of my personal business.
- Yes, there was.
Sorry to interrupt,
but, um, we all agreed
we want you to stay on the case.
And that's why.
Okay. Let's do this.
Hey.
Oh, uh
Call your dad. Tell him I'm gonna speed.
Should we get food?
No. This isn't that.
We can't eat food together?
No. Sorry. I thought that was clear.
Listen, Misha,
we got off to a bad start.
But it was two years ago.
Let me Let me take you to dinner.
I was raised right.
I write thank-you notes.
I use place mats.
I have a grandmother I call "Nana."
I have a grandmother.
- What do you call her?
- Joanne.
When's the last time you saw Joanne?
- Last year, Christmas.
- I see Nana once a week.
I go over to her house.
She makes me dinner.
My point is, this is good.
The sex is really, really good.
But I just think
that we're two different people,
and I don't know that Nana
would like you.
Are you kidding? Nanas love me.
I'm 36, and I have rules and boundaries.
And one rule is,
when a guy shows you who he is,
believe him.
So I would like to keep this
to just sex and work
If that's okay with you,
but I don't want you to feel used,
'cause I know how bad that can feel.
So Option B is we can
just keep it work and work.
[SIGHS]
No. I'll take Option A.
Great. I'll prepare the stats
and give them to your mom.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
Man.
[CAR DOOR CLOSES]
I'm here. I'm here. Look, I tried.
Did you get Ziggy's message?
Yeah, on my way out of therapy.
But I tried. I really did.
- You always really try.
- Oh, Grady, please.
C-Can we just reschedule, please?
How many times are we gonna reschedule
couples counseling
around your work schedule?
You don't see a problem here?
There's only a problem
if you make it one.
I love my work. I am my work.
You used to love that about me.
- What?
- I was Annie when you met me.
I was Annie when you married me.
You called me Rebel
because you loved what I did
and what I stood for.
You loved that I would make up
my own rules
as long as I felt
that what I was doing was right.
And what I did today was right, Grady.
I-I tried to be here, but it was
right for me to go to court.
Ray Bello.
What?
Annie Flynn Ray, Grady Bello.
Ray-Bello. Raybell.
Rebel I nicknamed you Rebel
because when you added
your name to mine,
that's how it sounded to me.
It wasn't that deep.
Alright, you're trying to
kick me when I'm down,
and that's cool because you're mad.
But, Grady, what we had was good.
What we had was good until you
started competing with my work.
It doesn't have to be a contest.
Oh, there's no contest, babe.
You'll pick your work every damn time.
- [RINGTONE PLAYING]
- That's Lana's ring.
You should probably take it.
Grady Just take it.
[RINGTONE CONTINUES]
♪
[CAR DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[ENGINE STARTS, REVS]
♪
I take my point of view ♪
But I could use a little help ♪
Help me ♪
I ain't got nothing to prove ♪
Ooh-la-la-la-la-la ♪
To love ♪
Walk a mile in another man's shoes ♪
Oh-ho!
Rebel! How awesome is this?!
Clean water!
I love it.
Has Park called the cops on you?
LANA: Hasn't even shown his face yet.
[GROANS]
You can't be here.
I have guests. This is trespassing.
REBEL: I tell you what.
You stop lying and cheating
and being a general horse's ass,
and they'll leave.
They have a moving truck
all ready to pack it up,
but first you need to promise
to fix their pipes.
My security team is on their way.
Hey! How dare you?!
How dare you?
These people are here to talk to you.
The least you can do is listen.
I have a baby, Mr. Park.
I'm raising him on my own.
It's hard every day.
But I'm doing it because
I love him and it's worth it.
I'm not asking for your help
to change his diapers
or provide his education.
I'm just asking
for you to un-poison his water.
I-I am calling the police!
The police have families
and children, too, Mr. Park.
I know because I used to be one.
And, damn, how we hated people like you
that make a big mess like this
then called upon us and demanded
that we clean it up.
Call them.
I'll tell them why we're here.
I'll even tell it to a judge.
And I will, too.
You don't scare me anymore.
And you can't intimidate me.
Because today,
you sent goons to my apartment.
They shoved me out the door,
and that's assault.
They locked the apartment,
and that is
some kind of other illegal thing.
I know my rights,
and the ones I don't know,
I'll learn, and I'll put you in jail.
Or you could do the right thing
and they'll get
the port-a-potties off your lawn
before the party.
Fine.
- Whoo-hoo-hoo!
- LANA: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
We're gonna need that in writing.
Would you like to do it yourself
or get your team on it?
Come on. Let's go.
You wear the hell
out of that cape, Jackie.
♪
BENJI: The plaintiffs claim
the Stonemore valve is poisoning people.
Are there people who are sick
with the Stonemore valve?
Clearly, there are.
And I feel for them and their families.
But are they sick
because of the Stonemore valve?
There is absolutely
no scientific evidence
to support that claim.
And, Your Honor, you stated
you don't like tricks.
Playing on your heartstrings
by showing up here
with a group of people that are
clearly suffering
that's just a trick.
It's not a study.
It's not science.
It's not a correlation,
no matter how many balloons they
put on the courthouse steps.
While we're respectful
of their injuries,
the plaintiffs' claims are not yet ripe,
and we ask you to dismiss them.
JUDGE BOBIAK: Counselor?
Your Honor
I'm a widower, but I still
shop like it's the two of us.
It's an old habit. So stuff goes bad.
One day, you have a yellow banana.
The next day, it's black,
and it's turning all the other
bananas in the bunch black.
Now, did you know that
one spoiling piece of fruit
would spoil all the others?
I actually didn't know that.
Is that true?
Your Honor, with all due respect,
do we need to hear about
Mr. Cruz's produce?
My point is, Your Honor,
is that this case is past ripe.
People are dying,
and families are suffering.
And we have sufficiently alleged
a correlation.
We have a plaintiff who had
the Stonemore valve removed
and his symptoms
completely reversed themselves.
Now, we are, of course,
running a larger study,
but if you ask us to wait the months
and the years for that
formal study to be complete,
then, Your Honor, there's gonna
be thousands of people
And I'm gonna use my produce
metaphor again here, Mr. Ray,
so get ready
They're rotting, Your Honor.
They're gonna die waiting to be heard,
and they're gonna take
their families with them,
because there's nothing worse
than watching the person
that you love wither on the vine.
These people here,
they deserve their day in court.
They deserve to be seen.
They deserve to be heard.
And these people, they're not a trick.
These people here are what's at stake.
Thank you, Your Honor.
♪
BENJI: Mm.
What are you doing, Benji?
You too?
I just got my ass handed to me in court.
That's enough for one day.
I played Barbies with that girl hard.
Hours sitting on that floor,
wanting to get high so badly.
But Rebel trusted me
to babysit my niece,
so I sat on that floor, and I played.
And it takes time.
You got to put the dress on,
brush the hair,
change the dress.
So time passed, and I played
with those damn dolls
and that girl of yours,
and those hours on that floor
are in many ways responsible
for my sobriety.
So I am going to watch over her.
I played Barbies, too.
I know.
I know. I know you did.
And I know that Rebel
didn't always make it easy
for you to see her.
I know all the players,
all the mistakes,
and all the regrets.
And I know about that stunt
you pulled today.
But I also believe
that you brought Cass here
because you want to make up for
the time that you didn't get.
So starting now, make up for it.
Don't mess it up worse.
Okay.
Okay.
Did you hear about Aunt Susan's
raccoon in the attic?
Did I hear? She called me screaming.
- [LAUGHING]
- "Aah!
Benjamin! Benjamin! Come get
this raccoon outta my house!"
[LAUGHING] I swear. That was her.
Amir's supposed to come over tonight,
but he's not texting me back.
I think he's mad.
You ever met his grandparents?
No.
Do you think we're the kind of people
you can bring home, meet your family?
Our family? No, thanks.
I thought Mom was calculating
and manipulative.
Turns out my dad can throw down, too.
Well, some families have dinner
every Sunday.
What is going on with you?
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Hey, I texted you a million
times, and you didn't ans
Uh
Do I go in there?
Hard to say.
It was a prompt.
Me not responding to your messages
was me giving you a prompt.
"Amir must be angry.
Maybe he heard about what I did
in court today.
Maybe I should go and apologize."
I waited at the office for three hours.
[METAL SCRAPING]
Hi, Nate. Sorry.
I'm not here. Ignore me.
Yeah, Nate, that's a good idea.
Why don't you not be here right now?
No, it's okay, Nate. Stay.
I'm leaving.
I just came to get my stuff.
Listen. Wait. I was blindsided today.
My dad set me up,
and you want an apology from me?
Not me. I wanted an apology to Cruz.
I wanted an acknowledgement from you
that you screwed over
your mentor in court today.
You almost cost him the case!
I desperately wanted you
to come back to us
and say that you quit Benji
and ask for your job back,
- because that would mean
- What would it mean?
That would mean that you're
somebody I could respect.
That would mean that you're somebody
that I could keep seeing.
♪
I'll see you around, Nate.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR SLAMS]
Eat.
♪
[SIRENS WAILING]
[PLAYING MID-TEMPO MUSIC]
♪
♪
[TAPPING, MUSIC STOPS]
[INSECTS CHIRPING]
I told you that my parents weren't home.
You could have just used the front door.
Well, I like this better.
It feels dirty.
What's up?
Just my family. Not even my parents.
Like, my whole family is just
Just what?
Going to war.
That sounds dark.
Feels dark.
Uh you, uh, you want me to go?
No.
I want you to stay.
♪
When I feel cold ♪
I'll keep you close ♪
And if I could hold you ♪
- And take you home ♪
- Thank you.
When at night ♪
Your toes touch mine ♪
[CLEARS THROAT]
I'm Angela.
- I'll sing you to sleep ♪
- What?
Angela.
Oh.
If you were mine to keep ♪
Now you say your name.
Right. Uh, Grady.
But my heart ♪
Do you mind if I join you
so we don't have to yell?
No.
I mean yes. I-I don't mind.
And nights end with your breath ♪
♪
I wish I could leave you, my love ♪
Hello, Grady.
But my heart is a mess ♪
♪
- [PLAYING DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC]
- [FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
Good job on the motion.
Sorry I missed it.
Me too.
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
I was brilliant, but not cocky.
Ah. Not cocky.
You sure about that?
♪
Ziggy said I slayed,
which I assume
is the highest form of praise.
[EXHALES DEEPLY] That it is.
Okay. Why aren't you home?
I, uh I didn't stop today.
I was all over town.
I was back and forth, upside
down and sideways, and I won.
Everything I did today, I won.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Usually that feels good.
But Grady hates me,
and I don't want to go home.
And I'm here because I need to know
that you don't hate me, too.
I'm sorry if I crossed the line today.
The night that Sharon died,
uh, I was working late
at the kitchen table,
and she came in to say good night.
And she seemed she seemed happy.
She seemed fine.
And she said, "Hug me, baby."
And, of course, I did.
And then, as I was pulling away,
she said, "No.
Not yet."
And, uh, we hugged each other
for like I don't know
Like 30 seconds,
and then she she took my
And she looked at me and said, "Okay.
I love you."
And she went to bed.
And I didn't know that, uh
that I was hugging my wife
of 38 years goodbye
for the last time.
But maybe she did.
Maybe she knew.
♪
What am I supposed to do with that?
♪
[PIANO KEYS CLANG]
Cruz!
Cruz!
- Cruz! Help!
- [HEART BEATING]
Cruz. Cruz!