Surface (2022) s01e06 Episode Script

I don't even know where to start.
The beginning?
Look, I I get it. My My
first client, he was skeptical too.
But now his money's triple.
Thank you.
Everyone's so focused
on instant gratification.
No one's thinking about the long game.
- Makes sense.
- Right.
But I think I'm gonna
stick with the people
that are making me money now.
Hey, wait. Come on. We've
just opened the wine.
I mean, at least stay for a glass.
Call me in a couple of
months. Thanks for the steak.
Of course.
Can I get you anything else?
Uh, how much was the wine again?
I think it was 300. Sorry, I'm new here.
Oh, no problem. Um, just the check.
Be right back.
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
What was your meeting about?
I'm a partner at a venture
capital firm downtown.
So, that guy was a prospective client.
Well, his loss.
And you were right, by the way.
It is all about the long game.
Most people are just complacent.
Yeah, exactly.
But if you're too afraid to take a risk,
life just continues on, doesn't it?
Nothing ever changes.
Sorry. I'll be back for your bill.
Or you I mean, you could stay
and, uh and help me finish the wine.
I don't even like red,
so it'd be wasted on me.
Wow. Nice place.
Yeah, the, uh,
neighborhood's on the rise,
but I I got in early, so
You, uh You want some, uh
You want something to eat? Or
I'm okay.
Yeah?
Mind if I use the restroom?
Sure.
Where is it?
Oh, uh, it's, uh uh down the hall.
Fuck.
Okay. Uh
What's it like living
in a place like this?
I mean, waking up to
that view every morning,
watching your cares
melt away with the fog.
You can see the the water, if, uh
If only this was actually your house.
You didn't know where the restroom was.
Surprised the fridge was empty.
And not to mention the family photos.
Your kids are beautiful, by the way.
Uh, when did you know?
Partners don't usually flinch
at a $300 bottle of wine.
It's my boss's place. I'm, uh
I'm house-sitting for the weekend.
Fuck. You must think I'm an asshole.
Are you?
No, I'm I'm not.
I'm not. I just, uh
took a risk.
I was trying to impress
you. It was a dumb idea.
I can walk you out. Order
you a Lyft, if you want.
Do you even work in venture capital?
Junior associate.
Uh, the "junior" has a nice
ring to it, don't you think?
And the client whose money
you tripled? He really exist?
Dress for the job you want,
not the job you have, right?
You don't have to try
to impress me, you know.
I mean, this stuff is nice, but
in my experience,
the kind of people who have
it never really appreciate it.
Might as well enjoy it while we're here.
I guess we should go soon.
Why?
Aren't you worried about your boss?
Not really. I was thinking
about quitting anyway, so
last hurrah.
Oh, I'm a last hurrah, am I?
That's a first.
No, it's not you.
The guy who owns this place,
he, uh He went to Harvard.
And his dad went to Harvard.
And I'm the only guy at the firm
who didn't go to an Ivy League.
So, no matter what I do,
there's this perception.
I'm not one of them. I never will be.
Hey.
Game's not over yet.
Yeah, well, the game's rigged.
You from around here?
London.
I worked, um, in Spain for a bit,
and then a restaurant in Italy.
What about you?
Glamorous Apple Valley,
Minnesota. You know it?
What was London like?
Uh, it's a beautiful city.
Culture, the history
I wasn't talking about the city.
You tell everyone the
same thing, don't you?
Don't lie to me now.
The truth is so
much more interesting.
Okay.
My mom passed when I was young.
It was just the two of us.
We didn't have much.
I never knew my dad.
I'm sorry.
Don't be.
This place seemed like a fresh start.
Like I could be anyone I wanted.
I mean, that's the myth
of California, isn't it?
You are who you say you are.
And if it doesn't work out
here, then on to somewhere new.
So, who do you say you are?
I haven't decided yet.
You know, I got this
weird feeling that, um
you could be anyone you wanted.
You know what the best part was?
That you saw right through me.
It was like I'd finally
found my partner in crime.
We didn't poke our heads up for months.
Just stuck in our own little bubble.
And then I introduced you to my friends.
- You missed the last show.
- I know. I know.
There were people there you should meet.
I'm sorry. I've been busy.
I thought you were gonna quit that job.
Yeah, well, someone talked me out of it.
- Really?
- Yeah.
And I thought you couldn't
be talked out of anything.
Hey.
Hi.
Hi. You must be Sophie.
Hi. So good to meet you. James
has told me all about you.
Oh, has he? Well, I don't
know anything about you.
So tell me everything.
Well, um I'm from London.
I always had a fantasy
about growing up in Europe.
It seemed so glamorous.
To be honest
it was pretty idyllic.
Mmm.
We were steps from the park,
best museums in the world.
- What more could you ask for, really?
- Wow.
Okay, so, what are you drinking?
Oh, um, anything is fine.
Oh, stop. Something strong, right?
I know meeting the
friends, it's the worst.
But let's just act like he's not here.
We'll cut through the small talk,
and we'll get to know each other.
- What do you say?
- Whiskey. Double. Neat.
Ah, attagirl. Okay, be right back.
How am I doing?
Great.
What's that for?
You being you.
And thank you for not telling
me that you two dated beforehand.
I might have been too nervous.
How did you
The way she looks at you.
Like, it was nothing serious.
It was a long time ago.
We're just just friends now.
I kind of love her.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Holy shit. What do we have here?
Sophie, this is Harrison.
I heard a lot about you.
Likewise. Now, you take
good care of my boy here.
He's one of the best, huh?
Despite what the fucking lizards
with all the corner offices think.
You're from London, right?
I have a lot of good
friends in Knightsbridge.
Uh, who's that? He seems popular.
Oh, that's, uh, Vince Hawkins.
I don't know why he
comes to these things.
No one's ever gotten him to bite.
Looks like it's your turn.
- N no.
- Why not? What have you got to lose?
Um, my dignity?
Maybe I'll give it a shot.
- Ballsy, wow.
- Wait, so
Breeders' Cup, right?
Always wished I could
have seen it in person.
Those fairy-tale moments,
like Personal Ensign in '88.
That race must have been
before you were born.
You know horses?
Worked at a stables when I was younger.
Whereabouts?
- Private estate. Rich family in the UK.
- Mmm.
You work in this terrible business?
My boyfriend does. Have you met him yet?
Hey.
- What's your name, young man?
- Uh, James Ellis, sir.
- Tell me how you did it.
- Uh, did what?
Convinced a girl like this to come
to one of these boring parties?
He's very convincing. One of
the best at the firm actually.
Well, that's, uh, very
kind of you, but
Anyone can be content with
the money trickling in now,
but it's taking the risks,
predicting the patterns.
That's what makes the real money.
And James can always
see what's coming next.
I've always found that so astounding.
Which is why he has the
highest-earning fund in the whole firm.
Right, James?
Well, congratulations, son.
Thank you.
Anyway, I don't wanna take
up too much more of your time.
- No.
- Should we get a drink?
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Wait. Let me buy you one.
Hey, what were you doing in there?
People make certain assumptions
about me. So I let them.
If I pretend to be
who they want me to be,
even just for a little while,
what's the harm in that?
Yeah, but, I mean, I don't I
don't have the highest-earning fund.
I mean, I'm still years away
from even getting my own fund.
So I bent the truth
about a technicality.
It's the same thing you were
doing the night I met you.
Whoa, whoa, whoa Hold on.
That That was a little different.
Look, some people are
born into this life, right?
Family money, luck of the draw.
Your friends, your coworkers.
None of them worked as
hard as you did to get here.
- They didn't need to, did they?
- No. No.
Do they deserve it any
more than you? Or me?
I know. But, Sophie, if anyone
finds out I lied to Vince Hawkins
about having my own fund,
I mean, I could lose my job.
Or what would happen if you
went into that office tomorrow
and told them James Ellis just
got Vince Hawkins to invest?
So when he calls about
transferring the money,
James Ellis should
probably have his own fund,
or else the firm's
gonna lose that money.
The game's rigged, remember?
So let's even the playing field.
You better hope that
you two never break up,
because if you did, and I was forced
to choose between the two of you
I don't blame you.
Remind me again why
I throw these things.
Uh, 'cause you hate being alone.
Ooh, we're gonna have to work
on that honesty thing of yours.
It wasn't until he won over
my father that I really got it.
Before then, I was always
saying to poor James,
"What exactly is it they pay you for?"
Very sweetly, he insists,
although I'm sure it was
starting to annoy him.
The man He's a an
old-school London banker.
So, he was skeptical at first.
Mmm, well, what made him come around?
James took that seed money
and tripled it in six months.
Wow.
Now every time I call home, he
demands I put him on with James,
so the two of them can talk investing.
Sounds like a smart man.
Don't let me leave
without getting your info.
Of course.
I know I've seen it a hundred times,
but that thing you did out there,
it's still the hottest thing you do.
Well, congrats on the
big promotion, buddy.
I mean, the view's not quite as
good as mine, but I guess it'll do.
Let me take you out
tonight. We'll celebrate.
I'll even suffer through a
strip club for you, partner.
I wish I could. I've got a
I've got plans with Sophie.
Right, right. Of course. Um
- You're in it pretty deep with her, huh?
- Mmm.
I mean, yeah. Why?
No, I just, um
I'm sorry. It's just that, um
Something's off, right?
Like there's part of
the story we don't know.
What What part?
Uh, I don't know, um, all of it.
You know, her past.
I mean, she's not exactly
been an open book, right?
And you gotta remember,
we're dealing with
a lot of people's money here.
Have you ever thought of, um,
having someone look into her?
Just as a precaution?
You know, this is the, uh
This is the woman that I'm gonna
spend the rest of my life with.
So don't ever fucking talk
about her like that again, okay?
Whoa, Jesus Christ, man. I'm
just looking out for you, buddy.
But, I mean, whatever.
You wanna get fucked?
You go right ahead. You get
fucked, all right. Not my problem.
James?
It's ours.
Come on. Come upstairs.
Come on.
In there.
Over there. By the window.
You always said that she loved the
beach. The happy times were there.
So, I thought that I would
try to give you that view,
so you can wake up to it every day.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Of course I'm sure.
Are you?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
Yeah.
Welcome to your new home!
Down the hall.
Hey. Sorry. Hey.
- Oh, hey.
- Have you seen Sophie?
Uh, not for a while. No. I hope
she didn't get lost in her closet.
Gives Siberia a run for its money.
And I remember when dropping 20
bucks at dinner made you sweat.
- Nice job.
- Thank you.
I can't believe how nice
this place turned out.
I mean, you have so much
room. You'll never outgrow it.
Well, I can't take any of the credit.
It much be such a relief to know
you bought the house
you're gonna die in.
I'm just gonna check
on something upstairs.
- Oh.
- Um, grab a drink.
Yeah, of course.
- Hey, James.
- Hey. Hey, how are ya?
What are you doing hiding up here?
Just catching my breath.
Nice place, by the way.
Did you need something?
Just looking for the bathroom.
- Behind you.
- Right.
I I have this little, um,
tradition at housewarming parties.
I like to take a shit on the
nicest toilet in the place.
Charming.
Not Not really. No.
But at least I'm honest.
At least when people
crawl into bed with me,
they they can't say
they weren't warned.
Maybe it wouldn't piss me off so much,
if you were doing it to someone like
Well, like me.
Doing what?
Ah, well, that's the
million-dollar question,
isn't it, Sophie?
I mean, fuck, there are thousands
of VC douches in this town
that that would more than
deserve someone like you.
My boy James isn't one of 'em.
You think I don't know that?
You think I don't know
that he's better than me?
More caring? Trusting? Loyal?
Well, then what the fuck
are you doing with him?
Trying to deserve him.
I really am.
Was he right?
About me?
Tell me the truth.
How did we go from all that to this?
It's complicated.
Looking back on it
yeah, maybe you were
you were depressed.
I should have dug deeper.
I think a part of me was jealous of you.
How easy it all came.
Sometimes I wondered if I could
have ever done any of it without you.
I wanted to be in the spotlight.
- Hey. How are you?
- But you
you shined so bright.
So I made you stand behind me.
What do you mean?
We started living our own
lives, arguing more and more.
Not telling each other everything.
We didn't feel like partners anymore.
Once that trust is broken, uh,
I guess it wasn't that
hard to just drift away.
Did I drift away?
It's almost time for the big toast.
- You know what you're gonna say?
- Yeah, yeah.
It's in my pocket.
- Okay, good. Great.
- Yeah.
Uh, don't fuck it up.
But it wasn't until
he won over my father
that I understood what makes him
so special. So good at what he does.
My My father is very
skeptical of the VC thing.
He's a He's a London
banker, very traditional, dour.
Honestly, I've seen bank vaults
part with their money more easily.
But when James took a small bit
of seed money from my father,
and tripled it in six months?
Now you should see how
my father looks at him.
Excuse me. Can I borrow
my wife for a second?
Of course.
Thank you.
What are you doing?
What is with you
lately? I had the guy
Stop. Stop. Look Look
around. Look, we won.
You don't have to do that anymore.
No, you won.
Why can't you just relax
and enjoy it for a second?
Just quit trying so hard.
Grab a drink. Just have fun.
- Have fun?
- Yeah, have fun. Go find some appetizers.
Talk to the wives. Just don't
bother the clients anymore.
You look desperate, and how's
that supposed to make me look?
- What?
- Hey, hey, hey. You're on, bro.
- What the fuck?
- Yeah.
Oh. Yeah. Let's go.
Good call.
Best to just let that
fire burn itself out.
Yeah.
Hey, hey, hey. Here he is.
Guy who likes to be fashionably
late at his own party, James Ellis.
Man of the hour.
Thank you. Thank you.
I'm, uh I'm sorry
to keep you all waiting.
Um Um
Uh
Thank you for coming tonight
and celebrating everything
that we've accomplished, um, together.
And, uh I couldn't have
done it without you guys, so
- Ten billion, guys.
- Yeah.
Ten billion. Whoo!
Whoo.
Soph?
Soph, come down!
Come on. I'm I'm sorry.
Soph?
It's late.
Still at it, huh?
Yeah. We're supposed to be celebrating.
Where were you?
Just went for a walk down by the water.
Hey, look, um
I I didn't mean what I
said before at the party, okay?
I just I just wanted my wife. Uh
I find those things a bit suffocating.
That's all.
Gonna get some sleep.
I don't know what it was that
shifted that night, but I-I
I could feel it.
Then months went by,
and we just grew apart.
You going to Marin?
Oh, yeah. Didn't I mention?
No, you didn't.
I just need some fresh air.
You know how the city
gets to me sometimes.
It's only for one night.
Hey, slow down.
Come on. It's fun.
All right. I'm coming. Relax.
Close the door.
Hi. Are you okay?
Can I come in?
What's wrong?
You know, you can tell me anything.
I'm losing her.
- Shit, James.
- Yeah.
You know, it's not just you.
I haven't heard from her in weeks.
You know, maybe she's just going
through something right now
and she just needs
space from everyone.
Maybe it's not about me? Come on.
All marriages have ups and downs.
You know? You're gonna
spend your life with someone.
It's gonna ebb and flow.
At least that's what
they say. I wouldn't know.
Okay. There he is.
There is the James I know.
I just I thought I gave
her the life she always wanted.
So, why is it suddenly not enough?
Okay, I'm the first person
to say you're not perfect.
I've known you long enough to know that.
But no one is.
That's the thing. People fuck up.
And we say shitty, terrible
things to each other.
But it doesn't erase everything else.
You love her with your whole heart.
It's all any of us can ask for.
Don't you wanna know
where I've been all night?
What I've done?
Or do you not fucking care anymore?
I mean, at least have
the balls to admit it.
Stop pretending we're in a
goddamn, fucking relationship here.
I know you're having an affair.
Everyone does. Even Caroline noticed
you haven't talked to her in weeks.
So, who are you talking to, Sophie?
What else did Caroline say?
It's not about that.
Is that where you were? Last night?
Look, it, um
It just happened, okay? I didn't
It didn't mean anything, or
Of course, you were with her.
Okay, okay. I f I fucked up.
I fucked up, okay? But I'm not sorry.
Because that's what I had
to do to get your attention.
You're so far deep into
whatever it is. I can't
I can't even reach you anymore.
The person I know best,
sometimes the only person
in the whole fucking world I feel
like I know at all. She's gone.
- She's been gone for months.
- Why do you care anyway?
You don't need me anymore.
That was made perfectly clear.
Look, I know what you're doing here.
You're scared, and
you're pushing me away
because you feel like if
you can hurt me enough,
then I'll let you go,
and then you can walk away
without feeling bad about it because
there'll be nothing left behind.
You don't get to decide how this ends.
Don't you get it by now, Sophie?
I'm not walking away from you.
You can try to hurt
me as much as you want,
and I'm not gonna walk away from you.
I love you. No matter what.
So what happened?
You told me you ended it.
And we decided that, uh, we wouldn't
see Caroline as much anymore.
And then we
started over.
At least I thought we did.
Aren't you going to the hospital today?
Shift's not till Wednesday.
I've got a lunch thing though.
Alexandra's started this new
foundation. Down at the Ritz.
- Ah.
- Should be fun.
How's work?
It's slammed. I guess the
new merger turned some heads.
Oh, that reminds me.
Um There's this tech guy, Greg.
- His wife's on the board at the hospital.
- Mmm.
I ran into them the other day at Leo's.
Uh, I guess he's into some new venture.
Kept wanting me to bring it up to you.
- Thanks.
- Yeah. Third time he's mentioned it.
- Anyway, I'm staying out of it.
- Like you asked.
What's the venture?
Oh, it's all very hush-hush.
What did he call it?
A "stealth mode start-up."
- Really?
- Yeah, some secretive software project.
Patent's still pending.
- Did he give you a deck?
- Yeah, maybe.
- Yeah?
- Somewhere.
They don't want competitors to know
they're launching a new product.
Don't want word to get out.
Anyway, the whole thing
sounds kinda shady, doesn't it?
No, I mean, not really.
This happens all the time.
Does it look legit?
Yeah How did you say this would work?
They just need the firm's investment
to go through a third party.
Someone they trust, who's
not officially affiliated.
I mean, this could
be a huge opportunity.
Seriously?
Yeah, I mean, it's hard to get in
on the ground floor of these things.
They only accept, like,
a handful of investors.
This is something you're
seriously considering?
What was the minimum? Did he say?
Had to be over ten million.
Oh, great.
Look, it's the firm's money. We'll
get it back to them eventually.
Doubled.
Who would be the third party?
You.
Greg. Hi. Look, I-I
I know we're not supposed to
talk in in public. James Ellis.
I remember.
Look, uh, I I think the
company's gonna be huge, man.
So thanks for giving us the opportunity.
What is this? Some kinda joke?
Your deal never closed.
- What?
- Your investment never came through.
Left us hanging at the last minute.
Mr. Billimack? They're
ready for you now.
So, fuck you, man.
James Ellis's office.
Did the Hyperion Financial
transfer ever go through?
James?
$11.25 million came out of the
firm into a third-party account
for the stealth start-up. Did
the transfer ever go through?
Let me verify.
Yeah, three weeks ago. It all
went out, your authorization.
Fuck!
It's nothing fancy.
Looks great.
Oh, by the way, um, what's the
timeline on the patent approval?
Did you speak to Greg at all?
I spoke to him today.
We should have a schedule by the
time you get back from Portland.
Portland?
- The conference? You're going, right?
- Oh.
Oh, no. I was gonna
I was gonna skip that.
Really?
It's such a great networking
event. You should go.
You're right. I'll have
Victoria book a flight.
Oh, sorry. Did you want a glass?
Sure.
Oh, spoons.
I immediately knew
that something was up.
So I pretended to go.
And I drove around the block,
and I saw you get into a car,
and I followed you.
I followed you to the bank.
Where you had hid the money.
And then I followed you to the pier.
I mean, I didn't know
where where you were going,
but there was no doubt
that you were going.
Where are you going?
You hopped in a car.
You drained the account.
What's on the end of this route?
Let me guess. Private airport?
What'd you do?
Did you shell out the money
to a couple offshore accounts,
make sure it's not traceable?
That's smart. You always have been.
Why does it even matter? It's
no one person's money, right?
Isn't it just breakage?
Hide it in the books.
No one will even miss it.
When did it start?
Was it Greg's fucking stealth start-up?
Or was this your plan all along?
Were you looking for me in
the restaurant that night?
What the fuck?
You left me behind a long time ago.
So don't act all surprised
that I did the same to you.
We were trying to fix it. We
were trying to get back on track.
You can't just put the
pieces back together, James.
That's not how it works.
You can't fix something
that's already broken.
What about the guy you were seeing?
Was he in on this too? Or
did you never stop seeing him?
It's not about either of you.
Then tell me what it fucking is, Sophie!
Was our whole marriage Was it
all The whole thing, was it a lie?
- I was trying.
- You were trying.
Because I loved you.
Great. Great. Well, at least
now we know the truth, don't we?
You're not even capable of love.
- Do you really believe that?
- This is what you do.
You told me, and I
should've fucking listened.
You use people up, you
take everything you can,
and then you start over somewhere new.
But it's not really starting over,
is it, Sophie? It's just running.
But it doesn't matter how far you go,
you still have to live with yourself.
Go on. Just do what you're gonna do.
Found the letter you'd written.
You were leaving me.
But what I said to you
pushed you over the edge.
Is she gonna be okay?
- Are you her husband?
- Yeah, I'm her fucking husband!
Your wife's in critical condition.
She Is she gonna die?
We don't know yet.
Wha What
What What happened?
Your wife jumped from
the edge of a ferry.
She's very lucky. One
centimeter to the right
No, So Sophie Sophie.
She She wouldn't
She wouldn't do that.
Sophie wouldn't
She would not do that.
I know it's hard to
accept as a loved one.
It's a natural response.
Can I Can I s Can I see her?
Once she's stabilized.
I'll come find you.
As you know, your wife
has suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Over the last two weeks,
we've done a battery of tests,
and the conclusion is always the same.
Your wife has lost
her long-term memory.
What What does that mean?
The essence of her is still the same,
but the events that shaped her,
her traumas, her past, they're all gone.
What are you saying?
What She's someone else?
Maybe you can look at
it as a fresh start.
I thought that, um
that I could fix it.
And I could find the money, put it back.
And cover up all the fucked-up
things that happened between us.
So you never had to relive it again.
James Ellis?
- Yeah?
- Officer Linda Johnson.
I've been assigned to your wife's case.
I just wanted to ask you a few
questions, if now is a good time.
Uh, sure. Yeah.
Look, I know this is hard.
But were there any signs
that your wife was
thinking of ending her life?
There was one, um a letter.
A suicide note.
Are you okay?
I don't know.
How would you be if you woke up
and found you were a
shitty fucking person?
You're not.
How can you say that?
We were just wrong
about what was important.
And maybe we had to lose
it all to realize that.
In a way, you saved us both.
Because we don't have to be those
shitty fucking people anymore.
So, what? I'm I'm j just supposed
to let all that go?
Look, whatever you were running from,
whatever stopped you from being happy
I I thought that was gone too.
And in some weird way,
I thought it was a gift.
How can you still love
me? After all that.
I still love the girl I met that night.
And I always will.
And maybe
Maybe all the shitty things
that happened since
Maybe we could just try to forget.
I don't know if I can fix this.
Then we'll do it together.