Emperor of Ocean Park (2024) s01e10 Episode Script

1
[TAL] Previously on
Emperor of Ocean Park
Any chance you've explored
any of your favorite
legal reference texts lately?
You really should brush up.
Just Alma she's still alive?
Your dad had big plans for you.
Like what?
Oh, that's not for me to say.
[MARIAH] Tal, what
the fuck is that quote?
Did you put a rap lyric
on our father's headstone?
This will not end until
you find the arrangement.
God! Fuck!
[TAL] Key in the box is
better than any idea I've had.
And getting the ID at the
bank could be a nice touch.
Where did Abby wanna go to college?
UNC.
[JACK] I'm sure they'll be appreciative
of the Abby Garland Foundation.
I can't have that man
in and out of our house
for the rest of our lives.
He won't be.
I'm making some arrangements
to ensure our future.
Has Judge Garland had any recent contact
with Jack Ziegler?
I saw Judge Garland and Jack Ziegler
together at the courthouse.
Hand it over.
- Sorry.
- [GUNSHOT]
[GUNSHOTS]
[GROANING]
[MARIAH] Tal?
Tal! Tal!
Tal!
[MONITOR BEEPING]
He's moving his eyes.
Tal? Hey, Tal, can you hear me?
Come on, man. Say something.
Hey, man, you okay?
Tal? Can you hear me?
Hey, Tal.
You okay?
[COUGHING]
Oh, everything hurts.
I'll go get the nurse.
What happened?
You went out and got yourself shot.
You've been out for almost two days.
And, uh, the fake arrangements?
They were gone by the time I got there.
McDermott?
Dead, for real this time.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
Why would the judge put
me through all this shit?
Hey. Hey, hey.
Don't worry about that right now, okay?
Just focus on getting better.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
Welcome to the White House, fellas.
The president wanted to join,
but there was a whole
Fallujah thing this morning,
so you're stuck with just me.
We're always happy to see you.
Yes, indeed.
Flight was good?
Unremarkable just
the way I prefer it.
Let's dispense with the
small talk, shall we?
Yes, please.
[CHUCKLES]
It's going to be you, Judge.
The president will
nominate Oliver Garland
to fill the current vacancy
on the Supreme Court.
[LAUGHTER]
Congratulations.
[MAL LAUGHING]
There he is.
How you feeling, man?
Ugh. I got shot, so not great.
So dramatic. He'll be fine.
So how much longer are you in here for?
Another day or two, maybe.
God, I thought I had
it tough when I lost
everyone's Environmental
Law midterms last fall,
but I would say your bad
semester beats mine, Tal.
Yeah.
Theo, everything good?
Everyone, can we have the room?
Okay.
Oh, uh, let me treat you ladies
to some bad coffee in the cafeteria.
[GROANS]
What's up, Theo?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
So you put the black
pawn in my classroom?
Well, I planted the white pawn, too,
but you never found it.
Where did you plant it?
In your office, right next to your copy
of Black's Law Dictionary.
I have to know, how did you miss it?
Were you teaching last semester
without referencing Black's?
My copy of Black's is on my iPad.
Oh. [LAUGHS]
Oh.
Man's ridiculous reliance
on technology strikes again. [CHUCKLES]
How did you get these?
Alma gave them to me.
She asked me to put them
where you would find them.
Just Alma?
She said it was
essential to carrying out
your father's final wishes.
It seemed to be a harmless request.
♪
So it looks like after
this walking boot thing,
your only aftercare is physical therapy.
What about my abdomen?
The doctor said it should
heal before your foot,
so I think you're gonna be good.
A small price to pay
for all that street cred
- you earned by getting shot.
- [SCOFFS]
[ADDISON] You should
probably go ahead and drop
- a mixtape or something.
- [CHUCKLES]
[MARIAH] No, no.
Do you remember Tommy's wedding
when he tried to freestyle
- on the dance floor?
- [TAL] Oh, whoa, whoa.
Excuse me, I had bars.
Bust through the door
like Tommy No Pam ♪
Green eggs, no ham ♪
[KNOCKING]
Ah, we can't keep meeting this way.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
It seems that dead people keep
showing up in your vicinity,
Professor Garland.
Is that a question?
Why exactly were you
at the cemetery, sir?
I was visiting my family's graves.
In the dead of night?
It had to be pitch black out there.
The funny thing about grief, Detective,
it doesn't respect the clock.
I felt compelled to visit
my father's grave, so I did.
Except you weren't found anywhere
near your father's grave.
- We checked.
- Uh, excuse you.
My brother is the victim here.
- He was shot twice.
- We're aware, sir.
Okay, so instead of trying
to stress test his story,
maybe you should be
out finding the person
that tried to murder him.
Who shot me?
The man called McDermott or
the person who killed him?
Neither.
I'm sorry. Neither?
We found three different
types of bullet casings
in the graveyard.
There was a third shooter out
there that night, Professor.
That's who we believe shot you.
[SOFT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
Supreme Court.
Couldn't be any prouder.
Appreciate it, Jack.
What's this?
Congratulatory token.
You didn't have to.
It was the least I could do.
Go ahead, open it.
[SIGHS]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[CHUCKLES]
Smart to find a private area
since, apparently,
I'm a war criminal now.
Wouldn't wanna be seen in
public with the likes of me.
The Defense Committee came
down very hard on you, Jack.
- I'm sorry.
- Yeah.
They were upset with themselves
and needed someone to take it out on.
Not as if I was the one
who gave the president
a blank check for the hostile takeover
of two sovereign nations. [CHUCKLES]
With my nomination
and the aforementioned public scrutiny,
I thought that perhaps
it might be advisable
for us to end our relationship.
You don't wanna be my
friend anymore, Oliver?
The Supreme Court, it
attracts more oversight,
more eyeballs, more chances
for us to get caught.
More oversight? Where have you been?
They police themselves,
they don't even have
a cohesive ethics code.
I don't wanna be a
criminal anymore, Jack.
Well, unfortunately for you,
it's not a costume you
can take on and off.
You are what you are already.
It was your choice, not mine.
And if I just resign?
Decline the nomination and
leave the judiciary altogether?
I would never let you do that.
♪
Everything all set for the Golden Creek
Sullivan Janssen case?
He's counting on us.
What's good here? [SIGHS]
Oh, steak frites.
I'm starving.
The Marc Hadley exposés
are dropping left and right.
And Anderson Cooper is gonna dedicate
an entire segment to him.
I wonder what the White
House is waiting for.
They should announce me soon.
- Any word from Ruthy?
- Not yet.
Well, fingers crossed.
Uh, can I have my bag?
I know about your run-in with Lionel.
I'd like the opportunity
to clear some things up.
If we could just talk,
I think we could
My foot's starting to hurt.
Tal.
I'll swing by tomorrow,
see Bentley after school.
Of course.
Things are that bad between y'all?
Yeah. Yeah, they're that bad.
[GRUNTS]
- [GROANS]
- Damn.
Now you've got no spleen and no hoes.
- [LAUGHS]
- Man, that's tough.
It'll be just like high school,
except with fewer internal organs.
I set up your room at
the Shepherd Street House
so that you can convalesce in peace.
Many thanks.
Gotta get over there anyway.
Finally start packing
up some of Dad's shit.
All right, talk to y'all soon.
Be well.
So maybe we stop at the bank first,
see if anyone tried to
access the safety deposit box?
Yeah, we should, but I need
to make a quick stop first.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
You must got questions.
Why did the judge ask
you to give these to me?
Said he wanted you to know
why he did the things he did.
It wasn't always gonna be you.
It was supposed to be your brother.
Addison?
Addison was busy being Addison.
Judge didn't like that
he pushed back so much.
So it fell to me.
'Cause instead of pushing
back, I'll be pushed over.
You still pretending like you weak
when you're the strongest of 'em all.
You might not see it,
but the judge sure did.
Said he should have come
to you from the start.
[PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING]
So what does the writing
on the bottom of the pawns
even mean?
Might be a combination to a lock.
- Phone number?
- Nah.
There's three on each, six digits only.
Could be a date, then.
Two numbers for the month, two
for the day, two for the year.
103 and 083.
10-30-83.
I was a newborn.
How's that date supposed
to mean anything to me?
You got it backwards.
You're supposed to get
the white pawn first.
08-31-03.
August 31, 2003.
That's the day Abby died.
[GROANING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
Like, what the fuck, man?
Like, the day of Abby's
death on the pawns?
But how does that even make any sense?
I don't get it, either.
[STEPHANIE] Thank you
for waiting, Mrs. Denton.
And who do we have joining us today?
Oh, this is my brother, Tal.
Um, I had a question about
the safety deposit box that I set up.
Oh, would you like me to
accompany you to the vault?
No, no. I was just wondering
if anyone else tried to access it.
We don't do a ton of business
in the safety deposit box
category anymore.
Well, there was somebody who
came in a couple of days ago,
asking a lot of questions
about safety deposit boxes.
Not yours specifically,
but I thought at first
maybe they just wanted to
rent one, but it seems like
they were gathering general info.
It was odd.
Did you ID them?
We only ask for ID if they
ask for access to a box.
We never got that far.
Can we see the security footage?
I can't do that without
a law enforcement warrant.
It's against bank policy.
What did they look like?
Hmm, older gentlemen, white, 70s.
[PHONE RINGS]
Oh, excuse me.
Does that sound like
anybody that we know to you?
Somebody who might have
interest in the arrangements?
You don't think?
I think it's Uncle Jack.
♪
Jack's not gonna back down, is he?
There has to be another way.
Oliver.
I got a backup plan, remember?
I don't know.
It could cost us everything.
Yes.
Most certainly will.
♪
[SIGHS]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
Abigail Garland Memorial Fund?
♪
[DOOR CLOSING]
Tal?
I need to see Uncle Jack.
I'd appreciate it if you
got that gun out of my face.
I don't think you know
how to use it, Professor.
I know he was at the graveyard,
and I know he tried to get
the arrangements from the bank.
And I know he was the one that shot me.
Or maybe it was you at his request.
If I shot you, we wouldn't
be having this conversation.
You want answers, get in.
But, uh, that gun won't be necessary.
Trust me.
♪
What the hell is this?
Room 524.
[GROANS]
Uncle Jack?
Soon to be worm food
Uncle Jack, as you can see.
What happened?
Life.
What brings you?
I thought you were the
one who tried to kill me.
[JACK SCOFFS]
Shootout at the graveyard, McDermott.
I don't plan on spending my last days
trying to figure out all the nonsense
your father left behind.
I only ever wanted to
protect you and your siblings.
That's the reason I was
after the arrangements.
That's the only reason?
Having the arrangements
doesn't benefit you?
I suppose two things
can be true at once.
Why did the judge saddle me
with this arrangement shit?
Because he was weak.
Your father wasn't the moral giant
or principled man he tried
to portray himself as.
He was prideful and angry, scared.
[SIGHS]
Had he been brave enough
to hold himself accountable,
he wouldn't have had to
foist his problems onto you.
Didn't you have something
to do with all his problems?
Your father was my friend.
Everything that happened between us
was the result of something
I warned him about.
He knew what he was getting
into every step of the way.
He still chose to proceed.
I know the judge wanted
me to get the arrangements
and do something, but what?
Destroy them.
It's the only way you'll ever be safe.
Yeah, but why? What are they?
A record of all the things
Oliver and I did together.
Including the hit-and-run
killings of Abby's murderers?
But how do the arrangements
lead back to Abby?
My boy, everything leads back to Abby.
All of it.
It was always about her.
Okay, so you got the
scholarship in 2005?
[PERSON SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
And 2007?
Okay, and that cost, what, 40,000?
50,000?
I just I didn't
realize that my sister's
foundation was so well-funded.
There were many recipients every year.
Sorry, wait till I hear about what?
A new wing on the law library?
[SCOFFS]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
[DOOR OPENING]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
What you doing, Dad?
I don't know.
Just reminiscing, I guess.
Check it out. Hot off the press.
"Is this the new face
of American conservatism?"
Abby would have hated this. Oh.
I think she would have been
proud of you, of your legacy.
It's pretty impressive.
This has nothing to do with my legacy.
You and your siblings, our family,
that's my legacy.
The world can think
of me what they will.
I don't give a damn about
this or anything else.
Well, sorry.
I thought you would like to see it.
It'll be a nice reminder to always
keep things in perspective. [CHUCKLES]
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]
I love you, boy.
Uh, love you too, Dad.
Always tell the truth,
no matter the price.
Don't you worry about
legacy or reputation.
Worry about honor, duty, and justice,
like I taught you.
You hear me?
Yeah. Yeah, Dad, I hear you.
I know you did.
We have a third dinner guest?
Yes.
It was always about Abby.
What does that even mean?
Hi, Uncle Tal.
Hey, sweetie. What's going on?
It's John Edwards.
He'll need his own table
setting, thank you very much.
Who is that?
Your Auntie Abby.
She died a long time ago.
That's the date of her accident.
August 31, 2003.
A teddy bear!
What's its name?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh, my God.
[MAL] And and you
think Abby's foundation
funded construction projects
at the University of North Carolina?
No, I don't think they did, Uncle Mal.
I know they did.
I spoke to someone in the law office.
There was also apparently
an endowed professorship?
Well, this doesn't make a lick of sense.
I was involved with the foundation.
I mean, I knew he
started one, of course,
but the judge preferred
to run it himself.
Where did he get all of this money?
Was he soliciting donations
or holding fundraisers?
Not that I know of.
Said he had an anonymous donor.
Huh.
What?
Oh, it's just [SIGHS]
It's just what, sweetheart?
Single anonymous donor?
Large sums of potentially
untraceable cash?
Sounds like [SUCKS TEETH]
money laundering?
[DIAL TONE HUMMING]
[TOUCH TONES DIALING]
[LINE TRILLS]
- [JACK] Hello?
- [SLURRING] Jack. Jack.
I need you.
Are you calling from a courthouse phone?
You shouldn't be.
[OLIVER] I can't do this anymore.
Have you been drinking?
I've been thinking of
how this should end.
Or perhaps I should just
I should just do it myself.
Do what yourself?
I need you to hang up
right now and call Claire.
Tell her to come get you.
She said if I ever drink again
I don't know.
Can you come?
I can't meet you at
a federal courthouse.
[SIGHS] We can't even be seen together,
not until these indictments
and subpoenas clear up.
I don't know what I'm gonna do.
Is there any way I can get
to you without being seen?
It's late.
There's barely anybody here.
Just sign in with an alias
and use the back elevator.
I'll meet you on the third floor.
All right. Don't do anything drastic.
Okay?
Thank you.
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[EXHALES, SNIFFS]
Hmm.
[ELEVATOR DINGS]
- Jack.
- [JACK SIGHS]
Jack, I can't do this anymore.
- All right.
- Just help me relax.
- I know. I know. Just
- Help me relax.
All right.
I knew this would happen. God damn it.
It's all right. It's all right. Come on.
[FOREBODING MUSIC PLAYING]
[MARIAH] Oh, good. I
wanted to talk to you.
I think the judge was
using Abby's foundation
to launder money.
What?
There were quarterly
six-figure donations
being made from 2003 to 2007.
That's weird, agreed,
but money laundering
to what end, exactly?
I'm gonna go to Greg Haramoto's office.
Maybe he remembers
something from that time,
something that would
explain these payments.
Are you going somewhere?
I need to borrow your private jet.
Uh, not without telling me
where you're going and why.
It's about the arrangements,
the real arrangements.
You found them?
They're in Martha's Vineyard.
How do you know?
- I went to see Uncle Jack.
- You what?
He says he wasn't
involved in the shootout.
And you believed him?
He was on his deathbed,
but he helped me put it all together.
So the third shooter is out there,
unidentified and unaccounted for.
You shouldn't be leaving the house.
That's why I need the jet.
I can be there and back
before anyone knows I'm gone.
Maybe, just maybe,
we just let this whole thing fizzle out.
Except it won't fizzle out.
You know that.
Look, I-I have to put
an end to this myself.
As soon as I get the
arrangements in my hand,
this will all be over.
[KNOCKING]
[SIGHS] Sir, you have a visitor.
She's very persistent.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
Call my four o'clock.
Tell them we'll have to reschedule.
To what do I owe the pleasure?
Was my dad using Abby's
foundation to hide cash?
What?
He was receiving large
quarterly payments
he didn't want anyone to know about.
Could he have been
accepting bribes for rulings?
[SCOFFS] I worked for
your dad for years,
and I never saw any evidence that he
What?
It's just those last few
years after your sister died,
Judge Garland did issue
some erratic rulings.
And I suppose, if he was being paid,
that might explain his
inconsistent behavior.
You got time to take a closer
look at some of those cases?
Kinda early for happy hour.
I talked to Ruthy.
I'm not gonna get the nomination.
Oh, shit. Really?
I thought it was between Marc and me,
but apparently, there
was some judge in Boston
who was ahead of both of us.
Didn't matter how bad Marc fucked up.
What are you doing here?
Uh, sister let me in.
Well, if you're here to talk about us,
do you mind if I take a rain check?
It's been a long day.
I actually came through
to say goodbye to Bentley.
Gotta make a quick run
to the Vineyard House.
Bentley, Daddy's here.
What's in Martha's Vineyard?
Unfinished business.
Hey, buddy.
I gotta go out of town for a quick trip.
I might be gone for a bit.
I don't wanna go, but sometimes,
when you're a daddy, you
have to make sacrifices.
All right.
Is everything okay, Tal?
I'll be back soon, hopefully.
Then we can talk about us.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
Don't forget about the panic button.
What?
The security system we had installed
at the Vineyard House
after the break-in.
There's a panic button.
Just in case.
♪
So, pre-Abby, his cases were
Ideologically aligned.
Typical, conservative-leaning,
pro-competition.
And after
Erratic.
You think Jack Ziegler was involved.
[SCOFFS] I know that fucker was.
This was one of his golf buddies.
This one, Jack worked with in the CIA.
And that water rights case,
Ziegler was at the company's
gala after your father
ruled in their favor.
He sat at the same table as the CEO.
Ziegler was securing court
rulings for his buddies.
And the judge was helping him.
Judge Alvarez, how do
you intend to rule in the matter
of Casino Workers United
versus Golden Creek Resorts?
I rule in favor of the
plaintiff and deny the appeal.
Judge Wainwright?
I rule in favor of
the defendant's appeal.
And Judge Garland?
Judge Garland, how do you rule?
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
In favor of the plaintiff.
And I uphold the ruling as well.
You know, after you
testified, I hated you.
I'm very loyal to a fault, clearly.
I thought you were disloyal to my dad.
But he didn't deserve loyalty.
You gave him what he deserved.
I don't know.
I still look back at
that time and wonder
if I did the right thing.
Deep down,
I still believe he was a good man.
Yeah, if he's such a good
man, then why did he do this?
[SIGHS]
He was only one vote, though.
Pardon?
Well, for Ziegler's plan to work,
he would have needed more
than one judge, right?
We should look at who was
voting in step with the judge.
[GROANS]
[SIGHS]
Shit.
[BUTTON BEEPS]
[SIGHS]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[SIGHING]
[KNOCKING]
So, off to greener
pastures and higher courts, huh?
That's what they tell me.
You intend for Casino Workers United
versus Golden Creek Resorts
to be your last case here at the 7th?
Yes.
Oliver, it's impolite
to fuck everything up
on your way out the door.
It's very childish.
Excuse me?
It's one thing to be petulant,
but it's another thing to intentionally
create a dangerous situation.
I don't know what you're
talking about, Wallace.
Don't you?
Either you're trying
to provoke Jack Ziegler
or get out from under his thumb.
What do you know about
me and Jack Ziegler?
Everything, of course.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
Lorraine Navarro-Mills?
Sat with the judge
only a handful of times,
never ruled with him.
Elliot Townsend?
No discernible change
before or after 2003.
Henry Forsyth?
Doubt it's him.
Forsyth was disdainful of
conservatism and originalism.
Let me double check, though.
Look up Wainwright's case records.
- I'll be done in four seconds
- Now, please.
It looks like after '03,
he was on the bench with
your father more frequently.
And they often voted together on rulings
they would normally be
on opposing sides of.
Oh, my God, I'm so dumb.
[LAUGHS] It was fucking Wainwright.
That's why he was so
interested in the arrangements.
The arrangements?
[WAINWRIGHT] There was a girl.
There were a few girls,
if I'm being honest.
They were creating problems for me.
Ziegler made them go away.
So you were working for him, too.
You never wondered why we were assigned
to so many cases together?
Why a liberal like myself
and a conservative like you
came to the same conclusion so often?
I want out, too, but if
you leave, it's all on me.
Stay the course, Oliver.
Don't rock the boat. We bide our time.
We can bring Ziegler down
and free ourselves together.
I already have a plan.
I'm sorry. It doesn't include you.
[BANGS DESK]
I think we should
pressure test this theory.
It's not a theory. It's
Wainwright. Trust me.
We need to be sure before
calling the authorities
and making accusations.
I'm not calling the authorities.
I'm calling my brother.
[SIGHS] Idiot.
♪
[WAINWRIGHT] Talcott?
Is that what I think it is?
Justice Wainwright?
What's in the bear, Tal?
How did you know where I was?
Travel manifest for private jets
is a matter of public record.
I've been tracking your sister's plane
for quite some time now.
In the graveyard it was you?
I only ever wanted your
father's arrangements.
You're gonna kill me?
All right, I take no pleasure in this.
Oh, one last thing, though.
[LAUGHING] I must know, who in the world
is Lisa's boyfriend?
My sister named the
bear after John Edwards
as a joke to piss off my dad.
John Edwards had an
affair with Rielle Hunter.
Rielle Hunter's real name is Lisa Druck.
So the teddy bear is Lisa's boyfriend?
[CHUCKLES]
Your dad was very clever, wasn't he?
[LAUGHS]
[GUNSHOTS]
[PANTING]
[GUNSHOT]
Let's not make this
any harder than it needs to be.
Come on out.
[GROANS]
Give me the bear, Tal.
It's done.
I I don't have it.
It's still in Abby's room.
No, no, no.
No! What have you done?
It's not worth it!
None of this is worth it, Wainwright!
♪
[SMOKE ALARM BEEPING]
Shit.
Oh, God, no.
[GASPING]
[SCREAMING]
[COUGHING]
[SCREAMING]
[COUGHING]
[CHAIRMAN] The chair
now recognizes Senator Edelman
of New Jersey for five minutes.
Have you had contact with Jack Ziegler
at the federal courthouse
where you are currently appointed?
What I would like
this committee to know,
first of all, is I value friendship.
[EDELMAN] Friendship?
Has your friend, Jack Ziegler,
visited you at the
courthouse where you work?
Are the visitor logs provided
to this committee correct?
[OLIVER] Yes.
I've seen Jack Ziegler
at the courthouse.
[MURMURING]
Son of a bitch.
♪
Congratulations on
sinking your nomination.
Forging my signature
in the visitor logs,
it's a nice touch.
Well, there'll still be
plenty of opportunities
for us to continue our
business on the lower court.
[CHUCKLING]
What's that?
It's a copy of the
arrangements I've made.
Arrangements?
A sort of insurance policy.
Evidence and proof of everything illicit
that we've done together.
Since college?
Quite a long list.
Since Abby.
It's a roadmap to conservatively
a few hundred indictments.
Every legal action, every relevant name,
you, Wainwright, McDermott.
It's all in there.
What about you?
Did you incriminate yourself,
or will you remain an
unidentified co-conspirator?
My name is all over it.
I don't deserve to be spared.
This isn't about
escaping accountability.
This is about justice.
It's about mutually
assured self-destruction.
We all go down.
I've hidden a copy with
all the same information.
And when I die,
the arrangements pass on to my family,
ensuring their safety forever.
You will never control a Garland again.
"Control"?
This was never about control, Oliver.
Is that what you think my goal was?
You came to me.
We're friends.
We're still friends.
I'm keeping the cuff links.
I'll see myself out.
♪
Oh.
I didn't even hear you come in.
Hi.
I've really missed you, Tal.
I'm glad we can finally talk.
Can I pour you a glass of wine?
Did you love him?
He says you two were in love.
Okay.
We're doing this now?
I thought maybe we'd have salad first.
Did you?
Nothing matters to me
more than you and Bentley.
Career, status, money, other men
it's all meaningless.
Seeing you unconscious
in that hospital bed
made me realize what's
important in life.
Yeah.
I saw what's important too.
You've been through a lot.
We have been through a lot.
[SIGHS] Why don't you have a seat
and we can talk this through?
Just relax.
Mm.
I'm relaxed.
And I'm not prepared
to waste another second
enduring your bullshit.
That's not fair.
Isn't it?
So is this a breakup?
Divorce?
I need space.
"Space"?!
I have given you nothing but space!
You're staying with your sister!
I think I should get my own place.
Okay, so this is a breakup.
I'll come by and see Bentley tomorrow.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[MARIAH] You don't
know what you're doing.
[TAL] You're gonna break it.
[ADDISON] I know what I'm doing.
What more do I need to know
to flip an on/off switch, Mariah?
Come on.
I'm gonna change the propane tank.
- Do you know how to do that?
- [MARIAH] Addison
[ADDISON] Do I know how to do what?
I am not dying in an explosion
because you're overestimating
your handyman abilities.
[ADDISON] I know what I'm doing, okay
thank you!
You didn't do anything.
No, you didn't do anything.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Dad, everything all right?
Now it is, finally.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING]
I've been thinking a
lot about why the judge
put me through all this shit.
[MARIAH] Come to any conclusions?
He knew I was the only one
that would have the courage
to make the arrangements public.
Public?
[SCOFFS] Are you kidding?
Why would the judge want the
arrangements to be public?
Criminals usually try to destroy
evidence of their crimes.
The judge wasn't like most criminals.
He wanted everyone involved
to pay, to face justice.
Yeah, at the expense
of his own reputation?
I think reputation mattered less to him
- than his principles.
- [LAUGHS]
Be fucking for real, man.
The judge did not give a
shit about his principles.
He had two people murdered, Tal.
He wasn't some mythical
figure that fell from grace.
He was just a guy, a flawed guy.
He was just a parent, a flawed parent.
That's a pretty big understatement.
We need to consider
something else, though.
- What?
- The judge
is not around to face public scrutiny.
This will be global news, Tal.
Me, you, Addison
that's who would face backlash.
Are you willing to destroy your life,
our children's lives,
for the judge's abstract principles?
So what do we do?
[UPBEAT HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING]
[SINGER] The block is hot all summer ♪
It just a product of the gutter ♪
Most our homeys ♪
Six feet under ♪
It's just a product of the gutter ♪
The gutter ♪
Damn, I had to ♪
Tal. I have a reservation for two.
Okay. What is this for again?
I told you, it's a new assignment
that I could use your
legal expertise on.
No ring?
It's, uh, complicated.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
Maxine, where did you get this?
You know what?
I shouldn't have sprung this on you.
Give it back.
We'll pretend like you never saw it.
[LAUGHS]
And that is the supply closet
next to the shitty coffee machine
that only Charlie ever uses.
And that is where the color copier is.
And that is
Project Profundum in a nutshell.
Nonprofit investigative
journalism at its finest.
Um, okay.
Any questions?
Uh, I'm sure I'll have some
more once I get settled in.
All right, well, you
know where to find me.
It's probably a little
smaller than what they've got
at the Tribune, but at
least someone sent you flowers.
Thank you.
[SIGHS]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]