Billions (2016) s02e06 Episode Script
Indian Four
1 [Hall.]
Previously on Billions You heard anything about a new casino coming to upstate New York? Yeah.
I heard whispers.
Sandicot's downtown is ripe for redevelopment.
The whole county's on the edge of default.
You get to buy it cheap, pennies on the dollar.
[Hall.]
Wendy was at Krakow Capital earlier today.
I need you back at Axe Capital.
Well, that's not gonna happen.
I'm here to ask a favor.
Rhoades reached out to me.
I'll be careful.
[Chuck.]
We only get one shot at this.
Express concerns about the bid rigging.
Make it clear that you know it's going on.
Arendt is putting us all in danger.
[Thomas.]
He's gonna send us all to prison.
Mike's putting the band back together again, just like I told him to.
[agent.]
Lawrence Boyd, you're under arrest.
I thought you understood the goddamn game.
Oh, I believe I do.
We find everybody that he fucked and we buy up their clamps.
It'll be tantamount to a class-action suit.
Oh! You've been served.
With a lawsuit? Hundred and twenty-seven of them.
dramatic music [indistinct muffled talking.]
[reporters shouting, camera shutters clicking.]
[exhales.]
They expedited you right through.
I'm not sure swift justice is what I'm after, but I'm glad to be outside.
If I didn't have the five million for the bail, I would've had to stay the night.
You'd have been fine.
No, I wouldn't have.
Get us the fuck out of here.
Rhoades is gonna flip one of your guys.
When this is over, you'll be able to stand tall knowing that you did the right thing by cooperating.
[Lawrence.]
He has.
I got word.
Where do I sign? What do I do? - Flip him back.
- How? I introduced you to a man who can get that done.
Hall stopped returning my calls.
You wouldn't let him do what he wanted.
Well, I fucking will now.
Anything he says.
You goddamned better, because I need you to gut this motherfucker Rhoades for both of us.
I will.
I'll get out here.
When you get back to your country house tonight, go out back and take a sauna.
Get focused.
That's an order.
[car door closes.]
You know, I usually get a full-on Woodrow Wilson going when I'm billing a client for hundreds of lawyer hours a week.
[laughs.]
But, uh, every hour I spend with you, I'm aware little by little, you're getting wiped out, and that's even though I'm underbilling you.
And then I sign the slips for all the associates putting in time on your cases, and I wind up feeling a little sick.
Just keep doing what you're doing.
I'll figure it out.
How about the house? It has to have occurred to you.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, it would solve a lot of problems.
Financially.
Are you worried Wendy wouldn't want to sell? No.
I'm worried she wouldn't care.
You're raising your children here.
Trust me, it matters just as much to her as it does to you.
That doesn't mean she wouldn't see the wisdom of putting it on the market.
Right now, things between us are so fragile, I'm afraid to pull even a single thread.
Plus, if I floated selling the house, I'd have to tell her why, and I think it's best that she doesn't know the full extent of things.
How's couples therapy going? As excruciating as I remember it? Actually, I find that the best moments often closely follow the worst ones.
You know? Every now and then, for whatever reason, the heaviness just lifts, and, uh then we're just us again.
I don't remember those moments lasting very long.
Like lightning.
[sighs.]
Y-Y-You're fighting for a lot right now, your job, your marriage.
Maybe consider the concept that everything has a life span and it's not the worst thing to let certain things change or die off when it's time.
suspenseful music [insects chirping.]
[branch snaps.]
Fuck.
I'm here solely at the behest of our mutual friend.
I know.
He says that you've gained a more comprehensive understanding of your position.
I have.
What happens now? Your accounts are frozen, of course, so go to your contingency funds.
You'll need to access 2.
5 million dollars and funnel that amount here by tomorrow morning.
It's the first installment to your former associate Michael Arendt so that he will cease cooperating.
You need to form a holding company I suggest on the Isle of Man in order to make payments to his wife in the sum of $2.
5 million dollars every quarter I don't want to know the specifics.
You need to carry the weight of it now.
If any of these wire transfers is even a minute late, he will be free to say whatever he wants to whomever he wants.
I understand.
Is money enough? There's also this.
Arendt's children? He will know that I will know where they are every day that he's in jail.
You wouldn't actually hurt them? Imagine the kind of man that could hurt a child, the psychic baggage that would come along with something like that.
You'd never offload it.
Not really.
Make the payments.
I'll take care of the rest.
Enjoy your sauna.
suspenseful music [Chuck.]
Get in touch with Boyd's people.
Let's get him in here.
What do you think we can ask for? The maximum, what is it, ten years? Let's offer five.
Lowest I'll go is 18 months.
Jail time? He's not even gonna negotiate if that's on the table.
So be it.
You want to risk putting this in front of a jury? I want the world to know that I can be a stubborn motherfucker if I need to be.
[Bryan.]
We're talking about bid-rigging Treasury auctions.
What kind of a jury isn't gonna slip into a coma while we try to explain to them what the fuck that even means? It's your job to figure out how to keep them entertained.
This is a case that could make your career.
Or end it.
dramatic music [Chuck.]
I can't wait to see Boyd's face.
That's right.
[speaks indistinctly.]
We don't rate an appearance by Mr.
Boyd? Mr.
Boyd is confident his presence isn't required.
I've been instructed by my client to tell you that Spartan-Ives is willing to pay a small fine, but that there will be no admission of guilt by Mr.
Boyd personally and, of course, no termination.
We have an authenticated audio recording of your client incriminating himself, and a corroborating witness.
You can tell your client that his disrespect of the Southern District has been noted.
There's a deal on the table.
We pass.
[door opens.]
Hang tight.
[door closes.]
[scoffs.]
Hey.
Hey.
What was that? Uh, we've lost Arendt.
What do you mean, he's Oh, fuck! Boyd obviously feels safe.
Somebody got to our witness.
So all we have is a shitty recording? - That's our case? - No.
We have a guilty defendant.
Don't forget about that part.
You wanted a jury trial.
You've definitely got it.
[Donald.]
I was renovating anyway, so I said, "Well, why not dry-age my own?" Ohh! All that meat! Don't you be shy.
You choose whatever you want, and I'll have Valerie throw it on the grill.
We have the Wagyus, Tomahawk ribeye, Fullblood Tenderloin all grass-fed, of course.
Ooh.
A5 Kobe Strip.
That is a nice one.
That's aging well.
So, listen, we have a timing issue.
How bad? We cut deals with all the property owners to vacate, but Some are backing out? A guy named Hank Flagg.
Spoke to my lawyers last night.
I don't think he's some crank.
He's made it clear he's holding out for a better deal.
Does he know it's a casino? I made all the offers through an LLC.
No one knows I'm involved.
Can we work around him? Well, he's got 200 acres of shit, but it's key.
It's where we need to build the access road to the interstate.
Well, what was your offer? One-point-five.
For 200 acres in the middle of the fucking sticks? Yeah, you wanted to get it done.
I did.
We'll bring in a government agency, a community-reinvestment development authority.
They will basically force him from the land.
That'll turn into the litigation from hell.
Special-interest groups'll pile on, environmentalistas.
That flame'll burn quick, and then I'll bleed the guy out.
He'll take my price.
They always do.
Two years at the outside.
Look, I'd be willing to pop up there, see what I can Have at it.
Maybe you'll turn him.
I'm gonna go check on the grill.
Take your time.
- Two years? - [door closes.]
What's that gonna cost us? Our kidneys.
Flagg got his price.
He backed out.
The guy knows something's up.
What are you gonna have? I don't give a shit.
You decide.
suspenseful music [door closes.]
[keys jingle.]
Hello? [door closes.]
Hello.
In here.
Hey.
Uh, isn't this my night? I'm just stopping by.
[mid-tempo pop music playing from stereo.]
Our son told me what you said to him about the separation.
Well, what did he tell you? That you took responsibility for it and that you stood up for me.
That means a lot, um to the kids.
You're showing them we're not polarized, we're not at war.
I think it helps stabilize them.
And it means a lot to me, too.
Good.
[clears throat.]
How ya doing? Uh, very well.
Quite well.
You sure? Mm-hmm.
Busy, but, uh, otherwise, I'm crackerjack.
[chuckles.]
And I'm about to bust open a bottle of rosé to prove it.
Care to join me? The Wolffer? Yeah.
Last bottle.
Sure.
And what makes you think you're gonna get the kids to eat kale? That would be the kale chips I plan to serve.
They're practically Pringles.
- Sneaky! - Mm.
I love it.
I wonder if I should try to make that.
[chuckles.]
That is for the entrée salmon with ginger and sage.
Who are you? [laughs.]
Look, I'm sure that I can stretch the salmon to serve four if you'd like to join us.
Eva would be thrilled to have a smaller portion.
Okay.
[glasses clink.]
[cellphone buzzing.]
Shit.
Excuse me.
Everything okay? [Chuck.]
Ira? [Chuck.]
Yeah.
[Eva.]
Knock, knock.
[Chuck.]
Yes, who's there? Alligator.
Alligator who? Alligator the shark.
He has a beard growing.
[all.]
What?! [laughter.]
That made absolutely no sense.
[Chuck.]
That was amazing.
[both laugh.]
May I please be excused? - Me too.
- Yes.
Clear your plates, and then, yeah.
[chuckles.]
I'll be up to say good night before I go.
Well, that was interesting.
Yeah.
I thought Kevin's nonchalance was very impressive.
Mm.
Not Eva's, though.
- Unh-unh.
- [laughs.]
No.
Her eyes were like saucers.
Parsing every word, every gesture.
I mean, they both were.
Uh-huh.
Two analytic little minds searching for meaning.
I wonder where they got that from.
[water running.]
We're lucky.
I think they each got the best of both of us.
Nothing can ever take that away.
dramatic music [sighs.]
[sighs.]
[faucet squeaks, water stops.]
I can finish up here.
- You sure? - Yeah.
Absolutely.
You go have a wonderful night.
I'm glad I stayed.
Thank you for asking me.
Yeah.
It was, uh nice.
[cellphone buzzing.]
I have to take this.
Good night, Wendy.
Good night.
[Chuck.]
Ira? Yeah.
[Chuck.]
No, I can talk.
[elevator bell dings.]
Hey.
Hi.
Come in.
- I appreciate this.
- Oh.
- Can I get you anything? - No, thank you.
Oh, Taiga, this is Wendy.
Wendy, Taiga.
- Hello.
- Hey.
I like your bag.
Oh.
Thank you.
I'm gonna be in here, okay, babe? Sure.
You'd like her.
She's an interesting girl, very accomplished.
I'm sure it's quite a skill set.
I know it's a little strange, my coming here.
These are strange times.
How worried should I be about Chuck? Well, you, of all people, should know, I can't really answer that.
I do understand.
And I know you're his lawyer, but you're also his friend.
If Chuck's in crisis, then hiding it because of some code, that doesn't help anybody.
It has nothing to do with a code.
It's true he is in crisis.
He's getting crushed, actually.
I wish he'd tell me.
He doesn't want to risk freighting the relationship.
He's afraid it'll collapse under the stress.
He's showing superhuman restraint, if you ask me.
I wish I'd had one-tenth of that when Elizabeth and I were splitting up.
The irony is, he's probably never needed you as much as he does right now.
Jesus.
Ira, how bad is it? Is it something he'll get through? Honestly I don't know.
I've seen him in the line of fire before, but this this this is a siege.
And I will say this, the Axelrod civil suits are a big fucking part of it.
What do you mean? He said they couldn't hurt him while he was in office.
He was padding it.
All right, look, you can't know this, but it didn't go away when we moved for dismissal.
He's gonna be deposed next week.
He could be on the hook for a lot of damage to his reputation, not to mention his bank account Your bank account.
Between the investigation and these lawsuits and you I can't figure out how he's still standing.
dramatic music Unusual choice.
Eva has a lesson.
Plus, neutral territory.
You've got all the tricks.
[Wendy.]
Nope.
No tricks.
This will be as direct a conversation as I know how to have.
Oh.
So you came to throw bombs? Good.
I'm reconsidering your offer.
You're late.
I hired someone.
If he were getting it done, you wouldn't be here.
So, what changed your mind? Seeing Wags? My mind's not all the way changed.
But seeing him did have a hand in it.
It's gonna take some doing to get rid of that ass tattoo.
I have terms A dozen laser sessions, at least.
and one of them is, I don't talk about my clients.
What happens in my office is sacrosanct.
I don't talk about my sessions with you or anyone.
Not even your husband? And I keep my files on an air-gapped computer that no one touches.
Reasonable.
Anything else? 20% increase in salary and 2% stake in the company.
Kaboom! There it is.
Look at the balls on you.
Yes on the comp, no on the stake.
No one owns any of it but me.
But a profit share and payout equal to one percent in the case of a sale.
You were dug in the last time I saw you.
Still pretty angry.
Yes, I was.
So, what changed? When you came to my office, I asked you to back off, and you did.
I drew a boundary, and you respected it.
So you're ready to trust me again? It's a start.
Okay.
So, are we done? There's one more thing I need.
Let's hear it.
You have to drop the civil suits against my husband.
Wow.
That is quite an ask, Mrs.
Rhoades.
I admire your audacity, but that is not something I think I can accede to.
Then our relationship stays nonexistent.
It's not negotiable.
Your husband hurt my company.
He hurt me.
Okay.
I'll drop the suits.
Thank you.
I'll have my lawyers give you an official letter guaranteeing it, with dates certain and penalties attached.
Good.
Okay.
I'll see you in the office tomorrow.
dramatic music Motherfucker.
That's why you filed those suits in the first place, so I'd cave and come to you with this deal.
Well, not to restart our partnership with a lie it's not the only reason.
But yes, that was a scenario that I had gamed out.
Our deal hold? Yes.
But not for you.
You want a session, see someone else.
My office is off-limits.
Fine.
Hey.
Have Chef Ryan give the kids dinner tonight.
I'm taking you out.
Yeah.
And I'll see you at the pad.
We're taking the chopper.
dramatic music You said you have something interesting? Could be.
Axelrod's people were making a lot of trips upstate, always to the same town, a place called Sandicot.
And? And it's a pattern.
But what's in the town? Nothing.
It's a dirt spot.
I mean, why are they going? You asked me to track their movements, not to synthesize the meaning of each contact they have or place they visit.
dramatic music [insects chirping.]
[liquid pours.]
[server.]
From Chef.
This is a 1975 Château d'Yquem.
Tell Chef thank you.
[server.]
Absolutely.
We need to get past this stalemate.
I agree.
You have to believe that I need you as a partner.
I need your counsel, your perspective.
I trust no one more than you.
And right now, I need your take on something.
Okay.
So, uh, you know we had a bit of a rough quarter.
Everyone was a little rocked by it.
You can feel that they're having trouble buoying themselves.
And so I was thinking of bringing bringing Wendy Rhoades back.
Are you fucking kidding me? I thought this was about you apologizing.
- Now this? - I know.
I know.
But the guys have made it clear, through their results and their words, that they need her.
I thought you had a new man.
Wags convinced me to try him out, but Wags was pretty fucked up at the time.
You're not thinking about bringing Wendy back.
It's a done deal, isn't it? You're actually lying to me now.
I'd like your blessing.
[cellphone buzzing.]
Take it.
[buzzing continues.]
Bobby, take the fucking call.
I'll be right back.
I love you.
dramatic music [server.]
Would you like to hear about the desserts? We'll take the check.
[server.]
Of course.
Tell me.
Flagg has 200 acres of scrub.
If he's holding out for another offer, he doesn't have a lot of leverage.
On the other hand, he owns a small trucking company, so he's not hurting for cash.
So he's someone we can reason with, not some crackpot who's gonna lie down in front of the bulldozers.
Correct.
[Bobby.]
I need to wrap this guy up right fucking now.
Word spreads there's a holdout, we'll have nine other property owners going rogue on us.
[helicopter blades whirring.]
Fuck me.
[sighs.]
I didn't sleep at all.
This fighting isn't us.
I'm going into the office early, then I'm gonna head upstate for a few hours.
When I get home tonight, I want to talk this through.
I want to work it out.
Okay? [exhales angrily.]
dramatic music [indistinct conversations.]
Hal.
Hey.
We are poor little lambs who have lost our way Baa, baa, baa! [both laugh.]
Hey, I missed you at the Whiffs reunion.
I wish I'd had the time.
Ah.
Can you spare a minute? Yeah.
I have been hearing rumblings about a little town upstate, and I wondered what you could confirm for me.
You know my ear's always to the rail.
What do you know about Sandicot? The gaming license? That's what I heard.
If you're looking to buy, you have to do it quickly.
They're announcing soon, and there's sure to be a bounce.
You'll keep this between us? What a question.
[chuckles.]
Good man.
[Chuck Sr.
.]
Black Jack Foley.
There are those who still call me that, yes.
How are you, Charles? [Chuck Sr.
.]
I'll be better if you help me out with a little something.
Is it within my purview? What in this state isn't? Not much.
Certainly not the proposed location of a casino.
You must be talking about Sandicot.
[Chuck Sr.
.]
I am.
And I'm asking, does it have to go there? Nothing has to go anywhere.
[Bobby.]
I need you to write her a contract.
That'll be the only one at the firm.
It's necessary protection all around.
She gets a big salary bump, I lock her in.
There's no way her husband can make a move on you now.
Especially since they're estranged, the conflict of interest is irrefutable.
And reach out to Oliver Dake.
Tell him we won't be testifying that the $5 million was a bribe.
Might be handy to keep that in our back pocket, just in case.
I'm not interested in putting Wendy in jail.
Also, we're gonna drop the suits against her husband.
So it is détente.
dramatic music What do you think of the new lobby? I think it's paranoid.
[Bobby.]
Much higher level of security.
Hired new compliance people, too.
What's next, a microchip implant? [Deb.]
You can just wear this.
[scoffs.]
Did your lawyer look through his papers? He said it's fine.
Do you have a pen? - Here you go.
- Thank you.
Will you excuse us? [Wendy.]
That's not necessary.
No, it'll only take a minute.
[Bobby.]
Orrin.
Call off the dogs.
We're gonna drop the lawsuits against Mr.
Chuck Rhoades all of them.
In stages, as we discussed, so we don't create a news story.
Is the show over? I'm earning back your trust.
Grand gestures aren't necessary.
When it comes to you, Bobby, it's the small kindnesses I prefer.
We're doing this now.
Um, I'm due in a deposition Then name the time.
But today.
No more bogus excuses, because I am done with this game.
Well, I'm gonna have to 2:00 p.
m.
If you don't show, you can expect a suspension, if not outright firing.
[Bryan.]
I'm on my way out.
Jury selection.
So Well, I'll make this quick.
I was just thinking about something that Harry Houdini once said.
"An old trick well done is far better than a new trick with no effect.
" Houdini have any other advice like, how to get out of a straitjacket underwater? I'm gonna look for a way out in there.
And when this is over, we need to have a talk about my future here.
[scoffs.]
You know why I hired you? I used to.
For your fury.
A lot of people around here Sacker, me we were born with a place at the table.
But you came to this job knowing what it means to be an outsider, and with the desperate fury of one.
But you are still letting that fury use you instead of you using it.
Right now, it's directed at me, which doesn't serve you at all.
But refocused, channeled, it'll become a weapon instead of a liability.
dramatic music Come on.
[sighs.]
My number's up.
I'm supposed to see Dake at two o'clock.
Sorry.
No.
You have been loyal.
You have gone above and beyond trying to protect me.
You should cooperate.
Do what's right.
You owe it to your family.
What are you gonna do? dramatic music Wait.
[dog barking.]
[rock music playing on radio.]
Impressive collection.
[music stops.]
Bobby Axelrod.
Hank Flagg.
You ride with a club? [scoffs.]
To my mind, if you want to be an outlaw, you don't join a club with a fucking logo.
So, you run a hedge fund? That's right.
We do have a logo.
So, what's your interest in my property? I have a stake in the project they want to use it for.
And I thought you might be tired of talking to lawyers.
Jesus.
Is that an Indian Four? Yeah.
I'm restoring the foot clutch on it.
Yeah, suicide clutch.
That mid-1930s? That's a good guess.
It's '30.
Ah, four cylinders.
God, back in the day, this machine was the epitome of power.
You had to be rich enough to afford it and strong enough to handle it.
Let's go in the house.
We can talk there.
You got to know one-point-five is a great price for this property.
One-point-five is bullshit now.
Well, what do you imagine It's got to be a casino.
That's how I have it figured.
Oh, come on.
You drive all the way up here to tell me I'm wrong? No.
You came up here to try to get me to deal.
Look, I respect you wanting to hold firm.
I admire the fortitude.
But your problem is, my friend's not going any higher.
He's just gonna bleed you out.
Or I'll bleed him out.
I'm in no rush.
Well, then, he's just gonna bring in a government agency.
They won't give a shit.
They'll tell you the casino's for the good of the community, and then they'll throw you off your own land.
Maybe they'll throw in a couple of hundred thousand for your trouble.
It'll be fucking Ruby Ridge up here before that happens.
My guy's handing you a golden ticket.
You should take it and run.
[chuckles.]
Okay.
I'll sweeten it a little.
I'll make it an even two mil.
Mm.
[clears throat.]
Let me give you a little context.
My girlfriend's in real estate.
One day, she notices a spike in interest in Sandicot, which is, you know, curious, to say the fucking least.
Then, the same week, a friend of mine notices a couple guys eating burgers at Murdock's haircuts wearing expensive sneakers.
So I go down to Town Hall to see what's what, and I find out that you bought the town's debt for pennies on the dollar.
It's all public information.
[smacks lips.]
I know what you stand to make.
And I also know what you stand to lose if the town defaults on the bonds.
You can't afford to wait.
You need that casino open and ready for business as soon as goddamned possible.
I wish my guys had your fucking initiative.
[bottle thuds.]
I'll double the offer.
suspenseful music Seven.
Yeah, I think I'd be happy at seven.
Nobody leaves a negotiation happy.
Five.
And for that, you throw in the fucking Indian Four.
[judge.]
And would you be able to decide on the facts, regardless of your personal beliefs? Yes.
Of course.
Thank you.
[judge.]
Potential juror number two [Bryan.]
Actually, Your Honor, I have a couple of supplemental questions.
Okay.
But let's keep it moving.
Understood.
Do you have any idea how much wealth in this country is controlled by the top 20 percent? A shit ton.
[laughter.]
Your Honor.
[juror.]
Sorry.
Almost all of it.
Huh.
I'd like to challenge the juror for cause.
Do your personal beliefs about who has all the wealth affect your ability to apply the law? Not at all.
I understand my duty as an American.
All Americans, regardless of wealth, can be fair.
[judge.]
Challenge for cause denied.
We'll use a peremptory challenge.
[judge.]
Thank you, juror.
You're excused.
You just lost your paradigm juror.
That's got to hurt.
dramatic music [Bryan.]
You said you worked underground, building the Second Avenue Subway.
You're a sandhog.
And proud of it.
[Bryan chuckles.]
So was my grandfather.
Lincoln Tunnel, back in '34.
He said he never earned a bonus.
Has that changed over the years? [chuckles.]
No.
No.
Never gotten a bonus.
Do you think you'd be able to decide this case in a fair and impartial manner if you knew that the average Spartan-Ives bonus last year was over 366,000 dollars? Holy shit.
[Bryan.]
Again, this is a hypothetical, but He's torqueing up this jury like a fluffer on a porn set.
They're inflamed for the moment.
They'll calm down.
What if you knew Mr.
Boyd's personal bonus was more than 50 times that? [spectators murmuring.]
That wouldn't affect your ability to be impartial, would it? I would be impartial.
Always trust a sandhog.
[gavel taps.]
[Dake.]
You have a confusing résumé.
What's with the, uh, fox-trot from Southern District to Eastern and back? Nothing.
It happens.
It never occurred to you that Rhoades was moving you around to serve his purposes whenever he found himself holding a Yarborough? I don't play bridge.
[judge.]
You're excused, juror 32.
How many challenges do they have left? That's tap city.
If that's your view of bankers, then you could probably recognize when a-a witness has a personal hatred for the defendant and accord him the impartiality he deserves? [juror.]
Sure I could.
I assume everyone hates this man from first sight.
[juror.]
It's not gonna color my opinion.
These jurors are gonna do me like Louis XVI.
Let me work.
What I want you to do is start fucking dealing.
dramatic music Bryan, can we talk? [Al.]
You really don't need to do this.
Their best witness is Tom McKinnon.
We'll paint him as a cuckold with an agenda.
There's a very good chance we can win.
Define "win.
" Define "very good.
" Summer I was 18, I worked in menswear at Gimbels department store.
It doesn't exist anymore.
I wore a suit to work.
And I wore three suits home underneath it on my last day sold them on the side to pay for college.
The risk was worth the reward back then because I had nothing to lose.
I'm not that kid anymore.
I'm facing ten years in federal prison.
That's a risk I cannot tolerate.
[door opens.]
Larry.
[door closes.]
Hear you had a rough one.
I'm at the table, Chuck.
Don't be a son of a bitch.
[Al.]
We're ready to settle.
Admission of guilt, five years' probation, and a 60 million dollar fine.
A very nice offer.
It's funny.
Something about a settlement doesn't sit right with me.
dramatic music Bid-rigging the U.
S.
Treasury market, that, to me, is a crime that so profoundly violates public trust in our financial system that it really seems only right to continue the trial and let the people decide.
[smacks lips.]
No deal.
Are you fucking kidding me? [Al.]
Is he kidding? What a motherfucker! [door opens.]
[Dake.]
That's what you're claiming? You know I can have you disbarred for lying.
dramatic music The attorney general is on the phone.
[sighs.]
General.
Chuck.
I hear you have confounded Boyd and his team.
Congratulations.
This call means the world to me.
Thank you, ma'am.
[attorney general.]
Yes.
You have made it clear that there will be no special treatment, haven't you? Thought that made sense, considering.
Now they're seeking settlement.
But I look forward to a trial A hard-hitting trial.
I would never meddle.
I need you to know that.
I would never ask you to accept a plea unless you, too, felt that plea was in the best interest of justice.
I appreciate that.
We are, as always, interested in the same thing.
And I want you to know that I would never refuse to accept a plea if, suddenly, I saw that to do so would be more fair.
[Chuck.]
And that the idea of you never meddling extended to me and the entire scope of my affairs in the Southern District.
[exhales.]
You have your open field.
Make the deal.
[sighs heavily.]
And so, now, as the great Bruce Buffer says, "It's time.
" [Dake.]
Do you believe U.
S.
Attorney Rhoades remained involved in the Axelrod case even after he'd recused himself? Yes.
[Dake.]
Yes.
Of course.
How did you know? Specifics.
He came to me with information that made it clear he was still involved.
He made it clear that I was to try to get the same information [sighs.]
but to do so in a way that [cellphone buzzing.]
[Dake.]
Yes, General.
Um But Uh, I-I understand.
Yes.
Yes, ma'am.
But I'm But I'm just now coming into possession of material information, [Dake.]
a-and if I could have just a few more No.
No.
Um, of course.
[chuckles softly.]
As you wish.
[cellphone thuds.]
You can go.
What? We're done here.
[exhales.]
[door opens, closes.]
[cellphone buzzes.]
Yeah? It's over.
Boyd puked himself.
[gearshift clicks.]
[Wags.]
He's taking a guilty plea.
Fuck.
Surrendered like a French fucking soldier.
Rhoades knew his man.
[exhales sharply.]
dramatic music As, uh, as I'm sure you know, the attorney general has suspended my investigation and ordered me back to Washington.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed your stay.
[chuckles.]
Well Do you know what I what I like most about my job, Mr.
Rhoades? The sartorial flair? [both chuckle.]
I took an oath.
The same oath sworn by you, in fact, to the people of the United States.
And when I see that someone is putting his own interests above that oath, there is nothing I like better than making sure they never get another job in the legal profession f-for the rest of their lives.
[chuckles.]
Know this.
I had you in the cross hairs.
But today, you're the man who brought down Lawrence Boyd.
You're Elvis.
So today you are safe.
But don't get fucking comfortable.
dramatic music What happened upstate? I bought Flagg's property for five, which I've leased to Thayer for $750K a year on a ten-year lease.
Wyatt, we are rolling.
You pulled this out of the fucking fire, boss.
An actual, unmitigated win.
The yield on this bad boy is gonna keep Mama in new shoes for years.
Bring on the bulldozers.
dramatic music Yeah? Congratulations.
Victory torn from the jaws.
Ah, sometimes, you play the goban.
Sometimes, you look across the board and you see a total lack of kiai.
I know none of those words.
But I feel like you're calling Lawrence Boyd a butter boy.
A guilty man took a guilty plea.
[Orrin.]
Closer than ever to your goal, Bryan.
Which one? That's what you should spend the next few weeks figuring out.
See you next week.
[woman.]
Namaste.
Hey.
Hey.
I heard about Boyd.
I know, brutal.
But forget that.
This is more important.
I-I'm sorry.
I should have told you about Wendy before I even spoke to her.
You think this is about her? [scoffs.]
Bobby, you act like we're in this together.
You make command decisions, sometimes life-changing, and you don't even run them by me first.
Do you remember the boat? The Galápagos? You make plans, you put them in motion, and then you inform me after the fact.
That is not the marriage that I signed up for, and that is not one that I will accept going forward.
I've risked alienating my brothers and sisters.
I have walked away from things that I care deeply about.
I know.
And I do it because I understand that when something becomes a liability, you cut it loose for the greater good.
And if you ask me, Wendy Rhoades is a liability, and I will never be okay with the two of you talking.
Okay.
You're right.
A-About everything.
soft music Look, what if I agree that I, personally, won't see her? I'll draw a line.
She and I will never have any sessions.
That way, she'll never have anything on me.
Can you live with that? I can try.
[indistinct talking, shouting in distance.]
[laughs.]
[server.]
There you go, gentlemen.
- [man.]
Congrats.
- [man.]
All right.
- [man.]
Well done.
- [man.]
Hear, hear.
Top-drawer.
On my account, pal.
Enjoy it.
Couldn't be happier for you.
To the vir triumphalis.
[man.]
Hear, hear! Son, there were times when I thought you were finished.
You scared the hell out of me, more than once.
But you prevailed.
And the only question now is which mansion will it be, Gracie or the Governor's? Relax, Dad.
I fought to keep my job.
I'm just gonna try to enjoy it for the time being.
Don't waste this moment.
There's no telling how fleeting it might be.
Uh, I have a piece of news.
Words you never want to hear come out of your lawyer's mouth.
You're gonna want to hear this.
It is very good.
On my way over here, I got a call from Axelrod's lawyer.
They are not gonna be deposing you next week.
They're not gonna be deposing you at all.
But their case can't proceed unless Their case isn't proceeding.
[Ira.]
They are dropping the lawsuits quietly, over the next couple of months.
What did I tell you? You have muscle.
[Ira laughs.]
You even scared Axelrod.
When did this happen? [Ira.]
I got the call on the way over.
[Ira.]
Your father's right.
You must've scared him.
What's the problem? Now you're truly unencumbered.
Axelrod isn't scared by displays of strength.
You all right? I'm not sure.
Uh Thank you for this tribute.
It means a great deal, celebrating this victory with you both.
I have to go.
Enjoy the scotch.
soft music [engine starts.]
Hall! Sandicot's not getting the gaming license.
[engine shuts off.]
[Hall.]
The commission went another way, gave it to a town in the Catskills.
I'm looking into what happened, but it's over.
dramatic music Are you there? soft rock music [beep.]
[door closes.]
- [sighs.]
- I'm so happy for you.
[scoffs.]
Is something wrong? What did you do to get Axelrod to drop the civil suits? This is a conversation, and I don't think we should have it tonight.
- [scoffs.]
- Let's not do anything to spoil the tremendous day you've had.
Yeah, it's too late for that.
I went back to work at Axe Capital.
And, um, are you gonna try to insist that you did it for me? No.
I wanted to go back.
[scoffs.]
Chuck.
It's my work.
And when I didn't have it anymore, it it left a hole I tried very hard to fill, but couldn't.
So yes, I went back for me, but in doing it, I found a way to help you, too.
Well, I'm happy that it works for you.
But for us, I am afraid it's a deal breaker.
soft rock music So I'll take two of what you're having And I'll take everything you got To kill this goddamn lonely Goddamn lonely love
Previously on Billions You heard anything about a new casino coming to upstate New York? Yeah.
I heard whispers.
Sandicot's downtown is ripe for redevelopment.
The whole county's on the edge of default.
You get to buy it cheap, pennies on the dollar.
[Hall.]
Wendy was at Krakow Capital earlier today.
I need you back at Axe Capital.
Well, that's not gonna happen.
I'm here to ask a favor.
Rhoades reached out to me.
I'll be careful.
[Chuck.]
We only get one shot at this.
Express concerns about the bid rigging.
Make it clear that you know it's going on.
Arendt is putting us all in danger.
[Thomas.]
He's gonna send us all to prison.
Mike's putting the band back together again, just like I told him to.
[agent.]
Lawrence Boyd, you're under arrest.
I thought you understood the goddamn game.
Oh, I believe I do.
We find everybody that he fucked and we buy up their clamps.
It'll be tantamount to a class-action suit.
Oh! You've been served.
With a lawsuit? Hundred and twenty-seven of them.
dramatic music [indistinct muffled talking.]
[reporters shouting, camera shutters clicking.]
[exhales.]
They expedited you right through.
I'm not sure swift justice is what I'm after, but I'm glad to be outside.
If I didn't have the five million for the bail, I would've had to stay the night.
You'd have been fine.
No, I wouldn't have.
Get us the fuck out of here.
Rhoades is gonna flip one of your guys.
When this is over, you'll be able to stand tall knowing that you did the right thing by cooperating.
[Lawrence.]
He has.
I got word.
Where do I sign? What do I do? - Flip him back.
- How? I introduced you to a man who can get that done.
Hall stopped returning my calls.
You wouldn't let him do what he wanted.
Well, I fucking will now.
Anything he says.
You goddamned better, because I need you to gut this motherfucker Rhoades for both of us.
I will.
I'll get out here.
When you get back to your country house tonight, go out back and take a sauna.
Get focused.
That's an order.
[car door closes.]
You know, I usually get a full-on Woodrow Wilson going when I'm billing a client for hundreds of lawyer hours a week.
[laughs.]
But, uh, every hour I spend with you, I'm aware little by little, you're getting wiped out, and that's even though I'm underbilling you.
And then I sign the slips for all the associates putting in time on your cases, and I wind up feeling a little sick.
Just keep doing what you're doing.
I'll figure it out.
How about the house? It has to have occurred to you.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, it would solve a lot of problems.
Financially.
Are you worried Wendy wouldn't want to sell? No.
I'm worried she wouldn't care.
You're raising your children here.
Trust me, it matters just as much to her as it does to you.
That doesn't mean she wouldn't see the wisdom of putting it on the market.
Right now, things between us are so fragile, I'm afraid to pull even a single thread.
Plus, if I floated selling the house, I'd have to tell her why, and I think it's best that she doesn't know the full extent of things.
How's couples therapy going? As excruciating as I remember it? Actually, I find that the best moments often closely follow the worst ones.
You know? Every now and then, for whatever reason, the heaviness just lifts, and, uh then we're just us again.
I don't remember those moments lasting very long.
Like lightning.
[sighs.]
Y-Y-You're fighting for a lot right now, your job, your marriage.
Maybe consider the concept that everything has a life span and it's not the worst thing to let certain things change or die off when it's time.
suspenseful music [insects chirping.]
[branch snaps.]
Fuck.
I'm here solely at the behest of our mutual friend.
I know.
He says that you've gained a more comprehensive understanding of your position.
I have.
What happens now? Your accounts are frozen, of course, so go to your contingency funds.
You'll need to access 2.
5 million dollars and funnel that amount here by tomorrow morning.
It's the first installment to your former associate Michael Arendt so that he will cease cooperating.
You need to form a holding company I suggest on the Isle of Man in order to make payments to his wife in the sum of $2.
5 million dollars every quarter I don't want to know the specifics.
You need to carry the weight of it now.
If any of these wire transfers is even a minute late, he will be free to say whatever he wants to whomever he wants.
I understand.
Is money enough? There's also this.
Arendt's children? He will know that I will know where they are every day that he's in jail.
You wouldn't actually hurt them? Imagine the kind of man that could hurt a child, the psychic baggage that would come along with something like that.
You'd never offload it.
Not really.
Make the payments.
I'll take care of the rest.
Enjoy your sauna.
suspenseful music [Chuck.]
Get in touch with Boyd's people.
Let's get him in here.
What do you think we can ask for? The maximum, what is it, ten years? Let's offer five.
Lowest I'll go is 18 months.
Jail time? He's not even gonna negotiate if that's on the table.
So be it.
You want to risk putting this in front of a jury? I want the world to know that I can be a stubborn motherfucker if I need to be.
[Bryan.]
We're talking about bid-rigging Treasury auctions.
What kind of a jury isn't gonna slip into a coma while we try to explain to them what the fuck that even means? It's your job to figure out how to keep them entertained.
This is a case that could make your career.
Or end it.
dramatic music [Chuck.]
I can't wait to see Boyd's face.
That's right.
[speaks indistinctly.]
We don't rate an appearance by Mr.
Boyd? Mr.
Boyd is confident his presence isn't required.
I've been instructed by my client to tell you that Spartan-Ives is willing to pay a small fine, but that there will be no admission of guilt by Mr.
Boyd personally and, of course, no termination.
We have an authenticated audio recording of your client incriminating himself, and a corroborating witness.
You can tell your client that his disrespect of the Southern District has been noted.
There's a deal on the table.
We pass.
[door opens.]
Hang tight.
[door closes.]
[scoffs.]
Hey.
Hey.
What was that? Uh, we've lost Arendt.
What do you mean, he's Oh, fuck! Boyd obviously feels safe.
Somebody got to our witness.
So all we have is a shitty recording? - That's our case? - No.
We have a guilty defendant.
Don't forget about that part.
You wanted a jury trial.
You've definitely got it.
[Donald.]
I was renovating anyway, so I said, "Well, why not dry-age my own?" Ohh! All that meat! Don't you be shy.
You choose whatever you want, and I'll have Valerie throw it on the grill.
We have the Wagyus, Tomahawk ribeye, Fullblood Tenderloin all grass-fed, of course.
Ooh.
A5 Kobe Strip.
That is a nice one.
That's aging well.
So, listen, we have a timing issue.
How bad? We cut deals with all the property owners to vacate, but Some are backing out? A guy named Hank Flagg.
Spoke to my lawyers last night.
I don't think he's some crank.
He's made it clear he's holding out for a better deal.
Does he know it's a casino? I made all the offers through an LLC.
No one knows I'm involved.
Can we work around him? Well, he's got 200 acres of shit, but it's key.
It's where we need to build the access road to the interstate.
Well, what was your offer? One-point-five.
For 200 acres in the middle of the fucking sticks? Yeah, you wanted to get it done.
I did.
We'll bring in a government agency, a community-reinvestment development authority.
They will basically force him from the land.
That'll turn into the litigation from hell.
Special-interest groups'll pile on, environmentalistas.
That flame'll burn quick, and then I'll bleed the guy out.
He'll take my price.
They always do.
Two years at the outside.
Look, I'd be willing to pop up there, see what I can Have at it.
Maybe you'll turn him.
I'm gonna go check on the grill.
Take your time.
- Two years? - [door closes.]
What's that gonna cost us? Our kidneys.
Flagg got his price.
He backed out.
The guy knows something's up.
What are you gonna have? I don't give a shit.
You decide.
suspenseful music [door closes.]
[keys jingle.]
Hello? [door closes.]
Hello.
In here.
Hey.
Uh, isn't this my night? I'm just stopping by.
[mid-tempo pop music playing from stereo.]
Our son told me what you said to him about the separation.
Well, what did he tell you? That you took responsibility for it and that you stood up for me.
That means a lot, um to the kids.
You're showing them we're not polarized, we're not at war.
I think it helps stabilize them.
And it means a lot to me, too.
Good.
[clears throat.]
How ya doing? Uh, very well.
Quite well.
You sure? Mm-hmm.
Busy, but, uh, otherwise, I'm crackerjack.
[chuckles.]
And I'm about to bust open a bottle of rosé to prove it.
Care to join me? The Wolffer? Yeah.
Last bottle.
Sure.
And what makes you think you're gonna get the kids to eat kale? That would be the kale chips I plan to serve.
They're practically Pringles.
- Sneaky! - Mm.
I love it.
I wonder if I should try to make that.
[chuckles.]
That is for the entrée salmon with ginger and sage.
Who are you? [laughs.]
Look, I'm sure that I can stretch the salmon to serve four if you'd like to join us.
Eva would be thrilled to have a smaller portion.
Okay.
[glasses clink.]
[cellphone buzzing.]
Shit.
Excuse me.
Everything okay? [Chuck.]
Ira? [Chuck.]
Yeah.
[Eva.]
Knock, knock.
[Chuck.]
Yes, who's there? Alligator.
Alligator who? Alligator the shark.
He has a beard growing.
[all.]
What?! [laughter.]
That made absolutely no sense.
[Chuck.]
That was amazing.
[both laugh.]
May I please be excused? - Me too.
- Yes.
Clear your plates, and then, yeah.
[chuckles.]
I'll be up to say good night before I go.
Well, that was interesting.
Yeah.
I thought Kevin's nonchalance was very impressive.
Mm.
Not Eva's, though.
- Unh-unh.
- [laughs.]
No.
Her eyes were like saucers.
Parsing every word, every gesture.
I mean, they both were.
Uh-huh.
Two analytic little minds searching for meaning.
I wonder where they got that from.
[water running.]
We're lucky.
I think they each got the best of both of us.
Nothing can ever take that away.
dramatic music [sighs.]
[sighs.]
[faucet squeaks, water stops.]
I can finish up here.
- You sure? - Yeah.
Absolutely.
You go have a wonderful night.
I'm glad I stayed.
Thank you for asking me.
Yeah.
It was, uh nice.
[cellphone buzzing.]
I have to take this.
Good night, Wendy.
Good night.
[Chuck.]
Ira? Yeah.
[Chuck.]
No, I can talk.
[elevator bell dings.]
Hey.
Hi.
Come in.
- I appreciate this.
- Oh.
- Can I get you anything? - No, thank you.
Oh, Taiga, this is Wendy.
Wendy, Taiga.
- Hello.
- Hey.
I like your bag.
Oh.
Thank you.
I'm gonna be in here, okay, babe? Sure.
You'd like her.
She's an interesting girl, very accomplished.
I'm sure it's quite a skill set.
I know it's a little strange, my coming here.
These are strange times.
How worried should I be about Chuck? Well, you, of all people, should know, I can't really answer that.
I do understand.
And I know you're his lawyer, but you're also his friend.
If Chuck's in crisis, then hiding it because of some code, that doesn't help anybody.
It has nothing to do with a code.
It's true he is in crisis.
He's getting crushed, actually.
I wish he'd tell me.
He doesn't want to risk freighting the relationship.
He's afraid it'll collapse under the stress.
He's showing superhuman restraint, if you ask me.
I wish I'd had one-tenth of that when Elizabeth and I were splitting up.
The irony is, he's probably never needed you as much as he does right now.
Jesus.
Ira, how bad is it? Is it something he'll get through? Honestly I don't know.
I've seen him in the line of fire before, but this this this is a siege.
And I will say this, the Axelrod civil suits are a big fucking part of it.
What do you mean? He said they couldn't hurt him while he was in office.
He was padding it.
All right, look, you can't know this, but it didn't go away when we moved for dismissal.
He's gonna be deposed next week.
He could be on the hook for a lot of damage to his reputation, not to mention his bank account Your bank account.
Between the investigation and these lawsuits and you I can't figure out how he's still standing.
dramatic music Unusual choice.
Eva has a lesson.
Plus, neutral territory.
You've got all the tricks.
[Wendy.]
Nope.
No tricks.
This will be as direct a conversation as I know how to have.
Oh.
So you came to throw bombs? Good.
I'm reconsidering your offer.
You're late.
I hired someone.
If he were getting it done, you wouldn't be here.
So, what changed your mind? Seeing Wags? My mind's not all the way changed.
But seeing him did have a hand in it.
It's gonna take some doing to get rid of that ass tattoo.
I have terms A dozen laser sessions, at least.
and one of them is, I don't talk about my clients.
What happens in my office is sacrosanct.
I don't talk about my sessions with you or anyone.
Not even your husband? And I keep my files on an air-gapped computer that no one touches.
Reasonable.
Anything else? 20% increase in salary and 2% stake in the company.
Kaboom! There it is.
Look at the balls on you.
Yes on the comp, no on the stake.
No one owns any of it but me.
But a profit share and payout equal to one percent in the case of a sale.
You were dug in the last time I saw you.
Still pretty angry.
Yes, I was.
So, what changed? When you came to my office, I asked you to back off, and you did.
I drew a boundary, and you respected it.
So you're ready to trust me again? It's a start.
Okay.
So, are we done? There's one more thing I need.
Let's hear it.
You have to drop the civil suits against my husband.
Wow.
That is quite an ask, Mrs.
Rhoades.
I admire your audacity, but that is not something I think I can accede to.
Then our relationship stays nonexistent.
It's not negotiable.
Your husband hurt my company.
He hurt me.
Okay.
I'll drop the suits.
Thank you.
I'll have my lawyers give you an official letter guaranteeing it, with dates certain and penalties attached.
Good.
Okay.
I'll see you in the office tomorrow.
dramatic music Motherfucker.
That's why you filed those suits in the first place, so I'd cave and come to you with this deal.
Well, not to restart our partnership with a lie it's not the only reason.
But yes, that was a scenario that I had gamed out.
Our deal hold? Yes.
But not for you.
You want a session, see someone else.
My office is off-limits.
Fine.
Hey.
Have Chef Ryan give the kids dinner tonight.
I'm taking you out.
Yeah.
And I'll see you at the pad.
We're taking the chopper.
dramatic music You said you have something interesting? Could be.
Axelrod's people were making a lot of trips upstate, always to the same town, a place called Sandicot.
And? And it's a pattern.
But what's in the town? Nothing.
It's a dirt spot.
I mean, why are they going? You asked me to track their movements, not to synthesize the meaning of each contact they have or place they visit.
dramatic music [insects chirping.]
[liquid pours.]
[server.]
From Chef.
This is a 1975 Château d'Yquem.
Tell Chef thank you.
[server.]
Absolutely.
We need to get past this stalemate.
I agree.
You have to believe that I need you as a partner.
I need your counsel, your perspective.
I trust no one more than you.
And right now, I need your take on something.
Okay.
So, uh, you know we had a bit of a rough quarter.
Everyone was a little rocked by it.
You can feel that they're having trouble buoying themselves.
And so I was thinking of bringing bringing Wendy Rhoades back.
Are you fucking kidding me? I thought this was about you apologizing.
- Now this? - I know.
I know.
But the guys have made it clear, through their results and their words, that they need her.
I thought you had a new man.
Wags convinced me to try him out, but Wags was pretty fucked up at the time.
You're not thinking about bringing Wendy back.
It's a done deal, isn't it? You're actually lying to me now.
I'd like your blessing.
[cellphone buzzing.]
Take it.
[buzzing continues.]
Bobby, take the fucking call.
I'll be right back.
I love you.
dramatic music [server.]
Would you like to hear about the desserts? We'll take the check.
[server.]
Of course.
Tell me.
Flagg has 200 acres of scrub.
If he's holding out for another offer, he doesn't have a lot of leverage.
On the other hand, he owns a small trucking company, so he's not hurting for cash.
So he's someone we can reason with, not some crackpot who's gonna lie down in front of the bulldozers.
Correct.
[Bobby.]
I need to wrap this guy up right fucking now.
Word spreads there's a holdout, we'll have nine other property owners going rogue on us.
[helicopter blades whirring.]
Fuck me.
[sighs.]
I didn't sleep at all.
This fighting isn't us.
I'm going into the office early, then I'm gonna head upstate for a few hours.
When I get home tonight, I want to talk this through.
I want to work it out.
Okay? [exhales angrily.]
dramatic music [indistinct conversations.]
Hal.
Hey.
We are poor little lambs who have lost our way Baa, baa, baa! [both laugh.]
Hey, I missed you at the Whiffs reunion.
I wish I'd had the time.
Ah.
Can you spare a minute? Yeah.
I have been hearing rumblings about a little town upstate, and I wondered what you could confirm for me.
You know my ear's always to the rail.
What do you know about Sandicot? The gaming license? That's what I heard.
If you're looking to buy, you have to do it quickly.
They're announcing soon, and there's sure to be a bounce.
You'll keep this between us? What a question.
[chuckles.]
Good man.
[Chuck Sr.
.]
Black Jack Foley.
There are those who still call me that, yes.
How are you, Charles? [Chuck Sr.
.]
I'll be better if you help me out with a little something.
Is it within my purview? What in this state isn't? Not much.
Certainly not the proposed location of a casino.
You must be talking about Sandicot.
[Chuck Sr.
.]
I am.
And I'm asking, does it have to go there? Nothing has to go anywhere.
[Bobby.]
I need you to write her a contract.
That'll be the only one at the firm.
It's necessary protection all around.
She gets a big salary bump, I lock her in.
There's no way her husband can make a move on you now.
Especially since they're estranged, the conflict of interest is irrefutable.
And reach out to Oliver Dake.
Tell him we won't be testifying that the $5 million was a bribe.
Might be handy to keep that in our back pocket, just in case.
I'm not interested in putting Wendy in jail.
Also, we're gonna drop the suits against her husband.
So it is détente.
dramatic music What do you think of the new lobby? I think it's paranoid.
[Bobby.]
Much higher level of security.
Hired new compliance people, too.
What's next, a microchip implant? [Deb.]
You can just wear this.
[scoffs.]
Did your lawyer look through his papers? He said it's fine.
Do you have a pen? - Here you go.
- Thank you.
Will you excuse us? [Wendy.]
That's not necessary.
No, it'll only take a minute.
[Bobby.]
Orrin.
Call off the dogs.
We're gonna drop the lawsuits against Mr.
Chuck Rhoades all of them.
In stages, as we discussed, so we don't create a news story.
Is the show over? I'm earning back your trust.
Grand gestures aren't necessary.
When it comes to you, Bobby, it's the small kindnesses I prefer.
We're doing this now.
Um, I'm due in a deposition Then name the time.
But today.
No more bogus excuses, because I am done with this game.
Well, I'm gonna have to 2:00 p.
m.
If you don't show, you can expect a suspension, if not outright firing.
[Bryan.]
I'm on my way out.
Jury selection.
So Well, I'll make this quick.
I was just thinking about something that Harry Houdini once said.
"An old trick well done is far better than a new trick with no effect.
" Houdini have any other advice like, how to get out of a straitjacket underwater? I'm gonna look for a way out in there.
And when this is over, we need to have a talk about my future here.
[scoffs.]
You know why I hired you? I used to.
For your fury.
A lot of people around here Sacker, me we were born with a place at the table.
But you came to this job knowing what it means to be an outsider, and with the desperate fury of one.
But you are still letting that fury use you instead of you using it.
Right now, it's directed at me, which doesn't serve you at all.
But refocused, channeled, it'll become a weapon instead of a liability.
dramatic music Come on.
[sighs.]
My number's up.
I'm supposed to see Dake at two o'clock.
Sorry.
No.
You have been loyal.
You have gone above and beyond trying to protect me.
You should cooperate.
Do what's right.
You owe it to your family.
What are you gonna do? dramatic music Wait.
[dog barking.]
[rock music playing on radio.]
Impressive collection.
[music stops.]
Bobby Axelrod.
Hank Flagg.
You ride with a club? [scoffs.]
To my mind, if you want to be an outlaw, you don't join a club with a fucking logo.
So, you run a hedge fund? That's right.
We do have a logo.
So, what's your interest in my property? I have a stake in the project they want to use it for.
And I thought you might be tired of talking to lawyers.
Jesus.
Is that an Indian Four? Yeah.
I'm restoring the foot clutch on it.
Yeah, suicide clutch.
That mid-1930s? That's a good guess.
It's '30.
Ah, four cylinders.
God, back in the day, this machine was the epitome of power.
You had to be rich enough to afford it and strong enough to handle it.
Let's go in the house.
We can talk there.
You got to know one-point-five is a great price for this property.
One-point-five is bullshit now.
Well, what do you imagine It's got to be a casino.
That's how I have it figured.
Oh, come on.
You drive all the way up here to tell me I'm wrong? No.
You came up here to try to get me to deal.
Look, I respect you wanting to hold firm.
I admire the fortitude.
But your problem is, my friend's not going any higher.
He's just gonna bleed you out.
Or I'll bleed him out.
I'm in no rush.
Well, then, he's just gonna bring in a government agency.
They won't give a shit.
They'll tell you the casino's for the good of the community, and then they'll throw you off your own land.
Maybe they'll throw in a couple of hundred thousand for your trouble.
It'll be fucking Ruby Ridge up here before that happens.
My guy's handing you a golden ticket.
You should take it and run.
[chuckles.]
Okay.
I'll sweeten it a little.
I'll make it an even two mil.
Mm.
[clears throat.]
Let me give you a little context.
My girlfriend's in real estate.
One day, she notices a spike in interest in Sandicot, which is, you know, curious, to say the fucking least.
Then, the same week, a friend of mine notices a couple guys eating burgers at Murdock's haircuts wearing expensive sneakers.
So I go down to Town Hall to see what's what, and I find out that you bought the town's debt for pennies on the dollar.
It's all public information.
[smacks lips.]
I know what you stand to make.
And I also know what you stand to lose if the town defaults on the bonds.
You can't afford to wait.
You need that casino open and ready for business as soon as goddamned possible.
I wish my guys had your fucking initiative.
[bottle thuds.]
I'll double the offer.
suspenseful music Seven.
Yeah, I think I'd be happy at seven.
Nobody leaves a negotiation happy.
Five.
And for that, you throw in the fucking Indian Four.
[judge.]
And would you be able to decide on the facts, regardless of your personal beliefs? Yes.
Of course.
Thank you.
[judge.]
Potential juror number two [Bryan.]
Actually, Your Honor, I have a couple of supplemental questions.
Okay.
But let's keep it moving.
Understood.
Do you have any idea how much wealth in this country is controlled by the top 20 percent? A shit ton.
[laughter.]
Your Honor.
[juror.]
Sorry.
Almost all of it.
Huh.
I'd like to challenge the juror for cause.
Do your personal beliefs about who has all the wealth affect your ability to apply the law? Not at all.
I understand my duty as an American.
All Americans, regardless of wealth, can be fair.
[judge.]
Challenge for cause denied.
We'll use a peremptory challenge.
[judge.]
Thank you, juror.
You're excused.
You just lost your paradigm juror.
That's got to hurt.
dramatic music [Bryan.]
You said you worked underground, building the Second Avenue Subway.
You're a sandhog.
And proud of it.
[Bryan chuckles.]
So was my grandfather.
Lincoln Tunnel, back in '34.
He said he never earned a bonus.
Has that changed over the years? [chuckles.]
No.
No.
Never gotten a bonus.
Do you think you'd be able to decide this case in a fair and impartial manner if you knew that the average Spartan-Ives bonus last year was over 366,000 dollars? Holy shit.
[Bryan.]
Again, this is a hypothetical, but He's torqueing up this jury like a fluffer on a porn set.
They're inflamed for the moment.
They'll calm down.
What if you knew Mr.
Boyd's personal bonus was more than 50 times that? [spectators murmuring.]
That wouldn't affect your ability to be impartial, would it? I would be impartial.
Always trust a sandhog.
[gavel taps.]
[Dake.]
You have a confusing résumé.
What's with the, uh, fox-trot from Southern District to Eastern and back? Nothing.
It happens.
It never occurred to you that Rhoades was moving you around to serve his purposes whenever he found himself holding a Yarborough? I don't play bridge.
[judge.]
You're excused, juror 32.
How many challenges do they have left? That's tap city.
If that's your view of bankers, then you could probably recognize when a-a witness has a personal hatred for the defendant and accord him the impartiality he deserves? [juror.]
Sure I could.
I assume everyone hates this man from first sight.
[juror.]
It's not gonna color my opinion.
These jurors are gonna do me like Louis XVI.
Let me work.
What I want you to do is start fucking dealing.
dramatic music Bryan, can we talk? [Al.]
You really don't need to do this.
Their best witness is Tom McKinnon.
We'll paint him as a cuckold with an agenda.
There's a very good chance we can win.
Define "win.
" Define "very good.
" Summer I was 18, I worked in menswear at Gimbels department store.
It doesn't exist anymore.
I wore a suit to work.
And I wore three suits home underneath it on my last day sold them on the side to pay for college.
The risk was worth the reward back then because I had nothing to lose.
I'm not that kid anymore.
I'm facing ten years in federal prison.
That's a risk I cannot tolerate.
[door opens.]
Larry.
[door closes.]
Hear you had a rough one.
I'm at the table, Chuck.
Don't be a son of a bitch.
[Al.]
We're ready to settle.
Admission of guilt, five years' probation, and a 60 million dollar fine.
A very nice offer.
It's funny.
Something about a settlement doesn't sit right with me.
dramatic music Bid-rigging the U.
S.
Treasury market, that, to me, is a crime that so profoundly violates public trust in our financial system that it really seems only right to continue the trial and let the people decide.
[smacks lips.]
No deal.
Are you fucking kidding me? [Al.]
Is he kidding? What a motherfucker! [door opens.]
[Dake.]
That's what you're claiming? You know I can have you disbarred for lying.
dramatic music The attorney general is on the phone.
[sighs.]
General.
Chuck.
I hear you have confounded Boyd and his team.
Congratulations.
This call means the world to me.
Thank you, ma'am.
[attorney general.]
Yes.
You have made it clear that there will be no special treatment, haven't you? Thought that made sense, considering.
Now they're seeking settlement.
But I look forward to a trial A hard-hitting trial.
I would never meddle.
I need you to know that.
I would never ask you to accept a plea unless you, too, felt that plea was in the best interest of justice.
I appreciate that.
We are, as always, interested in the same thing.
And I want you to know that I would never refuse to accept a plea if, suddenly, I saw that to do so would be more fair.
[Chuck.]
And that the idea of you never meddling extended to me and the entire scope of my affairs in the Southern District.
[exhales.]
You have your open field.
Make the deal.
[sighs heavily.]
And so, now, as the great Bruce Buffer says, "It's time.
" [Dake.]
Do you believe U.
S.
Attorney Rhoades remained involved in the Axelrod case even after he'd recused himself? Yes.
[Dake.]
Yes.
Of course.
How did you know? Specifics.
He came to me with information that made it clear he was still involved.
He made it clear that I was to try to get the same information [sighs.]
but to do so in a way that [cellphone buzzing.]
[Dake.]
Yes, General.
Um But Uh, I-I understand.
Yes.
Yes, ma'am.
But I'm But I'm just now coming into possession of material information, [Dake.]
a-and if I could have just a few more No.
No.
Um, of course.
[chuckles softly.]
As you wish.
[cellphone thuds.]
You can go.
What? We're done here.
[exhales.]
[door opens, closes.]
[cellphone buzzes.]
Yeah? It's over.
Boyd puked himself.
[gearshift clicks.]
[Wags.]
He's taking a guilty plea.
Fuck.
Surrendered like a French fucking soldier.
Rhoades knew his man.
[exhales sharply.]
dramatic music As, uh, as I'm sure you know, the attorney general has suspended my investigation and ordered me back to Washington.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed your stay.
[chuckles.]
Well Do you know what I what I like most about my job, Mr.
Rhoades? The sartorial flair? [both chuckle.]
I took an oath.
The same oath sworn by you, in fact, to the people of the United States.
And when I see that someone is putting his own interests above that oath, there is nothing I like better than making sure they never get another job in the legal profession f-for the rest of their lives.
[chuckles.]
Know this.
I had you in the cross hairs.
But today, you're the man who brought down Lawrence Boyd.
You're Elvis.
So today you are safe.
But don't get fucking comfortable.
dramatic music What happened upstate? I bought Flagg's property for five, which I've leased to Thayer for $750K a year on a ten-year lease.
Wyatt, we are rolling.
You pulled this out of the fucking fire, boss.
An actual, unmitigated win.
The yield on this bad boy is gonna keep Mama in new shoes for years.
Bring on the bulldozers.
dramatic music Yeah? Congratulations.
Victory torn from the jaws.
Ah, sometimes, you play the goban.
Sometimes, you look across the board and you see a total lack of kiai.
I know none of those words.
But I feel like you're calling Lawrence Boyd a butter boy.
A guilty man took a guilty plea.
[Orrin.]
Closer than ever to your goal, Bryan.
Which one? That's what you should spend the next few weeks figuring out.
See you next week.
[woman.]
Namaste.
Hey.
Hey.
I heard about Boyd.
I know, brutal.
But forget that.
This is more important.
I-I'm sorry.
I should have told you about Wendy before I even spoke to her.
You think this is about her? [scoffs.]
Bobby, you act like we're in this together.
You make command decisions, sometimes life-changing, and you don't even run them by me first.
Do you remember the boat? The Galápagos? You make plans, you put them in motion, and then you inform me after the fact.
That is not the marriage that I signed up for, and that is not one that I will accept going forward.
I've risked alienating my brothers and sisters.
I have walked away from things that I care deeply about.
I know.
And I do it because I understand that when something becomes a liability, you cut it loose for the greater good.
And if you ask me, Wendy Rhoades is a liability, and I will never be okay with the two of you talking.
Okay.
You're right.
A-About everything.
soft music Look, what if I agree that I, personally, won't see her? I'll draw a line.
She and I will never have any sessions.
That way, she'll never have anything on me.
Can you live with that? I can try.
[indistinct talking, shouting in distance.]
[laughs.]
[server.]
There you go, gentlemen.
- [man.]
Congrats.
- [man.]
All right.
- [man.]
Well done.
- [man.]
Hear, hear.
Top-drawer.
On my account, pal.
Enjoy it.
Couldn't be happier for you.
To the vir triumphalis.
[man.]
Hear, hear! Son, there were times when I thought you were finished.
You scared the hell out of me, more than once.
But you prevailed.
And the only question now is which mansion will it be, Gracie or the Governor's? Relax, Dad.
I fought to keep my job.
I'm just gonna try to enjoy it for the time being.
Don't waste this moment.
There's no telling how fleeting it might be.
Uh, I have a piece of news.
Words you never want to hear come out of your lawyer's mouth.
You're gonna want to hear this.
It is very good.
On my way over here, I got a call from Axelrod's lawyer.
They are not gonna be deposing you next week.
They're not gonna be deposing you at all.
But their case can't proceed unless Their case isn't proceeding.
[Ira.]
They are dropping the lawsuits quietly, over the next couple of months.
What did I tell you? You have muscle.
[Ira laughs.]
You even scared Axelrod.
When did this happen? [Ira.]
I got the call on the way over.
[Ira.]
Your father's right.
You must've scared him.
What's the problem? Now you're truly unencumbered.
Axelrod isn't scared by displays of strength.
You all right? I'm not sure.
Uh Thank you for this tribute.
It means a great deal, celebrating this victory with you both.
I have to go.
Enjoy the scotch.
soft music [engine starts.]
Hall! Sandicot's not getting the gaming license.
[engine shuts off.]
[Hall.]
The commission went another way, gave it to a town in the Catskills.
I'm looking into what happened, but it's over.
dramatic music Are you there? soft rock music [beep.]
[door closes.]
- [sighs.]
- I'm so happy for you.
[scoffs.]
Is something wrong? What did you do to get Axelrod to drop the civil suits? This is a conversation, and I don't think we should have it tonight.
- [scoffs.]
- Let's not do anything to spoil the tremendous day you've had.
Yeah, it's too late for that.
I went back to work at Axe Capital.
And, um, are you gonna try to insist that you did it for me? No.
I wanted to go back.
[scoffs.]
Chuck.
It's my work.
And when I didn't have it anymore, it it left a hole I tried very hard to fill, but couldn't.
So yes, I went back for me, but in doing it, I found a way to help you, too.
Well, I'm happy that it works for you.
But for us, I am afraid it's a deal breaker.
soft rock music So I'll take two of what you're having And I'll take everything you got To kill this goddamn lonely Goddamn lonely love