Billions (2016) s02e07 Episode Script
Victory Lap
1 [Boyd.]
Previously on Billions [Dake.]
Today you're the man who brought down Lawrence Boyd.
You're under arrest.
[Dake.]
Today you're Elvis.
[Chuck Sr.
.]
The only question now is which mansion will it be, Gracie or the Governor's? Head of Crim.
Man, plum purchase.
Freaking launch pad of the private sector.
I mean, you land it, you're minted.
My part is done for now.
Oh, what the fuck.
Hang for a minute, Bryan.
Listen to what Bobby has to say.
Come work for Bach's firm, on my account.
[Dake.]
You know what Rhoades is, Bryan, and I know you made that call.
[Chuck.]
What did you do to get Axelrod to drop his civil suits? I went back to work at Axe Capital.
I'm happy that it works for you.
But for us, I'm afraid it's a deal breaker.
If you ever decide to grapple with why you feel happiness for you can only exist in the company of hairless 21-year-old girls, come see me.
We can fix that quick.
[laughs.]
Thanks for taking the meeting.
Anything for Bruno.
Sandicot's downtown is ripe for redevelopment.
The whole county's on the edge of default.
If they don't get the casino, it goes from something to consider to something to never think about again.
Move forward with the bond.
The casino is coming to Sandicot.
We are committing to this play.
Sandicot's not getting the gaming license.
It's over.
dramatic music [Axe.]
How did I get fucked? That casino was supposed to be locked-the-fuck in.
When an op goes sour, we're taught to go back to its genesis.
Bobby.
Put the bat down.
The gaming license went to another town.
Oh, no.
Let's have a talk with your nephew.
dramatic music Who paid you? It's not like that.
Marco, it better fucking not be.
It's not, Uncle Bru.
It's not, Mr.
Axelrod.
And you, sir.
- I'm gonna be sick.
- You should be because you know who you really hurt with this move.
There was no move.
You fronted like the whole thing was wired.
Was that bait? Or were you the bait? I swear.
[Hall.]
If you didn't set Mr.
Axelrod up, who set you up? Nobody.
It's a thing that happened, not something anyone did.
That is the kind of thing I'd say.
You vetted the info yourself.
I did.
Which means whoever put you up to this was careful and targeted.
[whispers.]
Do you understand me? I swear on my eyes.
[Hall.]
Yes, you do.
Now, who paid you? No one even knew who I was going to for the financing, not at first.
It's some kind of Albany machine shit.
The kind that's been going on for 100 years that we got caught in.
You're getting fottuto for something someone's cousin did to someone else's boss in a distant part of the state.
"Fottuto" means getting fucked.
I picked that up in context.
You know the kind of options this leaves me to get my money out.
[dog barking in distance.]
Go long.
Oh, my bad.
I overshot you.
[Mike.]
Looks like you finally have some family time.
Thanks for coming down here.
No, the Boyd business kept me living at the office, so I promised Kevin I'd spend the day with him when it was done.
But I'm always happy to find time for you.
Kevin, come here for a minute.
There's someone I'd like you to meet.
This is Mike Dimonda, an excellent and very influential young journalist.
Mike, my son Kevin.
Nice to meet you, sir.
Helluva handshake, Kevin.
He's a good kid.
Okay, uh, go out.
Skinny post.
Omaha, Omaha.
Hut.
This is the kind of unadulterated high point that rarely comes along.
It's hard to see what more there is for you to gain as U.
S.
Attorney.
House, Senate, or do you have plans to run for Governor? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Where'd you get that? - What I hear is you're taking a quick victory lap, and then it's City Hall, Capitol Building, or Albany.
I would never even consider it while still in office.
You will be the first to know should that change.
Do you mind if I, uh, shoot a few of you guys throwing the ball around? Or is that private? It is.
But if you think it has some value, then we can make an exception.
That'd be great.
Come on, Kev.
All right? How's that? Hangin' round downtown by myself And I had so much time To sit and think about myself And then there she was Like double cherry pie Yeah, there she was Like disco superfly [panting.]
Ryan, why don't you show me the rest of the house? Soon, baby.
It's just I'm so close.
Is the pool heater on? I think you can handle [Axe.]
Yeah, I can.
- I smell sex and candy - Get inside.
Now.
Get the fuck out.
[Lara.]
I'm a pretty chill boss, but how far do you want to fucking push it? I wasn't expecting you till tomorrow.
And you didn't call, so We don't need to fucking call.
Right.
I'm sorry.
Of course.
I'm sorry.
You know how much I like you, Ryan.
But even still, I'm tempted to broom your ass.
Tell me you didn't use our bed.
No, no.
No.
I did not even let her inside.
That is lucky for you.
Those towels go in the trash.
[sighs.]
Sounds like you've been pardoned.
I'm doing a war room.
I need you to make lunch for eight.
Thanks, Axe.
I'm really sorry.
And wash your fucking hands.
Right.
Hello.
That was quick.
Thought you'd be back later.
Yeah, well, we had our catch.
Then Dad did the interview, and we came home.
Bye, Dad.
You said you wanted to spend the day with him.
Yeah, I said I wanted to spend time with him, and I did.
You used him as a prop.
Which you swore you'd never do, since that's exactly what your father did to you.
[sighs.]
We spent the morning at the park.
And a reporter happened upon us because, at the moment, I am news-worthy.
Finally in a good way.
I'm sure it's a wonderful lesson for Kevin - on what really matters.
- Indeed it was.
He got to run around a little bit, and he got some exposure as to how you finesse relations with the fourth estate.
[scoffs.]
That is exactly the kind of half-truth that's led to our current situation.
As is your failure to tell me you were going back to work for Axelrod.
Oh, my God.
Oh, I had to Columbo that one for myself.
Yet it seems that I'm required to disclose every detail of how I spend my time.
No, you're not.
When it comes to the kids, yes, complete transparency, but otherwise, you don't have to share anything, so you know, go.
Do whatever the fuck you want, and so will I.
Oh, there it goes.
There it goes.
Your justification slid in there so maybe I would realize it later.
But there it was.
You want the freedom to see other people.
Yes.
I want freedom all around.
And I would be free, as well.
Consider that door open.
You're really saying those words? Yes, I am.
For both of us.
Wendy.
What? I'll see you tomorrow.
dramatic music So, it's fallen upon all of you to figure out how to get us un-fucked.
The gaming license was the guarantee that Sandicot would pay off the notes.
Now, the license is gone, the area is going to default, and we're about to eat a half a billion, including 100 mill in fresh capital we put in.
Any suggestions? There's no road to raising tax revenues.
I don't give a shit what we don't have.
I need to know the roads that are open to us or the ground that can be cleared to make one.
Isn't there anyone we can sell this turd to? Not without taking a nine-figure haircut.
Same goes for restructuring.
This thing stinks like Billy Batts in the trunk right now.
Austerity.
You don't need to whisper it like it's some dark spell that'll come true if you say it too loudly.
It kind of is, though, isn't it? Yeah.
Because once you say it, you realize it's your only option.
Austerity.
Okay.
Step it out for everyone.
Well, the note exchange requires that the town pay you first, before any of its other financial obligations, like union contracts with town workers, teachers' salaries, all that.
Austerity just means you enforce that.
Yes.
Go ahead, seize their assets, like Singer did in Argentina.
What kind of assets? Sandicot is not an entire South American country.
Right.
We wouldn't be skimming cream off the top.
We'd be gutting them for their organs, like in a Korean horror movie.
You'd be mostly looking at land, buildings, and utilities.
Town also has an original Remington.
It's worth upwards of $900,000.
The fuck's a Remington? Frederic.
American artist from the 19th century.
He specialized in depictions of the Old West.
I took Art History for the automatic A.
Some of it stuck.
If you force them to pay you, the county would have to severely cut back on its municipal workforce, roll back labor contracts, and pillage its pension funds.
Eventually they'd have to shutter some schools, leading to overpopulated classrooms and forced free periods.
Decreased graduation rates, increased crime.
They would be consolidation of hospitals, fire houses.
There would also be cuts in police manpower.
Which would bring other kinds of problems.
The effects are viral.
The losses spin off to the businesses that provide services to the town.
Other area businesses start to close, and more jobs are lost.
Won't all this be a PR nightmare? PR that comes with losing that much money is a nightmare, too.
And we lose the money.
I don't like any of the answers I'm hearing.
There has to be a way to get this done without destroying the place.
Model it up for me.
All scenarios.
Son, I did something today that is gonna absolutely floor you.
I thought you went golfing today.
I did.
Played my 18, and then I withdrew my membership from the Garden City Golf Club.
Oh, that's your natural habitat.
Few places a man can be as comfortable.
But it was time.
They don't allow women.
And I cannot be a member of a restricted club anymore.
Noble.
Anticipatory.
Of the future.
That's baked right into the word.
Your future, which should start right now.
It's unethical for me to run while The Tappan Institute commissioned a poll.
Oh, your buddy Tate Tappan's think tank just happened Independent.
No connection to me.
The results are quite I don't want to hear anything about it.
[sighs.]
No, I've just gotten out from under a cloud.
If word leaks out about a poll while I'm in office, that is gonna be a darker cloud.
What is this, then? That's Camelot right there.
Don't try to spin it.
That is a picture of a man running for office.
You're doing more than just dreaming about it.
I'll send you those poll results.
I think they're gonna be encouraging.
But you're gonna have to resolve things with Wendy.
You cannot be an effective candidate if your marriage is in the crapper.
That's not really a thing anymore, Dad.
That I'd need a woman standing behind me on the podium, that's archaic.
[scoffs.]
Son, you do know why you need her in your life, don't you? She is a natural-born killer.
That's what she builds, all day killers.
You're a good candidate.
She'd make you unstoppable.
Don't get your hopes up.
Oh, you still got your shucking skills.
Summer job on City Island when I was 14.
[Dean.]
For the record, I am not eating any of those.
dramatic music Any answers? Getting there.
Marc was absolutely not conning you.
No wires or transfers.
No evidence of inbound cash or altered behavior whatsoever in him, the wife, or other family.
So he was conned right along with me.
The Gaming Facility Location Board reassigned the license to Kingsford at the last minute.
I confirmed that.
A guy named Joe Scolari made the call to switch.
No one motivated him? It's hard to pinpoint where the idea to change even originated, or who he's trying to keep happy.
But I do know that these things don't move unless somebody orders it to happen.
Okay.
Stay on it.
I'm gonna get with Scolari, see if I can get a read on him.
Thank you for agreeing to meet, Senator Scolari.
Oh, call me Joe.
What brings you up the Thruway? You looking for approval for another, uh, outdoor shower at your place in the Hamptons? [laughs.]
Well, if you've gone to so much trouble to research me, you must know why.
I'm here as an investor in New York State meeting with one its finest representatives.
Of course.
I know about the note exchange on Sandicot.
And I want you to know the Location Board doesn't take matters of gaming licenses lightly.
The committee chose the location that would bring the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.
That turned out to be Kingsford.
Oh, I believe that the state-appointed board, handpicked by the Governor, would be nothing short of rigorous.
Thing is, I have it on good authority that Sandicot was gonna get that license.
So the late switch seems odd.
Our process always seems odd to outsiders.
That's where the whole sausage-making thing comes from.
But let me reassure you, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.
The committee chose the location that would bring the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.
That turned out to be Kingsford.
Yeah, no, you said.
What I was looking for is a specific reason that decision was made.
Oh.
You want specifics.
Details into our process.
Inner workings and so forth.
That would be helpful.
Sure.
I can share that.
The committee chose the location that would bring the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.
That turned out to be Kingsford.
Just as I'm sure you took on the obligations of Sandicot for the good of those fine people.
I hope this has been as much fun for you as it has for me.
Absolutely.
dramatic music He doesn't make any of his own decisions.
He's got a string hanging right out of his back.
And it's the Governor who's pulling it.
I'll see what I can find out.
I didn't sleep last night.
Your numbers have been strong, even in a tough market.
Yeah, they have been.
So what was it kept you up? Russian hackers.
They can fuck with us so easily, in ways we can't even comprehend.
A few keystrokes and they can bring an entire airline to a standstill.
Thousands of people stranded.
So your fear is, uh, what? These hackers targeting you? The entire market? My portfolio could go up in flames.
I have a family.
When did you start losing sleep over it? Just last night.
Anything happen yesterday? I had to go out to Axe's house in the Hamptons for a special meeting.
Axe bought the distressed debt on this town upstate.
Now they're defaulting.
It's a shit load of money.
What do you think you should do? Well, what are the options? Austerity.
Or lose money.
Do you see the connection? With the hackers? You're saying we're like them? They're agents of chaos who can destabilize all our lives just because they feel like it.
Who are you to those people upstate? - Chaos.
- Yes.
Axe Cap is the agent of chaos.
You know what austerity means.
You guys traverse moral and legal gray areas all the time, but you can live with it because you're rarely aware of anyone getting hurt by it.
With this town, you know exactly who's getting hurt, and where they're gonna feel their pain.
And how their lives are gonna spin out of control because of decisions made in your presence, at a fucking mansion in the Hamptons.
I don't even know that it's wrong for him to do what he's doing only that I don't like how it makes me feel.
This is all connected.
When a situation starts affecting you so much you can't sleep, you have to take action.
Fighting for those people and fighting for yourself are one and the same.
[woman.]
I taught elementary school for 30 years, always contributing to my pension.
That was my nest egg for retirement.
Then that nest egg got invested.
But the town it was invested in mismanaged its finances.
And now they don't want to pay what they owe, and my retirement is threatened.
A spot like this will kick off our Astroturf campaign to make it look like the area's getting a bailout and not a death sentence.
Commercials like this one, but specific to Sandicot, sell the idea that our investors, teachers from the Midwest, hardworking, responsible people from all over, they are the ones who suffer if Sandicot is allowed to default.
Make it clear that we are the ones willing to negotiate.
It's the town that's being difficult.
Of course.
Sandicot is being uncooperative.
We'll say all that.
Any questions? Danzig.
You've been awfully quiet.
Are we really gonna do this? I mean, we can make some market moves and potentially pick up some of the losses by next quarter.
We're making it look like our investors are down to eating cat food.
The people up there are sure to turn to the media and to cry poor, to play the victim card.
It makes sense for us to point out that there are other victims.
Exactly.
But we are not really the victims.
They are.
I kind of feel like he's right.
We could hold the debt, take a short-term loss, but then take the lead in re-growing Sandicot, redeveloping the downtown.
Uh, create a food hall or bring in a minor-league team.
Taylor, something you want to add to that? Yes.
It is unfortunate offensive, actually to even be talking about this, and that people have to live in near-poverty.
But in many ways, a town is like a business.
And when a business operates beyond its means, when numbers don't add up, and the people in charge continue on, heedless of that face, sure that some sugar daddy, usually in the form of the Federal Government, will come along and scoop them up and cover the shortfalls, well, that truly offends me.
People might say you hurt this town.
But in my opinion, the town put the hurt on itself.
Corrections are in order.
There's a way to make this work, and that way is hard, but necessary.
As Taleb says, "Become antifragile, or die.
" Once we do this, the town will face that challenge and come out stronger.
Or it will cease being.
Either result absolutely natural, as in, of nature itself.
suspensful music [inhales, sighs.]
You've been stepping things up lately.
Extra-nice ties, new suits.
You been speed-dating with law firms? I might've tried a lightning round.
Mm.
And? She's not as hot as her profile pic.
Yeah? No.
Line AUSA's like us, you're only looking at 600K to start.
If you get Chief of Crim and go private, it's a lot more than 600.
It's double.
[sighs.]
I just don't think I can stick around if Connerty gets it.
I'm not gonna have the stomach for that shit.
Maybe he won't get it.
After Boyd? Don't count yourself out.
You've been crushing it lately.
Chuck took him to Keens for lunch.
Oh, shit.
Yeah.
Shit.
The mutton chop is the thing to order here.
It's what they're known for.
Mutton? I don't know.
Come on, it's tradition.
Oh, this place has a special character, doesn't it? You can almost feel all the history in this room, all the deals that've been made.
It's where Senator Vandeveer brought me when she told me I was being appointed U.
S.
Attorney.
And it's where I always thought I would take you when you'd earned the promotion to Head of Crim.
Mutton's an interesting euphemism, isn't it? Well, nobody ever says "sheep.
" But who wants to eat something so adorable, right? So it's a mutton chop.
Definitely less objectionable.
The kangaroo industry recently tried that.
- Did they? - Yes.
In fact, there was a country-wide survey to pick a name, and they settled on "Australus.
" But not for the same reason as a sheep.
No, this was entirely different.
Seems the kangaroo has a great deal in common with the rat.
Hence, "Australus.
" I mean, it's elegant, don't you think? And yet, even by any other name, there's still a slab of giant rat sitting on the plate right in front of you.
[server.]
Can I get you started? Ah, here we go.
He'll have the mutton.
I'm not ready yet.
[clears throat.]
Bryan do you have something to tell me? I'm not sure what you mean.
I think you know.
Are we talking about the investigation? Yes.
Yes.
We are.
This is it.
Your chance.
This is the conversation that you knew, deep down, you would have to have if you had any desire to continue to have any relationship with me.
This is the conversation that you have been dreading all these many months.
The one about betrayal, disillusionment, second chances, and lost opportunities.
This is the one where you tell me how and why you brought the investigation down upon my head.
All right, Chuck.
You got it right with all that grandiose indignance.
I am the one who called the OPR.
dramatic music I didn't hear a no.
[bell jangles.]
Fuck.
Fuck! - [car door closes.]
- Bryan.
One more thing.
Is Axe Cap bugged? [scoffs.]
Not officially.
But right now, I wouldn't be surprised if it were unofficially.
Hey, look, I know you don't want to come work for me.
I get it.
You're an idealist.
But the man that you work for now he's not just dirty, he's worse than that.
He's a hypocrite.
And if you know that, and you still let it happen, then I think you know what that makes you.
[Chuck.]
Well now I know for certain who I have to thank for my day at the Senate.
But unlike Julius Caesar, seems I managed to pull through.
Oh, it's clear you're a survivor.
And it's clear I can't make you Head of Crim.
You let him get to you.
Only because he spoke the truth.
You were abusing the office.
You lied about recusing yourself.
You stole evidence from your wife's computer.
I made some missteps.
Mis [scoffs.]
Okay.
More than missteps.
In my vigor, I transgressed in ways I never imagined I would.
But I have atoned for all of it.
And I am still in the process, personally and professionally.
I dropped the case.
And now you're trying to punish me.
I earned that position.
But Chief of Crim goes to Lonnie.
[scoffs.]
For the foreseeable future, the chair will remain vacant.
Going ahead, I am committed to complete transparency between us.
No more silence or subterfuge.
If one of us is angry, or disappointed, we express it.
So, you can either quit right now or you can stay.
Prove your loyalty.
And when you do, you will truly have earned that chair.
Are you two planning to order? I'll have the mutton.
What about you, Bryan? I'll have the same.
[chair squeaks.]
[sighs.]
[indistinct conversations.]
[Axe.]
Welcome sight, you in my office.
I'm not sure my message will be all that welcome.
Oh? I don't think it's in the best interest of this firm to foreclose on that town.
It's not our doing.
We would merely be collecting a debt owed to us.
Still, it would hurt our reputation.
Is that so? Or would it hurt you to watch other people suffer and feel like you were part of it? I would be in a sense.
Yes.
Truth be told, I'm still glad you're in here because I have conflicting feelings about this, too.
Ah.
And I'd like to talk about it.
No.
I can't get sucked back into that.
I won't.
Because instead of really doing that exploration with me, I now know you'd just be using me to make yourself feel better about what you wanted to do in the first place.
That's not true.
What is true is that, far from harming our reputation, pressing our advantage at Sandicot would only burnish it to our investors.
That is what is expected.
Still, I haven't decided on a course of action because I do care about the potential toll on the people out there.
And these are the feelings I want to discuss.
No.
Then I'm not the only one who might be putting my own needs above those of the good people of Sandicot.
suspensful music [speaking Russian.]
A colleague saw you and Chuck having lunch at Keens.
I hope congratulations are in order.
That night at the pizza place, you never told me Axe was gonna be there.
He's my client.
I did as he asked.
No, you knew I would never meet with him privately.
Because if anyone found out I was meeting with Axelrod in the middle of the night, it would seriously compromise me.
And it has.
So, no.
No, congratulations are not in fucking order.
I'm lucky I still have my job.
If you still want it.
My client legitimately saw in you what I see Prodigious talent.
He merely wanted to make sure you understood the choice you were making by continuing to work for Rhoades.
The offer that was made that night still holds.
You can come work for me.
Or you can take your chances with a mentor you no longer trust.
I have no mentors.
Not anymore.
You acted like my rabbi, proffering wisdom when you were working me, fucking with my head, undermining my sense of purpose.
Your job is not your purpose.
Chuck is not your savior.
And if I'm not your friend, you have no friends.
Fuck your client, and fuck you, too.
[Deb.]
Stop.
[laughter in distance.]
[crickets chirping.]
Upside-down day, breakfast for dinner.
[scoffs.]
No thanks.
You always thought that your mother made those waffles from scratch.
I was eating Eggos? Yeah, she heated them on the griddle.
I used the toaster.
Put some syrup on it, it's delicious.
So the poll results.
What do you think? I think I'm ready to explore.
- That's my boy.
- It's just preliminary.
I'm not committing to anything.
- I hear you.
- 'Cause the thing is, I'm really not sure that I finished my mission.
Well, who ever does, kid? You can weigh all that from your goddamn nursing home.
The poll What did you learn? Well, uh it's pretty clear what my vulnerabilities are.
My upstate numbers are weak.
They are, but we can buff and polish you up there.
I am not worried about that.
How do I go about this? What do I do first? First thing we do is we get you anointed.
Ah.
The whispered names.
You have to really know them now.
One at least Black Jack Foley.
I haven't heard that one in quite awhile.
By design.
You need some personal time with him so that he can take your measure, and so he'll bless you.
Things still run through him? Indeed.
Now I want you to get his granddaughter a clerkship.
Then we wait for the call.
[knock on door.]
Hi.
[Craig.]
Hmmm.
[Craig.]
Hmmm.
Morning.
How'd you sleep? Good.
You know, uh, my life moves fast.
And I tend to avoid the kind of connections that lead to dependence or can slow me down.
I know.
Weightlessness is a priority for you.
It's one of the reasons I called.
Doesn't this seem like a whole different thing? This? Us.
Like, I'm a restless person.
I'm never happy unless I'm in motion or running seven projects simultaneously.
But last night I was here.
Even right now.
I haven't stayed in bed past 5 a.
m.
since 2001.
Yet right now I feel still, and I like it.
And since I'm here Hold up.
I'm glad you found another dimension you can exist in.
But at the moment, the present is all I can really handle.
And the light of day is a little bright for me right now.
Okay.
I got an early meeting.
Mind if I take the first shower? All yours.
Kids ready for camp? They're brushing their teeth.
Did I just see, uh, the sitter getting into a taxi? Why would she be here in the morning? You know, I had a craving for a boudin noir last night, so I went to Bistro Grisby.
We used to go there all the time.
Yeah, when we were first married.
Not in a long time.
Now it's gone.
Gone? It's, uh, a nail salon now.
They closed four years ago.
Sad.
Mm.
Look I know that I reacted poorly when I learned that you were going back to Axe Capital.
I'm sorry.
I was being selfish.
If you are happy there, then that's where you should be.
I want you to be happy.
That's lovely, Chuck.
It really is.
I'll go get the kids.
Boss I received a concerning bit of news.
Mick Danzig just quit.
Is that so? [Mafee.]
I just never thought I'd have an issue dating someone in the office.
And I really didn't.
I don't know it's just distracting with Everett here.
I see the way she looks at him, and We are in the middle of a session.
Mafee, out.
Yeah, we were just shooting the breeze, catching up.
That was completely inappropriate.
How can I possibly do my job if your guys think you might come barging through the door at any moment? It takes me long enough to convince them you don't have my office bugged.
Once you realized you couldn't influence my thinking, you decided to influence someone else's? - That's my job.
- For the good of the firm, which I do not define as making one of my best earners quit.
I didn't make anyone do anything.
I know you had a session with Mick Danzig.
What did you say to him? I can't discuss that.
You contract here is very clear.
You are here to help my employees perform at their peak level.
In any manner I see fit.
You don't like it, fire me.
Pay me out.
I agreed to come back.
I am back doing exactly what I am paid to do.
You made the deal, Bobby.
You can get out of it any time.
[door opens.]
[door closes.]
That was a neat trick you pulled with the A.
G.
I mean, I've never seen her flanked before.
Impressive.
All in the service of justice.
Well, and the Southern District.
Mm.
Now you get to have your moment as well you should.
The question is, what will you do with it? Such ambitions are far from my focus.
I see a run for office.
Is it possible you'll go the other way? Cash out, go private? That's not you.
No.
Sadly, I'm like you.
Public servant for life.
Uh, and it's in that role that I'm here.
I have come across a wonderful young law student, Emma Foley.
She's at Cardoza.
Smart.
Studious.
And a clerkship with you would, uh Oh, slice that baby up.
Thank you.
Oh, I love the sound it makes when they carve it.
There you go.
Uh.
All right.
[skin crackling.]
That crackle.
Look, if this young lady is qualified, I'll consider her as I would any other candidate.
I recognize the last name.
So I have a feeling if she were really as super as you say, she'd already have a clerkship.
Well, we're not talking about appointing her to the Supreme Court.
This is how things are done, right? Not for me.
Not anymore.
I look at the way things get done.
The view changes when you see things from the bench.
Uh-huh.
Favor-trading, deal-making, back channeling, patronage.
I'll admit, I took advantage every now and then when I was in the trenches.
But I lost my taste for it.
True objectivity.
It's the ultimate luxury.
It's corrosive, Chuck.
I mean, I went to law school to help fix the system, not succumb to it.
Sounds like you're feeling the holy spirit.
For the first time since clerking for RBG.
Which is why I'm careful with my own clerks.
This is very personal for me.
I mean, I'm finally in a position to do some good.
Very inspiring.
Just don't forget, it was the back channels and deal-making that put you in that position.
Remind me again, and this is the last meal we share.
Help yourself.
Absolutely right.
Thank you.
I think you'll make an excellent candidate, Chuck.
I actually think you're built for the political life.
I mean, if I'm you, I'd go for it.
Mm.
[Hall.]
It wasn't the Governor who called the shot.
Sure, he controls Scolari.
But this goes to who controls the Governor, and that's Jack Foley.
I know who that is Old steel and railroad money.
One of the first Western businessmen into Russia after the wall fell.
But more than that, an Albany machine man.
His family goes all the way back to Tweed.
Huh.
Foley's war chest got three of the last four Govs elected, along with half the Assembly.
But it seems, in this case, he focused on the casino.
So, why would Foley want to fuck me? Unclear.
Look, it's like that Marco kid said, this likely wasn't a targeted strike.
It was collateral on a strike against someone else.
It may actually be random Albany bullshit.
But we can't be sure it wasn't.
No, we can't.
I'm Tier two, which means I can sign out during the day to look for a job.
But I don't want to talk about this place.
I want to hear about the world.
Well I'm having problems with that bond I bought upstate.
I saw.
Albany moved the gaming license.
You trying to get it back? It's too late.
I have to take action.
The only way that I can come out ahead, it's pretty grisly.
Playing Torquemada's never fun.
[indistinct shouting.]
I'm still stuck on how the whole license thing went down.
It was supposed to be a done deal.
But the switch it tracks back to Jack Foley.
What do you want to know about Black Jack? What drives him.
What moves him.
Who he's close to.
How I can get close to him.
He's driven by maintaining influence naturally and growing his six-generation fortune and staying invisible despite it all.
Advisor to kings and princes.
There was a time not long ago I could have put you in a room with him.
But I'm off his speed dial now.
All the way off.
Roberto what you're considering upstate, the vulture play, know this Everybody's a Libertarian until it's their town that's dying.
Then a bailout only seems right.
Before I ended up in here, I would've said to you, "Let it implode.
Raze the fucker.
Let something new grow in its place.
Prop it up and you're only delaying the inevitable collapse.
" But now? You have to handle it right, or you'll be facing the same torches and pitchforks that landed me in here.
Except that what I'd be doing isn't illegal.
I did everything I could to make sure it didn't come to this.
But still it went bad.
Just don't forget if they hate you enough, they will find legal grounds to fuck you.
You know this.
[sighs.]
You're not gonna be able to find out what I need to know.
I'm gonna have to sit down face-to-face with Foley.
He'll be resistant.
So start thinking of ways to overcome that resistance.
[Hall.]
Will do.
[phone rings.]
Yeah.
No, I wasn't.
But send him up.
[brakes squeal.]
I understand what "vulture" means now, huh.
I know things didn't work out the way we thought they would.
And I know this is a bad situation for you.
But I got to ask you to please not take it out on Marco's town.
You know you've got a finder's fee coming to you either way.
Come on, I don't give a shit about that.
You can throw it right in if it changes anything.
Bobby, I've known you since you're a kid.
I don't know why you want to hurt all of these people who got so little as it is.
These people, they're just like you while growing up.
Now you've got everything.
They're gonna have less than nothing.
I can't have that on my head, and you don't want it on yours.
I hear you, Bruno.
Like you said, you've known me since I was a kid, so you know I'm telling you the truth when I say I want to avoid doing it.
I'm trying my best.
[boys shouting.]
I saw Bruno down there.
He was here about the muni bond? Lobbying for Sandicot.
What do you think I should do? You finally asking me for my opinion? I wasn't cutting you out.
I'm just trying to wrap my head around all this.
But now I really need to know what you think.
I can see how painful this is for you.
It was all over your face when you were talking to Bruno.
It's tough.
I just sank a shit ton of money into a place that will never be able to repay its obligations.
But if we go soft, like Bruno wants us to, we'll lose the better part of 500 million dollars.
Whereas if we do what it takes to make the bond viable, we're gonna clear over $100 million.
I can see both sides of this.
Those people up there are who we used to be.
That's what Bruno said.
Did anyone ever help us, or look out for us? When my mother was closing the blinds so that bill collectors wouldn't know that anyone was home? No.
The way we were brought up, it was always them or us.
And it still is.
That's what I think.
And like you said, Bobby in the end, everyone else is cannon fodder.
So I say you go up there, and you do what you got to do.
Cut off the gangrenous parts.
And then we go in with charter schools and outrage, for about $30 million.
We capture the tax write-off, and those kids will be better off than their parents, or we, ever were.
AC/DC's "For Those About to Rock" Before we go out, can you order pizza for the kids? Chinese tonight.
The one they like doesn't deliver.
And George isn't here yet.
I'll get it.
Seize all their assets property, utilities, machinery, vehicles, buildings.
Everything, even Town fucking Hall.
Look to seize the town's bank accounts, payroll accounts, pension funds.
[engine revs.]
Do it.
They'll fucking agree to it because they've got no choice.
And don't stop till we get what we're owed.
For those about to rock, we salute you For those about to rock We salute you
Previously on Billions [Dake.]
Today you're the man who brought down Lawrence Boyd.
You're under arrest.
[Dake.]
Today you're Elvis.
[Chuck Sr.
.]
The only question now is which mansion will it be, Gracie or the Governor's? Head of Crim.
Man, plum purchase.
Freaking launch pad of the private sector.
I mean, you land it, you're minted.
My part is done for now.
Oh, what the fuck.
Hang for a minute, Bryan.
Listen to what Bobby has to say.
Come work for Bach's firm, on my account.
[Dake.]
You know what Rhoades is, Bryan, and I know you made that call.
[Chuck.]
What did you do to get Axelrod to drop his civil suits? I went back to work at Axe Capital.
I'm happy that it works for you.
But for us, I'm afraid it's a deal breaker.
If you ever decide to grapple with why you feel happiness for you can only exist in the company of hairless 21-year-old girls, come see me.
We can fix that quick.
[laughs.]
Thanks for taking the meeting.
Anything for Bruno.
Sandicot's downtown is ripe for redevelopment.
The whole county's on the edge of default.
If they don't get the casino, it goes from something to consider to something to never think about again.
Move forward with the bond.
The casino is coming to Sandicot.
We are committing to this play.
Sandicot's not getting the gaming license.
It's over.
dramatic music [Axe.]
How did I get fucked? That casino was supposed to be locked-the-fuck in.
When an op goes sour, we're taught to go back to its genesis.
Bobby.
Put the bat down.
The gaming license went to another town.
Oh, no.
Let's have a talk with your nephew.
dramatic music Who paid you? It's not like that.
Marco, it better fucking not be.
It's not, Uncle Bru.
It's not, Mr.
Axelrod.
And you, sir.
- I'm gonna be sick.
- You should be because you know who you really hurt with this move.
There was no move.
You fronted like the whole thing was wired.
Was that bait? Or were you the bait? I swear.
[Hall.]
If you didn't set Mr.
Axelrod up, who set you up? Nobody.
It's a thing that happened, not something anyone did.
That is the kind of thing I'd say.
You vetted the info yourself.
I did.
Which means whoever put you up to this was careful and targeted.
[whispers.]
Do you understand me? I swear on my eyes.
[Hall.]
Yes, you do.
Now, who paid you? No one even knew who I was going to for the financing, not at first.
It's some kind of Albany machine shit.
The kind that's been going on for 100 years that we got caught in.
You're getting fottuto for something someone's cousin did to someone else's boss in a distant part of the state.
"Fottuto" means getting fucked.
I picked that up in context.
You know the kind of options this leaves me to get my money out.
[dog barking in distance.]
Go long.
Oh, my bad.
I overshot you.
[Mike.]
Looks like you finally have some family time.
Thanks for coming down here.
No, the Boyd business kept me living at the office, so I promised Kevin I'd spend the day with him when it was done.
But I'm always happy to find time for you.
Kevin, come here for a minute.
There's someone I'd like you to meet.
This is Mike Dimonda, an excellent and very influential young journalist.
Mike, my son Kevin.
Nice to meet you, sir.
Helluva handshake, Kevin.
He's a good kid.
Okay, uh, go out.
Skinny post.
Omaha, Omaha.
Hut.
This is the kind of unadulterated high point that rarely comes along.
It's hard to see what more there is for you to gain as U.
S.
Attorney.
House, Senate, or do you have plans to run for Governor? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Where'd you get that? - What I hear is you're taking a quick victory lap, and then it's City Hall, Capitol Building, or Albany.
I would never even consider it while still in office.
You will be the first to know should that change.
Do you mind if I, uh, shoot a few of you guys throwing the ball around? Or is that private? It is.
But if you think it has some value, then we can make an exception.
That'd be great.
Come on, Kev.
All right? How's that? Hangin' round downtown by myself And I had so much time To sit and think about myself And then there she was Like double cherry pie Yeah, there she was Like disco superfly [panting.]
Ryan, why don't you show me the rest of the house? Soon, baby.
It's just I'm so close.
Is the pool heater on? I think you can handle [Axe.]
Yeah, I can.
- I smell sex and candy - Get inside.
Now.
Get the fuck out.
[Lara.]
I'm a pretty chill boss, but how far do you want to fucking push it? I wasn't expecting you till tomorrow.
And you didn't call, so We don't need to fucking call.
Right.
I'm sorry.
Of course.
I'm sorry.
You know how much I like you, Ryan.
But even still, I'm tempted to broom your ass.
Tell me you didn't use our bed.
No, no.
No.
I did not even let her inside.
That is lucky for you.
Those towels go in the trash.
[sighs.]
Sounds like you've been pardoned.
I'm doing a war room.
I need you to make lunch for eight.
Thanks, Axe.
I'm really sorry.
And wash your fucking hands.
Right.
Hello.
That was quick.
Thought you'd be back later.
Yeah, well, we had our catch.
Then Dad did the interview, and we came home.
Bye, Dad.
You said you wanted to spend the day with him.
Yeah, I said I wanted to spend time with him, and I did.
You used him as a prop.
Which you swore you'd never do, since that's exactly what your father did to you.
[sighs.]
We spent the morning at the park.
And a reporter happened upon us because, at the moment, I am news-worthy.
Finally in a good way.
I'm sure it's a wonderful lesson for Kevin - on what really matters.
- Indeed it was.
He got to run around a little bit, and he got some exposure as to how you finesse relations with the fourth estate.
[scoffs.]
That is exactly the kind of half-truth that's led to our current situation.
As is your failure to tell me you were going back to work for Axelrod.
Oh, my God.
Oh, I had to Columbo that one for myself.
Yet it seems that I'm required to disclose every detail of how I spend my time.
No, you're not.
When it comes to the kids, yes, complete transparency, but otherwise, you don't have to share anything, so you know, go.
Do whatever the fuck you want, and so will I.
Oh, there it goes.
There it goes.
Your justification slid in there so maybe I would realize it later.
But there it was.
You want the freedom to see other people.
Yes.
I want freedom all around.
And I would be free, as well.
Consider that door open.
You're really saying those words? Yes, I am.
For both of us.
Wendy.
What? I'll see you tomorrow.
dramatic music So, it's fallen upon all of you to figure out how to get us un-fucked.
The gaming license was the guarantee that Sandicot would pay off the notes.
Now, the license is gone, the area is going to default, and we're about to eat a half a billion, including 100 mill in fresh capital we put in.
Any suggestions? There's no road to raising tax revenues.
I don't give a shit what we don't have.
I need to know the roads that are open to us or the ground that can be cleared to make one.
Isn't there anyone we can sell this turd to? Not without taking a nine-figure haircut.
Same goes for restructuring.
This thing stinks like Billy Batts in the trunk right now.
Austerity.
You don't need to whisper it like it's some dark spell that'll come true if you say it too loudly.
It kind of is, though, isn't it? Yeah.
Because once you say it, you realize it's your only option.
Austerity.
Okay.
Step it out for everyone.
Well, the note exchange requires that the town pay you first, before any of its other financial obligations, like union contracts with town workers, teachers' salaries, all that.
Austerity just means you enforce that.
Yes.
Go ahead, seize their assets, like Singer did in Argentina.
What kind of assets? Sandicot is not an entire South American country.
Right.
We wouldn't be skimming cream off the top.
We'd be gutting them for their organs, like in a Korean horror movie.
You'd be mostly looking at land, buildings, and utilities.
Town also has an original Remington.
It's worth upwards of $900,000.
The fuck's a Remington? Frederic.
American artist from the 19th century.
He specialized in depictions of the Old West.
I took Art History for the automatic A.
Some of it stuck.
If you force them to pay you, the county would have to severely cut back on its municipal workforce, roll back labor contracts, and pillage its pension funds.
Eventually they'd have to shutter some schools, leading to overpopulated classrooms and forced free periods.
Decreased graduation rates, increased crime.
They would be consolidation of hospitals, fire houses.
There would also be cuts in police manpower.
Which would bring other kinds of problems.
The effects are viral.
The losses spin off to the businesses that provide services to the town.
Other area businesses start to close, and more jobs are lost.
Won't all this be a PR nightmare? PR that comes with losing that much money is a nightmare, too.
And we lose the money.
I don't like any of the answers I'm hearing.
There has to be a way to get this done without destroying the place.
Model it up for me.
All scenarios.
Son, I did something today that is gonna absolutely floor you.
I thought you went golfing today.
I did.
Played my 18, and then I withdrew my membership from the Garden City Golf Club.
Oh, that's your natural habitat.
Few places a man can be as comfortable.
But it was time.
They don't allow women.
And I cannot be a member of a restricted club anymore.
Noble.
Anticipatory.
Of the future.
That's baked right into the word.
Your future, which should start right now.
It's unethical for me to run while The Tappan Institute commissioned a poll.
Oh, your buddy Tate Tappan's think tank just happened Independent.
No connection to me.
The results are quite I don't want to hear anything about it.
[sighs.]
No, I've just gotten out from under a cloud.
If word leaks out about a poll while I'm in office, that is gonna be a darker cloud.
What is this, then? That's Camelot right there.
Don't try to spin it.
That is a picture of a man running for office.
You're doing more than just dreaming about it.
I'll send you those poll results.
I think they're gonna be encouraging.
But you're gonna have to resolve things with Wendy.
You cannot be an effective candidate if your marriage is in the crapper.
That's not really a thing anymore, Dad.
That I'd need a woman standing behind me on the podium, that's archaic.
[scoffs.]
Son, you do know why you need her in your life, don't you? She is a natural-born killer.
That's what she builds, all day killers.
You're a good candidate.
She'd make you unstoppable.
Don't get your hopes up.
Oh, you still got your shucking skills.
Summer job on City Island when I was 14.
[Dean.]
For the record, I am not eating any of those.
dramatic music Any answers? Getting there.
Marc was absolutely not conning you.
No wires or transfers.
No evidence of inbound cash or altered behavior whatsoever in him, the wife, or other family.
So he was conned right along with me.
The Gaming Facility Location Board reassigned the license to Kingsford at the last minute.
I confirmed that.
A guy named Joe Scolari made the call to switch.
No one motivated him? It's hard to pinpoint where the idea to change even originated, or who he's trying to keep happy.
But I do know that these things don't move unless somebody orders it to happen.
Okay.
Stay on it.
I'm gonna get with Scolari, see if I can get a read on him.
Thank you for agreeing to meet, Senator Scolari.
Oh, call me Joe.
What brings you up the Thruway? You looking for approval for another, uh, outdoor shower at your place in the Hamptons? [laughs.]
Well, if you've gone to so much trouble to research me, you must know why.
I'm here as an investor in New York State meeting with one its finest representatives.
Of course.
I know about the note exchange on Sandicot.
And I want you to know the Location Board doesn't take matters of gaming licenses lightly.
The committee chose the location that would bring the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.
That turned out to be Kingsford.
Oh, I believe that the state-appointed board, handpicked by the Governor, would be nothing short of rigorous.
Thing is, I have it on good authority that Sandicot was gonna get that license.
So the late switch seems odd.
Our process always seems odd to outsiders.
That's where the whole sausage-making thing comes from.
But let me reassure you, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.
The committee chose the location that would bring the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.
That turned out to be Kingsford.
Yeah, no, you said.
What I was looking for is a specific reason that decision was made.
Oh.
You want specifics.
Details into our process.
Inner workings and so forth.
That would be helpful.
Sure.
I can share that.
The committee chose the location that would bring the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.
That turned out to be Kingsford.
Just as I'm sure you took on the obligations of Sandicot for the good of those fine people.
I hope this has been as much fun for you as it has for me.
Absolutely.
dramatic music He doesn't make any of his own decisions.
He's got a string hanging right out of his back.
And it's the Governor who's pulling it.
I'll see what I can find out.
I didn't sleep last night.
Your numbers have been strong, even in a tough market.
Yeah, they have been.
So what was it kept you up? Russian hackers.
They can fuck with us so easily, in ways we can't even comprehend.
A few keystrokes and they can bring an entire airline to a standstill.
Thousands of people stranded.
So your fear is, uh, what? These hackers targeting you? The entire market? My portfolio could go up in flames.
I have a family.
When did you start losing sleep over it? Just last night.
Anything happen yesterday? I had to go out to Axe's house in the Hamptons for a special meeting.
Axe bought the distressed debt on this town upstate.
Now they're defaulting.
It's a shit load of money.
What do you think you should do? Well, what are the options? Austerity.
Or lose money.
Do you see the connection? With the hackers? You're saying we're like them? They're agents of chaos who can destabilize all our lives just because they feel like it.
Who are you to those people upstate? - Chaos.
- Yes.
Axe Cap is the agent of chaos.
You know what austerity means.
You guys traverse moral and legal gray areas all the time, but you can live with it because you're rarely aware of anyone getting hurt by it.
With this town, you know exactly who's getting hurt, and where they're gonna feel their pain.
And how their lives are gonna spin out of control because of decisions made in your presence, at a fucking mansion in the Hamptons.
I don't even know that it's wrong for him to do what he's doing only that I don't like how it makes me feel.
This is all connected.
When a situation starts affecting you so much you can't sleep, you have to take action.
Fighting for those people and fighting for yourself are one and the same.
[woman.]
I taught elementary school for 30 years, always contributing to my pension.
That was my nest egg for retirement.
Then that nest egg got invested.
But the town it was invested in mismanaged its finances.
And now they don't want to pay what they owe, and my retirement is threatened.
A spot like this will kick off our Astroturf campaign to make it look like the area's getting a bailout and not a death sentence.
Commercials like this one, but specific to Sandicot, sell the idea that our investors, teachers from the Midwest, hardworking, responsible people from all over, they are the ones who suffer if Sandicot is allowed to default.
Make it clear that we are the ones willing to negotiate.
It's the town that's being difficult.
Of course.
Sandicot is being uncooperative.
We'll say all that.
Any questions? Danzig.
You've been awfully quiet.
Are we really gonna do this? I mean, we can make some market moves and potentially pick up some of the losses by next quarter.
We're making it look like our investors are down to eating cat food.
The people up there are sure to turn to the media and to cry poor, to play the victim card.
It makes sense for us to point out that there are other victims.
Exactly.
But we are not really the victims.
They are.
I kind of feel like he's right.
We could hold the debt, take a short-term loss, but then take the lead in re-growing Sandicot, redeveloping the downtown.
Uh, create a food hall or bring in a minor-league team.
Taylor, something you want to add to that? Yes.
It is unfortunate offensive, actually to even be talking about this, and that people have to live in near-poverty.
But in many ways, a town is like a business.
And when a business operates beyond its means, when numbers don't add up, and the people in charge continue on, heedless of that face, sure that some sugar daddy, usually in the form of the Federal Government, will come along and scoop them up and cover the shortfalls, well, that truly offends me.
People might say you hurt this town.
But in my opinion, the town put the hurt on itself.
Corrections are in order.
There's a way to make this work, and that way is hard, but necessary.
As Taleb says, "Become antifragile, or die.
" Once we do this, the town will face that challenge and come out stronger.
Or it will cease being.
Either result absolutely natural, as in, of nature itself.
suspensful music [inhales, sighs.]
You've been stepping things up lately.
Extra-nice ties, new suits.
You been speed-dating with law firms? I might've tried a lightning round.
Mm.
And? She's not as hot as her profile pic.
Yeah? No.
Line AUSA's like us, you're only looking at 600K to start.
If you get Chief of Crim and go private, it's a lot more than 600.
It's double.
[sighs.]
I just don't think I can stick around if Connerty gets it.
I'm not gonna have the stomach for that shit.
Maybe he won't get it.
After Boyd? Don't count yourself out.
You've been crushing it lately.
Chuck took him to Keens for lunch.
Oh, shit.
Yeah.
Shit.
The mutton chop is the thing to order here.
It's what they're known for.
Mutton? I don't know.
Come on, it's tradition.
Oh, this place has a special character, doesn't it? You can almost feel all the history in this room, all the deals that've been made.
It's where Senator Vandeveer brought me when she told me I was being appointed U.
S.
Attorney.
And it's where I always thought I would take you when you'd earned the promotion to Head of Crim.
Mutton's an interesting euphemism, isn't it? Well, nobody ever says "sheep.
" But who wants to eat something so adorable, right? So it's a mutton chop.
Definitely less objectionable.
The kangaroo industry recently tried that.
- Did they? - Yes.
In fact, there was a country-wide survey to pick a name, and they settled on "Australus.
" But not for the same reason as a sheep.
No, this was entirely different.
Seems the kangaroo has a great deal in common with the rat.
Hence, "Australus.
" I mean, it's elegant, don't you think? And yet, even by any other name, there's still a slab of giant rat sitting on the plate right in front of you.
[server.]
Can I get you started? Ah, here we go.
He'll have the mutton.
I'm not ready yet.
[clears throat.]
Bryan do you have something to tell me? I'm not sure what you mean.
I think you know.
Are we talking about the investigation? Yes.
Yes.
We are.
This is it.
Your chance.
This is the conversation that you knew, deep down, you would have to have if you had any desire to continue to have any relationship with me.
This is the conversation that you have been dreading all these many months.
The one about betrayal, disillusionment, second chances, and lost opportunities.
This is the one where you tell me how and why you brought the investigation down upon my head.
All right, Chuck.
You got it right with all that grandiose indignance.
I am the one who called the OPR.
dramatic music I didn't hear a no.
[bell jangles.]
Fuck.
Fuck! - [car door closes.]
- Bryan.
One more thing.
Is Axe Cap bugged? [scoffs.]
Not officially.
But right now, I wouldn't be surprised if it were unofficially.
Hey, look, I know you don't want to come work for me.
I get it.
You're an idealist.
But the man that you work for now he's not just dirty, he's worse than that.
He's a hypocrite.
And if you know that, and you still let it happen, then I think you know what that makes you.
[Chuck.]
Well now I know for certain who I have to thank for my day at the Senate.
But unlike Julius Caesar, seems I managed to pull through.
Oh, it's clear you're a survivor.
And it's clear I can't make you Head of Crim.
You let him get to you.
Only because he spoke the truth.
You were abusing the office.
You lied about recusing yourself.
You stole evidence from your wife's computer.
I made some missteps.
Mis [scoffs.]
Okay.
More than missteps.
In my vigor, I transgressed in ways I never imagined I would.
But I have atoned for all of it.
And I am still in the process, personally and professionally.
I dropped the case.
And now you're trying to punish me.
I earned that position.
But Chief of Crim goes to Lonnie.
[scoffs.]
For the foreseeable future, the chair will remain vacant.
Going ahead, I am committed to complete transparency between us.
No more silence or subterfuge.
If one of us is angry, or disappointed, we express it.
So, you can either quit right now or you can stay.
Prove your loyalty.
And when you do, you will truly have earned that chair.
Are you two planning to order? I'll have the mutton.
What about you, Bryan? I'll have the same.
[chair squeaks.]
[sighs.]
[indistinct conversations.]
[Axe.]
Welcome sight, you in my office.
I'm not sure my message will be all that welcome.
Oh? I don't think it's in the best interest of this firm to foreclose on that town.
It's not our doing.
We would merely be collecting a debt owed to us.
Still, it would hurt our reputation.
Is that so? Or would it hurt you to watch other people suffer and feel like you were part of it? I would be in a sense.
Yes.
Truth be told, I'm still glad you're in here because I have conflicting feelings about this, too.
Ah.
And I'd like to talk about it.
No.
I can't get sucked back into that.
I won't.
Because instead of really doing that exploration with me, I now know you'd just be using me to make yourself feel better about what you wanted to do in the first place.
That's not true.
What is true is that, far from harming our reputation, pressing our advantage at Sandicot would only burnish it to our investors.
That is what is expected.
Still, I haven't decided on a course of action because I do care about the potential toll on the people out there.
And these are the feelings I want to discuss.
No.
Then I'm not the only one who might be putting my own needs above those of the good people of Sandicot.
suspensful music [speaking Russian.]
A colleague saw you and Chuck having lunch at Keens.
I hope congratulations are in order.
That night at the pizza place, you never told me Axe was gonna be there.
He's my client.
I did as he asked.
No, you knew I would never meet with him privately.
Because if anyone found out I was meeting with Axelrod in the middle of the night, it would seriously compromise me.
And it has.
So, no.
No, congratulations are not in fucking order.
I'm lucky I still have my job.
If you still want it.
My client legitimately saw in you what I see Prodigious talent.
He merely wanted to make sure you understood the choice you were making by continuing to work for Rhoades.
The offer that was made that night still holds.
You can come work for me.
Or you can take your chances with a mentor you no longer trust.
I have no mentors.
Not anymore.
You acted like my rabbi, proffering wisdom when you were working me, fucking with my head, undermining my sense of purpose.
Your job is not your purpose.
Chuck is not your savior.
And if I'm not your friend, you have no friends.
Fuck your client, and fuck you, too.
[Deb.]
Stop.
[laughter in distance.]
[crickets chirping.]
Upside-down day, breakfast for dinner.
[scoffs.]
No thanks.
You always thought that your mother made those waffles from scratch.
I was eating Eggos? Yeah, she heated them on the griddle.
I used the toaster.
Put some syrup on it, it's delicious.
So the poll results.
What do you think? I think I'm ready to explore.
- That's my boy.
- It's just preliminary.
I'm not committing to anything.
- I hear you.
- 'Cause the thing is, I'm really not sure that I finished my mission.
Well, who ever does, kid? You can weigh all that from your goddamn nursing home.
The poll What did you learn? Well, uh it's pretty clear what my vulnerabilities are.
My upstate numbers are weak.
They are, but we can buff and polish you up there.
I am not worried about that.
How do I go about this? What do I do first? First thing we do is we get you anointed.
Ah.
The whispered names.
You have to really know them now.
One at least Black Jack Foley.
I haven't heard that one in quite awhile.
By design.
You need some personal time with him so that he can take your measure, and so he'll bless you.
Things still run through him? Indeed.
Now I want you to get his granddaughter a clerkship.
Then we wait for the call.
[knock on door.]
Hi.
[Craig.]
Hmmm.
[Craig.]
Hmmm.
Morning.
How'd you sleep? Good.
You know, uh, my life moves fast.
And I tend to avoid the kind of connections that lead to dependence or can slow me down.
I know.
Weightlessness is a priority for you.
It's one of the reasons I called.
Doesn't this seem like a whole different thing? This? Us.
Like, I'm a restless person.
I'm never happy unless I'm in motion or running seven projects simultaneously.
But last night I was here.
Even right now.
I haven't stayed in bed past 5 a.
m.
since 2001.
Yet right now I feel still, and I like it.
And since I'm here Hold up.
I'm glad you found another dimension you can exist in.
But at the moment, the present is all I can really handle.
And the light of day is a little bright for me right now.
Okay.
I got an early meeting.
Mind if I take the first shower? All yours.
Kids ready for camp? They're brushing their teeth.
Did I just see, uh, the sitter getting into a taxi? Why would she be here in the morning? You know, I had a craving for a boudin noir last night, so I went to Bistro Grisby.
We used to go there all the time.
Yeah, when we were first married.
Not in a long time.
Now it's gone.
Gone? It's, uh, a nail salon now.
They closed four years ago.
Sad.
Mm.
Look I know that I reacted poorly when I learned that you were going back to Axe Capital.
I'm sorry.
I was being selfish.
If you are happy there, then that's where you should be.
I want you to be happy.
That's lovely, Chuck.
It really is.
I'll go get the kids.
Boss I received a concerning bit of news.
Mick Danzig just quit.
Is that so? [Mafee.]
I just never thought I'd have an issue dating someone in the office.
And I really didn't.
I don't know it's just distracting with Everett here.
I see the way she looks at him, and We are in the middle of a session.
Mafee, out.
Yeah, we were just shooting the breeze, catching up.
That was completely inappropriate.
How can I possibly do my job if your guys think you might come barging through the door at any moment? It takes me long enough to convince them you don't have my office bugged.
Once you realized you couldn't influence my thinking, you decided to influence someone else's? - That's my job.
- For the good of the firm, which I do not define as making one of my best earners quit.
I didn't make anyone do anything.
I know you had a session with Mick Danzig.
What did you say to him? I can't discuss that.
You contract here is very clear.
You are here to help my employees perform at their peak level.
In any manner I see fit.
You don't like it, fire me.
Pay me out.
I agreed to come back.
I am back doing exactly what I am paid to do.
You made the deal, Bobby.
You can get out of it any time.
[door opens.]
[door closes.]
That was a neat trick you pulled with the A.
G.
I mean, I've never seen her flanked before.
Impressive.
All in the service of justice.
Well, and the Southern District.
Mm.
Now you get to have your moment as well you should.
The question is, what will you do with it? Such ambitions are far from my focus.
I see a run for office.
Is it possible you'll go the other way? Cash out, go private? That's not you.
No.
Sadly, I'm like you.
Public servant for life.
Uh, and it's in that role that I'm here.
I have come across a wonderful young law student, Emma Foley.
She's at Cardoza.
Smart.
Studious.
And a clerkship with you would, uh Oh, slice that baby up.
Thank you.
Oh, I love the sound it makes when they carve it.
There you go.
Uh.
All right.
[skin crackling.]
That crackle.
Look, if this young lady is qualified, I'll consider her as I would any other candidate.
I recognize the last name.
So I have a feeling if she were really as super as you say, she'd already have a clerkship.
Well, we're not talking about appointing her to the Supreme Court.
This is how things are done, right? Not for me.
Not anymore.
I look at the way things get done.
The view changes when you see things from the bench.
Uh-huh.
Favor-trading, deal-making, back channeling, patronage.
I'll admit, I took advantage every now and then when I was in the trenches.
But I lost my taste for it.
True objectivity.
It's the ultimate luxury.
It's corrosive, Chuck.
I mean, I went to law school to help fix the system, not succumb to it.
Sounds like you're feeling the holy spirit.
For the first time since clerking for RBG.
Which is why I'm careful with my own clerks.
This is very personal for me.
I mean, I'm finally in a position to do some good.
Very inspiring.
Just don't forget, it was the back channels and deal-making that put you in that position.
Remind me again, and this is the last meal we share.
Help yourself.
Absolutely right.
Thank you.
I think you'll make an excellent candidate, Chuck.
I actually think you're built for the political life.
I mean, if I'm you, I'd go for it.
Mm.
[Hall.]
It wasn't the Governor who called the shot.
Sure, he controls Scolari.
But this goes to who controls the Governor, and that's Jack Foley.
I know who that is Old steel and railroad money.
One of the first Western businessmen into Russia after the wall fell.
But more than that, an Albany machine man.
His family goes all the way back to Tweed.
Huh.
Foley's war chest got three of the last four Govs elected, along with half the Assembly.
But it seems, in this case, he focused on the casino.
So, why would Foley want to fuck me? Unclear.
Look, it's like that Marco kid said, this likely wasn't a targeted strike.
It was collateral on a strike against someone else.
It may actually be random Albany bullshit.
But we can't be sure it wasn't.
No, we can't.
I'm Tier two, which means I can sign out during the day to look for a job.
But I don't want to talk about this place.
I want to hear about the world.
Well I'm having problems with that bond I bought upstate.
I saw.
Albany moved the gaming license.
You trying to get it back? It's too late.
I have to take action.
The only way that I can come out ahead, it's pretty grisly.
Playing Torquemada's never fun.
[indistinct shouting.]
I'm still stuck on how the whole license thing went down.
It was supposed to be a done deal.
But the switch it tracks back to Jack Foley.
What do you want to know about Black Jack? What drives him.
What moves him.
Who he's close to.
How I can get close to him.
He's driven by maintaining influence naturally and growing his six-generation fortune and staying invisible despite it all.
Advisor to kings and princes.
There was a time not long ago I could have put you in a room with him.
But I'm off his speed dial now.
All the way off.
Roberto what you're considering upstate, the vulture play, know this Everybody's a Libertarian until it's their town that's dying.
Then a bailout only seems right.
Before I ended up in here, I would've said to you, "Let it implode.
Raze the fucker.
Let something new grow in its place.
Prop it up and you're only delaying the inevitable collapse.
" But now? You have to handle it right, or you'll be facing the same torches and pitchforks that landed me in here.
Except that what I'd be doing isn't illegal.
I did everything I could to make sure it didn't come to this.
But still it went bad.
Just don't forget if they hate you enough, they will find legal grounds to fuck you.
You know this.
[sighs.]
You're not gonna be able to find out what I need to know.
I'm gonna have to sit down face-to-face with Foley.
He'll be resistant.
So start thinking of ways to overcome that resistance.
[Hall.]
Will do.
[phone rings.]
Yeah.
No, I wasn't.
But send him up.
[brakes squeal.]
I understand what "vulture" means now, huh.
I know things didn't work out the way we thought they would.
And I know this is a bad situation for you.
But I got to ask you to please not take it out on Marco's town.
You know you've got a finder's fee coming to you either way.
Come on, I don't give a shit about that.
You can throw it right in if it changes anything.
Bobby, I've known you since you're a kid.
I don't know why you want to hurt all of these people who got so little as it is.
These people, they're just like you while growing up.
Now you've got everything.
They're gonna have less than nothing.
I can't have that on my head, and you don't want it on yours.
I hear you, Bruno.
Like you said, you've known me since I was a kid, so you know I'm telling you the truth when I say I want to avoid doing it.
I'm trying my best.
[boys shouting.]
I saw Bruno down there.
He was here about the muni bond? Lobbying for Sandicot.
What do you think I should do? You finally asking me for my opinion? I wasn't cutting you out.
I'm just trying to wrap my head around all this.
But now I really need to know what you think.
I can see how painful this is for you.
It was all over your face when you were talking to Bruno.
It's tough.
I just sank a shit ton of money into a place that will never be able to repay its obligations.
But if we go soft, like Bruno wants us to, we'll lose the better part of 500 million dollars.
Whereas if we do what it takes to make the bond viable, we're gonna clear over $100 million.
I can see both sides of this.
Those people up there are who we used to be.
That's what Bruno said.
Did anyone ever help us, or look out for us? When my mother was closing the blinds so that bill collectors wouldn't know that anyone was home? No.
The way we were brought up, it was always them or us.
And it still is.
That's what I think.
And like you said, Bobby in the end, everyone else is cannon fodder.
So I say you go up there, and you do what you got to do.
Cut off the gangrenous parts.
And then we go in with charter schools and outrage, for about $30 million.
We capture the tax write-off, and those kids will be better off than their parents, or we, ever were.
AC/DC's "For Those About to Rock" Before we go out, can you order pizza for the kids? Chinese tonight.
The one they like doesn't deliver.
And George isn't here yet.
I'll get it.
Seize all their assets property, utilities, machinery, vehicles, buildings.
Everything, even Town fucking Hall.
Look to seize the town's bank accounts, payroll accounts, pension funds.
[engine revs.]
Do it.
They'll fucking agree to it because they've got no choice.
And don't stop till we get what we're owed.
For those about to rock, we salute you For those about to rock We salute you