Fairly Legal s02e13 Episode Script
Finale
I know you're there.
How much do you love me? What do you need? Don't read that.
Justin and I have decided to move in together, so can you join one of those, um, apartment-finder services? You know what I like.
You liked a boat.
Plus, Justin's apartment is really, really nice.
Well, we are both giving up our places.
Hmm.
So Justin is giving up his gorgeous, B.
A.
R.
T.
adjacent two-bedroom with high ceilings, and you're giving up Lauren's couch.
Uh, well, we'll see, you know.
Uh, nothing is for sure, really.
You and Justin are getting a place together? Huh? Yeah.
It just kind of makes sense rent-wise.
Kate's all about the money.
I know a guy with a few apartment buildings.
It's a pretty tough market right now.
Oh, that's all right.
We don't really need your guy.
Why are you renting? You and Justin should just buy a place together.
Ahem.
Your 9:00 is here.
Okay, you know what? I need a minute.
Okay? Please? Please.
What'd I say? Nothing.
You didn't say anything, okay? I just slammed my door a little bit too hard, okay? - Okay.
- Yeah.
- She wants a guy.
- She doesn't want a guy.
She will.
Ms.
Reed.
Ms.
Reed.
I am so sorry.
Yes? My clients were fired for workplace fraternization.
Mmhmm.
Now, no one's disputing that they had a workplace romance, but the fact that they are gay Had nothing to do with it.
Had everything to do with it.
Do you watch the real time news network? Uh, no.
You know, I don't watch a lot of TV, so Nora is an anchor.
She and Nick Barron dominate their time slot, The Nick and Nora News Hour.
Oh, wow.
That's really cute.
Exactly.
Cute.
They sell them as a couple.
- Can I say something? - I wouldn't mind a shot here.
They were fired for being gay, and we will prove it in court.
Rachel was a researcher in our news department.
She started there as an intern.
Technically, Nora was her supervisor.
That exposes us.
Okay.
Rachel.
- Nora and I - Please.
Don't speak for me, Rach.
We know other people who had relationships at work where management looked the other way.
- How many? - Several.
My clients were treated differently.
Great, maybe we can break all of them up too.
Oh, you guys aren't a couple anymore? Oh, the pain and suffering from this wrongful termination has obviously taken its toll.
- Oh, come on.
- They were engaged.
We had talked about it.
Right.
Getting engaged was on our "to do" list.
It's what grown-up professionals do when they spend too much time at work.
So technically, we weren't engaged, and technically, we weren't allowed to show any affection at work.
It rocked! I still have no idea how management found out about this.
Can't believe I'm about to lose my career - because of this.
- Because of me! - Uh, all right ladies - Because of me.
Just say it.
All right, okay.
Stop.
I know that's what you're thinking! All right, ladies, stop.
One mediation at a time.
Okay, uh Can I just ask an obvious question here? These two are clearly not in a relationship anymore, so forcing them to just go through a trial at this point seems like a really bad idea.
Look, someone in H.
R.
overreacted, okay? So just give them their jobs back, and they'll figure out everything else.
- I can't go back.
- No one's going back.
- I could go back.
- Nora.
Uh, if she signs a document releasing all future Send it.
I'll sign it.
See you Monday.
This is unacceptable.
Hi.
Hi.
So what do you want? I don't know.
I want my work.
I spent so many hours working on that, and we broke up because of the work, so I just want to take it with me to whatever stupid job is gonna ruin my life next.
We own the work product.
Are you kidding me? Mmmm.
You know what? I hope to God that when we die, our "work product" doesn't flash before our eyes.
But for some of us, that's all we have.
All right, if she releases all future claims She will, she will, all right? Just give her the standard severance package, and let her have her goddamn work back.
Now, where are your files? Um, they're on the R.
T.
N.
server.
Great.
Call your I.
T.
person.
All right.
Uh, you know what? I'll be right back.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Do you have a sec? - Sure.
How's the mediation going? Oh, uh, good, you know.
Win-win-win-win-win-win.
Um, how's your billionaire boyfriend? Uh, that's over.
Yeah, I was foolish to think it would've worked between us.
Oh, um That's very Downton Abbey.
Is this why you needed to see me? No, um, I wanted to tell you that, uh I'm moving out.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier.
It's just, um, Justin and I are looking for a place together.
You know, we're We're trying to get a fresh start or a - Yeah.
- A restart or - Yeah, no, I'm - Whatever.
God, I'm happy for you.
I'll actually miss having you around.
Oh, Lauren, come on.
I was not the easiest roommate.
Miss Reed, there's a problem.
They didn't give me everything back.
Okay, the deal was you give her back all of her work files.
There's a missing case file.
It's a year's worth of work.
It's documents, interviews, all of my notes.
So where is it? Technical glitch, I suppose.
I honestly don't know.
If I were miss Barnes, I'd be happy with the severance package and the files I got.
Oh, really? So what, you think you can just walk away? Yes, I do.
I told you.
We own the work product, not her.
And it's ours to do with as we please.
You mean like lose it? I'm sorry.
Check her contract.
We're in the clear.
I can't believe this.
I mean, how could they lose it? Was it a big story? I was looking into a bogus land deal the city made.
It was big.
Millions of dollars changed hands.
Okay, I have a crazy question.
But is it possible that they fired you to bury the story? June 15, 2012 It's a cover-up.
Just listen.
Can't wait.
I was looking into a real estate deal between the city and this development company called Selex.
I had enough circumstantial evidence to prove that they paid market value for it, but then they received this bogus tax credit a couple months after the sale.
It was a $17 million property that they ended up only paying five.
She had statements from anonymous sources at city hall, as well as copies of some of the original land deeds.
Okay, Erin Brocko-nuts.
You think the network did this whole dance just to get rid of Rachel's story? Couldn't they have just shot her car tire out on a twisty, deserted road? I don't have a car, so What? Oh, my gosh, really? Neither do I.
Okay.
Anyway, so if the network had openly tried to kill the story, then that would've drawn even more attention to it.
Ben, I know they did this.
I know they buried the story.
So I did some digging.
Apparently, Davidson tried to get Selex in some sort of export scam a few years ago.
- And the CEO - Mmhmm, Kaplan.
Yeah, he just slipped into the woodwork.
Thanks so much.
We'll take a look.
Oh, I like this place.
This is cool.
- Hmm, it's kinda cold.
- What? I just don't want to live somewhere where it's so easy to clean up a dead body.
Tch.
This was your idea.
And my idea.
Love apartment hunting.
Yeah, okay, but the question is, why would the network do a favor for Selex? No, the question is, is why are you taking this on? - Rachel? - Mm-hmm.
I like her.
She fights for the truth.
You know, it's the one thing in our lives that doesn't change.
Okay, fair enough.
Then get proof.
Look, you didn't hear this from me, but I would start with the corporate tax return from Selex.
You show where they got the money back from the bank, and then you trace the payments.
Oh, yeah.
Mm.
This really isn't that bad.
Oh, Justin, I don't know.
I was just really hoping that we'd find something that has, like, these cute little French doors, and it would open up to this amazing patio, and not concrete and steel.
So you lock in on one detail.
It's a great strategy.
This is only the first place we've seen.
You know what? Next.
Selex is a pretty shady company, privately owned, mostly real estate development, with a corporate address on little Cayman island.
A very rich man named Paul Kaplan is listed as their CEO.
Could someone explain to me why we just can't Grenada the Caymans and take them over? Okay, how do we get a corporate tax return? We don't.
That's the beauty of not selling stock to the meddling general public.
So then some millionaire just gets to hide out in the Caymans, killing news stories? How's the apartment hunt going? It's good.
Yeah, you'd, uh There are lots of options.
Good.
Well, if you want one more I don't.
You guys both think this is awkward for me.
It's not.
I'm just offering to help because I have connections.
Mm.
It's awkward.
It's not! - It's awkward.
- It's awkward, right? I know how we can get a copy of Selex's corporate tax returns.
How? Selex's tax returns are private.
Its shareholders, not so much.
Paul Kaplan tries to keep a tight control of his company, but a few years ago, he ran into trouble and had to sell off to raise capital.
He sold 3% to someone who sat in this very chair.
A client.
Uh, no.
Robin Archer.
Lauren, I couldn't help but notice that you and he had a three-hour lunch not so long ago.
I negotiated one deal with the man.
That was the day that Justin's life was falling apart, right? I'm just trying to gauge how important it must have been for you to be away that long.
Okay, uh, you know what? Knock it off.
They have a relationship.
I'm not defining it or judging it, - but we can use it right now.
- This was This was a bad idea.
- No, I - Lauren, I'm so sorry.
- It's not a - We're leaving.
I can reach out to Robin.
It's not a problem.
It's not.
Thank you Mr.
Archer.
Lauren, hi.
Hi.
Thanks for seeing me.
I need your help.
Um, six years ago, you invested in a private company called Selex.
It's run by a man, Paul Kaplan.
I know Paul.
We've been up against each other in some big deals.
I don't like his methods.
Well, we need a copy of his corporate tax return.
Not something he is likely to share.
Well, you do own 3%.
Know your enemies.
I would take 51% if he'd let me.
Well, help us with this tax return, and you might just get your wish.
Uh, look.
I I know I know that this is a huge favor to ask, given what happened.
You dumping me.
Oh, please, you can hardly say that I dumped you after one date.
I've been with people for years and never felt that way.
You know, I actually pretended not to see you when you walked in.
I wanted to seem aloof.
But it seems I just can't hide my cards with you.
If only you could settle for someone who wasn't perfect.
You make me sound adolescent for trusting my instincts.
And your instincts are what? That I would end up hurting you? I'll let you know what my people get out of Kaplan.
Thank you.
You Have them come at it sideways.
You know, I'd make it part of a larger request to throw them off.
Thanks for the tip.
Thank you for doing this.
I'm sorry you can't stay.
Oh, wow, I hope it comes furnished.
It's very Clockwork Orange.
Justin Uhh! I kinda love it.
Oh, Kate, this is a very old building.
I guess, but I don't know.
And I guess it is kinda pricey, huh? That is not gonna be a problem.
After this election, I'm gonna be looking For a job in the private sector.
Hey, don't.
I thought I could win this thing on hope and justice alone.
- You can.
- If I don't, Kate, - I lose everything.
- All right, you know what? You do not give up.
- Justin.
- Hm? Do you know what this is? Yes.
It's a terrace.
- It's kinda small.
- Oh, no, no, no, no.
- It's cute, it's quaint.
- Yeah, no, I really think we should keep looking, honestly.
No! Ugh.
How'd you find this place anyway? I don't know.
Leo called me.
He said that Grogan has got some guy, so You know, you're right.
It is kind of, uh, small.
- Really? - Yeah, let's just Let's keeping looking.
- Okay.
- Mm-hmm.
Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.
Well, you did make it sound rather urgent And you are the FBI.
We need you to tell us about your dealings with Robin Archer.
Uh well, we we had a negotiation.
I'd have to check my calendar.
Nine days ago.
Yeah.
Uh, I represented the seller.
We agreed on a purchase price.
And if you allow me to redact my client's financial information, I'd be happy to share the agreement.
We're not interested in the agreement.
Oh.
Have you had any more recent contact? Within the last 24 hours? Do you already know the answers to these questions? It would be best if you answered the question.
So, did you ever talk to anyone at work about your investigation? Keep a supervisor aware of how it was going? Not officially.
I mean, I'd tell Nora things until she moved out.
- Did you email? - Sure.
But, I mean, we were always really careful to keep our conversations in personal accounts.
Did you ever use your work computer to access your personal email? Sometimes.
It's not personal if you're doing it at work.
- What? - See California, Holmes vs.
P.
D.
C.
LLC.
You have no rights as a cog in the corporate machine.
They can capture your keystrokes.
They can read your personal emails if it's done using a company computer.
We could never figure out how they knew we were a couple.
That's the only way they could've known.
Yeah, they start digging around about Selex and they end up finding that out.
Who do you know in your I.
T.
department? That would be Tony.
Can you trust him? Yeah.
Actually, I think he had a little crush on me.
Ah, that's helpful.
How did that work out? Hey, hey, Tony, Tony, thanks for talking to us.
- Are you a lawyer? - No.
But the lawyers thought my gentle and tech-savvy voice might put you at ease.
How's it hanging? I'm here too, Tony.
Hi, Rach.
We gotta make this quick.
They wouldn't want me talking to you.
Uh, Tony, hi.
My name is Kate Reed.
And, uh, we are calling you because we believe that R.
T.
N.
has hacked into some of the employees' personal email accounts.
No one else in the office knows how to do that sort of thing.
You really should talking to someone else.
I should go Okay, hold on a second.
You know, Rachel and Nora got fired because somebody in management found out that they were a couple, and, look, she just wants to understand how that happened.
Uh, yeah.
Um, you know, it's just I'll get in trouble if I talk about anything.
Okay, what do I have to do to get this guy to talk? Should I, like, flirt with him or talk dirty? I mean, what is it? I mean, "A," you could just try respecting him, like a human being.
And "B," that is not mute.
You pressed five.
Sorry, Tony.
- It's cool.
- Okay, look I'm just gonna be completely honest with you.
This is not just about someone's personal information being read.
We think that management might be trying to kill one of Rachel's stories, and if there is anything that you know about that, you would be like R2-D2.
That's pandering and dated.
You'd be like Bishop in Aliens.
That's not any better.
Are you guys talking about Selex? Uh, yes we are.
What do you know about it? Before you left, they made me search for any documents containing the word.
They told me to look in any email accounts - accessed from work.
- I knew it.
Who's Erin Brocko-nuts now, sucka? Who told you to do it, Tony? Jerry from legal.
Uh, Tony, can you trace that email from Jerry back to its root? I'll take a look.
Give me a few minutes and I'll call ya back.
Hey, Rachel, pick up.
Oh, there's a phone right there.
Yeah? Is that girl Kate single? She sounds hot.
Um, you know what? It's, uh, it's kinda complicated.
So you're single? Well, I am divorced.
- Oh.
- Mm-hmm.
So you've been to the real dark place.
Splitting up was hard.
You know, we definitely, um, Had some dark moments.
Nora and I, we We were crazy in love.
It's hard to imagine now, but she broke my heart.
You still see him ever, your ex? Sometimes.
That's Tony, line one.
Tony, Tony, you are on speakerphone.
Thank you.
Mmhmm.
There is a root.
Someone tried to erase the trail for sure, but I can trace the request to search Rachel's accounts all the way up through senior management.
Here's where it came in the front door.
A one line email to Jerry, "please do what we discussed.
" Who's it from, Tony? - Was it Paul Kaplan? - No.
Aaron Davidson.
Hello? D.
A.
Davidson? So, I dug pretty deep.
There's no money trail between Davidson and Paul Kaplan.
And there's no ties to Selex either.
But there has to be a connection.
Davidson killed the story.
Yeah, but Davidson's too smart to get tagged.
That email's only incriminating if you know what he's referring to.
I'll keep digging.
Yeah.
Or you could just go ask him.
Oh, Mr.
D.
A.
Why, Kate Reed, the good wife.
Oh, suck it, Aaron.
You know what? You have scared people so much about crime in this city that they might actually be too scared to come out and vote.
Oh, I think they'll be too scared not to, if you look at the alternative.
Hey, you know what? Who's gonna handle cases whenever you're just so busy paying back favors from all the people who helped get you elected? The voters elect me, kiddo.
Uhhuh, well the voters didn't get a crazy, awesome deal on 200 acres of condemned property from the city.
How many people did you help get evicted to sell that land? Oh, Aaron, how much are Kaplan and Selex paying you, huh? If you think I broke any rules, why don't you get your established, blue-chip firm of Bitch & Bitch to come after me, huh? You can call your ex-husband to the stand as an expert witness.
He's gonna need a job.
Yeah, she doesn't work for Bitch & Bitch anymore.
It's Bitch, Bitch, and Jackass now.
I've taken you once, Aaron.
I'll take you again.
Bad news.
I'm afraid my attempt to request a tax return set off some alarms.
He was never just gonna release a document that proves his guilt.
Give me some credit for not being obvious.
I have my methods.
Which I'm hoping you won't choose to disclose and incriminate the rest of us.
Kaplan knows that Reed & Reed is behind this.
He's ruthless and he's coming on the offensive.
So if any of you have any skeletons in your closet, now might be the time to bury them.
I have a question.
- Why would we believe you? - She has a point.
Well, let's suss out my motives.
I have no stake in your firm, so your success or failure means nothing to me.
- Mm.
- I have no faith in the truth.
And justice can be bought, so helping your client tell her story has no pull.
I have no rational reason to help you people.
So what does that leave behind? It leaves you, Lauren.
- Wow.
- Right? Kaplan's flying into town for the night.
He's gonna be staying at my place downtown.
Oh, he's staying with you? - Oh, it's a big place.
- It's a hotel.
So I've set up a face-to-face meeting so we can put all this behind us.
Lauren.
Uh, please don't.
I'm not giving up.
- Wish you would.
- Do you? Hey.
Hey.
Right, thanks for checking in, Kate Okay, no, no, no, no, no, no, wait, wait.
Wait.
Are you smelling burnt toast or tasting pennies? 'Cause I'm not quite sure what's going on here.
Oh, uh, Rachel called me.
She met the source, a guy named Glen Graham who works at the city contracts office, I guess when the whole thing went down.
Anyway, I'm gonna follow up.
I'll, um I'll be in touch.
Oh, okay, bye.
Bye! Bye.
Looks beautiful, I'm so touched.
Did the bureau pick it out itself? It'll turn on when you wear it, records up to 12 hours.
You're doing the right thing.
We'll be in touch.
Yeah, Tony, what's up? Mm-hmm.
When did that come through? Okay, thanks, you're awesome.
All right.
What are you doing in there? Trying to imagine what it's like to be Kate Reed.
Please tell me you're wearing pants.
Gotta ask you a question, why are you letting this happen? What happen? I love Justin.
He's a great guy.
But Kate's just getting swept back into this whole thing.
She's just floating along with everything.
Kate doesn't float along with anything.
She does now.
She needs a paddle.
You're the paddle, dude.
Why aren't you doing something? It's not a sprint, Leo.
It's a marathon.
It's not a metaphor, Ben.
It's a life.
Holy crap.
What? Where is she? Are you looking for Glen Graham? Okay, seriously, you have got to stop popping up everywhere like this.
Glen Graham isn't a new source.
He's the drummer for Blind Melon.
I saw the album on your desk.
You made the whole thing up for Archer to hear, - to test him.
- You got me.
And I'm guessing it's the same name that Tony called you back with, because somehow the network got that name and were told to look for more files.
Ah, you are smarter than you look.
Low expectations are the key to happiness.
Why would Archer tell anyone that name? - Is he working with Kaplan? - Hm.
Why is he gunning for Reed & Reed? Well, I'll let you know.
Excuse me.
Excuse me, excuse me.
Robin! Kate, what are you doing here? Mm, you first.
Look, good news and bad.
I caught Kaplan before he was leaving.
He's backing off Reed & Reed.
He won't be bothering you again.
Oh, that's fantastic.
And what's the, uh, bad news? Well, not so much bad as boring really.
Uhhuh.
Cost me a lot of money to make this go away.
My hero.
Well, time to ride off into the sunset, I suppose.
Hmm, I don't think you met with Kaplan.
- Really? - Yeah.
Why's that? Well, he just has no reason to negotiate.
I mean, the story's dead.
He's made his money.
So it just doesn't make any sense.
Well, perhaps he doesn't think the same way as you.
Oh, wow, you're Kaplan.
The mysterious man that no one could seem to find but you.
And then you just ride on in and save the day.
It's a great story.
Not quite enough there to connect up all the dots, I'm afraid.
Okay, all right, let's see here.
Um, Kaplan is your bad side.
Selex does all your dirty work.
And then you compete with them just enough to throw everybody else off.
You know what? It is kind of brilliant there, redcoat.
I would be flattered if you weren't insane.
No, seriously, if I was Kaplan, why would I go to all this trouble to help you? Why would I risk exposing anything? Oh, well, you said it yourself.
You have no rational reason to do this, "except for you, Lauren.
" Oh, you think I did all this to prove to her I can be a good man? Maybe you had to prove it to yourself first.
Of course.
Well, next time Paul Kaplan's in town, why don't we all go out together? You can tell him your theory.
I want you to kill Kaplan.
I want those corporate tax returns.
Selex is done.
People who underestimate me seem to lose, Mr.
Archer.
I'll prove my insane theory.
I never give up.
No, I don't imagine you do.
Have a nice day.
Hey.
You ditched me.
Get used to it.
Taxi.
Shh, this is a short building, so shut up.
This flash drive contains copies of all the documents you had erased from the R.
T.
N.
servers, as well as the corporate tax return for Selex showing the big gift they got back from the city.
I'm assuming the people you took this from don't know you have it yet.
Oh, well, if you're talking about Paul Kaplan, he gave this to me himself.
That's crazy, right? Because I'm sure you've never even met the man.
The ladybug's for good luck.
- Going up? - Definitely not.
It's perfect.
You're gonna love it.
Keep walking.
Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah, keep going.
- Okay.
- Keep going, keep going.
Okay, wait, wait, wait.
- Are you ready? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Are you sure? - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Okay, here we go Wait, wait, wait.
Okay.
Tada.
Right? Your place? - Oh, come on.
- No, no, no.
Okay, wait, here me out, okay? We start by gutting it.
Whatever bachelor lived here before, he had great taste, but it can use your touch.
Trying to find another place is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
It's a needle in a haystack.
It is, right? Wait.
And there's this.
It's a housewarming gift.
Oh, Justin.
Here we go.
Oh, God, what? Nothing, I just know you, that's all.
Look, this is the, uh Right needle, wrong haystack.
I've been fighting this feeling Oh, don't, Kate - And I keep hoping that - Don't do this.
- This is gonna feel right - It does feel right.
- Again, but - We're not who we used to be.
- Don't do this.
- Listen to me.
I know you think that I'm running away Yeah, because you are.
I knew you were gonna get scared.
I'm not scared.
Justin I know we're good for each other.
But I don't we're meant to be together.
- How can you know that? - Because You take a risk, Kate, you jump in.
I know, because we did.
And we keeping doing that.
And I know you think I'm running away, but I'm not.
If anything, for the first time in my life, I'm actually I'm running towards something.
Yeah, or towards someone? No.
Maybe.
Me.
If you walk out that door, Kate, that is it, okay? It is over.
- I'm sorry.
- Mm-hmm.
I am.
And I really do love you.
Goodbye.
Yeah? What are you talk Now? The fact of the matter is, we all reach a point in our careers where we realize that we've achieved what we set out to do.
And it's time to change priorities, which is why I've decided to withdraw from the race, spend more time with my family.
I wanna thank Hey.
This, uh, this came for you.
Hey.
Hey.
You and Justin find a place? Um, we, uh Well, I I found my own place.
Ah.
You know, my daddy always said, "if you're lonely, get to know yourself.
" Wow.
Yeah, that sounds That sounds kinda dirty.
- I like it.
- Nope.
It was definitely not dirty.
That's just how you hear everything.
Mm.
Uh, you, um Do you Do you have a date? Uh, I, uh I don't know.
Maybe.
He's not a good guy, Lauren.
People change.
Him or you? I thought you might not come.
Here I am.
- Come this way madam.
- Mm.
June 15, 2012 Hey neighbor.
How much do you love me? What do you need? Don't read that.
Justin and I have decided to move in together, so can you join one of those, um, apartment-finder services? You know what I like.
You liked a boat.
Plus, Justin's apartment is really, really nice.
Well, we are both giving up our places.
Hmm.
So Justin is giving up his gorgeous, B.
A.
R.
T.
adjacent two-bedroom with high ceilings, and you're giving up Lauren's couch.
Uh, well, we'll see, you know.
Uh, nothing is for sure, really.
You and Justin are getting a place together? Huh? Yeah.
It just kind of makes sense rent-wise.
Kate's all about the money.
I know a guy with a few apartment buildings.
It's a pretty tough market right now.
Oh, that's all right.
We don't really need your guy.
Why are you renting? You and Justin should just buy a place together.
Ahem.
Your 9:00 is here.
Okay, you know what? I need a minute.
Okay? Please? Please.
What'd I say? Nothing.
You didn't say anything, okay? I just slammed my door a little bit too hard, okay? - Okay.
- Yeah.
- She wants a guy.
- She doesn't want a guy.
She will.
Ms.
Reed.
Ms.
Reed.
I am so sorry.
Yes? My clients were fired for workplace fraternization.
Mmhmm.
Now, no one's disputing that they had a workplace romance, but the fact that they are gay Had nothing to do with it.
Had everything to do with it.
Do you watch the real time news network? Uh, no.
You know, I don't watch a lot of TV, so Nora is an anchor.
She and Nick Barron dominate their time slot, The Nick and Nora News Hour.
Oh, wow.
That's really cute.
Exactly.
Cute.
They sell them as a couple.
- Can I say something? - I wouldn't mind a shot here.
They were fired for being gay, and we will prove it in court.
Rachel was a researcher in our news department.
She started there as an intern.
Technically, Nora was her supervisor.
That exposes us.
Okay.
Rachel.
- Nora and I - Please.
Don't speak for me, Rach.
We know other people who had relationships at work where management looked the other way.
- How many? - Several.
My clients were treated differently.
Great, maybe we can break all of them up too.
Oh, you guys aren't a couple anymore? Oh, the pain and suffering from this wrongful termination has obviously taken its toll.
- Oh, come on.
- They were engaged.
We had talked about it.
Right.
Getting engaged was on our "to do" list.
It's what grown-up professionals do when they spend too much time at work.
So technically, we weren't engaged, and technically, we weren't allowed to show any affection at work.
It rocked! I still have no idea how management found out about this.
Can't believe I'm about to lose my career - because of this.
- Because of me! - Uh, all right ladies - Because of me.
Just say it.
All right, okay.
Stop.
I know that's what you're thinking! All right, ladies, stop.
One mediation at a time.
Okay, uh Can I just ask an obvious question here? These two are clearly not in a relationship anymore, so forcing them to just go through a trial at this point seems like a really bad idea.
Look, someone in H.
R.
overreacted, okay? So just give them their jobs back, and they'll figure out everything else.
- I can't go back.
- No one's going back.
- I could go back.
- Nora.
Uh, if she signs a document releasing all future Send it.
I'll sign it.
See you Monday.
This is unacceptable.
Hi.
Hi.
So what do you want? I don't know.
I want my work.
I spent so many hours working on that, and we broke up because of the work, so I just want to take it with me to whatever stupid job is gonna ruin my life next.
We own the work product.
Are you kidding me? Mmmm.
You know what? I hope to God that when we die, our "work product" doesn't flash before our eyes.
But for some of us, that's all we have.
All right, if she releases all future claims She will, she will, all right? Just give her the standard severance package, and let her have her goddamn work back.
Now, where are your files? Um, they're on the R.
T.
N.
server.
Great.
Call your I.
T.
person.
All right.
Uh, you know what? I'll be right back.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Do you have a sec? - Sure.
How's the mediation going? Oh, uh, good, you know.
Win-win-win-win-win-win.
Um, how's your billionaire boyfriend? Uh, that's over.
Yeah, I was foolish to think it would've worked between us.
Oh, um That's very Downton Abbey.
Is this why you needed to see me? No, um, I wanted to tell you that, uh I'm moving out.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier.
It's just, um, Justin and I are looking for a place together.
You know, we're We're trying to get a fresh start or a - Yeah.
- A restart or - Yeah, no, I'm - Whatever.
God, I'm happy for you.
I'll actually miss having you around.
Oh, Lauren, come on.
I was not the easiest roommate.
Miss Reed, there's a problem.
They didn't give me everything back.
Okay, the deal was you give her back all of her work files.
There's a missing case file.
It's a year's worth of work.
It's documents, interviews, all of my notes.
So where is it? Technical glitch, I suppose.
I honestly don't know.
If I were miss Barnes, I'd be happy with the severance package and the files I got.
Oh, really? So what, you think you can just walk away? Yes, I do.
I told you.
We own the work product, not her.
And it's ours to do with as we please.
You mean like lose it? I'm sorry.
Check her contract.
We're in the clear.
I can't believe this.
I mean, how could they lose it? Was it a big story? I was looking into a bogus land deal the city made.
It was big.
Millions of dollars changed hands.
Okay, I have a crazy question.
But is it possible that they fired you to bury the story? June 15, 2012 It's a cover-up.
Just listen.
Can't wait.
I was looking into a real estate deal between the city and this development company called Selex.
I had enough circumstantial evidence to prove that they paid market value for it, but then they received this bogus tax credit a couple months after the sale.
It was a $17 million property that they ended up only paying five.
She had statements from anonymous sources at city hall, as well as copies of some of the original land deeds.
Okay, Erin Brocko-nuts.
You think the network did this whole dance just to get rid of Rachel's story? Couldn't they have just shot her car tire out on a twisty, deserted road? I don't have a car, so What? Oh, my gosh, really? Neither do I.
Okay.
Anyway, so if the network had openly tried to kill the story, then that would've drawn even more attention to it.
Ben, I know they did this.
I know they buried the story.
So I did some digging.
Apparently, Davidson tried to get Selex in some sort of export scam a few years ago.
- And the CEO - Mmhmm, Kaplan.
Yeah, he just slipped into the woodwork.
Thanks so much.
We'll take a look.
Oh, I like this place.
This is cool.
- Hmm, it's kinda cold.
- What? I just don't want to live somewhere where it's so easy to clean up a dead body.
Tch.
This was your idea.
And my idea.
Love apartment hunting.
Yeah, okay, but the question is, why would the network do a favor for Selex? No, the question is, is why are you taking this on? - Rachel? - Mm-hmm.
I like her.
She fights for the truth.
You know, it's the one thing in our lives that doesn't change.
Okay, fair enough.
Then get proof.
Look, you didn't hear this from me, but I would start with the corporate tax return from Selex.
You show where they got the money back from the bank, and then you trace the payments.
Oh, yeah.
Mm.
This really isn't that bad.
Oh, Justin, I don't know.
I was just really hoping that we'd find something that has, like, these cute little French doors, and it would open up to this amazing patio, and not concrete and steel.
So you lock in on one detail.
It's a great strategy.
This is only the first place we've seen.
You know what? Next.
Selex is a pretty shady company, privately owned, mostly real estate development, with a corporate address on little Cayman island.
A very rich man named Paul Kaplan is listed as their CEO.
Could someone explain to me why we just can't Grenada the Caymans and take them over? Okay, how do we get a corporate tax return? We don't.
That's the beauty of not selling stock to the meddling general public.
So then some millionaire just gets to hide out in the Caymans, killing news stories? How's the apartment hunt going? It's good.
Yeah, you'd, uh There are lots of options.
Good.
Well, if you want one more I don't.
You guys both think this is awkward for me.
It's not.
I'm just offering to help because I have connections.
Mm.
It's awkward.
It's not! - It's awkward.
- It's awkward, right? I know how we can get a copy of Selex's corporate tax returns.
How? Selex's tax returns are private.
Its shareholders, not so much.
Paul Kaplan tries to keep a tight control of his company, but a few years ago, he ran into trouble and had to sell off to raise capital.
He sold 3% to someone who sat in this very chair.
A client.
Uh, no.
Robin Archer.
Lauren, I couldn't help but notice that you and he had a three-hour lunch not so long ago.
I negotiated one deal with the man.
That was the day that Justin's life was falling apart, right? I'm just trying to gauge how important it must have been for you to be away that long.
Okay, uh, you know what? Knock it off.
They have a relationship.
I'm not defining it or judging it, - but we can use it right now.
- This was This was a bad idea.
- No, I - Lauren, I'm so sorry.
- It's not a - We're leaving.
I can reach out to Robin.
It's not a problem.
It's not.
Thank you Mr.
Archer.
Lauren, hi.
Hi.
Thanks for seeing me.
I need your help.
Um, six years ago, you invested in a private company called Selex.
It's run by a man, Paul Kaplan.
I know Paul.
We've been up against each other in some big deals.
I don't like his methods.
Well, we need a copy of his corporate tax return.
Not something he is likely to share.
Well, you do own 3%.
Know your enemies.
I would take 51% if he'd let me.
Well, help us with this tax return, and you might just get your wish.
Uh, look.
I I know I know that this is a huge favor to ask, given what happened.
You dumping me.
Oh, please, you can hardly say that I dumped you after one date.
I've been with people for years and never felt that way.
You know, I actually pretended not to see you when you walked in.
I wanted to seem aloof.
But it seems I just can't hide my cards with you.
If only you could settle for someone who wasn't perfect.
You make me sound adolescent for trusting my instincts.
And your instincts are what? That I would end up hurting you? I'll let you know what my people get out of Kaplan.
Thank you.
You Have them come at it sideways.
You know, I'd make it part of a larger request to throw them off.
Thanks for the tip.
Thank you for doing this.
I'm sorry you can't stay.
Oh, wow, I hope it comes furnished.
It's very Clockwork Orange.
Justin Uhh! I kinda love it.
Oh, Kate, this is a very old building.
I guess, but I don't know.
And I guess it is kinda pricey, huh? That is not gonna be a problem.
After this election, I'm gonna be looking For a job in the private sector.
Hey, don't.
I thought I could win this thing on hope and justice alone.
- You can.
- If I don't, Kate, - I lose everything.
- All right, you know what? You do not give up.
- Justin.
- Hm? Do you know what this is? Yes.
It's a terrace.
- It's kinda small.
- Oh, no, no, no, no.
- It's cute, it's quaint.
- Yeah, no, I really think we should keep looking, honestly.
No! Ugh.
How'd you find this place anyway? I don't know.
Leo called me.
He said that Grogan has got some guy, so You know, you're right.
It is kind of, uh, small.
- Really? - Yeah, let's just Let's keeping looking.
- Okay.
- Mm-hmm.
Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.
Well, you did make it sound rather urgent And you are the FBI.
We need you to tell us about your dealings with Robin Archer.
Uh well, we we had a negotiation.
I'd have to check my calendar.
Nine days ago.
Yeah.
Uh, I represented the seller.
We agreed on a purchase price.
And if you allow me to redact my client's financial information, I'd be happy to share the agreement.
We're not interested in the agreement.
Oh.
Have you had any more recent contact? Within the last 24 hours? Do you already know the answers to these questions? It would be best if you answered the question.
So, did you ever talk to anyone at work about your investigation? Keep a supervisor aware of how it was going? Not officially.
I mean, I'd tell Nora things until she moved out.
- Did you email? - Sure.
But, I mean, we were always really careful to keep our conversations in personal accounts.
Did you ever use your work computer to access your personal email? Sometimes.
It's not personal if you're doing it at work.
- What? - See California, Holmes vs.
P.
D.
C.
LLC.
You have no rights as a cog in the corporate machine.
They can capture your keystrokes.
They can read your personal emails if it's done using a company computer.
We could never figure out how they knew we were a couple.
That's the only way they could've known.
Yeah, they start digging around about Selex and they end up finding that out.
Who do you know in your I.
T.
department? That would be Tony.
Can you trust him? Yeah.
Actually, I think he had a little crush on me.
Ah, that's helpful.
How did that work out? Hey, hey, Tony, Tony, thanks for talking to us.
- Are you a lawyer? - No.
But the lawyers thought my gentle and tech-savvy voice might put you at ease.
How's it hanging? I'm here too, Tony.
Hi, Rach.
We gotta make this quick.
They wouldn't want me talking to you.
Uh, Tony, hi.
My name is Kate Reed.
And, uh, we are calling you because we believe that R.
T.
N.
has hacked into some of the employees' personal email accounts.
No one else in the office knows how to do that sort of thing.
You really should talking to someone else.
I should go Okay, hold on a second.
You know, Rachel and Nora got fired because somebody in management found out that they were a couple, and, look, she just wants to understand how that happened.
Uh, yeah.
Um, you know, it's just I'll get in trouble if I talk about anything.
Okay, what do I have to do to get this guy to talk? Should I, like, flirt with him or talk dirty? I mean, what is it? I mean, "A," you could just try respecting him, like a human being.
And "B," that is not mute.
You pressed five.
Sorry, Tony.
- It's cool.
- Okay, look I'm just gonna be completely honest with you.
This is not just about someone's personal information being read.
We think that management might be trying to kill one of Rachel's stories, and if there is anything that you know about that, you would be like R2-D2.
That's pandering and dated.
You'd be like Bishop in Aliens.
That's not any better.
Are you guys talking about Selex? Uh, yes we are.
What do you know about it? Before you left, they made me search for any documents containing the word.
They told me to look in any email accounts - accessed from work.
- I knew it.
Who's Erin Brocko-nuts now, sucka? Who told you to do it, Tony? Jerry from legal.
Uh, Tony, can you trace that email from Jerry back to its root? I'll take a look.
Give me a few minutes and I'll call ya back.
Hey, Rachel, pick up.
Oh, there's a phone right there.
Yeah? Is that girl Kate single? She sounds hot.
Um, you know what? It's, uh, it's kinda complicated.
So you're single? Well, I am divorced.
- Oh.
- Mm-hmm.
So you've been to the real dark place.
Splitting up was hard.
You know, we definitely, um, Had some dark moments.
Nora and I, we We were crazy in love.
It's hard to imagine now, but she broke my heart.
You still see him ever, your ex? Sometimes.
That's Tony, line one.
Tony, Tony, you are on speakerphone.
Thank you.
Mmhmm.
There is a root.
Someone tried to erase the trail for sure, but I can trace the request to search Rachel's accounts all the way up through senior management.
Here's where it came in the front door.
A one line email to Jerry, "please do what we discussed.
" Who's it from, Tony? - Was it Paul Kaplan? - No.
Aaron Davidson.
Hello? D.
A.
Davidson? So, I dug pretty deep.
There's no money trail between Davidson and Paul Kaplan.
And there's no ties to Selex either.
But there has to be a connection.
Davidson killed the story.
Yeah, but Davidson's too smart to get tagged.
That email's only incriminating if you know what he's referring to.
I'll keep digging.
Yeah.
Or you could just go ask him.
Oh, Mr.
D.
A.
Why, Kate Reed, the good wife.
Oh, suck it, Aaron.
You know what? You have scared people so much about crime in this city that they might actually be too scared to come out and vote.
Oh, I think they'll be too scared not to, if you look at the alternative.
Hey, you know what? Who's gonna handle cases whenever you're just so busy paying back favors from all the people who helped get you elected? The voters elect me, kiddo.
Uhhuh, well the voters didn't get a crazy, awesome deal on 200 acres of condemned property from the city.
How many people did you help get evicted to sell that land? Oh, Aaron, how much are Kaplan and Selex paying you, huh? If you think I broke any rules, why don't you get your established, blue-chip firm of Bitch & Bitch to come after me, huh? You can call your ex-husband to the stand as an expert witness.
He's gonna need a job.
Yeah, she doesn't work for Bitch & Bitch anymore.
It's Bitch, Bitch, and Jackass now.
I've taken you once, Aaron.
I'll take you again.
Bad news.
I'm afraid my attempt to request a tax return set off some alarms.
He was never just gonna release a document that proves his guilt.
Give me some credit for not being obvious.
I have my methods.
Which I'm hoping you won't choose to disclose and incriminate the rest of us.
Kaplan knows that Reed & Reed is behind this.
He's ruthless and he's coming on the offensive.
So if any of you have any skeletons in your closet, now might be the time to bury them.
I have a question.
- Why would we believe you? - She has a point.
Well, let's suss out my motives.
I have no stake in your firm, so your success or failure means nothing to me.
- Mm.
- I have no faith in the truth.
And justice can be bought, so helping your client tell her story has no pull.
I have no rational reason to help you people.
So what does that leave behind? It leaves you, Lauren.
- Wow.
- Right? Kaplan's flying into town for the night.
He's gonna be staying at my place downtown.
Oh, he's staying with you? - Oh, it's a big place.
- It's a hotel.
So I've set up a face-to-face meeting so we can put all this behind us.
Lauren.
Uh, please don't.
I'm not giving up.
- Wish you would.
- Do you? Hey.
Hey.
Right, thanks for checking in, Kate Okay, no, no, no, no, no, no, wait, wait.
Wait.
Are you smelling burnt toast or tasting pennies? 'Cause I'm not quite sure what's going on here.
Oh, uh, Rachel called me.
She met the source, a guy named Glen Graham who works at the city contracts office, I guess when the whole thing went down.
Anyway, I'm gonna follow up.
I'll, um I'll be in touch.
Oh, okay, bye.
Bye! Bye.
Looks beautiful, I'm so touched.
Did the bureau pick it out itself? It'll turn on when you wear it, records up to 12 hours.
You're doing the right thing.
We'll be in touch.
Yeah, Tony, what's up? Mm-hmm.
When did that come through? Okay, thanks, you're awesome.
All right.
What are you doing in there? Trying to imagine what it's like to be Kate Reed.
Please tell me you're wearing pants.
Gotta ask you a question, why are you letting this happen? What happen? I love Justin.
He's a great guy.
But Kate's just getting swept back into this whole thing.
She's just floating along with everything.
Kate doesn't float along with anything.
She does now.
She needs a paddle.
You're the paddle, dude.
Why aren't you doing something? It's not a sprint, Leo.
It's a marathon.
It's not a metaphor, Ben.
It's a life.
Holy crap.
What? Where is she? Are you looking for Glen Graham? Okay, seriously, you have got to stop popping up everywhere like this.
Glen Graham isn't a new source.
He's the drummer for Blind Melon.
I saw the album on your desk.
You made the whole thing up for Archer to hear, - to test him.
- You got me.
And I'm guessing it's the same name that Tony called you back with, because somehow the network got that name and were told to look for more files.
Ah, you are smarter than you look.
Low expectations are the key to happiness.
Why would Archer tell anyone that name? - Is he working with Kaplan? - Hm.
Why is he gunning for Reed & Reed? Well, I'll let you know.
Excuse me.
Excuse me, excuse me.
Robin! Kate, what are you doing here? Mm, you first.
Look, good news and bad.
I caught Kaplan before he was leaving.
He's backing off Reed & Reed.
He won't be bothering you again.
Oh, that's fantastic.
And what's the, uh, bad news? Well, not so much bad as boring really.
Uhhuh.
Cost me a lot of money to make this go away.
My hero.
Well, time to ride off into the sunset, I suppose.
Hmm, I don't think you met with Kaplan.
- Really? - Yeah.
Why's that? Well, he just has no reason to negotiate.
I mean, the story's dead.
He's made his money.
So it just doesn't make any sense.
Well, perhaps he doesn't think the same way as you.
Oh, wow, you're Kaplan.
The mysterious man that no one could seem to find but you.
And then you just ride on in and save the day.
It's a great story.
Not quite enough there to connect up all the dots, I'm afraid.
Okay, all right, let's see here.
Um, Kaplan is your bad side.
Selex does all your dirty work.
And then you compete with them just enough to throw everybody else off.
You know what? It is kind of brilliant there, redcoat.
I would be flattered if you weren't insane.
No, seriously, if I was Kaplan, why would I go to all this trouble to help you? Why would I risk exposing anything? Oh, well, you said it yourself.
You have no rational reason to do this, "except for you, Lauren.
" Oh, you think I did all this to prove to her I can be a good man? Maybe you had to prove it to yourself first.
Of course.
Well, next time Paul Kaplan's in town, why don't we all go out together? You can tell him your theory.
I want you to kill Kaplan.
I want those corporate tax returns.
Selex is done.
People who underestimate me seem to lose, Mr.
Archer.
I'll prove my insane theory.
I never give up.
No, I don't imagine you do.
Have a nice day.
Hey.
You ditched me.
Get used to it.
Taxi.
Shh, this is a short building, so shut up.
This flash drive contains copies of all the documents you had erased from the R.
T.
N.
servers, as well as the corporate tax return for Selex showing the big gift they got back from the city.
I'm assuming the people you took this from don't know you have it yet.
Oh, well, if you're talking about Paul Kaplan, he gave this to me himself.
That's crazy, right? Because I'm sure you've never even met the man.
The ladybug's for good luck.
- Going up? - Definitely not.
It's perfect.
You're gonna love it.
Keep walking.
Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah, keep going.
- Okay.
- Keep going, keep going.
Okay, wait, wait, wait.
- Are you ready? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Are you sure? - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Okay, here we go Wait, wait, wait.
Okay.
Tada.
Right? Your place? - Oh, come on.
- No, no, no.
Okay, wait, here me out, okay? We start by gutting it.
Whatever bachelor lived here before, he had great taste, but it can use your touch.
Trying to find another place is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
It's a needle in a haystack.
It is, right? Wait.
And there's this.
It's a housewarming gift.
Oh, Justin.
Here we go.
Oh, God, what? Nothing, I just know you, that's all.
Look, this is the, uh Right needle, wrong haystack.
I've been fighting this feeling Oh, don't, Kate - And I keep hoping that - Don't do this.
- This is gonna feel right - It does feel right.
- Again, but - We're not who we used to be.
- Don't do this.
- Listen to me.
I know you think that I'm running away Yeah, because you are.
I knew you were gonna get scared.
I'm not scared.
Justin I know we're good for each other.
But I don't we're meant to be together.
- How can you know that? - Because You take a risk, Kate, you jump in.
I know, because we did.
And we keeping doing that.
And I know you think I'm running away, but I'm not.
If anything, for the first time in my life, I'm actually I'm running towards something.
Yeah, or towards someone? No.
Maybe.
Me.
If you walk out that door, Kate, that is it, okay? It is over.
- I'm sorry.
- Mm-hmm.
I am.
And I really do love you.
Goodbye.
Yeah? What are you talk Now? The fact of the matter is, we all reach a point in our careers where we realize that we've achieved what we set out to do.
And it's time to change priorities, which is why I've decided to withdraw from the race, spend more time with my family.
I wanna thank Hey.
This, uh, this came for you.
Hey.
Hey.
You and Justin find a place? Um, we, uh Well, I I found my own place.
Ah.
You know, my daddy always said, "if you're lonely, get to know yourself.
" Wow.
Yeah, that sounds That sounds kinda dirty.
- I like it.
- Nope.
It was definitely not dirty.
That's just how you hear everything.
Mm.
Uh, you, um Do you Do you have a date? Uh, I, uh I don't know.
Maybe.
He's not a good guy, Lauren.
People change.
Him or you? I thought you might not come.
Here I am.
- Come this way madam.
- Mm.
June 15, 2012 Hey neighbor.