Billions (2016) s03e08 Episode Script
All the Wilburys
Previously on Billions Your son.
The gay one.
You sent him to that religious boot camp to pray the gay away.
Sweeney quit.
Out of the race before it even began, on the heels of your visit.
Jack.
Will you make me governor? His unwillingness to lie His great, big, sweet heart.
I can use them.
- Ahh.
- Ahh.
Oldest trick in the book.
And if I grant this request There is nothing you can ask me that I'll refuse you for the rest of our days.
We're dismissing the indictment.
Are you out of danger, too.
That I am.
Now, Mr.
Connerty, as the Axelrod matter is done, you are free to go back to the barn.
Go back to Southern? Be good to have you back, Bryan.
I really wanted to put on a show for you tonight.
It felt like we should I felt like I was actually floating This morning when I went running.
Who the hell am I to actually even go for a morning run? While I was sleeping in! You were sleeping like a bear cub when I left.
I was.
Well, the sleep of the free.
Now, prepare yourself.
I have something very special planned.
And you have earned it.
In every way.
Mm.
I have, indeed.
I was very good at being bad.
And you are about to pay for all of it.
I hope that's a promise.
And now address me as mistress, if you address me at all.
Yes, Mistress.
They left me no choice.
Said they were going to destroy my business, my life.
I don't think we used those words, exactly.
Fuck it, Jack.
She got the message, as we intended.
People usually do.
It's like we have a gift.
Enough.
Enough.
Get to it.
Whatever the fuck it is.
I'm sorry.
I'm leaving, too.
No.
Stay a while.
Get comfortable, "Mistress.
" Why don't you take that coat off, 'ey? It's hot in here Don't you dare talk to her like that.
Just trying to lighten the mood, sonny.
No.
You're not.
You're gloating.
It's nothing so arch as that.
This is, um this is an object lesson.
And as you know, people learn much better when heightened emotions accompany the instruction.
It's time to put away childish enthusiasms.
Now, what you do at home, it's your business.
But this, with a third party, who we just showed could be compromised a candidate for governor simply cannot do it.
You didn't do this so we would have cellular memory.
No.
No.
You did it 'cause it's your kink.
Oh, you think we give into our appetites as easily as you do yours? Careful, Black Jack.
She might give ya a crack across the ass.
Get to it.
Time is now, Chuck.
You need to start raising money.
Staffing up.
So we have arranged for you to meet with Joe Scolari, our man in Albany.
He will be running your organization.
All of this will make our plans quite public.
And a sitting United States Attorney cannot be seen to be coveting higher public office.
That's why you need to resign as United States Attorney.
Hmm? Right away.
To announce your intention to run.
I'm not saying you can't run.
I've been listening for three hours.
And that's an awful lot what it sounds like.
I'm saying you can't run like this.
If you want to be governor, that's what I want, too.
But only if you could do it as you want.
Not as those two old men want.
And right now they're setting this thing up to operate you like a puppet.
Mm-hmm.
That's what's bothering you? What else? Guilt, Wendy.
We had a narrow escape.
Or we seemed to for a fleeting moment.
And seeing those two 'old men' shook you.
Made you feel exposed again.
It might've.
- The things we did - Had to do.
Had to do.
But yes, of course.
Blood will have blood.
Maybe this is the time to step back and deal with that instead of charging ahead No, ma'am.
The only way is to swallow that guilt and move forward.
Otherwise that guilt will swallow us.
And with the governorship, we can do enough good, for enough people Not if you're enacting Jack Foley's agenda of favor trading and patronage.
He's setting you up to be his lapdog.
He just showed us he will snap that leash whenever he feels like it.
I won't live that way.
I got to get the kids going.
But hear this: if you're moving forward, you gotta reverse the power dynamic.
Not easy.
No.
But Foley's hurt a lot of people.
Find one.
Use one.
Get back on top.
Good news people, thanks to our strategy coming into focus over the past few weeks, the main fund is up.
As our friend Wags might say: up like his morning wood.
Yes! Up like his blood pressure on Cialis Amen! Up like the Bo-bby! Bo-bby! Bo-bby! Axe! Axe! Axe! Axe! Axe! Yeah! Yeah! Welcome back.
Thanks, buddy.
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done Get down from there.
First.
Let's all tip our hats to Taylor, who outperformed the benchmarks by a half point in my absence.
No mean feat But, I'm not gonna waste time now that I got the con back.
I have been thinking about this moment since the second I gave up trading: Clear the board.
Unwind all current positions.
We will rebuild a new book.
All new positions will be run through me.
Oww! Taylor, frag the quant experiment too.
But, Axe, we've made some good plays lately and some of them are ready to pay out.
This is true.
Guys, I hear you.
All the same: fresh start.
And all is right with the world again You know what The Beatles did when they got back to England after their first whirlwind tour of America? I imagine they all went to their doctor and got a shot of penicillin in their dicks.
Yeah.
Sure.
But after that They recorded their next album.
That they did.
One every six months, in fact.
So instead of basking in their victory, they consolidated it.
They were young.
And there was only upside in pressing their advantage.
There is always only upside in pressing your advantage.
That's the whole point of having an advantage to press.
Which we finally do.
So we're getting out our selling shoes? Going on a raise.
We're doing a massive cap raise.
And quickly.
Twenty bill within six months.
But we position ourselves as the buyer.
We make them beg us to take their money.
Just like we did back in 2015.
This isn't then.
That's not a very Wendy thing to say - But accurate.
- Look.
This will be good for all of us.
Especially you, Taylor.
You've never been on a raise.
This is the other half of the job.
And the results that we've generated are the seeds.
And the horseshit we will spew is the fertilizer.
Horseshit works.
But it doesn't get rid of the weeds.
By which you mean our recent history.
Our legal troubles.
All of which are in the past.
I'm saying if I were on the other side of the table, I'd have questions.
And reservations.
Where's the rah rah shit to counter this? I'm not sure that's what's required.
Taylor, when you come with us, you will see that this man parries those questions like Charles Van Doren.
Van Doren was fed the answers.
But he got the money.
As will we.
And that's all that matters.
I'll get you the old pitch books.
You can work from there on new stuff.
You okay? Mostly.
Not really.
I think I need to use your guys to deal with something.
- Can you tell me why? - If you need me to, I will.
But I'd prefer to keep it to myself.
It involves family.
Yes.
Absolutely.
I'll get them to give what you need.
But it's not 'them' anymore.
Hall's back.
Hi.
Have to go.
You're in here now.
So, you don't have server access yet.
Your authorization's underway.
What am I supposed to do? Await instructions.
Chuck will be with you shortly.
I love owning the Flemish school, but it is tough to hang in a PoMo townhouse.
My wife says the Dutch Masters don't go with the De Sede couch.
She's young.
She is indeed Look, Bobby, now that we're together, let me congratulate you in person.
I hope you got the bottle of Armand De Brignac.
I did.
Thanks.
I always knew you were falsely charged.
I hope you know I was doing everything I could from the inside.
Of course.
I felt you.
Score one for the good guys.
Yeah.
Well.
- Hmm.
- So, get to it.
Well, you know I'm committed to my government post.
The sense of service.
The good I'm doing for the country as the Secretary of the Treasury We're all sleeping a lot better knowing you're watching over the markets But, I do like to keep an eye peeled for opportunities.
In this case? Natural gas.
You know regulation has been strangling the sector.
You know something different? I know many, many things thanks to my proximity to the FERC.
But what I need is someone who can act on the information.
Todd, I would never trade on privileged, non-public information.
And I hope whatever audio or video recording devices running in here right now have me saying that loud and clear.
You've got it wrong.
Do I? Look, I just got out of the government's fucking web.
I'm not walking back into it thanks to you.
I knew you'd be reluctant to trust me.
That you would need some sort of proof of my intent.
Security Bank of Grand Cayman.
This is the bank one of them where I still have my offshore accounts.
DC doesn't know about it, of course.
Nor do they know that I'm telling you that the EPA is about to rescind a certain regulation that will prop up the entire natural gas space.
Hmm? I'll give you the details.
Take the account information and give me my piece in crypto.
I'll see you soon, Bobby.
Kate, can you at least tell me when Chuck's gonna see me? The success of your campaign is of the utmost importance to us We will steer personnel.
The hiring of: a campaign manager, a head of comms, a body person Do I have any say in this? The success of your campaign is of the utmost importance I can see how effective that must be.
But before you go on, let me say that I'm ready to follow your collective lead.
I'm willing not merely to stoop to conquer, I will breaststroke through offal to do it.
Good.
So to get things started, you'll announce from an event at your home in the next few days.
Trot the wife and kids out in front of the cameras.
And time it with your resignation.
So, you say I'm looking good downstate.
- Mm-hmm.
- And the rest? Well, Bob Sweeney, in Buffalo.
I know you two have had your problems capped off by that wicked J-Block you put on him.
That a political term? Roller derby.
I was a fan growing up.
Big, strong women in fishnets, you know? Oh, I do.
Yeah.
Anyway you need Buffalo now, which means you need Bob Sweeney.
You need to make it right, bring him into the fold.
You think Foley could help grease the skids with him - for me? - Nah.
Foley tossed Sweeney aside when you became favorite son and he feels burned.
That's gonna be on you For you.
You'll look good in it up in Hudson on weekends.
It's not for sale.
Oh, everything's for sale.
- I'm not that easy to buy off.
- I'm not trying to.
I just thought you could use a little love.
You did a lot of good work under tough conditions.
This is not about ego.
It's about acting rationally.
Logically.
Like my quant project, for instance.
I'd really like to keep them on until Broom them, like I told you.
You cleared the entirety of our positions our successful, money-making positions right before asking people to trust you with outside money.
Won't that look like erratic behavior? No, it'll look like we're putting our best foot forward.
And you're getting paid, so you shouldn't worry about it.
Forget the car.
I want my own book.
A billion dollars.
To manage, unencumbered.
You took your ball back.
Give me something of my own.
Fine.
Done So you don't want the car? Let's go.
No.
I'll take that, too.
Thank you for seeing me, Mayor Sweeney.
What now, Chuck? You already turned me into political roadkill.
You here to back over me now? Not like that.
I'm here to move forward.
To salve the wounds of the past.
You want my support now.
Of course.
Timing makes sense.
Well, know this: since Foley turned away from me, my future has dimmed.
I'm a crippled mayor with no route upward.
Let me do for you then.
All right? First: this.
Your son's confessional, about how you mistreated him.
It's my only copy.
It was wrong of me to have played it in the first place.
Good.
As they say on the game shows: But that's not all.
I will revive your fortunes.
Your opponent in the next election? He's about to find himself under indictment.
By my office.
You'd do that for me? In exchange for some help with Jack Foley.
Really? His thumb pressing down on me like I'm an insect I don't like it.
It's a ballsy move, Chuck.
Well, there is no move unless you have something for me.
You know him better than I do.
You have to keep me out of this.
I may not have his friendship anymore, but I definitely don't need him as an enemy.
Nothing will stick to you.
On the square? From one traveling man to another.
I got The Beatles on my mind again.
Because he's about to become Pete Best? I was thinking more of another one.
Phew.
I felt so charged with Axe Cap-thusiasm after yesterday's meeting that I wrote a check to the foundation for 4k.
I trust that Ayles will put that thing to good use.
He will.
Though, in truth, you might've saved it for gas money.
Hah.
If I stressed about gas money, I'd've never gotten the car in the first place Uh, I sense a disturbance in the force.
Do you know whose life has always amazed me, Spyros? George Harrison's.
Ah, that Beatle.
Yes.
Because Harrison wasn't only a Beatle.
He was also a Traveling Wilbury.
And it was no mean feat to be a Wilbury.
Legends only need apply.
Dylan and Petty used to make a game of it, in fact.
They used to throw a name out there, and decide, in an instant, if that person was or was not a Wilbury.
It required some ineffable combination of wit, cool, and credibility.
Like Jack Nicholson, for example.
Wilbury.
Richard Dreyfuss - Great actor - But not a Wilbury.
And you Spyros.
It has become clear.
Are not a Wilbury.
But I am! I am a Wilbury.
I can prove it to you.
I You're fired.
You're firing me? I just did.
It happened.
I said the words.
Long time coming.
But that Wendy thing worked out.
- So there's no reason - Nothing you can say or do.
You might have done your job, but you have failed to provide additional value.
And you've ostracized the entire company.
I'll prove it to you.
I-I-I do have value.
I-I am a Wilbury.
I'm all the Wilburys put together.
I feel five years younger.
Oh, I've been having wet dreams about this moment.
- Bill.
- Yeah? - We've had our issues - Mm but I have a play, virgin Intel.
Your kind of thing.
Nah.
Real shame.
I only talk ideas with current employees of Axe Capital.
This is the Clarence Beeks shit, but I guess you don't want to hear about it.
The coffee gear is company-owned.
Make sure he leaves that behind.
Whoo! Buh-bye! I'll take it from here.
You have thirty seconds.
I can still access a list of all the public companies being investigated by the SEC, but have not disclosed the investigation to their shareholders.
With your special brand of knowledge, you can determine which of these inquiries have teeth and which are bullshit.
You can short the companies that you think will go down when the investigations come to light And go long on those that get dinged by the bad press from being looked into, and shoot up when they're ultimately cleared.
Right Said Fred.
Okay.
I like what I hear.
Other than that Right Said Fred bullshit.
Hey, team.
Tough news.
Gonna need you to back it up and shut it down.
Take down the paper on the windows before you go Lara.
- Hey.
What's up, Gord? - Hi, Dad.
I'm taking him to the dentist, but I had to come by to straighten something out.
Oh? What's that? This 2 and 20 fee charge has got to be some sort of clerical error, Bobby.
No error.
It's no longer my money.
The fees go to Axe Cap's hard-working employees who ensure your returns.
Seriously? If I'm paying retail I may as well yank it out and spread it around Calm down.
Gord, hang here a sec.
Lara, with me Look, you can move your money if you want.
But if you want me to manage it, this is the cost.
Didn't you read the agreement? Didn't Birch read it? Gordie! Hi, Aunt Wendy.
Hey.
What's going on? Mom and Dad are having a smackdown.
Smackdown? What Mom calls a fight.
Hmm.
Sit, sweetie.
After all the nice talk, this is the truth of it: you're pissed and you're being vindictive, that I got half your money.
I may be vindictive, but it's not over that.
You threatened to take my kids across the country while I rotted in jail I was trying to look out for them.
This is something we don't come back from.
Instead of focusing on what fees you're paying, I suggest you focus on the money you're making.
How you'll spend it.
What your life will be like going forward.
Because that's what I'm doing.
So they say to us: it's not your fault, it's something that happened between Mommy and Daddy.
- That's right.
- I know.
But Dean and I didn't even think it was our fault until they started saying that Hmm.
The thing you need to understand is: you are not your parents.
- You are - Who the hell gave you permission to talk to my son.
Gordie! Wait outside.
You should listen to your mother.
Go, sweetie.
Thanks, Aunt Wendy.
Don't call her that.
She is not family! The men in my life don't need any more of your fucking advice.
I think you might be in a place where you can't even recognize when someone is trying to help.
No.
I can recognize your intention.
But when I look at Bobby, it's the results that seem all fucked up to me.
I bet you don't even cheat at that, do you? - Never saw the point.
- Sure.
Yeah, what do they say: You'd only be cheating yourself.
Doesn't matter, boss.
If you show me a move or two to gain advantage, I'll try 'em.
Well, that's new! Open to change.
Good.
Come on, let's get you an office befitting.
- Thank you.
- Mm.
I-I thought you were sending me to Siberia.
There's no need to worry about any of that.
About hard feelings or retribution.
No, you did everything exactly the way I taught you.
Investigated the case fully, followed where it led, and refused to be cowed by power.
That's more than admirable.
It's heroic.
I had the best teacher.
You.
Thanks for seeing it this way.
I worried maybe you'd hold a grudge Grudge? Nossir.
No.
No, you said it yourself.
None of this is personal.
- Hm.
- Yeah, Bryan.
You learned every lesson I had to teach.
Except the one that matters most.
You didn't win.
Didn't finish me off.
No, I'm still standing here in the best job there is because I can do what I want, when I want, how I want.
Oh, I am bad, bad Leroy Brown.
Baddest man in the whole damn town.
- Just wait a second - You breached my threshold and threatened me, threatened my wife, the mother of my children.
How could you think there's a universe where you would survive that? Oh, Bryan.
You are many things.
A man.
A boy.
A lawyer.
A fighter.
A student of the dark side of humanity.
And a lover of jurisprudence.
But there's one thing you're certainly not.
An Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Drop your credentials at the guard's desk.
And GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! Here endeth the lesson.
You told me to clear the positions.
I didn't just clear twenty-five percent of them.
You told me to broom the quants.
I didn't just get rid of a quarter of them.
I told you you'd get the billion.
I didn't tell you when.
You are CIO.
It's an advisory role.
So some oversight is necessary.
You're going to oversee my investments? Call them suggestions.
And I'd like yours on buying a basket of natural gas names and pipeline companies.
Then my suggestion is: don't.
Regulations are too unpredictable and are hampering the industry.
What do you know about upcoming announcements that might mitigate that? I don't know anything.
Because I don't work in the government.
But you know something.
About a coming ruling.
From inside? Why don't you make the play, jumpstart your new book.
Keep it.
I'll come up with my own.
Suit yourself.
You can lead a horse to natural gas but you can't make it invest.
I question why you're making this kind of move.
Not based on analysis, but rather on unsubstantiated information.
Is it because of the raise? Wanting to look prescient? It's about the future of Axe Capital, making it what it's supposed to be.
What's that? Unassailable.
Untouchable.
Unbreakable.
An institution that's TBTF-W too big to fuck with.
Do you know how you sound? Yeah.
Certain.
I would be looking at Telemarket.
I met their chairman once, and he was very sweaty.
There's something guilty there.
No.
Guy who gets that sweaty talking to the SEC is not guilty.
He's neurotic.
And a loser.
But not a cheat.
It's like you have a seventh sense for the dark side.
Sixth sense? I try to avoid cliché.
Don't worry.
I'll manage the caterers.
I'll send them over when you're at your "work.
" You say work as though it's a sin.
So tomorrow we are gonna get this horse into the goddamned race.
I'm so glad, you're back from your trip, Ellen.
And will be able to be here for it.
I told her that she'd seen enough of the world and I'd had enough nights alone.
It was time for her to be back where she belongs.
Well, uh, Dad, why don't you finalize those invitations, yeah? - Good.
- All right.
I got to be somewhere, so Those are the certs on the 4140, the high strength-low alloy, and the nickel chromium.
And here is your rightful compensation.
Take him.
Let's talk about next month's chromium vanadium.
Your stuff's not bad.
Well, it's gonna look much better after you're done with it.
NYPD.
Keep your hands where I can see them.
Cuff him.
Get him out of here.
- Wait, wait, wait.
- Keep your hands - where I can see them! - Hey! Quiet.
What the fuck is going on? Jack? Jack! Okay.
You can stop recording.
Did you set this up, Jack?! - Sir.
- Give him the space, boys.
Chuck.
No.
Yes, Jack.
Looks like you just got your manhood caught in a tiger trap I know that you have built a good chunk of your fortune on cheap steel deals.
It's a helluva scheme.
I admire its grift and effectiveness.
You import the sub-par goods, get your man at the ratings agency to mark it high grade, sell it into state-run projects at top dollar.
The problem is: it's not only illegal, it's fucking dangerous, and someone is gonna get hurt.
Imagine what people would say if they learned that the new bridges and rails they ride on were built of inferior stuff.
And if they had cause to look back through your past municipal works, well the fallout from that in terms of liability could bankrupt an Astor.
What are you doing Hmm? Just what are you doing? You know, it's a good thing that this is my operation, and I alone have the discretion to move forward in processing and prosecuting the felons involved Or I can take a more tempered approach.
Now's certainly not the time for hasty decisions.
No.
No, it's not.
But now is the time to set new terms.
Things will be different moving forward.
I will take your counsel but that's all it will be.
I will make the decisions.
You and your people work for me.
Is that clear? Clear as Catskills spring water Damned impressive, Chuck.
It was frightening as hell for a moment there.
But, uh, it was damned impressive.
Downright gubernatorial Did it go well? Well, as well as it could've, operationally.
It never feels good doing that to a man.
Even a man like Foley.
I need a Silkwood shower right about now.
It'll have to wait.
You have a visitor.
Judge.
Wonderful to see you.
Last time I was here pretty momentous.
I thought we were never to talk of it.
We're gonna talk about everything.
Where are we starting? With bracing honesty.
Because with all that's passed between us.
I see no reason to beat about the bush.
Begin.
Right here, in this house, you put me on a path that leads to the Supreme Court.
Well, it's not exactly a straight and easy one.
There's turns and twists and highwaymen hiding in the bushes who might jump you at any time.
I agree.
The path is treacherous.
Which is why I need you to guide me.
As I have and will continue to do.
From your current perch, yes.
But if you leave office, to go after another, my flank is unprotected.
I will give you all the support and assistance you need from Albany.
Not good enough, I'm afraid.
I see.
I'm here to ask you to honor your promise to me: that there was no favor you'd refuse.
Well, you will have to state the favor, directly.
I need you to stay U.
S.
Attorney.
Ah, man.
I've set my sights on governor.
I have bled for this caper.
There must be another way to help you get over.
There isn't.
If you're gone, AG Jeffcoat will appoint someone new, someone who won't give a shit about me.
Or the kinds of cases I need.
Or worse, back another judge and bury me in garbage.
I can't let you go.
I understand it isn't convenient for you, but it wasn't convenient for me to help you either The shit I have done to position myself for this Among those things: your oath to me.
I'm gonna need the night before I can give you an answer.
I imagine you do.
Each time I'm here, I'm more and more impressed with the warmth of your home and the life you've built.
It speaks to your character.
You are considering it.
It seemed the least that I could do.
But I'm gonna tell him no.
I mean, I've committed I've committed too much thought and energy to this governor thing.
What about passion? Excitement.
What about fire? I see those things on your face every day you go to work at Southern.
I always have.
It's one of the things I love about you.
No matter how difficult the situation, how fucked it seems you are, you relish the fight.
As long as there's any game left, you play it 'til the very end.
Full out.
And why wouldn't that be the case with the governorship? Politics is a different kind of fight.
It's about consensus building and concession granting and hand wringing and ass kissing.
But in your job now, you are a king.
You engage the battles you choose.
In the manner you choose.
You decide what's right and what's wrong.
With no one to appease.
Well, you're forgetting Jock Jeffcoat.
He's a more powerful king, for the moment.
You've deposed his kind before.
Look what you just did to Jack Foley.
And can do again.
You don't want to be in politics, you want to be beyond politics.
I am all in for you, Chuck.
But I can't turn off the part of me that does the job I do.
And looking at you, I see someone who knows that one of those things makes them feel truly alive.
And that the other is gonna feel like an obligation.
I figured it'd last The feeling of exhilaration? Of winning.
Last longer than a day.
Did you even get a full day? The initial jolt when it all worked out and the judge gaveled it that was pretty good.
Felt like I was doing 220 miles an hour on a dirt bike in Moab and skidded to a stop just before the cliff.
But then it ended and there was nothing.
So no.
You know, I thought that a battle of the kind that we just fought could truly be won.
I beat the case.
I'm back here trading.
I'll be around for my boys - We need to talk about Gordie - We do.
There's residual damage.
He's part of it.
Can that ever be undone? No.
We're all scarred.
Yeah.
I thought scar tissue was supposed to be stronger.
That's actually medically untrue, it's just rougher.
Well, I liked it better the other way.
Yeah.
Well.
Sure.
Me too.
Then what do you got for me? I can't help but feel that whatever advice I offer you, or Chuck for that matter, now, is colored by what we've all been through and done.
It's less pure.
As am I.
Because of Mafee? For one.
I set him up really good.
Got his loyalty going for as long as I needed it.
Look, give yourself a pass on that.
It barely registers as bad, the world I come from.
I'm not sure I can.
Okay.
Let me give you some advice for a change.
Maybe I'll take it too: you can sit here killing yourself if you want, but when you do something to put yourself back in charge, remind yourself that you are not less, but more powerful for what you've come through that's when you'll feel better.
What the fuck is he doing here? We busted a cap in his ass, we didn't just give him the day off.
I know, I know.
And I can't believe I'm fucking doing this, but I may have been a bit hasty in the personal insult and car wrecking departments Ya think, Rickles? You called him a pants shitter on the trading floor.
Explain.
I have to tell you that Spyros here has shared a unique investment strategy with me.
One that is proprietary.
Based on his prior work experience.
Are you understanding this gibberish? Yeah, I may be.
And this strategy, you believe it'll pay off? I do.
If we carefully implement it, it can remove certain doubt, endemic to the market.
Is this a renewable source? As long as we don't 'open our proverbial overcoats' and 'flash our junk' at a particular three-lettered agency.
As long as we play it cool.
Right.
Alright, Spyros.
You may have provided additional value.
I'm gonna give you a second shot at Wilbury status.
"Handle me with care.
" Pound it out.
No.
Still not a fucking Wilbury.
Not even close.
Kids are being driven to the restaurant.
Good, I'll be leaving shortly when I finish up here.
So? I've thought about it, and, uh, I'm ready to give you a discount on the fees.
Discount? If you sign an agreement a seven year lock up.
- On the money.
- Mm-hmm.
1.
5 and 15.
It's not the discount you wanted which, by the way, I give to nobody.
But it's the best discount I give to anybody.
Oh.
I'm so moved, Bobby.
Oh, and one more thing: uh, the boys.
They're not going anywhere 'til college.
So a seven year lock up on our kids, too? Mm.
Fine.
I'll do it For one and ten.
Deal.
But you got to sign it right now.
In front of me.
Terms already drawn up, huh? I figured where we'd end up.
I'm sorry you had to see that.
I'm gonna need you to do something else for me Smile.
Excuse me.
Can I have your attention, please, folks, just for a moment or two? And I, uh I promise not to talk too long.
What a feeling it is when that doctor steps out of the birthing room to announce, "It's a boy!" Now, they had put you to sleep, honey, so I was the one who got to tell you, once you woke up.
We had a son.
And that day, I said it to you.
He will do great things.
You did.
Right as usual, Charles.
Well, today my boy has something pretty special to tell all of us.
And it's an honor to bring him up here.
Son, you tell the folks the good news.
Okay.
All right.
All right, Dad.
Thank you.
Thank you, Dad.
It is indeed a great honor to be standing here tonight.
And for the past several years, my mission has been justice.
And it is one that I have embraced with zeal.
I-I-I will confess it.
Now, someone asked me recently, why that was.
And the answer is: nothing makes me feel more like the best of myself than knowing that I have fought for those less fortunate, for those that have been bullied or beaten or bruised.
And this is why it is so crucial to me that the next governor of New York State be a man for whom these things take primacy, a man who can't sleep unless justice is always served, who will work tirelessly, day and night, for the people of New York.
Which is why I am thrilled and moved to announce that I will be throwing the full weight of my person behind the one man who can do the job, Buffalo Bob Sweeney! Thank you.
Thank you! - Thank you, Chuck.
- Sure.
Folks, I am, uh, determined to, uh, to represent not the special interests in this state, but the interests of every New Yorker.
- Dad - I now know the only way you could avoid stepping on your dick is if I'd made them cut it off in that birthing room.
Okay.
Jack You got the jump on me.
Fine.
But if you imagine this is the first time I've ever had to wrestle with my shoulders near the mat, you're gonna learn something very different.
We are the state of Eastman, Cooper, the Roosevelts, the state that still stands as a beacon of hope, of freedom, of equality for the entire world.
And together, we can bring prosperity back to the state.
Which is why I cannot wait to serve you as the next governor of the State of New York.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
You seeing this? "Gas stocks pop on EPA lift of regs"! This play is gonna be a wave we ride all the way to the beach.
When we sell our position, we got to cut Krakow his piece.
Big day especially in the natural gas space.
I guess your "hunch" came in.
It happens And you know what? Even though you didn't back my play, I'm gonna release another 100 million to you.
Thanks, I guess.
You heading out for the night? Soon.
After I finish up a few things.
You? Same here I'm out.
You coming? Not quite yet.
You know when I get on the treadmill at the gym, I got to stay on until the guy next to me gets off.
Go further, longer.
It's just the way I'm wired.
You go to a gym with other people in it? There was a time.
I'm not gonna make dinner.
Buy the kids every dessert in the place and take them home.
Sure.
Not a problem.
That was your dad, uh he got hung up at the office.
Would you like me to wait, just in case? No.
I think I can handle it It's actually good to see you back.
It's good to be back.
You shouldn't keep a hungry man waiting Wendy? The fuck?! She's not coming I'm sorry, that reservation's been canceled.
But I was supposed to meet him.
I'm sorry.
It's canceled.
Goddamnit.
Maybe take that robe off, 'ey? It's hot in here.
Is that supposed to be funny? If you're wondering how Chuck made his decision, how that final little feather settled and tipped the balance You?! The next time you want to ambush, threaten, humiliate, or otherwise fuck with me, you'd do well to remember who you're fucking with.
Enjoy your night alone.
The gay one.
You sent him to that religious boot camp to pray the gay away.
Sweeney quit.
Out of the race before it even began, on the heels of your visit.
Jack.
Will you make me governor? His unwillingness to lie His great, big, sweet heart.
I can use them.
- Ahh.
- Ahh.
Oldest trick in the book.
And if I grant this request There is nothing you can ask me that I'll refuse you for the rest of our days.
We're dismissing the indictment.
Are you out of danger, too.
That I am.
Now, Mr.
Connerty, as the Axelrod matter is done, you are free to go back to the barn.
Go back to Southern? Be good to have you back, Bryan.
I really wanted to put on a show for you tonight.
It felt like we should I felt like I was actually floating This morning when I went running.
Who the hell am I to actually even go for a morning run? While I was sleeping in! You were sleeping like a bear cub when I left.
I was.
Well, the sleep of the free.
Now, prepare yourself.
I have something very special planned.
And you have earned it.
In every way.
Mm.
I have, indeed.
I was very good at being bad.
And you are about to pay for all of it.
I hope that's a promise.
And now address me as mistress, if you address me at all.
Yes, Mistress.
They left me no choice.
Said they were going to destroy my business, my life.
I don't think we used those words, exactly.
Fuck it, Jack.
She got the message, as we intended.
People usually do.
It's like we have a gift.
Enough.
Enough.
Get to it.
Whatever the fuck it is.
I'm sorry.
I'm leaving, too.
No.
Stay a while.
Get comfortable, "Mistress.
" Why don't you take that coat off, 'ey? It's hot in here Don't you dare talk to her like that.
Just trying to lighten the mood, sonny.
No.
You're not.
You're gloating.
It's nothing so arch as that.
This is, um this is an object lesson.
And as you know, people learn much better when heightened emotions accompany the instruction.
It's time to put away childish enthusiasms.
Now, what you do at home, it's your business.
But this, with a third party, who we just showed could be compromised a candidate for governor simply cannot do it.
You didn't do this so we would have cellular memory.
No.
No.
You did it 'cause it's your kink.
Oh, you think we give into our appetites as easily as you do yours? Careful, Black Jack.
She might give ya a crack across the ass.
Get to it.
Time is now, Chuck.
You need to start raising money.
Staffing up.
So we have arranged for you to meet with Joe Scolari, our man in Albany.
He will be running your organization.
All of this will make our plans quite public.
And a sitting United States Attorney cannot be seen to be coveting higher public office.
That's why you need to resign as United States Attorney.
Hmm? Right away.
To announce your intention to run.
I'm not saying you can't run.
I've been listening for three hours.
And that's an awful lot what it sounds like.
I'm saying you can't run like this.
If you want to be governor, that's what I want, too.
But only if you could do it as you want.
Not as those two old men want.
And right now they're setting this thing up to operate you like a puppet.
Mm-hmm.
That's what's bothering you? What else? Guilt, Wendy.
We had a narrow escape.
Or we seemed to for a fleeting moment.
And seeing those two 'old men' shook you.
Made you feel exposed again.
It might've.
- The things we did - Had to do.
Had to do.
But yes, of course.
Blood will have blood.
Maybe this is the time to step back and deal with that instead of charging ahead No, ma'am.
The only way is to swallow that guilt and move forward.
Otherwise that guilt will swallow us.
And with the governorship, we can do enough good, for enough people Not if you're enacting Jack Foley's agenda of favor trading and patronage.
He's setting you up to be his lapdog.
He just showed us he will snap that leash whenever he feels like it.
I won't live that way.
I got to get the kids going.
But hear this: if you're moving forward, you gotta reverse the power dynamic.
Not easy.
No.
But Foley's hurt a lot of people.
Find one.
Use one.
Get back on top.
Good news people, thanks to our strategy coming into focus over the past few weeks, the main fund is up.
As our friend Wags might say: up like his morning wood.
Yes! Up like his blood pressure on Cialis Amen! Up like the Bo-bby! Bo-bby! Bo-bby! Axe! Axe! Axe! Axe! Axe! Yeah! Yeah! Welcome back.
Thanks, buddy.
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done Get down from there.
First.
Let's all tip our hats to Taylor, who outperformed the benchmarks by a half point in my absence.
No mean feat But, I'm not gonna waste time now that I got the con back.
I have been thinking about this moment since the second I gave up trading: Clear the board.
Unwind all current positions.
We will rebuild a new book.
All new positions will be run through me.
Oww! Taylor, frag the quant experiment too.
But, Axe, we've made some good plays lately and some of them are ready to pay out.
This is true.
Guys, I hear you.
All the same: fresh start.
And all is right with the world again You know what The Beatles did when they got back to England after their first whirlwind tour of America? I imagine they all went to their doctor and got a shot of penicillin in their dicks.
Yeah.
Sure.
But after that They recorded their next album.
That they did.
One every six months, in fact.
So instead of basking in their victory, they consolidated it.
They were young.
And there was only upside in pressing their advantage.
There is always only upside in pressing your advantage.
That's the whole point of having an advantage to press.
Which we finally do.
So we're getting out our selling shoes? Going on a raise.
We're doing a massive cap raise.
And quickly.
Twenty bill within six months.
But we position ourselves as the buyer.
We make them beg us to take their money.
Just like we did back in 2015.
This isn't then.
That's not a very Wendy thing to say - But accurate.
- Look.
This will be good for all of us.
Especially you, Taylor.
You've never been on a raise.
This is the other half of the job.
And the results that we've generated are the seeds.
And the horseshit we will spew is the fertilizer.
Horseshit works.
But it doesn't get rid of the weeds.
By which you mean our recent history.
Our legal troubles.
All of which are in the past.
I'm saying if I were on the other side of the table, I'd have questions.
And reservations.
Where's the rah rah shit to counter this? I'm not sure that's what's required.
Taylor, when you come with us, you will see that this man parries those questions like Charles Van Doren.
Van Doren was fed the answers.
But he got the money.
As will we.
And that's all that matters.
I'll get you the old pitch books.
You can work from there on new stuff.
You okay? Mostly.
Not really.
I think I need to use your guys to deal with something.
- Can you tell me why? - If you need me to, I will.
But I'd prefer to keep it to myself.
It involves family.
Yes.
Absolutely.
I'll get them to give what you need.
But it's not 'them' anymore.
Hall's back.
Hi.
Have to go.
You're in here now.
So, you don't have server access yet.
Your authorization's underway.
What am I supposed to do? Await instructions.
Chuck will be with you shortly.
I love owning the Flemish school, but it is tough to hang in a PoMo townhouse.
My wife says the Dutch Masters don't go with the De Sede couch.
She's young.
She is indeed Look, Bobby, now that we're together, let me congratulate you in person.
I hope you got the bottle of Armand De Brignac.
I did.
Thanks.
I always knew you were falsely charged.
I hope you know I was doing everything I could from the inside.
Of course.
I felt you.
Score one for the good guys.
Yeah.
Well.
- Hmm.
- So, get to it.
Well, you know I'm committed to my government post.
The sense of service.
The good I'm doing for the country as the Secretary of the Treasury We're all sleeping a lot better knowing you're watching over the markets But, I do like to keep an eye peeled for opportunities.
In this case? Natural gas.
You know regulation has been strangling the sector.
You know something different? I know many, many things thanks to my proximity to the FERC.
But what I need is someone who can act on the information.
Todd, I would never trade on privileged, non-public information.
And I hope whatever audio or video recording devices running in here right now have me saying that loud and clear.
You've got it wrong.
Do I? Look, I just got out of the government's fucking web.
I'm not walking back into it thanks to you.
I knew you'd be reluctant to trust me.
That you would need some sort of proof of my intent.
Security Bank of Grand Cayman.
This is the bank one of them where I still have my offshore accounts.
DC doesn't know about it, of course.
Nor do they know that I'm telling you that the EPA is about to rescind a certain regulation that will prop up the entire natural gas space.
Hmm? I'll give you the details.
Take the account information and give me my piece in crypto.
I'll see you soon, Bobby.
Kate, can you at least tell me when Chuck's gonna see me? The success of your campaign is of the utmost importance to us We will steer personnel.
The hiring of: a campaign manager, a head of comms, a body person Do I have any say in this? The success of your campaign is of the utmost importance I can see how effective that must be.
But before you go on, let me say that I'm ready to follow your collective lead.
I'm willing not merely to stoop to conquer, I will breaststroke through offal to do it.
Good.
So to get things started, you'll announce from an event at your home in the next few days.
Trot the wife and kids out in front of the cameras.
And time it with your resignation.
So, you say I'm looking good downstate.
- Mm-hmm.
- And the rest? Well, Bob Sweeney, in Buffalo.
I know you two have had your problems capped off by that wicked J-Block you put on him.
That a political term? Roller derby.
I was a fan growing up.
Big, strong women in fishnets, you know? Oh, I do.
Yeah.
Anyway you need Buffalo now, which means you need Bob Sweeney.
You need to make it right, bring him into the fold.
You think Foley could help grease the skids with him - for me? - Nah.
Foley tossed Sweeney aside when you became favorite son and he feels burned.
That's gonna be on you For you.
You'll look good in it up in Hudson on weekends.
It's not for sale.
Oh, everything's for sale.
- I'm not that easy to buy off.
- I'm not trying to.
I just thought you could use a little love.
You did a lot of good work under tough conditions.
This is not about ego.
It's about acting rationally.
Logically.
Like my quant project, for instance.
I'd really like to keep them on until Broom them, like I told you.
You cleared the entirety of our positions our successful, money-making positions right before asking people to trust you with outside money.
Won't that look like erratic behavior? No, it'll look like we're putting our best foot forward.
And you're getting paid, so you shouldn't worry about it.
Forget the car.
I want my own book.
A billion dollars.
To manage, unencumbered.
You took your ball back.
Give me something of my own.
Fine.
Done So you don't want the car? Let's go.
No.
I'll take that, too.
Thank you for seeing me, Mayor Sweeney.
What now, Chuck? You already turned me into political roadkill.
You here to back over me now? Not like that.
I'm here to move forward.
To salve the wounds of the past.
You want my support now.
Of course.
Timing makes sense.
Well, know this: since Foley turned away from me, my future has dimmed.
I'm a crippled mayor with no route upward.
Let me do for you then.
All right? First: this.
Your son's confessional, about how you mistreated him.
It's my only copy.
It was wrong of me to have played it in the first place.
Good.
As they say on the game shows: But that's not all.
I will revive your fortunes.
Your opponent in the next election? He's about to find himself under indictment.
By my office.
You'd do that for me? In exchange for some help with Jack Foley.
Really? His thumb pressing down on me like I'm an insect I don't like it.
It's a ballsy move, Chuck.
Well, there is no move unless you have something for me.
You know him better than I do.
You have to keep me out of this.
I may not have his friendship anymore, but I definitely don't need him as an enemy.
Nothing will stick to you.
On the square? From one traveling man to another.
I got The Beatles on my mind again.
Because he's about to become Pete Best? I was thinking more of another one.
Phew.
I felt so charged with Axe Cap-thusiasm after yesterday's meeting that I wrote a check to the foundation for 4k.
I trust that Ayles will put that thing to good use.
He will.
Though, in truth, you might've saved it for gas money.
Hah.
If I stressed about gas money, I'd've never gotten the car in the first place Uh, I sense a disturbance in the force.
Do you know whose life has always amazed me, Spyros? George Harrison's.
Ah, that Beatle.
Yes.
Because Harrison wasn't only a Beatle.
He was also a Traveling Wilbury.
And it was no mean feat to be a Wilbury.
Legends only need apply.
Dylan and Petty used to make a game of it, in fact.
They used to throw a name out there, and decide, in an instant, if that person was or was not a Wilbury.
It required some ineffable combination of wit, cool, and credibility.
Like Jack Nicholson, for example.
Wilbury.
Richard Dreyfuss - Great actor - But not a Wilbury.
And you Spyros.
It has become clear.
Are not a Wilbury.
But I am! I am a Wilbury.
I can prove it to you.
I You're fired.
You're firing me? I just did.
It happened.
I said the words.
Long time coming.
But that Wendy thing worked out.
- So there's no reason - Nothing you can say or do.
You might have done your job, but you have failed to provide additional value.
And you've ostracized the entire company.
I'll prove it to you.
I-I-I do have value.
I-I am a Wilbury.
I'm all the Wilburys put together.
I feel five years younger.
Oh, I've been having wet dreams about this moment.
- Bill.
- Yeah? - We've had our issues - Mm but I have a play, virgin Intel.
Your kind of thing.
Nah.
Real shame.
I only talk ideas with current employees of Axe Capital.
This is the Clarence Beeks shit, but I guess you don't want to hear about it.
The coffee gear is company-owned.
Make sure he leaves that behind.
Whoo! Buh-bye! I'll take it from here.
You have thirty seconds.
I can still access a list of all the public companies being investigated by the SEC, but have not disclosed the investigation to their shareholders.
With your special brand of knowledge, you can determine which of these inquiries have teeth and which are bullshit.
You can short the companies that you think will go down when the investigations come to light And go long on those that get dinged by the bad press from being looked into, and shoot up when they're ultimately cleared.
Right Said Fred.
Okay.
I like what I hear.
Other than that Right Said Fred bullshit.
Hey, team.
Tough news.
Gonna need you to back it up and shut it down.
Take down the paper on the windows before you go Lara.
- Hey.
What's up, Gord? - Hi, Dad.
I'm taking him to the dentist, but I had to come by to straighten something out.
Oh? What's that? This 2 and 20 fee charge has got to be some sort of clerical error, Bobby.
No error.
It's no longer my money.
The fees go to Axe Cap's hard-working employees who ensure your returns.
Seriously? If I'm paying retail I may as well yank it out and spread it around Calm down.
Gord, hang here a sec.
Lara, with me Look, you can move your money if you want.
But if you want me to manage it, this is the cost.
Didn't you read the agreement? Didn't Birch read it? Gordie! Hi, Aunt Wendy.
Hey.
What's going on? Mom and Dad are having a smackdown.
Smackdown? What Mom calls a fight.
Hmm.
Sit, sweetie.
After all the nice talk, this is the truth of it: you're pissed and you're being vindictive, that I got half your money.
I may be vindictive, but it's not over that.
You threatened to take my kids across the country while I rotted in jail I was trying to look out for them.
This is something we don't come back from.
Instead of focusing on what fees you're paying, I suggest you focus on the money you're making.
How you'll spend it.
What your life will be like going forward.
Because that's what I'm doing.
So they say to us: it's not your fault, it's something that happened between Mommy and Daddy.
- That's right.
- I know.
But Dean and I didn't even think it was our fault until they started saying that Hmm.
The thing you need to understand is: you are not your parents.
- You are - Who the hell gave you permission to talk to my son.
Gordie! Wait outside.
You should listen to your mother.
Go, sweetie.
Thanks, Aunt Wendy.
Don't call her that.
She is not family! The men in my life don't need any more of your fucking advice.
I think you might be in a place where you can't even recognize when someone is trying to help.
No.
I can recognize your intention.
But when I look at Bobby, it's the results that seem all fucked up to me.
I bet you don't even cheat at that, do you? - Never saw the point.
- Sure.
Yeah, what do they say: You'd only be cheating yourself.
Doesn't matter, boss.
If you show me a move or two to gain advantage, I'll try 'em.
Well, that's new! Open to change.
Good.
Come on, let's get you an office befitting.
- Thank you.
- Mm.
I-I thought you were sending me to Siberia.
There's no need to worry about any of that.
About hard feelings or retribution.
No, you did everything exactly the way I taught you.
Investigated the case fully, followed where it led, and refused to be cowed by power.
That's more than admirable.
It's heroic.
I had the best teacher.
You.
Thanks for seeing it this way.
I worried maybe you'd hold a grudge Grudge? Nossir.
No.
No, you said it yourself.
None of this is personal.
- Hm.
- Yeah, Bryan.
You learned every lesson I had to teach.
Except the one that matters most.
You didn't win.
Didn't finish me off.
No, I'm still standing here in the best job there is because I can do what I want, when I want, how I want.
Oh, I am bad, bad Leroy Brown.
Baddest man in the whole damn town.
- Just wait a second - You breached my threshold and threatened me, threatened my wife, the mother of my children.
How could you think there's a universe where you would survive that? Oh, Bryan.
You are many things.
A man.
A boy.
A lawyer.
A fighter.
A student of the dark side of humanity.
And a lover of jurisprudence.
But there's one thing you're certainly not.
An Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Drop your credentials at the guard's desk.
And GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! Here endeth the lesson.
You told me to clear the positions.
I didn't just clear twenty-five percent of them.
You told me to broom the quants.
I didn't just get rid of a quarter of them.
I told you you'd get the billion.
I didn't tell you when.
You are CIO.
It's an advisory role.
So some oversight is necessary.
You're going to oversee my investments? Call them suggestions.
And I'd like yours on buying a basket of natural gas names and pipeline companies.
Then my suggestion is: don't.
Regulations are too unpredictable and are hampering the industry.
What do you know about upcoming announcements that might mitigate that? I don't know anything.
Because I don't work in the government.
But you know something.
About a coming ruling.
From inside? Why don't you make the play, jumpstart your new book.
Keep it.
I'll come up with my own.
Suit yourself.
You can lead a horse to natural gas but you can't make it invest.
I question why you're making this kind of move.
Not based on analysis, but rather on unsubstantiated information.
Is it because of the raise? Wanting to look prescient? It's about the future of Axe Capital, making it what it's supposed to be.
What's that? Unassailable.
Untouchable.
Unbreakable.
An institution that's TBTF-W too big to fuck with.
Do you know how you sound? Yeah.
Certain.
I would be looking at Telemarket.
I met their chairman once, and he was very sweaty.
There's something guilty there.
No.
Guy who gets that sweaty talking to the SEC is not guilty.
He's neurotic.
And a loser.
But not a cheat.
It's like you have a seventh sense for the dark side.
Sixth sense? I try to avoid cliché.
Don't worry.
I'll manage the caterers.
I'll send them over when you're at your "work.
" You say work as though it's a sin.
So tomorrow we are gonna get this horse into the goddamned race.
I'm so glad, you're back from your trip, Ellen.
And will be able to be here for it.
I told her that she'd seen enough of the world and I'd had enough nights alone.
It was time for her to be back where she belongs.
Well, uh, Dad, why don't you finalize those invitations, yeah? - Good.
- All right.
I got to be somewhere, so Those are the certs on the 4140, the high strength-low alloy, and the nickel chromium.
And here is your rightful compensation.
Take him.
Let's talk about next month's chromium vanadium.
Your stuff's not bad.
Well, it's gonna look much better after you're done with it.
NYPD.
Keep your hands where I can see them.
Cuff him.
Get him out of here.
- Wait, wait, wait.
- Keep your hands - where I can see them! - Hey! Quiet.
What the fuck is going on? Jack? Jack! Okay.
You can stop recording.
Did you set this up, Jack?! - Sir.
- Give him the space, boys.
Chuck.
No.
Yes, Jack.
Looks like you just got your manhood caught in a tiger trap I know that you have built a good chunk of your fortune on cheap steel deals.
It's a helluva scheme.
I admire its grift and effectiveness.
You import the sub-par goods, get your man at the ratings agency to mark it high grade, sell it into state-run projects at top dollar.
The problem is: it's not only illegal, it's fucking dangerous, and someone is gonna get hurt.
Imagine what people would say if they learned that the new bridges and rails they ride on were built of inferior stuff.
And if they had cause to look back through your past municipal works, well the fallout from that in terms of liability could bankrupt an Astor.
What are you doing Hmm? Just what are you doing? You know, it's a good thing that this is my operation, and I alone have the discretion to move forward in processing and prosecuting the felons involved Or I can take a more tempered approach.
Now's certainly not the time for hasty decisions.
No.
No, it's not.
But now is the time to set new terms.
Things will be different moving forward.
I will take your counsel but that's all it will be.
I will make the decisions.
You and your people work for me.
Is that clear? Clear as Catskills spring water Damned impressive, Chuck.
It was frightening as hell for a moment there.
But, uh, it was damned impressive.
Downright gubernatorial Did it go well? Well, as well as it could've, operationally.
It never feels good doing that to a man.
Even a man like Foley.
I need a Silkwood shower right about now.
It'll have to wait.
You have a visitor.
Judge.
Wonderful to see you.
Last time I was here pretty momentous.
I thought we were never to talk of it.
We're gonna talk about everything.
Where are we starting? With bracing honesty.
Because with all that's passed between us.
I see no reason to beat about the bush.
Begin.
Right here, in this house, you put me on a path that leads to the Supreme Court.
Well, it's not exactly a straight and easy one.
There's turns and twists and highwaymen hiding in the bushes who might jump you at any time.
I agree.
The path is treacherous.
Which is why I need you to guide me.
As I have and will continue to do.
From your current perch, yes.
But if you leave office, to go after another, my flank is unprotected.
I will give you all the support and assistance you need from Albany.
Not good enough, I'm afraid.
I see.
I'm here to ask you to honor your promise to me: that there was no favor you'd refuse.
Well, you will have to state the favor, directly.
I need you to stay U.
S.
Attorney.
Ah, man.
I've set my sights on governor.
I have bled for this caper.
There must be another way to help you get over.
There isn't.
If you're gone, AG Jeffcoat will appoint someone new, someone who won't give a shit about me.
Or the kinds of cases I need.
Or worse, back another judge and bury me in garbage.
I can't let you go.
I understand it isn't convenient for you, but it wasn't convenient for me to help you either The shit I have done to position myself for this Among those things: your oath to me.
I'm gonna need the night before I can give you an answer.
I imagine you do.
Each time I'm here, I'm more and more impressed with the warmth of your home and the life you've built.
It speaks to your character.
You are considering it.
It seemed the least that I could do.
But I'm gonna tell him no.
I mean, I've committed I've committed too much thought and energy to this governor thing.
What about passion? Excitement.
What about fire? I see those things on your face every day you go to work at Southern.
I always have.
It's one of the things I love about you.
No matter how difficult the situation, how fucked it seems you are, you relish the fight.
As long as there's any game left, you play it 'til the very end.
Full out.
And why wouldn't that be the case with the governorship? Politics is a different kind of fight.
It's about consensus building and concession granting and hand wringing and ass kissing.
But in your job now, you are a king.
You engage the battles you choose.
In the manner you choose.
You decide what's right and what's wrong.
With no one to appease.
Well, you're forgetting Jock Jeffcoat.
He's a more powerful king, for the moment.
You've deposed his kind before.
Look what you just did to Jack Foley.
And can do again.
You don't want to be in politics, you want to be beyond politics.
I am all in for you, Chuck.
But I can't turn off the part of me that does the job I do.
And looking at you, I see someone who knows that one of those things makes them feel truly alive.
And that the other is gonna feel like an obligation.
I figured it'd last The feeling of exhilaration? Of winning.
Last longer than a day.
Did you even get a full day? The initial jolt when it all worked out and the judge gaveled it that was pretty good.
Felt like I was doing 220 miles an hour on a dirt bike in Moab and skidded to a stop just before the cliff.
But then it ended and there was nothing.
So no.
You know, I thought that a battle of the kind that we just fought could truly be won.
I beat the case.
I'm back here trading.
I'll be around for my boys - We need to talk about Gordie - We do.
There's residual damage.
He's part of it.
Can that ever be undone? No.
We're all scarred.
Yeah.
I thought scar tissue was supposed to be stronger.
That's actually medically untrue, it's just rougher.
Well, I liked it better the other way.
Yeah.
Well.
Sure.
Me too.
Then what do you got for me? I can't help but feel that whatever advice I offer you, or Chuck for that matter, now, is colored by what we've all been through and done.
It's less pure.
As am I.
Because of Mafee? For one.
I set him up really good.
Got his loyalty going for as long as I needed it.
Look, give yourself a pass on that.
It barely registers as bad, the world I come from.
I'm not sure I can.
Okay.
Let me give you some advice for a change.
Maybe I'll take it too: you can sit here killing yourself if you want, but when you do something to put yourself back in charge, remind yourself that you are not less, but more powerful for what you've come through that's when you'll feel better.
What the fuck is he doing here? We busted a cap in his ass, we didn't just give him the day off.
I know, I know.
And I can't believe I'm fucking doing this, but I may have been a bit hasty in the personal insult and car wrecking departments Ya think, Rickles? You called him a pants shitter on the trading floor.
Explain.
I have to tell you that Spyros here has shared a unique investment strategy with me.
One that is proprietary.
Based on his prior work experience.
Are you understanding this gibberish? Yeah, I may be.
And this strategy, you believe it'll pay off? I do.
If we carefully implement it, it can remove certain doubt, endemic to the market.
Is this a renewable source? As long as we don't 'open our proverbial overcoats' and 'flash our junk' at a particular three-lettered agency.
As long as we play it cool.
Right.
Alright, Spyros.
You may have provided additional value.
I'm gonna give you a second shot at Wilbury status.
"Handle me with care.
" Pound it out.
No.
Still not a fucking Wilbury.
Not even close.
Kids are being driven to the restaurant.
Good, I'll be leaving shortly when I finish up here.
So? I've thought about it, and, uh, I'm ready to give you a discount on the fees.
Discount? If you sign an agreement a seven year lock up.
- On the money.
- Mm-hmm.
1.
5 and 15.
It's not the discount you wanted which, by the way, I give to nobody.
But it's the best discount I give to anybody.
Oh.
I'm so moved, Bobby.
Oh, and one more thing: uh, the boys.
They're not going anywhere 'til college.
So a seven year lock up on our kids, too? Mm.
Fine.
I'll do it For one and ten.
Deal.
But you got to sign it right now.
In front of me.
Terms already drawn up, huh? I figured where we'd end up.
I'm sorry you had to see that.
I'm gonna need you to do something else for me Smile.
Excuse me.
Can I have your attention, please, folks, just for a moment or two? And I, uh I promise not to talk too long.
What a feeling it is when that doctor steps out of the birthing room to announce, "It's a boy!" Now, they had put you to sleep, honey, so I was the one who got to tell you, once you woke up.
We had a son.
And that day, I said it to you.
He will do great things.
You did.
Right as usual, Charles.
Well, today my boy has something pretty special to tell all of us.
And it's an honor to bring him up here.
Son, you tell the folks the good news.
Okay.
All right.
All right, Dad.
Thank you.
Thank you, Dad.
It is indeed a great honor to be standing here tonight.
And for the past several years, my mission has been justice.
And it is one that I have embraced with zeal.
I-I-I will confess it.
Now, someone asked me recently, why that was.
And the answer is: nothing makes me feel more like the best of myself than knowing that I have fought for those less fortunate, for those that have been bullied or beaten or bruised.
And this is why it is so crucial to me that the next governor of New York State be a man for whom these things take primacy, a man who can't sleep unless justice is always served, who will work tirelessly, day and night, for the people of New York.
Which is why I am thrilled and moved to announce that I will be throwing the full weight of my person behind the one man who can do the job, Buffalo Bob Sweeney! Thank you.
Thank you! - Thank you, Chuck.
- Sure.
Folks, I am, uh, determined to, uh, to represent not the special interests in this state, but the interests of every New Yorker.
- Dad - I now know the only way you could avoid stepping on your dick is if I'd made them cut it off in that birthing room.
Okay.
Jack You got the jump on me.
Fine.
But if you imagine this is the first time I've ever had to wrestle with my shoulders near the mat, you're gonna learn something very different.
We are the state of Eastman, Cooper, the Roosevelts, the state that still stands as a beacon of hope, of freedom, of equality for the entire world.
And together, we can bring prosperity back to the state.
Which is why I cannot wait to serve you as the next governor of the State of New York.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
You seeing this? "Gas stocks pop on EPA lift of regs"! This play is gonna be a wave we ride all the way to the beach.
When we sell our position, we got to cut Krakow his piece.
Big day especially in the natural gas space.
I guess your "hunch" came in.
It happens And you know what? Even though you didn't back my play, I'm gonna release another 100 million to you.
Thanks, I guess.
You heading out for the night? Soon.
After I finish up a few things.
You? Same here I'm out.
You coming? Not quite yet.
You know when I get on the treadmill at the gym, I got to stay on until the guy next to me gets off.
Go further, longer.
It's just the way I'm wired.
You go to a gym with other people in it? There was a time.
I'm not gonna make dinner.
Buy the kids every dessert in the place and take them home.
Sure.
Not a problem.
That was your dad, uh he got hung up at the office.
Would you like me to wait, just in case? No.
I think I can handle it It's actually good to see you back.
It's good to be back.
You shouldn't keep a hungry man waiting Wendy? The fuck?! She's not coming I'm sorry, that reservation's been canceled.
But I was supposed to meet him.
I'm sorry.
It's canceled.
Goddamnit.
Maybe take that robe off, 'ey? It's hot in here.
Is that supposed to be funny? If you're wondering how Chuck made his decision, how that final little feather settled and tipped the balance You?! The next time you want to ambush, threaten, humiliate, or otherwise fuck with me, you'd do well to remember who you're fucking with.
Enjoy your night alone.