Billions (2016) s06e03 Episode Script
STD
1
[SCOOTER.]
Previously on Billions.
Michael Prince Capital is not off to a banner start.
I work for a legend.
- I'm out.
- Team up? Done.
We need to be clean.
Beyond reproach.
I find myself unwilling to help you.
He seems to be after more than profits here.
I am hereby creating The Prince List, shedding all the dirty capital currently invested.
Bud Lazzara.
He's the key.
We're not paying.
Big retailer's been playing dirty.
Rask Sportswear.
And we're gonna short the snot out of it.
There's a problem with the short.
You created this problem, fix it.
His wife came by yesterday.
It's no coincidence that you got involved with my sponsor.
Are you trying to buy back the relationship you want? I haven't given up.
I know you bribed Mr.
Santulli, the head of the Door & Custodial Union.
[PRINCE.]
Rask is tanking.
[SCOOTER.]
Killed the buyout and fed it to the dogs.
[TAYLOR.]
You saw the news about the Games? - [SCOOTER.]
They're pulling them.
- Prince isn't just playing the markets.
His chessboard is much bigger, and I don't think he's done making his moves yet.
The very first New York Olympics.
Every time New York has fallen It has been lifted up and rebuilt by a great man.
And that's you this time.
And he won't stop till he gets what he wants.
["MIDNIGHT RIDER" BY GREGG ALLMAN PLAYS.]
Well, I've got to run To keep from hidin' And I'm bound I just achieved slow-wave sleep, which you know I struggle with.
- Why am I - We've got a problem.
Better be a real, bigtime Trust me.
It is.
It's why I called you in.
The issue is [PRINCE.]
You didn't call me in.
Of course, there's no need.
That's why I have an alert set up.
If there's middle-of-the-night swipe-ins, it's either because people are quitting en masse and stealing drives, or there's a margin call-level problem.
Which is it? It's more of the latter.
Well, you have a captive audience.
I, uh met up with Mafee tonight.
Drinks, you know? We stayed friends, I hope that's not any kind - Speak.
- Right, well he kinda spilled some major tea.
"Tea" is gossip.
Yeah.
About what? About the Olympics.
We are rolling, Wyatt.
I'm not on Molly right now.
Or ever.
Tombstone? Never mind.
We got something huge in the works.
Real estate-focused SPAC.
Offering's coming out this week.
You should invest.
- I should? - It's our ticket, man.
They call these things "blank check companies.
" Whale-sized investors launch them to raise IPO-level money they can plow into whatever the hell they want to, totally unbridled.
In this case, holding company for prime city real estate.
I'm familiar with SPACs.
- They're all over the Street.
- Right.
Anyway, it's a partnership with a big Well, a really big and also really not-so-big guy.
You sound enthusiastic.
We blew through our risk management, doubled down on this thing.
You're a brand-new firm, and you're risking it all - on sponsoring a SPAC? - No worries.
It's an STD.
- Uh, what? Gross.
- A sure thing, dude.
- Oh.
- And beyond that, it's a gold medal situation.
[PRINCE.]
Buying up land for the Olympics.
Another player's making my move.
Who? He didn't say.
Thus, this meeting.
Now I get why you woke me up.
All right, if anyone needs to go home, shower up, put on your daytime Garanimals, go ahead and get back here.
[KRISTY.]
I can send one of the drivers if anyone needs it.
- Do it.
Also - I'll send the other driver to Veselka, then Chinatown.
Anyone want anything else, let me know, we'll deal with it.
Okay, folks, Kristy's organizing the midnight snacks and strong coffee.
[CLAPS HANDS.]
Let's get into it.
[CHUCK.]
Sacker, I want your best ideas press, political, financial, hell, I'll even take spiritual on how we'll fell the highest net worth individual Son.
I thought there'd be some perfectly legal fringe benefits to you being AG, but I find myself a squirrel who can't get a nut.
Dad, you can't just Oh, I told your girl I was expected.
And asked could she get me a tomato juice from the diner around the corner.
Told her I'd protect the door.
And I did.
From the inside.
Anyway.
I was getting my paperwork in order to make an offer to buy your land, and then you let someone skip in line ahead of me? - My land? - The NYAG's Office monitors the disbursement of certain land for proper use, does it not?! Ah, family.
Love to see it.
Love to leave it behind.
Jesus Christ, Dad.
We can do this at your house, later.
- Or never.
Never works, too.
- Not for me.
I was going to throw up one of those 80/20 jobs with the "poor door.
" Luxury condo building with the separate entrance for the unwashed.
Subsidized housing units to trigger the tax breaks.
A real man of the people.
But someone is buying it all up.
As is the normal course of No, this is about as normal as a Gaylord Perry Mystery Pitch.
Just loaded up with viscous slime.
Aha.
Who bought the land, Dad? [SACKER.]
Looks like several buyers.
All shell corps.
Terms have been set.
They have 30 days to close with the cash.
Anything unusual with the approvals? No.
Except there hasn't been much activity until recently.
You don't need this development, Dad.
And even if you did, I wouldn't lift a finger to help.
Not 'cause I don't love you.
Because it would be wrong.
In the past, you didn't really Ah.
I can't change any of that.
Well, I was a straight shooter about my plans.
Being shameless does not change a Haman into a Mordechai.
Bye, Dad.
I can't believe that I'm raising this, but, we forget who brought us this information and we use it.
Yeah.
If a big player or corporation is going through the land bank to make big purchases on the downlow.
Yes.
That's absolutely against the spirit of the thing.
And likely means some other high-baller is looking to make the same move as my father.
- You want me to - Yeah.
We need to find out who's trying to buy up all this land, and why.
We're gathering.
I know how we're going to smoke out this mystery bidder.
Put a piece of land up for sale.
The piece bordering Stuy Town.
I thought you were trying to buy more land He is.
Whoever's backing Mafee and Dollar Bill will bite at it.
Yes.
It'll come anonymously, through a shell corp.
Which we'll reject.
But we'll get enough details to figure out who's spearheading the SPAC.
And once it IPOs, we can bend this thing over, no lube required, and I mean, there are many things within SEC guidelines we can do to express our negative sentiment on it, and convince others to see it the same way, - once it is trading publicly.
- There ya go.
That's where I thought you were going.
But this is Mafee and Dollar Bill's big investment.
Don't we still love I mean, have fond feelings for well, most of us some of us I do - Spit it out, you stuttering - Mafee! I still care about Mafee.
[TAYLOR.]
Yes, as I do, Ben.
But once we find out who's really going to run the SPAC for them, Prince will block it, and, yes, whatever they've invested in it will be worthless.
And he feels bad about it, that fucking baby.
How can you not even care? You were in an intimate relationship with Dollar I am in a relationship with dollars, end sentence.
Look, I love those guys.
For real.
We've plundered and partied with 'em back in the day.
But if they fuck with our shit, they get fucked.
Great to see the team spirit is intact.
But I'm a builder, not a destroyer.
I'll always find a positive solution before considering a destructive path.
I look at every competitor as a potential new partner right up until I can't anymore.
I'm on board with this approach.
We're happy.
- He's on his way up.
- Good.
We have an important visitor, someone I'm convinced will help win over the Commission.
Wags, I want you on this detail with Scooter.
I'll sit in with you fellas.
Try to have fun.
We're a team.
So it seems.
Fab.
You believe in this potential new partner bit? I want to.
Sure, the president of the International Commission of Sport does have some sway, but there are 104 voting members, enough of whom must be wooed, convinced, to influence the others who aren't susceptible to extracurricular handling.
Mike, you want to And I speak from experience, selecting a host city is a very political process.
Mr.
Drache, how does it work? I want to make an impression.
But as I understand it, the men and women of the Commission, even those key few I might turn, don't look kindly upon strangers bearing gifts.
Because those strangers might be wearing wires, mightn't they? But they will take them from me.
Because I was one of them, before what I refer to as the "ugliness" forced me out.
But trust, I'm still one of them.
[PRINCE.]
Good.
I'm glad I can count on your endorsement of my plan to land the Olympics.
[SIGHS.]
Possibly.
Possibly? Your reputation speaks.
It shouts.
And you certainly seem a top man.
But you're a little late to this game.
L.
A.
had things locked.
Until they didn't.
Yeah, until they didn't.
Cheers to you.
He had nothing to do with that.
No.
Of course not.
I'd never suggest.
[WAGS.]
You kinda did, but we'll let it slide.
Look, you can't have a Games without a stadium.
And New York doesn't have a stadium suitable for the Games modern, able to be turned over quickly depending on the event.
- But we will.
I will.
- Will you? Well, then you may have me too.
If it seems the thing to do.
Gentlemen, I get one shot every two years between the Summer and the Winter Games, so I hew to the Aintree approach: stick with the favorite.
No time for long shots.
Eh, maybe we'll speak again.
Cheers.
[SIGHS.]
Do we really need that fucking guy? Sadly, we do.
He's the best in the space.
A very small, rarified space.
Find out who else he's talking to.
- And make those talks - [WAGS.]
Go south? So he has nowhere else to go but crawling back to us? - More or less.
- I'm on it.
Be on it together.
- Yeah, about that - Are you serious? You want us to be your Tenspeed and Brown Shoe? I'd have gone with Murtaugh and Riggs, but, yes.
I am.
News on the land.
All the entities track back to the same address.
Who're we talking about? Oh.
Our Sam LeFrak wannabe has surfaced.
[SIGHS.]
Welcome, welcome.
Todd Krakow.
I see life in the Beltway was a real sacrifice for you.
[CHUCKLES.]
It was an honor to serve, but, frankly, I rather enjoy being back in the private sector.
I missed not having to report to anyone.
We're all accountable to each other and tethered to this rock by gravity.
If you take the time to be in the moment right there, you can even feel the Earth move.
Mmm.
I feel the sky Tumbling down! [CHUCKLES.]
Goddamn that felt good.
Yeah.
Couldn't do that in a Cabinet meeting.
POTUS could, but that was it.
So, is, uh, that what brings you here? Wouldn't be a certain real estate SPAC set to IPO soon? Not that I'm involved, officially.
No.
I want you to think bigger.
"Bigger?" Really? Join my bid.
We agree on one thing: New York would be a superb host for the next Olympics.
Not only am I a believer, I also happen to be a highly capitalized partner to buy land with, to make inroads with the city and state to help win over the Commission.
The Commission? Hmm.
Only a man with Colin Drache in his employ can achieve that.
- Do you have him? - Met today.
Seeing him again tomorrow.
So what do you think? That's a no.
Too many words.
Why fight over possession of the fumble when we can both be on the same team? I'd love a Mike Prince-type onboard as a partner, but, just so you know, I'm QB'ing this baby.
What are you going for, huh? Rehab your public image after that precipitous fall from Treasury? Reboot your Manhattan bona fides? Get on TV? - Meet chicks? - [LAUGHS.]
You tell me what it is, and I'll help build the new you.
No, I don't think you get it.
Once we IPO and close on these properties and I can see I'm not gonna get your piece near Stuy Town, but I don't need it I skip right through the permits to build a new stadium.
Does your bid have one of those? Didn't think so.
With it, I land the Games, and then I can have whatever I want in this town.
So if you want to be a part of my bid, then make me a real offer.
That starts with buying a major block of shares when they IPO tomorrow and I announce.
Otherwise, you may end up having to wait in line to get tickets like the Commoners.
Can you imagine? Usually this is the part where the guy on the other side of the desk flexes, huffs, puffs and makes vague but serious threats.
I don't go to war that way.
I just go to war.
You ready to get going? Already going.
There's a guy we used to work with who can follow Colin around, do a deep dive into his data and history, and find out exactly what makes him tick.
Let's put a pin in black bag ops that'll put us right out of business and maybe into jail.
Unless and until such time as.
Fine.
Shall we? - You mean? - He said "together.
" I'm aware.
Come to where I'm working.
When I'm not riding shotgun with Prince, it's where I'm set up.
What the hell is this? You've never seen a power map? Naturally.
Just wondering where the hell you got this information.
Welcome to the 21st century, Wags.
I will be your guide.
We have Colin Drache's business associates, romantic partners, places he frequents, cologne of choice [WAGS.]
Dior Sauvage! So that was the stench hovering around him like Pig-Pen.
We can't trust a man who wears cologne before 10 a.
m.
We have to.
By using this, we'll determine his spheres of influence, figure out what he wants, and then we'll be able to identify which way he's leaning.
I hate to give you even an ounce of satisfaction, Scooter, but this is pretty fucking cool.
Of course it's cool.
I made it.
But sadly, it's just a start.
Not surprised to see the bulk of Colin's network's in Europe.
Yeah.
Lot of likely cities in Europe, though.
We do have these kids who work here.
Very energetic, sometimes annoying.
So PC, they make John Hodgeman look like an iMac.
We should use them.
Hey, quantlings, special assignment.
Who wants in? Here's a chance to be useful for a change.
Your taunts don't hurt me anymore.
I'm not sure millennials are motivated by competition.
How 'bout this? You both win a trophy.
We need you to do an internet scrape of one Colin Drache.
You want us to hack someone? - Black hat? - That's kinda weird.
- Not a hack.
- Definitely not asking you to hack anyone.
More like a perfectly legal ex-girlfriend stalking job.
Oh, this is more your wheelhouse.
[WAGS.]
We need to see who he's talking to.
He's our in to the Commission.
We need to know what other cities he may be dancing with and which way he's leaning.
I'll send you the details.
What do we get if we help? My foot not up your ass? Honestly, that approach doesn't work with my generation.
Oh, you're about to see how well it What do you want? To borrow his Bentley for a weekend.
You got it.
I decided to kill the pending land bank deals.
Turn 'em down.
Open up a new application process.
I'd like us to issue a press release, then we string Krakow up for trying to make a land grab for illicit purposes before his SPAC even You screwed me out of my Treasury gig, now you're trying to do it again! What's the name of that Randy Rogers Band song I like so much? - "Speak Of The Devil"? - That's the one.
I'll go get started.
I just don't understand why you'd side with Mike Prince on this.
Mike Prince? Uh, you think I sided with him to Uh, the land bank killed my transactions.
We had to.
Because like so many others in the billionaire class, you're using loopholes to game the system.
Using private shell companies to buy public lands? Veiling disclosures about land use for community redevelopment? It may not be illegal, but it's unethical.
So is your office accepting graft, - but that didn't stop you.
- From whom? Oh, uh, I suppose we're back to Mike Prince.
You know he just wants the land for himself.
- How'd he get you on his side? - He didn't.
But if he tries the same tactic, he'll face the same scrutiny.
Whatever gig he's offering you with the Commish, I'll up it if you restore my transactions.
- Commish.
Right.
Sure.
- The Olympic Commission.
Is he gonna give you something with teeth, - or something ceremonial? - Oh.
You two are trying to steer the Olympics to the City.
May seem weird now, but Mitt Romney was a fucking god when he brought them to Salt Lake.
I could use some of that social capital.
Turn it into actual capital.
Ka-ching.
Don't make the cash register sound.
I would never.
So you get this land, you lead the effort, you become the chair of the New York City Commission.
You win, and Prince suffers? Humiliations galore.
Perhaps we can work this out.
Resubmit you applications, cards up.
Transparency will protect us both.
Being open and honest has never worked for me, but I'll try anything.
And, matter of fact, I will take something.
I'll steer infrastructure so the people of this city benefit from all the spending, and so they don't just end up with abandoned venues like Rio's Olympic Park.
That place is a fucking dustbowl.
You're a true steward of the people, Chuck.
- Mm-hm.
- I appreciate the consideration.
We have a deal.
Good.
Ka-ching.
Let's, uh, hold a beat on the press conference.
What's up? Our friend Krakow will get his shot at the land after all.
How? And more importantly, why? A different way, with some different codicils That greed-driven Meisterburger gets to bite off a big part of the city that we're supposed to safeguard? To invite redevelopment into those areas of the city, don't we need developers? Not ones who bypass public approval to do whatever the hell they want.
This project doesn't advance without my guiding hand.
It's for the greater good.
It may not feel that way now, but it is.
It certainly doesn't feel that way.
It feels more like Understood, Mrs.
Sacker.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.]
Mr.
Mateo.
Mr.
Prince.
It turns out my partnership overtures weren't met with open arms.
[NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE.]
Was that about the Dollar Bill and Mafee SPAC? Did he assign you to sanction it? Like Nicholai Hel? It's out of my hands.
That means you are gonna sanction it.
Kill it.
Them.
Shit.
Shit.
Are you still okay with Prince going after our former compatriots? Because he is.
I'm surprised Mafee was so forthcoming with you considering he hadn't suggested any real estate - speculation with me.
- You and Mafee talk, too? Of course.
We're friends.
We have a standing weekly dinner.
So then you have to agree we should save them.
If they are anti-fragile, they will survive and thrive no matter what Prince does.
And if not, well, I have to take the long view.
So harsh.
That's the way of the gun.
And you're okay with it.
The gun doesn't care what I'm okay with.
The ruination of the High Plains SPAC is coming, and I feel terrible.
I can't focus through the guilt.
You want to be a martyr, be my guest, but you're not gonna find any grenades to throw yourself onto in here.
I'm the one who put them in the crosshairs.
Inadvertently.
You woke half the team in the middle of the night.
That's advertent.
Because we have a lot riding on the Olympics.
Beyond that, though? It's my job.
I could say you're a PM in a fund 20 times the size of theirs.
Mafee sloppily showed his hand, you went all in against it.
In what world does that make you the bad guy? If you did, I might feel better.
And if I agreed you let down your moral code? Worse.
And I'd probably sulk.
So then own the fact that Mafee doesn't work here anymore.
Neither does Dollar Bill.
- Well, yeah, but - We're competitors now.
I know.
But couldn't I at least warn them what's coming? Sure.
But play that out.
You'd get fired, and you'd never work again because everyone would know you fed our plays to the competition because you're you, and the world's the world, and that is what will happen.
Wish I hadn't said anything now.
Can't put that shit back in the goose.
You don't want to feel bad again, act differently.
Beforehand.
In the meantime, you're just gonna have to feel two things at once because that's what life demands of us.
Thanks, I guess.
I don't feel any better.
Seems to be my specialty of late.
Tell me, Ben Kim, do you wish you'd left with them and stayed loyal to Axe? Do you? No.
But I, too, admire what Mafee and DB did.
Know that.
Then do something.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.]
["RAMBLIN' MAN" BY THE ALLMAN BROTHERS PLAYS.]
Lord, I was born a ramblin' man Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can And when it's time for leavin' I hope you'll understand That I was born a ramblin' man My father was a gambler down in Georgia And he wound up on the wrong end of a gun And I was born in the back seat Of a Greyhound bus Rollin' down highway 41 Lord, I was born a ramblin' man That's it.
That's enough.
Come on, ladies.
I think destiny is calling us.
And when it's time for leavin' I hope you'll understand that I was born Prince says we should add Krakow to the list of Colin's suitors.
- Figures.
- Prince will knock him off.
We just have to focus on whoever else.
- What's with the stuff? - My office.
It's yours now.
You take it.
- I'm fine - Nope.
I'm not unaware of the workflow.
You take it.
I'll decamp here.
You sure? As it should be.
On your way.
[HUMS.]
[PRINCE.]
Welcome Mayor Johnson.
I get it.
You need the room.
I see I'm not the only new blood in town.
I hope to do in the hedge fund space what you undoubtedly will do in City Hall, Ms.
Mayor.
I'm coming home, boys! [ALL CLAPPING, CHEERING.]
Mayor Johnson, I'll keep this brief.
When I supported your campaign, I promised to come to you with big ideas.
You supported my competitors as well.
- But go on.
- What would you say to one of my competitors concealing his efforts to lure the Olympics here without consulting you first? Oh, that? No new stadium, no bid.
Who is it? Former Treasury Sec Todd Krakow.
He hasn't announced yet, but it's him.
Hmm.
Maybe he has the juice, but I'm not convinced.
For when? The Games need a new host city for 2028.
That is a tight turnaround.
And the stadium faced a lot of opposition last time this idea was floated.
Because it's bad for Manhattan.
For congestion, for affordable housing, for the environment.
Okay.
So you want to bring this to the City Council to kill? You could.
But I believe you stand more to gain by speaking out against it yourself.
How's that? - You're America's mayor.
- [LAUGHS.]
With your new profile, you'd shine a spotlight on my plan to build a stadium in Westchester.
You'd come out looking like a hero for putting community impact ahead of a photo op and the whims of a rich guy.
I'm not interested in what it looks like, and I'm not interested in making the same mistakes as the idiot I replaced.
The mistake the idiot who came before you made was not caring what stuff looked like.
Which is why he left office as a punchline.
Hmm.
- They aren't gonna budge.
- You know for sure? [WENDY.]
You know who invented steam? John Fitch.
Steam power, anyway.
The state legislature gave him a 14-year monopoly to come up with a commercial use for it.
But Fitch fucked it up, lost the monopoly because he couldn't do it.
Steam power transformed the world, but the man who invented it died penniless.
Killed himself.
That's a sad story.
Should come with a trigger warning for the ending.
The ending is the warning.
[CHUCKLES.]
You two are all in on a steamboat, but you're gonna end up like Fitch.
You want to keep affording these offices and your business, you need to listen.
Prince knows all about the SPAC and the Olympic play, and he's lining up to destroy whatever it is - you're bringing out.
- Wait.
How the fuck does Prince know about the Olympics piece? Shit.
It was Ben Kim.
How the fuck does Ben Kim know? I didn't tell him anything.
You know that this is the moment when the detective realizes you killed the guy, right? No one accused you of anything yet, Mafee, but you're proclaiming your innocence, which tells me you're guilty as fuck.
What did you tell him? I didn't tell him the whole play.
Well, I guess I gave him enough clues.
Prince knows.
That's all that matters now.
No.
What matters to you is Prince.
But I give no shits about what matters to you, or him.
And we are not walking away from a Mayweather-Pacquiao payday so that Michael Prince can take it.
[SCOFFS.]
We're already in position.
Our incoming partner has the land on lock.
Why not bring your boss in to High Plains and ride the wave with us? Boys here's how this is gonna go.
When the IPO happens, you're gonna feel like winners, like you've finally made it.
But when Prince kills the Olympic play, the SPAC is gonna liquidate, and you're gonna drown.
You need to abandon your plan.
Pull the filing while you still can, before you wreck your reputations and lose your money.
Appreciate you coming to us with this.
Do you? First time here, it's like you squatted in the middle of the office and took a big steaming dump on the floor, but we know when we're beat.
Speaking of dumps, we've got some calls to make, to some investors that are gonna be plenty disappointed we cancelled the offering.
We better get to it.
You two are terrible liars, and you're pulling from my playbook.
You're not going to heed my warning, are you? You wouldn't risk your career like this.
So you're here at his behest.
And we don't do behest anymore.
What does he think he means, they don't "do behest?" It doesn't matter.
Dollar Bill and Mafee are on a blind profit run, and they're not going to protect themselves.
Is there anything else we can do? Prince's plan is smart, thoughtful, and benefits a lot of people.
Especially people at this company, especially people at this desk.
So, no.
If I thought we could save Dollar Bill and Mafee from themselves long-term, I'd do it.
I care for them, Mafee especially.
But, like I told Ben, they are who they are.
And, I guess, so are we.
It is my pleasure to announce that I will be spearheading the High Plains Management real estate SPAC rolling out as we speak.
Consider it a Krak-SPAC, if you will.
Once funded, the company will purchase properties along the East River in Manhattan earmarked for redevelopment, bringing new life to the community by building an all-weather stadium, seating capacity for 85,000 and a retractable roof.
Zoning laws were created for this very reason, to protect tenant rights and small business owners.
These are the people who put me in office.
And I will not let the Todd Krakows of the world bulldoze their livelihoods with plans to build a nonessential new stadium in Manhattan.
I won't fast-track it.
I won't even allow zoning for it without it first going through extensive community, committee and environmental reviews.
And I mean extensive.
I'm talking years.
Boom.
She dropped the payload.
Time to raid the villages.
Thank you.
We'll get you those architectural plans tout suite.
- Ciao.
- [WOMAN.]
Great, thanks.
[CELLPHONE VIBRATES.]
[CHUCKLES.]
[CELLPHONE VIBRATES.]
Oh fuck! Fuck! That Krakow SPAC IPO? You should know, it's not as rosy as you thought.
The rezoning's just the beginning.
Krakow is getting machinegunned like Elias in Platoon.
- Thing's taking a dirt nap.
- MPC has cleared a lane for a stadium deal of our own.
We've got green lights all the way to breaking ground.
But I'm your transport out of the 'Nam.
I'm glad to hear that.
You're smart to stay away from Krakow.
Dude, you're not going through your list.
I will.
Just give me sec.
[SIGHS.]
We found out Colin's a rabid footballer.
- How rabid? - Keeper at his club rabid.
Three trips across the globe to see matches during the pandemic rabid.
So he likes football, as do millions.
We looked deeper.
There's an opening.
The IPO busted before it even opened for trading.
[TAYLOR.]
I saw the Exchange halt it shortly after the mayor's statement.
No money raised.
Krakow can't back his bids.
And Dollar Bill and Mafee can't collect any sponsorship fees.
Look, I didn't go into this to do damage, but from my vantage, we're destabilizing a bad actor, saving the Games from the corruption and exclusion that follow men like Krakow, who only see a payday in this.
But the land, that's still worth something to me.
I thought we were building in Westchester.
Crown jewel was always the waterfront in Manhattan.
We're just gonna build there the right way.
Oh, this is Spanish Prisoner.
We're not at the blowoff yet.
There's another act coming.
You'll see soon enough.
I hope you've had some time to consider my original offer, though I'd say you've waived the chance to negotiate.
I somehow thought you were different.
But your approach reminds me a lot of the man whose office you took.
It's possible you bring out a similar reaction in wildly disparate individuals.
I'll think it over when I drink your blood after decapitating you.
Accepting loss is hard for those who lack humility.
But here's a reality check.
You have deals with the City on land, but your SPAC is liquidated and you don't have the capital to close.
My investors dumped me like Winthorpe and Billy Ray Valentine in the orange juice pit.
That's the problem with other people's money.
They can take it away from you.
So, you'll either go into your pocket For a billion dollars of New York fucking real estate that you got the mayor to oppose zoning changes on?! Don't think so.
I like being rich.
Not gonna end up like Trump.
Or you'll Partner with you.
Fine.
Forget drinking your blood, I'll stand with you instead.
I'll assign the deeds to you, you and your investors pay.
And I'll be starting QB.
That's fine.
It's fine.
Just know we'll be spitting in Chuck Rhoades's eye.
Hey, don't worry.
I'll handle him.
I can't fucking believe it.
Here you are.
I thought, "There's no way Taylor would think our dinner's still on after their firm destroyed my goddamn company.
" But here you are.
It's unfortunate the way the IPO went, that the SPAC is zeroed out.
I understand you were warned not to launch it.
One is business, the other personal.
I don't see the linkage.
You thought you could just sit across from me, enjoying those bok choy pot stickers, while my life is falling apart, because of you and the company you help run? I knew you were a fucking cyborg.
And I thought about letting you sit there and put the pieces together on your own.
But I had to see for myself just how devoid of all human understanding you are.
I Spain's coming hard.
They somehow convinced Real Madrid's manager to give Drache soccer lessons, all to win him over to the Madrid effort.
Meaning they figured out what matters to him.
Wasn't hard.
Guy raises millions for ALS.
So we back up the Brinks truck, help cure a disease, and the guy becomes a hero.
And Colin never walks onto Madrid's pitch.
I'm have a sudden craving for croquetas.
Want to put in an order? Sure.
Pull up a menu.
Alexa, play my faves playlist.
[ALEXA.]
Playlist faves on Amazon music.
["CAT'S IN THE CRADLE" BY HARRY CHAPIN PLAYS.]
You put this song on your playlist? Don't tell me you have a problem with Harry Chapin.
No, I just didn't realize you had any taste.
Oh Thanks.
I think.
While I was away And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew This song.
It used to hit me as the son.
Now it hits me as the father.
And the cat's in the cradle You? Yeah.
Both.
But we'll get together then You know we'll have a good time then - [CLEARS THROAT.]
- [SOBS.]
I said I was fine with what we did, but maybe I didn't see it through.
The associated loss, in human terms.
I didn't see all the possible outcomes.
After Mafee left the firm, I always thought of us as Bird and Magic.
Kill each other on the court, but best friends in the off-season.
We were never trained to be worried about unintended consequences.
The win was all that mattered, and our success only reinforced that idea.
I say "we were trained," but in truth, I did most of that training, which is why I guess my attempt to undo it was clumsy.
The blame isn't just, or even mostly, on you.
I keep getting sucked back into the short game, and I promised myself I wouldn't do that anymore.
To be fair, your short game is everyone else's long game.
That only makes it more disappointing.
So then what actions are you are we going to take to rectify it? - Here we are again.
- The game has changed.
We need to put the stadium in Manhattan after all.
- Built at no cost to the city.
- What about the congestion? Affordable housing? Impact on the environment? None of that will be a problem the way he's going to do it.
Sustainable.
Repurposable.
Cutting edge.
And how am I not gonna look like a flip-flopper? You're gonna look like a brilliant negotiator.
You have leveraged the real estate community to band together to build low-income housing unlike the City has seen before.
- State-of-the-art.
- Because first it's gonna be Yes.
Athletes' quarters.
Built at the lowest possible cost to the city, by one of our great builders.
You mean if you win, Chuck Rhoades suffers? Humiliations galore.
- Bud Lazzara's on board? - Not only that, we have the site and surrounding property, and a healthy war chest to close on it with.
Most importantly, you have my word and a witness.
Then let the Games begin.
[DOOR OPENS.]
Might want to watch your step.
There's blood all over the floor.
Guess it wasn't good enough you killed our IPO.
You just had to do a stiff fucking pile driver without protecting our necks.
Oh, no, I've got you tucked safely between my thighs.
Kayfabe all the way.
- I've spoken to Prince.
- And what? He wants to offer us our old jobs back? I'm not walking backwards.
Neither is Mafee.
Well, I'd consider it, but no.
We know the SPAC was going to be your opportunity.
Prince asked Spartan-Ives to fund you instead.
Spartan will write the check, as a make-good to Prince.
Meaning? They saved our asses.
At what price? We got to show fealty? Pledge our firstborn sons? What? How about you take this as an object lesson, free of charge.
You're not giant-killers.
Don't go swinging your swords into a battles you've already lost.
I lobbied for this too, to square things with us.
Suddenly had a conscience program installed? - Did you go to Wendy for that? - I did seek her counsel, to remind me what I value most.
So, what, Taylor? A friendship where I'm watching every word I say for fear you're going to gouge me in the eye later? I won't offer you any empty platitudes, Mafee.
But I would like a chance to talk this through, repair our trust.
Are we back on for our regular dinners? We are.
Did you hear that, Ben Kim? My god, that was brutal.
But thank you.
Thank you! Oh, thank Christ.
We didn't blow up! Mortimer, we're back! [EXHALES.]
[GRUNTS.]
So, this happened.
And Mayor Tess is about to give another press conference reversing field.
Prince got to Krakow? And the mayor.
Prince got Krakow's stadium?! The way I see it, you dangled our land to get a preferred outcome, and now, instead of a good initiative against one bad pony, we've lost it to a pair of 'em.
No, wait.
Wait.
In a way, this actually helps us.
- I'm not seeing it.
- This proves my point, doesn't it? Billionaires plot in secret to take everything for themselves.
And the laws protect their rights to do so.
Prince may have the land, but he doesn't have the people that live on it.
Is he going to start buying people now? Bet he would if he could.
- We can't let him.
- Uh-oh.
Are we about to see the return of Farmer Chuck? What'd Bruce say? "Wherever there's a fight "against the blood and hatred in the air, look for me, Mom, I'll be there.
" I promise I will think of something to make it clear that we are the stewards of the best interests of the people of New York, and not Prince or Krakow.
How? I need to take a little walk.
That's how.
You ready for the Colin meeting? - Yep.
Your office? - Our office.
I saw what you were doing with the selfless "donate the office" play.
Very elevated.
Bonding up with the guys.
Reifying your status as their sergeant on the ground.
Can't let you get away with it.
- No? - Uh-uh.
[WAGS.]
So you actually wanna? That's right.
We share.
Seems our good friend Mr.
Drache is back.
Colin, please, as we'll be all working together.
So, Todd Krakow no longer has need of your services? Alas, no.
Nor Spain.
They seem to be the type that reneges on their prior promises.
While you seem like the soccer type.
We're pretty tight with David Beckham.
Maybe there'll be an opportunity for him to be on the pitch with you when he comes to town for the Games.
Don't worry, you're home now.
I certainly see that.
I'll let you fellas get started.
I have a press conference to attend.
There's no better time to welcome the world back to New York City.
I want to introduce the man with the vision and personal investment as our partner, the chairman of the NYC 2028 Olympic Commission, Michael Prince.
[APPLAUSE.]
- Thank you, Mayor Johnson.
- [CAR HORN BEEPS.]
We both share the same vision of what a Summer Games in New York should look like [CAR HORNS HONK.]
an event for everyone.
A chance to showcase and rebuild in all five boroughs.
But I don't think the taxpayer - [HORNS CONTINUE HONKING.]
- should shoulder the burden of the costs.
[MULTIPLE HORNS HONKING.]
My approach incentivizes [MAN YELLING.]
the private sector to join me [MAN.]
Get out of the fuckin' street! Move the fuckin' car, bro! Get out of the way! [HORNS HONKING.]
All right, back it up.
[TRUCK BEEPING.]
Oh, I think we've got their attention.
[LAUGHS.]
So they want to revitalize the City? These plutocrats? Have they thought about the unintended consequences to the average citizen? Do they think about the average citizen at all? I am not in this for the goddamned Bronx Cheer.
Nobody told me about the "fuck you" parade.
This is the traffic for a press conference.
What will New York look like when the traffic quintuples? [CROWD MURMURS.]
A cabal of billionaires remaking the city.
What the hell do they know about the real New York? How many people will be displaced so they can build an Olympic stadium? Yeah.
Have they at all considered what real New Yorkers want for our city? Maybe we should remind them who we are.
Yeah? What do we do when the carpetbaggers and the land barons try to shove us out of the way? - We shove back! - [WOMAN.]
Yeah! - We shove back! - [VOICES.]
Yeah! That's right.
And together, the people, and those who represent the people, we will take back our city! Take back our city! - Take back our city! - Take back our city! [ALL CHANTING.]
Take back our city! Take back our city! - Take back our city! - Take back our city! Take back our city! - Take back our city! - Take back our city! Take back our city! The time is right for fighting In the street, boy But what can a poor boy do Except to sing for A rock 'n' roll band 'Cause in sleepy London town There's just no place for A street fighting man No Hey! Think the time is right for
Previously on Billions.
Michael Prince Capital is not off to a banner start.
I work for a legend.
- I'm out.
- Team up? Done.
We need to be clean.
Beyond reproach.
I find myself unwilling to help you.
He seems to be after more than profits here.
I am hereby creating The Prince List, shedding all the dirty capital currently invested.
Bud Lazzara.
He's the key.
We're not paying.
Big retailer's been playing dirty.
Rask Sportswear.
And we're gonna short the snot out of it.
There's a problem with the short.
You created this problem, fix it.
His wife came by yesterday.
It's no coincidence that you got involved with my sponsor.
Are you trying to buy back the relationship you want? I haven't given up.
I know you bribed Mr.
Santulli, the head of the Door & Custodial Union.
[PRINCE.]
Rask is tanking.
[SCOOTER.]
Killed the buyout and fed it to the dogs.
[TAYLOR.]
You saw the news about the Games? - [SCOOTER.]
They're pulling them.
- Prince isn't just playing the markets.
His chessboard is much bigger, and I don't think he's done making his moves yet.
The very first New York Olympics.
Every time New York has fallen It has been lifted up and rebuilt by a great man.
And that's you this time.
And he won't stop till he gets what he wants.
["MIDNIGHT RIDER" BY GREGG ALLMAN PLAYS.]
Well, I've got to run To keep from hidin' And I'm bound I just achieved slow-wave sleep, which you know I struggle with.
- Why am I - We've got a problem.
Better be a real, bigtime Trust me.
It is.
It's why I called you in.
The issue is [PRINCE.]
You didn't call me in.
Of course, there's no need.
That's why I have an alert set up.
If there's middle-of-the-night swipe-ins, it's either because people are quitting en masse and stealing drives, or there's a margin call-level problem.
Which is it? It's more of the latter.
Well, you have a captive audience.
I, uh met up with Mafee tonight.
Drinks, you know? We stayed friends, I hope that's not any kind - Speak.
- Right, well he kinda spilled some major tea.
"Tea" is gossip.
Yeah.
About what? About the Olympics.
We are rolling, Wyatt.
I'm not on Molly right now.
Or ever.
Tombstone? Never mind.
We got something huge in the works.
Real estate-focused SPAC.
Offering's coming out this week.
You should invest.
- I should? - It's our ticket, man.
They call these things "blank check companies.
" Whale-sized investors launch them to raise IPO-level money they can plow into whatever the hell they want to, totally unbridled.
In this case, holding company for prime city real estate.
I'm familiar with SPACs.
- They're all over the Street.
- Right.
Anyway, it's a partnership with a big Well, a really big and also really not-so-big guy.
You sound enthusiastic.
We blew through our risk management, doubled down on this thing.
You're a brand-new firm, and you're risking it all - on sponsoring a SPAC? - No worries.
It's an STD.
- Uh, what? Gross.
- A sure thing, dude.
- Oh.
- And beyond that, it's a gold medal situation.
[PRINCE.]
Buying up land for the Olympics.
Another player's making my move.
Who? He didn't say.
Thus, this meeting.
Now I get why you woke me up.
All right, if anyone needs to go home, shower up, put on your daytime Garanimals, go ahead and get back here.
[KRISTY.]
I can send one of the drivers if anyone needs it.
- Do it.
Also - I'll send the other driver to Veselka, then Chinatown.
Anyone want anything else, let me know, we'll deal with it.
Okay, folks, Kristy's organizing the midnight snacks and strong coffee.
[CLAPS HANDS.]
Let's get into it.
[CHUCK.]
Sacker, I want your best ideas press, political, financial, hell, I'll even take spiritual on how we'll fell the highest net worth individual Son.
I thought there'd be some perfectly legal fringe benefits to you being AG, but I find myself a squirrel who can't get a nut.
Dad, you can't just Oh, I told your girl I was expected.
And asked could she get me a tomato juice from the diner around the corner.
Told her I'd protect the door.
And I did.
From the inside.
Anyway.
I was getting my paperwork in order to make an offer to buy your land, and then you let someone skip in line ahead of me? - My land? - The NYAG's Office monitors the disbursement of certain land for proper use, does it not?! Ah, family.
Love to see it.
Love to leave it behind.
Jesus Christ, Dad.
We can do this at your house, later.
- Or never.
Never works, too.
- Not for me.
I was going to throw up one of those 80/20 jobs with the "poor door.
" Luxury condo building with the separate entrance for the unwashed.
Subsidized housing units to trigger the tax breaks.
A real man of the people.
But someone is buying it all up.
As is the normal course of No, this is about as normal as a Gaylord Perry Mystery Pitch.
Just loaded up with viscous slime.
Aha.
Who bought the land, Dad? [SACKER.]
Looks like several buyers.
All shell corps.
Terms have been set.
They have 30 days to close with the cash.
Anything unusual with the approvals? No.
Except there hasn't been much activity until recently.
You don't need this development, Dad.
And even if you did, I wouldn't lift a finger to help.
Not 'cause I don't love you.
Because it would be wrong.
In the past, you didn't really Ah.
I can't change any of that.
Well, I was a straight shooter about my plans.
Being shameless does not change a Haman into a Mordechai.
Bye, Dad.
I can't believe that I'm raising this, but, we forget who brought us this information and we use it.
Yeah.
If a big player or corporation is going through the land bank to make big purchases on the downlow.
Yes.
That's absolutely against the spirit of the thing.
And likely means some other high-baller is looking to make the same move as my father.
- You want me to - Yeah.
We need to find out who's trying to buy up all this land, and why.
We're gathering.
I know how we're going to smoke out this mystery bidder.
Put a piece of land up for sale.
The piece bordering Stuy Town.
I thought you were trying to buy more land He is.
Whoever's backing Mafee and Dollar Bill will bite at it.
Yes.
It'll come anonymously, through a shell corp.
Which we'll reject.
But we'll get enough details to figure out who's spearheading the SPAC.
And once it IPOs, we can bend this thing over, no lube required, and I mean, there are many things within SEC guidelines we can do to express our negative sentiment on it, and convince others to see it the same way, - once it is trading publicly.
- There ya go.
That's where I thought you were going.
But this is Mafee and Dollar Bill's big investment.
Don't we still love I mean, have fond feelings for well, most of us some of us I do - Spit it out, you stuttering - Mafee! I still care about Mafee.
[TAYLOR.]
Yes, as I do, Ben.
But once we find out who's really going to run the SPAC for them, Prince will block it, and, yes, whatever they've invested in it will be worthless.
And he feels bad about it, that fucking baby.
How can you not even care? You were in an intimate relationship with Dollar I am in a relationship with dollars, end sentence.
Look, I love those guys.
For real.
We've plundered and partied with 'em back in the day.
But if they fuck with our shit, they get fucked.
Great to see the team spirit is intact.
But I'm a builder, not a destroyer.
I'll always find a positive solution before considering a destructive path.
I look at every competitor as a potential new partner right up until I can't anymore.
I'm on board with this approach.
We're happy.
- He's on his way up.
- Good.
We have an important visitor, someone I'm convinced will help win over the Commission.
Wags, I want you on this detail with Scooter.
I'll sit in with you fellas.
Try to have fun.
We're a team.
So it seems.
Fab.
You believe in this potential new partner bit? I want to.
Sure, the president of the International Commission of Sport does have some sway, but there are 104 voting members, enough of whom must be wooed, convinced, to influence the others who aren't susceptible to extracurricular handling.
Mike, you want to And I speak from experience, selecting a host city is a very political process.
Mr.
Drache, how does it work? I want to make an impression.
But as I understand it, the men and women of the Commission, even those key few I might turn, don't look kindly upon strangers bearing gifts.
Because those strangers might be wearing wires, mightn't they? But they will take them from me.
Because I was one of them, before what I refer to as the "ugliness" forced me out.
But trust, I'm still one of them.
[PRINCE.]
Good.
I'm glad I can count on your endorsement of my plan to land the Olympics.
[SIGHS.]
Possibly.
Possibly? Your reputation speaks.
It shouts.
And you certainly seem a top man.
But you're a little late to this game.
L.
A.
had things locked.
Until they didn't.
Yeah, until they didn't.
Cheers to you.
He had nothing to do with that.
No.
Of course not.
I'd never suggest.
[WAGS.]
You kinda did, but we'll let it slide.
Look, you can't have a Games without a stadium.
And New York doesn't have a stadium suitable for the Games modern, able to be turned over quickly depending on the event.
- But we will.
I will.
- Will you? Well, then you may have me too.
If it seems the thing to do.
Gentlemen, I get one shot every two years between the Summer and the Winter Games, so I hew to the Aintree approach: stick with the favorite.
No time for long shots.
Eh, maybe we'll speak again.
Cheers.
[SIGHS.]
Do we really need that fucking guy? Sadly, we do.
He's the best in the space.
A very small, rarified space.
Find out who else he's talking to.
- And make those talks - [WAGS.]
Go south? So he has nowhere else to go but crawling back to us? - More or less.
- I'm on it.
Be on it together.
- Yeah, about that - Are you serious? You want us to be your Tenspeed and Brown Shoe? I'd have gone with Murtaugh and Riggs, but, yes.
I am.
News on the land.
All the entities track back to the same address.
Who're we talking about? Oh.
Our Sam LeFrak wannabe has surfaced.
[SIGHS.]
Welcome, welcome.
Todd Krakow.
I see life in the Beltway was a real sacrifice for you.
[CHUCKLES.]
It was an honor to serve, but, frankly, I rather enjoy being back in the private sector.
I missed not having to report to anyone.
We're all accountable to each other and tethered to this rock by gravity.
If you take the time to be in the moment right there, you can even feel the Earth move.
Mmm.
I feel the sky Tumbling down! [CHUCKLES.]
Goddamn that felt good.
Yeah.
Couldn't do that in a Cabinet meeting.
POTUS could, but that was it.
So, is, uh, that what brings you here? Wouldn't be a certain real estate SPAC set to IPO soon? Not that I'm involved, officially.
No.
I want you to think bigger.
"Bigger?" Really? Join my bid.
We agree on one thing: New York would be a superb host for the next Olympics.
Not only am I a believer, I also happen to be a highly capitalized partner to buy land with, to make inroads with the city and state to help win over the Commission.
The Commission? Hmm.
Only a man with Colin Drache in his employ can achieve that.
- Do you have him? - Met today.
Seeing him again tomorrow.
So what do you think? That's a no.
Too many words.
Why fight over possession of the fumble when we can both be on the same team? I'd love a Mike Prince-type onboard as a partner, but, just so you know, I'm QB'ing this baby.
What are you going for, huh? Rehab your public image after that precipitous fall from Treasury? Reboot your Manhattan bona fides? Get on TV? - Meet chicks? - [LAUGHS.]
You tell me what it is, and I'll help build the new you.
No, I don't think you get it.
Once we IPO and close on these properties and I can see I'm not gonna get your piece near Stuy Town, but I don't need it I skip right through the permits to build a new stadium.
Does your bid have one of those? Didn't think so.
With it, I land the Games, and then I can have whatever I want in this town.
So if you want to be a part of my bid, then make me a real offer.
That starts with buying a major block of shares when they IPO tomorrow and I announce.
Otherwise, you may end up having to wait in line to get tickets like the Commoners.
Can you imagine? Usually this is the part where the guy on the other side of the desk flexes, huffs, puffs and makes vague but serious threats.
I don't go to war that way.
I just go to war.
You ready to get going? Already going.
There's a guy we used to work with who can follow Colin around, do a deep dive into his data and history, and find out exactly what makes him tick.
Let's put a pin in black bag ops that'll put us right out of business and maybe into jail.
Unless and until such time as.
Fine.
Shall we? - You mean? - He said "together.
" I'm aware.
Come to where I'm working.
When I'm not riding shotgun with Prince, it's where I'm set up.
What the hell is this? You've never seen a power map? Naturally.
Just wondering where the hell you got this information.
Welcome to the 21st century, Wags.
I will be your guide.
We have Colin Drache's business associates, romantic partners, places he frequents, cologne of choice [WAGS.]
Dior Sauvage! So that was the stench hovering around him like Pig-Pen.
We can't trust a man who wears cologne before 10 a.
m.
We have to.
By using this, we'll determine his spheres of influence, figure out what he wants, and then we'll be able to identify which way he's leaning.
I hate to give you even an ounce of satisfaction, Scooter, but this is pretty fucking cool.
Of course it's cool.
I made it.
But sadly, it's just a start.
Not surprised to see the bulk of Colin's network's in Europe.
Yeah.
Lot of likely cities in Europe, though.
We do have these kids who work here.
Very energetic, sometimes annoying.
So PC, they make John Hodgeman look like an iMac.
We should use them.
Hey, quantlings, special assignment.
Who wants in? Here's a chance to be useful for a change.
Your taunts don't hurt me anymore.
I'm not sure millennials are motivated by competition.
How 'bout this? You both win a trophy.
We need you to do an internet scrape of one Colin Drache.
You want us to hack someone? - Black hat? - That's kinda weird.
- Not a hack.
- Definitely not asking you to hack anyone.
More like a perfectly legal ex-girlfriend stalking job.
Oh, this is more your wheelhouse.
[WAGS.]
We need to see who he's talking to.
He's our in to the Commission.
We need to know what other cities he may be dancing with and which way he's leaning.
I'll send you the details.
What do we get if we help? My foot not up your ass? Honestly, that approach doesn't work with my generation.
Oh, you're about to see how well it What do you want? To borrow his Bentley for a weekend.
You got it.
I decided to kill the pending land bank deals.
Turn 'em down.
Open up a new application process.
I'd like us to issue a press release, then we string Krakow up for trying to make a land grab for illicit purposes before his SPAC even You screwed me out of my Treasury gig, now you're trying to do it again! What's the name of that Randy Rogers Band song I like so much? - "Speak Of The Devil"? - That's the one.
I'll go get started.
I just don't understand why you'd side with Mike Prince on this.
Mike Prince? Uh, you think I sided with him to Uh, the land bank killed my transactions.
We had to.
Because like so many others in the billionaire class, you're using loopholes to game the system.
Using private shell companies to buy public lands? Veiling disclosures about land use for community redevelopment? It may not be illegal, but it's unethical.
So is your office accepting graft, - but that didn't stop you.
- From whom? Oh, uh, I suppose we're back to Mike Prince.
You know he just wants the land for himself.
- How'd he get you on his side? - He didn't.
But if he tries the same tactic, he'll face the same scrutiny.
Whatever gig he's offering you with the Commish, I'll up it if you restore my transactions.
- Commish.
Right.
Sure.
- The Olympic Commission.
Is he gonna give you something with teeth, - or something ceremonial? - Oh.
You two are trying to steer the Olympics to the City.
May seem weird now, but Mitt Romney was a fucking god when he brought them to Salt Lake.
I could use some of that social capital.
Turn it into actual capital.
Ka-ching.
Don't make the cash register sound.
I would never.
So you get this land, you lead the effort, you become the chair of the New York City Commission.
You win, and Prince suffers? Humiliations galore.
Perhaps we can work this out.
Resubmit you applications, cards up.
Transparency will protect us both.
Being open and honest has never worked for me, but I'll try anything.
And, matter of fact, I will take something.
I'll steer infrastructure so the people of this city benefit from all the spending, and so they don't just end up with abandoned venues like Rio's Olympic Park.
That place is a fucking dustbowl.
You're a true steward of the people, Chuck.
- Mm-hm.
- I appreciate the consideration.
We have a deal.
Good.
Ka-ching.
Let's, uh, hold a beat on the press conference.
What's up? Our friend Krakow will get his shot at the land after all.
How? And more importantly, why? A different way, with some different codicils That greed-driven Meisterburger gets to bite off a big part of the city that we're supposed to safeguard? To invite redevelopment into those areas of the city, don't we need developers? Not ones who bypass public approval to do whatever the hell they want.
This project doesn't advance without my guiding hand.
It's for the greater good.
It may not feel that way now, but it is.
It certainly doesn't feel that way.
It feels more like Understood, Mrs.
Sacker.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.]
Mr.
Mateo.
Mr.
Prince.
It turns out my partnership overtures weren't met with open arms.
[NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE.]
Was that about the Dollar Bill and Mafee SPAC? Did he assign you to sanction it? Like Nicholai Hel? It's out of my hands.
That means you are gonna sanction it.
Kill it.
Them.
Shit.
Shit.
Are you still okay with Prince going after our former compatriots? Because he is.
I'm surprised Mafee was so forthcoming with you considering he hadn't suggested any real estate - speculation with me.
- You and Mafee talk, too? Of course.
We're friends.
We have a standing weekly dinner.
So then you have to agree we should save them.
If they are anti-fragile, they will survive and thrive no matter what Prince does.
And if not, well, I have to take the long view.
So harsh.
That's the way of the gun.
And you're okay with it.
The gun doesn't care what I'm okay with.
The ruination of the High Plains SPAC is coming, and I feel terrible.
I can't focus through the guilt.
You want to be a martyr, be my guest, but you're not gonna find any grenades to throw yourself onto in here.
I'm the one who put them in the crosshairs.
Inadvertently.
You woke half the team in the middle of the night.
That's advertent.
Because we have a lot riding on the Olympics.
Beyond that, though? It's my job.
I could say you're a PM in a fund 20 times the size of theirs.
Mafee sloppily showed his hand, you went all in against it.
In what world does that make you the bad guy? If you did, I might feel better.
And if I agreed you let down your moral code? Worse.
And I'd probably sulk.
So then own the fact that Mafee doesn't work here anymore.
Neither does Dollar Bill.
- Well, yeah, but - We're competitors now.
I know.
But couldn't I at least warn them what's coming? Sure.
But play that out.
You'd get fired, and you'd never work again because everyone would know you fed our plays to the competition because you're you, and the world's the world, and that is what will happen.
Wish I hadn't said anything now.
Can't put that shit back in the goose.
You don't want to feel bad again, act differently.
Beforehand.
In the meantime, you're just gonna have to feel two things at once because that's what life demands of us.
Thanks, I guess.
I don't feel any better.
Seems to be my specialty of late.
Tell me, Ben Kim, do you wish you'd left with them and stayed loyal to Axe? Do you? No.
But I, too, admire what Mafee and DB did.
Know that.
Then do something.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.]
["RAMBLIN' MAN" BY THE ALLMAN BROTHERS PLAYS.]
Lord, I was born a ramblin' man Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can And when it's time for leavin' I hope you'll understand That I was born a ramblin' man My father was a gambler down in Georgia And he wound up on the wrong end of a gun And I was born in the back seat Of a Greyhound bus Rollin' down highway 41 Lord, I was born a ramblin' man That's it.
That's enough.
Come on, ladies.
I think destiny is calling us.
And when it's time for leavin' I hope you'll understand that I was born Prince says we should add Krakow to the list of Colin's suitors.
- Figures.
- Prince will knock him off.
We just have to focus on whoever else.
- What's with the stuff? - My office.
It's yours now.
You take it.
- I'm fine - Nope.
I'm not unaware of the workflow.
You take it.
I'll decamp here.
You sure? As it should be.
On your way.
[HUMS.]
[PRINCE.]
Welcome Mayor Johnson.
I get it.
You need the room.
I see I'm not the only new blood in town.
I hope to do in the hedge fund space what you undoubtedly will do in City Hall, Ms.
Mayor.
I'm coming home, boys! [ALL CLAPPING, CHEERING.]
Mayor Johnson, I'll keep this brief.
When I supported your campaign, I promised to come to you with big ideas.
You supported my competitors as well.
- But go on.
- What would you say to one of my competitors concealing his efforts to lure the Olympics here without consulting you first? Oh, that? No new stadium, no bid.
Who is it? Former Treasury Sec Todd Krakow.
He hasn't announced yet, but it's him.
Hmm.
Maybe he has the juice, but I'm not convinced.
For when? The Games need a new host city for 2028.
That is a tight turnaround.
And the stadium faced a lot of opposition last time this idea was floated.
Because it's bad for Manhattan.
For congestion, for affordable housing, for the environment.
Okay.
So you want to bring this to the City Council to kill? You could.
But I believe you stand more to gain by speaking out against it yourself.
How's that? - You're America's mayor.
- [LAUGHS.]
With your new profile, you'd shine a spotlight on my plan to build a stadium in Westchester.
You'd come out looking like a hero for putting community impact ahead of a photo op and the whims of a rich guy.
I'm not interested in what it looks like, and I'm not interested in making the same mistakes as the idiot I replaced.
The mistake the idiot who came before you made was not caring what stuff looked like.
Which is why he left office as a punchline.
Hmm.
- They aren't gonna budge.
- You know for sure? [WENDY.]
You know who invented steam? John Fitch.
Steam power, anyway.
The state legislature gave him a 14-year monopoly to come up with a commercial use for it.
But Fitch fucked it up, lost the monopoly because he couldn't do it.
Steam power transformed the world, but the man who invented it died penniless.
Killed himself.
That's a sad story.
Should come with a trigger warning for the ending.
The ending is the warning.
[CHUCKLES.]
You two are all in on a steamboat, but you're gonna end up like Fitch.
You want to keep affording these offices and your business, you need to listen.
Prince knows all about the SPAC and the Olympic play, and he's lining up to destroy whatever it is - you're bringing out.
- Wait.
How the fuck does Prince know about the Olympics piece? Shit.
It was Ben Kim.
How the fuck does Ben Kim know? I didn't tell him anything.
You know that this is the moment when the detective realizes you killed the guy, right? No one accused you of anything yet, Mafee, but you're proclaiming your innocence, which tells me you're guilty as fuck.
What did you tell him? I didn't tell him the whole play.
Well, I guess I gave him enough clues.
Prince knows.
That's all that matters now.
No.
What matters to you is Prince.
But I give no shits about what matters to you, or him.
And we are not walking away from a Mayweather-Pacquiao payday so that Michael Prince can take it.
[SCOFFS.]
We're already in position.
Our incoming partner has the land on lock.
Why not bring your boss in to High Plains and ride the wave with us? Boys here's how this is gonna go.
When the IPO happens, you're gonna feel like winners, like you've finally made it.
But when Prince kills the Olympic play, the SPAC is gonna liquidate, and you're gonna drown.
You need to abandon your plan.
Pull the filing while you still can, before you wreck your reputations and lose your money.
Appreciate you coming to us with this.
Do you? First time here, it's like you squatted in the middle of the office and took a big steaming dump on the floor, but we know when we're beat.
Speaking of dumps, we've got some calls to make, to some investors that are gonna be plenty disappointed we cancelled the offering.
We better get to it.
You two are terrible liars, and you're pulling from my playbook.
You're not going to heed my warning, are you? You wouldn't risk your career like this.
So you're here at his behest.
And we don't do behest anymore.
What does he think he means, they don't "do behest?" It doesn't matter.
Dollar Bill and Mafee are on a blind profit run, and they're not going to protect themselves.
Is there anything else we can do? Prince's plan is smart, thoughtful, and benefits a lot of people.
Especially people at this company, especially people at this desk.
So, no.
If I thought we could save Dollar Bill and Mafee from themselves long-term, I'd do it.
I care for them, Mafee especially.
But, like I told Ben, they are who they are.
And, I guess, so are we.
It is my pleasure to announce that I will be spearheading the High Plains Management real estate SPAC rolling out as we speak.
Consider it a Krak-SPAC, if you will.
Once funded, the company will purchase properties along the East River in Manhattan earmarked for redevelopment, bringing new life to the community by building an all-weather stadium, seating capacity for 85,000 and a retractable roof.
Zoning laws were created for this very reason, to protect tenant rights and small business owners.
These are the people who put me in office.
And I will not let the Todd Krakows of the world bulldoze their livelihoods with plans to build a nonessential new stadium in Manhattan.
I won't fast-track it.
I won't even allow zoning for it without it first going through extensive community, committee and environmental reviews.
And I mean extensive.
I'm talking years.
Boom.
She dropped the payload.
Time to raid the villages.
Thank you.
We'll get you those architectural plans tout suite.
- Ciao.
- [WOMAN.]
Great, thanks.
[CELLPHONE VIBRATES.]
[CHUCKLES.]
[CELLPHONE VIBRATES.]
Oh fuck! Fuck! That Krakow SPAC IPO? You should know, it's not as rosy as you thought.
The rezoning's just the beginning.
Krakow is getting machinegunned like Elias in Platoon.
- Thing's taking a dirt nap.
- MPC has cleared a lane for a stadium deal of our own.
We've got green lights all the way to breaking ground.
But I'm your transport out of the 'Nam.
I'm glad to hear that.
You're smart to stay away from Krakow.
Dude, you're not going through your list.
I will.
Just give me sec.
[SIGHS.]
We found out Colin's a rabid footballer.
- How rabid? - Keeper at his club rabid.
Three trips across the globe to see matches during the pandemic rabid.
So he likes football, as do millions.
We looked deeper.
There's an opening.
The IPO busted before it even opened for trading.
[TAYLOR.]
I saw the Exchange halt it shortly after the mayor's statement.
No money raised.
Krakow can't back his bids.
And Dollar Bill and Mafee can't collect any sponsorship fees.
Look, I didn't go into this to do damage, but from my vantage, we're destabilizing a bad actor, saving the Games from the corruption and exclusion that follow men like Krakow, who only see a payday in this.
But the land, that's still worth something to me.
I thought we were building in Westchester.
Crown jewel was always the waterfront in Manhattan.
We're just gonna build there the right way.
Oh, this is Spanish Prisoner.
We're not at the blowoff yet.
There's another act coming.
You'll see soon enough.
I hope you've had some time to consider my original offer, though I'd say you've waived the chance to negotiate.
I somehow thought you were different.
But your approach reminds me a lot of the man whose office you took.
It's possible you bring out a similar reaction in wildly disparate individuals.
I'll think it over when I drink your blood after decapitating you.
Accepting loss is hard for those who lack humility.
But here's a reality check.
You have deals with the City on land, but your SPAC is liquidated and you don't have the capital to close.
My investors dumped me like Winthorpe and Billy Ray Valentine in the orange juice pit.
That's the problem with other people's money.
They can take it away from you.
So, you'll either go into your pocket For a billion dollars of New York fucking real estate that you got the mayor to oppose zoning changes on?! Don't think so.
I like being rich.
Not gonna end up like Trump.
Or you'll Partner with you.
Fine.
Forget drinking your blood, I'll stand with you instead.
I'll assign the deeds to you, you and your investors pay.
And I'll be starting QB.
That's fine.
It's fine.
Just know we'll be spitting in Chuck Rhoades's eye.
Hey, don't worry.
I'll handle him.
I can't fucking believe it.
Here you are.
I thought, "There's no way Taylor would think our dinner's still on after their firm destroyed my goddamn company.
" But here you are.
It's unfortunate the way the IPO went, that the SPAC is zeroed out.
I understand you were warned not to launch it.
One is business, the other personal.
I don't see the linkage.
You thought you could just sit across from me, enjoying those bok choy pot stickers, while my life is falling apart, because of you and the company you help run? I knew you were a fucking cyborg.
And I thought about letting you sit there and put the pieces together on your own.
But I had to see for myself just how devoid of all human understanding you are.
I Spain's coming hard.
They somehow convinced Real Madrid's manager to give Drache soccer lessons, all to win him over to the Madrid effort.
Meaning they figured out what matters to him.
Wasn't hard.
Guy raises millions for ALS.
So we back up the Brinks truck, help cure a disease, and the guy becomes a hero.
And Colin never walks onto Madrid's pitch.
I'm have a sudden craving for croquetas.
Want to put in an order? Sure.
Pull up a menu.
Alexa, play my faves playlist.
[ALEXA.]
Playlist faves on Amazon music.
["CAT'S IN THE CRADLE" BY HARRY CHAPIN PLAYS.]
You put this song on your playlist? Don't tell me you have a problem with Harry Chapin.
No, I just didn't realize you had any taste.
Oh Thanks.
I think.
While I was away And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew This song.
It used to hit me as the son.
Now it hits me as the father.
And the cat's in the cradle You? Yeah.
Both.
But we'll get together then You know we'll have a good time then - [CLEARS THROAT.]
- [SOBS.]
I said I was fine with what we did, but maybe I didn't see it through.
The associated loss, in human terms.
I didn't see all the possible outcomes.
After Mafee left the firm, I always thought of us as Bird and Magic.
Kill each other on the court, but best friends in the off-season.
We were never trained to be worried about unintended consequences.
The win was all that mattered, and our success only reinforced that idea.
I say "we were trained," but in truth, I did most of that training, which is why I guess my attempt to undo it was clumsy.
The blame isn't just, or even mostly, on you.
I keep getting sucked back into the short game, and I promised myself I wouldn't do that anymore.
To be fair, your short game is everyone else's long game.
That only makes it more disappointing.
So then what actions are you are we going to take to rectify it? - Here we are again.
- The game has changed.
We need to put the stadium in Manhattan after all.
- Built at no cost to the city.
- What about the congestion? Affordable housing? Impact on the environment? None of that will be a problem the way he's going to do it.
Sustainable.
Repurposable.
Cutting edge.
And how am I not gonna look like a flip-flopper? You're gonna look like a brilliant negotiator.
You have leveraged the real estate community to band together to build low-income housing unlike the City has seen before.
- State-of-the-art.
- Because first it's gonna be Yes.
Athletes' quarters.
Built at the lowest possible cost to the city, by one of our great builders.
You mean if you win, Chuck Rhoades suffers? Humiliations galore.
- Bud Lazzara's on board? - Not only that, we have the site and surrounding property, and a healthy war chest to close on it with.
Most importantly, you have my word and a witness.
Then let the Games begin.
[DOOR OPENS.]
Might want to watch your step.
There's blood all over the floor.
Guess it wasn't good enough you killed our IPO.
You just had to do a stiff fucking pile driver without protecting our necks.
Oh, no, I've got you tucked safely between my thighs.
Kayfabe all the way.
- I've spoken to Prince.
- And what? He wants to offer us our old jobs back? I'm not walking backwards.
Neither is Mafee.
Well, I'd consider it, but no.
We know the SPAC was going to be your opportunity.
Prince asked Spartan-Ives to fund you instead.
Spartan will write the check, as a make-good to Prince.
Meaning? They saved our asses.
At what price? We got to show fealty? Pledge our firstborn sons? What? How about you take this as an object lesson, free of charge.
You're not giant-killers.
Don't go swinging your swords into a battles you've already lost.
I lobbied for this too, to square things with us.
Suddenly had a conscience program installed? - Did you go to Wendy for that? - I did seek her counsel, to remind me what I value most.
So, what, Taylor? A friendship where I'm watching every word I say for fear you're going to gouge me in the eye later? I won't offer you any empty platitudes, Mafee.
But I would like a chance to talk this through, repair our trust.
Are we back on for our regular dinners? We are.
Did you hear that, Ben Kim? My god, that was brutal.
But thank you.
Thank you! Oh, thank Christ.
We didn't blow up! Mortimer, we're back! [EXHALES.]
[GRUNTS.]
So, this happened.
And Mayor Tess is about to give another press conference reversing field.
Prince got to Krakow? And the mayor.
Prince got Krakow's stadium?! The way I see it, you dangled our land to get a preferred outcome, and now, instead of a good initiative against one bad pony, we've lost it to a pair of 'em.
No, wait.
Wait.
In a way, this actually helps us.
- I'm not seeing it.
- This proves my point, doesn't it? Billionaires plot in secret to take everything for themselves.
And the laws protect their rights to do so.
Prince may have the land, but he doesn't have the people that live on it.
Is he going to start buying people now? Bet he would if he could.
- We can't let him.
- Uh-oh.
Are we about to see the return of Farmer Chuck? What'd Bruce say? "Wherever there's a fight "against the blood and hatred in the air, look for me, Mom, I'll be there.
" I promise I will think of something to make it clear that we are the stewards of the best interests of the people of New York, and not Prince or Krakow.
How? I need to take a little walk.
That's how.
You ready for the Colin meeting? - Yep.
Your office? - Our office.
I saw what you were doing with the selfless "donate the office" play.
Very elevated.
Bonding up with the guys.
Reifying your status as their sergeant on the ground.
Can't let you get away with it.
- No? - Uh-uh.
[WAGS.]
So you actually wanna? That's right.
We share.
Seems our good friend Mr.
Drache is back.
Colin, please, as we'll be all working together.
So, Todd Krakow no longer has need of your services? Alas, no.
Nor Spain.
They seem to be the type that reneges on their prior promises.
While you seem like the soccer type.
We're pretty tight with David Beckham.
Maybe there'll be an opportunity for him to be on the pitch with you when he comes to town for the Games.
Don't worry, you're home now.
I certainly see that.
I'll let you fellas get started.
I have a press conference to attend.
There's no better time to welcome the world back to New York City.
I want to introduce the man with the vision and personal investment as our partner, the chairman of the NYC 2028 Olympic Commission, Michael Prince.
[APPLAUSE.]
- Thank you, Mayor Johnson.
- [CAR HORN BEEPS.]
We both share the same vision of what a Summer Games in New York should look like [CAR HORNS HONK.]
an event for everyone.
A chance to showcase and rebuild in all five boroughs.
But I don't think the taxpayer - [HORNS CONTINUE HONKING.]
- should shoulder the burden of the costs.
[MULTIPLE HORNS HONKING.]
My approach incentivizes [MAN YELLING.]
the private sector to join me [MAN.]
Get out of the fuckin' street! Move the fuckin' car, bro! Get out of the way! [HORNS HONKING.]
All right, back it up.
[TRUCK BEEPING.]
Oh, I think we've got their attention.
[LAUGHS.]
So they want to revitalize the City? These plutocrats? Have they thought about the unintended consequences to the average citizen? Do they think about the average citizen at all? I am not in this for the goddamned Bronx Cheer.
Nobody told me about the "fuck you" parade.
This is the traffic for a press conference.
What will New York look like when the traffic quintuples? [CROWD MURMURS.]
A cabal of billionaires remaking the city.
What the hell do they know about the real New York? How many people will be displaced so they can build an Olympic stadium? Yeah.
Have they at all considered what real New Yorkers want for our city? Maybe we should remind them who we are.
Yeah? What do we do when the carpetbaggers and the land barons try to shove us out of the way? - We shove back! - [WOMAN.]
Yeah! - We shove back! - [VOICES.]
Yeah! That's right.
And together, the people, and those who represent the people, we will take back our city! Take back our city! - Take back our city! - Take back our city! [ALL CHANTING.]
Take back our city! Take back our city! - Take back our city! - Take back our city! Take back our city! - Take back our city! - Take back our city! Take back our city! The time is right for fighting In the street, boy But what can a poor boy do Except to sing for A rock 'n' roll band 'Cause in sleepy London town There's just no place for A street fighting man No Hey! Think the time is right for