Billions (2016) s07e01 Episode Script

1
Previously on Billions.
I'm not Axe. I'm different.
And I'm willing
to put the time
and effort in
to prove that to you.
With Axe,
I didn't have to pretend
I was making glittery cupcakes
while shivving a motherfucker
who needed shivving.
Maybe Prince's
way is more powerful.
Welcome to
Michael Prince Capital, Kate.
Where do I work?
There comes a time, Lucien,
when ideology meets reality.
Even in the newspaper business.
I want your comment on the
story I am running.
We both share the same vision
of what a Summer Games
in New York should look like.
I thrive in peacetime.
But the best way to peace
is through overwhelming force.
The 2028 Games
can no longer be held
in New York City.
Chuck can be removed as AG.
How do we pull the lever?
Charles Rhoades Junior
is hereby removed
as attorney general
of the State of New York.
The Senate names
Miss Daevisha Mahar
as acting attorney general
for the remainder
of Mr. Rhoades' term.
You want to know why Axe
is satisfied with freedom?
Why Chuck is priapic
for warfare?
Because they are lesser Caesars.
You want to be a greater
Caesar?
Michael fucking Prince
is running for president.
President of
the United States of America.
- And one of us
- Both of us.
could be running Michael
Prince Capital very soon.
For you to succeed
at being whatever it is
you want to be, you need
to stop lying to yourself.
Let's not forget about you
and what you want
out of all of this.
Prince is funding
Mike Money with crypto.
Ten incorrect attempts
and it'll encrypt itself,
making it impossible
to access whatever's on it.
If we go down this road, one of
you is ending up in jail.
This night's cost me
$3.5 billion already.
We're gonna destroy
Mike Prince together.
The world will think
you're under indictment,
right up until the minute
we lock Mike Prince up.
You got a deal.
Find me Wendy fucking Rhoades.
She's actually here?!
What is so fucking
wrong about me
that you're sure I shouldn't
be fucking president?
Uh-huh
I've got the new style
Uh-oh
And I'm walking
Right down your street
I'm on your speed dial
You know
The one everyone
Wants to meet
I always tell you
How cool you dress
It's 'cause
I'm fashionably socialized
You're smarter, better
No, the best
Just look at me
I'm a leader, I'm a winner
And I'm cleaner
'Cause I'm awesome
I don't need you
'Cause I'm neato
And I beat you
'Cause I'm awesome
- I'm a leader
- I'm a leader
- I'm a winner
- I'm a winner
- And I'm cleaner
- And I'm cleaner
- 'Cause I'm awesome
- 'Cause I'm awesome
- I don't need you
- I don't need you
- 'Cause I'm neato
- 'Cause I'm neato
- And I beat you
- And I beat you
- 'Cause I'm awesome
- That's right
Rah, rah, rah, rah
Rah, rah, rah
- I'm awesome
- Rah, rah, rah, rah
- Rah, rah, rah
- That's right
Rah, rah, rah, rah
Rah, rah, rah
I don't need you
'Cause I'm awesome
Uh-huh
This is part two, Wendy.
Just you and me.
Part one was the day
you grilled me
right here all alone.
This is--
Part two, yeah.
You said.
I need to go deep.
We do.
That's my specialty.
But now you need
to do it for me.
I've been doing
a kind of internal
chiropractic adjustment,
trying to align myself
to find the parts in there
that are fighting
the whole, but--
Yeah, you can't do that alone.
But you could have just
walked through that door
and asked me to dive in.
Instead, you cleared
the office. Why?
Well, I can't just let anyone,
not even you,
all the way inside
without being sure.
So you plan on interrogating me
the way I did you?
I pass.
Don't think of it like that.
Where I'm going,
I need loyalists.
Not blind loyalists,
open-eyed believers.
Like Nirvana fans
back in the day.
No. Most of them
didn't understand Kurt.
I need to know that you get me.
You want me to be
your Courtney Love?
No. My Dave Grohl.
Lay down a monster beat
and keep me on it.
Well, I could say
I wouldn't be standing here
if I weren't prepared to.
Uh, I'm not sure
that's good enough.
We need to get
to your why.
Here's a why.
Why are you so confident
I'll play along?
Why don't you think
I'll just turn around,
pack out my desk and leave?
Because I didn't
sign up for this.
Not many people would walk away
from the kind of access
and power you'd have
if you hang in close.
You talking about
your run for office?
Twenty-eight is a long way off.
Oh.
Timeline's shifted.
I'm going to do things
differently, yes.
I'm announcing
on my own timeline.
I'm going to run and win in--
- 2024.
- I need it now.
Before it's too late.
Assuming I'll win,
I'll need to know
that I'm not just ready
for this job, but primed.
I have blind spots.
Everyone does.
But I need to know that
you're in to expose them to me
so that I can see and fix them.
Fair enough.
But I'm-I'm still not sure what
it is you need to hear from me.
Well, start by finishing
this sentence.
"Michael Prince is"
Michael Prince is
going about this all wrong.
Because instead
of trying to extract
a loyalty test from me,
what he should be doing is
using every second of his life
trying to convince me
and everyone like me
that he's worthy
of my investment.
Look inward for sure.
But look outward
to engage all those
you're gonna need
to get you there.
Just tell me this.
Are you still capable
of getting it done?
That is not what
you really want to know.
What is it you really
want to know?
Why is it so hard
for you to do it for me
when it was so easy for you
with Axe?
No one would use
the word "easy."
But he was direct.
He wanted the things
he wanted.
And once we cleared out
the inner conflicts,
he just went after them
and got them.
So you turned him
into a targeted missile.
Oh, I just tweaked
the guidance system a little.
He was already a missile.
You can't help but smile
as you talk about him.
What is it that makes you smile
when you think about
where you want to go?
We're starting.
We are.
So?
Why are you the one
right now, this second,
to do this?
Not the stem-winder
you'll give on the hustings,
but the real answer
you give yourself
in the mirror at 2:00 a.m.
Because of my ruthlessness.
Say more.
Think of it this way.
If you're out on a climb
and you fall
and break your femur in half,
you don't need someone who
knows how to talk a good game.
You need someone who knows
how to fix it.
Someone who's willing to do
what needs to be done,
even when there's no anesthesia
out on the trail.
Someone who will ignore
your screams of pain
until the bone is set
and ready to heal.
That someone is me.
And our country is the femur.
Damn right it is.
Strength.
People want that when
they believe it's not put on,
but real.
People?
Where it went wrong
was when politicians
thought they had to listen
to people.
Not smart people.
Not educated people.
Just people.
There is such a thing
as worthy dissent.
The First Amendment.
The Founders never wanted
a true democracy,
but a constitutional republic.
You know this.
So when you get there
to the Oval Office
Truman had a sign on his desk
that said,
"The buck stops here."
Mine's gonna say,
"I am the buck."
Let's fucking get you there.
That's my girl.
Uh, doctor. Uh
Yeah, you're on
a different stage now,
so don't do that.
Copy.
So you didn't clear
the whole day.
Oh, I knew
you wouldn't need it.
And I have someplace
I very much need to be.
Wags, when was the last time
you had egg foo young?
Old-school style
with the pork just so?
Because whenever that was,
the next time is tonight.
My client
has no prior felonies,
no pending criminal matters.
He's already surrendered
his passport.
Mr. Rhoades is a man
of some renown,
which makes flight
even more unlikely.
The GPS ankle monitor, Judge,
is an unnecessary
and extraordinary measure.
Well, Chuck and I go way back.
And I know him to be
an extraordinary character.
Thank you?
Uh, Judge Wailand,
I'd call you
by your first name,
but we don't want that
kind of thing on the record.
You're treating me
like some kind of lamster.
But fleeing jurisdiction
is the move
the guys I chase
like to make.
Please don't
address the bench directly
unless the bench
addresses you
as I'm about to do.
But how, exactly,
is this device
causing you undue trouble?
You'd be still expected to
continue your supervised release
and check-ins for pre-trial
services regardless.
But this thing on my leg,
what the kids call
a Coney Island Crunk-o-Meter,
is chafing me.
I am chafing.
Emotionally and physically.
Literally and figuratively,
if the distinction
even exists anymore,
and I haven't been
convicted of a damn thing.
I can't see how your itchiness
is something this court
should be worried about.
This is all going
the way it's supposed to.
Yeah. Good. I see.
But you called this meeting.
Because, while I'd like to
think what I have is enough,
this is Chuck
we're dealing with.
You don't think you have
enough?
Could always use more.
I want to bring the garlic,
the crucifix,
the stake through the heart.
Well, there's plenty out there.
The guy's pathological.
He has history
with Taylor Mason,
Wendy, obviously, and others
that used to work there.
- And that's my company alone.
- Sure.
Love to talk to them,
with your permission.
Kate Sacker, too,
if she's allowed.
They might not
be comfortable with it,
but I'll let them know I am
for the purposes
of winning this.
But once I open the door,
it's up to you
to get them talking.
To that end,
shouldn't you be there
to make sure
he doesn't win this thing?
I know how this is going to go.
Request denied.
Request denied.
Let me know
when that door is open.
This is how you and Dave
drew it up, right?
Certain aspects of it, yeah.
This is the hard stretch.
This kind of reversal
lends credibility.
In a way, it's the best thing
that could've happened.
So you say, partner.
What you got
to understand is this.
This is good news.
This is the good news express
right here. Climb aboard.
This is not
what good news looks like.
No. Good news at this place
comes via text or email,
or is delivered
by one of these men.
When it's the two of them
coming in hot
like Turner and Hooch
Who's the dog in that?
- Whatever they're selling--
- Yes.
Yeah, who's the dog?
Whatever you're selling,
we're all full up.
We don't want any.
First of all,
and before we go any further, congratulations.
You got into the ESG space
right on time.
Early, even,
and have done very nicely.
More than nicely.
You've kicked royal ass.
You're giving heavy dad-rock
right now.
Well, but it's true.
So Michael Prince believes--
- He knows--
- Yes.
He has decided that early-in
leads to early-out.
So that the two of you
can focus fully on this place.
This entire place.
See? This is good news.
This is growing up.
This is the major leagues.
- This is--
- You killing my business.
- Our.
- Absolutely. Our business.
My brand.
Environmental, social
and governance-centered
investing is--
Is oversaturated
and picked over.
Plus, if Prince has a carve-out
that specializes in ESG,
it means the main firm
disregards ESG.
- You see?
- I do.
The key at this place is,
it's one brand now
that the two of you
are running.
Don't think of it
as killing what you had.
No one is killing anything.
Taylor Mason Carbon
will be sunsetted,
but you will be right here at
the head of one unified firm.
These offices will be upgraded
and turned into
your command center.
We don't have a voice in this?
Of course you do,
and that voice
is going to be heard.
And then it is
going to say, "Yes!"
- I don't like it.
- Taylor doesn't like it.
And neither do I.
We have to--
total and complete respect
to the two of you, of course--
but we have to take this
directly to Prince.
Don't think of this
as us going over your heads.
Just know we are going
over your heads.
And the dog--
whichever one of you
happens to be barking loudest
at the moment--
you're Hooch.
You wearing
your invisibility cloak?
It's at the cleaners.
Well, I must
be wearing mine,
'cause Prince can't see me.
There it is.
Oh, come on!
He isn't free. Isn't going
to be, for you, all day.
I have the plan.
And the authority
to hear you out.
Good, we can go
to your office and--
I'm in with him right now.
Later. Maybe tomorrow.
I'll find you.
Hey, Kev, move around.
Let me face the room.
No, Pop, I'm good.
If the seat
doesn't suit you, son,
we can retire to my place.
I'll have them
send the food over.
Oh, yeah, we have plenty
in the freezer.
Could reheat last night's
dinner from Le Bernardin.
We have a Gaja
just coming into its own.
Yeah, let's go eat at
Grandpa's.
No. Nonsense.
We will eat right here.
And if it's a chewy Gaja
you want,
let's get that going
right now.
Just go ahead
and take the seat, Chuck.
You know, I'm surprised
you came, Wend.
A pleasant surprise,
but a surprise nonetheless.
I have a work dinner after this,
so I just kind of stopped by
to, you know, be here
for the kids,
say hi to your dad.
Be here for the
Oh, oh, oh.
It makes sense.
Ah, the super-early bird dinner.
Me facing the wall,
you here as a buffer of sorts
against the world.
I get it now.
Oh, the children don't want
to be seen in public
having dinner
with an indicted man, huh?
We're not embarrassed of you.
Oh, goodness,
you're embarrassed of me.
Remember how it was for you
when I had my troubles?
Perhaps the kids feel that way.
You were a slum lord.
I was doing the public good.
Junior!
Keister. Seat. Now.
It's important
that we all remember:
I am not, and will never be, convicted,
because I have done
nothing wrong.
Totally.
Absolutely, Dad.
You'll always be our father.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Thank you.
Can you get a message to him?
No. He hasn't sent one to me.
It's safer this way.
Why do you need him?
It was one thing to help
keep the trains running
when it was just about Prince
staying rich and getting richer.
But I have decided
that he is dangerous.
And I can't be part
of another strongman
entering the world stage.
Ah. There's always strongmen.
Maybe if you know this one,
you can influence him.
And maybe he ain't that bad.
"Maybe he ain't that bad"
is the war cry
of the meek and the defeated.
It's what got us
the last few fucking winners.
It's the key that unlocks
the door that lets the demons
run free, and I don't want
to be holding it.
So drop it and split.
I would, but that leaves
everyone who works there behind.
I'm not prepared to do that.
And I can't think of anyone else
who could stop Prince's rise.
Axe couldn't when he tried.
Look, the time to think
about this was the before-time.
Wherever he is,
whatever he's doing,
he ain't looking backwards.
Don't you miss him?
That's a bit like asking a
caveman hiding from a dinosaur
if he misses the sun.
Of course he does.
But if he goes outside the cave
when it's light out,
he might get eaten.
The cavemen and the dinosaurs
didn't walk the earth
at the same--
As I can hardly believe we were
really and truly here with him.
The whole world is different.
Yes.
Yes to every single word.
Somehow, we have managed
to keep living
without that warm glow.
But I'll tell you,
it's hard living
without daylight.
And I really need his counsel
on how to at least
direct Prince to not, like,
end the fucking universe.
Maybe it's just not
your problem to solve.
So you're okay with just making
the best of it as is?
I am at Wo Hop
with one of my three
favorite people in the world.
This is about
the best version of me
making the best of it
I know of.
Mm-mm. Mm!
Hey, give us a minute,
would you?
How sure are you?
It might be as simple as this.
There's nothing more dangerous
than a man who's sure
he's never wrong.
Add in the money,
add in the intellect.
Smarts is good.
Not when those smarts are used
to strengthen the idea
that no one else's
opinion counts.
And in add his ability
to lie to himself
about who he really is,
and finally,
fold in a textbook
God complex.
He thinks he's God now?
This is a man who's
accomplished
everything he's ever
set out to do.
Again. That's supposed to be
a good thing.
Yeah, it's good.
Right up until the moment
that he decides that
what he needs to do
is take out Russia
or China
or whoever's next on the list, preemptively.
Or that he really needs to do
is to shut up the dissenters
right here.
And then, suddenly,
he's gassing Des Moines.
But, like, that's what half
the guys in office want to do.
Bureaucracy stops 'em.
Not this guy. He steamrolls it.
My job is to listen to what
these men say
and to parse it.
If he gets there,
he won't be stopped by red tape.
Our only chance is
to stop him beforehand.
Otherwise, in his own words,
the country will scream.
And he'll just keep on going.
Then I hope you find Axe.
Because he is the only one
who might have
a chance to prevent it.
Thank you
for meeting me here.
You offered up a slice of
Joe's.
And you're you.
Who's saying no?
I need you to get
a message to Bobby.
If I accept your message
and you told a court of law
I accepted it,
they would interpret it
as my having knowledge
of his whereabouts.
I knew you'd say that,
and I asked you here anyway.
Why would you want
to locate him, theoretically?
Same reason you, uh, look up
your exes on Instagram, I guess.
I don't do that.
Neither do I. But people do.
Makes them feel both connected
and aware of their own growth.
Yeah. That's not why
you want to know.
Everything is murky
right now, Orrin.
Bobby isn't. Never was.
He is clarity.
That is what we need right now.
If by "we" you mean this city,
country and world,
you're damn right we do.
Which is a funny thing to say,
considering he cost me
my good standing with the bar
for six months.
He was worth what he cost.
Is.
I see it the same.
I only wish I was the one
who could deliver him to you.
- You're not?
- I've eaten.
Festive spot.
Especially
at the witching hour.
Yeah.
Well, like Uncle Junior's
doctor's office,
I have this place.
The final resting spot of
a long line of dead Rhoadeses.
My great-grandfather Elijah.
His wife Tig.
Uh
Grandpa Crawford.
Uncle Cleveland.
And, uh, that one there
is earmarked for me.
And you might as well
slide me in right now
'cause I am a dead man walking.
Let's not get operatic.
You knew the deal.
What I knew was you were
going to tell me the deal.
So I signed, as anyone would
when the choice was steel bars,
but I'm still waiting.
It's better out here
than where you were.
All right,
let's not do it like this.
I want to find
areas of agreement.
Yes, it is better out here,
but now I need
to really understand your plan
so I can go along--
No, no.
Not going to reveal
the whole thing.
I'm just going to do it.
You play your part better
the less you know
about how I'm working it.
I can have all the info.
That way, I not only
play the scene,
I play the whole film.
That shit might work
in a fucking Michael Bay movie,
but this
this needs to be Kubrick.
Quiet and creeping,
and then suddenly shocking
and perfect.
Dave, I'd never second-guess
a player like you,
but I need be free
of this bullshit
sooner rather than later.
All right.
I heard you in court.
And you know
who else heard you?
Mikey Prince.
So while I'm insistent
on my stance,
I will give you this much:
I am making inroads
at his company,
with his employees.
I get close,
I bleed them for info.
And not the kind of info
they think they're giving me,
but the kind we need.
And you just keep playing possum
in the crosshairs of justice.
What you're doing
is key to my gaining their
confidence, so keep it up.
See you tomorrow.
Or is that already today?
To me, it's all one long day
run together
since I was put
on the chain gang.
Oh, my God.
The strategy I built
for Taylor Mason Carbon
was designed to play out
over longer than a few years.
The results aren't in yet,
but I'm feeling
a "results now" vibe here.
Prince says
you should revamp it.
Transfer the investments over
that still apply.
It's all the same
ownership anyway.
This isn't satisfying,
talking to the lawyer.
It's true, and that's
exactly what you sound like:
the lawyer.
That's a sad characterization.
I'll get over that
on my own time.
And to be honest, nobody
owes you an explanation.
Legally, Prince can do
what he wants to your entity.
He controls it.
But I am here explaining,
listening, as a courtesy.
Because we're all
throwing in here now, right?
You on the financial side,
me on the operations side.
So don't think of me
as the lawyer,
think of me as a part
of Prince's brain.
He's downloaded the things
he wants me on top of.
Whatever happened
in that interrogation room
- clearly forged a bond.
- It's true.
I guess you come apart
at the seams and blubber
all over your lawyer's
shoulder, you get tight.
Is that what happened?
Like Cutler and Gotti?
Or Von Bülow and Dersh.
You won't get a rise out of me,
but what you're missing is
this is good for you.
You're not being partitioned
or siloed off anymore.
You run this entire place.
Trade how you like,
within the parameters,
but, uh, the expectations
are for a field-beating year.
So my crew, computer-driven
and ESG-focused airborne troops
are expected to wade
into the long-short mud
like infantry grunts and win?
That's something I'll have
to go back to Prince with
and, uh, swing back to you.
Better that we see him
and press him on that.
Have to convince him to keep
our internal structure
and offices intact.
Yeah, you might be
a little late for that.
Wait, that's our wall.
Hey.
So I get someone there
to turn.
Who's the most likely,
in your opinion, Chuck,
to know enough
but also to be willing to roll?
All those guys will roll if
the leverage is strong enough,
don't you think, big guy?
The old Uncle Mike
quote applies.
"The plan crumbles upon
impact."
Think he said it
a little more colorfully.
We have a situation.
Reporter out there.
Was signed in by an
assistant AG on a pretext,
blew right by the assistant AG
and marched over to me.
Guy says you need to see him.
If you don't, bad for you.
I can meet him in the lobby.
Says he followed
Mr. Rhoades here.
Knows you are together.
Wants to talk to both of you.
Send one
of the comms people, too.
Reporter said
he'll file his story
the moment he sees
a comms person,
and that it'll explode
like Tex Cobb
in Raising Arizona.
Get him. Bring him slow.
We need to rearrange ourselves
so this looks like
a plea conference.
Oh, fuck. This guy.
You got that right.
This guy.
Only with a different angle.
Hello, Attorney General Mahar.
My name is Lucien Porter.
- I write for--
- I know who you are, Mr. Porter.
But you have to know,
you can't just barge
into a plea conference.
And you have to know,
Miss Mahar, I-I just did.
What do you want?
I want to see both
of your reactions to this.
And any response you may have.
Are we off the record?
Oh, no, we are as on the record
as BB King at Sun Studios in
1950 cutting "Mistreated Woman."
Yeah, the king of the blues
recorded there years before
Elvis the King.
But let's not get off track.
Uh, I'm gonna walk my client
out of here
unless you can
give me reason not to.
How's this for reason:
I have come to think
the world was wrong
about Charles
"Chuck" Rhoades, Jr.
A point of possible agreement. Fascinating.
Wrong how?
Well, I think what I,
and the rest of the world, missed,
is that this man
is a crusader.
A criminal
twice removed from office.
You just made my point.
What if working inside the
structure of the government,
especially in the years
under discussion,
it wasn't possible to really do
the people's bidding
while following
the letter of the law?
I have sources
who have told me--
compelling
and convincing sources--
that Mr. Rhoades
was twice removed
because he refused
to back down to power.
That he was determined
to bring to justice
those few that control all.
Normally,
I'd be thrilled by this,
but I don't trust
your agenda, man.
Good instinct.
I'd see it same from your seat,
Chuck, but I've watched it.
You're the only one who stood
up to the billionaires
with more than words.
The only one who paid a price.
Twice removed,
as the attorney general said,
prosecuted now,
and for what?
For breaking the law.
I prosecute infractions,
not intentions.
That'll be your quote then.
Rhoades, you want
to say something?
Nah. I'm not talking to you.
Even as I agree
that I have been railroaded,
I'm gonna fight my case
and win in court,
and then go about my business.
As you should go about yours,
Mr. Porter, out there,
and leave me to mine in here.
I'll go, but that doesn't mean
I'm leaving you.
Oh. Set that sentiment to music,
and maybe you'll make something
out of your writing.
Goodbye.
It's him. Big Red.
Is he sending out a flare?
Does he want us to see?
If he didn't,
how would I spot it?
Were you chiefing up at the
moment of this big revelation?
That's an insulting question.
And hurtful.
Why does it have to be
that I was chiefing up?
You've been known to partake,
even during work hours.
The idea that I can't hold my
weed is the disrespectful part.
Okay, Mafee,
how did you spot it?
Now, I did happen to be
chiefing up, as discussed--
enjoying some
Nautical Twilight,
as a matter of fact--
at the time I saw it.
No.
Couldn't be.
No way.
But maybe.
So I switched to a sativa
to think through this one.
Diablo Wind, which,
despite its frightening
and evil-sounding name,
is actually cerebral
and perfect
for getting things done.
- Mafee!
- Sorry. Anyway
at first I'm thinking
I'm looking at some
noise trader.
But then I notice
a technical component to it.
But the sizing was too great.
Yet it wasn't an institution.
- And then
- When the smoke cleared?
I realized I was looking
at Semi-Strong Form Efficiency.
Let me see.
Whoever it was, he was fast,
aggressive, sure-footed.
You know I know Axe's trading
style better than anyone.
I've studied it. And this is
him. I'm sure of it.
Uh-huh.
Who put you up
to looking, Mafee?
No. No, this was on my own.
But I didn't want to, like,
commit to the idea
that it was him
without running it by you.
I wasn't going to
tell anyone about it.
Wasn't, you know, tasked.
- Oh. Hello.
- Help me figure out
who asked Mafee to find Axe
through Axe's trades.
I did it. I need to reach him,
but he's gone to ground.
So I figured
he could track him,
and then you could bait him,
using what Mafee knows.
No. No one could bait him.
And no way Mafee sees this
if Axe didn't want to be seen.
Just a sec.
Ah, the Count Basie Orchestra
together again.
Only the Count himself
is missing.
Here's how I figure it.
You followed protocol,
said he was unreachable,
then told him
I wanted to connect
because you can reach him,
and then he had to have
a little fun.
Ah.
Did Mafee notice a certain
signature trading style
in the energy sector?
I was right!
Fuck yeah!
I knew there was something
about that guy.
Chief on that.
I think the big guy just
wanted to know how serious
you were about connecting.
And now he does.
I am tempted to engage in
all of this, but not enough.
I'm done with intrigue,
with palace coups.
I just want to keep
building my war chest.
Just keep making money
and strengthening my rep
in this fucking business,
which is becoming
increasingly difficult
with the latest bullshit
at the firm.
We're not done
talking about this.
We are for now.
But it is weirdly
perfect timing, Mafee,
I'll grant you that.
I've been thinking about you
and your shop.
Its demise, really.
Wow.
Hello, Pop.
Oh, no, I will accept
your congratulations for sure,
even as this is a small--
Oh, I got another call
coming in.
Let me get you back.
Eisen!
Capital to hear from you,
my good m--
And thank you for letting me
know you saw it.
Yes.
It is good to see that the
right story is finally--
Uh, there's my front door.
Yeah.
Okay.
Back to you soon, pal.
Holy fuckballs.
That Lucien Porter,
he did it!
- This piece
- Hmm.
this piece basically says
you're the Robin Hood
of New York City.
It says you were the only
person in the city, the country,
who risked personal welfare
to try to put the crooked
billionaires away.
Well, I was.
I am.
You
you acted surprised
when Porter barged in.
But you weren't, were you?
Well, get to our age, nothing
much surprises, does it?
- If this gets momentum
- Sure.
If everything lined up just so,
if this really was the time for
me to assume my rightful pl--
The message that Porter
is putting out in the world,
that the very government I was
supposed to be working for
instead fought against me
to stop me from doing
the exact thing
the people wanted
They're holding him up
as a hero
who actually does
what he says.
arresting bad-faith actors
of great wealth and power,
well, now who knows
what could sprout from that.
Students who got
a taste of fairness
when they thought their loans
would be forgiven
might take to the streets!
I could see your Al Sharptons
and your Nicole Wallaces
getting into the act.
Your Warrens, your Sanderses,
your AOCs.
All righteously outraged
that a true champion
who tried to carry their fight
was snuffed out.
This might make
that same champion
into the kind of public hero
who's very hard to keep down.
Yeah, and even harder
to prosecute.
The president's going to let
the State of New York decide
whether this case against
Mr. Rhoades is warranted.
So you set all that up, too,
didn't you?
It's gonna happen.
Once again, I think it's fair
to say it won't surprise me.
I have a spot in my pod
if you're interested.
I've clocked
some of your trades.
I like what I see.
Okay, rad. I've come to see you
are a many-sided figure.
I mean, more than the eyes
and ears first.
- Uh, cool. We'll join you.
- Yeah, cool, where do we--?
There's one seat available.
One.
Both of us together,
or neither.
I'm gonna go with neither.
Good luck.
That was really heartening,
the way you backed me.
It reminded me
of seventh grade
when I was the new kid
in the cafeteria and--
Save it, s'il vous plaît.
That's French.
Hold the roll, you two.
We're not accepting
this new reality.
Find a place to post up
for the moment
until I can talk to Prince.
Pod next to us is open.
We can compare notes.
Yeah. I know what it's like
being a bird without a nest.
It sucks.
Mmm.
In my envisioning,
this isn't like
a hierarchal thing.
This is just like two guys
making decisions together.
Two alphas.
Pearl and Clyde in the Knicks
backcourt together.
Earl "the Pearl" Monroe
sacrificed ten points a game
to come to New York.
I mean, he went from being
the leader of the team
and top scorer in the league
to being the third option
on Clyde's team.
Do you want me to be the third
option on Michael Prince's team?
They won championships, Mark.
And with all the good
that you're doing
with the drug thing--
The drug thing
is Cost Plus Drugs.
If you're going to run
for the top slot,
if you're going
to run the press gauntlet,
you're going to do that.
I'm just putting it out there
that we could do it together.
Announce a year before anybody
puts their VP list together.
I take the bulk
of the scrutiny,
and we are kicking butt
like Nick Bockwinkel
and Ray "the Crippler" Stevens.
Look, I'm more a Terry Funk
guy, but regardless.
The only thing that matters
more to me than my country
is my family.
And there's just no way
I'm gonna put them
through an election cycle.
Especially not to be your VP
or anybody's VP.
But, you know,
I really get the sense
that you asked me up here
just to find out
if I was gonna run
against you.
You really just wanted to
confirm that the coast was
clear for you to run
as an independent.
Well, I'm not, and it is.
But come on, Mike.
Next time,
just call me and ask me.
Save us both some time, okay?
I assume you've seen this?
Ah, the epic tale of our city's
very own Eliot Ness.
Do you know
where it will lead?
Because I do.
Into the annals of folklore.
Which is not where I want
to take my prosecution.
- No, it can't be an accident.
- I saw it going down.
It didn't turn out
the way I thought.
Isn't that, like,
Chuck's specialty?
Look, we both want this guy
found guilty,
which is what
you were promising to do.
What is it you want me
to do about it?
You're a brilliant player.
Make some of them bold moves.
Make the Bezos play.
- Buy the paper?
- Yeah!
But go farther than him.
Kill stories like this.
Have them write
the opposite ones.
Yeah, a purchase like that
doesn't fit my needs right now.
Nor does taking shrapnel
for steering the editorial bent
of a major paper.
Oh, of course, I forgot.
Is it too soon to start
calling you Mr. President?
It is. But it's not too soon
for you to put Chuck away,
which is what
you promised to do,
instead of leaving openings
for him to exploit.
I don't tell you what stocks
to buy and when,
so you can save
your dime-store critique
of my case-building, dude.
Sorry to interrupt, but this
is about business of the day.
You were told to wait, to talk
to Sacker and Scooter and Wags.
We did talk.
Guess it didn't take.
We were told you wanted us
to run your company,
so we need to talk to you
about it.
I'm I'm sorry
about this timing,
but this is kind of urgent.
- If you could--
- Yeah, yeah.
Thanks, Mike.
Seems like everything's
running great for you.
The whole idea was that you
weren't going to micromanage.
This is macro.
The whole place, right?
The structure of the place.
The physical plant.
Within that structure,
you two make the calls.
- Stepped right into that one.
- But you are right.
This is an operations call,
and we are operating the firm.
Except our square peg personnel
are getting muscled
into round holes.
This functioned perfectly
in a separate--
I can't-- we can't have
two different vehicles.
It can't appear
that you have split focus,
and you can't have split focus.
Because you're going to.
I focus fully on whatever
I'm looking at.
And when those walls came down,
you had to know
they weren't going back up.
- So, what do you want?
- Let me.
Taylor, Philip,
this whole place needs to feel
that it is looking to you two,
and that you two
are looking back.
A direct engagement.
And you know who else
needs to feel that,
that you are wholly,
100% invested in making money,
gobs of it,
for Michael Prince Capital?
Is that guy right there.
It's the one thing
that will free him
to go and get done
that which he must.
For all of us.
What she said.
Fine. We accept the new
conditions, but with a demand.
We need to make
a key hire or two
of the kind of folks
who understand
that whole
"gobs of money" thing.
Especially in--
even in the kind of markets
we are dealing with now.
I'll meet your prospectives,
just to rubber-stamp--
No way.
Unless we fuck one up,
we hire who we want to fulfill
our needs. That's our condition.
And we need to be able
to get time with you
when we need counsel.
Sacker is great.
You're great, Kate.
As are Scooter and Wags.
But there are big decisions
we will need
the direct Mike magic on.
You'll keep Wags and Scooter informed.
And Sacker on anything legal
or legal adjacent.
And I'll make myself
available weekly.
But you two need
to run this place profitably
while I work on banging
this country back into shape.
It's been said one is either
a hammer or an anvil.
Good people have been
the anvil for too long.
I know you're tight with them,
that you have relationships,
and it's no fun taking the
position you have to on this.
But it's necessary,
and I appreciate it.
Hey, I'm your house counsel.
The gig is to protect you
against all threats,
foreign and domestic.
And I can't get
to where I'm going
until you get to where
you're going first.
You hear that shit?
Hammer and anvil?
That's fucking Hitler
from Munich in '29.
Is he hoping
people won't notice,
or that they will?
I'm not sure.
But we've got to
figure this the fuck out.
The jig is up
The news is out
They've finally found me
The renegade
Who had it made
Retrieved for a bounty
- Working here!
- It'll only take a minute.
What the fuck?
I got to nail
the doggy door shut.
Your wife let us in.
Who's he, your dentist?
I don't even know
what that means.
We've met, like, twice.
What happened?
You had a whole office
and a company.
Now you have a garage
and a bathrobe.
If I think the word "blowjob,"
I want to be able
to say the word "blowjob."
- Naturally.
- You're trying to be funny,
but you get it, right?
I mean, the Street these days,
it's a woke fucking preschool.
You miss rolling out mats
for naptime
and skip juice boxes once,
it's a major fucking felony.
You had culture problems
at the office.
Culture. Ugh.
You either earn,
or you do not.
And you started losing your
analysts, then your traders,
and even your back office.
Then your outside money.
- Then, even Mafee.
- He told you?
I smelled it on him.
Well, despite all that bullshizzle,
I'm still a gunslinger.
And a gunslinger's
what we need.
For what?
Philip and I run Michael
Prince Capital together.
Yeah, I heard something
about that.
Props to you.
We're here to offer you
a PM job.
- Is that right?
- Yes.
We'd start you off
with your own book,
20% more capital under
management than when you left.
Yeah, and what about
the Great Gazoo over there?
How long before he starts
getting up in my business?
You mean Prince? He won't.
He left it to us.
It's true.
He's busy with other projects.
And while he did dictate
overall expectations,
he leaves the strat
and execution to us.
A lot of latitude.
A lot of freedom.
Yeah, I know latitude
means freedom in this context.
Can I say "blowjob"?
Yes, but not to anyone.
Yeah, not in anyone's presence,
but you can think it
loud as you want.
Then I pass.
- So you're happy here?
- Like a pig in shit.
Blowjob, blowjob, blowjob!
The jig is up
The news is out
They've finally found me
The renegade
Who had it made
Retrieved For a bounty
Oh.
Now that's my kind of approach.
We were supposed
to be in this together,
but you decided
to go off-roading.
Well, you made me ashamed
to be seen in public.
Divided my family.
And you shut me out.
It created a vacuum of trust.
Chuck, this is making
my job harder.
And you were the one
who wanted to take him down
- in the first place.
- Yeah.
I am the one
supposed to take him down.
Or maybe I'll do nothing.
Either way,
I won't do it in custody.
Oh, my God.
You're a student of history,
so you know that Federal Hall
was the original seat
of government in the colonies.
Sure. It's where
George Washington
took the first oath of office.
Bunch of very conflicted men
with a lot of flaws.
Lots.
To be sure.
But they were trying
to transcend themselves
with what they were doing in
there, what they were building.
They weren't doing it so that
one day a bunch of plutocrats
could live with more power
than the king they'd fled.
You set this whole thing up,
didn't you?
Even though you were under
a gag order.
Maybe for once,
something just worked out.
No. There are calls for
your release all over the city.
Politicians.
Civic leaders.
There are goddamn marches
being planned,
making it real tough
to empanel an unbiased jury.
I've got the governor
on my call sheet,
and I have a feeling
I know what it's about:
dropping the case against you.
I were in your shoes,
I'd tell them
to fuck themselves.
Of course, we know where
that attitude got me.
Bounced out of office. Twice.
You're making your only friend
into your enemy.
Not the first time.
All right, you motherfuckers!
When that bell rings,
I'm coming out of the gates
like I ain't been fed
for a week.
Better try and stay with me
or get ready to look
real fucking bad
come comp time.
I'm not sure I like this.
Am I supposed
to like this?
Like you said,
we had to give them something.
This guy, though?
I can't have a whiff
of how he used to do it.
I can't have it.
I'll be sure to keep him
on a tight leash.
Make it a choke collar.
This smells good, doesn't it?
- Hi, Chuck.
- Nice to see you, Chuck.
- It's great to see you.
- Everybody's talking about you.
Well, that's good to hear.
Thank you.
You seem to be
enjoying yourself.
Well, you do the right thing
for the right reason,
the rest just seems
to take care of itself.
It's supposed to, yes.
- Hey, care to join us?
- No.
I just, uh, came to drop off
Eva's bag.
She left it at my place.
She's staying
with you tonight.
- I have a thing came up at work.
- You know, old days,
busy as you were, you rarely
missed a night with the kids.
Old days. Yeah, well,
a lot was different.
Uh-huh. Bye.
Right this way, folks.
I know, it's impressive,
isn't it?
- Very old.
- It's crazy.
Keep together
for a good look at the tower.
At various times a prison,
a fortress,
a royal residence.
For hundreds of years,
this was the start
of a procession
to Westminster Abbey
for the coronation
of a new monarch.
Stirring spot, isn't it?
And I think I understand
why you picked it.
But I was surprised
this was the meet.
I thought I'd have to take
a longer flight to see you.
Maybe blindfolded,
so I couldn't lead them
back to you, even under duress.
Well, you know,
geopolitics is fluid.
Early in the conflict,
Ukraine wanted Javelin
anti-tanks, other things.
Western governments weren't
able to get them there first.
You?
Structured the deal.
Took care of the financing.
Arranged a friend--
a guy you would not expect--
to find and deliver
the actual arms.
Bought me a great deal
of goodwill
all across the continent,
EU and here.
Who's better than you
at seeing something like that
and figuring out
how to make a trade of it?
Your guy Prince
must be better, right?
Don't call him my guy.
Even for you, that's harsh.
You're at that company
every day.
He must be doing
something right.
I didn't come over here
for the cracks.
I came over here
for your help, Bobby.
Walk away.
Not how I roll.
We built that place,
you and me.
If I leave
Look, it's still intact,
for now.
But it won't be if the guy
who's running it
keeps going the way he is.
The people
won't be intact.
What am I supposed to do,
fix it?
It's not just the firm
I'm worried about.
I'm worried the damage
he's going to do
is even greater outside.
But, yeah, let's
let's start with figuring out
how we protect
the thing that we made.
If that's why you've come,
you're not alone.
Well, shit.
Look what we have here.
Luke, Leia, and Chewie.
All that's missing is Han
and the Millennium Falcon.
I guess that's
where I come in.
London calling
To the faraway towns
Now war is declared
And battle come down
London calling
To the underworld
Come out of the cupboard
You boys and girls
London calling
Now don't look to us
Phony Beatlemania
Has bitten the dust
London calling
See, we ain't got no swing
Except for the ring
Of the truncheon thing
The ice age is coming
The sun's zooming in
Meltdown expected
The wheat is growing thin
Engines stop running
But I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning
And I live by the river
London calling
To the imitation zone
Forget it, brother
You can go it alone
London calling
To the zombies of death
Quit holding out
And draw