Billions (2016) s07e02 Episode Script

1
[MAN] Previously on Billions
We're gonna destroy
Mike Prince together.
[CHUCK] You're gonna clear me.
The world will think you're under
indictment and going away,
right up until the minute
we lock Mike Prince up.
You got a deal.
[DAVE] But no one can know.
The GPS ankle monitor, Judge,
is an unnecessary
and extraordinary measure.
- [JUDGE] Request denied.
- [DAVE] You knew the deal.
- This man is a crusader.
- [IRA] This piece basically says
you're the Robin Hood of New York City.
- I am.
- We were supposed to be in this together.
You made me ashamed
to be seen in public,
divided my family, and you shut me out.
[DAVE] You're making your
only friend into your enemy.
[WAGS] Taylor Mason Carbon
will be sunsetted,
but you will still be right here
at the head of one unified firm.
We can't embarrass each other.
We need to slake our appetites.
Michael fucking Prince
is running for president.
[WENDY] But I have decided
that he is dangerous.
I came over here for your help.
[AXE] If that's why you've come,
you're not alone.
All that's missing is Han
and the Millennium Falcon.
I guess that's where I come in.
Do you wanna dance and hold my hand? ♪
Tell me, baby, I'm your lover man ♪
Oh, baby ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you wanna dance
under the moonlight? ♪
Squeeze me, baby,
all through the night ♪
Oh, baby ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you
do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you,
do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you wanna dance
under the moonlight? ♪
Squeeze me, baby,
all through the night ♪
Oh, baby ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you wanna dance
under the moonlight? ♪
Squeeze me, baby,
all through the night ♪
Oh, baby ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Axe Global's lean and mean
as James Coburn's silhouette
- in the Mag Seven days.
- [GORDIE] Listen,
only a moron wouldn't
be "hodling" in this market.
This is not the time for paper hands.
No, if that's how you feel,
then you should be off
saving trees or children.
Whatever the fuck. I'm making money.
Plus I got Gordie
trading in digital currency.
Kid's a killer with the blockchain.
Ah, "Crusher" Blackwell of the crypto.
Get 'em, Gordo!
Give 'em the big splash
like Crusher used to.
I am banging 'em two at a time,
Uncle Wags.
The two billion you started with
- Doubled, more or less.
- Yeah, of course he has.
Rags to riches, twice over.
From stowaway on a plane
to king of the castle,
- emperor of the realm.
- We got it, Wagsy.
You seem different.
Lighter. Focused. Happy.
Yes, like Bruce Wayne
after training at the monastery.
Steve Jobs after meditating in India.
- Deadlier than ever.
- Okay.
You guys are laying this on thicker
than a Carol Kaye bassline.
But instead, tell me this.
Prince send you here
to get me leaning forward
so he can knock me down again?
I can see h-how you'd but no.
If he even knew we were here,
we'd be whacked.
We kind of planted the idea
for this trip in a way that
Made him think it was his?
I've been on the smoking end of that.
No fun.
Our ostensible purpose here
is to flake off
certain controversial foreign investors
in anticipation of Prince's run.
Huh. Prince for Prez.
It doesn't get easier to swallow
the more you say it.
And the future leader of the free world
has no clue that he flew
the three of you out here
so that you could
Enlist you in a campaign against him?
Against his campaign.
[CHUCKLES]
It's tough to be a billionaire
these days.
All right.
Let's get to it. Come on.
The State of New York is moving
to dismiss the indictment
with prejudice, yes?
Yes, we're moving to dismiss
all charges against Mr. Rhoades.
[SIGHS]
And the reason for dismissal,
Madam Attorney General?
I'll take the first part first.
- No evidence
- Mr. Rhoades,
- the judge asked
- No crime. No nothing.
Plus, no jury would convict,
since the general cultural
reappraisal of my prior work
has lifted my reputation
to heights so high
not even Dick Fosbury
could flop over it.
The State of New York no longer feels
it can prove Mr. Rhoades's guilt
beyond a reasonable doubt, Your Honor.
Despite the defendant's
Ochocinco touchdown dance,
the motion is granted with prejudice.
Mr. Rhoades, charges are dismissed.
You are free to go.
[TAPS GAVEL]
Attorney General Mahar
I advise you to exercise better judgment
in future prosecutions,
especially given the waste
of judicial resources.
Understood, Your Honor.
Hot damn.
Describe it to me.
The moment you enter the Oval
and sit behind the desk.
The way you see it when you daydream.
I've never once conjured that image.
I'm not the sort of man
First campaign I was on,
my boss, the Ragin' Cajun,
laid it out for me.
You gotta make these guys
tell you the dream.
It's the only way
to get inside their heads.
His guy was a megalomaniac.
I won't work for one who isn't,
'cause that sucker's
never getting there.
And every single one of you
rolls that first moment
around your brains
like Marshall Mathers imagined
the first time he'd have
an audience with Dre.
[PRINCE CHUCKLES]
Now you've presented
this challenge well.
I can't tell if I score more points
with you as a politician
We never use that word.
You're not a politician.
You're hoping to contribute
by doing a public service.
- A statesman.
- Good. Yes.
Still, I can't tell
if I score more points
by giving in quickly to your frame
or by continuing to resist it.
Nicely rendered, as I said.
Don't vamp.
You won't have time to
when the cameras are on.
I walk into the Oval alone.
Slowly.
Hesitate before coming around
and sitting in the chair.
I take the letter
the previous fella wrote,
put it in my jacket pocket
to read later.
I let myself take three deep breaths
of total and complete satisfaction.
And then I call Scooter in,
and we start doing
the nation's business.
[LUKE] If you were a normal candidate,
the only win would have been
to refuse the premise,
start talking about something else.
But since I'm not,
I lean into the authenticity,
the man of purpose who isn't afraid
to seem like he wants it all.
Yeah. Bring him along with you
so they think it can happen to them too.
The money, the power, the job.
So they keep two thoughts
about you in their heads
at the same time. You're just like them.
Small town. Grit and effort,
and luck smiling upon.
But also that you are nothing
like them at all,
that you are their better
who will protect them
and lead them while at least
understanding them.
You get it.
- [POUNDS TABLE]
- That's why you're the best
in your game.
So, you in? You gonna run the campaign?
Because you parried one attack? Uh, no.
I'm a bit of a way from in.
But I'm not out.
Not sure you believe yet in me, or ?
I'm not sure I see the path.
[LAUGHS] When I do something,
it usually works.
And if it doesn't, I pivot in such a way
that no one remembers
"Usually" isn't gonna be good enough.
You're running as an independent,
which is gonna burn me
with the DNC if we lose
and with the GOP if I ever
decide to change stripes.
Can't be a bad thing these days.
As the Cajun taught me,
Dems are about as fun as a church dance,
and even less sexy.
- But their checks clear.
- Yeah, well, with me,
you can forget about checks. I pay cash.
And when we win,
you'll be feted as a miracle worker.
That part is true.
And now I know how you get there.
The Eisenhower path.
That's pretty much it.
I have to win a world war?
Oh, ha! If only.
No, you have to be excellent
in your chosen field.
- [LAUGHS]
- Best in the world.
He already is.
Even better than he's been.
So good at it that it becomes obvious
why he should take
that skill set to the Oval.
So he needs record returns.
But within impossible parameters.
Every investment your firm makes
is gonna be scrutinized
for both profitability
and ethical soundness.
Sounds like a typical day here at MPC.
[LUKE] Don't sell it.
Do it.
Show me, everyone,
that you can create unseen returns
without coming close to the line,
while at the same time slowly
turning to face the public,
and, uh, yeah, I'm a real
possibility for you.
I'll do it.
I was born to do it.
And, uh, you have to know,
even if I decide to engage,
I'll have to deep dive
in the rest of your life.
Starting with your wife.
I have to meet her before I sign on.
Of course.
You're conflicted.
I don't audition.
He should be auditioning.
He was. He did.
And he got the part.
That he's picky, that's good.
Yes. Yeah. Agreed.
I'll give him what he wants,
a ten-bagger that hits my constituents
in their wallets and their hearts
while filling mine too.
Tell Philip to put the word out
and start vetting ideas that come in.
And Andy?
You two need to have that conversation.
I'm not letting some guy
that doesn't even work
for me yet inside my bedroom.
Running for president involves
enduring humiliations aplenty.
It comes with the job.
Like Bernie Sanders dancing on Ellen,
or Hillary cozying up to Bill
on 60 Minutes.
Call Andy.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Daevisha.
Hmm.
Shall I greet you in the Philly shell
to deflect the roundhouse right?
I'd feint with my right
and land an uppercut
before you got off.
So instead, we talk?
That seems to be
our theater of combat, yes.
And I came to say this: If you
think you're coming for my job
now that you're free,
know that I will not step down
and I will not relent.
Mm. Yeah, no, of course. Sure.
You're Sugar Ray, hellbent
on cracking that shell.
I will move silent and deadly
and unpredictable as a fucking panther.
If I were to come for your post,
I'd whisper about how cozy
you are with big business
Oh, you bring that weak shit
my way, and I will crush you.
Ah. Breathe, Davey.
The thing is,
I see your gig for what it is.
- Bush league.
- Suited you fine not long ago.
Oh, I took it 'cause it was there.
A way station.
But it's not the job I'm looking at now.
Perfect for you, though. Bush league.
But you do have your eye on something.
If a fella doesn't
have his eye on something,
how's he gonna know where he's going?
Remember the assignment.
Big and brassy,
like something Gaga would've worn
before she became a movie star.
Got one. Zilo Pharma has reversed aging
in naked mole rats.
Well-Global, manufacturing
using carbon dioxide
- pulled from the atmosphere.
- K-Cel,
quantum battery charging
for electric cars.
[ANIMATED CHATTER]
Selling candy so the debate team
can take a charter bus to nationals?
I was in band.
Our bus trip was to
the Medieval Times in Lyndhurst.
- Horn section.
- Woodwinds. Bassoon.
This is it. Your play.
- Philip agreed?
- We'll never know.
I drove around
that particular speed bump.
Because he'd spot the trouble?
'Cause I didn't want
to share the credit.
- Just like a bassoonist.
- [DOOR OPENS]
Skipped a step.
It's okay. Pitch it.
Company's called Korlera.
This is the product.
All the devices are Bluetooth-enabled.
Doctors connect with patients
in poor and rural areas over video.
Readings come in in real time.
- Let's see it in action.
- Of course.
Unmuting.
Dr. Eisenstadt,
I'm with Mike Prince now.
- Run us through.
- [EISENSTADT] Great.
Let's start with
the blood pressure cuff.
Place it on your wrist, Mr. Prince,
then put your feet flat on the ground.
That looks good.
Go ahead and press start on the monitor.
[BEEPS AND WHIRRS]
- [BEEPS]
- Beautiful.
I'm getting a clear reading.
110 over 77.
That's excellent, Mr. Prince.
We can do EKG, blood glucose level,
pulse oximeter, we can
Thanks, Doc. That's good enough for now.
Killer numbers there, boss.
How can they guarantee HIPAA compliance?
Encrypted transmission.
BLE is notoriously vulnerable
- to hacking and malfunction.
- [VICTOR] Yeah, that's true.
Bluetooth Low Energy was.
But all Korlera's devices
run Bluetooth 5.2.
They were designed for it.
So they didn't have to retrofit
older hardware?
[VICTOR] Exactly. Poor areas
underserved by medical care
suddenly have access like everyone else.
In fact, I sent one of these
to my grandparents outside of Buffalo.
Said it was like having
Marcus Welby, MD,
in their guest room,
whoever the fuck that is.
[LAUGHS] Good. Very good.
This market's been accelerated by COVID.
Projected to grow
to 4.3 trillion by 2026.
So if you want one
that earns like Munger
but plays like Oprah, this is it.
Philip?
It's a Lady Gaga.
Good work, Victor. Super-size it.
Bradford Luke called.
He offered to connect you with
some other campaign managers
to do the job.
- Should I set the meetings?
- No.
Tell him to hold off
on gifting me to someone else,
for both of our sakes.
And, uh, one more thing.
Tell him to keep an eye
on the medical space.
[DOOR OPENS]
[MUSIC PLAYING OVER EARBUDS]
[TURNS MUSIC OFF]
I need you here ASAP.
Talk to the campaign guy.
And so it begins.
- I'll send the jet.
- Okay.
There are a few things I have
to take care of here first.
A couple goodbyes.
Always with the dagger.
Goes in clean, comes out the same.
Better than a bone saw.
I'll see you soon.
[TURNS MUSIC ON]
I had this thought that I was
going to ask you what you missed
about your prior life.
Hmm. Tactic designed
to get me nostalgic.
To feel. Make me sympathetic
to your cause.
It's a thought I had.
Not what I was thinking,
because I dismissed the thought.
Knowing I'd see the ruse
and think less of you?
- Instead, I figured
- Yeah.
The sparring, the banter. Same effect.
Well, you got to admit,
it's as close to fun as
Yeah. This? This, I enjoy.
Always have. Moment we met.
As do I.
What I don't enjoy,
and you can't either,
is what the motherfuck
has happened to Axe Capital.
You spent years building that firm.
You turned pennies into fortunes.
You made killers out of traders.
You spun ruin into a reputation,
and now it all belongs
to Michael Prince.
Hmm. Now you're stoking the anger.
Yet another see-through tactic.
But don't forget the glorious part.
The part where I got free.
The cuffs were locked
around my wrists, yet I escaped.
As the pride of Jacksonville
sang, "Free as a bird".
And no matter what emotional
bullshit you sling,
this bird you cannot change.
You dodged it and slid it,
and then it snapped around your leg.
The truth: You cannot change.
And you cannot really
be a person who is okay
with letting someone else
steal your entire world.
Even if he did leave you
a little sliver of land
across the Atlantic.
Solid.
Good. Impressive.
So, to you, now.
Where's your number?
- What?
- A hundred mil.
You said you'd get out at a hundred mil,
so why aren't you out?
I upped it. One billion.
Okay. I can guess where you're at.
Need to turn it
a few more times to get there?
If I'm you, that's all I'm focusing on.
I can still reach my goal.
And I will, after we take out Prince.
Will hobbling Prince
clear your conscience?
Make you free?
Or will you manufacture another obstacle
and then wonder
why you're stuck behind it?
[CELL PHONE VIBRATES]
How goes the redemption tour?
It's going.
The Saudi Technology Development Fund
is ready to be redeemed within 60 days.
They weren't happy about it,
but we got it done.
[FIRE CRACKLING]
What is that, a fire crackling?
Yeah. Lobby bar.
It's homey.
You've always been a good liar.
Not always.
That's something I picked up from you.
Oh, come on now.
[CAR HORNS HONKING DISTANTLY]
This one's on the house, Mr. Rhoades.
Oh, good man. Thank you kindly.
Hey.
You're a matinee idol now.
They wouldn't even know what that means.
Their dads would.
- Maybe.
- [LAUGHS] Yeah.
To your newfound popularity.
- [GLASSES CLINK]
- And, of course,
to your vindication.
You shimmied out of that one
like Lola Falana.
I still feel that ankle bracelet
on me like a phantom limb.
That's all it is now.
You must be fielding
job offers by the dozen.
- [SIGHS]
- What's got your eye?
A federal judgeship?
There's a clear path for you
to Assistant AG
for the Criminal Division.
Or, hell, why not General Counsel
of the Treasury Department?
All federal positions.
I could use you on the inside.
No, federal sounds about right.
Just about.
You see, I have found myself
feeling theologically
contemplative of late.
I have been thinking about
the concept of original sin.
Which aspect?
I mean, I've always taken the line
that the temptation wasn't the point.
The point was
That one sin begat a world of sinners.
One minute, all was pure.
The next, a hellscape on earth.
I feel like you're not
just talking about Eden.
I'm talking about U.S. Attorney,
Southern District of New York.
[LAUGHS]
And how I was forced
from my chair unjustly,
unfairly, sinfully.
Ahh, Chuck, if I could.
If anyone could. There's no way.
- Mm-hmm.
- No way.
Uh-huh, but there is.
You have a direct line to the president.
I've got more sway than Kara Swisher,
and even I can't get the
president to pardon that sin.
I I merely ask that you ask.
Just point out that
I have been found innocent.
It's not gonna happen.
Not on this earthly plane.
Try me again at the Rapture.
[BOTH LAUGH]
[LAUGHS]
- [TYPING]
- [DOOR OPENS]
How do you have Leo McGarry-like
walk-in privileges
before you've even taken the job?
Walk with a true sense of
purpose, no one ever stops you.
This is what it would be like
if we were really doing it at
1600 Penn, the back and forth
When I see someone about
to step in some dog shit,
I knock 'em out of the way.
Talk to me.
The move you made in the medical space
isn't gonna go the way you think.
- Korlera?
- There's a lawsuit coming.
Patient in Arkansas suffered a stroke
after the equipment malfunctioned.
You got some Rolodex on you, kid.
- Whoever tipped you off
- A lawsuit like this
is a death blow
for a young company like that.
Well, the silver lining is
you're invested enough to show up here.
Dog shit. Shoes. That's all it is.
Get out of your position
in that company.
Is that what great leaders do?
Quit at the first reversal?
Yeah, so they don't take
avoidable losses
when the entire mission
is to seem like a winner.
- To be a winner.
- So they find a way
even when it seems impossible.
The very best do, yeah.
Or that malodorous stench
follows them wherever they go.
[DOOR CLOSES]
You hiding this Korlera lawsuit from me?
I practice stealth
on your behalf, not against you.
Right. Yeah. Okay.
Well, there is a lawsuit,
and from the looks of it,
it could screw our entire agenda
on a micro, macro, and global level.
You want that I take care of it?
Medice, cura te ipsum.
And all of you, keep cracking.
More ideas. Better.
Keep cracking!
Hey, Ben Kim's sidekick.
Got some positions
need taking in agriculture.
I know you know my name, motherfucker.
All right!
Someone's been sprinkling
creatine on his Oatios.
I'm gear-free, all natty.
Except for a little Adderall.
Mm-hmm. I need an executing trader
who doesn't ask questions. Who you got?
- For Prince's agenda?
- [DOLLAR BILL] Eventually.
This is a better approach.
More certain.
My guy at Spartan-Ives called
to feel out the price on a block trade.
- Fertilizer company.
- Usually in that case
there's a proviso that you don't
trade the name asked about.
It's like if your best friend
says he'll feel out
if a girl likes you,
but instead he ends up
just taking her to the prom,
and then the two of them
just giggling and dancing
and even getting up with
the band to sing Death Cab songs
that used to mean a lot
to you and your best friend.
That's vivid.
We okay here?
Yeah.
It's just there's no doubt
the broker got a promise from you
not to trade that company
for at least 24 hours
in exchange for the info.
And you're not telling Prince
'cause it jeopardizes our relationship
Relax! I'm not trading that company.
I'm trading around that company.
That's why I need an executing trader
who can keep operational silence.
Well, it's sort of illegal, isn't it?
It may not be illegal technically.
It's gray.
Like my fleece, yeah.
It's my superhero uni. I'm GrayMan.
It's kind of one of those
"letter of the law
versus spirit of the law" situations.
Letter is all that matters.
You should know that by now.
I assume you're all admiring
my new look.
Going for something
a little more rockin'.
Like Billy Joel in 1980.
Next craze, new wave.
Still rock and roll to you?
Not the bard of Oyster Bay, no.
I'm in my "Tunnel of Love" phase.
Bruce!
Nobody wants compliance
breathing down their necks.
Especially not a compliance guy
who thinks he's "The Boss".
Do you need me to stick
my finger up your ass
so you can actually nut up, Tuk?
I knew you knew my name.
[BEN KIM] I know a guy
who can make the trades.
I can set a meet.
Okay.
Somewhere smoky.
[SNAPS FINGERS]
Physician, heal thyself.
- You speak Latin?
- Of course.
Does he mean I should hold the position
and eradicate the problem,
like a dose of antibiotics?
Or does he mean I should
get out of the position,
like amputating the diseased limb?
Yes. Yes, he does.
A bevy of exotic spirits
the likes of which I've only
ever seen in a dream.
It's the Unicum from Budapest.
Got a bottle of Becherovka
from a deal clinched in Karlovy Vary.
That is a Brennivín.
Went to a facilitated meet
with the Polish Chief of
the General Staff in Reykjavík.
Maybe a little.
Or we could try the
Then there is always
Or
- Louisville.
- Of course.
Home tastes even better
when you're far from it.
We only have a couple of meetings left.
All deals will be inked in a day or two,
and the European business is done.
We won't have cover to stay any longer.
That's the problem with vacations.
They always end too soon.
Glad to hear you're not
calling it "holiday" yet.
Cheers.
Come back with us.
Can't. Don't want to.
But also, can't.
For me to even step foot in the U.S.,
I'd need to be able to move at will.
I'd need guaranteed protection.
An escape route.
I can't go into hiding again.
Not going to.
My first couple months here,
before I figured it out, sucked.
I wasn't able to move, speak freely,
buy how I wanted to.
I'm not going back to that place.
All that can be arranged.
You could arrange it if you wanted to.
Look what you did here in,
as you say, a matter of months.
I like it here.
- I do miss you, though.
- How could you not?
Prince? I'll tell you, Axe,
the guy thinks he's
Alanis Morissette or something.
An actual force for good.
Oh, no one who thinks that ever is.
The thing that really
scares me, Godfather,
is how smart and powerful he really is.
And the very notion that
if he does it, it must be good.
- Those elements combined
- Started many a religion.
None of them, in the end, good.
Which is why we need you.
Which is why you need
to drink up your whiskey.
Come on, enough about Prince.
What about you?
Where are you at with Chelz?
Heard things are getting serious.
- You kept tabs.
- You're my Wagsy.
Of course I kept tabs.
To keeping tabs on those you love
and finding a way to see each
other in person
one last time before the fall.
["HIGH COST OF LIVING"
BY JAMEY JOHNSON PLAYS]
[GUARD] Visitor on the tier.
[DOOR LOCK BUZZES]
[CELL DOOR SLAMS]
Sir.
I was just a normal guy ♪
Life was just a 9 to 5 ♪
- With bills and pressure ♪
- All set, Sir.
- Piled up to the sky ♪
- Thank you.
Howdy, partner.
You look well.
We have something in common, you and I.
We have been besmirched.
Our names and reputations
have been stained.
But my fall from grace,
started by your own hand,
has given me pause.
And it's gotten me thinking
in a language that you,
a man of faith, might understand.
I have been reflecting on sin,
on justice,
on redemption.
And now that my name has been cleared,
I've found that freedom
tastes all the sweeter.
It's deeper than it used to be,
wider, boundless.
I am here to extend my hand,
to pull you up from the morass
onto solid ground.
I'm here to offer your release.
And I have found a way
that we can both
right the wrongs of the past
and help each other
to a brighter future.
If you will publicly admit that
when you were attorney general,
you wrongfully recommended
to our former president
that he fire me
from my position at SDNY,
I give you my word that
as soon as I reclaim that post,
I will get you released.
I will make it
my first order of business.
Hmm.
[CHUCKLES]
[LAUGHS]
[LAUGHING CONTINUES]
[DISTANT DANCE MUSIC PLAYING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[MAN] Aw, shit.
Fucking Mafee? You?
Ben Kim told me I'd be meeting
a trader friend of his from Wharton.
And he invited me here to share
some dragon fruit rippage.
[SIGHS]
This spot is more my vibe than yours,
so I think you should be
the one to leave.
Fuck that. You probably
got all this shit at home.
- You go.
- Yeah.
Figures you wouldn't back down.
Even when absolutely nothing
is on the line.
Never change, dude.
Fucking A, I won't.
All right, look
I could use your help with something.
A play.
Look, I'll buy you a round
of the fucking pipe or whatever.
If I'm gonna do something for you,
you're gonna need to do
something for me first.
You goddamn baby!
- I am asking you for help.
- Later.
Fine!
What do you want?
An apology.
Ramone, Joseph?
[SIGHS] Thanks.
So, what brings you in tonight, Joseph?
Yeah, actually a friend
recommended this place to me.
I've been feeling fatigue lately.
I keep falling asleep on the job.
I work security at a club,
so it's late nights.
My buddy said you could
maybe help me out
with a little something?
And what's the name of your friend?
His nickname's Sweaty John.
Or Johnny Sweats.
Sometimes they call him
Johnny the Sweater.
That means nothing to me.
What's his real name?
- John.
- John what?
I don't know what you
or your friend think we do here,
Mr. Ramone, but I can assure you
we prescribe medication
in accordance with the law.
So you either get wise to the fact
that this isn't a UConn frat house,
or you get the fuck out of my office.
My apologies, Doc.
It's just, I did some digging around,
and, uh, I have records showing
that this office purchased
$138k worth of surgical-grade
cocaine last year.
It also happened to be a year
in which you performed zero surgeries.
- What the fuck do you want?
- It's simple, actually.
You work for Korlera,
a company that I'd like to see do well.
- That lawsuit
- The equipment malfunctioned.
It was tragic but unavoidable.
Yeah, see, that-that
rationale doesn't work for me.
You're going to admit that, actually,
there was no equipment malfunction.
That the error was all human. Yours.
Who the fuck do you think you are?
Otherwise I sound the alarm
on your little coke operation here.
My life gets blown up either way.
Why would I do it
the way that helps you?
'Cause everybody understands a mistake.
I think the medical board
will be less understanding
about the kilos of schneef
you've been hawking.
Real interesting meeting with
your trader friend last night,
Ben Kim.
I know I was dishonest,
but I just wanted you two
to resolve your differences.
It was an ambush.
- Did it work?
- [PHILIP] Dollar Bill.
Long time no see.
I saw you yesterday, dude.
And yet I've heard
everyone else's best idea.
You got something for me?
[LAUGHS]
Yeah, yeah, sorry about that.
Uh, I've just been a little
too busy making this firm
- bathtubs full of money.
- I know what that means.
Whatever moves you're making
probably shady as shit.
- Right on brand, though.
- [CHUCKLES]
Uh, you came to me,
you and Taylor, and begged
me to come back here.
You didn't hire Melinda fucking Gates.
You know how I operate,
and if my moves aren't
ethical enough for you,
then I can just take
the rest of the day off
and go race for a cure.
[PHILIP] You talk a big game.
But you know what separates
a real earner
from a blowhard in a fleece Snuggie?
Forethought.
When you go rogue,
you put the entire fund
and all of your colleagues in jeopardy.
You get the SEC to give
this whole place a colonoscopy,
not to mention Prince's run
is dead as soon as it's started.
And you can be sure I'll be
pointing at you for the blame on that.
God, just when I thought I'd finally
make employee of the month.
Well, if you insist on freeballing it,
here's what I can guarantee for you:
your life on this floor will be misery.
I'll make Spyros
your personal wet nurse.
He'll share your desk.
You'll suckle at his teat.
Drink up, sweet baby boy.
Gross.
He will be up your ass 24/7.
Oh, I'll be up there with
a miner's helmet and a pickaxe,
spelunking for all
- I got this.
- Sorry.
I will require you to complete
weekly anger management trainings
outside of work hours.
I will project all of your chats
and web searches
onto the televisions.
Do that, and you're gonna get a view
of my firm ass walking out the door.
- Bluffing.
- How the fuck would you know?
You want to find out?
Let's go, tough guy.
One round of liar's poker.
I win, you get off my dick.
And I win, you loop me in on everything.
Done.
[BEN] Wow, this is so good.
[LAUGHS]
Ohh! You know what?
I bet you wanted me to do that,
and you fucking memorized it.
Good read.
[LAUGHS]
Nice fucking try.
[INHALES SHARPLY AND SIGHS]
Pair of aces.
Those are 1s, in case you're confused.
I'm aware. Trip 3s.
Quad 5s.
No answers for you there, school child.
Six 8s.
Oh, smells like an overbid.
- Yikes.
- [DOLLAR BILL LAUGHS]
No way, buddy, since I only got one.
Call.
No fucking way.
- [LAUGHTER]
- No fucking way
you got five 8s on this bill.
This is a ringer.
You've been holding it for this.
Was I?
Huh.
[LAUGHS]
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
Ah!
And if you did, I love it.
Fucking hell!
This guy's a fucking badass!
Olé, toreador.
[APPLAUSE]
[WOMAN] Damn!
Philip punched the bully
right in the mouth.
This is the best thing that's
ever happened on this floor.
He's got that Winston Dick
energy happening.
And you ruined it.
[GROANS]
The stock popped. How?
Turns out the equipment wasn't faulty.
The mistake was human. Doc confessed.
Well done.
Um, I'm out the rest of the day.
- During trading?
- Got to go to Buffalo,
get that fucking bag
back from my grandparents,
take 'em to a real doctor.
[LUKE] You celebrating?
In this game,
you got to celebrate the wins
because they are uncommon.
The win is you strolling
through that door again.
I don't stroll. I stride. With purpose.
And is that purpose merely
to congratulate me
for making an investment that
accomplished the impossible:
giant financial upside
and huge societal good?
Or is it to come onboard?
No, we're not quite there yet.
Got to meet the wife.
Can't sign on without meeting
the candidate's life partner.
Andy just got in town.
I'll have the office
reach out to set a time.
- Great.
- It really is.
[GORDIE] Every jackoff is in on Solana.
There is a hard fork coming for ETH.
We're getting ahead of it.
You're walking around blind
without a cane, pal.
A fool and his crypto are lucky enough
to get together in the first place.
All the traders would
emulate you in small ways,
but now you have an actual Mini Me.
[BOTH LAUGH]
He was always a chip off the old block.
I fought it for
as long as I could, but now
You just said "fuck it"
and handed him a chisel.
- Pretty much.
- [LAUGHS]
You know, I know there's a downside.
You can't escape passing on
some of your damage,
even if he did get
the twinkle in the eye
and the killer instincts.
There. That.
A couple of years ago,
you wouldn't have seen any downside.
You would have just
fucking loved the way
Gordie was turning out.
You've changed too, you know.
You've done something
few people are actually able
to accomplish.
You've evolved.
Next you're gonna tell me
you've changed
and that we're different than we were
when we wanted each other.
Do you disagree?
No.
We have changed.
Out of a hundred alternate universes,
you and me probably
end up together in 95.
Well, this is one of the other five.
If you come back with us,
things would be different.
And what happens to the Wendy Rhoades
living in the universe
where Mike Prince is president?
A lot of billionaires feel
they never have enough.
It's the driver.
But I've learned that there is
such a thing as too much.
Too much ego, too much power.
Prince is over that line.
And why it is on you to step in?
Because I'm looking around,
wondering who else is gonna stop him,
and I've realized the only answer is us.
So much has happened
to what we built, Bobby.
And against all odds, I'm still there.
And I-I'm not saying
it all happened for a reason,
or any bullshit like that.
I just know how I'll feel
if I see it coming and do nothing.
Well, you're putting me
in that place now, too,
by telling me this.
[CHUCKLES]
Oops.
You need me to do this with you,
or you want me to?
- You have to ask me that?
- Well, the Wendy Rhoades I knew,
she could break Mike Prince
down and reassemble him
faster than a pit crew at Talladega.
I still can.
And the Robert Axelrod I know
would still be nursing a grudge.
Despite the grand tour of Castle Axelrod
and Gordie Gekko's crypto brilliance,
I'm not buying it.
Mike Prince has wronged many,
but you're the one he took from.
And as evolved as you are,
that's not something
I see you getting over,
in this or any other universe.
Okay.
So you have my reason figured out.
What's yours?
And don't say you just told me,
because that was only half of it.
You think I'm holding out on you?
No, I just don't think
you have the words
for yourself yet either.
Do it now.
We've moved markets.
We've built up and torn down companies.
We've created some jobs,
destroyed others.
But sticking my fingers
into a presidential election?
Changing the course of history?
I've never interfered that much.
If we came here
and made the case to you
and you believed it was worth
joining our cause
I would have no doubts.
I have your voice in my head, too.
I run things by you.
Like when I first got here
and I didn't know how the hell
I was gonna go on.
All of this, this was you, not me.
But you're right.
Prince is in my head.
I think about him sitting
in my chair, behind my desk.
He replaced all the furniture.
But yes, it's never looked right.
It's not right.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[DEGIULIO] I love breaking bread
with you, pal,
but I hate to ruin your appetite.
Did you talk to the president?
Even in light of your recent
vindication in state court,
he feels it would be an overreach.
He can't be seen doing
a backbend as an arbitrary
partisan favor.
Well, maybe the, uh, problem
isn't what the argument is
as much as who is making it.
I realized that neither you
nor I could present this case,
so I found the one man who could.
Solicitor General.
I, Waylon Jeffcoat,
am now newly of the belief
that I wrongly had Chuck Rhoades fired
from his position
as United States attorney
for the Southern District of New York.
While we may not see eye to eye
on account of his stature
and his values,
Mr. Rhoades is undoubtedly
a tenacious prosecutor,
and some might say
an attribute to the legal profession.
It was not my place
to yank him from service
before he had ripened.
How in the name of God and Texas
and all that is holy did you get
Jock Jeffcoat to say that?
- [DOOR LOCK BUZZES]
- Open it.
[GUARD] There you go.
[SNIFFING]
[SIGHS]
Yeah.
Oh!
"How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those
who bring good news".
My dogs have been barking, Chuck.
I suppose in exchange for this gift,
I can give you some good news.
- You got a camera phone?
- I do.
I made him an offer
that was just the right size.
Well, whatever the hell that means,
you did the undoable.
Now, Karl here
is sharing his creamed spinach
with a couple of producers
from 48 Hours.
Isn't that right, Karl?
Not just producers. Co-exec producers.
Karl, are you suggesting
they might be interested
in airing this video?
Was Geoffrey Holder
interested in uncola nuts?
That's a yes.
Jesus, Karl.
Thank you.
Not every day you see a former
Attorney General of the United States
issue an apology from a jail cell.
Seems the president can either
hop onboard when it airs
or explain why he's not righting a wrong
committed by the Justice
Department he now oversees.
Thank you, Bill.
Thank you.
I'm a little more used to buying
gifts for the women in my life.
Well, I too love chocolate
and your affection.
And I'm so happy you and Mafee
are working together again.
Oh, we're gonna make bank.
That was the plan.
Next time, let me in,
and I'll send Spyros away
to work on his Continuing Ed credits
to get him off your dick.
Ugh, no, I-I can't say
thank you more than once a week.
The words won't form in my mouth.
I know. I know.
Just remember, I'm here to earn,
not sell fucking cookies.
[SENIOR] I hate to be the one
to say it, sonny,
but if the call were coming,
it would have come by now.
It's indecent to phone a man
in his home after 9 p.m.
[CHUCK] Mm-hmm.
Well, listen, you took your shot,
and either way, with your popularity
and Jock's apology,
there are dozens of positions
of equal stature.
- [SIGHS]
- [CELL PHONE VIBRATES]
Spam.
[ANDY] You really think
this is necessary?
[PRINCE] This guy's thorough.
We've got to be two steps ahead.
Then this isn't enough.
What do you mean?
You even used the toothbrush.
Remember back when we had dinner
with that couple, the Merricks?
There was a weird energy between them.
- We talked about it afterwards.
- That's right.
We said it was obvious
they hadn't had sex in months.
They got divorced right after that.
His affair came out,
and he never made CEO.
My point is, we could tell.
- Oh.
- Yeah.
You see?
So, we
You been seeing people recently?
Yeah, but I've been safe.
I got tested before I came out,
just to be sure.
[CLEARS THROAT]
You?
I've been safe.
Fucking mood killer.
Maybe we need something
to help out a little.
I don't need Viagra.
No, no. I was thinking Molly.
[LAUGHS SOFTLY]
Well
I'm cashing it in for the night.
You'll find something in D.C.,
like Ira said.
And then you'll get used to the commute.
Enough. Right?
Let's not play the funeral dirge
while my eyes are still open.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATES]
Yes, this is he.
Please put him through.
Mr. President
it is an honor to hear from you.
You feeling anything?
Not yet. You?
No, not yet.
You want to play some music?
Anita Baker, maybe?
[LAUGHS]
Like that time at college,
in your parents' place by the lake?
How could that be the only album
they had in the whole cottage?
Hey, it covered the sounds.
They never knew you snuck into my room.
I think they knew.
Why else would your dad make
our wedding band sing
"Giving You the Best That I Got"?
Ugh. They knew.
Yeah.
Whoa.
Hmm.
Here we go.
[BIRDS TWEETING]
Have you decided?
It ain't me, babe.
And not because I think
you're wrong about Prince.
Or because I don't want
to be there for you three,
who have each, over time,
earned my serious consideration,
respect, even love.
- Then why?
- Because America,
the land of the free,
isn't that for me anymore.
And I can't see how it ever will be.
'Cause Prince is only on the ascent,
and I don't engage
in wars of attrition anymore.
Because Chuck is a free man
who never relents and never stops,
and I remain the one that got away.
But mostly because I have a better idea.
Come with me.
Your office.
Ample space for each of you.
Whatever you need, we can get.
This wasn't ever about us
convincing you to come back.
It was always about you
showing us why we should stay.
You're my people.
And all the things we can
no longer have in the States,
we have here.
Freedom. Opportunity.
Self-determination.
Each other.
Nothing puts a smile on my face
like Bobby Axelrod making moves
I never saw coming.
And think of all those moves
that we can make together again, Wags.
Oh, I am. I truly am.
So you're in?
Had you asked me three days ago
when we just arrived, Maestro,
I might have jumped into your arms
just out of raw emotion.
But what we've said
about Prince is true.
The mere fact that you're frightened
of what he might do to you
should you engage again
I never used that word.
A man who defeated you
in the way that he did,
in the manner that he did,
leaving you wounded but not dead.
Who are we if we see how smart
and dangerous and capable he is,
and yet we choose to walk away?
You'd be survivors.
Truth is, Taylor,
you can do more good in this world
getting to your number
than you ever could
by trying to take down Mike Prince.
You come work with me again,
I guarantee you,
we will get you to a billion
within 36 months.
This is it.
It's what you've been waiting for.
If I do the math, and, like you,
I can't help doing the math,
if I run the simulation,
Prince gets elected
maybe 9.8% of the time.
But the consequences of that,
if it happens, are too great.
I can't abandon the fight.
I once asked a very smart man
if I needed citizenship
in a country other
than the United States
if things went bad back at home.
And he said, "If it gets that bad there,
there's nowhere you can go
that won't be touched by it".
So, what am I buying myself here?
Not enough, I'm afraid.
Plus, I like air conditioning,
Big Macs and baseball too much
to ever really leave.
Seems like you got out early enough
not to feel tied to this thing.
I envy that.
No, you're a better man than me, Wend.
As usual.
I really didn't want to have
to say goodbye to you again.
Yeah.
I know.
My own take on Prince right now is this:
You can't bring him down,
so you should help him.
Get him elected.
That's how you get him out of your way
once and for all.
And how long have you been
based out of Colorado, Andy?
Since the girls started college.
We all lived together until then.
And even then,
once I was based out there,
I'm back east so much, we're
gonna have to do a lot of work
to hide the plane's carbon footprint.
[CHUCKLES]
It was the best arrangement
for us to be able
to each pursue our passions.
We wanted to model that
for our daughters.
Well, I-I think it worked out well.
Yeah, it did.
And now?
I always knew this day would come.
We've been planning for it.
And I'm ready to do whatever it takes,
including living here with Mike.
Good.
Let's take a quick break, huh?
- Where's your restroom?
- Uh, just there.
[ANDY CLEARS THROAT SOFTLY]
I have a lot of respect for how you two
have handled your relationship.
Conflicting ambitions
are a difficult thing to manage,
and you've built a good arrangement.
Thanks.
It worked for us.
But the open part of the marriage
can't continue during the campaign.
[PRINCE SIGHS]
We know that.
How did you?
My job to know.
I heard a whisper, followed it up.
Couldn't get it confirmed.
Andy's stuff in the bathroom
was a nice touch,
but this layer of marital harmony
is about one night thick.
And despite how things
have supposedly changed,
the American electorate
isn't ready for a first couple
with an arrangement.
[CLEARS THROAT]
He's good.
So, what now?
I need to wade into the murky
parts of this with you,
and you're gonna have to let me.
I need to know it all.
- We can do that.
- Good.
Let's start with the names
of all your partners
in the last five years.
What, now?
You can make a list on your phones.
[CLEARS THROAT]
I'm not reading this in front of him.
- Yeah, nope.
- I completely understand.
I know that one.
- Three down?
- Four.
How many down does it go?
It's not a competition.
There's neither the room
nor the need for jealousy of the past.
Let's stay forward-focused.
Okay.
Good. But no more
all-you-can-eat buffet.
It's prix fixe for the both
of you from here on out.
Can you do that?
["BLUES RUN THE GAME"
BY JACKSON C. FRANK PLAYING]
Catch a boat to England, baby ♪
Maybe to Spain ♪
Wherever I have gone ♪
Wherever I've been and gone ♪
Wherever I have gone ♪
The blues ♪
Are all the same ♪
Send out for whisky, baby ♪
Send out for gin ♪
Me and room service, honey ♪
Me and room service, babe ♪
Me and room service ♪
Well, we're living a life of sin ♪
And that is why it's my pleasure
to announce my run
as an independent candidate
for President of the United States!
[ALL CHEER AND APPLAUD]
Let's do this!
[CHANTING]
Do you wanna dance ♪
And hold my hand? ♪
Tell me, baby I'm your lover man ♪
Oh, baby ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you wanna dance
under the moonlight? ♪
Squeeze me, baby,
all through the night ♪
Oh, baby ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you,
do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you,
do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you wanna dance
under the moonlight? ♪
Squeeze me, baby,
all through the night ♪
Oh, baby ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you wanna dance
under the moonlight? ♪
Squeeze me, baby,
all through the night ♪
Oh, baby ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you,
do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you,
do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you,
do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you,
do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you ♪
Do you wanna dance? ♪
Do you, do you, do you ♪