Billions (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - Boasts and Rails - full transcript

Previously on "Billions"...

I am not my husband,

And I am not going to be
the shuttlecock

that you two smack
back and forth.

The only deal with teeth

would have to take him
out of business forever.

That's the only deal
he would never take.

I can get him to come to you.

The defendant agrees to
an aggregate financial penalty

of 1.9 billion dollars.

Didn't he say that
he would never settle?



Didn't he say that
he would never settle?

Take a look at Chapter Ten.
It's a problem.

It isn't flattering.

Looking at some pretty serious
reputational damage here.

He made some shrewd trades
around 9/11.

You know, he did what
he had to do.

You have an informant
in Axe Capital.

Our tech guys
were able to pull metadata

that established he'd been
in contact with insiders.

We had him boxed up.
He broke like a Mexican condom.

Do all guys in my position
hate themselves for doing this?

I'm still gonna need you
to keep me informed.

Then you're not really recused.

Then you're not really recused.



I am. Officially.

You used to be one of
the most open people here.

But you've...
withdrawn from me.

What are you working on
right now?

Internet fraud case.

Why don't you skip Don Pasquale

and join us on this opera buffa,
what do you say?

Fuck, yes!

I think you're gonna be happy.

♪ Theme music ♪

♪ A heart on the run ♪

♪ A heart on the run ♪

♪ Keeps a hand on the gun ♪

♪ You can't trust anyone ♪

- Go.

♪ I was so sure ♪

- ♪ What I needed was more ♪

♪ Tried to shoot out the sun ♪
- Let's go.

- FBI!
- Go!

There's someone in the house.

It'll be fine.

Go be with the kids.

♪ Such damage was done ♪

FBI!
Let me see your hands!

Donnie.

- It's a nice place.

Moderne.

Sorry about your front door.

It's all right.
He can afford another one.

Let's go.

I wanted you to know
what it's gonna feel like

when we come
to take you to jail.

I'm giving you what you want.
I'm giving you Axe.

Is that what you're doing?

- What the fuck is this?

That's our internal audit
on Kemlot Biochemical.

That's our internal audit
on Kemlot Biochemical.

When Axe takes a big position
on Kemlot, long,

that audit is going to be
a key piece of evidence

proving he went
against the numbers

because he knew something.

There is nothing

that connects
that document to Axelrod.

Axe sent it to me.
Check the cybertrail.

Our guys gave it one of these...

- and it's clean.

I'm doubting
you're even for real.

You need evidence...

Bobby Axelrod trading material
nonpublic information...

And you need it in a week.

And you need it in a week.

What happens in a week?

That's when Axe is
in federal custody...

or you are.
Get it done!

♪ Tense music ♪

All right, cool. Right?

- It's huge.
- It is.

This is just the preshow.

Look at these guys.

Oh! That was awesome. Huh?

- Dad.
- Yeah?

It's Mark Teixeira.
Can I have an autograph?

Oh, yeah.

Sure, let's go ask.
Come on.

Sure, let's go ask.
Come on.

Hey, uh, Kev, you know what?
Let's hold up.

Let's not bother the man
right now. Okay?

Hey, Mark,

do you mind, uh, talking
to this little man?

I know his mom and dad.

- Yeah. Come on.
- Kevin!

- Kevin, come on.
- Can I go?

Yeah, of course. Go on.

Hey, buddy.
You a baseball player?

Yeah.

All right, let's see if I can
find a ball to sign for you.

All right, let's see if I can
find a ball to sign for you.

- Junior.
- Baron von Axelrod.

Gesture's appreciated.

Of course.

Never women and children.

It's a big deal for him.

Favorite player.
Calls him the "Mark Man."

Well, he's obviously got his
mother's instinct for people.

Hi.

Did I miss something?

No. Hey.

Mwah.

He's growing like a weed.

- Yes.
- Hey, Kev.

Let's leave Mr. Teixeira alone.
Chuck Rhoades.

Let's leave Mr. Teixeira alone.
Chuck Rhoades.

- Thank you very much.
- Yeah.

- Thanks.
- Pleasure.

I'll see you at the office.

- So you were telling me...
- Yeah, Juice Press.

Our valuation's already up
ten-x.

Mm-hmm.

The bankers are all
over us about an IPO.

- This thing's gonna huge.
- Sorry to interrupt.

Mark, there's a couple guys
over here you gotta meet.

- Go ahead.
- Sorry.

Thanks, Bobby.

I've got a janitor.

It's as high as I could
nail down so far.

It's as high as I could
nail down so far.

But he's already coming through.

He saw something last night.

We may have a real issue.

It was a great day for Kevin.

He fell asleep with
that ball in his hand.

Mm-hmm. Good.

I was glad all the...

shit didn't get in the way.

I was impressed
you could be civil...

Pretty much took
everything I had

to let it fucking go down.

Hey, really?

Hey, really?

Something good happened
to your son,

and you can't sidestep
your personal feelings?

Sometimes I wish
I were your patient...

Because then maybe

I would get a sympathetic ear
every time I'm not

my absolute best self
24 hours a day.

- Yeah, I admit it.

I didn't like standing there,
grinning like an idiot,

while Axe got to play
Santa Claus and Bob Costas

- all rolled up into one.

If you were my patient,
I would tell you to let it go.

But you're not,
so grow the fuck up.

But you're not,
so grow the fuck up.

- I'm trying.
- You know, Axe was being nice.

He has that capacity.
He wasn't looking to hurt you.

He was looking to do
something nice for Kevin,

because of me.

Because of
your special relationship.

Yes.

Why can't you just...

♪ tense music ♪

I have seen someone...
A headhunter.

Really?

When you recused yourself,
that meant a lot to me.

When you recused yourself,
that meant a lot to me.

And I...

I felt like I should
look into it... for us.

What'd you find out?

Well...

The numbers don't add up.

We could make that work.

You make 185 a year.

If I leave Axe Capital
and start over,

I'll make a quarter of that,
less at a clinic.

Really?

You could forget
private schools for the kids.

Oh, come on, Wendy.

Oh, come on, Wendy.

The money that you have
in Axe's fund...

if you're allowed
to take it out,

if it's not just
a Ponzi scheme...

So we burn our savings?

We'd have four, five years tops
living where we're living

before the money
runs out. No.

You know, Brooklyn Heights
Elementary is nice.

- It's closer.
- I want my kids to go

to the same school
that I went to,

that my father went to.

There's a continuity that
bridges the generations.

There's a continuity that
bridges the generations.

You can't put a price on that.

Well, they do,
and it's 70 grand a year.

You should see a headhunter.

No. We're in the middle
of major things right now.

Major.

It's not the right time.

How about this?

If you get that big job
you've always talked about,

If you get that big job
you've always talked about,

I'll quit.

I will leave Axe Capital.

Hi.

Hey. Hi.
It's been too long, babe.

How did you drag me out to this?

You always try to avoid them.

Usually, but this is one
you needed to make.

Usually, but this is one
you needed to make.

My boss is here,

and he's got a book
with a redacted chapter

that you'll be interested in.

Come here.

Albus.

I wanted you to meet
my friend, Kate Sacker.

We were in Tiger Inn together.
And she's a voracious reader.

Hello there.

What brings you to this haven
of words and wine?

Oh, just the chance to meet
erudite gentlemen

and learn from them.

There is nothing illegal
in here, nothing actionable,

There is nothing illegal
in here, nothing actionable,

but fuck.

A guy who has so much

of his public reputation
built on 9/11.

- It's...

- Okay, if this is about Axelrod,

I can't be here.
Why'd you text me?

You just need to read
this thing I found.

It'll make your day.

Tell me.

The reason Axe wasn't
in the Towers on 9/11

with the rest of his company

was because he was at
his attorney's office

going over
his severance package.

Going over
his severance package.

That's what's great about you,
Sacker. Always ears out.

So they were brooming him?

Big-time.

Partners thought his trades were
over the line, maybe illegal.

9/11... their deaths...
Saved his career.

It allowed him
to take over the firm,

rename it for himself.

And it gets worse.
Listen to this...

"Bobby claims that he was
supporting the rescue efforts

on 9/11, but like
everything else in his life,

this is a lie. Because after
the dust settled..."

"the whispers began.

"The whispers began.

But by the time
the New York markets reopened,

Bobby was hundreds of millions
of dollars richer."

If this gets out...

I will have nothing
to do with this. No.

Nor will I leak it.

♪ Tense music ♪

Did he just tell us to leak it?

How could he?
He was never even here.

Who should we give it to?

Sacker has a friend
at the Times,

but someone might
figure that out.

Dimonda.

Dimonda? He's torched us
twice already.

You're gonna reward that?

Yes, I am.
I'll give it to him.

He understands contract.

He'll know the value
of what we're bringing him.

And he'll reward it.

It's not just about this story.

It's about the next one,
the one after that.

It's about the next one,
the one after that.

And he's not Axe's guy anymore.
He's our guy.

Hmm.

Hey. This came for you.

What's up?

Hall called yesterday
with some distressing news.

US attorneys pulled in
an informant

in the middle of the night.

He doesn't have a name,

but he knows he works here
at Axe Capital.

But he knows he works here
at Axe Capital.

What the fuck?
You sat on this for half a day?

What should I have done?

Fire everyone, right now,
including me.

Wags, if it's you, you got me.

I am gonna fire somebody,
though.

That's for fucking certain.

- Who?
- The informant.

Do you know who it is?

I will.

♪ Dramatic music ♪

Put your phones down!
Put your phones down!

Everybody, right now!

Bid 71 the figure.

- Fifty half a hundred.
- Put it in.

Like, right now.

Who are you talking to?

- Uh, nobody.

Our... our...
Our sales monkey at Morgan.

- Let me see your phone.

Not that phone!
Not your work phone!

Your real phone!

Ah, here.

This is an offshore number.
What is this?

A-a guy, an analyst.

With a fucking
Antigua country code?

A-all right, it's my
bookie. He's set up offshore.

A-all right, it's my
bookie. He's set up offshore.

What's this?
Unmarked?

- I'm calling this right now.
- Don't. Please don't. Don't.

Don't.

Who the fuck are you talking to?

It's my... my girlfriend
from high school.

I didn't have the heart
to erase her number.

She's... she's so sweet.

And chesty.

- J...

You have to stop calling me.

Everyone here is on notice.

Everything you do
will be picked apart

Everything you do
will be picked apart

until I discover
who is on the level

and who's a fucking quisling!

That should
get the rat scurrying.

What the fuck is a quisling?

Turncoat.

Shit!

I knew it didn't sound good.

Hey. Congrats on
getting the book.

Really fucking awesome.

Thanks.

Come out with me tonight.
We should celebrate.

Is this a superior
taking out a subordinate

for a job well done?

Uh, yeah, I guess.

Love to,

but I have, uh, dinner plans.

My parents.

I see.

Come along.

The wire at Axe Cap is humming.

The wire at Axe Cap is humming.

What?

Axelrod went full Captain Queeg
on a trader.

He's launching a mole hunt.

I don't know if he knows
something

or if he's just paranoid,
but our man's in trouble.

Shit.

You've got a problem.

He'll smoke out your guy.

Bury the SEC file on that
Rubinex trade he got pinged on.

Spyros's office is
a fucking sieve.

Axelrod's probably got
a leg in there right now,

looking for anything open
on his people, so...

I will.

I will.

Bibimbap?

You of all people. It's...
It's fucking mall food.

What?
It's good. Vegetarian.

Yeah, you think
it keeps you thin.

Well, at least put some kimchi
on it, for fuck's sake.

- Come on.

Thattaboy.

- Mm.

You know, you still
have a problem.

If he's looking for a mole,

If he's looking for a mole,

he's not gonna stop
until he's got a mole.

So you gotta give him a mole.

You want me to take some schmuck

and start talking to him,

make him look
like he's the informant?

Frame an innocent guy,
get him fired, ruined?

No. You want to.

I'm just telling you how.

A Michelin star.

- Whoo!

I could not be more proud
of our family.

I could not be more proud
of our family.

And, of course, we have to
single out one member.

'Cause when you get that star,

it means you have
a world-class chef.

This one just happens
to be my baby sister.

So let's raise a glass

to the woman who made this
all possible...

Lu.

- Whoo!
- To Lu!

- Whoo!

- Cheers!

- Cheers!
- Cheers.

♪ Tense music ♪

How long have
they been hanging out?

Past three days.

Are they in uniform?

No, but they're
watching the farm

like they're undercover
or something.

I don't know.
Maybe cops. Maybe miga.

Does everyone have their papers?

Don't make me lie to you.

Cross-referenced
e-mail contents,

web histories,
ten most profitable trades,

anything that tried
to duck compliance.

Forward the e-mails to me.

Forward the e-mails to me.

These guys are, uh, saying

some pretty terrible things
about you in them.

Of course they are.
I'm their boss.

Hit me with some of the worst.

"The man fucking creeps me out.

Is he even a man
or some kind of alien magi?"

"His eyes see the dark truth
inside us all,

a truth that wasn't even dark
until he looked at it."

"He knows I'm typing this.

He's having this e-mail
read aloud to him right now."

Who wrote that?

Who wrote that?

No. Don't tell me.

I already know from the syntax.

What do they say about Wags?

No. No way.
I'm not like you.

I can't hear it.
It would break me.

Well, uh, I'll say one thing.

People are scared.

Three people deleted
their hard drives

and overwrote them
with new data.

Is there a reason to do that?

Yeah, to intentionally make
the files unrecoverable.

Who?

- Um...

Channing Feldt.
Butch Probert.

- The Pouch?
- The Pouch?

And, uh, Donnie Caan.

And, uh, Donnie Caan.

If this is what you say it is
and I can verify it,

we are in a whole new place,
Chuck.

Well, that's why
I brought it to you.

Chase down what he did
after the first plane hit.

- The implications...
- I understand the implication.

Right. What are you
eating there, cabbage?

Yeah. Goi ba.

- Uh-huh.
- Delicious.

You know, there's
more to bahn mi than bread.

If you say so.

Just so you know,
if you're playing me,

and this story doesn't make,
I swear to God...

And this story doesn't make,
I swear to God...

I'm not.

Fact-check it, run it,
and you'll see

you're not the only one
who understands contract.

Thank you so much
for joining us, Bryan.

- We're honored.
- It's my honor.

From how our daughter
described you,

I figured you'd blow it off.

I'm a businessman, after all.

I don't hate business.
I hate criminals.

I can see the difference.

Most civil servants can't,

Most civil servants can't,

which is what they use
to justify

their own
less-than-scrupulous behavior.

Whoa.

Shots fired.

Uh, I don't think
we're the ones...

Don't take the bait, Bryan.

No, no. He already has.

Are you saying you
don't occasionally give in

to the impetus to get down
in the gutter

and brawl no-holds-barred style?

Uh, I might've shown him
the manuscript,

told him the sitch.

Why would you show him...

I...uh...

I tell my dad everything.

And when I brought that book
home, I needed some advice.

And when I brought that book
home, I needed some advice.

I knew what would happen
with it,

and I didn't know if I could
or should be involved in that.

And he convinced me
to bring it in.

Thanks for setting her straight.

I advised her it was her duty
to share it with her superiors,

even if something unethical
might happen with it after.

- Unethical?
- Dad...

Maybe it's inevitable
that Axelrod's darkest secrets

will be made public.

Inevitability is

a problematic moral
justification for anything.

Look, Mr. Sacker...

Call me Frank.

Frank...

Frank...

I've accepted certain realities.

Doing bad to do good.

Nothing you say could
convince me that's all right.

No. We need to fight back.
Think of it what you will.

Hey, I have responsibilities
beyond niceties.

- Let me ask you one thing.
- Hmm?

How does it make you feel,
Bryan?

You know, when I was young,
I would've done the same thing.

Not anymore. Sleeping well
has become important to me.

So is looking my daughter
in the eye,

knowing she's looking back
at a good person.

Knowing she's looking back
at a good person.

Principle doesn't usually
go away all at once.

It's a, uh, creeping erosion.

A Michelin star.

Well, it was a great moment.

That's not a real smile.

I had to let Marta
and her family go.

Their papers were forged.

We're going through everyone.

Tito thinks that immigration
agents are watching the farm,

Tito thinks that immigration
agents are watching the farm,

and I think so, too.

You sure?

I saw them, and they're
not local cops.

They're Rhoades's people.

FBI.

They've been staking us out
here, too.

They're watching our house?

I didn't know that
they were on you for sure.

I didn't want to alarm you.

I didn't want to alarm you.

Well, please fucking alarm me.

I need to know what's going on.

No. Not always.

Not if there's nothing
we can do to change it.

This is the way things are now.

Didn't the possibility
cross your mind

that they might be watching us?

Of course.

Well, then you wouldn't have
done anything differently.

- Don't handle me.
- I wasn't. I'm not.

Fuck them. I want you
to live unencumbered.

This is a new reality.

Don't fucking pretend it isn't.

♪ Tense music ♪

I thought about it,
what you said.

And you're right. Tactically.
But I can't do it.

I won't frame an innocent man
as our mole.

It's, uh, an...
erosion of principle.

There are no innocent men,

not on Wall Street.

Not on Wall Street.

So you won't act
to protect the source?

No. Not... not this way.

If you don't play back at him,
he'll find the guy.

That's how this is
gonna play out.

Axelrod is gonna be
with your guy in a room,

just the two of them,
sitting there,

and he's gonna be staring
right the fuck through him.

Maybe by the end of today.

But you know what?
Maybe it's not my game anymore.

But you know what?
Maybe it's not my game anymore.

Yeah, maybe it's you young guys,
eating your salads

- and remaking the world.

No, I know how to win.
But, uh...

if that's not
what it is anymore,

then, uh...

you do it your way, Bryan.

Okay, I will.

Donna, what days a week
is Adam DeGiulio in New York?

Uh, Wednesdays, I believe.

Good. Get me on his schedule
for breakfast in my office.

I don't think he eats breakfast.

Well, then, whatever it is
he does in the mornings.

And get this...

ball chair outta here.

What's up with
the meditation room?

What's up with
the meditation room?

I asked one of the workmen.

Axe is having it reinforced
into a panic room

in case of a fucking attack.

Who does he think's
gonna attack?

Donnie. Axe wants you in
the conference room right now.

Well, we don't have
anything scheduled.

Good.

He didn't want to give you
the chance to prepare.

♪ Dramatic music ♪

I'm gonna be sick.

We'll pick this up
again tomorrow.

I'll let 'em sweat it out
overnight.

Tell Hall's guy to tail him.

♪ Tense music ♪

♪ pulsating music ♪

T., where do you lead on beside
the bid rigging thing?

The Scarsdale payroll fraud.

Give that to Cook.

Yes, sir.

Yale, right?

Beloit, then Yale,
then Okin & Cutler.

Beloit, then Yale,
then Okin & Cutler.

Five years?

Eight.

I always wanted to work here,
of course,

- but I had to get...
- set up first.

And when you go back, you go
back to a senior position.

You're a dot-gov lifer,
right?

- Only the monastery for me. Mm.

What are you clearing
my plate for?

Patience, T.

You're being followed. Go home.

Ten-two.

Match point.

- Thank God.

- Thank God.

Jesus Christ, Ira.

When did you turn
into Sharif Khan?

I gotta confess.

I-I'm working on my boasts
and rails with a pro.

Mm.

300 an hour.

But hey, at least
I don't suck anymore.

You want his number?

- You just gave it to me.

- And it's too much.
- What's going on, Chuck?

We don't play for two months,
and then twice in a week.

I know you.
You're up to something.

- Maybe.

Truth is, I don't know
what I'm up to.

Truth is, I don't know
what I'm up to.

Yeah, you put in
the hours, the years,

to get to a certain point,
then you get there...

- and, uh...

Not everything
you want it to be.

Nothing ever is, but, uh...

You ever feel like you're
on the cusp of a great triumph,

and then you just wanna
give it all up?

Yeah, sure.

And at what point do you enjoy
what you've achieved?

I could be the fucking president

and still be boxed in
from above and below.

And still be boxed in
from above and below.

Bobby Axelrod...

could run through the Serengeti

and not break a sweat.

I go down in the subway,
I gotta change my shirt.

You do what you do
just as well as him.

Maybe better.

I wanna test the waters
in a private firm.

- Really?
- Mm.

Oh, Chuck. You... you...
You gotta let me do it.

You gotta let me
be the one to set it up.

You gotta let me
be the one to set it up.

They all want you.
You'll cash in.

Let me wheel you
into three places

and get the bidding war started.

Mm, no. Just one.

- Horvath.
- Of course.

The best Supreme Court
litigator.

Big here and in Washington.

Get me a meeting at Horvath.
Keep it confidential.

You say where and when.

How did you know
I was being followed?

Oh, right.
You're watching Axe Capital.

Out of the three of us,

Pouch always plays on
the straight and narrow.

For fuck's sake,
they glossed him "Pouch"

because he's got no balls.

They say he has a vagina.

They say he has a vagina.

Wonderful. What else?

Look, if Axe doesn't
trust me anymore,

he might give the Kemlot trade
to someone else.

- Don't let him.

Get the trade, make the trade,
testify, and we're done.

Testify? You never said...

There's a thing called
the Constitution.

Sixth Amendment,
Confrontation Clause.

♪ Tense music ♪

You have a right in this country

to cross-examine
your accuser.

It's not enough that you
tell us what the tapes mean.

You gotta say it in court.

You gotta say it in court.

I can't even imagine it.

Axe there in the room
with those Laura Mars eyes.

That's what he's gonna do
tomorrow, too.

Hey, hey, hey.
You'll get through it.

You'll get through it.

I'll never know why everybody
drinks that Star Wars shit.

To optimize performance.

Well, you're
certainly high-performance.

- Well, I try to be.
- You... you aren't a "try-er."

- Well, I try to be.
- You... you aren't a "try-er."

You never have been.

Aw, you've been watching, huh?

Mm-hmm,
as you've watched me.

I was living out in Seattle
doing my first clerkship

on the Ninth Circuit.

And I remember when you got
your first clerkship...

Supreme Court.
A year before me.

Well, clerking for Ginsburg was
the highlight of my career.

I'll tell you something...

For five-one, that woman
can hold her liquor.

That was a hell of a year.

I remember. I thought,
"DeGiulio is flying past me."

I remember. I thought,
"DeGiulio is flying past me."

Well, it was never
a competition.

We were both just
trying to do good.

You know, I always figured you
for the robes yourself.

Circuit judge.

Maybe even the big one...
Justice Adam DeGiulio.

- Someday. Yeah.
- Hmm.

There's still a romance
to the judicial branch

that certainly transcends

the petty politicking
in the executive.

But I-I don't even see
how I get there now.

I mean, there's no opening
in the offing.

Things change.

Assignments shift.

Assignments shift.

Ah. Now we get to the reason
for our meeting, don't we?

I was talking about you,

but, uh, yes.

Yeah. Also about
the situation here.

I want to inform you
that Bryan Connerty

is moving off
the Axe Capital prosecution.

His caseload is too heavy.

And Tonelle Burton
has the better skill set.

That's a problem.

The Attorney General and I
signed off on Connerty

in part because of
his integrity.

T. received
the US Attorney's

T. received
the US Attorney's

Award for Excellence
in the Prosecution of Fraud.

I'm sure "T." is as clean
as a baby fawn.

That's not what this is about.

High-profile case,
Washington watching.

This can't have the appearance
of string-pulling.

You're recused.

I, alone, determine which
attorneys lead investigations

in the Southern District,
Adam, not Washington.

Absolument.

But... if there's
going to be a change,

I think we would change it all
the way to the Eastern District.

It's cleaner.

It was fun reminiscing.

Enjoy your food.

I'm looping you in.
I'm having one-on-ones today

with Butch, Channing,
and Donnie.

I'd like you to sit in.

For what purpose?

Create an atmosphere of truth.

Maybe they'll feel
more comfortable.

You know these guys well.

I'd like your opinion
on what they have to say.

Donnie. My Bryan Doyle.

Donnie. My Bryan Doyle.

Would you say
you've done well for me?

Yeah, Axe. I feel good about it.

♪ Tense music ♪

Tell me about FedEx.

Uh, that's not my sector.

No, somebody saw you in there.

Mailing a package.

Who was it to?

I don't know...
uh, when that was.

Have you ever met anybody
that worked at the FBI?

I mean, just socially.

I...

I...

No, I don't think so.

Excuse me.
Can we talk for a minute?

I'm not gonna sit there
and be your human lie detector.

You weren't looping me in.
You were roping.

It's different.

I'm just asking you to listen.

You don't have to do anything.

I won't be used
to legitimize this bullshit.

I won't be used
to legitimize this bullshit.

I can't do this.

Can't do it.

Yes, you can.

- He can't hear you.

I know that.

Why'd you overwrite
your hard drive?

I don't know. Just thought
you'd want me to.

I do it once a month.

Some of those first quarter
trades last year...

You wanted me to leave
that paper trail?

You wanted me to leave
that paper trail?

Tell me about Morien Sciences.

Morien? Is that biotech?

Solid company.
Could be a monster.

There is no Morien Sciences.
I made it up.

You still picking your feet

in Poughkeepsie, Channing?

What?

Never mind.

I would never, Axe.

I don't know what my wife
has to do with this.

What about that
Cross-Co. Trucking play, Pouch?

You still have
a problem with it?

Hey, I made my peace with that.

How many helpings of
strawberries

did you have at lunch last week?

Uh, two. Two.

Uh, two. Two.

If they arrested you,
what would you do?

I'd stand up, like Dollar Bill.

Would you look me in the eye

and spew lies about me
on the witness stand?

How did you respond to
the SEC letter on Rubinex?

I didn't.
I gave it to my lawyer.

I thought you said Rubinex

never raised flags
with the regulators.

It didn't. I'm sorry.

Are we done here?

Yeah, you're done.
Burnt fucking toast.

Alex, thanks for coming.
I appreciate your discretion.

- Of course.
- Please.

- Of course.
- Please.

Well...

You probably know
I have standing offers

from a number of firms.

I chose to set
this meeting with you.

We respect that.

Our firm has a lot to offer.

Now... I know this is not
about money for you,

but I also know that

your current annual salary,
185,000,

your current annual salary,
185,000,

is what you would
make in a week at Horvath.

Hmm.

And what would you expect
from me in exchange?

Your expertise, image, prestige.

You would never have
a boring day

because you would never have to
do anything you don't wanna do.

If you wanna be a rainmaker,
you can make rain.

If you want to play golf,

you can be on the circuit
every Monday.

Company box at sporting events,

partner junkets
to the Super Bowl.

Four weeks vacation every year.

Four weeks vacation every year.

Well, eight if you prefer.

In due time, your name would be
on the firm, of course.

♪ Pensive music ♪

All you have to do is say yes.

We got him.

An investigation
we dug up at the SEC.

He got picked up, leveraged,
turned against you.

Don't be surprised.
Happens all the time.

Don't be surprised.
Happens all the time.

On a long enough timeline,

everyone you know
will turn against you.

I'm not surprised.

Irritated that I
didn't see it coming.

How long have you
been here, Dimonda?

How long have you
been here, Dimonda?

Those things charge
by the hour, right?

I'm running a story on you.
I'm hoping to get a comment.

That's not why you're here.
You could've called.

You're here 'cause you have
something big... to you.

Something you think
you can hurt me with.

Goes like this...

September 11, 2001.
You're in a lawyer's office.

You're being fired
by your partners.

You're being fired
by your partners.

A plane crashes
into the North Tower.

- People are burning and dying.

And everyone you work with
sees it happen.

So you call a broker...
Lincoln Chang in Jersey City...

And have him short
aviation stocks

in the European markets.

Then US hotels, shipping.

You go against it all.

The second plane hits.

Everyone you work with is dead.

People are lining up
to give blood.

New York's bravest,
your wife-to-be's brother,

New York's bravest,
your wife-to-be's brother,

runs into the buildings to help.

He never comes back out,

while you sit back in your chair

with a smile on your face

making hundreds of millions
of dollars.

And you take that money

and the rest of everything
your dead partners had,

and you call it Axe Capital.

That about right?

♪ Tense music ♪

Congratulations.

It dropped.

We've got breaking news today.

Some damning revelations

of a hedge fund giant...
Robert "Bobby" Axelrod.

Just this morning,
the "Financial Journal"

reported that Bobby Axelrod

may have made much
of his considerable fortune

may have made much
of his considerable fortune

by preying on aviation, hotel,
and shipping companies

when they were most vulnerable,

shorting their stock
during those early moments

after the September 11th
terrorist attacks.

Status as a philanthropist
in the city,

supporting many charities,

especially the police
and fire departments,

as the only surviving partner
at Wachtel, Rachlein, Rice,

the company that eventually
became Axe Capital.

Questions now being asked
about the source...

Turn off the fucking TVs!
Get back to work!

Turn off the fucking TVs!
Get back to work!

No comment
from the Axelrod camp.

Turn it off! Goddamn it!

World of hedge funds...

- And just...

- I don't know where to...

There's a story
about Axe on 9/11.

It's all over the news.

- I am so sorry.

- You'll have to excuse me.

I'm pulling the kids
out of school

I'm pulling the kids
out of school

so they don't hear it
from someone else.

That's smart.

I'm adding security.

Okay. I'll see you tonight.

Love you.

You knew?

Of course I knew.

Don't listen to the noise.

He didn't know our brother.
He didn't even know me then.

We have your back.
This will not fucking stand.

- I've got your denials written.

I've been in touch with Forbes
to tell the real story.

I recommend a defamation suit,

regardless of
the likelihood of victory.

It will buttress you...

It will buttress you...

- No.
- Then a book.

I have a list of best-selling
ghostwriters who can portray

your mindset in a compelling way

- that will...
- It's true.

I never lied about it.
I'm not proud.

It was before anyone knew
for sure it was terrorism.

I just saw an opportunity

to make 750 million dollars
in a day.

And I knew the firm,
the surviving families,

would need it.

Axe will see you now.

Hey, you hanging in?

We all have things...

Shut the fuck up.

- You're fired.

You got nailed by the SEC,
so you tried to sell me out?

You wearing a wire right now?

No.

I would never...

I would never...

Oh, sure.

I don't ever want to see
your face again.

Go get yourself another job
in another country,

'cause you're gonna have
a hard time in this one.

You're not meditating.

Nah.

I just didn't feel like working
in a glass box today.

Why don't you come
into my office?

I'm okay.

Good.

'Cause as we've talked about,

I don't think you have
anything to be ashamed of...

in a relativistic sense.

You were scared, you didn't know
what was happening,

so you did what you knew
how to do... you traded.

So you did what you knew
how to do... you traded.

It was a tough position
I put you in before. I know.

It was.

If we pretended today
you worked for me,

you know what I would
tell you to do.

- Go home.

Hey.

Hey. Thanks for coming down.

Hey. Thanks for coming down.

I did it.

Butch Probert. "The Pouch."

Took an old Wells notice
and doctored it.

Backdated files
to show an SEC inquiry.

You were right.

Axe found 'em, fired the guy.

Our inside man's safe...
for now.

How do you feel?

Like shit.

What...
what do you go and do

to be okay with it after
a thing like that?

I'll show you.

Hey, Bruno.

- Hey, Bruno, what's this?

- Your piece of the profits.

What, it's not enough?

What, it's not enough?

Come on.

You said we're partners.

- You know...

You see the news today?

Nah, Bobby.

Had my head down
throwing pies the whole day.

- Salute.

Salute.

Another round.

- I'll tell you why, all right?

I'm gonna tell you why

the Pouch
doesn't fucking matter.

- Mm.
- Number one...

- He's probably dirty.
- Not what Donnie said.

Jesus Christ. Fuck Donnie.
He doesn't know.

He knows more than us. That's
the whole fucking point of it.

He knows more than us. That's
the whole fucking point of it.

Here's why I don't have
a problem with it.

- Number one...
- You're on two.

Number two...
Fuck the Pouch.

Low seven figures
for how many years?

He doesn't need more money.

If he's not saving,
that's on him.

I wanna tell you something.

I turned down a job offer
tonight.

Called him right from the car,
and I said no.

White shoe defense firm.
Major lucre.

Oh, ho! Nine million.

Oh, ho! Nine million.

Ohh.

You wanna know why?

Because of you.

- Me?
- Yeah.

Because you did it.

And now I know
you're in this for real,

- for the whole wagon train.

And I can count on you
to do what must be done.

Because without that sense
of mission...

There's no fucking point
doing it.

There's no fucking point
doing it.

I struggled with it.

I know.

You think I don't?

You think I'm a whiff
because of that?

No, I think I'm a whiff
because of that.

I think you have decency.

Mm.

For me, doing this,

it's about... it's about
making the world better.

It's about... it's about
making the world better.

- It really is.

Just a little bit.
Just a little bit more fair.

And as clean as that is
in my head, m-my chest...

Out there, the world's
not clean. It's messy.

Now you're sounding
a little whiffy.

- Kidding, all right?

- Number three.
- Mm.

And number three is the best.

Even if he is an honest man,
even if he's the goddamn Pope,

Even if he is an honest man,
even if he's the goddamn Pope,

he's working at a dirty shop.

And that was always gonna end,
and it was never gonna end well.

He should know
the fucking risks.

Right. Like he's a...

haberdasher making
uniforms for the Nazis.

Oh, that's a big contract.

Right, but you don't care
if he loses it.

And whoever did the stitching
on those things

probably didn't hate Jews.

Or maybe they were Jews.
Prison labor.

Yeah. Yeah.

I like number two better.

What was two?

- Fuck the Pouch.
- Fuck the Pouch.

Hey.

Hey.

I met with Horvath.

Big offer.

Mm. They recognize my worth.

Mm. They recognize my worth.

Felt good.

But I said no.

Good for you.

You knew I'd never take
the job, didn't you?

Hmm?

I did, yeah.
Was it obvious?

Then why the hell did you
make me go through all of that?

You needed to.

You needed to try it on,
feel it.

You needed to try it on,
feel it.

And my offer to quit, I knew
it'd push you to do it.

Would you really have quit?

Does it matter now?

I really can't stand
you being there, you know.

That's very honest.

Why is it?

Why do I hate it so much?

♪ Pensive music ♪

His looted gold pays for
my kids' private schools.

His looted gold pays for
my kids' private schools.

And, uh...

And I'm...
I'm the fucking haberdasher.

It's not that simple.

I know.

It's really fucking complicated.

It's really fucking complicated.

And you've been with him longer
than you've been with me.

I love you.

I love you, too.

More than anything.

Lots of people love each other.

But you and Axe?
Oh, that's something else.

But you and Axe?
Oh, that's something else.

It's weird,

and it's deep,
and I fucking hate it.

I do. I fucking hate it.

I know you do.

But you are strong
because of it.

You are stronger than him,
and you will get through it.

Because things are
changing there,

and it can't last like this
much longer.

And it can't last like this
much longer.

It won't.

I don't like it out here.

I'm sorry I didn't
warn you first.

I'm sorry I didn't
warn you first.

I knew what was going on.
We had to put on a show.

But it still rattled my nerves.

That was the only way I could
convince Rhoades you were legit.

You okay?

Sort of.

When do we give them Kemlot?

Soon.

♪ A heart on the run
keeps a hand on the gun ♪

♪ You can't trust anyone ♪

♪ Cover me up ♪

♪ And know you're enough ♪

♪ To use me for good ♪

Mm.