Billions (2016–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - Risk Management - full transcript

Chuck faces scrutiny from the Attorney General; Axe considers options for retaliation; Wendy entertains an offer from a rival manager; Lara intervenes during a school emergency.

Previously on "Billions"...

Bobby fucking Axelrod.
Man of the people.

We're gonna put him in a cell.
The gloves are off.

We do whatever it takes.

Your value to the
firm is absolute.

I've been working there since
before we were married

and long before you
were in office.

I take care of my people.

When Mick Danzig gets
tackled on his lawn

with a machine gun, I
make the problem go away.

You don't get to where I am



without tolerating
a lot of risk.

We. Where we are.

I made some decisions.

You shuttered it, the
restaurant and the farm.

Let's go! Everybody out!

You married a criminal.

Walk away from the shame.
Divorce his ass.

You want me to pressure
my husband to back off.

- You know I can't do that.
- Why not?

From here on in, I tell you
your position in this,

if you have one at all.

Your boss got that bogus
information on Axe and the cops

by accessing his
wife's private notes.

You betrayed my trust.



You sit there and you try
to claim moral high ground.

Oh, oh, oh, oh. I claim it?

While you go on working at
a criminal organization,

and you can't even fucking
admit it to yourself.

I tell you about my
issues with Danzig,

and then there's a fucking
investigation underway!

I didn't sell you out.

- Polygraph me, motherfucker.

- When I get back,

be gone.

Case is terminated.

♪ Tense music ♪

Come work for Bach's
firm on my account.

I didn't hear "no."

I am so sorry to
have doubted you.

Your bonus.

I was planning to
give you two million.

It just went up to five.

I quit, Bobby.

I can't be in denial about

what this place is, what
you are, any longer.

You know the only
enemy more dangerous

than a man with
unlimited resources...

is one with nothing to lose.

And that is what
you are looking at

right here.

♪ Dramatic music plays ♪

Sorry about the hour.

You never have to
say that to me.

In many ways, this
place made me.

Sit.

There's nowhere that
the stark difference

between winners and
losers is more clear.

Ah.

I have called you here
tonight to tell you

how we are going to win.

♪ You can climb a mountain ♪

♪ You can swim the sea ♪

♪ You can jump into the fire ♪

♪ But you'll never be free ♪

♪ You can shake me up ♪

♪ Or I can break you down ♪

♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh, ohh ♪

♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh, ohh ♪

♪ We can make each
other happy... ♪

Excuse me.

Pardon me. We got to
get to work, babe.

Don't "babe" me here.

No one's opening the doors till
Axe says to open the doors.

Three fucking weeks working
out of my living rooms,

I'm creaming to get in there.

First one in the
lot this morning.

You showed up early to take
a look around, didn't you?

See what really caused this.
Unless you believe that whole

"fire extinguisher
malfunction flood" bullshit.

- You won't stop with this.
- Come on.

- That was no heart attack.
- Who had a heart attack?

- Clemenza. Only he didn't.
- The Rosato brothers killed him,

and he's saying
this is like that.

It is questionable. Fire systems
have automatic cutoffs.

We weren't even allowed
in to get our stuff.

I know what you know.

I heard Axe went kind of nuts.

- Who the fuck asked you?
- If Axe says it was

a system malfunction,
that's what it was.

♪ Suspenseful music ♪

Go time, yeah?

We need Wags.

Do we?

We don't let the animals back in

until their keeper is here, too.

On it.

You must defend your lapels.

Put your elbow inside the knee
and work the elbow escape.

Yeah, I'll do all
that next time.

When you can master
moves like this,

you can generate offense
out of defense,

even off your back.

Showtime, folks.

He's waiting on you.

♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh, ohh ♪

♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh, ohh ♪

♪ We can make each other happy ♪

♪ We can make each other happy ♪

♪ We can make each other happy ♪

♪ We can make each other happy ♪

♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh, ohh ♪

- Donna!

Please take this out of here.
Give it to some...

Sorry, sir. I was
trying to stop him.

I'm Oliver Dake, Office of
Professional Responsibility.

OPR. And not just here
for a regular review

or you would have set
up an appointment.

Correct. We are
quite comfortable

not giving advance warning
in cases like this.

Mm-hmm. And what sort of...

An investigation into
your recent conduct.

- Well, that sounds serious.
- Oh, it is.

I bet you'd like the
use of an office.

I would.

Follow me.

Oh! Look at that.

So you were warned.

Don't for a moment think
it gives you an advantage.

Who even thinks on those terms?

I have nothing to hide. You'll
receive full cooperation.

With it, without it, I'll
find out what's true.

Know that.

I'll count on it.

Yeah, it's Dake.

Where are we at on
the Rhoades work-up?

You know what?

Let's add tax returns
to the data that...

- It's time, Wags.
- Almost.

I don't want this to turn
into The Who in Cincinnati.

♪ Dramatic music plays ♪

Lead them in.

Now you fuckers know how
much you miss this place

when you can't have it.

No electronics,
personal or otherwise,

beyond a phone will come or go.

All employees will be issued
magnetic ID bracelets

that will be necessary for entry
and exit through the turnstiles.

People ask me what
money can't buy.

In public, I say some
sort of bullshit like,

"Love and its many
splendored so forth."

The real answer...

- Not much.

And the best thing is
it gives me access

to the world's most
fascinating people.

Like our next speaker,

the finest performance
coach there is.

I'd advise you to give
her your full attention.

But I don't have to.

She'll get it.

It's what she does.

Dr. Wendy Rhoades.

Performance.

That's a loaded word.

Scary. Lot of pressure.

- Not for me.

Oh.

You can perform?

Fucking right I can.

Come back to my
office and try me.

- Never had any complaints.
- Nice.

You know, they say a
trained professional

can always tell when
someone's lying.

That's an exaggeration.
We don't always know.

But right now, I do.

You're lying.

Covering.

We all get complaints, right?

Struggle for you is you remember
the complaints, don't you?

They lodge deep.

They haunt you.

Because you want to
believe you're perfect.

But you know you're not.

That's why two billion
dollars' worth of these babies

are sold every year.

Because they bring reassurance
that when the time comes,

you can step up.

Some of you take them.

A little blue steel is
nothing to be ashamed of.

But if I threw this bottle
into the audience right now,

no one would grab it.

The thought that someone
might know you need help

is worse than not getting
the help you need.

Still, when the time comes,

when you need to
pull the trigger

on the buy or sell order,

you better be hard as a
rock and ready to go,

because that is the tour
you've signed on for.

Millions of years ago,

a meteor hit the Earth and
brought on an ice age.

And even the mightiest T. Rexes

were reduced to
fucking skeletons.

A meteor is screaming

toward this room right now

and all the rooms like it.

The entire hedge-fund industry

is under siege.

We deserve it.

We've acted as if it
would go on forever.

Even as shitty returns,

the outflow of
institutional money,

and the rise of quant funds have
lighted the way to our demise,

we have willfully
refused to change.

In the great expanse of time,

we are already dead.

I know it even if you don't.

But in this microsecond that
we are still breathing air,

I'm gonna fight the inevitable.

If you have a card
in front of you,

pick it up, hold it in
front of your face.

If this room represents all
the hedge funds in business,

the uncovered faces

are the only ones left
in 18 months' time.

I made it.

Is that right, Mafee?

You made it?

Because this was a
random fucking exercise,

and I don't see any evidence
at all that you're gonna!

Put your fucking cards down.

Trust almost killed Axe Capital.

And that is never
gonna happen again.

Things got a little too free
and fucking easy around here.

And to eliminate the possibility

of any questionable information
passing from any of you to me,

all future conversations
will be held

in the presence of my Chief
of Staff, Stephanie Reed.

And I mean all.

If you see me at the
coffee machine,

you wait until Steph is there
before you pitch me the cream.

I am a survivor.

And I will do whatever it takes

to avoid my fate.

Ask yourselves...

Are you?

You have an amazing
level of insight

into how we hedgies think.

Well, if I didn't after
the time I put in...

With Axe.

Yes.

I don't mean Axe Capital.
I mean Bobby himself.

You've had sessions with him.

You must understand at a
molecular level almost

why he does what he does.

Well, I'm not talking
about a rising market.

I mean, we all know how to trade

once we get a
little mo-mo going.

But when things get
a little choppy,

does he steer into the skid

or does he retreat to
look at alternatives?

I thought you'd overpaid me.

But if that's what you're
really looking for,

you weren't even
close to the number.

The number doesn't exist.

I'd never sell him out.

You passed the test.

Ah. Do I get the whole
chocolate factory now?

Yes, you do.

I thought I wanted to
bring you on full time,

but now that I know
I can trust you,

I'm certain I do.

Well...

that makes one of us, Todd.

I'm already set up in
an office of my own

starting to see clients.

Is that permanent?

I'm not sure. Yet.

I'm keeping my options open.

Is that a lie?

I hope not.

Anyway, why don't you
just keep an open mind,

and let's find something to
collaborate on soon, okay?

♪ Suspenseful music plays ♪

I have information.

- Got your homework ready?
- Yep.

All right. I got to
drop some papers off

at the development office.
I'll see you guys at pickup.

- Okay.
- Have a good day.

- Bye, Mom.
- Bye.

Help! Help! Katie
fell on the floor!

- What's going on?
- I'm calling 911.

- What happened?
- She came in with nausea,

threw up in my office.
She's having a seizure.

She's in anaphylaxis.

Epi-pen.

That's why hysterical moms
aren't school nurses.

We don't give adrenaline
unless the allergy...

She needs a rescue shot.
She carries one.

I need an ambulance to the
Horace School right away,

- please.

Okay. All right.

- Okay, honey.

Listen, you're
having a reaction,

but I got you, all right?
Just breathe for me.

Michael, thank you.

Why don't you go
walk the perimeter?

Word out of Washington

is that Rhoades' misconduct
is being investigated.

You somehow put that in motion?

Look, when an enemy's
down on the field,

you got to finish him.

If this investigation hurts him,

we got to take it the
rest of the way.

He's really in your head.

As long as Rhoades is in
that job, I'm not safe.

Hall, I want your
guys all over it.

Bach, I want to file a lawsuit
against him immediately.

A smart woman once said,

"You can no more win a
war than an earthquake."

It's what's called for.
How long to prepare it?

Bobby, détente can be good.

Like after the armistice,

the Europeans back in the
cafés, drinking wine.

- Making love.
- Yeah.

And if they would have known the
Germans were laying in wait,

arming up again, they would have
been better off crushing them

- when they had the chance.
- With a suit comes publicity.

Everything that happened

gets dragged back through
the press, re-litigated.

You get called a criminal
every single day.

Instead of how it is now?

With the murky suggestion
hanging over me,

looming over every encounter?

Look, lots of people
he's crossed swords with

have gone away stuck
and steaming.

Most can't even get a lawyer

to take on an individual
case of this nature.

You know why?

The downside's too steep

and the upside's
too hard to see.

And if you still hope to
get Wendy back somehow,

I don't see how this can help.

You said you had some
information on that front.

Wendy and Rhoades
remain separated.

Where is he living?

The house.

Part of the time.

She is, too, part of the time.

- How?
- They call it nesting.

It's bullshit.

I tried it for a few weeks
between wives two and three.

Yes, the parents trade nights.

The children stay in
the familial home.

A utopian idea
that's supposed to

impart a feeling of
well-being in the young ones

during a turbulent time.
- Like I said, bullshit.

And Wendy was at Krakow
Capital earlier today.

- What? That fucker's hired her?
- Unclear.

If we're not getting her back,

I've heard about this
guy, Lenny Gustaferson...

Dr. Gus. He is
supposed to be badass.

I can't believe she's
considering Krakow.

That's a bucket shop.

I want to know where
she's working,

the hours.

Hold off on that Gus
guy until I say.

Good.

I know Katie. I know that
she has the allergy.

How does a mother passing
by know more than her?

I can't administer
serious medication

just because some rich lady

- stopped...
- Stop talking.

Topher, I am not leaving my
kids in the care of this idiot.

Are you gonna do it now,

or do I have to call
the rest of the board?

I get it, Lara, but we can't
do this thing bang-bang.

I need a licensed nurse
on premises at all times.

Hey, Mo. It's Lara.

Look, I know you're
working nights,

but I need your help.

Can you come do a shift here at
the Horace School right now?

Oh, you're the best.

My cousin will be
here in 45 minutes.

I'll cover until then.

Fully licensed.

Bye.

It'll take a long time to
fill Bart Schooner's seat

as head of criminal prosecution.

- Oh, at least 15 minutes...

until someone with a law degree

and a controlled drinking
habit stumbles in.

Let me... Let me get serious.

I just want to talk
about Bart's...

Head of Crim. Man.

Plum perch.

Freaking launch pad to
the private sector.

I mean, you land
it, you're minted.

Seven figures the day you leave.

How the hell do you get it?

There's 75 AUSAs in here
all going after it.

You got to pay your dues.

Yeah. Big cases,
ingeniously won.

After years of dutiful service.

- Years and years.

So I'm too young?

You're getting that?

Too green.

It'll go to an old hand
like one of you two, then?

"Experienced", not "old".

- Seasoned.

I'm out of scotch.

See, I order two at a
time at these things

because the waiters disappear
like Houdini after the entrées.

You got to know that.
Plan ahead.

Smart. Seasoned.

Souses.

What I'd like to know is,

will Chuck still be the
one handing out the job?

- The investigation.
- Hell yeah.

They say Dake rides
in on a pale horse.

What do you think
he's got on Chuck?

Well, well, well. Three
young apprentices

celebrating the departure
of a colleague.

Sure. But don't
they also want to

put a foot in his ass
and take his spot?

Hmm?

Oh, come on.

You know Head of Crim
is the hyperloop

that propels you into
whatever job you want next.

How to get it...

Let me tell you.

Our practices leave
grooves over time.

And eventually, those
grooves become walls

that box us in.

So what I figured
out recently is,

find another way.

♪ Tense music ♪

I found myself in a chess match
in Washington Square Park

with one of those hustlers

who's been taking tourists'
money for years.

A bit of a crowd had formed.

This was a hard-fought match.

I had just gained an edge.

I had an unstoppable waiting
attack when I saw it happen.

He swiped both my knights
with one capture.

Oh, the cheat was
very well executed.

I was about to go across
the table at him.

To make sure he was
banned from the park,

to exact retribution.

But then in an instant, I saw...

this was the chance

to re-frame my entire approach.

So instead...

♪ dramatic music playing ♪

I caught what you did.

Takes practice to master
something like that.

It's to be admired in a sense,

but that is the last
time you use it today.

I'm a man who could make
things difficult for you,

but I won't.

As long as you'll
understand this.

Your next opponent is that boy.

And I want him to have a very
good time playing against you.

Thank you.

The man thanked me.

Imagine that.

And I knew he wasn't gonna
cheat anyone else that day

and would look over his
shoulder thereafter.

I had managed something
better than payback.

By acting with purpose
and understatement,

I had created a more
just environment,

which is what I am
asking of all of you.

This is the new way.

Well, how do you know if
he did the right thing

after you left?

Uh, I sat on a nearby
bench and watched awhile.

Thanks for coming.

I know you'll think
it's worth the effort.

- Quickly, Spyros.
- Okay.

I always listen to the ground.

- It's how I got where I am.
- Mm-hmm. And?

An investigation has begun

into your office's
methods and conduct,

focusing on an aborted bribery
case against Axelrod.

And the man leading
the investigation

is dangerous and capable.

A younger, even smarter
version of me,

if you can conjure
that for yourself.

I scarcely can.

Who is he?

Oliver Dake.

Are we square now?

Don't serve rabbit
food to an elephant

and ask if he's full.

♪ Dramatic music plays ♪

Sir.

Would you get these fine young
barristers another round?

- Of course.
- Thank you.

Before I go and have a
nightcap with Bart Schooner

and get his thoughts on
who should replace him,

let me speak to what's
hanging over the table

and this entire room.

The investigation that Mr.
Dake is conducting.

You all know how to
handle yourselves.

I want you all to cooperate,

to be truthful, of course.

Because I don't believe we
have anything to worry about.

See what he did?

We handle ourselves and Chuck
gives someone Head of Crim.

Or we cooperate with
Dake and try our luck

starting over with
Chuck's replacement.

Yeah, we saw what he did.

And so you haven't seen anything

that makes you think
this office is acting

- in an out-of-bounds manner?
- Ambiguous.

Sharpen up the question so I
can give you a good answer.

How would you describe Mr.
Rhoades' tactical approach?

Effective.

And his understanding of the
rules governing behavior?

I can't speak to
his state of mind.

Uh-huh. Let's, uh...

Let's switch gears for a moment.

Tell me about your
meeting with Axelrod.

The aborted settlement?

No. Your private meeting.

You tell me how that is

in any way relevant to
your investigation.

I am investigating
all misconduct,

wherever it may be.

And however an
investigation may start,

once I'm in it,

I'm like a Goddamned octopus...

Tentacles out in every
direction, looking, listening,

sucking up every bit of
information that I can find.

Look, I reported that meeting

the second it was over,

and I have the
documentation to prove it.

Ahhh.

You reported it the next day

in the afternoon.

First chance I got.

Or maybe it took you
that long to decide

what to leave in and
what to leave out.

I left it all in.

Axelrod offered me a job.

This is at the pizzeria
in Yonkers, yes?

That's right.

I turned it down.

Did you?

With no provers in the room,

it's only your word and his.

If I asked Axelrod, is
that how he'd remember it?

Yes.

♪ Suspenseful music plays ♪

Ooh, nice space.

Contained.

I bet your patients
must feel safe here.

You gonna invite me to sit down?

No.

If you knew enough to
make an appointment

under an assumed name, you knew

- I didn't want to see you.
- I knew you wouldn't,

but that's not the same
as not wanting to.

Yes, it is.

There's this thing that happens
when we're in a room together.

It always has, Bobby. It
just flows like this.

But I'm shutting it off.

I have shut it off.

Okay.

First, I apologized.

But if it takes me sending
you flowers every day,

Joe DiMaggio style,
to prove it, I will.

He did that after
Marilyn was dead.

Yours would have the same effect
on me that his had on her.

But I need you back
at Axe Capital.

Well, that's not gonna happen.

Look, there are decisions
I have to make

over actions that I might take,

and I have never had
to do it without you.

The time to recognize that
has long since passed.

We are at an inflection point.

We have to make big
changes to the company.

We have to make it quickly.

And I am getting conflicting
advice from my people.

The kind of things that

I bounce off you and
it all makes sense.

I know you well enough
to tell you one thing.

You'll figure it out.

You'll connect the dots,
synthesize the information

in a way few others
in this world can.

You always do. It'll be
an amazing thing to see.

But I won't be there to see it.

What, then?

This?

Just sit here in a nice,
small, well-appointed office,

listen to bullshit all day long

from people who are
half as smart as us?

I don't know. I was thinking
maybe another hedge fund.

Oh, is that right?

Yeah, I was at another
one the other day.

I won't tell you
which, so don't ask.

And the manager played some
heavy game theory on me,

boxed me into a spot,
essentially put himself

in a position to win
no matter what I said.

I know who it is. I can tell
already by what you said.

Well, I'm tired of being on the
losing side of that paradigm.

- He was looking to hire you?
- Yeah.

That motherfucker is just trying
to poach my most valued...

I'm not your anything.

I'm not gonna kick you out.

But I am asking you
to respect my wishes.

Can you do that?

Okay.

And don't send flowers.

Eva's allergic.

Gene therapy is finally
bearing fruit.

- There's a great company...
- Next.

We buy an algorithm. I
know a guy from Wharton

- with a...

We should go to cash, take
some time off, and...

Okay, fuck this. Do any of
you have juice with Raya?

I could build a model for it.

I don't want to invest in it.
I want to get on it.

- What is that?
- High-end hookup app.

- Tinder for the rich and famous.
- That's so reductive.

It's exclusive, and
it's about connection.

I was saying with
cash on hand...

Stop talking.

I'm not gonna take any of
this dog shit back to Axe.

It's time for you folks
to sharpen your pencils,

and you better come back with
one Traci Lords of an idea.

And if you need that fucking
defined, here it is.

A barely legal,
market-dominating,

brilliant cocksucker of an idea.

Thanks for working
through lunch.

I've got to dump five million
shares of Bluudhorn Steel at 40.

Problem is, the trade's
by appointment.

No broker will take
all five million

and guarantee my price,

so I've got five brokers
selling a million each,

and they don't know
about each other.

Are you sure about the way
you're unloading that?

It's kind of shady and
not very efficient.

They'll find out and
ding you later.

I've got to get the price.

You heard what Axe said.
Survive or die.

What if you create a
zero-cost collar?

Right...

Use options to protect the sale.

Buy $40 puts in Bluudhorn,

then sell $45 calls to
offset the purchase.

You've got free
protection at $40.

The maximum downside
is protected.

But now you can be patient,

and you don't have to
lean on the stock.

You're right.

That'll save us ten
million on this trade.

This is why I need to keep you
when your internship's over.

Yes. I'd believe the
same thing were I you.

Oh. I ordered you lunch.

Vegan.

What makes you
think I'm a vegan?

I don't know.

Everything?

All of it?

Fuck.

You're not?

I'll eat it.

Look, I've eliminated slippage
since you've got here.

My trade-cost analysis
is up 150 bips.

And that's before the
10-ball you just saved me.

It's not a fluke.
It's efficiency.

It's you.

And now you're leaving.

I can't afford that.

I'll die off.

And that's before I blew lunch
with you not being a vegan.

Of course I'm a vegan.

Here's my problem.

The shit that I do to keep most
people after an internship...

Throwing money around,
showing them a good time...

None of that's
gonna work on you.

You mean like hot girls
showing up at my place

and drink till I
puke and all that?

I agree. That wouldn't
work in this case.

So how do I keep you?

You kind of can't.

♪ Rock music plays ♪

Just look at him.

The everyman grilling away.

You know, he sent the
chef away tonight

because the two of you
always do this together.

And even though you've frozen
him out the past few months,

he's still counting on it.

That's before I
knew what he was.

You're the toughest guy
in the family, no doubt.

But I think we both know
what happens if you test me.

Now get out there

and be a human being
to my husband.

Under protest.

Hey, hey.

Mo! Fuck, you're here.

- What's going on?
- It's good to see you.

It's like a hunting knife.

You rip it open...

Hey, Matt.

Axe.

I'm glad you came.

Yeah, of course, man.

You guys know each other, right?
Same precinct?

Different years. Detective.

Long before you became a banker

or a trustee or whatever, Raul.

- Still more police than banker.

- Good to see you.
- Yeah.

I had good come-back about
you from the school.

- Oh, how fucking lovely.

Be an easy road to make
you the full-time nurse.

- Yeah?
- Yep.

- What are we talking about?

Well, they'd start you at
72k, something for housing.

And I'll get them up from there.

Come on, Mo.

It'd be so nice to
have you around, man.

Instead of rolling
with these stiffs

that I've got up
here all the time.

Oh, no,

it's not much more than
what I'm taking down now,

and it's still just
pulling shifts.

If I'm making a change,
it's got to be bigger.

You know, I need to step up

and score my next
chapter, you know?

Yeah.

I know.

Certain douchebag motorcycle
club was dealing out of

the men's room at the Hendricks.
And these guys were good.

Our undercovers couldn't
make one buy off of them.

So we started sending in teams
to surveil through the ceiling

of the men's room. And
one day I'm up there.

I'm watching. And I
see a deal go down.

I must have been
leaning over too much,

'cause I fell right
through the drop ceiling

and landed right on
my ass in the middle

- of the men's room.

A black man in an N.Y.P.D.
uniform.

I'm like... I look up,

and it's a half a dozen Hells
Angels staring down at me.

So...

They lit in on me with
fists, bottles, boots.

They damn near beat the
cop right out of me.

Barely got out of there alive.

They say it never happened.

Of course not.

But the way it still gets told,
that night end of shift,

every swinging dick
at the station

went back to that bar
with nightsticks,

reduced those fucking bikers
to smudge marks on the floor.

No dealing went on in that
bar for a long, long time.

See, back then, it came down
to factions, superior numbers.

When they had them
and I was alone,

they won.

But when we had them,

well, it's hard to
defend against numbers.

That's a lesson you only
have to learn once.

Absolutely.

I need to deploy your
specialized computing skills,

can-do attitude, the magic
of your tech nerdistry.

No one's ever said I have
a can-do attitude before.

That's because you hide it
behind a superior, dismissive,

and pessimistic mask, but
I see past all that.

Uh, what do you need?

Raya.

I need you to hack into Raya and
get me an account on there.

I can't do... do that.

- Of course you can.
- I mean, maybe I could,

but that site's encrypted with
a 128-bit Blowfish cipher.

And no brute-force
attack has been

extensive enough to crack it.
There's...

There's no way I can make a
reasonable attempt and still

- complete my other tasks.
- Like what?

Making sure this place is
secure from cyberattack.

- You've already done that.
- But I have to oversee

all our trading software,
all our servers, my team.

And you will.

As soon as you get me onto Raya.

Yes.

Judge DeGiulio!

Mr. Rhoades, sir. At
your service, sir.

Good. Let me tell
you what I need.

I'm not really at your service.

Chuck, I was quoting "Hamilton."

Ah. I haven't been
able to see it.

What do you need?

There's an investigator named
Dake up here from D.C.

Ooh. That's a hard man.
Good one.

Yeah, terrific. Yes, I
can see that he's good.

I'd like him to
be good and gone.

Now, I need to know who sent him

and what they hope
to accomplish.

Are you familiar with the
origin of the word "billet"?

Is this another
"Hamilton" thing?

- No.
- Well, then, yes.

It came from the French

to mean an order to allow a
soldier to live in your home.

But what it's come to mean
is a post or position

and responsibilities
that go along with it.

So my billet is to be a judge

and adjudicate on
various matters

as put forth and et cetera.

It is not, and will never be,

to do your bidding.

I forgot to say
please, didn't I?

I'm working on that.

Please?

Always a lovely word to hear,

but I'm not some deputy anymore.

Oh, no.

Uh, I get that and respect it.

But we both know why you're
not a deputy anymore,

so I am asking you to
do this one for me.

As a final courtesy.

Sure, sir.

Come by my chambers
Friday morning.

I should have
information by then.

And thank y...

You're welcome, Chaz.

Give me your phone.

We need our I.T. staff
back and your focus.

I can't have you phishing
the Internet pointlessly.

I'm logging you on to Raya.

- How?
- I'm a member, so I vouch.

You need two reccos. I got
Michael Che to second you.

Can't have you distracting our
staff with this bullshit.

- You're a member?
- So are you now.

All I ask is Chatham
House Rule on it.

And when you see me on there,
don't fucking tap the heart.

Sweet!

♪ Suspenseful music plays ♪

Mr. Rhoades.

So, I'm going through my
initial round of interviews

and all seems, uh,
if not kosher,

then at least within a
reasonable bandwidth.

And I'm thinking, you know,
I'm just about out of here.

Uh-huh.

But...

Then I

become aware of a payment.

A payment?

That your wife received.

From Axelrod.

An account of hers that
you're a signer on.

Right around, uh,

well, hell, right on

the day that you suspended
your investigation into him.

$5 million.

Now,

it may not be a bribe,

but, dang, if it
doesn't look like one

and smell like one.

And if I put my tongue on it,

I bet it tastes like one, too.

Yum-bang.

Now, I suppose

you didn't know
anything about that?

♪ Suspenseful music plays ♪

If we're doing this,
we're supposed to knock,

- not just let ourselves in.
- Uh-huh.

I was gonna let the sitter
get them ready for you.

She still can.

We need to talk.

That's not really
the idea of this.

We have to give each other room.

Yeah, I know. I'm aware.

Not a social call.

What, then?

I understand that we are in a
temporary moment of separation

and no longer in the mode
of telling each other

our day's events in detail.

If we'd been communicating
that well before,

we might still be together.

Are we putting that on me?

Half of it at least.

But there were some
things that really

ought to have been discussed,

some things that I cannot
imagine keeping to myself.

For instance, if I had
suddenly received

a $5 million lump-sum payment

the same day that my husband
dropped an investigation

on the man making that payment,

I might have fucking managed
to say something about it.

I didn't see how that...

sequence of events might appear.

Is that an apology?

I didn't mean to put your
reputation in question.

Not just my reputation.

My job.

Perhaps my freedom.

Perhaps yours.

Freedom? Pfft.

I am just beginning to
remember what that feels like.

And I'm not gonna let you ruin

one of the first free
nights I've had in years.

I always knew I'd end up snared
by Axelrod's money. It's poison.

And you don't even need to
ingest it for it to kill you.

- Proximity is enough.
- Well, good for you.

I no longer have
proximity to it,

and you no longer
have proximity to me.

Have fun with the children.

Hey, kids, I'm leaving!

Your daddy's here!

I love you!

Hey, guys! Here I come!

This place gave me
my first real look

at how the world worked.

I watched people running
toward the betting window

with high hopes.

No plan.

Then I'd watch them walk
away from the track

ripping up their
tickets in disgust.

That wasn't gonna be me.

You didn't bet?

Oh, I bet.

I bet, but first I figured out

where the sharp action was,

where the guys who
had a plan were,

guys who grinded,

take the guesswork out of it.

They knew which drivers
had been rested.

They knew which
horses were ready.

And they also knew which
ones were on last legs.

How'd you meet those guys?

I didn't at first.

But I figured out

that they always bet
late and they bet heavy.

So I started watching that

instead of that.

The numbers told the story.
They always do.

I started making bets of my own.

You know, the right ones.

And once I understood
what had happened,

I watched the track to
see how it happened.

Strange time for a workout.

Yeah, he comes here
most days of the week.

Likes to run his new prospects
out under the lights,

get them used to it.

He's a good driver.

But his father...

His father was the
best there was.

True master. Hall of Fame.

Always finished top three.

Oh, but to you, top
three is never enough.

You don't show. You win.

That I do.

Mine's a different business.

Look, you and the
team are right.

There's too much risk.

I could open myself
up to a big loss

if I made a move and miss.

When I used to come down here,

I had nothing, so I-I
just figured it out.

That you did.

I need Rhoades gone.

Or this will never be over.

My suit alone,

it's like me firing a pea
shooter against a Panzer tank

when what we need is a Howitzer.

But I know how we can
get ourselves a Howie.

We find everybody
that he fucked,

who went away aggrieved,

people with real grounds,

and we buy up their claims.

Ah.

Aggregate the lawsuits.

Where one is weak,
many are strong.

And that's a lesson you'll never
have to learn more than once.

It'll be tantamount to
a class-action suit.

Not so easy to ignore.

Not possible to.

The stories won't be about you anymore.
They'll be about him.

And the world of
shit that he is in.

You know what you have to do?

I know what I have to do.

This guy doesn't really come
out here a few times a week.

No.

He doesn't.

But I wanted to see
him run, so he ran.

Do what I need.

Get it in motion now.

Tonight.

♪ Dramatic music plays ♪

- Shit!
- Whoa, whoa!

Jesus Christ.

You all right there, guy?

Yeah. Can you hold this for me?

Yeah. Come on.

Thanks.

You've been served.

With a lawsuit.

One-hundred and
twenty-seven of them.

Sorry, brah.

I'm being sued.

Apparently by everyone
I've ever met.

Didn't make any sense
until I saw...

this one. Bobby Axelrod.

A Bivens Claim for violation of
his Fourth Amendment rights.

Malicious prosecution.

And the rest of
these are similar,

and they all came together.

I think he's financing
all of them,

and I have a feeling he's gonna
make this his life's mission.

Well, I wish I could say that's
all you'll be fending off,

but D.C. is all over
this Dake investigation,

and Dake has told the A.G. about

some kind of balloon payment
that has a certain stink to it.

Yeah. To my wife.

Business as usual in her world.

I don't imagine that's
how he's spinning it.

Nor do I.

Sort of unspinnable
I fear, Chuck.

Yes?

Chuck, I need to see you in D.C.
in my office Thursday.

Yeah.

Yes, General.

♪ Suspenseful music plays ♪

That was the attorney
general herself.

She's summoned me to Washington.

Dake did indeed make her aware
of the balloon payment.

She seems to also
know about this, too.

So I'm to report
to her Thursday...

where she will greet me warmly,

shake me by the hand...

and then she'll fire me.

♪ Suspenseful music plays ♪

The tip that led to my
investigation was called in

from a cellphone that
pinged a tower in Yonkers

in the middle of the night.

Why do I give a fuck?

Because you were in Yonkers

at the pizzeria
meeting with Axelrod.

And I think whatever you
heard in that meeting

made you squeamish.

You know what Rhoades is, Bryan.

You know he should
be out of the job.

And I know you made that call.

♪ Dramatic music plays ♪

♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh, ohh ♪

♪ We can make each other happy ♪

♪ Oh, we can make
each other happy ♪

♪ We can make each other happy ♪

♪ Oh, we can make
each other happy ♪

♪ You can climb a mountain ♪

♪ You can swim the sea ♪