Billions (2016–…): Season 2, Episode 10 - With or Without You - full transcript

Previously on Billions...

There's someone I need you to see.

George Minchak.

She vets all of my candidates.

You want her to know everything.

I'm not really sure I'm
entirely comfortable with that.

Mmmm.

Red!

I'm sorry.

Did I not pick up the body language?

I didn't get permission.



Klaxon. Belgian car company.

They're headed for a recall.
Bottom's gonna drop out.

I had a craving for
Bistro Grisby last night.

We used to go there all the time.

- They closed four years ago.
- Sad.

Surveillance of a federal
employee is a Class E felony,

so if you want me to keep it up,

I'm gonna need to charge
you a higher rate.

Then it's a good day for business.

Try Taylor Mason.

Anything big Axe is wading into,

Taylor's there with a snorkel mask.

Divorces are hard.

So are marriages.



Yeah, I've heard other people say that.

Wendy Rhoades is a liability,

and I will never be okay
with the two of you talking.

I personally... won't see her.

I'm sure it must be hard for
you to not have access to him,

but we think it's best for everyone.

Which is why I set the policy.

_

Fuck.

Lara?

Boys?

Hi, it's Lara. Leave a message.

Hey.

It's me.

You call me?

You can't just...

Will you just call me, please?

Get in.

Maybe lying in your
marriage was tolerated,

looked upon with leniency,

considered some sort
of fucked up foreplay,

but in my marriage in 15 years,

I have never lied to
my wife except once,

except about what was
said between you and me.

You were the only person who
could've told her about that.

So please, tell me,
what did you say to my wife?

She was under the impression

that our no-session
arrangement came from you.

I corrected her.

The words. The actual words.

I said I set the policy,

and that was the only
way I could work there.

I didn't mean to come
between you and Lara.

You of all people,

you know precisely what
response you're eliciting.

If you do it, you mean to do it.

Can I get out of the car now?

I'll call if we have
any other questions.

Or maybe I'll just show up.

Just got off the phone with Pacquin.

He sent these from the
house security cams.

She took four 10k
bricks out of the vault,

and we have her here with the boys

walking out of the house
with light luggage.

Rippling out.

The jets are on the ground,
the choppers are in the hangar,

and the residences,

Hamptons, the city apartment,

Aspen, Miami, the vineyard, all empty.

GPS on the car?

I disabled them all
months ago at your request.

Right. Fuck.

All three phones are off,

and they've not used the EZ Pass
or any other credit cards yet.

Uh...

Cancel my morning sessions, please.

I'm not feeling so well.

I'll try to make it in by the afternoon.

Thanks.

Did you bring your tribute?

- I...
- Ah!

I didn't ask you to speak.

And I don't want to look
at your pathetic face either.

You... are nothing.

Down.

Time for me to make my preparations.

Don't move a muscle.

Hi, it's Lara. Leave a message.

Hey, look, look, I'm not,

I'm not trying to make an excuse,
but, uh, you know,

I was... I was trying to protect you,

and I know you weren't happy
with Wendy coming back,

and I was trying to respect that.

I'm trying to give you comfort.

Maybe I could've done it different.

I... I don't know,

but you could've done
this a different way, too.

So, Ms. Minchak,
how should we proceed?

My goal is to do oppo
before they do oppo,

so if there is a potential
October surprise,

we drop it in February during
the fucking Super Bowl.

I like the thinking.

Like the thinking, and as I said,

you're welcome here for
as long as you need.

I know that Wendy has the homestead,

and the Yale Club has a few
too many prying eyes for...

Yes, thank you.

Are you sure no coffee?

No, thank you.

Pound cake.

Seventy percent sour cream.

This works best one on one.

Of course.

I'll just, uh...

I'll be... I'll be right...
right inside,

uh, in case you need anything.

Hmm?

So...

How should we do this?

Why are you asking me?

Keep it interesting.

I've done, uh, first couple levels,

the dirty stuff those pop-up ads

promised to find on your
high-school sweetheart.

Those websites actually work?

More than they should.

I do it myself, though.

I search the TROs,
the DUIs, the tax liens.

You were fine there.

Tomorrow starts the deep dive,

your receipts, browser history,

interviewing those who have known you

- intimately since school days.
- Jesus.

It's a shit show.

Today, though, you ever go to SeaWorld?

No. I've never been to
one of those places.

- The mistreatment of the...
- Right.

Whale's got to jump and flip
whether he wants to or not.

But then he gets his herring.

Quite so.

Today, though, you're that whale.

I'm gonna run through a list of areas.

- You'll let me know...
- Mm-hmm.

if we have an issue.

Fire away.

- Aborted pregnancies?
- No.

Uh, unwanted sexual
advances in the workplace?

No.

- Fiscal malfeasance?
- No.

- Hiring of undocumented workers?
- No. None of those.

- Cheating?
- No.

- Same-sex exploration...
- No.

Membership of racially-exclusive clubs?

No.

Okay. Let's get personal.

The separation, where are we on that?

Uh, in counseling.

Is it working?

It's a process.

Can that process be complete
by the time we announce?

'Cause we need to know
what we're selling,

- and that can't be a process.
- Noted.

Will she be a problem if you split?

No.

No... bad mouthing, blackmail?

No.

Such a perfect fucking couple,

why are you getting a divorce?

I didn't say we were.

Well, shit,

given her ties to Wall Street,

no tragedy if it goes that way.

Hi. What can I get you?

I know what you're having.

They'll have a double shot
almond milk latte to go.

Do I know you?

Name on that's Taylor Amber Mason.

And I'll have a Macchiato.

Name's Bryan Connerty.

You've been following me.

Taylor, you don't know me,

but I think we should get acquainted.

You talk like a cop but
dress like a lawyer.

- I'm a U.S. Attorney.
- Yeah.

So, why would I want

- further acquaintance?
- Because you work

at Axe Capital, and I'm the guy
who can keep your life

- from becoming a nightmare.
- I like nightmares.

When I wake up,
they leave me deeply valuing my reality.

But nice chatting.

My bad. You know what, my bad.

I always felt Ed Harris went
too hard at Mitch McDeere

in that diner when they first met.

Should've made him feel safe,
not threatened,

and here I went the other way,
but I do want you to feel safe.

Can't do that.

- How do you mean?
- Mix character and actor.

You either go Ed Harris and Tom Cruise

or Wayne Tarrance and Mitch McDeere.

Right. Good point.

Taylor.

Why don't we go drink
our coffees together?

You can tell me about
the last few months,

how you got here,
where you think it's going.

- I'm a good listener.
- Can't. Got to get to work.

That's where I'm going.

You must know what time I arrive by.

Wouldn't it look weird
if I showed up late?

Another time.

- Nope.
- Sorry, can't let it go.

I've been watching you pace
about five miles in here.

What the fuck's going on with you?

Lara took off this
morning with the boys.

Where are they headed?

Oh, took off. Unannounced took off.

Why?

She caught me in a lie.

How do you know?

She left me a note. "You lied to me."

Fuck.

How you gonna figure out
what she's referring to?

I already know
'cause it was the only one.

You truly are a black swan.

Talk to the brothers and sisters?

- They haven't heard from her.
- You believe those hillbillies?

They probably have her
hidden under the floorboards.

_

Good luck.

Hello?

Roberto, it's Larry Boyd.

- Oh, hey.
- I need to talk to you.

- We're talking.
- No, I need to tell you

- something important.
- Go ahead.

This is Mark Felt
in the parking garage. No phone.

It's kind of a bad day for me, Larry.
I'll send Wags up?

As much as he might brighten
these halls, it's got to be you.

I'm at my work-release job.

100 North Business Circle Road.
I'll be here all day.

Trust me. It'll be worth the trip.

- I'll make it.
- Good.

Oh, and if you could bring
me a bottle of 20 year old,

it would be appreciated.

What the fuck do you call this?

Analysis?

You're supposed to be supporting
a short play on Klaxon.

Right.

But your numbers don't do the job.

Best I could make them.

Okay.

We're meeting over there at noon, yes?

Oh, yeah. And bring your wallet.

You do anything disgusting
with your daddy's money?

Excuse me?

Raucous party,

orgies with buttered-up fatties?

Rubenesque, please.

And, uh, no, nothing like that.

Don't think you're doing
your daddy or Jack Foley

or certainly yourself any
favors by holding back.

I'm not.

You're still trying to control this.

You can't micromanage a campaign.

Once it gets started,
it's shooting Class five rapids.

You need a goddamn life jacket
no matter how fast you paddle.

I know.

Then let's try a trust fall.

- Seriously?
- No.

I don't care how you feel about this,

but unless you want to end up
the subject of a cautionary documentary,

better start telling me the things
that you're afraid to whisper

that you've been keeping inside.

Even because you think it's your fault,

like a priest gently sodomizing you.

Might not be able to absolve you,

but can offer you the next best thing.

Safe harbor.

Bullying.

We call it hazing.

It had a different ring back then.

We have evolved on these
issues awfully quickly.

This one kid...

bit of a loner.

And, a... prig.

Well, just a tattle tale, really.

And one night,

he got the Code Red
treatment at boarding school.

Did you lead it?

Just say that I was a part of it.

Never got it out of my mind.

He kill himself?

No.

He went on to the ivy league.

What, do you need something, Dad?

I thought I heard you call for me.

I thought I heard my boy
saying he needed me.

No, Dad, we're fine.

We'll wrap for the day.

Looking forward to the next part.

Seems that went well.

Yeah.

Tight little body.

Dad.

Well, she's not vetting me.

Thank God for that.

Fuck.

Hi, it's Lara. Leave a message.

You know what?

You leaving is one thing,

but taking my boys, what the fuck?

I don't get pissed
and look to punish you.

And, you know,
whatever you think of Wendy Rhoades,

she's good for Axe Cap,
and what is good for Axe Cap

is good for us.

And what's good for us is good for you.

Why don't you know that?
You used to know that.

How'd it go?

Taylor Mason took my card.

Cautiously optimistic,
that she's gonna...

I'm not used to this
gender pronoun thing

- yet... that they'll reach out.
- And what makes you think that?

Their politics run
pretty far to the left.

They contribute to the
Urban Justice Center.

- That's a good outfit.
- Active in Occupy Wall Street

during their college years.

So there's hope this person
might still have a heart.

I don't think their hard drive's
been reformatted yet to wipe out

the conscience feature.

I'll, uh...

I found Antoine Casson.

Excellent. Thank you for your effort.

Guys.

Jesus Christ.

Quit fucking breaking my balls.
I'm coming.

- What are you doing here?
- Just following up.

I told you on the phone she's not here.

I know what you said.

You thought I was fucking lying to you?

Get your ass away from my house.

Your house which I bought for you?

You don't own it any
more than you own her.

Hey, Matt. Everything all right?

Yeah.

Just my asshole
brother-in-law trespassing.

Maybe you should call the cops.

Sometimes women go running,

and their husbands learn a lesson.

Snap to.

More often, though,
same guy that chased her away

through abuse, neglect,

needs her back.

And if and when she comes back,
he's worse.

Punishes her for leaving.

We come around, check on the situation,

but now she's too afraid to run again,

so sometimes what we do is when
we get a real hard fucking type,

we get a carpet, roll the guy up in it,

and beat the fuck out of him.

Carpet blunts the noise
and contains the mess.

But the internal injuries are there.

You're a good brother.

Yeah...

Hey.

Hey. Uh, are you busy?

No. I mean, yeah, but...

Never mind if you're busy.

No, no, no. What?

I'm gonna be in the neighborhood
and thought we'd get a coffee.

Hey, how about, uh, a juice instead?

This is called In-a-Gadda-da-Greena.

It's got a little ginger kick.

And this is Hello Yellow.

And it's got, like,
nine different antioxidants.

- Sorry.
- Pick the one you want.

- I'm good with either.
- I'll go with the green.

I know that the tuition
is due for the kids.

If you could advance it for just...

Don't worry about it, Chuck.
Really. We have plenty of money.

You mean you do.

There's an imbalance.
I'm just trying to remedy that.

Okay.

Sure. Thanks.

What is it?

Why are you just in the neighborhood?

Do you ever feel alone,
a little scared sometimes?

I do, but you don't.

Luckily we have these antioxidants.

Those ought to do the trick. Huh?

This is more than just a
wave of loneliness, isn't it,

that you're not saying.

I mean, when it comes to
keeping in good mental health,

you're Jack LaLanne.

Everybody has their off days.

I guess I just wanted a little company.

Besides, we have therapy later.
We can hit whatever...

Sure. Okay.

Why waste it all in rehearsal?

And this is your terrace.

It's got 2,000 square feet,

Three hundred and sixty-degree views,
and as you can see,

it's fully planted and has
an automated watering system.

Wow.

- Pretty f'ing sweet.
- Have a look.

I'm gonna take this real quick.

This is ridiculous. You live here?

Twelve floors down
and two lines over, but...

Why don't you take this place?

Too much light.

Anyway, it's a bargain at $26,000.

Twenty-six thousand a month?

Place I live now costs twelve hundred.

Taylor, you're the golden child.

End of the year, Axe is gonna bonus you

one point five minimum.

Really?

Hey, can you do me a favor?

Axe is looking to make a
short play on Klaxon Auto.

Assigned the write-up to me,
which I kicked to Ben Kim.

Problem is,
Ben doesn't see it as a short.

The numbers don't support it.

I looked at it.
I don't think it is, either.

- So tell Axe that.
- Yeah.

I'd love to make the hero call,
stop Axe from losing money.

Last time I tried, he fired me.

So you want me to review it.

Would you?

I'm not saying I've got
fucking dyscalculia,

but if I'm gonna put my
ass on the chopping block,

I want to make sure I'm
not missing something.

Send the report over.
I'll take a look at it.

Thanks.

So? Anybody out here need a pen?

Can I get back to you?

It's hitting MLS tomorrow.
It'll be gone by lunch.

I'll get back to you tonight.

Thanks dude.

Yeah.

I have them at a go-kart track,

a place called Autobahn, for 90 minutes.

Leaving less than an hour ago.

Anywhere near here
they might've headed?

Yeah. Yeah, there was a spot there
she used to go when she was young.

She'd feel fortified there.

- You want me to...
- No, no.

I'll go.

Gents.

Hey, Axe. Lara said you'd be showing up.

You or someone who worked for you.

So she came in here?

Yep, her and the boys.

They fucking fleeced us
out of 20 bucks at darts.

Soon as we tried
to up the bet, they quit.

My boys. They saw the hustle coming.

Sure did.

Anyway, uh, Lara said to give her space.

She was going to your place in the city,

and you could know that,
but to please respect.

She'll get in touch when she's ready.

And so I'm supposed to what?
Just fucking sit

- on my goddamn...
- You can press her.

But look, you know her better than us.

You do that and...

Yep. I'll make this look
like the Rose Parade.

Hey, it's me. I went to Terry's bar.

The memories came flooding back.

Us there at the beginning,

right after I got struck
by the thunderbolt

like Michael with Apollonia.

And I was thinking about
all that rail shit we used to drink,

but we were already drunk
from being with each other,

so we didn't care.

And then I flipped totally
to the other extreme.

To Paris. That rainy night.

We wouldn't get out of
bed even though the iPod

was playing
"With or Without You" on repeat,

and so we ended up
listening to it all night.

And I was just thinking...

I was thinking how
deep it got between us.

And we promised that if
anything ever threatened us,

we'd remind ourselves of that night

and we'd try to find a way back to it.

And I'm reminding you
of that night right now.

Let's fight our way back to it.

Call me, please.

Thank you for finding the time,
Mr. Martinez.

What's the urgent matter?

My laptop was stolen by a client.

Can you tell me who?

Gave me a backstopped alias.

Came to me for three months.

Worked his way into my inner sanctum.

You think it's an attack against me?

You or one of my more prominent clients.

More prominent than I?

Should come as no surprise to you

the lifestyle attracts brilliant people.

Mm-hmm.

Intricate temperaments.

Intricate tastes.

How protected is your information?

I have a deeply devoted
client from Palo Alto

who's in corporate cyber defense.

You may rest assured.

And if I were ever
approached personally...

I know that your relationships
are beyond transactional.

The idea of blackmailing someone
with something so close to their core,

- of punishing true expression...
- Understood.

Understood.

And thank you.

Pick that up.

It's good to see you again,
Mr. Martinez.

Hmm.

We should do it again
under other circumstances.

Once you've secured
proper permissions, of course.

Of course.

Did you find her?

Yes.

She went into the city
with the boys, but I don't...

know how to bring them home.

I'm sorry.

What do you want?

What I've always wanted, to help.

I was remembering...
when you first met her.

Me, too.

And you said you felt like
you'd known her forever.

Everyone else was sucking up, angling.

One date and you were
talking about marriage.

I was skeptical.

I thought that sort of thing
only happened in the Sicilian hills.

And then I met her.

Then it all made sense.

You know, she had three close friends

who lost their husbands on 9/11.

Firemen.

And she helped to prop them all up,

even after losing her own brother.

She helped them clean out their closets,

and you wouldn't think that
that was the toughest thing,

but the way they wept when they found

a favorite t-shirt or
an old varsity jacket

or a wedding suit.

And then about a week later,
something occurred to her,

and for all three of them,

she found a way to get
back into their bedrooms.

And she crawled under the beds

and retrieved the errant
slipper or sneaker.

She defended them from
those little land mines.

You don't talk about
that side of her much.

Look, I, um... I know that you feel bad.

But that doesn't fix anything
'cause I tried.

I'm limited to waiting now,

and you know the problem with that?

You fucking hate waiting.

Hi, it's Lara. Leave a message.

Hey, it's me again.

You know what? Maybe I was wrong.

Maybe Wendy Rhoades isn't helping.

Maybe I should just blow her
the fuck out of our lives.

Whatever it takes to get you home,
get us talking again,

just say the word,

and I'll erase Wendy Rhoades
from our world forever.

Oh. Quick second date.

On the hazing,

the whole Code Red situation,

you were the victim,
not one of the aggressors.

You were Santiago, not Dawson.

Boy, they left me black and blue
anywhere my shirt would hide.

And you told on them?

Oh, no.

Oh, it had its desired effect.

I never breathed a word.

Until just now.

But later,

not a few days, two years later...

intramural baseball.

I was at bat,
the ringleader was catching.

And on one fast ball, I swung backwards.

Lefty.

Right into his face.

Was he wearing a mask?

Yeah, that's why his head stayed on,

but his jaw... shattered.

Now, is that gonna
come back and bite me?

If you hadn't told me,
could've ended your campaign,

but I know how to spin it
as a strong anti-bullying stance.

By the time I'm finished with you,

you'll be signing baseball bats
every time you appear in public.

Okay.

My biggest potential vulnerability.

Now it's in your hands.

Any chance the, uh, operative
could've copied the hard drive on this?

No. He's a trusted.

I'll have my tech people run
a lice comb through this.

Mm. You'll let me know.

- And the owner of this?
- Also a trusted.

Hundred percent?

No such thing.

Now you're getting it. Good.

Good.

I want to say something to you.

I don't want you to find it insulting.

- Okay.
- There may have been a time

when you understood the
psychological makeup of everyone

in the company,
when you knew whom to assign

any given task to in order to
achieve the desired result.

I know how my employees think.

You're saying I don't anymore?

You don't anymore.

Companies get bigger,

modes of governance and
delegation need to change

to keep pace, or... you get this.

It's not the best
short thesis on Klaxon,

but I thought Ben Kim could make it fly.

He couldn't. Mafee couldn't either.

Their numbers dictate it's a long,

- so that's all they could see.
- Fuck me.

Mafee's not dumb, he's not soft,

but he didn't understand or
wasn't willing to put on paper

what you needed him to put on paper.

What do you think that was?

Justification for later,

proof that a good case
could be made for the short.

What would you do?

It's not an auto play. Forget car sales.

Take a deep dive into
their financing department.

Look at 30- and 60-day delinquencies,
leasing, credit.

They're all stretched.

Every auto company is
pushing sales forward

with aggressive lending.

When that music stops,
there'll be no chairs left.

- But...
- But what?

But I assume there are other... factors

that are really dictating
your short play here.

Congratulations.

All the analysts now answer to you.

If I fill in those blanks,

- I have to put my name on it.
- Yeah.

Would that be a problem for you?

You know how
your employees think, right?

So you tell me.

Thanks for letting me up.

So, you won't do sessions with him,

but you'll be his messenger?

He doesn't know I'm here.

But he told you I was,

and he told you what's
going on between us.

I was in the middle.

You're always in the middle.

Do you really think that's the problem?

I know there's something broken in him

that he thinks only you can fix.

It's not true.

Feels true.

And maybe if I got you
the fuck out of our way,

I'd get to fix it.

Or maybe it would heal all by itself.

Got me out of the way?

What kind of money would you
be making in the real world?

Lara.

Please, it is not about money for me.

- Let's make it about money.
- Don't do this.

Don't you dare be embarrassed for me.

What would it cost
to make you disappear?

Five, ten, twenty million?

- No.
- Why not?

Because the job means something to me.

If it ceases to, I'll go,

but money means too little to me

and I have too much of it
to make decisions that way.

Bobby's the same.

I know it.

And you love it.

You married a guy who does
whatever the fuck he wants

because he has no reason
not to except you.

He's a steamroller.

Wasn't that part of the attraction?

You scared him.

In all this time...

I've never seen fear in him.

Not till today.

It should all be simpler.

I don't know if it should be.
I know... it isn't.

If we make it through this...

does it get stronger on the other side?

I don't know yet.

I hope so.

Forgive.

If you can.

Axe is asking if you
have the Klaxon research.

I got it right here.
Just haven't signed it yet.

So, should I tell him he's getting it?

I've got it right here.

Just haven't signed it yet.

Okay.

Thanks for the call.
I appreciate you coming in.

Thanks for seeing me on short notice.

Yeah.

I got you a latte.

And I don't know what
kind of cookies you like,

so there's a variety.

Thank you.

We've long suspected
criminal activity at Axe Capital.

I'm aware.

And part of our work

is to research the
personnel of the company

and to find within it
a sympathetic partner.

And you think I fit that description?

Yes. Because your background tells me
you're an intelligent...

...a good person,

so I'm just gonna come out and ask.

Is there anything you see at Axe Capital

that offends your sense of fairness,
of right and wrong?

What are you asking about?
Fairness or right and wrong?

Most people consider
those the same thing.

A stock is like a living organism,

a sparrow, say.

And we are able to
create an emergent-based

abstraction of that sparrow,

which closely approximates
the sparrow itself,

accounting for migration patterns,

wind, weather, and other variables.

We can create a similar
abstraction of a stock,

combining the information
from the specific ETFs

which represent its
underlying dependencies.

And if we apply this to the stock,

we can predict its delta,

following the path of
its abstracted self

because nature follows abstraction.

I'm sorry. You lost me.
Let's start again.

You sure you don't want a cookie?

- I'm not going to eat a cookie.
- Okay.

The reason Ed Harris can
get tough with Tom Cruise

is because he knows Cruise
has seen the bodies.

- Harris has something on him.
- That's right.

But you're coming on with cookies.

Telling me you're not
leveraging me because you think

it's the kinder,
more profitable approach.

There's a simpler answer, though.

You have no leverage.

You have nothing on Axe
Cap and even less on me.

Whoa, whoa, hey. Let's just...

No. We're done here.

How'd that go?

I'm no Ed Harris.

Hey, sit a minute.

Busy.

Well, sit anyway.

No, I got pies to make.

Come on, they can wait five minutes.

Quick catch up.

You're my business partner.

So you get the slice
and a Coke on the arm.

But that don't buy you
a conversation with me.

Anything else I can get you?

No.

Hi, it's Lara. Leave a message.

You're punishing me. I get it. I get it.

I have never punished you.
Not once. Not once.

I'm making one mistake, and fine, fine.

It's not a contest.

You think I can't control this, or you?

That you're teaching me some,
some fucking lesson?

I teach the fucking lessons,
and you are about to get one.

Lar, I will lock you the fuck down

and operate you by
fucking remote control

with a flick of my
motherfucking fingers, Lar!

You don't believe me?
Try me, goddamn it.

You want to,
you want to take this vacation,

this, this adventure?

Have it, go for it! Get it out.

Then come the fuck home!

Larry.

Bobby.

Thanks for coming. How are you?

Frankly, I've had better days.

But given your circumstances,

I've got no business complaining.

How are you holding up?

Better man might turn the experience
into a spiritual journey,

and through humility,

find some deeper
understanding of the self.

I spend each and every day
hoping for the end of it.

Anesthetic?

Appreciated, but I was just dreaming.

They piss test me randomly.

Well, maybe take a risk.

So, what's on your mind?

Revenge.

Oh, you really aren't feeling spiritual.

I got word from the
boys at Spartan-Ives.

Chuck Rhoades Sr.
has taken a significant stake

in a company that's going public.

Ice Juice.

No shit.

And insofar as you
hate the Rhoades family

almost as much as I do...

That could be pleasant.

Be fun if you could find a way
to lob a turd in the punch bowl.

Yeah. Real fun.

I'll make sure to take
a sizable allocation.

So you'd have cover.

Yeah, take the free money up front,
throw it into reverse,

and I'd short every
tick on the way down.

Worth the trip?

Yeah.

Yeah, worth the trip.

- Hi.
- Hi.

How was the rest of your day?

- It didn't get much better.
- Sorry.

Last fucking thing I want to do is this.

Honestly...

that's great to hear
I'm not the only one.

I thought you fucking loved this stuff.

Like it was oxygen to you.

I recognize its value.

Are you just gonna go off?

Or, uh, do you want some company?

Just the two of us, you know,
talking without a paid referee.

I think we're capable of that.

Yeah.

Seeing you this afternoon,
I don't know, it felt, uh...

- Comfortable.
- Yeah.

That.

Can I buy you dinner?

I'd like that. I'm starving.

I know exactly where we should go.

It's a bit far afield, but,
uh, it'll be worth it.

Where is it?

Trust me. Come on.

Hey.

Hey.

Any progress on the home front?

Nothing to speak of yet.

I'll buy you a drink.

No.

I've got some leftover
pharmaceutical-grade...

No.

Handjob?

Rain check.

_

Bonus Taylor five hundred k.

- At the end of the year?
- No. Now.

Mid-semester bonus.
The real one's still coming.

Should I move their desk
closer to the bimah?

Fitting for the new head of research

who understands what the job entails
and is willing to execute it.

I will make that happen.

What is this place?

- Mm.
- Welcome.

Do you have a reservation
with us this evening?

- Yes, under Rhoades.
- Oh, of course, yes.

Mr. and Mrs. Rhoades.
We've been expecting you.

Right this way.

Monsieur Le Prosecutor.

Ah.

I swear to God I'm too
busy cooking the food

to cook the books.

You know,
being a criminal takes hard work.

You're French.

I don't have to worry about it.

Who is this college girl
you brought with you, huh?

Antoine.

Mwah, mwah.

Look at you with that face.
My God, you shame the angels.

Oh.

Asseyez vous. S'il vous plaît.

Am?lie, pas de menu.
Ce n'est pas n?cessaire.

- I have a few ideas.
- Oh.

- Antoine, uh...
- Don't worry.

You're going to get your coq au vin.

Thank you, my friend.

Je vous en prie, mes amis.

How did you find him?

Here's to the long arm of the law.

Oh, I'm sad that's over.

Listen, Wend.

A lot has come up I need
to talk to you about.

Go ahead.

There has been some movement.

The right influencers are
backing me for a run at Albany.

Your father must be
frothing at the mouth.

Oh, Jesus.

Like the end of Old Yeller.

I mean, I may have to shoot him.

Congratulations.

You know, it occurs to me

the reason you were in
the neighborhood earlier.

The thing we were gonna
discuss in therapy,

we haven't discussed.

There's this person I...

haven't liked much lately,

maybe fairly, maybe unfairly.

I don't know.

But she knew you and I were
going through tough times.

So she was extra smug and condescending

when it came to the sanctity
of her own marriage.

And then I learned something
that I knew would hurt her.

And I just couldn't resist
punching her in the face with it.

It's a natural urge.

But it didn't make you feel good.

- No, it did.
- Mm-hmm.

For a second.
It was a fucking electric thrill.

But no, after I...
kind of hate myself for it.

Which is why you're rare and special.

I know that you hold
yourself to a higher standard

because you're a therapist,

but you're also human.

And you and I both know

it's your humanity that makes
you so good at what you do.

So maybe you just let
yourself off with a warning.

Thank you.

Hey.

Yeah?

Antoine's right.

You shame the angels.

You really do.

I'll drop it at the garage
on my way back to the club.

Thank you.

Chuck, that was lovely.

Yes, it sure was.

Hi, it's Lara. Leave a message.

Do you know what the other rich guys do?

Pendleton? Krakow?

The fucking Russian guys
with the prostitute yacht

five hundred yards
behind the family yacht?

The fucking opportunities I've had.

And I have not wavered once

in 15 years!

I get no credit for that?

For the life that I've built?

For the kind of man I am?

Fuck.

I could've been out every single night.

Models, musicians,
your own so-called friends.

I could've done you like that.

Maybe I should have.

I get the same treatment from you now,

but at least then, I'd have earned it

by getting my fucking rocks off.

Yeah.

Front gate, sir. Missus is here.

Thanks.

Hey.

Chuck. Come home tonight.

Is that an order?

Damn right it is.

I really appreciate
your coming out so late.

That's the kind of service
you can expect from me

when you're ready to move up
from this and buy something.

Welcome home.

Hey, how are ya?

Kiss your dad goodnight
and straight upstairs.

Be right up.

Goodnight, Dad.

- All right.
- Night, Dad.

Okay, see you in the morning, fellas.

How was your night?

Fine.

I tried calling.

Phone's been off.

I thought long and hard
about the thunderbolt today.

Apollonia got blown up
by a fucking car bomb.

I'm going to put the boys to bed.

Take your fucking clothes off.