Billions (2016–…): Season 2, Episode 4 - The Oath - full transcript

Previously on Billions...

NFL thinks it would be
best for all involved

if you didn't bid.

Stated reason?

Public perception.

I think we should start something...
a business.

Yay!

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.



Say hello to my nephew, Marco.

Kid just got elected

to county executive
up in Sandicot.

I'm Marc. An honor to meet you, Mr.
Axelrod.

You will give me what I need.

Or maybe we'll have a
pepperoni slice in Yonkers.

We can invite your boss.

Sleeping well has
become important to me.

So is looking my
daughter in the eye,

knowing she's looking
back at a good person.

Congratulations. If I
fire you now, it'll look

like the administration
is protecting Boyd,

obstructing justice.

There's a reason no
one's done this.



I'll just fire you
in a few months.

All you've bought is time.

I got news last night I
never wanted to get...

Chuck Rhoades, coming at me.

You squared off with him,
walked away unmarked.

I need your playbook, I need
to know how to beat him.

Lawrence Boyd can be
friend to no man.

He needs to dominate
you in his own mind

by heaving his seed
into your bride.

Turn it off.

Disgrace him. Humble him.

Boyd's been rigging
Treasury bids.

I'll get you whatever I can.

Whatever it takes, I'm in.

* ominous music *

I've seeded over 125 companies.

I don't do it to make money.

If money comes with that, and
it always has, that's fine.

But it's not the driver.

I do it for the same reason

that Edison created
telephonic communication,

Oppenheimer harnessed
nuclear fission,

and DJ Kool Herc set up two
turntables and a microphone

on Sedgewick Avenue
in the Bronx...

To move at great velocity
towards a better future.

And this?

This represents the
culmination of it all.

Farpoint isn't just going to
bring the earth closer together.

It's going to bring us
closer to what's out there.

This is the first one
you sent into orbit.

Yeah.

We're two generations
beyond Manticore.

Manticore-3...

"The first ship to make a
manned mission to Mars."

That your impersonation of me?

Well, you've certainly
said it enough times.

That's how I make it happen.

Elena Gabriel.

Lead candidate for
that first mission.

Well, it'll take
a couple of days

for me to do a full
work-up on it.

We have a conference
room set aside.

I appreciate that,
but since she has

no prior relationship with me...

Build rapport however
you want, okay?

Just, keep in mind, we're
not giving her the keys

to a school bus here. This
is a $1.2 billion vessel.

And your legacy. I get all that.

You need to know that she's
psychologically bulletproof.

There she is. Right on time.

Does that mean anything?

Yeah, that her watch works.

Elena Gabriel.

Ah, dominant handshake.

Intentional?

You tell me.

Elena will show you
around the facility.

I know what you're doing
with the lawsuit.

What am I doing
with the lawsuit?

Look, Axe, I spent seven years

and more money than
I care to admit

fighting the S.E.C.
just to clear my name.

- And you did.
- Fuck, yeah, I did,

but in those seven years,

I tried to buy two
baseball teams.

You may notice... I don't
own a baseball team.

You think the S.E.C.
was the dealbreaker?

It fucking didn't help.
That's for damn sure.

Look, Axe, we're
different, right?

We didn't inherit our money.

We earned it calling
bullshit early,

often, and very publicly.

The NFL doesn't like that shit.

They're afraid you're
gonna break etiquette,

come in long and loud.

They think you're gonna be
the Mark Cuban of the NFL.

Oh, so I'm pre-fucked?

You need to make
it clear to them

that you're hanging
up the gloves

and moving on to a new phase.

You know what else
you need to do?

You need to stop fucking with the U.S.
attorney.

I'm not gonna do that.

Come on, Axe.

So, when are they gonna
make the decision?

This week.

You know, even if you
win this lawsuit,

that's the long game.

If you really want this team,
you got to ask yourself...

How are you gonna change
hearts and minds today?

* ominous music *

Well, the Japanese
would be proud.

You waited until
the meal was done.

But at this point,
hit me with it,

and let us both get
on with our days.

What's the status
on Spartan-Ives?

- Only a matter of time.
- How much time?

- How much time I got?
- Not a lot.

The AG didn't appreciate you

leaking news of
your investigation.

I didn't leak it. I
denied it when asked.

Okay. You've lodged official
protest of my statement.

Say what you came to say.

You're alive as long as
you're making progress.

But the AG thinks
that you stalled,

she's gonna show you the
Hans Gruber Memorial Exit.

Well, it's nice to hear you
take the potential demise

of my career so seriously.

Laugh or cry. You
know what I mean?

I sure do.

* tense music *

Get me Bensinger.

Very few things get the third
wealthiest man in America

- to leave home.

A handful of
economic conferences

and reeling in billionaires
for the Giving Oath.

No conferences are happening

in the city right now, Mr.
Bensinger.

Well done, young man.

If your publication will
grant me a 48-hour hold,

I'll give you a head start.

Of course.

Richard Winstead is joining us

and pledging 80% of his assets.

It's a great act
of philanthropy.

Excuse me.

Robert. A rare treat.

Can you find some time for
me while you're visiting?

The city's so noisy.

If you want to have a real talk,

come to the house
in Shaker Heights.

That's a kind offer, but I
don't want to wait that long.

What are you doing tonight?

Bridge game, grabbing a hot dog.

So, the usual?

If I know you, you're
gonna stop at a cart,

or, even worse,
order room service.

New York is, in some
respects, a fine city,

but not where cased
meats are concerned.

I got a place.

I think it more than stacks up

against what you
got in Cleveland.

Challenge accepted.
I'll see you tonight.

It doesn't matter what I do.

The faucet's run dry.

What does that mean?

I can't get anything
on Spartan-Ives'

Treasury bid-rigging
'cause there is

no Spartan-Ives'
Treasury bid-rigging.

That's bullshit. We all
know it's happening.

It was, till news got out that
you guys were targeting them,

and then they just, you know.

Boyd's snake crawled
back up his flap.

Look, I don't know what
I'm supposed to do here.

I can't share a
bed with my wife.

I can't move out, 'cause then
she'll know that I know.

I spend half my day at
home in the bathroom.

She thinks I have the shits.

Look, I don't think
I'm gonna be able

to help you get Boyd.

I mean, I want to, but...

Your boss violated the
sanctity of your marital bed,

and you can't man up to...

Bryan.

He's all man.

He's John Wayne in
Liberty Valance.

'Cause most fellas in his
position would run and hide,

but he is standing in.

Now, I don't know if
I'd be man enough

to watch my wife sleep next
to me, knowing what he knows.

Mr. McKinnon, a bit more time,

and your struggle will
have been worth it.

Players return to their mean.

And we will be waiting.

Get back to work.

Keep it together.

We'll find another way
to nail Lawrence Boyd,

and when we do,

we'll need you.

Setback. Not a defeat.

I promise.

I could go through
the Panama Papers,

look at all the assets that
offshore firm was hiding.

Boyd didn't have money there.

There's no direct link to him.

Maybe we'll find someone
else to flip up the chain.

The problem isn't the
missing link to the top.

The problem is the top.

* suspenseful music *

- Your friend Lawrence Boyd.
- Mm-hmm.

You said he was ready.

Fuck.

There's a methodology I deploy

that gets the results
you've come to expect.

But he isn't letting me
take the steps I need to.

Do you want me to take
actions I deem necessary

without his approval?

No, keep offering help.

If he's too genteel to accept,
there's nothing we can do.

Whose house?

Whose house?

- Lonnie's house.

All right.

Whose house?

I'm not fucking saying it.

Aw, you're breaking my heart,

but whether you admit it or not,

it is, in fact...

Lonnie's house.

You did not just
close another one.

Yeah. Predator this week,
Panamanian drug lord last week,

but who's keeping score?

Uh, by the way, how's that whole
Spartan-Ives thing going?

Solid.

Great.

Hey, there.

New look?

Oh. The wife.

Understood.

Rhoades' motion to
dismiss was denied.

Boom! Body shot!

Deposition's confirmed
for Thursday,

but we should postpone.

Oh, yeah. I know.

That's what I would say
were I my own lawyer.

Yet we press on.

If he doesn't get to depose me,
I don't get to depose him.

It has to happen now.

Ah. The NFL.

I heard you were down
to the final three.

Yeah. Even for me,
this kind of chance?

I know. Of course.

Most folks, when they get their
first job on the Street,

cold-calling out of phone books,

they think the idea is,
get the mark to yes.

But the way I saw it... and it
bought me a 911 my first year...

Is never give them a
reason to say no,

because if you take "no"
out of their vocabulary...

"Yes" is the only word left.

And right now, Chuck
Rhoades' accusations,

his insinuations...
That's their no...

unless I can make it clear

he was the one who
crossed the line.

You have to know going in...

Depositions are
unpredictable beasts.

In depos, I've seen things
you wouldn't believe.

Attack ships on fire?

Yes. The very best
cases gone forever,

like tears in rain.

No replicant... no lawyer
is gonna rattle me.

Mr. Axelrod, you say the U.S.
attorney harassed you,

that he overstepped the
bounds of his office.

Are you sure he didn't
have legitimate reason

to come to your
place of business?

At that hour? No.

His wife worked for you.

Could have been
coming to see her.

His wife had quit
working for me.

She'd also quit being his wife.

Don't be cute.

If you want this to help
you in the PR department,

keep the digs off the record.

What about Mick Danzig?

Do you deny bribing police
to wipe out his arrest?

Of course. I would nev...

Fuck.

Yeah.

Let's not give him a perjury
charge for nothing.

I know you don't get rattled,
but if you get rattled,

even for a second, don't answer.

Just ask for a break.

So... you want a break now?

Keep 'em coming.

That's the shaker room.

I don't see a lot of Amish
furniture in there.

That's funny. I like jokes.

No, it's where metallurgy
gets subjected

to the speed and pressure
it'll face in space.

It's where things tend to break.

Why do you want to go up there?

It's the undiscovered country.

Hmm. That's from Hamlet.

He was describing death.

It's the final frontier.

How about in your own words?

Everyone I went to school with
works on one of two things...

Theoretical particle physics
or the next great start-up.

You don't care about
those things?

I have too much self-respect
to be an academic,

so number one is out.

And the pure money grab, while
intoxicating in theory,

never seems to leave anyone
any better off than they were

the moment they had the big
idea in the first place...

because they are
still stuck here,

bound to this place
and its limitations

of fuel, space, and
class struggle.

Face it... Earth
is pretty screwed.

Where does that leave you?

I want to do something
impossible.

I want to point to the
sky, at another planet,

and say, "I used to live there."

I don't think I've said
that out loud before.

Does it sound silly?

No.

Following Axelrod's
a nonstarter.

Why?

He's got operatives, pros...

With him, on him.

They hang back.

His own staff probably
doesn't know they're there,

but they are.

I saw a guy I used to
work with at the Bureau.

Quality agent. Lucky
he didn't see me.

This would be much easier
for your son to assign...

No, no.

This has nothing to do with him.

He can't even know about it.

Understood.

Maybe you don't
personally do it.

No. They'd make anybody.

They're squared away.

Drop down a rung.

Follow his top people.

Okay.

And this... is for you.

Results on the other subject.

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.

Yes?

Your father's driver
dropped this off for you.

Oh.

* brooding music *

- Thanks, man.
- For you, Bryan, anything.

That coffee is terrible.

How do you drink it?

I close my eyes and
think of England.

When you close your eyes, I
want you to think of me.

Coming after you.

Like my own personal
Anton Chigurh?

Oh, no. I'm not some
surrealist nightmare.

I'm flesh and blood.

I feel like you've got some
bedrock misunderstandings

about government work.

The Spartan-Ives investigation
isn't going anywhere.

It's not going to
save Chuck's job.

Who told you that?

Don't throw away a
promising career

over a selective and
misguided sense of loyalty.

Your boss is going down,

so why not finish
Chuck off yourself

and earn some Justice
points with the deathblow?

So, we're finally
gonna have the talk?

Well, you've been reaching
out to me for five years.

This isn't how I like to do it.

You prefer the house?

It's more intimate.

For a seduction?

When you ask a person to
invest his money with you,

that's a seduction.

When you ask him to
pledge his net worth...

That's what the Mongols did
when they sacked a village.

I was gonna say it's a marriage.

Well, the Mongols
called it that, too.

Look, I get why you've
been putting me off.

Most people don't like

to think about giving
their money away.

It makes them think
they're gonna die.

But you can rest assured...
You are gonna die.

Yes.

A man tries a lot of things.

He fucks, he fathers,
he letters his name

above doorways he'd never
otherwise walk through.

Any of this sound familiar?

How's your hot dog?

Goddamn delicious.

Why do you make so much money?

Because I can.

Bullshit.

A lot of things you can
do that you don't...

Bark like a seal,
ride the subway.

You make money because
it feels good.

Well, here's the crazy thing.

Giving it away feels better.

Do you remember what it felt
like to make that first million?

I didn't feel that good again

until I pledged to give
away 20,000 times that.

It's the cure.

Accumulation with no end
in sight is gluttony.

That's the disease.

I thought it was a sin.

Fuck sin. Fuck piety.

I'm talking about
what you can use.

Gluttony hollows you out.

Giving goes the other way.

I know. It's a fucking
paradox, but I worked it out.

The reason that nothing levers
up your happiness like giving

is because it puts you back
in charge of the only thing

that you ever really cared about...
yourself.

That's why I founded
the Giving Oath.

And that's why I'm sitting here.

Aw.

Fuck.

I like the way you fight
to pass my guard,

but you practically dove
into that arm lock.

You've got to learn
the difference

between naive aggression
and effective aggression.

Yeah.

Yeah?

That's not what you were
wearing at the office.

No.

I found something.

I was looking through
the Panama Papers.

There was a link to
Boyd, after all?

No. He's not hiding money there.

Your father is.

That's what couldn't
wait till morning?

No. He stashed $12 million
in an offshore account.

I know.

You knew about this?

He didn't do anything illegal.

He didn't stash it.

Moving money that
way is not a crime.

It's just bad PR.

But what is it that really
bothers you, Bryan?

The fact that he hid the money

or the fact that he had that
much in the first place?

* suspenseful music *

Here it is.

No, not that one.

The Carolina sauces
are too vinegary.

I want something spicy.

I'm sick of the barbecue sauce.

So, Wags?

Hitting it hard.

He has a standing
appointment every morning.

He has his own IV
stand in his room.

Yeah, he's fucked right now.

I'll deal with it soon.

He showed me this.

Says it came to his work e-mail.

It's Dan Wolfe's company.

Private equity guy who
invests in healthcare.

They've got real
money behind them.

Well, they're hitting on
our customer base now

and undercutting us.

So I was thinking we change
our focus to smaller firms,

maybe out in New Jersey.

Yeah, let's let him bigfoot us

into becoming, like, a lovely
little boutique, you know?

We can open a bed-and-breakfast

and serve intravenous maple
syrup to our guests.

You want to fight?

This is our fucking
corner, Stringer.

Yellowbird.

You are going to
obtain and execute

a search warrant
for Spartan-Ives.

What's the basis
for the warrant?

Quote stuffing.

I brought you that a year ago.

You called me a piker for
wanting to go after it.

Yeah, you said
high-frequency trading

confuses juries more
than advanced calculus.

It is advanced calculus.

This is the first
wave at Normandy.

You know what happened
on the first wave.

- Got cut down.
- Right.

Ensuring that the second
wave had a fighting chance.

Judge Wailand is expecting you,

so go make like a piker...

Today.

Hey.

Hey.

Miss me that much?

Hm, yeah.

And I wanted to talk to a
few of your employees,

who are also my clients.

Sure. Why?

Just to gauge their experience
and overall satisfaction.

So, you didn't want
to see if they or you

are being specifically targeted
by Dan Wolfe's Mercy Squad?

I am, right?

- Fuck.
- It's okay.

I'll call Wolfe, ask
for some courtesy,

have him back off.

You will not. I'll handle it.

How?

I'm a businesswoman.
I'll handle it.

You signed up for
the Giving Oath?

You've gone soft. How
much are you giving?

Nobody needs to know what
he does or doesn't do.

The giving is later.
The headlines are now.

You planted it... so
you'd look like the type

of charity-minded champion that
gets to steward a sacred trust,

like a sports franchise.

Didn't want to just sit back
and leave it to the gods.

* tense music *

It worked. I mean, you got me.

Yeah.

But you've also
been hitting the IV

- a little hard lately.

I barely touch the stuff.

Every day.

* suspenseful music *

Do you believe Chuck
really has this?

That, or he's losing it.

Either way is good for you.

So smile. Enjoy it.

You're really okay with
leaving Earth behind?

Leaving your family behind,
potentially forever?

I'm an only child.

Was that lonely or...

It was ideal, in the
truest sense of that word.

Because I could deploy language

from an early
developmental stage,

we all got really
used to talking.

Oh. That must have been nice.

We communicated in
my family, too,

but there were more of us,
and most of the time,

it wasn't conversation
with a capital C.

It's hard to find people
you could just...

Do you...

This may sound like a weird
non-answer-question thing,

but do you like Wilco?

Yeah.

Yes, I love the one with
"Jesus, don't cry."

Yeah, me too, because
in that one,

Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett

had found in each other
a perfect mind meld.

They communicated on a
level few ever reach.

But the thing about Wilco
in that moment is,

it was never that good again.

Bennett left the group.

Somehow, even though each had

to know the other
made him better,

they just couldn't find a
way to keep going together.

Did the band break up?

No. Even without Bennett,
Wilco was Wilco.

It kept trucking along.

And Bennett?

He died, just a
couple years later.

He OD'd.

Somehow, on his own, he
couldn't keep it together.

Makes you wonder how you
can find a true partner

and keep them.

Who is that person for you?

You've never found them.

You've never looked.

If things got messy,

I wasn't sure I could
keep trucking.

You didn't want a
relationship holding you back

from doing what you love most.

Yeah, that's...

Yeah.

Thank you for talking to me.

That's it?

That's it.

My dad taught me.

He knew I'd always be
competing against men.

Wanted me to have some
measure of control.

You're gonna do great things.

Whatever you heard in that
meeting made you squeamish.

You know what Rhoades is, Bryan.

You know he should
be out of a job.

And I know you made that call.

You rang, boss?

I need you to reach out to
Boyd and set up a meeting.

Just the two of you?

Mm-hmm.

This is what the warrant
was setting up.

Second wave.

Where's the meeting?

Not in our offices.
We're not there yet.

No. No, he picks the spot.

I come to him.

I even ask him for something.

Trying to hoist
him on his own...

No. It doesn't matter
what I ask for.

You know, the best way
to bond with someone

isn't doing a favor.

It's asking for one.

That's the Franklin Effect.

You make the other
person feel valued,

like you've given them power...

so you won't hurt them.

Now, that's how I
need Boyd to feel.

* suspenseful music *

Now, isn't this a literary club?

I've written a book...

"Steady at the Helm."

Sure.

I tore through it
in one sitting.

The club motto actually
comes from a poem.

Mm.

"In the afternoon, they
came unto a land..."

Where they assumed
a supine position

and sucked each other's dicks.

That's Tennyson, right?

More or less.

What's the topic, Chuck?

The state of war we're in

and what you can do to end it.

I don't write polite letters.

I don't like to plea-bargain.

I like to fight.

You sure you want to take
life advice from Roy Cohn?

He got things done, and
he was a generous man.

Mentored Trump, mentored me.

What have you grown
in your shade?

I have all the king's
men arrayed behind me.

And yet a tentative hold
on your commission.

Yes, the AG is not
very happy with me,

yet she seems to like
you for some reason.

Maybe because I don't
turn a man's house

upside down for nothing

just so other people
will look at me.

You're right.

I don't have much
on Spartan-Ives.

I'm here to ask a favor.

You have a strong
compliance department.

I was hoping that you might put
on an internal investigation.

Make it look like you're
responding to my pressure.

Why would I do that?

Because, after a year or so,

when your investigation is over,

my office signs off on it.

I declare I've cleaned
up Wall Street,

and you crow about how you've
swept the rogue elements

out of your own shop.

It's a win all around.

Not if I have to wait a year.

I want to get out from
under this immediately.

I am not taking this with me

on the boat off
Antibes this summer.

Then what can you give me now?

How about this?

There are a few mid-level guys

my compliance
department has flagged.

What if I sacrifice them?

Well, that might give me the
cloak I need to move on.

Yeah. And you would get
to fire them for cause

and save three
months' severance.

Six.

You are munificent.

And thank you.

Have your guy call mine.

They can coordinate
press releases.

All right, 90-second cool down.

Go.

Rachman pulled his
bid for the team.

Couldn't afford it or knew
it was going another way?

Someone let the league know
about his FCPA issues,

and with you and Bensinger
splashed all over the papers,

he didn't want to drown
in your rising tide.

There's only one other bidder
left, and it's a group.

He can't afford it solo.

* Are you ready for
some football? *

Yes, I am.

Let's finish this.

Will you draft the
Giving Oath letter?

- What do you want in there?
- The usual stuff...

- Good for people, communities.
- Got it.

And when it's done, you give it
to Bill to read to the world.

Gates or Clinton?

Either.

Both.

You always were a
fucking pisser, Lara.

Little Lara fucking Benjamin.

She's not Benjamin anymore.

She's aristocratic now.

No. What I'm not is little.

I'm all grown up.

You serious about this?

Can you hook it up?

Sure. I know just
the right girl.

I think she graduated, she's
certified, everything.

I don't think she
passed the test.

Either way, she's
the right girl.

Mercy Squad?

Yeah, that's what it's called,

but I need it to stay
all the way quiet.

* And let the truth be told *

Hey, no, no, no, no.

You're family.

To pay the girl.

Okay.

Anything for Dean's
little sister.

To Dean.

* Whoo-hoo *

* Hey, hey, I got to
pick myself up... *

Rhoades reached out to me.

Did you cut off his hand?

You did the other thing.

You would have cut
off his hand, right?

That's me.

I have another source I can
check to be sure it's legit.

I'll be careful.

You better be.

Your advice was appreciated,
and it wasn't wrong,

but ask a barber if
you need a haircut,

he's always gonna say yes.

I asked a warrior.

But not everyone out
there's a savage.

Rhoades opened his eyes
to the bigger picture.

Are we playing it too safe?

These are just the
initial questions

I'm gonna be asking Axe.

I'm giving him a little Rumble
in the Jungle at first.

Bomaye.

Yeah. I'm gonna do all that,

you understand, at
the deposition.

But I got to say it again...
You shouldn't come.

It should be cold, clinical.

You're worried I'll
say something.

Yes, I am.

Anything unscripted from you

could put you in an
even deeper hole.

I won't say a word.

Well, then, why come?

Trust me, it'll have value.

My mere presence will
make Axelrod stumble.

It's too risky.

I don't want the whole
thing becoming a circus.

Just let me bore him
into fucking up.

Come!

I'm sorry. I thought
you were alone.

That's okay. I could
use a cup of coffee.

What's on your mind?

My father.

What happened?

He isn't who I thought.

Well, every child in the
history of the world

has learned that.

I'm not naive.

No, never thought you were.

But when he gave me advice,

I looked at it through
a certain prism...

knowing that he had integrity.

Now I...

I find out he has a
pile of money offshore.

Legal tax avoidance,

but he has always
sold himself to me

as somebody who doesn't avoid.

Mm.

Don't be so hard
on your old man.

Reach out to him.

Don't keep the
disappointment inside.

Let him know what's going on.

So, you got a few sacrificial
Spartan-Ives shitheads

that nobody had
heard of yesterday

and nobody will
remember tomorrow.

You sure that's enough
to save your job?

But be careful, 'cause
that kind of directness

is a change of pace.

I did the best I could.

That's what there was to get.

It can't be where you live.

You'll need to keep
going after Boyd.

No. You can't get
blood from a C.E.O.

If I'm out of a job,
then I can finally earn

some of that money everyone's
always talking about.

Okay, sonny.

I'm sure you know
what you're doing.

Mmm.

You have to protect the
parent-child relationship.

Anyone else in the world
will fuck you over...

Friends, lovers...

bosses.

No, your father
is the one person

you're gonna be able to
count on when it matters.

Soft 6?

No. You can swing free.

You can swing free,
and not just here.

Chuck meant what he said.

The investigation's over?

And you'll put in a word
for him with the AG?

He's showing a real
awareness of the landscape.

You must be proud.

I've always been proud.

Now I'm happy for him.

Elena's brilliant...

ideal for research...

but not a fit for the program.

Why?

She's a leaver, a ghost.

She's never faced
real adversity,

never had to deal with
terrible consequences.

When something goes wrong in
space, as it always does,

she's gonna crack.

So, your judgment is what?

She needs a trip to
the shaker room.

Who among us doesn't?

Reject her.

If she comes crawling
back, reject her again.

If six months later, she
makes another attempt,

stress test her once more.

I can't wait to run my
next candidate by you

so we can do this
all over again.

I'm not sure I'm
gonna be available.

I've realized I like
working with people,

not just judging them.

That's not all it is.

Look...

we all have to chase
our truest calling.

Mine is to make this
universe traversable

and to leave this company
a living organism

that can thrive long after
I've gone off on Manticore-IX.

To do that, I need stewards.

That's not what you're
looking for me to do.

You're asking me to sort people
into one box or another,

like a second-rate
Freud, which...

Which is Freud.

Anyone with a DSM-V and a
label maker can do that.

I don't want distance.

I like getting messy.

The power of the instant...
That's what excites me.

Ice into steam... or back.

Is this a test? To see
if I come crawling back?

No.

I don't test people that way.

But...

if you ever decide

to grapple with why you
feel happiness for you

can only exist light-years away

or in the company of
hairless 21-year-old girls,

come see me.

We can fix that quick.

Holy shit.

No.

What's up?

Dan Wolfe just got popped
for aggravated pimping.

Mercy Squad nurses
were turning tricks.

One of them solicited sex
from a PM at Vista Verde.

Hey, babe.

How'd you do it?

I told you... I'm
a businesswoman.

That you are.

Love you. Bye.

You should really put
a bocce court in.

This floor is so level,
it's a waste not to.

I'm kicking myself I
didn't think of that.

Thanks for taking the meeting.

Anything for Bruno.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Thank you, Bruno.

Sure.

Do your best.

- Yeah.
- Right.

This is incredible.
What do you put in it?

Dough, sauce, cheese.

That's insane. What's, like,
your secret ingredient?

Well, I start with the dough

and a little sauce
and then cheese.

Huh. Awesome.

Keep it up.

He called you Marco out there.

I go by Marc outside the family.

- Uh-huh?
- Yeah.

I shortened it.

Yeah, no, I get that.

Me, I'm proud of
where I come from.

Oh, I'm intensely
proud of my people.

- That's why I'm here.
- Mm-hmm.

Are we waiting for someone?

No.

Sit.

So... tell me.

Aside from your pride,

why would I ever put
any of my money

in your corner of the state?

Sandicot's downtown is
ripe for redevelopment.

Buildings waiting to be razed

and replaced with
LEED-certified condos

and a city council
on which I sit...

Mm-hmm.

Which is highly motivated to...

Okay. What you've
just described...

And no offense, since I
know it's your home...

But what you've just
described is a shithole.

The whole county's on
the edge of default.

It's not called a distressed
debt because we're thriving.

You get to buy it cheap...
Pennies on the dollar.

Yeah, more like millions
on hundreds of millions.

Well, think of that upside.

Look, I get offers
like this every day.

The only reason you got
through this door...

I know. And I don't expect
you to do this deal

as a favor to my uncle.

I expect you to do it
because of the casino.

You buried the lede, kid.
Come on.

Okay. Tell me about the casino.

It's gonna be paradise.

Monte Carlo.

You never been to Monte
Carlo, have you?

It's the Sandicot
of the Riviera.

Tell me.

Okay, I don't care if
you spit or swallow.

Just don't keep me waiting.

The faucet's back on.

It worked?

Overnight.

So, what do you
want me to do now?

Am I going to have
to wear a wire?

You're gonna be a hero.

Talk soon.

Spartan-Ives is back to
rigging Treasury auctions.

We've got a beachhead.

Sometimes you just got to trust
people to be who they are.

Every time I think
maybe I'm caught up...

Mm. Long time in this racket.

Still impressive.

Thank you.

Come on. Let's hit
the Gorilla truck.

No, I'm not gonna watch
you eat a number five.

Onions and... Unh-unh.

Stay here and have
some hand salad.

Please.

Do me this favor.

Do you think they really have
the inside track with Albany

- on a gaming license?
- I don't want to guess.

I want you to know
so that I know.

Okay.

And if it checks out,

you know, that's the kind
of giving I can get behind.

I mean, this is how all
charities should work.

You mean benefiting you
more than anybody else?

As much as. Not more.

People noticing you
have a new favorite.

They're not happy about it.

Anybody who makes me
money is my favorite.

Uh, look, Axe, I know I'm late.

Take a seat. You missed
the Sandicot meeting.

- I'm sorry.
- Went fine without you.

Take a fucking seat.

I can't.

Why are wearing sweatpants?

Could you...

Steph, step out, please.

I woke up in a hotel
this morning.

You're living in the
fucking Pierre.

This was the Americana Suites,

some shit dive next
to Port Authority,

with my ass on fire.

And...

I saw I had a tattoo.

On your ass?

Yeah.

You got an ass tattoo?

All evidence points to
that being the case.

I need to see it.

You want to...

No, don't want to.

No. I need to.

What the fuck is that?

Is that Yosemite...

I think so.

I was a fan.

I'm sending you somewhere.

Please, not rehab.

No, not rehab.

Well, you know what Dr. Sarno
says about that kind of pain.

Excuse me.

Yes?

I'll buzz you in.

I am so sorry. I
need one second.

Want to hear a funny story?

Not really.

I need help.

Did he send you?

Yeah.

But it's not for him. I
really do need help.

You've always needed help.

What's different now?

I don't even remember
how I got it.

Okay.

Mnh-mnh. Not today.

I'm no longer available
to you on standby.

So you want me to call and
schedule an appointment?

Yes.

Like a fucking grown-up.

I can do that.

I knew you'd reach out.

Cooperating was always
the smart move.

You think I tipped you?
Prove it.

You think I had a moment
of moral confusion,

forgetting why I do
what I do and who for?

Prove it.

You think Chuck screwed up?

Earn your 150k...

You're making a mistake.

And prove it.

Chuck Rhoades has proven shit
no one should be able to.

And if he were going
after this case,

he would have the target
nailed, dead to rights.

But Chuck is lucky

because he's not being
chased by himself.

He's being chased by you.

Nearer, My God, to Thee.

Back the fuck off.

That was the last song the
band played on the Titanic,

and it is a dreary tune.

I offered you a lifeboat.

You picked up a violin.

Happy fiddling, Bryan.

* What do you mean, I
don't believe in God? *

* I talk to him every day *

* What do you mean, I don't
support your system? *

* I go to court when I have to *

* What do you mean, I can't
get to work on time? *

* I got nothing better to do *

* And what do you mean,
I don't pay my bills? *

* Why do you think I'm broke? *

* Huh? *

* If there's a new way *

- * I'll be the first in line *
- Oh!

You flinched.

* But it better work this time *

Mr. Axelrod, good day.

I'm Ira Schirmer, attorney
for Charles Rhoades Jr.

I'll be asking you
a few questions.

Orrin Bach for Robert Axelrod.

Are you ready?

Rock and roll.

Let's go on the record.

You assert that Mr.
Rhoades harassed you...

I'm sorry. Can we
go off the record?

I just wanted to say, you
did a great job rebuilding.

Sometimes I laugh myself
to sleep at night

just thinking about you
ripping the place apart.

- Hey, Chuck.
- Oh.

You know, I never
think about it.

But then, of course, I'm
not alone at night.

Let's go back on the record.

You assert that Mr.
Rhoades harassed you.

Off the record.

Where are you sleeping now?

Bobby.

Suitable accommodations.

Mm-hmm. Who paid for it...
me or Daddy?

We all know Uncle
Sam pays you shit.

It was me.

Found some loose change
in the cushions.

Is this going to happen or...

Back on the record.

You assert that Mr.
Rhoades harassed you.

How do you know he didn't
have a legitimate reason

to be in your office?

Well, it was the
middle of the night.

He didn't come with a SWAT
team, not even a subpoena.

It was just him, trying
to intimidate me.

But his wife works for you.

He could have been
coming to see her.

His wife had quit
working for me.

So, are you saying you did or
didn't intercede with the police

and bribe them regarding
your employee, Mick Danzig?

- I...
- Objection.

This is a deposition.
Objections are waived.

Except to form.

That was a compound question.

I can answer.

A smart man listens
to his lawyer.

I'll rephrase.

Did you bribe the police
regarding Mick Danzig?

Look, this whole thing
is about what he did.

That question isn't.

So you're declining to answer?

Yes.

An element of your
claim is damages.

Are you willing to
open up your books

to show the concrete
monetary damages

you've supposedly incurred?

Yes, I have damages.

No, I am not willing to
show my books at this time.

Ah, so then you must not be
asserting actual damages?

You're saying that your damages

can be presumed from Mr.
Rhoades' actions?

Right.

Right.

Legally, we call these
mental or emotional damages.

So...

are you saying Chuck
hurt you mentally,

or are you saying he
hurt you emotionally?

I'd like to take a break.

Oh, you don't want to
announce to the whole Street

that Chuck hurt your feelings?

He got into your head,
threw you off your game?

Turn the camera off.
We're taking a break.

What?

Sanford Bensinger
is on the phone.

Sandy.

We call it the Giving Oath
because you fucking swear it.

Do you understand
what an oath is?

I do.

I do, and I've already begun
moving on what we discussed,

and actually, I was
gonna reach out to you

to talk about
structuring a trust.

You mean a photo op?

Maybe in costume.

Me as John the Baptist,

you as the Son of Man.

Hey, look, Sandy, I'm as...

I'm as upset as you are

that our meeting got
tipped off to...

Do me the courtesy of not lying
again on this phone call.

I do not appreciate being used.

I got to be where I am
by connecting the dots,

scores of randomly placed ones.

The NFL is turning you down.

I asked for the favor
of telling you myself.

They're, um...

They're really gonna walk
away from the highest bid?

Sports franchises are how we
knight people in this country.

And you're not royalty.

You're a robber baron.

* suspenseful music *

We're talking about damages.

I have actual, concrete,
monetary ones.

You cost me a professional
football team.

Can we go back on the record?

Actually, I think we
need a break now.

No. Let's continue.

A wise man always
listens to his lawyer.

I keep my own counsel.
Let's keep going.

Fucking right, we will.

Fire away.

* If there's a new way *

* I'll be the first in line *

* But it better work this time *

* What do you mean, I
hurt your feelings? *

* I didn't know you
had any feelings *

* What do you mean,
I ain't kind? *

* I'm just not your kind *