Billions (2016–…): Season 4, Episode 5 - Episode #4.5 - full transcript
[Chuck] Previously
on Billions...
Foley is going to come forth.
With what he knows about me.
About us.
Foley is terminal.
He didn't see a doc
until it was everywhere.
So I'm proud of all of you
put through college
by the memorial foundation
so far.
[Senior] Elysian Fields.
This development
is my legacy.
This would be a disaster
and create a possible scandal.
It's all you say it is, Dad.
Let's do something with this.
I...In my private life...
In the confines
of my happy marriage...
with my consenting wife...
practice sadomasochism...
I am done
hearing you talk.
By day's end,
you will be the presumptive
Attorney General of New York
goddamned State.
Congratulations, Chuck.
Can't wait to work together.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪ James Brown's "The Payback" ♪
♪♪
♪ Hey ♪
♪♪
♪ Gotta, gotta payback ♪
♪ The big payback ♪
♪ Revenge ♪
♪♪
♪ I'm mad ♪
♪ The big payback ♪
♪ Got to get back ♪
♪ Need some get back ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ The big payback ♪
♪ That's it ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ Revenge ♪
♪ I'm mad ♪
♪ You get down
with my girlfriend ♪
♪ That ain't right ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
Thank you,
Anthony.
It's such a treat
watching you work.
It's good
to love what you do.
Enjoy, guys.
Thank you.
[Axe] Mmm.
Man.
So, to our new AG.
[chuckling] Oh.
Long may he rule.
Bravo.
Thank you. Uh...
It's an honor
all around...
Wendy's first night out
in a month.
Well, the chance
at a perfect pizza...
in total privacy...
was too much to pass up.
Privacy? If the only way I could
eat this pizza was naked,
in the middle of Times Square,
I would.
[laughter]
Yeah. You would.
You might even
prefer it.
The problem is, you'd be sure
to undress me, too.
Whether I wanted it
or not.
You're doing this,
here?
You did it.
It's really only
the ones we love, huh...
That make you want to kill them?
Hmm.
Exactly.
See.
Yes.
But even that you know
the story ahead,
there's no starting from zero
for me anymore.
Used to be.
[Chuck] Mm. Mm.
I could say:
I'm Wendy.
Go from there.
I could add Rhoades,
and to someone in finance
it meant one thing,
to someone
in government another.
If I'd say Dr. Wendy Rhoades,
it meant something else.
Still holds.
All that still holds, yeah...
...Or I could say:
I work at a hedge fund...
-[Chuck] Uh-huh. -...and we're
off in a different direction.
[Wendy] But I was the one
to decide the what and when.
Build a relationship.
Now?
They just know...
all of it.
Everybody does.
Chuck was in
a tough spot.
Yeah, there wasn't many moves
he could make to win,
so he chose
the one...
Yeah. He did.
He chose.
And now I can't
walk down the street.
And I'm no longer
a blank slate
for the guys I'm supposed to
treat, inspire, change.
There's this giant
thought bubble
just sitting there
between us.
And it features me
with whips and chains.
When I misplay
something publicly
and I feel like
everyone's staring at me,
I take comfort
in this fact:
most people are self-absorbed
narcissistic assholes.
So they might revel in your shit
for a minute,
because it
distracts them from theirs.
But after that minute,
they're gonna forget about you,
just go right back
to their own shitpile.
Thank you.
What do you say
we start at zero?
Deal.
[Wendy] Bobby...
[Axe] Hmm?
This is what's known
as a keeper.
I'm gonna go have a few drags.
I'll join you.
♪ soft music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
It'll blow over.
Yeah?
I dunno.
She's been that angry
at me before.
What'd you do
to fix it?
Uh...
Few million dollars,
an Italian sports car,
a piece of the profits,
and I stopped suing you.
And to be honest,
she was still a little pissed.
For a long time.
Yeah, so, I dunno.
You'd do the same again,
exactly as before,
even knowing her anger.
As you, too, would have
stayed the course.
Mm.
You know, people think
guys like us don't care
about the consequences
of our actions.
We do care. A fuck of a lot.
Yeah.
Yet still
we forge on.
As we must.
Mmm. Good.
Mmm.
Eat up.
I need you strong for tomorrow.
Got another project for you.
[laughing] Ah.
The ask.
Well, I did earn your seat,
much as you did.
Forge on.
[clears throat]
Taylor Mason.
A Wall Street scalp.
Should be just like old times
for you.
Financial crimes
against the People
are always
of interest.
And for you,
I'd love to and I will.
But, uh, while Jack Foley
rode the pale horse
before I could take
my vengeance,
I've got other names
on my hit list
I don't intend
to let escape so easily.
You can do your thing
but you gotta do my thing.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I just got rid of Grigor,
which hurt
Taylor financially...
Yeah.
Not bad enough.
I want them
in a fucking cell.
♪ dramatic music ♪
I see.
Do you know if Taylor's
even done anything illegal?
Never stopped you before.
♪♪
[Senior] My master work,
Biancarosa.
But I need
my sanitation permits.
Mixed use development.
Sixteen new buildings,
four of them so high...
I know,
I read your brochure...
...That when you're in
the penthouse,
God looks up
to you.
And you know all we have to do
to get started...
[Biancarosa] Hey.
We need to take
those expectations down a notch.
[Biancarosa] The old price
isn't the new price.
To do all this
I'm gonna need thirty.
I'll find you
the money.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[Senior] But I need
those permits.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[vomiting]
♪♪
[exhales heavily]
♪♪
[toilet flushes]
♪♪
[water running]
[faucet squeaks,
water turns off]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
I never wanted
Grigor Andolov's money.
I lobbied against it once.
But then I took it on.
And it sustained us
like an internal organ
and now, without it,
we're gutted.
And it's not just about
his money.
When our reduced AUM
goes public,
our investors
will be wondering
about our stability
and flowing out with him.
I still look at you like Vincent
Vega did Jules Winnfield...
the smartest
and toughest fella in the room.
Thank you,
Mafee.
But I really don't need people
telling me how smart I am.
I don't feel very smart
at the moment.
I built
a turbo engine here
and the nitrous tank
blew up in my face.
So we've learned
that lesson
and now:
we do the thing you do best.
Both of you. Go invest
in undervalued equities.
Let me do
the thing I do best:
create the most
helpful environment
in which
for you do it.
Yes.
To that end, I have made a move.
Investor Relations.
You know
how Winston Wolfe
solved
dead body problems?
This one solves
dead balance sheet problems.
Is she super young,
early 20s,
too hip for this business?
Mm.
In that case,
I think she's already here...
[clears throat]
[Hammon] Welcome, Lauren...
Lauren Turner,
this is Taylor Mason, your boss.
Pickle juice?
Best hangover cure
I have found.
[chuckles]
And I have searched.
Don't worry,
this is not where I shine.
This is where
I store up energy
so that
I can shine later.
What...
What do you need, boss?
A Grigor-sized replacement.
Those don't exist.
Not for you.
Not today.
[Taylor] Fuck.
Don't sugarcoat it.
I'm ready to kill.
Just not sure who...
There aren't
a lot of institutions
allocating right now.
Not in
the ten-figure zip code.
I can think of one.
Right here in the City.
Bravest, you know?
The New York
Firefighters Fund.
Axe's firefighters?
They were.
But not lately.
They are allocating
up to three point one billion
from the pension
and health fund.
And are currently
hearing pitches.
Is that correct?
It is.
And they'll never
touch him again.
You are Axe
by association.
Go make them.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[clears throat]
♪ dramatic music ♪
[Axe] Johnny-Boy...!
How's the fund?
We're crushing it like
Richard Petty did Daytona.
That's an age-weighted reference
for my benefit, isn't it.
Noted
and appreciated.
And your wife and...
We just had
our second kid,
another boy,
three months ago.
Yeah.
Yeah, I, uh...
You sent a gift, don't worry.
Good.
Now, I know you're positive
on the quarter, so what's up?
Yeah.
Returns are solid.
So I, uh, wanted to come by
and say thank you.
For backing me,
putting me through B-school...
Of course.
Of course.
Your dad, rest in peace,
he would have done it.
And I see you give back
to the Foundation...
And for backing me, with your
capital and your endorsement
when I opened up
my own place.
Well, a smart kid like you
wouldn't come work for me,
you know, I had to find some way
to keep a little piece of you.
[chuckles]
Well, I am happy to make it
pay off for you.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
102 million.
Your initial investment
compounded
net of fees with a profit
of 17 million.
You're cashing me out?
My redemption period
ends tomorrow.
I wanted to clean things up,
bring it over myself.
To say thank you.
In our business, people never
give back the money.
So why are you
giving back the money?
You know,
most people are happy
when they're handed
a hundred million-plus.
You grew it, so that's why
I want you to keep it.
And I'm... I'm thrilled...
I'm grateful that I, uh,
had the opportunity
to do that for you.
Talk... Talk more.
About how that gratitude
results in you
spitting my capital
back in my face
like Furiosa did to Nux
in Fury Road.
An age weighted reference.
Noted and appreciated.
Uh huh.
Axe. You know that I wrestled
back at Princeton.
Sure, used to get the updates
from your mom.
Well, I... I crushed it
my sophomore year, 197.
Then I lifted
all summer,
I came back as a heavyweight
my junior year,
I was bloated
and overconfident,
and I got smashed.
This is that:
My assets under management
went over a billion.
I don't want the same thing
to happen.
So, a few more stops today
paying out gains
and I'll be back
to where I want to be:
in my weight class,
nimble.
♪ dramatic music ♪
I don't think
this is advised.
[chuckles]
Come on. I'll be fine.
And, again,
thank you.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
I need to know who else
this kid cashed out. And why.
'Ae, Kimo.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Tell the staff not to clap
when I come in today, Donna,
let's just get to work.
I know they're gonna want
to celebrate it.
But, uh, it's not dignified.
No clapping. Really...
In Japanese lore...
Ah! Fuck me...
The shinobi, descended from
a half-man, half-crow,
could slip into
the shogun's palace
and open his radial artery
while he slept.
The lord
would exsanguinate
before he knew
he was cut.
Bryan.
I can see you clear as day.
Your suit is blue,
not black.
You already cut me
and I'm still standing.
Next time
it'll be my turn.
What do you want?
I come in the spirit
of cooperation, Chuck.
I know you're gonna be
sending me
your most choice,
high-resource cases,
and I wanted to ensure
a smooth handoff.
Thought we might
even discuss
some of the finer points
in person.
I can't imagine
I'd be sending you anything
but a hearty
'how's my ass taste?'
As you
must surely know,
since you are loitering
outside my chambers,
and those of
an elected official at that.
Have a good first day.
And if you change your mind
about those cases,
you sure know
where my office is.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
[elevator bell dings]
♪ dramatic music ♪
[telephone rings]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[clears throat]
[sighs]
You guys may have taken
this whole 'no clapping' thing
too far.
I took a pay cut
and came over here from SDNY
specifically
so I could punch
some wrong-doers
in the face.
No one's stopping you.
Who's stopping you?
The State of New York,
which ironically
grants the AG very few powers
by statute.
Yes. But the rest of my armament
is granted by executive order.
As in
the governor...
Well apparently he woke up
with morning wood
and decided to jam it
right up our hind quarters.
[T.] I went to file
for a records subpoena
on Taylor Mason
like you asked,
and the clerk
refused to issue it.
Seems we have no authority
at all, currently.
I know
where this started.
Half-crow, half-cowboy,
all sonofabitch.
Who else?
I've been
checking around.
I haven't gotten answers
from all parties yet...
Who else?
This is something
you should really
let me be thorough on.
-Rush to judgement's
no good here... -Wags.
No one.
You're the only one
John Rice cashed out.
Fuck.
I'm sorry, fré.
You being 'sensitive'
is intolerable.
Stop it.
[Wags] Oh, thank God!
Let me do it.
Let me loose the hounds of hell
on this ingrate,
this near-millennial
scumbag.
I will flay his skin
from his bones
and I won't stop
until...
[scoffs]
Is the idea
that if you get here real early
and don't
turn the lights on,
no one will come
looking for you?
Oh, did I forget
to turn on the lights?
No.
You didn't forget.
I didn't.
Yet you walk in.
Well,
I need you.
Something
you should have thought about
before taking
Chuck's side.
Oh.
I was taking your side.
'Cause it's not healthy
for you
to be in a place of shame
or disgrace. No reason to.
This all hurts you,
actually.
How am I supposed to do
what I do?
[Axe] No way.
This makes you better.
This makes you
more of an exotic species
they need to impress
with their alpha dog energy.
[scoffs]
This office isn't
where we talk about me.
But thank you.
Now...
John Rice.
Kid walked in here
and handed me back my money.
Only you?
No. Not what he said,
but yes.
Is it the rejection
or the embarrassment?
Normally,
a guy takes
what I consider to be
an aggressive line against me,
I cut him down
like the Mongol hordes.
But this time you don't feel
the hot anger,
the need to destroy.
[Axe] Oh, no,
that's still there.
But it's not
the top note.
I don't know
what's going on. I...
It's...
Oh.
Some sensation.
♪ dramatic music ♪
You're suffering
an actual emotional wound.
That's why you don't know
what the fuck's going on.
Your feelings
are involved.
I don't traffic
in those much.
♪ soft music ♪
♪♪
[exhales heavily]
There's a world in which
this is all your fault.
Enraged but listening.
What did you,
if not promise,
then at least pledge
to him?
You know
I take care of school.
He was already
in college,
his dad had set aside money
for that.
I did B-school.
What else?
Well,
to be there for him.
Well.
Be a stand in.
An ear.
A shoulder.
And have you?
All you really offered him
was money,
when what he needed
was a mentor.
A bit
of personal connection.
[laughing] Did he expect me
to take him to the ballgame
and the fucking zoo...?
♪ dramatic music ♪
You know this is about Taylor,
right?
This feels like that
to you.
Like one of your kids
spurned you.
And through your anger,
what you're really wondering:
is if it's all
your fault.
Huh.
You may be right.
And now I know
what to do.
♪ dramatic music ♪
Well.
We need you here.
Upstairs.
And in this room with your
door open and your lights on.
Rebecca was right.
You've made this thing
bigger than it is.
Just like
you and John Rice.
No. Because I know
what he thinks.
And what he did.
You have no idea
who's talking about you.
Or if anyone
even is.
So either you confront it
head on,
or let it go.
[scoffs]
But don't keep
giving it power over you
by staying
in the dark.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[door creaks]
[Chuck] Thank you.
They were supposed to have it
hung by start of business today,
but they
fucked it up.
Welcome to
state politics, Bob.
I know
why you're here.
I thought we were looking
forward to working together.
Ah. That's just something
you say on election night.
What do Jock Jeffcoat
and his disciples have on you?
This isn't about me, Chuck...
or you.
This is about
the People.
Jock threatened to go Federal
on my ass.
Freeze funds,
delay funds, yank funds.
Unless you yanked
my powers?
So, what was I
supposed to do?
Uh. Fight harder.
You're the governor.
They're your people.
Be their fucking champion.
Stand up for
the blessed sovereignty
of the States
versus the Fed.
That's why we bowed and scraped
to get these fucking jobs.
Wow. It sounds so good
when you say it.
But I'd rather be the guy
that didn't run out of money
to keep the streets clean
and safe in his first week.
I'm sorry that
leaves you impotent, Chuck.
But you'll
get used to it.
[keyboard clacking]
I've got
the lattice grid fin prototype...
machined it myself.
Once I caught the harmonic
frequencies on the lathe,
the cuts got finer.
It'll hold up
to wind tunnel tests,
I just need to rent the tunnel
to be sure.
Here...
Materials. Equipment.
Expenses that need to be covered
to get us
to a place
where aerospace firms
will be believers.
Buyers.
Not the best time.
I'm trying to get money
flowing in not out.
Why?
Because it's been flowing out.
Flowed.
Like a geyser.
Why is that
such a problem?
I'm not
being simple.
I want
to understand.
I need size.
To do what I do.
The margins on the trades
are small
so we rely on the amounts
being big,
to pull down
real profit.
I'm not interested
in being boutique.
I didn't want
to say,
because I'm impressed
with what you've built.
And the culture.
But there are
other things you can do
at the highest level.
Not just make money.
This is about your old boss...
Axelrod, isn't it?
About making more money
than him?
That's right.
More than anyone else
on the Street too...
in absolute returns.
And to do it again next year.
And the year after.
I get it,
you're a competitive animal.
I guess I didn't expect
such...machismo from you.
I might find your effort
at exploring my true purpose
a little more affecting
if it didn't feel like
the purpose you wanted me
to pursue instead was yours.
Sorry.
I'll keep refining
the CNC program...
until you're ready.
[door opens]
[door closes]
[indistinct conversations]
[telephone rings]
[John] Axe.
Hey. Uh...
I know
why you gave the money back.
I fucked up.
Should have done more
than said hi
each time I checked in
on my account.
Please.
[clears throat]
Your father.
He was a mentor to me
at the old firm.
I was supposed to
stand in,
try to fill
that role for you...
Yeah.
Not that anyone could.
He used to take you fishing.
[John] Yeah.
Sun Valley.
Fly fishing for, uh,
rainbows and monster browns.
Yeah. What about salt water?
You ever do that?
Out in the deep water...
Dad? No. Never.
Strictly, uh...
Strictly rivers.
Let me take you.
Let's hit it.
Yeah. Okay.
When?
Now.
Axe...
Stripers aren't running,
but we can still chunk for them.
And blues
are always a great fight.
All that to get me
to keep your money?
Nah, forget about that.
That's done.
You make plenty of money,
I make plenty of money.
This is about
doing right.
About re-upping a job
I slacked on.
Come on, let me do
what I pledged to do.
As your father
did for me.
Come on.
[chuckles]
Okay.
Yeah.
Fuck it.
[bag rustling]
Don't remember you ever
actually shopping, Dad.
My little blue helper.
I can't send the girl
to pick it up.
Hard to explain
when your mother confides in her
that we haven't coupled
since Tony Orlando last charted.
No son should hear
that kind of...
You should,
Sonny.
Look around.
What do you see?
Pantyhose and deodorant.
Before there was a Duane Reade
on every corner,
this,
and places like it,
is where history
got made.
This was
Toots Shor's place.
Chaplin came in
for the steak.
I once witnessed
Shor himself
drink Jackie Gleason
under the table.
But more importantly,
half the Albany power brokers
enjoyed cocktails
and rubbed shoulders
with mobsters
and Broadway stars in here.
This is where you met
Black Jack Foley.
Right there.
At the bar.
And you dragged me over here
to, what?
Uh,
pour one out for him?
That's not why...
Dad, I'm pretty
fucking busy.
Are you?
Because as I
understand it,
you've been spayed and neutered.
Well, I plan to...
Whatever it is,
it won't be enough.
[sighs]
The first time
that I met Foley,
he told me about
this alderman
who could barely
tie his own shoes.
Rumor had it
he was inbred.
But Jack Foley had it
in his mind
that the mayor of Utica
needed to be replaced...
wasn't toeing the line,
so to speak.
Let me just
skip to the end.
So Black Jack
took this idiot alderman
and made him mayor.
Oh, you are awfully smug
for a man with no real clout.
Anyway, one day,
as I'm getting out of the car,
they are
cutting the grass
across the street
from my country place...
and you know
who is pushing the mower?
The former mayor.
Yes.
Of course he is.
I'm in it, Dad,
trying to get back my authority.
Aim higher!
Don't just get
your juice back, Sonny.
Send a fucking message.
The Mayor wasn't toeing
the line,
so Foley
made him a lawn boy.
You've got to show them
what you do with power.
Now, for longer than
he was your enemy,
Black Jack Foley was
in your corner.
So take this one last lesson
from him...
Make them fear me.
Your vengeance,
your whim,
your everything.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[chuckles]
Jock Jeffcoat couldn't
keep me out of office.
But now he thinks
he's found a way
to keep me
from that office's powers.
He doesn't just think it.
He did it.
So what are
we gonna do?
I want you to look into
the State Assembly.
Start with Joe Scolari
and his cabal
of senior legislators.
The ones
who really pull the levers
of hydrodynamic shit
in Albany.
I never mind snaking through
the sewer pipes,
but with our legal powers
currently curtailed...
We're not building a legal case,
not right now.
Just... I need you
to get what you can
and I need you to get it
quickly and quietly.
Does it need to stand up
in court?
Eventually. But for now
it just needs to be true.
Do it.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
Uh, Wags?
Smoother?
Any difference?
This thing's supposed to
zap wrinkles.
Yeah, you look like
Benjamin Button.
So, Rudy... what was the name
of that, um...
apparatus he had?
Ah,
the fleshlight.
The repository for all of
the sadness of the male world.
And whose...
model was it?
I believe he had
the Lisa Ann.
She is a first ballot
hall of famer.
You buying someone
a gift?
You're password hunting.
I need to look at
his social media.
Rudy's?
He'll be the easiest
to get into.
I tried to get a keystroke log
from IT,
but they erase
every two weeks...
Chuck opened up
a part of my private life
when he made
that speech.
Made me vulnerable.
Any employee's vulnerability
is a threat
to Axe Cap
and our business.
So I need to know
what our enemies are saying.
They're saying plenty.
Other firms.
I went down a rabbit hole.
But Rudy is in contact
with our chief enemy, so...
'Password is no longer valid'.
He changed it.
May I?
Nicole Aniston.
Blair Williams.
No. Wait.
Cory Chase.
If you're
a Lisa Ann fan,
you're
a Cory Chase fanatic.
She's a national treasure.
Oh, hey...
uh, Benjamin Button
at the beginning
when he's old and crusty,
or at the end when he's got
the baby smooth skin?
Right?!
[car door closes]
[sea gulls squawking]
[sighs]
Rods and bait
are on board...
[exhales sharply]
We gonna
do this right?
Won't get any service
out there anyway.
♪ Lou Reed's "Vicious" ♪
♪ Vicious ♪
♪ You hit me with a flower ♪
♪ You do it every hour ♪
Yanks are making
some good moves...
Oh.
Fuck that.
Let's talk about
the real stuff.
Your Dad.
You know, I used to
get my ass out of bed
at 4:30
every morning.
No matter what,
he always beat me to the office.
One morning, he's yea deep
slinging Asian long bonds...
yelling at everybody
to bring him a coffee,
not realizing it was only 6am
and no one's in yet.
No one but you.
Fuckin' right.
So you
made him coffee?
What am I,
his secretary?
Oh. He didn't drink
the office swill anyway.
I went out
for it.
Light and sweet.
He was impressed
that I'd paid attention
to the stuff
that didn't matter...
because of course
it matters.
Everything fucking matters.
So I should pay attention
to the details?
And watch your six.
Same rules for investing,
cards...
And women...
Exactly...
He was
a hell of a gin player.
The partners would play
for five cents a point,
and he'd rough them
all up.
I used to love
watching that.
You got your meeting
with the smoke eaters.
How?
[Lauren] Johnny Utah's.
You wanted to know.
So, shots
and a mechanical bull?
And my group of pretty,
personable young friends, yes.
Those are
the raw materials,
but what I make of them
is the art.
And I suddenly understand
why I now employ an IR person.
Now,
onto the meeting itself,
a bit
of forewarning.
Everyone is getting
a half hour.
We got ten minutes.
The last slot before the
board breaks up for the season.
It's a mercy fuck.
These guys
didn't want to see you
because you came up
under someone they hate.
If they buy MaseCap,
it'll be because you sold them
a better story.
A story about you that they like
more than they hate Axe.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
[door closes]
♪ dramatic music ♪
[elevator bell dings]
Where is...everybody?
Conference room.
On what...
Whatever it is,
I'm not needed.
And neither are you.
Or you'd be in there.
[scoffs]
I think you might have
forgotten to...
You will be called
when and if needed.
Here's what
we're gonna do.
Times of tragedy call for
silence and sustenance.
Hear hear.
And what
I want to add is...
Times of tragedy
call for silence
and...
Well, we will all miss
Black Jack.
He was like
a father to me.
He was the type of man
I always wanted to be.
A breed
that has been dying...
And now has died.
This is
a real loss.
But it's also...
a new day.
For just
as he was not your father,
his vendettas
do not live past him.
You are free
to vote your conscience
and your interests.
And to once more
embrace me.
[exhales sharply]
Especially when
to do otherwise
would not be
in your interests.
Some conscientious members
of my investigative team
have collected
this list of misdeeds
by the State Assembly.
I see...
Mm.
This is unfortunate.
It is.
Especially since
you're on it.
Now, I can go and build
all these cases
and hand them to the press
and the Feds...
the US Attorney himself
greeted me on my own steps
my first morning...
inviting this.
Or, if you will substantiate
this information,
I could take
a different path.
Ignore these violations...
by you
and your closest confederates...
so long as you all vote
to restore my powers.
Times of tragedy
call for...
[Scolari] Yes.
Silence and sustenance.
And a new spirit
of cooperation.
[reel clicking]
Okay.
Keep on him.
Keep on him.
Where is he?
-[John] Here we go.
-[Axe] You got him.
Oh, he's fighting.
He's a fighter.
[John grunting]
Get him tight on the line.
Bring him in.
Good.
He's a beaut!
Bring him in.
Yeah, he's fighting...
All right.
You got him?
I got him.
Whoo!
Aah!
Nice.
-[Axe] Oh, my God. Look at that.
-[John] Yeah!
That's huge.
[grunts]
[chuckles]
Whoo! [laughs]
Nice fish.
You want to eat him, or let him
go to fight another day?
Throw him back.
Ah. A true sportsman.
[groans]
[water splashes]
Want a beer?
Yeah.
[bottles clink]
Ahh.
You know,
before you call timeout,
you might want to check
with Chris Webber.
Sometimes,
there are none available.
Mm.
Here we go.
Oh, no.
You want to hear this.
That's why you really
came out here.
To have me
talk some sense into you.
The way
your dad would have.
I know how it is.
You have your ideas,
your information,
your strategies.
And it all makes sense
up to a few hundred million.
And then you get to a billion
and you think:
how do I deploy
all this?
You know?
Will it work at this size?
Is my analysis
solid enough?
And where's my edge
gonna come from?
So you scan
the horizon,
you throw yourself
against the questions,
and new strategies,
on the new scale,
present themselves.
And you just get bigger.
It's the biological imperative
for guys like us.
Is it, though?
What else would it be?
Chasing?...
When I think
about managing,
much less making,
another billion...
and not feeling
that good about it...
I just want to go Natalie Wood
off the side of this thing.
[chuckles] That's another
solid reference.
You know
your history.
You got
some philosophy.
The money that I spent
to educate you
did not go
totally to waste.
The best education, though,
is living it.
Don't imagine what it's like
to run two billion.
Or five.
Or ten.
Just fucking run it.
Why do you think
I staked you?
To be nice?
That's what school
was for.
That's what
the Christmas presents were for.
The investment?
It's 'cause
I saw something.
A work ethic.
Pride. Hunger.
But now I'm seeing something
I don't like.
Contentment?
Fear.
The mind-killer.
I'm not afraid,
Axe.
Good.
Should I tear up
the check?
Got it
in my pocket.
Maybe not yet.
[water lapping]
Should we call it?
Sure.
[engine sputters]
[engine sputters]
Oh.
You're fucking kidding me.
Maybe it's the fuel line?
What,
on each of the engines?
Nah.
We got a short somewhere.
This is Vanquisher.
41 degrees North,
71 West.
[man]
This is Tow-Ur-Boat.
We read you Vanquisher.
What's your situation?
We need a tow.
[man] It's a busy day here,
Vanquisher.
It'll... It'll be
a few hours.
Uh. Keep us updated on
your position if you drift.
I'll give you
ten grand
if you put us
at the top of the list.
[man] Damn,
for real?
I would if I could...
But we're jammed up...
Make it a hundred.
I need to get the fuck in.
[man] Shit, are you...
are you kidding me?
Sorry, Vanquisher,
b-both our teams
are already engaged
on an emergency.
You and your hundred
are gonna have to wait.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
Hey.
Hey.
I've got something,
and it stinks of garbage.
I'm inhaling.
We're years
into a probe
into the City
Sanitation Department.
A very interesting set of
permits just got expedited.
The beneficiary...
one Charles Rhoades,
Senior.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[keyboard clacking]
♪ dramatic music ♪
[keyboard clacking]
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
Jake Biancarosa.
That's what
my ma' named me.
You expedited permits
for Charles Rhoades, Senior.
Mm. That's a little
below my level.
I don't personally concern
myself with all the paperwork...
I promise... whatever he has
on you, we have more.
Okay.
Maybe he's a friend.
[Sacker] Would you be here
on a maybe?
The FBI is diligent,
Mr. Biancarosa,
they may build slow,
but they build to last.
We really do.
[chuckles]
Shit, I knew I made somebody
following me...
Tell us
how it works...
[sighs]
♪ dramatic music ♪
Nothing?
Nope.
So, what do you say...
enough folksy bullshit?
I know I'm the only one
you cashed out.
[bottle clinks]
It's truth time,
huh?
Okay. Good.
Here's some truth
for you:
I might take my fund
to twice its current size.
Or a hundred. I don't know.
I might go to zero.
But whatever happens...
I'm doing it without you.
That was the point.
See, my dad was home enough
for me to understand
what went on
at the office.
Whom he respected.
And, um,
that was not you.
When I got old enough,
I heard all the stories
about how you worked.
And I knew the situation you
were in when the towers fell,
before the press even broke it.
[chuckles]
But you weren't in a position
to move away from me.
No, I wasn't.
And now you are.
It took me years
to get here.
And now, I don't want my fund
associated with your name.
And, uh, I don't want
to be associated with you.
I see.
Well, I'm sorry
you feel that way, John.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
[engine starts]
Lookit that...
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[door closes]
When I was
in seventh grade,
my father
invented an airfoil.
Radical. Worth millions.
But taken from him
by the company he worked for.
He never saw a penny, never got
his name on the patent,
never got anything...
except fired,
as soon as it was convenient.
They stole his contribution
and value.
He never saw it coming.
Never paid attention
to where he was vulnerable.
Or to what was stalking him.
Every other manager
walking through that door
is probably pitching you
investment strategy.
Giving you value, small cap,
hedge, bond, sector, global.
But they're not paying attention
to where you're exposed.
Or to what's stalking you.
Which is?
[Taylor] Death.
Smoke.
Fire.
Explosion.
Seventy percent of your members
will be injured in the line,
fifty-two percent
of their families
are going to be owed
survivor benefits.
You're gonna beat
the Reaper?
Your members' bravery
and service
are their contribution
and value.
And if you're not careful,
it's going to get stolen.
I know this
because my former fucking boss
tried to steal mine.
I didn't let that happen
to me.
And I won't let it happen
to you...
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
[Bishop] As known to us
from Paul's
first letter to the Corinthians,
brothers and sisters, behold.
I tell you a mystery.
We shall not all fall asleep,
but we will all be changed
in an instant,
in the blink of an eye.
[sighs]
Listen, Chuck,
I'm prepping my eulogy.
I didn't save you
a seat.
I'm sure there's some
standing room in the back...
Sorry, Governor,
but you have temporarily
curtailed my powers
by fiat.
I can have them
permanently restored
by act
of the State Legislature.
I have the votes
to override you.
How do you have
the votes?
I have become aware
of a torrent of misdeeds...
crimes actually... committed by
our State Assembly.
When I made them aware
that I was aware
there was a sudden willingness
to back me.
Yeah. In return
you bury it all.
I can make you a myth,
a legend,
a man to accomplish
the unthinkable:
clean up Albany.
Sign off on this grant
of executive power.
And sign off
on this order,
directing me to prosecute
Scolari and his cronies.
You will receive
full credit.
[Bishop]
...the Word that is written...
Think of it,
Governor,
you'll be in every
New York newspaper,
on every
Sunday morning show.
For weeks.
Right out
of the gate.
[Bishop]
The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law.
Thanks be to God...
I guess Jock can go
fuck himself, huh?
[Bishop] ...victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
[all] Amen.
[congregants murmuring]
How fortunate we all were to
live in the time of Jack Foley.
One of the last men of might
and principle.
He was a Caesar.
And what did they do
at the funeral of a Caesar?
At the funeral
of Gaius Julius Caesar,
a man stood at the rostrum
and called out criminals
and conspirators.
Those in the senate
that would sully Caesar's city
and dishonor his legacy.
And I come today...
to do the same.
[congregants murmuring]
When the people heard what
they had done in the senate,
they set upon them,
tearing some apart,
and forcing others
from the city.
Now, I have been empowered
by my great friend,
your August governor...
not to allow bloodsport,
but to bring justice
to the venal actors
who have betrayed
our great commonwealth...
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
[congregants murmuring]
Immunity!
I thought
we had a deal.
No deal for you,
pal.
And we will continue
to purge these pews
until corruption has been
cleansed from the Empire State.
[indistinct shouting]
Oh, Jack, I hope I have
learned well from you,
that I have honored you,
and that I have given you
a proper sendoff...
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Hey, uh, I'm sorry
I lost my shit out there.
I-I don't know if I even meant
half the stuff I said,
it's just...
you know, you reach a point
where you're your own man.
It doesn't matter
if someone is your dad...
or if they knew your dad...
you just...
you want to make your own
decisions your own way.
Believe me, I get that.
I was hoping you would.
And who knows,
maybe there's a world...
down the line... where you do
come back into the fund.
So, uh, let's keep
an open channel.
In case.
For the future.
[chuckles]
John, John...
I tried.
I really did.
I gave you
every chance.
But you didn't know where
you were in the fucking hand.
Just like
your old man.
Because the part of the story
I didn't tell you is:
your father may have
talked shit about me
and the way
I went about earning.
But he bit off plenty
of big chunks from my sheet
when it came
bonus time.
And, yeah, sure,
while he was a killer gin player
at five cents a point,
when the partners upped
the stakes to a dollar...
they mopped the fucking floor
with him.
Because he was a piker
who couldn't handle the pressure
when the stakes
were high.
And you are a chip
off the old fucking block.
Maybe I should take an Uber
back to the city.
Yeah.
You do that.
But first,
you might want
to check your messages.
[John] [chuckling]
Wait, you... you released
a fucking interview
bashing my approach...
You got Birch
and Malverne
and all those other guys
to agree?
I didn't
'get them to.'
They just happened to.
[John]
Holy shit.
I...I've had a flood
of redemptions.
And yesterday
no one wanted out.
[gasps] Right when no one
could reach you? Ouch...
Lemme guess,
today you are down
about seventy,
eighty percent
on assets
under management.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[Axe] I'd bet
some of your investors
thought
they were happy...
Some of 'em probably needed
a real shove...
Problems? Yeah, I suppose
I would call them problems.
Operational ones.
Back office ones.
Strategic ones.
Enough for Axe to pull
all of his capital...
...It killed him to pull
that money.
You read the interview.
And believe me he'd backed
this kid from the start...
[Axe] Others
I'm betting bolted
at the first sight
of greener land...
I'm authorized
to cut our fees.
We'll do a nine percent hurdle
rate for the first year...
which means you don't pay a cent
until we clear 10% returns
if you come over
to Axe Cap.
It's a fucking free roll,
but it has to be now...
[Axe] And your reputation
may not be entirely intact.
Yeah,
Sag Harbor PD is going light,
but we've seen the photos of him
running red lights to Shinnecock
with powder
on his upper lip.
His wife is going for blood
in the divorce...
At least half.
You want a fund manager occupied
with that shit?
♪ upbeat music ♪
[Wags]
Here's your script.
I'm bleeding out.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[chuckles nervously]
I mean, you... you ruined
my business, my name...
I told you never give back
the money, kid.
♪ dramatic music ♪
You said you wanted
to stay small.
Small enough
for you now?
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
[car door opens, closes]
[engine starts]
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
I fuckin' knew
you'd do it.
I am glad to have deserved
your confidence.
Congratulations.
You got what you wanted.
I know
you don't understand...
I understand
it's important to you.
How's the
CNC program coming?
A few bugs,
but it'll be ready when
the time for production comes.
[Taylor] Good.
I've decided I will help you
launch to the production stage.
Would you have done it
if you hadn't brought
that new money on?
I did bring
that new money on.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[Wags]
Come on! Bring it in!
Yeah! Yeah!
Cheers, you fucking brigands.
Another fuckin' drink.
Hey!
Hey!
[all cheering]
Yeah!
So, we caught two blues,
a few sea bass
and a nice striper...
You know,
we did a bit better.
Of Rice's billion,
we put 741 million into play...
[all pounding on table]
430 of it,
including your 100 and change,
came on board...
[pounding on table]
The rest exited
and is in the ether...
"Sorry,
Vanquisher, uh,
both our teams are already
engaged on an emergency."
[laughter]
A loss for him
was a win for us today.
[all shouting]
I never thought I'd be part of
a real life Wannsee Conference.
[chuckling]
Or that
it would be so much fun.
[laughter]
[man] Livin' on the edge.
Come on.
Let's keep it coming.
[man #2] That was some great
work on the marine radio.
[Bonnie] God, I wish I saw
the look on his face.
[man] Yeah, yeah!
You're back
above ground,
finally letting the team
see your face.
Turns out you and Rebecca
were wrong.
But also right.
You weren't
making more of it?
No, sir.
The thinnest
Google search reveals
that people
are fucking obsessed...
they want to know
what whips I use,
what bustier I wear,
what Chuck sounds like
when he squeals.
I'll admit to wondering
about two of those.
Kind of like
a stuck pig.
Mm.
Not that one...
The thing is: as I read it,
it stopped mattering.
Stopped really being
about me.
Stopped having anything
to do with me.
Because I don't know those
people. And they don't know me.
So you snapped
the computer shut and moved on?
I think you know
I did not.
I had Rudy's
sad social media password,
saw what the Mason Capital folks
were saying.
How bad?
About what
you'd expect.
Gifs, photoshops of my head
on Dita Von Teese's body.
Mm.
Everyone piled on.
Except Taylor.
Oh. Taylor stayed
above the fray?
No.
More than that.
Told them to stop.
That someone my age
shouldn't be mocked
for getting her kicks
however she needed to.
Wow.
Yeah.
I guess
it makes sense.
After
the whole thing broke,
they were the only one
to reach out.
They reached out?
I didn't take their call,
of course. But they tried.
Taylor really did that...?
[Wendy] Yup.
Guess they think
I'm so pathetic
as to no longer pose
a threat.
No, that is the act
of an open and evolved person
who understands
vulnerability...
Lame.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Taylor? Hi.
I would like to talk...
I'd like to see you...
♪ dramatic music ♪
[vehicle approaching]
[engine shuts off]
♪ dramatic music ♪
Well.
I got your text.
What the hell
are we doing here, Dad?
I thought
we should celebrate,
we both had
very big days.
You did it.
Oh, my... You went ahead
with your project
even after
I asked you not to.
There's too much heat
to get involved in this, Dad.
If you'd whined this much
as a baby,
I'd've slipped more whisky
in your bottle
and risked the chance
that you'd be a dullard.
There's no heat, Sonny...
[scoffs]
....my permits came back
without a hitch.
[sighs]
Now,
listen carefully
and learn how I am going to
refill your trust fund...
[sighs]
...and how you'll bring my
great-grandchildren to this spot
and tell them the story
of what we did here.
♪ James Brown's "The Payback" ♪
♪ Hey ♪
♪ Gotta, gotta payback ♪
♪ The big payback ♪
♪ Revenge ♪
♪♪
♪ I'm mad ♪
♪ The big payback ♪
♪ Got to get back ♪
♪ Need some get back ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ That's it ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ Revenge ♪
♪ I'm mad ♪
♪ You get down
with my girlfriend ♪
on Billions...
Foley is going to come forth.
With what he knows about me.
About us.
Foley is terminal.
He didn't see a doc
until it was everywhere.
So I'm proud of all of you
put through college
by the memorial foundation
so far.
[Senior] Elysian Fields.
This development
is my legacy.
This would be a disaster
and create a possible scandal.
It's all you say it is, Dad.
Let's do something with this.
I...In my private life...
In the confines
of my happy marriage...
with my consenting wife...
practice sadomasochism...
I am done
hearing you talk.
By day's end,
you will be the presumptive
Attorney General of New York
goddamned State.
Congratulations, Chuck.
Can't wait to work together.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪ James Brown's "The Payback" ♪
♪♪
♪ Hey ♪
♪♪
♪ Gotta, gotta payback ♪
♪ The big payback ♪
♪ Revenge ♪
♪♪
♪ I'm mad ♪
♪ The big payback ♪
♪ Got to get back ♪
♪ Need some get back ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ The big payback ♪
♪ That's it ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ Revenge ♪
♪ I'm mad ♪
♪ You get down
with my girlfriend ♪
♪ That ain't right ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
Thank you,
Anthony.
It's such a treat
watching you work.
It's good
to love what you do.
Enjoy, guys.
Thank you.
[Axe] Mmm.
Man.
So, to our new AG.
[chuckling] Oh.
Long may he rule.
Bravo.
Thank you. Uh...
It's an honor
all around...
Wendy's first night out
in a month.
Well, the chance
at a perfect pizza...
in total privacy...
was too much to pass up.
Privacy? If the only way I could
eat this pizza was naked,
in the middle of Times Square,
I would.
[laughter]
Yeah. You would.
You might even
prefer it.
The problem is, you'd be sure
to undress me, too.
Whether I wanted it
or not.
You're doing this,
here?
You did it.
It's really only
the ones we love, huh...
That make you want to kill them?
Hmm.
Exactly.
See.
Yes.
But even that you know
the story ahead,
there's no starting from zero
for me anymore.
Used to be.
[Chuck] Mm. Mm.
I could say:
I'm Wendy.
Go from there.
I could add Rhoades,
and to someone in finance
it meant one thing,
to someone
in government another.
If I'd say Dr. Wendy Rhoades,
it meant something else.
Still holds.
All that still holds, yeah...
...Or I could say:
I work at a hedge fund...
-[Chuck] Uh-huh. -...and we're
off in a different direction.
[Wendy] But I was the one
to decide the what and when.
Build a relationship.
Now?
They just know...
all of it.
Everybody does.
Chuck was in
a tough spot.
Yeah, there wasn't many moves
he could make to win,
so he chose
the one...
Yeah. He did.
He chose.
And now I can't
walk down the street.
And I'm no longer
a blank slate
for the guys I'm supposed to
treat, inspire, change.
There's this giant
thought bubble
just sitting there
between us.
And it features me
with whips and chains.
When I misplay
something publicly
and I feel like
everyone's staring at me,
I take comfort
in this fact:
most people are self-absorbed
narcissistic assholes.
So they might revel in your shit
for a minute,
because it
distracts them from theirs.
But after that minute,
they're gonna forget about you,
just go right back
to their own shitpile.
Thank you.
What do you say
we start at zero?
Deal.
[Wendy] Bobby...
[Axe] Hmm?
This is what's known
as a keeper.
I'm gonna go have a few drags.
I'll join you.
♪ soft music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
It'll blow over.
Yeah?
I dunno.
She's been that angry
at me before.
What'd you do
to fix it?
Uh...
Few million dollars,
an Italian sports car,
a piece of the profits,
and I stopped suing you.
And to be honest,
she was still a little pissed.
For a long time.
Yeah, so, I dunno.
You'd do the same again,
exactly as before,
even knowing her anger.
As you, too, would have
stayed the course.
Mm.
You know, people think
guys like us don't care
about the consequences
of our actions.
We do care. A fuck of a lot.
Yeah.
Yet still
we forge on.
As we must.
Mmm. Good.
Mmm.
Eat up.
I need you strong for tomorrow.
Got another project for you.
[laughing] Ah.
The ask.
Well, I did earn your seat,
much as you did.
Forge on.
[clears throat]
Taylor Mason.
A Wall Street scalp.
Should be just like old times
for you.
Financial crimes
against the People
are always
of interest.
And for you,
I'd love to and I will.
But, uh, while Jack Foley
rode the pale horse
before I could take
my vengeance,
I've got other names
on my hit list
I don't intend
to let escape so easily.
You can do your thing
but you gotta do my thing.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I just got rid of Grigor,
which hurt
Taylor financially...
Yeah.
Not bad enough.
I want them
in a fucking cell.
♪ dramatic music ♪
I see.
Do you know if Taylor's
even done anything illegal?
Never stopped you before.
♪♪
[Senior] My master work,
Biancarosa.
But I need
my sanitation permits.
Mixed use development.
Sixteen new buildings,
four of them so high...
I know,
I read your brochure...
...That when you're in
the penthouse,
God looks up
to you.
And you know all we have to do
to get started...
[Biancarosa] Hey.
We need to take
those expectations down a notch.
[Biancarosa] The old price
isn't the new price.
To do all this
I'm gonna need thirty.
I'll find you
the money.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[Senior] But I need
those permits.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[vomiting]
♪♪
[exhales heavily]
♪♪
[toilet flushes]
♪♪
[water running]
[faucet squeaks,
water turns off]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
I never wanted
Grigor Andolov's money.
I lobbied against it once.
But then I took it on.
And it sustained us
like an internal organ
and now, without it,
we're gutted.
And it's not just about
his money.
When our reduced AUM
goes public,
our investors
will be wondering
about our stability
and flowing out with him.
I still look at you like Vincent
Vega did Jules Winnfield...
the smartest
and toughest fella in the room.
Thank you,
Mafee.
But I really don't need people
telling me how smart I am.
I don't feel very smart
at the moment.
I built
a turbo engine here
and the nitrous tank
blew up in my face.
So we've learned
that lesson
and now:
we do the thing you do best.
Both of you. Go invest
in undervalued equities.
Let me do
the thing I do best:
create the most
helpful environment
in which
for you do it.
Yes.
To that end, I have made a move.
Investor Relations.
You know
how Winston Wolfe
solved
dead body problems?
This one solves
dead balance sheet problems.
Is she super young,
early 20s,
too hip for this business?
Mm.
In that case,
I think she's already here...
[clears throat]
[Hammon] Welcome, Lauren...
Lauren Turner,
this is Taylor Mason, your boss.
Pickle juice?
Best hangover cure
I have found.
[chuckles]
And I have searched.
Don't worry,
this is not where I shine.
This is where
I store up energy
so that
I can shine later.
What...
What do you need, boss?
A Grigor-sized replacement.
Those don't exist.
Not for you.
Not today.
[Taylor] Fuck.
Don't sugarcoat it.
I'm ready to kill.
Just not sure who...
There aren't
a lot of institutions
allocating right now.
Not in
the ten-figure zip code.
I can think of one.
Right here in the City.
Bravest, you know?
The New York
Firefighters Fund.
Axe's firefighters?
They were.
But not lately.
They are allocating
up to three point one billion
from the pension
and health fund.
And are currently
hearing pitches.
Is that correct?
It is.
And they'll never
touch him again.
You are Axe
by association.
Go make them.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[clears throat]
♪ dramatic music ♪
[Axe] Johnny-Boy...!
How's the fund?
We're crushing it like
Richard Petty did Daytona.
That's an age-weighted reference
for my benefit, isn't it.
Noted
and appreciated.
And your wife and...
We just had
our second kid,
another boy,
three months ago.
Yeah.
Yeah, I, uh...
You sent a gift, don't worry.
Good.
Now, I know you're positive
on the quarter, so what's up?
Yeah.
Returns are solid.
So I, uh, wanted to come by
and say thank you.
For backing me,
putting me through B-school...
Of course.
Of course.
Your dad, rest in peace,
he would have done it.
And I see you give back
to the Foundation...
And for backing me, with your
capital and your endorsement
when I opened up
my own place.
Well, a smart kid like you
wouldn't come work for me,
you know, I had to find some way
to keep a little piece of you.
[chuckles]
Well, I am happy to make it
pay off for you.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
102 million.
Your initial investment
compounded
net of fees with a profit
of 17 million.
You're cashing me out?
My redemption period
ends tomorrow.
I wanted to clean things up,
bring it over myself.
To say thank you.
In our business, people never
give back the money.
So why are you
giving back the money?
You know,
most people are happy
when they're handed
a hundred million-plus.
You grew it, so that's why
I want you to keep it.
And I'm... I'm thrilled...
I'm grateful that I, uh,
had the opportunity
to do that for you.
Talk... Talk more.
About how that gratitude
results in you
spitting my capital
back in my face
like Furiosa did to Nux
in Fury Road.
An age weighted reference.
Noted and appreciated.
Uh huh.
Axe. You know that I wrestled
back at Princeton.
Sure, used to get the updates
from your mom.
Well, I... I crushed it
my sophomore year, 197.
Then I lifted
all summer,
I came back as a heavyweight
my junior year,
I was bloated
and overconfident,
and I got smashed.
This is that:
My assets under management
went over a billion.
I don't want the same thing
to happen.
So, a few more stops today
paying out gains
and I'll be back
to where I want to be:
in my weight class,
nimble.
♪ dramatic music ♪
I don't think
this is advised.
[chuckles]
Come on. I'll be fine.
And, again,
thank you.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
I need to know who else
this kid cashed out. And why.
'Ae, Kimo.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Tell the staff not to clap
when I come in today, Donna,
let's just get to work.
I know they're gonna want
to celebrate it.
But, uh, it's not dignified.
No clapping. Really...
In Japanese lore...
Ah! Fuck me...
The shinobi, descended from
a half-man, half-crow,
could slip into
the shogun's palace
and open his radial artery
while he slept.
The lord
would exsanguinate
before he knew
he was cut.
Bryan.
I can see you clear as day.
Your suit is blue,
not black.
You already cut me
and I'm still standing.
Next time
it'll be my turn.
What do you want?
I come in the spirit
of cooperation, Chuck.
I know you're gonna be
sending me
your most choice,
high-resource cases,
and I wanted to ensure
a smooth handoff.
Thought we might
even discuss
some of the finer points
in person.
I can't imagine
I'd be sending you anything
but a hearty
'how's my ass taste?'
As you
must surely know,
since you are loitering
outside my chambers,
and those of
an elected official at that.
Have a good first day.
And if you change your mind
about those cases,
you sure know
where my office is.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
[elevator bell dings]
♪ dramatic music ♪
[telephone rings]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[clears throat]
[sighs]
You guys may have taken
this whole 'no clapping' thing
too far.
I took a pay cut
and came over here from SDNY
specifically
so I could punch
some wrong-doers
in the face.
No one's stopping you.
Who's stopping you?
The State of New York,
which ironically
grants the AG very few powers
by statute.
Yes. But the rest of my armament
is granted by executive order.
As in
the governor...
Well apparently he woke up
with morning wood
and decided to jam it
right up our hind quarters.
[T.] I went to file
for a records subpoena
on Taylor Mason
like you asked,
and the clerk
refused to issue it.
Seems we have no authority
at all, currently.
I know
where this started.
Half-crow, half-cowboy,
all sonofabitch.
Who else?
I've been
checking around.
I haven't gotten answers
from all parties yet...
Who else?
This is something
you should really
let me be thorough on.
-Rush to judgement's
no good here... -Wags.
No one.
You're the only one
John Rice cashed out.
Fuck.
I'm sorry, fré.
You being 'sensitive'
is intolerable.
Stop it.
[Wags] Oh, thank God!
Let me do it.
Let me loose the hounds of hell
on this ingrate,
this near-millennial
scumbag.
I will flay his skin
from his bones
and I won't stop
until...
[scoffs]
Is the idea
that if you get here real early
and don't
turn the lights on,
no one will come
looking for you?
Oh, did I forget
to turn on the lights?
No.
You didn't forget.
I didn't.
Yet you walk in.
Well,
I need you.
Something
you should have thought about
before taking
Chuck's side.
Oh.
I was taking your side.
'Cause it's not healthy
for you
to be in a place of shame
or disgrace. No reason to.
This all hurts you,
actually.
How am I supposed to do
what I do?
[Axe] No way.
This makes you better.
This makes you
more of an exotic species
they need to impress
with their alpha dog energy.
[scoffs]
This office isn't
where we talk about me.
But thank you.
Now...
John Rice.
Kid walked in here
and handed me back my money.
Only you?
No. Not what he said,
but yes.
Is it the rejection
or the embarrassment?
Normally,
a guy takes
what I consider to be
an aggressive line against me,
I cut him down
like the Mongol hordes.
But this time you don't feel
the hot anger,
the need to destroy.
[Axe] Oh, no,
that's still there.
But it's not
the top note.
I don't know
what's going on. I...
It's...
Oh.
Some sensation.
♪ dramatic music ♪
You're suffering
an actual emotional wound.
That's why you don't know
what the fuck's going on.
Your feelings
are involved.
I don't traffic
in those much.
♪ soft music ♪
♪♪
[exhales heavily]
There's a world in which
this is all your fault.
Enraged but listening.
What did you,
if not promise,
then at least pledge
to him?
You know
I take care of school.
He was already
in college,
his dad had set aside money
for that.
I did B-school.
What else?
Well,
to be there for him.
Well.
Be a stand in.
An ear.
A shoulder.
And have you?
All you really offered him
was money,
when what he needed
was a mentor.
A bit
of personal connection.
[laughing] Did he expect me
to take him to the ballgame
and the fucking zoo...?
♪ dramatic music ♪
You know this is about Taylor,
right?
This feels like that
to you.
Like one of your kids
spurned you.
And through your anger,
what you're really wondering:
is if it's all
your fault.
Huh.
You may be right.
And now I know
what to do.
♪ dramatic music ♪
Well.
We need you here.
Upstairs.
And in this room with your
door open and your lights on.
Rebecca was right.
You've made this thing
bigger than it is.
Just like
you and John Rice.
No. Because I know
what he thinks.
And what he did.
You have no idea
who's talking about you.
Or if anyone
even is.
So either you confront it
head on,
or let it go.
[scoffs]
But don't keep
giving it power over you
by staying
in the dark.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[door creaks]
[Chuck] Thank you.
They were supposed to have it
hung by start of business today,
but they
fucked it up.
Welcome to
state politics, Bob.
I know
why you're here.
I thought we were looking
forward to working together.
Ah. That's just something
you say on election night.
What do Jock Jeffcoat
and his disciples have on you?
This isn't about me, Chuck...
or you.
This is about
the People.
Jock threatened to go Federal
on my ass.
Freeze funds,
delay funds, yank funds.
Unless you yanked
my powers?
So, what was I
supposed to do?
Uh. Fight harder.
You're the governor.
They're your people.
Be their fucking champion.
Stand up for
the blessed sovereignty
of the States
versus the Fed.
That's why we bowed and scraped
to get these fucking jobs.
Wow. It sounds so good
when you say it.
But I'd rather be the guy
that didn't run out of money
to keep the streets clean
and safe in his first week.
I'm sorry that
leaves you impotent, Chuck.
But you'll
get used to it.
[keyboard clacking]
I've got
the lattice grid fin prototype...
machined it myself.
Once I caught the harmonic
frequencies on the lathe,
the cuts got finer.
It'll hold up
to wind tunnel tests,
I just need to rent the tunnel
to be sure.
Here...
Materials. Equipment.
Expenses that need to be covered
to get us
to a place
where aerospace firms
will be believers.
Buyers.
Not the best time.
I'm trying to get money
flowing in not out.
Why?
Because it's been flowing out.
Flowed.
Like a geyser.
Why is that
such a problem?
I'm not
being simple.
I want
to understand.
I need size.
To do what I do.
The margins on the trades
are small
so we rely on the amounts
being big,
to pull down
real profit.
I'm not interested
in being boutique.
I didn't want
to say,
because I'm impressed
with what you've built.
And the culture.
But there are
other things you can do
at the highest level.
Not just make money.
This is about your old boss...
Axelrod, isn't it?
About making more money
than him?
That's right.
More than anyone else
on the Street too...
in absolute returns.
And to do it again next year.
And the year after.
I get it,
you're a competitive animal.
I guess I didn't expect
such...machismo from you.
I might find your effort
at exploring my true purpose
a little more affecting
if it didn't feel like
the purpose you wanted me
to pursue instead was yours.
Sorry.
I'll keep refining
the CNC program...
until you're ready.
[door opens]
[door closes]
[indistinct conversations]
[telephone rings]
[John] Axe.
Hey. Uh...
I know
why you gave the money back.
I fucked up.
Should have done more
than said hi
each time I checked in
on my account.
Please.
[clears throat]
Your father.
He was a mentor to me
at the old firm.
I was supposed to
stand in,
try to fill
that role for you...
Yeah.
Not that anyone could.
He used to take you fishing.
[John] Yeah.
Sun Valley.
Fly fishing for, uh,
rainbows and monster browns.
Yeah. What about salt water?
You ever do that?
Out in the deep water...
Dad? No. Never.
Strictly, uh...
Strictly rivers.
Let me take you.
Let's hit it.
Yeah. Okay.
When?
Now.
Axe...
Stripers aren't running,
but we can still chunk for them.
And blues
are always a great fight.
All that to get me
to keep your money?
Nah, forget about that.
That's done.
You make plenty of money,
I make plenty of money.
This is about
doing right.
About re-upping a job
I slacked on.
Come on, let me do
what I pledged to do.
As your father
did for me.
Come on.
[chuckles]
Okay.
Yeah.
Fuck it.
[bag rustling]
Don't remember you ever
actually shopping, Dad.
My little blue helper.
I can't send the girl
to pick it up.
Hard to explain
when your mother confides in her
that we haven't coupled
since Tony Orlando last charted.
No son should hear
that kind of...
You should,
Sonny.
Look around.
What do you see?
Pantyhose and deodorant.
Before there was a Duane Reade
on every corner,
this,
and places like it,
is where history
got made.
This was
Toots Shor's place.
Chaplin came in
for the steak.
I once witnessed
Shor himself
drink Jackie Gleason
under the table.
But more importantly,
half the Albany power brokers
enjoyed cocktails
and rubbed shoulders
with mobsters
and Broadway stars in here.
This is where you met
Black Jack Foley.
Right there.
At the bar.
And you dragged me over here
to, what?
Uh,
pour one out for him?
That's not why...
Dad, I'm pretty
fucking busy.
Are you?
Because as I
understand it,
you've been spayed and neutered.
Well, I plan to...
Whatever it is,
it won't be enough.
[sighs]
The first time
that I met Foley,
he told me about
this alderman
who could barely
tie his own shoes.
Rumor had it
he was inbred.
But Jack Foley had it
in his mind
that the mayor of Utica
needed to be replaced...
wasn't toeing the line,
so to speak.
Let me just
skip to the end.
So Black Jack
took this idiot alderman
and made him mayor.
Oh, you are awfully smug
for a man with no real clout.
Anyway, one day,
as I'm getting out of the car,
they are
cutting the grass
across the street
from my country place...
and you know
who is pushing the mower?
The former mayor.
Yes.
Of course he is.
I'm in it, Dad,
trying to get back my authority.
Aim higher!
Don't just get
your juice back, Sonny.
Send a fucking message.
The Mayor wasn't toeing
the line,
so Foley
made him a lawn boy.
You've got to show them
what you do with power.
Now, for longer than
he was your enemy,
Black Jack Foley was
in your corner.
So take this one last lesson
from him...
Make them fear me.
Your vengeance,
your whim,
your everything.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[chuckles]
Jock Jeffcoat couldn't
keep me out of office.
But now he thinks
he's found a way
to keep me
from that office's powers.
He doesn't just think it.
He did it.
So what are
we gonna do?
I want you to look into
the State Assembly.
Start with Joe Scolari
and his cabal
of senior legislators.
The ones
who really pull the levers
of hydrodynamic shit
in Albany.
I never mind snaking through
the sewer pipes,
but with our legal powers
currently curtailed...
We're not building a legal case,
not right now.
Just... I need you
to get what you can
and I need you to get it
quickly and quietly.
Does it need to stand up
in court?
Eventually. But for now
it just needs to be true.
Do it.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
Uh, Wags?
Smoother?
Any difference?
This thing's supposed to
zap wrinkles.
Yeah, you look like
Benjamin Button.
So, Rudy... what was the name
of that, um...
apparatus he had?
Ah,
the fleshlight.
The repository for all of
the sadness of the male world.
And whose...
model was it?
I believe he had
the Lisa Ann.
She is a first ballot
hall of famer.
You buying someone
a gift?
You're password hunting.
I need to look at
his social media.
Rudy's?
He'll be the easiest
to get into.
I tried to get a keystroke log
from IT,
but they erase
every two weeks...
Chuck opened up
a part of my private life
when he made
that speech.
Made me vulnerable.
Any employee's vulnerability
is a threat
to Axe Cap
and our business.
So I need to know
what our enemies are saying.
They're saying plenty.
Other firms.
I went down a rabbit hole.
But Rudy is in contact
with our chief enemy, so...
'Password is no longer valid'.
He changed it.
May I?
Nicole Aniston.
Blair Williams.
No. Wait.
Cory Chase.
If you're
a Lisa Ann fan,
you're
a Cory Chase fanatic.
She's a national treasure.
Oh, hey...
uh, Benjamin Button
at the beginning
when he's old and crusty,
or at the end when he's got
the baby smooth skin?
Right?!
[car door closes]
[sea gulls squawking]
[sighs]
Rods and bait
are on board...
[exhales sharply]
We gonna
do this right?
Won't get any service
out there anyway.
♪ Lou Reed's "Vicious" ♪
♪ Vicious ♪
♪ You hit me with a flower ♪
♪ You do it every hour ♪
Yanks are making
some good moves...
Oh.
Fuck that.
Let's talk about
the real stuff.
Your Dad.
You know, I used to
get my ass out of bed
at 4:30
every morning.
No matter what,
he always beat me to the office.
One morning, he's yea deep
slinging Asian long bonds...
yelling at everybody
to bring him a coffee,
not realizing it was only 6am
and no one's in yet.
No one but you.
Fuckin' right.
So you
made him coffee?
What am I,
his secretary?
Oh. He didn't drink
the office swill anyway.
I went out
for it.
Light and sweet.
He was impressed
that I'd paid attention
to the stuff
that didn't matter...
because of course
it matters.
Everything fucking matters.
So I should pay attention
to the details?
And watch your six.
Same rules for investing,
cards...
And women...
Exactly...
He was
a hell of a gin player.
The partners would play
for five cents a point,
and he'd rough them
all up.
I used to love
watching that.
You got your meeting
with the smoke eaters.
How?
[Lauren] Johnny Utah's.
You wanted to know.
So, shots
and a mechanical bull?
And my group of pretty,
personable young friends, yes.
Those are
the raw materials,
but what I make of them
is the art.
And I suddenly understand
why I now employ an IR person.
Now,
onto the meeting itself,
a bit
of forewarning.
Everyone is getting
a half hour.
We got ten minutes.
The last slot before the
board breaks up for the season.
It's a mercy fuck.
These guys
didn't want to see you
because you came up
under someone they hate.
If they buy MaseCap,
it'll be because you sold them
a better story.
A story about you that they like
more than they hate Axe.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
[door closes]
♪ dramatic music ♪
[elevator bell dings]
Where is...everybody?
Conference room.
On what...
Whatever it is,
I'm not needed.
And neither are you.
Or you'd be in there.
[scoffs]
I think you might have
forgotten to...
You will be called
when and if needed.
Here's what
we're gonna do.
Times of tragedy call for
silence and sustenance.
Hear hear.
And what
I want to add is...
Times of tragedy
call for silence
and...
Well, we will all miss
Black Jack.
He was like
a father to me.
He was the type of man
I always wanted to be.
A breed
that has been dying...
And now has died.
This is
a real loss.
But it's also...
a new day.
For just
as he was not your father,
his vendettas
do not live past him.
You are free
to vote your conscience
and your interests.
And to once more
embrace me.
[exhales sharply]
Especially when
to do otherwise
would not be
in your interests.
Some conscientious members
of my investigative team
have collected
this list of misdeeds
by the State Assembly.
I see...
Mm.
This is unfortunate.
It is.
Especially since
you're on it.
Now, I can go and build
all these cases
and hand them to the press
and the Feds...
the US Attorney himself
greeted me on my own steps
my first morning...
inviting this.
Or, if you will substantiate
this information,
I could take
a different path.
Ignore these violations...
by you
and your closest confederates...
so long as you all vote
to restore my powers.
Times of tragedy
call for...
[Scolari] Yes.
Silence and sustenance.
And a new spirit
of cooperation.
[reel clicking]
Okay.
Keep on him.
Keep on him.
Where is he?
-[John] Here we go.
-[Axe] You got him.
Oh, he's fighting.
He's a fighter.
[John grunting]
Get him tight on the line.
Bring him in.
Good.
He's a beaut!
Bring him in.
Yeah, he's fighting...
All right.
You got him?
I got him.
Whoo!
Aah!
Nice.
-[Axe] Oh, my God. Look at that.
-[John] Yeah!
That's huge.
[grunts]
[chuckles]
Whoo! [laughs]
Nice fish.
You want to eat him, or let him
go to fight another day?
Throw him back.
Ah. A true sportsman.
[groans]
[water splashes]
Want a beer?
Yeah.
[bottles clink]
Ahh.
You know,
before you call timeout,
you might want to check
with Chris Webber.
Sometimes,
there are none available.
Mm.
Here we go.
Oh, no.
You want to hear this.
That's why you really
came out here.
To have me
talk some sense into you.
The way
your dad would have.
I know how it is.
You have your ideas,
your information,
your strategies.
And it all makes sense
up to a few hundred million.
And then you get to a billion
and you think:
how do I deploy
all this?
You know?
Will it work at this size?
Is my analysis
solid enough?
And where's my edge
gonna come from?
So you scan
the horizon,
you throw yourself
against the questions,
and new strategies,
on the new scale,
present themselves.
And you just get bigger.
It's the biological imperative
for guys like us.
Is it, though?
What else would it be?
Chasing?...
When I think
about managing,
much less making,
another billion...
and not feeling
that good about it...
I just want to go Natalie Wood
off the side of this thing.
[chuckles] That's another
solid reference.
You know
your history.
You got
some philosophy.
The money that I spent
to educate you
did not go
totally to waste.
The best education, though,
is living it.
Don't imagine what it's like
to run two billion.
Or five.
Or ten.
Just fucking run it.
Why do you think
I staked you?
To be nice?
That's what school
was for.
That's what
the Christmas presents were for.
The investment?
It's 'cause
I saw something.
A work ethic.
Pride. Hunger.
But now I'm seeing something
I don't like.
Contentment?
Fear.
The mind-killer.
I'm not afraid,
Axe.
Good.
Should I tear up
the check?
Got it
in my pocket.
Maybe not yet.
[water lapping]
Should we call it?
Sure.
[engine sputters]
[engine sputters]
Oh.
You're fucking kidding me.
Maybe it's the fuel line?
What,
on each of the engines?
Nah.
We got a short somewhere.
This is Vanquisher.
41 degrees North,
71 West.
[man]
This is Tow-Ur-Boat.
We read you Vanquisher.
What's your situation?
We need a tow.
[man] It's a busy day here,
Vanquisher.
It'll... It'll be
a few hours.
Uh. Keep us updated on
your position if you drift.
I'll give you
ten grand
if you put us
at the top of the list.
[man] Damn,
for real?
I would if I could...
But we're jammed up...
Make it a hundred.
I need to get the fuck in.
[man] Shit, are you...
are you kidding me?
Sorry, Vanquisher,
b-both our teams
are already engaged
on an emergency.
You and your hundred
are gonna have to wait.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
Hey.
Hey.
I've got something,
and it stinks of garbage.
I'm inhaling.
We're years
into a probe
into the City
Sanitation Department.
A very interesting set of
permits just got expedited.
The beneficiary...
one Charles Rhoades,
Senior.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[keyboard clacking]
♪ dramatic music ♪
[keyboard clacking]
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
Jake Biancarosa.
That's what
my ma' named me.
You expedited permits
for Charles Rhoades, Senior.
Mm. That's a little
below my level.
I don't personally concern
myself with all the paperwork...
I promise... whatever he has
on you, we have more.
Okay.
Maybe he's a friend.
[Sacker] Would you be here
on a maybe?
The FBI is diligent,
Mr. Biancarosa,
they may build slow,
but they build to last.
We really do.
[chuckles]
Shit, I knew I made somebody
following me...
Tell us
how it works...
[sighs]
♪ dramatic music ♪
Nothing?
Nope.
So, what do you say...
enough folksy bullshit?
I know I'm the only one
you cashed out.
[bottle clinks]
It's truth time,
huh?
Okay. Good.
Here's some truth
for you:
I might take my fund
to twice its current size.
Or a hundred. I don't know.
I might go to zero.
But whatever happens...
I'm doing it without you.
That was the point.
See, my dad was home enough
for me to understand
what went on
at the office.
Whom he respected.
And, um,
that was not you.
When I got old enough,
I heard all the stories
about how you worked.
And I knew the situation you
were in when the towers fell,
before the press even broke it.
[chuckles]
But you weren't in a position
to move away from me.
No, I wasn't.
And now you are.
It took me years
to get here.
And now, I don't want my fund
associated with your name.
And, uh, I don't want
to be associated with you.
I see.
Well, I'm sorry
you feel that way, John.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
[engine starts]
Lookit that...
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[door closes]
When I was
in seventh grade,
my father
invented an airfoil.
Radical. Worth millions.
But taken from him
by the company he worked for.
He never saw a penny, never got
his name on the patent,
never got anything...
except fired,
as soon as it was convenient.
They stole his contribution
and value.
He never saw it coming.
Never paid attention
to where he was vulnerable.
Or to what was stalking him.
Every other manager
walking through that door
is probably pitching you
investment strategy.
Giving you value, small cap,
hedge, bond, sector, global.
But they're not paying attention
to where you're exposed.
Or to what's stalking you.
Which is?
[Taylor] Death.
Smoke.
Fire.
Explosion.
Seventy percent of your members
will be injured in the line,
fifty-two percent
of their families
are going to be owed
survivor benefits.
You're gonna beat
the Reaper?
Your members' bravery
and service
are their contribution
and value.
And if you're not careful,
it's going to get stolen.
I know this
because my former fucking boss
tried to steal mine.
I didn't let that happen
to me.
And I won't let it happen
to you...
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
[Bishop] As known to us
from Paul's
first letter to the Corinthians,
brothers and sisters, behold.
I tell you a mystery.
We shall not all fall asleep,
but we will all be changed
in an instant,
in the blink of an eye.
[sighs]
Listen, Chuck,
I'm prepping my eulogy.
I didn't save you
a seat.
I'm sure there's some
standing room in the back...
Sorry, Governor,
but you have temporarily
curtailed my powers
by fiat.
I can have them
permanently restored
by act
of the State Legislature.
I have the votes
to override you.
How do you have
the votes?
I have become aware
of a torrent of misdeeds...
crimes actually... committed by
our State Assembly.
When I made them aware
that I was aware
there was a sudden willingness
to back me.
Yeah. In return
you bury it all.
I can make you a myth,
a legend,
a man to accomplish
the unthinkable:
clean up Albany.
Sign off on this grant
of executive power.
And sign off
on this order,
directing me to prosecute
Scolari and his cronies.
You will receive
full credit.
[Bishop]
...the Word that is written...
Think of it,
Governor,
you'll be in every
New York newspaper,
on every
Sunday morning show.
For weeks.
Right out
of the gate.
[Bishop]
The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law.
Thanks be to God...
I guess Jock can go
fuck himself, huh?
[Bishop] ...victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
[all] Amen.
[congregants murmuring]
How fortunate we all were to
live in the time of Jack Foley.
One of the last men of might
and principle.
He was a Caesar.
And what did they do
at the funeral of a Caesar?
At the funeral
of Gaius Julius Caesar,
a man stood at the rostrum
and called out criminals
and conspirators.
Those in the senate
that would sully Caesar's city
and dishonor his legacy.
And I come today...
to do the same.
[congregants murmuring]
When the people heard what
they had done in the senate,
they set upon them,
tearing some apart,
and forcing others
from the city.
Now, I have been empowered
by my great friend,
your August governor...
not to allow bloodsport,
but to bring justice
to the venal actors
who have betrayed
our great commonwealth...
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
[congregants murmuring]
Immunity!
I thought
we had a deal.
No deal for you,
pal.
And we will continue
to purge these pews
until corruption has been
cleansed from the Empire State.
[indistinct shouting]
Oh, Jack, I hope I have
learned well from you,
that I have honored you,
and that I have given you
a proper sendoff...
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Hey, uh, I'm sorry
I lost my shit out there.
I-I don't know if I even meant
half the stuff I said,
it's just...
you know, you reach a point
where you're your own man.
It doesn't matter
if someone is your dad...
or if they knew your dad...
you just...
you want to make your own
decisions your own way.
Believe me, I get that.
I was hoping you would.
And who knows,
maybe there's a world...
down the line... where you do
come back into the fund.
So, uh, let's keep
an open channel.
In case.
For the future.
[chuckles]
John, John...
I tried.
I really did.
I gave you
every chance.
But you didn't know where
you were in the fucking hand.
Just like
your old man.
Because the part of the story
I didn't tell you is:
your father may have
talked shit about me
and the way
I went about earning.
But he bit off plenty
of big chunks from my sheet
when it came
bonus time.
And, yeah, sure,
while he was a killer gin player
at five cents a point,
when the partners upped
the stakes to a dollar...
they mopped the fucking floor
with him.
Because he was a piker
who couldn't handle the pressure
when the stakes
were high.
And you are a chip
off the old fucking block.
Maybe I should take an Uber
back to the city.
Yeah.
You do that.
But first,
you might want
to check your messages.
[John] [chuckling]
Wait, you... you released
a fucking interview
bashing my approach...
You got Birch
and Malverne
and all those other guys
to agree?
I didn't
'get them to.'
They just happened to.
[John]
Holy shit.
I...I've had a flood
of redemptions.
And yesterday
no one wanted out.
[gasps] Right when no one
could reach you? Ouch...
Lemme guess,
today you are down
about seventy,
eighty percent
on assets
under management.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[Axe] I'd bet
some of your investors
thought
they were happy...
Some of 'em probably needed
a real shove...
Problems? Yeah, I suppose
I would call them problems.
Operational ones.
Back office ones.
Strategic ones.
Enough for Axe to pull
all of his capital...
...It killed him to pull
that money.
You read the interview.
And believe me he'd backed
this kid from the start...
[Axe] Others
I'm betting bolted
at the first sight
of greener land...
I'm authorized
to cut our fees.
We'll do a nine percent hurdle
rate for the first year...
which means you don't pay a cent
until we clear 10% returns
if you come over
to Axe Cap.
It's a fucking free roll,
but it has to be now...
[Axe] And your reputation
may not be entirely intact.
Yeah,
Sag Harbor PD is going light,
but we've seen the photos of him
running red lights to Shinnecock
with powder
on his upper lip.
His wife is going for blood
in the divorce...
At least half.
You want a fund manager occupied
with that shit?
♪ upbeat music ♪
[Wags]
Here's your script.
I'm bleeding out.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[chuckles nervously]
I mean, you... you ruined
my business, my name...
I told you never give back
the money, kid.
♪ dramatic music ♪
You said you wanted
to stay small.
Small enough
for you now?
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
[car door opens, closes]
[engine starts]
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
I fuckin' knew
you'd do it.
I am glad to have deserved
your confidence.
Congratulations.
You got what you wanted.
I know
you don't understand...
I understand
it's important to you.
How's the
CNC program coming?
A few bugs,
but it'll be ready when
the time for production comes.
[Taylor] Good.
I've decided I will help you
launch to the production stage.
Would you have done it
if you hadn't brought
that new money on?
I did bring
that new money on.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[Wags]
Come on! Bring it in!
Yeah! Yeah!
Cheers, you fucking brigands.
Another fuckin' drink.
Hey!
Hey!
[all cheering]
Yeah!
So, we caught two blues,
a few sea bass
and a nice striper...
You know,
we did a bit better.
Of Rice's billion,
we put 741 million into play...
[all pounding on table]
430 of it,
including your 100 and change,
came on board...
[pounding on table]
The rest exited
and is in the ether...
"Sorry,
Vanquisher, uh,
both our teams are already
engaged on an emergency."
[laughter]
A loss for him
was a win for us today.
[all shouting]
I never thought I'd be part of
a real life Wannsee Conference.
[chuckling]
Or that
it would be so much fun.
[laughter]
[man] Livin' on the edge.
Come on.
Let's keep it coming.
[man #2] That was some great
work on the marine radio.
[Bonnie] God, I wish I saw
the look on his face.
[man] Yeah, yeah!
You're back
above ground,
finally letting the team
see your face.
Turns out you and Rebecca
were wrong.
But also right.
You weren't
making more of it?
No, sir.
The thinnest
Google search reveals
that people
are fucking obsessed...
they want to know
what whips I use,
what bustier I wear,
what Chuck sounds like
when he squeals.
I'll admit to wondering
about two of those.
Kind of like
a stuck pig.
Mm.
Not that one...
The thing is: as I read it,
it stopped mattering.
Stopped really being
about me.
Stopped having anything
to do with me.
Because I don't know those
people. And they don't know me.
So you snapped
the computer shut and moved on?
I think you know
I did not.
I had Rudy's
sad social media password,
saw what the Mason Capital folks
were saying.
How bad?
About what
you'd expect.
Gifs, photoshops of my head
on Dita Von Teese's body.
Mm.
Everyone piled on.
Except Taylor.
Oh. Taylor stayed
above the fray?
No.
More than that.
Told them to stop.
That someone my age
shouldn't be mocked
for getting her kicks
however she needed to.
Wow.
Yeah.
I guess
it makes sense.
After
the whole thing broke,
they were the only one
to reach out.
They reached out?
I didn't take their call,
of course. But they tried.
Taylor really did that...?
[Wendy] Yup.
Guess they think
I'm so pathetic
as to no longer pose
a threat.
No, that is the act
of an open and evolved person
who understands
vulnerability...
Lame.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Taylor? Hi.
I would like to talk...
I'd like to see you...
♪ dramatic music ♪
[vehicle approaching]
[engine shuts off]
♪ dramatic music ♪
Well.
I got your text.
What the hell
are we doing here, Dad?
I thought
we should celebrate,
we both had
very big days.
You did it.
Oh, my... You went ahead
with your project
even after
I asked you not to.
There's too much heat
to get involved in this, Dad.
If you'd whined this much
as a baby,
I'd've slipped more whisky
in your bottle
and risked the chance
that you'd be a dullard.
There's no heat, Sonny...
[scoffs]
....my permits came back
without a hitch.
[sighs]
Now,
listen carefully
and learn how I am going to
refill your trust fund...
[sighs]
...and how you'll bring my
great-grandchildren to this spot
and tell them the story
of what we did here.
♪ James Brown's "The Payback" ♪
♪ Hey ♪
♪ Gotta, gotta payback ♪
♪ The big payback ♪
♪ Revenge ♪
♪♪
♪ I'm mad ♪
♪ The big payback ♪
♪ Got to get back ♪
♪ Need some get back ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ That's it ♪
♪ Payback ♪
♪ Revenge ♪
♪ I'm mad ♪
♪ You get down
with my girlfriend ♪