Billions (2016–…): Season 4, Episode 6 - Episode #4.6 - full transcript
[Sacker] Previously
on Billions...
If the only way
I could eat this pizza
was naked in the middle of
Times Square, I would.
Problem is, you'd be sure
to undress me, too.
You doing this here?
You did it.
We're gonna need to work out
a visitation plan.
Figure out what's best
for the boys.
We'd probably move.
They're not going
anywhere till college.
I'm here to ask you to honor
your promise to me:
that there was
no favor you'd refuse.
You know I'm committed
to my government post
as the Secretary
of the Treasury.
But, I do like to keep an eye
peeled for opportunities.
A proposed business?
Yes.
Lattice grid fins.
Your white whale.
It's all
you say it is, Dad.
Let's do something
with this.
There is
no available burial plot.
Who snaked me?
How's this:
The plot is yours.
If you take
immediate occupancy.
A very interesting set of
permits just got expedited.
The beneficiary?
One Charles Rhoades, Senior.
There it is.
[Taylor] I'm sorry to have seen
Chuck's press conference.
I can imagine you could use
some support right now...
So, would you like to?
Talk?
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[The Mississippi Sheiks'
"Sitting on Top of the World"
plays over speakers]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
You know, the speakeasy
is an American tradition.
But for now, this one
is just for my friends.
Enjoy.
[Wendy] Thank you,
Nicholas.
♪ Was all the summer
and all the fall ♪
♪ Just trying to find
my little all in all ♪
The idea is:
When you're inside a speakeasy,
you're invisible
to the outside world.
♪ I don't worry ♪
And can be exactly who
you really are.
So you thought you'd bribe me
with vegan mango rice ice cream?
Yes.
Is it working?
Maybe a little.
But since I can be exactly
who I want to here,
I'm going to be direct:
I don't think
I should talk to you.
I don't think
I can talk to you.
I don't think
I will talk to you.
I'm going to eat it
in silence.
That works.
I mostly just want you
to listen.
I'm sitting
on top of the world
Many of the guys at Axe Capital
try to get me to talk to them.
To let them in. Here.
But I'm a dispassionate
trained professional.
So that never happens.
But it happened with you.
Why do you think that is?
Because of the way
you listen.
It doesn't present
as empathy.
But I came to understand
that underneath that
uninflected gaze,
that's what's there.
You feel deeply.
You care deeply.
You try to solve all
the problems you see.
It's what makes you
who you are.
That's probably right.
And that's also why
you were the only one
who reached out after
what Chuck made public.
You put your anger,
your resentment, aside
and you called me
human to human.
Yet you refused me.
I wasn't ready
to talk then.
To trust you.
Still don't trust you.
Samesies.
♪ If you couldn't dream
no more? ♪
But I now know if I don't
talk to someone--
and not a dispassionate
trained professional--
but someone who knows my world,
knows me,
and actually gives a shit...
If I don't get it out...
♪ No mercy in this land? ♪
...I'm gonna end up
in a bad place.
[slurps]
♪ Followed the river
till the river ran dry ♪
Does that
have liquor in it?
It does.
Thank Christ.
♪ Followed my lover ♪
What would Axe say
if he knew about this?
This has nothing
to do with him.
So...what then?
♪ Is there no mercy
in this land? ♪
[sighs]
You don't have to
talk about you.
Just listen.
Help me figure out me.
And then, if you need to share
anything about you,
we find mutuality.
But I insist on nothing.
I merely ask.
Maybe.
♪♪♪
Okay.
Go.
♪♪♪
Thank you.
♪ Is there no mercy
in this land? ♪
♪ No mercy in this land? ♪
[DeGiulio] That's right!
That's right! That's right!
Ah! [laughs]
-[knock on door]
-Judge DeGiulio, a word?
They call this the beautiful
game for a reason.
It flows. What kind of man
interrupts that?
You don't interrupt that.
Why would you interrupt that?
I-I didn't know
you were watching.
I've got Inter Milan up a goal
here against --
Sorry to interrupt
your soccer game.
Hey, hey, hey.
Fútbol in this office,
please.
If we lose now,
you get the blame.
I'm here with
a sensitive request.
Yeah. No need to speak
what's all over your face, kid.
I'm applying for a wiretap.
On Charles Rhoades, Senior.
Junior, too, actually.
You're asking me
if you can spy on
the Attorney General
of the State of New York.
And his father.
Sure.
Eat it all.
Like Big Earl.
Whole left side of the menu.
Including the Pimlico
and the Maryland Fried Chicken.
It's not just
about my appetite.
Yeah, I'm hungry as hell for
the Chuck Rhoades special.
But this is legit.
Rhoades Senior
bribed an official.
Chuck is
a co-conspirator--
What do you got
in the way of evidence?
Uh...
FBI observed
father and son
on the building site
in question.
You got a family portrait.
-Judge--
-Mr. US Attorney.
Counselor. Bryan.
Your request is denied.
Now go eat something before you
become even more lightheaded.
I've got fútbol to watch.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
-[elevator dings]
-[elevator doors open]
♪♪♪
[bells jangle]
[door closes, bells jangle]
♪♪♪
[indistinct conversations]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Connerty came for
a wire on you.
Did you grant it?
I killed it.
As an ordinary matter of law.
And I'm telling you
as an extraordinary matter
of friendship.
Now, that's what
warms the cockles.
How our bond isn't merely that
of men who trade in favors but--
You got a good one for me?
And like that,
the cockles go cold.
I already did the thing for you.
You can owe me. Again.
Nope. I can pay now.
I've found you a juicy
health care case.
Politically charged.
Just the type that will be
cited by the Supreme Court
and underlined by law students
for years.
It's supposed to go to
another judge.
I'll get it to you.
Extraordinary friendship
indeed.
[sighs]
Hmm.
♪ dramatic music ♪
I remember the first time
you brought me into your lab.
Meant so much to me...
You gave me designs the next day
to remake it.
As you remade this from
whatever it was before.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
My lattice fin.
Yes. I had it fabricated from
carbon fiber per your specs.
[Taylor] And we have
an open-source suite
for multi-physics
simulation--
I'm going to need a bigger
wind tunnel for final tests.
Of course.
We'll get it.
[breathes deeply]
I always knew
I'd make it back.
♪♪♪
You are back.
And I hope
better than ever.
I will set the meetings.
With partners to take this
the next hundred miles.
And we need to practice
good business hygiene.
Phones and emails
encrypted.
Traveling discreetly
and indirectly.
Got it.
But is this paranoia,
or is your old boss really--
Whatever word you're about to
use, the answer is yes.
Yes, he is.
[siren wailing]
That's the lab.
High tech propulsion.
[Hall] Mason Capital diverted
28 million to unspecified--
What are they
doing in there?
We don't know yet.
Well, find out.
[scoffs]
That's why I'm here.
I don't need supervision.
Not supervising.
Just mixing in.
I need to see
what I'm gonna destroy.
Because believe you me,
Taylor wants to destroy us.
Yes. But you standing here
isn't gonna fix it.
Let me do what I do.
Maybe find something
more befitting.
Don't you have a date
or something?
Matter of fact, I do.
Yeah.
And quit hacking
my calendar.
-[zipping]
-[Chuck sighs]
Do you need
something?
No.
Just a new pair of pajamas.
The old ones I've got in
the guest room are a bit ripe.
[door opens]
Take an extra set
with you.
Since the marital bed is
no longer providing succor--
You traded that
for your new job.
You have to
live with that.
I'm not sure I can.
I'd like your permission
to see someone.
A professional.
A dom?
[sighs]
♪ dramatic music ♪
I'll think about it.
♪♪♪
[unzipping]
♪♪♪
[scoffs]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Chuck!
Did you do that yourself?
[sighs]
Okay.
Jesus. Okay.
I can?
Yes.
[sighs]
Thank you.
I think this will help.
I'll find a place.
[Wendy] No.
Someone will follow you there.
I can't have any--
I can't have even one more
story about this.
If you have to do it.
If you can't hold out.
Do it here.
[Wendy] Have her dress in a way
she looks like
it's a sports massage
or personal trainer.
I'll take the kids out.
Thank you.
It's fine.
I mean it's not fine.
It's fine.
Now go to your room.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[sighs]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Victor, this is
your wake up call, pal.
[Axe] I have some ideas
I want to hit you with--
Can I call you back?
I can't really talk right now.
What's more important
than me?
Nothing.
Just not a good time, Axe.
[Victor] Call you soon.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Orrin.
Strange things are afoot
at the Circle K.
Get Spyros.
I want you to do a quick
but deep dive
on potential trouble
in Victor land.
♪♪♪
[printer whirring]
♪ mid-tempo music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[elevator dings]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[envelope rustles]
[door opens]
[door closes]
Kappa Beta Phi.
They're opening
their books.
Oh.
You're finally getting made.
Along with
such vaunted names as
Bloomberg, Langone,
Paul Tudor Jones.
Well.
They're lucky to have
your silky tenor
and rough-hewn liver.
I know you don't care about
Wall Street's elite fraternity.
You are above it--
like a god.
But I am in it--
like a demigod.
I'm happy you're happy.
-[door opens]
-Your gut was right.
What I wouldn't give for
a gastrointestinal tuning fork
like yours.
Fucking knew it.
What's Victor
gotten into?
More like what has
he gotten himself onto...
and that is the radar of
my old compadres at the Commish.
SEC is looking into Victor
for insider trading--
tied to a research firm called
Mark to Market Analytics.
Whole host of offenses
they can fine for,
and the US Attorney can toss him
in a cell over.
They will peck
where there is blood.
And sooner or later...
I need to talk to Victor.
Sooner.
[Spyros] Kappa Beta Phi?
Count one Ari Spyros
jelly AF.
[hand slaps]
[sniffs, sighs]
[knock on door]
We struck some ore.
Could be base metal,
could be gold.
Oh?
We've been fine-tooth combing
official travel records
for our esteemed AG.
Jeffcoat went to Chile.
Official business.
[T.] But on the way back,
his plane made
an unplanned stop to refuel...
in the Cayman Islands.
Juicy spot for
financial misdeeds.
Tax evasion,
money laundering...
We'll get into it.
See if Jock--or his money--
paid a visit to any banks
while in country.
Do it. This fucker--
and his minion--
hate that
I'm in this office.
Will stop at nothing
to remove me.
So I need to fire first.
Thank you both
for picking up the cause.
Your blood feud
is not my cause.
Why are you here if you don't
want to get Jock?
Oh, I want to get him.
For all the reasons that
don't matter to you.
Understood.
And still appreciated.
[horns honking]
[indistinct conversations]
[Victor] My uncle used to
take me here.
Cabbie joint.
They know how to eat.
Mm.
Tell me about
Mark to Market Analytics.
Shit.
I didn't cooperate
with the Feds.
Not a word.
I know.
That's why I'm here.
So tell me what
you didn't tell them.
I thought I was supposed to
keep the gray stuff
far away from you.
You failed.
So now I need to know.
Mark to Market's
a research company.
I pretexted my way
in the door
and rather than close a deal
for their services, I...
You swiped
their recommended buys.
I also skewed the numbers they
reported to their competitors
so they'd make bad trades.
Love the spirit.
But that's what's gonna get
the government guys
firing at you like the end of
Bonnie and Clyde.
Fuck me.
And if the SEC get
the US Attorney involved--
they're like these cabbies:
they don't just want
the cheek meat,
they'll take
your whole fucking head.
Okay.
What can I do?
Don't do business
with anyone
you haven't known
since grade school.
And get a law firm
on retainer.
Hey.
I'll make sure this doesn't
track back to you.
I assumed that.
Right up until
you said it.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
[door opens and closes]
We connected with staff
at the Cayman airport.
Jock never left the jet.
And no one ever
joined him onboard.
But there could still be
gold in the pan.
Staff members recall
another Cabinet official
visiting
on several occasions
that do not show up
in the official logbook.
Then taking a Town Car
with tinted windows
straight to Banco Esencial.
It was Todd Krakow.
Treasury Secretary.
[chuckling] Wow.
Find out who he's doing business
with down there.
And see what's up.
This could lead some strange
and thorny places.
Where you thrive,
Mr. Allerd...
I was born in the dark.
But, T., you don't
need to continue
down the path
if you don't want to.
If we're going to find a way to
use Krakow against Jock, I want.
Gas up the State jet.
Dollar Bill,
you've been read into this
'cause you know Victor the best,
[Axe] and 'cause vouchsafed him
back in here.
Can we count on him
to hold the line?
Absolutely. Guy's as loyal as
John McCain in the Hanoi Hilton.
Cut him loose.
I hate to say it,
but his carelessness
has trumped his loyalty.
[Spyros] I agree.
What we owe to this famiglia
isn't just blood,
it's sentenza--
You can't do it.
You're normally the driest-eyed
guy in the room.
Oh, I couldn't give a fuck
whether Victor lives or dies.
But you actually can't.
I've been reviewing
the terms of
the agreement with
Victor's firm.
Rights and responsibilities
and--
Taylor fucked us.
Spacey-style.
Sneaky
and from behind.
What did they do?
[Bach] During
their brief reign,
Taylor papered the deal
with Victor's satellite--
-[sighs]
-Taylor inserted a term,
deep in the definitions,
[Bach] allowing Axe Cap
to convert its investment
[Bach] into
a general partnership.
I co-own
Victor's firm.
Victor's actions are
legally attributable to me.
Fuckin' Trojan Horse
time bomb.
Taylor really knew us.
All of us.
How the fuck could Taylor
just do this--unilaterally?
There was a co-conspirator.
A co-signer anyway.
Mafee.
[grunts]
I am gonna grind his bones
to make my bread.
[Axe] You are free
to work on that.
Meanwhile, I gotta put moonlight
between me and Victor.
The deal is ironclad.
This thing can be prosecuted.
And will be.
It's a Darrell Dunkenstein
Griffith slam dunk.
♪ dramatic music ♪
Okay.
Someone is gonna prosecute him,
but it doesn't have to be
the US Attorney.
♪♪♪
Go ahead
and call him.
You want me to wrestle the case
from the SEC,
then, basically,
let Victor go?
Put a conviction on the books.
Then justice,
or whatever the fuck
they're calling it these days--
Oh.
Still calling it justice--
[Axe] Justice will be done.
And then no one needs to keep
looking into Victor
or anyone
connected to him.
Sure. Bury the case by lightly
burying your old confederate.
No jail time.
Or not much.
[Chuck] Yeah, I can do that.
But why?
And when is this
going to end?
Yes. Favors are owed.
But I am not
your barristerial footman.
Fair. And I wouldn't ask
if I didn't need.
Ok. The State of New York
now has Victor Mateo
softly, gently,
in its sights.
♪♪♪
[cellphone clatters]
[sighs]
The New York State jet just
took off for the Caymans--
with Chuck Rhoades
on board.
When your wire got denied, you
put out a travel bolo on him.
Least I could do.
You actually could
do less.
And you should.
Unless you want to fall into
the same stuff
that got Chuck kicked.
-Which is?
-Becoming a walking cliché
focused on
territorial bullshit.
Let him have his.
We'll take ours.
I'm the US Attorney now.
I'm taking both.
♪ dramatic music ♪
While lattice,
or grid fins, are--
Improve maneuverability.
Higher mach speeds
reduce drag and--
You ready?
For pitching
and being pitched to?
Call me Babe Ruth.
Let you go
and an 86-year curse ensues?
[chuckles]
Something like that.
You're nervous.
No, I'm--
You are.
Yeah. Okay, I am.
A little.
This is big for me.
I'll talk the numbers.
You'll talk the science.
Which you know better than
anybody in the entire room.
You can't fail.
♪♪♪
Who's first?
[Hall] His name is
Brett Ford...
[Hall] Defense contractor.
Sells solar flare shields
to NASA.
And missile guidance
to the military.
Jeff Kolanski.
He runs--
Blackstrup.
50 billion dollar market cap
in aeronautics.
[Hall] Yes.
And finally Brian Dana.
Sharp investor.
More focused on startups
than the others.
From what Taylor's said
of their father,
he won't be a fan of
the defense contractor.
[Wags] So who are they
making a deal with?
'Cause we can't do dick
until we know that.
I'll be monitoring
subsequent communication.
Anything that
tips their lean.
Well, then it seems like
you have this in hand.
Enjoy your preparation
for pledge week.
I have some work
to get to.
One other thing:
[door closes]
I made Taylor and Wendy
at the same location.
Not the lab.
I know you'd never doubt
Ms. Rhoades's loyalty.
But in her current
emotional state...
Monitor that situation
even more closely.
♪♪♪
[sea gulls squawking]
You came a long way
just to talk, my friend.
[chuckles]
Had you picked up the phone,
I could have
saved you the trip.
Simply told you that Mr. Krakow
does not hold accounts here.
I've found that
the drop-in is better.
[Abington]
The element of surprise?
Looks like
you surprised yourself,
showing up in
a Super 150s wool suit.
Oof. [chuckles]
When traveling, always dress
for your destination.
Indeed I am dressed
for my destination.
Oh, I'm heading back to New York
shortly.
Which is why I'm wearing this,
and why you ought to be.
Are you accusing me
of something?
[chuckles]
Hiding the accounts
or, uh, skimming from
the accounts?
Both? Neither?
Who cares.
You should be more concerned
with the coins.
Coins of which currency?
Digital coins
you have been offering.
Forgive me, if I don't
understand all the, uh,
peculiarities
of cyber currency.
But without your bank
knowing it,
you've been using its reputation
to burnish these ICO scams
and selling them to customers
when you know damn well
[Chuck] the coins are worthless
[Chuck] if they even exist
in the first place...
You know, I guess I do
understand after all.
Because for all
the ICO mumbo-jumbo,
what we have here-- is
an old-fashioned pig in a poke.
[Chuck] And were I to expose
that scam,
[Chuck] I imagine you would be
made an example of
by the Cayman authorities.
And I bet when they roar to
life, they are efficient.
And we can avoid all that
if I tell you about
Secretary Krakow's accounts?
Telling me?
You're telling everybody.
Oh, you're coming back
to New York
and going in front of
a grand jury.
Today.
Mnh. Mnh.
It's a shame
you're wearing that.
Brrr.
Cold in New York.
♪ up-tempo jazz music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Fucking bad ass.
It truly is.
I'm a bit of a buff
about this event.
Did you know one year,
John Astor
and Cornelius Vanderbilt
wore the same dress
and it was the social scandal
of the season.
♪♪♪
I bet I'll never get
the tap on the shoulder.
You never know.
When I was starting out,
my first big boss...
he was a former president.
You worked for
a Grand Swipe?
He was bringing me along.
Then, after the first time
I went to rehab,
he cut me loose.
My father said I blew it.
I'd never get in.
I've found I've been
carrying this around
ever since
I got the invite.
This is Mr. Wagner.
[Spyros]
A former Grand Loaf.
I dedicate all of this
to the day he died.
He was so
damn disappointed.
♪♪♪
He'll never get to see me
like this...
♪♪♪
Spyros, Dollar Bill,
find whatever greatness lies
within you and nurture it.
[gulps]
Eventually,
it will be seen.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
You already have your men,
waiting to take me, huh?
Not his men.
Not by a long shot.
I am the United States
Attorney
for the Southern District
of New York.
You always say the full title
Idi Amin-style?
Whether or not I do, I am lord
of all beasts of this case.
I have here a material
witness order...
Signed by a judge,
executed now by the FBI.
[Sacker] Mr. Abington, you can
go with Agent Dancshazy.
We have a lot
to talk about.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
You fucked with the wrong
Attorney General.
I'll see you--
Oh, say it, fucking say it,
Chuck.
--In court.
Goddamned right you will.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Great news. All three companies
accepted our term sheet.
I don't want to do
any of these deals.
Why'd you have us go through
the meetings then?
[Douglas] I went with you,
because I thought,
hey, this is
Taylor's area of expertise.
But I did not come to New York
to do business with strangers.
I came here to work
with my family.
So, like, you wanna pass
on everyone?
♪♪♪
What would
make you happy?
You.
You financing the whole thing.
With banks,
if necessary.
But it's clear to me you don't
want to take that risk.
You don't believe in the idea
strongly enough.
In me enough.
The smartest thing,
the necessary thing,
is a strategic partnership.
Which brings with it a stronger
endorsement of the utility.
This is a sign of
how much I believe.
Enough not to humor you.
But to make a plan to win.
The only plan I see is the one
where you protect your own hide.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[door opens]
♪♪♪
I'm gonna...
♪♪♪
[indistinct conversations]
Hey, look.
From time to time I've been
asked to get right
with some stuff
I didn't fully agree with.
And I rolled with it.
Because I wasn't the smartest
person in the room.
I'm always the smartest person
in the room.
Then I can't help you.
Especially if you think that
when you're in the same room
with Taylor.
♪ soft music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
The four freedoms,
as identified by FDR--
speech, worship,
from fear, from want.
That was part of
Roosevelt's shpiel
to get America
into the war.
Effective.
Appealing to not only
our desires,
but also to that of which
we're most afraid.
He knew how to rouse.
Which do you think is
the more effective tool:
appealing to someone's
aspirations or their fear?
If you want to motivate someone
to a specific action?
I say: be like Roosevelt
and do both.
I think that's correct.
Thank you.
Louis Kahn built this,
didn't he?
The original starchitect.
Before the term
was even coined.
Yes. He called this:
a space of inspired use.
But he never saw it
come to be.
The financing didn't come
through during his lifetime.
Or even right after.
Despite his genius.
It was his son, wasn't it?
Who brought him back.
Made that documentary
about him.
Yes. It wasn't until the film,
years after his father's death,
that the world remembered
how special he was.
I see.
The kid--the whole movie is him
trying to understand his father,
what made him great,
what made him distant.
It's a search to get to the soul
of a great designer
and innovator,
who happened to be a flawed man.
I'm guessing,
for someone like you,
someone who's always looking for
the new approach,
the thought of Kahn
walking around with plans
for something this striking
and important,
but never saw it built...
And it took the child
from whom he was estranged
to make the world remember.
And I thought:
I want to see it.
And I bet Wendy would like it,
too.
Here's what I bet.
I bet all Louis Kahn wanted
was to connect with his son.
But that his work
kept calling to him,
pushing him, driving him.
And at a certain point,
the gap was just too great.
But in the end,
the son found him.
And showed Kahn's greatness
to the rest of the world.
I have to imagine that
even through the sadness,
the time, the mortality,
there's a connection now,
between them.
That's very hopeful.
I want you to be right.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Helena,
I need you to track down
some old session notes from
storage in the Westport office.
All my files for Taylor Mason.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[footsteps approaching]
-Hey.
-Hey.
Where have you been?
You haven't been very reachable.
Three alarm fire.
It's all hosed down.
All good.
I sent Chef Ryan out.
Figured it might be fun
if we cooked our own dinner.
Rolling gnocchi together?
Like in Godfather 3.
That didn't turn out
so well.
I refuse to believe
that such a thing
as Godfather 3
even exists.
Salute.
So, think about
what you want to make,
and we'll open a couple bottles
while we're prepping,
it'll be fun--
That sounds like a great start
to a night.
So, why do I
have a hunch
that the part after dinner's
gonna be even better?
Because you know
your customer.
[elevator dings]
You know what
a C.A.C.O. is?
The military thing.
It's Casualty Assistance
Calls Officer--
The ones who notify next of kin
when a soldier--
[sighs]
So who died?
More of a what.
The thing I said I could do
for you with Victor.
You lose another cushy
government job already--
Far from. No.
I am so deep in it,
in fact,
that my old enemies are
drawing down on me as we speak.
So, much as I'd like to
do you your courtesy,
any move I make with Victor
will invite scrutiny
from the very people
you want to avoid.
Rather than bury the case,
it will mark it with an X.
Huh,
so I'm collateral damage.
Normally I'm the one
casually leaving the wreckage.
I imagine
this feels worse.
Both suck.
Well. I appreciate you
delivering the news
promptly and in person.
♪♪♪
[elevator doors open]
♪♪♪
[glass clinks]
I'm thinking
we do some steaks.
I make
a mean smashed potatoes.
Not mashed.
I smash those fuckers.
[Axe] You know what,
I think you're right.
Let's go out.
What?
Ahh, we don't need to cook.
Quick dinner.
What happened?
You went to the elevator okay
and you came back all fucked up.
Nothing. I don't want
to talk about it.
What? Did the fire
flare back up on you?
[sighs]
Details. Go. C'mon.
I said I don't want to
talk about it. Fuck.
Come on.
Why don't we just have a drink
or something?
This is
one of those moments
that people get to
when they scuba dive.
It's 'maximum
recreational depth.'
You wondering if there's enough
oxygen to go deeper?
No, you're wondering if
you want to go deeper with me.
We've been deep.
Sure.
But that doesn't count.
You were married
for a long time.
For you, talking business--
or whatever issue
you're having--
with a woman
is more intense,
it's more personal
than sex.
And you are not
ready for that.
That doesn't seem right.
No.
It's not right.
But it is true.
I'll give you
your space.
[footsteps approaching]
Hey.
You ok?
The question is:
are you?
With this?
If I said "no"
would it change anything?
Just do
what you have to do.
You offered this.
You suggested--
Kevin! Eva!
I allowed it, yes.
And now,
I am facilitating it.
By taking the kids out.
But it is not fair
to ask me to like it.
[footsteps approaching]
I'm taking the kids out
for the night,
so you can have your...
personal training session.
Thank you.
Okay, guys.
-Bye, Dad.
-Bye.
-Bye, Dad.
-[smooches]
Don't let Grandpa
ruin your fun.
Words to live by.
[door closes]
[sighs heavily]
♪ dramatic music ♪
[knock on door]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[door opens]
[door closes]
♪ mid-tempo music ♪
[footsteps approaching]
♪♪♪
Mm.
♪♪♪
[sighs]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
So do I call you Mistress Cassie
or Goddess or--
Unh!
[grunts]
[gasp, coughs]
♪♪♪
[groaning]
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
[footsteps approaching]
Figured
I'd find you here.
Dad. You are living out
your pathology again.
If you mean
not wanting another thing
ripped out from
under me, yeah.
I think I've been pretty clear
about that.
That's not
the way it happened.
We both know it,
so it's time to admit it.
What?
"Worked on a project
using company resources.
Did not share it with company
executives in a proper manner."
How did you get ahold of
my personnel file?
♪ dramatic music ♪
What matters is:
I know.
♪♪♪
My supervisor wasn't capable
of understanding it.
He would have fucked it up.
I was taking it to the CEO--
But instead you tried to walk it
across the street?
I wanted it to find
a proper home
where it would see
the light of day
and get the chance
that it deserved.
And now you're spying on me...
and taking their side.
I'm not.
I'm on your side.
I always have been.
What if I told you that
your company had you in line
to be CTO
before you did what you did?
♪♪♪
Are you kidding me?
Don't bullshit about that--
Would I bullshit
about that?
♪♪♪
We are here now.
We can't hide secrets
and live on false memories.
Not anymore.
Hey, kid, what do you say
we keep it clean
and go it alone
for another round?
With you funding
the next steps.
An additional fourteen million,
by my calculations,
which you'll see back
fivefold.
Your calculations are
inaccurate. And low.
And that return
is unrealistic.
We need
a strategic partnership.
There are areas,
myriad areas,
where your wisdom,
your smarts surpass mine.
That's what I tried to explain
to Mafee.
But this isn't one of them.
Is it?
♪♪♪
No.
So?
We go your way.
♪♪♪
It is hard becoming a new
version of yourself.
You finally
understand me.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[exhales heavily]
Sorry,
I know an ounce of this
probably costs more than caviar
but, uh-- [chuckles]
Jesus, Chuck.
It got a little
out of hand.
It'll be okay.
It barely hurts--
I'm not worried
about that.
People are gonna think
I did this to you.
I'll tell 'em I took up
jiu-jitsu again.
To plausibly account for these
bruises. And future ones.
Wait, you plan on
continuing with this?
♪♪♪
Wendy. What I did tonight...
I can't live without.
And I won't.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[sighs]
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
[Lara] You never invited me
for coffee.
Even when we were dating.
These days we rarely talk,
so...
I made a mistake
forcing the lockup.
So you're releasing
the money?
No, that stays
where it is.
But you and the kids
can go to California.
You getting re-married?
New kid on the way?
Gonna off yourself?
0-fer-3.
Talk to me.
We don't do that
anymore.
We can't.
You're merely getting
what you asked for.
On your timeline.
Your way.
Suited to your needs.
Well, my money,
you know?
Yeah.
I really do.
That was wrong
and stupid to say.
I'm sorry.
-But it was true.
I don't know
what you valued in me.
If it was the street smarts
or my neighborhood roots--
Loyalty.
And at some point,
you feel like I violated that.
Shortly after I did.
I was about to say that.
I know.
I spared us both.
Sometimes I wonder:
what if you didn't get so rich?
What if we lived
a simpler life--
Nah. There was never going to be
a different version.
That's not how I'm made.
♪ soft music ♪
You're right.
♪♪♪
It's nothing to be sad about,
but for some reason I am.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Send me a rider saying
I can take the kids...
and a quarter of the money...
wherever the fuck I want.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[indistinct conversations]
Ooooh, your wife
laid into you good.
[chuckles]
Jiu-jitsu.
Just getting
the blood going.
[door opens]
[door closes]
Well, we've got a scorcher
here today.
I know in the box score
this'll just go down as
a motion to enjoin,
but I'm looking at
a clash of the titans.
One of those old-fashioned
Sunday afternoon
franchise crossovers.
King Kong vs. Godzilla.
Or maybe Abbott and Costello
against the Mummy.
Mr. Rhoades,
you're away.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I'd like you to vacate
Mr. Connerty's
material witness claim against
the banker, Mr. Abington,
and block SDNY from putting it
in front of a grand jury.
I'm sure you've got a great
answer to this, but...why?
Abington is my witness.
[Chuck] I found him.
I signed him up.
Brought him back
to these shores.
The Feds can't just bigfoot
and take what they want.
Like you did so many times
when you were in that job?
These crimes have a nexus to
New York State--my constabulary.
The underlying financial fraud
of...Target X originated here.
You can say his name.
I closed the court
and agreed
to seal the record
so we can talk about
what we're talking about.
But he can't.
Not really.
There are issues of
executive privilege here.
Going after Treasury Secretary
Krakow would involve
delving into some seriously
protected federal material
that Mr. Rhoades does not
have access to.
And given everything that would
need to be redacted,
Mr. New York State would be
gagged and blindfolded.
A position he knows well--
[DeGiulio] --None o' that--
I can make the case without
any of those concerns.
You just want
what I have.
[DeGiulio] Is that what this is,
Mr. Connerty,
the green-eyed monster
of jealousy?
No. It's wanting something
done right.
Right for whom?
When Mr. Connerty
blows this case
[Chuck] how will we know
it's genuine incompetence
and that he didn't bury it
for his boss--
one Cabinet Secretary
covering for another.
That sounds more like
a Chuck Rhoades tactic.
Okay,
neutral corners.
You both make
decent points.
And it's fun as hell watching
you rock 'em and sock 'em.
But before someone's head
flies off, I'm gonna rule.
Judge,
I have more to say--
I'm about to
rule in your favor,
so maybe don't
pitch past the W.
He's got the federal records
and the witness--
I think a case in motion
should stay in motion.
So Mr. Rhoades's motion
is denied.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[sighs]
[door opens]
Yeah. Yeah, looks like
there's a new one
darkening
right under your eye.
Might need Mick to cut ya
if you plan on continuing. Huh?
[hand slaps]
The modern thing is that
everyone wins.
But we win more, right--
-Yes.
-Mm-hmm.
I'm sorry, I tried to--
She did.
Go.
I should have looked at every
contract Taylor ever worked on.
Dissected every move.
Anticipated land mines.
But I didn't.
And now,
this guy Victor--
who used to work for me
and kind of still does--
he could really hurt me.
So, you gonna tell me what
changed from our last convo?
Well, for one thing, I need to
solve this Victor problem--
And you worked through
whatever you needed to,
to free yourself up.
Helped that it was
a prison of my own making.
I'd shown myself in.
I knew the way out. Clean.
And this isn't.
♪♪♪
But I like messy.
'Cause it gives me
something to clean up.
I take control instead of
the mess controlling me.
♪♪♪
You're right.
I should've been talking to you
about this
from the very beginning.
Yeah, true.
But you can tell me now...
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
You will not
sit with the SEC.
You don't need to anymore.
I cleaned up your mess:
I purchased
Mark to Market Analytics
for a sickening premium.
And with it,
the silence of the CEO--
who will not be cooperating
with the government.
[sighs]
[Axe] But remember this,
[Axe] when you look back on this
time at the end of your life,
it was me
who carried you.
Thank you.
Fuck you.
I now own a research firm
I never wanted.
And your ass.
You're going to
work off the debt.
If you want
more of my firm--
You no longer
have a firm.
Your fund has lost its utility
and is done.
You're now back at Axe Cap,
where you will work
like a fucking sharecropper
to clear your tab.
[indistinct conversations]
Welcome back.
Some things have changed,
but--
Who's that?
Victor Mateo.
Hey, rock star.
What do you do here?
Earn.
I noticed a new addition
to my docket.
That health care case
begging for
some high-profile,
DeGiulio-made law.
That--
and a fondness for beer--
will light your path to
the highest court in the land.
Loving every step
of the climb...
You think Connerty knew
we were throwing that
Krakow case to him?
No way he knows
I want him to have it.
Men seldom realize when things
are rigged in their favor.
It would require them
to have a realistic
and limited view
of their skills.
To be in touch
with humility.
He doesn't present
so humble anymore.
Nope.
He took that viper home,
like it was a Kewpie doll
he won at the county fair.
And now, he and his boss
will go after each other
like Serbs and Croats.
[chuckles]
So I get the same deal
as with the other guy?
Better. Because you'll get
federal protection.
Yeah, okay, sure.
Yeah.
So Krakow would come in,
personally, every other--
I'm in the middle
of the thing.
Your thing has to go
after this thing.
AG Jeffcoat's waiting.
In your office.
Excuse me.
[door opens]
Sorry you didn't make it up here
in time to watch me pants Chuck.
Well, as indelible an image
as that must have been,
you've had your fun.
Rest assured, I'm now turned to
the matter at hand.
Krakow.
You cannot prosecute
the Secretary of the Treasury.
That's a toxic look
for this Administration.
Drop the case.
Then Krakow goes free...
or Chuck gets him.
Let Chuck have at--
choke on any splatter.
You really like getting in there
behind the US Attorney's desk.
Every desk in the Department
of Justice is my desk.
I didn't take this job
so you could run me
like your goddamn
remote control butler--
You didn't just
take this job.
You dirty tricked
your way into it,
you stepped over
a damned corpse for it--
You're the one
who knifed him.
And you said it was so this
place could run different--
no more petty politics.
Petty?
We are talking about the parapet
around the fortress of Good
and Evil, you foolhardy child.
[sighs]
Cocksucker.
All right. You are right
at the line now, son.
Chuck.
This --
This is what he wanted.
A hint of misconduct from
protecting a cabinet member,
[Connerty]
and a wedge between us.
He knows you well enough to know
you'd come down like this--
And you well enough to know that
you couldn't abide.
But turns out...
I can.
♪ dramatic music ♪
I will drop the case.
Immediately.
We will stay in lockstep
and our focus will remain
where it should--
on blunting Chuck Rhoades
and knocking him
out of office.
♪♪♪
Maybe this desk really does
belong to you after all.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[indistinct conversations]
[classical music
playing over speakers]
♪♪♪
-Hi. Gia, Benjamin.
-Welcome to our club.
Thank you.
Michael Wagner.
♪♪♪
Maybe it's just
under Wags.
I'm a neophyte.
Not seeing it.
I have the invitation
right here--
[camera shutter clicking]
Say gorgonzola.
Oh, you're gonna look pretty
in Page Six.
Nussfaur.
You sent this.
For you to endure
the humiliation, Wagner.
Not of wearing a dress,
but of being an interloper.
A trespasser.
A buttinsky.
A social climber who has to
watch the ladder pulled up
right in front of your grasping,
outstretched arms.
You are making enemies
you cannot fathom
by deputizing KBP
in your little True Grit
revenge fantasy.
You think this legal eagle would
proceed without my blessing?
The fucking Grand Swipe
is in on this?
We're homies.
[laughs]
Ordered the invite
myself.
Which is the only invite
you'll ever receive.
You're not getting in,
Wagner.
Not today.
Not ever.
♪♪♪
My vengeance will come
like I do--
slow, thunderous,
and in your eye.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[laughter]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[soft rock music playing
over speakers]
[indistinct conversations]
[Hammon]
And I just got confirmation.
Brian Dana has countersigned
the revised term statement.
We are official.
-Wow.
-Hey, congratulations,
-Mr. Mason.
-Congratulations.
Dad, tonight's a celebration
not just
of the quality of
your invention,
but the new breadth
of your thinking.
I will take that as
a genuine compliment,
not a backhanded one.
As intended.
[clears throat]
Well, that's my cue.
Good luck with the kickoff
meeting in the a.m.
You know what,
I should walk out with you.
Get home
and start the prep on that.
Ohh.
Exciting new chapter.
Proud of you, Dad.
♪♪♪
I bring you a case
and a witness.
Ooh.
[chuckles]
Krakow?
[Chuck] Ah.
Well, that must
be frustrating--
working at a place where cases
come and go so strangely.
No, funny thing--
I'm used to it.
Uh huh.
Yeah.
Except when
I made these moves,
you knew there was a greater
plan, a greater enemy.
You don't feel
that way now.
Oh. You're worried
what's going on is small.
[Chuck] And that it will
make you small.
That banker is over
in your interview room.
Enjoy him.
You've earned it.
[chuckles]
[door opens and closes]
Karl!
What do I do
with this banker now?
I didn't want 'im
in the first place.
If I know Chuck Rhoades,
he's gonna take the offcuts,
grind 'em up together,
and make 'em into something
Jock can't stomach.
♪ Yesterday I was
out on the bluffs ♪
-[indistinct conversations]
-♪ Over the ocean blue ♪
♪ Was a girl swimming,
splashing in the water ♪
-♪ She sure did look like you ♪
-Hey.
Oh. Hey Mafee.
♪♪♪
This is a great place.
Yeah,
it's my nightcap slot.
You come in here?
I'm meeting an old friend.
She picked it.
♪ "I've lost my mind" ♪
Okay...
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
This doesn't need to be
so uncomfortable.
♪ I'm dangerous to myself ♪
People take jobs
and they still talk.
[chuckles]
Axe wasn't my first boss,
probably won't be my last...
How's yours?
Lot going on,
you know--
With their dad in town...
Facebook.
[chuckles]
They're working on
something together?
Sounds sweet.
Right. Yeah.
Could be big too.
Sure, big corporate partner,
and all.
More of a startup vibe,
but yeah, big player.
♪ So darling if you're thinking
you need a project ♪
[Wendy] So what are you doing
for fun these days?
Going to Mey-hee-co
next month.
-Mm.
-Gonna try some surfing--
-They --
-Oh. Shit.
My friend had a problem
with the babysitter.
Looks like I'll be going there
instead of enjoying this place.
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
Don't ever have kids.
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
I...might want to.
[chuckling]
I'm just kidding.
They're the best.
You should have a bunch.
And have a great night.
♪♪♪
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
No communication from anyone
in the Taylor clan.
They're locked down.
Still don't know who they're
jumping into bed with--
[door opens]
Ah. Looks like Cinderella
had a rough night.
It's the startup.
Brian Dana. 375Y.
Yeah,
that's the one.
I've been running
a side mission...
I was hoping
that was the case.
Well, now that we know 'who'
Mason is in business with,
we watch them build it.
Then, we take it out.
No.
Not enough.
They can come back from that.
No?
Well, you know the family
topography. What then?
Taylor needs to be
the one to crush it.
That will be
the most devastating blow.
The weight
of that betrayal...
they--plural,
both of them--
will never come back
from that.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[knock on door]
Enter.
Urgent or secret?
When you approach
a judge this late,
your cause
is one of the two.
I'm here to apply
for a wiretap.
On Chuck Rhoades,
for public corruption.
You know, you shouldn't
go shopping for judges
like in-season
stone fruit.
Your request was already
turned down by Judge DeGiulio.
The relationship between
the good judge and Mr. Rhoades
is all the more reason
why the wire is needed.
[unzipping]
You know I hold Chuck
in low regard.
You also know that
you couldn't appeal to that.
At least,
not that alone.
Well played.
♪ Fred Eaglesmith's
"Dangerous" ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
You have your wire.
♪ Thought I saw you
at an unmarked crossing ♪
♪ Picking flowers
at the edge of a lane ♪
[door opens and closes]
♪ There was dust
on my windshield ♪
♪ I was looking in the mirror ♪
♪ I almost got hit by a train ♪
♪ Later on at a four-way stop ♪
Hey.
We-- please, Wend,
can we just talk.
I know that we can
find our way back to--
♪ I was thinking you were right
and we had nothing left ♪
[keys clatter]
♪ Somebody blew their horn ♪
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
♪ To myself ♪
♪ Yesterday I was out
on the bluffs ♪
♪ Over the ocean blue ♪
♪ Was a girl swimming,
splashing in the water ♪
♪ She sure did look like you ♪
♪ 'Fore I knew it,
I was over the edge ♪
♪ Somebody threw me a line ♪
on Billions...
If the only way
I could eat this pizza
was naked in the middle of
Times Square, I would.
Problem is, you'd be sure
to undress me, too.
You doing this here?
You did it.
We're gonna need to work out
a visitation plan.
Figure out what's best
for the boys.
We'd probably move.
They're not going
anywhere till college.
I'm here to ask you to honor
your promise to me:
that there was
no favor you'd refuse.
You know I'm committed
to my government post
as the Secretary
of the Treasury.
But, I do like to keep an eye
peeled for opportunities.
A proposed business?
Yes.
Lattice grid fins.
Your white whale.
It's all
you say it is, Dad.
Let's do something
with this.
There is
no available burial plot.
Who snaked me?
How's this:
The plot is yours.
If you take
immediate occupancy.
A very interesting set of
permits just got expedited.
The beneficiary?
One Charles Rhoades, Senior.
There it is.
[Taylor] I'm sorry to have seen
Chuck's press conference.
I can imagine you could use
some support right now...
So, would you like to?
Talk?
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[The Mississippi Sheiks'
"Sitting on Top of the World"
plays over speakers]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
You know, the speakeasy
is an American tradition.
But for now, this one
is just for my friends.
Enjoy.
[Wendy] Thank you,
Nicholas.
♪ Was all the summer
and all the fall ♪
♪ Just trying to find
my little all in all ♪
The idea is:
When you're inside a speakeasy,
you're invisible
to the outside world.
♪ I don't worry ♪
And can be exactly who
you really are.
So you thought you'd bribe me
with vegan mango rice ice cream?
Yes.
Is it working?
Maybe a little.
But since I can be exactly
who I want to here,
I'm going to be direct:
I don't think
I should talk to you.
I don't think
I can talk to you.
I don't think
I will talk to you.
I'm going to eat it
in silence.
That works.
I mostly just want you
to listen.
I'm sitting
on top of the world
Many of the guys at Axe Capital
try to get me to talk to them.
To let them in. Here.
But I'm a dispassionate
trained professional.
So that never happens.
But it happened with you.
Why do you think that is?
Because of the way
you listen.
It doesn't present
as empathy.
But I came to understand
that underneath that
uninflected gaze,
that's what's there.
You feel deeply.
You care deeply.
You try to solve all
the problems you see.
It's what makes you
who you are.
That's probably right.
And that's also why
you were the only one
who reached out after
what Chuck made public.
You put your anger,
your resentment, aside
and you called me
human to human.
Yet you refused me.
I wasn't ready
to talk then.
To trust you.
Still don't trust you.
Samesies.
♪ If you couldn't dream
no more? ♪
But I now know if I don't
talk to someone--
and not a dispassionate
trained professional--
but someone who knows my world,
knows me,
and actually gives a shit...
If I don't get it out...
♪ No mercy in this land? ♪
...I'm gonna end up
in a bad place.
[slurps]
♪ Followed the river
till the river ran dry ♪
Does that
have liquor in it?
It does.
Thank Christ.
♪ Followed my lover ♪
What would Axe say
if he knew about this?
This has nothing
to do with him.
So...what then?
♪ Is there no mercy
in this land? ♪
[sighs]
You don't have to
talk about you.
Just listen.
Help me figure out me.
And then, if you need to share
anything about you,
we find mutuality.
But I insist on nothing.
I merely ask.
Maybe.
♪♪♪
Okay.
Go.
♪♪♪
Thank you.
♪ Is there no mercy
in this land? ♪
♪ No mercy in this land? ♪
[DeGiulio] That's right!
That's right! That's right!
Ah! [laughs]
-[knock on door]
-Judge DeGiulio, a word?
They call this the beautiful
game for a reason.
It flows. What kind of man
interrupts that?
You don't interrupt that.
Why would you interrupt that?
I-I didn't know
you were watching.
I've got Inter Milan up a goal
here against --
Sorry to interrupt
your soccer game.
Hey, hey, hey.
Fútbol in this office,
please.
If we lose now,
you get the blame.
I'm here with
a sensitive request.
Yeah. No need to speak
what's all over your face, kid.
I'm applying for a wiretap.
On Charles Rhoades, Senior.
Junior, too, actually.
You're asking me
if you can spy on
the Attorney General
of the State of New York.
And his father.
Sure.
Eat it all.
Like Big Earl.
Whole left side of the menu.
Including the Pimlico
and the Maryland Fried Chicken.
It's not just
about my appetite.
Yeah, I'm hungry as hell for
the Chuck Rhoades special.
But this is legit.
Rhoades Senior
bribed an official.
Chuck is
a co-conspirator--
What do you got
in the way of evidence?
Uh...
FBI observed
father and son
on the building site
in question.
You got a family portrait.
-Judge--
-Mr. US Attorney.
Counselor. Bryan.
Your request is denied.
Now go eat something before you
become even more lightheaded.
I've got fútbol to watch.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
-[elevator dings]
-[elevator doors open]
♪♪♪
[bells jangle]
[door closes, bells jangle]
♪♪♪
[indistinct conversations]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Connerty came for
a wire on you.
Did you grant it?
I killed it.
As an ordinary matter of law.
And I'm telling you
as an extraordinary matter
of friendship.
Now, that's what
warms the cockles.
How our bond isn't merely that
of men who trade in favors but--
You got a good one for me?
And like that,
the cockles go cold.
I already did the thing for you.
You can owe me. Again.
Nope. I can pay now.
I've found you a juicy
health care case.
Politically charged.
Just the type that will be
cited by the Supreme Court
and underlined by law students
for years.
It's supposed to go to
another judge.
I'll get it to you.
Extraordinary friendship
indeed.
[sighs]
Hmm.
♪ dramatic music ♪
I remember the first time
you brought me into your lab.
Meant so much to me...
You gave me designs the next day
to remake it.
As you remade this from
whatever it was before.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
My lattice fin.
Yes. I had it fabricated from
carbon fiber per your specs.
[Taylor] And we have
an open-source suite
for multi-physics
simulation--
I'm going to need a bigger
wind tunnel for final tests.
Of course.
We'll get it.
[breathes deeply]
I always knew
I'd make it back.
♪♪♪
You are back.
And I hope
better than ever.
I will set the meetings.
With partners to take this
the next hundred miles.
And we need to practice
good business hygiene.
Phones and emails
encrypted.
Traveling discreetly
and indirectly.
Got it.
But is this paranoia,
or is your old boss really--
Whatever word you're about to
use, the answer is yes.
Yes, he is.
[siren wailing]
That's the lab.
High tech propulsion.
[Hall] Mason Capital diverted
28 million to unspecified--
What are they
doing in there?
We don't know yet.
Well, find out.
[scoffs]
That's why I'm here.
I don't need supervision.
Not supervising.
Just mixing in.
I need to see
what I'm gonna destroy.
Because believe you me,
Taylor wants to destroy us.
Yes. But you standing here
isn't gonna fix it.
Let me do what I do.
Maybe find something
more befitting.
Don't you have a date
or something?
Matter of fact, I do.
Yeah.
And quit hacking
my calendar.
-[zipping]
-[Chuck sighs]
Do you need
something?
No.
Just a new pair of pajamas.
The old ones I've got in
the guest room are a bit ripe.
[door opens]
Take an extra set
with you.
Since the marital bed is
no longer providing succor--
You traded that
for your new job.
You have to
live with that.
I'm not sure I can.
I'd like your permission
to see someone.
A professional.
A dom?
[sighs]
♪ dramatic music ♪
I'll think about it.
♪♪♪
[unzipping]
♪♪♪
[scoffs]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Chuck!
Did you do that yourself?
[sighs]
Okay.
Jesus. Okay.
I can?
Yes.
[sighs]
Thank you.
I think this will help.
I'll find a place.
[Wendy] No.
Someone will follow you there.
I can't have any--
I can't have even one more
story about this.
If you have to do it.
If you can't hold out.
Do it here.
[Wendy] Have her dress in a way
she looks like
it's a sports massage
or personal trainer.
I'll take the kids out.
Thank you.
It's fine.
I mean it's not fine.
It's fine.
Now go to your room.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[sighs]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Victor, this is
your wake up call, pal.
[Axe] I have some ideas
I want to hit you with--
Can I call you back?
I can't really talk right now.
What's more important
than me?
Nothing.
Just not a good time, Axe.
[Victor] Call you soon.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Orrin.
Strange things are afoot
at the Circle K.
Get Spyros.
I want you to do a quick
but deep dive
on potential trouble
in Victor land.
♪♪♪
[printer whirring]
♪ mid-tempo music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[elevator dings]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[envelope rustles]
[door opens]
[door closes]
Kappa Beta Phi.
They're opening
their books.
Oh.
You're finally getting made.
Along with
such vaunted names as
Bloomberg, Langone,
Paul Tudor Jones.
Well.
They're lucky to have
your silky tenor
and rough-hewn liver.
I know you don't care about
Wall Street's elite fraternity.
You are above it--
like a god.
But I am in it--
like a demigod.
I'm happy you're happy.
-[door opens]
-Your gut was right.
What I wouldn't give for
a gastrointestinal tuning fork
like yours.
Fucking knew it.
What's Victor
gotten into?
More like what has
he gotten himself onto...
and that is the radar of
my old compadres at the Commish.
SEC is looking into Victor
for insider trading--
tied to a research firm called
Mark to Market Analytics.
Whole host of offenses
they can fine for,
and the US Attorney can toss him
in a cell over.
They will peck
where there is blood.
And sooner or later...
I need to talk to Victor.
Sooner.
[Spyros] Kappa Beta Phi?
Count one Ari Spyros
jelly AF.
[hand slaps]
[sniffs, sighs]
[knock on door]
We struck some ore.
Could be base metal,
could be gold.
Oh?
We've been fine-tooth combing
official travel records
for our esteemed AG.
Jeffcoat went to Chile.
Official business.
[T.] But on the way back,
his plane made
an unplanned stop to refuel...
in the Cayman Islands.
Juicy spot for
financial misdeeds.
Tax evasion,
money laundering...
We'll get into it.
See if Jock--or his money--
paid a visit to any banks
while in country.
Do it. This fucker--
and his minion--
hate that
I'm in this office.
Will stop at nothing
to remove me.
So I need to fire first.
Thank you both
for picking up the cause.
Your blood feud
is not my cause.
Why are you here if you don't
want to get Jock?
Oh, I want to get him.
For all the reasons that
don't matter to you.
Understood.
And still appreciated.
[horns honking]
[indistinct conversations]
[Victor] My uncle used to
take me here.
Cabbie joint.
They know how to eat.
Mm.
Tell me about
Mark to Market Analytics.
Shit.
I didn't cooperate
with the Feds.
Not a word.
I know.
That's why I'm here.
So tell me what
you didn't tell them.
I thought I was supposed to
keep the gray stuff
far away from you.
You failed.
So now I need to know.
Mark to Market's
a research company.
I pretexted my way
in the door
and rather than close a deal
for their services, I...
You swiped
their recommended buys.
I also skewed the numbers they
reported to their competitors
so they'd make bad trades.
Love the spirit.
But that's what's gonna get
the government guys
firing at you like the end of
Bonnie and Clyde.
Fuck me.
And if the SEC get
the US Attorney involved--
they're like these cabbies:
they don't just want
the cheek meat,
they'll take
your whole fucking head.
Okay.
What can I do?
Don't do business
with anyone
you haven't known
since grade school.
And get a law firm
on retainer.
Hey.
I'll make sure this doesn't
track back to you.
I assumed that.
Right up until
you said it.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
[door opens and closes]
We connected with staff
at the Cayman airport.
Jock never left the jet.
And no one ever
joined him onboard.
But there could still be
gold in the pan.
Staff members recall
another Cabinet official
visiting
on several occasions
that do not show up
in the official logbook.
Then taking a Town Car
with tinted windows
straight to Banco Esencial.
It was Todd Krakow.
Treasury Secretary.
[chuckling] Wow.
Find out who he's doing business
with down there.
And see what's up.
This could lead some strange
and thorny places.
Where you thrive,
Mr. Allerd...
I was born in the dark.
But, T., you don't
need to continue
down the path
if you don't want to.
If we're going to find a way to
use Krakow against Jock, I want.
Gas up the State jet.
Dollar Bill,
you've been read into this
'cause you know Victor the best,
[Axe] and 'cause vouchsafed him
back in here.
Can we count on him
to hold the line?
Absolutely. Guy's as loyal as
John McCain in the Hanoi Hilton.
Cut him loose.
I hate to say it,
but his carelessness
has trumped his loyalty.
[Spyros] I agree.
What we owe to this famiglia
isn't just blood,
it's sentenza--
You can't do it.
You're normally the driest-eyed
guy in the room.
Oh, I couldn't give a fuck
whether Victor lives or dies.
But you actually can't.
I've been reviewing
the terms of
the agreement with
Victor's firm.
Rights and responsibilities
and--
Taylor fucked us.
Spacey-style.
Sneaky
and from behind.
What did they do?
[Bach] During
their brief reign,
Taylor papered the deal
with Victor's satellite--
-[sighs]
-Taylor inserted a term,
deep in the definitions,
[Bach] allowing Axe Cap
to convert its investment
[Bach] into
a general partnership.
I co-own
Victor's firm.
Victor's actions are
legally attributable to me.
Fuckin' Trojan Horse
time bomb.
Taylor really knew us.
All of us.
How the fuck could Taylor
just do this--unilaterally?
There was a co-conspirator.
A co-signer anyway.
Mafee.
[grunts]
I am gonna grind his bones
to make my bread.
[Axe] You are free
to work on that.
Meanwhile, I gotta put moonlight
between me and Victor.
The deal is ironclad.
This thing can be prosecuted.
And will be.
It's a Darrell Dunkenstein
Griffith slam dunk.
♪ dramatic music ♪
Okay.
Someone is gonna prosecute him,
but it doesn't have to be
the US Attorney.
♪♪♪
Go ahead
and call him.
You want me to wrestle the case
from the SEC,
then, basically,
let Victor go?
Put a conviction on the books.
Then justice,
or whatever the fuck
they're calling it these days--
Oh.
Still calling it justice--
[Axe] Justice will be done.
And then no one needs to keep
looking into Victor
or anyone
connected to him.
Sure. Bury the case by lightly
burying your old confederate.
No jail time.
Or not much.
[Chuck] Yeah, I can do that.
But why?
And when is this
going to end?
Yes. Favors are owed.
But I am not
your barristerial footman.
Fair. And I wouldn't ask
if I didn't need.
Ok. The State of New York
now has Victor Mateo
softly, gently,
in its sights.
♪♪♪
[cellphone clatters]
[sighs]
The New York State jet just
took off for the Caymans--
with Chuck Rhoades
on board.
When your wire got denied, you
put out a travel bolo on him.
Least I could do.
You actually could
do less.
And you should.
Unless you want to fall into
the same stuff
that got Chuck kicked.
-Which is?
-Becoming a walking cliché
focused on
territorial bullshit.
Let him have his.
We'll take ours.
I'm the US Attorney now.
I'm taking both.
♪ dramatic music ♪
While lattice,
or grid fins, are--
Improve maneuverability.
Higher mach speeds
reduce drag and--
You ready?
For pitching
and being pitched to?
Call me Babe Ruth.
Let you go
and an 86-year curse ensues?
[chuckles]
Something like that.
You're nervous.
No, I'm--
You are.
Yeah. Okay, I am.
A little.
This is big for me.
I'll talk the numbers.
You'll talk the science.
Which you know better than
anybody in the entire room.
You can't fail.
♪♪♪
Who's first?
[Hall] His name is
Brett Ford...
[Hall] Defense contractor.
Sells solar flare shields
to NASA.
And missile guidance
to the military.
Jeff Kolanski.
He runs--
Blackstrup.
50 billion dollar market cap
in aeronautics.
[Hall] Yes.
And finally Brian Dana.
Sharp investor.
More focused on startups
than the others.
From what Taylor's said
of their father,
he won't be a fan of
the defense contractor.
[Wags] So who are they
making a deal with?
'Cause we can't do dick
until we know that.
I'll be monitoring
subsequent communication.
Anything that
tips their lean.
Well, then it seems like
you have this in hand.
Enjoy your preparation
for pledge week.
I have some work
to get to.
One other thing:
[door closes]
I made Taylor and Wendy
at the same location.
Not the lab.
I know you'd never doubt
Ms. Rhoades's loyalty.
But in her current
emotional state...
Monitor that situation
even more closely.
♪♪♪
[sea gulls squawking]
You came a long way
just to talk, my friend.
[chuckles]
Had you picked up the phone,
I could have
saved you the trip.
Simply told you that Mr. Krakow
does not hold accounts here.
I've found that
the drop-in is better.
[Abington]
The element of surprise?
Looks like
you surprised yourself,
showing up in
a Super 150s wool suit.
Oof. [chuckles]
When traveling, always dress
for your destination.
Indeed I am dressed
for my destination.
Oh, I'm heading back to New York
shortly.
Which is why I'm wearing this,
and why you ought to be.
Are you accusing me
of something?
[chuckles]
Hiding the accounts
or, uh, skimming from
the accounts?
Both? Neither?
Who cares.
You should be more concerned
with the coins.
Coins of which currency?
Digital coins
you have been offering.
Forgive me, if I don't
understand all the, uh,
peculiarities
of cyber currency.
But without your bank
knowing it,
you've been using its reputation
to burnish these ICO scams
and selling them to customers
when you know damn well
[Chuck] the coins are worthless
[Chuck] if they even exist
in the first place...
You know, I guess I do
understand after all.
Because for all
the ICO mumbo-jumbo,
what we have here-- is
an old-fashioned pig in a poke.
[Chuck] And were I to expose
that scam,
[Chuck] I imagine you would be
made an example of
by the Cayman authorities.
And I bet when they roar to
life, they are efficient.
And we can avoid all that
if I tell you about
Secretary Krakow's accounts?
Telling me?
You're telling everybody.
Oh, you're coming back
to New York
and going in front of
a grand jury.
Today.
Mnh. Mnh.
It's a shame
you're wearing that.
Brrr.
Cold in New York.
♪ up-tempo jazz music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Fucking bad ass.
It truly is.
I'm a bit of a buff
about this event.
Did you know one year,
John Astor
and Cornelius Vanderbilt
wore the same dress
and it was the social scandal
of the season.
♪♪♪
I bet I'll never get
the tap on the shoulder.
You never know.
When I was starting out,
my first big boss...
he was a former president.
You worked for
a Grand Swipe?
He was bringing me along.
Then, after the first time
I went to rehab,
he cut me loose.
My father said I blew it.
I'd never get in.
I've found I've been
carrying this around
ever since
I got the invite.
This is Mr. Wagner.
[Spyros]
A former Grand Loaf.
I dedicate all of this
to the day he died.
He was so
damn disappointed.
♪♪♪
He'll never get to see me
like this...
♪♪♪
Spyros, Dollar Bill,
find whatever greatness lies
within you and nurture it.
[gulps]
Eventually,
it will be seen.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
You already have your men,
waiting to take me, huh?
Not his men.
Not by a long shot.
I am the United States
Attorney
for the Southern District
of New York.
You always say the full title
Idi Amin-style?
Whether or not I do, I am lord
of all beasts of this case.
I have here a material
witness order...
Signed by a judge,
executed now by the FBI.
[Sacker] Mr. Abington, you can
go with Agent Dancshazy.
We have a lot
to talk about.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
You fucked with the wrong
Attorney General.
I'll see you--
Oh, say it, fucking say it,
Chuck.
--In court.
Goddamned right you will.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Great news. All three companies
accepted our term sheet.
I don't want to do
any of these deals.
Why'd you have us go through
the meetings then?
[Douglas] I went with you,
because I thought,
hey, this is
Taylor's area of expertise.
But I did not come to New York
to do business with strangers.
I came here to work
with my family.
So, like, you wanna pass
on everyone?
♪♪♪
What would
make you happy?
You.
You financing the whole thing.
With banks,
if necessary.
But it's clear to me you don't
want to take that risk.
You don't believe in the idea
strongly enough.
In me enough.
The smartest thing,
the necessary thing,
is a strategic partnership.
Which brings with it a stronger
endorsement of the utility.
This is a sign of
how much I believe.
Enough not to humor you.
But to make a plan to win.
The only plan I see is the one
where you protect your own hide.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[door opens]
♪♪♪
I'm gonna...
♪♪♪
[indistinct conversations]
Hey, look.
From time to time I've been
asked to get right
with some stuff
I didn't fully agree with.
And I rolled with it.
Because I wasn't the smartest
person in the room.
I'm always the smartest person
in the room.
Then I can't help you.
Especially if you think that
when you're in the same room
with Taylor.
♪ soft music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
The four freedoms,
as identified by FDR--
speech, worship,
from fear, from want.
That was part of
Roosevelt's shpiel
to get America
into the war.
Effective.
Appealing to not only
our desires,
but also to that of which
we're most afraid.
He knew how to rouse.
Which do you think is
the more effective tool:
appealing to someone's
aspirations or their fear?
If you want to motivate someone
to a specific action?
I say: be like Roosevelt
and do both.
I think that's correct.
Thank you.
Louis Kahn built this,
didn't he?
The original starchitect.
Before the term
was even coined.
Yes. He called this:
a space of inspired use.
But he never saw it
come to be.
The financing didn't come
through during his lifetime.
Or even right after.
Despite his genius.
It was his son, wasn't it?
Who brought him back.
Made that documentary
about him.
Yes. It wasn't until the film,
years after his father's death,
that the world remembered
how special he was.
I see.
The kid--the whole movie is him
trying to understand his father,
what made him great,
what made him distant.
It's a search to get to the soul
of a great designer
and innovator,
who happened to be a flawed man.
I'm guessing,
for someone like you,
someone who's always looking for
the new approach,
the thought of Kahn
walking around with plans
for something this striking
and important,
but never saw it built...
And it took the child
from whom he was estranged
to make the world remember.
And I thought:
I want to see it.
And I bet Wendy would like it,
too.
Here's what I bet.
I bet all Louis Kahn wanted
was to connect with his son.
But that his work
kept calling to him,
pushing him, driving him.
And at a certain point,
the gap was just too great.
But in the end,
the son found him.
And showed Kahn's greatness
to the rest of the world.
I have to imagine that
even through the sadness,
the time, the mortality,
there's a connection now,
between them.
That's very hopeful.
I want you to be right.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Helena,
I need you to track down
some old session notes from
storage in the Westport office.
All my files for Taylor Mason.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[footsteps approaching]
-Hey.
-Hey.
Where have you been?
You haven't been very reachable.
Three alarm fire.
It's all hosed down.
All good.
I sent Chef Ryan out.
Figured it might be fun
if we cooked our own dinner.
Rolling gnocchi together?
Like in Godfather 3.
That didn't turn out
so well.
I refuse to believe
that such a thing
as Godfather 3
even exists.
Salute.
So, think about
what you want to make,
and we'll open a couple bottles
while we're prepping,
it'll be fun--
That sounds like a great start
to a night.
So, why do I
have a hunch
that the part after dinner's
gonna be even better?
Because you know
your customer.
[elevator dings]
You know what
a C.A.C.O. is?
The military thing.
It's Casualty Assistance
Calls Officer--
The ones who notify next of kin
when a soldier--
[sighs]
So who died?
More of a what.
The thing I said I could do
for you with Victor.
You lose another cushy
government job already--
Far from. No.
I am so deep in it,
in fact,
that my old enemies are
drawing down on me as we speak.
So, much as I'd like to
do you your courtesy,
any move I make with Victor
will invite scrutiny
from the very people
you want to avoid.
Rather than bury the case,
it will mark it with an X.
Huh,
so I'm collateral damage.
Normally I'm the one
casually leaving the wreckage.
I imagine
this feels worse.
Both suck.
Well. I appreciate you
delivering the news
promptly and in person.
♪♪♪
[elevator doors open]
♪♪♪
[glass clinks]
I'm thinking
we do some steaks.
I make
a mean smashed potatoes.
Not mashed.
I smash those fuckers.
[Axe] You know what,
I think you're right.
Let's go out.
What?
Ahh, we don't need to cook.
Quick dinner.
What happened?
You went to the elevator okay
and you came back all fucked up.
Nothing. I don't want
to talk about it.
What? Did the fire
flare back up on you?
[sighs]
Details. Go. C'mon.
I said I don't want to
talk about it. Fuck.
Come on.
Why don't we just have a drink
or something?
This is
one of those moments
that people get to
when they scuba dive.
It's 'maximum
recreational depth.'
You wondering if there's enough
oxygen to go deeper?
No, you're wondering if
you want to go deeper with me.
We've been deep.
Sure.
But that doesn't count.
You were married
for a long time.
For you, talking business--
or whatever issue
you're having--
with a woman
is more intense,
it's more personal
than sex.
And you are not
ready for that.
That doesn't seem right.
No.
It's not right.
But it is true.
I'll give you
your space.
[footsteps approaching]
Hey.
You ok?
The question is:
are you?
With this?
If I said "no"
would it change anything?
Just do
what you have to do.
You offered this.
You suggested--
Kevin! Eva!
I allowed it, yes.
And now,
I am facilitating it.
By taking the kids out.
But it is not fair
to ask me to like it.
[footsteps approaching]
I'm taking the kids out
for the night,
so you can have your...
personal training session.
Thank you.
Okay, guys.
-Bye, Dad.
-Bye.
-Bye, Dad.
-[smooches]
Don't let Grandpa
ruin your fun.
Words to live by.
[door closes]
[sighs heavily]
♪ dramatic music ♪
[knock on door]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[door opens]
[door closes]
♪ mid-tempo music ♪
[footsteps approaching]
♪♪♪
Mm.
♪♪♪
[sighs]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
So do I call you Mistress Cassie
or Goddess or--
Unh!
[grunts]
[gasp, coughs]
♪♪♪
[groaning]
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
[footsteps approaching]
Figured
I'd find you here.
Dad. You are living out
your pathology again.
If you mean
not wanting another thing
ripped out from
under me, yeah.
I think I've been pretty clear
about that.
That's not
the way it happened.
We both know it,
so it's time to admit it.
What?
"Worked on a project
using company resources.
Did not share it with company
executives in a proper manner."
How did you get ahold of
my personnel file?
♪ dramatic music ♪
What matters is:
I know.
♪♪♪
My supervisor wasn't capable
of understanding it.
He would have fucked it up.
I was taking it to the CEO--
But instead you tried to walk it
across the street?
I wanted it to find
a proper home
where it would see
the light of day
and get the chance
that it deserved.
And now you're spying on me...
and taking their side.
I'm not.
I'm on your side.
I always have been.
What if I told you that
your company had you in line
to be CTO
before you did what you did?
♪♪♪
Are you kidding me?
Don't bullshit about that--
Would I bullshit
about that?
♪♪♪
We are here now.
We can't hide secrets
and live on false memories.
Not anymore.
Hey, kid, what do you say
we keep it clean
and go it alone
for another round?
With you funding
the next steps.
An additional fourteen million,
by my calculations,
which you'll see back
fivefold.
Your calculations are
inaccurate. And low.
And that return
is unrealistic.
We need
a strategic partnership.
There are areas,
myriad areas,
where your wisdom,
your smarts surpass mine.
That's what I tried to explain
to Mafee.
But this isn't one of them.
Is it?
♪♪♪
No.
So?
We go your way.
♪♪♪
It is hard becoming a new
version of yourself.
You finally
understand me.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[exhales heavily]
Sorry,
I know an ounce of this
probably costs more than caviar
but, uh-- [chuckles]
Jesus, Chuck.
It got a little
out of hand.
It'll be okay.
It barely hurts--
I'm not worried
about that.
People are gonna think
I did this to you.
I'll tell 'em I took up
jiu-jitsu again.
To plausibly account for these
bruises. And future ones.
Wait, you plan on
continuing with this?
♪♪♪
Wendy. What I did tonight...
I can't live without.
And I won't.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[sighs]
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
[Lara] You never invited me
for coffee.
Even when we were dating.
These days we rarely talk,
so...
I made a mistake
forcing the lockup.
So you're releasing
the money?
No, that stays
where it is.
But you and the kids
can go to California.
You getting re-married?
New kid on the way?
Gonna off yourself?
0-fer-3.
Talk to me.
We don't do that
anymore.
We can't.
You're merely getting
what you asked for.
On your timeline.
Your way.
Suited to your needs.
Well, my money,
you know?
Yeah.
I really do.
That was wrong
and stupid to say.
I'm sorry.
-But it was true.
I don't know
what you valued in me.
If it was the street smarts
or my neighborhood roots--
Loyalty.
And at some point,
you feel like I violated that.
Shortly after I did.
I was about to say that.
I know.
I spared us both.
Sometimes I wonder:
what if you didn't get so rich?
What if we lived
a simpler life--
Nah. There was never going to be
a different version.
That's not how I'm made.
♪ soft music ♪
You're right.
♪♪♪
It's nothing to be sad about,
but for some reason I am.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
Send me a rider saying
I can take the kids...
and a quarter of the money...
wherever the fuck I want.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[indistinct conversations]
Ooooh, your wife
laid into you good.
[chuckles]
Jiu-jitsu.
Just getting
the blood going.
[door opens]
[door closes]
Well, we've got a scorcher
here today.
I know in the box score
this'll just go down as
a motion to enjoin,
but I'm looking at
a clash of the titans.
One of those old-fashioned
Sunday afternoon
franchise crossovers.
King Kong vs. Godzilla.
Or maybe Abbott and Costello
against the Mummy.
Mr. Rhoades,
you're away.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I'd like you to vacate
Mr. Connerty's
material witness claim against
the banker, Mr. Abington,
and block SDNY from putting it
in front of a grand jury.
I'm sure you've got a great
answer to this, but...why?
Abington is my witness.
[Chuck] I found him.
I signed him up.
Brought him back
to these shores.
The Feds can't just bigfoot
and take what they want.
Like you did so many times
when you were in that job?
These crimes have a nexus to
New York State--my constabulary.
The underlying financial fraud
of...Target X originated here.
You can say his name.
I closed the court
and agreed
to seal the record
so we can talk about
what we're talking about.
But he can't.
Not really.
There are issues of
executive privilege here.
Going after Treasury Secretary
Krakow would involve
delving into some seriously
protected federal material
that Mr. Rhoades does not
have access to.
And given everything that would
need to be redacted,
Mr. New York State would be
gagged and blindfolded.
A position he knows well--
[DeGiulio] --None o' that--
I can make the case without
any of those concerns.
You just want
what I have.
[DeGiulio] Is that what this is,
Mr. Connerty,
the green-eyed monster
of jealousy?
No. It's wanting something
done right.
Right for whom?
When Mr. Connerty
blows this case
[Chuck] how will we know
it's genuine incompetence
and that he didn't bury it
for his boss--
one Cabinet Secretary
covering for another.
That sounds more like
a Chuck Rhoades tactic.
Okay,
neutral corners.
You both make
decent points.
And it's fun as hell watching
you rock 'em and sock 'em.
But before someone's head
flies off, I'm gonna rule.
Judge,
I have more to say--
I'm about to
rule in your favor,
so maybe don't
pitch past the W.
He's got the federal records
and the witness--
I think a case in motion
should stay in motion.
So Mr. Rhoades's motion
is denied.
♪ dramatic music ♪
[sighs]
[door opens]
Yeah. Yeah, looks like
there's a new one
darkening
right under your eye.
Might need Mick to cut ya
if you plan on continuing. Huh?
[hand slaps]
The modern thing is that
everyone wins.
But we win more, right--
-Yes.
-Mm-hmm.
I'm sorry, I tried to--
She did.
Go.
I should have looked at every
contract Taylor ever worked on.
Dissected every move.
Anticipated land mines.
But I didn't.
And now,
this guy Victor--
who used to work for me
and kind of still does--
he could really hurt me.
So, you gonna tell me what
changed from our last convo?
Well, for one thing, I need to
solve this Victor problem--
And you worked through
whatever you needed to,
to free yourself up.
Helped that it was
a prison of my own making.
I'd shown myself in.
I knew the way out. Clean.
And this isn't.
♪♪♪
But I like messy.
'Cause it gives me
something to clean up.
I take control instead of
the mess controlling me.
♪♪♪
You're right.
I should've been talking to you
about this
from the very beginning.
Yeah, true.
But you can tell me now...
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
You will not
sit with the SEC.
You don't need to anymore.
I cleaned up your mess:
I purchased
Mark to Market Analytics
for a sickening premium.
And with it,
the silence of the CEO--
who will not be cooperating
with the government.
[sighs]
[Axe] But remember this,
[Axe] when you look back on this
time at the end of your life,
it was me
who carried you.
Thank you.
Fuck you.
I now own a research firm
I never wanted.
And your ass.
You're going to
work off the debt.
If you want
more of my firm--
You no longer
have a firm.
Your fund has lost its utility
and is done.
You're now back at Axe Cap,
where you will work
like a fucking sharecropper
to clear your tab.
[indistinct conversations]
Welcome back.
Some things have changed,
but--
Who's that?
Victor Mateo.
Hey, rock star.
What do you do here?
Earn.
I noticed a new addition
to my docket.
That health care case
begging for
some high-profile,
DeGiulio-made law.
That--
and a fondness for beer--
will light your path to
the highest court in the land.
Loving every step
of the climb...
You think Connerty knew
we were throwing that
Krakow case to him?
No way he knows
I want him to have it.
Men seldom realize when things
are rigged in their favor.
It would require them
to have a realistic
and limited view
of their skills.
To be in touch
with humility.
He doesn't present
so humble anymore.
Nope.
He took that viper home,
like it was a Kewpie doll
he won at the county fair.
And now, he and his boss
will go after each other
like Serbs and Croats.
[chuckles]
So I get the same deal
as with the other guy?
Better. Because you'll get
federal protection.
Yeah, okay, sure.
Yeah.
So Krakow would come in,
personally, every other--
I'm in the middle
of the thing.
Your thing has to go
after this thing.
AG Jeffcoat's waiting.
In your office.
Excuse me.
[door opens]
Sorry you didn't make it up here
in time to watch me pants Chuck.
Well, as indelible an image
as that must have been,
you've had your fun.
Rest assured, I'm now turned to
the matter at hand.
Krakow.
You cannot prosecute
the Secretary of the Treasury.
That's a toxic look
for this Administration.
Drop the case.
Then Krakow goes free...
or Chuck gets him.
Let Chuck have at--
choke on any splatter.
You really like getting in there
behind the US Attorney's desk.
Every desk in the Department
of Justice is my desk.
I didn't take this job
so you could run me
like your goddamn
remote control butler--
You didn't just
take this job.
You dirty tricked
your way into it,
you stepped over
a damned corpse for it--
You're the one
who knifed him.
And you said it was so this
place could run different--
no more petty politics.
Petty?
We are talking about the parapet
around the fortress of Good
and Evil, you foolhardy child.
[sighs]
Cocksucker.
All right. You are right
at the line now, son.
Chuck.
This --
This is what he wanted.
A hint of misconduct from
protecting a cabinet member,
[Connerty]
and a wedge between us.
He knows you well enough to know
you'd come down like this--
And you well enough to know that
you couldn't abide.
But turns out...
I can.
♪ dramatic music ♪
I will drop the case.
Immediately.
We will stay in lockstep
and our focus will remain
where it should--
on blunting Chuck Rhoades
and knocking him
out of office.
♪♪♪
Maybe this desk really does
belong to you after all.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[indistinct conversations]
[classical music
playing over speakers]
♪♪♪
-Hi. Gia, Benjamin.
-Welcome to our club.
Thank you.
Michael Wagner.
♪♪♪
Maybe it's just
under Wags.
I'm a neophyte.
Not seeing it.
I have the invitation
right here--
[camera shutter clicking]
Say gorgonzola.
Oh, you're gonna look pretty
in Page Six.
Nussfaur.
You sent this.
For you to endure
the humiliation, Wagner.
Not of wearing a dress,
but of being an interloper.
A trespasser.
A buttinsky.
A social climber who has to
watch the ladder pulled up
right in front of your grasping,
outstretched arms.
You are making enemies
you cannot fathom
by deputizing KBP
in your little True Grit
revenge fantasy.
You think this legal eagle would
proceed without my blessing?
The fucking Grand Swipe
is in on this?
We're homies.
[laughs]
Ordered the invite
myself.
Which is the only invite
you'll ever receive.
You're not getting in,
Wagner.
Not today.
Not ever.
♪♪♪
My vengeance will come
like I do--
slow, thunderous,
and in your eye.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[laughter]
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[soft rock music playing
over speakers]
[indistinct conversations]
[Hammon]
And I just got confirmation.
Brian Dana has countersigned
the revised term statement.
We are official.
-Wow.
-Hey, congratulations,
-Mr. Mason.
-Congratulations.
Dad, tonight's a celebration
not just
of the quality of
your invention,
but the new breadth
of your thinking.
I will take that as
a genuine compliment,
not a backhanded one.
As intended.
[clears throat]
Well, that's my cue.
Good luck with the kickoff
meeting in the a.m.
You know what,
I should walk out with you.
Get home
and start the prep on that.
Ohh.
Exciting new chapter.
Proud of you, Dad.
♪♪♪
I bring you a case
and a witness.
Ooh.
[chuckles]
Krakow?
[Chuck] Ah.
Well, that must
be frustrating--
working at a place where cases
come and go so strangely.
No, funny thing--
I'm used to it.
Uh huh.
Yeah.
Except when
I made these moves,
you knew there was a greater
plan, a greater enemy.
You don't feel
that way now.
Oh. You're worried
what's going on is small.
[Chuck] And that it will
make you small.
That banker is over
in your interview room.
Enjoy him.
You've earned it.
[chuckles]
[door opens and closes]
Karl!
What do I do
with this banker now?
I didn't want 'im
in the first place.
If I know Chuck Rhoades,
he's gonna take the offcuts,
grind 'em up together,
and make 'em into something
Jock can't stomach.
♪ Yesterday I was
out on the bluffs ♪
-[indistinct conversations]
-♪ Over the ocean blue ♪
♪ Was a girl swimming,
splashing in the water ♪
-♪ She sure did look like you ♪
-Hey.
Oh. Hey Mafee.
♪♪♪
This is a great place.
Yeah,
it's my nightcap slot.
You come in here?
I'm meeting an old friend.
She picked it.
♪ "I've lost my mind" ♪
Okay...
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
This doesn't need to be
so uncomfortable.
♪ I'm dangerous to myself ♪
People take jobs
and they still talk.
[chuckles]
Axe wasn't my first boss,
probably won't be my last...
How's yours?
Lot going on,
you know--
With their dad in town...
Facebook.
[chuckles]
They're working on
something together?
Sounds sweet.
Right. Yeah.
Could be big too.
Sure, big corporate partner,
and all.
More of a startup vibe,
but yeah, big player.
♪ So darling if you're thinking
you need a project ♪
[Wendy] So what are you doing
for fun these days?
Going to Mey-hee-co
next month.
-Mm.
-Gonna try some surfing--
-They --
-Oh. Shit.
My friend had a problem
with the babysitter.
Looks like I'll be going there
instead of enjoying this place.
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
Don't ever have kids.
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
I...might want to.
[chuckling]
I'm just kidding.
They're the best.
You should have a bunch.
And have a great night.
♪♪♪
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
No communication from anyone
in the Taylor clan.
They're locked down.
Still don't know who they're
jumping into bed with--
[door opens]
Ah. Looks like Cinderella
had a rough night.
It's the startup.
Brian Dana. 375Y.
Yeah,
that's the one.
I've been running
a side mission...
I was hoping
that was the case.
Well, now that we know 'who'
Mason is in business with,
we watch them build it.
Then, we take it out.
No.
Not enough.
They can come back from that.
No?
Well, you know the family
topography. What then?
Taylor needs to be
the one to crush it.
That will be
the most devastating blow.
The weight
of that betrayal...
they--plural,
both of them--
will never come back
from that.
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
[knock on door]
Enter.
Urgent or secret?
When you approach
a judge this late,
your cause
is one of the two.
I'm here to apply
for a wiretap.
On Chuck Rhoades,
for public corruption.
You know, you shouldn't
go shopping for judges
like in-season
stone fruit.
Your request was already
turned down by Judge DeGiulio.
The relationship between
the good judge and Mr. Rhoades
is all the more reason
why the wire is needed.
[unzipping]
You know I hold Chuck
in low regard.
You also know that
you couldn't appeal to that.
At least,
not that alone.
Well played.
♪ Fred Eaglesmith's
"Dangerous" ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
You have your wire.
♪ Thought I saw you
at an unmarked crossing ♪
♪ Picking flowers
at the edge of a lane ♪
[door opens and closes]
♪ There was dust
on my windshield ♪
♪ I was looking in the mirror ♪
♪ I almost got hit by a train ♪
♪ Later on at a four-way stop ♪
Hey.
We-- please, Wend,
can we just talk.
I know that we can
find our way back to--
♪ I was thinking you were right
and we had nothing left ♪
[keys clatter]
♪ Somebody blew their horn ♪
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
♪ I'm dangerous ♪
♪ To myself ♪
♪ Yesterday I was out
on the bluffs ♪
♪ Over the ocean blue ♪
♪ Was a girl swimming,
splashing in the water ♪
♪ She sure did look like you ♪
♪ 'Fore I knew it,
I was over the edge ♪
♪ Somebody threw me a line ♪