Billions (2016–…): Season 6, Episode 9 - Hindenburg - full transcript
Previously, on Billions...
New York, we did it!
Prince didn't pull this
off all by his lonesome.
So we separate Prince
from his power base.
Philip gets first pick. He's
outperformed everyone lately.
I already started
working on Hypersonic.
I'm in the process of building
a relationship with the CEO.
There are major problems
with their tech and
aviation physiology.
There's no way to trade out
without taking a massive loss.
What do you think they're
agreeing to right now?
Oh, fuck.
There is
an item that I have
jammed into a certain bill
that will also be passing,
closing the carried
interest loophole.
So, what do we need to do
to get the bullet out of the gun?
Had we known, we never
would have been party
to such malfeasance.
These men and women
were unknowingly brought in
to an attempt to commit
bribery at a very high level.
- You gotta be kidding me, Mike.
- It's BS, Andy.
This news is our boarding
pass out of our fucked situation.
I figured you'd need help
unloading the
shares at the open.
Yes, another set of
hands would be good.
We can work through this.
I'm afraid the New York
Games are tainted now.
The ICS has come
to the conclusion
that the 2028 Games
can no longer be
held in New York City.
An icy wind burns and scars
Rushes in Like a fallen star
Through the narrow
space Between these bars
Looking down On Prison Grove
Dug in, hunkered down
Hours race without a sound
Gonna carry me
To where I'm bound
Looking down On Prison Grove
Two kinds of men.
Those who, in defeat,
pretend they never cared...
and those who come alone
to pack up their gear
and soak in the loss.
I, like you, am a soaker.
I'm no soaker. I'm a rebuilder.
Pat Riley approach.
Ah. The godfather.
Another great sage intimate
with the subject of defeat.
And victory.
Mostly victory.
"A champion needs a motivation
above and beyond winning."
Wiser words, huh?
State your purpose.
Well, in the spirit of
all this inspirational talk,
I wonder if you'd be motivated
to unload this office building
and some of the other property
you bought for the Olympics
to the state land bank.
When I was bootstrapping
my first startup
in the Bay Area,
I was motivated to go down to
Geraldine's Seafood Market early
so I could buy the freshest
catch before anyone else.
Now, I just buy
the fishing boats.
Well, by cutting
out the middleman,
that makes you
the middleman, no?
No, Chuck, it makes me rich,
with no need to unload
anything at any time
for anyone's reasons
other than my own.
It makes sense to free up
acres of land you no longer need.
Sell it back to the land
bank. I'll offer you a fair price.
Market rate.
Yeah, I'm not in the business
of buying high and selling low.
And if I was, I don't
think you'd be the fella
I'd want on the other
side of that deal.
You have to know that.
So, what's your true
reason for being here?
You trying to prompt me
into making some
mistake out of anger?
I think you've mistaken me
for someone looking for a fight.
That's in the past. I'm
here to find a way forward,
leave you with
dignity in defeat.
Hallmark of a guy trying
to give the other guy dignity
is hitting the word "defeat"
harder than Earnie
Shavers hit the heavy bag.
I may not be quite as evolved
as I'd wish...yet.
I'm working on it.
Aren't we all.
What, you're really
here to end this?
Armistice? Ceasefire?
What are you offering?
I guess I need to see if I
believe you are standing down.
Do I look like a man
readying for battle right now?
No.
So like that fabled, frosty,
starlit December night in 1914,
when a melody drifted over
the darkness of no man's land,
British and German
troops called a truce
to sing holiday carols,
lighting trees in the
trenches rather than cannons,
a symbol of an Earth where
there could indeed be peace.
That particular truce
didn't last very long.
No, it didn't.
Walter Sinclair Smith
stopped a Mauser round,
- and it was back to business.
- As am I.
The past is in my rear-view.
I wanted the Olympics
for NYC. We didn't get it.
But there's no reason
to ready the nukes.
I thrive in peacetime.
How about you?
Oh, it's what I live for.
But, of course,
the best way to peace is
through overwhelming force.
I was up all night with it.
If he could have let it go,
then maybe I'd have
been able to move on.
But, no, Chuck lives for
just this kind of conflict.
He had to remind me
that he took from me.
- Now it's time to take back.
- Sure, boss.
Let's go full Rooster
Cogburn on his ass.
That makes me Mattie
Ross. Out for blood.
Didn't realize you took
this setback so personally.
I was brought in to
land the Olympics safely,
not to have them blow
up like an Irish car bomb.
Well, I could still use
your legal expertise.
Chuck is
an elected official,
which by its very nature
makes him vulnerable.
Sure, what are we gonna do?
Line up and vote
him out in two years?
There's a much smaller vote
that can take place, and sooner.
The rare, quick arrivederci
of New York politics.
Chuck can be removed as AG.
He's standing over a
trapdoor as we speak.
How do we pull the lever?
Get the governor
on board, for starters.
Then it's a two-thirds
majority of the state Senate.
But you're up against
Chuck's entrenched interests
in every corner of the state,
from Taughannock
Falls to Lake Placid.
I know how to make new friends.
It's easier
when the old ones
aren't poisoning the well
before you drink from it.
I agree. If Chuck even
catches wind of you
trying to trade
favors in his ring,
you better have
muleta and sword ready.
He'll come
charging right at you.
Common misconception
that bulls become
angry when they see red.
No, they respond to the
movement of the cape, not the color,
which is red to mask the blood.
So we need to wave
something to get his attention.
I know what we need to do.
Welcome to The Bates.
How may I assist you?
I'm here to meet a Mr. Legere.
Sure, one moment.
I'm sorry, he
hasn't arrived yet.
Okay, thanks.
I'm sorry, ma'am,
are you a member?
No, like I said,
I'm meeting Stuart
Legere, who is.
You'll have to wait outside.
Excuse me?
The executive lounge
is for members only.
You mean the lobby?
I can't sit in the lobby?
All guests must be accompanied
by members while on premises.
I'm sure
it's a great stock,
and I'd go all in
on it if I worked
at fucking JT Marlin,
but I have to produce results.
Oh, hold
it for me, please!
I'm sorry, lady, that's
not how it works.
You got your key?
You've got to have a key.
I just wanted to take my
baby to the park, pendejo.
I'll ram it
up their keister...
Hey.
I think I need to arrest
someone for being an asshole.
Can we do that?
Well, I used to try
more than I do now,
but, yeah, sure.
Guy right there, Lulu
Lehman Brothers,
just closed the gate on a
woman pushing a stroller
because she didn't have a key.
Well, that
beautiful, verdant park
doubles as an asshole magnet.
Whole block is.
Only reason I'm waiting here
is because the Bates Club
just booted me out.
- Didn't you give the name?
- Yeah.
Right before they showed
me the service entrance.
I feel like I'm in They
Live and I'm about to go
Rowdy Roddy Piper
on someone's ass.
Fucking now!
Like the Wolf says,
money is the
oxygen of capitalism.
You know, we can't
actually arrest folks
for being schmucks,
but we can stop
structural schmuckiness.
We have a mandate to do so.
And that park is
the perfect target,
because it's symbolic
of so much more.
Of all the different kinds
of entry denied to people
- who aren't at the top.
- That's right.
Back in the late '60s, you know,
a couple of teenagers
crashed their motorcycles
into the gates, took a few
turns around the old green.
Tore it up quite a
bit before taking off.
And you may think
that there was an outcry.
- No?
- No, indeed.
It was on the
heels of Woodstock.
Everybody just thought they
were doing it for peace and love.
- Different times.
- Maybe so.
But that gate.
I'm thinking it can
be turned into our key.
- To what?
- Unlock the city.
Ah, Stuart Legere.
So I looked into what you asked.
I see we're past
the formalities.
You've got me under your
thumb. Doesn't buy you any smiles.
You want to know where Prince
is at and what he's going to do?
Well, he's wounded. Badly.
And I know more.
We can discuss it inside. I
have the best table waiting.
No, let's go somewhere open
to more than the landed gentry,
shall we?
You and your group pivoted
like a top Texas cutting horse
on the Hypersonic trade.
We like to stay nimble.
And I see you've also taken
a substantial
short position on it.
I was taught a good investor
can change their mind in an instant,
but a great one needs
to be able to do a full 180.
Losing the sponsorship
of the Games
- can't have hurt them that bad.
- We'll see.
The other part of that good
investor-great investor thing
is that they 180
on new information.
So, what was it?
Something one of my gang,
Rian, figured about their tech.
A totally legal
move on our part.
- Still, I should probably--
- Say less.
As the kids would put it, yes.
- It's time.
- Should we send her in?
Appreciate the
update. Excellent work.
- Please, come in.
- Thank you.
This is Michael Prince.
- Good to see you.
- Good to see you.
- Let's take a couple shots.
- Of course.
Nice. I got you.
- Hey, peach!
- What?
All right, everyone,
pencils down.
Place your open material
faceup on the table in front of you.
Holy shit, look who's back.
- What's up, Mafee?
- My brothers.
Actually, we just stopped by
to steal some office supplies.
How's new-co?
Strikes and gutters, you know.
- All right, dude.
- Dollar Bill. Mafee.
- What's the rumpus?
- Meetings in the building.
Wanted to come by
and see the reno-vaysh.
So, who's the, uh,
slightly younger,
less handsome,
suave version of me?
This is Philip Charyn.
New PM.
Dollar Bill and Mafee.
Well, it's a pleasure.
Your reps precede.
Philip's been
instrumental in helping
to steer this ship
in a new direction.
Thanks, Taylor.
And what direction is that?
Towards a sandbar
in the Suez Canal?
Whoops. Sorry about
the Olympics, guys.
There's always next decade.
What'd your nana tell you
about joining in with the bullies?
Don't make me call
her and tell on you
before your weekly FaceTime.
I got carried away.
I am sorry you lost the
Games and all that business,
if it mattered to you.
I know, Mafee. And
Nana would be proud.
You two sticking
around for a while?
No, we got to get back soon.
Just wanted to
pop in and say hi.
Rap your knuckles
against our balls.
Still tungsten, so tap
lightly for your sake.
"Reno-vaysh"? Really? You're
abbreviating everything now?
I'd offer you
something to drink,
but you won't be staying long.
You want to take a swing at me
because I didn't indulge
your childhood train
conductor fantasy?
Go ahead.
I'll even take off my hat,
Sergeant Hulka-style.
Yeah, well, the difference is,
you'd be the one
who'd end up gutted,
bent over, and sucking wind.
I'll take the punch to
the belly instead of this.
Are you hacking my
phone now, Governor?
No, sir. Got it from
a comms guy I know.
Went from his Slack channel
to my aide's phone to mine.
You see, Mr. Prince,
news travels fast,
especially when it's about
my potential opponent,
Celina Russell.
Yeah, well,
I'm shopping for a new governor.
Remember, you
break it, you buy it.
Make sure you
like what you have,
and that you're not
just grabbing the first
- shiny object you see.
- Come on.
Brilliant former legal aide-
turned-cable news pundit
with hometown
roots in Rochester?
And with that winning,
high-wattage smile.
What's not to love?
And soon, she
won't be able to close
her campaign finance war
chest, 'cause I'll have overstuffed it.
She'll primary you,
We'll outspend and
outspin you in every county.
Man, I so want to go
chest-to-chest with you on this,
you know, Rocky Graziano-style,
but I think you'd see right
through my hard-eyed pose.
We both know I barely
won my last election,
and that's when my opponent
was in the wrong party.
The hell am I gonna do
against Miss America?
Simple, you can
agree to what I want.
Which is?
Rhoades kicked to the curb.
Specifically, I need
you to write a letter
to the New York Senate
requesting a special session
to vote on his removal.
On what grounds?
See? You're already
asking the right questions.
Maybe there's
hope for you after all.
- I'll send you the details.
- No, no, no.
I got no reason to
spend my political capital
on your Randall Flagg.
He's yours, too.
You work in an
abattoir long enough,
you become nose-deaf
to the blood and guts.
Doesn't mean that the
agent of death isn't there.
You've been wading
through it so long,
you don't realize he is.
Listen, I'm not
gonna sign anything
unless you can guarantee me
you got two-thirds of
the Senate with you,
willing to vote him out.
We need Chuck dead,
not wounded and angry.
I'll get you your two-thirds.
Just have your pen ready.
"Unlock the city"?
That's the battle cry? Huh!
Well, considered
"There is no land for us
beyond the Volga,"
but it was taken.
Well, at least the Russians had
a literal snowball's
chance of winning.
- We don't.
- Hold on, Van de Veld Park
has a tax exemption.
It's regulated like a nonprofit.
State law prohibits
discrimination in public spaces.
And a park is, by
its very function,
a public accommodation,
and must be non-discriminatory.
Unless it's a private
park, like Van de Veld.
The land belongs to the
adjacent condo owners
and has since the McClendon
Trust was formed in 1912.
Maybe billionaires
have the right to close off
and restrict acres of nature in
the middle of an urban center.
The question we're
posing is: should they?
Everyone else has to pay
taxes for the property they own.
Why should the top
1% have a loophole
that exempts them from the same?
Why should Busby Berkeley
be a household name,
but Gower Champion
is largely unknown?
There are injustices
in the world,
and one of those is,
the rich have loopholes.
Until now.
Either pay up or
unlock the gates.
It won't
hold up in court.
So there must be a win
in just picking the fight.
We don't need a courtroom
to let the billionaires
start turning their
guns on each other.
Okay, then let me
hit Bass Pro Shops
for a rod and reel to use
on this fishing expedition.
Yep, we just need the right bait
to get a keymaster to let us in.
I'm telling you, Gold
Bond Medicated, you slap it
right up there between
your crack and your sack,
and it's like disco
dust for your taint.
- Hold on.
- State police.
Fuck-- What the-- Hey! Hey!
- Hey!
- Steven Birch,
a jackal at large in the city.
Imagine my surprise
when I discovered
that you sit on the
board of trustees
for the very private park
into which I am
conducting an investigation.
- Into what?
- Your tax-exempt status.
I'm curious, how many people
have one of those coveted keys?
Any parkside resident in one
of 44 surrounding buildings.
So 481 keys, give or take.
- But that list is private.
- Not for long.
You grab me off the street
because you want to push
your little girl on our swings?
Or are you harassing
me just for the fun of it?
No, I do it to get revenge
for people like a young mother
who got locked out because
she happened to be brown
and some Wall Street raider-type
wanted to finish his phone call.
Sounds like a
regrettable mistake.
Well... preventable
one, certainly.
What's going to be regrettable
are the news stories and
the cause of action I bring
on behalf of the people
against the chairman
of the conservancy-- you--
and likely an inquiry into
and audit of your
businesses to go along with it.
Boy, you look like
that guy in the old photo
trying to catch a
cannonball with his belly.
Just grimacing and pretending
to smile through the pain.
That look you're
seeing is me reacting
to the smell of bullshit
wafting through your car.
No, no.
You know what? No.
I'm going to stay above it.
What will it take to get you to
leave me alone, Mr. Rhoades?
A list of your members.
Because I intend to serve
every keyholder, bring suit,
and let a judge's gavel
be my battering ram
on those fucking gates.
I have some preternatural
skills, you know?
Think fast. Talk fast. Run fast.
These things come in handy.
Except when...
Except when the fast talking
outpaces the fast thinking.
Such as when you
suggested we oust Chuck
using Albany Trilogy methods.
I mean, it was Chuck who first
turned me on to those books.
That's not why you're
begging out now, though.
It surely is not, but, uh, I...
I can't be seen
having a hand in this.
Sure you can.
Hard-nosed political
operative is a useful descriptor
for someone who wants
the trajectory you do.
It can be played as
disloyal to him that made me.
Also to the public as, I lined
up with a billionaire against--
This billionaire is worth
more than the public to you
in terms of winning
the seat you covet.
Financing primaries and
general elections and so on.
Getting his friends
to throw in too.
Learned not to trust
promises like that.
Yet my whole reputation is based
on keeping promises like that.
How about this:
You give me the
info I need to do it,
watch me as I do
it, guide my hand,
and I alone will know
your involvement.
Sixty-three seats
in the state Senate.
No term limits.
Deeply entrenched
lifers not easily swayed
by opportunities waiting
for them in the private sector,
and some who actually care
about what's good for their districts.
Give each one a cookie.
And the rest?
Care about what's good for them.
Their political futures.
So to reach two-thirds--
You need 42 votes.
Can you guide me there?
You know I can.
He's coming after all the
Van de Veld Park keyholders,
which means you
and our neighbors.
On what grounds?
I mean, let Rhoades try to
step foot on private property
without a warrant.
Does he have a complaint?
Sounds like NYAG
is on some plebeian jihad.
I'm on your side, and
that sounded offensive.
What they're really after
is dissolving our
board of directors,
strip us of our
tax-exempt status.
- Fuck!
- I'd like to see him try.
Better men have been
run out on a rail for less.
Trust me, I know.
And I'll show him what he
can do with his injunction.
That's just it.
He wants us to throw money
at the problem, prove a point.
Make us put
ourselves on display.
Well, I'm
not giving up my condo.
I just reestablished residency
with my new girlfriend.
She loves the park.
What else is there?
What the fuck, Birch?
What is this, a setup?
I'm not here to
fight you, Lazarra,
despite how you all sold me out.
I'm here to fight alongside you.
I don't ask much of the city.
But I do think I've earned
the right to some privacy.
As we all have.
Elitism isn't your thing, Mike.
It's not elitism, it's
self-preservation.
More territory Chuck
Rhoades has invaded.
That man is responsible for us
going from being
treated like royalty
when we walked into restaurants
to having to use OpenTable
like everyone else.
You think he's going
to stop at the park?
The Knickerbocker, the
Metropolitan, the Core Club.
All storied institutions
we're members of,
reserved for us
to gather in peace.
He'll go after them next.
See? Jihad. That's what I said.
At what point will we have to
leave New York City altogether
just to avoid a wealth tax?
Because make no mistake,
that's where this is going.
And you've come down
from the heavens to save us?
Pretty much.
You fell under his spell, Birch.
He used you to get us all here.
We needed a lifeboat. He
was the only one offering.
Yeah, why would
you offer to help us
after the Olympics
deal going south?
I'm willing to look
past your betrayal.
And I'll take care
of Chuck Rhoades,
so you can keep
your hands clean.
But if you screw me again
in even the slightest way,
I'll maim every single one of
you like Johnny Rambo in Blood.
You're not throwing in with us
because you love
this place or us.
And what
is the real agenda?
What price are you
looking to exact?
A price has to be paid, sure.
But it'll be to your
benefit in the long run.
If I do this for you,
you'll have to put
up your money.
You'll each invest
a quarter bil at MPC.
Believe me,
Senator, I take no pleasure
in going after these Van
de Veld Park trustees.
They're fine
citizens, one and all.
Or maybe not so fine.
But someone needs to
advocate for the people
who actually pay taxes,
and on this one, that's me.
Have a good day, Senator.
Third state senator to
pressure me on this thing.
That jibes with what I know.
The cabal is reunited.
And they're strategizing
with Prince now
on how to fight this effort.
And true to form, he stuck
them each for investable funds.
And true to form, we're
going to mow them down.
I have State
Senator Tharp on two
and Assembly member
Ma still holding on line one.
The wolves are out.
The harder they push, the more
I know we're onto something.
Hold all such calls, please.
You can only ignore
them for so long.
Just until we got
them in front of a judge.
Hey, Taylor.
How's it going?
Yeah, always good to
see friends and colleagues
on the old ride to the office.
Better than a funeral
cortege, you know?
How was lunch?
- Nothing special.
- It was great.
Fine. Just fine. Nothing
special, as he said.
You're going
to lose Ben and Tuk.
- They told you this?
- Not in so many words, no.
But, yes, by their affect,
which was more
nervous than usual.
I saw them coming back from
lunch sucking on Blue Bottle.
- That's the shit Mafee drinks.
- Meaning?
Either they suddenly grew a
taste for artisanal iced coffee
and went out of
their way to get it,
or they took an
interview at High Plains.
They're not under
contract, are they?
Sounds like an HR thing.
Maybe you take it up with Wendy.
She's out. She took
some personal leave
to refocus and reboot,
but you're missing the point.
Do you really think
they'd leave Michael Prince
and Starfleet Command
for a baby bro fund?
If they plan to leave together,
then maybe they don't
really want to leave.
But it's friends going
to work with friends.
Different, yet familiar.
They're feeling nostalgic.
You have a chance
to walk this back.
Unless it's their
time to move on.
Look, it can be difficult
leaving something you love,
even when you know you should.
- That sounds personal.
- It is.
I had a chance to study
under Daphne Koller.
- MacArthur Fellow?
- Yeah, among other awards.
Her work in the AI Lab at
Stanford is mind-bending,
which is why I stayed in
engineering a year longer
than I should have.
I had a similar internal
conflict with Bobby Axelrod.
He built me up
and broke me down.
I tried to make an
exit and ended up
right back where I started.
And now that he's gone,
do you think you've stayed
longer than you should have?
I did at first,
but I've come to realize
I'm right where I need to be
to get where I need to get,
which is ten figures
in personal assets.
That's the grisbi, huh?
What do you plan
on doing with it?
Like the assets,
that's personal.
Look, this is all to say,
perhaps Ben and Tuk are
right where they need to be too.
And if they're not? If their
career path is to go elsewhere,
I won't stand in the way.
Uplifting sentiment,
but what I've been
trying to tell you is,
their departure will
reflect badly on you.
It isn't just about
your book anymore.
Losing personnel,
their ideas, their value--
that's going to be on you.
Ah. The optics.
Plus, they are fucking
smart, good at their jobs,
and not assholes.
If you can keep 'em, keep 'em.
And if I can't?
We should set up
an exit interview.
Try to get something in trade.
Hmm. Yeah. I think...
So, how we looking?
We got the Hudson Valley.
That gives you seven.
Good in Finger Lakes too.
Syracuse, Ithaca,
Rochester, they love you.
Nothing a sizable college
endowment can't buy.
That gives you
another eight votes.
You like to lead
with the good news.
I've learned something
about you, Scooter.
But let me share the bad:
There's a senator from
Oneonta. He's a holdout.
- Who's he?
- Senator Clay Tharp. Republican.
Been in the seat since
Kate Sacker's first birthday.
Ooh, that's a long time.
Not that long.
He's screening our calls.
Our magic number is 42.
Where does Tharp fit in?
With Tharp, you get
four more in the region.
He'll get me over the line?
That settles it, then.
We're going to Albany.
Mohawk
tribe is from your area.
The Keepers of the Eastern
Door of the Iroquois Confederation.
Is that how you fancy yourself?
Am I sitting with the big chief?
The guardian of the region?
On the contrary, I'm
just an elected official
executing the duties of
his post as he sees fit.
And does that includes holding
the line for Chuck Rhoades,
regardless how misguided
or even corrupt he is?
Let me stop you there.
You want to know why I
supported the Rhoades ticket?
I want to know the
makeup of dark matter.
I'll settle for that.
He was there for
me at my lowest.
Visited us when
my wife took ill.
And at her funeral,
he shook my hand,
he looked me in the
eye, and he said...
"Under better circumstances."
Simple words.
Not nearly enough for a
man who'd just lost his wife,
but what would be enough?
And I saw the beauty and
the comfort in those words.
I'd live on. I'd return
to the statehouse.
At least I'd have
that. My life's work.
And when I did return,
Chuck would be there,
his friendship awaiting me.
It was the promise
of a better future.
And I understood
that that was the most
that one politician
can give to another.
So, I'm sorry, I
can't go against him.
I could be a good friend
to you too, Senator Tharp,
if you let me.
What part of "I can't
help you" was unclear?
Jesus. Again?
It's time we stop
sounding surprised.
Sacker is the walking embodiment
of Sky Masterson's cider story.
That's one I don't know.
If you walk into a bar and
some fella offers to bet you
that that ace of spades is
gonna jump out of a deck of cards
and squirt cider in your
ear, you better believe
you're gonna end up
with an ear full of cider.
And this particular earful's
going to cost him 1,800,
and you 32.
My brain trust is fleecing
the rest of my brain trust.
- Happens.
- What's the verdict?
Tharp's not moving.
What have you got?
Economic fallout in
Oneonta, his district,
in the wake of the pandemic.
- Spit it.
- Downtown's an aging shithole.
Governor marked millions to
put some perfume on that pig.
- And if we make that go bye-bye?
- Old white people hate
when they can't
preserve their history.
I suppose it's not so simple as
just asking Sweeney to renege?
We need to identify some
equally worthy projects
the funds can be reallocated to.
- I'll find it.
- And we need to do so
without exposing
you, Mr. Prince,
to criminal liability.
At your service.
Can we pull this off in time?
If we go to trial,
we likely lose,
so we need to
negotiate a settlement
we can paint as a win.
Something they'll take
but not quite choke on.
Public access times,
a sunset provision
that phases out
the private access.
And you have a
plan to pull that off?
Absolutely.
We just convince the
judge and our opponents
that it's not what we want.
You want to open
up the membership
to every private club
and park in the region
and let anarchy reign?
You're Sid Vicious now.
Well, as he said,
"I'm not vicious, really.
I consider myself
to be kindhearted.
I love me mum."
Look, it's laid out clearly
in section 40-A that all
persons shall be entitled
to the full and equal
accommodations--
I'm aware of the
provisions, Mr. Rhoades.
I don't need you to recite them.
But what I don't see
here is any indication
that there's widespread
violation of them.
These clubs all have
open-door policies in place now.
"Open" is subject
to interpretation,
as our investigation shows.
Well, let's see.
An African-American man
was yelled at by a security guard.
A woman overheard two
men crack a sexist joke,
and their membership
wasn't revoked.
One club only has
two Jewish members.
Two?
So they can play golf
and tennis with each other.
- Hmm.
- Yeah, it's a thing.
None of this looks good,
but grounds for a lawsuit?
Individually,
these are complaints
that get swept under the rug.
But taken together,
they form a fact pattern
about who has access
and, more importantly,
who doesn't.
These clubs' mere existence
is a violation of state law.
You're entitled to your opinion
and your frivolous lawsuits,
as are the defendants
who filed a countersuit
to block NYAG's efforts.
We expected as much,
and we are eager to argue
the points in front of a jury.
I'm sure you'd love the chance.
But I'm granting a
permissive joinder of parties,
combining these
lawsuits into one.
- Hold on a sec--
- Yep.
I'm rolling all your
scraps together
into one nice
chop meat surprise,
and I want a settlement
between parties.
A settlement doesn't
benefit anyone.
- Hey, Chuck.
So you're putting me in
a Ken Patera full nelson?
No, it's Chuck
Rhoades putting you
in this particular chicken wing.
He's threatening to pop
that shoulder out of joint,
and private enterprise
out this state along with it.
Well, your part of
the state, anyway.
You see, his war
against business
makes it far more advantageous
for Governor Sweeney to partner
with hedge fund owners like me
than with small businesses
and municipalities like yours.
Bottom-line it for me, city boy.
You can look like a
hero when we announce
that the Prince Companies
will partner with Oneonta
on the downtown
redevelopment project.
Or embrace your political
death if your stubborn,
if admirable, loyalty
won't quiet down.
Your choice.
It would be an easy choice...
under better circumstances.
Shit.
I got your two-thirds.
It's go time.
Pursuant to this settlement,
NYAG agrees to
drop these lawsuits
in exchange for
restrictions being lifted
and gates unlocked
at various city parks
for at least four hours a day.
The timeline to
institute this change
is within seven years.
I'll let you folks
work out the fine print
before I sign off on it.
No one got what he wanted.
Wheels of justice
are grinding away.
What's wrong?
The governor has
served the Senate
with a letter of
charges against you.
It's a motion to
remove you from office.
- On what grounds?
- Abuse of power.
An enemy got ahold of Sweeney
and is steering this against me.
Chuck, at this point,
it doesn't matter.
The ball's with the Senate now.
No, it does matter, Ira,
'cause if someone
got to Sweeney,
it's possible they got
to the Senate as well.
Can they make this move
without giving you an opportunity
- to defend yourself?
- Let's focus on your legal wins.
As your attorney, I
can represent you,
but I need help
devising a strategy.
For when?
They've called a special
session for tonight.
They can't do that.
Chuck, I read the
rules. They can.
Welcome, guys.
We were happy to get your call
to talk about
swapping some assets.
Is it gonna be a "you show
us yours, we show you ours"
kind of thing, or...?
Yeah, were you
thinking we'd start
with some of the
stuff you built up
in anticipation of
the Olympics, or...?
Oh.
We'll just...
No, you're in the right
meeting. Join us. Sit.
So these are the assets
you're really interested in.
- That's right.
- Fuck.
I feel like Rogen in Neighbors.
Delta Psi has the upper hand.
This is a white
paper I started on High Plains
and the $937 million of assets
you have under management.
That's oddly fucking specific.
It contains a comprehensive
breakdown of your leverage,
and creditors, and
your allocations.
Risk parity: 4%.
Long-short equity: 28%.
Credit arbitrage: 6%.
Event-driven and
risk arbitrage: 24%.
CTAs-- You know, I could go
on, but it's all there in the paper,
as are the individual
names you're in.
We've been friends, and
I've gone to bat for you
and bailed you out in the
past, but this is the present.
I know where your money's
at, I know what you want,
and I know what
you're going after.
I know where you're weak.
This includes specifics,
as you can see on the last page,
as well as the names
of your investors.
Those are the
names I will target
if you continue sniffing
around our personnel,
and especially if they
decide to go over to you.
Look, um, no decisions
have been made yet.
That's good, because if
that should come to pass,
I will raid, bleed and feed
on High Plains' business.
I will sacrifice my own returns
to hurt yours, to kill yours.
Hey, that kind of
interference is illegal.
- Yeah, totally illegal.
- Say "illegal."
Go ahead and say
"illegal" again, I dare you.
I double dare you, motherfucker.
Go on and say "illegal"
one more goddamn time,
because you know
who I trained under.
You saw me train under him.
You saw him teach me,
and you saw me learn.
Now ask yourself if I
give a shit about illegal,
and whether I'll be utterly
successful blowing up your firm
and sending you
back to a trading desk
as fucking order clerks.
And Mafee, before you say
this violates our friendship,
just know this:
Friends don't
steal from friends.
Be my friend?
I get it.
You reach an inflection
point in your career
where either you yearn
for something different,
or, in this case,
you start to wonder.
You fantasize about
turning back the clock.
Dollar Bill and Mafee want
to recreate the old Axe Cap
at High Plains,
and maybe you want
to be a part of that.
To the time of
company trips to Miami,
the suites at Yankee Stadium,
the poker tournaments,
everyone pitching
in to crush a sector.
But ask yourself, how
can they really do that
without Bobby Axelrod?
Or Bonnie. Or Wags.
Or Victor. Or me.
Our collective
memory is Axe Capital.
The rest is colored bubbles.
It's your call.
But it'd be a real shame to
lose the glue of our operations
here on the floor at
Michael Prince Capital.
You think I'm the glue?
And not that Elmer's
preschool shit, either.
More like "We need
a plastic surgeon
to remove it from
your hair" Gorilla Glue.
It'd also be a shame
to lose our comer, as in,
one making rapid progress
and showing promise.
You know, I have been
starting to feel it lately.
Like Ohtani in year
two in the majors.
Just hitting my stride.
I think what you
guys really want is to negotiate
for better terms.
Maybe you want to
ask for Tuk's book back.
Well, we can get that
sorted. He's back in.
Really? Thanks!
I mean, okay, sure.
Maybe you want more
guidance and less oversight.
Consider it asked and answered.
But if you leave, well,
as for what happens then,
I think we covered that part.
You know what?
Perhaps we misjudged our timing.
Let's scrap the
offer on the table
if Taylor will, in the
name of friendship,
consider that a peace offering.
I accept. But the next
time you're thinking
about talking to our people,
do it through the front door.
And maybe next time give
your interviewees boutique coffee
in unmarked cups.
You and your
fucking Blue Bottle.
- We're done with it.
- I like what I like.
So did KGB, but he
still threw the Oreos
against the fucking wall
when they sold him out.
Holy shit.
That was a master
class of business hardball.
I can't let anyone
take from me. Ever.
I see that now.
Unless it's something toxic
you want to stick them with.
'Cause it shows them that
you're weak and vulnerable,
and next time they'll
come for what matters most.
I know you might one day cut
me with the knife I'm giving you,
but I'd rather that than
watch a born fighter
let himself get stabbed.
Oh, and by the way, we're even.
I was hoping to keep that chit
for a while, but yeah, we are.
You know what?
I think someone is nostalgic
for the way it was here,
hoping to hang on to as
many threads as they can
of the old days, and
it wasn't Tuk or Ben.
- Chuck...
- Hmm?
Senator.
Why didn't you return my calls?
I reached out right after I
heard from Michael Prince.
Wait, you called about Prince?
Does it matter?
No, of course not.
I bet he was trying to
turn you against me.
But surely I can rely
on you, Clay, right?
Under better circumstances.
What the hell was that?
I'd say it's the
moment we learned
our indignation
was used against us.
We should have seen this coming.
Speeding right in our direction.
Oh, shit, Chuck,
who suggested The Bates
Club as the meeting spot?
That'd be Legere.
Said he was a member.
Even though he's
from out of town,
and it's right across the street
from Van de Veld Park.
That manipulative motherfucker.
Chuck. Ira.
And Miss Mahar.
I've already seen how
warranted your rep is.
Classic play at The Bates Club.
You here to run another
bullshit game on us?
It's a chance to see
Maximus at the Colosseum.
How could I miss it?
He did pretty well,
if memory serves.
This may not turn
out the way you hope.
Instead, it's likely
you've wasted much time,
money and resources
orchestrating this.
Did I? Well, there's
a price to every battle.
A gladiator's willingness
to pay is what defines him.
We thank you for your service.
Your effective performance.
With heartstrings well pulled.
I think we're good
paying you by check.
For you, a lovely window
seat back to Indianapolis.
Prince Capital thanks
you for your assistance.
The
Senate will come to order.
We are in a special session,
closed to the public
by the request of
Governor Robert Sweeney.
Governor, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam President.
I would like to begin this
evening by entering into record
a letter that I issued
to both this body
and to the accused.
It's about a matter
of grave importance
that deserves your careful
and immediate deliberation.
Remember, no
matter what he says,
we can rebut it
with your record.
What he calls corrupt, we
rebut with "fair dealmaking."
You're someone
who strikes a balance
between the letter of the law
and your evolving understanding
of a rapidly changing world.
You sound as if you
believe that yourself.
I'm certain of it.
But you need to be.
I think you will
come to the same conclusion
that State Attorney General
Rhoades has repeatedly
used his seat of power to
wage personal vendettas
instead of protecting
the interests
of the citizens of this
great state of New York.
With the latest information,
I think our strategy is flawed.
No, come on, Chuck.
We're here now.
Sweeney can say
whatever he wants,
leaving me to
disprove a negative.
Mr. Attorney General,
you will get your
chance to speak.
- Oh, will I?
- Chuck--
According to
parliamentary procedure
in special sessions
such as this,
the body must vote on whether
I even have an opportunity
to defend myself.
I was getting to that.
Madam President, please.
Under Article 3, Section 32,
I have the authority to
recommend the removal
of any public official
for misconduct.
But ultimately, my friends,
it is up to you, the Senate,
who must adjudicate
these charges,
hold a trial,
and make a determination
by two-thirds vote
whether to act upon
my recommendation.
And I expect you will come
to the same conclusion I have.
Now, I have authorized
President pro tem
and the majority
leader from District 35
to lead these
proceedings tonight
and to vote on
Mr. Rhoades's fate.
Thank you.
Thank you, Governor.
I would ask for
unanimous consent
to allow the Attorney General
to respond to these
charges before we begin.
All those in favor, say "Aye."
Aye.
Those who oppose, say "Nay."
The "ayes" have it.
Mr. Rhoades, the floor is yours.
- Okay, let me speak for you.
- No, I have to do this myself.
You don't. You shouldn't.
When has a pro se defendant
ever been the right choice?
You said yourself
this wasn't a real trial.
It isn't, it's--
You remember what
General de Gaulle said
when he took to the BBC?
No, but I suppose you do.
"Honor, common sense,
and the interests of the country
require that all free
men, wherever they be,
should continue the
fight as best they may."
The French government
was all but prepared
to sign an armistice
with the Nazi invaders
when General de
Gaulle's call for freedom
rang out over the airwaves.
Their fight preserved
their nation's honor.
This one is mine, Ira.
Mr. Attorney
General, we're waiting.
Let's concede something
right off the top here.
If you do this, you will
be heroes come morning.
No. No doubt about it.
Any time a favorite
loses in a shocker,
the crowd cheers.
And not just the
punters. The flacks too.
Editorialists will salute you.
The front pages will proclaim
that the will of the
people was done here.
And you will all have a
few days of kick-ass polling,
telling you you have
done good and right,
and taken the bold step so
many before you failed to take.
So, yeah, contemporary opinion
and the mood of the moment
will feel like helium,
lifting you to the sky.
But that puts me in mind
of a certain rigid airship
that was also the toast
of its town in its day.
Named for a
legendary military man,
this dirigible was
state of the art.
The smartest, most connected
and influential figures in
finance and government
elbowed each other out
of the way to get seats.
And, for a time,
it did what it was
supposed to do.
In high style.
And was celebrated
in much the same way
you all will be.
That military officer,
his name was President Field
Marshal Paul von Hindenburg.
But instead of that name
connoting things like honor,
bravery under
fire, sophistication,
it now means disaster
of untold proportion.
And this body politic is
heading in the same direction
unless it reverses
course right now.
Boom!
Oh, the humanity.
Dang, he's good.
We're here to watch
him fall, not admire him.
Well, it's both.
If you
do rethink this...
I will hold no grudge.
No ill will.
I understand the
pressure you are under.
Every single one of
you in this chamber
has been cajoled
and enticed by a man
who owns more
assets than the GDP
of most countries on the planet.
Cajoled and enticed
to steer things his way
as he sees fit.
Not what the voters
of New York asked for,
but what he wants.
If that's not the
definition of corruption,
I don't know what is.
You know, what some
people call anti-business
is actually anti-corruption.
What some people
claim is abuse of power
is actually holding
abusers accountable.
But it's easy to
forget one's ideals
when there's a pile of money
or political spoils on the table,
'cause we each
have things we want,
and there never seems to
be enough to pay for 'em.
But we were elected to stand
against those corrupting forces
that would use that
pile to steer us away
from what we know
to be fair and just.
We were elected to be
the voice for the people
who don't have one of their own.
Those who have been silenced
when they dared speak
truth to the powerful.
But history hears their
voices in this chamber tonight.
I unconditionally reject the
charges leveled against me,
and have a public record
that supports what I fight for,
and have won, for the
people of this great state.
And you have a choice.
Fly with me...
or let this whole place go up
in flames like a Nazi zeppelin.
Thank you.
That response?
That never happens.
A great oration can
change the tides of history.
We'll see.
Senator Darcy Phelps.
Aye.
Senator Kirsten Potter.
Nay.
Senator Jim Rankle.
Aye.
Senator Marcia Ross.
Aye.
Senator Antonio Simamora.
Nay.
Senator Clay Tharp.
It's always the one
guy you counted on.
Aye.
The ayes have it.
This motion has been passed.
Charles Rhoades,
Jr., is hereby removed
as attorney general of
the State of New York.
The Senate names
Miss Daevisha Mahar
as acting attorney general
for the remainder of
Mr. Rhoades's term.
Thank you all.
Drink it up, Prince of the City.
But know that you
have made one mistake.
Unlike Walter Sinclair Smith,
I am not actually shot
dead in my trench.
That's the thing about dead
men. They never actually know it.
But everyone else does.
Close your eyes, Chuck.
It's over and done.
Right
Now
I am an Antichrist
I am an anarchist
Don't know what I want
But I know how to get it
I want to destroy passerby
'Cause I
Wanna be
Anarchy
New York, we did it!
Prince didn't pull this
off all by his lonesome.
So we separate Prince
from his power base.
Philip gets first pick. He's
outperformed everyone lately.
I already started
working on Hypersonic.
I'm in the process of building
a relationship with the CEO.
There are major problems
with their tech and
aviation physiology.
There's no way to trade out
without taking a massive loss.
What do you think they're
agreeing to right now?
Oh, fuck.
There is
an item that I have
jammed into a certain bill
that will also be passing,
closing the carried
interest loophole.
So, what do we need to do
to get the bullet out of the gun?
Had we known, we never
would have been party
to such malfeasance.
These men and women
were unknowingly brought in
to an attempt to commit
bribery at a very high level.
- You gotta be kidding me, Mike.
- It's BS, Andy.
This news is our boarding
pass out of our fucked situation.
I figured you'd need help
unloading the
shares at the open.
Yes, another set of
hands would be good.
We can work through this.
I'm afraid the New York
Games are tainted now.
The ICS has come
to the conclusion
that the 2028 Games
can no longer be
held in New York City.
An icy wind burns and scars
Rushes in Like a fallen star
Through the narrow
space Between these bars
Looking down On Prison Grove
Dug in, hunkered down
Hours race without a sound
Gonna carry me
To where I'm bound
Looking down On Prison Grove
Two kinds of men.
Those who, in defeat,
pretend they never cared...
and those who come alone
to pack up their gear
and soak in the loss.
I, like you, am a soaker.
I'm no soaker. I'm a rebuilder.
Pat Riley approach.
Ah. The godfather.
Another great sage intimate
with the subject of defeat.
And victory.
Mostly victory.
"A champion needs a motivation
above and beyond winning."
Wiser words, huh?
State your purpose.
Well, in the spirit of
all this inspirational talk,
I wonder if you'd be motivated
to unload this office building
and some of the other property
you bought for the Olympics
to the state land bank.
When I was bootstrapping
my first startup
in the Bay Area,
I was motivated to go down to
Geraldine's Seafood Market early
so I could buy the freshest
catch before anyone else.
Now, I just buy
the fishing boats.
Well, by cutting
out the middleman,
that makes you
the middleman, no?
No, Chuck, it makes me rich,
with no need to unload
anything at any time
for anyone's reasons
other than my own.
It makes sense to free up
acres of land you no longer need.
Sell it back to the land
bank. I'll offer you a fair price.
Market rate.
Yeah, I'm not in the business
of buying high and selling low.
And if I was, I don't
think you'd be the fella
I'd want on the other
side of that deal.
You have to know that.
So, what's your true
reason for being here?
You trying to prompt me
into making some
mistake out of anger?
I think you've mistaken me
for someone looking for a fight.
That's in the past. I'm
here to find a way forward,
leave you with
dignity in defeat.
Hallmark of a guy trying
to give the other guy dignity
is hitting the word "defeat"
harder than Earnie
Shavers hit the heavy bag.
I may not be quite as evolved
as I'd wish...yet.
I'm working on it.
Aren't we all.
What, you're really
here to end this?
Armistice? Ceasefire?
What are you offering?
I guess I need to see if I
believe you are standing down.
Do I look like a man
readying for battle right now?
No.
So like that fabled, frosty,
starlit December night in 1914,
when a melody drifted over
the darkness of no man's land,
British and German
troops called a truce
to sing holiday carols,
lighting trees in the
trenches rather than cannons,
a symbol of an Earth where
there could indeed be peace.
That particular truce
didn't last very long.
No, it didn't.
Walter Sinclair Smith
stopped a Mauser round,
- and it was back to business.
- As am I.
The past is in my rear-view.
I wanted the Olympics
for NYC. We didn't get it.
But there's no reason
to ready the nukes.
I thrive in peacetime.
How about you?
Oh, it's what I live for.
But, of course,
the best way to peace is
through overwhelming force.
I was up all night with it.
If he could have let it go,
then maybe I'd have
been able to move on.
But, no, Chuck lives for
just this kind of conflict.
He had to remind me
that he took from me.
- Now it's time to take back.
- Sure, boss.
Let's go full Rooster
Cogburn on his ass.
That makes me Mattie
Ross. Out for blood.
Didn't realize you took
this setback so personally.
I was brought in to
land the Olympics safely,
not to have them blow
up like an Irish car bomb.
Well, I could still use
your legal expertise.
Chuck is
an elected official,
which by its very nature
makes him vulnerable.
Sure, what are we gonna do?
Line up and vote
him out in two years?
There's a much smaller vote
that can take place, and sooner.
The rare, quick arrivederci
of New York politics.
Chuck can be removed as AG.
He's standing over a
trapdoor as we speak.
How do we pull the lever?
Get the governor
on board, for starters.
Then it's a two-thirds
majority of the state Senate.
But you're up against
Chuck's entrenched interests
in every corner of the state,
from Taughannock
Falls to Lake Placid.
I know how to make new friends.
It's easier
when the old ones
aren't poisoning the well
before you drink from it.
I agree. If Chuck even
catches wind of you
trying to trade
favors in his ring,
you better have
muleta and sword ready.
He'll come
charging right at you.
Common misconception
that bulls become
angry when they see red.
No, they respond to the
movement of the cape, not the color,
which is red to mask the blood.
So we need to wave
something to get his attention.
I know what we need to do.
Welcome to The Bates.
How may I assist you?
I'm here to meet a Mr. Legere.
Sure, one moment.
I'm sorry, he
hasn't arrived yet.
Okay, thanks.
I'm sorry, ma'am,
are you a member?
No, like I said,
I'm meeting Stuart
Legere, who is.
You'll have to wait outside.
Excuse me?
The executive lounge
is for members only.
You mean the lobby?
I can't sit in the lobby?
All guests must be accompanied
by members while on premises.
I'm sure
it's a great stock,
and I'd go all in
on it if I worked
at fucking JT Marlin,
but I have to produce results.
Oh, hold
it for me, please!
I'm sorry, lady, that's
not how it works.
You got your key?
You've got to have a key.
I just wanted to take my
baby to the park, pendejo.
I'll ram it
up their keister...
Hey.
I think I need to arrest
someone for being an asshole.
Can we do that?
Well, I used to try
more than I do now,
but, yeah, sure.
Guy right there, Lulu
Lehman Brothers,
just closed the gate on a
woman pushing a stroller
because she didn't have a key.
Well, that
beautiful, verdant park
doubles as an asshole magnet.
Whole block is.
Only reason I'm waiting here
is because the Bates Club
just booted me out.
- Didn't you give the name?
- Yeah.
Right before they showed
me the service entrance.
I feel like I'm in They
Live and I'm about to go
Rowdy Roddy Piper
on someone's ass.
Fucking now!
Like the Wolf says,
money is the
oxygen of capitalism.
You know, we can't
actually arrest folks
for being schmucks,
but we can stop
structural schmuckiness.
We have a mandate to do so.
And that park is
the perfect target,
because it's symbolic
of so much more.
Of all the different kinds
of entry denied to people
- who aren't at the top.
- That's right.
Back in the late '60s, you know,
a couple of teenagers
crashed their motorcycles
into the gates, took a few
turns around the old green.
Tore it up quite a
bit before taking off.
And you may think
that there was an outcry.
- No?
- No, indeed.
It was on the
heels of Woodstock.
Everybody just thought they
were doing it for peace and love.
- Different times.
- Maybe so.
But that gate.
I'm thinking it can
be turned into our key.
- To what?
- Unlock the city.
Ah, Stuart Legere.
So I looked into what you asked.
I see we're past
the formalities.
You've got me under your
thumb. Doesn't buy you any smiles.
You want to know where Prince
is at and what he's going to do?
Well, he's wounded. Badly.
And I know more.
We can discuss it inside. I
have the best table waiting.
No, let's go somewhere open
to more than the landed gentry,
shall we?
You and your group pivoted
like a top Texas cutting horse
on the Hypersonic trade.
We like to stay nimble.
And I see you've also taken
a substantial
short position on it.
I was taught a good investor
can change their mind in an instant,
but a great one needs
to be able to do a full 180.
Losing the sponsorship
of the Games
- can't have hurt them that bad.
- We'll see.
The other part of that good
investor-great investor thing
is that they 180
on new information.
So, what was it?
Something one of my gang,
Rian, figured about their tech.
A totally legal
move on our part.
- Still, I should probably--
- Say less.
As the kids would put it, yes.
- It's time.
- Should we send her in?
Appreciate the
update. Excellent work.
- Please, come in.
- Thank you.
This is Michael Prince.
- Good to see you.
- Good to see you.
- Let's take a couple shots.
- Of course.
Nice. I got you.
- Hey, peach!
- What?
All right, everyone,
pencils down.
Place your open material
faceup on the table in front of you.
Holy shit, look who's back.
- What's up, Mafee?
- My brothers.
Actually, we just stopped by
to steal some office supplies.
How's new-co?
Strikes and gutters, you know.
- All right, dude.
- Dollar Bill. Mafee.
- What's the rumpus?
- Meetings in the building.
Wanted to come by
and see the reno-vaysh.
So, who's the, uh,
slightly younger,
less handsome,
suave version of me?
This is Philip Charyn.
New PM.
Dollar Bill and Mafee.
Well, it's a pleasure.
Your reps precede.
Philip's been
instrumental in helping
to steer this ship
in a new direction.
Thanks, Taylor.
And what direction is that?
Towards a sandbar
in the Suez Canal?
Whoops. Sorry about
the Olympics, guys.
There's always next decade.
What'd your nana tell you
about joining in with the bullies?
Don't make me call
her and tell on you
before your weekly FaceTime.
I got carried away.
I am sorry you lost the
Games and all that business,
if it mattered to you.
I know, Mafee. And
Nana would be proud.
You two sticking
around for a while?
No, we got to get back soon.
Just wanted to
pop in and say hi.
Rap your knuckles
against our balls.
Still tungsten, so tap
lightly for your sake.
"Reno-vaysh"? Really? You're
abbreviating everything now?
I'd offer you
something to drink,
but you won't be staying long.
You want to take a swing at me
because I didn't indulge
your childhood train
conductor fantasy?
Go ahead.
I'll even take off my hat,
Sergeant Hulka-style.
Yeah, well, the difference is,
you'd be the one
who'd end up gutted,
bent over, and sucking wind.
I'll take the punch to
the belly instead of this.
Are you hacking my
phone now, Governor?
No, sir. Got it from
a comms guy I know.
Went from his Slack channel
to my aide's phone to mine.
You see, Mr. Prince,
news travels fast,
especially when it's about
my potential opponent,
Celina Russell.
Yeah, well,
I'm shopping for a new governor.
Remember, you
break it, you buy it.
Make sure you
like what you have,
and that you're not
just grabbing the first
- shiny object you see.
- Come on.
Brilliant former legal aide-
turned-cable news pundit
with hometown
roots in Rochester?
And with that winning,
high-wattage smile.
What's not to love?
And soon, she
won't be able to close
her campaign finance war
chest, 'cause I'll have overstuffed it.
She'll primary you,
We'll outspend and
outspin you in every county.
Man, I so want to go
chest-to-chest with you on this,
you know, Rocky Graziano-style,
but I think you'd see right
through my hard-eyed pose.
We both know I barely
won my last election,
and that's when my opponent
was in the wrong party.
The hell am I gonna do
against Miss America?
Simple, you can
agree to what I want.
Which is?
Rhoades kicked to the curb.
Specifically, I need
you to write a letter
to the New York Senate
requesting a special session
to vote on his removal.
On what grounds?
See? You're already
asking the right questions.
Maybe there's
hope for you after all.
- I'll send you the details.
- No, no, no.
I got no reason to
spend my political capital
on your Randall Flagg.
He's yours, too.
You work in an
abattoir long enough,
you become nose-deaf
to the blood and guts.
Doesn't mean that the
agent of death isn't there.
You've been wading
through it so long,
you don't realize he is.
Listen, I'm not
gonna sign anything
unless you can guarantee me
you got two-thirds of
the Senate with you,
willing to vote him out.
We need Chuck dead,
not wounded and angry.
I'll get you your two-thirds.
Just have your pen ready.
"Unlock the city"?
That's the battle cry? Huh!
Well, considered
"There is no land for us
beyond the Volga,"
but it was taken.
Well, at least the Russians had
a literal snowball's
chance of winning.
- We don't.
- Hold on, Van de Veld Park
has a tax exemption.
It's regulated like a nonprofit.
State law prohibits
discrimination in public spaces.
And a park is, by
its very function,
a public accommodation,
and must be non-discriminatory.
Unless it's a private
park, like Van de Veld.
The land belongs to the
adjacent condo owners
and has since the McClendon
Trust was formed in 1912.
Maybe billionaires
have the right to close off
and restrict acres of nature in
the middle of an urban center.
The question we're
posing is: should they?
Everyone else has to pay
taxes for the property they own.
Why should the top
1% have a loophole
that exempts them from the same?
Why should Busby Berkeley
be a household name,
but Gower Champion
is largely unknown?
There are injustices
in the world,
and one of those is,
the rich have loopholes.
Until now.
Either pay up or
unlock the gates.
It won't
hold up in court.
So there must be a win
in just picking the fight.
We don't need a courtroom
to let the billionaires
start turning their
guns on each other.
Okay, then let me
hit Bass Pro Shops
for a rod and reel to use
on this fishing expedition.
Yep, we just need the right bait
to get a keymaster to let us in.
I'm telling you, Gold
Bond Medicated, you slap it
right up there between
your crack and your sack,
and it's like disco
dust for your taint.
- Hold on.
- State police.
Fuck-- What the-- Hey! Hey!
- Hey!
- Steven Birch,
a jackal at large in the city.
Imagine my surprise
when I discovered
that you sit on the
board of trustees
for the very private park
into which I am
conducting an investigation.
- Into what?
- Your tax-exempt status.
I'm curious, how many people
have one of those coveted keys?
Any parkside resident in one
of 44 surrounding buildings.
So 481 keys, give or take.
- But that list is private.
- Not for long.
You grab me off the street
because you want to push
your little girl on our swings?
Or are you harassing
me just for the fun of it?
No, I do it to get revenge
for people like a young mother
who got locked out because
she happened to be brown
and some Wall Street raider-type
wanted to finish his phone call.
Sounds like a
regrettable mistake.
Well... preventable
one, certainly.
What's going to be regrettable
are the news stories and
the cause of action I bring
on behalf of the people
against the chairman
of the conservancy-- you--
and likely an inquiry into
and audit of your
businesses to go along with it.
Boy, you look like
that guy in the old photo
trying to catch a
cannonball with his belly.
Just grimacing and pretending
to smile through the pain.
That look you're
seeing is me reacting
to the smell of bullshit
wafting through your car.
No, no.
You know what? No.
I'm going to stay above it.
What will it take to get you to
leave me alone, Mr. Rhoades?
A list of your members.
Because I intend to serve
every keyholder, bring suit,
and let a judge's gavel
be my battering ram
on those fucking gates.
I have some preternatural
skills, you know?
Think fast. Talk fast. Run fast.
These things come in handy.
Except when...
Except when the fast talking
outpaces the fast thinking.
Such as when you
suggested we oust Chuck
using Albany Trilogy methods.
I mean, it was Chuck who first
turned me on to those books.
That's not why you're
begging out now, though.
It surely is not, but, uh, I...
I can't be seen
having a hand in this.
Sure you can.
Hard-nosed political
operative is a useful descriptor
for someone who wants
the trajectory you do.
It can be played as
disloyal to him that made me.
Also to the public as, I lined
up with a billionaire against--
This billionaire is worth
more than the public to you
in terms of winning
the seat you covet.
Financing primaries and
general elections and so on.
Getting his friends
to throw in too.
Learned not to trust
promises like that.
Yet my whole reputation is based
on keeping promises like that.
How about this:
You give me the
info I need to do it,
watch me as I do
it, guide my hand,
and I alone will know
your involvement.
Sixty-three seats
in the state Senate.
No term limits.
Deeply entrenched
lifers not easily swayed
by opportunities waiting
for them in the private sector,
and some who actually care
about what's good for their districts.
Give each one a cookie.
And the rest?
Care about what's good for them.
Their political futures.
So to reach two-thirds--
You need 42 votes.
Can you guide me there?
You know I can.
He's coming after all the
Van de Veld Park keyholders,
which means you
and our neighbors.
On what grounds?
I mean, let Rhoades try to
step foot on private property
without a warrant.
Does he have a complaint?
Sounds like NYAG
is on some plebeian jihad.
I'm on your side, and
that sounded offensive.
What they're really after
is dissolving our
board of directors,
strip us of our
tax-exempt status.
- Fuck!
- I'd like to see him try.
Better men have been
run out on a rail for less.
Trust me, I know.
And I'll show him what he
can do with his injunction.
That's just it.
He wants us to throw money
at the problem, prove a point.
Make us put
ourselves on display.
Well, I'm
not giving up my condo.
I just reestablished residency
with my new girlfriend.
She loves the park.
What else is there?
What the fuck, Birch?
What is this, a setup?
I'm not here to
fight you, Lazarra,
despite how you all sold me out.
I'm here to fight alongside you.
I don't ask much of the city.
But I do think I've earned
the right to some privacy.
As we all have.
Elitism isn't your thing, Mike.
It's not elitism, it's
self-preservation.
More territory Chuck
Rhoades has invaded.
That man is responsible for us
going from being
treated like royalty
when we walked into restaurants
to having to use OpenTable
like everyone else.
You think he's going
to stop at the park?
The Knickerbocker, the
Metropolitan, the Core Club.
All storied institutions
we're members of,
reserved for us
to gather in peace.
He'll go after them next.
See? Jihad. That's what I said.
At what point will we have to
leave New York City altogether
just to avoid a wealth tax?
Because make no mistake,
that's where this is going.
And you've come down
from the heavens to save us?
Pretty much.
You fell under his spell, Birch.
He used you to get us all here.
We needed a lifeboat. He
was the only one offering.
Yeah, why would
you offer to help us
after the Olympics
deal going south?
I'm willing to look
past your betrayal.
And I'll take care
of Chuck Rhoades,
so you can keep
your hands clean.
But if you screw me again
in even the slightest way,
I'll maim every single one of
you like Johnny Rambo in Blood.
You're not throwing in with us
because you love
this place or us.
And what
is the real agenda?
What price are you
looking to exact?
A price has to be paid, sure.
But it'll be to your
benefit in the long run.
If I do this for you,
you'll have to put
up your money.
You'll each invest
a quarter bil at MPC.
Believe me,
Senator, I take no pleasure
in going after these Van
de Veld Park trustees.
They're fine
citizens, one and all.
Or maybe not so fine.
But someone needs to
advocate for the people
who actually pay taxes,
and on this one, that's me.
Have a good day, Senator.
Third state senator to
pressure me on this thing.
That jibes with what I know.
The cabal is reunited.
And they're strategizing
with Prince now
on how to fight this effort.
And true to form, he stuck
them each for investable funds.
And true to form, we're
going to mow them down.
I have State
Senator Tharp on two
and Assembly member
Ma still holding on line one.
The wolves are out.
The harder they push, the more
I know we're onto something.
Hold all such calls, please.
You can only ignore
them for so long.
Just until we got
them in front of a judge.
Hey, Taylor.
How's it going?
Yeah, always good to
see friends and colleagues
on the old ride to the office.
Better than a funeral
cortege, you know?
How was lunch?
- Nothing special.
- It was great.
Fine. Just fine. Nothing
special, as he said.
You're going
to lose Ben and Tuk.
- They told you this?
- Not in so many words, no.
But, yes, by their affect,
which was more
nervous than usual.
I saw them coming back from
lunch sucking on Blue Bottle.
- That's the shit Mafee drinks.
- Meaning?
Either they suddenly grew a
taste for artisanal iced coffee
and went out of
their way to get it,
or they took an
interview at High Plains.
They're not under
contract, are they?
Sounds like an HR thing.
Maybe you take it up with Wendy.
She's out. She took
some personal leave
to refocus and reboot,
but you're missing the point.
Do you really think
they'd leave Michael Prince
and Starfleet Command
for a baby bro fund?
If they plan to leave together,
then maybe they don't
really want to leave.
But it's friends going
to work with friends.
Different, yet familiar.
They're feeling nostalgic.
You have a chance
to walk this back.
Unless it's their
time to move on.
Look, it can be difficult
leaving something you love,
even when you know you should.
- That sounds personal.
- It is.
I had a chance to study
under Daphne Koller.
- MacArthur Fellow?
- Yeah, among other awards.
Her work in the AI Lab at
Stanford is mind-bending,
which is why I stayed in
engineering a year longer
than I should have.
I had a similar internal
conflict with Bobby Axelrod.
He built me up
and broke me down.
I tried to make an
exit and ended up
right back where I started.
And now that he's gone,
do you think you've stayed
longer than you should have?
I did at first,
but I've come to realize
I'm right where I need to be
to get where I need to get,
which is ten figures
in personal assets.
That's the grisbi, huh?
What do you plan
on doing with it?
Like the assets,
that's personal.
Look, this is all to say,
perhaps Ben and Tuk are
right where they need to be too.
And if they're not? If their
career path is to go elsewhere,
I won't stand in the way.
Uplifting sentiment,
but what I've been
trying to tell you is,
their departure will
reflect badly on you.
It isn't just about
your book anymore.
Losing personnel,
their ideas, their value--
that's going to be on you.
Ah. The optics.
Plus, they are fucking
smart, good at their jobs,
and not assholes.
If you can keep 'em, keep 'em.
And if I can't?
We should set up
an exit interview.
Try to get something in trade.
Hmm. Yeah. I think...
So, how we looking?
We got the Hudson Valley.
That gives you seven.
Good in Finger Lakes too.
Syracuse, Ithaca,
Rochester, they love you.
Nothing a sizable college
endowment can't buy.
That gives you
another eight votes.
You like to lead
with the good news.
I've learned something
about you, Scooter.
But let me share the bad:
There's a senator from
Oneonta. He's a holdout.
- Who's he?
- Senator Clay Tharp. Republican.
Been in the seat since
Kate Sacker's first birthday.
Ooh, that's a long time.
Not that long.
He's screening our calls.
Our magic number is 42.
Where does Tharp fit in?
With Tharp, you get
four more in the region.
He'll get me over the line?
That settles it, then.
We're going to Albany.
Mohawk
tribe is from your area.
The Keepers of the Eastern
Door of the Iroquois Confederation.
Is that how you fancy yourself?
Am I sitting with the big chief?
The guardian of the region?
On the contrary, I'm
just an elected official
executing the duties of
his post as he sees fit.
And does that includes holding
the line for Chuck Rhoades,
regardless how misguided
or even corrupt he is?
Let me stop you there.
You want to know why I
supported the Rhoades ticket?
I want to know the
makeup of dark matter.
I'll settle for that.
He was there for
me at my lowest.
Visited us when
my wife took ill.
And at her funeral,
he shook my hand,
he looked me in the
eye, and he said...
"Under better circumstances."
Simple words.
Not nearly enough for a
man who'd just lost his wife,
but what would be enough?
And I saw the beauty and
the comfort in those words.
I'd live on. I'd return
to the statehouse.
At least I'd have
that. My life's work.
And when I did return,
Chuck would be there,
his friendship awaiting me.
It was the promise
of a better future.
And I understood
that that was the most
that one politician
can give to another.
So, I'm sorry, I
can't go against him.
I could be a good friend
to you too, Senator Tharp,
if you let me.
What part of "I can't
help you" was unclear?
Jesus. Again?
It's time we stop
sounding surprised.
Sacker is the walking embodiment
of Sky Masterson's cider story.
That's one I don't know.
If you walk into a bar and
some fella offers to bet you
that that ace of spades is
gonna jump out of a deck of cards
and squirt cider in your
ear, you better believe
you're gonna end up
with an ear full of cider.
And this particular earful's
going to cost him 1,800,
and you 32.
My brain trust is fleecing
the rest of my brain trust.
- Happens.
- What's the verdict?
Tharp's not moving.
What have you got?
Economic fallout in
Oneonta, his district,
in the wake of the pandemic.
- Spit it.
- Downtown's an aging shithole.
Governor marked millions to
put some perfume on that pig.
- And if we make that go bye-bye?
- Old white people hate
when they can't
preserve their history.
I suppose it's not so simple as
just asking Sweeney to renege?
We need to identify some
equally worthy projects
the funds can be reallocated to.
- I'll find it.
- And we need to do so
without exposing
you, Mr. Prince,
to criminal liability.
At your service.
Can we pull this off in time?
If we go to trial,
we likely lose,
so we need to
negotiate a settlement
we can paint as a win.
Something they'll take
but not quite choke on.
Public access times,
a sunset provision
that phases out
the private access.
And you have a
plan to pull that off?
Absolutely.
We just convince the
judge and our opponents
that it's not what we want.
You want to open
up the membership
to every private club
and park in the region
and let anarchy reign?
You're Sid Vicious now.
Well, as he said,
"I'm not vicious, really.
I consider myself
to be kindhearted.
I love me mum."
Look, it's laid out clearly
in section 40-A that all
persons shall be entitled
to the full and equal
accommodations--
I'm aware of the
provisions, Mr. Rhoades.
I don't need you to recite them.
But what I don't see
here is any indication
that there's widespread
violation of them.
These clubs all have
open-door policies in place now.
"Open" is subject
to interpretation,
as our investigation shows.
Well, let's see.
An African-American man
was yelled at by a security guard.
A woman overheard two
men crack a sexist joke,
and their membership
wasn't revoked.
One club only has
two Jewish members.
Two?
So they can play golf
and tennis with each other.
- Hmm.
- Yeah, it's a thing.
None of this looks good,
but grounds for a lawsuit?
Individually,
these are complaints
that get swept under the rug.
But taken together,
they form a fact pattern
about who has access
and, more importantly,
who doesn't.
These clubs' mere existence
is a violation of state law.
You're entitled to your opinion
and your frivolous lawsuits,
as are the defendants
who filed a countersuit
to block NYAG's efforts.
We expected as much,
and we are eager to argue
the points in front of a jury.
I'm sure you'd love the chance.
But I'm granting a
permissive joinder of parties,
combining these
lawsuits into one.
- Hold on a sec--
- Yep.
I'm rolling all your
scraps together
into one nice
chop meat surprise,
and I want a settlement
between parties.
A settlement doesn't
benefit anyone.
- Hey, Chuck.
So you're putting me in
a Ken Patera full nelson?
No, it's Chuck
Rhoades putting you
in this particular chicken wing.
He's threatening to pop
that shoulder out of joint,
and private enterprise
out this state along with it.
Well, your part of
the state, anyway.
You see, his war
against business
makes it far more advantageous
for Governor Sweeney to partner
with hedge fund owners like me
than with small businesses
and municipalities like yours.
Bottom-line it for me, city boy.
You can look like a
hero when we announce
that the Prince Companies
will partner with Oneonta
on the downtown
redevelopment project.
Or embrace your political
death if your stubborn,
if admirable, loyalty
won't quiet down.
Your choice.
It would be an easy choice...
under better circumstances.
Shit.
I got your two-thirds.
It's go time.
Pursuant to this settlement,
NYAG agrees to
drop these lawsuits
in exchange for
restrictions being lifted
and gates unlocked
at various city parks
for at least four hours a day.
The timeline to
institute this change
is within seven years.
I'll let you folks
work out the fine print
before I sign off on it.
No one got what he wanted.
Wheels of justice
are grinding away.
What's wrong?
The governor has
served the Senate
with a letter of
charges against you.
It's a motion to
remove you from office.
- On what grounds?
- Abuse of power.
An enemy got ahold of Sweeney
and is steering this against me.
Chuck, at this point,
it doesn't matter.
The ball's with the Senate now.
No, it does matter, Ira,
'cause if someone
got to Sweeney,
it's possible they got
to the Senate as well.
Can they make this move
without giving you an opportunity
- to defend yourself?
- Let's focus on your legal wins.
As your attorney, I
can represent you,
but I need help
devising a strategy.
For when?
They've called a special
session for tonight.
They can't do that.
Chuck, I read the
rules. They can.
Welcome, guys.
We were happy to get your call
to talk about
swapping some assets.
Is it gonna be a "you show
us yours, we show you ours"
kind of thing, or...?
Yeah, were you
thinking we'd start
with some of the
stuff you built up
in anticipation of
the Olympics, or...?
Oh.
We'll just...
No, you're in the right
meeting. Join us. Sit.
So these are the assets
you're really interested in.
- That's right.
- Fuck.
I feel like Rogen in Neighbors.
Delta Psi has the upper hand.
This is a white
paper I started on High Plains
and the $937 million of assets
you have under management.
That's oddly fucking specific.
It contains a comprehensive
breakdown of your leverage,
and creditors, and
your allocations.
Risk parity: 4%.
Long-short equity: 28%.
Credit arbitrage: 6%.
Event-driven and
risk arbitrage: 24%.
CTAs-- You know, I could go
on, but it's all there in the paper,
as are the individual
names you're in.
We've been friends, and
I've gone to bat for you
and bailed you out in the
past, but this is the present.
I know where your money's
at, I know what you want,
and I know what
you're going after.
I know where you're weak.
This includes specifics,
as you can see on the last page,
as well as the names
of your investors.
Those are the
names I will target
if you continue sniffing
around our personnel,
and especially if they
decide to go over to you.
Look, um, no decisions
have been made yet.
That's good, because if
that should come to pass,
I will raid, bleed and feed
on High Plains' business.
I will sacrifice my own returns
to hurt yours, to kill yours.
Hey, that kind of
interference is illegal.
- Yeah, totally illegal.
- Say "illegal."
Go ahead and say
"illegal" again, I dare you.
I double dare you, motherfucker.
Go on and say "illegal"
one more goddamn time,
because you know
who I trained under.
You saw me train under him.
You saw him teach me,
and you saw me learn.
Now ask yourself if I
give a shit about illegal,
and whether I'll be utterly
successful blowing up your firm
and sending you
back to a trading desk
as fucking order clerks.
And Mafee, before you say
this violates our friendship,
just know this:
Friends don't
steal from friends.
Be my friend?
I get it.
You reach an inflection
point in your career
where either you yearn
for something different,
or, in this case,
you start to wonder.
You fantasize about
turning back the clock.
Dollar Bill and Mafee want
to recreate the old Axe Cap
at High Plains,
and maybe you want
to be a part of that.
To the time of
company trips to Miami,
the suites at Yankee Stadium,
the poker tournaments,
everyone pitching
in to crush a sector.
But ask yourself, how
can they really do that
without Bobby Axelrod?
Or Bonnie. Or Wags.
Or Victor. Or me.
Our collective
memory is Axe Capital.
The rest is colored bubbles.
It's your call.
But it'd be a real shame to
lose the glue of our operations
here on the floor at
Michael Prince Capital.
You think I'm the glue?
And not that Elmer's
preschool shit, either.
More like "We need
a plastic surgeon
to remove it from
your hair" Gorilla Glue.
It'd also be a shame
to lose our comer, as in,
one making rapid progress
and showing promise.
You know, I have been
starting to feel it lately.
Like Ohtani in year
two in the majors.
Just hitting my stride.
I think what you
guys really want is to negotiate
for better terms.
Maybe you want to
ask for Tuk's book back.
Well, we can get that
sorted. He's back in.
Really? Thanks!
I mean, okay, sure.
Maybe you want more
guidance and less oversight.
Consider it asked and answered.
But if you leave, well,
as for what happens then,
I think we covered that part.
You know what?
Perhaps we misjudged our timing.
Let's scrap the
offer on the table
if Taylor will, in the
name of friendship,
consider that a peace offering.
I accept. But the next
time you're thinking
about talking to our people,
do it through the front door.
And maybe next time give
your interviewees boutique coffee
in unmarked cups.
You and your
fucking Blue Bottle.
- We're done with it.
- I like what I like.
So did KGB, but he
still threw the Oreos
against the fucking wall
when they sold him out.
Holy shit.
That was a master
class of business hardball.
I can't let anyone
take from me. Ever.
I see that now.
Unless it's something toxic
you want to stick them with.
'Cause it shows them that
you're weak and vulnerable,
and next time they'll
come for what matters most.
I know you might one day cut
me with the knife I'm giving you,
but I'd rather that than
watch a born fighter
let himself get stabbed.
Oh, and by the way, we're even.
I was hoping to keep that chit
for a while, but yeah, we are.
You know what?
I think someone is nostalgic
for the way it was here,
hoping to hang on to as
many threads as they can
of the old days, and
it wasn't Tuk or Ben.
- Chuck...
- Hmm?
Senator.
Why didn't you return my calls?
I reached out right after I
heard from Michael Prince.
Wait, you called about Prince?
Does it matter?
No, of course not.
I bet he was trying to
turn you against me.
But surely I can rely
on you, Clay, right?
Under better circumstances.
What the hell was that?
I'd say it's the
moment we learned
our indignation
was used against us.
We should have seen this coming.
Speeding right in our direction.
Oh, shit, Chuck,
who suggested The Bates
Club as the meeting spot?
That'd be Legere.
Said he was a member.
Even though he's
from out of town,
and it's right across the street
from Van de Veld Park.
That manipulative motherfucker.
Chuck. Ira.
And Miss Mahar.
I've already seen how
warranted your rep is.
Classic play at The Bates Club.
You here to run another
bullshit game on us?
It's a chance to see
Maximus at the Colosseum.
How could I miss it?
He did pretty well,
if memory serves.
This may not turn
out the way you hope.
Instead, it's likely
you've wasted much time,
money and resources
orchestrating this.
Did I? Well, there's
a price to every battle.
A gladiator's willingness
to pay is what defines him.
We thank you for your service.
Your effective performance.
With heartstrings well pulled.
I think we're good
paying you by check.
For you, a lovely window
seat back to Indianapolis.
Prince Capital thanks
you for your assistance.
The
Senate will come to order.
We are in a special session,
closed to the public
by the request of
Governor Robert Sweeney.
Governor, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam President.
I would like to begin this
evening by entering into record
a letter that I issued
to both this body
and to the accused.
It's about a matter
of grave importance
that deserves your careful
and immediate deliberation.
Remember, no
matter what he says,
we can rebut it
with your record.
What he calls corrupt, we
rebut with "fair dealmaking."
You're someone
who strikes a balance
between the letter of the law
and your evolving understanding
of a rapidly changing world.
You sound as if you
believe that yourself.
I'm certain of it.
But you need to be.
I think you will
come to the same conclusion
that State Attorney General
Rhoades has repeatedly
used his seat of power to
wage personal vendettas
instead of protecting
the interests
of the citizens of this
great state of New York.
With the latest information,
I think our strategy is flawed.
No, come on, Chuck.
We're here now.
Sweeney can say
whatever he wants,
leaving me to
disprove a negative.
Mr. Attorney General,
you will get your
chance to speak.
- Oh, will I?
- Chuck--
According to
parliamentary procedure
in special sessions
such as this,
the body must vote on whether
I even have an opportunity
to defend myself.
I was getting to that.
Madam President, please.
Under Article 3, Section 32,
I have the authority to
recommend the removal
of any public official
for misconduct.
But ultimately, my friends,
it is up to you, the Senate,
who must adjudicate
these charges,
hold a trial,
and make a determination
by two-thirds vote
whether to act upon
my recommendation.
And I expect you will come
to the same conclusion I have.
Now, I have authorized
President pro tem
and the majority
leader from District 35
to lead these
proceedings tonight
and to vote on
Mr. Rhoades's fate.
Thank you.
Thank you, Governor.
I would ask for
unanimous consent
to allow the Attorney General
to respond to these
charges before we begin.
All those in favor, say "Aye."
Aye.
Those who oppose, say "Nay."
The "ayes" have it.
Mr. Rhoades, the floor is yours.
- Okay, let me speak for you.
- No, I have to do this myself.
You don't. You shouldn't.
When has a pro se defendant
ever been the right choice?
You said yourself
this wasn't a real trial.
It isn't, it's--
You remember what
General de Gaulle said
when he took to the BBC?
No, but I suppose you do.
"Honor, common sense,
and the interests of the country
require that all free
men, wherever they be,
should continue the
fight as best they may."
The French government
was all but prepared
to sign an armistice
with the Nazi invaders
when General de
Gaulle's call for freedom
rang out over the airwaves.
Their fight preserved
their nation's honor.
This one is mine, Ira.
Mr. Attorney
General, we're waiting.
Let's concede something
right off the top here.
If you do this, you will
be heroes come morning.
No. No doubt about it.
Any time a favorite
loses in a shocker,
the crowd cheers.
And not just the
punters. The flacks too.
Editorialists will salute you.
The front pages will proclaim
that the will of the
people was done here.
And you will all have a
few days of kick-ass polling,
telling you you have
done good and right,
and taken the bold step so
many before you failed to take.
So, yeah, contemporary opinion
and the mood of the moment
will feel like helium,
lifting you to the sky.
But that puts me in mind
of a certain rigid airship
that was also the toast
of its town in its day.
Named for a
legendary military man,
this dirigible was
state of the art.
The smartest, most connected
and influential figures in
finance and government
elbowed each other out
of the way to get seats.
And, for a time,
it did what it was
supposed to do.
In high style.
And was celebrated
in much the same way
you all will be.
That military officer,
his name was President Field
Marshal Paul von Hindenburg.
But instead of that name
connoting things like honor,
bravery under
fire, sophistication,
it now means disaster
of untold proportion.
And this body politic is
heading in the same direction
unless it reverses
course right now.
Boom!
Oh, the humanity.
Dang, he's good.
We're here to watch
him fall, not admire him.
Well, it's both.
If you
do rethink this...
I will hold no grudge.
No ill will.
I understand the
pressure you are under.
Every single one of
you in this chamber
has been cajoled
and enticed by a man
who owns more
assets than the GDP
of most countries on the planet.
Cajoled and enticed
to steer things his way
as he sees fit.
Not what the voters
of New York asked for,
but what he wants.
If that's not the
definition of corruption,
I don't know what is.
You know, what some
people call anti-business
is actually anti-corruption.
What some people
claim is abuse of power
is actually holding
abusers accountable.
But it's easy to
forget one's ideals
when there's a pile of money
or political spoils on the table,
'cause we each
have things we want,
and there never seems to
be enough to pay for 'em.
But we were elected to stand
against those corrupting forces
that would use that
pile to steer us away
from what we know
to be fair and just.
We were elected to be
the voice for the people
who don't have one of their own.
Those who have been silenced
when they dared speak
truth to the powerful.
But history hears their
voices in this chamber tonight.
I unconditionally reject the
charges leveled against me,
and have a public record
that supports what I fight for,
and have won, for the
people of this great state.
And you have a choice.
Fly with me...
or let this whole place go up
in flames like a Nazi zeppelin.
Thank you.
That response?
That never happens.
A great oration can
change the tides of history.
We'll see.
Senator Darcy Phelps.
Aye.
Senator Kirsten Potter.
Nay.
Senator Jim Rankle.
Aye.
Senator Marcia Ross.
Aye.
Senator Antonio Simamora.
Nay.
Senator Clay Tharp.
It's always the one
guy you counted on.
Aye.
The ayes have it.
This motion has been passed.
Charles Rhoades,
Jr., is hereby removed
as attorney general of
the State of New York.
The Senate names
Miss Daevisha Mahar
as acting attorney general
for the remainder of
Mr. Rhoades's term.
Thank you all.
Drink it up, Prince of the City.
But know that you
have made one mistake.
Unlike Walter Sinclair Smith,
I am not actually shot
dead in my trench.
That's the thing about dead
men. They never actually know it.
But everyone else does.
Close your eyes, Chuck.
It's over and done.
Right
Now
I am an Antichrist
I am an anarchist
Don't know what I want
But I know how to get it
I want to destroy passerby
'Cause I
Wanna be
Anarchy