Power (2014–…): Season 6, Episode 14 - Reversal of Fortune - full transcript
Previously on Power...
Rashad Tate, councilman in Queens.
James St. Patrick, from Queens.
Come on. Come here!
What kind of man would murder
over a business dispute?
- You ain't got no idea who the fuck I am.
- I think I do.
I'm letting you go.
I get to decide who represents me
- on a community level...
- Wait a minute...
And that person is Andre.
My advice is that you
distance yourself from Andre.
If you don't, you
won't win the election.
Both of our careers are on the line.
- Rashad...
- Listen, I know how this goes!
Rashad, listen to me.
Everything's under control.
Ladies and gentlemen, Governor
Tate for New York State.
Team Tate, I spoke
with the DNC chairman,
and he's sending an additional
support package our way.
You need a win, and you'll
need my people to do it.
How could you be so reckless?
And you pick a married
woman who works for you.
You think that I want to go public.
That's not what I want at all.
You want to run next year.
You want the DNC to back you.
You and me, we can go all
the way to the state house.
Your idea presumes
that I don't already have
feelings for somebody else.
There is no Queens Child Project.
It's over, James.
You fuck me, I return the favor.
Lorette Walsh is planning
to announce James St. Patrick
as her running mate to be the next
lieutenant governor of New York.
Local entrepreneur James St. Patrick
will soon be announced
as Tate rival Lorette
Walsh's running mate.
The QCP. Uh, ladies, it seems
as though I've lost the site.
If you can't make that happen, James,
I may have to drop you from the ticket.
If we can't move forward with James,
I'll need to consider my other options.
Rashad Tate is at the top of that list.
She wouldn't go back to Rashad Tate.
She could make it work.
You now have a friend in Albany.
No, that has nothing to do
with my decision to help you.
- You are?
- Steven Ott.
James St. Patrick is property
of the Democratic Party now.
Nothing can stop me from winning.
And some people can
never win. That's you.
No matter what you put your mind
to... well, it never works out.
- It's $100,000.
- What I gotta do?
Kill James St. Patrick.
- Hello.
- Croop?
Yeah, this is Croop.
- It's me.
- Hey.
I got a mess I need cleaned up.
- When?
- Today.
Today? I'm all the way down in D.C.
Nigga, I don't give a fuck where you at.
Bring your country ass up to New York
and do this damn job.
All right.
A'ight.
You know, I'm thinking,
after I finish this drink,
why don't we swing by my place?
I'm good, Rashad, all right?
And I doubt you can handle me
in the state you're in, anyway.
- In the state that I'm in?
- The state you're in.
Come here.
Listen here. Rashad motherfucking Tate
ain't never left a woman unsatisfied
in his life,
and tonight will not be my first time.
- Hello.
- Your fucking brother's here.
Damn. Is he drunk again?
I think you need to come get him.
- Okay.
- Woman...
I'm gonna do some things to you
you ain't never, ever s...
Shit.
Maybe we should stop.
No, but I'm just getting started.
Me too, man. I'm in it. Let's go.
You guys are really bad at this.
- Whoa.
- Oh, ho, ho!
- Babe, you hear him?
- Uh-uh.
Boy, ain't no trash-talking
at this breakfast table.
Just give us another one.
Okay, um...
Tennessee.
Mm, that's easy. Nashville.
- Yes, mm.
- Mm.
What about Michigan?
Oh, we call that D-town,
but for you, Detroit.
- Wrong.
- What?
Don't worry about that, babe.
Mm-mm. Don't worry about it.
- Mm-mm.
- Mm!
Everybody gets that wrong.
Grand Rapids. Right?
Are you asking me or telling me?
- Oh.
- You see? You see?
Hey, come on. Father like son.
He gets it from you. No,
he does exactly what you do.
Capital of Michigan is Lansing.
Fifth-largest city in the state.
Population is about
115,000, give or take,
and it's inside their eighth
congressional district.
- Well, there you have it.
- All right, now.
Uncle Rashad!
There he is. My man.
Give me some.
Mm, mm, mm.
Hey, Elijah, I'm sorry
I had to steal your
bed last night, big guy.
It's okay.
Mm, welcome back among
the living, Rashad.
- Thank you, sis.
- I know you're hungry.
Ah, it smells amazing,
but I'm actually okay.
Uh, I could use some coffee, though.
Want to talk about it?
Tate for Governor is over.
What?
I'm out of the governor's race.
Man, what you talking about?
Are you serious? What happened?
James St. Patrick happened.
He killed my campaign last night.
I swear to God, if I see
his face one more time...
Uh, bad news, Uncle Rashad.
... primary season,
local entrepreneur James St. Patrick
has left the Tate campaign.
In a stunning turn of events,
sources say that St. Patrick
will soon be announced
as Tate rival Lorette
Walsh's running mate.
- Motherfucker!
- Rashad.
I'm sorry, E. You didn't
hear that, okay, buddy?
- Except I totally did.
- ... in the race
- It's okay.
- for New York state governor.
Walsh is vulnerable with urban
and minority constituents,
and St. Patrick's
presence on the ticket,
especially after his
exoneration on murder charges
in the death of FBI agent Gregory Knox,
will erase doubts from those communities
about Walsh's commitment
to their interests.
That is enough politics for one morning.
- Yes.
- Mm-hmm?
Okay, um, I still have to
get Elijah ready for school.
Maybe your brother can
use some fresh air.
- It's a good idea.
- Yeah. Come on, Elijah.
Peace, Uncle Rashad.
Come on. Let me get you some clothes.
No. No more.
No more. Let me go, please.
Let me go. No more.
No, no.
Y'all hear that whoop?
That's my shit right there.
♪ I woke up crying late at night... ♪
Croop, please.
Whatever they're paying you,
I'll double it. I swear.
Frankie!
This ain't about no money.
Hit him again.
No more.
No more!
No more!
Stop!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, son.
You fucking up.
Remember what I told you.
Stay away from the inner thigh.
That's right, 'cause you hit that
femoral artery, and then what?
He gonna bleed out,
and we don't want that.
What do we want?
- Pain.
- Pain.
♪ I got half ♪
♪ Will you loan me the rest ♪
♪ And I said ♪
♪ Daddy, I'm so afraid... ♪
The fuck you do?
Nothing. He just passed out.
I-I...
It's a damn shame.
About to miss the best damn part.
- Dad? Dad?
- Hold on.
There's a bop right here.
You gotta wait for it. Wait for it.
Okay, okay.
♪ And he said that's my job ♪
Dad, we, um... we really...
♪ That's what I do ♪
Okay, Dad?
♪ Everything I do is because of you ♪
Dad, we don't have time for this, okay?
We gotta get to New York, remember?
Yeah, yeah. You're right.
You're right.
Frankie.
Frankie, you gonna
touch little girls again?
No. No, no, no.
You're goddamn right you're not.
♪ Light as bright... ♪
Oh, damn.
♪ That's my job ♪
Ain't bad for a retiree.
I'm just trying to keep
up with you, big bro.
Oh, is that right, huh?
Look, 'Shad, now that
you out of politics, man,
maybe you should think
about rejoining the force.
I could put in a good
word with the captain.
Who said I was out of politics?
- You did.
- No, no.
I said Tate for Governor was over.
I'm still in this shit, all right?
- Oh, okay.
- No, no, no.
You think I'ma let James St. Patrick
run me out of my own fucking game?
I ain't taking no
losses. Fuck that shit.
Bro, I said okay.
Damn. I get it.
- Nice.
- Yeah. Thanks.
Look, 'Maal, there's nothing
wrong with me wanting to win.
Not if you really in
it to help the people,
but if you just looking to
clap back at St. Patrick,
that's just about your bruised ego.
- Can we get out of here?
- Yeah.
What you trying to do? Go home?
Not yet. I need you to
take me somewhere first.
So tomorrow, the full
court press begins.
Now, I've drafted a plan
that will allow you
and James to split up,
do a series of whistle stops
in those parts of the state
where each of you is
polling the weakest.
Well, don't you mean
the other way around?
Why not send us where we're strong?
Because it's time to reach
beyond your respective bases.
We need to hit back
against the narrative
that picking James as your running mate
is just a cynical ploy
to grab the black vote.
Steven, I need a moment.
Uh, I'm a little busy
right now, Councilman.
What can I do for you?
You can reconsider backing
the Walsh/St. Patrick ticket.
Rashad, it's not happening.
The Democratic Party would
prefer that you play nice,
sit this race out,
and when the timing looks right
for you again, we'll... we'll talk.
Democrats told Obama the same thing.
- Rashad, this is not...
- You know I'm right.
Young state senator from Illinois
with presidential aspirations.
You told him to wait his turn.
He becomes U.S. senator,
and you caution him against
moving too far too fast.
Then he kills it at the 2004 convention,
and the party, in all of its
wisdom, says that the timing
still isn't right for a
run at the White House,
and you're about to make
the same mistake again.
Please, just give me
another chance, okay?
I'll turn this all around. I swear.
Okay, you know what? How
about I call security, Rashad?
You can swear at them all you want.
Let's not do that.
Last thing I need is my name
connected with the NYPD
and... another black man in a hoodie.
Rashad, you played your
best hand, and you lost.
Al Gore has a better chance
of winning New York than you do,
so just bow out gracefully
while you still have a shred of dignity.
Fuck all y'all.
Saw the news.
Had a feeling I'd get
a visit from you today.
I just needed a quiet place to think.
You don't need to think, Rashad.
You need to get out there and do.
Do what?
St. Patrick's got the entire
Democratic Party on his side.
They're writing him a
ticket straight to Albany.
And whose fault is that?
Who let him outplay you?
You don't understand
how this works, okay?
No, you don't understand.
You made a lot of
promises to our community,
and, more importantly, you
made a lot of promises to me.
Are you a man of your word or not?
Certain things, even I can't pull off.
Political comeback for me
right now is impossible.
No. That's where you're wrong.
Book of Luke says
what's impossible with man
is possible with God.
Then tell the good
Lord to get off His ass
and send me a miracle.
... weather today,
we'll see periods of sporadic rain
as a band of low pressure
reaches the region.
- Councilman Tate?
- What can I do for you, Chris?
Sorry if this is a bad time, uh,
but I was wondering if I could
get a letter of recommendation.
Ah, that won't be necessary.
This campaign isn't
over. You have my word.
Oh, okay. Uh, um, that's great.
Why'd you go to the office
this morning? Warner is furious.
He's this close to shutting
the whole thing down.
If he finds out I'm
letting you participate...
It looks like I'm gonna be
out of a job any minute now.
Is Ramona hiring?
Damn. Tate must be hot.
Can't imagine anyone
more motivated to help
us nail St. Patrick.
Councilman Tate, can we
speak with you for a minute?
- No interviews, please.
- Oh, no, we're not press.
We're with a special FBI-DOJ task force
investigating James St. Patrick.
How'd you like to help
us put him behind bars?
How may I help?
My brothers. Country boys in the city.
I want to thank y'all both
for coming all this way
on such short notice,
and I got some good news.
Turns out, I won't be needing
your services after all.
How is that good news for me?
'Cause you ain't gotta kill nobody.
You can just go on back home,
like nothing ever happened,
because nothing did happen.
So what about my goddamn money?
Come on, now, Croop.
You know I can't pay you
for a job you didn't do.
But seeing as though we go way back,
I'm gonna arrange something
special for your troubles, okay?
Dad, it sounds like he trying
to say he hired somebody else.
No. No, no, no.
I-I didn't say that, Carter.
Fuck. Oh, sh...
You know what? I think you right.
Rashad, you the same
shady motherfucker you was
back when you was a cop.
I mean, be real with me.
Who are you paying to
take this nigga out?
Yeah, because whoever it is,
we can do it faster and cheaper.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not cheaper.
But we will get the job
done. Now, who's the mark?
Fellas, please, listen to me, okay?
Croop, there is no mark.
No, you listen to me.
Now, you done had us drive
all the way up here to New York
just to kill this motherfucker.
Now, if his ass turns up dead,
ain't nothing stopping
you from implicating us.
So take your pick.
Either we killing this
nigga, or we killing you.
Ticktock, nigga.
♪ Singing the same old song ♪
♪ I know every crack in
these dirty sidewalks... ♪
Finally. I didn't think New
York had no shit like this.
Dad, can I ask you a question?
Um, why can't we listen to black music,
like normal black people?
- This is black people music.
- No, no, no, no.
This is "lynch black people" music.
Boy, let me tell you something.
Country, bluegrass, Southern rock...
all that derives
straight from the blues.
You know where the banjo come from?
West goddamn Africa.
And line dancing... that ain't
nothing but the Electric Slide,
so when I tell you this is our culture,
that's what the hell it is.
Don't let nobody tell you different.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Hey, Dad, look.
♪ On a horse in a star-spangled rodeo ♪
Bye-bye. You look good.
Thanks. So do you.
Let's follow his ass.
♪ From people I don't even know... ♪
And what do we do now?
I know, Dad.
Learn the target's schedule.
I can't believe you actually
passed their background check.
And yet I did,
and there's not a goddamn
thing you can do about it.
Yeah, I saw your little broadcast.
Is there a word stronger than "smug"?
What, you can't celebrate
another brother's good fortune?
Well, not when it's at my expense,
but I'm not here for that, okay?
Listen, I need to warn
you about something.
- You want to warn me?
- Yes.
What, about how cutthroat
the political game is?
Come on, Rashad. You don't
think I figured that shit out?
That's how I beat you. That's
how I stole your fucking dream.
Please, just listen.
It's very important.
I fucked up, man, and
I made a huge mistake.
You're goddamn right
you made a huge mistake.
You tried to take me on,
and you knew you
couldn't fucking beat me,
but I'ma forgive you for that, my nigga,
or at least I will,
as soon as you get rid
of that bitter bullshit
and just simply admit
that I'm better at this
than you could ever be.
There's a whole lot that
can be said about me, James,
but a sore loser ain't it.
I know when I'm beat.
Congratulations.
Well, losing is a skill.
I'm glad you've become such
an expert at it, Rashad.
So what's your next move?
Well, I'm throwing a
big party here tonight
to celebrate my nomination.
I will add you to the guest list.
I don't want the Democratic
leadership to forget about your name.
Hmm.
I thank you for the invitation.
And thank you for
coming to kiss the ring.
It's the least I can do.
Listen, I gotta rock, okay?
My son is on the way.
I'll see you tonight.
His son. Fuck.
Damn it, James.
Listen, there's some
really, really bad...
Your bitch ass just don't know
when to motherfucking quit, do you?
Here I am, trying to help you save face,
and you just keep
fucking pushing your luck.
You keep doing that shit, and
I'ma change my mind, okay?
Get the fuck out of my club.
Large black coffee to go, please.
Got it. One large...
Oh, my God.
You're Rashad Tate.
What'd she say?
Yeah. Hi. Uh, can I also have a...
Hey, Brenda.
Look who's here!
Oh, I can't believe this.
I can't believe this.
I've been telling... I've
been telling everybody
that you are gonna be the
best governor that we ever had.
- Is that right?
- Yep.
Even got my whole neighborhood
hyped to vote for you too.
Nice. Nice.
Do you mind if I livestream this?
Uh, if you think it's necessary.
Uh, sorry, Councilman, do
you mind if I get a picture?
My wife will kill me if I don't.
- Oh, of course.
- Here we go.
- That's him!
- Thank you.
He's taking selfies with everyone.
- Come on!
- Oh, another one.
Hey, yo, Mr. Tate, can I get one?
Excuse me. Sorry.
I know it's lame, but
can I get your autograph?
My class is, like, literally studying
your prison reform proposals right now.
Is that right? Okay.
Yo, guess who just walked in.
I'm sure it's him. I'm
looking at him right now.
You know what, girl?
Tate better not drop out.
He's the only one I'd vote for.
- That'll be $2.59.
- Don't listen to her.
It's on the house. Is there
anything else I can get you?
Wow, I can't believe
he just walked in here.
Why don't we, uh, take a group photo?
- Oh!
- Yeah!
Get in here.
On the count of three,
"Team Tate". One. Two. Three.
Team Tate!
How'd you get in here?
Rule number one, Rashad.
When you fire a subordinate
after banging her brains out,
change the locks.
You weren't fired, Cassandra.
You scammed your way
into a congressional seat.
That's one way of putting it.
At any rate, I wanted to
tell you how sorry I was
to hear about your campaign.
Ramona really did you dirty, huh?
Doesn't matter. Turns out,
people in this city still
got a lot of love for me.
Yeah, I saw your little
coffee shop stunt online.
It was clever...
and a potential headache
for the Democratic Party.
How so?
You're giving voters false hope
that you might get back into the race,
and we both know that
that is never gonna happen.
You want me to concede.
The party wants you to concede.
We need to close ranks
around our nominee.
And they sent you.
It's possible Ramona may have suggested
that I could be of service,
remind you how much you have to lose
without the party's support.
Lorette doesn't officially
have the nomination yet,
and until she does, fuck her.
And fuck you too.
Rashad, I...
Leave my goddamn keys on
the table on your way out.
Yes, sir.
Stay focused, boy. Don't get cocky.
Aw, come on, Dad. I'm
not. It's just one guy.
One guy is all it takes
for us not to make it home tonight,
so you keep your guard
up until this motherfucker
ain't breathing no more, you hear me?
- Yes, sir.
- You hear me?
Yes, sir. I hear you. I hear you.
All right. You take the
right. I'ma take the left.
All we gotta do is get
him in the crossfire
and light his ass up.
Yo, slow down.
Shit.
That was your choice, Tommy, not mine.
Say good night, motherfucker.
What the fuck?
Shit.
Fuck! It's jammed!
Fuck.
Go, go. Get out of here! Go!
Go! I got this!
Agh!
Shit, shit, shit.
Tommy!
Oh, shit. You ain't Italian.
Who's there?
Councilman Tate. Hey.
Chris, what are you doing back here?
Just came back for this.
Forgot I stored all my contacts on it.
Technically, that's
property of the campaign,
including everything that's on it.
Right. I know.
That's why I'm gonna
just download everything
and-and put it back.
I mean, you don't have any
use for it anymore, right?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Either way, um, you've done
some really great work for me,
and you do deserve a
nice parting gift, so...
Thank you, Councilman.
I really appreciate
you understanding everything that I...
Get your bitch ass out of here!
- Hey, what the hell, man?
- What, you want another one?
Huh? 'Cause I won't miss.
Go right now.
What do you want, Andre?
- I'm just here to help, bro.
- As you can see,
I'm doing really,
really great. Thank you.
Look, I got some valuable
information on the St. Patricks.
What you know about Tariq?
- Rashad Tate.
- You motherfucker.
You never said there
was gonna be two of 'em.
Who is this?
You know who the fuck this is, man.
My father is dead because of you.
That nigga that you sent us after,
he was not by himself,
like you said he would be.
S-sorry. Uh, you're-you're breaking up.
- I can't quite hear you.
- No, I'm not fucking breaking up.
I know you can fucking hear me!
Wrong number. Please don't
call this number again.
Shit. Shit!
Hey, good sister Tasha.
I know you wanted to see
me in person, and I'm glad,
because there's some
information that's come my way
I think might be of interest to you.
- Rashad...
- James is planning
to throw Tariq under the bus.
What are you talking about?
Does the name Raymond Jones ring a bell?
Even if it did, h-how would
you know anything about him?
- James told me.
- Yeah, right.
James wouldn't just volunteer
information like that
from the goodness of his heart.
He doesn't even have a heart.
I heard it with my own ears.
He's gotta distance
himself from Tariq's actions
in order to walk into
Albany with a clean slate,
and he'll do just that
unless you stop him, Tasha.
You know, starting to
sound like you and James
are up to something,
and now you're trying to
use me to double-cross him.
No, it's not even like that. I swear.
Tasha, you gotta go to the police.
You gotta tell 'em everything
you know about James.
Blow him the fuck up.
But you gotta do it right now, okay?
Because by the time he's elected,
he's gonna be unstoppable.
Don't you get it, Rashad?
He's already unstoppable.
There's nothing I can do about that.
Not even to save your own son?
I got an A on my class project.
An A? You're supposed to get an A-plus.
Come on, give me the trash.
Come on, give it to me.
I got it. Go back inside.
We're gonna talk about
bringing that up to an A-plus.
All right.
Yeah, I knew your ass
was gonna come out there
sooner or later, nigga.
Carter, what you doing here?
Your boy St. Patrick running around
with a fucking white dude.
We ran slam into a trap!
That sound like a beef
between you and them, not me.
I'm the one who tried to call
the whole thing off, remember?
I told y'all to go home,
but you-you and Croop
just wouldn't listen.
You keep my father's name
out your fucking mouth.
I had to leave him back there,
or I would have been dead too.
Hey, look, Carter.
I'm really sorry about what
happened to your pops, okay?
Fuck. He didn't have my
number on him, did he?
I said shut the fuck up!
You wanted blood? Hmm?
Now I want blood, so
this is what we gonna do.
We gonna walk inside,
and you gonna sit down,
and you gonna watch me kill
your brother, your nephew,
your whole fucking family.
We ain't going in that house.
My family ain't got
shit to do with this.
Agh!
Oh, shit.
You all right?
Yeah. I'm good. How
did you know that he...
I heard yelling, looked out back,
saw this guy waving a gun in your face.
What the fuck happened?
So then after that, I was like,
"Just take my wallet, good brother.
I'd rather you rob
me than to be out here
terrorizing the good people
that live in this neighborhood".
He could have come up in here.
Yeah, I know. I know. He didn't, babe.
It's okay.
So you saying it's just a mugging?
I wouldn't say "just" a mugging, Kamaal.
Something was going on with this dude.
I could see it in his eyes.
He definitely was
hopped up on something.
So you saying it was
a crackhead mugging?
Why you gotta say it like that?
Because, Rashad,
ain't that many crackhead
muggers around here.
In fact, the neighborhood
has gotten a lot safer
in the last few years.
If you come around here more
often, man, maybe you know.
Rashad, he could have killed you.
Maybe it wasn't my time.
Thanks, 'Maal.
It's okay, 'Shad.
Uh, sorry, I...
Oh, damn. Um...
there's an emergency over at
my headquarters. I gotta go.
You gotta leave now?
It's an emergency.
This is the big emergency?
Y'all couldn't wait till
tomorrow morning to do this?
Democratic Party property.
They wanted it back tonight.
- The cart belong to them too?
- Sorry.
- We need to talk.
- Sergeant Rodriguez, listen.
I'm glad that you're here.
I have some thoughts about my
testimony I'll be giving, so...
Thank you for your cooperation,
but I'm afraid we won't need
your testimony after all.
What do you mean?
Judge Tapper won't give
us an arrest warrant
for St. Patrick.
He shut us down.
Well, maybe you just
need some more time,
you know, to build a case.
It's over.
James St. Patrick is gonna walk
all the way to Albany.
Success or failure
lies beyond our control.
We are the playthings
in the hands of the gods.
Thank you, Simon,
but I'm really not in
the mood for Shakespeare
or Walt Whitman or whoever the hell.
That was a traditional
African war chant.
Loosely translated, of course,
but I assumed you'd recognize it.
- What do you want?
- It's not what I want, Rashad.
It's what we want.
Hello.
It's after hours. Make
a goddamn appointment.
Well, I would, but it looks
like you don't have an
office staff anymore.
What Lorette means is that we're here
to make a humble request.
You can ask whatever you want,
but I'm pretty sure the answer is no.
Of course. That's why
we came here tonight,
to give you ample time to
consider the big picture.
Hear us out. Sleep on it.
Maybe you'll feel
differently in the morning.
Feel differently about what?
About giving the
Walsh/St. Patrick ticket
your formal endorsement.
Did I say that, uh,
my answer would be no?
Uh, my bad.
I mean hell fucking
no! Why would I do that?
Rashad, there's no way that you can win.
You are literally a
one-man band at this point.
Then why do you need
my endorsement so badly?
Optics. Party unity.
Call it what you want,
but an endorsement will be
good for me in the short run
and better for you in the long run.
Even if you manage to reanimate
your dead political career someday,
people are not going to vote
for a man that they
remember as a sore loser.
I'll always be remembered as a man
who stood by his principles, Lorette.
You, on the other hand...
well, you'll always be a white woman
with double-digit unfavorables
among black and brown voters.
That's why you're here.
You've been pandering for the black vote
so damn long, you
don't know how to stop.
You know, you're right.
But now I've got James
St. Patrick for that.
Good-bye, Rashad.
- Yo.
- Dre, it's Tate.
- What up?
- I'm ready to meet.
I'm on my way.
After tonight, I'm the only one
who's gonna know your new name.
You want to stay off the radar,
then you stand by your word.
If you don't, well, everybody's
gonna be looking for...
Eric Anthony Davidson.
I got the plate number and everything.
Andre, if you don't do it,
you're gonna be running from
James for the rest of your life.
Man, you ain't got shit to worry about,
'cause you just payin' me to
do something I'd do for free.
Now, don't forget.
You only get one shot at this.
All I need is one shot.
Don't worry about this shit.
Ghost is dying tonight,
and this conversation never happened.
Need a gun?
I'm good. I got my own, man.
'Maal, hey.
How much longer
you gonna be at the office?
I'm-I'm just finishing
up here. Why, what's good?
Sit tight. I'ma be there in a minute.
Yeah, sure.
I had to call in that shooting,
so, uh, we're gonna need an
official statement from you.
What for? Y'all shoot
people all the time.
You can take care of this without me.
I'ma need you to run
it down for me again.
I've already told you everything.
I know. Tell me again.
You know, 'Maal, if
I didn't know better,
I'd think that you were looking
for, uh, holes in my story.
Nah, I'm just trying
to make it make sense,
'cause something in my gut is telling me
you leaving something out.
Like what?
Like, was that really
some random robbery,
or was dude gunning
for you for a reason?
Wasn't nobody gunning for me.
Shit, it ain't my fault that
you never moved out the hood.
Nigga can't even take out the trash
without ending up in the sequel
to fucking New Jack City.
- Okay, here we go.
- Yeah, yeah. Here we go.
It ain't about where I
choose to live, 'Shad,
'cause last time I checked,
wasn't no bloodshed
on my block till your ass popped up.
Oh, wow. Okay, you know what?
You've been wearing that uniform
a little too long, big bro.
NYPD got your head all fucked up.
- What's that supposed to mean?
- It means that every black man
- you see is a suspect.
- What?
Guilty until proven innocent.
Okay, I get you. See, that's that
shit you be pulling down there
with them white
motherfuckers at city hall,
but that ain't working with me.
All I'm saying is, unlike you,
I got people who depend on me,
so I'm sorry if I ask a few questions
that hurt your motherfucking feelings.
Just know I'ma do what I
gotta do to protect my family.
I'm your family too, 'Maal.
Okay, I think we're good here.
Yeah. No reason to drag this thing out.
Anything else you want to tell us
before we wrap this up?
I don't think so.
I mean, other than the fact that I'm...
really sorry all this shit
happened in the first place, man.
Don't lose any sleep over it.
We ran the kid's prints. From D.C.
Couple of priors. Mostly minor stuff.
Nice work, Tate. Probably stopped him
from growing up to be a master criminal.
A man is dead, fellas.
The least we could do
is show a little respect.
What's your problem, man?
You're the one who killed him.
And stopped him from
possibly killing your brother,
so quit acting like
this ain't a clean shoot.
I just don't think we need
to be talking like this
in front of a witness.
A witness? Come on, now.
Rashad's an ex-cop.
As far as I'm concerned,
he's still one of us.
Damn right. Once a cop, always a cop.
All right, man. Let me
get you out of here.
Whoa, not so fast, Kamaal.
Officer-involved shooting
means you're gonna have
to surrender your gun.
Claremont, are you fucking kidding me?
Hey, you know it's just a formality.
Restrictive duty until we
finish up the paperwork.
Jesus, Terry. What the fuck?
Sorry, guys, but we got shots fired
at Truth nightclub in
the Meatpacking District.
Holy shit. That's James
St. Patrick's place.
Yeah. Captain says
he wants all hands on deck.
If you're in the building,
you're on this goddamn case.
Those were his exact words.
Was anybody hurt?
Um, I'm just curious.
I've had some dealings with St. Patrick.
I'm hearing one fatality.
That's all I know.
Shit. Looks like you
dodged a bullet, Kamaal.
Fuck restrictive duty. You
want to come with, Rashad?
No. Claremont, come on,
man. He's a civilian.
Fuck that. Your brother's no civilian.
What's he gonna do,
fuck up a crime scene?
Come on. Let's roll.
Come on!
Roll out! Roll out!
Why do I feel like this
shooting is connected
to the shit you've gotten yourself into?
Oh, my God. What kind of shit
have I gotten myself into, 'Maal?
That's what I'm trying to figure out.
Do you even hear what you're saying?
How am I involved in a
shooting that literally happened
when I was sitting in a
police station with you?
Rashad, I'm a New York
City cop and a parent.
You know how many times a day
people try to run bullshit past me?
I'm telling you now, I cannot help you
if I don't know the whole story.
All right, listen...
I knew it. I fucking knew it, man.
Would you just chill the fuck
out and let me get it out?
There's this dude named Andre Coleman
who might have killed
James St. Patrick tonight.
How you know?
Hey, let me just finish
saying what I gotta say.
If Andre did what he think he did,
he might try to implicate
me in the crime.
How, man? You ain't shoot nobody.
Like you said, you was with the police.
He might say that I paid him to do it.
Did you?
- No.
- Don't lie to me, man.
I swear, okay? Now, I
could have it all wrong.
It could be the other way around.
Maybe James St. Patrick is
the one who killed Andre.
Maybe you don't know, but
if I was a betting man,
I'd put my money on whatever
outcome lets you land on your feet,
'cause you the luckiest
nigga on the fucking planet.
- How am I lucky?
- My whole life, man,
all I seen you do is win.
Even if it was the slightest chance
that shit will work in
your favor, it will.
You don't know what
you're talking about.
I do know what I'm talking about,
'cause I'm the one who had to work hard
- for the little shit I have.
- You know what?
You are the one who
gets all the good shit.
You got the family.
You got the amazing son.
You got a beautiful wife.
You got a taxpayer-funded job,
taxpayer-funded pension in a few years,
and on top of all that,
you bought a house
that you're living in
with a government loan.
If anybody hit the lick,
it's not me. It's you.
Just tell me if I'ma have to
arrest you after all this is over.
No. My hands are clean.
Of course they are.
You better stay lucky.
Uh-uh. You staying in the car.
- I'm not gonna touch nothing.
- I know you won't,
'cause you staying your ass in the car.
I'm dead-ass, Rashad. I'll be back.
Councilman Tate! I thought that was you.
Mind if we get a quick reaction?
Oh, hi, Jeannie. Good to see you again.
Well, not exactly
under the best
circumstances, though, right?
Uh, no. Uh, you're right.
Uh, listen, if you don't mind, uh,
I'd like to let the police
do their jobs tonight.
Uh, my office will have a
statement for you tomorrow morning,
once we figure out everything.
We're actually live right now, sir.
Oh. Of course.
Uh, like I was saying,
now is not the time for
anyone to rush to conclusions.
We need to give our
brave first responders
an opportunity to assess
exactly what went on here tonight,
and then we can chart a path forward.
And has anyone from the Democratic Party
reached out to you yet?
What are their thoughts on how
the death of James St. Patrick
will impact the gubernatorial race?
James St. Patrick's
story is America's story.
Both born in turmoil.
Both blessed with a unique set of gifts.
Both carried limitless potential.
Sadly, Mr. St. Patrick
was unable to rise above
his personal struggles.
Which is why I'm urging every New Yorker
within the sound of my voice
to join me in a moment of silent prayer,
because in these troubled times,
the only thing that we can
rely on is our higher power.
Even though we're all
fighting our private battles
and sometimes victory seems impossible,
just remember what the good book says.
"What's impossible with
man is possible with God".
Are we clear?
How was that?
That... was amazing.
Wow.
What now, 'Maal?
I'm just wondering how you come
up with all that bullshit so fast.
Practice, my brother.
You got it, bro?
- You winning, man.
- Is it straight?
- You look good.
- Uh, if by "good", you mean awful.
- His fault.
- Jinx.
- Y'all should be embarrassed.
- Get me right, sis.
I got you.
They're here.
Simone, go answer the door.
You ready?
- I was born ready.
- That you were.
Hi.
Hi. You must be Mrs. Tate.
Call me Simone. Come on in.
Thank you, Simone. Please.
Good morning, Rashad.
Steven Ott. Lorette Walsh.
Please meet my family:
my brother, Kamaal...
- How are you?
- My nephew, Elijah,
and you've already met
my sister-in-law, Simone.
Yes. Hey, Elijah.
Oh, let's give you guys some privacy.
- Yeah, we should. Welcome to our home.
- Thank you so much.
Please, come on in.
Okay, so look. I, uh...
I know everyone's in a bit of
shock, but this is politics,
and unfortunately, things
have to move quickly.
I understand. Of course.
Lorette, is there something
you'd like to say?
Rashad, what happened to
James last night was horrible,
but, as Steven said,
time is of the essence.
Are you ready to accept our offer?
I'm gonna need to hear the offer again.
There's no need to
twist the knife, Rashad.
We all know why we're here.
Oh. You know, the last few
hours have been pretty hectic.
I've been fielding
phone calls all night,
and all those conversations
tend to blend together
in my head, so yeah.
Whatever you're planning on offering,
I'm just gonna need to
hear it one more time.
Rashad Tate, I'm here
to formally ask you
to be my candidate for
lieutenant governor of New York.
Run with me.
Please.
I am happy to run, Lorette.
- Just not as your lieutenant.
- What?
It's governor or nothing.
Take it or leave it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
That is not what we negotiated
on the phone, and you know that.
Well, I've had some
time to think about it.
You've hitched your
wagon to a man whose body
is laying in the county
morgue right now.
Mm-hmm? Your brand is fucked.
The way I see it, the Democratic Party
needs me more than I need you.
God damn you, Tate.
If you think that we're gonna stand here
and let you turn this tragedy
into some kind of opportunity...
Lorette,
why don't you go wait in the car?
Excuse me?
Are you out of your mind?
You're not seriously considering this.
I'm afraid Rashad's got a point.
Well, fuck his point!
I certainly didn't drag
myself all the way here
to watch the two of you screw me over.
Lorette, there's a child in the house,
so I'm gonna ask you to
lower your voice, please.
Don't even think about this, Steven.
Oh, I will end you.
Let me remind you that I call
the shots here, Lorette, not you,
so you can either go wait in the car
or call yourself a cab.
It's up to you.
- God is good.
- All the time.
That's right. God is good.
All the time!
I'm here today because
the great state of New York
stands at a crossroad.
- Yeah.
- All right.
No matter what color you are,
your religious beliefs,
or your social status,
this upcoming election
offers each and every
one of us a choice.
- Yes, it does.
- And the whole country is waiting to see
which path we choose,
because New York leads the way.
To the little black boy from Queens
who fought for a quality education,
to the worker from Cooperstown
who is worthy of a livable wage...
To the immigrant that became a citizen
who needs to know that
her voice is heard
all the way in Albany,
I say to you again
that New York leads the way!
I don't think they hear me.
- They don't hear me.
- Tell them.
I said, I said,
New York leads the way. Let me hear you.
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
Say it like you mean it!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
So if you believe like I do,
if you dream like I do,
if you have faith like I do,
then join me in leading the way.
Because together...
together, there's no limit
to what we can achieve.
We can make the impossible possible.
And that is why it is
with my deepest gratitude
that I accept the Democratic nomination
for the governor of New York.
Thank you, and God bless you.
And may God bless New York.
New York leads the way.
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
- We're on our way.
- Indeed. Absolutely.
Congratulations, Rashad.
You pulled off quite
the reversal of fortune.
You should have never
bet against me, boo.
Oh, man, great speech.
- How'd I do?
- You killed it.
I mean, all I saw up
there was the scrawny kid
who had sold my brand-new bike
to Big Ronnie when I was eight,
but they seemed to be into your speech.
Can I go one week without hearing
about that damn bike, 'Maal?
I'm just saying, it was brand-new.
I ain't even get to ride it once.
I'll buy you a new one, all right?
Besides, you could use the
cardio. Listen, I gotta go.
Yeah. I need to tell you something, man.
Andre Coleman is dead.
He is? How?
Killed in prison.
Somebody set him on fire in his cell.
Listen, we should talk
about this another time.
No, no, we don't got to talk about it.
I just figured I'll let
you know, just in case
you felt like buying
some lottery tickets
on your way home.
'Cause I'm always so lucky.
Yeah. Things have a way of
working out in your favor.
- I'm out.
- All right.
- Love.
- Love.
Let's take another photo.
Hey! Peace!
Say good-bye to your uncle.
- Mwah.
- That was amazing.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
You were amazing, man!
Councilman Tate, just
one quick question.
Do you think the fact
that you once considered
James St. Patrick as
your lieutenant governor
reflects poorly on your judgment?
You should probably talk to
Ramona Garrity about poor judgment.
She's the one who introduced
Mr. St. Patrick to my campaign.
In hindsight, I do regret
that I didn't find out sooner
that she was engaged
in an adulterous affair
with Mr. St. Patrick.
I'm sorry, what? Could you repeat that?
I have no issue with
what two consenting adults
choose to do behind closed doors,
but if he had no respect for
his own wife and children,
I can see why Ms. Garrity didn't either.
Okay, I gotta go. Thank you.
- Hey, all right.
- Over here!
Thank you so much. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
Oh.
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
This is for you.
Wow.
I think you'll find that check
will keep you swimming
in bottled water for quite some time.
Yes, it will. Thank you, Simon.
Uh, one word of advice, though, Rashad.
No more fishing off the company pier.
Hire a professional if you must,
but I'm investing in a
scandal-free governor.
- Are we clear?
- Crystal.
Wouldn't have it any other way.
You'll need to play the game
at a much higher level now.
A lot more eyes will be on you.
- I know what I'm doing.
- I trust that you do.
I'll be in touch.
Simon?
Aren't you forgetting something?
Can't imagine what that might be.
An admission
that you made a mistake
backing Lorette Walsh
when you should have been backing me.
Oh, Rashad.
I see you still have a lot to learn.
You see, backing Walsh
was both politically
and financially expedient
for me at the time.
In other words, you
didn't have a prayer.
And now you do, so here we are.
No hard feelings, I hope?
No, not at all.
We both know what they say.
Politics makes strange bedfellows.
Indeed they do.
Cheers.
Fuck.
I see you still got it.
I never lost it.
You expecting somebody?
No.
I didn't order room service,
but I'll check it out.
I never lost it.
Ah.
What the fuck, Rashad?
I mean, seriously, what the actual fuck?
Hi, Ramona.
- Come on in.
- Fuck you!
You told a reporter that
I was sleeping with James?
- Well, weren't you?
- No.
And if you didn't know that,
then you should have kept
your goddamn mouth shut!
You know, I wish I could tell you
that the truth will
set you free, Ramona,
but we both know that it won't.
Everywhere you go, every
job interview you take,
you're gonna be asked about
fucking a murdered drug dealer
for the rest of your career.
As a matter of fact,
I say your future in politics
is deader than James St. Patrick.
Ramona.
Hi.
Jesus.
I thought I heard your voice down there.
I should have known.
Yeah. You should've.
Cassandra stopped by
to reacquaint herself
with my polling.
Mm.
You two fucking deserve each other.
I can't lie. That got
me a little excited.
You ready for round two?
You know, uh, if you hurry,
you could split an Uber with Ramona.
What?
You didn't think this was,
like, a thing again, did you?
Rashad, I...
I'm just blowing off some steam, okay?
I just needed to clear my head
before my big campaign kicks off.
Are you seriously gonna
let me leave like this?
Is that what kind of man you are?
Mm!
You know what? I almost forgot.
Thank you kindly for paying
for this wonderful room.
Nice taste.
You know, fuck you,
Rashad. Don't call me again.
We interrupt your regularly
scheduled programming
to bring you this breaking news report.
The murderer of local entrepreneur
and aspiring lieutenant
governor candidate
James St. Patrick has
just been arrested.
Our team is just arriving
on the scene of the arrest.
Please stay tuned for more details.
And we are live. Wait.
I'm being told we are about
to get our first look at the suspect.
Holy shit.
_
_
_
When we met,
what'd you think I was gonna be?
Rashad Tate, councilman in Queens.
James St. Patrick, from Queens.
Come on. Come here!
What kind of man would murder
over a business dispute?
- You ain't got no idea who the fuck I am.
- I think I do.
I'm letting you go.
I get to decide who represents me
- on a community level...
- Wait a minute...
And that person is Andre.
My advice is that you
distance yourself from Andre.
If you don't, you
won't win the election.
Both of our careers are on the line.
- Rashad...
- Listen, I know how this goes!
Rashad, listen to me.
Everything's under control.
Ladies and gentlemen, Governor
Tate for New York State.
Team Tate, I spoke
with the DNC chairman,
and he's sending an additional
support package our way.
You need a win, and you'll
need my people to do it.
How could you be so reckless?
And you pick a married
woman who works for you.
You think that I want to go public.
That's not what I want at all.
You want to run next year.
You want the DNC to back you.
You and me, we can go all
the way to the state house.
Your idea presumes
that I don't already have
feelings for somebody else.
There is no Queens Child Project.
It's over, James.
You fuck me, I return the favor.
Lorette Walsh is planning
to announce James St. Patrick
as her running mate to be the next
lieutenant governor of New York.
Local entrepreneur James St. Patrick
will soon be announced
as Tate rival Lorette
Walsh's running mate.
The QCP. Uh, ladies, it seems
as though I've lost the site.
If you can't make that happen, James,
I may have to drop you from the ticket.
If we can't move forward with James,
I'll need to consider my other options.
Rashad Tate is at the top of that list.
She wouldn't go back to Rashad Tate.
She could make it work.
You now have a friend in Albany.
No, that has nothing to do
with my decision to help you.
- You are?
- Steven Ott.
James St. Patrick is property
of the Democratic Party now.
Nothing can stop me from winning.
And some people can
never win. That's you.
No matter what you put your mind
to... well, it never works out.
- It's $100,000.
- What I gotta do?
Kill James St. Patrick.
- Hello.
- Croop?
Yeah, this is Croop.
- It's me.
- Hey.
I got a mess I need cleaned up.
- When?
- Today.
Today? I'm all the way down in D.C.
Nigga, I don't give a fuck where you at.
Bring your country ass up to New York
and do this damn job.
All right.
A'ight.
You know, I'm thinking,
after I finish this drink,
why don't we swing by my place?
I'm good, Rashad, all right?
And I doubt you can handle me
in the state you're in, anyway.
- In the state that I'm in?
- The state you're in.
Come here.
Listen here. Rashad motherfucking Tate
ain't never left a woman unsatisfied
in his life,
and tonight will not be my first time.
- Hello.
- Your fucking brother's here.
Damn. Is he drunk again?
I think you need to come get him.
- Okay.
- Woman...
I'm gonna do some things to you
you ain't never, ever s...
Shit.
Maybe we should stop.
No, but I'm just getting started.
Me too, man. I'm in it. Let's go.
You guys are really bad at this.
- Whoa.
- Oh, ho, ho!
- Babe, you hear him?
- Uh-uh.
Boy, ain't no trash-talking
at this breakfast table.
Just give us another one.
Okay, um...
Tennessee.
Mm, that's easy. Nashville.
- Yes, mm.
- Mm.
What about Michigan?
Oh, we call that D-town,
but for you, Detroit.
- Wrong.
- What?
Don't worry about that, babe.
Mm-mm. Don't worry about it.
- Mm-mm.
- Mm!
Everybody gets that wrong.
Grand Rapids. Right?
Are you asking me or telling me?
- Oh.
- You see? You see?
Hey, come on. Father like son.
He gets it from you. No,
he does exactly what you do.
Capital of Michigan is Lansing.
Fifth-largest city in the state.
Population is about
115,000, give or take,
and it's inside their eighth
congressional district.
- Well, there you have it.
- All right, now.
Uncle Rashad!
There he is. My man.
Give me some.
Mm, mm, mm.
Hey, Elijah, I'm sorry
I had to steal your
bed last night, big guy.
It's okay.
Mm, welcome back among
the living, Rashad.
- Thank you, sis.
- I know you're hungry.
Ah, it smells amazing,
but I'm actually okay.
Uh, I could use some coffee, though.
Want to talk about it?
Tate for Governor is over.
What?
I'm out of the governor's race.
Man, what you talking about?
Are you serious? What happened?
James St. Patrick happened.
He killed my campaign last night.
I swear to God, if I see
his face one more time...
Uh, bad news, Uncle Rashad.
... primary season,
local entrepreneur James St. Patrick
has left the Tate campaign.
In a stunning turn of events,
sources say that St. Patrick
will soon be announced
as Tate rival Lorette
Walsh's running mate.
- Motherfucker!
- Rashad.
I'm sorry, E. You didn't
hear that, okay, buddy?
- Except I totally did.
- ... in the race
- It's okay.
- for New York state governor.
Walsh is vulnerable with urban
and minority constituents,
and St. Patrick's
presence on the ticket,
especially after his
exoneration on murder charges
in the death of FBI agent Gregory Knox,
will erase doubts from those communities
about Walsh's commitment
to their interests.
That is enough politics for one morning.
- Yes.
- Mm-hmm?
Okay, um, I still have to
get Elijah ready for school.
Maybe your brother can
use some fresh air.
- It's a good idea.
- Yeah. Come on, Elijah.
Peace, Uncle Rashad.
Come on. Let me get you some clothes.
No. No more.
No more. Let me go, please.
Let me go. No more.
No, no.
Y'all hear that whoop?
That's my shit right there.
♪ I woke up crying late at night... ♪
Croop, please.
Whatever they're paying you,
I'll double it. I swear.
Frankie!
This ain't about no money.
Hit him again.
No more.
No more!
No more!
Stop!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, son.
You fucking up.
Remember what I told you.
Stay away from the inner thigh.
That's right, 'cause you hit that
femoral artery, and then what?
He gonna bleed out,
and we don't want that.
What do we want?
- Pain.
- Pain.
♪ I got half ♪
♪ Will you loan me the rest ♪
♪ And I said ♪
♪ Daddy, I'm so afraid... ♪
The fuck you do?
Nothing. He just passed out.
I-I...
It's a damn shame.
About to miss the best damn part.
- Dad? Dad?
- Hold on.
There's a bop right here.
You gotta wait for it. Wait for it.
Okay, okay.
♪ And he said that's my job ♪
Dad, we, um... we really...
♪ That's what I do ♪
Okay, Dad?
♪ Everything I do is because of you ♪
Dad, we don't have time for this, okay?
We gotta get to New York, remember?
Yeah, yeah. You're right.
You're right.
Frankie.
Frankie, you gonna
touch little girls again?
No. No, no, no.
You're goddamn right you're not.
♪ Light as bright... ♪
Oh, damn.
♪ That's my job ♪
Ain't bad for a retiree.
I'm just trying to keep
up with you, big bro.
Oh, is that right, huh?
Look, 'Shad, now that
you out of politics, man,
maybe you should think
about rejoining the force.
I could put in a good
word with the captain.
Who said I was out of politics?
- You did.
- No, no.
I said Tate for Governor was over.
I'm still in this shit, all right?
- Oh, okay.
- No, no, no.
You think I'ma let James St. Patrick
run me out of my own fucking game?
I ain't taking no
losses. Fuck that shit.
Bro, I said okay.
Damn. I get it.
- Nice.
- Yeah. Thanks.
Look, 'Maal, there's nothing
wrong with me wanting to win.
Not if you really in
it to help the people,
but if you just looking to
clap back at St. Patrick,
that's just about your bruised ego.
- Can we get out of here?
- Yeah.
What you trying to do? Go home?
Not yet. I need you to
take me somewhere first.
So tomorrow, the full
court press begins.
Now, I've drafted a plan
that will allow you
and James to split up,
do a series of whistle stops
in those parts of the state
where each of you is
polling the weakest.
Well, don't you mean
the other way around?
Why not send us where we're strong?
Because it's time to reach
beyond your respective bases.
We need to hit back
against the narrative
that picking James as your running mate
is just a cynical ploy
to grab the black vote.
Steven, I need a moment.
Uh, I'm a little busy
right now, Councilman.
What can I do for you?
You can reconsider backing
the Walsh/St. Patrick ticket.
Rashad, it's not happening.
The Democratic Party would
prefer that you play nice,
sit this race out,
and when the timing looks right
for you again, we'll... we'll talk.
Democrats told Obama the same thing.
- Rashad, this is not...
- You know I'm right.
Young state senator from Illinois
with presidential aspirations.
You told him to wait his turn.
He becomes U.S. senator,
and you caution him against
moving too far too fast.
Then he kills it at the 2004 convention,
and the party, in all of its
wisdom, says that the timing
still isn't right for a
run at the White House,
and you're about to make
the same mistake again.
Please, just give me
another chance, okay?
I'll turn this all around. I swear.
Okay, you know what? How
about I call security, Rashad?
You can swear at them all you want.
Let's not do that.
Last thing I need is my name
connected with the NYPD
and... another black man in a hoodie.
Rashad, you played your
best hand, and you lost.
Al Gore has a better chance
of winning New York than you do,
so just bow out gracefully
while you still have a shred of dignity.
Fuck all y'all.
Saw the news.
Had a feeling I'd get
a visit from you today.
I just needed a quiet place to think.
You don't need to think, Rashad.
You need to get out there and do.
Do what?
St. Patrick's got the entire
Democratic Party on his side.
They're writing him a
ticket straight to Albany.
And whose fault is that?
Who let him outplay you?
You don't understand
how this works, okay?
No, you don't understand.
You made a lot of
promises to our community,
and, more importantly, you
made a lot of promises to me.
Are you a man of your word or not?
Certain things, even I can't pull off.
Political comeback for me
right now is impossible.
No. That's where you're wrong.
Book of Luke says
what's impossible with man
is possible with God.
Then tell the good
Lord to get off His ass
and send me a miracle.
... weather today,
we'll see periods of sporadic rain
as a band of low pressure
reaches the region.
- Councilman Tate?
- What can I do for you, Chris?
Sorry if this is a bad time, uh,
but I was wondering if I could
get a letter of recommendation.
Ah, that won't be necessary.
This campaign isn't
over. You have my word.
Oh, okay. Uh, um, that's great.
Why'd you go to the office
this morning? Warner is furious.
He's this close to shutting
the whole thing down.
If he finds out I'm
letting you participate...
It looks like I'm gonna be
out of a job any minute now.
Is Ramona hiring?
Damn. Tate must be hot.
Can't imagine anyone
more motivated to help
us nail St. Patrick.
Councilman Tate, can we
speak with you for a minute?
- No interviews, please.
- Oh, no, we're not press.
We're with a special FBI-DOJ task force
investigating James St. Patrick.
How'd you like to help
us put him behind bars?
How may I help?
My brothers. Country boys in the city.
I want to thank y'all both
for coming all this way
on such short notice,
and I got some good news.
Turns out, I won't be needing
your services after all.
How is that good news for me?
'Cause you ain't gotta kill nobody.
You can just go on back home,
like nothing ever happened,
because nothing did happen.
So what about my goddamn money?
Come on, now, Croop.
You know I can't pay you
for a job you didn't do.
But seeing as though we go way back,
I'm gonna arrange something
special for your troubles, okay?
Dad, it sounds like he trying
to say he hired somebody else.
No. No, no, no.
I-I didn't say that, Carter.
Fuck. Oh, sh...
You know what? I think you right.
Rashad, you the same
shady motherfucker you was
back when you was a cop.
I mean, be real with me.
Who are you paying to
take this nigga out?
Yeah, because whoever it is,
we can do it faster and cheaper.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not cheaper.
But we will get the job
done. Now, who's the mark?
Fellas, please, listen to me, okay?
Croop, there is no mark.
No, you listen to me.
Now, you done had us drive
all the way up here to New York
just to kill this motherfucker.
Now, if his ass turns up dead,
ain't nothing stopping
you from implicating us.
So take your pick.
Either we killing this
nigga, or we killing you.
Ticktock, nigga.
♪ Singing the same old song ♪
♪ I know every crack in
these dirty sidewalks... ♪
Finally. I didn't think New
York had no shit like this.
Dad, can I ask you a question?
Um, why can't we listen to black music,
like normal black people?
- This is black people music.
- No, no, no, no.
This is "lynch black people" music.
Boy, let me tell you something.
Country, bluegrass, Southern rock...
all that derives
straight from the blues.
You know where the banjo come from?
West goddamn Africa.
And line dancing... that ain't
nothing but the Electric Slide,
so when I tell you this is our culture,
that's what the hell it is.
Don't let nobody tell you different.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Hey, Dad, look.
♪ On a horse in a star-spangled rodeo ♪
Bye-bye. You look good.
Thanks. So do you.
Let's follow his ass.
♪ From people I don't even know... ♪
And what do we do now?
I know, Dad.
Learn the target's schedule.
I can't believe you actually
passed their background check.
And yet I did,
and there's not a goddamn
thing you can do about it.
Yeah, I saw your little broadcast.
Is there a word stronger than "smug"?
What, you can't celebrate
another brother's good fortune?
Well, not when it's at my expense,
but I'm not here for that, okay?
Listen, I need to warn
you about something.
- You want to warn me?
- Yes.
What, about how cutthroat
the political game is?
Come on, Rashad. You don't
think I figured that shit out?
That's how I beat you. That's
how I stole your fucking dream.
Please, just listen.
It's very important.
I fucked up, man, and
I made a huge mistake.
You're goddamn right
you made a huge mistake.
You tried to take me on,
and you knew you
couldn't fucking beat me,
but I'ma forgive you for that, my nigga,
or at least I will,
as soon as you get rid
of that bitter bullshit
and just simply admit
that I'm better at this
than you could ever be.
There's a whole lot that
can be said about me, James,
but a sore loser ain't it.
I know when I'm beat.
Congratulations.
Well, losing is a skill.
I'm glad you've become such
an expert at it, Rashad.
So what's your next move?
Well, I'm throwing a
big party here tonight
to celebrate my nomination.
I will add you to the guest list.
I don't want the Democratic
leadership to forget about your name.
Hmm.
I thank you for the invitation.
And thank you for
coming to kiss the ring.
It's the least I can do.
Listen, I gotta rock, okay?
My son is on the way.
I'll see you tonight.
His son. Fuck.
Damn it, James.
Listen, there's some
really, really bad...
Your bitch ass just don't know
when to motherfucking quit, do you?
Here I am, trying to help you save face,
and you just keep
fucking pushing your luck.
You keep doing that shit, and
I'ma change my mind, okay?
Get the fuck out of my club.
Large black coffee to go, please.
Got it. One large...
Oh, my God.
You're Rashad Tate.
What'd she say?
Yeah. Hi. Uh, can I also have a...
Hey, Brenda.
Look who's here!
Oh, I can't believe this.
I can't believe this.
I've been telling... I've
been telling everybody
that you are gonna be the
best governor that we ever had.
- Is that right?
- Yep.
Even got my whole neighborhood
hyped to vote for you too.
Nice. Nice.
Do you mind if I livestream this?
Uh, if you think it's necessary.
Uh, sorry, Councilman, do
you mind if I get a picture?
My wife will kill me if I don't.
- Oh, of course.
- Here we go.
- That's him!
- Thank you.
He's taking selfies with everyone.
- Come on!
- Oh, another one.
Hey, yo, Mr. Tate, can I get one?
Excuse me. Sorry.
I know it's lame, but
can I get your autograph?
My class is, like, literally studying
your prison reform proposals right now.
Is that right? Okay.
Yo, guess who just walked in.
I'm sure it's him. I'm
looking at him right now.
You know what, girl?
Tate better not drop out.
He's the only one I'd vote for.
- That'll be $2.59.
- Don't listen to her.
It's on the house. Is there
anything else I can get you?
Wow, I can't believe
he just walked in here.
Why don't we, uh, take a group photo?
- Oh!
- Yeah!
Get in here.
On the count of three,
"Team Tate". One. Two. Three.
Team Tate!
How'd you get in here?
Rule number one, Rashad.
When you fire a subordinate
after banging her brains out,
change the locks.
You weren't fired, Cassandra.
You scammed your way
into a congressional seat.
That's one way of putting it.
At any rate, I wanted to
tell you how sorry I was
to hear about your campaign.
Ramona really did you dirty, huh?
Doesn't matter. Turns out,
people in this city still
got a lot of love for me.
Yeah, I saw your little
coffee shop stunt online.
It was clever...
and a potential headache
for the Democratic Party.
How so?
You're giving voters false hope
that you might get back into the race,
and we both know that
that is never gonna happen.
You want me to concede.
The party wants you to concede.
We need to close ranks
around our nominee.
And they sent you.
It's possible Ramona may have suggested
that I could be of service,
remind you how much you have to lose
without the party's support.
Lorette doesn't officially
have the nomination yet,
and until she does, fuck her.
And fuck you too.
Rashad, I...
Leave my goddamn keys on
the table on your way out.
Yes, sir.
Stay focused, boy. Don't get cocky.
Aw, come on, Dad. I'm
not. It's just one guy.
One guy is all it takes
for us not to make it home tonight,
so you keep your guard
up until this motherfucker
ain't breathing no more, you hear me?
- Yes, sir.
- You hear me?
Yes, sir. I hear you. I hear you.
All right. You take the
right. I'ma take the left.
All we gotta do is get
him in the crossfire
and light his ass up.
Yo, slow down.
Shit.
That was your choice, Tommy, not mine.
Say good night, motherfucker.
What the fuck?
Shit.
Fuck! It's jammed!
Fuck.
Go, go. Get out of here! Go!
Go! I got this!
Agh!
Shit, shit, shit.
Tommy!
Oh, shit. You ain't Italian.
Who's there?
Councilman Tate. Hey.
Chris, what are you doing back here?
Just came back for this.
Forgot I stored all my contacts on it.
Technically, that's
property of the campaign,
including everything that's on it.
Right. I know.
That's why I'm gonna
just download everything
and-and put it back.
I mean, you don't have any
use for it anymore, right?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Either way, um, you've done
some really great work for me,
and you do deserve a
nice parting gift, so...
Thank you, Councilman.
I really appreciate
you understanding everything that I...
Get your bitch ass out of here!
- Hey, what the hell, man?
- What, you want another one?
Huh? 'Cause I won't miss.
Go right now.
What do you want, Andre?
- I'm just here to help, bro.
- As you can see,
I'm doing really,
really great. Thank you.
Look, I got some valuable
information on the St. Patricks.
What you know about Tariq?
- Rashad Tate.
- You motherfucker.
You never said there
was gonna be two of 'em.
Who is this?
You know who the fuck this is, man.
My father is dead because of you.
That nigga that you sent us after,
he was not by himself,
like you said he would be.
S-sorry. Uh, you're-you're breaking up.
- I can't quite hear you.
- No, I'm not fucking breaking up.
I know you can fucking hear me!
Wrong number. Please don't
call this number again.
Shit. Shit!
Hey, good sister Tasha.
I know you wanted to see
me in person, and I'm glad,
because there's some
information that's come my way
I think might be of interest to you.
- Rashad...
- James is planning
to throw Tariq under the bus.
What are you talking about?
Does the name Raymond Jones ring a bell?
Even if it did, h-how would
you know anything about him?
- James told me.
- Yeah, right.
James wouldn't just volunteer
information like that
from the goodness of his heart.
He doesn't even have a heart.
I heard it with my own ears.
He's gotta distance
himself from Tariq's actions
in order to walk into
Albany with a clean slate,
and he'll do just that
unless you stop him, Tasha.
You know, starting to
sound like you and James
are up to something,
and now you're trying to
use me to double-cross him.
No, it's not even like that. I swear.
Tasha, you gotta go to the police.
You gotta tell 'em everything
you know about James.
Blow him the fuck up.
But you gotta do it right now, okay?
Because by the time he's elected,
he's gonna be unstoppable.
Don't you get it, Rashad?
He's already unstoppable.
There's nothing I can do about that.
Not even to save your own son?
I got an A on my class project.
An A? You're supposed to get an A-plus.
Come on, give me the trash.
Come on, give it to me.
I got it. Go back inside.
We're gonna talk about
bringing that up to an A-plus.
All right.
Yeah, I knew your ass
was gonna come out there
sooner or later, nigga.
Carter, what you doing here?
Your boy St. Patrick running around
with a fucking white dude.
We ran slam into a trap!
That sound like a beef
between you and them, not me.
I'm the one who tried to call
the whole thing off, remember?
I told y'all to go home,
but you-you and Croop
just wouldn't listen.
You keep my father's name
out your fucking mouth.
I had to leave him back there,
or I would have been dead too.
Hey, look, Carter.
I'm really sorry about what
happened to your pops, okay?
Fuck. He didn't have my
number on him, did he?
I said shut the fuck up!
You wanted blood? Hmm?
Now I want blood, so
this is what we gonna do.
We gonna walk inside,
and you gonna sit down,
and you gonna watch me kill
your brother, your nephew,
your whole fucking family.
We ain't going in that house.
My family ain't got
shit to do with this.
Agh!
Oh, shit.
You all right?
Yeah. I'm good. How
did you know that he...
I heard yelling, looked out back,
saw this guy waving a gun in your face.
What the fuck happened?
So then after that, I was like,
"Just take my wallet, good brother.
I'd rather you rob
me than to be out here
terrorizing the good people
that live in this neighborhood".
He could have come up in here.
Yeah, I know. I know. He didn't, babe.
It's okay.
So you saying it's just a mugging?
I wouldn't say "just" a mugging, Kamaal.
Something was going on with this dude.
I could see it in his eyes.
He definitely was
hopped up on something.
So you saying it was
a crackhead mugging?
Why you gotta say it like that?
Because, Rashad,
ain't that many crackhead
muggers around here.
In fact, the neighborhood
has gotten a lot safer
in the last few years.
If you come around here more
often, man, maybe you know.
Rashad, he could have killed you.
Maybe it wasn't my time.
Thanks, 'Maal.
It's okay, 'Shad.
Uh, sorry, I...
Oh, damn. Um...
there's an emergency over at
my headquarters. I gotta go.
You gotta leave now?
It's an emergency.
This is the big emergency?
Y'all couldn't wait till
tomorrow morning to do this?
Democratic Party property.
They wanted it back tonight.
- The cart belong to them too?
- Sorry.
- We need to talk.
- Sergeant Rodriguez, listen.
I'm glad that you're here.
I have some thoughts about my
testimony I'll be giving, so...
Thank you for your cooperation,
but I'm afraid we won't need
your testimony after all.
What do you mean?
Judge Tapper won't give
us an arrest warrant
for St. Patrick.
He shut us down.
Well, maybe you just
need some more time,
you know, to build a case.
It's over.
James St. Patrick is gonna walk
all the way to Albany.
Success or failure
lies beyond our control.
We are the playthings
in the hands of the gods.
Thank you, Simon,
but I'm really not in
the mood for Shakespeare
or Walt Whitman or whoever the hell.
That was a traditional
African war chant.
Loosely translated, of course,
but I assumed you'd recognize it.
- What do you want?
- It's not what I want, Rashad.
It's what we want.
Hello.
It's after hours. Make
a goddamn appointment.
Well, I would, but it looks
like you don't have an
office staff anymore.
What Lorette means is that we're here
to make a humble request.
You can ask whatever you want,
but I'm pretty sure the answer is no.
Of course. That's why
we came here tonight,
to give you ample time to
consider the big picture.
Hear us out. Sleep on it.
Maybe you'll feel
differently in the morning.
Feel differently about what?
About giving the
Walsh/St. Patrick ticket
your formal endorsement.
Did I say that, uh,
my answer would be no?
Uh, my bad.
I mean hell fucking
no! Why would I do that?
Rashad, there's no way that you can win.
You are literally a
one-man band at this point.
Then why do you need
my endorsement so badly?
Optics. Party unity.
Call it what you want,
but an endorsement will be
good for me in the short run
and better for you in the long run.
Even if you manage to reanimate
your dead political career someday,
people are not going to vote
for a man that they
remember as a sore loser.
I'll always be remembered as a man
who stood by his principles, Lorette.
You, on the other hand...
well, you'll always be a white woman
with double-digit unfavorables
among black and brown voters.
That's why you're here.
You've been pandering for the black vote
so damn long, you
don't know how to stop.
You know, you're right.
But now I've got James
St. Patrick for that.
Good-bye, Rashad.
- Yo.
- Dre, it's Tate.
- What up?
- I'm ready to meet.
I'm on my way.
After tonight, I'm the only one
who's gonna know your new name.
You want to stay off the radar,
then you stand by your word.
If you don't, well, everybody's
gonna be looking for...
Eric Anthony Davidson.
I got the plate number and everything.
Andre, if you don't do it,
you're gonna be running from
James for the rest of your life.
Man, you ain't got shit to worry about,
'cause you just payin' me to
do something I'd do for free.
Now, don't forget.
You only get one shot at this.
All I need is one shot.
Don't worry about this shit.
Ghost is dying tonight,
and this conversation never happened.
Need a gun?
I'm good. I got my own, man.
'Maal, hey.
How much longer
you gonna be at the office?
I'm-I'm just finishing
up here. Why, what's good?
Sit tight. I'ma be there in a minute.
Yeah, sure.
I had to call in that shooting,
so, uh, we're gonna need an
official statement from you.
What for? Y'all shoot
people all the time.
You can take care of this without me.
I'ma need you to run
it down for me again.
I've already told you everything.
I know. Tell me again.
You know, 'Maal, if
I didn't know better,
I'd think that you were looking
for, uh, holes in my story.
Nah, I'm just trying
to make it make sense,
'cause something in my gut is telling me
you leaving something out.
Like what?
Like, was that really
some random robbery,
or was dude gunning
for you for a reason?
Wasn't nobody gunning for me.
Shit, it ain't my fault that
you never moved out the hood.
Nigga can't even take out the trash
without ending up in the sequel
to fucking New Jack City.
- Okay, here we go.
- Yeah, yeah. Here we go.
It ain't about where I
choose to live, 'Shad,
'cause last time I checked,
wasn't no bloodshed
on my block till your ass popped up.
Oh, wow. Okay, you know what?
You've been wearing that uniform
a little too long, big bro.
NYPD got your head all fucked up.
- What's that supposed to mean?
- It means that every black man
- you see is a suspect.
- What?
Guilty until proven innocent.
Okay, I get you. See, that's that
shit you be pulling down there
with them white
motherfuckers at city hall,
but that ain't working with me.
All I'm saying is, unlike you,
I got people who depend on me,
so I'm sorry if I ask a few questions
that hurt your motherfucking feelings.
Just know I'ma do what I
gotta do to protect my family.
I'm your family too, 'Maal.
Okay, I think we're good here.
Yeah. No reason to drag this thing out.
Anything else you want to tell us
before we wrap this up?
I don't think so.
I mean, other than the fact that I'm...
really sorry all this shit
happened in the first place, man.
Don't lose any sleep over it.
We ran the kid's prints. From D.C.
Couple of priors. Mostly minor stuff.
Nice work, Tate. Probably stopped him
from growing up to be a master criminal.
A man is dead, fellas.
The least we could do
is show a little respect.
What's your problem, man?
You're the one who killed him.
And stopped him from
possibly killing your brother,
so quit acting like
this ain't a clean shoot.
I just don't think we need
to be talking like this
in front of a witness.
A witness? Come on, now.
Rashad's an ex-cop.
As far as I'm concerned,
he's still one of us.
Damn right. Once a cop, always a cop.
All right, man. Let me
get you out of here.
Whoa, not so fast, Kamaal.
Officer-involved shooting
means you're gonna have
to surrender your gun.
Claremont, are you fucking kidding me?
Hey, you know it's just a formality.
Restrictive duty until we
finish up the paperwork.
Jesus, Terry. What the fuck?
Sorry, guys, but we got shots fired
at Truth nightclub in
the Meatpacking District.
Holy shit. That's James
St. Patrick's place.
Yeah. Captain says
he wants all hands on deck.
If you're in the building,
you're on this goddamn case.
Those were his exact words.
Was anybody hurt?
Um, I'm just curious.
I've had some dealings with St. Patrick.
I'm hearing one fatality.
That's all I know.
Shit. Looks like you
dodged a bullet, Kamaal.
Fuck restrictive duty. You
want to come with, Rashad?
No. Claremont, come on,
man. He's a civilian.
Fuck that. Your brother's no civilian.
What's he gonna do,
fuck up a crime scene?
Come on. Let's roll.
Come on!
Roll out! Roll out!
Why do I feel like this
shooting is connected
to the shit you've gotten yourself into?
Oh, my God. What kind of shit
have I gotten myself into, 'Maal?
That's what I'm trying to figure out.
Do you even hear what you're saying?
How am I involved in a
shooting that literally happened
when I was sitting in a
police station with you?
Rashad, I'm a New York
City cop and a parent.
You know how many times a day
people try to run bullshit past me?
I'm telling you now, I cannot help you
if I don't know the whole story.
All right, listen...
I knew it. I fucking knew it, man.
Would you just chill the fuck
out and let me get it out?
There's this dude named Andre Coleman
who might have killed
James St. Patrick tonight.
How you know?
Hey, let me just finish
saying what I gotta say.
If Andre did what he think he did,
he might try to implicate
me in the crime.
How, man? You ain't shoot nobody.
Like you said, you was with the police.
He might say that I paid him to do it.
Did you?
- No.
- Don't lie to me, man.
I swear, okay? Now, I
could have it all wrong.
It could be the other way around.
Maybe James St. Patrick is
the one who killed Andre.
Maybe you don't know, but
if I was a betting man,
I'd put my money on whatever
outcome lets you land on your feet,
'cause you the luckiest
nigga on the fucking planet.
- How am I lucky?
- My whole life, man,
all I seen you do is win.
Even if it was the slightest chance
that shit will work in
your favor, it will.
You don't know what
you're talking about.
I do know what I'm talking about,
'cause I'm the one who had to work hard
- for the little shit I have.
- You know what?
You are the one who
gets all the good shit.
You got the family.
You got the amazing son.
You got a beautiful wife.
You got a taxpayer-funded job,
taxpayer-funded pension in a few years,
and on top of all that,
you bought a house
that you're living in
with a government loan.
If anybody hit the lick,
it's not me. It's you.
Just tell me if I'ma have to
arrest you after all this is over.
No. My hands are clean.
Of course they are.
You better stay lucky.
Uh-uh. You staying in the car.
- I'm not gonna touch nothing.
- I know you won't,
'cause you staying your ass in the car.
I'm dead-ass, Rashad. I'll be back.
Councilman Tate! I thought that was you.
Mind if we get a quick reaction?
Oh, hi, Jeannie. Good to see you again.
Well, not exactly
under the best
circumstances, though, right?
Uh, no. Uh, you're right.
Uh, listen, if you don't mind, uh,
I'd like to let the police
do their jobs tonight.
Uh, my office will have a
statement for you tomorrow morning,
once we figure out everything.
We're actually live right now, sir.
Oh. Of course.
Uh, like I was saying,
now is not the time for
anyone to rush to conclusions.
We need to give our
brave first responders
an opportunity to assess
exactly what went on here tonight,
and then we can chart a path forward.
And has anyone from the Democratic Party
reached out to you yet?
What are their thoughts on how
the death of James St. Patrick
will impact the gubernatorial race?
James St. Patrick's
story is America's story.
Both born in turmoil.
Both blessed with a unique set of gifts.
Both carried limitless potential.
Sadly, Mr. St. Patrick
was unable to rise above
his personal struggles.
Which is why I'm urging every New Yorker
within the sound of my voice
to join me in a moment of silent prayer,
because in these troubled times,
the only thing that we can
rely on is our higher power.
Even though we're all
fighting our private battles
and sometimes victory seems impossible,
just remember what the good book says.
"What's impossible with
man is possible with God".
Are we clear?
How was that?
That... was amazing.
Wow.
What now, 'Maal?
I'm just wondering how you come
up with all that bullshit so fast.
Practice, my brother.
You got it, bro?
- You winning, man.
- Is it straight?
- You look good.
- Uh, if by "good", you mean awful.
- His fault.
- Jinx.
- Y'all should be embarrassed.
- Get me right, sis.
I got you.
They're here.
Simone, go answer the door.
You ready?
- I was born ready.
- That you were.
Hi.
Hi. You must be Mrs. Tate.
Call me Simone. Come on in.
Thank you, Simone. Please.
Good morning, Rashad.
Steven Ott. Lorette Walsh.
Please meet my family:
my brother, Kamaal...
- How are you?
- My nephew, Elijah,
and you've already met
my sister-in-law, Simone.
Yes. Hey, Elijah.
Oh, let's give you guys some privacy.
- Yeah, we should. Welcome to our home.
- Thank you so much.
Please, come on in.
Okay, so look. I, uh...
I know everyone's in a bit of
shock, but this is politics,
and unfortunately, things
have to move quickly.
I understand. Of course.
Lorette, is there something
you'd like to say?
Rashad, what happened to
James last night was horrible,
but, as Steven said,
time is of the essence.
Are you ready to accept our offer?
I'm gonna need to hear the offer again.
There's no need to
twist the knife, Rashad.
We all know why we're here.
Oh. You know, the last few
hours have been pretty hectic.
I've been fielding
phone calls all night,
and all those conversations
tend to blend together
in my head, so yeah.
Whatever you're planning on offering,
I'm just gonna need to
hear it one more time.
Rashad Tate, I'm here
to formally ask you
to be my candidate for
lieutenant governor of New York.
Run with me.
Please.
I am happy to run, Lorette.
- Just not as your lieutenant.
- What?
It's governor or nothing.
Take it or leave it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
That is not what we negotiated
on the phone, and you know that.
Well, I've had some
time to think about it.
You've hitched your
wagon to a man whose body
is laying in the county
morgue right now.
Mm-hmm? Your brand is fucked.
The way I see it, the Democratic Party
needs me more than I need you.
God damn you, Tate.
If you think that we're gonna stand here
and let you turn this tragedy
into some kind of opportunity...
Lorette,
why don't you go wait in the car?
Excuse me?
Are you out of your mind?
You're not seriously considering this.
I'm afraid Rashad's got a point.
Well, fuck his point!
I certainly didn't drag
myself all the way here
to watch the two of you screw me over.
Lorette, there's a child in the house,
so I'm gonna ask you to
lower your voice, please.
Don't even think about this, Steven.
Oh, I will end you.
Let me remind you that I call
the shots here, Lorette, not you,
so you can either go wait in the car
or call yourself a cab.
It's up to you.
- God is good.
- All the time.
That's right. God is good.
All the time!
I'm here today because
the great state of New York
stands at a crossroad.
- Yeah.
- All right.
No matter what color you are,
your religious beliefs,
or your social status,
this upcoming election
offers each and every
one of us a choice.
- Yes, it does.
- And the whole country is waiting to see
which path we choose,
because New York leads the way.
To the little black boy from Queens
who fought for a quality education,
to the worker from Cooperstown
who is worthy of a livable wage...
To the immigrant that became a citizen
who needs to know that
her voice is heard
all the way in Albany,
I say to you again
that New York leads the way!
I don't think they hear me.
- They don't hear me.
- Tell them.
I said, I said,
New York leads the way. Let me hear you.
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
Say it like you mean it!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
So if you believe like I do,
if you dream like I do,
if you have faith like I do,
then join me in leading the way.
Because together...
together, there's no limit
to what we can achieve.
We can make the impossible possible.
And that is why it is
with my deepest gratitude
that I accept the Democratic nomination
for the governor of New York.
Thank you, and God bless you.
And may God bless New York.
New York leads the way.
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
- We're on our way.
- Indeed. Absolutely.
Congratulations, Rashad.
You pulled off quite
the reversal of fortune.
You should have never
bet against me, boo.
Oh, man, great speech.
- How'd I do?
- You killed it.
I mean, all I saw up
there was the scrawny kid
who had sold my brand-new bike
to Big Ronnie when I was eight,
but they seemed to be into your speech.
Can I go one week without hearing
about that damn bike, 'Maal?
I'm just saying, it was brand-new.
I ain't even get to ride it once.
I'll buy you a new one, all right?
Besides, you could use the
cardio. Listen, I gotta go.
Yeah. I need to tell you something, man.
Andre Coleman is dead.
He is? How?
Killed in prison.
Somebody set him on fire in his cell.
Listen, we should talk
about this another time.
No, no, we don't got to talk about it.
I just figured I'll let
you know, just in case
you felt like buying
some lottery tickets
on your way home.
'Cause I'm always so lucky.
Yeah. Things have a way of
working out in your favor.
- I'm out.
- All right.
- Love.
- Love.
Let's take another photo.
Hey! Peace!
Say good-bye to your uncle.
- Mwah.
- That was amazing.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
You were amazing, man!
Councilman Tate, just
one quick question.
Do you think the fact
that you once considered
James St. Patrick as
your lieutenant governor
reflects poorly on your judgment?
You should probably talk to
Ramona Garrity about poor judgment.
She's the one who introduced
Mr. St. Patrick to my campaign.
In hindsight, I do regret
that I didn't find out sooner
that she was engaged
in an adulterous affair
with Mr. St. Patrick.
I'm sorry, what? Could you repeat that?
I have no issue with
what two consenting adults
choose to do behind closed doors,
but if he had no respect for
his own wife and children,
I can see why Ms. Garrity didn't either.
Okay, I gotta go. Thank you.
- Hey, all right.
- Over here!
Thank you so much. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
New York leads the way!
New York leads the way!
Oh.
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
This is for you.
Wow.
I think you'll find that check
will keep you swimming
in bottled water for quite some time.
Yes, it will. Thank you, Simon.
Uh, one word of advice, though, Rashad.
No more fishing off the company pier.
Hire a professional if you must,
but I'm investing in a
scandal-free governor.
- Are we clear?
- Crystal.
Wouldn't have it any other way.
You'll need to play the game
at a much higher level now.
A lot more eyes will be on you.
- I know what I'm doing.
- I trust that you do.
I'll be in touch.
Simon?
Aren't you forgetting something?
Can't imagine what that might be.
An admission
that you made a mistake
backing Lorette Walsh
when you should have been backing me.
Oh, Rashad.
I see you still have a lot to learn.
You see, backing Walsh
was both politically
and financially expedient
for me at the time.
In other words, you
didn't have a prayer.
And now you do, so here we are.
No hard feelings, I hope?
No, not at all.
We both know what they say.
Politics makes strange bedfellows.
Indeed they do.
Cheers.
Fuck.
I see you still got it.
I never lost it.
You expecting somebody?
No.
I didn't order room service,
but I'll check it out.
I never lost it.
Ah.
What the fuck, Rashad?
I mean, seriously, what the actual fuck?
Hi, Ramona.
- Come on in.
- Fuck you!
You told a reporter that
I was sleeping with James?
- Well, weren't you?
- No.
And if you didn't know that,
then you should have kept
your goddamn mouth shut!
You know, I wish I could tell you
that the truth will
set you free, Ramona,
but we both know that it won't.
Everywhere you go, every
job interview you take,
you're gonna be asked about
fucking a murdered drug dealer
for the rest of your career.
As a matter of fact,
I say your future in politics
is deader than James St. Patrick.
Ramona.
Hi.
Jesus.
I thought I heard your voice down there.
I should have known.
Yeah. You should've.
Cassandra stopped by
to reacquaint herself
with my polling.
Mm.
You two fucking deserve each other.
I can't lie. That got
me a little excited.
You ready for round two?
You know, uh, if you hurry,
you could split an Uber with Ramona.
What?
You didn't think this was,
like, a thing again, did you?
Rashad, I...
I'm just blowing off some steam, okay?
I just needed to clear my head
before my big campaign kicks off.
Are you seriously gonna
let me leave like this?
Is that what kind of man you are?
Mm!
You know what? I almost forgot.
Thank you kindly for paying
for this wonderful room.
Nice taste.
You know, fuck you,
Rashad. Don't call me again.
We interrupt your regularly
scheduled programming
to bring you this breaking news report.
The murderer of local entrepreneur
and aspiring lieutenant
governor candidate
James St. Patrick has
just been arrested.
Our team is just arriving
on the scene of the arrest.
Please stay tuned for more details.
And we are live. Wait.
I'm being told we are about
to get our first look at the suspect.
Holy shit.
_
_
_
When we met,
what'd you think I was gonna be?