StartUp (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Ground Floor - full transcript

After Ronald threatens Nick and Izzy, they scramble to return his money in cash. Agent Rask's new partner Maddie arrives just in time to ramp up efforts to track Nick's father, Andy Talman. With gang violence in Little Haiti bearing down on his family, Ronald rethinks Izzy's GenCoin pitch.

Your last deal came to about $2.2 mil.

I want half or the entire
score will be seized.

Hey, Nicky. It's your father.

I need you to move these funds.

- That's not gonna happen!
- They're gonna kill me.

What if there was a currency with no
borders, no threat of confiscation?

With the money I am prepared to give

you, we can turn this into something

that has the power to change the world.

Hi, GenCoin.

Jey-Jey will want me to waste him.



You got big dreams, huh, Big Ronnie?

You're making moves
with that money or what?

Where's your dad?

There's no record of you
here in our system.

Help!

Help!

Help!

Help!

Okay. Okay.

What did I do?

- Shh, shh.
- Where am I?

Just tell me what I did.

Damn.

You ever been hit
like that before, dawg?



Throw ya off your shit, don't it?

Makes you all woozy.

You know why I brought ya out here?

Hey, yo!

South Beach, you with me?

Only reason anybody come out here...

is to catch a gator or feed a gator.

And I don't care for gator meat.
You chew that shit forever.

This is a mistake.

This is a mistake.

You're Nick, ain't you?

Your bitch-ass daddy, he say
he could take our cash,

clean it up, make it safe.

Next thing you know, the money gone.

Ain't that some shit?

So, here's what's up...

You tell me where your old man at...

or you turn into gator food.

It'll makes no difference to me. I know

I'mma get that shit eventually.

When I'm done with you...

I'm goin' right on down the line.

Every sorry-ass bitch you care about,

right down to the nigga
that does your dry cleaning.

You, I'll probably shoot you
at the back of the head right there.

Just be done with it.

But your loved ones?

Shit.

You should see what I can
do with a blade.

It's amazing how long
you can stay alive

- with your guts all hangin' out...
- I have your money.

I have your money.

Oh, shit!

- Isabelle!
- Sorry.

It's that circuit board again.

I've been meaning to get a new one.

Marta!

- Isabelle!
- I got it, Ma. Hang on!

I was in the middle of e-mailing.
Now I have to start over?

It happens.

Only when you're here, it happens.

Marta, settle down, okay?

- Oh, yeah. Don't walk away from me.
- Mom, just chill. Okay?

Okay. End of the week, chica.

End of the week. I want
you out end of the week.

Seriously, the power went out again?

What happened?

- Hello?
- Where are you right now?

It's open!

Izzy, this is Ronald. Ronald, Izzy.

Um, it turns out some of the money
that I gave you...

belonged to Ronald and he would very
much like it back.

How much is some?

Uh, $300,000.

Did you bring your laptop?

Should we do the pitch?

What are you talking about?

Fucking GenCoin!

I don't think he gives
a fuck about GenCoin.

Listen, Ronald,

Nick went ahead and invested
your money in a startup.

My startup, GenCoin.

It's the future of currency.

Here, let me just show you.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Wait, wait.

- Wait, wait, wait.
- Easy. Easy.

Easy.

It's just my laptop and a prospectus.

Just... just hear me out.

Please, just...

That three hundred, it started
off as cash, yeah? I'm assuming.

Under some floor board
or mattress or whatever!

Believe me, I know.

My family, we used to be clipped
up with the Cuban Mafia back in the day.

If I had created GenCoin back
then, they would have been

moving money internationally,
locally, completely undetected.

Forget scamming the bank. They
would have been the bank.

Look.

If you invest in GenCoin, help
us make this a real thing,

okay, your money, it turns
into a digital currency.

It's untaxed, unregulated, untraceable.

Suddenly, you're not
on some corner slinging rocks.

You're moving whatever you want,
in the comfort of your own home.

It's the future... Not just of crime,

but of commerce.

It's the future of a truly free market.

The question is, Ronald...

Under some floor board
or mattress or whatever!

Come here.

Sit.

I am sitting.

I just wanna talk.

Just do what he says.

What you say your name was, again?

- Izzy.
- Izzy.

Is it short for Isabelle?

- Hmm.
- Mmm.

That's pretty.

I want my money, Isabelle.

I can... I... I can make
a transfer to any bank account.

No, no, no. Come on!

You don't wanna do all that. Just
give me the cash. You feel me?

Yeah, but no bank has
that much cash on hand.

I need a couple of days.

Couple of days?

Hmm.

Here's the thing, Isabelle.

I need cash.

A'ight?

If it's sitting in some bank
somewhere, that shit ain't my problem.

That shit's your problem.

That shit is South Beach problem.

24 hours. We meet back here.

You give me my three hundred...

in cash.

If you don't do that...

Well...

shit.

I'm sorry.

Hey, good morning.

- Hey.
- Hey.

What time did you get in last night?

Really late.

Eric was just so wasted.
I had to drive him.

Um, do you know where my socks are?

Mmm. Probably in a box.

- Do you know what box?
- No.

- All right.
- There's so many boxes.

Mmm. Okay, I'm up!

Um, your phone has
been ringing off the hook.

- Sorry.
- That's fine.

Mmm.

That sort of client
information is... well,

I need a subpoena.

- I... I hope you understand.
- No, that's fine.

Of course. But listen, if anyone
does hear from Andrew, then, uh...

please call me, immediately.

And, uh, I'll be back
with that subpoena.

- Come again.
- All right.

- I'm sorry, I wish I could do more...

No, please. You're just doing your job.

- You are, right?
- Yeah.

- Just doing your job?
- That's right.

- Fine job it is.
- Thank you.

- Take care, Carl.

- You sure this is gonna work?

You mean, he can just trade us a bunch

of routing numbers
for cash and that's it?

Huh? How do you know this guy?

- Stop talking.

Okay. Well, it's just 300 grand
is a lot to come up with in one day...

Well, you should have
thought about that

before you took the money
from some Haitian gangster.

- Hey, you didn't want to know. Okay?

- Nick, if he hadn't seen my face,

- you would be on your own right now.
- You took the money, Izzy.

You took the money, just remember that.
You took the money.

- Really?
- What the hell?

Hey! What are you doing?

Izzy!

Hey, where are you going?

- Where are you going?
- For a walk.

Look, I'm sorry, okay?
I didn't know it was his.

- So who gave you that money?
- My dad.

He works in finance.

- He launders money through his bank.
- For Haitians?

For anyone. Just literally
anyone who will pay him.

- You gave me the money to hide.
- No, I didn't. No, I didn't.

I gave it to you
because I believe in this.

- I want to do it.
- Okay

I swear

Look, I've spent my entire life
watching this man line his pockets,

so he could fly his mistresses
around the world.

I swore I would never be that person.

Okay, so are we good?

So, we're good, then?

You don't need a subpoena for that.

To pull all those clients' accounts?
Yeah, I do.

- All those clients' accounts?
- Hmm.

You crazy?

You look at this?

Christ! It's like two ounces
of chicken in this thing.

Well, I gotta turn over every stone.

Tell them, this is a guy who once
stashed Russian mob money

in a non-profit for disabled kids.

That's not funny.

Look, he can't move the money that quick.
No one can.

So, what do you want me to do, huh?

Help me help you.

All right, well,
your boy Judge Frankel.

Nah! I can't go
over Learmont's head like that.

- You do it all the time.
- Yeah, not for you.

Look, there's a reason
that your division

is still over in the old HQ building.

Think about that.

Can I finish my lunch?

Knock yourself out.

You pulled out in front of me, man!

You didn't see me coming?

Why you pull over like that? No signal.

Just... just fixed that bumper, man.

- Mmm-hmm. Shh, shh, shh.
- Jesus!

- I'm sorry.
- Get the fuck away, man!

No, no. Come on. Hey. Come on.

Come on. It's okay.

You all right?

It's just a car. It's just a car.

All right? Calm.

I'm all right. You're all right.

This? Who cares?

Oh, see this?

It's metal and glass. That's all it is.

Just metal and glass, my friend.

Just metal and glass.

That's metal and that's glass

and that's metal and that's glass.

This is where he lives?

Yo, Elon.

- Who's that?
- He's good.

I'm good.

He, uh... Nick, come here.

Don't fucking point a gun at me.

He's good, all right? He's a friend.

Let me see it.

I put everything we need
in that one, second to last.

- How much are you cashing out?
- All of it.

Three hundred?

I can't do three hundred.

Busy month. I'm tapped out.

I got 80.

I can do 80.

That's it.

Dada!

Huh?

Dada!

Dad have biz.

Want to make a little tinkle.

Take your life in your hands
goin' in there.

Ew!

Ew, Daddy. Stinky. Mom!

Ah! You're Trapped!

You are wrong for that. You know that line.
No, I just...

Hey, where's Touie?

Oh, he said he, uh, went
to go play basketball.

Yeah.

Oh, did you see the picture
that she sent?

She sent it to you, too, right?

Here. Some kinda shit, my nigger.
Try this.

- Yeah?
- Oh, yeah.

Feeling like grown-ass man, aren't you?

Got the tank top on. You
swole, aren't you, huh?

All right, I got you there, though.

Pass that right there. Yeah.

Messing with you, boy.

Put that away. Put that away. Dad!

What they do, Big Ronnie?

Why you tell your mom you
was going to play basketball?

We did. We went and played
basketball early.

- Oh, is that right?
- Yeah.

Come on. Get.

Dad, we just hangin'.

Maybe these ain't the cats
I want you hangin' with.

- Shit, it's all good, big man.
- Stay outta this.

So you're gonna tell me
who my friends are now?

For real, Pap?

You okay?

- I'm good.
- Are you okay?

- I'm good.
- Stay down.

Let's go.

Touie, call an ambulance!

Hey, Dave.

- How's the hand, Hulk?
- Eat a dick, Arlo.

- Good morning, sunshine!
- Hey, sugar.

- Agent Rask?
- Hmm.

Special Agent Madeline Pierce.

I just transferred down from D.C.

Pleasure.

Beautiful city.

- Miami?
- Right.

It's an upgrade for me.

I won't miss the winters.

Mmm-hmm.

Well, I, uh, just wanted
to introduce myself.

Gotcha.

I'm at your disposal, so let me
know if there's anything I can do.

- Had a good cafecito, yet?

- I don't know what that is.

Oh, really?

Let's go get one.

- Right now?
- Right now.

- Okay, I'll... I'll get my bag.
- Sure.

There you go.

Thanks, Pauly.

Mmm, wow!

That is strong.

That's good shit, huh?

Pauly makes the best stuff in town.

- See you later.
- Thank you.

Next.

So, the Andrew Talman file...

You seen that one?

- Yup. Read that one.
- Mmm-hmm.

- And, uh, The Sarkisian Cruise Liner...
- Hmm.

And The Golden Phoenix
chain with the Triads.

So, you read all of them?

Of course. Many times over.

Well, today is all about Andrew Talman.

I'm not sure how it works in D.C.,

but down here it's a little different.

- I've heard.
- See, this town...

All this is built on financial crime,

right up to the top officials.

There are people who are working
very hard to make sure that

people like you and me don't get
a fair shot at bringin' them down.

But if they play dirty, you know,

means we can play a little dirty, too.

Touie, you can't go! Touie,
I ain't letting you leave.

Touie, get over here! Touie, come here!

- Touie, Touie!
- Hey, hey, hey, hey. Hold up, son!

Step off, Pa.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up, son.
Hold up.

He's fixin' to get himself killed.

You're tryin' to start some shit?

Huh?

- Hey.
- Yeah, Pop, that's what's up!

Said he got them OT niggas pinned.
Needs some backup.

And you wanna go at it with them?

Is that what's up?

You wanna feel big, huh?

- You wanna feel like a man, huh?
- The killed Jules!

You wanna feel like a real man, huh?

Is that what you want? Huh?

I look at you.

I'm lookin', I'm lookin', I'm lookin'.
This ain't the boy that I raised.

- I didn't raise this boy.
- Yeah?

Some "do what I say not
what I do" bullshit?

I do what I have to,

I'm tryin' to change that for you,
tryin' to change...

Some bullshit!

What!

- Ronald!
- Mom!

- Ronald - Come here. Calm down.

- Come here!
- Ronald. Ronald!

- Come here. Come here.
- Ronald!

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.

I was this close. You understand me?

This close to losing you today.

You don't know
what that's like as a father.

You can't know what that's like.

Tomorrow might not be so lucky.

It might be Elsie.

It might be your mom.

You run around starting
fires with Oskar...

and this whole place gonna burn.

Touie...

you feel me?

Come here.

Come here.

Shit.

Don't you have friends
that you can ask or something?

To what? Just hand over a pile of cash

- by sundown?
- Yeah!

No.

No, I don't know anyone
that would willingly

give me a pile of cash by sundown.

There is this. Let me
throw this out there.

Throw it out.

All right. It's called smurfing.

It's a structured money movement.

Now, we need 220 grand by tonight,

but we can't go to a bank
and withdraw that much.

However, we can walk
into a bunch of different banks

and ask for a little bit.

It will have to be less
than $10,000 in each withdrawal,

otherwise they will file a Currency
Transaction Report with FINCen,

But less than ten, they're
not gonna do that.

No one's going to notice that?

Well, if we do the same
bank different branches,

Activities Report, but that would take

weeks to go through and I think we would...
well, we'd be alive.

Well, that... no, no, no, no.
That's a good idea.

- I can cover our tracks.
- Yeah?

Yeah. I'll take the remaining 220,
I'll run it through my foreign shells,

drop it right back
into your personal account,

smurf the shit out of it,
and then weeks

from now, when they come asking for it,

it just looks like me and you
are starting a company together.

Well, we are. Aren't we?

All right. We'll smurf.

All right. We can smurf.

All right, Liebowitz runs
the investment side with Talman.

I struck out because the guy
is a 40-something straight man.

So, you think I'll do better?

I know you'll do better.

Look, he doesn't have to do anything

without a subpoena
but the decision is still his,

and I guarantee you he won't
be able to resist that face.

This doesn't feel right,
doing it like this.

Now, I know. But it's 48 hours at best

In that time, Talman could have moved

his money three times
and then we are fucked.

Yeah, you're right.

- Okay.
- Hang on.

It'll help.

Here it goes!

You gotta be kidding me.

Ma! Ma!

- Are you serious?
- Hey, hey, hey!

What is all that shit?

This isn't your garage, mija.

I have something time sensitive.

- It's a hundred degrees in here!
- Go inside.

It's okay, Mom. We'll do
it in the yard.

No, no, no.

- We got everything right here, mija.
- Mom, it's fine!

It's fine. We'll just do it outside.

Don't worry. You're not bothering us.

Yeah, you're bothering me.

Okeechobee, left, then Miracle Mile.

Okay, bye.

Dude, I don't think I'm gonna make it.

Drive a little faster. Stop
driving like a white person.

Oh, my God!

Hack into the traffic lights? What do
you think I have going on in here?

It's 72 grand.

Okay. That's good.

That's 152. That's more than half.

I think we should go to the police.

- No.
- Yes.

I promise you it is going to be better
than what he is going to do to us.

No. I promise you, we're
not going to the police.

That's more than half.
It's a good gesture.

- A gesture?
- Yes, a gesture.

Well, so it's like a fruit basket?

It's like an Edible Arrangement?

We have to be at your dad's soon.
So how about you man up?

Oh, God.

Oh, God! This was a bad idea.
Nick, you idiot.

What's a bad idea? We're out of time.
It's the best we could do.

No. All of it, all of it.
I shouldn't have called you.

I should never have taken that money.

But you did. You called me.

You said we would change the world.

Remember? Now you're scared?

Yeah. Can you tell? Does it show?

Why am I not surprised?

I mean, I know we have
the gesture, but still.

Such a little girl. It's cool.

All right, when all this is over,

I'm gonna go my way and you can go
back to your cushy vanilla life,

where you feel real
comfortable and not scared.

I'm scared there, too.

- Hola, corazon.
- Hey.

We gotta send a message!
Let everybody know

from Overtown to Carol City.

If a nigga think he gonna fuck
with us in our hood, little Haiti,

we're gonna come at you
ten times bigger.

You kill one of us,
we gonna kill ten of y'all.

You light up a little crib,

we gonna burn down your damn
neighborhood, nigger!

We're gonna cover the streets
of Overtown in blood!

Yeah!

Could you point that elsewhere, please?

You know how to use that?

My dad used to take me
shooting out in the swamps.

My little sister, Delfi...

she used to get so jealous.

She said, "Papi, why
can't I shoot, too?"

He'd tell her,

"Corazon...

you're not gonna need a gun
to take care of you."

"You'll have a man.

Izzy, she's gonna need
to take care of herself."

Oh. That's messed up.

That it?

Okay, that's some of it.

We're gonna get the rest tomorrow.

Ah!

No, you're not.

You ain't gonna do that.

You're gonna put it back...

in your coin thing. Put it back.

All of it.

Are you looking to invest?

Nah. I want more than that.

I wanna be your partner.

Sit down. Sit down.

Ah, I'm... I'm confused.

You were just fixin' to kill us.

You got me thinking...

with your little speech, Isabelle.

Some next level shit. You know?

And for an LH7 like myself...

things been rough
for us, last few years.

Watchin' everybody else come up.

The Dominicans, the Ricans,

and the Haitians?

Don't nobody wanna let us have ours.

But this...

This is where it's at right here.

What you got going on, right here.

And, Nick...

I know I was rough with you.

It's how I gotta do sometimes.

You feel me?

But this ain't me forcing
y'all into nothing.

It's just me, Ronald
Dacey, businessman,

husband, father of two,

telling both of y'all
I believe in what y'all doing

and I want to be a part of it.

Look...

Nick gave you laundered drug
money to start your company.

You a smart girl.

Pretty face.

Why not go out there and ask
for the real thing?

I did.

- I asked everyone.
- That's right.

And they all said...

"No."

And why is that?

Because they're scared.

They're scared what GenCoin can
do to the financial system.

Boom!

You know who ain't scared?

This nigger.

People I know.

Oh, I, uh...

I mean, that sounds really dangerous.

These are legit business folks I'm
talkin' about, not just street thugs.

- No, of course.
- Hey, look, bro. We in Miami.

Them dudes sittin' up in them
Ivory Towers on Brickell?

Ain't much difference between them
and the dudes I know.

I like it.

You do?

We still need $8 million to get
GenCoin on its feet.

Where else are we gonna get it?

Well, you know, I got a lot of phone

calls to make. I know a lot of people.

- And so does he, why not give him a shot?
- One more thing.

The rest of that money you
got from your old man...

Where did that come from?

- Still unclear.
- Right.

So when them folks come looking

for your skinny white
ass same way I did...

you might want some muscle around you.