Swimming with Sharks (2022–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Chapter One - full transcript

[eerie music]

♪ ♪

In Hollywood,

the fastest way to the top

is to work for someone
who's already there.

The system dictates that
one must first be a slave

before you can be a success.

Few people have the drive
to endure the indignities

that make up the system.

♪ ♪

This drive is usually
motivated by greed.



Sometimes ambition.

[cougar growls]

Sometimes, even love.

There are stories of love...

♪ ♪

Inspiring success over the
most insurmountable odds...

Empowering stories...

Where we are not
crucifying one another,

but playing fair.

♪ ♪

This...

[cougar roars]

Is not one of those stories.

[disquieting music]



♪ ♪

["Hollywood's Bleeding"
by Post Malone]

♪ Hollywood's bleeding,
vampires feeding ♪

♪ Darkness turns to dust ♪

♪ Everyone's gone,
but no one's leaving ♪

♪ Nobody left but us ♪

♪ Try to face a feelin',
but we'll never feel it ♪

♪ Ridin' on the
last train home ♪

♪ Dyin' in our sleep,
we're living out a dream ♪

♪ We only make it out alone ♪

You have no brain.

You're an intern.

You are here in
service of Joyce Holt,

CEO of Fountain Pictures.

What you think means nothing.

What you feel means nothing.

You are nothing.

A thousand nobodies
land at LAX every day,

ready to kill to get
inside these gates.

- Anything she wants...
- You get it.

Everything you do,
you run through us.

Can't take it? Roll on
back to bum fuck Iowa.

Hi. I'm I...

Late.

They told me 9:00.

9:00 means 8:30.

[ominous music]

♪ ♪

Meredith Lockhart's
in your office.

The "Times'" run another piece,

calling the
"Wanderlust Chronicles"

the most relevant book
series of the decade.

Referenced the
impending bidding war.

I called the apothecary
in Melbourne.

They aren't making the
almond sage one anymore.

I'll call again.

I debated between
this and the Dior,

but Gucci makes me look
less Hollywood power dyke.

Please.

You love being a
Hollywood power dyke.

That's true.

All right, my friend.

What is it gonna take
to make this happen?

You gonna make me beg?
I'm happy to do so.

You know the corporate BS

that comes from a
mainstream studio?

It's not me.

For my books, I want a home

that's more punk
rock, artist-driven.

Punk rock and
artist-driven's not gonna pay

pay for that $2,500 coat.

This $2,850, bitch.

[chuckles]

If for no other
reason, Meredith,

don't you want to
support a female CEO

in this fucking boys' club town?

You mean the token female.

Fountain's the most
misogynistic monstrosity

out there.

'Cause my hands have been tied.

But I'm sure you've heard...

Redmond's about to croak,
and you're gonna take over.

Ain't gonna happen, Joyce.

Here you go. Should
be all there.

Double meat, no bun,
side of jalapeño,

mega-mint agua fresca, no ice,

and vegan banana bread
pudding, hold the coconut.

I like the whole braided,
Amish, art chick look

you got going on.

Where, uh... where you from?

Colorado Springs.

Um, excuse me. The
skinless chicken breast?

It's for her dog,

so if you could put
it in a separate box,

that would be great.

I've been on this
lot for six years.

I could... be your in-guy.

All right, mate. Give it a rest.

My sister? She's not interested.

Yeah, well, your loss.

Huh.

I always wanted a brother.

First day?

[laughs] It's that obvious?

Nah. You're a natural.

- Let me get that for you.
- Thank you.

Let me guess. Travis,
Joyce's dog Wesley?

He used to work for me
before Joyce poached him.

Travis, that is. Not the dog.

Work for you?

Yeah.

Martin Bruhl, VP of Production.

Lou Simms. VP of Hail Caesar's.

- Oh ho. Wow.
- Sorry, bad joke.

Terrible joke.

It's all right, though.
I've heard worse.

You gotta be careful,
though. Travis is...

- Batshit crazy?
- Yep.

He and Alex are
Joyce's wrecking crew.

They've been fired
hundreds of times,

but she'll never
get rid of them.

Because?

They know where the
bodies are buried.

[chuckles]

Can't get to her without
going through them.

Is getting to her
a goal around here?

[quiet piano music]

♪ ♪

[clears throat]

Excuse me?

I finished everything
on the list you gave me.

I also went ahead and did
tomorrow's work as well.

Congratulations.

I'm gonna need you to, uh...

Sorry.

[eerie exhalation]

Hey, Greta!

I survived my first day!

[pensive music]

♪ ♪

We're gonna move to
Hollywood one day.

It's always warm.

You can have short
sleeves in December.

And we can have a lemon
tree in our backyard.

- Promise?
- Promise.

♪ ♪

[discordant crescendo]

♪ ♪

[ambient music]

♪ ♪

Our lunch with the new
investors just confirmed.

"Wanderlust Chronicles."

Meredith Lockhart's book series.

I'm working on it.

What does that mean?

You either got
them or you failed.

Means I'm working on it.

- I heard Universal is...
- You heard wrong.

I promised them to the
new investors, Marty.

- I'm aware.
- There's a clock on the offer.

Five billion dollars
are at stake, Martin,

money needed to save
this fucking place.

And how do you plan on
getting Redmond involved

in all this?

I don't.

Keep the investors on ice
until he dies already.

Copy.

And get the rights to the
books, or we're fucked.

Well, I'll be fine,
but you'll be fucked.

Please tell me you got in touch

with Meredith's assistant.

I've left word like five times.

He's not returning.

Leverage your relationship.

Go dirty if you
need to go dirty.

We need those fucking books.

[eerie music]

♪ ♪

Plug your nose. It's
gonna smell like shit.

[chuckles]

Don't laugh. She's
fired six people

over this fucking tea.

- What's it for?
- Getting pregnant.

'Cause, come on, she's
gonna be such a lit mom.

I'm happy to make it.

And risk getting
fired your first week?

Be number seven?

I think I can handle it.

All right. Knock yourself out.

[gentle music]

♪ ♪

How do you think lunch went?

They were placating us.

If Redmond isn't gone
soon, I'll guarantee you,

they'll pivot, and
we'll lose them.

[cell phone ringing]

Yep.

Yeah, yeah. I'm with her now.

All right. Copy.

Well, speak of the devil.

Redmond is requesting
you at his house.

[sighs] God damn it.

[uneasy synth music]

♪ ♪

Wait in the car.

♪ ♪

[respirator hissing]

Look what the cat dragged in.

[speaking Spanish]

[uneasy music]

♪ ♪

Keeps me young.

Doctors are telling me
that I'm in my final days.

Oh Jesus, you're a
terrible actress.

No wonder you never made it.

Rumor has it,

you've been talking to investors

about outside capital.

- Not true.
- That's what I told them.

I said, she wouldn't do that.

She gave me her word

that she would run the
studio the way I wanted,

the way my father ran it.

The last great American
studio, run by Americans.

What a novel fucking
idea that is, huh?

No chinks, no wops, no A-rabs.

[chuckles] Am I right?

♪ ♪

Do I have your word?

♪ ♪

You have my word.

I assume that didn't go well.

Shit.

What?

Uh...

What?

Looks like you were right.

Meredith's getting into
a deal with Universal.

[tense music]

Universal, real
fucking punk rock.

They're backing
up the cash truck.

There's no way we
can match this.

I'm sorry.

I went down every single avenue.

I mean, as long as that cheap
fuck is still breathing,

there's no way we can...
We can compete with this.

My hands are tied.

I'm sorry.

♪ ♪

[tires screeching]

Get out.

♪ ♪

[quiet music]

♪ ♪

What the fuck are you doing?

Open this door again,

and you'll be slinging smoothies

at the Van Nuys
Jamba Juice so fast,

you won't know what
fucking hit you.

Out.

[heavy music playing]

I am fucking neurotic, Tom.

The film business is
in the last innings.

♪ ♪

You know how many
out-of-work, white, male

studio execs there are
in this town right now?

Those books are a
big fucking problem.

Joyce... she promised
them to our new investors.

♪ ♪

Maybe pretend that
I didn't say that.

If that information was to
leak to the press or something,

then, uh...

Redmond wouldn't be
too happy, you know?

♪ ♪

All right, speak to you soon.

[tense music]

[insect buzzing]

♪ ♪

Just leave it.

Yes, ma'am.

You from the South?

Colorado.

Girls from Colorado
don't say "ma'am."

Too much Tennessee
Williams growing up.

What color were these resoled?

- Black?
- And the original color was?

Red.

Therefore, they should
have been resoled...

- Red.
- Right.

Travis, get in here.

Eight mil a year,

and the crazy bitch
resoles her shoes.

Mm-hmm.

Why are rich people
always so fucking cheap?

Doesn't make sense.

Ooh. Hey.

Heidi. 9 o'clock.

Don't you dare
invite her to sit.

Lou! Come sit!

I fucking hate you.

Only if you let me
buy the next round.

Oh, well, in that case,

Señor, Don Julio
1942, por favor?

Three, please.

Uh, none for me. I'm good.

Harvard bitch is sober.

Unfathomable, I know.

Just remember, I may
be her ho this week,

but that means you're up next.

- Queen is on a tear.
- Mm.

See, one week she loves you,

gives you an $80 candle that
she got in a gift basket.

Next week... [clicks
tongue] You're dead.

But you do end up with
a very nice candle

you can put in your shitty
Echo Park apartment,

so when you bring home
the guy you met on Grindr,

he thinks you're super legit.

Not sure a candle
would cut it for me.

Your friends back home.

They teachers, accountants,
social workers?

Kill me now.

Proximity to greatness
is intoxicating.

I saw Ryan Gosling's
dick on a set visit once.

I mean, it was just from
the side, but still,

made my fucking year.

Speaking of dicks...

Whoa, seriously dude.
Nobody wants to see that.

I do.

All right, I'm gonna
get my fuck on.

Bye, bitches.

My apologies.

Crude and inappropriate
are his default settings.

Got it. [Chuckles]

[phone buzzes] Whoops.

Careful. Joyce
gave him his start.

Back in the day, they used to...

No, we're just friends.

Marty Bruhl belongs
to Joyce Holt.

[ominous music]

[crickets chirping]

[groans]

Okay.

- [exhales forcefully]
- That's it.

[sighs]

Your studio migrating
into our bedroom?

[sighs] God, don't
even get me started.

I should just cancel
that fucking show.

I'm not even close
to being ready.

Stay home and work.

Don't. Don't fucking do that,

not right now.

You're building the
show up way too much.

Don't be so precious.

I'm the one being too precious?

'Cause you're so chill and
whatever about your work.

I'm not an artist.

Yeah, well, guess what?

Neither am I.

I'm Joyce Holt's plus-one.

- New coat?
- Yeah.

What's the occasion?

Looks like more than just
dinner with the boys.

You can come.

[melancholy music]

[sighs] I lost this week.

I don't like losing.

There'll be other books.

Come on! Come out.

Get dressed. It'll be fun.

Food's supposed
to be incredible.

No.

Tonight's the only night

I don't have to
go out this week.

Happy to stay home and wear
sweats and look like shit.

You never look like shit.

♪ ♪

Have fun tonight.

I love you.

Love you too.

[electronic music]

♪ ♪

[door slams]

♪ ♪

I was 19 when I moved here.

Penniless.

A lost cause, my
teachers told me.

There was a passage
I read once as a girl

that, for whatever
reason, resonated.

It was written by Marilyn Monroe

shortly before her death.

And as sad as it may read now,

it encapsulates the very
thing that draws people here.

This town. This business.

The promise. That sense of hope.

Magic.

[spacey electronic music]

♪ ♪

Dude, your girlfriend's back.

♪ ♪

Do you have any gum? Mints?

♪ ♪

I have a pomegranate
acai throat lozenge.

♪ ♪

♪ There's something
hiding in the ceiling ♪

♪ And it pulls my strings ♪

♪ Tried to cut it,
I'm the haunted ♪

♪ It won't let me leave ♪

♪ It's so quiet, but behind
it it's not what it seems ♪

♪ It's a twisted dream ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Flick of the light,
glitch in the time ♪

♪ Cover my eyes, wait,
is it all in my mind? ♪

♪ Is it all in my
mind, all in my mind? ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh-oo-oo-oo ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh-oo-oo-oo ♪

♪ ♪

♪ If I told you ♪

When I was growing up,
we didn't have anything.

I didn't have anyone in my life

telling me that I had any worth.

I was so desperate
for that validation.

We all need that one
person in our lives

to tell us that we can do it,

that we matter.

I see you. I see you.

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh-oo-oo-oo ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh-oo-oo-oo ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

[train horn blares]

♪ Ooh-oo-oo-oo ♪

When I first moved here,

as I looked into
the Hollywood night,

there must be thousands
of girls sitting alone

just like me, dreaming.

But I'm not gonna
worry about them,

because I'm dreaming
the hardest.

Because I'm dreaming
the hardest.

[together] We do
what we have to do,

in order to get what we want.