Billions 4x10

1. Previously on Billions...

2. Dr. Rhoades, your medical license is under review.

3. I'm sorry. Why?

4. There have been accusations of malpractice.

5. You reported me to the Medical Board?

6. Yes, I did.

7. Are you going to say it wasn't warranted?

8. Help me, Chuck, or I'm fucking lost.

9. Make them drop the inquest?

10. Is something you can do.

11. Tomorrow is Rebecca Cantu's first day

12. as CEO of Saler's.

13. I want it to be a bad one for her.

14. I'm going to need to withdraw from the board.

15. Me, too. How come?

16. We sold our shares.

17. Who'd you sell to?

18. Taylor Mason.

19. I'm here to apply for a wiretap.

20. On Chuck Rhoades, for public corruption.

21. The relationship between the good judge and Mr. Rhoades

22. is all the more reason why the wire is needed.

23. Well played.

24. You have your wire.

25. I have run into a financing snag with my development.

26. So how are we going to skin this—

27. Now have a seat, Mr. Secretary, we have much to discuss.

28. Positive news, Dad.

29. Qatar State Bank is going to be taken off the restricted list

30. and it's ready to give you a sweetheart of a loan.

31. Are you sure about this?

32. Got it straight from the Secretary Of The Treasury.

33. In the last year, your house was paid off.

34. Yeah, my wife came into some money.

35. I'm sorry, do you... do you want a towel, or...

36. I'm good.

37. The Medical Board...

38. I'm sorry, Wend.

39. You're gonna have to take your chances with them.

40. Then I know it couldn't be done.

41. The bank I moved off the restricted list—

42. Qatar State Bank—

43. That's right. A report came in.

44. I'm gonna have to move it

45. back onto the restricted list.

46. Shit.

47. We need to meet. Your father too.

48. How about New Year's Day?

49. Things will be quiet...

50. Totally. And to you.

51. Just how I planned to spend it.

52. Where'd he pull you from?

53. St. Barths.

54. I don't mind.

55. If it wasn't for this job, the only way

56. I'd see St. Barths is on the Travel Channel.

57. If I could afford cable. Come on.

58. I can win, right?

59. We wouldn't be prepping if we didn't think—

60. Shit.

61. You don't think I can win.

62. Would Axe be Skyping in if he didn't think there was a—

63. Better if he were here.

64. Always is. But the boys had their hearts set on Fiji.

65. Skype is not the same.

66. But I guess it'll be fine.

67. Has to be better than fine.

68. You've got to treat today like the real thing.

69. We're going to make it hard on you.

70. Because when you face the Medical Board,

71. and your license is at stake, it'll be brutal.

72. These are smart people.

73. Can I win?

74. You have to convince the Board that your work with Taylor,

75. with all the people here, isn't part of your medical practice.

76. That the sessions aren't.

77. That they are performance coaching sessions.

78. That Taylor wasn't a patient, but rather a client,

79. who doesn't enjoy doctor-patient confidentiality—

80. Orrin.

81. Can. I. Win?

82. I'll let you know when we're done today.

83. Old friends become enemies, old enemies become new—

84. We were never friends.

85. So, when do we get this thing started—

86. I know: you only have the morning to give—

87. No. I'm eager. Eager to get you free of this, is all.

88. As long as it can be 'accomplished by midday repast.'

89. Well, we're all here, so let's get started— Mm.

90. Well. It's about time.

91. Been waiting on you.

92. You're here!

93. Let's win this thing.

94. Yeah. Helo landed a few hours ago.

95. The waves were a little big.

96. Gordie got scraped on a coral.

97. Deanie's surfboard got broken in half.

98. We have front-row seats at the Rangers game tomorrow,

99. they were happy to bug out of there.

100. You weren't expected to be here.

101. Fair enough.

102. Dr. Rhoades, we're holding this inquest

103. over your severe ethics violation

104. and misuse of patient records.

105. Tell us about the nature of your sessions with Taylor Mason.

106. I never discuss what I talk about with patients.

107. So Taylor was your patient?

108. If we find there was a breach, it was a breach of

109. doctor-patient confidentiality then.

110. Client. I meant client.

111. Taylor was a client

112. in my performance enhancement practice.

113. We have to assume Wendy Rhoades will be

114. buttoned down, focused, primed to go.

115. I rattled her. She was rattled.

116. And then I rattled her.

117. But I suspect, as Sara does, that Wendy will rally.

118. And that she'll slay.

119. So we have to slay harder.

120. You do, Taylor.

121. Tell me to slay, I'll slay.

122. Let's get into it.

123. Slayed me last night.

124. What did you all do for New Year's Eve?

125. I mostly stayed in and did some reading.

126. Same.

127. You stayed in. That doesn't sound like—

128. Not same.

129. I just mean, I didn't do much.

130. Amateur night, you know?

131. I prefer to party on the nights they're not out.

132. So I just hit a diner... with some friends.

133. A friend.

134. Ahh, I wish I'd known you were just chilling, Lauren.

135. Happy New Year! Right?

136. Hello.

137. This is Lonnie Watley.

138. He was a star under Rhoades at SDNY.

139. Chuck trained me. I worked closely with him.

140. I can tell you: if he is preparing his wife

141. for the hearing, she will be well-prepped.

142. She will be ready to kill.

143. And she will say absolutely

144. anything she needs to, in order to win.

145. True or not.

146. What is your relationship with them now?

147. I need to know that— Do they have hooks in me?

148. No. They don't.

149. Sara relayed to me what happened between you and Wendy.

150. And my experience was similar.

151. Brought close just to be expelled.

152. Like Sammy Hagar in Van Halen.

153. Because, in the end, the Rhoades' only really

154. take care of the Rhoades'.

155. Sounds a lot like the Axelrods.

156. Either way, let's go get 'em.

157. We will. But you should know:

158. if you pursue this it's not risk-free for you.

159. I'm not afraid of an attack from them—

160. If you appear and testify against Wendy,

161. they could introduce information about you,

162. information that you don't want out there.

163. Shit gets written down. Leaks happen.

164. Suddenly your character and your conduct's being questioned.

165. That's how they roll.

166. We don't need our investors

167. learning about your personal demons—

168. Is this something you want to consider, Taylor?

169. It's worth considering—

170. And now we have. We may come back to it.

171. But first, let's figure out

172. how to strip Wendy of her goddamn license.

173. You know how we win? 'Cause I know how we win.

174. We make it so Taylor doesn't show up.

175. They stop cooperating with the Medical Board.

176. It's true, if Taylor didn't appear,

177. or refused to state, on the record,

178. what Wendy did— this matter disappears.

179. That's not going to happen, though.

180. Well. Maybe I could induce it to happen.

181. Offer them something they need.

182. Create leverage. You know, what I do.

183. Oooh... I can't recommend—

184. Risky move, Bobby.

185. Agreed. If Taylor doesn't go for it,

186. and instead takes it to the Board, we're fucked worse.

187. Well, Charl, none of this would have happened in the first place

188. if you would have done what you were asked.

189. Taylor should be dealing with

190. their own legal problems right now—

191. Oh. I hardly think I'm to blame on this one, Bub.

192. Your gang war resulted in extra bodies—

193. Stop.

194. Taylor won't be bought, won't be moved,

195. and trying will only make it worse.

196. I can't let anyone engage and ask them to drop it.

197. I won't give Taylor the fucking satisfaction.

198. Sorry to pull you out, but, uh, there's an issue.

199. Mm.

200. What do you got?

201. Fuck me.

202. What is it?

203. A shitty New Year's present.

204. It's a Picasso— Boy With Pipe.

205. It's also a huge fucking tax problem.

206. Once you sign that, I've got seventeen more crates

207. scheduled to come to you after the holiday.

208. I'm not signing that.

209. Well. You got to. To take possession.

210. You busy today?

211. No, but I'd like to be done. You know.

212. Go home and watch a bowl game.

213. Oh, yeah, sure.

214. That is a thousand bucks—

215. and a few more for them—

216. I need you to wait here awhile.

217. Ho, a day changer. Alright.

218. Okay.

219. Get him a chair, a coffee, some food— whatever he wants.

220. Set up the game on the laptop for him.

221. This may take a minute.

222. Right now that painting and 17 others like it

223. are gonna run over me like a Mack truck.

224. I need you to get Sean Ayles in here now—this is his fuck-up.

225. Not that he'll be able to solve it.

226. So get Victor in here too. Fast.

227. I will.

228. Judge Funt.

229. Even though court is closed, justice never slumbers.

230. At the SDNY, we are always open for business.

231. And I'll play you today's.

232. The bank I moved off the restricted list—

233. Qatar State Bank—

234. That's right. A report came in.

235. I'm gonna have to move it

236. back onto the restricted list.

237. Shit.

238. We need to meet. Your father too.

239. How about New Year's Day?

240. Things will be quiet...

241. The wiretaps on their telephones are no longer enough.

242. We need to step up surveillance.

243. As you heard, Judge, they're going to meet in person

244. in pursuit of their crimes and we need to be listening.

245. The Title III intercept request.

246. I'm going to deny bugging the NYAG office,

247. that's outside the pale.

248. But I'll grant— reluctantly—

249. transmission bugs on Chuck and Rhoades Sr.'s residences.

250. Not the bedrooms.

251. Home offices, living spaces only.

252. Major conditions come along with this,

253. on what you can listen to.

254. Of course.

255. Anything not case related, and it's headphones off.

256. And if a lawyer is present, then the recording stops absolutely

257. to protect attorney-client privilege.

258. We'll put in a taint team—

259. an FBI agent and an Assistant US Attorney here—

260. who will decide what is within

261. and what is outside the scope of privilege.

262. Good.

263. They only pass on what you're allowed to hear.

264. You violate this, your case is on a road to nowhere.

265. Thank you, Judge.

266. Ah. Good day for you and your case—

267. Dancshazy can pick the agent...

268. you'll run the taint team.

269. Hold up. That idea is nicht gut.

270. It's supposed to be somebody not involved with the case—

271. You're not. I'm running the case.

272. You oversaw a surveillance,

273. sat in on a meeting or two, loose facts.

274. You're unbiased.

275. We both know that I have done more than that,

276. but you better believe that I am unbiased.

277. And you'd better not be expecting to play

278. the wink and nudge game with me.

279. Or that I'll compromise my integrity.

280. It's because I know you won't compromise, Kate.

281. Anyone else in that office I could force to bend over.

282. You won't.

283. Damn straight I won't.

284. Because I am not going to jail.

285. And I'm not coming to visit you there either.

286. Give me Agent Dancshazy's extension,

287. I want his top Tac-Ops team

288. planting those bugs right away...

289. Fact pattern: A patient enters,

290. complaining of an elevated HR, say, two hundred and ten BPM.

291. Now, you suspect that

292. he has been doing some kind of narcotic.

293. What is your obligato per the Hippocratic?

294. Narcotics bring the heart rate down.

295. That's why they're called downers.

296. Jesus, Spyros.

297. I don't know this Spyros of whom you speak.

298. I am Medical Doctor Rodizio, as my name card clearly states—

299. That's it, Spyros. Now you've lost the coat.

300. Take it off.

301. That goes too.

302. Back to it then.

303. Isn't it so, Ms. Rhoades—

304. Dr. Rhoades. Don't do that to them. No.

305. Play through— You play through—

306. Isn't it true, Dr. Rhoades,

307. that this isn't the first time

308. your patient's notes have been vulnerable

309. and were used against the patient themself?

310. Sometime in the recent past you were careless

311. and someone in the US Attorney's office got a hold of—

312. Un-fucking-believable—

313. - Whoa— - Whoa—

314. Whoa. Whoa, hey, hold up.

315. If you're going to lose your poise that easily,

316. I'll recommend you don't appear

317. and take whatever decision they hand out.

318. It's like that commercial: "never let 'em see you sweat."

319. You've seen The Usual Suspects,

320. only the guilty one can sleep through the night.

321. Nope. Ya gotta keep as cool as a menthol.

322. That's Kool with a K.

323. Hey.

324. Come on.

325. You know. You're gonna have to answer some of the questions.

326. And also, go easy on Chuck, he's merely doing what he's good at.

327. Breaking my balls?

328. Yeah. He's loving it.

329. Just another special talent your man has.

330. That's not what's giving me trouble.

331. Yeah? What's the real problem?

332. If Taylor was a patient, I've committed violations.

333. If Taylor was a performance coaching 'client'

334. and not a patient, then I'm in the clear.

335. Yeah. No confidentiality.

336. But then all the other Axe Cappers I've seen

337. are that as well.

338. And what they've told me isn't protected.

339. So if they question me about those sessions...

340. Just share what you need to get you out of this.

341. Like Danzig's qualms about wrecking a town.

342. Dollar Bill's struggles to gain inside information—

343. not whether or not to use it, he's sanguine about that—

344. but the challenge of getting it.

345. Shell corps, shell funds, dirty edge.

346. Axe Cap hit squads assembled to crush competitors,

347. destroy businesses— I get it.

348. So, if those stories, those 'sessions,' aren't protected,

349. I could be subpoenaed and dragged into depositions.

350. Your best bet then would be to fire me.

351. It might be already.

352. Not happening.

353. We'd fight all that. You shade it a bit.

354. And, look, even if you took a hit, the work doesn't change.

355. Our team will still go see you.

356. As long as the work is good,

357. people look past this short-term reputational bullshit.

358. Steven Birch didn't. His board didn't.

359. He basically bounced me out of his office—

360. Why the fuck were you talking to him?

361. In trade. Something for Chuck.

362. And he threw you out?

363. That motherfucker just went back on my kill matrix.

364. You really shouldn't have one of those—

365. Come on. Let's go back in.

366. Try to keep your cool.

367. I know. I know, coming from me, right?

368. Were you having psychological problems,

369. is that why you saw Wendy Rhoades?

370. No.

371. So it was business.

372. You sought her out as a performance coach.

373. No.

374. Then what was it? What had you all messed up?

375. Was it about gender identification?

376. Was it confusion, a crisis?

377. My book was fine.

378. And no, it had nothing to do with

379. my non-binary gender identity.

380. I wasn't having psychological problems—

381. just an issue I wanted to discuss, privately, safely.

382. So you were looking for a way to salve your conscience,

383. over all the illicit things you had to do

384. while in the employ of Bobby Axelrod?

385. The whole point is: that whatever I was talking to her

386. about was supposed to be private.

387. Because she wasn't my performance coach,

388. she was my doctor. Dr. Rhoades.

389. And the whole wing of medicine is based on confidentiality.

390. "And for the record,

391. while the climate there may have been corrupt,

392. I never was."

393. Exactly right. I'll tack that on.

394. I would wait on line for exactly three things:

395. One, the first batch of new Lemmon 714 quaaludes

396. coming off the assembly line,

397. two, a chance to meet Ellen DeGeneres

398. and three, every time I go to Miami,

399. for some Joe's Stone Crabs.

400. Which is to say: I come bearing provisions and news.

401. And a bit of a tan.

402. Is the news as good as the provisions?

403. Well, while this lunch break is in effect,

404. perhaps we could have a word, Wendy?

405. I heard rumblings that Taylor is making a move on Kling.

406. It's an appliance manufacturer.

407. I ran into the CEO at LIV.

408. He said that Taylor bought up a ton of stock

409. right at the close on the last day of the year.

410. Kling is the major supplier of Saler's.

411. That's the one cash flow lifeline left at the store.

412. Taylor's going to try to hold us hostage.

413. This is why I came back. Knew you needed the info.

414. And might have a directive.

415. Dollar Bill covers them.

416. My directive: get him on the phone.

417. Gonna need you to come in.

418. And a Happy Fucking New Year to you.

419. What do you know about Kling? And Taylor Mason.

420. Nothing. It's New Year's Day.

421. That's why I said Happy Fucking New Year—

422. Knowing nothing's the fucking problem.

423. Get your team, get here, get them in here.

424. And find out why Kling is in play—

425. which you should have known in the first place.

426. Maybe there'll be some stone crab left over for you.

427. Not a chance.

428. Having been on all sides of these situations,

429. I feel I have a good instinct

430. for where the equitable resolution is.

431. That's the kind of thing you say to someone

432. when you're about to encourage them to take a deal.

433. So it is. Yes. And the deal you should make—

434. and it's one I believe will be out there—is:

435. six month suspension of your license.

436. A probationary period.

437. Say a year. And then it reverts.

438. And in another two years,

439. the record of the entire proceeding is expunged.

440. You're recommending I try for that?

441. Yeah.

442. It'll be easier on you.

443. No, Chuck. It'll be easier on you.

444. Because then you can walk out of here and move onto other things

445. without guilt or recrimination from me.

446. I do need to move on to the rest of my day—

447. I've been working on that thing for months

448. and it's time sensitive.

449. But I'm not motivated by that.

450. Take the deal.

451. "Take the deal."

452. Not "try and make a deal."

453. Not "perhaps there's a deal to be made."

454. Oh, you fucker.

455. You're not guessing. Or spitballing.

456. You're doing what magicians call a "force."

457. Letting me think I'm making a decision you've already made.

458. You went behind my back and pre-negotiated a deal.

459. And now all I have to do is say "yes."

460. Well, if Penn & Teller ever need a guest judge on Fool Us,

461. you're their man. You're right.

462. But that doesn't make what I did wrong.

463. It's the smart thing. Easy thing.

464. Maybe the right thing.

465. How's she doing?

466. Not good, frankly.

467. She looks guilty, sounds guilty—

468. That's 'cause she feels guilty.

469. Says something good about her actually.

470. I mean... most people...

471. they don't even care.

472. How can you know me so little after all this time?

473. It is publicly admitting guilt.

474. It is giving up.

475. And giving in to what Taylor wants.

476. And I'd never do any of that.

477. And I am fucking...

478. Can I still be hurt by something you would do?

479. Well, it seems I can.

480. Why do you have so little confidence I can pull this off?

481. You did, if we're honest here,

482. use privileged information to work-over Taylor.

483. I don't care, morally.

484. But it means the likelihood is

485. that you lose in the hearing, unless you obfuscate.

486. I've manufactured a way for you to end up where you want—

487. with your license, without it on your permanent record.

488. And instead of thanking me, you cast me as

489. expedient, uncaring, a disappointment.

490. I'm offering you a solution.

491. You'll only accept a miracle.

492. Now, if you still need me to stay here and keep going—

493. No. No. Go do your 'thing.'

494. I'll be fine.

495. Mafee has a matter he would like to run by the two of us.

496. In person.

497. Are you busy? You seem busy—

498. Shoot, Mafee.

499. Well, new year, so I want to be upfront about something.

500. We don't have any specific guidelines,

501. but with things the way they are in the world,

502. would it be okay if I asked an employee out, socially?

503. Is it material for us to know who—

504. It's Lauren.

505. Mafee, as long as you approach them

506. in a respectful, consensual manner,

507. you are free to 'socialize' with fellow employees

508. who are not your direct subordinates.

509. Including Lauren.

510. Cool. Thanks.

511. Not sure I'm gonna.

512. So if you could not say anything—

513. Got it, Mafee. Don't worry.

514. Like he said, new year, new start.

515. So let's cut the bullshit.

516. If you and Lauren are trying to keep your deal secret,

517. keep it a fucking secret.

518. So you know...

519. You think we should tell people?

520. No. I did not come to work for a hedge fund manager

521. who's tagging the IR girls—

522. That's not the way it is. At all—

523. I know that.

524. But it can be made to look that way

525. by people on the outside who want it to.

526. So do a better job of keeping it secret.

527. Point taken. Thank you.

528. Does this guy really work here?

529. He said he does, so I brought him up—

530. I was told to come in, but I forgot my ID.

531. Do something useful.

532. Hey. Hey.

533. Get that shit out of your maw and start talking.

534. You sleeping at the switch is possibly gonna cost us

535. hundreds of millions of dollars.

536. With Taylor effectively in control of Kling,

537. they also control the supply

538. of household appliances that Saler's sells.

539. And if Taylor decides to cut the flow of those appliances?

540. It'll hurt them, but it'll gut you.

541. Sales of Kling appliances account for

542. sixty-three percent of Saler's revenue.

543. Yeah. That would — That would crush our business.

544. And if Taylor gets outside backing,

545. there's danger of a reverse merger.

546. They could use Kling to take over Saler's.

547. Yeah. God. That little asshole—

548. Look. I put you on their radar, it's on me to fix this.

549. We need to get a new appliance supplier.

550. So we're totally independent.

551. I'll lead the way with the board, since this is my fault.

552. Bosch, LG, Haier, Samsung...

553. I need to figure out who's for sale

554. or ripe for a hostile takeover.

555. Boss, I don't need to tell you that

556. every one of those companies will cost billions.

557. And Saler's has more debt than cash right now.

558. Yeah. I am aware.

559. You're more than welcome to find me the cheaper fucking option.

560. Do you recognize that?

561. I do not.

562. Victor, are you aware what happened last year at Art Basel?

563. You went off, bought like twenty paintings, right?

564. Eighteen.

565. The sales and usage tax that I'm facing

566. is around seventy-five mil.

567. Fuck me. Yeah.

568. Instead my friend Sean Ayles here

569. intro'd me to a very nice Swiss banker

570. who said he was willing to store them for me—

571. because while they have started reporting cash holdings

572. to the US government,

573. Swiss banks didn't have to report art.

574. Nice— Until now.

575. The bank decided to knuckle under

576. and share the news with Uncle Sam.

577. Oh my...

578. So he did me the good service of shipping 'em here.

579. But if I take it—

580. It costs you seventy-five balloons.

581. Oh my...

582. Happy fucking New Year.

583. Why's everybody keep saying that?

584. Sean, you have anything to offer?

585. No excuses, sir.

586. Any advance word from your Swiss banker friend?

587. No excuses, sir.

588. Any fucking suggestions?

589. No excuses, sir—

590. You're not a wartime consigliere, Sean.

591. I need you to find me a workaround.

592. On it.

593. Isn't my assistant out there—

594. Do you think that, uh, Grasshopper

595. left Master Po waiting in the dojo?

596. I mean, it's not a fair comparison.

597. Grasshopper was living there, and was kind of a servant,

598. so he didn't have much of a choice.

599. Yeah, well, you don't have much of a choice either there, Champ.

600. Not if you want to get the stink of Eau De Loser off of you.

601. But I didn't no-show you. I sent an email.

602. Our first session was— it's already paying dividends.

603. I'm cooking here. You saw when you came in—

604. I wasn't sitting behind my desk.

605. "Battle stance at all times. Ready for action."

606. It is a no-show even if you email. Or call.

607. Or send me a goddamned bugler to sound it to me.

608. I am not offended.

609. I am alert to the signs that you are sending,

610. buddy boy, of a blockage.

611. I can see that. But this was—

612. something big is happening today.

613. Something that made it impossible.

614. Are you dead?

615. You ask that literally?

616. Yeah. I do. Are. You. Dead? Mort.

617. Because then, maybe it would have been

618. impossible for you to show up.

619. There is always a story to tell yourself.

620. You say that word impossible to me again one more time,

621. and I will kick it out of your mouth along with your teeth.

622. Now, you finish your all-important task here.

623. And then you find me tonight.

624. Or never find me again.

625. Yo, sassy stems—

626. Not here, never here with that pet name bullshit.

627. Not that it'll matter soon enough.

628. Why's that?

629. Axe is sending me on the road to rustle up new outside money.

630. Since we don't have an IR person right now.

631. I'm the IR person.

632. That's bullshit.

633. It's fun as fuck.

634. See you when I'm off the road.

635. Hey.

636. I wanted to wish you good luck at the hearing.

637. Go kill it.

638. You go kill it.

639. Nature is metal.

640. And I'm nature.

641. Will do.

642. Your bug is in place.

643. Great fucking news!

644. What's the time frame on Chuck's house.

645. Well, Chuck and the missus were also both out...

646. And their kids out with Grandpa Senior.

647. So the house was empty. We got up on both.

648. You are the man!

649. Expect a bottle in your Christmas stocking on me.

650. Top shelf. Sure thing.

651. Happy it worked out. Yeah.

652. One thing though: chalk a big ring

653. around the listening room and taint team office.

654. You cross that line, Judge'll burn your case.

655. And you with it. You know I will.

656. No one makes me smile like my boy!

657. What about that sweet little baby girl

658. with the champion's chin?

659. She fills the chest with happiness, too, of course.

660. In a much less complicated way.

661. She never has to perform. Never has to achieve.

662. Mm. As long as she merely is,

663. she brings joy.

664. But you, son, bring pride along for the journey.

665. What the fuck kind of meds are you on?

666. Pure adrenaline. I've been out walking the city today.

667. Ah-ha.

668. Youbetcha.

669. Thinking of all the things that we're going to do.

670. And it freshens the blood like Geritol.

671. Uh-huh. And, uh, Mom?

672. She's down in Palm Beach

673. enjoying the weather and the shopping.

674. Good for her.

675. And speaking of joy.

676. I saw your kids today.

677. A delight!

678. Real gentleman and lady.

679. Well, they love their grandfather.

680. Cup of tea?

681. Mm.

682. Ira and— The Secretary?

683. En route.

684. Shouldn't be long.

685. What the fuck is he doing here?

686. Ah. We like him again.

687. Special project.

688. We're good—

689. The Italians think anyone who puts milk on their coffee

690. after 11AM is animale.

691. I tend to agree. In theory, but in reality—

692. Just gimme the espresso.

693. There's a guy from the shipping company here.

694. Another guy. Kind of demanding to see you.

695. I can't afford to have my only guys

696. working the holiday pulled out of service.

697. You told him I spritzed you?

698. He tells me everything.

699. And I tell my brother-in-law everything.

700. Don't you want to know

701. what my brother-in-law does for a living?

702. Do I?

703. He works in a little outfit called

704. United States Customs and Border Protection.

705. Well, isn't that a sweet set-up.

706. It really is.

707. Ayles!

708. Will you take this gentleman somewhere to talk in private.

709. Make sure he's not recording it.

710. And then make him happy.

711. I am grateful of the opportunity to,

712. as they say at the rummy table, get off the schneid.

713. Sir?

714. If any other guys like you show up to shake me down,

715. I start burning paintings.

716. I'd rather lose money than deal with

717. this bullshit another minute.

718. HNY.

719. Why are we here?

720. Well. I didn't think you'd want all of them...

721. Getting a jump-start on the year ahead of you.

722. But why are they here?

723. They don't want me getting a jump-start on them.

724. Why'd you really come back?

725. How many margaritas and piña coladas can a man drink?

726. When it's the man I'm looking at, a hell of a lot.

727. And how long can you stay in the sun before getting burned?

728. What time is it?

729. Yes. The Patek is gone.

730. Your dad gave that to you, didn't he?

731. Bequeathed it ahead of his death.

732. Quite a dry-eyed moment for him—

733. estate planning and so forth—

734. but for me, it meant a great deal.

735. A great deal.

736. Where is it?

737. Somewhere in South Beach.

738. Or maybe already riding the Silk Road

739. to some exotic destination.

740. You didn't get so drunk you sold it.

741. Nope.

742. Went back to the hotel room with a young lady I had met.

743. A yacht girl. But not really.

744. She was...

745. I thought she was special.

746. How young?

747. Does it matter?

748. She had an old soul...

749. 22.

750. I thought I liked her.

751. I did like her.

752. And then?

753. Passed out. Woke up, she, and the watch, were gone.

754. You call the police?

755. Too embarrassed.

756. Too sad.

757. Put a real dent in my faith in humanity.

758. It's sweet you still have some.

759. Lemme make a call.

760. It'll make you feel better.

761. Watch dealer?

762. Close. She's a specialist.

763. In what?

764. Restoring faith in humanity.

765. Let's dispense with the pleasantries

766. and ball tickling, shall we.

767. What's this about a problem?

768. Political winds shift, I have to shift with them.

769. And the Middle East is the windiest of them all.

770. Qatar is persona non grata again.

771. That may be. But your tit's in the wringer—

772. my son put it there—

773. so you'd better not shift too much

774. or it'll get ripped off. He'll tear it off.

775. What he's saying in his inimitable way is:

776. what can we do to keep the financing in place?

777. Okay. Crap. Okay.

778. Perhaps I can paper an exception

779. and bury it deep in the halls of government.

780. But for that, we have to go beyond

781. the parameters of the original deal.

782. I'm not gonna stay neutral, I need to go positive.

783. - Hold on— What are you saying?

784. If the loan I help facilitate

785. results in your development, I want to...

786. From my bowl?

787. - Mm-hmm. - Oh my god—

788. Quiet, Ira. How much?

789. Fucking shakedown.

790. In line with standard finder's fees.

791. He's right.

792. Maybe he is. But I don't have to like it.

793. Whatever our understanding, it can't just be verbal—

794. Ah. I've taken the liberty.

795. For our comfort...

796. All we need to do is—

797. And then everyone is nice.

798. Perhaps you'd like to take these—

799. I'm not touching that fucking thing.

800. Suit yourself. I'll just put them in my safe.

801. One second, fast guy.

802. There'll be no changing it after the fact now.

803. I need to go back to DC.

804. I have work to do.

805. Gentlemen.

806. Now that it's just the three of us, I have to say,

807. I did not know the nature of that conversation beforehand...

808. And further—

809. You can do all the mewling you want about matters legal

810. once I get this copy locked in my safe.

811. And then, Dad. You have to tell him everything.

812. So he can defend us, whatever may come.

813. You mean about the idiot who stands to lose the most?

814. Can I really— Yes.

815. I can't listen to future plans.

816. But the things you've already done.

817. And the people with whom you've done 'em,

818. that I need to know.

819. I've taken the liberty.

820. For our comfort...

821. All we need to do is...

822. This is fucking incredible.

823. What— What am I hearing—

824. that they've entered into a conspiracy?

825. Fraud. A quid pro quo deal.

826. International banking violations.

827. Money laundering to follow. Shh...

828. What's that rustling?

829. Did they paper this fucking deal?

830. Perhaps you'd like to hold these—

831. I'm not touching that fucking thing.

832. Suit yourself. I'll just put them in my safe.

833. Stay tuned for this next part.

834. Now that it's just the three of us, I have to say,

835. I did not know the nature of that conversation

836. beforehand... And further—

837. You can do all the mewling you want

838. about matters legal once I get this copy locked in my safe.

839. And then, Dad.

840. You have to tell him everything.

841. So he can defend us, whatever may come.

842. You mean about the idiot

843. who stands to lose the most?

844. What the hell?

845. We were just getting to the good part—

846. You know what the hell.

847. There's no attorney-client privilege with Krakow there.

848. After Krakow leaves,

849. Ira Schirmer clearly states that he is their lawyer—

850. in an exculpatory way for him, I might add—

851. and is about to give legal advice.

852. And so it was headphones off for the agent

853. and they killed the recording.

854. So that—that was it,

855. that was all he got before he had to minimize?

856. Roughly all.

857. Fuck roughly. What else did he get,

858. what else is on the unredacted tape?

859. What, exactly, was getting locked in the safe?

860. Bryan! We talked about this very fucking thing—

861. Ohh. Come on, Kate. This isn't fucking Girl Scouts.

862. They were dancing around whatever they were doing—

863. if there's documentation to be retrieved,

864. the audio will get me a warrant.

865. Stop pushing me.

866. And you shouldn't even be asking those questions.

867. This is exactly what I was afraid of.

868. This meeting is over.

869. Danny Margolis.

870. You have done some good for me in the not too distant past.

871. And from what I hear,

872. you made quite an impression on those Feds.

873. For the record it was chilly that day by the pool.

874. As I recall it was positively balmy.

875. But whatever you need to tell yourself.

876. Anyway, it motivated me to tighten up my game.

877. I'm working out like six days a week now—

878. Good for you. Yeah.

879. So. Business at hand.

880. I believe I can do you some more good, Axe.

881. Let me tell you what a freeport is—

882. A storage facility at a private airport

883. where valuables purchased overseas can be stored

884. and deemed perpetually 'in transit' so the customs,

885. duties and sales tax can be avoided.

886. So you do know— Of course he does.

887. But tell him the good part.

888. I have one that I bought into.

889. A freeport. Up in Newburgh, private airstrip.

890. Is that right? Yeah.

891. And I'm the commandant.

892. So I can house your paintings in a permanent tax-free state.

893. That is of value.

894. And I can do you one even better:

895. I'll store replicas, so you can hang the originals.

896. If anyone asks, you say they're the replicas.

897. For a small fee, of course.

898. Medium fee?

899. Okay.

900. Stop talking.

901. The rest gets worked out between you and Victor.

902. The shipment from Europe will be rerouted to you.

903. You let me know when I can expect the 'replicas.'

904. Hey. You did well here.

905. Keep it up. Impress me.

906. And soon enough you'll get off the austerity plan.

907. You can count on it.

908. Now, that puts a bounce in my man's step.

909. Though I'm not sure I'd use that room for that.

910. Hard floor.

911. Too hard. And very public—

912. She's not what you think she is.

913. You need to know that you might cry.

914. And if you do, that's just release.

915. It means connection.

916. It means freedom from having to hold it all in.

917. That sounds so good.

918. How do we...

919. She's a professional cuddler.

920. And a star in her field.

921. So...

922. Hmm?

923. Oh. This our own cuddle session?

924. No. You already did the thing.

925. Made me feel warm and loved and cared for.

926. Oh. Well, that's something I don't hear every day.

927. Look. I don't know if Gordie really scraped his knee

928. and Dean broke his surfboard—

929. but you came back for me.

930. As you would— and have—for me.

931. It's more than touching, Axe.

932. It's... compared to what I have at this moment at home

933. it's, uh... really nice.

934. But also: you needed to come back for you.

935. For this...

936. What about it? They all fucked up.

937. They needed to come in and fix it.

938. No. If it wasn't today's reasons,

939. you'd have come up with others.

940. Okay. I suppose I might've.

941. You need to let them go home.

942. Every single one of them.

943. I don't like it. If I'm here grinding,

944. they should be here grinding too.

945. Yeah. You can't let yourself take a day off,

946. so they can't take a day off.

947. So you can surround yourself.

948. Okay. Maybe I want the edge they'll get me.

949. Maybe I want them to regain their own edge.

950. Maybe I want them to feel the opposite

951. of the way Wags does right now—

952. totally uncomfortable in their position and place,

953. scared to death of my disapproval, of failing,

954. of not being exactly where I need them to be

955. exactly when I need them there.

956. Many of them thrive under those conditions.

957. For long bursts. But then they need to recover.

958. On my time?

959. It's not all your time. It's a holiday.

960. There are no holidays when it's my money.

961. They are rich because of me.

962. So they can help me stay that way.

963. You're punishing them because they're not you.

964. You need to let them go home, Bobby.

965. So they can come back tomorrow and actually work.

966. What's the point of any of you being rich

967. if you can't fucking enjoy it.

968. I'll let you know when I do...

969. This...

970. Yeah.

971. This is why I can't let you lose that hearing.

972. Because I have always known

973. I need you more than anyone else here.

974. At least I have since...

975. Have I ever told you

976. why and when, exactly,

977. I knew that you were gonna be my partner at all this. Forever.

978. You remember?

979. What kind of man would I be if I didn't?

980. Mnh.

981. Well, this was the one time in my life

982. I wasn't able to fight for myself, and you fought for me.

983. Well. I'm sure you didn't let on that was the case.

984. Whenever this was.

985. Yeah. But you knew.

986. It was right after 9/11.

987. When I'd made the bold but foolhardy statement

988. that I would take care of all the survivors,

989. and the families of those who didn't.

990. And that I'd not only find a way to pay for every funeral,

991. put every kid through school,

992. but that I'd also pay out all the bonuses too,

993. for the next three years.

994. It wasn't foolhardy. It was generous.

995. It was the best of you.

996. Sure. But also: impossible.

997. Every business advisor I had

998. told me to shut down the company.

999. Act of God. Nothing for me to do.

1000. I mean, we had no book, we had no personnel.

1001. We were facing margin calls.

1002. Every bank insisted I let it die.

1003. But you didn't listen.

1004. You'd been awake for, what, three weeks straight?

1005. Mm.

1006. I remember wondering how you were doing it.

1007. How you stayed so lucid.

1008. I didn't feel it.

1009. You still don't know the moment, do you?

1010. I... don't.

1011. It's all such a—

1012. Yeah. It was a blur.

1013. Except for the few that stand out.

1014. This was at one of the funerals.

1015. God. For a while that was our days, right?

1016. Going down to Ground Zero in the morning,

1017. funeral in the afternoon,

1018. then arguing with banks and investors, you know,

1019. every hour into the night, to try to save the company.

1020. I mean, look.

1021. I knew that I'd locked in a windfall.

1022. But it hadn't been repatriated yet.

1023. Back then, I was still just on loan to you guys

1024. from that sports psych place I worked at.

1025. Yeah. We used to do the funerals together.

1026. You would help with the families.

1027. And then at this one funeral,

1028. I got bum rushed by this group of families.

1029. Who told me I wasn't getting them all paid fast enough.

1030. They attacked my integrity. They called me a thief.

1031. Said I was stealing money from them.

1032. When all I was fucking doing

1033. was arguing and scheming

1034. just to keep the firm going to give them their money.

1035. Normally, I'd have— I'd have fought it.

1036. But

1037. right at that moment,

1038. it all just became too much.

1039. Of course.

1040. The grief, the sleeplessness, the survivor's guilt,

1041. the impossibility of the task...

1042. I just stood there, as they unloaded on me.

1043. I was struck dumb.

1044. And then the whole place started watching.

1045. It almost turned into a mob situation.

1046. And that is when—

1047. I stepped in between them and you.

1048. I remember now.

1049. You sure did.

1050. You remember what you said?

1051. 'Cause I remember every word.

1052. Loud enough for the whole place to hear:

1053. "Shut the fuck up.

1054. You lost family. So did everyone else here.

1055. And this man is the only hope you—or any of you—

1056. have of paying for the rest of your lives.

1057. And I'll tell you another thing, I have begged him not to.

1058. Because I think it'll destroy him next.

1059. He doesn't need it.

1060. He can move on clean and in a couple of years

1061. he'll have enough wealth for twenty lifetimes.

1062. But if he's really too slow for you,

1063. if you really think that he is stealing from you,

1064. say another word, and I will make him shut it down.

1065. Otherwise, shake his fucking hand,

1066. say thank you, and we can all mourn together."

1067. And that's just what happened...

1068. But that's not the moment.

1069. The moment is when you got to my car after.

1070. And you said—

1071. I said, "Bobby,

1072. you better fucking deliver for those people.

1073. Or I won't just make you quit.

1074. I'll kill you myself."

1075. And right then

1076. I knew that you were my partner in this for life.

1077. Because you were loyal to me in the face of the world,

1078. but in private you held me to account

1079. and you were loyal to the bigger cause.

1080. And you were fun as hell to watch.

1081. And you still are.

1082. So you say whatever you need in that hearing

1083. to get you out of this.

1084. And I will back you to the ends of the earth on it.

1085. I hope I can.

1086. And if you can't, you got to do the other thing.

1087. The other thing?

1088. You have the power to make this go away.

1089. So that you don't have to defend yourself in that hearing.

1090. I heard you earlier, that Taylor can't be moved.

1091. And if it was me trying, then you'd probably be right...

1092. But as much as it kills me to suggest:

1093. Go to Taylor.

1094. Talk to them.

1095. And ask for their forgiveness.

1096. Right.

1097. Oh. You look zenned out.

1098. Enjoy your hug?

1099. Oh, she gives far more than that.

1100. She imparts a total sense of well-being.

1101. Ah. Ben Kim! Lookit that.

1102. The only one to come in voluntarily.

1103. I do this every year.

1104. I sit at my desk, alone, visualize

1105. and do my goal setting for the year.

1106. Of course you do.

1107. Ben, my boy, you're not doing it alone this year.

1108. Come on.

1109. I guess Ben Kim's gonna get cuddled.

1110. Hey.

1111. Good luck.

1112. Ok everyone! I love the effort.

1113. And seeing your beautiful fucking faces.

1114. But you've done enough.

1115. So fuck off out of here and enjoy the rest of your holiday.

1116. Now, when you get home,

1117. you will find a case of champagne from me.

1118. And a tin of caviar.

1119. You'll have to order your own pizza, okay?

1120. So, eat up, drink up.

1121. And then get yourselves ready to get back here

1122. for when the market opens

1123. ready to motherfucking destroy for me.

1124. Come on!

1125. I really thought we were done with this.

1126. One last conversation.

1127. One last ask?

1128. Are you hoping I just don't show up to the Med Board

1129. or are you going to ask me not to?

1130. Whichever.

1131. Look. All I want to say is:

1132. I'm sorry.

1133. I am truly sorry.

1134. Some kind of desire for revenge,

1135. or competitiveness, or bloodlust

1136. got a hold of me and let me go too far.

1137. No, I—I let myself go too far.

1138. I'd say way too fucking far.

1139. But know this:

1140. you say you don't want to end up like Axe. Or me.

1141. Well, that's where this kind of vengeance leads.

1142. It's ugly, it's sickening

1143. and I don't recommend it, to my worst enemy.

1144. Much less someone I once cared so much for,

1145. and—and still, oddly do.

1146. Your apology isn't real.

1147. Do I need to impress upon you

1148. how much my medical license means to me?

1149. This, like everything with you, is now merely transactional.

1150. That's who and what you are.

1151. So you have to actually ask me not to show up.

1152. As a personal favor to you.

1153. You have to say the words.

1154. Please don't come to the hearing.

1155. Do that for me.

1156. You are torn up, Wendy.

1157. The look in your eye tells me that there is still,

1158. somewhere inside of you, someone who knows right from wrong.

1159. This hearing is your chance to reclaim that person.

1160. I am not setting you up for defeat.

1161. I am giving you a chance to save yourself.

1162. And, in fact, that decides it.

1163. I won't come to the hearing.

1164. If you think you should keep your license

1165. so you can continue to treat people, tell them why.

1166. And I won't be there to tell them any different.

1167. I will. Thank you.

1168. I owe you one.

1169. You do.

1170. But you owe yourself even more.

1171. Come on. Seriously?

1172. No. No. No. No. No. You're doing this.

1173. You can. And will.

1174. You know what this symbol is?

1175. Yeah. Divine wind.

1176. Kamikaze. Right?

1177. Who made the ultimate sacrifice

1178. for their emperor, their nation, their ideals.

1179. But the board? The metaphor I get,

1180. but this isn't—it's not kids' karate class.

1181. Go beyond the metaphor.

1182. Break through it.

1183. Feel it.

1184. Hyah!

1185. Do you see that?

1186. Do you see, Bryan, nothing makes you feel

1187. the purest version of yourself more than going kamikaze.

1188. I want you to make an all-out attack on success.

1189. Hmm.

1190. The kamikaze get a bad name

1191. because everyone wants to focus on the suicide.

1192. But what they miss out on

1193. is the purity of the commitment.

1194. Hmm.

1195. Good.

1196. Again!

1197. Ah! Yeah!

1198. Yeah! Ah!

1199. Yeah! Yeah!

1200. Oh! One more!

1201. You figure out your strategy?

1202. Things were done, moves were made.

1203. Good.

1204. And your thing?

1205. Productive.

1206. Great.

1207. Chuck, when did you know you needed to marry me?

1208. I mean the—the exact moment

1209. and why.

1210. One single moment? Uh...

1211. I don't remember.

1212. Hey, kids! Dinner!

1213. sipping fucking Jamesons

1214. in your fancy fucking jeans

1215. and your hundred dollar haircuts and your BMWs.

1216. You only remember you're Irish on St. Paddy's Day and Easter.

1217. Believe this guy?

1218. You know what? Fuck—

1219. Don't even fucking think about it.

1220. Ah, what the fuck, Jackie?

1221. He fell.

1222. Both of 'em?

1223. They're fucking clumsy.

1224. Bryan. Get your brother outta here, would ya?

1225. 'So you know: I had those fake fucking Irish pricks—

1226. Yeah, course you did.

1227. And when was the last time you've been over in Belfast

1228. supporting the cause? Well. That'd be never.

1229. C'mon...

1230. Yeah, but I did go to Cape Cod once—

1231. So, baby brother,

1232. haven't seen you in years.

1233. 'Cause you don't come to Ma's for Christmas anymore.

1234. I don't like her ham...

1235. But you suddenly showing up here...

1236. Must mean you want something.

1237. What is it you want?

1238. The one thing you do with those hands better than fight.

1239. There's a safe?

1240. You bet your ass there is.