All language subtitles for BILLIONS - S02 E08 - The Kingmaker (1080p - AMZN Web-DL)

Previously on Billions...

Danny fucking Margolis.
What brings you back?

I have some ideas,

and I'd love to share
them with you.

Did you hear it okay?

Hello. I'm Taylor.

My pronouns are they,
theirs, and them.

- How long you been here?
- I'm an intern.

Just breathing the air
here can be discomforting.

The air is thinner.

That is a picture of a
man running for office.

Which mansion will it be,
Gracie or the Governor's?

Relax, dad.

You need some personal time
with Black Jack Foley.

You must be talking
about Sandicot.

The proposed location
of a casino.

- Does it have to go there?
- If the town defaults,

I know what you stand to lose.

You need that casino as
soon as goddamned possible.

Go, do whatever the fuck
you want, and so will I.

You want the freedom
to see other people.

Consider that door open.

I am committed

to complete transparency
between us.

So you can either quit right now...
or you can stay.

Sandicot's not getting the
gaming license. It's over.

So, why would Foley
want to fuck me?

The committee chose the location

that would bring the
greatest benefit to

the greatest number of people.

What do you know about Sandicot?

Go ahead, seize their assets.

- What kind of assets?
- Sandicot also has

- an original Remington.
- The fuck's a Remington?

American artist from
the 19th century.

He specialized in
depictions of the Old West.

I don't know why you want
to hurt all of these people

who got so little as it is.

You go up there, and you cut
off the gangrenous parts.

And then we go in with charter
schools and outreach,

for about $30 million, we
capture the tax write-off,

and those kids will be better
off than their parents,

or we, ever were.

Seize all their assets,

property, utilities, machinery,
vehicles, buildings.

Everything, even
Town fucking Hall.

♪ Dramatic music ♪

Jack Foley! This is how I
like to start the day.

Oh, I can't match your
enthusiasm at the moment.

Oh? Sorry to hear that.

I've done for you, haven't I?

Recently and at a
great profit to you,

and yet, your son lets me down.

The clerkship.

It's the bad form
that bothers me.

He doesn't know about Sandicot,
doesn't know how you stepped up.

Can never know.

That was a favor for me.

Yes, I torpedoed Axelrod
at your behest,

and while Chuck may
not know that,

he does know that I was
planning to help him in Albany.

That should have been
more than enough.

I'm throwing in with Bob
Sweeney for governor now.

That pains me to hear, Jack.

I-I hope that this, uh...

Ah, don't get it in
a twist, Charles.

You and I are fine.

I look forward to seeing
you at the party.

Okay.

Is that Sandicot's Remington?

Not anymore.

That is the most magnificent
thing I've ever seen.

Is that Yul Brynner?

- The Remington is here.
- Don't confuse

that hunk of bronze for a
"Mission Accomplished" banner.

I need to know why Foley
donkey-punched us.

I haven't been able
to find a deal we did

- where he got screwed.
- You won't.

He could have been nursing
that grudge for a decade.

Look, I know why is among the
more tantalizing questions,

but you're usually disciplined
enough not to get into it.

This isn't undisciplined.
It's vigilant.

If there is someone out there
with the focus, the animus,

the reach to crush
me, I need to know.

That describes a
hundred hedgies.

Yeah, but I see
those guys coming.

I can handle them.
Foley's different.

He has proven that he
can cause great damage

without leaving
any clues behind.

Light touch. Tight grip.

Yeah.

Call Foley directly. Get
me in a room with him.

Then I'll know if
I have an enemy.

♪ Suspenseful music ♪

Your locker, Mr. Rhoades.

Thank you, Domingo.

Now, some people,
when aging a cigar,

keep it at 70 percent humidity.

That mellows the puro.

I, of course, want
no such thing.

I take it to 80 percent
'cause I prefer...

The funk.

Exactly right.

Look at these.

Ah. 1998 Special Fundadores.

Aged to peak complexity.

And if they're not smoked soon,

they'll go one-dimensional.

I was hoping to smoke them
with you at Foley's party,

but while I've received
my invitation,

you were left off the list.

You didn't get his
granddaughter that clerkship,

and she went crying to him.

Well, I'm sorry that
Foley feels let down.

He feels disrespected.

He could have gotten the girl
the damned clerkship himself,

but he wanted you to do it
for him to show fealty,

to show that when
you were governor,

you would remember him.

What he wanted were
his balls gargled.

And if he thinks that's the
relationship we'll have

- as this campaign progresses...
- Oh Sonny...

it's a little too
late for that now.

He got himself a new show pony.

Who?

Bob Sweeney.

Buffalo Bob?

Two terms as mayor,
three in the Senate,

and he puts on that damn EMT
uniform at every parade.

- He's second-tier.
- He was.

But now he has the inside
track to the nomination.

Because Foley says he does.

Yes, sir!

We don't have kings, Dad.

We live in a democracy.

You sound like a fucking hippie.

I know that this is
difficult to grasp,

but the age of the
kingmaker is past.

I don't need a power broker.

I have my own power.

And when it is made manifest,

Foley will zip his
fucking pants up

and look me in the eye.

♪ Suspenseful music ♪

Foley won't talk to you.

He won't even talk to me.

Does that seem like the behavior

of a man whose acts
were unintentional?

No. But it doesn't mean
you have to engage.

Sure it does. And
do it old-school.

Rough him up?

I'm all for it, but his
company's not publicly traded.

We don't operate in
the steel sector.

Well, figure out where the
fuck he gets his iron.

He can't own all the mines.

I need to know where Jack
Foley sources his ore.

Most steel in this
country doesn't come

from ore these days,
it comes from scrap.

Foley ain't a scrapper.
Someone's supplying him.

Find out who, and Axe is gonna
crush Foley's business.

No. I like a porterhouse
as much as anybody,

but I don't want to
waste your time.

- We're not switching primes.

Hold on. What? He's trying
to get us to switch brokers.

Wants to wine and dine us... me.

- Tell him we accept.
- Okay, in this context,

I don't understand
"we" or "accept."

Yeah, you know what,
let's hear the pitch.

Tonight at eight?

Great. See you then.

I thought we were loyal
to Spartan-Ives.

We're loyal to the bottom line.

If there's money to be
made by switching...

Plus a night of
hard-core partying

in the name of business.

You're all over it?

I bet my life you
won't say that again.

- I didn't mean...
- Oh, your meaning was clear!

This was a compound fuck-up.

First, you misplay
the invitation.

Then you treat me like I'm
Courtney Love in '93.

You think I can't handle myself

in a simple fucking
sell-side hug and tug?

- I, no, I...
- Organize a car

to pick me the fuck up later!

I didn't want him
relapsing on my watch.

I'm not a big self-help guy.

This is Dr. Lenny
"Gus" Gustaferson.

Currently works freelance,
but until recently,

he was the performance
coach over at Axe Cap.

What, they fired him after they
brought back Wendy Rhoades?

Yeah.

Don't suppose he was
happy about that.

Can't imagine that he was.

Now, what about doctor-patient
confidentiality?

Even if he wanted to talk...

Well, he may be Dr. Gus,
but he's not an MD.

Degrees in kinesthesiology

and from the Martha
Beck Life Star program.

No, you know what, I don't
want to know about him.

You don't think that's
what Chuck really wants?

No, I'm out of

the guessing-what-Chuck-Rhoades-
wants business.

My new line is listening
to what he actually says,

and his standing directive
is stay clear of Axelrod,

so that's what we're gonna do.

♪ Mid-tempo rock music ♪

Is Marc meeting you
at the airport?

Just the architect.
Wanted to keep it

- under the radar.
- You know, you really don't

have to go to Sandicot
if you don't want to.

That's kind of the whole
point of having people.

Yeah, but if we're building a
school to coax some goodwill,

I think it's
probably a good idea

for one of us to
actually be involved.

It's the least we can do.

We did take their prize statue.

Huh, well, you know I'd come
up with you if I could.

No.

Today Suny Binghamton
takes precedence.

- Have a good trip.
- Yeah, you, too.

You realize she is a he, okay?

And she's huge. Like 300 pounds.
We finally flip her over.

She's coding, and the
darned paddles don't work.

We all know what it's like
when the paddles don't work.

Means I got to go manual. So...

Uh, excuse me, folks.

- To be continued.
- Thanks, Bob.

Back to chasing
ambulances, Chuck?

Bobby boy.

All wrapping wounds

and pressing flesh, or
have you got a minute?

The state has a lieutenant
governor, an AG,

influential university
presidents.

All are a tick or
two ahead of you.

And some of them, Hell,
maybe all of them,

are gonna get in this thing.

Foley thought you were the one

that would cede
the most control.

A few months from now, when
you and all those others

are in the gubernatorial scrum,

churning, gasping,

drowning on dry land,

you know where I'll be?

Sitting in the corner,
watching, jerking off.

Gliding above you.

Sailing straight
into every debate.

A mainstay of every
conversation.

You've been polling.

No, but I've seen numbers.
They're encouraging.

I bet you've seen
the same numbers.

I know which end
of the poll is up.

Mm-hmm. So then you know

that there are some areas
where I could use some help.

- Upstate.
- Your backyard.

Oh, shit.

You want me to be your
lieutenant governor.

Come on, I'm here with you.

Man to man, sketching
the way forward.

You know, I have
won the lowliest

fucking elected
offices we've got.

Hell, I was the goddamned

sanitation commissioner
for a year.

Yeah, and I rode the trucks.

I've done it right.
I've done it hard.

And this... this is my time.

My name recognition
is eight times yours.

Don't underestimate Black
Jack Foley... or me.

And name recognition means dick.

Nobody knew George
Pataki's name,

and then they elected
him three times, Chuck.

So when I've been
governor for 12 years,

they'll know my fucking name.

♪ Suspenseful music ♪

- This is insubordinate.
- Oh?

And what would you call
snaking someone else's lead?

Don't say you were
protecting me.

Protecting you?

This is the kind of
shit that made me...

What, like me or dump me?

Both.

Well, since we're here...

We can wait out here
till they're done.

Yeah.

I'm offering to
buy your product.

I'm offering to buy the product

from all seven of
your scrap yards

at a considerable premium.

And you're saying no?

I'm saying I already
have a buyer.

You didn't take this
meeting to tell me no.

Actually, I did.

But to tell you no nicely.

I don't know what's going
on between you and Foley,

but I know it's enough that
you're taking aim on him,

and I don't want to
do you disrespect

because I don't want
you taking aim on me.

Okay, I'm gonna skip the part

where I say, "Who's Foley?"

or, "What does he have
to do with this?"

I'm gonna go straight
to doubling the offer.

370 percent of what
you normally make.

I'm basically extorting myself.

And I wish I could
take advantage,

but this isn't a negotiation.

- There's no magic number.
- There's always a number.

Not in this case. I do
business in this state.

I live in this state.

Foley could make both of
those more unpleasant

than six hours on the
cross at Calvary.

I get out of bed one morning

and find overnight I'm jammed up

with licenses and
unions and taxes

and he's found a
dozen other ways

to hurt me I didn't see coming.

I thank you for your offer.

Hopefully we part on good terms,

but if not...

♪ suspenseful music ♪

You're more afraid of
him than you are of me.

A billion dollars.

Are you offering me that?

No. I'm not fucking insane.

But you would have taken it.

I do something that's valuable.

I strip people naked
to the elements,

and then I help rebuild them
out of solid fucking rock.

- Now, can you appreciate that?
- I can.

Nope. Don't believe you.

Because if you did,

you wouldn't be
asking me to snitch.

Axelrod banished you.

He made you a ronin.

I'm willing to bet he didn't
give it a moment's thought,

while you've been thinking about
it every second of the day,

suffering from something
you've never felt before.

Doubt.

And all because you
pledged yourself

to an unworthy lord.

Axelrod lacks five of the
eight virtues of the Bushido.

Six.

Oftentimes, he
wasn't even polite.

Under these circumstances,

honor doesn't demand
silence or self-harm.

It demands vengeance.

I can't deliver that vengeance.

I didn't have that much
one-on-one time with Axe.

He was used to flirting
with Wendy Rhoades.

I offered a different
kind of medicine.

So I didn't have access

to the kind of conversations
that you're interested in.

But I know who did.

His chief of staff.

Steph Reed. That's her name.

She was in on every pitch,

and she doesn't work
there anymore, either.

- Taylor, right?
- Right.

How can I help you?

I have to tell you, I've
had 927 hours of therapy.

So you've seen
cognitive, humanistic,

probably some holistic.

What do you think you need?

I need to know...

Mafee. He's struggling.

He's our executing trader. He
needs to be "on." He's not.

And his fall-off coincided
with my advancement,

which makes me...

I was his intern.

He could have taken credit for my work.
He didn't.

So now you're feeling guilty.

And you're wondering
if that's healthy?

More than that.

I want to know if it's useful.

Do you care about

your relationships at Axe Cap?

How are those relationships?

Good.

- Why do you think that is?
- I know why.

Because the culture
is set from the top.

Since Axe likes me, other
people do, or pretend to.

Why do you think he likes you?

One of the two reasons
anyone likes anyone else.

Either they recognize
a part of themselves,

or they see something
they can use.

In this case, I
imagine it's both.

There's another reason
people like each other.

They see something
they're lacking,

and they want to be near it.

Is that what's between
the two of you?

I've noticed a... connection.

Everyone always just
assumes we were fucking.

I didn't.

No.

We met at a similar moment,
when we were both trying

to figure out who we
were going to be.

- And did you?
- What?

Turn out the way you
figured back then?

In some ways, we did.

And in other important ways,
we maybe fell a little short.

You're at a similar moment

with a similar
unlimited possibility.

- Okay.
- In all my years here,

no one has walked
through that door

because they were worried how
another person was feeling.

If you were anyone else, I'd
think you were pranking me.

I am different.

Uh, yeah.

As far as Mafee goes,
maybe just tell him

you think he's doing a good job.

He's not.

And I don't like to lie.
To myself, to others.

I've been there,
and I'm past that.

Well, then encourage
him without words.

Let him know you care.

How?

Just buy him something.

Look, I'm just saying.

How many major banks
have had their CEOs

sent to fucking jail?

Jail! It's a small
list, isn't it?

Spartan-Ives is tainted.

A lot of shops don't want them
walking through the door.

I get the anti-them.
What's the pro-you?

Industry leaders,
like Axe Capital,

need to get away from
the gilded cage.

- That's why we host...
- How much will you undercut.

Spartan-Ives over
the next two years?

Ten percent.

That's promising. On the money.

But on the pleasure end,
it's not gonna cut it.

I mean, dinner.

An ordinary evening
augurs ordinary returns.

Let me show you how I like it.

Fire-walk with me.

♪ Mid-tempo rock music ♪

♪ Your mother wouldn't approve
of how my mother raised me ♪

♪ But I do, I think I do ♪

♪ And you're an
all-American boy ♪

Oh, sorry. Does anyone want one?

Vaportini. He's actually
vaping alcohol.

Ooh!

It really enhances the
flavor of the green fairy.

Maybe you say "when," Wags.

Apart from being able to
smoke your beverages,

how is this different from
where we would have taken you?

You would have brought
us to a demeaning,

run-of-the-mill titty bar.

This is an empowering cabaret

that celebrates the
feminine ideal.

College-educated
professionals by day,

entertainers by night.

Martha here is a viral marketer.

And a SoulCycle instructor.

You know I can't
do that out here.

Ohh. Capital idea.

Whoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo!
Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

♪ Mid-tempo sultry music ♪

♪ I want you wrapped around me ♪

♪ Like a snake ♪

You don't want to
get in on this?

No lap dances. I made a pledge.

To Deb?

You're exclusive?

She's not. I am.

I like your mustache.

I have a mustache?

♪ On your knees ♪

You ever see guys in
here from SoulCycle?

All the time.

Small world when you're
tapping it back.

That guy is staring at you.

♪ Ah, ah ♪

Tommy Barkow.

Spartan-Ives.

- Fuck!
- He doesn't get Martha.

You bought her for
me for the night.

You got to jump primes now.

Whoo!

Enjoy your white truffle drink.

You're wasting the world's
most perfect fungus.

- Try it.
- Pass.

You know what it takes
to find a truffle?

A hog, a dog, whatever
keenly scented,

carefully trained animal
gets the assignment,

spends a lifetime traipsing
through the dark,

sniffing out the
slightest aroma.

And only then the
digging begins.

And what do you think
they're digging through?

Shit.

That's the thing we don't
say much about, right?

The things we most value,

the things we pay
most dearly to ingest

are grown in shit.

What the fuck are
you talking about?

I had a conversation
with Bob Sweeney

that didn't go as smoothly as
a Dick Button figure eight.

Now my only option is to
squash him where he stands.

Oppo research, leverage.

Only I can't do it.

Well, that kind of
politics, it's disgusting.

You know, I interned
once on the Hill...

I meant I can't be a
party to it personally.

The due diligence.

The digging.

You want me to do it.

That's what this night is.

What makes you think I know
how to do something...

- Do you know?
- Of course.

I'm well-mannered. I'm not nice.

Fuck.

You're basically asking me

to form the committee to
re-elect the president.

I always knew I'd end
up like John Mitchell.

- Ira.
- I'll do it.

Fuck it.

♪ Mid-tempo music ♪

You know that I practically
live at St. Venus.

I must have forgotten that.

You didn't throw those
fucking Patriot Bank twinks

in my face to tell
me we're over.

You did it to spice
up the relationship.

What will you give
me to stay home?

Wags, what are you doing here?

Spartan-Ives is reducing
their fee 20 percent

- for the next two years.
- Outstanding.

I guess loyalty gets rewarded.

Mafee helped.

Say the other thing, the
thing that made you

come out here instead
of just texting.

20 percent is good. It's great.

But it's not drive-over-

in-the-middle-of-the-night
great.

It... I'm not supposed
to be the one

all fucking worried about
grinding out the extra 20.

Uh, yeah, you are.
It's your job.

On paper.

But when I'm actually doing
it, it means you're not

because you're worried
about something else.

Yeah. Foley.

There is no reason to spend this
much energy, time, and money

trying to parse the
secret motives

of some son of St. Tammany.

You're right. There isn't.

Except for one. Aluminum.

That's what it
tastes like, anyway.

Fear in the back of my throat.

You know, most people, they
try to move away from fear,

try to organize it out of their
lives as soon as they're able.

Me? I cultivate it.

I try to recognize it and
order it and use it.

That's how I
survived growing up,

and it's how I still
live my life today,

heeding and listening
to my fear.

And what's it telling you now?

That this is not just
some political move.

It's personal.

And I cannot rest until
I fucking know why.

♪ Dramatic music ♪

Axe Cap was not what I
thought it would be.

What did you expect?

A training ground.

A chance to observe every
part of the industry

sitting next to the best
mind in the industry.

And instead?

You ever read The
Banality of Evil?

I could see myself
ending up like that.

Following orders, normalizing.

In a way, it was a
relief to be let go.

You care to be a
little more specific

about the orders you
didn't want to follow?

I signed an NDA.

If I tell you any
details about Axe Cap,

I expose myself to liability.

And the loss of a classic-six.

Look, you're the lawyers.

You're not honestly advising me

to break a valid
contract, are you?

Your medal.

We knew that you
went to West Point,

but that you care
enough to display it,

well, you weren't just
making your family proud.

That's a real sense of service.

I know I'm supposed to give
their lawyer a heads-up,

but I think I'm pretty
safe to talk...

if you bring me a subpoena.

I would have loved
to bring you more,

but she won't talk
without a subpoena.

I can't get one without
creating a paper trail,

and I wouldn't make this
official without your blessing.

Well, you might as well put a
bowl of ramen in front of me.

- I mean, I wanna slurp this up.
- I knew you would.

But I no longer give
in to those appetites.

This isn't an indulgence.
It's an obsession.

- Tell me I'm wrong.
- No, you're not.

But that obsession nearly
had me out on the street.

So now I have to ask
what's the upside?

Seeing that fuck in jail.

You still want that, don't you?

I want to see him in the ground.

But I also want to
see myself in Albany

and you in here.

So maybe there will be a time
when the moment presents itself,

and then I'll sign subpoenas
and request warrants

and we'll mobilize and
we will take him.

But that can't be now.

I'm glad I stayed.

I'm glad I let you.

Remember that board that's
been begging me to join?

The petting zoo.

It's an animal
conservancy, I think.

Anyway, tell them I'm in,
along with the big donation.

The only thing I want from
them is their assurance

that Jack Foley be named
their man of the year

and that I'll be the one
presenting him the damn thing.

A package came for you.
I put it on your desk.

It smells musty.

Thank you, Donna.

Hmm.

Hmm.

♪ Suspensful music ♪

Ohh.

Chuck.

Chuckwagon.

I thought my secretary

was fucking with me when
she said you were here.

- No, she told it true.
- So I see.

Tell me you didn't, uh, trek all
the way up to beautiful Buffalo

to ask to be my
lieutenant governor.

You know, see, I need diversity
down the ticket, you know?

Oh, don't sell our
potential ticket short.

Come on. We have so many
areas of commonality.

Gun control, healthcare.

Everything but family values.

What do you mean?

Well, I was thinking
about your son.

- The gay one.

You really think people
have a problem with that

- in this day and age?
- No, I think you do.

Which is why you sent him
to that religious boot camp

when he was 17... to
pray the gay away.

Boy, the letters that poor
kid sent to his friends.

You sling innuendo like
that without evidence,

you're gonna look like...

"They said we sexualized
masculine connection"

because we didn't have
enough healthy, non-sexual

connection with our fathers.

So they made me sit

shoulder-by-shoulder
with another kid

and then put our arms
around each other.

They called it 'healing touch, '

though, of course, all
I could think about

"was kissing his shoulder."

Enough.

There was a sympathetic
counselor.

He made copies,
smuggled them out.

- I can read more if you'd like.
- Don't.

I see the wheels turning.

I see you trying to figure
out how to triage this one.

Well, what about the
political confessional?

You can stare into the camera
and deliver your mea culpa.

It would work, only you
would need to start out

with name recognition.

So I guess you have a choice.

This can be the way

the people of New York
finally learn your name

for forcing your son straight
in the name of the Lord.

"Healing touch" should play
great in the five boroughs.

Or you can step
aside and explain

that you have looked
at the future,

and where we're going,

"We need Rhoades."

♪ suspenseful music ♪

You think this is how
this is gonna go?

I will see you in the
primaries, Chuck.

Looking forward to it.

A Hell in a Cell poster?

Autographed by Taker
and Mankind?!

- Ben, did you get me this?
- What?

I know it wasn't you.

Everything after
Sanmartino/Zbyszko is bullshit.

Okay, you just called
the Macho Man bullshit.

What was Stan Stasiak
and his heart punch?

Actually, I got it.

Oh. Uh, thanks.

It's got a "Brokeback"
sort of charm.

"I just can't quit you."

Yes?

Yeah, I know where that is.

I'll be there.

That was Foley. Just
invited me to his house.

For the party?

No.

This just arrived.
Hand-engraved.

There are so many things

that we have gotten
relaxed about.

Running out ground
balls to first.

Knowing a martini means gin.

Isn't it nice that someone
is maintaining standards?

What do you think it means?

That he appreciates
your aggression.

Or he's furious that you
assassinated an ally.

Assassinated?

Sweeney quit.

Out of the race
before it even began,

on the heels of your visit.

♪ Suspensful music ♪

Come on. Let's go
pick out some tails.

♪ Dramatic music ♪

Can someone take care of my car?

Valet's not open yet.

Shit. Danny. Danny Margolis.

Anyway, uh, I'm not a valet.

I started as a valet.
Worked my way up to waiter.

Barback's just around
the corner, so... Heh.

Heard you ended up doing time.

Didn't make me happy.

Yeah, paid my debt, all that.

Hey, uh, Axe, if you
can use somebody

to analyze companies or bring
you ideas, you know...

You know, I always
liked you, Danny.

But you did the one thing no
one can ever come back from.

I'm honored

that the Restore the Eastern
Timber Wolf Conservancy

has seen fit to name me
its man of the year,

but I'm also a little surprised,

since I didn't, well,
until this morning,

actually know what an eastern
timber wolf looked like.

Kind of mangy.

I understand it's
the coyote blood.

Terrific organization, though.
Wouldn't you agree?

Haven't a clue.

Hell of a gambit, hmm?

If this was just a little
row between the two of us,

we'd shake hands, I'd
take that stupid award,

and you'd have nothing
more to fear.

So, are we shaking hands?

Humbled as I am to
have been singled out,

I must decline.

Do I need to call those
wolf people back, or...?

I'll take care of it.

So, you got what you came for.

You now know...

That you weren't
trying to fuck me over

out of some personal animus.

Someone asked you a favor,

and you wouldn't want
that same person

to see us cozy
together on the dais.

Would you mind telling me who?

Inelegant of you to even ask.

Because it forces me to say
that the Location Board

combs through many factors.

Sandicot submitted a proposal
and was under consideration,

as were many other locations.
Ultimately...

The committee chose the
location that would bring

the greatest benefit to the
greatest number of people.

Yes, I know the party line.

You could have written
something more stylish.

It's not supposed to be stylish.

It's supposed to make you
feel a little bit ill,

like an out-of-season oyster.

You got into this room, Mr.
Axelrod,

because I appreciated the, uh,
fluidity of your tactics.

Thank you.

But our relationship
ends right there.

If we'd come together some
other way, I'd feel certain

we might have been
something like friends,

but that can never happen now,

despite the rareness
of your gifts.

I hold to a code of loyalty,

which may very well be outmoded,
but has served me well.

And to be honest,

I like the way it makes me
feel when I choose sides.

Well, that's something
I can understand.

Understand this, too, then.

I know you're not satisfied
with what you've learned.

Your search will continue,

and it may take you down
a great number of paths.

But don't come back
down this one.

There's nothing for you here.

Now, if you'll excuse me...

Yeah, sure.

Ahh, you have to get
ready for your thing.

A last question, if
you'll indulge me.

Mm-hmm.

Do you like parties?

Oh, I fucking love 'em.

♪ Up-tempo music ♪

Hey, Margolis.

Turns out I do have something
for you after all.

That's great. Should I
stop by the office?

You're not walking through
that door ever again.

This isn't a fresh start.

I have to use you for
what you are now, Danny.

But if you come through for
me, I'll pay off your house.

Oh, thank you for
switching nights with me.

It has all been
really last-minute.

Yeah, I know.

If you think my dinner
suit was trying too hard,

this must look ridiculous.

No, no, I wasn't...

I've been thinking
about our fight.

Which one?

After you used Kevin
as a photo op.

Ah.

It was a mistake.

Yes, I know. You told me.
Hence the fight.

No, what I said
when I was angry,

that, that was the
bigger mistake.

I was closing off, and
boundaries are one thing,

but we shouldn't be encouraging
each other not to share things.

Honesty is essential if we're
gonna figure this out,

whether we're finding our way
back to each other or...

I've been regretting the
same conversation myself.

I didn't mean what I said
about seeing other people.

I twisted your words
to get us there

because I was feeling defensive,

and, uh, I suppose, guilty.

I went on a date, I think.

No, it was a date.

A woman from jiu-jitsu.

Nothing really happened.

A kiss.

I stopped it there

because whatever our
declared status,

in my heart, it
felt like adultery.

It's okay.

Really?

Yeah. Yeah.

I'm sorry. I hijacked
the conversation.

No, no, I, um...

I feel like I should
volunteer something, too,

in the spirit of honesty.

Oh.

You have something like that?

Yeah.

Yeah, I have something to admit.

You don't look ridiculous.
You look fuckin' hot.

Hello?

It's Wendy Rhoades.

I'm sorry to call so
late, but I figured

- you'd still be at the office.
- I am.

That first question you asked.

Are your feelings
about Mafee helpful?

More than any stock
you'll ever champion,

more than any time you'll impress
somebody by being right.

You haven't noticed yet.

By the time anyone notices,
it's usually too late,

but that place has a
way of obscuring,

corroding, eating you
from the fucking inside.

And you have a rare
chance to survive.

You're so far ahead of
where Axe and I were

when we were your age.

We hadn't made hard choices.
You know yourself better.

And your feelings are a lifeline

connecting you back
to that place,

screaming at you from your
core, "Don't forget me.

Don't forget. I
don't like to lie."

I don't.

♪ Somber music ♪

If you start to feel yourself

not feeling,

do what you did the other
day and come find me...

before it's too late...
for both of us.

I have to go.

- This is how you do it.
- Uh-huh.

He's got piss all
over his big boy's.

I'm just gonna play one.
Uh, maybe two.

Foley doesn't fuck around.
That's Ben Folds.

No, even when he fucks
around, he means business.

♪ We'd hit the bottom ♪

♪ I thought it was my fault ♪

♪ And in a way, I guess it was ♪

♪ I'm just now finding out
what it was all about... ♪

- Mr. Rhoades.
- Yes.

Mr. Foley would like to
see you in the library.

♪ Moved to the West Coast
away from everyone ♪

♪ She never told me
that you called ♪

♪ Back when I was still,
I was still in love ♪

Your father's been
telling me about you

since you were in
knickerbockers.

Don't think I ever wore those.

No, he showed me the pictures.

Must have been you.

He'd never go around with
photos of the bastards.

He's put a lot of time into you.

My own children didn't
have the drive.

Maybe I spoiled them too much.

Had to find other prospects.

But by this point, it's a
pretty deep farm system.

I've been drafting
blue-chippers, high upsides,

and reclamations
for three decades.

So why should I sign
you off the street?

Oh, I think you're confused.

I'm not trying to
sell myself to you.

You didn't just put
Sweeney out of the race.

You crushed his spirit.

No reason to do that
unless you wanted

to tell me something about you.

Maybe I just couldn't
help myself.

Or maybe I knew you
were dangling him

to see what I would do.

Whatever's meant to
happen always does.

I had a gut feeling.

That's how I do this.
That's how I do all of it.

Mm. So, what's the trick?

The trick? Hmm.

Well, like most, it's
bracingly simple.

You pick the right man,

and then you get him the
fuck out of his own way

so people can actually see him.

Elections aren't about ideas.

Elections are about candidates.

Mm.

And candidates are
about what's in here.

♪ Suspenseful music ♪

I am the right man.

I am not going to ask you.

You can't think it
works that way.

Jack.

Will you make me governor?

Yeah. Okay.

My friends will
become your friends,

and your enemies
will become mine,

as some already have.

Uh, about that clerkship,
you can put that

- out of your mind.
- Well, thank you.

I'm sure my granddaughter
has put it out of hers.

It's not really over.

There are other judges more
senior and prestigious.

I will deliver you
that clerkship.

Whatever's meant to
happen always does.

I know. I know. It's
starting to feel real.

Heavy lies the head that...

The hesitation is
still about Axelrod.

Yes.

Ah.

You know the joke about the
two bulls on top of the hill

and the cows down below?

The young bull wants to
run down and fuck one.

And the old bull says, "Let's
walk on down and fuck 'em all."

That has been repeated so many
times in movies, TV shows.

It's taken as received wisdom,

except the thing is you can't.

Nobody gets to fuck 'em all.

You got to choose which
one you're gonna fuck,

and then... fuck her good.

♪ Fucked Up's "Turn
the Season" ♪

Son of a bitch.

♪ They go up, and
then they go down ♪

♪ Chase a smile with a frown ♪

♪ He knows that his
joy will stop ♪

♪ Waiting for the
other shoe to drop ♪

♪ He's a ship on the sea ♪

Welcome to the Yale Club.

Hey. Excuse me.
Are you a member?

Do I look like a fucking member?

- We have a dress code.
- Good for you.

And she stepped on
the billiard ball!

Rhoades!

Rhoades!

You fucking weasel!

Rhoades! Show your
fucking weasel face!

Chuck.

Uh...

Well, uh, Bobby,

if you wanted to play squash,
you should have called ahead.

I know what you and your two
daddies did up in Sandicot.

I really don't know what
you're talking about.

You thought moving that casino
would, what, fuck me up?

Get me to sell off
one of my jets?

Well, guess what I'm doing now.

Losing your religion
in the Yale Club?

Drinking that town's
fucking milkshake.

Everything that was once
theirs will be mine,

sold off, recycled,

stuck on a pedestal in my
office, doesn't matter.

In the end, I will not lose

one single penny from Sandicot.

In fact, I will be made
whole, more than whole,

but you will have spent all that
political capital for nothing.

Well, as I said, I
really have no idea

what you're talking about.

But, Dad, isn't there a dress
code in the common areas?

Did Morgan at the front desk not
offer you a courtesy blazer?

- Hmm.
- We apologize on his behalf.

That type of rudeness
is unacceptable.

You know, they say

that a boy never
really becomes a man

until he's buried his father.

Now, mine's been dead to me

since the moment he walked
out when I was 12 years old.

I don't remember if I cried,

but I do remember that I was
forced to grow the fuck up.

So it always warms my
heart when I see a boy

who still has his father's
shoulder to lean on,

his father's contacts to deploy,

his father's balls clanking
around in place of his own,

which haven't quite dropped yet.

♪ Dramatic music ♪

Hold on to this man, Chuck,

for one day soon,
he will be gone,

and then you will finally

have to do something
for yourself.

♪ Intense music ♪

Dad. Let's take a walk.

Son, everything I
did was for you.

Because you were born too
soon and started too late?

Look, if you're going to
hide me, just let loose.

Dad, Dad, I'm not mad at you.

Not this time.

Is that your way of
finally saying thank you?

Axelrod is spiraling.

Oh, I recognize the signs

because that was me
not too long ago,

and a man like that can
be induced to a mistake.

He's already made
one, hasn't he?

Yes.

You know, I don't know

if it was part of your
plan or a happy accident,

but Axelrod has decimated
the part of the state

where I poll weakest.

He's shown you his neck.

He has.

And you get to become the
defender of the people.

And you'll get

the governor's mansion
for your efforts.

And Connerty's started.

You got one of those Cheroots?

- Fundadores.
- Mm-hmm.

Yes, I do.

Maybe in the end,

you're the one guy that
does get to fuck 'em all.

♪ Fucked Up's "Turn
the Season" ♪

♪ Things go up, and
then they go down ♪

♪ Chase a smile with a frown ♪

♪ He knows that his
joy will stop ♪

♪ Waiting for the
other shoe to drop ♪

♪ He's a ship on the sea ♪

♪ Setting sail to perfidy ♪

♪ He is cold, he is warm ♪

♪ He's the peace
inside the storm ♪