All language subtitles for Billions.S06E10.WEBRip.x264-ION10

[man]
Previously on Billions.

The 2028 Games

can no longer be held
in New York City.

[Prince] He had to remind me
that he took from me.

Now it's time to take back.

He'll come charging
right at you.

We need to wave something
to get his attention.

That park is the perfect target.

[Prince] He's coming after all
the Vandeveld Park keyholders.

Someone needs to advocate

for the people
who actually pay taxes,

and on this one, that's me.

I need you to write a letter
to the New York Senate

requesting a special session
to vote on his removal.

[Sweeney]
State Attorney General Rhoades

has used his seat of power
to wage personal vendettas.

- -
- Aye.
- -
- Aye.

- -
- Aye.
- -
- Charles Rhoades Jr is hereby

removed as attorney general of
the state of New York.

I am not actually shot dead
in my trench.

Close your eyes, Chuck.
It's over and done.

[Dave]
And with heavy hearts,

we raise our glasses to a man

who led this office
so intrepidly.

Chuck, I'm just sorry this
couldn't be a proper

beefsteak sendoff, but--

Oh, I'm off red meat anyway.

[all laugh]

Well, as long as you never lose
those carnivorous instincts,

we, the people, still need them.

Well, I'm not sure what good
they'll do me now, but...

You, Chuck Rhoades,

reminded us how to take on
great foes and forces

without fear
or concern for oneself,

and you leave us fortified to
continue on in that same spirit.

[all]
Hear, hear.

[Allerd]
We'll miss you, Chuck.

Now I'll have to actually
do my own case work.

[all laugh]

Well, I'll miss the mission,
and all of you.

The whole place.

Even the Barney Miller coffee.

-[all laugh]
- -
- Thank you very much.

Thank you, guys.

[Andy, over phone]
You okay?

-[Prince] Of course, why?
- -
- Just a feeling.

Maybe it's the calling
that's a problem.

I want to see too.
What are you doing this week--

- er, this weekend.
- -
- Uh...

[mouths silently]
You can.

-[door closes]
- -
- Just got to Telemark.

By Saturday,
I'll be on a portaledge.

We're trying to beat
Papert's record.

- -
- This is your second attempt?
- -
- Third.

You want to come with?

Be a good-luck charm?

I'm seeking the exact opposite
of an icy ledge

and suspension ropes.

Tempting.

But I'm solid with my plans.

So we're here again.

We're not anywhere.
You're not being punished.

If the snow hits early,

I can have you helicoptered
from Yukon to Oslo.

I'm a call away.

Am I going to see you
with a microphone

taped to your lapel,

sitting next to Anderson Cooper
in the Toobin seat?

Ooh, it has to be bad luck
to call it that.

And, no, I don't think
that's where I'm headed.

Public service of another sort.
A different elected office.

Or a podcast, maybe.

Building an audience
seems to be the best moat

anyone can manufacture
these days.

- -
- And since you were sidelined--
- -
- I'm on the sidelines.

But the verb form,
it fails to accurately capture

the force with which
I was ripped from this office.

This is no coach's DNP.
This is a putsch.

And despite what I said
to the room,

in the spirit of bonhomie,
you have to know that I--

we are still very much engaged
in this fight for the soul--

Well, no, I am engaged.

No doubt,
it's my job to be.

And as you did,

I have to move the office
forward in my way.

And I handpicked you for this.

I saw a rough diamond
with jeweler's eyes.

You said it was
with a tailor's eye.

I did indeed, yes.
Point stands.

Change is hard.

No one expects you
to be happy with this.

Or content.

But enjoy the valedictory.

This is a celebration of you.

[chuckles]
Yeah.

Like a wake.

I don't mind you
Coming here

And wasting all my time

'Cause when you're standing
Oh so near

I kind of lose my mind

It's not the perfume
That you wear

It's not the ribbons
In your hair

- -
- Get in, Rhoades.
- -
- When you rendition someone,

it's better to cuff and rope
them before the talking starts.

Otherwise,
they may take off running.

Oh, you try running
in those wingtips,

you'll fall on your ass
like Buster Keaton.

At which point we can get
to the binding and so forth.

Thanks for the offer, guys,
but, uh--

Chuck, we have your things.

A plan has been made.

We're taking you
to Rundas Lodge.

Fresh air. Delicious vittles.

And vigorous bodywork.

I was going to stroll
across the bridge.

Take a contemplative
constitutional

through a crumbling city.

Feels more appropriate
than lounging in some spa.

No, you can take
your constitutionals

when you're in
the nursing home.

- -
- Get in the damn car.
- -
- Don't make us drug you.

[engine starts]

You look so fancy
I can tell

And I don't mind you
Hanging out

And talking in your sleep

I guess you're just
What I needed

Just what I needed

I needed someone to feed

I guess you're just
What I needed

Just what I needed

I needed someone to bleed

Now, all phones
in the GoDark bag.

Signal blocking,

off the grid
for the duration.

[Chuck]
Not happening.

Oh, I'm working the shit
out of this puppy

to find the next perch
from which to exact my revenge.

All that will be there after.

I encourage you to do the reset.
It's why we're here.

No, I'll reset the fuck
out of myself phone in hand.

Well, if one guy has his phone,
that ruins it.

Fine.

And you're reimbursing me
for the GoDark bag, son.

Hmm.

[Scooter] Rhoades has been
felled, but not finished.

I would like
to talk about next--

I don't. Don't want
to talk about that.

You want to talk
about the spoils.

The theory is,

you must reward yourself
after a victory.

It strengthens
the subconscious

to lay it all on the line
in the next battle.

Without it,
an autonomic weakness sets in

for which even iron discipline
cannot compensate.

Understood,
on a visceral level.

Even without
all the science-y words.

Hell, I don't even wait
for a win.

-[chuckles]
- -
- That's just debauchery.

[Prince] I spoke with Andy.
She's not free.

But what Scooter was describing

I think is even more important
for the troops than the general.

- -
- They'll be fine. -[Prince] No, no, no.

They need to eat the dragon's
heart, to taste it.

Really? This group?

Especially this group.
There's no other way.

Is that some sort of code
for a hard reboot, or a...?

[Prince]
Call an all-hands meeting.

Night after tomorrow
at the house.

Pull!

[gunshots]

Crap.

They break when they land,
if it's any comfort.

Being a wiseass is unbecoming
for a member of the bench.

And this choke is faulty.

Sure it is.

Pull.

- -
- Wasn't ready. -[Senior laughs]

Only a fool says "pull"
if he isn't ready.

Too much pulling
in your room last night.

Watch and learn, boys.

Pull.

[gunshots]

I think I nicked the second one.

- -
- Oh, bullshit. -[Ira] Clean misses.

Pull!

[Ira]
Whoa!

A double! You're in the zone!

I just picture Prince's
face on the clay,

and the pellets
seem to find it.

Obsession focuses a man.

I am obsessed with helping you
rebrand and refocus, Chuck.

We think you need a position,
a power base to operate from.

We don't want to see you
spiral out going after revenge.

[Senior] Chief Counsel
at a defense contractor.

Now, that is the kind of money

that wipes the stain
of any failure away.

You can strategize
about Prince along with me,

or we can shoot in silence.

Because the idea that
some fresh air and mud baths

could change who I am or
what I stand for is laughable.

Chuck, we don't want you
to change entirely.

But some growth, some effort--

No, uninterested.

Try, for just a moment,

being the kind of man
who might sit

on the highest court
in the land.

A listener, a considerer
of all possibilities.

Consultants, lobbyists.

These people wield
more power than you ever had.

- -
- We have a list. -[Senior] He can't.

Like a leopard
can't change its spots.

And that's not just a cliché.
It's true.

You shave the coat,

the spots are still there,
right down to his fucking hide.

I'm heading back
to make some calls.

Well, you're going
to look desperate.

No. Activated. Motivated.
Not desperate.

It's different.
They'll see that.

And maybe try throwing
your guns at the clays,

you might actually
hit something.

Ehh.

[chuckles]

[phone ringing]

Our custom is to pick up,
say hello.

I am tired of explaining

Olympic sponsors' down payments
are non-refundable.

You took a shot and missed.

Go copulate with yourself,
you cheap-ass fuck.

I hope that wasn't your pastor.

Now, I have come here
to actually help you.

Is this a setup?
Like with a boy?

Because I don't think you
and I have the same taste.

Setting you up to win
that congressional seat.

Call this number.

He is the best at digging up
shit on people,

far better than
the other side'll have.

You need to see
what he unearths on you.

On me?

I thought the idea was to find
shit on the other side.

First things first:
Know thyself.

[chuckles]

I appreciate it. I do.

Um, but my closet's bare.

Not a skeleton to be found.

[laughs]
Please.

Anyone with
a five-figure 401(k)

has hidden shit
they've forgotten about,

or never even knew about.

Once you're in the race,
it won't stay hidden for long.

You can get ahead of yours,

or wait till the other side
splatters you with it.

Your call.

Pretty sure my call
is not making this call.

Then yours won't be much
of a race at all.

[Philip] How great's your book
doing since you got it back?

[Tuk] I'm not ashamed of it.

[Philip] Yeah, you feel
good about it, don't you?

[chuckles]

You know, some religions
think that the egg

is the symbol of the soul.

- -
- Did you know that? -[Rian] Does this make sense?

"DAOs are Internet-native
organizations collectively run

and owned by their members."

Or should I add: "an exclusive
pipeline into crypto"?

Do you know where I can get
High John the Conqueror root

in New York?
I want to try it

and see if it--

Whoops. Someone's down
the Angel Heart rabbit hole.

I am, way down,
and it is truly fucking

with my sleep-wake
homeostasis.

When you watch it end to end,
over and over again,

it actually gets less clear.

It starts to slither
through your mind

like a cinematic
human centipede.

You could, and I'm not
just saying this

because Mickey Rourke is,
well, Mickey Rourke.

Just stop watching.

Yeah, but I have to prove
my theory

that everyone is a Harry Angel
or a Johnny Favorite.

Ugh, some of us are Lisa Bonet
trying to make the world

forget Denise Huxtable existed.

Philip seems to be creating

a real "leader of men"
vibe on the floor.

Why I'm staying in here.

I have something for you,
if you have the bandwidth.

[Winston]
Heads up.

We're closed tomorrow.
Whole operation.

That's really more a me decision

than a directive
from up on high.

There's an all-hands
tomorrow night at Prince's.

So, no, it's not.

Office is to remain
empty tomorrow

while everyone gathers
their thoughts.

And the subject
of this all-hands is?

[Wags]
Known upon arrival.

All other questions,

please submit to "Oh, right,
we don't give a shit."

We'll see you there.

Okay, then.

What was all that?

They've been living
on borrowed time

in another man's memories.

It's just so much better
when we parallel play.

[indistinct chatter]

I appealed to them
and I implored them,

but the answer is no.

No service until the party
is fully seated.

I did get drinks.

Parochial fucking posture.

[chuckles]

We have Chuck declared
legally dead,

and in ten minutes,

we are sawing
into bison rib eyes.

Agreed?

I'll get him.

I understand.

-[knock on door]
- -
- Again, I understand. [sighs]

But I'd like to meet in person

to tell you what I plan
to do about it.

Mm-hmm.

And I await word
from your office.

- -
- Jesus Christ.
- -
- We're eating.

Well, we're not eating.

We're waiting for you
so that we can eat.

Ira, what I have an appetite for
won't arrive on a plate.

I know, buddy,

but sitting up here
seething's no good for you.

You've been dinged.
You have no momentum.

No one's going
to touch you right now.

I'm aware, but the last time
I felt like myself

was on the floor
of that chamber.

Win or lose,
it's where I belong.

So why can't you act
like my Chuck Bodak

and close my cut
so I can answer the next bell?

Sometimes a good cornerman
throws in the towel

when his fighter is too game
but overmatched.

Oh, don't you dare.

Look.

They won't serve the table
until we're all seated,

and I don't look forward
to any of our crew

in a hypoglycemic state.

Five minutes,
and you get your food,

and then I'm back
to the phones.

[Swerdlow]
I want to tell you something.

This gristle is as good
as anything I've ever ingested.

Sorry, Chuck,
I snagged your seat.

I didn't know
you'd be joining us.

A surprise to us all.

Oh, I doubt that.

Sure, there might have been
some rhyme to my reason.

Oh, yeah,
your father called me in

to offer you my array
of special therapies.

NADs to lengthen your telomeres.

And that's the fountain
of youth, my man.

Or if that's too exotic for you,
how about some PRT--

"platelet replacement therapy"?

I'll just give you
a shot in the scalp,

you'll be looking like
Oscar Gamble in three months.

Or blast you in the cock,
now you're Jeff Stryker.

I can remake you into whatever
man or woman

that you want to be, cookie.

I'm in need of neither
detoxification,

nor concierge
medical cocktails.

Mm. I'll be the judge,

jury, and executioner
on that one.

And I've already
rendered my verdict.

- -
- Look at that pallor.
- -
- Oh.

We're just going to fire up
your frank and beans.

You're going to be
like mnh-mnh!

Why don't you listen
to the Doc, son.

We all could use
a little modern-day Geritol.

- -
- Especially you.
- -
- Nope. No time.

I have to get back to the room.

I'm glad you've got
your repast.

Just, uh, have them
send mine up.

I see, now, why--
why are you in--

in such a hurry
to get back to your room?

You got yourself
a wonderful lady up there?

Huh? If so, the Doc
has a special, uh--

Calls, Dad. Making calls.

I told him to give it a rest.
He doesn't listen.

Can adults be colicky?

No. Wait, what do you
think that means?

Wait, cranky, out of sorts,
like you are right now.

I'm not colicky.

Out of sorts,
I'll allow, sure.

And a little cranky. Fuck.

Give me a Binky and a blankie
and a bottle, please.

Bartender, can I get
a boilermaker?

Only instead of beer,

can you throw baby formula
in that tumbler?

You always cheer me up, Mafee.

So glad you could switch
our weekly to tonight.

Tomorrow, I have to go
to an all-hands

at Michael Prince's house.

That sounds...
maybe threatening?

I don't know.

Is he going to fire
the entire place?

Not sure.

Maybe I'd be better off.
Remove the engine limiter.

Because as is, he neutralizes
certain of my moves,

for reasons only
he's privy to.

I'd offer you a spot
at High Plains,

-but we can't afford to pay you.
- -
- Oh, no?

What about your million
in crypto from Axe?

You must have arbed it ten,
fifteen X.

- -
- Where's it at?
- -
- Don't know.

Don't know how much?

I don't think about it.

What the fuck
does that mean?

You didn't think about
how much you could have made

with a million bucks of free
electric lightning on a drive?

I didn't.

Mafee, you could have
turned that 15 times, 20.

- -
- Okay.
- -
- Okay?

It is very much not okay.

It is with me,
and it's my money.

So I left it alone.

If I had gotten in the game
with gifted coin,

with something that just landed
in my lap,

I would have started obsessing,
you know me.

I would have tried to figure out
every single possible move

until no other move
was possible,

and then figure it out more.

It would have owned me,
instead of me owning it.

And I don't want to be owned
like that.

I don't understand
how that can make you happy.

Look, I know the theory.

It's immoral to let a sucker
keep his money.

And the market is the sucker.

But the whole snorting Cymbalta
and grinding,

it just wasn't
making me happy.

Is it making you happy?

Wags said
you'd let yourself in.

[sighs]

I have your self-research.

Some campaign advice too.

What's that?

Don't run.

Your life, your family's lives
will be upended,

twisted beyond recognition.

Win or lose,
you'll never get it back.

I have to run.

Good.

Only kind of person who should.

Why two?

This is the one
anyone can get.

This is the one only I can.

So, you're the one,
aren't you...

that helped Axelrod
beat us every single time?

All that matters is,

I'm on your side now.

It's a good thing
you're in the private sector.

At least I know
I'm not getting rousted.

I should roust your
paternalistic self anyway.

Little intense, Kate.

Notch it back
a notch and a half or so.

Maybe if you'd let me fail
once or twice,

I wouldn't have to
bring it like this,

but this wasn't
your way, was it?

Why fail when you
don't have to?

Well, this is about a time
where I should have,

in boarding school.

- -
- You were a superstar there.
- -
- I was.

And as I'm sure you remember,
I ended up engaging

in a bit of civil disobedience

which ended up in the storming
of the admin building.

What I remember
is that it was peaceful

until you hurled a paperweight
through a pane glass window

and the whole place went
up Do the Right Thing -style.

Nothing burned.
Nobody died.

And I was never embarrassed
about my part in it.

I knew there would be
consequences,

and I was willing
to face them.

Well, one must be willing when
one performs civil disobedience.

The risk is what
makes it hard to do.

And you did pay the price.

You were suspended for,
what, two weeks?

Yes. Yes, I was.

And that was it.

Which was strange,
because some of the other kids

had notes put in their files,

and their colleges bounced their
acceptances because of it.

Not me, though.

Which I thought was
because of the ways

that I contributed
at school--

student government, sports
and theater and all of it.

That is why.

You paid the headmaster's
mortgage off, in cash,

so she wouldn't send
a note to college,

and they wouldn't rescind
my admission.

And I'd do it again.

You were right to protest.

And you earned your way
into school.

The end.

Folks with a much longer tenure
at the seat of power

and influence have been doing
this stuff for generations,

to people like us.

Why wouldn't we safeguard

our own forward progress?

Yours?

This isn't about me, Kate,

or what I did.

You don't care
about any of that.

You're distracting yourself,

worrying about the externals,

about all the things
outside of yourself

that are impacting your life.

Grow the hell up and realize

the only thing
you can control is you.

And next time
you surprise me,

bring a cake
and some candles

and get ready to sing me
a goddamn song.

[engine starts]

I see we're both
of the Jimmy Conway school.

Early to the meet.

Yeah, well,
me more than you, it seems.

How goes it?

There's a psychological term

for thinking that once you see
someone do something,

you can repeat the action,
unaided.

- Dunning-
- Kruger, sure.

Spyros is a walking example
of it.

- -
- Except for coffee.
- -
- Yeah. Inflated self-assessment.

That's him,
except with the beans.

Wild, though.

Seems the less you know
how to do something,

the more you're willing to
believe you can accomplish it.

The flip side is that optimists
live longer than pessimists,

and aren't as easily dissuaded
from learning things.

At the early stages
of learning, yeah.

But when things get hard,

that's when pessimists
put shoulder into sled and push,

because to them,

everything is difficult.

So exertion is the only
reasonable choice.

Like most things, what you want
is to be able to control

your emotional range enough to
trigger whichever is more useful

in the micro-moment.

Do you do this consciously?
Did you build this consciously?

Oh, this is fun.
Is this what we're doing here?

Well, we're here to investigate,
that's for sure.

Yeah, it's fun as fuck.

Maybe almost as fun as the state
senate session was for you.

The Albany Massacre.

So that's why you summoned me,

to upbraid me
for taking out Chuck.

No, not at all.

But I am fascinated by
the choices you made to do it,

how you did it, why you did,
why you did it the way you did.

And I will need answers.

But not for the reasons
you think.

Why, then?

You asked me a while back
to do the real thing with you,

to sharpen your blade.

And maybe your moves
got me to the place

where I'm ready
to do that.

What's the source of the maybe?
Why isn't it a firm--?

Because you haven't answered
my questions yet.

- -
- You haven't asked them.
- -
- Oh, well...

as Pitbull said,

"Get ready,
'cause here I come."

The immersion chamber
is my journey into isolation

and emotional resets.

- -
- Hmm.
- -
- A series of colored lights

and soft but urgent sounds
will surround you.

You don't close your eyes,

you simply watch and let
the experience flow over you.

- -
- Chuck.
- -
- Hmm.

I feel like a 12-year-old again,

but before my pet dog died.

We should put this
in everyone's house.

I think we'd end all strife,
wars, and conflict.

That's what everybody says

the first time they do
magic mushrooms too,

but somehow the wars and strife
just seem to keep on going.

Perhaps you'll solve
that problem today.

We find this process
refreshes and renews the mind.

It's very Altered States.

So, uh, a naked Blair Brown

will come save me
from my homunculus self?

[chuckles]

Was that the first Chayefsky
reference around here?

How can that be?

All right,
you know what?

Let's just get in.

There's a red panic button,

but you won't panic.

- -
- You'll be safe the whole time.
- -
- Uh-huh.

[Naomi] And I'll be monitoring
your progress.

You're not alone,
but you're completely isolated.

It's comforting.

Just try and stay present.
See you on the other side.

[chuckles]

This isn't an intake.

This isn't about meds.
It isn't patient/client.

This a performance
coaching session.

That work for you,
if that's my focus?

It all works for me...
in your hands.

That something
you're used to?

Putting yourself
in someone else's hands?

Depends on the grip.
But, yes, I can delegate.

I can relinquish control.
I can free myself of the yoke.

I can trust.

Then why didn't you
relinquish control

of the state senate session?

Trust that it would get done
without your presence.

Define "it."

It wasn't enough
for you to take down Chuck.

You needed to be there
to watch it.

Is that for vengeance?

Certainty? Credit?
Voyeurism?

Ah, so this is a reaction
to what I did to your ex?

Are you--?

You did what had to be done,

with an efficacy that made me
curious enough

to want to engage
with you here.

That, plus the all-hands,

tells me you are evolving

into the next version
of who you are.

The question is why,
to all of it.

I needed to be there
to make sure it happened.

Yeah, sure, you needed to be
behind the scenes.

But instead,
you let yourself be seen.

Photographed, even.

No one knew how powerful

Robert Moses was
till he was long gone.

That was from a time
when behind-the-scenes power

meant more than power displayed.

That's all changed now.

Credit must be logged.

Yeah. Yes.

The show of personal force
recalibrates expectations.

Not only in the public sphere,
but here as well.

My power in this place
was never in dispute.

It's more than that.

It's the one-two punch:
Albany, now the all-hands.

Yeah, sets them up
for a knockout.

- -
- Who?
- -
- Everyone.

Well, it sure got
everyone here rattled.

I just heard Prince is behind
Chuck Rhoades going down.

If he could do that to Rhoades,
none of us is safe.

You shouldn't believe
rumors like that.

Right. He's not the kind
of man who would--

How would he even...?

Fuck, you're right.

All-hands or a coronation?

Either way,
executions are a-coming.

He wasn't just there. Prince
did him, is what I heard.

How would Prince
have "done him"?

It's state senate vote

parliamentary procedure.

Sure. And Dr. Fowler
was a suicide.

Anyway, we can meet
at my apartment at the open

to organize ourselves
against whatever grilling

he's going to give us.

- -
- We were gonna watch a movie.
- -
- Angel Heart.

You, too, Rian?

I didn't mean to get sucked
into his insanity,

but then I started watching,

and it's so weird
and nihilistic,

and I think maybe perfect.

We've just about figured out
what the fans mean.

They seem to start spinning
at the strangest times.

But, yes, tomorrow.
We'll be there.

Obviously. We're working.

You're not a man
who does things by accident

or who relies on fate,

so you knew the effect
your actions would have.

Want to tell me what you were
hoping the employees would feel?

I was thinking about Chuck.

I was thinking about my broader
outside agenda, about...

Motherfucker!

Whoa!

Yeah.

It's an old carny trick
picked up by behavioralists.

Breaks the pattern.

Now say the words that
you've said to yourself

but don't want to say out loud

for fear they will mark you
an egoist or a fool.

Good. This is good.
This is all good.

Stop trying to prolong it
so you can think of what to say

and say the words.

The Prince Cappers,
most of them still at heart,

are holding back.

They know I'm formidable--

They don't truly fear you.

And they're aware
of how good I am, but--

- -
- But you need their respect.
- -
- Most of all, I need them to--

Ah. Oh.

Love.

You want to be loved.

It's easy for a man like you
to get one of those.

I need all three.

I don't like to admit that,
but it's true.

It's what I demand.

[man] Hey, fucking Richie.
Fucking Richie.

Hey, fucking Richie.
What do you mean, who?

It's Ron.

[laughs]

Yes, Ron!
Ron fucking Chestnut!

The big fucking R, kid.

-[laughs]
- -
- Damn it.

What did you think, it was your
ex-wife's fucking divorce lawyer

honking at you?

[laughs]

What?

[cackles]
Honk! Honk! Honk!

Pay up, douchebag...

Huh?

Oh. Hold on.

- Yeah, I--I--
- I see your little sign, dear.

Sir, for the experience
to be its most efficacious,

silence is absolutely needed.

Oh, well, I am almost done
with my call.

And it's almost my turn
to get all efficacious

up in there anyway, so...

- -
- Hey, buddy, you done? -[Naomi] He has 12 minutes left.

No, I think I can afford
to give it up.

You need it more than I do.

Call you back.
Funny guy, huh?

[laughs]

Yeah. Thanks all the same.

Ahem, so, uh, what do I do now?

I strip?
A little tighty-whitie action?

No, sir, fully clothed.

Ew. Boo.

Color me disappointed.

-[Chuck] You okay?
- -
- All right, hit it.

Whew!

[laughs]

[howls]

Oh, it's like
a fucking kaleidoscope!

It's a very cool
sensory experience.

[man]
Is this all it does?

Very, and maybe
it'll work on him?

I just hope
he doesn't break it.

[man] Look at this.
Let me take a video.

Hey, this is me!

This is me inside
the peyote machine!

I can see how
losing the Olympics

would put you in a, uh,

vengeance and consolidation
of power mode.

- -
- That tracks.
- -
- I agree.

Yeah, especially with
the bribery and dirty dealings

required to have gotten
the Games in the first place.

That's the first time you've
stepped out of line.

- -
- Back it up.
- -
- If I back it up,

it's out the door.
Gone, baby, gone.

I don't work with people
who hold back from me.

You wrangled.

Manipulated. Pressured.
Extorted. Paid folks off.

And I'm okay with that.
I'm fine with someone like you

doing that which is required.

That's not the problem.

- -
- But there is a problem.
- -
- Yeah.

- -
- What's that?
- -
- You're a fucking liar.

Worse, the person you tell
the biggest lies to is yourself.

You spend so much time
twisting yourself up into knots

trying to make yourself believe
that your aim is true

and noble and good.

You almost make yourself
believe it.

You wanted a burning bush
to tell you that what you did

to get this hedge fund
was good and right.

All you have is
your own conscience burning.

Please. The guy who was
here before me--

- -
- No.
- -
- Yes.

We're gonna talk about this.

He wasn't similarly called?

You don't think the voice of
power whispered to him and said,

"Do it all, have it all"?

You want to know?

Axe wanted freedom,
total and complete.

And the other guy, Chuck,
he wants--

he needs a righteous war,

and you gave them both
exactly what they asked for.

No, I didn't give Axe
his freedom.

I paid for it.

And you want to know why Axe
is satisfied with freedom?

Why Chuck is priapic
for warfare?

Why conquest and victory
is enough for them?

Because they are lesser Caesars.

You want to be
a greater Caesar?

What are you going to do
with all that power?

Pax Romana.

I'm going to manifest it.

And you're going to help me.

The name plates
are already changed.

You work faster on this shit

than Patton updating the stars
on his jeep.

But I was too slow to get you on
the "no fly" list at security.

I'm guessing...

you're here
to establish a détente.

A détente would presume
that we're still at war.

Skirmish is over,
so let's just, uh...

how would you say it?

Keep the lines of dialogue open.

And when I dialogue with you,
what are we talking about?

It's ironic, me here...

you there.

That was supposed
to be my chair.

If I had have stayed,
I'd be sitting there.

If you had stayed,
Michael Prince would have had

no idea how to remove Chuck.

See?

Ironic.

- -
- Sure.
- -
- I understand you not wanting

to give me a heads-up on how
you're steering the office.

I wouldn't.

Maybe you're coming after us.

But, uh, maybe
you're sitting there

and you're seeing what I saw.

That the world is more
than billionaires

and the people who hate them.

That you can prosecute
the real inequalities.

The ones that don't put you
in the crosshairs

of my current boss.

Because?

Say the rest.

You came here to say it.

The lever that got Chuck out
still exists.

Yes, it does.

I don't know
what my next move is.

But I can tell you this.

You knew what Prince
was planning for Chuck,

and you played on all our
weaknesses to make it happen.

You used everything you could
to manipulate me.

I blame Prince,
but I also know you knew,

and you knew better,
and you let it happen.

So no, I won't give you
the heads-up.

We won't be talking.

You're not welcome here,

because either
you always were,

or you have become exactly
who I want to send to prison.

I did what I had to do.

I thought we'd both
be used to that by now.

Glad you finally
joined us for a meal.

A man has to eat,
as you like to say.

He does indeed.

You hurt it shooting?

No, it's just stiff.

I fractured it punching a wall
in frustration

when I lost
a Supreme Court appeal

on a death penalty case
back in '99.

An innocent man
was executed that day.

Ricochet from a Waterford
crystal tumbler

I threw against the wall

when I made and lost
over 200 million in one day.

Ice Juice.

Well, nothing to show
by lifting my shirt,

but the knife wounds
are there, believe you me.

Jeffcoat and
the U.S. Attorney job?

Yeah.

That was a body blow,
to be sure.

But it was one professional
to another,

and I got my licks in later.

No, the more recent purge is the
one I'm going to be healing from

-for some time to come.
- -
- And Prince, that fucker,

was there to watch
the whole thing go down.

Ouch.

You know, the one that still
stabs me in the balls

was a simple procedure.

Decorum dictates
that I can't say her name,

but...

you all know her
by her laugh.

You know who I'm talking about,
sugar, right?

The grand dame outlived
her nemesis Johnny Carson,

only to croak on my table.

[laughs]

Oh, shit.

That was the first time
they took away my license,

the fuckers.

Why are you so quiet?

You only book wins?

Nah, the calluses are so thick
he just can't feel anything,

one way or another.

I was king.

I was the king
of New York once.

I had so many properties.

Manhattan, Midtown, uptown,

the Bronx...

three dozen,
maybe more at the time.

Was I supposed
to go around myself,

checking the sprinklers
in all of them,

making sure they worked?

The fire doors
unobstructed, unlocked,

not chained against a rash
of break-ins?

My property managers
were supposed to do it.

There were hundreds
of those doors

in the buildings
that I owned.

Like the Partido Lounge.

Oh, shit, the fire.

Yeah, Dad,
you don't have to...

Place went up like
a goddamned Roman candle.

Carlos Guzman.

That was his name,
the monster.

Soaked rags in kerosene
and turned the place to ashes

because his ex-wife was there
with her new boyfriend.

Sirens screaming all night long,

20 different engine companies,

ambulances,

the fucking meat wagons
for the bodies.

Later, I, uh, sat there
in the courtroom

when he received
his sentencing.

His eyes were black.

Lifeless.

He was the guilty party
in all the ways.

So...

502 souls went
into the club that night,

423 came out.

The fire took the rest.

Anyway, Carlos Guzman
got 25 to life.

And you know who was on
the front page of the Post,

the Times, all the papers
the next day?

It wasn't him.

It was me.

[women laughing]

[indistinct chatter]

[glasses clink]

So you think you have me
all figured out?

[scoffs]
Yeah.

It's what I started
to say before.

For you to succeed at being
whatever it is you want to be--

Caesar, Carnegie,
Teddy fricking Roosevelt--

you need to stop lying
to yourself.

- -
- I do not lie.
- -
- You do.

And some of those lies
you'll probably keep telling.

The lies of kindness,
lies to maintain power,

lies to keep things calm.

Big lies, even.

And maybe that's fine.

But inside, you can't.

And why not?

Because it's
getting in your way.

You don't want
to be an emperor

because it's good
for other people.

You want power
because you like power.

Because it feels good
in your hands.

Because you can't imagine
anyone else deserves it

more than you do.

But if you lie to yourself
about it,

you'll do real harm
with whatever power you get.

Every generation there's maybe
three people like me.

Why should I waste
being one of them?

Because out of those three,
every 30 years,

nine every century,
90 every millennium,

maybe one fucking guy doesn't
fuck the world up the ass

when he actually
gets the reins.

Someone has to sit
in that seat.

So I ask myself,

am I the one
in a thousand years?

And my answer

is a full-throated yes.

Let's not forget
about you

and what you want
out of all this.

Me?

What do I want,

besides to do my job
and do it well?

You tell me.

My guess is something
significant.

Because if not,

that means
you're a rubbernecker,

a ticket buyer
to the freak show,

some kind of pervert.

Why else would you saw
someone's skull in half,

lift it up and look inside?

So which is it, A or B?

I guess I just don't know.

And after all that talk
about not lying to oneself.

I'm not lying to myself.

I'm lying to you.

[Swerdlow] What are you
talking about? That's my cock.

[all laugh]

I'm guessing it was a teacher.

No, but, like,
in all seriousness...

You may recognize him.

Anyway, our good man
suffered a reversal,

-and we had to pull him away.
-[Senior] Men's weekend.

Can you even say that anymore,

or does it have to be, like,
"Gendered persons..."?

Diana's celebrating the one-year
anniversary of her divorce.

[Diana]
I grew up in lake country,

so that's why we came.

These guys came with me,

and it's a real blast
of nostalgia.

Let me, um--
let me check your pulse.

[Diana]
Are you really a doctor?

That's all we keep saying.
"Are you really a doctor?"

It's completely fresh
and organic pet food.

Is that right?

Private equity money
must be lining up.

It's not just a business.
It's my passion.

Three hots and a cot,
some oily rubdowns in the spa.

You know what I said?
I said, "I'm fucking in."

[laughs]

Get me out of here.

[all laughing]

[man]
You're all a shitty crowd.

- -
- Ladies. -[Swerdlow] Yeah?

I, um...

I believe
I glimpsed you earlier,

and it is high time

that my friends and I
buy you a round.

Oh, we're fine, thank you.

That's not very friendly, is it?

She said no, thank you.

I wasn't talking to you,
funny guy.

[glass shatters]

- -
- Fuck, man!
- -
- So sorry, sir.

These shoes cost more
than your house.

Do you even have a house?

Why are we letting people
like you into our country?

Behold the American aristocrat,
Ronald Chestnut.

Yeah, Ron, that's right.
I caught your name earlier.

And Ron is a person who confuses
wealth with class,

and money with character.

Of course, this country
wasn't built on money.

It was built on work.

Honest, hard work,

which is why that man
is more American

than you'll ever be.

Oh, it looks like you want
to swing on me.

Oh...
-[laughing] Yeah, I bet!

But we both know
you won't,

because I not only caught
your name, I ran it too.

So I know you're on parole
for unpaid child support

and an embezzlement charge.

That's right, ladies,
there he is.

Fancy pants deadbeat,
quite a patriot.

Bet you're kicking yourself
for turning him down.

So you can take that swing,
go ahead.

But if you do,
you'll be collared for fighting,

for drunk and disorderly,
because you're undoubtedly both,

and you'll go back inside
for the rest of those

four goddamn years you owe.

Let's get out
of this shithole.

[applause]

I thought I was going to be
doing some suturing tonight.

It's a good thing my credentials
still work in the database.

[Ira]
Got to love the government.

Shit, there's no denying it,
the way you came alive just now.

Was a thing of beauty,
my boy.

[DeGiulio]
No matter what we want.

[Ira] It's who you are. You see
a bully, you have to step in.

And you do it better
than anyone else.

Like I keep trying to tell you,

it's just how I'm built.

All right, now that we've
gotten the group hand job

out of the way,
who's up for a drinking game?

It's called Viking,
and it's very easy to play.

- -
- All right, I'm game,
- -
- I'm the Viking.

I got the two rowers on my side.

- -
- If you don't row, you drink.
- -
- Is that the Viking?

Just easy with the questions,
please.

I'm just trying
to explain the game, so...

- -
- Hey, hey. You leaving?
- -
- Mm.

But Anne seemed pretty impressed
with how you handled that guy.

You hang in,
you may get lucky.

Oh, I'm pretty sure
that wouldn't be luck.

Oh, if you say so.

No, I realized something, Ira.

Beyond my place in the world,
and you said it.

Prince showed himself
in Albany.

He didn't have to.

You know, once everything
is in motion,

he could've gone and let the
floor fall out from under me.

But he came to watch,

which shows he loves
the blood sport.

And someone who loves
the blood sport

can be induced
into another fight.

One where he's
at the disadvantage,

a fight that he is
going to lose.

- -
- How are you going to do it?
- -
- I don't know. Not yet.

Have a good time.

I'm going to take
that constitutional now.

-[Swerdlow] I was rowing.
-[Diana] No.

[Swerdlow] Are you fucking--
Fine, fuck me.

Oh, boy, here we go.
Round four, ready?

I'm the Viking, I'm the Viking.
Who's rowing?

- -
- I am.
- -
- Okay.

Oh!

[Swerdlow] Nice.

[inaudible]

We're about to break
the vase

and see whose dog tags
are inside here.

Can't tell if we're gonna
get made or get clipped.

- -
- That's what makes it all--
- -
- Horrifying?

I was gonna say exciting,
but you got to do you.

Someone sets out
to slay a dragon.

It takes a while.
It's a journey.

A quest that gets sidetracked,

delayed, there are wins
and losses along the way.

This person is a leader,
and behind them is an army,

making sure that when they do
get to the dragon, it will die.

Is this an all-hands or a
meeting of the Tolkien Society?

[Prince] And finally, it's just
the knight and the dragon,

and the knight isn't sure
how it's going to go.

Wouldn't be a quest of any worth
if it didn't have risk.

It's an epic fight.

The sword finds its home,
and the dragon dies.

But that isn't the end.

I killed the dragon
that was Chuck Rhoades.

You may have become aware,
and it may have disturbed you.

But all of you

guarded the castle
while I was gone.

You rode with me
when you had to.

You protected me
from any threats.

There's a reason why the killing
isn't the end of the story.

The real end is when you eat
the dragon's heart,

passing it around
so everyone can taste

freshly slaughtered power.

You get the most power from
the hearts of your enemies.

Yes.

And since dragon hearts
are hard to come by...

Here you are.

...and something a little
more delicious than blood.

[laughs]

[applause and cheers]

Whoo!

My victories
are our victories.

My wins are your wins.

And dragons aren't
the only creatures

that should fly,

so you're all getting
a Wheels Up membership,

plus a hundred K
in flight credits, on me.

[cheers and applause]

Please welcome Questlove
DJing the night.

["Let's Dance"
by David Bowie playing]

Put on your red shoes
And dance the blues

Let's dance

To the sound they're playing
On the radio

Let's sway

While color
Lights up your face

Look at this.
He converted them.

He fucking got them all.
They fucking love him.

Shit, that was the plan
all along.

They're ready.

For what?

I'll run with you

[woman]
Yeah!

And if you say "hide"

We'll hide

-[laughing]
- -
- Hold on.

Here, come on.

[door lock beeping]

- -
- Bingo.
- -
- Where's Chuck?

No idea. He never
came back to the bar.

Well, you were supposed
to hit him with a cocktail

to cure what ails him,

and instead you're walking off
with the prescription.

I can give him the cushion,

but I ain't doing
the pushing, Big Papa.

Well... it's not going
to ruin my night.

Me neither.

[funky dance music playing]

This is a classy touch.

Isn't the whole thing
pretty classy?

No, but that's good,
you know?

You did it right,
honestly.

I mean, I'm sure you hate it,
but the lights are off

and, like, nobody seems
to be judging each other.

Nothing is stuffy or formal.

You found the vibe.

Good. Enjoy.

You're not into it,
are you?

Parts. I'm not sure it matters.

Open your mouth.

That is what
you think it is.

I took one earlier.

You may not be the kind
of person who does this,

so you can spit it out,
and I'll pretend not to see.

Or...

[chuckles]

[dance music playing]

- -
- Appreciate this.
- -
- Hey, man.

It's a moment, Mike.

Moment that deserves
the real songs.

The night demands it.

Absolutely.

You got a request?

You know, I'm the best
at what I do.

That's why we're here.

You're the best
at what you do.

That's why you're here.

- -
- You pick them.
- -
- It's an honor.

-[music intensifies]
-[crowd cheers]

[woman]
Ready?

Coming.

[splutters]

[funky dance music plays]

[inaudible]

My turn. Hi.

[indistinct chatter]

- -
- Did you call the guy?
- -
- I did.

I know exactly
how they'll come after me.

As a hypocrite.

I am someone who says I
believe

in what is good
and fair and right,

and not in accruing power,

but who has constantly sought
to use power in her favor.

[chuckles]
And has accrued quite a lot.

It's an easy spin.

We put you into play
using your power for others.

Our friend Michael Prince
has set a shining example

-of exactly that.
- -
- Oh, he has.

And I see how well it works
on everyone.

So you're ready?

Not yet.

Not now.

No, this is where
I'm meant to be.

Plus, I got you guys
on my side now.

I'm good, right?

Yes. You are.

I know the manuscript is late,

but it's worth it.

I'm-- I'm sending you
the last chapter now.

Well, I had to figure out
how it ended.

I just spent the whole day
doing that.

Rock

Freeze

Rock

Freeze

Rock

Blow

Higher, baby

Get higher, baby

And don't ever come down

Freebase

[dance music continues]

This is Uomo nel Presente.

Man in Present.

- -
- Amazing.
- -
- Grazie.

I see how much
it's hitting you, Tuk.

Why don't you finish it?

Me?

Prego.

[all chanting]
Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk!

Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk!

[all gasp]

Oh, fuck, did I do that?

[chuckles]
It's okay.

Its purpose was to exist
for one night only, and then--

Okay, what is that supposed
to represent?

The ephemeral nature of joy

and a reminder to embrace it
when you have it.

[chuckles]

I mean, I get the idea that
something exists temporarily.

What was I supposed
to care about,

the temporary part
or the art part?

It is lacking a certain
narrative consistency.

Mm-hmm.

We could leave.

Find some...

together.

I just can't fall in love
with someone I work with.

And I know me,
or at least I know me

when this sort
of situation happens,

not that I've been
in this sort of situation,

but I've been
in something where--

It's a smart choice.

See? I was right.

Prince is Johnny Favorite.

He actually knows
who he is.

You really don't understand
that movie.

[gasps]

The fans.

The fans are spinning
when evil is present.

Wow. I see it all now.

[police siren wailing distantly]

[woman] If the Earth were to be
swallowed by a black hole,

it's entire mass
would be reduced

to the size of a quarter.

Everything inside the black hole
is outside our knowledge.

We can theorize that it exists,
but we can never be sure.

We know it is infinite.

[inhales and exhales]

Like breath.

Close your eyes,

and though you may
have heard it many times,

focus on each breath.

Knowing that breath
goes on forever,

count them until you reach
a million.

Then go beyond that
until you reach a billion,

an almost
incomprehensible number.

You never will reach it,
because by the time you do,

you will have stopped counting.

Which is the whole idea.

You good?

You sleep okay?

Absolutely.

Good.

Let's go!

I got a nice shot of penicillin
for anyone who needs it.

- -
- No need for me.
- -
- Yeah, me neither.

Already had one.

What the hell did you run off
to do last night,

check your voicemail?

You don't know
how to have any fun.

- -
- Worked out for me, though.
- -
- Look, I cannot believe

you actually went
and hired a bunch of--

I did nothing of the sort.

That nice lady, Anne,
and her friends

are what is known in the trade
as civilians.

[Chuck laughs]

Where is your mind at, sonny?

Well, I guess my mind

was thinking back
over your history.

Whatever, get me back
to the city,

because you may have
brought me up here

with a plan in your heads,

but I'm the guy
leaving with one now.

Yeah.

This is just what I needed,
and I know just what to do.

So... let's roll.

[engine starts]

I don't mind you
Coming here

Wasting all my time

'Cause when you're standing
Oh, so near

I kinda lose my mind

It's not the perfume
That you wear

It's not the ribbons
In your hair

And I don't mind you
Coming here

And wasting all my time

["Just What I Needed"
by The Cars continues]