All language subtitles for Billions.S07E08.The.Owl.720p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb

And that's why it's my pleasure

to announce my run
as an independent candidate

for president
of the United States.

The open part of the marriage

can't continue
during the campaign.

Let's start with the names
of all your partners

in the last five years.

Bio-inspired
vascular concrete

is able to enzymatically
repair itself.

I'm prepared to purchase
your entire company.

I'm not selling.

Your patent,
everything in this office,

and everything
associated with this work

will now be controlled

by the federal government.

In the timbers of Fennario

The wolves
Are running round

The winter was so hard
And cold

Froze ten feet
'Neath the ground

Don't murder me

I beg of you
Don't murder me

Please don't murder me

I sat down to my supper

'Twas a bottle
Of red whisky

All right!

I said my prayers

And went to bed

That's the last
They saw of me

Don't murder me

I beg of you

Don't murder me

Please don't murder me

When I awoke, the dire wolf

Six hundred pounds of sin

Was grinning at my window

All I said was
"Come on in"

But don't murder me

I beg of you
Don't murder me

Please don't murder me

Thank you.

Dad, uh, the Margaux
has been poured.

The Wellington plated.

Ah, there it is.

Oh... shit.
It's that time of the year?

Damn right.

I'm probably not gonna mix in,

but it makes the trip,
so in case it has to happen,

I'll be ready.

Jesus, that's fecund.

You don't wash your chinstrap.

You also don't throw it
in the Wellington.

Don't exaggerate.
It's next to the Wellington.

Not anymore.

How many years have you been
going up to The Owl?

I don't count that in years.

Fifty-two, though.

Right from the start,

that uncivilized time
had the most civilizing effect.

Even more necessary
in today's world.

Better you than me.

Mm. No, sir.
I can think of no man

that would benefit more
from breathing that rustic air.

I'd be proud
to introduce my son,

the U.S. attorney,
around the encampment.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I am not taking
that particular boat trip

up the Mekong to find Kurtz.

Or to play naked Twister.

Even men who run the world
need to get in touch

with our true
animalistic nature.

And if that means
the occasional nude frolic,

so be it.

I had this singular moment
there once...

with a man.

Au natural, in the forest.

Hmm.

We were cut off from the others

and happened upon a coyote.

A predator.

We stared at each other,
all three of us,

right into each other's souls.

And you know what happened?

You started screaming
like Nancy Allen in Blow Out?

No, Sonny.

We had an experience

the mystics call transcendence.

We became one.

Ah. Oh.

I was the creature.

I was the other man.

- He was me.
- Wow.

And you know what?

I never spoke to that man again,

but when he became president,

I got word that my
tax returns were never,

from then forward...

at risk of audit.

Ah.

And the critter?

Died 16 weeks later.

I was awakened
in my slumber

by a stabbing pain,

and knew it.

Then I went back to sleep
and saw his death

as it happened
from his point of view.

Hmm.

It was... magnificent.

Are you sure it wasn't
just a kidney stone?

The point is,

fleeting moments
in the wild can stick.

We need those moments.

And you can create your own

if you come with me.

This city has just the kind
of wild that does me good.

You go.

I'll stick around and deal
with the coyotes I find here.

I had it.

Right in my sights.

The answer to fix the country.

Ain't fixed yet
far as these eyes can see.

Due to Byzantine
and pointless reasons.

Namely the federal government.

Oh, preaching to the choir.

They're supposed
to help municipalities,

but instead they create
new thickets

- that need to be worked through.
- It's pathetic.

Look at you,
what's got you worked up

like Iverson over practice?

Oh, just self-healing concrete.

So you could build
something once and only once.

Roads, runways, foundations,
you name it.

And let it fix itself
when inevitable cracks appear.

- You clocking this?
- I am.

You make that concrete sound
more self-aware

than Skip Bayless.

Smarter, too.

Well, write me down
for an allotment

of this super concrete.

I'll put a new library
at Clark Atlanta,

put my mom's name on it.

- Where you keeping it at?
- I'm not.

It's wherever
the Pentagon locks up

important private sector stuff
they can't control.

Never has a damned end,
does it?

Well, it will,
starting in 2024

when, as president,
I start peeling back

this B.S. regulation.

- This just became news.
- Yeah.

Mr. Prince, Mike Dimonda
from the Journal.

I couldn't help overhearing
what you were saying,

and I don't think
you mind.

Tara Palmeri, at Puck.

Do you have any color
or background

you want to share
on the incident?

You know what?
To heck with it.

I'm gonna let out my inner
Bomani Jones, speak my mind.

You beat the brush,
and you look and you look,

and finally you find something
that'll help ensure our future.

Some real "leave our children

with something
they can count on" stuff,

only to have Washington goons

and their New York State
and Southern District hooligans

sweep in and make it disappear.

Sound more like Wilbon,
but in the ballpark.

How long are we expected to live

in this Kafkaesque
institutional maze

without a door
known as our government?

My answer: until I'm elected.

And not a minute longer.

Well, are you ready, Ray?

Yeah

How 'bout you, Frank?

Oh, I'm there, baby

How 'bout you, Mikey?

Ready

Well, I think I'm all right

One, two, three, four

Three, two, one
We came to suck

Everybody party
'Til the gasman comes

I know it.

I know this one.

I had it
when we went to Italy

the summer
after sophomore year.

Let's hope this baby
doesn't get up to what we did.

So, what is it, Laurel?

Lindt, 80% dark.

Is this bothering you?

I know it's sort of gross.

- Who's next?
- You gonna go?

Oh, no way.

Someone jump
on the next one.

Oh, fuck, I will.

Can't watch any more of this.
Outside for some air.

Thing of beauty, I tell you.

The coverage
of what I said at Torrisi,

couldn't have written it
better myself.

Sure, but, guys, we can't
be handing out gold stars

for some article
gets us a one-point increase.

Not when we got Nancy Dunlop

burning up the track
ahead of us.

Man, they love the guv.

Her mojo is spreading
far beyond Montana

and the western states now.

She gives liberals a mild hit
of conservative values,

and conservatives a taste
of liberal policies

- they don't gag on.
- How worried do I need to be?

I figure we'll
run her down eventually.

Well, unless she secures
the Democratic nomination

early enough
to really consolidate.

Because with
a centrist like her,

nominated by a major party,

there is no need
for a door number 3.

I'll catch her in the national
before that happens.

You will.

But if she gets the endorsement

of George Pike IV,
you won't.

Getting face time
with Fourth is harder

than following Bernie Mac
at the Apollo.

More upside with Fourth.
If he likes you.

It's hard to predict
which way he'll lean.

He has his reasons.

That's what they say.

Well, his reasons
have him attending The Owl.

Winter Conclave.

No worry about Dunlop
getting to him there.

No female members allowed...

Oh. Wait.

- Yeah.
- Yep.

She just got named
the first woman

to be granted full
membership to The Owl.

Gets her right next to Fourth.

Female guests normally have
to pack their bags at sunset.

Well, sounds like real progress.

I know where you're headed
with this,

and I'm not going.

I can get more done

with moves like last night's.

I hate all that
ninth-generation elitism.

As they instinctively hate

your brand of self-made
billionaire elitism.

It doesn't matter.

You need them.

Governor Dunlop can have my spot

at the standing piss-fest,

or the naked tree hug,

or whatever the heck they do
out there in the woods.

You can't afford that attitude,
or to let her win over Fourth.

With his imprimatur,
backing, and connections,

it'll be checkmate.

I got rich so I don't have
to do crap like this.

I understand by your word choice

how strongly you feel
about this, Mike.

I'm not gonna try to sell you.

You know what's at stake.

Fine, I'll go.

But you two
are coming with me.

Uh, why do we always eat
the smelly food in my office?

Aromatic, not smelly.

No, this is the perfume
of life right here.

Then I say we take it
and atomize your office with it.

Ira, we will all
eat here together.

Besides, it's already
been unpacked.

That's why we're here,
isn't it?

Because of the smelly nonsense
that Prince unpacked at Torrisi.

Couldn't have said it better.

This motherfucker
thinks we've overreached.

We haven't even
reached around yet.

I'm thinking Martin Act.

Subpoena everyone on suspicion.

No, that would seem political.

Don't box me out.

Like Governor Dunlop
boxing Prince out,

if we were boxing you out,
which we are not.

- But it's true about Dunlop.
- Yeah.

If she consolidates
the pro-business,

commonsense center
in this election,

it'd pretty much eliminate
any real chance

Prince has of winning.

And then we could really
do our thing,

in the usual course of time.

Wait him out.

Like Trautman
said to Will Teasle:

Stop the fight, let him escape,
pick him up a few towns over.

Dunlop hasn't gotten
the official endorsement

and Super PAC commitment
from George Pike IV yet.

That's the domino.

Well, Dunlop and Fourth

will both be at
the Winter Conclave of The Owl.

Shit.

Twice in the span
of 24 hours.

What gives?

Step aside. I'll come in.

I'll cede the space

when the tone of the visit
is established.

Dad, I brought you a gift.

- And what's this?
- It's for your trip.

It's peccary cork. Deerskin.

Can't have you
ripping your hands

when you're chopping wood.

They will be useful.

So now, may I be granted
full entrée?

Actually, Dad,
I've been thinking about

what you were saying.

And, more crucially,

about the chance
to see you in your element,

be there with you.

Father and son, together.

Well, you should've
used the ears

more than the mouth
the first time.

It's too late now.

I gave your bunk away
to Ham Stevenson.

Oh, come on.
He'll get over it.

I'm coming.

And Ira's coming too.

Well, Ham can cram in with Woof.

Or the Highlanders, I suppose.

We leave at 0700, Sonny.

Be neither late
nor in a foul mood.

And dress like a gentleman
who's ready

to throw all those niceties
aside at a moment's.

Absolutely.

Lucky break.

A few of the Jaguars
aren't going to come,

so we got their cabin
and the others will disperse.

And we'll be right next
to Wee-Wah.

Wee-Wah.

Fantastic.

It is, because
it's Fourth Pike's cabin.

He usually hosts
a second night fireside,

and an invite means direct--

What's wrong?

A friend was climbing Makalu
as a tune-up for Everest,

and there was an accident.

They took an alternate route
because of weather,

and now they're injured
and socked in.

That sounds rough.
Is it Lynne?

Can she turn her beacon on so
rescue teams can get her down?

Can't do that.

The alternate route may have
been over the border in China.

Is. Is in China.

No beacon.

It has to be a private rescue.

Extra rough.

This just got hot-button.

Now, any engagement with China
just sets us up to get crushed

by some segment
of our potential voters.

Oh, and the current
government, of course.

You sure she can't make it down
or be reached by other climbers?

If it gets truly dire,
of course we'll step up.

But I-I can't send
rescue choppers

every time a climbing buddy
of yours gets socked in.

I am aware of
the situation-relevant concerns

of your life right now,

and I wouldn't be asking

if this was just
some climbing buddy.

It's not Lynne.

Who is it?

Derek.

Ah, Derek.

Good old Derek.

I bet he was on that list
on your phone, wasn't he?

Mike...

he's gonna die up there
if we don't help him.

Scooter, I need you
to reach Craig at Tiger Team.

We need an exfil group detached
to the Himalayas, ASAP.

And it needs to be
an invisible op.

Budget's unlimited.

Throw full resources
behind this.

Get with Andy for details,

and the climber's sat-phone
for coordinates.

Again, invisible.

Thank you.

Don't even.

- You don't need to.
- No, no.

When a man
does the right thing

despite potentially
disastrous consequences

to his own life's dream,
there's nothing to add,

except how he must be
a hell of a--

Ooh!

Is it a toys kind of night?

This is not that trunk.

But also...

it is a night for play.

- What then?
- Open it.

Wags?

It's just...

something did happen to me

when your friends were
doing that, and I thought--

Wait.

You were turned on?

No, no.

You were not turned on
by their faces in shit.

It wasn't shit.

It just looked like shit.

But it was--

Stop saying words
out of your mouth.

I love breathing
the same country air

that Goldwater did.

Cozy up
to Dunlop and Fourth,

sprinkle some rose petals
between them.

Help them cozy up.
That's the thinking.

And keep anyone else
away from Fourth.

He's here?

Well, that's fucking great.

It really is.

Father-son bonding time,
my leathery ass.

You're here
because your target is.

Pure chance, Charles.

Yeah. Yeah, it's kismet.

Just remember,
it's nesting owls only.

Uh-huh.

You're meant to come away

from every conversation
a better man for it.

And the rule is,
there's no business done.

And that goes doubly

for getting involved
in other people's business.

Of course, naturally.

Wouldn't have it any other way.

Hello, boys.

Are you cold?

Some of you seem cold.

Saw a few of you, uh,
answering the call

in the trees back there.

They were definitely cold.

Let's go.

Well!

It's a new fucking day,
isn't it?

Try and hide your enthusiasm.

See you at the bar.

Um...

there are a couple of sinks
in the bathroom.

- Nothing else.
- Of course.

Pick a tree.

Otherwise, it's
outhouses only up here,

the way Corny Vanderbilt
and Jake Astor intended.

And this is the smallest,

rustiest cot
this side of summer camp.

Don't you worry
about a thing, sugar.

You're gonna be sleeping

like a fucking Cub Scout
in a coma.

How ya doing, guys?

Happy to see you.
Happy to see me, Chuckles?

I'm elated.

All right.

Let's have some fun.

I'm ready to get in touch
with my natural side,

Dr. Alex Comfort style.

A little cuissade, nnh!

A little postillionage, nnh.
Right?

And with that,
the revelry commences.

Doc, you do know this is
dudes only, with one exception.

Oh, shit, boner killer.

I thought that was
to fool the public,

but now that we're up here in
the middle of fuckin' nowhere,

they'd bring the birds in
by the busload.

Not that kind of encampment.

Oh, is that so?

It isn't?

Fine.

Members with old-guard
status, like me,

can do that at their discretion,
cabin by cabin.

But I didn't order any,
out of respect

for my upright son

and his faithful friend.

And for that,
I thank you, Dad.

Still happy to see me?

Yeah, I'm fucking elated.

Situation's complicated,

but the team
in an unmarked helicopter

are in place on the Nepal side
of the border.

We'll go for the rescue
at first light.

Green-light is
weather dependent, of course.

Got it. Please brief Andy
as soon as you can.

I know if it can be done,
you guys are the ones to do it.

That's not bad news.

I wish you'd have pointed out

the level of problem
if they're caught.

Their standard
mission imperative

is operational silence
before, during, and after.

They won't get caught.

Well, good news is,
if they do, we can leave here.

Why's that?

Because the campaign
will be over.

Right? Right?

Yes.

Here, drink this.
It's called a Headache.

Taught the barman
how to make it.

It'll give you
the opposite for now.

Have you conversated
with Fourth yet?

He's still en route.

That man operates
on his own timeline.

He has his reasons.

Uh, that's what they say
about him, yep.

He's a tough nut to crack.

Just so you know.
Especially for you.

Huh. Cracking tough nuts
is my specialty.

Need me to prove it to you?

I didn't mean, uh--

Oh, I know
what you didn't mean.

Feathers of the fathers.
Hoot-hoot.

Hoot-hoot.

Hello, Governor.

Mike Prince.
Have one with me.

A drink before the war.

And the fireside.

If we get invited.

Oh. One of us fucking will.

How about a whiskey ditch?

- Whiskey ditch for the man.
- Coming right up.

A whiskey ditch it is.

Thank you, Justin.

Feathers of the fathers.

Hoot-hoot.

Is that your thing?

You won't fake it?

Won't give in to it?

Make yourself feel like

you haven't sold out who you are

just to get in
with the old guard?

'Cause if you're going up
against me,

that shit will look pale
as Winona Ryder in the '90s.

Mm.

- Hoot-hoot!
- Hoot-hoot!

Ah. Two more.

Game on.

Yep.

I hate to be rude,

but I don't know why
Mike called you in.

This is a briefing,
not a therapy session.

He called me in
as a support.

And in the case of you
becoming heavily emotional,

to ensure that you get
all the information you need.

Heavily emotional.
Is that what you think I am?

I think you must
be quite wonderful,

for you to hold the place
in Mike's life that you do.

Don't do that.

Try and fucking disarm me.

This is
a high-stress situation.

We don't need to talk.
We can just sit quietly until--

It's Andy and...?

- Uh, Wendy Rhoades.
- I'm gonna give you

what's called a "sit rep,"
just a breakdown

of the tactical situation
in the area.

The purpose of it is to get us
all on the same page.

Craig, quick redirect.

Uh, we're all good
on the basics.

We know who you are,
what a sit rep is.

We're all caught up.

What I need are the facts,

precise and unadorned.

Please don't spare my feelings.

Roger that.
We looked into the possibility

of getting men up
onto the climbing route

that the subject
took in from Nepal.

Also dropping men into China

to come in from the other side,
which would be faster.

But there are leg injury issues
and frostbitten feet,

so it's unclear
if the subject can walk,

much less climb,
once we reach him.

So the only
remaining alternative is--

- Helo extraction.
- Correct,

which requires
perfect conditions

and is also a much higher risk
of being detected.

When can you do it?
He's in trouble up there.

He's got no food.
Just some tea and energy bars.

Low fuel for his stove.

He's tough...

but he won't last much longer.

We're looking
at our weather windows now.

Will advise when it's a go.

Is there anything we can do
in the meantime?

We have to wait
till it's clear.

At that point,
we'll move in,

high speed and low drag.

But right now,
we can't risk anything

to make our
circumstances worse.

- Right.
- We'll advise when we can.

- Thanks, Craig. We'll talk soon.
- Out.

If there's anything
at any point

you want to offload emotionally...

I won't.

Still, the offer's out there.

And it's genuine.

You don't look good.

Suddenly, she was looking at me
the way I imagine a coed

must've looked at Ted Bundy

the moment he revealed
what he really was.

It's a lot to spring
on someone, Wagsy.

But she brought me
to see it first.

That's what's so unfair.

She brought you to celebrate
the upcoming birth

of her friend's child.

They were playing
their reindeer games,

and you decided you wanted
to fuck the reindeer.

You are not
supposed to judge.

I'm not judging.
I'm getting inside her head,

showing you why
she looked at you that way.

And I did not want
to fuck the reindeer.

Okay, I did.

I absolutely did.

But I wasn't going to.

I just...

There was something...

so completely degrading
about it.

So totally...

The abandon with which
they went after it?

Good God.

That desire.

So dirty,

but ultimately so sweet.

And you wanted that abandon
from Chelz...

which would bring it out in you.

Is that a crime?

I'm not the only one thinking
this seems incredibly sexual,

yet in a disgusting way, am I?

No. No, you're not.

So, I've been hustling
some newer, richer clients.

Bonding with some
of those fellas,

and they invited me over

to party with
their lady friends later.

Which cabin?

Fiddlestix.

You know those fellas chair
the Federal Reserve

in several cities
going back generations.

That so?

Doesn't mean they don't need
their cocks straightened out.

Who will be the next to venture

into the Indian
leg wrestling pit?

They still call it that. Unbelievable.

It's a tradition,
you child.

He's right,
it's as inappropriate

as the tomahawk chop
at a ballgame.

Do me a favor, try not
to embarrass yourselves.

- Okay.
- I got to get in there.

Why?

Like I said, man. Clients.

It'll garner me some cred.

Who will be the next
modern-day Theogenes?

May I?

Well, you'll need it.

And it'll be fun
to see it in action

in a firebrand
in my own tradition.

Hold my nuts.

- I'm up.
- Oh!

Who dares?

This is an NFW, right?

-"No fucking way"?
- Close. "No friggin' win."

Word of participating
in this travels, forget it.

Not so sure.

Strange things
move these people.

Who dares?

I dare.

Oh, shit, sister.

This just turned into
a classic lose-lose for me.

- I don't know if I--
- Oh, stop it. Don't be a bore.

All right. It's your funeral,
sweetie cakes.

Oh, make that
Governor Sweetie Cakes.

This is gonna be a massacre
for you, baby.

- Let's do this.
- Let's do this, then.

All right.

I cramped up,
or I would have had you.

Oh, in your fucking dreams.

Come on, here you go.

Fierce.

I'm not taking winners.

Motherfucker.

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Oh, I'll say this
in your favor.

At least you don't seem
to be enjoying it here.

It's in your favor
that you noticed that.

Yes, these are not the people
I'm running to serve, Chuck.

I'm glad you know it.

Well, the thing of it is,
you can't choose.

No one can.

I have to feel I'm pushing
against the great wheel

for a good and earnest reason.

Well, second thing I can say
on your behalf:

you do put in the work.

You, too, Rhoades.

Don't think it isn't apparent
what sets you apart

from all these third-
and fourth-generation gliders.

Surely you look at me
the same way.

I do come from money.

As I didn't.

But neither of us
let it define us.

And both of us put
ourselves in positions

where it's entirely
up to us whether or not

we're looked upon
as successes or failures.

You ever wonder
why we have to keep doing it?

Whatever happened
back before memory,

that's what drives us.

From there, all we can do
is make the best of it.

We can't stop.

Yeah, but what if you did?

What if you decided
it was enough

to rule the part of the world
you already do?

Wouldn't that make you
like me more, Chuck?

I just see
where this goes from here.

People without self-doubt

should never put themselves

in a position of complete power.

They're the only ones
who should rule,

because the other people
let self-doubt rule them,

inviting second-guessing,
inviting hesitation.

That would never be me.

Unfortunately that is why,

even as I have enjoyed
this talk...

even as I know under different
circumstances and conditions,

men with our ability to take in,
synthesize, and use information

might have been more like
brothers than enemies...

Yes, it's true.

But as much as I, too,
enjoyed talking to you,

in the end, we were both
just pissing in the wind.

Thank you for meeting me, Governor.

Oh, the secret note under
the pillow was a fun touch.

I couldn't turn it down.

Though, as junior
cabin members tasked

with picking up
the continental breakfast,

you would've
run into me anyway.

When my father heard

that I wanted
to meet with you privately,

he volunteered that he'd
had a past assignation

with a cleaning woman
who could place the note.

It seemed too cruel to deny him
the joy of participating.

This place, that cabin.

- Ah.
- They make it so mysterious

and impossible to get in.

What they leave out is all
the snoring and farting.

- And I'm just talking about me.
- Well,

you're just trying to fit in.

Mm, I decided to do the thing,
so I'm doing it.

Is there a topic
we're kicking around

this fine morning?

You are my beau ideal

of a presidential candidate.

I want to talk about
how I can help you secure it.

I prefer my support
come from heartier stock.

You didn't even wrestle.

Support from the wuss quadrant

works against me
in my part of the country.

But I know this is really
about being against Mike Prince

more than for me.

- Does that matter?
- Yeah.

You come out public for me

and then go tepid
when I overtake Prince,

and it looks like
I lost something.

Yeah.

Smart. I admit.

So maybe I do my work
under the radar, then.

- Are you talking about Fourth?
- I am.

I have made a career out of
winning the ear of powerful men

and making them see the world
the way I see it.

I get the value
in what you're offering.

So you get face time
with Fourth,

and you then can say

that I'm the number one
pick in this draft.

Appreciate this.

Let's talk again before
this Montana mudslide is over.

Don't forget your basket.

Oh.

- Welcome.
- Hey.

Hey, George.

How you doing, Fourth?

- Great to see you again.
- Fourth.

You know, that moniker
was first hung on me right here,

when I was 8 years old.

Billy Graham needed help
making s'mores.

He called out "George Pike!"

And the three of us
all answered at once.

Well, I'd love to find a time
to toast some together and talk.

Maybe tonight.

We will.

Yeah?

Tiger Team on the ground says

there's storm activity.

Shit.

Yes. It's a delay.

But in 12 to 14 hours,
when it clears,

they'll make their move.

Twelve hours
is ten fucking years.

Don't give in to that.

These are professionals.
Hold on to that instead.

Thank you.

It's happening.

Tonight after dinner.

Invitation to Fourth's
firepit talk.

Heck yes. Me alone?

Dunlop will be given
the floor too.

- Damn.
- All right, let's run scenarios.

She's gonna be coming into this
just as prepared as I am.

She is on fire today.

What's my angle here?

What makes me
the better candidate?

Go for action over all else.

Whatever you're doing
or suggesting,

hell, whatever
you're drinking,

make it anything
other than weak.

We come here,

because to come here
once a summer just--

It's not enough.

We come here to reconnect

with nature,
our old friends.

Ourselves.

And our values.

To remember and refocus

what makes this country,

even in times of difficulty,

the greatest the world
has ever known.

And we come here

to listen to new voices

so that they may lead us on
to even more greatness.

You know,
Jack used to come here.

And Bobby.

Their father. My father.

I remember, as a boy,

I was sitting in front
of this fire

next to the president.

And it was that winter
right after

the Berlin Crisis
was just calming down.

And I heard him talk through

his decision tree.

Everyone talks about
the Cuban Missile Crisis,

but the Berlin '61 standoff

was closer to nuclear war.

Yeah. That's very true.
Very true.

No easy decision
for even the best of minds.

Khrushchev was threatening
to take over West Berlin,

and JFK was very seriously considering

a nuclear strike
to stop him.

We owe your father
a debt of thanks

for his counsel
in preventing that.

Kick ass at conventional
warfare, sure,

but the most important actions
a president can take

are those that assure that
no nuclear weapon is ever fired

by the United States

or any other country, ever.

Otherwise, it's end of the rodeo

and fini la comédie.

Well, that's a very
sensible approach, Governor.

And there's no doubt
the go/no go,

fire/no fire, it's...

...it's the only one
that really matters.

Hmm.

No nukes.

Let's have a concert.
Chant it out.

Most times--
hell, most all the time--

that's right.

What distinction
are you making, Mike?

It's not '61 anymore.

This isn't about
slicing off a piece

of a Central European nation.

There are events
in the world today

that can turn existential
so quickly

that every option needs
to be credibly on the table.

So am I to understand
that you are actually suggesting

that there are
first-strike strategies

that you see as plausible?

If a hostile nation-state
were going to initiate,

if we knew
they had plans to launch...

I would be open
to launching first

in order to shut them down.

To save further carnage.

And how would you
be so sure?

I'd have to be convinced
it was the only course.

But that's what the people would
be putting me there to judge.

No decision more important
than go/no go, as you said.

Even if it may mean the end
of the world as we know it.

Well, if you were making
the decision and you hesitated,

then yes, it would be
the end of the world.

But I would act only
and because it would save

as much of the world
as it was possible to save,

because the threat
would be extinguished.

Well, that is a nuance
few are brave enough to voice

in our current
nanny-state climate.

She waffled on nukes
and slipped.

Well, we should talk more,

much more about this.

We should wade
into the finer points

and the mechanics
of the thought processes.

But the core principle
that we must all agree on

is strength of nation.

Mm-hmm.

Declaration of loyalties.

We have to make sure

that you or this country
is never bought.

It's never bribed.

And it's never blackmailed.

Hundred percent
with you there.

My husband and I have pledged

to clear out all
possible conflicts

the moment I am named
as a candidate.

Yeah, I already have.

We're repatriating all funds.

Mine and the firm's.
Not just from hot zones.

All foreign investments
are to be liquidated

and pulled back onshore.

- All of it?
- It's suicidal.

We'll be burning money.

I expect you to get me
market prices.

You already went domestic
with your entire portfolio,

business and personal,
in advance?

Every dang penny.

Well.

This has been illuminating.

Huh!

I will see you all

at the sing-along later, huh?

Pleasure.

Thank you.

Ah, U.S. Attorney Rhoades.

I like to chamois my ball
once a season,

even if I don't roll it.

Just keep it tip-top.

Well, illuminating discussion
back there.

I like to let people
define themselves, you know,

on their own terms.

To gauge where they stand.

Ah. And where do you stand?

I stand behind my convictions.

Always.

Okay.

Well, I see that you won't
say it, so I will:

- That was lunacy.
- Hmm?

I came up to this place
for the express purpose

of finding you and telling you
that Mike Prince was unfit.

But watching that,
I immediately knew,

"No need. Fourth has to know.
He told you himself."

That was utter lunacy.

Well, if I felt that,
I would have said it.

You're not actually thinking
of supporting a candidate

with those notions.

- You can't be.
- You know, I'm thinking

that you're harboring
loony notions.

Antiquated ones
about good and bad,

from a time when things
were simple and clear.

Well, let me tell you,

that never existed.

Hmm.

It was never simple.

Never clear.

And certainly not
in these woods here.

Wow.

Tough to be clear when
everyone's bombed and busy

playing naked paddy wagon
all the time.

You know, we are in a literal
dogfight at the moment

for the soul
of our country.

Our history is being
steered and written

by big men with agendas.

Not the populace,
not the rule of law,

and certainly not the voters.

It always has been.

I would have thought
recent events

might have taught you that,

and hoped your stay
at The Owl had.

You know, you
and people like you,

stewards of our codes
and statutes,

you're not
without utility.

But the ones I have in mind,

they create,

they dictate,

and they legislate
beyond the courts.

And you, you tend
to your patch of lawn

with your push mower.

But people like Mike Prince,

they ride combines
right into the horizon.

- Hi.
- Hi.

This for real?

Wendy came to visit me.

And that led to this?

She doesn't get paid enough.

Let's get started!

I get it. I get you.

It feels so obvious,

I'm surprised
I didn't catch it before.

Catch what?

Wendy says it's a play
on coprophagia.

It's all about debasement

and feelings of being
unworthy, grotesque,

and then needing
to be loved anyway.

And for you,

love needs to be
expressed sexually,

with that kind of abandon,

almost as if
I am absolutely

out of control with lust.

That I love you so much

that even your shit
tastes like chocolate to me.

Because your shit is you.

And I love you.

Fuck.

That explanation
just took me from javelin

to overcooked macaroni noodle.

What?

Nothing ruins
a magic trick more

than knowing how it works.

You're out of here.

I figured that was your chopper
I heard touching down.

This was a beginning for us.

A strong one.

I'll reach out to you
through your office,

and we'll set up a series
of meetings, introductions.

Good. I can't wait to start
exploring a relationship.

Yes, but before we do,

you need to solve
your marital issues quickly

and get that climber down

without putting a sharp stick
in the Chinese's eyes...

or bending over to them.

Fourth is out.
Let's bounce.

Hallelujah.

You got him.
You fucking got him.

With one small wrinkle.

You have eyes on them?

Yes, thank fucking God.

I see a helicopter coming in.

Let's get you home.

I see something else.

Wait.

Derek, what do you see?

Bogey, bogey.
We were running clean.

- Did he turn on his beacon?
- No.

We have Chinese military
in the area.

They are right on top of us.

This is turning
into a soup sandwich.

How the hell'd
they'd get a lock?

Abort, abort. Sorry,
chief, I'm bugging out.

Look out!

Look out!

Shit.

Derek?

Can you hear me, Derek?

I'm sorry, Andy.

- They can still--
- We have to assume he's alive,

but in Chinese custody.

You leave now,
you'll miss the best part.

I'll get over it.

Your buddy Ham
can take my bunk now.

Ah, you're fair-weather Owls.

- Not Owls to the end.
- Hmm.

To hell with you.
Both of you.

Our country is wounded,
gutted, and bleeding.

And Prince is minted,

and we don't have a single
legal move to make.

He still has
the hardest part ahead.

Maybe he'll stumble.

Maybe he won't even
make it to the general.

Never underestimate the man
who overestimates himself.

Meanwhile, we leave
empty-handed.

We leave with nothing.

Not nothing.

We still have the splinters
in our asses from the outhouse.

We'll always have those.

Indeed we do, my friend.

And no one can
take that away from us.

Not without
some fine-point tweezers.

The arrow on the doorpost

Saying "This land is condemned"

"All the way
From New Orleans"

"To Jerusalem"

I traveled
Through East Texas

I've been tossing this whole
thing around in my head

over and over.

Tiger Team is the best.

You said they're the best.
Everyone does.

The phone was secure.
The beacon was off.

Did you...

You didn't tip it, did you?

How did it go bad
if you didn't?

You wanted him
off the mountain.

He's off the damn mountain.

The stars above

The barren trees

Was his only audience

Them charcoal gypsy maidens

Can strut
Their feathers well

But nobody

Can sing the blues

Like Blind Willie McTell

See them big plantations Burning

Hear the cracking
Of the whips

Smell that sweet magnolia Blooming

See the ghosts
Of slavery ships

I can hear them tribes Moaning

Hear that undertaker's bell

Nobody can sing the blues

Like Blind Willie McTell

There's a woman
By the river

With some fine young
Handsome man

He's dressed up
Like a squire