Original subtitles

I became a reporter

because I wanted to see the country.

I wanted to soak up the local culture

and savor the regional cuisine.

I wanted to meet interesting,

salt-of-the-earth people

and talk to them about our delicate

and beleaguered democracy.

I wanted to join the circus,

to live everywhere and nowhere all at once.

But the thing about being the type of person

who runs away

is that in the end,

that thing you're running from,

it always ends up catching up with you.

And where are you now?

Uh, Wyoming.

Um, wait, Colorado.

Um, no, I'm sorry.

I might be in Montana.

We're rolling into Super Tuesday,

and shit has been a little crazy.

I've been in 26 cities

and 14 states in five days.

So wherever I am, I will not be here very long,

so I don't really have time for medical procedures

or waiting rooms or...

But you'll be in California by Monday

to receive the pills?

Yes. Uh, wait.

Yes.

Well, it looks like you qualify

for a medication abortion.

As you're under ten weeks, you're within the window.

So how long will I be out of commission?

Plan for about 24 to 48 hours of downtime.

You'll want to be somewhere comfortable

with access to a toilet, shower,

ibuprofen, and menstrual pads for at least 24 hours.

Would a souped-up Greyhound with shoddy Wi-Fi work?

Sadie, you've got a lot going on right now.

You may want to give yourself a mental break.

Felicity Walker is tied in the polls,

and Super Tuesday is right around the corner.

This is not exactly the time for a nap, doctor.

But I hear you.

Our online pharmacy will review the prescription

and reach out within 24 hours

to confirm the delivery address.

If you have any questions, I'm here.

I appreciate it.

Thank you so much, Dr. Collins.

Thank you.

Men don't take personal calls

in the middle of breaking a huge story.

They also don't get pregnant.

Mm.

What the fuck?

Behind door number one, a shit ton of information

on Novak's nonprofit.

- 501(c)(3) filings... - Uh...

Balance sheets, a top secret internal audit

conducted by Simpson Thacher and Bartlett,

showing Felicity Walker's deep ties to his charity.

Did you hack Ronan Farrow's frontal lobe?

How did you get all of this?

Behind door number two,

everything I could dig up on Novak's personal life.

Now, what do you have for me

on our recently unemployed videographer, Missy Monroe?

Right.

Wow, look at these.

A lot.

Here. This is... oh, I just had it.

Oh, here it is.

Um...

mm-hmm.

I mean, I know it doesn't look like much,

mainly because it isn't.

What the hell have you been doing all this time?

We're never in one place long enough

for me to do any real reporting.

And if you must know, I've been trying

to get a fucking abortion, which has become

way more difficult than it should be.

Thank you, voters of Wisconsin.

- Fuck. - Indeed.

- Is it... - Yeah.

Although I appreciate you thinking

my sex life is better than it is.

- And does he... - Know? No.

- But you are... - Totally fine.

You're sure?

I had more doubts about the hot tub

at that motel in Appalachia.

My agony is not whether I should do it, it's how.

But I finally talked to my doctor,

and the pills are en route to California,

so... we are good.

Good.

So is this a hug moment, or...

This... I'm sorry.

This is a "let's get to work" moment.

- Let's... - Thank God.

But, you know, whatever you need,

I'm here.

Thanks.

Hey, I was just about to call you.

Hey, you busy?

I just need, like, 20 more minutes.

Well, I only need two.

You okay?

No, I'm not.

I miss you.

I miss you too.

It's just been crazy, you know?

Super Tuesday...

Then it'll be the convention

and then the general election.

We got married.

I know we got married.

Yeah, it doesn't feel like it!

I scheduled us an appointment with a couples therapist.

I talked to Gary about our schedule,

and we found a window.

Tomorrow morning for a Zoom.

Are you saying that Gary knew about our therapy

before I did?

Don't worry. Don't worry. I didn't give him any details.

I talk to Gary more than I talk to you,

which is why we need couples therapy.

I'll make it work.

Look, I gotta take this, but I will see you tomorrow.

I promise.

Yeah.

I love you.

Love you too.

This is Kimberlyn.

Hey, Kimberlyn. It's...

I know who this is.

What do you have to spin me on this fine day?

Actually, nothing.

I have a headache. Or a tumor.

Look, I just need five minutes of your time.

- I'm listening. - Not right now, okay?

We're wheels up in a few hours.

I'm in back-to-back radio hits until 9:00 tonight,

unless the tumor kills me first.

I'll text you after. Okay.

Okay.

Hmm.

It looks like Walker's going all in to win California.

We're flying to San Francisco for a GOTV rally.

I figured I'd peel off and talk to Missy then.

Missy?

The videographer Walker fired?

Do you even want this story?

I'm not even convinced there is a story.

I mean, you have a burner phone that hasn't rung

in, what, how many days?

Fuck the phone. I have Missy.

Yeah, well it's a phone that led you to Missy.

So who said it, and will they go on record?

I am working on it.

Jesus, Sadie.

You have to at least know who's feeding you this stuff.

Am I approved or not?

Book the fucking flight.

Oh, and Sadie,

there are worse things than getting scooped.

Yeah, I know.

Maman, did you give her the pacifier again?

She was crying. She likes it.

Mom?

Lola!

What the fuck is this?

Hey, watch your mouth.

Did you guys think I wouldn't find out?

You think I'm fucking stupid or something?

Hey, no one thinks you're stupid.

We just assumed you knew. What's so wrong?

Please calm down, azizam.

What's going on? Why is everyone shouting?

This is my life, not yours!

If I wanted to be part of that article,

I would have agreed to it when the writer asked me

to sit down with them three months ago.

I said no!

You haven't called us back in weeks,

and you barely text, so how would we have known?

I'm working, Lily!

Do you know what that's like? No.

For Dad, nepo baby.

If I knew you would be so upset,

I would have never done the interview.

All she said was that you were brave and strong.

It's nothing that hasn't been said 100 times.

A million years ago.

I don't want to be a poster child for death anymore.

Do you get that?

I've changed.

I've moved on from this.

And you guys need to move the fuck on too.

I don't see how this is gonna work.

It's a little awkward,

but I'm sure we can push through it.

Kimberlyn, maybe you want to go first.

Okay.

I mean, obviously, this isn't

the ideal way to start a marriage.

Most couples would be on their honeymoon right now,

and we're, you know...

- Apart. - Yeah.

But also, it's not like he didn't know

that this was how it was gonna be.

I feel like he's mad at me for doing my job.

Eric, is that true? Are you mad?

Eric.

No. No, no. I'm not mad. I just...

Shit.

Okay, so...

Last week, I was out with the fellas.

You and I had a phone date, and you didn't show,

not that that's an excuse.

An excuse for what?

What are you talking about?

We went to a bar, and...

Brianna was there.

- Brianna. - Now before you freak out...

Oh, my God. Did you fuck Brianna?

No!

Okay, let's just take a beat.

We kissed at the bar.

I was drunk.

It was stupid.

So that's what this is all about?

We're paying this woman $500 an hour,

and you're making me late to the motorcade

so that you can tell me you hooked up

with your ex-fucking-girlfriend?

Well, I knew if I called you and told you on the phone,

you'd just hang up on me. I don't know how else to...

How does this work?

What are you gonna do with this?

Well, right now, I'm just here to listen to your story.

So I understand that you received

a scholarship from Blaine Novak's foundation

three years ago.

Is that how you met him?

Blaine was a guest speaker at one of our events.

That's when he first came up to me.

He said I had a lot of great ideas.

He loved this app I was working on.

He was really supportive and charming.

Maybe I was flirting. I don't know.

But we hung out a few more times,

and he got this idea.

I said I'd be into it,

but I didn't really get what "it" was.

And then it felt too late to take it back.

But it only happened once

because it kind of grossed me out, to be honest.

I'm sorry, Missy, I know this might be difficult,

but I...

I need you to tell me what "it" was.

Puppy play?

What the fuck is that?

Anyone seen Sadie?

Nope.

Yeah, this is the third stop this week

- the paper-of-record has missed. - Second.

She's not doing much recording.

- Has Walker gone on yet? - Not yet.

Where is Gary?

Here. I'm here. Hi.

Okay, hey, has everybody forgotten

that we are the goddamn frontrunner right now, okay?

So can you all just, you know, get your shit together, please?

Yeah.

No.

You show up late tonight, I go with someone else.

That said, I may be late.

Okay, let's look alive.

Late for what? What's he giving you?

How should I know?

Gary, let's go.

He gets a leash slapped on and calls it "puppy play"?

Blaine Novak's words, not mine.

The saint of Silicon Valley recruited girls for his kink

via his feminist charity?

The "New York Post" headlines write themselves.

"Dogged by Scandal."

Well, now it's Missy's word against his, so...

- "In the Doghouse." - They will destroy her and us.

We will find more women.

I have no doubt he did.

Yeah.

Why aren't you happier about this?

Christmas came early. We have a story.

We have Blaine Novak's story. Maybe.

But there's still no connection to Walker,

no proof that she knew.

Look, your source told you to follow her money.

You dig into donors.

The next thing we know, Missy is fired.

The campaign brings on a law firm

and Benji fucking Newman,

who hasn't spun me this hard

since Bill de Blasio dropped a groundhog.

We have got the story.

I know.

And even if Walker didn't know,

someone close to her did.

It's enough.

Maybe, or maybe Missy got fired

'cause she's a shitty videographer,

and this is all one big fucking coincidence.

Fair.

Okay, this one's yours.

What does your gut say?

Just close your eyes.

Yeah.

Feel it.

Hear it.

We need more sources.

I need to find out who sent me that fucking phone.

Oh, my God, Kimberlyn Kendrick!

You're my favorite!

Where do they love Liberty Direct News more?

This bar or a Bass Pro Shop?

Tough call.

What do you got for me?

Mm.

- No small talk? - Not without a drink.

And I don't drink until I'm off the clock, so...

Okay, we want to give you Walker's first interview after Super Tuesday.

The campaign must be feeling pretty cocky

already targeting Republicans and Independents

so early in the game.

You got your eyes on the general.

Okay.

- Work part over? - That's all I got.

Basil Hayden on the rocks, and keep 'em coming.

Just, like... who actually says that?

I said it.

You know, the true crime is mass incarceration.

The U.S. has the highest prison population

with over 2 million people incarcerated.

That obliterates Black and brown communities.

We need to focus on the root causes

like racism and economic inequality.

That's how we fix our broken criminal justice system.

Yes.

What about defunding the police?

So that movement was born out of protests

at a time when violent crime was on the decline.

But now violent crime is increasing in major cities,

which means we need to pivot.

- We need to ensure... - Pivot?

Both the safety of our communities...

What the fuck?

And our hardworking men and women in uniform.

That sounds like some Blue Lives Matter bullshit.

Lola, thank you for coming.

You see, it's that kind of reductive

and divisive language that got us here.

No.

It was Michael Brown and Tamir Rice

and Eric Garner and George Floyd

being murdered that got us here.

Sorry, everyone. Let's just give this a moment.

Are you fucking serious?

Oh, my God.

You are just like the rest of them,

talking out of both sides of your mouth

but saying nothing and doing nothing.

You have everybody fooled.

- Don't listen to her. - All right, let's go.

Don't touch me.

Don't fucking touch me, dickass!

Hey!

You know how some people do this job

for, like, their whole lives?

How would they do that?

God, I have no idea.

It's just... isn't it too hard?

- It is very fucking hard. - It's so hard.

But you're great at it, so...

Oh, no, I am a fucking beast at the job.

It's the personal life stuff that I'm struggling with.

Oh, yeah.

You mean balance.

Yeah, that one's tough.

But what are you talking about?

You're ahead of the game there too.

Didn't you just get married?

I did.

Thank you.

I did.

Going that well, huh?

Do you have, like,

a girlfriend or something back home?

- Me? - Yeah.

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

You know, I'm all out on this limb right now.

No time for distractions.

That sounds nice.

Just to be able to focus on one thing.

I wish I could do that.

Hmm.

See, and here I thought it'd be nice

to have someone to call at the end of every shitty day.

I miss that.

Hey, but you know,

if things do not work out with your husband,

there is always that guy.

Oh, you know the Secret Service guys'

campaign motto, right?

"Wheels up, rings off."

Oh, charming.

- Thanks for the chat. - Yeah, any time.

Oh, God. Okay.

No.

What are you doing here? I'm about to head out.

Okay, Maman's sorry. We're all so sorry.

Can I come in, please? I have to pee.

You came all the way here to tell me you're sorry?

You flew all the way home to attack us?

I flew here with the campaign.

I go where they go. And I did not attack you.

Okay, that's not the point.

If I thought this was good for you, then I...

If you thought what was good for me?

This job, or whatever it is you're doing.

To be honest, we don't have any idea

what you're doing anymore, and we are worried about you.

Okay, like, you call Dad asking for money.

Oh, my God, I told him never mind.

You're screaming at your family.

You're screaming at politicians on social media.

You... you seem...

What? What do I seem?

Lost, Lola.

You seem really lost, and...

I know you hate to admit when you don't know

what you're doing, but come on.

Obviously, you don't.

Fuck you.

Okay, you're not supposed to know what you're doing.

You're 24 years old.

You're still figuring things out.

But if this isn't the path,

then maybe it's time to come home.

Just be with the people who love you.

I have people here that love me.

And they get me better than you ever did.

I'm seeing the country.

I'm helping America pick the next president.

You're just fucking jealous!

You're all jealous. It's really pathetic.

I booked you an open plane ticket.

In case you change your mind.

- Yo. - Yo.

I need a hookup in San Francisco.

Go ahead.

Missy told me everything.

She agreed to go on background, and...

and thanks to her tip,

I nailed the source from the burner phone.

Declan Morales,

private investigator who digs up dirt

for the world's most rich and powerful men.

He called the tip line and sent the burner phone.

Declan Morales.

Huh.

No shit.

Hang on, hang on, hang on.

Wait, you know him? How?

Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

Introduce me! I need to talk to him.

He assembled the dossier on Walker.

Well, I'm kidding, sort of.

All right, in the cone,

Morales is ex-spy, CIA, al-Qaeda expert...

Black Ops shit.

And he doesn't talk to journalists.

Uh, he called me.

Someone must have paid him a shit ton of money

to dig it up and then get me the burner phone

to leak to "The Sentinel" with no fingerprints.

All right, I'm gonna talk to Declan,

but you need to slow down, you know?

Publishing explosive, unsubstantiated oppo,

it's a good way to get sued.

Just ask BuzzFeed.

Well, we're verifying it seven different ways.

Talking to more women, establishing a pattern.

Good.

You just need to keep on pressing on.

You're in the boat.

Now you just need to row out to sea.

You just reel in that marlin.

Nail down that Walker angle.

Hang on, does this mean you think it's a story?

Could be the Rosetta fucking stone of scandals...

if you can confirm it's true.

I gotta call the masthead.

We might need some extra space on Monday's paper.

- McCarthy is on to something. - Sounds big.

Oh, it's not just big.

It's... I mean, this one, this one has it all.

It's got sex and power and money.

It even has puppies.

Who doesn't love puppies?

And did he say what he wanted?

Yes. No, I don't...

Hello? Audrey?

Ah, and you agreed to that point?

And is that when he told you you'd never work in tech again?

Yeah, "The Sentinel."

Yes, I am a reporter.

No, I'm here.

And you worked for Beam Webb as well?

And you'd agree to go on background?

Shit! Shit!

I'm so sorry that happened to you.

But if you come forward, we can make sure

he doesn't do it to anyone else.

- Hi, this is Sadie McCarthy... - Hi, this is Grace Greene...

- From the "New York Sentinel." - From the "Washington Union."

Thanks for picking up.

"Presidential frontrunner Felicity Walker

allegedly covered up sexual harassment

by her largest donor, billionaire Blaine Novak."

That's it. I'm calling Walt.

Wait, wait, wait.

I don't think we're ready.

Look, we have two women on record,

three on background, plus Missy.

That is six.

Can we just wait a beat?

Maybe reassess after Super Tuesday?

We can't afford to get this wrong.

One misspelled name, one typo,

and they will discredit the entire story.

And by the time you overcome your panic attack,

there won't be a story because Sue Craig

or Maggie Haberman will have scooped us.

I'd rather be right than be first.

These are real women, most of whom have

zero to do with Walker, which brings me back

to my initial question... is this even a Walker story,

or is this more of a #MeToo?

Enough!

You are running in circles, trying to talk yourself

out of this because you're scared.

I get it, it's fucking scary.

But it's time to put on your big girl pants

and pull the trigger.

I know you've got a lot of emotions involved

between Loafers and waiting for your pills to show up.

This has nothing to do with Loafers or the pills,

which haven't even shipped yet.

Fine.

You're still obsessed with Walker,

and you don't want to hurt her chances.

This has nothing to do with Walker either.

This has to do with me.

I'm on thin ice, and I'm out of second chances.

And I cannot tell Bruce to publish

until I am absolutely certain.

Well, that is your problem, Sadie.

I am sorry that you have a tense relationship

with your father figure editor, but I don't.

And waiting is a loser's game.

- What are you doing? - I'm filing the fucking story.

You know, if you actually gave a shit about those women,

you'd wait.

But all you care about is your scoop.

Super Tuesday is in two days.

If we don't publish tomorrow, it won't have an impact.

You mean it wouldn't take down

another female candidate,

which is kind of your favorite pastime.

Do what you want.

I'm calling my desk.

Yeah, Walt. It's big.

I think Walker knowingly protected an abuser.

Hey! There you are.

I've been looking all over for you.

- We gotta pack. - I can pack later.

We don't leave for Houston until tomorrow.

Well, everybody else leaves tomorrow.

You leave tonight... for New York, baby!

They want you to be a Liberty Belle.

Come on!

Are you still mad at me or something?

I thought we made up.

No, I'm not still mad at you, Gary.

I'm sorry.

Do you not want to be a Liberty Belle?

Whoa.

I know.

You're really sweaty.

Hmm.

Well, look who finally decided to call her mother back.

What the hell is wrong with you?

You cut off my credit cards?

Those are my cards, Annie.

I was just generous enough to let you use them.

Oh.

You've reached Charles Greene.

Please leave a message.

Hi, Charlie, it's me.

I just talked to Annie, if you can call it that.

But she's alive.

Hopefully you are too.

So please call me, all right?

We need to talk.

Hey.

Whoa! Jesus Christ.

What happened to you?

I'm fine.

- Leave me alone. - Lola.

Hey, look at me.

Yeah, okay.

I got you.

Come on.

Mm! Finally!

Hallelujah.

Please say the pills are here.

"Label created"?

Bitch, don't tell me it's shipped

until it's actually moving.

Come on!

Ugh!

Here's a truth.

I wasn't always proud of what I learned,

but I never doubted it was worth knowing.

That's not what I'm doubting.

- Hmm. - I'm doubting myself.

There's too many voices in my head right now.

Between Bruce and Grace and, well, you...

Mm.

I'm afraid I'm gonna miss something.

I don't want to get this wrong.

Trust your instincts.

Block out the noise.

It is your name on that byline.

Hmm.

It's missing some connective tissue.

Then go find it.

Here, take this.

You want to talk about it?

Talk about what?

Whatever seems to be eating away at you

from the inside out.

Is it about that article?

What can I say?

You're in my algorithm.

It's crazy.

I used to spend so much time talking to reporters.

I thought I could help.

You did help a lot of people

talking about it, telling your story.

I didn't tell my story.

Not all of it.

Not the worst part.

Tell me.

The night that it happened,

I wasn't in the theater.

I was coming out of the bathroom when I saw the guy.

And I should have...

I should have yelled or...

or done something, anything.

I should have done anything, but I froze.

And then when I saw him go into the theater, I...

I ran back in and I hid in a stall.

And I could hear gunshots.

And I could hear people screaming.

I'm here.

You're here.

I remember reporters were calling my cell phone

and coming to my family's house, and...

I don't even know what I said to them,

but I just remember that they kept asking me

what it was like in there, but I wasn't.

I wasn't in there.

My friends were.

My best friend, he...

I'm so sorry.

I tried to talk about him.

I tried to talk about... about all of them.

But they just kept asking about me.

Nobody was... nobody was listening, you know?

So eventually, I stopped.

And I decided that I would find another way

to make a difference, but this...

I'm fucking this up too.

You called it on day one.

I don't know what the fuck I'm doing.

I'm a total fraud.

You know, you, Lola Rahaii,

might just be the most authentic person I've ever met.

And for the record,

holding the Freshman's feet to the fire

when she flip-flops like you did,

that is the definition of journalism.

Fear only serves to devalue me.

Fear only serves to devalue me.

For the next few minutes,

think about where you want to be

in one year, five, ten.

If you've already completed this exercise,

now is a good time to revisit those goals.

Have they changed?

Goals can evolve, like people.

So Walker was doing Blaine Novak's bidding?

Holy shit. With how much earmarked?

I owe you one.

Dinner on me at BLT next time I'm on the Hill.

I promise.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

I was wrong.

You were right.

Walt wants to give the story to Theo.

- He thinks it's a #MeToo story. - Fuck Theo.

All he does is bask in the limelight

while everyone else does the reporting.

And he'll do it again here,

unless we come up with a stronger Walker connection.

Well, remember that jobs and infrastructure bill

that Walker co-signed on last year?

Guess who was the biggest contractor.

Not Beam Webb.

$21 billion, and a billion

earmarked to Novak's holding company

to build some bullshit wind farm.

It took every favor in my book,

but a source on appropriations came through.

We can attribute to a person familiar?

Sounds like a quid pro quo.

Who's going to Benji?

Rochambeau?

Best two out of three?

What are you doing here?

Tomorrow is Super Tuesday. Right? Shouldn't you...

They wanted me in the studio for a tech run.

I'm gonna be a Liberty Belle.

Kimmie, I'm so sorry.

- I can't say it enough... - Let me just... let me...

I know you are.

Remember when we were young, when we first got together,

and the world was our oyster?

Anything seemed possible.

I wanted it all.

We wanted it all.

All those dreams we talked about over hot wings and ginger beer.

It doesn't feel like I thought it would

now that it's all real.

Maybe that's for the best, because I don't even know

if it's what I want anymore.

Eric, I love you.

But the work keeps coming first.

I'm choosing that, and I didn't see it at first, but I am.

And it's not fair to you.

So wait, wait, what are you saying?

I need to be able to focus on just one thing right now.

And it has to be that.

For how long?

I don't know.

Have you lost your fucking mind?

Is that your comment?

You spring this on me the day before Super Tuesday?

Not even Liberty Direct News

would bring me this fucking trash.

We have multiple sources.

And we have no fucking comment.

Fuck you, Sadie McCarthy,

and fuck "The Sentinel."

Wow.

- Hey, you ready yet? - Oh, just five more minutes.

I want to make sure it reads.

"Multiple women who benefited from Blaine Novak's charity

spoke of being forced into humiliating sexual acts."

"The allegations directly undermine

Walker's central campaign message of uplifting women,

casting a cloud over her candidacy."

So?

Well, it's all cleared by legal.

Copy desk has it.

We're gonna get it up on the web tonight,

then four columns, page one tomorrow.

That's... cool.

I know how you must be feeling,

but you busted this wide open.

You're a polar bear.

I'm a what?

You look sweet and cuddly,

but really, you're a fucking killer.

Thank you.

Uh, I'm actually late for the bus.

Walker's scheduled a last-minute rally in Houston.

Well, go get 'em, killer.

And brace for impact.

Hi, I'm actually waiting for a package.

My name's Sadie McCarthy.

I haven't gotten my delivery notification yet,

but the window said between 10:00 and 12:00,

- so I'd thought I'd... - Let me check.

Thank you so much.

The motorcade is leaving.

Hey, look, I know you probably hate me right now,

but could you just wait?

Why would I hate you, you know?

It's not like you lied to my face

and then shat on any future career prospects

I could possibly have.

Oh, wait, you did.

Can we talk about it, please?

There's actually a lot of things

that we need to talk about.

It doesn't look like it's arrived yet.

Wait, seriously?

Are you... are you sure?

- Okay, good. Good chat. - Can you please...

You know what? We're done talking.

I have nothing left to say to you,

except the bus is leaving with or without you.

No, no. You can't leave, please.

I am waiting for a package,

and it's a very important package.

Oh, my God, for fuck's sake, Sadie,

when are you gonna figure out that the world,

it doesn't revolve around you?

No, that's not what I'm trying to do.

I'm... Malcolm!

Shit.

I am pregnant.

- Synced and corrected by chamallow - - www.addic7ed.com -

Greg, move your head.

Bye.