All language subtitles for BILLIONS.S07E04

[Wendy]
Previously on Billions...

It's been said one is
either a hammer

or an anvil.

Good people have been
the anvil for too long.

I've been seeing
an outside psychiatrist.

Respectfully, this is
separate from what you do.

[Dr. Mayer]
I've been expecting you.

Rustle someone's cattle,
they're gonna come looking.

I can't afford to let
Chuck Rhodes

revert to his nature.

So, you're feeding him
some red meat

so you know exactly
where he's coming from.

This is Michael Prince's
Super PAC filing.

What did you learn?

Potential violation of
52 USC 30121.

I'm not in the market
for a performance coach.

I was suggesting therapy.

[Chuck]
Time to send a message.

Let's open an investigation
on Michael Prince.

Chuck Rhodes is charging us
for violations on the Super PAC.

Game on, then.

Nothing for him
at the end of that road.

But I have decided
that he is dangerous,

and I can't be part
of another strongman

entering the world stage.

Before all that
stuff-of-life happens,

we are going
to win cases aplenty.

I goddamn guarantee you that.

♪ ♪ ♪

[twangy guitar music]

[sirens in distance]

Hi, my name is John G.,
and I'm a gambling addict.

[all] Hi, John.

[John]
This seemed legit. Proper.

That's what I kept
telling myself

to shut down the other voice

telling me to run the other way.

NFTs are an investment, right?

Not a gamble.
According to Gary Vee

and all those other guys.

And that is probably true...

for some folks.

Regular folks.

But I should have
recognized the rush.

The hunger. That deep-seated...

secret need to lose.

Just lose.

And those shady fucking guys.

Well, there was
one shady fucking guy.

Eh, computer nerd. Taiwanese.

Kal Huang Liu.

He had amazing bona fides, but...

he turned out to be
a motherfucker.

Scamster.

And I--I can't do
anything about it

'cause his daddy is
some Asian tycoon

with more lawyers than I've
got ass pimples, so, um...

[groans]

So, now I am back to zero.

Less than zero,
like that movie says.

And back in G.A. rooms,
counting days.

Shit.

Uh, thanks for listening.

Tough one, kid.

Oh, thanks.

You know,
it, uh, was Elvis Costello

who came up with
"Less Than Zero"

before that, uh,
vampire at Bennington did.

[exhales]

Just another thing I fucked up.

No! You're turning it around.

That's why you're here.
Why I'm here.

Yeah. Plus, this meeting
has the best coffee.

I take an extra train
just to drink it

instead of the weak shit
that the other meetings have.

Warms my heart.

This is my samovar.

Hm.

I keep it in the closet.

Life's too short for bad coffee.

[chuckles] Yeah.

Wanna tell me a little more
about what happened to you?

These ears are for listening
to more than just

old British New wave.

♪ ♪ ♪

[door crashes open]

[man over TV] Whatever it is
I'm doing that you don't like,

I'll stop doing it.

[silenced gunshot]

♪ ♪ ♪

[grunts]

Oh, he is so going down.

Nah, they never do.
They know how to brace.

[TV reporter grunting]

Thousand bucks he falls.

These winds are--are
like nothing I've ever--

Ronnie, are you
all right out there?

Five thou he falls.

Additional two on a head injury.

Booked.

This storm is a doozy.

It was originally
predicted to be

a high Category Three hurricane,

low Category Four
at a maximum,

but I wouldn't be surprised

if newer reports
put it even higher.

And you think we could be
dealing with a Cat Five here?

- [groans]
- Ouch!

- Yes!
- Ronnie, do we still have you?

My Venmo handle is--

LuckBox16. I got it.

You guys.

[reporter] I'm not sure
if he can hear us.

Ronnie, do we have you?

[Ronnie] Can you hear me?

We thought we lost you
for a second.

Bet my nuts it reaches Cat Five.

Care to make it interesting?

My nuts are fascinating,
but how 'bout we go ten grand?

Done.

Whoa. Quick on the draw there.

For a Cat Five,
the winds have to be

at least 157 miles per hour.

That's, like,
airborne livestock level.

Did you see that motherfucker?

He went down like Dafoe
in Platoon,

and they haven't even
named the storm yet.

I want in.

Five it goes Cat Five, another
three they name it Rachel.

This is really dark, you guys.

Eight K it stays Cat Four,

and five they call her Rosie,

spelled R-O-S-I-E.

So, we're betting
on whether or not

people are gonna
lose their homes?

That's what we've come to?

Oh, we're already there.
Embrace it.

You know, I am
kind of okay with this.

Jesus! Wow. Okay.

Learn something about yourself
in the strangest times.

I'll throw a fiver on
over a million evacuees

leaving in the next 48 hours,

and twelve grand
it gets to Cat Five.

And three they name it Rosy,
but spelled with a y.

You can't judge, then join--

I'll donate a portion
to charity.

Oh, please.
There are no good Nazis.

[reporter] The National Weather
Service has just announced

their moniker for this
surging storm:

Hurricane Rosie.

That's bullcrap!

That's I-E, baby.
You owe me, Rian.

You too, Kim.

Five thou in honor of
my Nonna Rosalia,

and I want it in cash,
just like she would've.

If Rosie hits Category Five,
it's going to cost you all

a lot more than those bets.

Southern Property & Casualty

is one of the major insurers
down there.

Mike Prince holds
several billion worth

of catastrophe
bonds issued by them.

If you degenerates
were all better acquainted

with Mike Prince's
diversified holdings,

you wouldn't be reveling.

Dollar Bill started it.

Yeah, but you doofuses
should've known better.

I just got back.

How fucked are we?

Once they declare Cat Five,
the bonds are triggered

and used to pay claims.

That's a buzzcut
for our total capital.

So, make like Costner
in Waterworld

and start praying
for dry land.

Anyone who thinks
this ends up Cat Five,

you got the ass end
of the bet.

Nice. Karl, this is exactly
what we're looking for.

DOJ likes to flash.
Trendy, visible, winnable.

- Hm.
- Yep.

The kid, Kai Huang Liu,

sells sham NFTs,

then erases the point of sale

and launders the proceeds
through crypto.

Mm-hmm. Fits the mandate
to crack down on crypto fraud.

You don't even know
the best part yet.

Tell us the kicker.

Can't wait to.

I've been trawling these
gambler anon meetings

for years, just waiting
for something good to come--

Please say you actually
have a problem

because if you just go to
the meetings to solicit--

Yeah, please have
a story in your pocket

about losing the rent
on, uh, you know,

"Pinochle broke me,"
something of the sort.

[chuckles]
Pinochle broke me.

- [scoffs]
- [Allard] Yeah.

I'd swear to it under oath.

Now. Wanna see the kicker?

Mm-hmm.

Liu's pop is a mega-billionaire.
Industrialist.

Does thrice-yearly deals
with none other

than Michael Prince himself.

[chuckles]

They've been in deep
for over a decade.

If we pinch the kid,

they all look real bad.

Karl, that's not just a kicker,

that's a Tom Dempsey.

I'm unfamiliar.

Had half a foot, kicked
with a special sawed-off shoe.

Still made
60-yard field goals.

Then, yeah, that's this.

We can get you a warrant
for the kid right away, Karl.

Good. Go scoop him up.

"Ooh, a storm is threatening,"

as geriatric Jagger croons.

Are there any actions
you'd like me to take

in the face of potentially
massive payouts?

No action. We work
with whatever happens.

We could likely get rocked.

Then we get rocked.

Ah. Of course.

Other circumstances
take precedent.

As they should.

I always liked the way
Obama referred to Biden

as his partner publicly,

even though we all knew he was
barely listening to the V.P.

when they were in private.

I think Biden would have
preferred the opposite.

And, uh, Scooter
isn't actually your partner

in owning the business.

No, but...

I'd listen to him
as though he were.

I-I truly think of him
that way.

And I try to reward him as such.

You find ways to reaffirm your
trust and loyalty,

so it continues to be
returned in kind.

Yes, but also I love the guy.

That's why made the winning bid
at the symphony charity auction:

Scooter's gonna
conduct the Philharmonic.

I'm gonna bring him on stage,

introduce him,
really blow it out.

I see why that seems
like the thing to do.

And for you and Scooter, holistically,

it is the thing to do.

But classical music
is pussy music.

That's insane.

Not to the voters.

And to them,
people who like it...

are pussies.

Including you.

It's like this.

Al Capone can cry at Pagliacci

'cause he's having a guy
murdered at the same time.

Also because he's being
played by Robert De Niro.

Anyone else is... effete.

Uh, you used a different word
before she walked in the room.

His idiolect changes based on
who he wants to affect.

We've barely met,
how can you--

I'm a professional evaluator
of people,

so I thin-sliced it
and--

Well, I'm a professional
evaluator of people

and a comms strategist.
Words--

Jesus, you-you like
shaking people up, don't you?

Like it? I don't know.
Just happens.

This is about Scooter conducting.

Regardless what word
we use, yeah.

No chamber music for you
or Scooter. I have to veto it.

First of all,
you don't have veto power.

Second, orchestral,
not chamber.

Third, I'm not effete.

Yeah, Mike's no pussy.

[Prince] See?

- I was a college athlete.
- Uh-huh.

So, let's throw out the first
pitch somewhere that night

instead of
going to the concerto.

You think one night
at the Phil

is gonna have
that much negative impact?

It's not one night.

It's the conversation
surrounding it.

Who's your favorite
female conductor?

Marin Alsop,
Baltimore Symphony.

I hate that you have
that answer so fast.

Okay, Baltimore,

who's your favorite Oriole?

Mussina. Even though
he retired a Yankee.

Favorite now?

Baseball's kind of dead.

Tell him.

You understand this shit, right?

'Cause as a professional
thin slicer of people, you know

classical music
makes people feel dumb.

Some people. Absolutely.

But are those people
Prince voters anyway?

Big tent.

Let's not write anyone off yet.

Then cancel any and all
involvement with the symphony

until they play you into the job

at your inauguration.

But we should have
Bocephus anyway.

Wendy, do you have
a real lean here?

Michael Prince is a maverick
who rewrites the rules.

That's what works for him.

For you.

I don't see why candidate Prince
would switch that up.

After all...

he is the buck.

I'm telling you, you've
gotta walk this back.

Nope. Gonna march it forward.

Eyes up!

Scooter, stand with me.

Team: this man.

This man of many disciplines,
many skills, many talents,

is about to showcase
a hidden one.

Two weeks from tomorrow,

he will conduct the
New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

I'll be introducing him.

All of you will be there
cheering him on.

[cheers and applause]

I was really enjoying
your fucking act

until you Joe Theismanned
my ass.

Like Lawrence Taylor.

- That's what they pay me for.
- Hm.

Look, you gotta know
you're not always gonna

get your way with him.
It's not how we--

You think I'm pissed because
I didn't get my way?

Thank you. Thank you.

It means a lot to have
the well wishes of this team.

I think you're frustrated
because Prince isn't pliable

the way most of your
candidates probably are.

They don't start out that way.

But I tell them what to do.
They do it. And then they win.

I don't appease.

I don't coax and massage

the way, say,
a therapist might.

I look like I get out
the scented oils

and Dead Can Dance CDs
before I rub your shoulders?

The verbal equivalent. Yeah.

And, uh, I have
something for you

to commemorate
this moment--

Belonged to Leonard Bernstein.

Greatest of the greats.

This is your time, Scoot.

So proud of you.

[chuckles]

I have been preparing for this
opportunity for a long time,

silently, quietly,
in my waking dreams.

But I never knew
it would come to fruition.

Thank you, Mike.

It would be my honor
to share this with you all.

I promise not to disappoint.

Yeah!

[applause]

But for real, though,

your job here,
if we boil it down,

is to make everyone else's life
a little better, right?

Remove the obstacles
in their way.

In a sense.

Today, though,
you made mine worse.

Look, he called me in.

To do the thing that
I do for him. Not you.

'Cause whatever it was
he was getting from you,

it clearly wasn't enough.

If we can connect Eric T.
to the real estate fraud,

maybe he'll roll.

We get big sister up
from Indian Creek Island,

she finally gets
revenge on pops

for ruining her
social standing.

[knock on door]

A second, boss.

One moment, Ms. Torre.

Ira.

- Kid's gone.
- Gambling kid or criminal kid?

- The scammer.
- When you say "gone"?

Got a warrant, entered his place
with the agents. Gone.

Either tipped off
or knew he'd pushed it.

Phone's off, too.

Figure he's gone to ground?

No. Billionaire's kid, you said.

They don't go to ground,
they flee the jurisdiction.

They sure do. Karl...

get Ms. Torre off
whatever she's working on

and onto this,
interfacing with the agents,

checking ships, yachts,

airplane manifests, all of it.

Ground the family crafts.

If Elon Musk is
prototyping jet suits,

find out if our guy's
flying one of those back home.

Come on.

When you try to drip poison
in someone's mouth,

he may turn his head.

And then a clean kill
can turn very messy.

And before long,
you have Dan Aykroyd

double barreling
semi-automatics at your face.

Ah, yes.
Uh, Grosse Pointe Blank.

You know, from treating
all your colleagues--

and I can say this without
breaking confidence,

since that is what brought you
to me in the first place--

I have gotten to revisit
so many fine films.

This one I missed
first time around,

but I enjoyed it.

Even if its commentary
on ambition in the work force

is a bit heavy handed.

I mean, even Shakespeare
laid it on a bit thick

when he was really
trying to make a point.

Still effective.

which play comes to mind?
Answer quickly.

Um, Richard III.

Another work about
an assassin of sorts.

I'm sensing a theme.

Yes. Now that I said it...

ah, you asked on purpose to s--

That's good.

Yes, now that I said it,
I do feel a bit like...

Richard these days,
if more justifiably motivated.

The real Richard was
in quite the tough spot.

His family would have lost
the throne if he didn't act.

Well, that's the question
one asks oneself, isn't it?

If the damage, intended
or collateral, is justified--

or even when
you know it is justified,

if you can live with
the collateral damage.

Change the "you" to "I"
when using examples.

It's difficult to do,
but try it.

I have to do some things.

I am doing some things
that I deem...

necessary.

And these things will help

many, many people.

But they will hurt
some other people.

Fewer.

But the hurt ones are folks
that I know and care about.

So... guilt.

Well, it's strange

because guilt usually
rears up when you--

when I-- do bad things,
things that I know are wrong.

But this is different.
Justified. And yet--

That's why the trolley problem
takes up so many class sessions

when it's taught at Harvard.

We are feeling creatures,

even if it often seems
as though we are not.

So, we know we should only

divert the runaway trolley
if more people will live,

yet we hesitate if we learn
too many nice things

about any one potential victim.

Right. So, how do I execute
what I need to,

all the little moves,

knowing that I'm gonna
do real harm to people

who've done nothing
to earn that fate?

What more can you tell me?
In specific.

You've heard that
Michael Prince

is running for president?

Well, the thing is,
I'm in a position

to really know
what damage he will do--

actually, I know what
his own conscious mind

doesn't know yet about
what damage he will do.

Of course.

It's bad.

For the country.
For the world.

He needs to be stopped.

And I'm one of the few people

who can maybe do the stopping.

But...

to do so requires...

Yeah. The very people
I've promised to help.

And a few people
I've come to really like...

are gonna pay a real price,

Some of them
are my other patients.

Yes.

Then... [clears throat]
...for ethical reasons,

we'll need to stop here.

You asked me the questions
that brought us here.

I mean, you practically
challenged me

to sit here with you,

and now you're
going to abandon me?

You wrestling with
your ethical dilemma

is not a reason for me
to create one of my own.

I'm sorry,

but this is the end
of our session.

We found Kai Huang Liu's name

on a private jet manifest.

Shit. Did it take off?

It did.

And yet a slight
Russell Ziskey smile

dances around your face, Karl.

Because I know
whose jet it is.

And when you find out,
you, too,

will get your Ziskey on.

Ready for it.

Kai Huang Liu is on
one of Michael Prince's jets.

Prince lent our perp his plane?

Accessory after the fact.

- At least.
- Where's the plane now?

Still in U.S. airspace,
but we can assume

they're headed to Taipei.

Don't assume. Find out.

I've got a guy at the FAA.

He can update us with
nav reports every half hour.

Hm, not good enough.

I have to know how far they can
get without needing to refuel.

And background on the pilot.
Maybe he'll cooperate.

Prince is gonna deny any
prior knowledge of wrongdoing.

We'll worry about that
when we get the kid in custody.

Prince has a federal fugitive
on his plane.

We have him in violation
of 181071.

First, let's indict Liu.

Warrant's still in effect,
but we can't serve it

when the perp
is 30,000 feet up.

Can we scramble fighter jets
and bring them down?

[scoffs]
Whoa, Chuck.

I know you mean
force the plane to land.

[chuckles] Do I?

Yes, for the record, I do.

[Chuck sighs]

Okay, uh...

Start by alerting the FAA

we have a warrant
for Liu's arrest.

They'll notify the pilot
of a mandatory return

to his point of departure.

I say wait until they land.

Taiwan is highly cooperative
in extraditing to the U.S.

They'll send him back, we'll
hold him in jail, pending trial.

Put a lot of pressure
on everyone.

I don't want to involve
international authorities.

Opens political avenues
outside my control,

gives Prince too much room
to insulate himself.

[Amanda]
Are you sure, sir?

Once that plane
leaves our airspace,

it expands the menu of charges
we can hit Prince with

- from a hot-dog cart to Denny's.
- No.

Let's not make this
too elaborate.

Simple story is best.

Okay.

I guess I get that.

My self-defense teacher
always says don't go

for the back-spinning
heel kick

when you can just
knee him in the sack.

Quite so.

You need to
ground your plane, Mike.

FAA just reached out.

Which one? And why?

The Bombardier.

who has the Bombardier
in the air right now?

Mr. Liu's chief of staff called

and asked for
a flight to Taiwan.

His plane had
a mechanical issue.

We offered the courtesy.

The courtesy? I mean,
my friends and I ask

when we borrow
each other's cars.

Mr. Liu pays for the gas
and crew when he uses it.

We offer this to him
and a few others like him.

He does the same for us.

Well, that's the what, Kate.
The why?

An arrest warrant was issued
for a passenger on board.

Some kind of a federal offense.

Scooter,
raise the pilot for me.

- [line rings]
- [man] Yes, sir?

Who's in the air with you now?
How many?

Just one passenger.
Male. Liu. 22.

No, Kai's 50.

It's the son.

His office said
it was for dad.

Of course they did.

He must have used the fact
that they have the same name

as a workaround
on the manifest.

Fuel status?

We're at 1900 gallons.

Nine more hours in the air.

Enough to get us to
the Aleutians to refuel.

No, not anymore. Kill
the in-flight monitors first.

Then I want you to fly a loop.

A big one he can hardly feel.

No, no,
don't instruct them to--

You can't, Mike.

Stay within US borders, continental,

and keep a clear margin.

I want you to hold that pattern
until I can figure out

what the frick
is really happening here.

Don't talk to anyone else.

All orders will be direct.

This is Chuck coming after me.

They seem to be keeping
the plane in the air.

[Chuck] Pull in
our contact at the FAA,

get transcripts of all
communication between the pilot

and air traffic,
maybe we can learn something.

By not immediately ordering
his plane to land,

Prince just ticked off
two of the three criteria

for the federal crime
of aiding a fugitive.

Mm-hmm.

Defendant's actions
were intended to prevent

the fugitive's discovery;
and the defendant committed

one or more physical acts--
phone call counts--

to help the fugitive
avoid arrest.

It's close to enough
to indict Prince already.

All right.
Officially indict the kid.

Then, yeah, begin preparing
charges against Prince.

And do it Cannonball Adderley
style--with tempo.

This is a diplomatic
and P.R. disaster.

No, this is a prosecutor
harassing a private citizen.

I am all for fighting,
but once the FAA,

operating on instructions
from the Department of Justice,

orders a plane down,
plane needs to come down.

Then we can defend our position.

If the order is
legitimate to begin with.

Yes. But first, the order
needs to be obeyed.

Aiding a fugitive. That's
what they'll whack you with.

I just lent out my plane.

And it was borrowed
under false pretenses.

If it doesn't stick in court,

it will in the papers.
Like pine tar.

Might stick in court, too.

Let's get the plane to ground,

hand over the kid.
Simple as it gets.

Nothing's ever that simple.

Mike and Liu are not just
"in business."

They've made
billions together,

with agreements that will
make billions more.

Plus, we're friends.
Trading partners.

And if I hose my trading partner
in the way you're suggesting,

no one will ever want to do
business with me again.

Also, it won't look good
to the business types

whose votes we're courting.

Well, this is a big, hairy

ball-aching problem.

Is that an official
political term?

Paints a more vivid picture
than "international incident."

[scoffs]

I'm in the process of taking
over the national stage,

and while I didn't get here
by folding to the first flunky

that gave me an order,

I suppose I can try to work
within the parameters.

Kate, can you get somewhere
with Chuck directly?

Go to him as though
we're complying,

see if there's any way
we can get the focus off of us.

Eh, worth a shot.

I'll at least get our point
of view on the record with him.

Still no official category
designation as of now

but at this point,
all signs are pointing

to a Category Five.

So, we're all just gonna
sit here and watch

our comp plummet
by a third?

Yeah, if it's rated Cat Five,
it's gonna be worse than that.

Southern Property & Casualty's
about to make us her bitch.

Last Cat Five was years ago.

They may not wanna
scare the public.

They don't get to decide.

They just report what it is.

Winds were up
to 172 miles per hour.

Rating's empirical.
As you just said,

this quarter's screwed.

Maybe the whole year.

[reporter] Breaking news from
the National Weather Service.

Shh! Shh! Everyone!

Despite recent readings
and reports,

due to the
Milch-Bouchard Effect,

a rare phenomenon that causes

inaccurate wind strength readings,

Rosie is officially designated
a Category Four hurricane,

not a Category Five
as projected.

[sighs]

And once storms hit land,
they weaken.

This thing is staying at 4.

[sighs]
Madonn', that was close.

[reporter continues low]

I almost had a panic attack.

I thought I heard wheezing.

Pay up, DB!

That's ten Gs from you to me.

You don't have Zelle
on push notifications?

Check your account.
It's already there.

Nice. Thanks, Bill.

Don't-- Don't thank me.

You won a bet.

Only time I've ever
been happy to lose one.

You got off cheap.
We all did.

Don't wanna think about if the
Cat score went the other way.

Prayers up to Thor, Zeus,

and of course, Oh Mighty Isis:

Thank you for getting
Southern Property & Casualty

off the hook.

Is that who you're
chalking it up to?

Huh. Fascinating.

♪ ♪ ♪

You knew.

I know many things.

The delicate smell of
a Manzanilla sherry

cask whiskey.

What a point-six
waist to hip ratio

looks like from
fifteen yards away.

The exact years Susan Anton
was partial to mustaches.

"Ass end of it," you said.

And our catastrophe bonds
are now suddenly safe.

Like that warden
in Shawshank said,

"It's a miracle.
Praise the Lord."

Only he said it sarcastically

because he knew
it was no miracle

the prisoner had
disappeared from his cell.

That it was a secret,
calculated effort.

Andy Dufresne's escape
was a meticulously planned,

very-difficult-to-work-out,
very smart operation.

How did you know?

I saw the issue coming,

so I took steps as I saw fit

for the benefit
of the enterprise.

What steps could
possibly change

the climatological reality

of an in-process
hurricane?

It's all in your core.

- All right, just keep...
- All right, bye.

Hey, babe!

You never visit me at the gym.

Never even go to the gym.

I missed you so much
I had to come to this

godforsaken land of musk
and grotesque effort

- to see you.
- [chuckles]

Whoa, that's Roker!

[instructor]
Yeah, that was great, man.

- Mr. Roker.
- Yeah.

I had forgotten you shared
this hour with Chelz.

- It's good to see you.
- Good to see you, Wagster.

You want to work in?

No, I never sweat
before bedtime.

[chuckles]
Look, Al, I need you

to enlighten me
on all things hurricane.

Okay, hit me.

How exactly do they get rated?

Wags, this is
a multi-agency process.

You've got
the National Weather Service,

you've got
the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration,
you've even got the Air Force!

They fly these special planes
called Hurricane Hunters,

right into the storm.

They take real-time data,

relay it back to
the National Hurricane Center.

It's there,
they crunch the numbers

and come up with
a hurricane's category.

So, it's a person
who makes the actual call.

Exactly.

Fantastic.

See?

While science may be empirical,

bureaucracy is not.

And anywhere
human error is in effect,

well, that's where I get busy.

You paid off
the hurricane grader.

She's a woman of science,

who happens to be set up with

quite a charitable
research grant

when she retires next year.

[Prince] Get him now!

Now!

He wants to see you.

Now, I'm guessing?

If I asked you to guess
at what my priorities are,

how would
you enumerate them?

Your daughters first.
Then--

Don't muck around.
Besides family.

You want me to say
the presidency.

I'm already fighting
my butt off

so some BS aviation scandal
doesn't knock me out.

I never thought the bigger
threat would come from--

Inside the house. Sure.
Not what's happening.

Do you think before you act?

Are you capable of that?

Depends what's in my system.
But usually, yes.

Wrong answer. Impulsivity
would at least be an excuse.

Okay. Let's go with that, then.

But let's stipulate that
my mélange of foresight

and impulsivity is precisely why

I am bespoke for my role here.

I think fast, act faster.

You don't get a special pass
for being who you are.

This isn't like extra time
on your ACT.

I took the SAT like a real man.

I didn't need to make excuses

for myself then,
and I won't now.

Wags, change gears.

They feel there's reason
to fire you for cause.

He's going to fire me
for single-handedly

saving him from losing

the gross domestic product
of Bhutan?

No, because you only had
enough theory of mind

to consider one
small facet of the issue.

It doesn't take a Kasparov
to see the problem you caused.

Thousands of people's homes
just got blown away.

Southern Casualty is up
to its neck in claims,

and Mike's bonds are pristine.

The press will paint him
as a Wall Street scammer

who protected his money at
the expense of citizens in need.

If anyone finds out what you've
done, my run is G.D. over!

But if those bonds
were triggered,

it would have reduced
the floor and fund

to stringy, bloody carnage.

We were facing an Act of God.
I responded in kind!

[Luke]
You think you're a god,

but you caused
a domestic crisis

on top of our
international crisis

and upcoming cultural crisis.

You're a fucking liability.

Thus spoke the politician.

But I'm a businessman!

Money is politics.
Especially mine.

You work for both now.

Then I should have
been told what the shot was.

You shouldn't have to be told.

What's bad for the campaign
is bad for MPC.

And me.
Hurting one hurts all.

Okay.

it's true that now,
by the light of day,

I get that there might
have been a corner or two

I didn't see completely around.

Good. I think we can all agree

that accepting blame for this
and growing from it is change.

That's good for everyone.

Yes. No doubt.

My bad.

I know you know
I was trying to help.

I suppose I actually do.

We all do.

Good. And now I will
get back to it.

[clears throat]

You know, I was just wondering
why you had them call me

to ground the plane
instead of having

the FAA call
the pilot direct.

Well, I was doing you
the courtesy,

before making an incident
out of it.

No, you knew you could
embarrass Prince

just by having
his plane turn around.

But instead,
you took the bigger shot,

hoping that
he'd defy your order--

that Prince himself would. But...

'Course, Prince would never defy
an order like that.

Yet the plane still flies.

Just a holding pattern.

There's a hurricane ripping
through the Eastern Seaboard,

in case you hadn't noticed.
Flight paths are a mess,

which is why he merely
instructed the pilot

to stay in the air
until it was safe...

to return.

Follow me, Ms. Sacker.

Come on.

Ira, where are we
with the charges?

Full steam ahead.

Preconditions for the crimes
have been met.

No, you didn't walk me
in here for this.

You walked me
in here to see that.

I could say I'd
forgotten it was up.

Chuck.

You used to run
a tight enough office

that your murder boards
were covered when visitors

were anywhere in the building.

I run a transparent shop now.

- So, no need.
- Hm.

Did you want me
to walk you through

why every one of these
leads on Mike Prince

- is a dead end, or...?
- Nah, save us both the time.

What you need to know is this:

we're not merely watching
and waiting to pounce.

We're gonna tell you
what we're gonna do,

and then we're gonna do it.

No stealth needed,
especially in this case,

because Kai Huang Liu
is a fugitive.

And he's on your guy's plane
instead of in my custody

because he's
a billionaire's buddy.

Hm. You can't arrest people
for having family friends.

If you could, your father's
connections would've had you

locked up before
your career even started.

Enjoying the privilege of
our fathers is something you,

I, and Liu the younger
all share.

What sets us apart from him

is we haven't committed
crimes under the assumption

that our father's
wealthy cronies

are gonna help us
get away with it.

No jury's gonna be
sympathetic to a rich kid

pulling an NFT scam,
not these days.

Neither will they be
sympathetic to Prince

colluding to help that
progeny avoid justice.

Except no jury's ever
gonna hear this case

because you can't prove that
my client had prior knowledge

of Mr. Liu's wrongdoing,
because he had none.

Let alone prove that Prince knew
of your perp's intent to flee,

because he didn't.

You spin faster than
a Barry Zito curveball,

but that won't matter
once we get Liu back.

I don't need to.
I have unassailable evidence:

A decade of my client
and Liu Senior

borrowing each other's
planes as needed

without direct prior contact,

and Prince's complete phone
and email records

from the last 48 hours

proving he had no knowledge of
the incident before it occurred,

all of which we will
provide voluntarily.

No subpoena necessary.

Hm.

So, what are you offering?

Nothing. Prince will either
land that jet now,

or he will go down

like the Rosenbergs
in the press.

Or as Aldrich Ames,
for anybody

who can't remember
the Rosenbergs.

And for those who can't
remember Aldrich Ames?

As a fucking traitor.

Oh, you're right,
you are transparent now.

Go run back and tell him.

Let me know what he says.

Unless he has the gristle
to face me himself.

[door closes]

Lot of good feeling down there
about the hurricane situation,

though I imagine it
played differently up here.

Of course you do.

I remember your mother
telling me that you taught

the members of your chess club
how to play poker

in, what, sixth grade?

So that by the time
they were in high school

and had some spending money,

they'd be ready
to lose it to you.

Sometimes you see the way
a game should be played.

And the B-side to that is by
the time I was in 11th grade,

I'd decided to save
the money I'd won

and throw them all a party--
all of us--

at the end of senior year

because I felt bad
about taking the money.

Because you wanted them to know
that you could have kept it

but chose to give it back
in high style.

No surprise you understand both
sides of the insurance problem.

But I came up here
for a different reason.

To tell you that
you are doing something

that I did not see coming.

Conducting, man!

I'm so psyched about it.
I told Mom.

She told the rest of the fam.
They're all gonna come.

I'm flying 'em in.

I'll defray the cost of that.

No way. I want to do it.

Since Prince already
gave you the baton,

let me make this gift to you.

Man, that baton.

Such a moving gesture.

But also-- and I can only
admit this to family--

my throat went dry
when I saw it.

- My palms were slick.
- That's good.

When was the last time
you were nervous?

Been a long time since something
mattered this much to me.

And to me alone.

I figured. And I'm
happy about it for you.

Yeah.

I am, too.

You see this shit?

If you don't know this is
a disaster, you need lessons.

Everything with you people
is a disaster.

Or a make-or-break moment.

Just lumping me in with every
other politico like that, huh?

What distinguishes you?

There's a question
you should have asked before

just deciding
where to classify me.

I would think before you
therapize someone,

you do an intake, right?

Well, that's also what human
beings do when we meet someone,

so we see them beyond
just their profession.

Do your job.

see Prince through the Taiwan
thing and the hurricane mess.

Then, if you're still here,

maybe I'll take the time.

I-I don't want to
sit in that chair

only to have to leave again

before we get anything done.

I came because you texted.

Out of respect.

And maybe to formally
say goodbye.

I understand.

You know,
if you asked me to tell you

the most challenging
work of my career,

it might have been when I was
treating an Army chaplain.

This man counseled officers

who sent men to die in battle.

His work centered around
removing their guilt.

And as a result,
he took it all on himself.

And he had found that
his prayers and devotion

were no longer alleviating it.

You were able to release him
from that burden?

After five sessions with me,

he quit the Army and the Church.

He became a woodworker.

Because he and I agreed
that in his case,

he wasn't really needed.

There were people
who could fill that role

more effectively
than he at that time.

True believers
who didn't harbor doubts.

So, you think someone else can
stop what I'm trying to stop?

No.

But I do think
there are plenty of good,

well-trained psychiatrists

who can help your colleagues in
the way I was helping them.

So, I have referred them out.

Each and every one.

And now...

there is no conflict in doing

this vitally important
work with you.

Thank you.

I understand the enormity
of that decision.

They're going to lose
a lot seeing someone

other than you.

Won't they lose more
if I don't help you succeed?

It's clear that you
are a rational being

and that what you have
determined about Prince

is quite likely the truth.

So, I will help you find a path

to doing what you must.

[exhales]

And yet, all day,
I have felt culpable...

out of sorts.

Anxious, even.

Oh. That's normal
in the circumstances.

Not for me.
I don't get anxious.

When I played college soccer,

I was first up
for penalty kicks in OT.

Because you were willing to
risk failure to help the team.

You were bonded with your team.

Here, your team
is going to get hurt,

financially and in other ways,

as you try to serve
the broader interest.

That's true, yes.

But beyond the team, there's
one person in particular

who's gonna be
collateral damage.

He was never
a patient of yours.

He's the guy Prince brought in
to run the campaign.

I like him.

He's smart and...

committed and engaged and...

on the kind of upward trajectory
few people ever have.

If it weren't for me.

Your face gets a little flushed
as you talk about him.

I believe you.

Well...

you're going to have to make
many choices along the way,

many sacrifices,

if you are going to carry out
your stated mission.

In this room, the mission
will be to keep you aligned,

to allow you to remind yourself
why you are doing it.

And to give you the chance
to say a private prayer

of repentance
for each and every one

of the people you love
who you are going to hurt.

But that's all of them.

As I see it now, if I succeed
in taking Prince out,

I'm gonna have to rough up
each and every person

who works there
at some point along the way.

Then let's start
naming them now.

Feeling the pain,
it will cause you

to cause them pain.

And then, you will release it.

Breathe it out.

And move on.

Okay.

Let's do that.

How about we start
with the gentleman

who is bringing color
to your cheeks?

His name is Bradford Luke.

[indistinct chatter]

Interfering with public use.

Should I add that to the list?

- You want people to hear this?
- I'm an open book.

Unlike you.

What do you need to leave me
out of this, man?

The kid in cuffs
on American soil,

like I told Sacker
and she told you.

Do you want that?
You sort of do, sure.

A guy like you will always take
another feather in his cap.

But do you really
even give a darn?

You think I wear this pin
cynically?

[chuckling]
I know why you wear that pin.

Optics. Pandering.

Nixon popularized the practice,
for God's sake.

It's true. Haldeman saw
Redford wearing one

in The Candidate
and brought the idea back.

Nixon liked it so much,

he had the whole staff
sporting them.

But like so many traditions,

most people don't
know how it started,

and more people don't care.

They only know how it makes
them feel to see it.

And what it stands for.

So, what do you really need?

Withdraw from the race.

Drop your so-called
presidential ambitions,

which are really
just a tarted-up way

of describing
your lust for power.

Go back to your office

and continue with your
standard-issue profiteering,

forget about
steering our nation,

and I'll back off.

You know, I've had
a lot of people

telling me what to do today.

Lot of good advice.
Well-intentioned, anyway.

About how I should
be doing things and why...

how it'll all look.

It'd gotten to the
point where saying "screw it"

and walking away was
starting to look pretty good.

Mm.

But then I remembered...

who the heck I am

and how I got to be that guy.

And it wasn't by following
somebody else's script.

It was by blazing my own path.

A path that leads
to the White House.

So, what I'm gonna do,

I'm gonna keep blazing it.

[Chuck]
You want to be free of this?

The kid in my cuffs
on American soil.

Or you'll be the one in 'em.

He wants the kid,
or me to quit my run.

Jesus.

Nothing else will satisfy him.

He's trying to induce you
to take an action.

Yes.

So, it's your moral fucking duty

to take a different one.

Yes.

Unless that's what
he's actually looking for.

Yes.

What're you going to do?

Take the desired action
with a different result.

Lí-hó.

Sorry, I'm gonna
need your son.

No, I'm doing it.

But so you feel better about it,

when I'm in office,
in two years' time,

I can ensure the closest
commercial relationship

Taipei has ever had with D.C.

Specifically,
trade route protections

worth billions to you,
within my first 100 days.

And your son will be out
long before that,

if he's ever in jail at all.

If not, a pardon is certain.

It's not just how
it has to be, friend,

it's the only way it can be.

West Side Highway,
going south...

♪ ♪ ♪

I feel like I've seen
this movie before.

No, the only way
that plane is empty

is if there was
a parachute on board.

Get Liu off that plane
as peacefully as possible

but be prepared
for a forced entry.

Detain the pilot if you have to.

Party crasher.

Hold!

Prince. Thought his text
said you could have him.

Let's see where this goes.

If that plane starts to taxi,
take out the tires.

♪ ♪ ♪

Kid gave himself up.

It wasn't his idea.

This man was a fugitive from
justice, attempting to flee.

Which is why
I ordered my plane to land.

As a U.S. citizen,

nothing is more important
than obeying the law.

And as a sworn upholder
of those laws,

I'll take it from here.

You'll all report this properly.

You'll all come to learn
my plane was taken

under false pretenses.

Now I want to thank...

United States Attorney Rhoades

for calling this
to my attention.

I'm so grateful.

[reporters clamoring]

[reporter]
Mr. Prince, is there any way

you can make a comment, sir?

[Ira] Attorney's available
for photos, no questions.

[Chuck]
Fine, take some photos.

[both sigh]

Goddamned guy is going to get
a big hit off of this.

Mm-hmm. Maybe.

It wasn't a blowout,
but it'll go down as a win.

Now he knows his smallest
mistake will be raked over.

And everywhere he goes,
we are watching.

It's hard to march
toward the presidency

when you're always
looking over your shoulder.

I've just made arrangements

to send
the Indiana National Guard

to areas hit hardest
by the hurricane,

since units in the region
are underfunded.

This will get aid
to where it needs to be

before and until
the FEMA funds kick in.

All on Mike's dime.

Foreign affairs settled.
Domestic affairs are settled.

And we're going to help
a whole bunch of people.

Today was a good day.

I am so fucking happy
it worked out.

Now, no matter what happens,

you will be seen to
have done the right thing.

Not merely seen to be, Wags.
Doing it.

Even more reason
to smile about it.

[exhales]

Every single thing you do now

matters in a way
it didn't before.

There are no casual decisions.

And no one borrows your jet.

No one drops by your house for
dinner without prior approval.

No employee makes it look like
you're using a loophole

to avoid paying out
to the victims of a hurricane.

You need to be
the kind of person

who sees a hurricane coming--

Yeah. And runs toward it

with bailing buckets
and blankets

to wrap folks in.

Now you get it.

You need to assume
everything will come out

because it will.

So, take care to handle it
in advance

for the win.

It'll feel overwhelming,
but that's just what every hour

of every day
in the actual job will be.

[sighs]

I can't let you do it.

I know.

I want you to.
You need to know that.

You can keep the baton.
You should.

And, I promise,
after the inauguration,

you'll conduct
the National Orchestra.

Maybe do a full run
up the Eastern Seaboard.

That would be wonderful.

[chuckles] You don't have
to take this so gracefully,

me depriving you
of this dream right now.

You gave it to me.

I really wanted to.

I believe you.

I'm sorry.

This is what
I signed on for.

To make your life easier

so your journey became longer.

Richer. More fulfilling.

And I've always been
rewarded for so doing.

It doesn't change just because
it's in a different arena.

What about your life?

Well, you said you
had a good day today.

- I did.
- Then so did I.

Hold this for me.

Until.

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ Hand on the Bible lies ♪

♪ Maggots turn to flies ♪

♪ Whole world's gone to hell ♪

♪ Momma's back in jail ♪

♪ Just can't get enough ♪

♪ Think we've had too much ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

You told Prince
you were happy it worked out.

Seemed the only thing to say.

Especially after
I screwed up that bad.

You didn't screw up.
You tried to take him out

by making him look
like an insurance scammer.

Almost succeeded.

Lone gunman-style.

But I guess... fuck.

Guess I'm no assassin.

A clean kill
can turn very messy.

Today will only make him
more careful and cautious

about what he does
and how he appears.

This is all going to be hard.

And messy.

Don't get yourself fired.

We can't-- none of us--
can do this alone.

Or on a one-off attempt.
It needs to be full-on

Murder On The Orient Express
or nothing.

But are you really
prepared to go that far?

I am now. Are you?

Because Prince was right
about your impulsivity.

That shit can't get it
done at these stakes, so...

will you exercise
the discipline required

to really do it right?

I need to know.

I will. And we will.

Together.

Damn right.

♪ A snake will crawl
On the earth ♪

♪ To shed its skin ♪

♪ To make more
Room for the poison ♪

♪ And the filthy rich
Will all be clean ♪

♪ Until you raise your voices ♪

♪ And a louder one
Above the rest ♪

♪ Will call himself a rebel ♪

♪ There's the one
You know ♪

♪ And there's
The one you don't ♪

♪ But they're still both
The devil ♪

♪ As I lay me down ♪

♪ Go on
Get behind me ♪

♪ Now ♪