Original subtitles

Hello, I'm Alex Levy. And you're watching the Paris 2024 Summer Games only on UBN.

We give you a front-row seat

for the most heart-stopping Olympic moments...

...and spill the tea with all your favorite athletes.

We bring you the world, wherever you call home.

Welcome to the future.

This generative AI system can reproduce any anchor's voice,

capturing every inflection and emotion in over 40 languages.

Ben, get out here.

Talk about how we'll be using it in Paris.

Sure. So, over three billion people watch the Olympics.

The problem is that they watch it in their own language, and not on UBN.

With this tech, we could reach a massive audience that speaks only Mandarin,

or Japanese, or Arabic.

And what you're seeing today is only a beta test,

but it's the first step towards total content personalization.

-Yeah. -What about us?

Are we all gonna get replaced by AI too?

Can't wait to train my avatar.

No, no, no. No one here is gonna be replaced by AI.

-Really? -Nope.

What about the layoffs?

You know, we've lost over half of our crew on The Morning Show.

It's like we're still in the pandemic.

I know, I know. It's been a very challenging two years.

Right. But we're done with layoffs and buyouts.

As CEO, I promise you, we're through the worst of it.

And...

And the Olympics will be our victory lap.

These town halls are really starting to feel like The Lottery.

We're a stone's throw from mutiny.

We just need to make it to Paris. As soon as that Olympic flame is lit...

Then the staff can torch both of us.

The future sucks.

Mr. Sports Guy creeps me out. He's too perfect.

Everyone from NBN creeps me out.

Oh, fuck the merger. At least the billionaire was hot.

Guys, let's be honest. Men are facing a major mojo crisis.

I don't know. You seem a little fired up, Bro.

Yeah, I'm fired up, Sunny.

People are asking, "Aren't you going to Paris in '24?"

What? You don't want in on that?

Well, here's the real deal. The first Olympics had chariot races.

They competed naked

and fought to the death.

The games lasted six months.

And when they were over, they sacrificed a fuck-ton of goats and had an orgy.

Right, so your 40th?

But now what do we have?

Uh, synchronized... Excuse me, artistic swimming...

-Yeah. -...freaking horse dancing, ping-pong,

that thing with the ribbons. Come on.

Where's the danger? The stakes?

Where's the glory?

But, hey, I'm trying to decenter my masculinity,

-checking my heteronormative bias. -Oh, God.

"Will you consent to a kiss?"

But seriously, bro to bro,

the American sperm count's dropping faster than Biden's poll numbers.

That's why you need to head over to my website and order a tub of Bro Greens.

My own personal daily supplement to get those T levels on track

to get you back in the sack. Oh...

Please, God, do not let this man spread his seed.

Do you believe this guy?

I mean, 50 million other people do. Get used to it. He's here to stay.

-Like a hemorrhoid? -I think he's kinda funny.

That explains so much.

Hold the fort for me, will you?

I'm telling you, Remy, whatever you do, do not become an executive.

Oh, don't worry. I wanna direct.

So, for the interview tomorrow, they're arriving at 8:00.

-How's 6:00 for hair and makeup? -Uh, 5:30.

5:30. Oh, and they mentioned something about a beret for the promo.

Oh, God. Fuck that. No way. No fucking beret.

-Yeah, that is stupid. -So stupid.

-Hey, Jeremy. What's up? -Hey.

Oh, it's Lady Guillotine. How many heads rolled today?

Do you know how badly I wish I could've fired you?

-You seen my numbers this week? -I did not.

Number one on the streamer. Number one in my heart.

Fuck off, Bro.

She loves me.

She really loves me.

All right, what happened? Who's dead?

We are. We can't shoot downtown today.

And don't ask me when we can shoot.

Wait, did the city pull our permits again?

Have you been outside? Actually, never mind. Don't go out there.

Orange smoke?

What, did they make Trump the Pope?

It's that fire up north.

-The wind's changed... -Oh, fu...

...which means no location work, no aerials.

Okay.

We'll move the stunt inside, shoot it on the stage.

Uh, can we afford that?

Kyle, the movie does not work without the stunt.

Come on!

First the strike, now I'm cock blocked by this shit.

Just tell me what you want me to do.

Pray for rain.

A biblical fucking flood.

Hey, there. The Iranian team is on their way. Ready to head out?

Jesus, Chip looks ridiculous. What is he, a J.Crew model now?

Wait, what?

His documentary is screening at Cannes.

Isn't that cool?

Did you already know that?

Oh, um... Honestly, it's kinda good.

And you've seen it?

All right. Why haven't you told me that?

Oh, well, I-I didn't think you'd want to know, like, you might feel triggered.

Why wouldn't I wanna know? I like to know everything.

I care about poll workers being threatened.

I care about the integrity of the election.

I mean, these are things I'd like to know, especially if Chip's, you know...

Yeah. No, it was like a free screening,

but I can get you a copy if you wanna see it.

No, I don't have time. I don't have time to see it. And I was not triggered.

Jesus.

All right, we got about ten more minutes. Let's do this.

The Olympic dream, hope and the human spirit.

We've got the real-life Rey Skywalker. Come on, people. This is gold.

-Will you grab my questions for me? -On it.

Can't believe we pulled this off. I've covered peace talks less contentious.

Yeah. Do you wanna go over the questions again?

-They warned me about going off script. -No. I'm good.

Let's just make sure this doesn't turn into a promo

-for the Morality Police in Tehran. -Oh,

-the one Dick Wolf show that didn't work. -That's right.

-Hey, hi. -You're here late.

Well, you moved heaven and earth to make this happen.

I wanna see this phenom up close.

-Thank you, honey. -Yes, of course.

-Hello, hello. There's our Olympian. -Wow.

Miss Nazeri, this is Alex Levy.

Alex, meet Roya.

Thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview. We are so honored.

Hello.

And I hear your father will be translating when needed?

Yes. Hello. Arsham Nazeri. Pleasure.

Pleasure. When did you all get in?

This morning.

Ah. Have you had a chance to see the city?

Uh, a little. Uh... She wanted to see the Brooklyn Bridge.

Nah, you wanted to see the bridge.

I want to see the Brooklyn.

Oh, what's in Brooklyn?

Uh... Timothée Chalamet.

Oh.

Uh... If we could begin...

Of course.

Right, uh, shall we get you mic'd up? Right over here.

Thank you again. This means everything to my daughter.

Aw...

Roya, I understand it was your father who introduced you to fencing.

Yes... I love The Three Musketeers.

Ah, I see.

And you have devoted your entire life to this sport.

Why do you love it? What does it give you?

Hmm.

When you put on your mask, you can be anyone you want to be.

Mmm...

And that must feel liberating.

Yes. It makes me feel...

...free.

Um...

Nobel Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is currently in a prison in Tehran

for championing women's rights.

-What would you s... -Stop the interview right now.

I'm sorry, is there a problem?

No politics. We agreed.

We'll cut the question, keep it strictly to sports. All good.

I am sorry. I completely understand.

The parameters were very clear.

Okay, okay.

Why don't we just sneak over there while they figure this out, okay?

Okay, let's... Let's talk this through.

I'm sure we can find a way to move forward.

We were really excited to have Roya here...

-You wanna defect? -Yes.

-Why? Wh-Why here? Why not Paris? -There's too much security.

You are absolutely sure you want to do this?

We are not going back.

All right. I can call the State Department,

-but that's all that I can do. -Thank you.

-Shit. -We're leaving. Now.

One second, please.

Mmm.

Okay. Um...

There is a freight elevator at the end of the hall. There is a black SUV outside.

That is my car. I'll text my driver. Just go, go, go. You gotta go.

I think our best option is to reschedule for tomorrow.

We can take a step back, and...

Oh, Jesus.

Do you think that's real?

At this hour, it's not a drill.

All right. We need to get everyone out of the building. Guys, downstairs, now.

-What's going on? -Uh... We don't know yet.

Okay, there's a freight elevator at the end of the hall.

There's a black SUV across the street. She's on her way. Go, go, go.

-Alex, where's Roya? -Come on.

Roya!

-Shit. -Oh, Jesus. What the...

Jesus.

-Shit. -Oh, my God.

Hey, you okay? Can you turn off the engine?

You pulled the fire alarm.

They needed a way out.

Sorry to hijack your evening.

Please, I hate the Hamptons. No one dances at parties.

So, how exactly did this happen?

Ask Alex, our resident freedom fighter.

Funny, yes?

You survive the rapist, chase away the billionaire,

then a teenager walks in and we lose our heads.

Celine, believe me. If I had any idea that this was going to happen...

It doesn't matter. You know what you have to do.

If I ask Alex to step back from the Games, we will never hear the end of it.

And if you don't, the blame for this little incident lands on you.

People would love that. It's model minority hunting season.

Well, what do you expect?

You chased away the old guard, bit the hand that fed you,

and now they come for your neck.

Why do people hate it when women run things?

Stella.

They don't care about our vaginas.

They care about our eight-billion-dollar investment in the Olympics.

And if that tanks,

you'll take the hit, not me,

or anyone else on the board.

What a fuck cluster.

It's actually "cluster fuck."

My way's better.

I spoke to the FBI.

Roya and her father will be moved to a safe house.

Oh, my God. I have to interview them as soon as possible.

Oh, and say what? That you supplied the getaway car? Absolutely not.

Stella, come on! A-A sit-down with a defector

choosing to leave her own country right before the Games?

Roya's father works for Iran's nuclear program.

He's the one they care about. Not the girl.

What?

-Oh, shit. -Total press blackout

until we hear otherwise. The only interview you need to worry about

is you sitting down with the Feds next week.

I had no idea her father was involved in any of this.

Yeah, nobody did.

Great, so we caused an international incident.

We need to tell the Olympic Committee.

That should be fun.

We promised them objectivity.

The whole point of this interview was to show our coverage could be apolitical.

And given the Iran-Israel standoff in Gaza,

if this goes to shit, we lose our sponsorship, ad money...

Or just start World War III.

Fuck. Could the IOC re-open our contract? Like, would they take away the Games?

I don't know. Probably not this year,

but it's the first year of a 12-year deal, so it's possible.

We did a fan dance up and down Wall Street to borrow money.

Then we went on a shopping spree to buy the biggest sports event on earth.

I swam in the Seine,

and literally swallowed shit to close this deal.

We're out of money and favors.

If we lose the Olympics, we lose the network.

They were asking for my help. You would've done the exact same thing.

I just don't want us to fail.

-I understand. -Okay.

I need you to back away from these Olympics prep interviews.

-What? -We need to calm the waters,

ensure that you can still host the Games with Chris.

-Yes. We need you in Paris. -All right?

Oh, my God. I can't fucking believe this.

-I wanna put Chris on these interviews. -Oh... No. Wait.

Chris is stretched too thin as it is. She does five days on TMS.

-She is prepping for Paris. We can't... -So take her off of TMS

-for the time being. -Stella. We can't...

We need to prioritize the Games, whatever it takes.

Ben, talk to the crew. No one can tell a fucking soul what happened here tonight.

We are the home of the Olympics.

We're fucking Switzerland.

We don't take sides.

Kyle, how bad?

He's done 36 takes.

Apparently the video wall isn't right,

and he doesn't like how she's holding the umbrella.

Right, and I guess... She's, uh... Where?

Yeah. Refusing to come out of her trailer.

-Right. -It's a nightmare.

A nightmare? No, Kyle. No, no, no.

We're making dreams here. We're the luckiest people in the world, right?

A Tomoko massage, a bottle of chilled...

...skin contact wine, something beautiful and useless waiting for her

in her car by the time we wrap, okay? Go, go, go.

-Hey. -Cory, I'm fucked.

-Yeah. -We had the most perfect location

with a stunning view. And now, the most important scene in my fucking movie

looks like some shitty ass screen saver.

Will, buddy, Mother Nature had other plans for us, okay?

Relax. I'm gonna talk to her. You go eat some almonds and scroll your Letterboxd.

And, how hard is it to hold a fucking umbrella?

-I know. Actors, right? -God.

Hey there. It's Cory.

I'm sorry about all this.

You know directors. They're fickle fucking creatures.

Uh... One Criterion Closet visit and an ayahuasca retreat in Malibu

and suddenly he thinks he's David Fincher.

But...

you are the star of the movie.

Your expressive, extraordinary face that the world can't get enough of...

Our first meeting, what did I say to you?

People are done with green screen bullshit.

They're done with movies you forget the moment you leave the theater.

I believe in this film.

I believe in the unifying power of great storytelling.

I believe in your talent, and your passion,

and your ability to transport people and make them feel like human beings again.

We are making Chinatown for the post-truth era.

It's relevant.

It's elevated.

It's essential.

Hello?

You in here?

Cory.

That was her agent. She quit.

Rats.

Perfect. Can you hold out your two medals?

Awesome. And the doll up a little bit more.

-Whoo! -A little bit more profile.

So, is Mini-Me gonna get some other outfits,

like a power suit or something?

Maybe a bikini.

'Cause God knows she's never been pregnant. Have you?

Let's do a series by the teacup.

-Wanna break for a few? -Yeah, great. Thank you.

Wait a sec. No, thank you, thank you.

Are they good?

-Ooh, I like the first one. -Yeah, it's good.

Wow.

Say hello to my little friend.

You're in a good mood.

Olympic road trip here I come.

-Mm-hmm. Mmm. -And it's such a good warm-up for Paris.

But you know, you're stretched a little bit thin here.

Prep for the games, DNC in August.

I don't know if you should go.

Marcus makes a call, you can stay right here.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

I'm good. I wanted these interviews from jump.

I just deferred to Alex because I had to.

And you said you wanted to spend more time with family.

-Mm-hmm. -You know, Chris.

We really can find somebody else.

I feel like you're managing me.

Okay, so I was thinking, whoever sits in for me on TMS...

-Yep. -...could transition to full time.

I could expand my horizons. I've been talking to Stella

-about a news magazine show and... -Really?

...adapting my book club selections for UBN Plus.

You sound like Alex five years ago.

Yeah. I'm going to do everything she did without making a mess.

-You ready? -Ready when you are.

Okay.

It just might be time to move on.

You know.

Hi, Mae.

-Ms. Jordan. -Hi.

I-I think Ms. Bak is on a call, so if you could... Miss Jordan?

It's okay.

Seriously, two minutes. I have to kiss up to the French ambassador.

Okay, well, then, I just gotta fucking say it.

This whole situation is bullshit.

-Chris drives TMS. -Mmm.

Okay? And taking her off for even a couple of months

is gonna sink our ratings, which is gonna reflect poorly on me,

which is gonna keep me out of the Head of News chair,

which you promised me two years ago when you got this job.

-Do you remember that? -Mm-hmm.

Back when you and, um, Marie-Antoinette pitched UBN

as a feminist utopia where women lift each other up.

Don't blame Celine. I know. I know it's been a process.

A pro... That's cute.

-A process. -Mm-hmm.

Come on, Stella. You know I've had other offers.

I want you in the job.

But given our Iranian problem, things are a little chaotic right now.

So let's just get through the next few weeks,

preferably without losing the Olympics or any more TMS viewers.

Okay.

Chris and Yanko are good.

They're a nice TV couple

that make America feel better about their deeply ingrained fear of Black women,

but they are no Alex and Mitch.

I mean, they're not even Alex and Bradley,

which I will remind you, was the biggest audience...

That was the biggest audience we ever had.

Mm-hmm.

Um...

-Okay, I'm just going to say it. -Say it.

What do you think she's doing right now?

I don't know. But if she was doing anything,

-we would know about it. -Mm-hmm.

People would watch, right? I mean, they'd be curious.

-Yeah. -Or is she too controversial?

-You're talking about the Cory of it all? -Mmm, and her brother.

Ooh, but maybe that works for us.

Really?

Because she's a woman who refuses to be defined

by the fucked-up men in her past,

coming home to the place that made her a star, y'all.

In an election year when, frankly,

we could use a red state-friendly face on TMS.

Ratings would kill.

-Yeah. -Yeah.

Yeah, okay, great. Okay, just-just e-mail me a list, okay?

-I mean, sure, but you got... -Doug. And no, it cannot be Bro Hartman.

-Oh. Okay. -So don't even go there.

-Swear to God. -Do you have a minute?

-Yeah. -All right.

So Doug is, uh, gonna send over some names for TMS.

Oh, anybody interesting?

Yeah. He said Ali Wong might be up for it,

-considering it's just two months. -Yeah, I love Ali.

I love her too. I think it could be great.

Mm-hmm. Uh... What about Bradley?

Mia and I were just talking about it.

-Oh, no. Mm-mmm. -And I'm just curious

-what you think about that. -No, I-I wouldn't. I wouldn't.

-Yeah. -Considering how she left.

-Right. Mm-hmm. -And everything with Hal.

I just don't think we should go anywhere near that.

Okay. Well, I do think the tide is turning with the Jan 6th stuff.

And honestly it's a demo we've been trying to reach for quite some time now.

The... The alternative facts crowd?

Alex. Like it or not, the center moved.

We need to get the biggest tent for the biggest audience.

And if half the country thinks we're just a mouthpiece for the Democrats,

then this merger really doesn't work. Just doesn't.

Okay. Okay, you know what?

-I'll do it. I'll just do it. -Huh.

We'll just send Chris on the road.

I'll sit at the teacup until we're all in Paris.

-Mmm. -Voilà, done.

I appreciate the offer, I really do. But actually Mia just left for West Virginia.

-She... -Mm-hmm. Thank you.

I-I...

Why are you the one to tell this story?

What do you see that no one else does?

And why should I care?

Why should I read your op-ed instead of, say,

watching Real Housewives of Salt Lake City?

No, but in a world of conspiracy theories,

where algorithms just tell us what we wanna hear,

how do you get anyone to listen?

How's teaching? You loving it?

You know what they say. Those who can, do, and those who can't,

try to convince twenty some things that our institutions aren't fundamentally corrupt

-and irredeemable. -So you're enjoying it then, huh?

How are you? How's André?

Oh, uh...

You know,

two months in Yemen, then Gaza.

-Oh. -Kind of on a break. It's fine.

And then, how's UBA? Um... UBN.

UBN. Things are good, Bradley.

Really good, actually.

NBN News spun off. I was able to keep most of my team.

Alex is wrangling talent, God bless her, on top of everything else.

-It's good. -Yeah, I saw that.

I also saw you inherited the, um, NBN podcaster guy,

who's trying to convince the world that Bill Gates invented Ebola.

Bill Gates invented COVID.

-Right. Yes. I forgot. -And the CIA invented Ebola.

All we're missing is a Southern girl who likes to say it straight

and blow things up.

Well, that would be déjà vu.

You're not serious.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Chris is out in the field for two months.

Road to the Olympics thing.

You want me to fill in on Morning Show?

You know the job, you know how it works.

You've done it. It's an election year.

-There's so much to talk about, Bradley. -Right.

With everything that's happening overseas.

Come on.

Wh-What does Alex say?

-She's excited. -She is?

Yeah, to have you back.

-Yeah. -Yeah.

-Really? -We're all excited.

Uh, I... It's really flattering, Mia, I...

But I-I don't think that's...

-Listen. The old UBA is gone. -Mm-hmm.

Cory's gone. Laura's gone.

I know. It's not about that.

I just don't know if I'm ready to go back there.

Right now.

We would really love to have you back.

If you change your mind,

let me know?

I'll let you know.

From the gentleman.

Tell him, "No thanks."

Um, what's this?

Also from the gentleman.

-What? -What's with the face?

Work shit?

Olympic shit. Levy shit.

-What did she do this time? -Mmm.

That's classified.

-Mmm. -Mm-hmm.

I-I thought I was your biggest secret.

You're my biggest mistake.

Mmm.

Hey.

Stay.

And do what?

I don't know. We could, um...

...order in.

Oh.

Or there's a really great pizza joint in Tokyo.

-Tokyo. -Yeah.

There's only two pies on the menu, so it's super easy to choose.

That sounds so nice.

-Mm-hmm. -I'm just gonna get my passport

-and cancel all my meetings. -Right.

And, uh, we can get out of town

and, you know, leave the world behind us.

So...

You always say that.

Early voting kicks off tomorrow across West Virginia,

and we've got all of your updates here on Decision 2024.

Just last night WRPV hosted its Republican gubernatorial forum

giving voters a chance to hear directly...

...from the candidates on the state's

most urgent concerns.

Over the next hour we'll be breaking down the candidates' answers

and verifying the facts behind their claims.

First in the spotlight, current Secretary of State, Mac Warner.

One of his most important answers was in response to a question

on the future of air travel in West Virginia.

Reporter Tanya Sanchez takes a closer look at Warner's comments, and unpacks...

Oh.

Oh, shit.

You think this is a disaster? Bill, Billy.

Dating in LA is a disaster.

Thirty-dollar juice from Erewhon, also a disaster.

My movie? My movie is an opportunity.

We've got a window to reshoot.

We've got the role of a lifetime.

Off the record, strictly between us, when I first read the script,

the only person I could think to play the part? Sandy.

I'm telling you, Ari. It is and it always has been Halle.

I said it from the start.

I screamed it from the top of Runyon.

Cate!

Not available?

Well, thanks for hearing me out.

Kyle, I need you to call your friends at the agency.

Get me Doug Klassen's calendar for the week.

Yeah.

Anything where he's out of the office.

-Oh. Hi. I was just looking for you. -Hey.

-Walk with me. Okay. -Okay. How did it go with Bradley?

Honestly, she seemed a little gun-shy.

I don't think she's ready to come in from the cold.

Mm-hmm, that's... That's okay. That's okay. We'll find somebody.

God, Mia, this whole thing is so fucked up.

I know. We're right at the finish line. We can't quite get there yet.

Yeah, you know what doesn't help? Spending all morning at the fucking FBI.

Uh, what did they say?

Just took my statement, showed me the door.

Nothing from Roya or her father?

They're still debriefing.

Literally. And the Feds won't let me anywhere near them,

and I can't get her out of my mind.

She was just so terrified.

Oh! Do you know anyone at the State Department?

This asylum just has to happen,

-and it has to happen really fast. -Uh...

Alex, I think this is out of our hands.

-UBN is under a microscope. -I know.

-No one here can touch this. -I know, I know, I know, I know.

-Look, I gotta go to this meeting. -Okay.

-We'll talk TMS hosts later. -Mm-hmm.

-Alex, let it go. -Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Fuck.

Remy, clear my afternoon.

I will be out of the office, period.

Fuck.

I can do this.

Sullivan v. The New York Times.

Ring any bells?

Who amongst you can summarize the ruling? Hmm?

Somebody. Come on.

Good God.

For a generation obsessed with the sound of its own voice,

you're all remarkably silent.

Uh.

Rebecca Hanson.

Miss Hanson,

brighten my day.

That's the girl.

New York Times v. Sullivan

-limits the ability... -Speak up a little, Miss Hanson.

You've got the court's attention. They won't be impressed by a mouse.

New York Times v. Sullivan limits the ability to sue for defamation.

Right.

So, um,

unless the plaintiff can show that an accusation was a true threat,

-then they can't... -No, no, no.

The specific phrase you're looking for is "actual intended malice."

Those are the magic words.

Thank you, Miss Hanson.

Next week, Roth v. the United States.

Well...

-...this is unexpected. -Ha.

The prodigal daughter makes a surprise appearance.

Yes.

-Look at you. -Mmm.

Lizzie put you up to this?

No. Why would she?

Oh...

-I see her from time to time in London. -Oh.

In fact, I introduced her to a couple of my colleagues.

They were mightily impressed.

That's great.

I'm so glad Lizzie's not a disappointment.

Oh, Alexandra, please. Look, sit down.

You know, not a term goes by without one of my students asking me

about Mitch, um... What's his name?

-Kessler. -Kessler,

Paul Marks,

your frequent appearances in the tabloids,

-and... -I'm okay.

Oh.

And I tell them that at one point

you actually studied to be a real journalist.

Mm-hmm.

Yes, I know. I'm aware that you think what I do is of no value.

Well, let's just say that I was hoping

you'd use your talents for something more significant than daytime television...

Right.

...but, uh... water under the bridge.

So, I thought we were not talking.

Why are you here?

Somebody tell you I was dying?

-I came to ask you a question. -Ah.

That Iraqi translator that you helped out.

Do you remember what ever happened to her?

Well, that was years ago. Why do you ask?

Well, hypothetically speaking,

if someone were seeking asylum,

say an Iranian scientist,

and there was a child involved...

This all sounds a little above your pay grade.

The scientist.

What happens when the government is done questioning him?

He gets a new identity.

-Right. -Or, worst case, they send him back.

Mmm. Which would leave the daughter all on her own.

Do you still have friends in the State Department?

Do you think there's anyone

that you could call, off... clearly, off the record, of course,

-that could help out in this situation? -I was helping the Iraqis

draft their new constitution. I wasn't running an exfiltration team.

-No, I understand that. -In any case,

I think the State Department is a little busy at the moment.

No, no, no, no, no. This sounds...

No. If you came here for my advice, then this is it.

Keep out of this, whatever it is.

Don't become involved.

-Hmm? -Mm-hmm.

Look, since you've crossed the Maginot Line to come see me,

let me tell you my good news.

Okay.

They're making me dean of the law school.

-Mmm. Wow. -I was in the running years ago,

but of course they hired a woman.

But now she's "retiring," so...

They'll be announcing it in the next few weeks.

-Wow. -Hmm?

That's very impressive.

Congratulations, Dad.

Ah...

In fact, there's something you could do to help me.

And that is, one of the students is writing a profile for the alumni magazine.

Maybe you could talk to her, give her a few anecdotes.

A few anecdotes? What do you... As in...

Well, just about us. You know, about family.

Something frothy and light, you...

Just the sort of thing... ...you're good at, you know.

Mm-hmm.

Hi, there. Come in.

How long will you be gone?

Just two months.

I know I have to let you know when I'm gonna be out of state.

-So... -What's in New York?

A job. I'm gonna be filling in on The Morning Show.

Oh, you're gonna be reporting again? On TV?

I'm not sure that's gonna fly with my bosses.

No, no, I don't... I wouldn't exactly call it reporting.

It's more like we're swapping chicken recipes.

That's all you're gonna be doing?

-Yeah. -Talking about chicken?

Mmm, that's it.

I was told I could work still, a-and, um...

I-I need the money.

If you ask me, the information that you gave us on Paul Marks two years ago

does not merit a free pass.

So let's get one thing really clear.

You are only free right now by the grace of the US government.

We didn't prosecute you, and we kept your name out of the press.

But, if you fuck up,

if you lie to us, if you so much as even jaywalk,

we won't hesitate to rethink the terms of our agreement.

And if you come across anything in New York

that may be of interest to the Bureau, we expect you to let us know.

Understood.

All hands on deck. Bradley's arriving tonight.

How soon can we get going?

Okay, we need to hit the ground running.

Wardrobe test, photo shoots, an exclusive with Variety.

Make it big.

UBN's brightest star back in orbit.

Let me know.

Nice work landing Bradley Jackson.

Mia Jordan made it happen.

-You should congratulate her. -Mm-hmm.

-Hey. Am I late? -Hey.

Miles, how are you?

Stella, good to see you.

I'm starving.

Let's get some dinner on the way home.

Yeah, what do you think? Italian?

Um, oysters and champagne.

Let's celebrate.

Good night, Stella.

-Enjoy. -Bye.

Bye.

Oh, wow.

-Sorry. Doug! -Cory.

I swear I almost didn't recognize you with your LA glow-up. Hot.

Is that, um, vitamin D or teenage blood infusions?

I need to make a call.

Oh, okay.

Who crapped in his khakis?

Really?

You wanna do this in public in front of everybody I work with?

One drink.

You're gonna stalk me until I say yes, huh?

Like a leopard.

I flew too close to the sun.

But, uh... the smell of burning wings, you don't forget that.

You can scrub yourself clean, change zip codes,

but the memory is still there,

and every so often you get a reminder, a whiff,

and it drives you, Doug, to work harder,

to never fail again.

I don't mean to be rude, but is there any way that you can just shut the fuck up?

Douglas, what happened?

You used to love it when I called.

Well, yeah. When you were signing Alex's checks.

I mean, eight figures, you can read me the phone book

and work my nut sack like a speed bag for all I care.

Oh, yeah, wow. That's your kink?

What do you want, Cory? This about your movie?

Why? Did you hear something?

Do you or do you not need an actress?

I need Julia.

-You need Julia. -I need Julia.

-And Doug... -Okay.

...you get me a meeting with her

and I will... I will name my firstborn Doug.

Look.

Even if I wanted to help you,

first Bradley Jackson, and now your actress,

they're both talking about an unsafe work environment...

Unsafe?

You know, I was gonna dangle her over an actual building

before some gender reveal gone wrong blew out the sky.

I never said it was fair. But, hey.

So you do your time, you lay low,

and eventually the statute of limitations will pass.

I was cleared of any wrongdoing.

The investigation was fucking definitive.

Dude, your golden parachute was shot full of holes,

and you crash-landed in cancel city. It sucks,

but get off the grid for a bit and then we can talk.

-Okay? -Bradley Jackson? Jesus.

People don't even fucking remember her.

You know, it was two years ago.

That is a millennium in entertainment years.

It would take a team of archaeologists to find her career.

So unless she's dating Taylor Swift or discovered that she's a minor Kardashian,

the world does not give a fuck!

Wow. She really got to you, huh?

Help me with my movie, man.

Let's prove to the world that we're still capable of making good things.

That's why you got into this business in the first place, isn't it?

We both know there's a thousand better ways to make a buck.

Send me your script, and I'll see what I can do.

-Hey, you. -Hey.

-Hi. -Yeah, hey.

Come on in.

I'm glad you stopped by.

I can't remember the last time I had a real conversation.

Same.

Try making small talk at a faculty meeting in West Virginia.

It was like screaming into the void.

Oof. God, sounds like my love life.

So you're not seeing anybody either?

Oh, I see people.

I see bean counters who tell me how much debt we're carrying.

I see HR. They tell me who I get to fire.

But I did not think I was going to see you.

-Hmm. Cheers. -Cheers.

-Mmm. -I know. You know,

it's moving a little bit fast,

-but it feels right. -Mmm.

'Cause if I'm being totally honest, um,

I was going a little bit crazy out there on my own.

-Yeah. -So...

-Yeah, no, I-I bet. Um... -Yeah.

But honestly, I-I was told that you had said no.

And now you're here, so I'm just... I'm a little surprised.

Uh... Okay?

Do you really think this is a good idea?

I mean, coming back here with, uh...

Uh, Mia and Stella think it's a good idea.

They told me that you were on board

and that you were excited about it.

No, I never said that.

-Okay. -But you know... ...Bradley,

they... they don't know what you did.

They don't know the real reason that you left.

They think Hal's the only one who overstepped.

Maybe this is an opportunity for me to make it right this time.

Okay, I get that.

I do. I-I just don't...

I just don't think UBN is the place for you to be right now.

-I see. -You know?

So, where exactly is the place for me, Alex?

Is it back in West Virginia,

-or is it in prison with my brother? -Oh, please.

Bradley... ...who walked you to the FBI?

I was there for you.

-Come on, remember that. -Yeah, and now you want me

-as far away as possible. -That's not what I said.

-That's not what I meant... -What? What did you mean?

I just don't think you should be reporting the news right now.

You crossed a line.

How many lines have you crossed, Alex?

And I guess I'm the one with the gag order?

'Cause it was really clear that you wanted me to keep my mouth shut

when you called me after Hal's sentencing to check on me.

I didn't want to carry this.

I wanted it to be out in the open.

-I would have told everybody. -Listen, I'm sorry.

I just didn't think it was the time to tell the entire world what you had done.

You were protecting yourself, because you didn't want to seem complicit.

Oh, my God.

Bradley. Okay, you just don't understand.

You don't understand how hard the last two years have been, okay?

UBN cannot afford one more fuck up.

We are literally bailing water as fast as we can.

And what you did...

If that fucking comes out, we are fucked.

It just sinks us.

Deleting footage,

-lying about your brother... -I know what I did. And you know what?

Paul Marks has done way worse shit than me to a lot more people.

And from what I can see, he's living pretty great.

I... P... What...

What does Paul Marks have to do with anything

-that you and I are talking about? -I've never understood why you didn't run

everything we had on him.

But I guess that's your MO.

Some people get a pass,

-and some people don't. -Oh, my God.

You've gotta be fucking kidding me.

-No, it's real clear. -I'm just trying to be honest with you.

Well, I have to get up early, so let me be honest, I'm gonna go.

I'll see myself out.

Okay. Sorry about that.

Mmm.

Fuck off, New York.

Ah, thank you. Thank you. Yes.

Mmm.

Well, now this is unexpected.

Alex Levy. How the fuck are you doing?

I'm good, Cory. How are you?

Great, actually.

Uh, I'm just wondering if... if you've heard.

Heard what?

Bradley is back and, um,

starting TMS Monday morning.

You and I are overdue for a catch-up, don't you think?