All language subtitles for billions.s06e04.2160p.web.h265-glhf

[Kate]
Previously on Billions...

The very first
New York Olympics.

The city’s down, hurting.

It’s the perfect
opportunity to rebuild.

Selecting a host city
is a very political process.

I want to make an impression,
but as I understand it,

the men and women
of the commission

don’t look kindly upon
strangers bearing gifts.

The office is not where
my new war is going to be waged.

Not at first.

The venue matters less
than the message.

No, I realized
it’s not one billionaire

having his way
with the City.

The overall effect
of the billionaire class...

they’re a scourge.

Prince has different
priorities.

He seems to be after
more than profits here.

-So, what are you saying?
-I don’t know yet,

but I know he’s not Axe.

I am hereby creating
the Prince List.

Shedding all the dirty capital
currently invested.

From now on, clients will have
to qualify to invest with us.

Sometimes you just
have to break some shit.

Make them know
that no one is safe.

You promised me
a winning season, Chuck.

I’m running out of time
if I’ll have to quit.

I can’t lose my MVP yet.

I need you, Kate.

Okay, boss.

[Chuck] What do we do
when the carpetbaggers

and the land barons
try to shove us out of the way?

We shove back!

[all]
Take back our city!

Take back our city!

I was approached.

For a job?

Nobody said anything
about a job.

It’s a job.

You did good by coming to me.

So, obviously,
I’m not going--

Oh, no, you’re going.

But you’re going for me.

You’ll be my Vincent Terranova.

It’s natural to celebrate,
to go big.

Especially with the tools
you have here.

The fun and the talent
in this room.

You think it’s gonna
go on and on and on.

It’s never gonna end.

But we know that’s not true.

You all in this room
are not immune

to the mistakes
other people make,

where they spend
more than they make.

The burn rate gets them
every time.

I’ve had 52 players
drafted in the NBA.

Thirty-five are in the league
right now.

My suggestion to them
and to you:

Put the first million away!

Forget you have it.

You put yours
back in this fund,

you know five, six, seven years,

you’re a multimillionaire.

With that behind you,

no fear.

No anxiety seeps in.

You have a clear mind
to think good thoughts.

All of a sudden,
you get in the zone,

and you’re doing stuff you don’t
even believe you could do,

and you win championships.

National championships.

And when you win
a national championship...

I’ve never played
basketball,

but I’d follow this man
through the gates of hell.

[Coach Cal] ...don’t let
the burn rate drag you down,

because at the end of the day,

it’s about winning championships
for all of us, isn’t it?

[applause]

Coach gave us a great deal
on the speaking fee.

He really did.
Worth every cent.

And I hear he’s donating it
to charity,

so a win for all.

[Prince]
State-of-the-art facilities,

accommodations,
transportation.

Designed to accommodate any
and all environmental concerns.

Everything pristine.

Uh-huh.

Yeah, well,
I tell you, Mike,

the whole thing’d
be a lot more believable

if there was, uh,
dirt somewhere.

-[laughs]
-I mean, just...

New York City’s
never been this clean.

It was never
my mandate before.

I told them,
make it dazzling.

Dazzle the man, don’t leave
anything to the imagination.

And that’s what I’m gonna do

when the Games
are actually here.

You know, they used to have
a sundae at Haagen-Dazs

called the Dazzler.

I think they still do. You know,
it’s dulce de leche ice cream

with, like,
ribbons of caramel,

and then more dulce,
more caramel.

Then you’d put whipped cream
on it, and then they would just

cover the whole thing in,
like, hot caramel sauce.

It earns its name:
the Dazzler.

I would guzzle
that sucker down.

But, you know...

before long,

I’d start to feel milk-sick
and bloated.

And, you see, I’m afraid
it’s going to be the same way

with the Olympic Games
here in our city.

Could be delicious,

but more likely to make me ill
when the voters paddle my ass

’cause they don’t like them,
so...

Everyone loves--

Chuck Rhoades changed
the conversation

before it even started,
all right?

Now, we wouldn’t be selling
the Games,

we’d be defending them
from the jump.

And the city council,
legislator, activists,

they’re all going to crap
on this Olympic bid

and they’re going to tag it
with regulations,

and that’s after
you jump through

a bunch of fucking hoops
first-- flaming ones.

You can’t win if you
forfeit before the tip-off.

Yeah, well, the only winner
in this hopeless fucking outing

is going to be your chief
legal counsel

in billable hours.

You and I, we can solve
these issues together.

The Games are never
coming to the city

without the governor’s support.

I hope that I can
count on it.

Mike, public opinion
is 2% positive on this.

I believe cancer
is polling at 3%.

Chuck’s stunt only worked
’cause it lit a fire

under something
that’s already lighted.

I am not getting
in the bucket bailing relay line

next to you on this one,
all right?

Buzz me when you got something
that’ll work.

God, is the stink of losing
actually sticking?

I don’t want
that gamy shit on me.

If he’s right and we’re stuck
in a municipal swamp, we need--

Some serious legal firepower.

[Prince]
Yes.

White-shoe firm.
Maybe more than one.

A fixer at bar.
A street fighter.

A master of the dark arts.

Bill Barr’s a little
controversial right now.

Someone to navigate
the land mines,

specifically the ones
planted by Chuck Rhoades.

We have to hire
from inside the government,

to backslap and crony our way
past the city council.

You’re saying hire the guy
who set the speed traps,

and you’ll always know
when to slow down.

Absolument.

Hell, we hired Spyros
straight from the SEC,

and as lame as he is,

we haven’t gotten calls
from enforcement for two years.

Someone like
Manhattan D.A. Gramm.

Seems likable,
but full-on pit bull.

She’d be perfect,
but she’s a lifer.

M-Tap, I think he’s right.

Oh, I’m right,

’cause this
is the down and dirty,

and I happen to be both.

Yep, and if you can add
Neil Young to your band,

you do it,
even if you were already

getting by with Crosby and Nash.

Good. Do it.

Now, on another front:
Colin has the advance team

from the International
Commission of Sport

in from Europe.

They need to leave so happy--

Ah, that’s why you came to me.

The down and the dirty,
as you said, yes.

So that they go home
to their masters

and tell them we’re the ones
that should top the short list.

And that the gift bags
you’ll hand them

will be pendulous and heavy
as Bo Derek’s--

You can’t just bribe them.

Everyone’s willing
to bribe them.

Don’t use the "B" word
in front of me. Come on.

Yes, but the point is,
if we were the bribing type--

which we are not--

they need to be made
to feel special.

Pretty certain we have
different ideas on "special."

Well, since you two are already
happy bunkmates, do it together.

[door opens]

[chuckles]

No way. No way you get
all that crap in that pack.

Now, if you had
a spatial algorithm

and someone who knew how
to use it along with you, maybe.

Oh, I guess that’d be you.

Do you want to come along
with your spatial-packing algo?

As your worthy Sherpa.

I’ll start optimizing
the algo to our route

for strategic
climate-to-weight--

Oh, bud, buddy.
Yeah, no. Big no.

So, you don’t want--

Company? Help? Unh-unh.

[sighs] I’ll stuff it in
with a toilet plunger

and throw away half of it
if I have to.

But I won’t have to,
because Rolf shows us how.

Feeling that Jack London,
Elizabeth Gilbert call, huh?

I don’t aim to leave for another
eight to ten months, at least.

Just pre-planning.

-Once you’ve saved up enough.
-Right.

No shame in the frugality game.
I’ll peace once I have 600k.

But for now, it’s more
about grooving the feeling.

Visualizing.

Active anticipation
has psycho-physical benefits,

and you can afford
the time off.

But why do this here
and not at home?

I had enough at-home time,
thanks.

And the fantasy is,
you go right from work,

like one day you just stand up
and grab your rucksack

and take off from your desk
into the sun-drenched deck

of some Turkish hostel
in the summer.

If reality were as good
as the fantasy,

we wouldn’t have had
to invent "The Sims."

If we start talking Sims,
I’ll never get back to work.

Yeah. I lost all of 8th grade

in service of one particularly
needy pet Sim dog, an Akita.

Thing is,
fantasy or reality,

you aren’t calculating
opportunities lost.

Here. To your career.
To your development.

Come on, you never think
about getting free?

No hidden agenda.

I too have considered
and calculated

an out number.

Assuming it’s a little steeper

than the cost
of a Pittsburgh duplex, huh?

How much?

Twenty mil? Fifty?

-About twice that.
-Oof!

Boss wants a beach house
and a ski chalet.

No.

No, they do not.

Or that’s not the why, anyway.

Correct. It’s not for lifestyle.

I plan to leave once I’ve
accrued enough personal capital

to drive real, measurable,
prosocial advancement.

A 5% withdrawal rate to protect
against principal erosion?

Exactly.

One hundred million
is a solid starting point

to build a legacy of truly
effective humanitarian progress.

Okay, but if my math is right,
and I’m p-sure it is,

you still got a while
before you get to temple-run.

I do, so I gotta serve
my master, get paid,

and make sure
I can move the needle

even before
I hit my number.

To that end, there’s something
we need to work on for Prince.

-He asked you to?
-Not yet.

Oh.

Yes.

I do love a Taylor Ham.

I made a swing out to Jersey
and nabbed ’em.

Nothing like the original.

Absolutely so.
Tremendous sandwich.

The pork roll.
John Taylor original.

[laughs]

And you, Chuck Rhoades,

went out to Jersey
and snagged us a couple.

I did.

-I bagged a few for us.
-Ah.

It’s a shame the Olympics
only come every four years,

or else I’d have guys like you
and Prince playing fetch for me

up and down the Eastern Seaboard
on the regular.

Could fire half my staff.

Governor, I am a longtime
friend and ally,

while Mike Prince is--

Between us, I told him
he’s mostly shit out of luck.

Perfect.
So you’re with me on this.

That’s what I told Prince.

And it might be true.

Listen, I know I got to take
a flume ride

with one of you two lunatics
on this.

I just haven’t decided
who I win with yet.

And you both need me more,

so I finally
got my balls back.

Can you hear ’em clank?

Loud as the cymbal crashes
on "Hungry Like the Wolf."

But perhaps this isn’t
a decision

that requires a great show
of inner steel.

Perhaps it merely
requires remembering

that we, both of us,
serve the people.

And Mike Prince’s grand plan,
it doesn’t really serve them.

We know this.

You may know this.

But I may need
a little more convincing.

[sighs]

I have an ask.

I need your input
on a new hire.

Trader, PM, or analyst?

Lawyer.

I need one
from the other side

to break trail with city
and state lawmakers.

I know what you’re asking,
and I have the answer.

Kate Sacker is the name
you know you need to say

but can’t quite
bring yourself to.

[laughs] Salut.

Is she as good
as they say?

Steel-trap legal mind,
charisma,

knows how
to work the angles.

Has political ambitions too.
Learned at Chuck’s elbow.

Sounds amazing.
Is she gettable?

No. She’s completely loyal.

-Right, who’s next on your--?
-There’s no next.

Kim Philby
seemed loyal too.

And he broke
a nation’s heart.

What’s my best first move?

Nah.

I’m going to respectfully
stay out of this one.

Things are fraught enough
between me and my ex-husband

without me steering you in
the plucking of his personnel.

There must be something
that would induce you

to do it for me,

to make it worth it.

I’m not that transactional.

And it’s not
just because of Chuck.

Sacker’s special in all the ways
I just mentioned,

but in intangible ways too.

The thought of bringing her
in here?

Even if I dealt
with the Chuck-of-it-all--

In here is not the place
it used to be.

We’re different.

I want to believe
that that’s true.

Consider it.

You hear what you’re asking,
right?

You hear what I’m offering,
right?

So will you?

Well, if anyone could give
Jersey a fighting chance,

it’s Bruce Springsteen
and Jon Bon Jovi.

I’m glad to hear you fellas
are down for the cause.

I’ll send you details.

Great stuff. Just great.
Thank you.

The Boss and Bon Jovi.

Ah.

You starting a band?

We may have a meeting
across the river,

if you know
what I’m saying.

Let’s switch to you
knowing what I’m saying.

Congress.

It’s time.

I need you to get guys
like that donating to me.

-Playing for me.
-And they will. We will.

Soon enough,
but not quite yet.

We got big stuff
on our plate.

I need to start raising money,
building a staff,

doing the grip-and-grins
in my district,

the kinds of things I cannot do
while I’m on the state’s dime.

I get it.

We all had to hit
the pause button for months.

But everyone’s plans
have had to take a back seat

for the greater good.

That was fine for a while.

No more.

All due respect,
I need big cases with big wins

to burnish the rep,
or I need to get out.

We are going to have big cases.
You will. Very soon.

We’re stopping Citizen Prince
from buying off

the greatest metropolis
in the history of mankind,

which will cement
your political place.

You’ve stayed the course with me
this far.

All I ask is that you
use your instincts

and hang in with me
a little longer.

We’re finally doing
the good thing for good reason,

and it will be good for you,
Kate.

You know what the most powerful
four-letter word is?

I don’t curse much.

"Free."

I know how to unlock it
for our benefit,

and to help a whole whack
of people.

We give Wi-Fi away as part
of our gift to New York.

-That a huge--
-There’s a company.

People of the World.

They use blockchain
to siphon unused Wi-Fi

from existing networks
of major telecom companies,

then bundle the undetectable
excess for civilian use.

So free public Internet
can start now in New York

as a goodwill incentive
pre-Olympics,

and continue gratis
through the Games for athletes,

and to cover the influx
of tourists.

Dumpster diving for bit rate.
Genius.

-You have a line into it?
-Yes. Here’s the pitch:

New Yorkers get it gratis,
courtesy of the Games.

Free Internet in the five
boroughs is the holy grail.

And we set it up so that every
time a New Yorker uses it,

someone in sub-Saharan Africa

gets the same allotment
of Wi-Fi.

It’s a do-good, feel-good,
look-good play.

The greatest trio since
Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay.

What’s it gonna cost?

Twenty-two million,
and we control the company.

Do it.

You seem like a man
who needs antioxidants.

[Wags]
Hmm, shit, you’re right.

How’s this whole
"Tango and Cash" thing going?

Ah, the Stallone-Russell
classic.

Which one is Stallone in that?

-[Wags & Prince] Tango.
-Glad you know that one, Wags.

Which is why you will relate,
personally,

so well to certain of these
folks on the advance team.

Make them feel special.

I will handle the business
forward part of the evening,

the front of the El Camino,
as it were, and you will--

Organize the junk
in the trunk.

Sure. I already went
to the trouble to get...

I don’t need
the granular detai--

Are those Quaaludes?

That’s right. Methaqualone.

A.K.A., Beiruts, Bandits,
Wagon Wheels.

They’re not Lemmons.
I couldn’t get that lucky.

But they are Rorers.

Our friends will feel
as warm and fuzzy

as a baby kitten
on the cover of Cat Fancy.

Can you legally possess those
in the U.S.?

I have a prescription...
of sorts.

Another reason why
I won’t be there for that part.

[Wags] Neither will I.
I’ll just hand them out.

I’m working
on a project that...

Chelz and I have decided
to try, you know?

She’s got this app
which tells her

when she’s...

when she’s ovulating.

So when the thing bings or
beeps or whatever it does,

I need to hop to.

I have got to be home and ready
by 5:30 a.m. that morning,

guns loaded,
so to speak.

Well, at the appropriate time,
I cannot wait to wish you mazel.

Tango and Cash, or is it more
Bialystock and Bloom?

I can’t quite tell.

But I think I like it.

Night, gents.

[typing]

Initial infrastructure costs
in sub-Saharan Africa

are hella-spensive.

Yes, as most things
of value are.

The numbers,
they just-- They don’t...

It’s a sucky thing to say,
but I’m just gonna say it.

We should dump
the Africa Wi-Fi piece.

Not dump it,
but hold it.

If that capital is rolled
into marketing and development,

the company comes out
of the Olympics stronger--

I’m sorry you did say it,

because this is all about
the Africa piece.

That’s the whole thing.
We’ll make money, and do good.

It won’t be as much money.
Barely any, really.

Willing to pay that price.

Yeah. Me too.
More than willing.

That’s what I always say.

It’s not really.

It just seemed like
what I should say now.

[softly]
Oh.

[soft grunt]

[crunching]

[indistinct chatter]

Kate.

So nice to see you.

And you.

Wasn’t she incredible?

Oh, I’m buzzing.

I still remember how I felt
reading Crenshaw’s 1989 paper

on intersectionality for
the first time in law school.

Hm.

So how have you been?

Bene. You?

How goes Axe Cap?

It’s not Axe Cap anymore.

I mean, okay, but...

Different name on the shingle.
Different vibe.

-So you say.
-[laughs] No, no.

It’s, uh, different.

This guy gives a shit
about more than money.

He still makes plenty.

It’s weird,
but in a good way.

But weird.

-Hmm. Sounds like it.
-Yeah, like right now,

we’re engaged in
this big municipal project,

poised to make major impact,

but still facing
public-sector resistance.

You could hear what that
sounds like, if you wanted.

Hear it how?

Come by for a half hour.

Meet the guy.

Listen. Talk.

The whole thing.

You suggesting
I walk into your offices?

That’s right.

Well, thanks anyway
for thinking of me.

You know, Kate...

sometimes staying too long
is a bigger risk

than leaving too soon.

There’s never a right time
to make a big change.

It’s good running into you.

You too.

[Chuck]
Act interested, but coy.

Be your charming self.

Engage enough to keep them
flashing the bait,

but make them work for it.

Elida Geisha?

Thank you.

Thanks for coming, Kate.

Wendy said
I had to sit with you.

She said the same
about you.

Nice to be here
without a warrant.

[laughs]

Love what you’ve done
with the place.

No basis for warrants
in these parts anymore.

Then I’d love to know
what this meeting is about.

It’s about me offering you
the role of lead counsel

for New York City’s
first ever Olympics.

Nice and shiny.

Why me?

Your granular expertise
in city bureaucracy,

balanced by panoramic
understanding

of the political landscape.

We want you at the epicenter
of this undertaking.

Leading the farthest-reaching
legal proceedings

the state has seen
in a decade.

There’s just the tiny wrinkle
of my current boss

and entire career history.

[laughs]

Why would you trust me?

There’s nothing illegal
happening here,

so we don’t need you
as our co-conspirator.

Our only crime
will be ushering in

a new era of opportunity.

A safer, cleaner,
more prosperous New York.

For who?

Your investors?

When Sinatra sang
about this place,

when Jay-Z and Alicia Keys did,
they meant it.

They captured that romance

and the possibility
of what this city could be.

When you look around now,
is that what you see?

-Of course you don’t.
-Of course you don’t.

The city’s been gored
and gutted.

We’re gonna turn it around.

The Games bring
so much in their wake.

Infrastructure.
Excitement.

Free cultural events.
Free Wi-Fi.

Sounds grand.

Where do I fit in?

I need someone to bushwhack

through the legal thickets

so I can make all that
a possibility.

Think about how landing
a well-run Olympics

could play for you
in a congressional run.

Nice info,

but it’s not at all clear
that this would help

if those were my plans.

By the time I’m done,

this city’s gonna be
begging for the big top.

And you’ll be touted as
the woman who cleared the way

to make it all possible.

Yeah.

Yeah, okay.

Why don’t I send over
some good names.

Thanks for the pricey coffee.

You were right.
It was a job offer.

My experience
with government in general,

and, I think, this office,
was the driver.

Oh, I bet.
What’d you pick up?

They are going to vivify
and beautify this fair city,

first for the Games,

then for all of us
in their wake.

-But there are, of course--
-Regulatory--

Measures and thickets of--

Rules, I’d imagine,
that need--

Just the sort of sharp knife
I carry, yep.

All sorts of infrastructure
improvements,

from buildings to the shit
flying through the air

connecting the world,

which he’s going
to give away for free.

Sure.

Sure, they will need
someone like you

if they think the telecom
and wireless folks

are going to welcome
whatever he’s got planned.

Not going to be me.

You want me to pass right now,
in front of you?

No. Not yet.

In 24 hours,
you’re going to pass.

First, I know who I want
to take that job:

Ira Schirmer.

And I know what I’m going to do
about this bullshit,

pandering free Wi-Fi
initiative too.

You’re a wealthy man.

Young wife, young child.

You have it all.

But you know
what you don’t have?

An alpaca?

Might be kind of tough
in the apartment.

But, no, it’s true. I saw Downey
on the newish Letterman thing.

-Alpacas--
-Relevance.

Access.

Being in the mix.

I want this? This sounds like
a pain in the ass.

You need this.

[sighs]
And I get it how?

Prince offered Sacker
a job

steering him through
the legal quagmire.

You go be his baby driver
instead.

That guy is too smart
to go for this.

He knows I’m your friend.

My best friend.
And you lead with that.

This is why
you’re perfect for it.

You know my moves and--

-And he sees right through it.
-Not if you declaim:

I won’t hurt Rhoades personally.

I love the man.

But this is business,
and I will be your lawyer,

and couldn’t betray you
without risking my license.

So I’m an asset,
and you’re running me at him.

You been reading Ambler?

Yeah, a bit.
The Zaleshoff books.

And I can tell you,
it’s not going to work.

He’s-- he’s too smart.

So you go further.

We use those very smarts
and his ambition.

You tell him
that your friendship with me

is hurting you
professionally.

-You’ve lost clients over it.
-[laughs]

You have to show that you’re not
afraid to go against me,

that you know my moves
and how to blunt them.

And you commit to it
and mean it.

I can mean it if I have to.

As you have shown me
in the past.

Go do it.

[laughs]

Can’t wait to finish
building this boat for you.

-Can you hurry it up?
-Yeah, I am.

I’ll have it done for you
in three years.

That includes greening, right?
Has to.

I need this thing
carbon-neutral.

No carbon footprint.
Not just the power plant.

Stem to stern.

That’s what I do.

[cell phone vibrates]

Ira, of course I know
who you are,

but not why you’re calling.

Well, how could you know
before you’ve heard my spiel?

You may be magnificent,
but you’re not Carnac.

-Ira?
-I’m calling because

you’re looking
for a legal eagle.

One who can be a big blocker
against the government.

Ah, and you’re
the Chuck whisperer?

The Chuck neutralizer.

Your friendship
is widely known.

As is attorney/client
privilege.

I’d be sworn to work
on your behalf

and keep everything
confidential.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised
that a man like Rhoades

-has friends ready to--
-I won’t hit him personally.

Ever. Even though I know what
an utter hemorrhoid he can be

when you’re against him,
I love the guy.

But it’s important for me
professionally

to be seen to stand up to him.

And when I do,
I will sit his ass down.

Let’s get together
and talk in person.

I’ll have Kristy get
with your office to lock in.

Sounds good.

You really got
with the spirit there.

What can I say?

-You can’t consider it.
-I consider everything.

It’s a setup.
You know it’s a setup.

He had to know we’d think that,
and called anyway.

Look, it’s moot unless you guys
close tonight,

so let me worry
about the barrister.

You nail your part.

Chuck Rhoades is fucking
with our Wi-Fi play.

Someone is coming
for what’s yours, folks.

You’re big telecom.

We can’t let that happen.

Rhoades has mobilized
big telecom

against People of the World.

They’re calling it piggybacking,
signal theft,

antitrust, even though
it’s excess signal

that no one’s using.

We need PR firms.
Legal. Lobbyists.

We’ve got to spend
against this move.

Ballpark it for me.

Thirteen and a half million.

Okay, I’ll get into it.

Thank you.

The Games in New York City

will be a sports
and a cultural event.

It’ll be the only way you can
still see the Gates again.

We’ve secured the rights
with Jeanne-Claude

and Christo’s estate.

That is something.

It’s not nothing.

Let’s move to dinner.

If Jeanne-Claude and Christo
aren’t blowing you away,

I imagine Chef Scott
and his team will.

[Colin]
Oh, I know this lot.

This is as interested
as they get

without being
absolutely committed.

[Chef Scott]
Welcome, members.

This is the whole hog.

Understand, folks,
that I have slow-cooked

and hand-pulled for you to enjoy
to the fullest.

[applause]

Hear, hear!

[Wags]
Yum!

And there’ll be more stops
pulled out after that,

don’t you all worry.

Remember, I’m gone after dinner.

Yeah, after we eat, it’s off to
Palazzo with our soft targets.

Place is loaded with talent.
Clean talent.

And I mean clean.

Ladies, gentlemen, other.

Everything they’ll want.

And all documented,
vaxxed, and virus-free

with antibodies onboard.

Then I’ll peel off, too.

What? No, no, no.

Gentlemen,
if you both depart,

our friends will become
uncomfortable.

They’ll have you
right there with them.

This is what
you’re getting paid for.

Yes, but if one of you
doesn’t partake,

they’ll be looking
for cameras.

They’ll imagine it’s a setup.

A blackmail play.
It’s happened before in Bogotá.

But Bogotá never had the Games.

-Oh.
-Exactly.

Ah.

Well, I’ve done my part.

So it’s on you, Wagsy.
Enjoy.

Now excuse me
while I pander to my audience.

[claps hands]
Who is hangry for some hog?

[car door closes]

-Whoa!
-[gasps]

-[Prince chuckles]
-Whew.

You scared me there...

with your Batmobile.

What brings you up
to the triple digits?

We have to talk.
It’s your time, Kate.

America doesn’t elect
pessimists,

it elects those that see
the brighter and better future.

The Olympics will do
for this town

what they once did
for Greece.

And they’ll do you
some good too.

This isn’t America.
It’s New York.

And the only thing worse than
a pessimist is a bullshitter.

If I come aboard
and you are wrong,

it’ll be the end for me
as a candidate.

I know what I’m doing.

You’re smart.
Exceptionally smart.

That’s why I want you
on my team.

But be careful not to let
your brilliance get in the way.

Having blind faith in anyone
can be dangerous, even yourself.

Adam Grant talks about this
in Think Again.

The best predictors
of the future aren’t smarter.

They’re just willing
to take one more look,

one more time,
than the other folks.

That’s good advice.
But, uh, I’m aware.

If your mother asks
how many eggs you want,

and you say one,
but she makes two

and you eat both,

who’s better at math,
you or your mother?

Excuse me?

What my old man used to say

when I’d worked myself
into a knot over something.

Doesn’t matter how good
your gut is,

don’t double down
on old instincts

when presented
with new insight.

Marc Andreessen calls it having
strong opinions, weakly held.

Always being ready to change
to the better idea.

-Bingo.
-Yeah, but I don’t see how

leaving to work for you,

trashing the reputation
I’ve built in the public sector,

turning my back on my mentor--

A mentor shouldn’t get
in the way of your success.

Unlike Chuck, I want
to invest in your future.

Entwine it with my own.

The last thing I need
is another father figure

with ideas about my future.

Here’s where I’m different
from those you’ve come across.

I don’t want to be the one
giving advice all the time.

I want to take your advice.

I need it.

I’m not your father.
I want to be your peer.

Watch you score.

Bask in your glow.

That’s a new wrinkle.

Still--

You see yourself
as a civil servant.

I get it.

I, too, believe in service.

The thing you’ve got
to ask yourself is,

am I still serving best
where I am?

Or is there something better?

Once you complete
the job for me,

that’ll be your campaign office.

I see.

Twenty-four hours
after you declare,

your field staff--
already hired--

will collect and submit
all the signatures you need

before the filing deadline...

leaving you free to chase
the real cheesecake.

You sure you know
what you’re buying?

You think I’m concerned because
you brought my Wi-Fi play

back to Chuck?

Yes, it did screw me up
for a minute.

But I’d have been disappointed
if you hadn’t.

I love that you’re loyal.

You did right by your boss

despite the potential cost
to yourself.

That’s what matters.

It’s how I know that you’ll
serve me loyally as well.

Until I help get you
elected to Congress.

[Scooter] Gentle-folk,
it’s been a pleasure.

I look forward
to doing it again in 2028.

I wish you good night
and bid you adieu.

-Cheers.
-Thanks very much.

Fellows, exciting offer.

It seems our friends
in New Jersey

have arranged
an impromptu private concert.

The Boss and Bon Jovi
at the Stone Pony.

Choppers are waiting.

What the fuck?

Colin, you said Jersey
was on the sideline.

How did you let them
into the game?

I didn’t let them anywhere,
I assure you.

This is coming from outside.

A concerted attack.
Could this be Rhoades?

Feels like him.

That’s it then, I guess.

"It" nothing. It’s right
there for you to finish.

Well, sure, like a diamond ring
in a cesspool.

I just have to dive in,
swim around,

find it and clean it off.

However you want to say it.
Ride the damn tiger.

Go with them,
get them back to the city,

and give them an experience

that knocks the taste
of American rock and roll

-right out of their mouths.
-My guns, they can’t be empty.

Maybe you’ll have
a stray bullet left.

[Wags] "Wrecking Ball,"
into "Blaze of Glory..."

with a twin acoustic guitar
finisher of "Rosalita,"

in a tiny private club.

"Rosalita," damn.

Really incredible.

I mean, what can you
hope to do

when the other side
has freaking Bruce?

-And Bon Jovi.
-And Bon Jovi.

It’s all the more impressive
you got it done.

It really is.

I mean,
congratulations, Scooter.

You saw the play.

[Scooter] I knew I had
the man for the job.

But he was balking,
and you got it out of him.

Really, unbelievably done.

"Him" is me, right?

He manipulated me and you’re
congratulating him for it?

Absolutely. Always give props
to the guy who made the assist.

The guy who scored
already knows what he did.

I need a slap on the ass
when I score.

That’s how I’m wired.

Good job, Wags!
Feel better?

Yeah.

[Scooter] How’d you
get it done, Wags?

Considering your other agenda?

[indistinct chattering]

[woman moaning]

[woman]
Ahh! Wags!

[moaning loudly]

[Wags] I’d heard of these guys
who go behind closed doors

and only talked.

I always imagined
they were pathetic losers

of the most desperate stripe

looking for connection.

But I guess they had
their reasons.

Like I did.

[screaming seductively]

[cell phone ringer
plays "Lullaby"]

Uh-oh, that’s my cue.

Give it another
five or six minutes,

then finish it off big.

You’re a dear.

Good luck with your
dissertation.

[laughs and moans loudly]

The truth is,
we actually had a lovely chat

before we got down
to putting on the show.

Well, Colin said you guys
killed it.

Figured out exactly
which ones could be moved.

Bid round’s looking as good
as it possibly can.

Oh, thanks for warning me
about Ira Schirmer.

I do know you were trying
to protect me.

Nah. You were playing him from
jump, to get Rhoades leaning.

Couldn’t believe
I didn’t see it.

Won’t miss it next time, sir.

I believe you.

Miss Sacker’s
already sat with him,

so she can finish
getting you prepped.

Huh.

Oh, no.

[cell phone vibrates]

Uh-oh.

My meeting just got canceled.

Son of a bitch.

They played the Albin on me.

-Chuck?
-[scoffs]

I fancied myself
some chess grandmaster

and brought my big piece
out early.

Albin’s a hyperaggressive
counter.

I lost my advantage...

and failed to protect
my goddamn queen.

[sighs]

Welcome to Michael Prince
Capital, Kate.

Thanks.

So, where do I work?

Wherever you want.

[Scooter]
Welcome, Miss Sacker.

Allow me to show you
the place.

Hmm.

The Olympics.

That’s what I get
for doing this.

You want to be on
the performance coaching team.

To run it.

Use my talents to turn those
athletes into medal machines.

Their goal, my goal,
the country’s goal: aligned.

So that my heart and soul
are engaged in all of it.

Done.

It’s not that you weren’t
transactional.

It’s that you’re
very good at it.

And for the right reasons...

which pleases me.

I can see you aren’t happy.

I imagine this is visible on
my face and in my demeanor, yes.

And how could it not be so?

You made a deal that you knew
would displease me.

Once the telecom companies

figured out what we were
trying to do,

the only move was
to make a deal with them,

include them,
let them be a part of it.

So they get the pop for
agreeing to provide free Wi-Fi

for the fortnight of the Games.

Made the most sense.

The city gets nothing
leading up to that.

Just two lousy weeks.

And the Africa initiative,
that just dies?

This deal doesn’t contemplate
an Africa piece.

But that was the whole reason
I brought the idea to you.

-Ideas change.
-Or die.

It’s back-burnered,
not dead.

We were...

I thought we could--
and I know this sounds corny--

but it’s the thing, right,

that we are put
in a position to do,

and that’s to change,
to actually change the world,

which is what
this would have done.

What I would have done.
And now they get what?

The consolation prize:
a free tote bag?

People love free tote bags.

Especially when they don’t know
what they could have gotten.

But, come on,
what did you think

your plan was really going
to accomplish long term?

-What was going to change?
-You know the answer.

With Wi-Fi they could
connect to the--

I don’t have to spell it out
for you.

You know the answer.

I do.

You know, I’ve lived through
versions of this before.

More than that,
Africa has.

There was a great initiative,

with great goodwill
and good intentions,

to build wells
in different places.

Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali.
More.

Ones that really needed it.

Only once the wells were built,

there was no money
to maintain them.

So when they broke
and fell into disrepair,

no one knew
how to fix them.

The people also
became reliant on them.

So instead of
making things better,

the people ended up
worse off.

This would be like that.

You’d get them dependent
on the connectivity,

and then, when it disappeared,
they’d be lost.

Sure, it’s easy to take
that position now.

Nothing easy about it.

But I pick and choose my shots
to make things better,

so that when I do it,
it works.

It holds. It sticks.

That’s what I’m going to do too,
soon enough, full-fucking-time.

You have a number.

I do.

Hundred.

Gotta be a hundred mil.

That’s the nine-digit
combination

that opens the lock
to the escape hatch.

It is.

You must be
within striking distance

of that number, too,
by now.

I am. Getting there.

The problem is
the number shifts

when you see what it can
and can’t do.

I’m at over 10 billion.

I’m a philanthropist,
like you,

yet I haven’t left.

Your eyes are always bigger
than your stomach,

and at your level,
they should be.

-Why is that?
-If this had been my cause,

those struggling folks
would be getting their Wi-Fi,

regardless of the business end,

with the money baked in
to keep it going.

Infrastructure,
technicians on payroll

to keep it reliable,
sustainable,

so the well would never
run dry.

Because even at a 150 mil a year
personal OPEX,

I can afford it,
you can’t.

So you’re trying to turn this
into an object lesson on scale.

Not trying to do anything.
That’s what it is.

I’m independently wealthy.
You’re not.

You’re kind of rich,
which is great.

But if you want
to change the world,

nine digits ain’t gonna do it.

I can see that you are right
that my number was faulty.

I have a new one now.

A billion.

["Hungry Like the Wolf"
by Duran Duran plays]

♪ Darken the city
Night is a wire ♪

♪ Steam in the subway
Earth is afire ♪

♪ Do-do-do-do
Do-do-do ♪

♪ Do-do-do
Do-do-do-do-do ♪

♪ Woman, you want me
Give me a sign ♪

♪ And catch my breathing
Even closer behind ♪

♪ Do-do-do-do
Do-do-do ♪

♪ Do-do-do
Do-do-do-do-do ♪

♪ In touch with the ground ♪

♪ I’m on the hunt
I’m after you ♪

♪ Smell like I sound
I’m lost in a crowd ♪

♪ And I’m hungry
Like the wolf ♪

♪ Straddle the line
In discord and rhyme ♪

♪ I’m on the hunt
I’m after you ♪

♪ Mouth is alive
With juices like wine ♪

♪ And I’m hungry
Like the wolf ♪

Not hiding from you.

So I see.

How could you, Kate?

It’d one thing
if you had ditched before.

But now,
when I’m doing it right?

All the ways.
And winning.

For us and the folks.

Finally.

I’d think you would know
that this is the moment to stay,

not leave.

But after all I taught you...

Oh, you did.

You taught me.

It’s maybe how I knew
to make the decision I made.

Maybe I’m ready
to do some teaching, too.

To be a peer,
not just an acolyte.

We could do that.

No, we can do that.

No.

No, you made me wait.

Then you put me in play.

Some would ask, how could I
have waited so long?

And what would you
say to them?

That I felt I still
had more to learn.

And I had
the best professor.

What if that professor

isn’t done teaching yet?

Then he’d better find
someone who’s still in need

of those particular lessons...

because this student
has already left the campus.

♪ High blood drumming
On your skin ♪

♪ It’s so tight ♪

♪ You feel my heat
I’m just a moment behind ♪

♪ Do-do-do-do
Do-do-do ♪

♪ Do-do-do
Do-do-do-do-do ♪

♪ In touch with the ground ♪

♪ I’m on the hunt
I’m after you ♪

♪ A scent and a sound ♪

♪ I’m lost and I’m found ♪

♪ And I’m hungry
Like the wolf ♪

♪ Strut on a line ♪

♪ It’s discord and rhyme ♪

♪ I howl and I whine
I’m after you ♪

♪ Mouth is alive
All running inside ♪

♪ And I’m hungry
Like the wolf ♪

[heavy breathing]