It's been hard to watch the world celebrate this man
and know the truth of what he did to my son.
Which is steal from him and destroy him.
[Prince] I need a list of all the companies
who don't deserve to be collateral damage
to my mistakes.
-So you can? -Free them.
He's selling just to sell which means we can buy it all.
[Wags] Prince is done. He's bled out.
He's not dead until I say he's dead.
A month from now, these hospitals
they're going to be over run with that damn Chinese bug.
[Axe] How's our painter doing?
[Wendy] He's got collectors
and commissions in his head.
I could take some pressure off.
Axe used his black magic to get my commission squashed.
Did you know Axe was gonna do this?
In case you're still not sure when something's finished...
this fucking is.
[wood clatters]
Every company you sold off today
will likely fold.
You didn't know?
[Prince] Bobby Axelrod has to be
wiped off the face of the Earth.
[Chuck] Axe has a new toy, a bank.
And the bank requires a trustee.
I could yank his puppet strings.
Now you get to live and be my man on the inside.
Well it may not work out the way you think.
[Chuck] Wait a minute. You're the donor?
Senior's not our man anymore.
I'm the bait,
and the bank is the trap.
[knocking]
How are we taking down Bobby Axelrod?
[theme music playing]
[woman] Welcome back.
You too.
He's really fucking hangin' that thing?
They hung it. He told me where, I pointed.
Freshen up the look in honor of being back in person.
It's not a real painting.
Is if Axe says it is.
That's a great thing about abstract art;
who knows what Tanner intended?
I do.
And what he intended was to smash it all--
If it upsets you,
take it up with He Most Exalted.
[phone vibrates]
[phone chimes]
Hey, Wags said you were upset.
Why'd you do it?
Well, I own the paintings and the wall so--
Come on, Bobby, you know what I'm asking.
Why'd you fuck him up like that?
Ruin him.
He's not ruined.
This whole thing is gonna make the critics love him.
You got him out of my life pretty quick
is all I'm saying, and not by accident.
No part of that is true.
Not even close to it.
Remember this, he was in my life first.
It was your job to keep him there productively.
You fucked that up, not me.
That painting,
it's all I have to show for it.
If one of us should be asking hard questions of the other,
it's me.
Hey, stay by your phone.
I... I need you.
For after that thing, you know?
To talk 'em down.
I don't ever wanna die
I wanna hear the angels sing
I wanna give every dime I own
And I want all the gold for me
I want everything
I want everything...
[chuckles]
[stock market bell ringing]
The market's been like the Spanish Boot.
You know, like during the Inquisition,
when they cased your legs in iron spikes
until they crushed your shins?
Yeah, except it's not just the legs.
Iron Maiden.
"Number of the Beast."
Absolutely what this whole thing feels like,
whole pandemic. Devil's work.
No. The torture implement.
Like the boot, but full body.
With all this volatility, drawing and quartering
would be most appropriate.
And at least they hung you first.
They hung you second. They dragged you first.
Behind a horse.
Then they hung you.
Then they quartered you.
Jeez.
[chuckles]
Attention please!
Don't try to slink away just yet.
We have an announcement.
So first of all, if you have been vaccinated,
take off your mask.
I just got back some lab results,
and the rapid test you all take downstairs,
it's not the one most folks get,
and it's 99.6% effective.
So if you're at Axe Cap,
you are not transmitting any viral load.
Where are you?
I'm in quarantine.
Day before I was due to get my shot,
I tested positive for COVID. My fuckin' pilot gave it to me.
So those of you with your masks off,
we've vaxxed ya'.
As many as we could find loopholes for.
If we didn't vax ya' yet,
well, let me just say this to all of you:
It's been inspiring as hell
watching you all battle on during
the worst of the pandemic.
Inspiring commitment.
Just the same,
you're all fired.
Every last one of you.
Axe Cap is closed.
Now, most of you
will be hired back again by the end of tonight,
by the new Axe Holding Company
under either the Axe Bank
or the Axe Asset Management Division.
Our new structure will be in place by the end of the weekend
so we're open for business Monday.
You said "most" will be rehired?
Good listening.
That's right, Ben Kim, like you.
But not like....
Now Wendy is gonna be in her office
getting ready to discuss
all of this with you
at the exit interviews.
The world has changed.
We have to change.
-This way. -We have already changed.
Lauren, you're gonna have to choose between
Axe Bank and Mase Carbon.
You got until the end of the night to decide.
[phone vibrating]
First priority,
form an emergency capital introduction
and raise team for the bank.
We need some fuckin' deposits.
And more than just stimulus checks.
Before there's none left,
and our bank dies in the crib.
Seemed so easy before.
Yeah, well, the fucking Goliaths
have gobbled it all up.
So find me mine.
Psychiatrists will tell you reassurance does no good,
because once reassured, you are not becalmed for long.
Instead, you become trained to need more reassurance.
Yeah. But I still look in the mirror
to make sure my butt is...
[Winston] You could just ask...
...somebody.
-I'd-- -[Taylor] Fine.
I'll take this moment to set your minds at ease.
No matter what the mothership does,
we at Taylor Mason Carbon will remain autonomous.
You will not be working for a bank.
All will be resolved.
What about her?
You-- I mean Lauren.
I didn't mean to just reference you.
You're right there [chuckles] so--
We all need to stay focused and united.
Loyalty is doubly important now.
So Lauren isn't going to the bank.
She'll stay in IR at the new asset management arm
and stay in place for us.
Hard Bob?
'Lo, Axe.
When last we spoke, you'd tendered me a position.
Well, now that I find myself at loose ends,
I was of a mind to claim it.
They bounced you out of the government
because of your connection to Krakow?
They did indeed.
But during quarantine,
I became aware of your new endeavor.
So I've boned up
on all the latest changes to the banking laws
on the off chance you need someone to be
your banking compliance honcho.
Well, get over to our office
and get started with my CEO.
You got it, Axe.
You two seem banky.
You feelin' banky?
This is... is this trolling?
Are you trolling us?
He's seeing what we're made of.
That I am. And you are made of the stuff of Fort Knox.
Stand by. Assignment's coming directly from the high chief.
You wanted a reminder;
you have a date with a Chelsea tonight. 8:00 p.m.
Oh, shit!
I forgot.
No way I can leave the office now.
This one is important.
I thought the last one was, but this is crucial.
Take dictation.
Oh, you mean me?
I thought you were gonna enable Siri.
Just a type a text to Chelz for me.
The sequel to The Hustler.
Color of Money.
Yes. One of my roommates from Williams
kept watching it over and over again.
And I asked him why.
And he said it was because of the way
the power dynamics kept switching.
And he never knew who was zooming who.
Hmm. My college roommates were mostly just trying
to make one of those beer harnesses
-you put around your head-- -Yeah, jocks, yes.
But it's the "Who's zooming whom" part.
That means something different now.
But you want me to be eyes up.
I need you to be.
Especially in that company at that dinner.
And not just at the dinner.
Then that's where they'll be.
Up.
[sizzling]
[Chuck] No, no, no, don't do that
with your fingers, like that.
No, you forget germs?
I've earned this carrot.
Believe me, you're gonna give me all the carrots.
Ah-ha, you have news.
Signed NDAs.
We got the offer.
And it's a sweet one.
Suh-weet.
Wendy didn't undersell the value of her shares
to Taylor Mason Carbon.
Very fair, more than fair.
And she's ready to strike a payment plan
and write out a check ASAP
to finalize the divorce settlement.
That's no Cinnabon.
That's a sour cream sandwich and I'm not biting.
Don't tell me you're balking at the idea
of her paying you alimony?
I thought we were well past you realizing
your worth isn't just measured in dollars.
No, no, no gallantry.
I am past that quaint idea.
What I want is leverage.
To do my own valuation of Mase Carbon.
Use the offer to get me that.
You wanna look at their books.
I want to crawl into them with my prospector's light.
And, uh, [chuckling] yeah, well,
I don't wanna call it a full audit.
Let's just see how they're cookin' 'em.
It ain't good for you, brother.
You keep at this, you're gonna pull an embolism
or send your blood pressure into Alice Kramden territory,
to the moon. Don't do this.
I say as your lawyer and best friend.
I hear you and I understand.
And at a rational level, I agree.
And thank you with an open heart and mind.
But also my open mind knows this:
you've already got that demand
for financial disclosure drawn up
to get me the access I just asked for.
Don't you?
I know my man. Yeah.
Doesn't mean I think it's right.
Send the damn disclosure.
And then I'll grab you a big plate of those carrots.
[sighs]
I signed for this.
I didn't realize what it was when I did.
Son of a bitch.
You got unplowed fields for me?
The wheat's a bit thin, but yes.
We look to whence the bank comes from.
Go back to check cashing and payday loans
that the original company was built on.
Not recommended.
Seems a little low-rent.
[Rian] So are the margins.
But then there's frontier Rapid Growth Markets--
Vietnam, Nigeria, Indonesia.
Lots of money in places like that looking for a safe home.
I like RGMs.
But what am I supposed to do?
Put our people on planes and on video conferences
and start negotiations with economic ministers?
That's a six months to a year horizon.
There is cannabis money.
Hmm.
Yes.
It's a multi-billion dollar space
according to our estimates, as companies in medical marijuana
are ready to expand into recreational
as it gets legalized state by state.
Traditional banks have been reluctant
to take on and process this cash.
Sure, sure. I think I love this.
It's got potential. Unfortunately,
it's a yellow light.
A great opportunity, but not safe yet
until such time as federal legislation changes.
It wasn't even supposed to be mentioned in this meeting.
Yeah, but you did.
Send me everything you have on it.
[door closes]
Mr. Prince,
I am pleased that my invitation--
This is an impressive group.
I hope the intention is as serious
as I was led to believe, Mr. Rhoades.
Serious and elevating, I trust.
And, uh, call me Chuck, please.
And you call me Mike.
All of you.
Well, welcome to my home, Mike.
And to this chapter
of a great tradition,
the Jeffersonian dinner.
A further evolution of it anyway, aided by WebEx.
Though separated by circumstance,
there's no reason our exchange of ideas has to be-- Ah!
And we will dine
as the founders did,
with heritage birds.
Has the same unaltered genetic makeup as the turkeys
that roam the Shenandoah Valley in Long Tom's day,
as my remote emissaries have set up for you.
Yes, thank you very much.
I'm surprised you're not in a powdered wig and tricorn.
Don't think he didn't consider it.
[all chuckle]
We will honor this custom going back to the days
of the founders when leading citizens,
both public and private,
reviewed and sometimes set the agenda of the day.
This will be a "one mind" conversation
with everyone taking turns,
no real interlocution or crosstalk except by me.
I will be our guide.
And tonight's topic is...
Liberty.
-Liberty, law. -[phone vibrates]
Big words to unpack.
Either could be a night's work. A week's.
It's like trying to understand the difference in tone
between Match Game and Match Game, PM.
-[chuckles] -Well, the key there was
which ascot Charles Nelson Reilly wore,
but this is not the time to look into that
or the question.
Again, no cross talk.
Um, and we will keep to Chatham House rule.
So, uh, you can use any info you glean here,
but not for attribution.
Can I get a nod of assent to same?
-[Vandeveer] Of course. -[phone vibrates]
[Chuck] Uh, premise.
-Two ways... -I tried him, but
you're the one who sent me this garbage.
[Chuck] ...uh, banking laws are a threat to liberty or
banks without regulation are the true threat to liberty.
First, are we a people at liberty?
Then, are we free to bank
-how we want? -[Sweeney] Right, yeah.
I have some thoughts on this.
Um, freedom...
Chuck, you need to take this.
Let's start with the, uh, premise that--
It's a reflex. She calls, I have to answer. It's Wendy.
[sighs]
We need to talk.
-Can't it wait? -You didn't.
Uh, folks, I'll need a moment before
we continue our colloquy.
I'm in the midst of a Jeffersonian dinner.
You hit me with a goddamn subpoena.
A demand for disclosure
as is within my rights.
I care not a whit, as you might put it.
What I do care about is what are you trying
to get out of this look under the hood?
Fair play.
Getting what I am owed. Simple as that.
We had an independent valuator come up with that number.
Our very own Jonathan Mardukas.
Who knows what kind of circles
your in-house accountant spun him in?
No. This is about control
over me one last time.
Or is it part of your endless pursuit of Axe?
-Hmm. -What, you want a Trojan Horse
into his books?
No plan. Do you want to be done?
Then let's be done. Pay me off.
Lump sum in the next 48 hours.
[scoffs] Forty-eight hours?
For that kind of money?
Or I'll be in first thing next week to take a gander.
Or a perusal.
Or maybe I'll just take a piece of the company. Hmm?
There's no way that's happening.
These are reasonable options.
It's either the Burt Reynolds Spreader
or a go-away pay off.
The divorce judge will see that as fair.
Because it is.
Hi.
Chelz, welcome.
I'm so glad you're here. Come with me.
[chuckles]
I'm sorry I couldn't get away, but...
I didn't wanna cancel.
More like you're worried people my age
have a short attention span
and I would forget about you,
if you canceled.
But don't stress. You've got my attention.
At least for now.
Is this weird?
I hope it's not weird.
It's a little weird.
Cheers.
I need you to go after gold,
gold deposits that is.
We get credits for FDIC-insured deposits.
But there's a limit of 250K per account.
So I need you to call everybody on the master list
who's got more than that
and make 'em break down their accounts into multiple accounts
of under 250.
Put 'em in their wives' names, kids' names,
businesses, LLCs, corps.
That sounds...
well, I'll just say it.
Over the line.
In our world, you're either driven by greed or fear.
If you picked fear,
I don't know why you're even in
that fucking building.
[computer beeps]
I gotta take a call. So go get creative.
Did you get my text?
-So who's there? -Chuck's at the head.
-Of course. -Ira was next to him
and Prince on the other side.
-Son of a bitch. -That's what I said.
Senator Vanderveer and Governor Sweeney
and the rest of them were up on the board.
They were sitting down to dinner,
but it looked like a major fuckin' initiative to me.
There was an empty seat, too. I'm not sure for who.
I-- I couldn't see the placard.
So tell me exactly what it was you overheard Chuck saying.
"Premise, two ways.
Banking laws are a threat to liberty,
or banks without regulation are
the true threat to liberty."
First, are we a people at liberty?
Then, are we free to bank how we want?
Yeah, premise.
It's a fucking attack on me.
I'm gonna Sherlock Holmes this thing
until I figure it out.
Yeah?
[Axe] I'm calling you as my banking trustee.
Seems like your son is having a soiree tonight.
And your invite must have
gotten caught up in the spam filter.
Feels like it's a meeting of my enemies
arrayed against me.
So I need you to crash and send me dispatches.
Copy that.
Doc, am I game ready?
Like Julius Erving in 76, baby.
[chuckles]
In.
Good.
I know I said, I'd take you to
Tom Colicchoi's new restaurant.
-Yeah. -But don't be disappointed.
I brought Tom Colicchio to you.
-Hey, Wags. How you doin'? -[Wags] Chef.
Good evening.
So this is a dish that I created back
when I was at Gramercy Tavern,
and I thought I'd revive it for this evening.
It's a pea purée with a fondue of crab.
There's some bacon,
a little bit of sumac,
and pink peppercorns. Enjoy.
Chef, you're a genius.
Thank you.
[sniffs] Hmm. Smell that broth.
Uh-mm.
Wagner.
I'm here to get you ship-shape on banking regulation.
Hard Bob.
I thought the usual whiff of bullshit had dissipated.
My mind is a repository of FDIC rules and regs.
I don't need any help.
But I will certainly ask you if I do.
How will fee structure and annual percentage rate
calculations be disclosed to consumers
to ensure compliance with the truth in lending statutes?
Let's not bore the lady with these tedious questions.
Come with me.
I will parry these softballs and more.
Let me handle this tinhorn.
Why don't you make a TikTok or something?
How would you ensure that error resolution policies
remain within the guidelines of--
Look, you've made your point.
I'm lost in the fuckin' weeds.
I need you to coach me.
But privately, not in front of my lady friend.
I will have the documents brought to you,
and we can start tomorrow.
All right.
[Ben] Hey, Wags, can you come down?
Look, in business, I've always been a fan of proper regulation.
A level playing field.
I feed on fair competition.
And I feel the same way about my latest venture, Hypercube,
which is the digital equivalent
of a brick-and-mortar bank for today and beyond.
So for the purposes of our conversation,
I'll call myself a banker.
And as such, I have to say,
there must be a limit to the strangling
regulation certain factions propose--
[Senior] Whoa...
Sorry to interrupt.
I thought we had plans tonight, son.
Must have gotten my dates crossed.
-[chuckling] -No, we didn't, Dad.
We have none.
Marcia, you look radiant.
And you look the picture of health, Charles.
Oh, that's thanks to me.
He's my medical man.
Yeah, I keep his meds straight,
his rod straighter and his nose clean.
Well, that part's up to him.
Well, uh, [chuckles]
now that you're here, you might as well post up there.
Really? No, I-- I don't want to put you to any trouble.
Dad, I'm sorry, it's a private affair,
but you can get a plate and fall back.
And our event has a strict subset of rules.
So I'm going to have to insist on your silence.
-I'm Helen fucking Keller. -Mmm.
Well, Dad, it's great to have you with us.
-[chuckles] -I can't believe
you fuckin' showed up here uninvited.
The only reason I'm not kicking you out
is 'cause I can't do that in front of my vaunted guests.
Then I guess when it comes to whist,
I'm still the one takin' the most tricks.
[scoffs]
So...
what are we choppin' up?
-[typing] -[phone vibrates]
[sniffs]
Talk to me.
Yeah, Axe, it's the fucking doctor.
I got a message for you from the patient.
The Prince is takin' it to the bank.
Is anybody listening to you there?
-No. -Then don't speak in code.
I'm saying the Prince is taking it to the--
You mean he has a bank? Prince does?
Okay, you know what? We're gonna do
a quick little hearing test when we meet.
No, we're not.
[Chuck] I have just received reassurance
that Judge DeGiulio is still coming.
So are we expected to go on
like we're in colonial times until he does,
or can we have a regular conversation?
No one forced you to come.
I-- I have to admit I took pause at having
a stark raving capitalist here in the first place.
But then I listened to
some of our esteemed guests and relented.
An Attorney General who actually listens.
A novel concept for our age.
We have to deal with this [sighs]...
directly.
You said, "Yellow light" to Axe.
But the research I gave you said clearly that cannabis money
is a red light for banks at this moment.
We agreed we wouldn't even pitch it.
And that was after I said
I didn't want to pitch anything bank-related
but you said we had to,
-so I-- I don't understand. -And now you wanna know what?
Why throw the scroogie when you called for the heater?
I-- I pitched softball for one season in college.
My out pitch was a sinker dropped off
the table like a brick.
And yeah, if my catcher and I got crossed up like that,
I'd expect her to come to the mound.
As I am.
Why give wrong info to the Axe Man?
We didn't tell him to buy.
Are you working against him? For yourself?
I can't help if I don't know.
Are you going to make sure Mase Carbon
stays independent no matter what?
This is the "trust me" piece.
As a person? Or as a boss?
Like in one of those good sushi places
where they won't make substitutions
or California rolls.
You're in safe hands when I serve you the quail egg.
Uh... I'm not working for a bank.
Banks are bad. Not good bad or fun bad, just bad.
And boring.
I give you my word.
We'll see what that's worth.
Thanks for the intel on Chuck's.
I think I'm starting to know what's going on.
I owe you.
So... I admit it. Yes.
The Tanner thing was about you.
I just thought, this guy's full of shit. Marketable.
But a dime-store Pollock with a full head of greasy hair.
And I wanted you to see it sooner than later
before you got badly hurt.
So I--I exposed him.
You'd have seen it within weeks if I did nothing.
If that's true, I could see my way
to appreciating...
it... the intent,
but... [scoffs]
-There are other ways. -Yeah, now look,
I am not saying I was thinking clearly
or that I even knew, exactly, what I was doing.
But since you mentioned it this morning,
you know, I've been chewing on it.
So I had to tell you.
[knocking]
Sorry to interrupt. But I need you.
You looking for me, Orrin?
Not you. Her.
Okay. Well, Wend,
you and I will finish this convo later.
That we will.
You don't have the liquid assets
to pay out Chuck, lump sum right now.
I can fight off his demand for a week or so, but...
he's going to get in.
I see the trading of blows has begun already.
Don't tell me I caught you off guard?
I just want to make sure you are ready to parry my attack.
Like Louden Swain himself.
And I want to make sure you are able
to deliver the Solicitor General.
He's pretty darn key here.
To our own vision quest, yes.
DeGiulio will be here.
But as to where he'll land, I am less confident.
He's formidable. A veritable Shute.
I'll get his shoulders down for the three count.
Best of luck to you on that.
I haven't seen you leave your office.
Is that your way of asking if I've had dinner?
You're usually more direct.
To go see Axe.
To tell him that you're choosing Mase Carb.
I'm considering his offer
to work for Axe Bank.
I see.
When you factor in your bonus,
you'd make less there than you do here.
What tempts you about his offer that
I won't be able to match?
Stability.
Working here, we're always fighting for our lives.
Don't get me wrong, I love a challenge,
the thrill of a big win when we land new money.
Oof, it's like hitting your number in roulette
and letting it ride. But you keep that up and--
You'd rather be the house.
You don't ask me a lot about my life before we met,
and I like that.
I figure your own past is full of difficult memories
you'd rather not retread,
and you're extending me the same courtesy.
You're right. I don't like to pry.
But I want you to feel comfortable sharing
anything with me.
When I was 12 years old, my dad found Jesus.
He left a lucrative career in advertising for the pulpit.
He said he couldn't stand another day of writing jingles
that people could whistle on their way to hell.
He wanted to climb Jacob's Ladder instead.
He threw our whole family into debt. We lost our house.
I worked my way through college, and I still have loans.
I appreciate your sharing that with me.
But it leaves me wondering what we've been doing
this whole time together, then,
if you never felt secure or provided for.
So maybe I have some trust issues too,
but that's not all of it.
I don't want to be dependent on you.
I can't count on you providing for me forever.
That's not fair to either one of us.
I need to be able to provide for myself.
God never made any sense to me. Neither did heaven or hell.
But the markets do.
You are punished or rewarded as you deserve.
It's not up to anyone's whim.
That's the kind of stability I can devote my life to.
Let's get into the far reaches of liberty and the law.
Marijuana, specifically.
Legalization as a form of liberty
and a source of tax revenue?
Or is it a furtherance of moral decay
that needs to be curtailed in order to preserve
liberty of thought?
Let me kick this off, 'cause I have something to say.
-Legalization, I'm for it, and-- -[Swerdlow] I don't know, man.
Say what you will about moral decay...
-Excuse me-- -But you don't know true freedom
until you've gotten behind some government-derived,
pharmaceutical-grade jump juice.
Amphetamines, baby, you know what I mean?
Of course you don't. Wink wink.
I'm not talking about some sweaty meth cookers
wearing rebreathers and hitting up every CVS
inside the county line for Sudafed and Drano.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
I am talking primo caca,
turned out by chemist-vintners.
And I, for one, cannot wait to see the ground that these
high-end grasshoppers break out once it's legal.
[Vandeveer clears throat]
Moving on.
[phone vibrating]
[Senior] We used to call it Mary Jane,
sometimes tea.
But whatever you put in your pipe and smoke,
that's what they are arguing about right now.
Cannabis?
That's what the marketers want you to call it, yeah.
And the-- the conversation has turned to it
as business source or revenue.
Who's pro and who's against?
Prince is for it.
And they keep mentioning DeGiulio is showing up.
The federal government's going fully legal?
Nah. Is that the thing?
[knocking]
Try one of the upstairs commodes!
And have a little respect for a man with one
recently-installed fucking kidney!
I gotta get back.
[Axe] Bill, I need you to check on the status
of all current marijuana legislation,
as well as any public statements made on the subject by Graham,
Vandeveer, or Sweeney.
And find out what's moving through the federal system
right now or might be soon.
Call in anybody you'd like to help.
Wags!
I need your help on something.
[growls]
Where can I get $25 million, quick?
We gonna plan a heist?
Should I get Danny and Rusty and the crew?
No, really. I need 25. Now.
Chuck is going to use the divorce settlement
to get a look at our books, and leg over into Axe's,
if I don't lump sum him.
Can't let that happen because it won't stop,
-even there. -It will not.
You don't have the ability to lay hands on that amount?
It's illiquid or tied up in the divorce settlement with Chuck.
Could you lend it to me,
and use my piece of the company as collateral?
I can't be seen as pulling money right now.
What about the special trustee, your former father-in-law?
-He's a man of means. -No. No way.
Makes it worse.
Well, you need someone like that:
deep pockets and willing to go into them for you.
Axe. He'd--
I am not comfortable with that.
We need to keep Mase Carb separate,
because if Axe gets angry, he could trash it for spite.
Well, we need to solve this.
Otherwise, Chuck will be here Monday morning,
in his white Gil Grissom coat,
ready to do an autopsy on our business.
[computer beeps]
Apologies and salutations.
Mmm.
If it isn't the man of the hour.
If that hour were several hours ago.
I figured this was better than nothing.
I missed the festivities, I see.
Which were spirited at times.
Since you're here, Mr. Solicitor General,
perhaps you can be of answer to our final question,
the path to legality of cannabis.
Well, as you know, I can't take a side.
United States is my only client.
But there is a case looming,
and its issues echo many other cases from many other states.
But it's a conservative court.
So don't we know how it would rule?
It is. But as the states' rulings
for legalization pile up,
the likelihood of the high court
changing with the times, grows.
It's a living body, adhering to the Constitution, of course,
but not deaf to our age.
SCOTUS isn't the Vatican.
Exactly the theme of our discussion.
What are the chances the case goes before the court?
Well, I'm not a betting man, but hell,
if I were, even Ladbroke's doesn't take action on this,
but I wouldn't bet against it.
Let's eat!
Oh, I already finished.
He served the main course,
and I didn't want mine to get cold.
Sorry. But I mean, cold chicken?
Bleh.
Of course. You're right. Blech.
Well, I hope you don't mind watching me eat.
Can I get you some more wine?
[Tuk] I just have a quick question.
This form asks for my department head.
Would that be you?
And actually, what's my department?
Wait, what's my new title?
Can I pick it myself?
Does my office look any different, Tuk?
The tablecloth, the candlelight?
Maybe the beautiful, young inamorata sitting right here?
Do any of these signs tell you
that now is not a good time?
Let's review some basics.
I am the goddamn CEO of Axe Bank.
I am neither your department head
nor the person you come to with your imbecilic questions.
I have much, much bigger fish on my metaphorical plate,
and a fucking cold coq au vin on my actual plate.
And nobody likes cold coq, you know what I'm sayin'?
He needs to be made a fucking example of.
Don't you run from me,
you loathsome little prick squirt!
Fucking cunt!
Mike Prince and my son are squarely at odds
over this ganja business.
[Prince] I've heard it from you...
...John Birch Society types before...
-What? You've got to be kidding! -...on cannabis.
It needs to be legalized and federally.
-Yeah. Right on, hophead. -[Prince] Oh, well,
-that's great. -[Senior] It got heated as hell.
Barbs and brickbats tossed around.
The long and the short it is:
Prince kind of kicked Chuck's ass.
Meanwhile, all that product
can be taxed.
[clapping]
[Senior] Prince kind of
handed Chuck his ass in his own dining room.
DeGiulio said it'll come before the court.
Both of them seemed to think
that was a victory for their side.
But I wouldn't invest in cannabis right now.
Too much uncertainty.
Hold on.
That was no fight.
That's what they wanted us to think.
They're in this together. My two enemies have linked up.
They're trying to make marijuana money safe to bank,
for Prince.
He gains these deposits for his bank
and crushes mine in the fucking process.
[Axe] Bill, it is federal.
Get Bach to find out what existing marijuana cases
can be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Some laws are gonna change, and we gotta be ready.
Is Victor there?
Yep.
-Yo. -Taylor and Rian,
tell them the yellow light is going green.
That Axe Holding is going all the way green.
Set up the leading marijuana companies
for pitches, with incentives, to be handled by Axe Bank.
Got it.
Find out which cannabis companies Mike Prince
is pursuing or in.
Medical, recreational, CBD, THC, paraphernalia,
payment processors.
Someone's about to get smoked.
You got that right.
Whatever he's going after,
I'm gonna take it.
You're leaving.
Yeah, to let you do your thing.
This night turned into a mess. I'm sorry.
I was hoping I could show you that I could be both a bank CEO
and a substantial suitor,
the kind you'd think long-term about.
The kind you'd be proud to introduce to your folks.
Instead, I showed a side of myself that was--
That was totally baller.
I loved watching you ream that beta.
I was beginning to worry that you were past it.
But you're no lap dog.
You're a Rottweiler.
[elevator bell dings]
Finish up here and have the front desk
let me up to your place.
I'll be waiting for you.
Huh.
[incoming call ringing]
Hi.
Wend, look, I only half said it before
we got interrupted, about uh,
why I hated you and Tanner--
Let me do this first.
Because until it's done, uh, I can't hear anything else.
Until what's done?
Chuck.
I need his hand out of my pocket
and his nose out of-- our business.
I can give you the long buildup
or cut to the punch line, which is:
I need you to buy out my shares of Mase Carbon
today in cash.
And promise to let me buy 'em back at par
whenever I can.
How much?
It's $25 million.
[chuckles]
Done.
I sold to Axe.
You agreed not to do that mere hours ago.
Did our discussion mean that little to you?
I know. But then I realized:
We can trust him.
You can.
You must know that sounds ridiculous.
How can I suddenly trust him?
Because he wouldn't do anything to hurt me.
And I know I'm the only person in the world that's true of.
He's hurt you before when he's needed to.
He did.
But I understand why.
And things are different between us now.
I see.
In that case, I'll affirm it.
Good.
I'm glad to hear you say that.
Have you made your decision yet?
Still torn.
I have been thinking about what you said.
But I believe I can do both,
handle the bank and Mase Carb.
I'd like to pitch it to Axe.
Well, then, technically, you still work for me.
So I have the power to do this:
You're fired.
I'll go to Axe, then.
I'll get him to back me up and you know he will.
IR girls are growing on trees out there these days.
How can you be so spiteful?
Where is this coming from?
You told me about your trust issues.
Now I'll tell you about mine.
Every time I trust someone close to me to make a decision,
they choose to fuck me over.
I thought you were different. I was wrong.
It's that simple to you?
Yes, it is. You made it so.
I'm not torn anymore.
Not at all.
If that's how you feel about me
after everything we've built together,
then it's all clear.
[sighs]
Maybe for the first time.
Well, I'm glad I could elucidate for you.
You talk a big game about worshipping logic,
clean, emotionless simplicity.
But every move you make comes from a personal pain
so deep you can't even recognize it.
Stay out of the apartment until I clear my shit out.
We did it.
All these people are going to push our agenda forward.
They texted me.
I know it is so because I can almost feel
that bit of melancholy that comes on the precipice
of momentous success.
Comes on the precipice of failure, too.
True.
That argument was a nice touch.
Convincing. Almost felt personal.
To sell it.
Ah. Ah-ah.
Oh, morning, sweetheart.
You're up early.
Hi, Dad. Couldn't sleep.
Oh. Hey, uh, this is Mr. Prince.
Call me Mike.
Hello.
What's that smell?
Remnants of your grandfather's cigar.
-You hungry? -Mm-hm.
Good.
[laughing]
That's yours.
[groans]
["I Want Everything" by Luke Dick plays]
[sighs]
[Wendy] Hey.
Hey.
You were right earlier.
It's, um, it's true.
I was trying to ruin Tanner in your eyes.
But not as a favor to you,
or to try to show you something about him,
but because of you.
Because I couldn't stand you being with him.
Or anyone.
I can't stand it.
You don't want me to be all alone though.
You can't want that.
No.
I do not.
That's what I'm experiencing right now,
and it's making me realize it.
I know.
I look at it... honestly,
but I've never allowed myself to really think,
I feel the same things when I look at you.
I want everything...
I've waited so long to hear those words.
[chuckles]
I wanna speak in holy tongues
I wanna cuss and run the streets
I wanna doubt what I can't hold
Then tell God that I believe