04x03 - The g*ng Gets a Call from HR

[bunniefuu]

It's gone.

Martha? What's gone?

They tore it down. It's gone.

Everything is gone.

Your restaurant? Yes.

They can't do that... the judge enjoined the demolition.

Well, someone did it, because it's not here.

You screwed up, Mr. Canning.

Mrs. Lockhart. Hello.

How did I screw up? You thought you were going up against some small pro bono defendant, but I've been bankrolled by STR Laurie to go after cases that interest me, and this one really interests me.

You seem angry, Diane.

See you in court.

Jay, I need photos of the site and interviews with the construction foreman.

We need to nail down who gave the go-ahead to the bulldozers.

They'll probably argue that it was all a miscommunication between new Orchard corporate and the, uh, contractors.

So we need to get it on record.

You'll probably have the same problem with the Rare Orchard CEO.

They just made that easier.

It's no longer about eminent domain, it's about unlawful seizure.

So we don't have to depose him. I'll pull the injunction order.

Thanks, Jay.

What the f*ck?

Tell Dad if he wants to come berate me, do it himself, don't send his Democratic Committee lapdog.

Democratic Committee... Every time I even talk to a Republican, Dad is crawling up my ass.

What Republican... I am not a Republican, and I'm not gonna vote Republican, but I might fall in love with a Republican and have little Republican children.

What Republican are you... No, no, no, no.

You just tell Dad to f*ck off, okay?

And you f*ck off, too. Frank.

We're ready for you. Good.

So nice seeing you, Marissa.

I thought you said Frank Landau was here for me.

No. I said Frank Landau is here.

f*ck. I know you've heard it before... this is the most important election of our lifetime... but... this is the most important election of our lifetime.

Should we get Diane in on this?

No, I'd rather keep it just us for a minute. Why?

DNC is looking to reengage the African American community.

Really? The presidential election comes down to Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, all of which have huge African American electorate.

We don't capitalize on that, we don't take back the White House.

Those are the facts. What do you need from us?

A strategy for reengagement.

We want hearts, not just votes.

An exclamation mark agenda that gets black voters energized and turning out at '08 levels or better.

No, this is a campaign issue.

You need PR people.

Why-why come to us?

One, you're an African American firm.

Two, we've worked with you before on impeachment.

You fired us before on impeachment.

No, we fired you.

Yes. Now I remember.

No hard feelings.

And three, we need attorney-client privilege.

The risk of a leak at a PR firm is just too high.

So, what do you say?

Damn it! I just told our top client to f*ck off.

Whatever you're dealing with can't be worse.

I can't find an injunction order. On what case?

Tecades v. Rare Orchard.

When was it? Three days ago.

Maybe it wasn't entered into our system yet.

I checked the courthouse system, too.

You probably just...

It's not there.

Thanks. Maybe it's under a different name.

Did you try the docket number?

_

Whoa.

What? It says there's no case.

No Tecades v. Rare Orchard.

How is that possible?

I don't think it is. Jay.

I need you in the conference room.

Why? What's wrong? Nah, nothing's wrong.

We just need you in the conference room. All right?

Please don't tell me that.

Lucca. I need you upstairs in the conference room.

Oh, uh, what's wrong?

Nothing's wrong.

Why does everybody think something's wrong?

Just... just...

Uh, Bianca, I have to go.

No, it's just work.

Because I work.

Because I'm not independently wealthy like you.

I don't always say that.

Okay. Okay, I'm hanging up now.

Because I am.

Because my boss needs me.

Okay, I'm going now. Seriously.

No. Bye.

Goodbye. Bye.

Did you check the courthouse system?

Theirs and ours. No case. _

No injunction. No docket number. _

Well, there was an injunction, right?

Yes. Three days ago. It was in our system. You saw it?

Yes. Did you print it out?

No. But we never do.

It's in the system. Okay, check to see if anyone printed out a hard copy.

Maybe there's some... compulsive Luddite around here.

I'll go to the courthouse.

Why? Julius.

I mean, he gave the order.

Right.

Want me to go?

Uh, no. I know who has a way with him.

And that leaves us with one very important question.

What's the biggest issue facing the African American community today?

Let it all hang out. Let's hear it.

Lack of voting rights.

Okay.

Anybody else?

Racism. Police brutality.

Institutional racism.

Good, good, good.

All right, follow-up question.

What is the Democratic Party currently doing to combat racism?

The Democratic Party's doing jack-sh*t to combat racism. Jay, Jay, come on.

And the Republicans are doing so much better?

The Democrats care more about civil rights, but... where's the policy?

Laws don't get passed in a vacuum.

Yeah, but they're trying, at least.

How about the Green New Deal?

But that's not just for black people.

I mean... black people will benefit, yeah.

But you want me to get excited, line up to vote, maybe even miss work?

Then I want to feel like the Dems are talking right to me about me.

What gets us that feeling?

Excuse me. I need to take this.

It's really interesting stuff so far.

Hey, hey, hey.

Uh... maybe we take it down a notch on the DNC bashing.

Look at you.

Marissa!

Oh, my gosh!

Well, I owe a lot of this to you.

No, no, no.

Okay, some of it.

How are things at, uh, Reddick/Boseman?

Or is it, uh...

STR Laurie...

Reddick... Weird.

We call it STD Laurie these days.

STD?

Oh! Ha-ha-ha-ha...

That was a false laugh, Your Honor.

So, do you have a minute?

Mm, court in five minutes, but, uh... let's keep 'em waiting.

I have the power now. That's what I like to hear.

What's up?

There was an injunction on a case a few days ago... an injunction against a demolition... and we can't find it in our system.

We can't find the case, either.

It's something you signed.

Hmm. What case?

Tecades v. Rare Orchard.

"Rare... Orchard".

It's not in the system.

Yeah, but it's something you ruled on.

Are you sure?

If it's not in the system... We're pretty sure.

Diane... this is old news. No, it's not.

We're bringing suit against Rare Orchard for ignoring a judge's injunction, but we can't do that if we can't locate the injunction.

I'm no longer on the case. But you ruled on it.

And you know that you ruled.

I've had two dozen rulings since then...

I can't tell you every single...

Julius, are you f*cking serious?

Don't swear in my chambers!

You know what? I never used to swear, ever, but now I find it useful.

People look at me and think I would never swear, so when I say this is f*cking nuts, it has added meaning, and this is m*therf*cking nuts.

I think we're done here.

Why are you doing this, Julius? Doing what?

Pretending you didn't rule on something you did rule on.

What's going on?

Who's gotten to you?

Talk to Adrian's girlfriend.

Who's Adrian's girlfriend?

I'm needed in court.

Maternal mortality is too gendered an issue.

And black women aren't the ones we need to mobilize.

Wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Can-can I say something?

Yeah.

There's one issue that is splashy, covers the economy and addresses black folks directly.

Reparations.

I'm pretty certain that reparations is at the top of the... "never gonna happen" list.

But what if it weren't? But... it is.

The party is moving further and further left every day.

There are a lot of ideas that were once inconceivable that are now... ordinary.

But this is really far left.

There are a lot of black conservatives... maybe not Republican conservative, but definitely not AOC progressive... and we don't want to alienate them.

And how exactly do we make reparations happen, practically? Just 'cause it's complicated doesn't mean we throw up our hands and say we can't do it. But we should...

Do you have a minute? For?

Mr. Firth.

Sure. Sure.

Ms. Lockhart, do you mind joining us?

Uh, sure.

Let's go.

He'll be right with you.

Thank you.

You know, whenever I see offices like this, I always think that we're all gonna be dead someday.

My God!

What's funny?

No, nothing. Uh, Liz has a... dark sense of humor.

I have a dark sense of humor. Tell me.

I was just joking that we're all gonna be dead someday.

Uh, you had to be there.

No, I'm right with you. Hmm.

Anyway, please, come sit.

Uh, you wanted to see us?

Yes.

A young man... begged a Zen master to teach him the way of truth.

So the master took the young man by the neck, dragged him to a stream, stuck his head underwater.

The young man gasped and fought, but the master held him underwater for a full minute.

And then, just at the brink of death, he pulled him up out of the water and asked, "What did you want most of all when you were underwater?"

"Air", the young man said.

Hmm? Yeah.

"Well, good", the master responded.

"Come back when you want truth as much as air".

You-you want us to want truth?

That is one way to look at it.

You have the Democratic Committee as a client?

We do. You're working with them now?

Yes.

And you listed this as a continuation of an old case?

Is that a problem?

Only if, in fact, it's a new case.

I think I'm missing something. Why does that matter?

Cases prior to the merger are split 60/40 in favor of RBL.

New business is split 40/60 in favor of STR Laurie.

First of all, how do you know what we're billing the DNC?

It's irrelevant. No.

No, it's not. We-we have a two-year grace period where we do not look at each other's books... to encourage trust.

So how did you get access to our books?

Trust is why I wanted to speak with you first.

Is the Democratic Committee new business or old business?

Old business.

Good.

That is all I needed to know.

Eh? Trust.

So... is it new business?

I could argue it both ways.

And we argued it in our favor.

That is perfectly reasonable, but the bigger worry is, how did he know?

He's got a spy.

A spy looking at our books?

That's my guess.

Who? I don't know.

Let's put Marissa on this.

Okay, I'll talk to her.

Um, Adrian, do you have a minute for a question?

Sure, but it's... old business.

Oh, no, no.

I went to Julius about the missing Tecades injunction, and he told me if I wanted to know where it went, to ask Adrian's girlfriend.

What?

He said, ask your girlfriend, so let me ask.

Who is your girlfriend, and why does she know about my disappearing case?

Julius.

He's probably saying something to pass the buck.

What buck? What is going on?

Why do I feel like I'm hearing passwords in a secret society?

There's no secret society, Diane.

I'm in a relationship with a judge.

Now, it is not improper, and there are certainly no ex parte conversations.

I just don't like my private life being made public.

Now you know that information is power.

And you lose information to other people, then you give them all the power over you.

All right, so without telling me the judge's name, can you tell me what he meant by "Ask her about the injunction"?

All I can tell you is what I heard.

Which was?

Memo 618.

What is that?

I don't know.

I just know that Julius was really intimidated by something given to him called "Memo 618".

That's it. That's all.

But you don't know what it is? No.

But if you want to know what happened to your case, I'd find out what Memo 618 is.

_

_

_

_

Since the merger, there have been 18 associates from STD Laurie...

W-Wait.

STD?

I'm... so sorry.

Um, it's a mailroom joke.

Okay.

18 of their associates have been on our cases, but only one has had access to our financials.

Who? Caleb Garlin.

Who is that? Second-year associate, graduate of the University of Virginia, retired Army sergeant.

Retired? What is he, 50?

No. 39.

He primarily works in litigation, but he had access to our financials on the Brinkman suit.

Okay. Can you find out more about him?

Marissa, stick with him.

I don't want him sending any more gossip upstairs.

All rise.

The Honorable Charlotte Hazlewood presiding.

Good day. Please be seated.

The Honorable Dalton Bradley has requested that I take his place for this hearing. It is... ?

Tecades v. Rare Orchard, Your Honor.

Unlawful seizure. Your Honor, if I may interject, I'm not sure what Ms. Lockhart is appealing here.

There was no injunction granted, and my crew commenced demolition.

Counselor, I must agree.

What are your grounds for an appeal?

We're not appealing, Your Honor. The case was never tried.

This is our first time here.

Counselor... anything?

Your Honor, this case has already been adjudicated.

Really?

Show us the docket number.

Counselor, let me be the judge, please.

Apologies. Mr. Canning, do you have a docket number?

Uh...

Uh, no, I don't.

Okay, then let's hear some testimony.

Are you ready, Counselor?

I am, Your Honor.

Guys, you're going to lose the white vote.

Okay, let's talk about this practically.

Who gets reparations? What form do they take?

What's the price tag?

Well, the last one is easy... 40 acres and a mule.

Wait. Wait.

Wait. Just wait a second.

You all serious about this?

Because there is a model for reparations right here in Chicago.

Jon Burge. Right.

Who? Jon Burge.

He was an old Chicago Police commander.

Tortured over 100 black men, so the city of Chicago passed an ordinance condemning the t*rture, giving monetary damages to the survivors' families, and then, they made a history curriculum about Burge mandatory to middle and high school students.

There's your model right there.

And the white vote is gonna say, "None of us were alive when sl*very happened".

Which is why we focus on the victims of Jim Crow.

There are plenty of survivors. That defeats the purpose.

sl*very is the original sin, the stain on America's soul.

Reparations is penance. You mean absolution.

As soon as that check clears, white America washes their hands, and I'm telling you, the line will be, "Don't you f*ckers ever complain about racism again".

Well, people who feel like reparations equals hush money were always gonna feel that.

But I think you're underestimating the power of white... No. No, I'm not.

May I have a word? No, I'm not. Listen...

What do you think about where the conversation's going?

I think... our people are passionate and engaged, and we can translate that energy into voters.

I know it's a conversation that needs to be had.

I just wonder if we need more... diversity in the room.

Diversity?

Just to gauge how the ideas are landing.

Hard at work?

Uh, this may look easy, but it's not.

You try peeling a rutabaga. That's the game?

You just peel a rutabaga?

Just? Seriously? I feel judged.

I didn't mean to disparage your vegetable-peeling skills.

I'm sure they'll come in handy at many law firms.

Also, it's fruit, and it's kind of soothing.

Do you need to be soothed?

That's... that's a very personal question. Aah!

Damn.

Sorry.

So are you Caleb?

I am. Who are you? Marissa.

Are you from upstairs?

I am.

Then why are you working here?

They asked me to.

Why did they ask you to?

Um, I think...

To spy on you.

That's not a great way to spy... to say you're spying.

I know. I'm not very good at it.

You are... very different from what I expected.

You want to play the next round?

You'll have to teach me.

Yeah, okay. Uh, this is a keyboard.

They need you two upstairs in the conference room.

Us? Why? Diversity.

Are we starting? I have a couple of questions.

David Lee. Exactly how much is 40 acres and a mule in 2020 dollars?

However much it is, it's still not enough.

Go back far enough, and everyone comes from a tribe that was taken over by another tribe.

That's the history of the world.

So do we all deserve reparations?

We got reparations from n*zi Germany.

You maybe did. I didn't.

Our relatives did.

Oh. Listen, this idea of needing reparations is just perpetuating stereotypes.

Black folks don't need handouts.

What is he talking about?

You are missing the point.

Jimmy, reparations aren't a handout.

They're payment owed for services rendered.

Did you do that work?

If my ancestors picked cotton for 50 years, then they deserve that money, not me.

Hear! Hear! Oh, my God.

You got David Lee agreeing with you. Be proud.

Look, if your ancestors were paid for that work and they passed that money down, you would see it as family wealth, wouldn't you?

Exactly.

Um, just wait one second.

Vernon Jordan told me a story about growing up in Georgia.

When he was a boy, the governor came on the radio and said, "I'm running for reelection, and I have two planks in my platform.

n*gg*r*s. Roads.

I'm against the first, and I am for the second".

Now, this was the governor, For Christ's sake.

Now, do we think he wasn't writing that vitriol into his official policy?

Well, I say keep the reparations.

I'd rather have white guilt.

That I can leverage.

Marta, did you have any warning about this demolition?

No. They just did it.

And, so, what are you going to do?

I have no idea.

That restaurant was my life, my world.

I'm not exaggerating.

It was the only income that I had.

My family. I...

We don't know what... Should I continue, Your Honor?

Just one second.

You may continue, Counselor.

Counselor.

Uh, yes.

Um, Marta, you had some, uh, negative reviews in the last few months.

Yes.

And you recently discovered who wrote those reviews?

Objection, Your Honor.

Relevance. Sustained.

We're merely trying to establish relevance, Your Honor.

No need. I've already ruled.

Well, how can you determine the relevance of this evidence?

I don't... Counselor, you need to move on.

Um, have you found that, uh, Rare Orchard was attempting to sabotage you by publishing negative reviews? Counselor.

No. I have already ruled.

Do you have any other questions, or are you done?

I just have one more question, Your Honor.

Does it have anything to do with these negative reviews?

No. Good.

You may proceed.

What is Memo 618?

Objection, Your Honor.

Counselor, you are done.

Why? I'm just asking what Memo 618 is.

That's all. It is not relevant to this case.

The last time a judge was faced with Memo 618, my case disappeared.

And I see you were just handed a document with "Memo 618" on it, and that's why it is relevant.

Counselor, you are in contempt.

Why? If Memo 618 means nothing, why should I be held in contempt?

Court is adjourned.

Until when? Until I f*cking decide.

Lucca Quinn?

Do you mind accompanying me upstairs?

Why?

It's been requested.

Hello, Lucca. I'm Edie Ham.

This is Cleo and Paula.

Hi.

Have I done something wrong?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

No, I know human resources has a scary reputation, but we're just plain folk just like you.

Good to hear. So, uh, why...

A small thing, maybe.

There's been a complaint about a senior attorney at your firm.

But first, I need you to not share what we're about to discuss with the attorney in question, okay?

Lucca?

I understand what you're asking.

Which attorney are we discussing?

Adrian Boseman.

Well, he's my immediate superior, so I can't promise you anything.

It's up to you whether you-you want to share with me or not.

Apparently, Mr. Boseman used the N-word.

Oh, you're kidding. No.

And we don't find it at all comical.

We're hoping you can shed some light on what happened and if Mr. Boseman has used the N-word in your presence on prior occasions.

_

_

What?

What's wrong?

I need to talk to you, Liz.

Okay. About?

I was asked not to discuss this with Adrian.

Asked by who?

Unfortunately, I was asked not to say.

But I can tell Liz.

You were asked by whom?

Human resources.

They asked me if Mr. Boseman had used the N-word.

Jesus Christ.

When did he use the N-word? I was quoting Vernon Jordan.

Apparently, STR Laurie has a zero tolerance policy on inappropriate language.

This is bullshit.

Who told them?

They didn't say.

You know who was there in the room?

Who?

Caleb.

I don't think it's him. Why not?

Isn't he feeding info upstairs?

I don't know. It just doesn't seem like him.

He's sort of honest.

In what way, honest?

When I asked him why he was working on our floor, he said he was spying on us.

I'm sorry, what? He was joking.

If he was actually spying on us, he wouldn't say he was spying on us.

Well, maybe that's exactly what he would say.

It's a bluff.

You like him?

Yeah, I guess so.

Okay. Well, there's a way we can find out if he's feeding information upstairs.

Just tell him that we're thinking of taking on the DNC as a pro bono client in order to... to keep money from STR Laurie.

How do I do that?

Marissa, you sometimes blurt things out.

So just blurt it out.

Maybe it was a bug on your...

There. That's the same.

Then maybe it's the website. What'd you do next?

I typed, "What is Memo 618?"

What's going on?

I don't know.

Seems like targeted malware.

I'll look into it.

Thank you. But be careful.

What do you mean? I don't know.

Something's going on.

I'll be careful.

You still rutabaga-ing?

No. Working.

How about you? Always working.

You sound different. What's wrong?

Nothing. I'm just...

Upstairs has asked me to look into something.

Oh. Upstairs?

Not your upstairs. My upstairs.

What is it?

I've been told not to tell anyone.

Don't you want to know?

Hmm? No. No.

You were told not to tell, don't tell.

But maybe I want to tell you.

Why?

You're right. I'll just tell you.

You do whatever you want with it.

We charged the DNC as a pro bono client in order to keep the money from STR Laurie.

Do you want me to tell upstairs?

No.

I want you to do what you want.

Okay.

Then I will.

How many times did you hear the N-word used?

I think he said it once.

And were you offended when you heard the word?

No. I think he was just quoting someone else.

What about the rest of the room?

Do you think any of the other associates were offended?

There's always someone who's gonna be offended, but being offended doesn't mean you have to run to human resources.

It shouldn't feel like going to HR is crossing enemy lines.

We're all on the same side here. But only HR disciplines.

Because people need to feel safe in their working environment and know that there will be consequences for poor behavior.

Mm. And a black person using the N-word is poor behavior?

We're investigating the context.

Well, I fall on the "no snitching" end of the spectrum.

And I realize that can be dangerous.

The last thing we want here is a culture of silence.

What did you think of the incident?

I didn't think of it as an incident.

What did you think of it as?

I didn't think of it as anything.

You report directly to Adrian Boseman, right?

I report to a lot of people.

I just wanted to clarify that there is no risk of anything you say getting back to him.

Had you ever heard Adrian Boseman use the N-word before?

It's possible. I'm not keeping count.

And what was the content of the story Mr. Boseman told you?

You can summarize.

I don't think I can summarize, actually.

It's the only thing that did offend me, so I remember it pretty clearly.

The governor of Georgia actually said on the radio, "I have two planks in my platform.

n*gg*r*s and roads.

I'm against the first and for the second".

Hey. What's up?

I, uh, found out something you can use.

Something I can use? I don't understand.

You think I spied on you guys, right?

No. I... Marissa, listen.

Frank Landau is buddy-buddy with Gavin upstairs.

He's the one who told Gavin it's a new case.

I didn't need to know that.

Yeah, but now you do.

Hello.

Mr. Jordan.

How are you?

Is that right?

So, you dragged Vernon Jordan into this?

Adrian, you'll have to start again.

What are you talking about? HR called Vernon Jordan.

Investigating me for the capital crime of using the N-word.

Well, unfortunately, I can't stand in the way of an HR investigation.

Oh, this is a bullshit investigation.

It's not a bullshit investigation.

It is our standard to thoroughly explore any legitimate employee complaint.

This is not legitimate!

Now, I understand, you need to cover your ass.

But you and I both know this is far from legitimate.

Well, what I know is that you're aware of the rules.

You didn't sign your contract that long ago.

STR Laurie and all its divisions has a zero tolerance policy for offensive language and harassment at work.

Harassment. Wow, wow, it's-it's... it's growing now, huh?

I got into this with human resources, and they think that the best course of action now is for everyone at Reddick/Boseman to take a class on sensitivity in the workplace.

And we'd prefer if you didn't use that word again at the office.

You would prefer?

Adrian, considering the charged nature of that word, it would be best.

You don't dictate which words I get to use... or when.

What if I quit?

Okay.

Call the movers... and rent an office.

Maybe take out an ad.

Don't be so sure I won't walk, Liz.

I have done it before.

I'm the one who walked.

Only because...

I made it impossible for you to stay.

Only because I pushed you to it.

Oh, God, just take the class.

Just do what they want and move forward.

I mean, you know what the game is.

You know how to play it.

Or don't play it.

This is exhausting.

Just... f*ck the class. Do what you want.

Hmm. What are they gonna do?

Are they really gonna fire their most senior black male employee because he used the N-word in a quote?

Yeah, it sounds even more ridiculous when I say it out loud.

And-and don't forget about that photo.

What photo?

Couple of years ago, they took that class picture of their 40 new hires, and someone online posted that there wasn't a single black face in it.

And then they photoshopped in three black faces.

They really did that.

They bought us to put us in their pictures.

Oh, makes me feel warm all over.

Well, the good news is that they need us.

Not-not just the floor.

They need us.

So do what you want.

'Cause they ain't gonna fire us.

Hmm.

Excuse me. Yeah. Jay.

Okay.

I think we should put it on the table.

Put what on the table?

It's uncomfortable to pretend that someone didn't violate the space, so let's just talk about it.

Who filed the complaint?

Jay, that is completely inappropriate.

How can we have an honest conversation about reparations and the things black people in this country have experienced when we're tiptoeing around how this complaint is being handled?

Everyone in this room, at this firm, has the right to go to HR as they see fit, without fear of retribution.

I'm not talking about payback.

Okay, Jay, I don't need you to fight this battle for me.

It's not for you. I think we all have a right to know.

Oh, come on, I'd rather cut my wrists than go to HR willingly.

What kills me is that this company is more concerned about making sure that they seem racially sensitive instead of actually being racially sensitive.

Yeah, that quote was heartbreaking.

And the only thing that person got from it was that a bad word was said? This looks intense.

Yeah. Welcome.

Yes, it's a violent word with a violent history.

But black people reckon with it every day.

It's our word.

If we use it, if we don't use it, when we use, where we use it... you don't get to have an opinion.

Autonomy over that word is our reparations.

Then good.

You don't need us white people here anymore.

Just wait, wait, wait. No, you heard him.

He doesn't want us here. I think we should go back to the original group on this project. Hang on a second.

You don't know for sure that it was a white person who snitched.

It could have been anyone. Yeah, well, I think we know who the most likely suspects are.

Go to hell, lady. Whoa.

Hey. Show some respect.

I agree with Jay. This conversation has completely derailed ever since we changed the group dynamics.

It's still important to get different perspectives and points of view. But clearly, there's a limit.

There's always limits.

And the person who always gets to draw the line, regardless of race, is the person with the most power.

Adrian, you hold the power in this room and out of it.

Sometimes people have to find alternative ways to level the playing field.

And that's exactly why departments like human resources exist.

So... you filed the complaint?

Don't answer that. He has no right to ask.

It doesn't matter who filed it, and I don't care who the N-word belongs to.

Every black person should have the choice not to hear it in their workplace if they don't want to.

Especially when it's literally part of the employer's policy.

We can all come up with reasons why we don't want to hear the word.

But when it comes down to it, you're confronting the past, and it's painful. And there's no avoiding it.

So we're supposed to confront the past between depositions?

Perhaps some of us would prefer to do our emotional heavy lifting outside the office.

Madeline, we could have talked about this privately.

There was no reason to go upstairs.

Oh, you want special treatment because you're a big-name partner?

Well, the people upstairs are the big names now, and I think we should follow the rules of the firm you made us join.

If you filed the complaint, at least own it.

Jay, I know you don't see it this way, but this little stunt you pulled... it's called intimidation.

I know it's a bit heated. More than heated.

We have a lot of intensely passionate people on our team, and their opinions are unwavering.

And it's a difficult subject matter.

Listen, everyone at the DNC applauds your innovation.

You've obviously chosen the most off-beaten path.

We're just not sure this is the right direction for us.

Thanks for your efforts.

Frank... Thanks, Adrian.

Tim and Marcus are ordering lunch.

Tim teases Marcus about how much he loves watermelon.

He accuses Marcus of having a sticky keyboard, and after a few coworkers laugh, they move on with their day.

Who would say that was a good interaction?

Okay. Who would say that was an uncomfortable situation?

Who would say that was unacceptable?

I didn't know we could choose worse than uncomfortable.

Can I change my vote?

You didn't raise your hand.

We need everyone to participate.

I don't know Marcus.

Maybe he really likes watermelon.

Maybe Tim was correct in his commentary.

Marcus does not eat watermelon.

Then Tim is a r*cist.

Karly and Marie are touching up their hair in the bathroom...

You're in a mood. This is bullshit.

Welcome to corporate America.

We all have to do it. Not everyone.

No, everyone.

You see Adrian, Liz, Diane?

They still have to do it.

Just not with the peasants.

_

_

You needed me, Ms. Reddick?

Yes. Caleb, right? Right.

I just wanted to thank you for helping us out upstairs.

Sure. Just doing my job.

And if there's anything you need from us, just tell me.

Okay.

Good.

Yes?

Second chair.

On?

Anything. I'm here to learn.

Then we'll do our best to teach.

Okay.

_

What's wrong? I don't know, but this is weird.

I went to the same website, Bar-Swarm, using my home Wi-Fi.

And... _

No rejection of service? _

Right. There's no malware at home. But watch.

I'm on the office Wi-Fi now.

_

So, I don't understand.

The malware only att*cks here?

And only when I use the firm's Wi-Fi.

So someone here is trying to freeze me out whenever I ask "What is Memo 618?"

No, not here.

Then where?

I'm bored. Tell me a joke.

Man walks into a zoo. The only... animal in the entire zoo is a dog.

It's a Shih Tzu.

Saw that play last night. It's satirizing our firm.

It means defamation.

These characters emerged from my subconscious.

Do you have proof of that?

Do you have proof of not that?

Uhm...

Objection.

Uh, you can't object.

Then, I take great exception.

Noted.