06x04 - Burn Rate

[bunniefuu]

[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 w*r 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 sh*t.

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 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 f*cking hoops first...
flaming ones.

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

Yeah, well, the only winner in
this hopeless f*cking 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 % positive on this.

I believe cancer is polling at %.

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 sh*t 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 k.

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 th 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 % 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 sh*t 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, sh*t, 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 : a.m. that morning,

g*ns 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 still 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 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 sh*t
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 Kn*fe
I carry, yep.

All sorts of infrastructure
improvements,

from buildings to the sh*t
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 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 f*cking
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 .

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 f*ck?

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 att*ck.
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 g*ns, they can't be empty.

Maybe you'll have a stray b*llet 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 k*lled 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 g*dd*mn 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
sh*ts 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-f*cking-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 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
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]