The Guardian (2001) s01e21 Episode Script
Chinese Wall
[Knock on door.]
Yeah.
[Door opens.]
Do you have a second? Uh, it's not a good time, really.
My grandmother fell and broke her leg in her nursing home and I have to go.
I'm sorry.
Can we talk later? Ok, sure.
Uh, Nick.
What happened yesterday That was a mistake.
No, no, no I take full responsibility for what I did, but I shouldn't have done it.
I was nervous about the house and about getting married, and--and--and I was-- and I am curious about you.
I've been curious.
And, well, I guess you were kind of like my bachelorette party.
I was what? I mean, not like-- I didn't mean it like that.
No, it's-- God, that was cruel and stupid, and I didn't mean to compare you to something like that, something that's so-- just-- meaningless? It wasn't.
I'm gonna marry Brian and live in that house with him, and that's what I want to do with my life.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't really see each other anymore, you know, at all, if we can help it.
You guess? No, I know.
Ok.
I'm sorry.
I gotta go.
Ok, sure.
I am sentencing you to 1,500 hours of community service, using your skills as a corporate attorney to work as a child advocate.
Uh, preliminary samples showed traces of benzene, toluene, and sulfuric acid in the soil.
Mr.
van gergen, there are underground storage tanks that leak gasoline and discarded coke from the coal mine.
How much to clean it up? The impact assessment report suggests 2, 3 million.
Ah, too risky.
Uh, well, cut the offer to 12 million.
appraised in escrow at 20 million.
citizen groups protesting the development.
the levels of toxic buildup there.
I want to buy vextus corporation.
Are they for sale? No.
So this is hostile? File the tender offer documents with the s.
E.
C.
And get this thing rolling.
Is there a problem? No problem.
You know, I started with my last attorney when he was about your age.
Why'd you leave? He did good deals, not great ones.
He liked playing golf and sending me presents, thought being slick was a decent excuse for missing the small stuff.
I get it.
I don't want to be friends, Nick.
I'll call the railroad's attorney and set the meeting.
Great.
Hey.
I just left a meeting with meyers.
Ok.
He wants to orchestrate a hostile takeover of vextus, and he wants me to take the lead.
Did you tell him you can't do securities work? Well, I was thinking maybe we could, uh, work together on this.
I can't do anything till after 4:00.
Ok, well, I'll clear it with Burton.
Did your father get the appointment? Don't know.
Nick fallin, right? Yeah.
Mitchell lichtman.
We're gonna be working together.
We are? Yeah.
My boss and I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time.
Jake: What's senator Caldwell doing here? Nick: I don't know.
Morning, everybody.
Uh, if I could have your attention for just a second here.
It gives me a great deal of pleasure to introduce our new senior partner, senator Nathan Caldwell.
That's former senator, Burton.
Well-- gotta remember that.
And our new associate, uh, he was the chief of staff for the senator at the State Senate.
Uh, Yale law, class of '93, if I'm not mistaken, Mitchell lichtman.
Mitch? I'm just here to be a team player, and I'm looking forward to working with every one of you.
Good to know, yeah.
Nathan, you want to say a couple of words? Well, sure, thank you, Burton.
Um I had the honor of being a public servant for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania for almost 30 years.
But as rewarding and exciting as public service was, too often, it was about watching your back instead of doing your job.
[Chuckles.]
So I'm happy and proud to be joining this prestigious firm and getting the chance to practice in our noble profession once again, where it's all about the work and not about the politics, so I thank you.
Yes, ma'am? Excuse me.
I'm looking for rose valent's room.
There.
Thank you.
Hey, Nana.
Nana, it's Lulu.
Are you going to wear that? What do you mean? To school.
That outfit? Well, what's wrong with what I'm wearing, huh? Pants, Caroline? In school? Well, you can't wear pants.
I'm Lulu, Nana.
And that shirt.
I can almost see your breasts.
I can see down your shirt.
Ok, I'll change.
Principal Evans is going to just send you right back home.
The minute you walk into the school, he'll just call me and make me come and get you.
Ok, I'm gonna change my clothes.
Oh, what happened, Nana, huh? Did you fall? When? Yesterday.
Did you fall? I--I did no such thing.
Well, what happened? I locked up the shop at 5:30.
I was home at 5:45 to make dinner for your father.
I-- I certainly did not stop at marianne's house to play cards.
Nana, Nana, listen to me.
You broke your leg.
I did? Yes.
And the man at the nursing home said that you fell out of your bed.
I fought him, and I-- I--I played dead like a possum.
I played dead so he'd stop.
What? I soiled myself.
I--I wanted new sheets.
Oh, Caroline, please, change your clothes before your father comes down.
He'll be so upset with me for letting you dress that way.
Oh, my God.
Nana, was someone choking you? Quick, like a bunny, Caroline.
Quick.
Nana.
I love you.
I love you, too.
Senator Caldwell asked Mitchell to go through our client list to look for some potential conflicts, and evidently they found some problem.
Ok.
It's van gergen.
What about him? I'm afraid we can't represent him right now.
What? You gotta drop him.
Well, I've been trying to land him for 2 years.
He's the biggest developer in the city.
I'm not just gonna drop him.
This firm cannot be involved with the angel's landing deal.
It's the only deal I have with him.
If you go forward, you will expose the senator to potential criminal liability.
Build a Chinese wall around yourself.
I'm not comfortable with that.
Why are you letting these guys just walk in here and call the shots? W-wait, son-- if the senator's dealings as a legislator presents a problem to his work in private practice, then the senator shouldn't be here.
Wait, wait Nathan, Mitchell, would you excuse us for just a second, please? Sure.
What the hell was that? I'm sorry about this, Nicholas.
You tell Caldwell to push back a few weeks.
Look, I know van gergen is a big client, but Caldwell will bring in 10 more just like him.
Yes, but they will be Caldwell's clients.
Nicholas, sometimes you You gotta think about the firm.
I know you're upset.
The senator promises he will make it up to you.
We want to set up a government relations office here at fallin.
We think you would be a great lobbyist.
I don't like politics.
Listen, Nick, I know you don't like me being here, ok? Believe me, I would much rather be back in Harrisburg.
As far as this angel's landing deal goes, you gotta understand, the senator and I were intimately involved with this.
We're not nitpicking here.
We're just doing what's right.
You're costing me a million-dollar-a-year client.
This Chinese wall How do you propose doing that? You and the senator will be kept out of all dealings in regards to this property.
No correspondence.
I would distribute a memo firm-wide stating that no information-- no information in regards to this deal will pass by your eyes.
This would leave the senator at risk.
If we disclose a legislative secret and get caught, it's a felony.
The only way he would be in trouble is if he opened his mouth, or you.
You two are in complete control as to whether you reveal any legislative secret.
If I can get the senator to agree to this Yes? You share van gergen with me from now on.
I thought you couldn't have any involvement.
Not with this deal.
But with every deal that follows.
This is very convenient for you.
You create a conflict, you compromise my client, and you profit from fixing it.
Do we have a deal or not? [Tv playing in background.]
Have we met? I'm Louisa archer.
My grandmother rose is a resident here.
Could you come back in, say, about half an hour? I'm leaning toward the manual cranks, though.
Electrical units always break.
So, of course, we spoke earlier today.
That's right, and you told me that she fell out of her bed.
That's what my staff reported.
She has bruises all over her neck and all over her arms, like she was pinned down or something, and she told me that she was attacked because she wet her bed.
Ms.
archer, if-- if I thought that any of my employees was capable of such a thing, I would immediately suspend them and report the matter to the authorities.
You should maybe come with me.
We keep the stroke victims and the Alzheimer's patients down in this ward.
Now, most of the time, they don't know what time it is or where they are.
[Tv playing softly.]
Excise me, Martha.
How you doing, sweetheart? Hey, ruthie.
Unfortunately, there's a high incidence of accidents, especially among the Alzheimer's patients.
The disease affects brain functions, so it's not uncommon for one of our residents to fall.
No one on our staff would intentionally harm a patient, Ms.
archer, I assure you.
Well, I appreciate that.
I'm--I feel much better.
Thank you.
When a loved one is in this position, we often feel guilty about it.
Sometimes we want to blame other people for what is really just happening naturally.
P.
A.
: Mr.
patten, please pick up line 1.
Excuse me.
Mr.
patten, please pick up line 1.
Alice? Oh, are you here to play the piano? Alice, I'm rose's granddaughter Lulu.
Oh, how is she? Well, she broke her leg, but they're gonna bring here back here this afternoon.
Oh.
Um, Alice, I was wondering if I could talk to you about her.
She told me she was gonna slit my throat.
Rose said that? She told me she's gonna do it in the middle of the night when I'm asleep.
Oh, no, no, no.
Oh, she can be nice.
But some days, she can be very abusive.
She has Alzheimer's, you know.
So does everybody else around here.
Alice, she said something to me about one of the orderlies attacking her last night.
Did you see anything? The man that does nights, he just started here, and he doesn't want to put her diaper on.
Rose peed the bed, started to call out, and no one came.
So she got louder and louder, and finally the man come in the room and told her to shut up.
And rose yelled back at him, and he grabbed her around the neck and picked her up and dropped her on the floor.
And you saw all of this? Alice? Alice, did you know that man's name? Did you say that he works here at night? [Knock on door.]
Yeah.
Burton.
Uh, thanks again for giving me the wade meyers account.
Well, you deserve it, Jake.
He would've walked if you hadn't pulled off that deal.
Well, thanks.
Um, he--he just-- he came in, and, um What? Wade meyers.
He wants me to take the lead in a hostile takeover with vextus.
You tell him about your situation? No.
UhNo.
I'll call him right now.
Well, I was hoping maybe, um, I mean, I was hoping that you'll let me choose someone to cover the deal for me and let me work behind the scenes.
Jake, we agreed with the s.
E.
C.
That you won't do any public securities work.
Well, at least-- would you let me hand it off to someone? I mean, I did hold on to him.
I did keep him here.
Oh, Nathan, this is Jake straka.
Pleasure to meet you, Mr.
straka.
Yes, I think the work you did in the State Senate was terrific, really terrific, and I'm just really excited to be working with you.
Appreciate it.
Well, ok.
Uh, thanks.
So, Nathan, have you considered Nick's proposition? I have.
And? Well I'm the only person at risk here, Nicholas, myself and Mitchell.
I understand that.
So, a few ground rules? If I see anything, anything at all, or if I even suspect that there's been some sort of slip or misunderstanding, you terminate your representation immediately.
Meanwhile, I'll also be seeking a confidential advisory opinion from the state ethics commission.
Of course.
Ok? Yeah, great.
What do you think? Well, it depends on what the state's planning to do.
That property could be virtually worthless or-- or it could be worth a whole lot more than the railroad is asking.
Well, but I suggest you find a way to protect your client under either scenario.
By the way, what, uh--what'd you trade him? Excuse me? The kid Mitchell.
What kind of deal you make with him? Cut him in on van gergen.
How much? Half the source credit of all future work.
Mitchell, Jake straka.
Yeah, we met.
Yeah, uh, do you have a second? Thanks.
I have a proposal.
Ok.
You ever do any securities work? A bit, when I was with sager and tremaine.
I have a client-- wade meyers.
He's planning a takeover and wants me to oversee the deal.
What's your proposal? I want to share the deal with you and the senator.
The deal or the client? The deal.
And what do we do for you? Well, I happen to know that state law prohibits you and senator Caldwell from practicing any lobbying work for one year, and I'd be stupid if I didn't assume the two of you going back into private practice didn't mean that you wanted to set up a government relations department.
Ok.
So, make me the point man on this.
Register me as a lobbyist and cut me in for For one deal? For wade meyers.
You'll give him to us? If the senator goes for my proposal.
Ok, Jake, one question.
Is he yours to give? Yes, I believe he is.
[Knock on door.]
I think my grandmother was attacked in her nursing home.
You think? My grandmother told me, and her roommate confirmed it.
Have you filed a complaint? I called the police, and they referred me to the department of aging.
What'd they do? Absolutely nothing.
They said there's insufficient evidence to file a report.
Where's your grandma now? They're gonna send her back there this afternoon.
You've gotta get her out of there.
I can't.
I'm not her guardian.
My mother My mother moved up to Vermont with some guy named Glenn, and she basically blew my grandmother off.
She left her in the home, and she turned her care over to some corporation in Harrisburg who won't move her.
Well, I can help you file a petition to appoint you the new guardian.
Yeah.
What is it? Even if I get her out of there, I can't afford to put her in a better home.
You can always file a lawsuit against the nursing home to pay down her new accommodations.
Mr.
fallin, I'm very sorry to disturb you, but a woman named Louisa archer is here to see you.
Ok.
Ms.
archer, he'll be a minute.
May I get you an espresso or bottled water? No, thank you.
I'll just wait.
What are you doing here? I need help with my grandmother.
I want to sue her nursing home.
Come here.
They're definitely guilty of neglect, if not outright abuse.
They claim that she fell out of her bed, but I have very strong suspicions that she was attacked.
Can your grandmother corroborate this? She has Alzheimer's, but her roommate saw the whole thing.
Is she willing to testify? I don't know.
Maybe, she might.
Ok, take me out there and let me talk to her.
Thanks.
Hey, Lulu, what are you doing here? I just stopped by to see Nick.
Oh, great, great.
Jake, could you do some research for me? Could you check to see if there's any legislative history or appropriation bills on angel's landing? What, you haven't done that yet? Well, I haven't had a reason to until now.
Well, um, Nick, I--I can't.
You ready, Mr.
straka? Let's do it.
Well, your grandmother just got back an hour ago.
She's resting comfortably.
We'd like to see a list of all the people that were working the night that rose valent had her fall.
I'm sorry, Mr Fallin.
Mr.
fallin, I'm afraid the information you're asking for is confidential.
If you'd like to schedule another time, I'd be glad to have my lawyer present.
Where you going? To see my grandmother.
I don't think you need your lawyer here for me to do that.
I'd just like to talk to the people that were here that night, to put her mind at ease.
I'm not comfortable doing that.
We will pursue legal action.
[Knock on door.]
Thank you.
Alice isn't here.
The nurse on call said that she went out with her daughter.
Well, I can come back.
Nana rose, this is my friend Nick.
Hi.
My love.
Uh, no, Nana, this is-- this is my friend Nick.
My love.
Nana Come here.
I know.
You have to go soon, I know.
Oh, you smell so good.
I miss that.
When you were away, I used to lie up at night and miss that.
Nana Can we go soon? I want to drive away.
We can just go and find a place where it's quiet and stay there as long as we can before anybody notices we've left.
My love.
Can we do that now? Can we? Of course.
Of course we can.
I've missed you so much.
I thought you were dead.
She--she thinks that you're my grandfather.
He died 20 years ago, you know, and she just really loved him a lot.
I'm sorry.
This is probably the last thing you want to be doing right now.
It's ok.
Ok.
Ahem.
Nice to meet you, rose.
Mr.
Barnes, we appreciate you coming in.
No problem.
We've been dealing with Mr.
henninger.
He's left the firm.
I'm handling all of midland Atlantic railroad's business now.
Ok, uh We want to buy a 6-month option on the property.
An option? with a purchase price of 16 million.
We want to sell this property, not option it.
Well, there's way too many variables on the property.
The railroad wants this property off its books by the end of the quarter.
An option doesn't do it.
Sorry.
We, uh, we can't make that deal.
Ok.
Gentlemen.
What now? We move on.
Angel's landing deal fell through.
Why? I wasn't comfortable advising my client to purchase the property outright.
Environmental issues have him worried? Yeah.
Concerned about the public outcry.
Well, to a degree.
Well, he's not the first to walk away.
Our deal's off, so don't expect a piece of the van gergen business.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on.
You made that deal with the senator and me.
I paved the way.
No, you manipulated the deal.
Now, had we made the angel's landing purchase, I would have honored it, but there is not a chance in hell I'm handing my client over to you now.
Are you saying you told your client to walk away because I made you nervous about the deal? Wade, good to see you.
I'm glad to be working with you again.
Wade, thanks for coming by.
We'll get started in a moment.
We'll be right in the conference room.
We'll be right in.
All right.
Um, Mitchell, could you give us a second? Yeah.
Thank you.
Nick, uh, I handed the meyers deal off to Mitchell.
Uh, I mean, you said you were busy, and, well, I handed-- no, fine, fine, fine, fine.
No hard feelings? [Tv playing in background.]
Hello there.
Hi.
Are you lost? No, I'm looking for rose valent and her roommate Alice.
I'm Alice.
Who are you? Nicholas fallin.
I'm a I work with rose's granddaughter Lulu.
Yes.
I wanted to speak with you about what happened to rose.
Yes.
Did you see something? Yes.
What is it? Who are you? I'm just here visiting rose and Alice.
Visiting hours are over.
I understand that.
Come back tomorrow.
Do you have a minute? What? Just a minute.
My friend's worried about her grandmother's injuries.
She fell, mister.
One minute she was in bed, the next she'd hit the floor.
Uh Her granddaughter's a little concerned.
Rose had mentioned a few things about being attacked.
These ladies all tell stories.
I mean, I don't want to sound cruel, but they all complain, and they all accuse.
It's just the way it is around here.
Can you explain why she has bruises on her neck? You ever try to give an Alzheimer's patient a bath? Or get them to eat or stay in their bed? No.
You should try.
They kick and scream and bite.
They pull off their clothes.
It's crazy in here, especially at night when we're understaffed.
Now, I'm not talking about rose, but sometimes you give these ladies a bath and they go under, and you gotta pull them out any way you can.
Or take them to the bathroom, and they start hitting.
You don't like working here, do you? I make minimum wage, man.
I clean up puke and wipe old people's asses.
What do you think? Yeah.
Rose? It's--it's Nick, Lulu's friend.
Lulu? Shh.
Your granddaughter.
I know who Lulu is.
You're her friend? Yeah, yeah.
Uh, we met.
Why are you here? I just came to check on you, see how you were.
How's Caroline? I don't know.
Is she still in Vermont? Don't know.
She never had any luck with men.
She was a lazy girl, and she slept around.
Oh.
Ok.
I wanted to work downtown for a man who published books and magazines, but William said he was a pornographer.
He hated for me to be out of his sight, but he He traveled all the time.
He was away always, all the time away.
William.
Bastard.
Come closer.
Let me see your hands.
Um I have a heart in here, you know.
Ok.
Can you feel? Can you feel, Darren? I'll never leave.
I can't.
I can't.
And you can't leave, either.
Think of the children.
And where would we go? I didn't know.
I was so young when I met him.
I didn't know you existed.
Ok.
Stay a while.
What's the hurry? Stay.
Ok, I'll be right here.
[Knocks.]
Yeah? You wanted to see me? Yeah.
You want to close that door.
So Mitchell lichtman says, uh, he has some problems with you.
I have a problem with him.
He told me that you promised to share van gergen with him.
He basically extorted that deal.
Yeah, but you have a deal with him.
Yeah.
Honor it.
Ms.
archer, are you willing to take full responsibility for your grandmother? Yes, your honor.
The courts grants guardianship of Ms.
rose valent to her granddaughter Louisa archer.
[Gavel bangs.]
Lulu, got a minute? Sure.
I know you're looking for other places for your grandmother.
Mm-hmm.
My mother's in a state-run facility.
It's not as nice as private, but it's clean and well-managed, and they have a wonderful staff.
Really? Well, is there a wait list? A long one.
But the director's a friend of mine.
I'd be happy to make a phone call, see what I can do.
Oh, Laurie, that would be terrific.
Thank you.
Nice what you're doing for Lulu.
What? Helping her.
Well, she came to me.
Of course she did.
Nick, I can see what's going on.
It's not Lulu I'm worried about, it's you.
I'll be fine.
She's under a lot of stress, too.
She's making a big leap.
She's making a commitment to her fiance.
He doesn't deserve her.
Who doesn't deserve her, but she's just trying to hold things together until the choice she's made has been made.
Laurie, she's making a mistake.
Nick, you're the last person on earth she's gonna listen to about that.
What did say to him then? Well, I told him that I'd never seen such a thing in my life, and he said, "you had one just yesterday.
" [Jake and Caldwell laughing.]
I need to talk to you.
Close the door.
I made a deal with you.
I'll honor it.
Nick, we got off on the wrong foot.
See, I came here looking forward to working with you.
You just gotta understand, private practice is not exactly where I was hoping to land.
If we'd won this last election, the senator could have set his sight on the governor's office, and, well, I was hoping I might take over his job.
Why are you here? I've been working in state politics since '96.
I need to make some money.
And I need to make connections.
Now, Caldwell is great at a lot of things, but being a lawyer is not one of them.
When your father leaves, if he leaves, the senator will be looking at 2 or 3 people to take full responsibility for this place.
He's used to leaning on me.
I'd like to know I can lean on you.
What do you want? I want to keep van gergen happy.
He's too valuable to lose.
Ok.
How do you suggest doing that? Angel's landing isn't all that toxic, plus it's perfectly located.
I know that.
For a governmental annex.
The state can't approve funds to purchase the land until the vote goes down next month.
And you know how that vote's gonna turn out? I need someone to take over the van gergen deal.
Why? Mitchell told me the state plans on building a governmental annex on angel's landing.
They broke the wall.
Now, if the state wants the property, they will pay the appraised value of $20 million.
Hmm.
So just--just cut me out of the deal and let someone else run with it.
No.
We're done with this for now.
Sheila, yeah, let me have Nathan Caldwell, please.
Thank you.
You wanted to see me? You told Nick to take the railroad's offer.
That's not true.
How else would he know about the governmental annex and the upcoming vote? He is leaving you vulnerable, senator.
We gave him a heads-up and he started to look in places he shouldn't.
Why would he lie? Well, for one thing he's angry that you and I are here.
Secondly, we both know why we're here, and I'm sure Nick, if he put his mind to it-- Mr.
lichtman You're addressing the wrong person.
I'm the one who's letting you go.
You're allowing this? You committed a felony, Mitchell.
I can't let that slide.
I didn't.
You know, we're not gonna report this.
There is nothing to report.
I'm sorry, Mitchell.
Jake.
Hey, Nick.
Mitchell's off the meyers deal.
He is? Yeah, so I'll be stepping back in.
Oh.
Ok, great.
Yeah, um, I'm not gonna need your backup.
Oh.
No hard feelings.
Alice, can you tell me what you saw the night rose valent was injured? Mm-hmm.
You have to answer with a yes or a no.
No.
Are you answering my question? No.
Alice, uh Can you tell me what you saw the night rose valent was injured? My daughter owns a large parcel of land on the coast of British Columbia, a very large parcel.
Can you answer my original question, Alice? She and her friends thought that they would be able to sell it off to make money, so I gave her my money.
Oh, this was long time ago.
Alice, about the other night, when you saw-- I hear the woods are beautiful.
You can see the whales.
We should go there sometime together.
We're done here.
I'm gonna have to leave.
I'm sorry.
Are you leaving so soon? I'm sorry.
I have to leave, yeah.
Well, have a nice boat ride.
I will.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Nana? Hi.
Hi, rose.
I told him.
I told him, and you know what he said? No.
He said he knew.
He'd known for the longest time.
He wasn't angry.
He just said he didn't care anymore, and he didn't want to be made a fool of.
Well, I'm glad you told him.
You'll never tell your wife, will you, Darren? You'll never tell.
You love her still.
Not like me and William.
You still love her.
Nana.
I left it in the upstairs closet with the toilet paper and the toothpaste.
Just look in there.
Just look.
You're the love of my life.
You happier here? My grandmother was in love with another man.
So it seems.
[Sighs.]
I just-- always thought she was in love with my grandfather.
It's so funny.
Is it? Yeah.
It's funny.
You know, you were really kind to me this whole week, even after what I said to you, and, uh You were just really kind.
[Knock on door, door opens.]
I referred van gergen to tom Stevens at Stevens and slade.
Ok.
So I lost him as a client.
What the hell are you doing to me? Excuse me? Caldwell.
He's a fool.
He's never even practiced.
Is that what you want to leave me with? [Sighs.]
It's for the best for now.
Oh, 'cause I screwed up one deal.
It's not about that.
It's not about punishment.
Ok, then what is it about? It's about timing.
The senator was not ready to go to work.
He'd lost the election.
He got bored.
Now he's ready.
You know, I, uh I don't believe you.
Well, then it's good for the short term.
Ease our clients through the transition.
In a few months, he'll be a liability and I'll have to cover his ass.
Why is he here? Why is he here?! I had to make a deal with him.
You made a deal with him? Mm-hmm.
Sorry.
Just last week, you told me You wanted me to take over this firm.
[Sighs.]
[Door slams.]
Yeah.
[Door opens.]
Do you have a second? Uh, it's not a good time, really.
My grandmother fell and broke her leg in her nursing home and I have to go.
I'm sorry.
Can we talk later? Ok, sure.
Uh, Nick.
What happened yesterday That was a mistake.
No, no, no I take full responsibility for what I did, but I shouldn't have done it.
I was nervous about the house and about getting married, and--and--and I was-- and I am curious about you.
I've been curious.
And, well, I guess you were kind of like my bachelorette party.
I was what? I mean, not like-- I didn't mean it like that.
No, it's-- God, that was cruel and stupid, and I didn't mean to compare you to something like that, something that's so-- just-- meaningless? It wasn't.
I'm gonna marry Brian and live in that house with him, and that's what I want to do with my life.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't really see each other anymore, you know, at all, if we can help it.
You guess? No, I know.
Ok.
I'm sorry.
I gotta go.
Ok, sure.
I am sentencing you to 1,500 hours of community service, using your skills as a corporate attorney to work as a child advocate.
Uh, preliminary samples showed traces of benzene, toluene, and sulfuric acid in the soil.
Mr.
van gergen, there are underground storage tanks that leak gasoline and discarded coke from the coal mine.
How much to clean it up? The impact assessment report suggests 2, 3 million.
Ah, too risky.
Uh, well, cut the offer to 12 million.
appraised in escrow at 20 million.
citizen groups protesting the development.
the levels of toxic buildup there.
I want to buy vextus corporation.
Are they for sale? No.
So this is hostile? File the tender offer documents with the s.
E.
C.
And get this thing rolling.
Is there a problem? No problem.
You know, I started with my last attorney when he was about your age.
Why'd you leave? He did good deals, not great ones.
He liked playing golf and sending me presents, thought being slick was a decent excuse for missing the small stuff.
I get it.
I don't want to be friends, Nick.
I'll call the railroad's attorney and set the meeting.
Great.
Hey.
I just left a meeting with meyers.
Ok.
He wants to orchestrate a hostile takeover of vextus, and he wants me to take the lead.
Did you tell him you can't do securities work? Well, I was thinking maybe we could, uh, work together on this.
I can't do anything till after 4:00.
Ok, well, I'll clear it with Burton.
Did your father get the appointment? Don't know.
Nick fallin, right? Yeah.
Mitchell lichtman.
We're gonna be working together.
We are? Yeah.
My boss and I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time.
Jake: What's senator Caldwell doing here? Nick: I don't know.
Morning, everybody.
Uh, if I could have your attention for just a second here.
It gives me a great deal of pleasure to introduce our new senior partner, senator Nathan Caldwell.
That's former senator, Burton.
Well-- gotta remember that.
And our new associate, uh, he was the chief of staff for the senator at the State Senate.
Uh, Yale law, class of '93, if I'm not mistaken, Mitchell lichtman.
Mitch? I'm just here to be a team player, and I'm looking forward to working with every one of you.
Good to know, yeah.
Nathan, you want to say a couple of words? Well, sure, thank you, Burton.
Um I had the honor of being a public servant for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania for almost 30 years.
But as rewarding and exciting as public service was, too often, it was about watching your back instead of doing your job.
[Chuckles.]
So I'm happy and proud to be joining this prestigious firm and getting the chance to practice in our noble profession once again, where it's all about the work and not about the politics, so I thank you.
Yes, ma'am? Excuse me.
I'm looking for rose valent's room.
There.
Thank you.
Hey, Nana.
Nana, it's Lulu.
Are you going to wear that? What do you mean? To school.
That outfit? Well, what's wrong with what I'm wearing, huh? Pants, Caroline? In school? Well, you can't wear pants.
I'm Lulu, Nana.
And that shirt.
I can almost see your breasts.
I can see down your shirt.
Ok, I'll change.
Principal Evans is going to just send you right back home.
The minute you walk into the school, he'll just call me and make me come and get you.
Ok, I'm gonna change my clothes.
Oh, what happened, Nana, huh? Did you fall? When? Yesterday.
Did you fall? I--I did no such thing.
Well, what happened? I locked up the shop at 5:30.
I was home at 5:45 to make dinner for your father.
I-- I certainly did not stop at marianne's house to play cards.
Nana, Nana, listen to me.
You broke your leg.
I did? Yes.
And the man at the nursing home said that you fell out of your bed.
I fought him, and I-- I--I played dead like a possum.
I played dead so he'd stop.
What? I soiled myself.
I--I wanted new sheets.
Oh, Caroline, please, change your clothes before your father comes down.
He'll be so upset with me for letting you dress that way.
Oh, my God.
Nana, was someone choking you? Quick, like a bunny, Caroline.
Quick.
Nana.
I love you.
I love you, too.
Senator Caldwell asked Mitchell to go through our client list to look for some potential conflicts, and evidently they found some problem.
Ok.
It's van gergen.
What about him? I'm afraid we can't represent him right now.
What? You gotta drop him.
Well, I've been trying to land him for 2 years.
He's the biggest developer in the city.
I'm not just gonna drop him.
This firm cannot be involved with the angel's landing deal.
It's the only deal I have with him.
If you go forward, you will expose the senator to potential criminal liability.
Build a Chinese wall around yourself.
I'm not comfortable with that.
Why are you letting these guys just walk in here and call the shots? W-wait, son-- if the senator's dealings as a legislator presents a problem to his work in private practice, then the senator shouldn't be here.
Wait, wait Nathan, Mitchell, would you excuse us for just a second, please? Sure.
What the hell was that? I'm sorry about this, Nicholas.
You tell Caldwell to push back a few weeks.
Look, I know van gergen is a big client, but Caldwell will bring in 10 more just like him.
Yes, but they will be Caldwell's clients.
Nicholas, sometimes you You gotta think about the firm.
I know you're upset.
The senator promises he will make it up to you.
We want to set up a government relations office here at fallin.
We think you would be a great lobbyist.
I don't like politics.
Listen, Nick, I know you don't like me being here, ok? Believe me, I would much rather be back in Harrisburg.
As far as this angel's landing deal goes, you gotta understand, the senator and I were intimately involved with this.
We're not nitpicking here.
We're just doing what's right.
You're costing me a million-dollar-a-year client.
This Chinese wall How do you propose doing that? You and the senator will be kept out of all dealings in regards to this property.
No correspondence.
I would distribute a memo firm-wide stating that no information-- no information in regards to this deal will pass by your eyes.
This would leave the senator at risk.
If we disclose a legislative secret and get caught, it's a felony.
The only way he would be in trouble is if he opened his mouth, or you.
You two are in complete control as to whether you reveal any legislative secret.
If I can get the senator to agree to this Yes? You share van gergen with me from now on.
I thought you couldn't have any involvement.
Not with this deal.
But with every deal that follows.
This is very convenient for you.
You create a conflict, you compromise my client, and you profit from fixing it.
Do we have a deal or not? [Tv playing in background.]
Have we met? I'm Louisa archer.
My grandmother rose is a resident here.
Could you come back in, say, about half an hour? I'm leaning toward the manual cranks, though.
Electrical units always break.
So, of course, we spoke earlier today.
That's right, and you told me that she fell out of her bed.
That's what my staff reported.
She has bruises all over her neck and all over her arms, like she was pinned down or something, and she told me that she was attacked because she wet her bed.
Ms.
archer, if-- if I thought that any of my employees was capable of such a thing, I would immediately suspend them and report the matter to the authorities.
You should maybe come with me.
We keep the stroke victims and the Alzheimer's patients down in this ward.
Now, most of the time, they don't know what time it is or where they are.
[Tv playing softly.]
Excise me, Martha.
How you doing, sweetheart? Hey, ruthie.
Unfortunately, there's a high incidence of accidents, especially among the Alzheimer's patients.
The disease affects brain functions, so it's not uncommon for one of our residents to fall.
No one on our staff would intentionally harm a patient, Ms.
archer, I assure you.
Well, I appreciate that.
I'm--I feel much better.
Thank you.
When a loved one is in this position, we often feel guilty about it.
Sometimes we want to blame other people for what is really just happening naturally.
P.
A.
: Mr.
patten, please pick up line 1.
Excuse me.
Mr.
patten, please pick up line 1.
Alice? Oh, are you here to play the piano? Alice, I'm rose's granddaughter Lulu.
Oh, how is she? Well, she broke her leg, but they're gonna bring here back here this afternoon.
Oh.
Um, Alice, I was wondering if I could talk to you about her.
She told me she was gonna slit my throat.
Rose said that? She told me she's gonna do it in the middle of the night when I'm asleep.
Oh, no, no, no.
Oh, she can be nice.
But some days, she can be very abusive.
She has Alzheimer's, you know.
So does everybody else around here.
Alice, she said something to me about one of the orderlies attacking her last night.
Did you see anything? The man that does nights, he just started here, and he doesn't want to put her diaper on.
Rose peed the bed, started to call out, and no one came.
So she got louder and louder, and finally the man come in the room and told her to shut up.
And rose yelled back at him, and he grabbed her around the neck and picked her up and dropped her on the floor.
And you saw all of this? Alice? Alice, did you know that man's name? Did you say that he works here at night? [Knock on door.]
Yeah.
Burton.
Uh, thanks again for giving me the wade meyers account.
Well, you deserve it, Jake.
He would've walked if you hadn't pulled off that deal.
Well, thanks.
Um, he--he just-- he came in, and, um What? Wade meyers.
He wants me to take the lead in a hostile takeover with vextus.
You tell him about your situation? No.
UhNo.
I'll call him right now.
Well, I was hoping maybe, um, I mean, I was hoping that you'll let me choose someone to cover the deal for me and let me work behind the scenes.
Jake, we agreed with the s.
E.
C.
That you won't do any public securities work.
Well, at least-- would you let me hand it off to someone? I mean, I did hold on to him.
I did keep him here.
Oh, Nathan, this is Jake straka.
Pleasure to meet you, Mr.
straka.
Yes, I think the work you did in the State Senate was terrific, really terrific, and I'm just really excited to be working with you.
Appreciate it.
Well, ok.
Uh, thanks.
So, Nathan, have you considered Nick's proposition? I have.
And? Well I'm the only person at risk here, Nicholas, myself and Mitchell.
I understand that.
So, a few ground rules? If I see anything, anything at all, or if I even suspect that there's been some sort of slip or misunderstanding, you terminate your representation immediately.
Meanwhile, I'll also be seeking a confidential advisory opinion from the state ethics commission.
Of course.
Ok? Yeah, great.
What do you think? Well, it depends on what the state's planning to do.
That property could be virtually worthless or-- or it could be worth a whole lot more than the railroad is asking.
Well, but I suggest you find a way to protect your client under either scenario.
By the way, what, uh--what'd you trade him? Excuse me? The kid Mitchell.
What kind of deal you make with him? Cut him in on van gergen.
How much? Half the source credit of all future work.
Mitchell, Jake straka.
Yeah, we met.
Yeah, uh, do you have a second? Thanks.
I have a proposal.
Ok.
You ever do any securities work? A bit, when I was with sager and tremaine.
I have a client-- wade meyers.
He's planning a takeover and wants me to oversee the deal.
What's your proposal? I want to share the deal with you and the senator.
The deal or the client? The deal.
And what do we do for you? Well, I happen to know that state law prohibits you and senator Caldwell from practicing any lobbying work for one year, and I'd be stupid if I didn't assume the two of you going back into private practice didn't mean that you wanted to set up a government relations department.
Ok.
So, make me the point man on this.
Register me as a lobbyist and cut me in for For one deal? For wade meyers.
You'll give him to us? If the senator goes for my proposal.
Ok, Jake, one question.
Is he yours to give? Yes, I believe he is.
[Knock on door.]
I think my grandmother was attacked in her nursing home.
You think? My grandmother told me, and her roommate confirmed it.
Have you filed a complaint? I called the police, and they referred me to the department of aging.
What'd they do? Absolutely nothing.
They said there's insufficient evidence to file a report.
Where's your grandma now? They're gonna send her back there this afternoon.
You've gotta get her out of there.
I can't.
I'm not her guardian.
My mother My mother moved up to Vermont with some guy named Glenn, and she basically blew my grandmother off.
She left her in the home, and she turned her care over to some corporation in Harrisburg who won't move her.
Well, I can help you file a petition to appoint you the new guardian.
Yeah.
What is it? Even if I get her out of there, I can't afford to put her in a better home.
You can always file a lawsuit against the nursing home to pay down her new accommodations.
Mr.
fallin, I'm very sorry to disturb you, but a woman named Louisa archer is here to see you.
Ok.
Ms.
archer, he'll be a minute.
May I get you an espresso or bottled water? No, thank you.
I'll just wait.
What are you doing here? I need help with my grandmother.
I want to sue her nursing home.
Come here.
They're definitely guilty of neglect, if not outright abuse.
They claim that she fell out of her bed, but I have very strong suspicions that she was attacked.
Can your grandmother corroborate this? She has Alzheimer's, but her roommate saw the whole thing.
Is she willing to testify? I don't know.
Maybe, she might.
Ok, take me out there and let me talk to her.
Thanks.
Hey, Lulu, what are you doing here? I just stopped by to see Nick.
Oh, great, great.
Jake, could you do some research for me? Could you check to see if there's any legislative history or appropriation bills on angel's landing? What, you haven't done that yet? Well, I haven't had a reason to until now.
Well, um, Nick, I--I can't.
You ready, Mr.
straka? Let's do it.
Well, your grandmother just got back an hour ago.
She's resting comfortably.
We'd like to see a list of all the people that were working the night that rose valent had her fall.
I'm sorry, Mr Fallin.
Mr.
fallin, I'm afraid the information you're asking for is confidential.
If you'd like to schedule another time, I'd be glad to have my lawyer present.
Where you going? To see my grandmother.
I don't think you need your lawyer here for me to do that.
I'd just like to talk to the people that were here that night, to put her mind at ease.
I'm not comfortable doing that.
We will pursue legal action.
[Knock on door.]
Thank you.
Alice isn't here.
The nurse on call said that she went out with her daughter.
Well, I can come back.
Nana rose, this is my friend Nick.
Hi.
My love.
Uh, no, Nana, this is-- this is my friend Nick.
My love.
Nana Come here.
I know.
You have to go soon, I know.
Oh, you smell so good.
I miss that.
When you were away, I used to lie up at night and miss that.
Nana Can we go soon? I want to drive away.
We can just go and find a place where it's quiet and stay there as long as we can before anybody notices we've left.
My love.
Can we do that now? Can we? Of course.
Of course we can.
I've missed you so much.
I thought you were dead.
She--she thinks that you're my grandfather.
He died 20 years ago, you know, and she just really loved him a lot.
I'm sorry.
This is probably the last thing you want to be doing right now.
It's ok.
Ok.
Ahem.
Nice to meet you, rose.
Mr.
Barnes, we appreciate you coming in.
No problem.
We've been dealing with Mr.
henninger.
He's left the firm.
I'm handling all of midland Atlantic railroad's business now.
Ok, uh We want to buy a 6-month option on the property.
An option? with a purchase price of 16 million.
We want to sell this property, not option it.
Well, there's way too many variables on the property.
The railroad wants this property off its books by the end of the quarter.
An option doesn't do it.
Sorry.
We, uh, we can't make that deal.
Ok.
Gentlemen.
What now? We move on.
Angel's landing deal fell through.
Why? I wasn't comfortable advising my client to purchase the property outright.
Environmental issues have him worried? Yeah.
Concerned about the public outcry.
Well, to a degree.
Well, he's not the first to walk away.
Our deal's off, so don't expect a piece of the van gergen business.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on.
You made that deal with the senator and me.
I paved the way.
No, you manipulated the deal.
Now, had we made the angel's landing purchase, I would have honored it, but there is not a chance in hell I'm handing my client over to you now.
Are you saying you told your client to walk away because I made you nervous about the deal? Wade, good to see you.
I'm glad to be working with you again.
Wade, thanks for coming by.
We'll get started in a moment.
We'll be right in the conference room.
We'll be right in.
All right.
Um, Mitchell, could you give us a second? Yeah.
Thank you.
Nick, uh, I handed the meyers deal off to Mitchell.
Uh, I mean, you said you were busy, and, well, I handed-- no, fine, fine, fine, fine.
No hard feelings? [Tv playing in background.]
Hello there.
Hi.
Are you lost? No, I'm looking for rose valent and her roommate Alice.
I'm Alice.
Who are you? Nicholas fallin.
I'm a I work with rose's granddaughter Lulu.
Yes.
I wanted to speak with you about what happened to rose.
Yes.
Did you see something? Yes.
What is it? Who are you? I'm just here visiting rose and Alice.
Visiting hours are over.
I understand that.
Come back tomorrow.
Do you have a minute? What? Just a minute.
My friend's worried about her grandmother's injuries.
She fell, mister.
One minute she was in bed, the next she'd hit the floor.
Uh Her granddaughter's a little concerned.
Rose had mentioned a few things about being attacked.
These ladies all tell stories.
I mean, I don't want to sound cruel, but they all complain, and they all accuse.
It's just the way it is around here.
Can you explain why she has bruises on her neck? You ever try to give an Alzheimer's patient a bath? Or get them to eat or stay in their bed? No.
You should try.
They kick and scream and bite.
They pull off their clothes.
It's crazy in here, especially at night when we're understaffed.
Now, I'm not talking about rose, but sometimes you give these ladies a bath and they go under, and you gotta pull them out any way you can.
Or take them to the bathroom, and they start hitting.
You don't like working here, do you? I make minimum wage, man.
I clean up puke and wipe old people's asses.
What do you think? Yeah.
Rose? It's--it's Nick, Lulu's friend.
Lulu? Shh.
Your granddaughter.
I know who Lulu is.
You're her friend? Yeah, yeah.
Uh, we met.
Why are you here? I just came to check on you, see how you were.
How's Caroline? I don't know.
Is she still in Vermont? Don't know.
She never had any luck with men.
She was a lazy girl, and she slept around.
Oh.
Ok.
I wanted to work downtown for a man who published books and magazines, but William said he was a pornographer.
He hated for me to be out of his sight, but he He traveled all the time.
He was away always, all the time away.
William.
Bastard.
Come closer.
Let me see your hands.
Um I have a heart in here, you know.
Ok.
Can you feel? Can you feel, Darren? I'll never leave.
I can't.
I can't.
And you can't leave, either.
Think of the children.
And where would we go? I didn't know.
I was so young when I met him.
I didn't know you existed.
Ok.
Stay a while.
What's the hurry? Stay.
Ok, I'll be right here.
[Knocks.]
Yeah? You wanted to see me? Yeah.
You want to close that door.
So Mitchell lichtman says, uh, he has some problems with you.
I have a problem with him.
He told me that you promised to share van gergen with him.
He basically extorted that deal.
Yeah, but you have a deal with him.
Yeah.
Honor it.
Ms.
archer, are you willing to take full responsibility for your grandmother? Yes, your honor.
The courts grants guardianship of Ms.
rose valent to her granddaughter Louisa archer.
[Gavel bangs.]
Lulu, got a minute? Sure.
I know you're looking for other places for your grandmother.
Mm-hmm.
My mother's in a state-run facility.
It's not as nice as private, but it's clean and well-managed, and they have a wonderful staff.
Really? Well, is there a wait list? A long one.
But the director's a friend of mine.
I'd be happy to make a phone call, see what I can do.
Oh, Laurie, that would be terrific.
Thank you.
Nice what you're doing for Lulu.
What? Helping her.
Well, she came to me.
Of course she did.
Nick, I can see what's going on.
It's not Lulu I'm worried about, it's you.
I'll be fine.
She's under a lot of stress, too.
She's making a big leap.
She's making a commitment to her fiance.
He doesn't deserve her.
Who doesn't deserve her, but she's just trying to hold things together until the choice she's made has been made.
Laurie, she's making a mistake.
Nick, you're the last person on earth she's gonna listen to about that.
What did say to him then? Well, I told him that I'd never seen such a thing in my life, and he said, "you had one just yesterday.
" [Jake and Caldwell laughing.]
I need to talk to you.
Close the door.
I made a deal with you.
I'll honor it.
Nick, we got off on the wrong foot.
See, I came here looking forward to working with you.
You just gotta understand, private practice is not exactly where I was hoping to land.
If we'd won this last election, the senator could have set his sight on the governor's office, and, well, I was hoping I might take over his job.
Why are you here? I've been working in state politics since '96.
I need to make some money.
And I need to make connections.
Now, Caldwell is great at a lot of things, but being a lawyer is not one of them.
When your father leaves, if he leaves, the senator will be looking at 2 or 3 people to take full responsibility for this place.
He's used to leaning on me.
I'd like to know I can lean on you.
What do you want? I want to keep van gergen happy.
He's too valuable to lose.
Ok.
How do you suggest doing that? Angel's landing isn't all that toxic, plus it's perfectly located.
I know that.
For a governmental annex.
The state can't approve funds to purchase the land until the vote goes down next month.
And you know how that vote's gonna turn out? I need someone to take over the van gergen deal.
Why? Mitchell told me the state plans on building a governmental annex on angel's landing.
They broke the wall.
Now, if the state wants the property, they will pay the appraised value of $20 million.
Hmm.
So just--just cut me out of the deal and let someone else run with it.
No.
We're done with this for now.
Sheila, yeah, let me have Nathan Caldwell, please.
Thank you.
You wanted to see me? You told Nick to take the railroad's offer.
That's not true.
How else would he know about the governmental annex and the upcoming vote? He is leaving you vulnerable, senator.
We gave him a heads-up and he started to look in places he shouldn't.
Why would he lie? Well, for one thing he's angry that you and I are here.
Secondly, we both know why we're here, and I'm sure Nick, if he put his mind to it-- Mr.
lichtman You're addressing the wrong person.
I'm the one who's letting you go.
You're allowing this? You committed a felony, Mitchell.
I can't let that slide.
I didn't.
You know, we're not gonna report this.
There is nothing to report.
I'm sorry, Mitchell.
Jake.
Hey, Nick.
Mitchell's off the meyers deal.
He is? Yeah, so I'll be stepping back in.
Oh.
Ok, great.
Yeah, um, I'm not gonna need your backup.
Oh.
No hard feelings.
Alice, can you tell me what you saw the night rose valent was injured? Mm-hmm.
You have to answer with a yes or a no.
No.
Are you answering my question? No.
Alice, uh Can you tell me what you saw the night rose valent was injured? My daughter owns a large parcel of land on the coast of British Columbia, a very large parcel.
Can you answer my original question, Alice? She and her friends thought that they would be able to sell it off to make money, so I gave her my money.
Oh, this was long time ago.
Alice, about the other night, when you saw-- I hear the woods are beautiful.
You can see the whales.
We should go there sometime together.
We're done here.
I'm gonna have to leave.
I'm sorry.
Are you leaving so soon? I'm sorry.
I have to leave, yeah.
Well, have a nice boat ride.
I will.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Nana? Hi.
Hi, rose.
I told him.
I told him, and you know what he said? No.
He said he knew.
He'd known for the longest time.
He wasn't angry.
He just said he didn't care anymore, and he didn't want to be made a fool of.
Well, I'm glad you told him.
You'll never tell your wife, will you, Darren? You'll never tell.
You love her still.
Not like me and William.
You still love her.
Nana.
I left it in the upstairs closet with the toilet paper and the toothpaste.
Just look in there.
Just look.
You're the love of my life.
You happier here? My grandmother was in love with another man.
So it seems.
[Sighs.]
I just-- always thought she was in love with my grandfather.
It's so funny.
Is it? Yeah.
It's funny.
You know, you were really kind to me this whole week, even after what I said to you, and, uh You were just really kind.
[Knock on door, door opens.]
I referred van gergen to tom Stevens at Stevens and slade.
Ok.
So I lost him as a client.
What the hell are you doing to me? Excuse me? Caldwell.
He's a fool.
He's never even practiced.
Is that what you want to leave me with? [Sighs.]
It's for the best for now.
Oh, 'cause I screwed up one deal.
It's not about that.
It's not about punishment.
Ok, then what is it about? It's about timing.
The senator was not ready to go to work.
He'd lost the election.
He got bored.
Now he's ready.
You know, I, uh I don't believe you.
Well, then it's good for the short term.
Ease our clients through the transition.
In a few months, he'll be a liability and I'll have to cover his ass.
Why is he here? Why is he here?! I had to make a deal with him.
You made a deal with him? Mm-hmm.
Sorry.
Just last week, you told me You wanted me to take over this firm.
[Sighs.]
[Door slams.]