Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (2026) s01e09 Episode Script

1
[siren wailing in distance]
["Selected Faces" playing]
[phone beeping]
[beeping continues]
[beeping continues]
[beeping intensifies]
[beeping stops]
[calm music plays]
Oh. I-I… I think…
I think you're in the erroneous apartment.
[rapid beeping]
[beeping intensifies]
[groaning] What the… What…
[beeping stops]
[groans] Fuck.
[Florian] I like the viscosity.
- Let's see how it freezes.
- On it.
[tense music plays]
[exhales] Hi.
[chuckling] Sorry I'm late.
[chuckles] Hey.
How's my favorite food scientist?
[chuckles] Good.
- Just busy, busy.
- All right.
- Shall we start experimenting?
- [sighs]
Yeah.
Good. Uh-huh.
[Florian] Okay, stop.
[Paula] Tell me what you know.
This is humiliating.
I was going through a break-up.
Trevor DMed me on Instagram.
He was charming, I was lonely, we flirted.
- Mmm.
- He made me feel good.
And then he asked me
if I wanted to video chat and…
[scoffs] So dumb.
No, trust me, I feel the same way
and we're not the only victims either.
I'm just trying
to figure out what happened.
Obviously, I had no idea
he was recording me.
Then one day a guy shows up
and he had that video.
- Okay, was this the guy?
- Yeah, that's him.
He said he'd leak the video to everyone
if I didn't comply.
How much money did he want?
Nothing. Oh, I offered him money,
but he didn't want it.
- He said I'd have to do…
- [phone beeps]
…exactly what he said.
- Exactly as he said it.
- Mmm.
Or he would ruin my life.
He knew everything.
- My family, my friends. I begged him…
- Sorry.
…but there was just no way
I could get out.
[ominous music plays]
[Paula] Um… So, sorry,
if the blackmailer didn't want money,
then what did he want?
He wanted the specs
for a new strain of fast-rising yeast
that we were about to patent.
- Yeast?
- It took years to develop.
The patent is easily worth
tens of millions in revenue.
You saw that video.
That's clearly my office.
My life would have been destroyed.
So I gave him what he wanted.
So that was it? There's nothing else?
A few months later, Northeastern
Food Group beat us to the patent.
Stock value plummeted,
our whole company's downsizing,
and I'm out of here
at the end of the month.
Do you think Northeastern
was behind all of this?
I have no idea. All I know is I'm fucked.
- If I can't figure this out soon… me too.
- [scoffs]
[suspenseful music plays]
[sighs]
I kinda, like, never did this before.
[footage rewinding]
I guess I am kind of cute. [chuckles]
[Trevor] That's right.
Eat that banana, you chubby monkey.
- [shutter clicks]
- Damn, Trevor, you look great.
- [sighs]
- [shutter clicks]
[computer pinging]
Fucker.
Uh… Angela?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
[computer chimes]
Hi. I'm… I'm Paula.
How did you get my name?
- Uh, I'm Paula.
- [Micah] How did you find me?
- Are you a part of this?
- No, I really am not.
…wanted some information exclusive to
a client and our company.
I wanted it to end.
He didn't want money.
He wanted my influence on some votes.
He wanted a bunch of zoning permits.
[Paula] Fuck.
- [phone chimes]
- [sighs]
[sighs] Crap.
What are you looking for?
A 5'8" prison guard with coffee breath.
Oh, look. Thank you, God.
Thursday 8:15.
Son of a bitch.
Thursday 9:17. Look.
Two Rebecca Hallidays.
Two different signatures.
Oh, yeah.
[phone beeping]
I'm gonna need the security footage
from both these visitors.
- [line ringing]
- And the feed from the parking lot.
- I'm gonna need their cars and plates.
- I got it.
Hey. Two lawyers with the same name
came to visit Paula.
- She was telling the truth.
- [Baxter] Oh, shit.
And Dennis O'Neill is not answering
his phone. Straight to voicemail.
I'm on the lawyer.
- You go to Dennis's house. Find him.
- All right, I'm on it. But hey, G,
every once in a while, you gotta throw
a motherfucking please in there.
Motherfucking please.
Better.
There's my Jennifer.
- What's what?
- Everything should be buttoned up.
I met with Paula Sanders.
She doesn't know anything.
But she did have Dennis's burner phone
which I retrieved.
The only minor wrinkle
is there was a single contact on it.
Mmm. That sounds pretty wrinkly.
Like a linen suit in a duffel bag.
Nah, man, he was a pro.
There can't be much exposure.
Look, I'm out of town the rest of
this week on a company retreat.
Before I return, find this Paula person,
clean it up, eliminate the threat.
- You understand me?
- Yep.
- Sounds like a plan, my man.
- Wonderful.
And, hey, don't ever call me
while you're fucking eating.
[ominous music plays]
[children clamoring]
[Mallory] I love it.
Hey.
Pauls.
- You're, uh… You're here.
- Yeah, I mean…
[stammers] The whole way over,
I was wondering,
"Is this crazy, my being here?" But…
Today's about Hazel, it's not about me.
It's not in your head. Everybody knows
what happened. They all know.
You can't be here.
- I-I… I mean…
- Paula, you realize that, right?
I… I promised her, so I'm not gonna go.
- I understand, but, Paula, you can't…
- And I'm innocent.
I didn't fucking do anything.
Okay, I believe you.
I also believe
that you shouldn't be here, okay?
- It's not going to end well.
- Yeah.
You see that, right?
- I mean, you must.
- Yeah. Oh!
- I don't see how this…
- Reinforcements.
[Mallory] Hey, Paula. How's it… Um…
[clicks tongue]
Wh-What are you doing here? [scoffs]
Hey, Mal. You probably want me
to go in there, right?
Right? 'Cause then I could cause a scene
and then you could win custody. [chuckles]
I wasn't thinking about custody.
I was thinking about Hazel.
Everyone knows. She doesn't.
If you go in there,
she will figure it out.
[distorted] It's unavoidable.
What do you want to happen?
Do you want her to figure this out
like this, Paula?
Please. Think about this.
Think about what you're doing right now.
No, no-no one broke my laptop.
It literally just stopped working.
It was so weird.
Okay, well, what's the point
of having insurance if I…
- [line beeps]
- What the hell?
[sighs]
- Why do you look like shit?
- I was attacked with my own bong.
[chuckles] A bong?
Are you in middle school?
I think you're missing the headline
while trying to mock me.
- I was attacked.
- What happened?
Some woman broke into my apartment,
brutalized me
and then stole back that burner phone.
The burner phone that you stole from me?
[sighs] Oh, my God. Yes.
Okay, it's just
an endless cycle of criminality.
God, you really focus
on, like, the pettiest shit.
All right, why would someone attack me
for that phone?
Paula must have been telling the truth.
Except there was nothing on it.
Well, it must have some value, Geri,
'cause…
look at my head.
We need to go tell Paula. Come on.
[Geri] Mmm.
Sixty-eight percent of me is with you.
But the other 32% is like, "Fuck you"
for breaking my laptop.
[scoffs] Well, you lied to me first.
Right?
And that actually hurt.
I apologize.
I got caught up in my story
and you know how bad I wanted that.
I never should have let it
come between us.
Yeah, you shouldn't have.
Close to forgiving me?
I don't know. I'm circling it.
Okay, come on. Let's go.
Okay. [chuckles]
You should put a Band-Aid on your head.
["Halah" plays on radio]
Oh, shit. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
[clears throat]
[Steve grunts, sniffs]
I guess you missed the art show, huh?
That's too bad.
It was like going to the Louvre.
- But more Popsicle stick sculptures.
- [laughs] Oh. Ah.
[sniffles] Sorry that
I stood you up on our date.
I am assuming you know the reason?
Yeah.
Never heard that one before.
For what it's worth,
it's a huge mistake, you know.
I've been presuming your innocence.
Yeah, you always hear
you're supposed to do that,
but I've never actually tried it before.
Thank you for trying.
It's, like, more than I can say
for anybody else. It's, like, so fucked.
I c… I can't go to work.
I can't go see
my own kid's art show. It's…
Unlock your phone.
[sniffles]
- There we go. [laughs]
- [laughs]
So I just AirDropped you every
single masterpiece from the art show.
Thank you.
Look, there's even one of
Hazel's deeply nuanced watercolor of…
- Is that a parrot?
- [laughs]
Oh! I think that's Mallory.
Oh! Y-Yeah.
- The same plumage.
- [laughs]
[chuckles]
- [phone ringing]
- Thank you.
Yeah. [clicks tongue]
I gotta go.
Okay. See you soon.
Maybe like ten to 20, but wait for me.
The bong attack is awesome.
Wasn't, really.
No, I mean for the article.
It's so cinematic.
Wait, you're still writing that?
Suzie's into it.
It could be my one shot at breaking in.
One shot?
Do you really think
you're not a good enough writer
to come up with, like,
other, better stories
that don't hurt your friends?
[scoffs] I honestly don't know.
Okay, well, I do.
I-I have no doubt.
'Cause underneath that snark,
you are a really good person.
You will hate yourself if you do this.
["Stress Waves" playing]
That was shockingly kind.
Fine.
No article.
Yeah?
Shit.
- You could make a really good lawyer.
- [stammers]
Although you'll probably fail the LSATs.
Well, Ger-Bear,
you back.
Come here.
- Thank you. [chuckles]
- [chuckles] I know.
[both sigh]
- [clears throat]
- Is Paula's around here?
Yeah, I think it's… little more this way.
[phone ringing]
Uh, f…
[groans] Hey.
[Doug] Hey, Paula,
I don't want to alarm you,
but time is ticking.
We were just assigned a custody
hearing date, and it is next week.
Uh, next week?
What-What are you talking about?
I'm out on bail.
That's what I argued,
but Judge Narleski ruled
that there will always be
extenuating circumstances,
courts are busy, blah-blah-blah.
Oh, my God.
How am I supposed to get a fair hearing
when I've just been arrested
for fucking murder?
Well, you're innocent
and you're a great mom
and we will make
both points clear in court.
There's another thing.
- Don't panic.
- I'm panicking. What? What?
Karl and Mallory are petitioning
for full custody.
Now this isn't just about Idaho anymore.
If they win,
they'll control your access to Hazel.
They can't fucking do that!
They can try,
and we will try and stop them.
We will get through this.
All right? Talk to you soon.
[sighs] What a shit show.
[tense music plays]
[Geri] Hi.
Sorry, we tried calling you.
- Hey.
- Oh. What? Hi.
Are you okay?
[phone ringing]
Hey. I'm at the boyfriend's.
No sign of him,
but this place is kind of weird.
- Weird how?
- Well, there's a broken window,
a broken cactus, and apparently
someone has a taste for Pirate's Booty.
Well, I got a visual and plates
on the fake lawyer who visited Paula.
- You got an address?
- I am on my way there now.
Yeah, I put out an APB on the car.
I knew something was off about this case.
I should trust my instincts.
Call you when I get there.
- [phone beeps]
- [sighs]
[Paula] What happened to your head?
- Bong attack.
- Long, boring story.
Well, not boring, harrowing actually.
He was beat up. Someone was trying
to get the burner phone back.
- Oh, my God.
- [Geri] I was able to hack into it.
I lied to you. I'm sorry.
I'm also really sorry
for not believing you.
Wait, you got into the phone?
What was on it?
Nothing, just the address of
some random woman who works at Yale.
And she said
she doesn't remember meeting anyone.
I-I mean, she's probably lying.
I-If she was in Dennis's phone, she's…
I bet she was one of his targets.
Who's Dennis?
Y-You guys should come upstairs.
This is Dennis O'Neill.
Dennis killed Trevor because of
the small-time scam that he pulled on me
which put the bigger thing that the two
of them were doing together in jeopardy.
What was the bigger thing?
So, Dennis, I think, identifies, like,
vulnerable, high-value people
and then Trevor would reach out to them.
He would DM them,
he would flirt with them, whatever.
And they would video chat,
so then they would have
this compromising sexual material
that then Dennis would use
to blackmail all of these people.
- For how much?
- That's the thing.
It was never about money.
So this guy, they pressured him
into giving up the patent for some kind
of special yeast for pizza dough,
and then they sold it to a competitor.
- Sorry, they blackmailed him for pizza?
- Yes, like all kinds of things.
So this woman was on
the Amagansett town zoning board,
she got strong-armed into building
a chemical plant on some wetlands.
This guy got forced into
granting mining rights in North Dakota.
And this guy got his union to support
a candidate in an election in Ohio.
This is like some Epstein file,
Joe Rogan-level conspiracy.
So, Dennis and Trevor,
they orchestrated this all?
[clicks tongue] I don't think so,
because Trevor was just a camboy,
and Dennis, I think, is like a middleman.
I think they're working
for somebody bigger.
- Like who?
- That's what's so frustrating.
I don't know. [sighs]
And-And that person
would definitely know that I was innocent.
They would be able to get me out of this,
but who's gonna, like, benefit
from zoning permits,
mining rights, and-and fucking yeast?
None of these people knew anything
when I talked to them.
You haven't spoken to Geri's Yale lady.
What's her address? Do you have it?
I do, yeah.
Great. I'm going right now.
Hey, we'll come with you.
You're not doing this alone.
Yeah. A hundred percent. Absolutely.
We have your back.
Let's go, hands in.
"Paula's innocent" on three.
One, two, three.
[all] Paula's innocent.
I didn't love it. Let's not do that again.
[mysterious music plays]
I'm liking the stroke, but you're dragging
your left heel, just so you know.
[pants] Can I help you?
- I sure hope so.
- Do you remember me, Joyce?
I came to your office
and asked if you had met with a man.
Yeah, this guy, right here.
Dennis O'Neill.
[pants] I remember
not remembering anything.
[Rudy] Please. Okay.
[stammers] My friend could go to jail.
She could lose custody of her kid.
Like, she's in real trouble here.
Yeah, that has nothing to do with me.
Actually, it might.
'Cause we might be in the same boat.
Who are you people?
Do I need to call security?
[Rudy scoffs] No, just…
[groans] Okay, it's super frustrating
that you can't just, like,
be a real human being right now
and tell us what you guys talked about.
Very simple.
- [chuckles] That's none of your business.
- Oh, so you did meet with him?
- Oh, this is ridiculous.
- Just tell us.
- Leave me alone.
- For Christ's sake, just tell us!
This conversation's over.
Why does everyone think
that I can just be, like, ignored? Huh?
Like-Like, I'm just some loser
who can just be pushed around.
- [sighs] Fuck it.
- [Geri] Rudy. Oh.
- What?
- Hey.
Hey!
- You can't just ignore me, okay? Hey!
- Rudy!
- [Paula, Geri] No.
- Fuck it.
Rudy, no!
- [Joyce gasps]
- [Rudy pants]
[laughs] I am 6'5" and I'm fucking jacked.
Rudy!
So we need to know
what you guys talked about, okay?
And you need to tell us.
Tell us or I'm gonna
do something bad, okay?
What the fuck is wrong with you?
Do not test me, Joyce.
Do not test me, okay?
I will be the end of you.
Okay, just-just stay away from me. Okay?
[panting]
Start talking.
I just… [panting]
I crossed some lines at work.
That guy found out about it
and threatened to expose me if
I didn't get this kid admitted into Yale.
- The end.
- [Paula] Uh, uh,
what-what was the kid's name?
Vanderwalle.
Okay? Blake Vanderwalle.
[panting]
Oh.
- [exhales] Holy shit.
- [Geri laughs]
Wow.
Let's get out of here.
- I will be the fucking end of you.
- [Geri chuckles]
- I am putting that on your tombstone.
- Yeah, or above the toilet at work.
I feel like Aquaman.
Blake Vanderwalle for the fucking win.
Now we have to find out
who the fuck Blake Vanderwalle is.
["Women Respond to Bass" playing]
[song continues]
[music ends]
[suspenseful music playing]
[engine starts]
[Gonzales] Thank you, sir.
We'll be in touch.
[line ringing]
Bax, talked to the owner of the red Prius,
he's about 137 and has cataracts.
He thought the car
was in his garage since April.
So she stole a car
no one thought would be stolen.
Smart.
She may be smart, but we're lucky.
Just got a hit on the Prius going through
E-ZPass on the Throgs Neck.
I'm coming up on the bridge now.
Good. Let me know when you find her.
[suspenseful music playing]
[exhales deeply]
[car locks]
[suspenseful music plays]
[Baxter] Freeze! Police!
Drop the weapon.
Now, or I will fucking shoot you.
- [gunshot]
- [music stops]
[birds squawking]
["Strangers" plays]