Running Point (2025) s02e02 Episode Script

1
[marker scribbles]
[tense music playing]
[Isla] There's a lot of things
I can tolerate.
Gluten, chatty Uber drivers,
singing "Happy Birthday" at work.
But one thing
I absolutely cannot forgive, betrayal.
And it's happened to me plenty.
Teresa, I need you.
Please do not leave me for the Fishmans.
They don't need you.
- They're so much cleaner than I am.
- Exactly. [exhales deeply]
[Isla] Ali. [sighs]
- Oh.
- [Isla] Um
My hairstylist, she called in sick,
so the shampoo girl said she could do it.
It looks good.
- [softly] It does?
- Yeah, I love it.
- That is 400. Thank you.
- [Ness] Here.
- Go, go, go. Give me those fours.
- Going to the bathroom.
- [dice clicking]
- Come on. She's gone.
- I'll take your two premier properties.
- I knew it. Put it back.
[Isla] But I never expected
to be betrayed like this.
- How could Dyson do this to us?
- [Isla] I know.
After I discovered him, I nurtured him,
I built him up, he should be grateful.
You gave him
too much positive reinforcement.
This is why I never compliment anyone.
You all suck at your jobs.
- It's good to have you back.
- Okay. What does he want?
Apparently more than league minimum,
and even though he's under contract,
he's not gonna play
until he gets paid market value.
Ali, get me some comps for Dyson.
Small forwards, under 25,
first long-term deals.
- Got it?
- Got it.
Okay, can we give him
a slightly bigger contract?
- How much room do we have under the cap?
- We're dangerously close to going over.
Yeah, if we give Dyson what he wants,
we'll have to pay the luxury tax too.
I'm all for tariffs, but not like this.
Let me play devil's abacus.
Dyson was scoring 18 points a game
in the playoffs.
He's not even old enough to rent a car.
I think we should do
whatever we can to lock him down.
Well, thanks to you,
we have already spent a fortune
on his new marketing campaign,
Rags to Swishes.
Yeah, it's a tale
as old as Charles Dickens.
Little Dyson, a sweet, penniless teenager.
New Dyson is an LA Waves superstar,
draining threes in front of cheering fans,
women with large chests.
I mean, I want it
to have a Euphoria-type vibe.
No intimacy coordinators.
I'll take care of this.
His agent's his stepfather.
I can handle
a retired math teacher from Kentucky.
He's not with Keith anymore.
- He has a new agent.
- What? Who?
Mazel on your wedding, lady.
- I love love.
- [Isla chuckles]
Cynthia and I were a little surprised
that we didn't get the invite.
Oh, it's an annoyingly small venue,
so family only. You get it.
Absolutely.
That's bullshit!
I know that space.
That ballroom holds 600 people.
- What do you want, Clint?
- Oh, it's not about what I want.
It's about what my client deserves.
A new contract,
one that reflects his value to your team.
- Four years, 160 million.
- [Isla scoffs]
Plus, he wants his own bobblehead night,
but it's gotta look better than Travis's.
I don't know what that is.
And he wants to change the number
on the back of his jersey
to, like, a Bible verse or some shit.
I can do the bobblehead,
and I can do the jersey,
but the money part,
over my dead body!
Ooh.
I'm giving you first crack here, okay?
This kid is very special to me,
and there are
a lot of other teams out there
that know exactly
how special Tyson is too.
His name is "Dyson."
He doesn't pay me to know his name.
He pays me
to get him the best deal possible.
Four for 160.
Five for 25.
You cannot be serious.
Five for 22.
You can't go down. Go up.
Look, you and I both know this kid's
gonna be a superstar in this league,
and if you don't pay him,
I'm gonna make it my life's mission
to make sure that Tys Dyson never wears
a Waves jersey ever again.
Clint, we are done here.
You have my offer,
and you let me know what Dyson thinks.
Oh, I will,
and when he leaves your loser ass,
I have just the guy to replace him.
Lou Baker in Phoenix, sweetheart of a guy.
The charges were just dismissed.
He's looking for a fresh start.
He would thrive in LA.
[upbeat music playing]
[upbeat music ends]
- Hey, how'd it go with Clint?
- Oh, let's see.
The $150 parking ticket I got
outside of his office was the highlight.
Well, since you're on a roll
with meeting super annoying men,
you have your sit down with
your least-favorite season ticket holder.
Oh, no, the Toilet King
from Orange County? Reschedule it.
I have, six times. Isla, Al Fleischman
spends a lot of money with the team.
I think you need to bite the bullet,
take the meeting.
No. No, no, no, no, no. No!
Ali, please just take this meeting for me.
Come on.
I have so much going on. You're so good
at this stuff. I'll owe you one.
- [sighs] Fine.
- Yes, thank God.
But I am using your office.
And I found a way to make
the statue of your father tax-deductible.
We just have to posthumously ordain him
as a minister.
Oh, that's amazing.
Aruna, God,
this is why you're our star accountant.
Should we get dinner sometime?
This is fun.
I already have my gay friends.
- Let me know if you need an alternate.
- Oh, one more thing.
Did you write this $2 million check
to Malibu Nights Treatment Center, LLC?
Cam's Rehab Center?
It's not technically a charity, so I don't
know how you wanna categorize it.
- That's your signature, right?
- Yes. Yes, it is.
Thank you, Aruna. I will work on this.
- Hey, Aruna. Good to see you.
- Hmm.
[Aruna sighs]
[Isla] She's all business, huh?
- I don't know. What's up?
- [sighs] Ali needs a raise.
She deserves it.
She's asked for it a couple of times.
And it's way overdue.
Isla, no. Okay, there's no money.
We still don't know where we'll land
on this Dyson deal.
And there's some unforeseen expenses.
Look, we are in the red.
Oh, that's what that means.
- Yes.
- Damn it, I just don't wanna tell her no.
- Look, I get it. She's like family.
- That's why we should make the exception.
If the board finds out
we're giving out executive raises
in the middle of a budget deficit,
we are screwed.
Okay.
[gentle music playing]
I am not looking forward
to this conversation.
That's such fucking bullshit.
[air hissing]
- We need to talk.
- Jesus Christ, could you fucking knock?
[sobbing] Why would you recommend
that book? It's so sad.
What's this?
It is a check to your rehab
with my signature on it.
Where did you get that?
Aruna just asked me
why I made a $2 million taxable donation
to a for-profit company.
Fucking Aruna. That snake.
I had to get out of there. I had to grease
the wheels. They wouldn't let me out.
So you embezzled company funds,
and you forged my signature?
- Are you out of your mind?
- Would you calm down?
Look, the truth is
is that I was going crazy in there.
I was sober, but they wouldn't let me out.
I missed my wife, and I missed my kids.
[inhales deeply]
I even missed you fuckers.
I knew Lizzy would never let me
write a check that big,
so I used company funds.
- I swear I was gonna pay you back.
- When were you gonna tell me?
How do I tell you?
Someone who everyone says
is so much younger
and more talented
and has their shit together.
People are saying that?
I promise I'm gonna pay you back,
but can we just please keep this between
you and me just for the time being?
I guess we can push this check into next
quarter and get you on a payment plan.
Thank you so much.
I promise I'm gonna pay you back
when I can.
[chuckling] Hey,
how about that Evelyn Hugo, huh?
Isn't it good?
I cried so hard when she killed herself.
She did what now?
[upbeat music playing]
And I'll have three salmon nigiri,
three hamachi, and two spicy toro.
[in Japanese] Thank you.
[in English] And by the way,
I'm a big fan.
I hope everything works out
with you and the team.
Thanks, man.
But you'd still be a big fan of mine
if they didn't, right?
[chuckles] Yeah, no way, dude.
LA Waves for life.
Are you really thinking about not playing?
I don't know.
I just want this all to be over.
I hate feeling like
Isla and everyone's mad at me.
You can't let that affect your decision.
This is business.
And you have value too.
Tomorrow fades
I'll be nowhere with you ♪
Hey, is everything okay?
Um, no, I lost my job.
- What?
- Dogday Aftergroom got shut down.
The space was bought
by some Indian grocery store chain.
[sighs]
I'm so sorry.
Yeah, the new owners offered me a job
and asked how many spices I could name.
And all I could come up with was turmeric.
And they practically laughed me
out of the room.
- Couldn't come up with cumin?
- No, I couldn't come up with cumin.
- Sandy, I don't know what I'm gonna do.
- It's gonna be okay, all right?
- Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.
- [scoffs] How?
Well, I mean, no offense,
but you didn't move
to LA to be a dog groomer.
You had other goals.
You could go back to college,
get a degree.
You know, I did originally move here
to be an actor.
Right.
Yes, your headshot with the frosted tips.
Yeah, I was the stand-in
for Blue Power Ranger for a few months.
They were gonna give me a line.
And then I hurt my back.
Right, your back.
I'm gonna get back out there and start
auditioning. Oh, I gotta get an agent.
You know a ton of those guys, right?
Can you hook me up?
Uh yes, technically yes, but--
Thank you. Thank you.
I I gotta get new headshots.
[snaps fingers] Coriander. Coriander.
Yeah, I'm so excited for you.
Midlife career change.
[gentle music playing]
The first round didn't go great.
Do you want me to take lead on this?
Look, Clint and I play golf at The Riv
all the time.
Thanks, Cam, I've got this.
- [coughing]
- There he is, my homie.
- Allergies?
- Yeah, I got COVID. Nobody shake my hand.
- [Isla and Sandy] Oh.
- All right.
- Oh, get over it, it's 2026.
- [scoffs] Just stay over there.
Well, we have discussed things on our end,
and here is our counter.
Five years at 35 million.
[gagging]
- [exhales deeply]
- Hello, Clint, are you feeling sick?
No, no.
I'm just trying to process
what a dumb fucking moron you are.
- Whoa! Hey!
- That's uncalled-for, sir.
You shut up, little girl.
I'm not a girl. I'm a boy, a man.
This number is nowhere near
what we're looking for.
You're not serious negotiators,
and personally, I don't like any of you.
Come on, Clint,
meet us in the middle here.
That's what you think this is?
You're more R-word than I thought.
And yeah, I don't say it anymore
because I'm on some board.
- [retching, coughing]
- [Isla] Ugh.
I'm telling you, you're playing with fire.
All of you are playing with fire.
Cam, I got us a tee time 8 a.m. on Friday.
I'm gonna whip your ass, fucker.
[chuckling] You wish, motherfucker.
I'm gonna smoke you.
- You wish.
- Get out of here. I love you.
[Ness] Oh.
- Yeah. Told you I should've handled that.
- Oh shit. We got a code green.
God, Ness, no one can remember
your color code system.
Green means go,
as in go ahead and start worrying
because we got a big problem.
Poacher's in town.
I'm I'm sorry, who's The Poacher?
Magnus Serafin,
GM of the Toronto Trappers.
[Ness] Absolute shark.
Trappers have won
three of the last nine championships,
and he's the reason.
He's responsible for taking
most of the talent up to Canada.
You take your eye off the ball
for one second,
and the next thing you know,
your best player's up there backstage
at a Weeknd concert eating donuts
named after him from Tim Hortons.
Oh no, do you think he's after Dyson?
- The Dyson donut, it's perfect.
- Bingo.
Worst part is,
he's not just charming, he's hot as hell.
Nobody can resist him.
Oh, come on, we're hot too.
Yeah, but he's mom-and-dad hot.
We're just mom hot.
- Speak for yourself. I'm dad hot.
- We have the same ugly dad.
Guys, this is crazy. Okay?
Dyson is under contract.
The Poacher cannot sign him.
Well, he can't sign him,
but he can take him to the Polo Lounge
and wine and dine him.
Suddenly Dyson's no longer holding out.
He's demanding a trade to Toronto.
It's happened before.
Lewis Washington out of Orlando.
Or was it Orlando Lewis in Washington?
This is bullshit.
I'm not gonna let The Poacher
take talent that I discovered.
Jackie, I want you to find out where
Magnus is staying. Track his every move.
- Whoa, whoa, what are you gonna do?
- I'm gonna talk to Dyson.
We shouldn't be engaging
with him directly. This is business.
Yes, which is why I'm going as a friend
to tell him he's fucking up my business.
["Work It Out" by 56KDialup playing]
Mic check
Next to flex ♪
I put it on
Till the break of dawn ♪
Whoo!
- Mm!
- We said no dunks.
Can we talk a second?
Looks like you're still keeping in shape,
so that's good.
Should you be here? Clint says I should
only be talking to Team Dyson now.
He may have said "Tyson."
Look, I'm sure Clint is trying to tell you
I'm the bad guy, but you signed a deal,
and you're holding out
before the season even starts.
Dyson, if it wasn't for me,
you would be playing in front of 20 people
and still working at UPS.
You think I should accept less than
what I'm worth because I owe you one?
No, but this is your first big shot.
I gave it to you.
- That should count for something.
- I was told you'd say that.
Don't listen to Clint.
It wasn't Clint.
- I should go.
- Yeah.
Well, you're not even supposed to
be playing basketball right now.
[air hissing]
Hey, man, my daughter got me that ball
for Father's Day.
[upbeat music playing]
Knock, knock,
Al Fleischman, AKA The Flush Man,
The Toilet King of Orange County.
- [laughs]
- [Ali laughing]
It's good to see you again, Al.
Ali Lee, Waves Chief of Staff.
Right, right, right. Where's Isla?
Isla really wanted to be here
but got pulled into a last-minute issue.
She didn't want to reschedule
for the seventh time?
[laughing nervously]
Please sit. So what can I do for you, Al?
Okay, well, I'll be blunt.
I want better seats.
Well, you're already front row, Al.
Doesn't get better than that.
Yeah, but I'm under the basket, okay?
What does a billionaire gotta do
to sit with the A-listers, okay?
I'm talking center court.
I'm talking sitting next
to the Sabrina Carpenters
and the Ariana Grandes
and the Olivia Rodrigos.
All the cool, young, hip people
should be sitting together.
I'm doing this for your ratings.
I can assure you
the minute center court seats open up,
you'll be getting a call.
Do I need to remind you
that every turd in that arena
goes through a Fleischman toilet?
Even your turd, okay?
- I think I deserve a little more respect.
- We do respect you, Al.
[spluttering] How about some VIP access?
You know, something we rarely do
is let fans watch a practice.
It's the closest you'll ever get
to the players.
Yeah, you think
they'll let me scrimmage a little?
[gentle music playing]
[Sofia] You're spying on someone.
Are you in danger?
No, no, I'm fine.
My car's in the loading zone,
ready to roll.
Well, be careful. You're still coming
to dinner with my family tonight, right?
Yes, please tell your brothers
not to roughhouse me so much.
[gasps] Oh my God, The Poacher!
Jackie Moreno, né Gordon.
There's two things Canadians don't like.
Rollerblade hockey and being spied on.
I'm not a spy.
I'm here for breakfast.
- I'll have the, uh $45 omelet?!
- [clears throat]
I have a message for your family.
Tell them I always get what I want,
and now it's personal.
Also, that car of yours
in the loading zone, it's being towed.
No, no, no,
my good charger's in there. Dammit.
- [Isla] Any news on The Poacher?
- Magnus is definitely on the prowl.
Oh, Jackie needs 500 bucks
to get his car out of the impound lot.
Hey, who's our contact at CAA or WME?
Uh, for sports, that's Pat Ellerman.
No, not sports. The, uh, acting side.
Oh, God, no, Travis isn't trying to do
white Blade again.
No, it's not for Travis.
It's for, uh, something personal.
- Don't tell me you're trying to act now.
- I love you. You have zero charisma.
No, stop. It's for Charlie, okay?
He lost his job,
and he's trying to get back into acting.
No, Sandy,
I am not contacting Kevin Huvane
so you can get your dog groomer,
non-actor boyfriend a job.
He is an actor, okay?
He was the main stand-in
for Blue Power Ranger,
and he almost had a line
until he hurt his back.
- Right. His back
- Yeah, his back.
Okay, this is so unfair.
You guys do favors for your spouses
all the time.
Ness, we have invested
in every one of Bituin's businesses,
and Isla, how many times have we given
the owner's box to Lev's practice?
And if I have to go
to one more of Lizzy's galas for Cam,
I'm gonna lose it.
All I'm asking for is a phone number.
Fine. Here is a contact at CAA,
so your boyfriend can have
a huge acting career.
- Thank you.
- [phone vibrating]
- Clint.
- [Ness] Oh boy.
Hi, Clint.
[Clint] I'm just gonna
cut right to the chase.
Dyson just got a big offer
from another team,
so either you guys match it,
or we're gonna demand a trade.
You know it's against league rules
to negotiate with other teams
when Dyson is still under contract.
[Clint] Okay, well, then sue me.
You can take it to the Supreme Court
for all I care.
I was frat brothers with Brett Kavanaugh.
Delta Kap for life, bitch.
[phone disconnects]
I can't believe he'd leave me
after everything I've done for him.
- You didn't say that to him, did you?
- No. I mean, yeah, kind of. Pretty much.
Jackie, what is it?
Permission to speak as your brother
and not your assistant?
Yes, of course.
Okay, as someone
who you also took under your wing,
maybe Dyson is tired
of being thought of as a charity case.
A charity case?
He's one of the best players on the team.
We were about to give him
an entire marketing campaign.
Yeah, Rags to Swishes.
What's wrong with that?
The fans love it.
They shortened it to Rags,
which basically means
an old towel you still haven't thrown out.
Sometimes people get tired
of being treated like an underdog.
[melancholy music playing]
[exhales sharply]
You know, when you have smart ideas,
you can just say them.
Don't make me coax them out of you.
Really? Because I was thinking
about redoing my desk area.
Maybe some new lighting,
a little area rug.
I want it to have
a Nancy Meyers aesthetic.
I didn't mean now.
Hey, headed home?
Oh, I wish. Gene's doing an open mic
at the Irvine Comedy Barn.
He's 11th up.
- Ooh, yikes.
- [Ali chuckles]
Hey, I just wanted to say
I'm sorry we couldn't do the raise thing.
Oh.
Oh, Isla didn't tell you yet.
Shit, yeah, sorry.
It's just not really a good time.
Hi to Gene.
[melancholy music playing]
[knocking on door]
Thanks for coming, Dyson.
Sure, but I parked out front, and the sign
says it's street cleaning tomorrow,
so I need to leave by 8 a.m.
This will take less than 12 hours.
Just come in.
Okay.
Here it goes.
I've worked really hard
to get to where I am,
but no matter what I do,
people still treat me
like the total mess I used to be.
You mean like
when Sean Murphy called you CE-Ho?
Yes. Thank you.
What I'm trying to say, Dyson,
is that I've been treating you
like the D-League kid that I found
and not the rising star you've become.
And I am really sorry about that.
- Thank you.
- So we're gonna do right by you.
We're gonna get you paid,
and no one will call you "Rags" anymore.
All I ask in return is
that you take back the trade demand.
What trade demand?
[groans]
Fucking Clint!
[upbeat music playing]
Okay, you are about to be in a good mood.
Uh, the barista who gives us free
cake pops finally took us up on our offer?
No. Um, actually, I don't know,
but we should follow up with him.
But guess who now has an agent at CAA.
- Stop, are you serious? That's incredible.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Thank you. I'm so happy. [chuckles]
Oh, and good news.
I, uh I actually found my old headshot,
and I think I can still use it.
Look at you.
Your hair is so crunchy.
Maybe I can also hook you up
with a new photographer.
Yo, king of the hill, man
I got the juice ♪
Oh, look who it is. "Moneybag" Gibbs.
[all applauding]
You know, you're paying
for team dinners now.
Hell no. That was Rookie Dyson.
All you youngins are on blast now.
Congrats on securing the bag.
Just moved up the pecking order.
[chuckles softly]
Hey, Travis.
I didn't want you to hear this
from anyone else,
but, uh, me and Zoé are dating now.
- All right.
- All right, then.
[joyful music playing]
Oh shit, it's Marcus's anniversary,
so let's make sure we send him flowers.
Send 'em from Louisa's in Bel-Air.
[spluttering] I didn't get any of that.
Oh, fuck it.
I'll just tell Jackie to do it.
Cam! Hey, Al Fleischman,
aka The Flush Man,
the Toilet King of Orange County. [grunts]
[chuckling] Hey.
- You got a second?
- Listen, I'd love to talk to you, Al.
But me and Leroy gotta meeting
we gotta get to.
Uh, no. No, we don't.
You can talk to your friend.
- Oh, great.
- No, we definitely have a meeting.
- Dude, I don't have anything in this book.
- Okay, we can have a meeting.
Because I've been running into
a brick wall with that sister of yours.
I mean, what's a kid gotta do
to kick it center court, baby? [laughs]
I would love to help you.
I don't handle the ticketing.
I know, but it's not about the money, man.
I can pay, okay?
We just became an exclusive vendor
to all North American Radissons, okay?
And that's a high-flow clientele.
I'm talking breakfast buffets
seven days a week.
I'm talking coffee makers in every room.
I mean, we're talking Crap City, man!
That sounds really great, Al.
I I really don't have time.
Hey, Cam, I want those seats,
and money is no object.
Do you understand?
[tense music playing]
You know what, Al?
You and I might be able
to figure something out.
I'll call you.
[tense music ends]
- [all clapping]
- [all] Whoa.
Great job closing on Dyson.
Yes, and I was happy
to see it was a declining deal
that'll keep us under the luxury tax
for a couple years.
- Yes.
- I'm so glad we didn't trade Dyson.
He's the only one of the players
that followed me back on Instagram.
And, turns out,
Clint made all that trade stuff up.
Toronto was never even after Dyson.
Wait a minute.
Then what the hell's The Poacher
doing in LA?
Oh, yeah. Who was he here for?
I'm not going to
beat around the bush, hey?
I'm offering you
an opportunity to maximize your gifts.
So, do we have a deal?
I'd be crazy to say no.
["Too Hot in L.A."
by Woody and Jeremy playing]
I didn't mean to yell at you ♪
There must be something in the air ♪
I mean
You're talking 'bout the Apocalypse ♪
I was asking 'bout my hair ♪
And I know you think
I'm on something strong ♪
You know I'm cynical, at least ♪
Well, babe, you might not be wrong ♪
But I paid a lot for these seats ♪
I know I'm unsubtle
And you're so coy ♪
You only laugh
When I'm annoyed ♪
I want to care
But what can I say? ♪
Goddamn
It's just too hot in L.A. ♪
It's too damn hot ♪
It's too damn hot ♪
[song ends]