Matlock (2024) s02e03 Episode Script
Tomorrow Is Still Tomorrow
1
MATTY: I'm Madeline Matlock.
I'm a lawyer,
like the old TV show.
Most of what you know about me
is based in truth,
but it's also a lie.
Good evening, Mrs. Kingston.
Who the hell are you?
I wasn't like this before your firm
protected the pharmaceutical company
that killed my daughter.
Joey is Alfie's father.
I am offering you a
chance to get sober.
MATTY: Emmalyn Belvin is the redditor.
So, I need to get close to her.
There are so few people I trust.
MATTY: You knew that
Wellbrexa took those documents.
(DISTORTED): And you posted
on a Reddit board.
I did what I could.
MATTY: I can't believe
Olympia hid the document.
You ready to end this?
Right to The New York Times.
I compiled a list of Madeline
and Edwin Kingston's
federal offenses.
What are you going to do
when you and Edwin go to jail?
You're not gonna let sweet Alfie
live with his junkie father, are you?
You think a jury
is going to convict me?
It'll be your kids
who grow up without parents.
OLYMPIA: From now on,
I'm in charge.
Don't worry, Nadine, we
scheduled an emergency hearing.
MATTY: AJ, I could just kiss you.
(LAUGHS)
And I'm not afraid of war.
Now, I won't, on account
of that wedding ring,
but believe you me,
I want to. (LAUGHS)
- What's going on?
- Oh. Morning, boss.
Uh, short story shorter, AJ here
saw me lugging in my fiddle-leaf fig,
he found me a dolly,
and we almost made out.
- (BOTH LAUGH)
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
- Thanks again, AJ.
- AJ: Aw, anything for you, Matty.
I told you to stay home.
Emotion is clouding your judgment.
- (SCOFFS)
- I'm useful.
And the sooner we nail Senior,
the sooner I'm out of your life.
So, let's find the mysterious
Debra Palmer
- and see what she knows.
- Oh.
Oh, 'cause, suddenly, y-you're
fine with focusing on Senior?
Huh? You fine with-you fine
with Julian getting immunity?
Fine? No. Accepting? Yes.
Point is, you won.
Well, then what is with the plant?
It's just a little bit of insurance,
in case you planned to tell
people I'm leaving the firm.
I'm putting down roots.
Unfortunately, I do not
believe you or trust you.
Well, turn that beat around.
I promised, anything you say
stays between you and me
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
- and my fiddle-leaf fig.
Hey. Wait up.
I don't want to lose a fig leaf.
Well, hey there, Emmalyn.
Was this plant approved
through building services?
My fiddle-leaf? I-I didn't
I didn't know it had to be.
All vegetation over three feet.
And I can't let that slide today.
♪
- What's going on here?
- There was a security breach.
What kind of security breach?
It's all just rumors at this point.
Solidifying, though.
I'm cross-referencing six group chats,
including staff support who
always have the inside track.
What happened?
A reporter called Jacobson Moore
asking questions about wrongdoing
in the Wellbrexa opioid litigation.
Matty, do you know anything
about this rumor?
No. Definitely the first time
I'm hearing about it.
No shade, but you're not exactly
an information hub.
And what is with the plant?
Ignore the plant. Does Senior know?
Not only does he know,
he called in the executive committee.
The partners in charge
are in New York?
Yup. And according to
the tax law Slack channel,
Roger Chilton from the
D.C. office arrived at 7:00 a.m.
Heard he's short-listed
for the next attorney general.
God help us. Petroleum Barbie?
Three first years spotted her
wearing sunglasses inside.
Apparently, she flew in
on the corporate jet.
Oil and Gas pays for it,
Barbara Greer gets to use it.
Oh, and I saw Johnny Hill myself,
and, geez, that guy? (GIGGLES)
He's older than
Well, the point is,
they dusted the old man off
and shipped him over.
The only partner in charge
not spotted was Eva Muñoz.
Okay, good.
In a true emergency, she'd show up.
Okay, then, looks like
she's not showing.
Okay, wait, I just got an update.
Morning. Howard, still with the plaid?
All in favor of banning
those ridiculous shirts?
Eva. Welcome. Been a while.
Well, time flies, Howie.
I still can't believe
it's already been
15 years and 62 days
since our divorce.
Made a little widget
so I could keep count.
Reminds me each day is a gift.
So,
why would a reporter call
and exactly what was said?
- (PHONE DINGS)
- Management wants the New York
partners to join the meeting.
Guess I'll find out.
You two, meet with Nadine
about her emergency hearing.
Her cousin Pierre opened up
a food truck two days ago
that is a total copy
of her restaurant.
So, we need to shut it down.
Matty, come with me.
I have feedback
about the research you did.
- MATTY: Would you
- Yeah.
There's some weird tension
going on between Matty and
Olympia. What should we do?
Focus on the case. Everyone's tense.
There's a potential leak at the firm.
MATTY: Of course
I didn't know this was gonna happen.
Then why is a reporter calling?
Probably because
I contacted the Times,
asked to meet,
and then stood them up twice.
Okay, so the reporter
is just shaking trees.
Agreed. So, you go into the meeting,
find out exactly what happened
and what the firm's planning
to do, and then report back.
Report back? Matty, you're no longer
calling the shots. I'll tell you
- what I want to tell you.
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Go water your plant.
SENIOR: Here's what we know.
A so-called whistleblower
reached out to a reporter
and said there was a document hidden
in Wellbrexa's opioid litigation.
Obviously, a complete fabrication.
Clearly. The reporter sent
an inquiry to our comms team,
comms fired back with a machine gun.
So, now, we focus on finding
the person responsible
for maligning the firm. Olympia.
Welcome to the big leagues.
- Oh. (CHUCKLES)
- SENIOR: You're the only one
who doesn't know Lester Logan.
Head of security.
We call him the Wolf.
Nice to meet you.
Same. Eager to see
- how you handle this.
- SENIOR: (CHUCKLES) Oh.
He'll put some
dynamite right in the foxhole.
- Smoke that leak out. Right?
- (LAUGHING)
LESTER: That's right.
Hiya. Been trying to reach you.
EDWIN: Sorry.
How'd it go with Olympia?
Did she believe you were on board
- to let Julian off the hook?
- She definitely did not.
Well, you knew it was
going to take some convincing.
And in the meantime,
we'll figure out a way
to get leverage back.
Yeah, well, um,
let's talk about that later.
There was a little
bus accident this morning.
The firm thinks there's a mole?
- Yeah, exactly right.
- Are you coming home?
No, I need some more info first.
I'll text you
if I'm taking the subway.
There you are, Matty.
Is everything okay with Olympia?
Everything okay with Grammy?
Oh, fine. No problem at all.
It's my dad. He took the money.
He's not going to rehab?
Oh, no, no. We haven't heard yet.
Grammy mentioned some small
thing about a bus accident,
- that's all.
- The firm knows there's a mole?
We don't know. Grammy's investigating.
She should just leave.
(PHONE VIBRATES)
Something more interesting
than my chicken?
Oh, I'm so sorry, Nadine.
It's a family issue.
Hope your family's not
dragging you into litigation.
Oh, my grandson's 14,
so everything's litigation.
And your cousin Pierre
is about to be slapped
with an injunction
because his food truck
is a total clone of your restaurant.
I mean, the menus, the signage.
Identical to Nana Roux's Kitchen.
It's because Pierre
wants people to think
it's the same restaurant,
so he can succeed
on the back of my hard work.
Well, he clearly regrets
letting you buy him out.
- Exactly, William.
- Billy's fine.
No, you have a young face,
William's better.
You know, I-I can't believe
that Pierre is doing this.
Nana's Kitchen was about
our grandma. Her legacy.
But Pierre he only cares
about dollar signs.
He doesn't care about the why.
Well, I commend you
for focusing on the why, Nadine.
And when we squash Pierre in court,
what do you say we all celebrate
over some more of Nana Roux's chicken?
- (NADINE LAUGHS)
- Now, I'm not asking for a freebie,
just for a chance
to jump that dang line
outside your restaurant.
We squash Pierre, y'all
can jump the line for life.
Kids, we need to win.
- I'm gonna go prep those exhibits.
- NADINE: Mm-hmm.
Quick question.
I heard the head of security is here.
Is it true they're
confiscating any device
used inside the building?
Follow-up question:
should I delete photos or who cares?
Well, uh, honey, if they ask you
about nudes, you call me.
'Cause you'd have a lawsuit.
(CLEARS THROAT)
- Were you in the partner meeting?
- I was.
- And the Wolf really flew in?
- Mm-hmm.
This is good for us.
Well, he'll find
the source of the leak,
my dad will obliterate the person,
neutralize the threat with an NDA,
nothing's hanging over our heads.
I also was, uh,
thinking about who I passed
in the hall that day.
There's an anonymous
tip line that I could
Do nothing.
You are being interviewed,
so just keep it simple.
You're not the leak,
you don't know who the leak is.
We'll talk later.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
And where are you going?
Better if I stay
home, let you handle things.
No longer an option.
Head of security is here
and he is starting his interviews
with the 15 lawyers
who worked on Wellbrexa
during the opioid litigation,
which includes me.
So you are going to stay and help me
get through my interview, partner.
Because if I go down, you go down.
- I'll advise you from afar.
- Mm-mmm.
Alfie wants me home.
Tell him why you can't leave.
He's a smart kid, he'll understand.
Not sure he will.
Alfie's pretty worried
if something happens to me,
he'll have to
live with his junkie father.
I needed your leverage.
You weren't seeing straight.
Well, I'm seeing straight now,
I assure you.
Same. But if you want to
work together again, prove it.
'Cause if I get caught,
the firm will lawyer up,
the crime will be buried forever
and there will be no justice.
Matty's not even coming to court.
She and Olympia
are definitely fighting.
- What do we do?
- Mute the chain. Hey,
heads or tails for first chair?
I'm asking you a serious question.
And I'm giving you a serious answer.
Look, right now my
sisters are debating
who should be
my future child's godmother.
I got 145 texts in the last hour.
Which could stress me out.
Except I mute the chain.
Because you know
what happens if I get involved?
You get the godmother of your choice?
No. I got three of four sisters
mad at me. I'm telling you,
whatever's going on
between Matty and Olympia,
stay out of it. And if you can't,
tell me. I'll run point on this case.
Flip the damn coin.
(EXCLAIMS LOUDLY)
(GRUNTS)
(LINE RINGING)
Finally. Have you left the office?
Oh, can't. But I promise I'll
keep my eye on the commute home.
- Can I talk to Alfie?
- Oh, he insisted
on packing a go bag in case.
So we did.
And then an email came in.
Can you handle more news right now?
Not really, but lay it on me, baby.
Joey checked into rehab.
Oh.
Yeah.
How happy is Alfie?
I'll let him tell you.
It's your Grandma.
Did you hear?
I heard. I'm thrilled, darling.
SARAH: Your Honor, this
discovery came as a shock.
Pierre Roux opened his food
truck in clear violation
of the agreement that
he and Nadine Roux signed
when she bought him out
of the restaurant
they started together.
Under the terms of said buyout,
Pierre cannot open
a similar restaurant. And yet
the trademark
and trade dress violations
are clear. He's copying the look
Fewer words, please.
Oh.
Basically, what I'm trying
to say is that if P
Fewer.
Pierre's food truck
creates
customer confusion.
Harms Nadine's brand.
Agreed.
Evidence is pretty clear.
Your client going to deny it?
No need. Nadine acquiesced.
To you opening a copycat food truck?!
SARAH: That is ridiculous, Your Honor.
If opposing counsel is going to make
such an absurd allegations,
he better use more words than that.
Only need four.
I have a witness.
MATTY: If you're
surprised, act surprised.
If you're offended, act offended.
Just make sure your face
and your body are aligned.
And don't answer anything quickly.
Establish the pace early on,
so if you have to think,
it's built in.
Okay.
- How much longer till your meeting?
- Seven minutes.
Is there anything else I should know?
I'm trusting you, Matty.
Good. 'Cause we're on the same team.
Like I said.
Your face and body aren't aligned.
I'm sorry I had to go there.
With Alfie's father.
Reminder to be precise
with your words.
"Sorry" means
if you could do it again,
you'd do something differently.
You have a blind spot.
If it were any other case
It's not any other case.
It's my case.
It's my daughter and her legacy.
- (PHONE VIBRATES)
- I
Hello? Whoa, slow down, Sarah.
What?
Okay, get as long a recess
as you can, I'll call you right back.
Pierre's claiming acquiescence,
so I'm just gonna push
my meeting with security.
- No, keep it.
- What?
If you seem nervous,
you got an excuse:
your case is blowing up.
I'll help Billy and Sarah.
You've got this.
Just stick close to the truth.
And use the same tone
when you say you aren't the leak
as when you say
I have no idea who the leak is.
Yes, it is difficult to imagine
a newly-minted partner
with an axe to grind.
- Exactly.
- Unless that partner
reached out to the reporter
prior to finding out
about the promotion.
Frankly, I thought Julian would
be the one to make partner.
You bet on nepotism?
I bet on the fact that since
you often go after corporations,
leadership was unhappy.
It's well documented.
Things were tense at the office.
You'd gotten dressed down
after a big win.
Not to mention,
you'd recently learned
Julian cheated with a coworker.
Dynamite in the foxhole?
Did I get any facts wrong?
No, the facts are correct.
And were you upset with the firm?
Upset? Yeah.
Shortsighted and vindictive?
No.
And let me be clear.
When I'm upset,
I do not call the Times.
I put my head down
and I work even harder,
which is likely
how I earned my promotion,
so do not bet against me next time.
(SHORT CHUCKLE) I won't.
CHARLES: When was the big argument
between your niece
and nephew, Linetta?
On my husband Franklin's
75th Birthday.
April 9th.
Can you walk us through what happened?
I thought Nadine and Pierre
could tolerate
being in the same room together
since it's been two years since
they split as business partners.
But no, no, no, no, no.
Same old thing.
Pierre like to run his mouth.
Now, now, you know you do, honey.
And he was giving Nadine
all these tips.
Now, mind you, her restaurant's
a regular sensation,
so why is he
giving her pointers, right?
Oh! It would
drive me crazy too, honey.
What happened next?
Nadine got fed up and said,
"If you think you know so much,
do it better yourself."
Objection, Your Honor.
That's clearly sarcasm.
Ma'am, is there a chance your
niece was being sarcastic?
I thought she'd meant it
as a challenge.
- Sounds like acquiescence to me.
- CHARLES: I agree.
And if Nadine refuses to let
- my client continue,
- Matty found something.
we have detrimental reliance,
Your Honor. Because after
Uncle Franklin's birthday,
Pierre relied on her challenge
and put his plans into motion.
I move to dismiss
this case on those grounds.
Your Honor, State v. May
reversed a lower court
for not giving adequate time
to refute a claim
of detrimental reliance.
If you dismiss this case,
- we will have
- DRESDEN: Enough words.
I'll grant you 24 hours.
But in the meantime,
Pierre's food truck stays open.
(GAVEL BANGS)
OLYMPIA: I'm so sorry,
again, that I wasn't there myself.
But I got a call
from your cousin's lawyer.
It seems Pierre is open
to buying back into the
partnership at a higher rate.
Of course he is. I'm successful now.
That's why he pulled that
whole food truck scam, because
he's trying to bully me
into taking him back.
Thank you, but no. You have to
be able to trust a partner.
Understood.
But you also get ownership
in his food truck.
We can negotiate
extremely favorable terms.
This isn't about terms.
It's about her grandmother's legacy.
NADINE: Exactly. I put my whole soul
into that restaurant.
I've given up so damn much,
and I did for Nana Roux.
Not for money.
The answer's no.
Then we have 24 hours
to undermine his claim
of detrimental reliance.
Nadine, make a list
of everything required
to open a restaurant.
Because if Pierre
so much as ordered a napkin
before Linetta's husband
ALL: Franklin.
Before Franklin's birthday,
then we crush Pierre's claim
that he didn't plan a single thing
until Nadine said,
"Do it better yourself."
Draw up a subpoena fast.
We need all correspondence
related to the food truck.
And Matty.
Looks like Mrs. B needs something.
Maybe it has something to do
with your plant.
The short answer is yes,
I agree Olympia and Matty
aren't getting along.
But what I can't understand is why
you're acting so crazy about it.
How far back should Pierre's
subpoena go, do you think?
"Crazy" is a gendered word
which I resent and refute.
As for the subpoena,
if I were to go nuclear,
I would start
when my enemy achieved success.
I just meant that
you're acting out of character
because, traditionally,
you enjoy conflict.
Hence, going nuclear
on successful enemies.
Nuclear is loud
and up front and direct.
When it's silent and cold and tense
I don't know what's going on
and then I'm afraid
we're gonna end up with Gary.
Few more words, please.
At the end of high school,
things got really quiet
with my parents.
But no one said anything to me,
which was weird, because
we talked about everything.
Then I went away to college,
and a week later
my parents tell me
they're getting a divorce.
And when I came home that summer,
you know who moved into
my childhood house?
- Gary.
- Gary.
And you're scared
our work family will break up
because it means so much to you?
(GAGS) You are so cringe
I literally just vomited in my mouth.
(SIGHS) Just blink once if I'm right.
Okay. Nothing's breaking up.
Matty and Olympia are solid.
It's just a tense day
because of the leak.
What's going on?
I got an email alert.
I have an appointment tomorrow.
With the head of security.
- Did you call a reporter?
- No.
But
I did break protocol
years and years ago.
And I'm pretty sure
it's related to this leak.
I can't even look at you.
Please do.
Emmalyn, I don't know what you did,
but I do know you are
a grade-A diamond
of a human being.
And if you broke protocol,
I'm sure you had a good reason.
I can't tell you how much
that means to me.
I did have a good reason.
But I went about it wrong and
Can't have it both ways, right?
Anyway, I guess
this is me saying goodbye.
- What?
- I can't lie.
Not to the head of security.
But you just said you aren't the leak.
But I have information that might help
locate the leak. And if I'm leaving,
it should be honorable.
Well, yes, but you're not leaving.
What time is your meeting?
We have a problem and we have
to solve it by noon tomorrow.
Support staff are being interviewed.
Including Mrs. Belvin.
And why is that a problem?
What don't I know, Matty?
Do you want to look over our subpoena?
I'm sorry, is now not a good time?
What's the question?
Sarah?
Nothing. I think it's strong.
Great. Send it in.
Why can't Mrs. Belvin be questioned?
Because she's the one
who wrote the post
that started it all.
Emmalyn Belvin is the redditor.
- Can she fake a heart attack?
- She's head of facilities,
- not Meryl Streep.
- Okay, then
maybe we get her to dance
around it in the interview.
Emmalyn's a terrible liar.
And she's an incredibly moral woman.
That's why she wrote the Reddit
post in the first place.
She wants to walk in and confess.
Fine, read her in, then.
- Tell her everything.
- It's too risky.
I've had to do
some uncomfortable things
to get information from her and she'll
be angry and it will
take her time to process
Your betrayal? Oh, you don't
have to explain it to me, Matty.
We have to pivot to a patsy,
someone outside the firm.
And sacrifice them?
No.
Maybe we make security
think it's that person
while we set up a deepfake.
Someone dead.
Before tomorrow at noon?
Well I don't know,
but we have to figure out something.
Agreed.
Look, if Belvin is confessing
tomorrow anyway
maybe we get her
to swallow the leak, too.
Since it's all related. She can
confess to writing a post in the past,
say it started
bugging her again and
Of course that's your answer.
You have another?
Yeah. Julian goes to the Times
and confesses.
That wouldn't even fix this.
The Times will take months
to investigate him.
Meanwhile, Belvin confesses,
Senior covers all tracks
and there's no justice, Matty.
Well, then we better come up with
something else, because Belvin
cannot walk into that room tomorrow.
(KNOCKING)
Judge sent a sua sponte email
regarding our subpoena.
Five words.
Why is this so broad?
Your Honor, I apologize.
My junior associates
are new at drafting subpoena requests.
Are you saying you didn't read it?
Of course I read it. They convinced me
that all the items requested
are relevant.
Personal texts going back two years?
Pierre's Instagram DMs?
It's a blatant fishing expedition.
Agreed, Ms. Lawrence.
- You know better.
- What I know
is that words are more powerful
than most people realize.
And you know that too,
or you wouldn't have ruled
that the four words Nadine said
granted Pierre acquiescence.
So now, let's give
Pierre's words that same power.
Because if he said one word
that indicates he took one
action to open his food truck
even one minute before that
birthday dinner, we win.
Is that it?
It.
Judge Dresden granted the subpoena.
But how could you
file something so broad?
Why didn't you run it by me first?
I-I tried. But you and Matty
were arguing
We were not arguing.
No, not true.
You have been all day.
I grew up with four sisters,
so I know all the types of fighting
yelling, gathering alliances,
deadly silence.
And blood will be shed,
get the children
out of the room
and hide heavy objects,
so stop gaslighting Sarah.
Ma'am.
We'll start to search
through the material
to see if Pierre made any moves
before April 9th.
- (DOOR OPENS)
- (PHONE VIBRATES)
(DOOR CLOSES)
OLYMPIA: You're offering
a 50/50 split on profits and control?
Yep. For Nadine's restaurant,
my food truck, all future franchises.
Sounds like somebody's
battening down the hatches
'cause they know a storm's a'coming.
What are you scared of?
PIERRE: Our family imploding.
There's nothing in my texts about me
starting before April 9th.
But there's a lot
of our family talking mess
and debating.
- Picking sides.
- Debating is good for us, right?
- Sure is.
- Great. Then let's bring
everybody in who thought
I was being sarcastic
and let's put 'em on the stand.
Just drop a bomb on our family?
You're the one that started
a war because you couldn't
handle that business was booming.
That is not why Look,
when we broke up
the business, it's true,
I thought you'd go belly-up
because you're doing
everything so expensive.
Figured I'd bail you out
and we'd restart the business
with the right infrastructure
to grow it.
Oh, I'm so sorry I was so successful.
PIERRE: Not as
successful as you could be.
Your restaurant can't franchise.
My margins are better
I don't care about
franchises and margins.
I care about my grandmother's legacy.
PIERRE: So do I.
And yeah, you were her favorite,
but we had a relationship too.
Before she died,
you know what Nana said to me?
- Said we should work together.
- I don't believe that.
Well, your cousins Yvonne and Maurice
were in the room, ask them.
I'm trying to honor Nana's memory too.
(SCOFFS) Not with that
knockoff chicken.
PIERRE: Okay. How's this?
I will cease operations
if anybody in this room
can taste the difference.
No way. 'Cause everybody in this room
wants me to make the deal.
Matty doesn't.
- William.
- Ma'am?
Take off your tie.
Mmm, there she is.
That's Nana Roux's chicken.
(CHUCKLING)
Next.
Mmm.
Wow.
That is really good.
Hmm.
Well?
Let me just have
another bite of this one.
OLYMPIA: Okay.
I'm sorry, I just can't tell.
See? The only person who can taste
the difference, Nadine, is you.
Sleep on it, at least.
(DOOR CLOSES)
What would you do, Matty?
It doesn't matter what Matty would do.
I'm your lawyer and I highly recommend
that you think about this overnight.
Let me lay out the options for you.
We either subpoena
all your aunties, your uncles,
your cousins, take this to
the mat and litigate for years.
Or we focus on what's most important
to you and start to negotiate.
And I like to litigate, know that.
But you have to consider
the terms and the fallout.
You're right.
Mommy and Mommy are fighting,
and if the team breaks,
we could end up with Gary.
Hmm?
What's up?
This is my non-cringe
way of saying that
even if they break, we won't break.
Because the way that you
stood up for me with Olympia,
even though you are so conflict averse
that everyone walks all over you
- Objection, Your Honor.
- Settle down, William.
The point is
you did it.
And
It meant a lot to you.
Ready for our drink, Skippy?
Hiya, MILK. I thought
we were meeting at the bar.
Let's walk together.
And for the record,
I think "Mother I'd Like
to Kiss" is creepy.
It's "kill," not "kiss."
If you say so.
How'd you piss off your father
breathe?
Pretty much.
How about your ex-wife?
She blindly loyal to him?
I'm only asking because of the leak.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Time's running out. Let's talk about
how we're gonna save Belvin.
I have a second interview
with the Wolf.
Got an email five minutes ago.
And Julian just told me that Eva
is asking questions about my loyalty.
I thought you said
your meeting went well.
- I thought it did.
- Were you being evasive?
I was direct. I was calm.
I was upset when he started
getting personal,
You know, I said
Oh, no.
And let me be clear.
When I'm upset,
I do not call the Times.
I put my head down
and I work even harder.
They never said it was
The New York Times.
- Okay.
- Oh
No, whoa. You can fix this.
You go back in there,
you tell them that you assumed
it was the Times,
- it's the paper of record.
- It won't matter.
During a second interview,
company policy
they will collect everything.
My phone, my computer.
Then wipe them. Right now.
That's detectible with forensics.
Then what's the move?
You know the move.
We are not using Belvin.
She's confessing anyway, and
we have no way of stopping her.
And you're just
too stubborn to see it.
Which is ridiculous.
Can you believe her?
Uh, do you want me to be honest
or say you're right?
Both.
Okay, what? Don't say something dumb.
Well, I don't think I am.
But, of course, it's subjective.
High level, what do you
we want?
Justice. For Ellie.
For all the families who lost people
because Julian didn't have the guts
to say no when his father called.
Understood.
But physics is still physics,
tomorrow is still tomorrow.
And you are the smartest person
I know, but you
haven't found a way to bend time.
Julian going to the Times
doesn't save Belvin tomorrow.
It just means Senior gets off
and the crime is covered up.
If Olympia's busted,
the crime is covered up.
This doesn't feel like justice.
Are you actually saying
that Olympia dictates how this goes?
Oh.
This is
this is Polar White.
Of course.
- This isn't Polar White.
- When Ellie
came out of rehab
Don't do this.
You were fixated on her room.
It had to be the perfect white,
the kind of white we had
in our very first house.
We were
we were happy there.
She was happy.
We tried 17 shades.
Because it wasn't about the color.
It was how out of control you felt
with her addiction. And now
Olympia has her hands
on the wheel of our mission,
and Joey is in rehab.
Oh, I can't believe we're here again.
The chaos, the addiction,
the worrying if Joey stays sober.
Feels like we're just stepping
back into the Dark Ages.
Only it's worse, because Alfie's
getting dragged back into it too.
And I just I-I ca-I can't
find my footing anywhere or-or
or with anything.
Then hold my hand.
The laws of physics.
Can't go backward.
I for one couldn't bear
losing our chance at justice
after all we've given up to get here.
So you're saying "Change or die,
you old fool"? (SNIFFLES)
Well, I thought I said it
a little more poetically,
but yes.
And for the record
I always wanted
to paint that damn room blue.
Bottom line, you got to think
about what's important to you.
And if it's about
Nana Roux's legacy
well, then I wouldn't
blow up your family.
And I know it means
losing a little bit of control,
but I was thinking
about this last night.
And if it were me,
I'd be kicking and screaming.
But finally, I'd have to relent.
To protect that legacy.
What are you scared of?
What'll it take to make you
feel good about the deal?
I'm afraid of becoming invisible.
Pierre's this-this big personality,
he's-he's a showman.
Everything becomes about him.
Except with Nana Roux.
She saw me.
OLYMPIA: Well, legally,
we'll make it so that
you don't disappear
in the decision-making.
We'll make it so that
he can't go behind your back.
And right now, you got
Nana Roux's face on the napkins.
Let's put it in the contract:
Nana Roux and you.
Both your faces on the damn napkins.
- Mm-hmm.
- Mm-hmm.
- And-and the cups?
- And the cups.
Yes.
- (KNOCKS SOFTLY)
- May I come in?
Um
You don't have to say anything.
I've come to terms with it.
In the back of my mind,
I knew the bill would come due.
I'm so sorry, Emmalyn.
It's all right.
I was gonna retire next year anyway.
I just imagined
a bit of glory, I guess.
The farewell party.
The speeches.
- The retirement song.
- Barry Manilow?
He does a beautiful rendition
of "(I'VE HAD) the Time of My Life."
(CHUCKLES)
Well
Whatever you did,
you said it was for a good reason.
Can you hang on to that, at least?
You felt strongly about it
and you did something.
That's admirable.
Only nothing came of what I did.
Well, maybe something will, right?
I mean, i-if this leak happened,
that means that there's
somebody else out there
who is fighting your fight.
And I don't want to gossip, but, um,
Olympia mentioned The New York Times.
And the Times is very reputable.
Oh, well.
I guess Senior and the Wolf
they'll just ferret out whoever
it is and shut 'em down.
Not if say I was the leak.
Just remember,
whatever they say about me,
there's more to the story.
- Hey.
- Hi.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
♪
♪
- Hit it.
- ("(I'VE HAD) The Time of My Life" by Barry Manilow)
I've had ♪
The time ♪
Two shots of your finest
whiskey, good sir.
- I picked up your things.
- Thank you.
Know what my last official act was
at Jacobson Moore?
Approved your plant.
Even though it's five inches
taller than regulation.
Suck it.
Oh. Emmalyn, I don't deserve you.
I've been waiting for so long ♪
How did it go?
Finally found someone ♪
Well
it wasn't pleasant being called
a vindictive liar.
But
I did something good at the end.
I hope.
Before we knock these back,
I just want to say a few words
on the eve of your retirement.
Oh, Matty.
Emmalyn Belvin,
you did your job
the way you live your life.
With fierce dedication
and organizational brilliance.
And unwavering morality.
You are ♪
And I admire you more than you know.
I can't get enough of ♪
(BELVIN SIGHS)
So I'll tell you ♪
Something ♪
This could be love ♪
For the first time in 39 years
Because I've had ♪
I don't know
what I'm gonna do tomorrow.
No, I never ♪
Felt this way before ♪
Yes, I swear ♪
Shame our marriages
didn't line up.
Could've been fun to have
someone interesting at Thanksgiving.
Come to sniff around
in person instead of
going through Julian?
I'm clearly not the leak.
Never thought you were.
But a leak in the New York
office means Senior is slipping.
I thought it was a good time
to assess the king's court.
Who's loyal.
Who can think for themselves.
Does thinking for yourself
involve unseating the king?
A coup.
Scandalous.
Is that something you'd support?
Is that something you're suggesting?
Play back the tape.
Never suggested it.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)
First
I am sorry for what I said
about Alfie's father.
I was desperate,
but it doesn't matter.
I crossed a line,
and it won't happen again.
And I plan to wire Mrs. Belvin
her salary for next year.
Anonymously.
Edwin dropped off our go bag of cash.
Half a million dollars.
Emmalyn is set.
Damn, how rich are you?
Rich enough not to answer that.
No more collateral damage.
You and I have to find a way
to work together
despite our trust issues.
To bring down Senior.
Julian goes state's evidence,
like you wanted.
Body language lines up.
I believe you mean that.
Yeah.
What are you scared of?
And what will it take to make
you feel good about the deal?
I don't want you to hijack this
to make it about anything
more than my daughter.
And all the families
who lost the people they loved.
Their legacy.
Agreed.
And I want an apology from Julian.
To me
and Edwin
and especially Alfie.
I want Julian to face
what his decision
cost our family.
You have a deal.
- (PHONE WHOOSHES)
- Oh.
- Nice apology text from Olympia.
- Hm.
See? Amazing things happen
when you grow a spine, William.
Come on, I didn't
want to correct Nadine,
she has enough going on.
I'm not talking about Nadine.
How many texts from your sisters
in the last hour?
(SIGHS)
"Appreciate the feedback,
but the baby's godmother
"is a decision Claudia and I
will make together."
- (PHONE WHOOSHES)
- Send.
(PHONE VIBRATING, DINGING)
(CLICKS TONGUE) Aw. (CHUCKLES)
Oh. Oh, no.
Hide this. Or launch it
into the Hudson. Whichever's faster.
MATTY: Let's land this plane.
Talk to me about the mysterious
Debra Palmer.
What have you learned?
She's a freelance makeup artist,
lives in Hell's Kitchen,
and from her Instagram,
she and Senior
have very little in common.
Well, we have to gather data
and plan our approach.
Wish we used Mrs. Belvin's
credentials to get access
to the Wellbrexa expense reports.
Could have seen
where he and Debra went.
Yeah. In Australia, 14 years ago.
Yeah.
- Wouldn't that be great?
- Mm-hmm.
MATTY: Well, I went in and
got Emmalynn's things for her.
♪
Well done, Matty Matlock.
sync & corrections awaqeded
MATTY: I'm Madeline Matlock.
I'm a lawyer,
like the old TV show.
Most of what you know about me
is based in truth,
but it's also a lie.
Good evening, Mrs. Kingston.
Who the hell are you?
I wasn't like this before your firm
protected the pharmaceutical company
that killed my daughter.
Joey is Alfie's father.
I am offering you a
chance to get sober.
MATTY: Emmalyn Belvin is the redditor.
So, I need to get close to her.
There are so few people I trust.
MATTY: You knew that
Wellbrexa took those documents.
(DISTORTED): And you posted
on a Reddit board.
I did what I could.
MATTY: I can't believe
Olympia hid the document.
You ready to end this?
Right to The New York Times.
I compiled a list of Madeline
and Edwin Kingston's
federal offenses.
What are you going to do
when you and Edwin go to jail?
You're not gonna let sweet Alfie
live with his junkie father, are you?
You think a jury
is going to convict me?
It'll be your kids
who grow up without parents.
OLYMPIA: From now on,
I'm in charge.
Don't worry, Nadine, we
scheduled an emergency hearing.
MATTY: AJ, I could just kiss you.
(LAUGHS)
And I'm not afraid of war.
Now, I won't, on account
of that wedding ring,
but believe you me,
I want to. (LAUGHS)
- What's going on?
- Oh. Morning, boss.
Uh, short story shorter, AJ here
saw me lugging in my fiddle-leaf fig,
he found me a dolly,
and we almost made out.
- (BOTH LAUGH)
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
- Thanks again, AJ.
- AJ: Aw, anything for you, Matty.
I told you to stay home.
Emotion is clouding your judgment.
- (SCOFFS)
- I'm useful.
And the sooner we nail Senior,
the sooner I'm out of your life.
So, let's find the mysterious
Debra Palmer
- and see what she knows.
- Oh.
Oh, 'cause, suddenly, y-you're
fine with focusing on Senior?
Huh? You fine with-you fine
with Julian getting immunity?
Fine? No. Accepting? Yes.
Point is, you won.
Well, then what is with the plant?
It's just a little bit of insurance,
in case you planned to tell
people I'm leaving the firm.
I'm putting down roots.
Unfortunately, I do not
believe you or trust you.
Well, turn that beat around.
I promised, anything you say
stays between you and me
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
- and my fiddle-leaf fig.
Hey. Wait up.
I don't want to lose a fig leaf.
Well, hey there, Emmalyn.
Was this plant approved
through building services?
My fiddle-leaf? I-I didn't
I didn't know it had to be.
All vegetation over three feet.
And I can't let that slide today.
♪
- What's going on here?
- There was a security breach.
What kind of security breach?
It's all just rumors at this point.
Solidifying, though.
I'm cross-referencing six group chats,
including staff support who
always have the inside track.
What happened?
A reporter called Jacobson Moore
asking questions about wrongdoing
in the Wellbrexa opioid litigation.
Matty, do you know anything
about this rumor?
No. Definitely the first time
I'm hearing about it.
No shade, but you're not exactly
an information hub.
And what is with the plant?
Ignore the plant. Does Senior know?
Not only does he know,
he called in the executive committee.
The partners in charge
are in New York?
Yup. And according to
the tax law Slack channel,
Roger Chilton from the
D.C. office arrived at 7:00 a.m.
Heard he's short-listed
for the next attorney general.
God help us. Petroleum Barbie?
Three first years spotted her
wearing sunglasses inside.
Apparently, she flew in
on the corporate jet.
Oil and Gas pays for it,
Barbara Greer gets to use it.
Oh, and I saw Johnny Hill myself,
and, geez, that guy? (GIGGLES)
He's older than
Well, the point is,
they dusted the old man off
and shipped him over.
The only partner in charge
not spotted was Eva Muñoz.
Okay, good.
In a true emergency, she'd show up.
Okay, then, looks like
she's not showing.
Okay, wait, I just got an update.
Morning. Howard, still with the plaid?
All in favor of banning
those ridiculous shirts?
Eva. Welcome. Been a while.
Well, time flies, Howie.
I still can't believe
it's already been
15 years and 62 days
since our divorce.
Made a little widget
so I could keep count.
Reminds me each day is a gift.
So,
why would a reporter call
and exactly what was said?
- (PHONE DINGS)
- Management wants the New York
partners to join the meeting.
Guess I'll find out.
You two, meet with Nadine
about her emergency hearing.
Her cousin Pierre opened up
a food truck two days ago
that is a total copy
of her restaurant.
So, we need to shut it down.
Matty, come with me.
I have feedback
about the research you did.
- MATTY: Would you
- Yeah.
There's some weird tension
going on between Matty and
Olympia. What should we do?
Focus on the case. Everyone's tense.
There's a potential leak at the firm.
MATTY: Of course
I didn't know this was gonna happen.
Then why is a reporter calling?
Probably because
I contacted the Times,
asked to meet,
and then stood them up twice.
Okay, so the reporter
is just shaking trees.
Agreed. So, you go into the meeting,
find out exactly what happened
and what the firm's planning
to do, and then report back.
Report back? Matty, you're no longer
calling the shots. I'll tell you
- what I want to tell you.
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Go water your plant.
SENIOR: Here's what we know.
A so-called whistleblower
reached out to a reporter
and said there was a document hidden
in Wellbrexa's opioid litigation.
Obviously, a complete fabrication.
Clearly. The reporter sent
an inquiry to our comms team,
comms fired back with a machine gun.
So, now, we focus on finding
the person responsible
for maligning the firm. Olympia.
Welcome to the big leagues.
- Oh. (CHUCKLES)
- SENIOR: You're the only one
who doesn't know Lester Logan.
Head of security.
We call him the Wolf.
Nice to meet you.
Same. Eager to see
- how you handle this.
- SENIOR: (CHUCKLES) Oh.
He'll put some
dynamite right in the foxhole.
- Smoke that leak out. Right?
- (LAUGHING)
LESTER: That's right.
Hiya. Been trying to reach you.
EDWIN: Sorry.
How'd it go with Olympia?
Did she believe you were on board
- to let Julian off the hook?
- She definitely did not.
Well, you knew it was
going to take some convincing.
And in the meantime,
we'll figure out a way
to get leverage back.
Yeah, well, um,
let's talk about that later.
There was a little
bus accident this morning.
The firm thinks there's a mole?
- Yeah, exactly right.
- Are you coming home?
No, I need some more info first.
I'll text you
if I'm taking the subway.
There you are, Matty.
Is everything okay with Olympia?
Everything okay with Grammy?
Oh, fine. No problem at all.
It's my dad. He took the money.
He's not going to rehab?
Oh, no, no. We haven't heard yet.
Grammy mentioned some small
thing about a bus accident,
- that's all.
- The firm knows there's a mole?
We don't know. Grammy's investigating.
She should just leave.
(PHONE VIBRATES)
Something more interesting
than my chicken?
Oh, I'm so sorry, Nadine.
It's a family issue.
Hope your family's not
dragging you into litigation.
Oh, my grandson's 14,
so everything's litigation.
And your cousin Pierre
is about to be slapped
with an injunction
because his food truck
is a total clone of your restaurant.
I mean, the menus, the signage.
Identical to Nana Roux's Kitchen.
It's because Pierre
wants people to think
it's the same restaurant,
so he can succeed
on the back of my hard work.
Well, he clearly regrets
letting you buy him out.
- Exactly, William.
- Billy's fine.
No, you have a young face,
William's better.
You know, I-I can't believe
that Pierre is doing this.
Nana's Kitchen was about
our grandma. Her legacy.
But Pierre he only cares
about dollar signs.
He doesn't care about the why.
Well, I commend you
for focusing on the why, Nadine.
And when we squash Pierre in court,
what do you say we all celebrate
over some more of Nana Roux's chicken?
- (NADINE LAUGHS)
- Now, I'm not asking for a freebie,
just for a chance
to jump that dang line
outside your restaurant.
We squash Pierre, y'all
can jump the line for life.
Kids, we need to win.
- I'm gonna go prep those exhibits.
- NADINE: Mm-hmm.
Quick question.
I heard the head of security is here.
Is it true they're
confiscating any device
used inside the building?
Follow-up question:
should I delete photos or who cares?
Well, uh, honey, if they ask you
about nudes, you call me.
'Cause you'd have a lawsuit.
(CLEARS THROAT)
- Were you in the partner meeting?
- I was.
- And the Wolf really flew in?
- Mm-hmm.
This is good for us.
Well, he'll find
the source of the leak,
my dad will obliterate the person,
neutralize the threat with an NDA,
nothing's hanging over our heads.
I also was, uh,
thinking about who I passed
in the hall that day.
There's an anonymous
tip line that I could
Do nothing.
You are being interviewed,
so just keep it simple.
You're not the leak,
you don't know who the leak is.
We'll talk later.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
And where are you going?
Better if I stay
home, let you handle things.
No longer an option.
Head of security is here
and he is starting his interviews
with the 15 lawyers
who worked on Wellbrexa
during the opioid litigation,
which includes me.
So you are going to stay and help me
get through my interview, partner.
Because if I go down, you go down.
- I'll advise you from afar.
- Mm-mmm.
Alfie wants me home.
Tell him why you can't leave.
He's a smart kid, he'll understand.
Not sure he will.
Alfie's pretty worried
if something happens to me,
he'll have to
live with his junkie father.
I needed your leverage.
You weren't seeing straight.
Well, I'm seeing straight now,
I assure you.
Same. But if you want to
work together again, prove it.
'Cause if I get caught,
the firm will lawyer up,
the crime will be buried forever
and there will be no justice.
Matty's not even coming to court.
She and Olympia
are definitely fighting.
- What do we do?
- Mute the chain. Hey,
heads or tails for first chair?
I'm asking you a serious question.
And I'm giving you a serious answer.
Look, right now my
sisters are debating
who should be
my future child's godmother.
I got 145 texts in the last hour.
Which could stress me out.
Except I mute the chain.
Because you know
what happens if I get involved?
You get the godmother of your choice?
No. I got three of four sisters
mad at me. I'm telling you,
whatever's going on
between Matty and Olympia,
stay out of it. And if you can't,
tell me. I'll run point on this case.
Flip the damn coin.
(EXCLAIMS LOUDLY)
(GRUNTS)
(LINE RINGING)
Finally. Have you left the office?
Oh, can't. But I promise I'll
keep my eye on the commute home.
- Can I talk to Alfie?
- Oh, he insisted
on packing a go bag in case.
So we did.
And then an email came in.
Can you handle more news right now?
Not really, but lay it on me, baby.
Joey checked into rehab.
Oh.
Yeah.
How happy is Alfie?
I'll let him tell you.
It's your Grandma.
Did you hear?
I heard. I'm thrilled, darling.
SARAH: Your Honor, this
discovery came as a shock.
Pierre Roux opened his food
truck in clear violation
of the agreement that
he and Nadine Roux signed
when she bought him out
of the restaurant
they started together.
Under the terms of said buyout,
Pierre cannot open
a similar restaurant. And yet
the trademark
and trade dress violations
are clear. He's copying the look
Fewer words, please.
Oh.
Basically, what I'm trying
to say is that if P
Fewer.
Pierre's food truck
creates
customer confusion.
Harms Nadine's brand.
Agreed.
Evidence is pretty clear.
Your client going to deny it?
No need. Nadine acquiesced.
To you opening a copycat food truck?!
SARAH: That is ridiculous, Your Honor.
If opposing counsel is going to make
such an absurd allegations,
he better use more words than that.
Only need four.
I have a witness.
MATTY: If you're
surprised, act surprised.
If you're offended, act offended.
Just make sure your face
and your body are aligned.
And don't answer anything quickly.
Establish the pace early on,
so if you have to think,
it's built in.
Okay.
- How much longer till your meeting?
- Seven minutes.
Is there anything else I should know?
I'm trusting you, Matty.
Good. 'Cause we're on the same team.
Like I said.
Your face and body aren't aligned.
I'm sorry I had to go there.
With Alfie's father.
Reminder to be precise
with your words.
"Sorry" means
if you could do it again,
you'd do something differently.
You have a blind spot.
If it were any other case
It's not any other case.
It's my case.
It's my daughter and her legacy.
- (PHONE VIBRATES)
- I
Hello? Whoa, slow down, Sarah.
What?
Okay, get as long a recess
as you can, I'll call you right back.
Pierre's claiming acquiescence,
so I'm just gonna push
my meeting with security.
- No, keep it.
- What?
If you seem nervous,
you got an excuse:
your case is blowing up.
I'll help Billy and Sarah.
You've got this.
Just stick close to the truth.
And use the same tone
when you say you aren't the leak
as when you say
I have no idea who the leak is.
Yes, it is difficult to imagine
a newly-minted partner
with an axe to grind.
- Exactly.
- Unless that partner
reached out to the reporter
prior to finding out
about the promotion.
Frankly, I thought Julian would
be the one to make partner.
You bet on nepotism?
I bet on the fact that since
you often go after corporations,
leadership was unhappy.
It's well documented.
Things were tense at the office.
You'd gotten dressed down
after a big win.
Not to mention,
you'd recently learned
Julian cheated with a coworker.
Dynamite in the foxhole?
Did I get any facts wrong?
No, the facts are correct.
And were you upset with the firm?
Upset? Yeah.
Shortsighted and vindictive?
No.
And let me be clear.
When I'm upset,
I do not call the Times.
I put my head down
and I work even harder,
which is likely
how I earned my promotion,
so do not bet against me next time.
(SHORT CHUCKLE) I won't.
CHARLES: When was the big argument
between your niece
and nephew, Linetta?
On my husband Franklin's
75th Birthday.
April 9th.
Can you walk us through what happened?
I thought Nadine and Pierre
could tolerate
being in the same room together
since it's been two years since
they split as business partners.
But no, no, no, no, no.
Same old thing.
Pierre like to run his mouth.
Now, now, you know you do, honey.
And he was giving Nadine
all these tips.
Now, mind you, her restaurant's
a regular sensation,
so why is he
giving her pointers, right?
Oh! It would
drive me crazy too, honey.
What happened next?
Nadine got fed up and said,
"If you think you know so much,
do it better yourself."
Objection, Your Honor.
That's clearly sarcasm.
Ma'am, is there a chance your
niece was being sarcastic?
I thought she'd meant it
as a challenge.
- Sounds like acquiescence to me.
- CHARLES: I agree.
And if Nadine refuses to let
- my client continue,
- Matty found something.
we have detrimental reliance,
Your Honor. Because after
Uncle Franklin's birthday,
Pierre relied on her challenge
and put his plans into motion.
I move to dismiss
this case on those grounds.
Your Honor, State v. May
reversed a lower court
for not giving adequate time
to refute a claim
of detrimental reliance.
If you dismiss this case,
- we will have
- DRESDEN: Enough words.
I'll grant you 24 hours.
But in the meantime,
Pierre's food truck stays open.
(GAVEL BANGS)
OLYMPIA: I'm so sorry,
again, that I wasn't there myself.
But I got a call
from your cousin's lawyer.
It seems Pierre is open
to buying back into the
partnership at a higher rate.
Of course he is. I'm successful now.
That's why he pulled that
whole food truck scam, because
he's trying to bully me
into taking him back.
Thank you, but no. You have to
be able to trust a partner.
Understood.
But you also get ownership
in his food truck.
We can negotiate
extremely favorable terms.
This isn't about terms.
It's about her grandmother's legacy.
NADINE: Exactly. I put my whole soul
into that restaurant.
I've given up so damn much,
and I did for Nana Roux.
Not for money.
The answer's no.
Then we have 24 hours
to undermine his claim
of detrimental reliance.
Nadine, make a list
of everything required
to open a restaurant.
Because if Pierre
so much as ordered a napkin
before Linetta's husband
ALL: Franklin.
Before Franklin's birthday,
then we crush Pierre's claim
that he didn't plan a single thing
until Nadine said,
"Do it better yourself."
Draw up a subpoena fast.
We need all correspondence
related to the food truck.
And Matty.
Looks like Mrs. B needs something.
Maybe it has something to do
with your plant.
The short answer is yes,
I agree Olympia and Matty
aren't getting along.
But what I can't understand is why
you're acting so crazy about it.
How far back should Pierre's
subpoena go, do you think?
"Crazy" is a gendered word
which I resent and refute.
As for the subpoena,
if I were to go nuclear,
I would start
when my enemy achieved success.
I just meant that
you're acting out of character
because, traditionally,
you enjoy conflict.
Hence, going nuclear
on successful enemies.
Nuclear is loud
and up front and direct.
When it's silent and cold and tense
I don't know what's going on
and then I'm afraid
we're gonna end up with Gary.
Few more words, please.
At the end of high school,
things got really quiet
with my parents.
But no one said anything to me,
which was weird, because
we talked about everything.
Then I went away to college,
and a week later
my parents tell me
they're getting a divorce.
And when I came home that summer,
you know who moved into
my childhood house?
- Gary.
- Gary.
And you're scared
our work family will break up
because it means so much to you?
(GAGS) You are so cringe
I literally just vomited in my mouth.
(SIGHS) Just blink once if I'm right.
Okay. Nothing's breaking up.
Matty and Olympia are solid.
It's just a tense day
because of the leak.
What's going on?
I got an email alert.
I have an appointment tomorrow.
With the head of security.
- Did you call a reporter?
- No.
But
I did break protocol
years and years ago.
And I'm pretty sure
it's related to this leak.
I can't even look at you.
Please do.
Emmalyn, I don't know what you did,
but I do know you are
a grade-A diamond
of a human being.
And if you broke protocol,
I'm sure you had a good reason.
I can't tell you how much
that means to me.
I did have a good reason.
But I went about it wrong and
Can't have it both ways, right?
Anyway, I guess
this is me saying goodbye.
- What?
- I can't lie.
Not to the head of security.
But you just said you aren't the leak.
But I have information that might help
locate the leak. And if I'm leaving,
it should be honorable.
Well, yes, but you're not leaving.
What time is your meeting?
We have a problem and we have
to solve it by noon tomorrow.
Support staff are being interviewed.
Including Mrs. Belvin.
And why is that a problem?
What don't I know, Matty?
Do you want to look over our subpoena?
I'm sorry, is now not a good time?
What's the question?
Sarah?
Nothing. I think it's strong.
Great. Send it in.
Why can't Mrs. Belvin be questioned?
Because she's the one
who wrote the post
that started it all.
Emmalyn Belvin is the redditor.
- Can she fake a heart attack?
- She's head of facilities,
- not Meryl Streep.
- Okay, then
maybe we get her to dance
around it in the interview.
Emmalyn's a terrible liar.
And she's an incredibly moral woman.
That's why she wrote the Reddit
post in the first place.
She wants to walk in and confess.
Fine, read her in, then.
- Tell her everything.
- It's too risky.
I've had to do
some uncomfortable things
to get information from her and she'll
be angry and it will
take her time to process
Your betrayal? Oh, you don't
have to explain it to me, Matty.
We have to pivot to a patsy,
someone outside the firm.
And sacrifice them?
No.
Maybe we make security
think it's that person
while we set up a deepfake.
Someone dead.
Before tomorrow at noon?
Well I don't know,
but we have to figure out something.
Agreed.
Look, if Belvin is confessing
tomorrow anyway
maybe we get her
to swallow the leak, too.
Since it's all related. She can
confess to writing a post in the past,
say it started
bugging her again and
Of course that's your answer.
You have another?
Yeah. Julian goes to the Times
and confesses.
That wouldn't even fix this.
The Times will take months
to investigate him.
Meanwhile, Belvin confesses,
Senior covers all tracks
and there's no justice, Matty.
Well, then we better come up with
something else, because Belvin
cannot walk into that room tomorrow.
(KNOCKING)
Judge sent a sua sponte email
regarding our subpoena.
Five words.
Why is this so broad?
Your Honor, I apologize.
My junior associates
are new at drafting subpoena requests.
Are you saying you didn't read it?
Of course I read it. They convinced me
that all the items requested
are relevant.
Personal texts going back two years?
Pierre's Instagram DMs?
It's a blatant fishing expedition.
Agreed, Ms. Lawrence.
- You know better.
- What I know
is that words are more powerful
than most people realize.
And you know that too,
or you wouldn't have ruled
that the four words Nadine said
granted Pierre acquiescence.
So now, let's give
Pierre's words that same power.
Because if he said one word
that indicates he took one
action to open his food truck
even one minute before that
birthday dinner, we win.
Is that it?
It.
Judge Dresden granted the subpoena.
But how could you
file something so broad?
Why didn't you run it by me first?
I-I tried. But you and Matty
were arguing
We were not arguing.
No, not true.
You have been all day.
I grew up with four sisters,
so I know all the types of fighting
yelling, gathering alliances,
deadly silence.
And blood will be shed,
get the children
out of the room
and hide heavy objects,
so stop gaslighting Sarah.
Ma'am.
We'll start to search
through the material
to see if Pierre made any moves
before April 9th.
- (DOOR OPENS)
- (PHONE VIBRATES)
(DOOR CLOSES)
OLYMPIA: You're offering
a 50/50 split on profits and control?
Yep. For Nadine's restaurant,
my food truck, all future franchises.
Sounds like somebody's
battening down the hatches
'cause they know a storm's a'coming.
What are you scared of?
PIERRE: Our family imploding.
There's nothing in my texts about me
starting before April 9th.
But there's a lot
of our family talking mess
and debating.
- Picking sides.
- Debating is good for us, right?
- Sure is.
- Great. Then let's bring
everybody in who thought
I was being sarcastic
and let's put 'em on the stand.
Just drop a bomb on our family?
You're the one that started
a war because you couldn't
handle that business was booming.
That is not why Look,
when we broke up
the business, it's true,
I thought you'd go belly-up
because you're doing
everything so expensive.
Figured I'd bail you out
and we'd restart the business
with the right infrastructure
to grow it.
Oh, I'm so sorry I was so successful.
PIERRE: Not as
successful as you could be.
Your restaurant can't franchise.
My margins are better
I don't care about
franchises and margins.
I care about my grandmother's legacy.
PIERRE: So do I.
And yeah, you were her favorite,
but we had a relationship too.
Before she died,
you know what Nana said to me?
- Said we should work together.
- I don't believe that.
Well, your cousins Yvonne and Maurice
were in the room, ask them.
I'm trying to honor Nana's memory too.
(SCOFFS) Not with that
knockoff chicken.
PIERRE: Okay. How's this?
I will cease operations
if anybody in this room
can taste the difference.
No way. 'Cause everybody in this room
wants me to make the deal.
Matty doesn't.
- William.
- Ma'am?
Take off your tie.
Mmm, there she is.
That's Nana Roux's chicken.
(CHUCKLING)
Next.
Mmm.
Wow.
That is really good.
Hmm.
Well?
Let me just have
another bite of this one.
OLYMPIA: Okay.
I'm sorry, I just can't tell.
See? The only person who can taste
the difference, Nadine, is you.
Sleep on it, at least.
(DOOR CLOSES)
What would you do, Matty?
It doesn't matter what Matty would do.
I'm your lawyer and I highly recommend
that you think about this overnight.
Let me lay out the options for you.
We either subpoena
all your aunties, your uncles,
your cousins, take this to
the mat and litigate for years.
Or we focus on what's most important
to you and start to negotiate.
And I like to litigate, know that.
But you have to consider
the terms and the fallout.
You're right.
Mommy and Mommy are fighting,
and if the team breaks,
we could end up with Gary.
Hmm?
What's up?
This is my non-cringe
way of saying that
even if they break, we won't break.
Because the way that you
stood up for me with Olympia,
even though you are so conflict averse
that everyone walks all over you
- Objection, Your Honor.
- Settle down, William.
The point is
you did it.
And
It meant a lot to you.
Ready for our drink, Skippy?
Hiya, MILK. I thought
we were meeting at the bar.
Let's walk together.
And for the record,
I think "Mother I'd Like
to Kiss" is creepy.
It's "kill," not "kiss."
If you say so.
How'd you piss off your father
breathe?
Pretty much.
How about your ex-wife?
She blindly loyal to him?
I'm only asking because of the leak.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Time's running out. Let's talk about
how we're gonna save Belvin.
I have a second interview
with the Wolf.
Got an email five minutes ago.
And Julian just told me that Eva
is asking questions about my loyalty.
I thought you said
your meeting went well.
- I thought it did.
- Were you being evasive?
I was direct. I was calm.
I was upset when he started
getting personal,
You know, I said
Oh, no.
And let me be clear.
When I'm upset,
I do not call the Times.
I put my head down
and I work even harder.
They never said it was
The New York Times.
- Okay.
- Oh
No, whoa. You can fix this.
You go back in there,
you tell them that you assumed
it was the Times,
- it's the paper of record.
- It won't matter.
During a second interview,
company policy
they will collect everything.
My phone, my computer.
Then wipe them. Right now.
That's detectible with forensics.
Then what's the move?
You know the move.
We are not using Belvin.
She's confessing anyway, and
we have no way of stopping her.
And you're just
too stubborn to see it.
Which is ridiculous.
Can you believe her?
Uh, do you want me to be honest
or say you're right?
Both.
Okay, what? Don't say something dumb.
Well, I don't think I am.
But, of course, it's subjective.
High level, what do you
we want?
Justice. For Ellie.
For all the families who lost people
because Julian didn't have the guts
to say no when his father called.
Understood.
But physics is still physics,
tomorrow is still tomorrow.
And you are the smartest person
I know, but you
haven't found a way to bend time.
Julian going to the Times
doesn't save Belvin tomorrow.
It just means Senior gets off
and the crime is covered up.
If Olympia's busted,
the crime is covered up.
This doesn't feel like justice.
Are you actually saying
that Olympia dictates how this goes?
Oh.
This is
this is Polar White.
Of course.
- This isn't Polar White.
- When Ellie
came out of rehab
Don't do this.
You were fixated on her room.
It had to be the perfect white,
the kind of white we had
in our very first house.
We were
we were happy there.
She was happy.
We tried 17 shades.
Because it wasn't about the color.
It was how out of control you felt
with her addiction. And now
Olympia has her hands
on the wheel of our mission,
and Joey is in rehab.
Oh, I can't believe we're here again.
The chaos, the addiction,
the worrying if Joey stays sober.
Feels like we're just stepping
back into the Dark Ages.
Only it's worse, because Alfie's
getting dragged back into it too.
And I just I-I ca-I can't
find my footing anywhere or-or
or with anything.
Then hold my hand.
The laws of physics.
Can't go backward.
I for one couldn't bear
losing our chance at justice
after all we've given up to get here.
So you're saying "Change or die,
you old fool"? (SNIFFLES)
Well, I thought I said it
a little more poetically,
but yes.
And for the record
I always wanted
to paint that damn room blue.
Bottom line, you got to think
about what's important to you.
And if it's about
Nana Roux's legacy
well, then I wouldn't
blow up your family.
And I know it means
losing a little bit of control,
but I was thinking
about this last night.
And if it were me,
I'd be kicking and screaming.
But finally, I'd have to relent.
To protect that legacy.
What are you scared of?
What'll it take to make you
feel good about the deal?
I'm afraid of becoming invisible.
Pierre's this-this big personality,
he's-he's a showman.
Everything becomes about him.
Except with Nana Roux.
She saw me.
OLYMPIA: Well, legally,
we'll make it so that
you don't disappear
in the decision-making.
We'll make it so that
he can't go behind your back.
And right now, you got
Nana Roux's face on the napkins.
Let's put it in the contract:
Nana Roux and you.
Both your faces on the damn napkins.
- Mm-hmm.
- Mm-hmm.
- And-and the cups?
- And the cups.
Yes.
- (KNOCKS SOFTLY)
- May I come in?
Um
You don't have to say anything.
I've come to terms with it.
In the back of my mind,
I knew the bill would come due.
I'm so sorry, Emmalyn.
It's all right.
I was gonna retire next year anyway.
I just imagined
a bit of glory, I guess.
The farewell party.
The speeches.
- The retirement song.
- Barry Manilow?
He does a beautiful rendition
of "(I'VE HAD) the Time of My Life."
(CHUCKLES)
Well
Whatever you did,
you said it was for a good reason.
Can you hang on to that, at least?
You felt strongly about it
and you did something.
That's admirable.
Only nothing came of what I did.
Well, maybe something will, right?
I mean, i-if this leak happened,
that means that there's
somebody else out there
who is fighting your fight.
And I don't want to gossip, but, um,
Olympia mentioned The New York Times.
And the Times is very reputable.
Oh, well.
I guess Senior and the Wolf
they'll just ferret out whoever
it is and shut 'em down.
Not if say I was the leak.
Just remember,
whatever they say about me,
there's more to the story.
- Hey.
- Hi.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
♪
♪
- Hit it.
- ("(I'VE HAD) The Time of My Life" by Barry Manilow)
I've had ♪
The time ♪
Two shots of your finest
whiskey, good sir.
- I picked up your things.
- Thank you.
Know what my last official act was
at Jacobson Moore?
Approved your plant.
Even though it's five inches
taller than regulation.
Suck it.
Oh. Emmalyn, I don't deserve you.
I've been waiting for so long ♪
How did it go?
Finally found someone ♪
Well
it wasn't pleasant being called
a vindictive liar.
But
I did something good at the end.
I hope.
Before we knock these back,
I just want to say a few words
on the eve of your retirement.
Oh, Matty.
Emmalyn Belvin,
you did your job
the way you live your life.
With fierce dedication
and organizational brilliance.
And unwavering morality.
You are ♪
And I admire you more than you know.
I can't get enough of ♪
(BELVIN SIGHS)
So I'll tell you ♪
Something ♪
This could be love ♪
For the first time in 39 years
Because I've had ♪
I don't know
what I'm gonna do tomorrow.
No, I never ♪
Felt this way before ♪
Yes, I swear ♪
Shame our marriages
didn't line up.
Could've been fun to have
someone interesting at Thanksgiving.
Come to sniff around
in person instead of
going through Julian?
I'm clearly not the leak.
Never thought you were.
But a leak in the New York
office means Senior is slipping.
I thought it was a good time
to assess the king's court.
Who's loyal.
Who can think for themselves.
Does thinking for yourself
involve unseating the king?
A coup.
Scandalous.
Is that something you'd support?
Is that something you're suggesting?
Play back the tape.
Never suggested it.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)
First
I am sorry for what I said
about Alfie's father.
I was desperate,
but it doesn't matter.
I crossed a line,
and it won't happen again.
And I plan to wire Mrs. Belvin
her salary for next year.
Anonymously.
Edwin dropped off our go bag of cash.
Half a million dollars.
Emmalyn is set.
Damn, how rich are you?
Rich enough not to answer that.
No more collateral damage.
You and I have to find a way
to work together
despite our trust issues.
To bring down Senior.
Julian goes state's evidence,
like you wanted.
Body language lines up.
I believe you mean that.
Yeah.
What are you scared of?
And what will it take to make
you feel good about the deal?
I don't want you to hijack this
to make it about anything
more than my daughter.
And all the families
who lost the people they loved.
Their legacy.
Agreed.
And I want an apology from Julian.
To me
and Edwin
and especially Alfie.
I want Julian to face
what his decision
cost our family.
You have a deal.
- (PHONE WHOOSHES)
- Oh.
- Nice apology text from Olympia.
- Hm.
See? Amazing things happen
when you grow a spine, William.
Come on, I didn't
want to correct Nadine,
she has enough going on.
I'm not talking about Nadine.
How many texts from your sisters
in the last hour?
(SIGHS)
"Appreciate the feedback,
but the baby's godmother
"is a decision Claudia and I
will make together."
- (PHONE WHOOSHES)
- Send.
(PHONE VIBRATING, DINGING)
(CLICKS TONGUE) Aw. (CHUCKLES)
Oh. Oh, no.
Hide this. Or launch it
into the Hudson. Whichever's faster.
MATTY: Let's land this plane.
Talk to me about the mysterious
Debra Palmer.
What have you learned?
She's a freelance makeup artist,
lives in Hell's Kitchen,
and from her Instagram,
she and Senior
have very little in common.
Well, we have to gather data
and plan our approach.
Wish we used Mrs. Belvin's
credentials to get access
to the Wellbrexa expense reports.
Could have seen
where he and Debra went.
Yeah. In Australia, 14 years ago.
Yeah.
- Wouldn't that be great?
- Mm-hmm.
MATTY: Well, I went in and
got Emmalynn's things for her.
♪
Well done, Matty Matlock.
sync & corrections awaqeded