Matlock (2024) s02e06 Episode Script
Harm Reduction
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.
- You love me.
- I do.
You and I have to find
a way to work together
despite our trust issues
to bring down Senior.
OLYMPIA: The Partners
in Charge are in New York?
- SENIOR: Eva.
- EVA: I thought it was
a good time to assess
the king's court.
Does this involve unseating the king?
- A coup?
- What's going on, Dad?
You were trying to get into
Belvin's files last night.
What were you looking for, son?
You've been staring at me all morning,
and now you're following me
into hallways.
Matty wasn't conspiring with Belvin.
I went after a 76-year-old
grandmother. Your friend.
- What is wrong with me?
- Nothing's wrong with you.
OLYMPIA:
I just crushed Julian in a way
that feels lasting.
I lied, but you are a liar.
MATTY: I will not do that again
if we move forward
with our friendship.
I don't know if I can.
You really hurt me, Matty,
and I need to protect myself.
♪
(BEEPS)
MATTY: Morning.
Brought you a coffee.
- And
- Hi, Ms. Lawrence.
- OLYMPIA: Morning.
- Hey, Matty. How's the plant doing?
MATTY: Oh, it's
growing bigger every day.
Like your son. How's Little League?
Oh, big game this weekend.
- Prayers up.
- (MATTY CHUCKLES)
Prayers up.
Prayers can work wonders.
Oh, it's just an expression.
Me and the Big Guy parted ways
a long time ago.
Oh, some relationships
are worth fighting for.
Maybe you'll find
your way back to each other.
Kind of feels like
the cops driving behind me.
Are you an "every Sunday" Christian
or a Christmas/Easter Christian?
I'm a "talk about work at work"
Christian.
It's a slow day, so let's strategize.
We need to get Debra Palmer's
NDA and find out what it covers.
Did you look through the
archived Wellbrexa index again?
Yes. It's definitely
not in the system.
So, Senior likely keeps
a hard copy at his home office.
Which means, to get our hands on it,
I have to get in there, and
Are you listening?
The nuns are back.
(EXHALES)
Hi, Sisters, Eva.
Didn't know you were in New York.
I came for a little personal
matter and stopped by to see
my favorite ladies.
Turns out,
they could use some legal help.
Oh.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Didn't realize you were so devout.
The sisters helped me with my
Catholic guilt after my divorce.
Showed them Senior's wardrobe,
and they agreed I deserved
special dispensation.
- (BOTH LAUGH)
- Hi, Matty.
- Hi. Have we met?
- No.
I researched Olympia's team.
Loved your hardscrabble story.
Super relatable.
Uh, to juries, not me.
I come from money.
- Oh. Good to know.
- Good to have.
So, listen, my nuns run
a ministry for the unhoused
and the neighbors are making
a stink about it,
so I was hoping you'd go
to the zoning board meeting
with them today,
shut the neighbors down.
Maybe you'll
fast-pass the Pearly Gates.
Uh
Have Billy and Sarah
talk to the sisters.
I'll find you after
to discuss our other case.
Mm-hmm.
It's time.
The quarterly meeting is in six weeks,
and I want to call a vote
to oust Senior.
- What are your numbers?
- Miami and D.C. are locked.
Chicago and Dallas are Senior country.
New York decides it.
Out of 40 partners,
we need 21 to pull off the coup.
I know ten that will say yes
if approached, but not by me.
Agreed. You're poison here.
I shouldn't even be seen with you.
We've got cover with the nuns.
So, what do you say?
You want to deep-fry the devil?
PEGGY: When you hear a higher calling,
you have to answer it.
What started out
as a little soup kitchen
blossomed into meals
and hot showers and job training.
(LAUGHS) "Blossomed"?
You talk like
you're in The Sound of Music.
Oh, Bennie, stop picking on me.
Point is, we help out a lot,
and the community was into it.
But then came
the artisanal pickle shop
and the oat milk espresso bar.
The gentrifiers descended
like a plague of locusts
- with canvas tote bags.
- PEGGY: All right.
We're all God's children.
Even the locusts with the tote bags.
- (PHONE CHIMES)
- Sorry.
Uh, I had to keep my phone on
because, uh, well, I'm having a baby.
Ah. How far along is your wife?
Four months.
But, uh, not my wife.
Although I did propose,
but she said no, so
Anyway,
I am going to propose, again.
- You are?
- Yeah.
But when I think about
getting down on one knee,
I just go back to the moment
she said no.
Then take your time to heal. Mm?
But remember,
marriage comes with perks.
By which I mean tax incentives.
Listen to her.
She does all of our accounting.
MATTY: Oh, for Lord's sake,
don't use AI.
The whole point is to connect
with your father.
L-Listen, I've got to
get back to work.
Bye.
Joey wrote Alfie from rehab,
and he's stressed over
what to write back.
Eva's ready to stage the coup
at the next quarterly meeting,
if I can secure the votes
needed from New York.
- Well, what are you thinking?
- That if Senior's gone,
we'd be able to access
so much more of Wellbrexa.
- But if the coup fails
- Can't.
If you aim for the king,
you better not miss.
Zoning.
(CHUCKLES)
Yeah, fascinating
little nook of the law.
It's just
research for Olympia, sir.
Oh, call me Senior.
Liked meeting your parents.
Oh, Gary's not actually
Your dad said you were ambitious.
Well, Dad never lies.
Good, because I need a favor.
Anything, Senior.
I think my son is plotting
to poach clients when he leaves,
but I want to be sure,
so I need pictures of his datebook
for the last six months.
Can I trust you
to handle this discreetly?
Well
(CHUCKLES) is there a conflict?
Because I-I work for Olympia.
Ambitious lawyer like you knows
that the good of the firm
always comes first.
(CHUCKLING SOFTLY)
(DOOR OPENS, CLOSES)
(SIGHS)
BOARD MEMBER:
Next issue before the board,
matter #25-1346,
regarding the Convent
of Perpetual Hope.
(QUIET CHATTER)
I'm sorry
for whatever it was
that made you lose your faith.
Must've been terribly painful.
Death of my child.
The hardest to explain.
One can only say
God is near the brokenhearted,
restores the crushed in spirit.
Yeah, didn't feel him near.
And yet, you survived
the unimaginable.
You think He left you.
I think He left you standing.
Put the right people in your path
so you didn't remain broken forever.
BOARD MEMBER: All right, let's begin.
ROSS: Esteemed board members,
I come before you on behalf
of a coalition of concerned neighbors.
Allowing a zoning variance
sets dangerous precedent.
What happens when a developer
requests the same accommodation?
Studio apartments
turned into bunk-bed hostels?
In 2012, the convent provided
shelter for Sandy evacuees.
In 2020, the convent
housed nurses brought in
to tackle the pandemic.
Last summer, when it was too hot
for the Cub Scouts
to sleep outside,
they slept in the church.
And I don't recall any
"slippery slope" objections
to those uses.
We're not talking about Cub Scouts.
When the nuns opened their shelter,
vandalism and property crimes
started rising.
As they did citywide.
Correlation is not causation.
And I have multiple studies
showing that the addition
of homeless shelters
lowers property values.
60 years ago,
if someone who looked like me
moved into the neighborhood,
you'd hear that same argument.
It is based on prejudice,
not on facts.
What is a fact
is that 770 unhoused New Yorkers
died last year
from extreme heat
and cold temperatures,
from a lack of access to medical care,
from malnutrition.
What these nuns are doing
shouldn't be restricted,
it should be celebrated.
SARAH: We won?
Praise be.
Yup, my headache is better,
was just doing some backup research.
I'll meet you downstairs.
One of the sisters
left their Mardi Gras beads
- in the conference room.
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Sarah found your rosary.
(PHONE CHIMES)
Wait here with Billy.
Matty will grab
your client intake paperwork.
Eva wants an answer.
Take away the title,
you take away Senior's power.
And once he's gone,
the loyalty dries up,
and he's not here
to guard the evidence,
and our case just opens right up.
I know, but supporting the vote
and rallying all the other
partners together
are two different things.
I-I have a lot to lose.
Personally and professionally.
Well, that's why I should be
the tip of the spear.
You know, the other partners won't see
Matty Matlock a-coming.
- And if I'm caught
- Then you'd be out.
I'd be at Jacobson Moore alone,
flying solo on our mission.
I trust you.
And also, have faith.
(SIGHS) I-I do.
Look, I read your letter.
I want to get back to our friendship.
But I don't know if I can.
I'll focus on "want."
- (SOFT CHUCKLE)
- (PHONE BUZZES)
Hello?
Whoa, Sister Louise, slow down.
What?
There's some sort of raid
happening at the church.
What? Why?
No. It's not that I don't think
being a corporate compliance liaison
- is important. I'm not
- Hey, Julian.
- enough, uh, hours in the day.
- Wait, Julian.
(GASPS)
Sorry, I
(GASPS)
Oh
(GASPING)
- (SIGHS)
- Holy cr
JOY (ON RECORDING):
Help! I'm walking home,
and I just saw a man
run into the church.
I think he has a gun.
Nice job shaking the 911 call loose.
Well, having a family
full of cops has its benefits.
And that call was definitely a hoax.
Matty, Sarah, and I canvassed everyone
in or near the church.
No one saw anyone with a gun.
Well, I just got a heads-up
from opposing counsel
that the neighbors
are filing a civil suit.
What? On what basis?
Something to do with whatever
they found in the raid.
We still need the seizure log.
My sisters are all over it.
Uh, cop sisters, not nun sisters.
Although, nun sisters are
working on it, too,
through prayer.
How are they holding up
with all the neighborhood hostility?
Practicing forgiveness.
And encouraging me to do
the same with Claudia during our
Pre-Cana counseling sessions.
- Oh, how's that going?
- I can forgive,
but forgetting is difficult.
Claudia really crushed me,
and she wants
to move forward
like nothing ever happened.
Easier said than done.
Trust me, I get it.
Thanks. I know she doesn't mean
to pressure me, but
I'm sure Claudia would go back
and do things differently,
- if she could.
- Yeah, that's what she says, but
It still happened,
and forgiveness can't be rushed.
Welcome back!
Brought you breakfast.
Oh, I told you in the hospital,
no need.
And I told you in the hospital,
it's the least I can do
since I almost killed you.
- Uh, hey, let me
- No, no.
- No.
- I got it. I
I got, I got
Here.
This desk violates, like,
six ADA guidelines.
Let me reorganize it for you.
Oh, I'm all good here,
but I do have to make
a phone call, so could you
Okay. I'll check in with you later.
Bye.
(LINE RINGS)
Olympia, help.
Sarah is overbearing,
she is annoying, and she's
Right in front of me. Got it.
Sarah, walk with me.
- Sure. Where? Anywhere.
- Coffee.
- Fun, yes.
- (CHUCKLES)
Want to fire up the mentorship again?
TBD, but here's some mentor advice.
- Mm-hmm.
- Give Julian some space,
like we talked about in the ER
and the hospital cafeteria.
It's just hard.
Look, can I be frank?
Have you ever not been?
Oh, yeah, I hold back all the time.
I just, I feel so badly for Julian.
His life is in the toilet.
You divorced him,
and then trounced him
in a partner race,
his dad demoted him,
and then he goes all
Death Becomes Her
down the lobby stairs.
Guy can't catch a break, you know?
Yeah. Yeah, I do know.
So maybe you could help me
help him?
BILLY: Hey, boss.
Found the contents of the raid.
You're gonna want to take a look.
OLYMPIA: Drugs.
Specifically, heroin
and six dozen hypodermics.
And we think we know why
it was found in the church.
We believe the neighborhood coalition
planted the drugs after losing
with the zoning board.
Then, they called 911, said they saw
a gun, knowing the cops
would respond immediately.
A way to bolster
their public nuisance lawsuit.
What is it?
The neighbors didn't plant
the heroin or the needles.
2018, we were finding people dead,
felt like nearly every day,
on park benches, in a pew.
We started stocking Narcan.
Narcan's a lifesaver.
What about the needles?
One night, this girl came in.
Shaking, track marks,
- on the edge of withdrawal.
- We had a zero-tolerance policy,
but it was freezing,
eight inches of snow.
PEGGY: Well, she was terrified
she'd take a hot shot
and never wake up.
So, we sat with her,
and she was so grateful.
Talked about the times
she'd been robbed, assaulted
while she was high on the streets.
LOUISE: So now, only when asked,
we provide clean needles,
alcohol wipes,
and a safe injection site.
There is a name for this practice.
Harm reduction. There's no such thing.
You know how people get clean?
They lose the things they love.
The practice reduces
overdose deaths by 50%.
Reducing overdoses is
not the same as getting clean.
It's a temporary reprieve on a journey
that leads to the same destination.
Addicts end up in jail,
sober, or dead.
Regardless of any personal
opinion, the neighborhood
coalition's lawsuit just got teeth.
Are you willing
to give up the practice?
We can't walk away from those in need.
Then we go to trial
and defend you under RLUIPA, show that
harm reduction is an exercise
of your religion
and prove there is no compelling
governmental interest
in shutting it down.
I think that you should
sit this one out.
No.
I want to be here.
It's it's like Billy said,
forgiveness is slow and steady work.
You keep showing up,
even if it's tough.
Coffee date still on?
- Yeah. I'm heading there next.
- Great.
Hey. Have you talked to Sarah yet?
Because I got texts from her
offering to do my homework
and carry my book bag.
- (GRUNTS)
- Look, she just wants to help.
(SIGHS) I don't need help.
You kind of do.
- (SIGHS)
- You know the kids are
calling you "sad dad"?
I know. They spelled it in
stickers on my bathroom mirror.
Sarah can't fix
what's wrong with my life.
Agreed.
You're stuck.
You've lost your confidence,
and you've become a shell of yourself.
Well, thanks for the pep talk.
Uh, you should look into,
uh, motivational speaking.
Straight talk.
You want that to change?
Start practicing the law.
That's what you're good at.
I'll remind you, my father
had me hand over all my cases.
Then get new ones.
So when you leave Jacobson Moore,
you have some heat behind you.
Use Sarah as the gasoline. Win-win.
She works off a little guilt,
you show them you're still hungry.
MATTY: Pour some sugar on me.
ROB: Matty, we meet
again. Third time this week.
Well, God works
in mysterious ways, Rob.
(BOTH LAUGH)
How's your class action?
Still a circus?
Yup, and I'm still the guy
pushing the broom behind the elephant.
Well, somebody's got to pay
for the company jet.
How else would Senior make tee time
at St. Andrew's? (LAUGHS)
Oops. Sorry.
Just with all those
whispers out of Miami,
- I'm a little riled up.
- What whispers?
You haven't heard?
Oh, Lord.
(WINCES) I'm always
speaking out of turn.
That's one of my G-darn worst habits.
- (SIGHS)
- Matty, wait.
(WHISPERS): No, I
don't want to get in trouble.
I shouldn't have said anything.
This stays between the two of us.
Just tell me what you've heard.
MATTY: So, I told Rob that
Sonia Levy was talking to you
and Vince Miller
about the Miami office
initiating some sort of coup.
Now I told him
you'd never entertain it,
but Vince seemed interested.
That explains why I saw Rob and
Vince talking in the law library
this afternoon.
- Good work.
- Great.
Who's our next vote?
ALFIE: I got another one.
Oh, it's email from his dad,
not a vote.
I was thinking about targeting
Felicia Spencer.
Middle of a pricey divorce.
Thought I'd get her going with
"no-account, low-down,
cheating ex" talk,
and then wind her up about
the downturn in bonus projections.
What?
I wasn't saying anything.
We discussed this.
It's not fair for you to ask me
to lie and then get mad at me
for doing it.
I can't control how I feel.
Well, this is how I get things done.
- I know.
- What else do you need from me?
Time. I need time.
No problem.
Harm reduction.
Since you're arguing
religious freedom, can you
point me to a single verse
in this book
that says it's okay to help people
- inject heroin?
- PEGGY: Well,
we could certainly look at Micah 6:8,
Ezekiel 34:4,
Jeremiah 30:17.
Heroin. Where in the Bible
does it say
Objection, asked and answered.
None of those verses
are about addicts shooting up.
HOLDEN: Overruled. You may answer.
Jesus explicitly stated
that his followers were
to provide support to the sick,
and those that didn't would be
cast into eternal flame.
The DSM-5 that's a Bible
of-of sorts, to doctors
lists substance use disorder
as a health condition.
So, our ministry to addicts
is not just
in line with Christ's teachings,
it's compelled by them.
Interesting interpretation.
And interpretation is key here,
isn't it?
I asked your own archdiocese
for an advisory opinion.
Would you please read
the highlighted section?
(PEGGY CLEARS THROAT)
"Cooperation in drug abuse
is a grave offense against moral law."
ROSS: If your own church
considers your program
a "grave offense,"
then how can you claim
it's an exercise of religious beliefs?
What time is it in Italy?
FEMALE VOICE (OVER PHONE):
You are calm.
Adversity rolls over you
like waves in the ocean.
Your patience is endless.
- As deep as the
- Oh! Damn it! Oh, it's you.
I'm sorry, darling, I thought
it was your grandfather.
So that's a no on the British lady?
No, I hate her.
Let's try the Australian dude.
Okay. And another email from Joey.
That's 12 days in a row.
Well, I like that
he's being so consistent.
- Uh, how's the British lady working out?
- MATTY: Mm.
- Not a match.
- (PHONE RINGING)
- Oh.
- It's Olympia.
- Remember, patience.
- (SIGHS)
Hi there, Olympia.
Grace Tan?
That's fantastic.
And I hope you're enjoying
your time that I'm giving you
because I'm not.
(LAUGHS) She'd already hung up.
- Oh.
- MATTY: Well,
that's our last vote for the coup.
Next, I get to go and watch
Olympia defend harm reduction,
in court and to the Catholic Church.
(PHONE CHIMES)
Oh, Vatican group text.
Kidding. Delta found my luggage.
- So you were saying?
- Uh (CHUCKLES)
Got a hearing set for canon court.
What are the chances of them
overturning the archdiocese?
If I can convince them
that supporting the sinner
is different than encouraging
the sin, we got a shot.
Well, if anyone can do it, you can, Pat.
- I mean
- (CHUCKLES)
Father.
Sorry, still so weird
to think of you
as anything other than
Cutthroat Cassidy?
- (LAUGHS)
- Hangman Paddy? I had a long list
of nicknames in my former life.
I was going to say the partner
who coached me through
my first Daubert hearing.
Never forget when you told me
you were leaving.
Well, 20 years working for the Devil,
I figured I'd give God a try.
- (LAUGHS)
- Oh, so I'm the Devil now?
(PHONE BUZZING)
SENIOR: I didn't think you'd be back
after that big Jerry Maguire exit.
Happy to pop by for a case consult.
Or a quick exorcism.
Well, put in a word for me
with the Big Guy, Cassidy.
Don't worry, He's heard all about you.
(LAUGHS)
Be careful of the company you keep.
This guy. Eva.
Not working with Eva.
Working with nuns.
You told me a long time ago
to always say yes when
the higher-ups ask for a favor.
Mm.
(CASSIDY SIGHS)
OLYMPIA (OVER PHONE):
Careful calling me.
- Senior was in my office.
- Bad news.
Kent Dodson left the Miami
office for Lamar and Olson,
which means we are down a vote.
- Oh, no.
- Oh, yeah.
I spent the last week
shaking trees in other offices,
but there's no one left to approach.
Can you get one more in New York?
Honestly, I don't know if I can.
Honestly?
The presentation's incredible.
I'm going to land
Incognity Solutions as a client.
And I am totally excited about that,
even though the company
is going to eliminate my job
in two years.
Reason I always sweet-talk my Alexa.
Got to stay on good terms
with the bots
before the robot uprising.
Exactly. Why does no one else
here understand that?
I've been sucking up to mine
for the last six years.
(LAUGHS)
You're not meeting Incognity
here, are you?
You don't find my office impressive?
- I mean
- I'm going to them. And yes,
to your next question, you can come
while we're meeting
and reorganize my office.
(ROBOTIC VOICE):
Unless you are replaced
by then by the robots.
(ROBOTIC VOICE):
Even robots can't color-code
- like I can.
- (LAUGHS)
You look how I feel, son. You okay?
Oh, I'm just trying to get
this doc review done
for the priest-lawyer-emeritus guy.
OLYMPIA: Ready for court?
Yeah. Ready, boss.
- We'll meet you at the elevator.
- Yeah.
We lost a vote. Somehow,
we have to find another.
JOY: It's a huge problem.
Trust me, I didn't want to have
to organize against a convent.
I'm a Christian.
My kids are in the Christmas pageant.
ROSS: And what changed your mind?
JOY: August 17.
I was outside with my first grader.
Is that when you took this video?
No! No. No
JOY: Yes.
(SCREAMS)
- No, let me go! Let me go!
- I thought it was random,
but now I know that they are
condoning this behavior,
attracting users
Your Honor, this is
deliberately inflammatory.
I move for an immediate
protective order
- placing this exhibit under seal.
- ROSS: On what grounds?
This is what's happening.
Harm reduction isn't
gentle hymns, quiet prayers.
It's overdoses, it's blood
and vomit and needles.
It's addicts flying into violent rages
because Narcan ripped away their high.
This is what it looks like.
Are you okay?
Seeing that? Watching that?
No, I'm not.
Which is why I told you to stay home.
Well, clearly, I should have.
And I don't know why I didn't.
Actually, that's not true.
It's my own addiction.
To fixing this. Us.
We need some space.
Let's call it harm reduction.
(CROWD SHOUTING)
LOUISE:
The archdiocese is evicting us?
They referenced the video
and the two New York Ledger
articles about
the OD in front of the church.
I'm appealing to the Church's
highest court, the Roman Rota,
but they're more likely
to agree to hear the case
if you win this civil suit.
And the civil suit needs
the Church's sign-off.
Quite the artisanal pickle.
We just have to push forward
when we present our case this week
and focus on all the good works
you do for the community.
(CROWD SHOUTING IN DISTANCE)
We had to shut down the soup kitchen.
Nobody can get through.
Now they're actually keeping you
from feeding people?
Forgive them, Father,
for they know not what they do.
Uh, you're really not angry?
We reserve our anger
for the likes of Katy Perry.
(SOFT LAUGHTER)
They're letting fear lead
instead of love,
and if we don't forgive them,
we're doing the same thing.
Where's Matty, by the way?
Shultz is a power grabber,
but he's trying to land U.S. Steel,
so he might not vote to oust Senior
because it'll make the firm
seem unstable.
What do you think?
I think if this week at home
is going to extend to two weeks,
you should help out
with some meal prep.
- But
- And don't do that thing
where you pretend
that you're incompetent,
I get frustrated and then
I do the whole thing myself.
I appreciate how you see me.
Partners for life, baby.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
MATTY: Okay.
Shultz versus Lasky.
Approach the wrong person,
we're busted.
What do you think?
I think you might want
to reach out to Olympia,
who knows these people.
She's working on the case,
I'm working on the coup.
We're giving each other space.
Everyone benefits from a little space.
You don't say.
You know, I don't remember
you being in my way
when we were home in San Francisco.
MATTY: Well, that's because
Alfie was small,
and I was busy with him.
The great thing is, is we have
time to make a decision
on whom to approach, and then
we can have a real debate.
Would you like to help me fold
while we debate?
Yeah. Got it.
To fold the laundry,
you must approach the laundry.
- Oh, Edwin.
- What?
Alfie's been keeping
something from us.
♪
JULIAN: Hey.
- Hi.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
I-I thought you left for Incognity.
First order of business? Go digital.
Incognity pushed the meeting
until tomorrow.
And, uh
I can't. (CHUCKLES)
(LAUGHS): It's stupid, but
growing up, I'd come to the office
once in a while to visit my dad.
He kept a datebook just like this.
Always seemed full
of the most important things
in the world.
So, bought my first one
the day I graduated law school.
(CLEARS THROAT) So
Aren't you gonna ask me
why they pushed
the meeting until tomorrow?
Uh
Why did they push
the meeting until tomorrow?
Because they want their whole
executive committee to be there
when they sign with Jacobson Moore.
- Really?
- Uh-huh. Really. (LAUGHS)
(IMITATES WHIRRING) Sarah,
activate robot dance mode.
Mm, mm.
Y2K. Execute funkiness.
- (IMITATES WHIRRING)
- No way I'm doing that.
Join in or face our wrath.
(IMITATES WHIRRING)
- (LAUGHS)
- Oh.
(CLEARS THROAT) So
Um, will you
Sort out the contracts for filing?
Beep, boop. Yep.
- (BOTH LAUGH)
- That, and come with me?
To build the relationship?
Incognity will be lucky to have
a lawyer like you one day.
Me?
I'll be moving on from Jacobson Moore,
uh, at some point,
and, uh, given my father's
"no poaching" policy,
I'm not taking them with me, so
let's make sure they get to know you.
Grabbing the kids from basketball,
we'll call you at bedtime.
FYI, introducing a new name.
No longer "sad dad."
Going with "Rad Dad."
- You got Incognity?
- Mm-hmm.
Can I have Sarah back?
You can.
Nun case still tough going?
Saw the Ledger articles.
I've got addiction experts
and a boatload of studies,
but their side was so visceral.
I can't figure out
how to sway emotion our way.
Matty's still out of the office?
Sarah said Matty's mom
was an alcoholic.
She's sensitive to addiction issues.
That true?
It is, yeah.
But that's not the whole truth, right?
It's my fault. (EXHALES)
Bringing up the fact that Matty
took the photos
from Mrs. Belvin's office,
it damaged trust between you two.
She should have been honest with me.
True, but friends aren't soldiers.
Straight talk
you are your father's daughter.
Your father is apologizing
for not writing last week,
but you showed us emails.
I wrote them.
I didn't want you
to think he messed up,
because you said
he has to get it all perfect.
Darling,
he's allowed to make
normal life kind of mistakes.
He only has to be perfect
in his sobriety.
- (DOORBELL RINGS)
- Oh. That's Olympia.
She reached out.
Probably wants to talk about the coup.
- Okay.
- I need to say something.
You lied to me for a year,
so I'm allowed
to be mad for a year if I want,
because trust is important to me,
and if what you said
in your letter is true,
about our friendship, then prove it
and help me win this case
even if it's hard for you.
- Well
- Because forgiveness is hard.
- I know
- And if you say you want to earn it,
then put in the work to earn it.
Well, if you'd stop talking
for a second, I could say yes.
Come on.
We need to counter the idea
that by providing care,
the nuns are endangering
the community.
What about Lasky?
- To help with the nuns?
- (SCOFFS)
MATTY: Well, Lasky went on
vacation with Senior in 2012.
And he doesn't like him now,
but I'm worried about
- residual loyalty.
- (SIGHS)
Okay.
So, what if you argue
that if Alyssa's overdose
happened in the church,
no child could have seen it
from the playground.
That won't counteract the image
in the mind of the judge.
Or the fact that a child saw.
No, it won't, but this
is someone's child, too.
We have to get the judge to feel that,
and understand
that there are no good options.
Say you're Alyssa, and you grow up
(LAUGHS): Oh, I mean, holy hell.
If this isn't divine intervention.
Look at her prior address.
It's right by the church.
The nuns didn't bring danger
into the community,
Alyssa is the community.
We need Alyssa to testify.
But how do we find her?
Well, you've come to the right person.
Well, what's the really good news?
Julian definitely isn't
poaching clients,
so whatever you heard is just a rumor.
Well, thank you
for sharing your opinion,
which I did not ask for.
What I did ask for were photos
of my son's datebook.
Did you get that?
No, I didn't.
So it's not "really good news."
(SIREN WAILING)
You want some food?
Water?
Yeah. Thanks.
- So, Alyssa?
- Lombardi.
Alyssa Lombardi.
You said you knew her?
I haven't seen her in a while,
but I have her number.
Sorry, that guy has been following me.
I know him, he's bad news.
Can we talk in your car, do you think?
Yeah. Get in.
(DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)
Somewhere we should go?
Uh, the-the convent.
Sometimes I go there,
but all the protestors shut it down.
(STRAINS)
I'm sorry, I have to use.
- I have to
- Uh, no, no, no. No, no. N-Not-not here.
TANYA: Yeah, okay, uh,
take my phone, text Alyssa while I
You got to, you got to go.
Okay.
- Yeah. Yeah, uh, let me get out.
- (GLASS SHATTERS)
- Give me my phone.
- No, don't.
I have to do this.
- I'll come back.
- Stay in the car.
I have to
I understand.
Stay in the car.
Text Alyssa.
(BAG UNZIPPING)
- (RUBBER SQUISHING)
- (CLINKING)
Uh, my father was a military man.
Think you know that.
We used to move
every three years or so.
- (LIGHTER CLICKING)
- New base,
new school, new friends.
He used to tell me
that I was his "little soldier."
Tough.
"You'll take the good ones with you."
He also said that,
"If anyone betrays you,
move on."
I even cut my own mother off.
So, this trust thing, Matty
- It runs deep.
- Real deep.
But I have to move past it,
so that I don't keep losing the
things that are most important to me.
♪
(CONVERSING INAUDIBLY)
Are you sure you can do this?
I can do this.
OLYMPIA: Alyssa, is that you,
overdosing in this video?
It is. Yes.
When did your addiction start?
Fourteen.
By the time I was 17,
my parents had thrown me out.
OLYMPIA: Where were you living?
Before they kicked you out.
60th and Putnam.
Two blocks from the convent.
So, you were brought up
in the neighborhood?
- I was.
- What brought you back?
I had been living in Philly.
Struggling.
I thought being closer
to home would help.
Let's talk about the day
of your overdose.
I had been sober two months,
so my tolerance was lower.
I used the old amount.
ELLIE: That's what happened to me.
I was sober, and I slipped,
and my tolerance was lower.
ALYSSA: If I had been
in the park, I'd be dead.
But I was near the convent.
And Sister Bennie
came out with Narcan.
There was no one there for me.
OLYMPIA: And was
that your last time using?
ALYSSA: No.
But
I'm back in recovery now.
And I'm gonna try again.
I got another chance to try again.
ELLIE: Another chance
to see my son grow up.
And my parents grow old.
To sing karaoke
ALYSSA: I get another chance
to do it all differently.
OLYMPIA: Now, if we are
really worried about public safety,
what could be a bigger threat
than stopping
a program that is saving
community members' lives?
SARAH: I got the photos you asked for.
Good job.
Was beginning to think
all that talk about ambition
was just hot air. (CHUCKLES)
You can go.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY) A beaut.
Hi. Yay.
Baby's kicking like crazy.
- Yeah?
- Yeah, look. Knows I'm excited.
- (LAUGHS) Oh
- Because I was talking
to my mom and I had a revelation.
Billy, I don't care about
getting married.
Seriously, it's caused both
of us so much stress and pain.
And I have faith in us,
married or not married.
- So
- Claudia.
I do want us to get married.
Oh, thank God.
We were always meant to be a family.
MATTY: Well, I've been
told by those in the know
that God puts
the right people around you
so you don't stay broken forever.
Just give it to us straight.
The judge issued her ruling.
She found
Alyssa's testimony compelling,
but safety concerns outweighed it.
The harm reduction part of
your program will be shut down,
but your homeless outreach
can continue.
And the Church backed off eviction,
as long as there's no drug use
on Church property.
Sometimes, His signs are clear.
(SIGHS)
The Lord called us to minister
to those on the streets.
It seems to be the moment
to take our ministry
to the streets.
- What does that mean?
- We'll leave the convent
in the capable hands of our sisters.
You're leaving the Church?
Matthew 18:20.
Jesus said, "For where two or three
"are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."
And look at that.
One, two, three of us.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, sisterhood is a powerful thing.
It sure is.
Well, we should let the others know.
- So, did you talk to Alfie?
- Yeah.
I told him his father
doesn't have to be perfect
in his sobriety.
Just has to be committing to trying.
- Look at that mountain moving.
- (PHONE BUZZING)
It's Eva.
Calling about the coup.
We just don't have that last vote.
About that
I'm just trying to get
this doc review done
for the priest-lawyer-emeritus guy.
- Partners for life, baby.
- (LAUGHS)
Well, we should let the others know.
And I should get to the airport.
- Sisters. Well
- Thank you, Father.
One last question, Father.
How would you feel about
a good Old Testament smiting?
Cassidy still has
partner emeritus status.
Partners emeriti
still retain voting power.
He's our last vote?
Said it was his God-given duty.
So, we're really doing this?
Prayers up.
Amen, sister.
(BOTH LAUGH)
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.
- You love me.
- I do.
You and I have to find
a way to work together
despite our trust issues
to bring down Senior.
OLYMPIA: The Partners
in Charge are in New York?
- SENIOR: Eva.
- EVA: I thought it was
a good time to assess
the king's court.
Does this involve unseating the king?
- A coup?
- What's going on, Dad?
You were trying to get into
Belvin's files last night.
What were you looking for, son?
You've been staring at me all morning,
and now you're following me
into hallways.
Matty wasn't conspiring with Belvin.
I went after a 76-year-old
grandmother. Your friend.
- What is wrong with me?
- Nothing's wrong with you.
OLYMPIA:
I just crushed Julian in a way
that feels lasting.
I lied, but you are a liar.
MATTY: I will not do that again
if we move forward
with our friendship.
I don't know if I can.
You really hurt me, Matty,
and I need to protect myself.
♪
(BEEPS)
MATTY: Morning.
Brought you a coffee.
- And
- Hi, Ms. Lawrence.
- OLYMPIA: Morning.
- Hey, Matty. How's the plant doing?
MATTY: Oh, it's
growing bigger every day.
Like your son. How's Little League?
Oh, big game this weekend.
- Prayers up.
- (MATTY CHUCKLES)
Prayers up.
Prayers can work wonders.
Oh, it's just an expression.
Me and the Big Guy parted ways
a long time ago.
Oh, some relationships
are worth fighting for.
Maybe you'll find
your way back to each other.
Kind of feels like
the cops driving behind me.
Are you an "every Sunday" Christian
or a Christmas/Easter Christian?
I'm a "talk about work at work"
Christian.
It's a slow day, so let's strategize.
We need to get Debra Palmer's
NDA and find out what it covers.
Did you look through the
archived Wellbrexa index again?
Yes. It's definitely
not in the system.
So, Senior likely keeps
a hard copy at his home office.
Which means, to get our hands on it,
I have to get in there, and
Are you listening?
The nuns are back.
(EXHALES)
Hi, Sisters, Eva.
Didn't know you were in New York.
I came for a little personal
matter and stopped by to see
my favorite ladies.
Turns out,
they could use some legal help.
Oh.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Didn't realize you were so devout.
The sisters helped me with my
Catholic guilt after my divorce.
Showed them Senior's wardrobe,
and they agreed I deserved
special dispensation.
- (BOTH LAUGH)
- Hi, Matty.
- Hi. Have we met?
- No.
I researched Olympia's team.
Loved your hardscrabble story.
Super relatable.
Uh, to juries, not me.
I come from money.
- Oh. Good to know.
- Good to have.
So, listen, my nuns run
a ministry for the unhoused
and the neighbors are making
a stink about it,
so I was hoping you'd go
to the zoning board meeting
with them today,
shut the neighbors down.
Maybe you'll
fast-pass the Pearly Gates.
Uh
Have Billy and Sarah
talk to the sisters.
I'll find you after
to discuss our other case.
Mm-hmm.
It's time.
The quarterly meeting is in six weeks,
and I want to call a vote
to oust Senior.
- What are your numbers?
- Miami and D.C. are locked.
Chicago and Dallas are Senior country.
New York decides it.
Out of 40 partners,
we need 21 to pull off the coup.
I know ten that will say yes
if approached, but not by me.
Agreed. You're poison here.
I shouldn't even be seen with you.
We've got cover with the nuns.
So, what do you say?
You want to deep-fry the devil?
PEGGY: When you hear a higher calling,
you have to answer it.
What started out
as a little soup kitchen
blossomed into meals
and hot showers and job training.
(LAUGHS) "Blossomed"?
You talk like
you're in The Sound of Music.
Oh, Bennie, stop picking on me.
Point is, we help out a lot,
and the community was into it.
But then came
the artisanal pickle shop
and the oat milk espresso bar.
The gentrifiers descended
like a plague of locusts
- with canvas tote bags.
- PEGGY: All right.
We're all God's children.
Even the locusts with the tote bags.
- (PHONE CHIMES)
- Sorry.
Uh, I had to keep my phone on
because, uh, well, I'm having a baby.
Ah. How far along is your wife?
Four months.
But, uh, not my wife.
Although I did propose,
but she said no, so
Anyway,
I am going to propose, again.
- You are?
- Yeah.
But when I think about
getting down on one knee,
I just go back to the moment
she said no.
Then take your time to heal. Mm?
But remember,
marriage comes with perks.
By which I mean tax incentives.
Listen to her.
She does all of our accounting.
MATTY: Oh, for Lord's sake,
don't use AI.
The whole point is to connect
with your father.
L-Listen, I've got to
get back to work.
Bye.
Joey wrote Alfie from rehab,
and he's stressed over
what to write back.
Eva's ready to stage the coup
at the next quarterly meeting,
if I can secure the votes
needed from New York.
- Well, what are you thinking?
- That if Senior's gone,
we'd be able to access
so much more of Wellbrexa.
- But if the coup fails
- Can't.
If you aim for the king,
you better not miss.
Zoning.
(CHUCKLES)
Yeah, fascinating
little nook of the law.
It's just
research for Olympia, sir.
Oh, call me Senior.
Liked meeting your parents.
Oh, Gary's not actually
Your dad said you were ambitious.
Well, Dad never lies.
Good, because I need a favor.
Anything, Senior.
I think my son is plotting
to poach clients when he leaves,
but I want to be sure,
so I need pictures of his datebook
for the last six months.
Can I trust you
to handle this discreetly?
Well
(CHUCKLES) is there a conflict?
Because I-I work for Olympia.
Ambitious lawyer like you knows
that the good of the firm
always comes first.
(CHUCKLING SOFTLY)
(DOOR OPENS, CLOSES)
(SIGHS)
BOARD MEMBER:
Next issue before the board,
matter #25-1346,
regarding the Convent
of Perpetual Hope.
(QUIET CHATTER)
I'm sorry
for whatever it was
that made you lose your faith.
Must've been terribly painful.
Death of my child.
The hardest to explain.
One can only say
God is near the brokenhearted,
restores the crushed in spirit.
Yeah, didn't feel him near.
And yet, you survived
the unimaginable.
You think He left you.
I think He left you standing.
Put the right people in your path
so you didn't remain broken forever.
BOARD MEMBER: All right, let's begin.
ROSS: Esteemed board members,
I come before you on behalf
of a coalition of concerned neighbors.
Allowing a zoning variance
sets dangerous precedent.
What happens when a developer
requests the same accommodation?
Studio apartments
turned into bunk-bed hostels?
In 2012, the convent provided
shelter for Sandy evacuees.
In 2020, the convent
housed nurses brought in
to tackle the pandemic.
Last summer, when it was too hot
for the Cub Scouts
to sleep outside,
they slept in the church.
And I don't recall any
"slippery slope" objections
to those uses.
We're not talking about Cub Scouts.
When the nuns opened their shelter,
vandalism and property crimes
started rising.
As they did citywide.
Correlation is not causation.
And I have multiple studies
showing that the addition
of homeless shelters
lowers property values.
60 years ago,
if someone who looked like me
moved into the neighborhood,
you'd hear that same argument.
It is based on prejudice,
not on facts.
What is a fact
is that 770 unhoused New Yorkers
died last year
from extreme heat
and cold temperatures,
from a lack of access to medical care,
from malnutrition.
What these nuns are doing
shouldn't be restricted,
it should be celebrated.
SARAH: We won?
Praise be.
Yup, my headache is better,
was just doing some backup research.
I'll meet you downstairs.
One of the sisters
left their Mardi Gras beads
- in the conference room.
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Sarah found your rosary.
(PHONE CHIMES)
Wait here with Billy.
Matty will grab
your client intake paperwork.
Eva wants an answer.
Take away the title,
you take away Senior's power.
And once he's gone,
the loyalty dries up,
and he's not here
to guard the evidence,
and our case just opens right up.
I know, but supporting the vote
and rallying all the other
partners together
are two different things.
I-I have a lot to lose.
Personally and professionally.
Well, that's why I should be
the tip of the spear.
You know, the other partners won't see
Matty Matlock a-coming.
- And if I'm caught
- Then you'd be out.
I'd be at Jacobson Moore alone,
flying solo on our mission.
I trust you.
And also, have faith.
(SIGHS) I-I do.
Look, I read your letter.
I want to get back to our friendship.
But I don't know if I can.
I'll focus on "want."
- (SOFT CHUCKLE)
- (PHONE BUZZES)
Hello?
Whoa, Sister Louise, slow down.
What?
There's some sort of raid
happening at the church.
What? Why?
No. It's not that I don't think
being a corporate compliance liaison
- is important. I'm not
- Hey, Julian.
- enough, uh, hours in the day.
- Wait, Julian.
(GASPS)
Sorry, I
(GASPS)
Oh
(GASPING)
- (SIGHS)
- Holy cr
JOY (ON RECORDING):
Help! I'm walking home,
and I just saw a man
run into the church.
I think he has a gun.
Nice job shaking the 911 call loose.
Well, having a family
full of cops has its benefits.
And that call was definitely a hoax.
Matty, Sarah, and I canvassed everyone
in or near the church.
No one saw anyone with a gun.
Well, I just got a heads-up
from opposing counsel
that the neighbors
are filing a civil suit.
What? On what basis?
Something to do with whatever
they found in the raid.
We still need the seizure log.
My sisters are all over it.
Uh, cop sisters, not nun sisters.
Although, nun sisters are
working on it, too,
through prayer.
How are they holding up
with all the neighborhood hostility?
Practicing forgiveness.
And encouraging me to do
the same with Claudia during our
Pre-Cana counseling sessions.
- Oh, how's that going?
- I can forgive,
but forgetting is difficult.
Claudia really crushed me,
and she wants
to move forward
like nothing ever happened.
Easier said than done.
Trust me, I get it.
Thanks. I know she doesn't mean
to pressure me, but
I'm sure Claudia would go back
and do things differently,
- if she could.
- Yeah, that's what she says, but
It still happened,
and forgiveness can't be rushed.
Welcome back!
Brought you breakfast.
Oh, I told you in the hospital,
no need.
And I told you in the hospital,
it's the least I can do
since I almost killed you.
- Uh, hey, let me
- No, no.
- No.
- I got it. I
I got, I got
Here.
This desk violates, like,
six ADA guidelines.
Let me reorganize it for you.
Oh, I'm all good here,
but I do have to make
a phone call, so could you
Okay. I'll check in with you later.
Bye.
(LINE RINGS)
Olympia, help.
Sarah is overbearing,
she is annoying, and she's
Right in front of me. Got it.
Sarah, walk with me.
- Sure. Where? Anywhere.
- Coffee.
- Fun, yes.
- (CHUCKLES)
Want to fire up the mentorship again?
TBD, but here's some mentor advice.
- Mm-hmm.
- Give Julian some space,
like we talked about in the ER
and the hospital cafeteria.
It's just hard.
Look, can I be frank?
Have you ever not been?
Oh, yeah, I hold back all the time.
I just, I feel so badly for Julian.
His life is in the toilet.
You divorced him,
and then trounced him
in a partner race,
his dad demoted him,
and then he goes all
Death Becomes Her
down the lobby stairs.
Guy can't catch a break, you know?
Yeah. Yeah, I do know.
So maybe you could help me
help him?
BILLY: Hey, boss.
Found the contents of the raid.
You're gonna want to take a look.
OLYMPIA: Drugs.
Specifically, heroin
and six dozen hypodermics.
And we think we know why
it was found in the church.
We believe the neighborhood coalition
planted the drugs after losing
with the zoning board.
Then, they called 911, said they saw
a gun, knowing the cops
would respond immediately.
A way to bolster
their public nuisance lawsuit.
What is it?
The neighbors didn't plant
the heroin or the needles.
2018, we were finding people dead,
felt like nearly every day,
on park benches, in a pew.
We started stocking Narcan.
Narcan's a lifesaver.
What about the needles?
One night, this girl came in.
Shaking, track marks,
- on the edge of withdrawal.
- We had a zero-tolerance policy,
but it was freezing,
eight inches of snow.
PEGGY: Well, she was terrified
she'd take a hot shot
and never wake up.
So, we sat with her,
and she was so grateful.
Talked about the times
she'd been robbed, assaulted
while she was high on the streets.
LOUISE: So now, only when asked,
we provide clean needles,
alcohol wipes,
and a safe injection site.
There is a name for this practice.
Harm reduction. There's no such thing.
You know how people get clean?
They lose the things they love.
The practice reduces
overdose deaths by 50%.
Reducing overdoses is
not the same as getting clean.
It's a temporary reprieve on a journey
that leads to the same destination.
Addicts end up in jail,
sober, or dead.
Regardless of any personal
opinion, the neighborhood
coalition's lawsuit just got teeth.
Are you willing
to give up the practice?
We can't walk away from those in need.
Then we go to trial
and defend you under RLUIPA, show that
harm reduction is an exercise
of your religion
and prove there is no compelling
governmental interest
in shutting it down.
I think that you should
sit this one out.
No.
I want to be here.
It's it's like Billy said,
forgiveness is slow and steady work.
You keep showing up,
even if it's tough.
Coffee date still on?
- Yeah. I'm heading there next.
- Great.
Hey. Have you talked to Sarah yet?
Because I got texts from her
offering to do my homework
and carry my book bag.
- (GRUNTS)
- Look, she just wants to help.
(SIGHS) I don't need help.
You kind of do.
- (SIGHS)
- You know the kids are
calling you "sad dad"?
I know. They spelled it in
stickers on my bathroom mirror.
Sarah can't fix
what's wrong with my life.
Agreed.
You're stuck.
You've lost your confidence,
and you've become a shell of yourself.
Well, thanks for the pep talk.
Uh, you should look into,
uh, motivational speaking.
Straight talk.
You want that to change?
Start practicing the law.
That's what you're good at.
I'll remind you, my father
had me hand over all my cases.
Then get new ones.
So when you leave Jacobson Moore,
you have some heat behind you.
Use Sarah as the gasoline. Win-win.
She works off a little guilt,
you show them you're still hungry.
MATTY: Pour some sugar on me.
ROB: Matty, we meet
again. Third time this week.
Well, God works
in mysterious ways, Rob.
(BOTH LAUGH)
How's your class action?
Still a circus?
Yup, and I'm still the guy
pushing the broom behind the elephant.
Well, somebody's got to pay
for the company jet.
How else would Senior make tee time
at St. Andrew's? (LAUGHS)
Oops. Sorry.
Just with all those
whispers out of Miami,
- I'm a little riled up.
- What whispers?
You haven't heard?
Oh, Lord.
(WINCES) I'm always
speaking out of turn.
That's one of my G-darn worst habits.
- (SIGHS)
- Matty, wait.
(WHISPERS): No, I
don't want to get in trouble.
I shouldn't have said anything.
This stays between the two of us.
Just tell me what you've heard.
MATTY: So, I told Rob that
Sonia Levy was talking to you
and Vince Miller
about the Miami office
initiating some sort of coup.
Now I told him
you'd never entertain it,
but Vince seemed interested.
That explains why I saw Rob and
Vince talking in the law library
this afternoon.
- Good work.
- Great.
Who's our next vote?
ALFIE: I got another one.
Oh, it's email from his dad,
not a vote.
I was thinking about targeting
Felicia Spencer.
Middle of a pricey divorce.
Thought I'd get her going with
"no-account, low-down,
cheating ex" talk,
and then wind her up about
the downturn in bonus projections.
What?
I wasn't saying anything.
We discussed this.
It's not fair for you to ask me
to lie and then get mad at me
for doing it.
I can't control how I feel.
Well, this is how I get things done.
- I know.
- What else do you need from me?
Time. I need time.
No problem.
Harm reduction.
Since you're arguing
religious freedom, can you
point me to a single verse
in this book
that says it's okay to help people
- inject heroin?
- PEGGY: Well,
we could certainly look at Micah 6:8,
Ezekiel 34:4,
Jeremiah 30:17.
Heroin. Where in the Bible
does it say
Objection, asked and answered.
None of those verses
are about addicts shooting up.
HOLDEN: Overruled. You may answer.
Jesus explicitly stated
that his followers were
to provide support to the sick,
and those that didn't would be
cast into eternal flame.
The DSM-5 that's a Bible
of-of sorts, to doctors
lists substance use disorder
as a health condition.
So, our ministry to addicts
is not just
in line with Christ's teachings,
it's compelled by them.
Interesting interpretation.
And interpretation is key here,
isn't it?
I asked your own archdiocese
for an advisory opinion.
Would you please read
the highlighted section?
(PEGGY CLEARS THROAT)
"Cooperation in drug abuse
is a grave offense against moral law."
ROSS: If your own church
considers your program
a "grave offense,"
then how can you claim
it's an exercise of religious beliefs?
What time is it in Italy?
FEMALE VOICE (OVER PHONE):
You are calm.
Adversity rolls over you
like waves in the ocean.
Your patience is endless.
- As deep as the
- Oh! Damn it! Oh, it's you.
I'm sorry, darling, I thought
it was your grandfather.
So that's a no on the British lady?
No, I hate her.
Let's try the Australian dude.
Okay. And another email from Joey.
That's 12 days in a row.
Well, I like that
he's being so consistent.
- Uh, how's the British lady working out?
- MATTY: Mm.
- Not a match.
- (PHONE RINGING)
- Oh.
- It's Olympia.
- Remember, patience.
- (SIGHS)
Hi there, Olympia.
Grace Tan?
That's fantastic.
And I hope you're enjoying
your time that I'm giving you
because I'm not.
(LAUGHS) She'd already hung up.
- Oh.
- MATTY: Well,
that's our last vote for the coup.
Next, I get to go and watch
Olympia defend harm reduction,
in court and to the Catholic Church.
(PHONE CHIMES)
Oh, Vatican group text.
Kidding. Delta found my luggage.
- So you were saying?
- Uh (CHUCKLES)
Got a hearing set for canon court.
What are the chances of them
overturning the archdiocese?
If I can convince them
that supporting the sinner
is different than encouraging
the sin, we got a shot.
Well, if anyone can do it, you can, Pat.
- I mean
- (CHUCKLES)
Father.
Sorry, still so weird
to think of you
as anything other than
Cutthroat Cassidy?
- (LAUGHS)
- Hangman Paddy? I had a long list
of nicknames in my former life.
I was going to say the partner
who coached me through
my first Daubert hearing.
Never forget when you told me
you were leaving.
Well, 20 years working for the Devil,
I figured I'd give God a try.
- (LAUGHS)
- Oh, so I'm the Devil now?
(PHONE BUZZING)
SENIOR: I didn't think you'd be back
after that big Jerry Maguire exit.
Happy to pop by for a case consult.
Or a quick exorcism.
Well, put in a word for me
with the Big Guy, Cassidy.
Don't worry, He's heard all about you.
(LAUGHS)
Be careful of the company you keep.
This guy. Eva.
Not working with Eva.
Working with nuns.
You told me a long time ago
to always say yes when
the higher-ups ask for a favor.
Mm.
(CASSIDY SIGHS)
OLYMPIA (OVER PHONE):
Careful calling me.
- Senior was in my office.
- Bad news.
Kent Dodson left the Miami
office for Lamar and Olson,
which means we are down a vote.
- Oh, no.
- Oh, yeah.
I spent the last week
shaking trees in other offices,
but there's no one left to approach.
Can you get one more in New York?
Honestly, I don't know if I can.
Honestly?
The presentation's incredible.
I'm going to land
Incognity Solutions as a client.
And I am totally excited about that,
even though the company
is going to eliminate my job
in two years.
Reason I always sweet-talk my Alexa.
Got to stay on good terms
with the bots
before the robot uprising.
Exactly. Why does no one else
here understand that?
I've been sucking up to mine
for the last six years.
(LAUGHS)
You're not meeting Incognity
here, are you?
You don't find my office impressive?
- I mean
- I'm going to them. And yes,
to your next question, you can come
while we're meeting
and reorganize my office.
(ROBOTIC VOICE):
Unless you are replaced
by then by the robots.
(ROBOTIC VOICE):
Even robots can't color-code
- like I can.
- (LAUGHS)
You look how I feel, son. You okay?
Oh, I'm just trying to get
this doc review done
for the priest-lawyer-emeritus guy.
OLYMPIA: Ready for court?
Yeah. Ready, boss.
- We'll meet you at the elevator.
- Yeah.
We lost a vote. Somehow,
we have to find another.
JOY: It's a huge problem.
Trust me, I didn't want to have
to organize against a convent.
I'm a Christian.
My kids are in the Christmas pageant.
ROSS: And what changed your mind?
JOY: August 17.
I was outside with my first grader.
Is that when you took this video?
No! No. No
JOY: Yes.
(SCREAMS)
- No, let me go! Let me go!
- I thought it was random,
but now I know that they are
condoning this behavior,
attracting users
Your Honor, this is
deliberately inflammatory.
I move for an immediate
protective order
- placing this exhibit under seal.
- ROSS: On what grounds?
This is what's happening.
Harm reduction isn't
gentle hymns, quiet prayers.
It's overdoses, it's blood
and vomit and needles.
It's addicts flying into violent rages
because Narcan ripped away their high.
This is what it looks like.
Are you okay?
Seeing that? Watching that?
No, I'm not.
Which is why I told you to stay home.
Well, clearly, I should have.
And I don't know why I didn't.
Actually, that's not true.
It's my own addiction.
To fixing this. Us.
We need some space.
Let's call it harm reduction.
(CROWD SHOUTING)
LOUISE:
The archdiocese is evicting us?
They referenced the video
and the two New York Ledger
articles about
the OD in front of the church.
I'm appealing to the Church's
highest court, the Roman Rota,
but they're more likely
to agree to hear the case
if you win this civil suit.
And the civil suit needs
the Church's sign-off.
Quite the artisanal pickle.
We just have to push forward
when we present our case this week
and focus on all the good works
you do for the community.
(CROWD SHOUTING IN DISTANCE)
We had to shut down the soup kitchen.
Nobody can get through.
Now they're actually keeping you
from feeding people?
Forgive them, Father,
for they know not what they do.
Uh, you're really not angry?
We reserve our anger
for the likes of Katy Perry.
(SOFT LAUGHTER)
They're letting fear lead
instead of love,
and if we don't forgive them,
we're doing the same thing.
Where's Matty, by the way?
Shultz is a power grabber,
but he's trying to land U.S. Steel,
so he might not vote to oust Senior
because it'll make the firm
seem unstable.
What do you think?
I think if this week at home
is going to extend to two weeks,
you should help out
with some meal prep.
- But
- And don't do that thing
where you pretend
that you're incompetent,
I get frustrated and then
I do the whole thing myself.
I appreciate how you see me.
Partners for life, baby.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
MATTY: Okay.
Shultz versus Lasky.
Approach the wrong person,
we're busted.
What do you think?
I think you might want
to reach out to Olympia,
who knows these people.
She's working on the case,
I'm working on the coup.
We're giving each other space.
Everyone benefits from a little space.
You don't say.
You know, I don't remember
you being in my way
when we were home in San Francisco.
MATTY: Well, that's because
Alfie was small,
and I was busy with him.
The great thing is, is we have
time to make a decision
on whom to approach, and then
we can have a real debate.
Would you like to help me fold
while we debate?
Yeah. Got it.
To fold the laundry,
you must approach the laundry.
- Oh, Edwin.
- What?
Alfie's been keeping
something from us.
♪
JULIAN: Hey.
- Hi.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
I-I thought you left for Incognity.
First order of business? Go digital.
Incognity pushed the meeting
until tomorrow.
And, uh
I can't. (CHUCKLES)
(LAUGHS): It's stupid, but
growing up, I'd come to the office
once in a while to visit my dad.
He kept a datebook just like this.
Always seemed full
of the most important things
in the world.
So, bought my first one
the day I graduated law school.
(CLEARS THROAT) So
Aren't you gonna ask me
why they pushed
the meeting until tomorrow?
Uh
Why did they push
the meeting until tomorrow?
Because they want their whole
executive committee to be there
when they sign with Jacobson Moore.
- Really?
- Uh-huh. Really. (LAUGHS)
(IMITATES WHIRRING) Sarah,
activate robot dance mode.
Mm, mm.
Y2K. Execute funkiness.
- (IMITATES WHIRRING)
- No way I'm doing that.
Join in or face our wrath.
(IMITATES WHIRRING)
- (LAUGHS)
- Oh.
(CLEARS THROAT) So
Um, will you
Sort out the contracts for filing?
Beep, boop. Yep.
- (BOTH LAUGH)
- That, and come with me?
To build the relationship?
Incognity will be lucky to have
a lawyer like you one day.
Me?
I'll be moving on from Jacobson Moore,
uh, at some point,
and, uh, given my father's
"no poaching" policy,
I'm not taking them with me, so
let's make sure they get to know you.
Grabbing the kids from basketball,
we'll call you at bedtime.
FYI, introducing a new name.
No longer "sad dad."
Going with "Rad Dad."
- You got Incognity?
- Mm-hmm.
Can I have Sarah back?
You can.
Nun case still tough going?
Saw the Ledger articles.
I've got addiction experts
and a boatload of studies,
but their side was so visceral.
I can't figure out
how to sway emotion our way.
Matty's still out of the office?
Sarah said Matty's mom
was an alcoholic.
She's sensitive to addiction issues.
That true?
It is, yeah.
But that's not the whole truth, right?
It's my fault. (EXHALES)
Bringing up the fact that Matty
took the photos
from Mrs. Belvin's office,
it damaged trust between you two.
She should have been honest with me.
True, but friends aren't soldiers.
Straight talk
you are your father's daughter.
Your father is apologizing
for not writing last week,
but you showed us emails.
I wrote them.
I didn't want you
to think he messed up,
because you said
he has to get it all perfect.
Darling,
he's allowed to make
normal life kind of mistakes.
He only has to be perfect
in his sobriety.
- (DOORBELL RINGS)
- Oh. That's Olympia.
She reached out.
Probably wants to talk about the coup.
- Okay.
- I need to say something.
You lied to me for a year,
so I'm allowed
to be mad for a year if I want,
because trust is important to me,
and if what you said
in your letter is true,
about our friendship, then prove it
and help me win this case
even if it's hard for you.
- Well
- Because forgiveness is hard.
- I know
- And if you say you want to earn it,
then put in the work to earn it.
Well, if you'd stop talking
for a second, I could say yes.
Come on.
We need to counter the idea
that by providing care,
the nuns are endangering
the community.
What about Lasky?
- To help with the nuns?
- (SCOFFS)
MATTY: Well, Lasky went on
vacation with Senior in 2012.
And he doesn't like him now,
but I'm worried about
- residual loyalty.
- (SIGHS)
Okay.
So, what if you argue
that if Alyssa's overdose
happened in the church,
no child could have seen it
from the playground.
That won't counteract the image
in the mind of the judge.
Or the fact that a child saw.
No, it won't, but this
is someone's child, too.
We have to get the judge to feel that,
and understand
that there are no good options.
Say you're Alyssa, and you grow up
(LAUGHS): Oh, I mean, holy hell.
If this isn't divine intervention.
Look at her prior address.
It's right by the church.
The nuns didn't bring danger
into the community,
Alyssa is the community.
We need Alyssa to testify.
But how do we find her?
Well, you've come to the right person.
Well, what's the really good news?
Julian definitely isn't
poaching clients,
so whatever you heard is just a rumor.
Well, thank you
for sharing your opinion,
which I did not ask for.
What I did ask for were photos
of my son's datebook.
Did you get that?
No, I didn't.
So it's not "really good news."
(SIREN WAILING)
You want some food?
Water?
Yeah. Thanks.
- So, Alyssa?
- Lombardi.
Alyssa Lombardi.
You said you knew her?
I haven't seen her in a while,
but I have her number.
Sorry, that guy has been following me.
I know him, he's bad news.
Can we talk in your car, do you think?
Yeah. Get in.
(DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)
Somewhere we should go?
Uh, the-the convent.
Sometimes I go there,
but all the protestors shut it down.
(STRAINS)
I'm sorry, I have to use.
- I have to
- Uh, no, no, no. No, no. N-Not-not here.
TANYA: Yeah, okay, uh,
take my phone, text Alyssa while I
You got to, you got to go.
Okay.
- Yeah. Yeah, uh, let me get out.
- (GLASS SHATTERS)
- Give me my phone.
- No, don't.
I have to do this.
- I'll come back.
- Stay in the car.
I have to
I understand.
Stay in the car.
Text Alyssa.
(BAG UNZIPPING)
- (RUBBER SQUISHING)
- (CLINKING)
Uh, my father was a military man.
Think you know that.
We used to move
every three years or so.
- (LIGHTER CLICKING)
- New base,
new school, new friends.
He used to tell me
that I was his "little soldier."
Tough.
"You'll take the good ones with you."
He also said that,
"If anyone betrays you,
move on."
I even cut my own mother off.
So, this trust thing, Matty
- It runs deep.
- Real deep.
But I have to move past it,
so that I don't keep losing the
things that are most important to me.
♪
(CONVERSING INAUDIBLY)
Are you sure you can do this?
I can do this.
OLYMPIA: Alyssa, is that you,
overdosing in this video?
It is. Yes.
When did your addiction start?
Fourteen.
By the time I was 17,
my parents had thrown me out.
OLYMPIA: Where were you living?
Before they kicked you out.
60th and Putnam.
Two blocks from the convent.
So, you were brought up
in the neighborhood?
- I was.
- What brought you back?
I had been living in Philly.
Struggling.
I thought being closer
to home would help.
Let's talk about the day
of your overdose.
I had been sober two months,
so my tolerance was lower.
I used the old amount.
ELLIE: That's what happened to me.
I was sober, and I slipped,
and my tolerance was lower.
ALYSSA: If I had been
in the park, I'd be dead.
But I was near the convent.
And Sister Bennie
came out with Narcan.
There was no one there for me.
OLYMPIA: And was
that your last time using?
ALYSSA: No.
But
I'm back in recovery now.
And I'm gonna try again.
I got another chance to try again.
ELLIE: Another chance
to see my son grow up.
And my parents grow old.
To sing karaoke
ALYSSA: I get another chance
to do it all differently.
OLYMPIA: Now, if we are
really worried about public safety,
what could be a bigger threat
than stopping
a program that is saving
community members' lives?
SARAH: I got the photos you asked for.
Good job.
Was beginning to think
all that talk about ambition
was just hot air. (CHUCKLES)
You can go.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY) A beaut.
Hi. Yay.
Baby's kicking like crazy.
- Yeah?
- Yeah, look. Knows I'm excited.
- (LAUGHS) Oh
- Because I was talking
to my mom and I had a revelation.
Billy, I don't care about
getting married.
Seriously, it's caused both
of us so much stress and pain.
And I have faith in us,
married or not married.
- So
- Claudia.
I do want us to get married.
Oh, thank God.
We were always meant to be a family.
MATTY: Well, I've been
told by those in the know
that God puts
the right people around you
so you don't stay broken forever.
Just give it to us straight.
The judge issued her ruling.
She found
Alyssa's testimony compelling,
but safety concerns outweighed it.
The harm reduction part of
your program will be shut down,
but your homeless outreach
can continue.
And the Church backed off eviction,
as long as there's no drug use
on Church property.
Sometimes, His signs are clear.
(SIGHS)
The Lord called us to minister
to those on the streets.
It seems to be the moment
to take our ministry
to the streets.
- What does that mean?
- We'll leave the convent
in the capable hands of our sisters.
You're leaving the Church?
Matthew 18:20.
Jesus said, "For where two or three
"are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."
And look at that.
One, two, three of us.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, sisterhood is a powerful thing.
It sure is.
Well, we should let the others know.
- So, did you talk to Alfie?
- Yeah.
I told him his father
doesn't have to be perfect
in his sobriety.
Just has to be committing to trying.
- Look at that mountain moving.
- (PHONE BUZZING)
It's Eva.
Calling about the coup.
We just don't have that last vote.
About that
I'm just trying to get
this doc review done
for the priest-lawyer-emeritus guy.
- Partners for life, baby.
- (LAUGHS)
Well, we should let the others know.
And I should get to the airport.
- Sisters. Well
- Thank you, Father.
One last question, Father.
How would you feel about
a good Old Testament smiting?
Cassidy still has
partner emeritus status.
Partners emeriti
still retain voting power.
He's our last vote?
Said it was his God-given duty.
So, we're really doing this?
Prayers up.
Amen, sister.
(BOTH LAUGH)
sync & corrections awaqeded