Cane s01e07 Episode Script
One Man Is an Island
And when the time came, Pancho gave control of the family business not to his natural born sons, Frank or Henry, but instead to me.
Perhaps it was because of the blood feud with our rivals, Joe Samuels and his daughter Ellis.
Perhaps Pancho knew that to protect our family, I will do whatever it takes.
And that is both my blessing and my curse.
Previously on Cane: Shouldn't we tell Frank about the Samuels being behind Lucia's death? Bring him into our confidence, maybe he'll be less resentful about me becoming CEO.
Frank will get over that.
I love you, Katie.
I love you.
I got a surprise for you, Henry.
Attack! ALEX: They sicced a pit bull on him.
They beat him to the ground.
I screwed up, Alex.
Please don't tell anyone.
Smart choice, nine millimeter.
Less recoil.
Only idiot cowboys carry big, heavy pieces.
Much higher accuracy.
JOE: Let's put an end to Vega's ethanol party.
You are so lucky you weren't killed in that car accident.
I think he looks good, Mom.
He was a little too pretty before.
He looked too lindo, you know? Girls like a little character.
The girls liked him plenty the way he was.
Too much.
Yeah, that's right.
You tell him, Ma.
Okay, so listen up! Whoever wants to come to the club when we pick the winner of the Duque Rum Girl contest you gotta get there early.
KATIE: Hello? Hey, Nick.
Why? Where you going? Because Alicia Keys is performing.
(all exclaiming) What does a rum girl do anyways? Papi, she wears a Duque T-shirt, and she pours rum shots at concerts and sporting events.
For that we had to search the whole country? That's very funny, Papi.
So how did your meeting with the new head of the Energy Committee go? Can you at least hear me out, Senator? What you sugar people don't seem to understand is, in the house of Ethanol there is but one God, and his name is Corn.
Fine.
Fine? So we got the $50 million? No.
Not yet.
Well, that means no, then, right? There are variables in play here, Frank.
Variables? Really? On a $100 million bet that this company threw down? HENRY: What? How much did we put into this thing? Henry.
I'm supposed to be interested in the family business, but I don't get a say on how the money's spent? Artie? Anybody else want to question my judgment? No one is questioning your judgment, Alex.
I am.
And I'm the only one who'll say it.
You're going to run this company into the ground chasing your dream.
Stop, no stop.
(speaks Spanish) Alex is fully aware of the mistakes he's made.
No point in throwing it in his face.
So, I didn't realize that you were unhappy with my performance as CEO.
I kept quiet longer than I should have because I love you.
But sentimentality has no place in business.
Papi, this isn't some dream, okay? I had those subsidies locked in.
There's no way that I could have seen that Joe Samuels was going to take the senator down.
Now, with more land Will you stop running to Washington chasing ethanol? Ethanol is the future of this company.
Rum is the future of this company.
You better start dealing with the problems here.
What problems? Sales have never been better.
We're in the middle of a rum boom.
Have you been to a bar lately? Take a look at the top shelf.
Two years ago, we were the only premium rum up there.
Now there are four or five.
We're losing market share to those others.
But we're still on top.
Today.
But your job isn't about today.
It's about next year.
It's about five years from now.
Look, this rum phase, that's going to pass, just like it did with vodka and, when it does, most of the premium rum makers are going to go down with it.
We've been around a long time.
That is not going to happen to us.
Oh, it will if you don't wake up, start doing your job.
I gave you control of this company because I don't have long, Alejandro.
Don't make me spend the last days wondering if I made a mistake.
When I look at this table, I don't see political refugees.
I see men who were forced from their country.
Men who still hold in their hearts a dream of living and working on the land that was taken from them.
Cuba.
To see that land covered in sugar cane again.
Hmm? I have that same dream.
Aw, come on.
Stay.
I have to go.
All right, fine.
Can I get one last kiss, please? One kiss.
One kiss that lasts an hour.
(clicking pen impatiently) licking stops) Excuse me for just a moment.
ALEX: Hi.
We've been waiting half an hour.
Where the hell are you? Okay, so start without me.
The whole point of this meeting is marketing strategy for the coming year.
You're CEO.
It's time you start acting like one.
Frank, I'll be there when I can.
Excuse me.
This was our land in Puerto Padre.
We'll get it back.
And this is who owns the land now? Communistas, they still own most of it but, every day, they sell more to corporations from other countries that do not honor the U.
S.
Helms-Burton Act.
All these foreigners, they gladly do business con ese Fidel.
So these foreign companies already own the land that I agreed to buy from you? Si.
French.
German.
This Rosewood Investment Partners, that's a new one.
Canadians, I think.
Now that you know this, you want to take back your offer? ALEX: We have committed 10,000 acres of our land for energy cane.
We have three million Mr.
Vega, we're growing 13 million acres of corn this year for ethanol.
The only way you're going to get in this game is to get your hands on a hell of a lot more land.
And, what with all the tree-huggers and real estate developers you have down in Florida, I don't ever see that happening.
No.
No, I I need that land.
Give this a taste.
Mmm! Mm-huh! Well, what do you think? Taste this.
Well? Well I'm still waiting to hear your opinion on my blend.
Well, I assumed, once you had tasted my blend, an answer would be unnecessary.
Oh! Because yours is clearly so superior to mine? Exactly.
Well, it's not.
It's somewhat heavy and a little bit dull.
That's because you're still tasting yours.
Cleanse your palate, my dear.
And the hints of light chocolate and coffee are they're muted, whereas my blend allows those tones to reveal themselves.
Well, my blend is like a woman you see in the shadows.
You want to know more.
Your blend is like like a a streetwalker who sits on your lap and names her price.
My blend may be a prostitute, but at least it's not some incontinent old maid lying in bed waiting for someone to come and change the channel on her television.
That's very good.
Good imagery.
Very visual.
I like that.
Order up! Refill, Kim? I'm very flattered Joe Samuels thinks that I'm enough of a threat to have me tailed.
I'm not familiar with the name.
You should look at your paychecks.
Or can't you read? We haven't formally met.
Alex Vega.
Michael Bronson.
Bronson.
A couple years Special Forces in Iraq, after which you cashed out to go private.
Did Primary Ring Security for Dyncorp in Fallujah.
You know more about me than my friends.
Well, I doubt you have many friends.
But you, you have a lot of friends.
Senators, Cuban gangsters.
Kind of a Renaissance man.
Samuels is a powerful man.
That power's not going to last.
And, when he goes down, and he will go down, a lot of people are going down with him.
There's still time to get on the right side of this.
I appreciate the offer but, if I flip on my clients, word gets out that I'm not an honorable man, and my business suffers.
Yeah.
Well, that's too bad.
'Cause, you see, the truth is you can listen to my conversations for the rest of your natural life-- however long tt may be-- you're never going to get anything.
How's your brother Frank doing with that gambling problem of his? What about Henry? How's he feeling? I keep wondering if the Feds might want to hear about how the Israelis were dealing all that Ecstasy out of his club.
Oh, and I really am sorry to hear about your wife's miscarriage.
Consumers are going to sample them-- that's okay.
The question is, how do we get them back? Now, people are paying more than a million dollars on some muscle cars these days.
Why? Because people are stupid.
No, no, because baby boomers are obsessed with possessing something classic.
And they're stupid.
Thank you, Kari.
And we need to use our years in the marketplace to our advantage, and remind people that Duque Rum is still around because it's timeless.
(door opening) ALEX: Oh, we're in the sunny office today.
Sorry I'm late.
Okay.
Okay.
Let's get started.
Actually we started a while ago.
We're in the middle of something.
Okay.
So why don't you catch me up.
Can I talk to you for a second? Excuse us.
What the hell is this, huh? You show up late and then you say, "Let's start," like everything we've done in the last two hours is meaningless? Frank, you were right.
I'm CEO-- I'm going to start acting like it.
I'm going to go back in that room.
You coming or not? It's these foreign companies that own the Cuban rights.
Fidel dies, the regime changes, who gets the land? According to Helms-Burton, you do.
So I'm good? If I were you, I'd cover my bets.
Buy the Cuban titles from the foreign companies.
And that's your advice as my lawyer? You already own the exile's claim on the land.
You're dealing with French, Germans and Canadians, right? Point out to them how Cuba being your homeland is going to go a long way with the World Court when they decide who gets the land.
It's win-win.
Except for the ten years in prison and million dollar fine I would get for being the CEO of an American company trading with Cuba.
See, I call that lose-lose.
No, don't worry about that.
We get around that by setting up an if/come clause that the deal to buy the land only kicks in when Cuba gets new leadership.
You want the land, make the deal.
Hey, you.
What are you doing here at this hour of the night? I'm just catching up.
What brings you here? Oh, your father and Terry needed some samples to blend so here I am.
They argued all the way here.
Well, you better be careful, she's pretty cute.
Well, if she wants him she's going to have to stand in line behind his true mistress, rum.
I'm just so glad he's having fun again.
Yeah, I know, me, too.
But you know, ththis business has become so hard these days.
I'm glad he's not running it anymore.
Being a boss is nothing but headaches and heart attacks.
I must be lucky then.
Your father loves you very much.
Mom, I better get to this.
(phone ringing) RECORDING: Yo, it's Nick.
I'm not in.
Leave a message.
Yo, Nick this is Ken.
Get back to me, man.
MAN: You have reached the offices of Rosewood Investment Partners.
No one is available to take your call.
If you'd like to e you? ALEX: I'm on my way to the airport.
I got to go check out something in Canada, babe.
In Canada? Honey, this is really important.
You doing okay? Yeah.
Just having a bad day.
What? You want to talk about it? Do you want me to come back? No, no, um, I'm okay.
I'll just go light a candle.
I love you.
I love you, too.
HENRY: Welcome to Club Duque, everyone.
Here are the five finalists chosen by over a million Americans.
Ashton Shane, Fremont, California.
Melissa Blanco, Kearney, New Jersey.
Dominique Jackson, Bronx, New York.
August Johnson, Los Angeles, California.
Heather Boyle, Sugarland, Texas.
(cheering and applause) It was an extremely tough decision.
But the winner of the nationwide search and the new Duque Rum girl is Ashton Shane.
(cheering) Everyone get ready.
Alicia Keyes is coming up.
We're close with the new blend, Pancho, I know we are.
You can't rush inspiration.
Sometimes you have to just let it come to you.
Hey, hey, hey.
Hey.
Hello, beautiful.
Hey, handsome, how are you? What happened to your face? Nothing.
Just a car accident.
So, listen, I got a proposal for you.
Ah, finally, I knew it.
Miss Alicia Keyes Duque-- I love it.
Has a nice ring to it.
Should we go get the ring together? 'Cause if not, I would think I would look really good in a pink Marquise.
Nothing too blocky.
Is that right? Come on, you know you want it.
Seriously, listen.
So you're going out on tour to support the new record, right? Yeah, yeah, of course.
Okay, so what about Duque Rum sponsoring you? Ah, Henry, mmm, I'm sorry, Duque Rum it's a little past it these days.
What? It's okay, I'm here.
Papi, what are you doing here? My father Pancho.
Hi.
How do you do? Hi, how are you? How are you? I thought I'd take our new master blender on a field trip and show her what they're serving at the bars.
Ms.
Keyes, I'm a huge fan.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you so much.
So you're our new master blender? Yeah.
Nice to meet you, Henry, I'm Terry.
Terry nice.
Listen, this is my club, so anything you need is on me.
Well, since the club is owned by Duque Rum, and I'm an employee, I guess it's also on me.
Come on, Pancho, let's go drink.
Nice to meet you.
All right.
Pull the chute, Henry.
Pull it, pull it, pull the chute.
I did not get shot down, all right? You know, you swung a little early.
Next time, choke up on the bat.
And I didn't strike out either.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Strike one.
Please! You guys going to go rock it out? Yeah, let's go.
We got to get ready.
All right, all right.
Good luck.
(knocking) Hello.
Yeah, what do you want? (heavy accent): I'm here today as a representative of the Cuban government.
Our records show that you may be eligible to be part of an incentive program.
I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
I'm here to give you a check.
Katie, you're only 18.
You're not supposed to be here.
Get off me! Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?! You know you can't come in here anymore, and your grandfather's right there, so come on, let's go.
Get off me! What is going on? I feel stupid that's what's going on.
Okay, so talk to me.
This guy, my boyfriend, I thought he was my boyfriend.
He made a video.
He made a sex video of us.
I didn't know! I thought he loved me.
His friends are probably watching right now.
Please don't tell my dad.
I won't.
Give me his address.
JOE: Mr.
Bronson, everyone has a soft spot.
It's time to hit Alex Vega's.
Pick a relative, any relative.
You want me to go after his family? Well, be elegant, but make yourself known.
Sometimes when you're hunting, you got to shake the tree a little.
So you came all the way to Canada just to give me some money? Yes, ma'am.
God bless Cuba.
(glasses clink) Tell me about this check.
Well, the, uh, the Cuban government has started a program-- excuse me-- in order to attract more foreign investors by offering grants to its largest landowners.
Somebody screwed up, sweetie.
I don't own any land in Cuba.
Oh, no, not you personally.
Maybe you have some type of financial holdings that have investments in Cuba.
Honey, I invested all my money in booze and Indian bingo.
(both chuckle) (coughing) The beautiful red truck you have out there, maybe you have some retirement money saved, no? I got that with my disability from when I worked in the States.
Ah.
You know, you're a good-looking boy.
You got very beautiful hands.
(coughs) Hey! Soldado muerto; dead soldier.
There's more in the kitchen.
Yeah.
(coughs) What, are you gettin' lost out there? Señora, it's not in the closet.
No, it's right out there on the counter.
No, no, no, no Oh! Hmm? Yeah, yeah, bring it in.
Dear Lord, have mercy on Your servants who have lost their way.
Please find it in Your heart to lead Alex Vega out of the darkness that threatens to destroy him, and grant Your forgiveness for the life he took.
We should wait for Alex.
Okay, go ahead and have a seat.
All right.
Where is he? In Canada.
What?! Yeah, he's chasing some land deal to try and get the ethanol subsidies back.
Okay.
Okay.
Customers make brand decisions at point of purchase, right? One way to separate ourselves from the other super-premiums is shelf and bar-back presentations.
All right.
High-gloss labels with gold embossing.
Mm-hmm.
Well, it's beautiful.
Okay.
And we raise our price 20%.
You lost me.
Okay, okay, Papi, who buys premium rum? People with money.
Guys looking to shine a light on their success and show off to women by buying the best.
We raise our price above our competitors, and the psychology of the market says that we must be the best.
(chuckles) What does Alex think of this? I don't know.
He hasn't been around much lately.
All right.
Well, run this by him when he gets back, all right? Yeah, it's good.
You're amazing, Papi.
What? and he slaps you in the face by ignoring your advice, and you still stand by him.
We've been through this.
No, Papi, I bust my ass and I do what you want done and it's not enough to prove to you that I'm worthy.
I gave Alex control of the company.
And you made a mistake, Papi.
This should be my company.
It should be my company and not just 'cause I'm a Duque.
If all that was needed was to keep this company on a steady course, I would have made you CEO, but that's not the case.
We're in a street fight now, and for that, Alex is the best man.
Why? Why do you think I couldn't do what Alex can? No, Papi, we should have sold the cane fields to the Samuels.
The deal that they offered us on molasses alone would have saved us $50 million.
That's money that could have helped Duque Rum get through tough times, but you shot it down just 'cause Alex said so.
That's not true.
Oh! There was more to that decision, Frank.
No, Papi, you want to hear some truth? You're so ashamed of me, you handed my birthright to someone you picked up off the street.
Alex is as much a brother to you as Henry.
Yeah, and he's more of a son to you than I am! Enough! I did not stop the Samuels deal because Alex said to! I stopped it because because Joe Samuels was the one who had Lucia kidnapped.
His men killed her.
What? wanted our land, so he had his men take your sister.
I was desperate.
I needed money to pay the ransom.
I did not know it was Joe.
And so when he offered to buy the land, I sold it.
I even thanked him for it.
I took Alex with me to pay the ransom.
But when we got there, it was too late.
Look Francisco So, how's your pizza? We don't have any pizza in Cuba.
It's hard to believe.
This only took four minutes? Microwaves! Secret's in that little silver disk.
Probably gives you cancer.
So when you were working in the States for Samuels Sugar, what exactly did you do? I don't remember telling you who I worked for.
Oh, yes.
You told me you get the money for your truck from the disability that you were getting from Samuels Sugar.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm He's a good man to work for, hmm? This, uh, Samuels? Yeah, very generous.
I get twice the disability they said I'd get.
Mm.
I'm sure he appreciates all the work that you do for him.
I don't do that much.
You're modest.
You're so modest.
No, it's true.
All I got to do is every month, I got to take all the envelopes they send me and put 'em in a box and send 'em to him in Florida.
MAN: Higher world market prices for the last two years provided the incentive for sugar producers worldwide.
We here at Samuels Sugar feel the prudent course is to expand our cane and beet sugar crops, to be forecast at 163.
3 million tons.
Consumption is forecast at 149.
4 million tons.
Frank! I tried to stop him.
world sugar consumption will continue to increase at approximately two percent per year.
What kind of monster are you? What? I mean, I knew your father was twisted, but you really had me fooled.
What are you talking about? I found out your little family secret.
So it wasn't enough to have my little baby sister kidnapped? Wasn't enough to trick my father into giving up his land? We had nothing to do No, don't waste your time 'cause I know your father had Lucia killed.
Frank, I Stay away from me.
This increased sugar availability may lower some world market prices in the future.
Predictions range from 20 cents Ready? No, the question is, are you? Are you prepared to have your butt kicked by an Australian girl? Promises, promises.
Well? You go first.
I hate my blend.
I hate my blend, too! Why did you hire me? I suck.
Well, you have an excuse.
You're an Australian girl, I'm Cuban.
Yeah, but you're really old.
(laughing) So, that's your excuse.
Oh, that's bad.
(chuckling) I think I hurt myself laughing.
Could you get me some water, please? (coughs) Sure.
Ah (clears throat) Thank you.
Hmm! Now that's a good blend.
Well, this is a nice surprise.
I just wanted to come by and say thank you.
Well, you're welcome, darling.
What are you thanking me for? For not telling me you had Lucia Duque killed.
Well, aren't you even going to try and deny it? Is that what you want me to do? I want you to tell me the truth.
You decided what was true before you came through that door.
Quiñones murdered Lucia.
That's why Alex Vega had him killed, isn't it? The men panicked.
What's done is done.
You make me sick.
Bad things happen in life, Ellis.
And it's only natural to want to blame someone for it, even when it isn't their fault.
When your mother left us, you blamed me.
You're the reason she left.
Sometimes that fiction helps a person get through their life.
Are you ready for some lunch? I know a place that serves fantastic paella.
Well, I thought we might eat in.
Really? It's just that you've hired me to help you take Duque Rum to the next level and I've just been mucking about.
Well, you can't help it, you're blonde.
Well, you're ancient.
(chuckles) Come on.
Well, all right.
You're sure you don't want to go out? No.
All right.
A lot of work to do this afternoon.
Let's go to work.
So? I think Artie's starting to get cauliflower ears from his stupid headphones.
(sighs): Oh What? You thinking about the baby, right? A man sat next to me at church today.
He prayed for your soul.
My soul? He said you were a killer.
I know.
He's lying.
Keep your hands on the wheel.
In case you're wondering, it's a nine millimeter.
Less recoil.
'Cause only the idiot cowboys use the big heavy pieces, right? You come anywhere near my wife again, and I will kill you.
xxxxx Pop.
When I came here from Cuba, I came with only the clothes on my back.
But I believed, I worked hard, and we created something.
Yes, we did, Papi.
Alex, I asked you to refocus on the company and you ignored me.
Instead you went off to Canada to play detective.
What the hell is wrong with you, Alejandro? Pop, Joe Samuels is buying land from the Cuban government.
What? He's buying it through Canadian shell companies so that he can get around Helms-Burton.
But we can stop him.
We can set up our own shell No.
Pop, I already have the land rights from a group of the exiles.
No.
Well, what are we gonna do, we gonna stand back and watch until Samuels owns it all? 'Cause that's not gonna happen.
I already made my decision.
It's not your decision to make anymore.
I'm CEO, and I'm going to do what's best for the company and this family.
When I gave you control of the company, I thought you could do the hard things that needed to be done.
And I think I proved myself when I was 14.
Huh? With a bullet.
Oh, mijo, I never should've taken you.
I wanted to go, Pop.
No, I should've stopped you.
I should've gone alone.
And then maybe this this rage you feel inside you, this need to destroy Joe Samuels wouldn't exist.
I don't apologize for who I am.
It's not who you are, it's what you're becoming.
And if you don't stop this vendetta, it's gonna destroy you and your family, mijo.
(light knocking) So I know Pop told you about Lucia.
You knew all this time? It was wrong not to tell you, Frank.
The guy that was killed that, uh that the cops were asking you about? You did the right thing.
So I really want to hear about all these ideas that Pop said you had about the business.
For once, can you just trust me? Can you just say yes? Yes.
NICK: Kim, I wasn't with anybody last night.
I fell asleep.
(knocking on door) No, listen to me, jealousy is a very destructive thing, okay? Baby, let me call you back.
Can I help you? (groans) Who the hell are you? Hey, Nick.
What's going on? Who are you? Who are you? You're a good-looking guy, right, Nick? What? You're a good-looking guy.
Come on, don't be so modest.
I don't, I don't understand.
What's going on? I'm a good-looking guy.
I know it.
I'm not afraid to say it.
Are you a good-looking guy? Say it.
Say it.
Okay, yeah, I'm a good-looking guy.
Well, it must be easy for you to get girls.
(groans) Okay.
Yeah, it's easy for me to get girls.
Well, you must not like them too much, treat them with such disrespect you make sex tapes of them without their knowledge, make them feel like whores.
(pants) Okay.
Look, I didn't Is this your camera? What? The one that you used to tape Katie, is this it? (pants) Okay, listen to me, man.
I didn't force Katie to have sex with me, she wanted Come here.
Stay away from my niece! (groans)
Perhaps it was because of the blood feud with our rivals, Joe Samuels and his daughter Ellis.
Perhaps Pancho knew that to protect our family, I will do whatever it takes.
And that is both my blessing and my curse.
Previously on Cane: Shouldn't we tell Frank about the Samuels being behind Lucia's death? Bring him into our confidence, maybe he'll be less resentful about me becoming CEO.
Frank will get over that.
I love you, Katie.
I love you.
I got a surprise for you, Henry.
Attack! ALEX: They sicced a pit bull on him.
They beat him to the ground.
I screwed up, Alex.
Please don't tell anyone.
Smart choice, nine millimeter.
Less recoil.
Only idiot cowboys carry big, heavy pieces.
Much higher accuracy.
JOE: Let's put an end to Vega's ethanol party.
You are so lucky you weren't killed in that car accident.
I think he looks good, Mom.
He was a little too pretty before.
He looked too lindo, you know? Girls like a little character.
The girls liked him plenty the way he was.
Too much.
Yeah, that's right.
You tell him, Ma.
Okay, so listen up! Whoever wants to come to the club when we pick the winner of the Duque Rum Girl contest you gotta get there early.
KATIE: Hello? Hey, Nick.
Why? Where you going? Because Alicia Keys is performing.
(all exclaiming) What does a rum girl do anyways? Papi, she wears a Duque T-shirt, and she pours rum shots at concerts and sporting events.
For that we had to search the whole country? That's very funny, Papi.
So how did your meeting with the new head of the Energy Committee go? Can you at least hear me out, Senator? What you sugar people don't seem to understand is, in the house of Ethanol there is but one God, and his name is Corn.
Fine.
Fine? So we got the $50 million? No.
Not yet.
Well, that means no, then, right? There are variables in play here, Frank.
Variables? Really? On a $100 million bet that this company threw down? HENRY: What? How much did we put into this thing? Henry.
I'm supposed to be interested in the family business, but I don't get a say on how the money's spent? Artie? Anybody else want to question my judgment? No one is questioning your judgment, Alex.
I am.
And I'm the only one who'll say it.
You're going to run this company into the ground chasing your dream.
Stop, no stop.
(speaks Spanish) Alex is fully aware of the mistakes he's made.
No point in throwing it in his face.
So, I didn't realize that you were unhappy with my performance as CEO.
I kept quiet longer than I should have because I love you.
But sentimentality has no place in business.
Papi, this isn't some dream, okay? I had those subsidies locked in.
There's no way that I could have seen that Joe Samuels was going to take the senator down.
Now, with more land Will you stop running to Washington chasing ethanol? Ethanol is the future of this company.
Rum is the future of this company.
You better start dealing with the problems here.
What problems? Sales have never been better.
We're in the middle of a rum boom.
Have you been to a bar lately? Take a look at the top shelf.
Two years ago, we were the only premium rum up there.
Now there are four or five.
We're losing market share to those others.
But we're still on top.
Today.
But your job isn't about today.
It's about next year.
It's about five years from now.
Look, this rum phase, that's going to pass, just like it did with vodka and, when it does, most of the premium rum makers are going to go down with it.
We've been around a long time.
That is not going to happen to us.
Oh, it will if you don't wake up, start doing your job.
I gave you control of this company because I don't have long, Alejandro.
Don't make me spend the last days wondering if I made a mistake.
When I look at this table, I don't see political refugees.
I see men who were forced from their country.
Men who still hold in their hearts a dream of living and working on the land that was taken from them.
Cuba.
To see that land covered in sugar cane again.
Hmm? I have that same dream.
Aw, come on.
Stay.
I have to go.
All right, fine.
Can I get one last kiss, please? One kiss.
One kiss that lasts an hour.
(clicking pen impatiently) licking stops) Excuse me for just a moment.
ALEX: Hi.
We've been waiting half an hour.
Where the hell are you? Okay, so start without me.
The whole point of this meeting is marketing strategy for the coming year.
You're CEO.
It's time you start acting like one.
Frank, I'll be there when I can.
Excuse me.
This was our land in Puerto Padre.
We'll get it back.
And this is who owns the land now? Communistas, they still own most of it but, every day, they sell more to corporations from other countries that do not honor the U.
S.
Helms-Burton Act.
All these foreigners, they gladly do business con ese Fidel.
So these foreign companies already own the land that I agreed to buy from you? Si.
French.
German.
This Rosewood Investment Partners, that's a new one.
Canadians, I think.
Now that you know this, you want to take back your offer? ALEX: We have committed 10,000 acres of our land for energy cane.
We have three million Mr.
Vega, we're growing 13 million acres of corn this year for ethanol.
The only way you're going to get in this game is to get your hands on a hell of a lot more land.
And, what with all the tree-huggers and real estate developers you have down in Florida, I don't ever see that happening.
No.
No, I I need that land.
Give this a taste.
Mmm! Mm-huh! Well, what do you think? Taste this.
Well? Well I'm still waiting to hear your opinion on my blend.
Well, I assumed, once you had tasted my blend, an answer would be unnecessary.
Oh! Because yours is clearly so superior to mine? Exactly.
Well, it's not.
It's somewhat heavy and a little bit dull.
That's because you're still tasting yours.
Cleanse your palate, my dear.
And the hints of light chocolate and coffee are they're muted, whereas my blend allows those tones to reveal themselves.
Well, my blend is like a woman you see in the shadows.
You want to know more.
Your blend is like like a a streetwalker who sits on your lap and names her price.
My blend may be a prostitute, but at least it's not some incontinent old maid lying in bed waiting for someone to come and change the channel on her television.
That's very good.
Good imagery.
Very visual.
I like that.
Order up! Refill, Kim? I'm very flattered Joe Samuels thinks that I'm enough of a threat to have me tailed.
I'm not familiar with the name.
You should look at your paychecks.
Or can't you read? We haven't formally met.
Alex Vega.
Michael Bronson.
Bronson.
A couple years Special Forces in Iraq, after which you cashed out to go private.
Did Primary Ring Security for Dyncorp in Fallujah.
You know more about me than my friends.
Well, I doubt you have many friends.
But you, you have a lot of friends.
Senators, Cuban gangsters.
Kind of a Renaissance man.
Samuels is a powerful man.
That power's not going to last.
And, when he goes down, and he will go down, a lot of people are going down with him.
There's still time to get on the right side of this.
I appreciate the offer but, if I flip on my clients, word gets out that I'm not an honorable man, and my business suffers.
Yeah.
Well, that's too bad.
'Cause, you see, the truth is you can listen to my conversations for the rest of your natural life-- however long tt may be-- you're never going to get anything.
How's your brother Frank doing with that gambling problem of his? What about Henry? How's he feeling? I keep wondering if the Feds might want to hear about how the Israelis were dealing all that Ecstasy out of his club.
Oh, and I really am sorry to hear about your wife's miscarriage.
Consumers are going to sample them-- that's okay.
The question is, how do we get them back? Now, people are paying more than a million dollars on some muscle cars these days.
Why? Because people are stupid.
No, no, because baby boomers are obsessed with possessing something classic.
And they're stupid.
Thank you, Kari.
And we need to use our years in the marketplace to our advantage, and remind people that Duque Rum is still around because it's timeless.
(door opening) ALEX: Oh, we're in the sunny office today.
Sorry I'm late.
Okay.
Okay.
Let's get started.
Actually we started a while ago.
We're in the middle of something.
Okay.
So why don't you catch me up.
Can I talk to you for a second? Excuse us.
What the hell is this, huh? You show up late and then you say, "Let's start," like everything we've done in the last two hours is meaningless? Frank, you were right.
I'm CEO-- I'm going to start acting like it.
I'm going to go back in that room.
You coming or not? It's these foreign companies that own the Cuban rights.
Fidel dies, the regime changes, who gets the land? According to Helms-Burton, you do.
So I'm good? If I were you, I'd cover my bets.
Buy the Cuban titles from the foreign companies.
And that's your advice as my lawyer? You already own the exile's claim on the land.
You're dealing with French, Germans and Canadians, right? Point out to them how Cuba being your homeland is going to go a long way with the World Court when they decide who gets the land.
It's win-win.
Except for the ten years in prison and million dollar fine I would get for being the CEO of an American company trading with Cuba.
See, I call that lose-lose.
No, don't worry about that.
We get around that by setting up an if/come clause that the deal to buy the land only kicks in when Cuba gets new leadership.
You want the land, make the deal.
Hey, you.
What are you doing here at this hour of the night? I'm just catching up.
What brings you here? Oh, your father and Terry needed some samples to blend so here I am.
They argued all the way here.
Well, you better be careful, she's pretty cute.
Well, if she wants him she's going to have to stand in line behind his true mistress, rum.
I'm just so glad he's having fun again.
Yeah, I know, me, too.
But you know, ththis business has become so hard these days.
I'm glad he's not running it anymore.
Being a boss is nothing but headaches and heart attacks.
I must be lucky then.
Your father loves you very much.
Mom, I better get to this.
(phone ringing) RECORDING: Yo, it's Nick.
I'm not in.
Leave a message.
Yo, Nick this is Ken.
Get back to me, man.
MAN: You have reached the offices of Rosewood Investment Partners.
No one is available to take your call.
If you'd like to e you? ALEX: I'm on my way to the airport.
I got to go check out something in Canada, babe.
In Canada? Honey, this is really important.
You doing okay? Yeah.
Just having a bad day.
What? You want to talk about it? Do you want me to come back? No, no, um, I'm okay.
I'll just go light a candle.
I love you.
I love you, too.
HENRY: Welcome to Club Duque, everyone.
Here are the five finalists chosen by over a million Americans.
Ashton Shane, Fremont, California.
Melissa Blanco, Kearney, New Jersey.
Dominique Jackson, Bronx, New York.
August Johnson, Los Angeles, California.
Heather Boyle, Sugarland, Texas.
(cheering and applause) It was an extremely tough decision.
But the winner of the nationwide search and the new Duque Rum girl is Ashton Shane.
(cheering) Everyone get ready.
Alicia Keyes is coming up.
We're close with the new blend, Pancho, I know we are.
You can't rush inspiration.
Sometimes you have to just let it come to you.
Hey, hey, hey.
Hey.
Hello, beautiful.
Hey, handsome, how are you? What happened to your face? Nothing.
Just a car accident.
So, listen, I got a proposal for you.
Ah, finally, I knew it.
Miss Alicia Keyes Duque-- I love it.
Has a nice ring to it.
Should we go get the ring together? 'Cause if not, I would think I would look really good in a pink Marquise.
Nothing too blocky.
Is that right? Come on, you know you want it.
Seriously, listen.
So you're going out on tour to support the new record, right? Yeah, yeah, of course.
Okay, so what about Duque Rum sponsoring you? Ah, Henry, mmm, I'm sorry, Duque Rum it's a little past it these days.
What? It's okay, I'm here.
Papi, what are you doing here? My father Pancho.
Hi.
How do you do? Hi, how are you? How are you? I thought I'd take our new master blender on a field trip and show her what they're serving at the bars.
Ms.
Keyes, I'm a huge fan.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you so much.
So you're our new master blender? Yeah.
Nice to meet you, Henry, I'm Terry.
Terry nice.
Listen, this is my club, so anything you need is on me.
Well, since the club is owned by Duque Rum, and I'm an employee, I guess it's also on me.
Come on, Pancho, let's go drink.
Nice to meet you.
All right.
Pull the chute, Henry.
Pull it, pull it, pull the chute.
I did not get shot down, all right? You know, you swung a little early.
Next time, choke up on the bat.
And I didn't strike out either.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Strike one.
Please! You guys going to go rock it out? Yeah, let's go.
We got to get ready.
All right, all right.
Good luck.
(knocking) Hello.
Yeah, what do you want? (heavy accent): I'm here today as a representative of the Cuban government.
Our records show that you may be eligible to be part of an incentive program.
I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
I'm here to give you a check.
Katie, you're only 18.
You're not supposed to be here.
Get off me! Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?! You know you can't come in here anymore, and your grandfather's right there, so come on, let's go.
Get off me! What is going on? I feel stupid that's what's going on.
Okay, so talk to me.
This guy, my boyfriend, I thought he was my boyfriend.
He made a video.
He made a sex video of us.
I didn't know! I thought he loved me.
His friends are probably watching right now.
Please don't tell my dad.
I won't.
Give me his address.
JOE: Mr.
Bronson, everyone has a soft spot.
It's time to hit Alex Vega's.
Pick a relative, any relative.
You want me to go after his family? Well, be elegant, but make yourself known.
Sometimes when you're hunting, you got to shake the tree a little.
So you came all the way to Canada just to give me some money? Yes, ma'am.
God bless Cuba.
(glasses clink) Tell me about this check.
Well, the, uh, the Cuban government has started a program-- excuse me-- in order to attract more foreign investors by offering grants to its largest landowners.
Somebody screwed up, sweetie.
I don't own any land in Cuba.
Oh, no, not you personally.
Maybe you have some type of financial holdings that have investments in Cuba.
Honey, I invested all my money in booze and Indian bingo.
(both chuckle) (coughing) The beautiful red truck you have out there, maybe you have some retirement money saved, no? I got that with my disability from when I worked in the States.
Ah.
You know, you're a good-looking boy.
You got very beautiful hands.
(coughs) Hey! Soldado muerto; dead soldier.
There's more in the kitchen.
Yeah.
(coughs) What, are you gettin' lost out there? Señora, it's not in the closet.
No, it's right out there on the counter.
No, no, no, no Oh! Hmm? Yeah, yeah, bring it in.
Dear Lord, have mercy on Your servants who have lost their way.
Please find it in Your heart to lead Alex Vega out of the darkness that threatens to destroy him, and grant Your forgiveness for the life he took.
We should wait for Alex.
Okay, go ahead and have a seat.
All right.
Where is he? In Canada.
What?! Yeah, he's chasing some land deal to try and get the ethanol subsidies back.
Okay.
Okay.
Customers make brand decisions at point of purchase, right? One way to separate ourselves from the other super-premiums is shelf and bar-back presentations.
All right.
High-gloss labels with gold embossing.
Mm-hmm.
Well, it's beautiful.
Okay.
And we raise our price 20%.
You lost me.
Okay, okay, Papi, who buys premium rum? People with money.
Guys looking to shine a light on their success and show off to women by buying the best.
We raise our price above our competitors, and the psychology of the market says that we must be the best.
(chuckles) What does Alex think of this? I don't know.
He hasn't been around much lately.
All right.
Well, run this by him when he gets back, all right? Yeah, it's good.
You're amazing, Papi.
What? and he slaps you in the face by ignoring your advice, and you still stand by him.
We've been through this.
No, Papi, I bust my ass and I do what you want done and it's not enough to prove to you that I'm worthy.
I gave Alex control of the company.
And you made a mistake, Papi.
This should be my company.
It should be my company and not just 'cause I'm a Duque.
If all that was needed was to keep this company on a steady course, I would have made you CEO, but that's not the case.
We're in a street fight now, and for that, Alex is the best man.
Why? Why do you think I couldn't do what Alex can? No, Papi, we should have sold the cane fields to the Samuels.
The deal that they offered us on molasses alone would have saved us $50 million.
That's money that could have helped Duque Rum get through tough times, but you shot it down just 'cause Alex said so.
That's not true.
Oh! There was more to that decision, Frank.
No, Papi, you want to hear some truth? You're so ashamed of me, you handed my birthright to someone you picked up off the street.
Alex is as much a brother to you as Henry.
Yeah, and he's more of a son to you than I am! Enough! I did not stop the Samuels deal because Alex said to! I stopped it because because Joe Samuels was the one who had Lucia kidnapped.
His men killed her.
What? wanted our land, so he had his men take your sister.
I was desperate.
I needed money to pay the ransom.
I did not know it was Joe.
And so when he offered to buy the land, I sold it.
I even thanked him for it.
I took Alex with me to pay the ransom.
But when we got there, it was too late.
Look Francisco So, how's your pizza? We don't have any pizza in Cuba.
It's hard to believe.
This only took four minutes? Microwaves! Secret's in that little silver disk.
Probably gives you cancer.
So when you were working in the States for Samuels Sugar, what exactly did you do? I don't remember telling you who I worked for.
Oh, yes.
You told me you get the money for your truck from the disability that you were getting from Samuels Sugar.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm He's a good man to work for, hmm? This, uh, Samuels? Yeah, very generous.
I get twice the disability they said I'd get.
Mm.
I'm sure he appreciates all the work that you do for him.
I don't do that much.
You're modest.
You're so modest.
No, it's true.
All I got to do is every month, I got to take all the envelopes they send me and put 'em in a box and send 'em to him in Florida.
MAN: Higher world market prices for the last two years provided the incentive for sugar producers worldwide.
We here at Samuels Sugar feel the prudent course is to expand our cane and beet sugar crops, to be forecast at 163.
3 million tons.
Consumption is forecast at 149.
4 million tons.
Frank! I tried to stop him.
world sugar consumption will continue to increase at approximately two percent per year.
What kind of monster are you? What? I mean, I knew your father was twisted, but you really had me fooled.
What are you talking about? I found out your little family secret.
So it wasn't enough to have my little baby sister kidnapped? Wasn't enough to trick my father into giving up his land? We had nothing to do No, don't waste your time 'cause I know your father had Lucia killed.
Frank, I Stay away from me.
This increased sugar availability may lower some world market prices in the future.
Predictions range from 20 cents Ready? No, the question is, are you? Are you prepared to have your butt kicked by an Australian girl? Promises, promises.
Well? You go first.
I hate my blend.
I hate my blend, too! Why did you hire me? I suck.
Well, you have an excuse.
You're an Australian girl, I'm Cuban.
Yeah, but you're really old.
(laughing) So, that's your excuse.
Oh, that's bad.
(chuckling) I think I hurt myself laughing.
Could you get me some water, please? (coughs) Sure.
Ah (clears throat) Thank you.
Hmm! Now that's a good blend.
Well, this is a nice surprise.
I just wanted to come by and say thank you.
Well, you're welcome, darling.
What are you thanking me for? For not telling me you had Lucia Duque killed.
Well, aren't you even going to try and deny it? Is that what you want me to do? I want you to tell me the truth.
You decided what was true before you came through that door.
Quiñones murdered Lucia.
That's why Alex Vega had him killed, isn't it? The men panicked.
What's done is done.
You make me sick.
Bad things happen in life, Ellis.
And it's only natural to want to blame someone for it, even when it isn't their fault.
When your mother left us, you blamed me.
You're the reason she left.
Sometimes that fiction helps a person get through their life.
Are you ready for some lunch? I know a place that serves fantastic paella.
Well, I thought we might eat in.
Really? It's just that you've hired me to help you take Duque Rum to the next level and I've just been mucking about.
Well, you can't help it, you're blonde.
Well, you're ancient.
(chuckles) Come on.
Well, all right.
You're sure you don't want to go out? No.
All right.
A lot of work to do this afternoon.
Let's go to work.
So? I think Artie's starting to get cauliflower ears from his stupid headphones.
(sighs): Oh What? You thinking about the baby, right? A man sat next to me at church today.
He prayed for your soul.
My soul? He said you were a killer.
I know.
He's lying.
Keep your hands on the wheel.
In case you're wondering, it's a nine millimeter.
Less recoil.
'Cause only the idiot cowboys use the big heavy pieces, right? You come anywhere near my wife again, and I will kill you.
xxxxx Pop.
When I came here from Cuba, I came with only the clothes on my back.
But I believed, I worked hard, and we created something.
Yes, we did, Papi.
Alex, I asked you to refocus on the company and you ignored me.
Instead you went off to Canada to play detective.
What the hell is wrong with you, Alejandro? Pop, Joe Samuels is buying land from the Cuban government.
What? He's buying it through Canadian shell companies so that he can get around Helms-Burton.
But we can stop him.
We can set up our own shell No.
Pop, I already have the land rights from a group of the exiles.
No.
Well, what are we gonna do, we gonna stand back and watch until Samuels owns it all? 'Cause that's not gonna happen.
I already made my decision.
It's not your decision to make anymore.
I'm CEO, and I'm going to do what's best for the company and this family.
When I gave you control of the company, I thought you could do the hard things that needed to be done.
And I think I proved myself when I was 14.
Huh? With a bullet.
Oh, mijo, I never should've taken you.
I wanted to go, Pop.
No, I should've stopped you.
I should've gone alone.
And then maybe this this rage you feel inside you, this need to destroy Joe Samuels wouldn't exist.
I don't apologize for who I am.
It's not who you are, it's what you're becoming.
And if you don't stop this vendetta, it's gonna destroy you and your family, mijo.
(light knocking) So I know Pop told you about Lucia.
You knew all this time? It was wrong not to tell you, Frank.
The guy that was killed that, uh that the cops were asking you about? You did the right thing.
So I really want to hear about all these ideas that Pop said you had about the business.
For once, can you just trust me? Can you just say yes? Yes.
NICK: Kim, I wasn't with anybody last night.
I fell asleep.
(knocking on door) No, listen to me, jealousy is a very destructive thing, okay? Baby, let me call you back.
Can I help you? (groans) Who the hell are you? Hey, Nick.
What's going on? Who are you? Who are you? You're a good-looking guy, right, Nick? What? You're a good-looking guy.
Come on, don't be so modest.
I don't, I don't understand.
What's going on? I'm a good-looking guy.
I know it.
I'm not afraid to say it.
Are you a good-looking guy? Say it.
Say it.
Okay, yeah, I'm a good-looking guy.
Well, it must be easy for you to get girls.
(groans) Okay.
Yeah, it's easy for me to get girls.
Well, you must not like them too much, treat them with such disrespect you make sex tapes of them without their knowledge, make them feel like whores.
(pants) Okay.
Look, I didn't Is this your camera? What? The one that you used to tape Katie, is this it? (pants) Okay, listen to me, man.
I didn't force Katie to have sex with me, she wanted Come here.
Stay away from my niece! (groans)