Pearson (2019) s01e05 Episode Script
The Former City Attorney
1 Previously on "Pearson" Is that when you get off? Delilah's has a killer whiskey.
Uh, thanks, I'm flattered, but I You're seeing someone.
I get it.
All I could think about was the married man that I am having an affair with.
I am so much better than this, Bobby.
Keri, Stephanie had a relapse.
I have a problem with boundaries, so I'll shut up.
Are you for real? Don't ever stop speaking your mind.
Why don't you tell me how you're gonna take your wife to a hospital in another state? Please don't suddenly make me a priority because I'm sick.
I'm making you a priority because you're my wife.
I'm going with you.
I've arranged for Nick D'Amato to be my driver.
Are you out of your mind? Jeff, I need to get close to him.
- I need to find out if he's - What, a murderer? I didn't mean to put you on the spot yesterday.
- Don't worry about it.
- Luke.
- Keri.
- Nice to meet you, Keri.
[RADICAL ROCK MUSIC.]
I've been waiting for someone like you To pull me through another 24 Please tell me that's not your lunch.
"Lunch," what's that? Just so you know, Polish place on the corner of Washington is fast and they have homemade pierogis.
Oh, that's good to know.
I got a settlement conference in a half an hour, though.
City attorney's office.
Hmm? You're the hotshot who went after U.
S.
Steel.
I thought you looked familiar.
There were a lot of us on that case.
You're being modest.
What's your name again? - Keri.
- Hi.
Bobby.
Novak.
[LAUGHS.]
What? You can cut the whole casual run-in, Alderman.
We've been in the elevator at least ten times.
- We have? - You know we have.
So you do know who I am.
Yes, and I also know that you're married.
Not that you asked, but I'm separated.
I didn't ask, and if I had a nickel for every time I heard that You'd have nearly a dollar.
I get it.
In this case, it's true.
Says the man who promised to support the last budget and then went back on it.
So you're not only looking to see if I'm wearing a ring, you're studying me at city council meetings? I'm starting to think you came here to run into me.
You know, instead of spending your lunch hour charming city employees, maybe you should be working for the people who put you in office.
You don't know what I do all day.
I know what I see, and your good looks are only gonna get you so far.
- I hope you don't mind.
- No, no, it's fine.
Um Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but, uh, you gotta go.
Oh, shit.
- Love 'em and leave 'em.
- No, it's not that.
I I have an early meeting.
Don't worry, I totally get it.
Hey, if you want, I was thinking maybe we can go away this weekend.
[LAUGHS.]
Kidding.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
Your face, though.
Wow.
Um, seriously, though, call you? Yeah, yeah, definitely call.
- All right.
- Okay.
[MELLOW MUSIC.]
[KNOCK ON DOOR.]
[SIGHS.]
- Are you Keri Allen? - Yeah.
This is for you.
Fuck.
[CARS HONKING.]
[DOOR CLICKS.]
There you are.
I thought maybe you changed your mind about our deal.
Sorry.
I asked him.
He's a bear without his coffee and doughnut first thing back.
Well, I'll forgive you this time as long as I get a cruller out of it.
And welcome back, by the way.
How was your trip? I'd like you to start digging in to some longer-term projects for me.
Technology, manufacturing, Ickaris's second headquarters.
You sure you want that headache? If that headache comes with 1/2 billion in construction, I'll take it.
What I should have asked is, do you need another headache right now? Is there something you want to say, Ms.
Pearson? I know why you were out of town.
And if there's anything I can do to help I just told you what you can do to help.
I know, but if you want someone to talk to, I understand what you're going through.
I doubt that's true.
Just get the ball rolling on those, please.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Keri.
If I knew you were waiting, I'd have brought you a doughnut.
[PHONES RINGING.]
- I need a favor.
- What kind of favor, Keri? It's a wrongful termination suit against the city.
Okay, but isn't that what you do, defend the city against lawsuits? Normally, yes, but the man suing is my former boss, and I'm a named defendant.
I don't mind helping you, Keri, but the mayor has already given me my marching orders, and, as you are so fond of reminding me, I'm no longer a lawyer.
I don't need a lawyer.
I don't want it litigated.
I want it to go away.
Isn't that what you do? In my experience, when someone wants something to go away, it tells me one of two things: either they're afraid of the outcome, or they're afraid of certain things coming out.
Which one is it? Bobby is named in the suit too, and I'm trying to protect him.
The last thing he needs right now is to become collateral damage in a courtroom spectacle, given everything that's going on with him, and I hope that you would feel the same way.
I'll see what I can do.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Jessica, this stays between us.
Of course.
City Hall, this is the mayor's office.
Yoli? Dark roast with a splash of cream, no sugar? I need more than coffee.
- I have an assignment for you.
- Ooh, an assignment.
How "Mission Impossible.
" You are aware that Chicago is on the short list to be the second headquarters of Ickaris.
I might have heard something.
The mayor's already done the dog and pony show, but I need someone who can sell them on the city itself, starting with a bird's-eye view of Lincoln Yards.
Who's "them"? Like, the CEO? Blake Everett.
He's one of their VPs of corporate affairs.
Don't worry, he's 31 and has a phone for an ear.
- Why can't you do it? - Excuse me? No, I mean, I don't understand why you're having me do this.
Because it's mile one of a marathon, and I have something pressing I have to attend to.
Yoli, what's going on? - Nothing, I just - No, no.
You have been chomping at the bit for a chance to be in the game, and I'm giving it to you.
Well, let's just say I'm not Ickaris's number one fan.
Oh, well, let's just say I pluck someone else out of Streets and Sanitation who is.
Not like I can't put my personal issues aside to do this job.
I'm happy to do it.
So [LAUGHS.]
Yoli, the file.
[SIGHS.]
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Thank you.
Hi, Keri Allen.
Ms.
Riculli has just gone on maternity leave, but I'm completely caught up to speed on your case, and I think that you'll find this number more than fair.
$7,000? That won't begin to pay our bills.
I'm sorry, that's the number on the table.
Well, then you can keep it on the table.
Ms.
Aquino, I feel for you and your family, but passing between train cars is illegal, and your son is at fault, not the city.
And the city's responsibility supersedes his violation if the train was not maintained.
That's true.
However, I'm sure that Ms.
Riculli explained to you that if this went to trial, Safety and Inspections would dispute your claim and you would end up with nothing.
I don't believe this.
If you give me a few days, I could probably get this up to $10,000.
My son is crippled, Ms.
Allen.
He'll never be normal again.
And we've asked for those inspections.
I don't understand.
My office requested documentation during discovery, and we got nothing back from your predecessor.
Something must have gotten lost in the shuffle.
- That's not - Three times? City Hall must be quite a mess.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
Still think you made the right choice coming here over big law? [LAUGHS.]
Well, I still have my soul.
[LAUGHS.]
Yeah, the work is soul-sucking, but I hear the paychecks fill some of the void.
Eh, who needs money when you have the glamor of public service? [LAUGHS.]
What can I help you with, Keri? And don't tell me you need more cases.
You already do double anyone else.
You know how you said it's our duty to overturn every rock? Oh, someone was listening in class.
So I think some of the evidence may have gotten lost in transition on Riculli's case.
Oh, uh, what evidence? The entire case hinges on annual inspections by the CTA, but we don't seem to have a single copy.
I'm sure it was an honest mistake.
I'm sure it was too, but I would like to go back through the case files and double-check.
Well, all right.
I'll look into it.
You have enough to work on.
No, I'm happy to do it myself.
Look, Keri, the truth is, to keep things moving, we rely on a reciprocal relationship with the departments we represent.
So in cases like these, if they don't give it to us we figure we don't need it.
Does that make sense? [ROUSING PERCUSSIVE MUSIC.]
Gentlemen.
Jessica Pearson.
Thank you for meeting with me.
Keri must be getting lazy in her old age - if she's delegating.
- [LAUGHS.]
I'm not here as an emissary of the law department.
- I get my orders from the top.
- Good.
I see you've read the complaint.
I have, and I've looked at the surrounding circumstances regarding your client's termination, and, to be honest, I don't see a case.
If that's what you see, I'd have my eyes checked.
My eyes are just fine.
What I do see, Mr.
Sharma, is a man whose career hasn't recovered since he left the city attorney's office.
That's why he's suing, Ms.
Pearson.
And that's why I'm sure we can come to some kind of understanding.
You want to pay me to go away.
That is what you want, isn't it? - Not interested.
- Well, maybe you should be.
If this goes to trial, the jury will see nothing more than a bitter employee who waited five years to sue because he just got a divorce and is out of money.
That's because the jury you're imagining isn't aware of all the facts.
The facts are that your client cheated victims out of liability claims for years.
He's lucky he's still a member of the bar.
Who the hell are you to judge me? My actions never hurt anyone, and I paid the price.
And so did I, but this isn't about what I did.
It's about what she did.
"She"? I thought you were suing the city and the current mayor.
Oh, we are.
But she knows what she did, and we'll start with her.
Deposition's on Wednesday.
[ELEVATOR DINGS.]
Hey.
I didn't miss the end of Daylight Savings Time, did I? No, why? I'm waiting for this Black Everett guy to show, and he's still not here.
You're waiting for Blake Everett? - I'm waiting for Blake Everett.
- To take him to Lincoln Yards? - [SIGHS.]
- Ah, man.
[LAUGHS.]
You know what this is, right? Millennials on parade.
I just find it so ironic that they're sending us out to whitewash the city.
Just smile and nod and sell them on our bike shares and beer gardens.
Yeah, and pay no attention to the gentrification behind the curtain.
You know what's so funny? I've been trying to talk the mayor out of this, and he sends me to sell them on it.
I don't know why.
You're a terrible salesman.
[SCOFFS.]
[PHONES DINGING, VIBRATING.]
Uh let's do this thing.
You always wanted to be a tour guide.
Oh, she got jokes.
I get it.
He's deposing me? That self-important asshole.
He didn't exactly win me over either.
Yeah, he's just trying to find something to distract from his meaningless life.
Well, he seems to think you had something to do with why it's meaningless.
Damn it, I asked you to make this go away.
And I will.
But before I do, I need a straight answer from you, Keri.
Is there any reason this man thinks he can invalidate the circumstances of his firing? - No.
- There was demonstrable proof? It wasn't just circumstantial evidence? Yes, there were clear grounds for his dismissal.
- He had to go.
- Okay, then it's personal.
As long as Sharma has as it out for you, you still have to prepare for the deposition.
Great.
I came to you because I didn't want to bring in outside council, and now I don't have a choice, do I? Well, at least let me help you prepare.
- I don't think so.
- Listen to me, Keri.
I've done a million depositions.
No one can prepare you better than me.
You go in there with outside council without me exploring every option, whatever it is you're trying to keep from getting out will get out.
That man has it out for you.
Your instincts were to come to me for help.
Trust your instincts.
Let me help you.
[BELL DINGS.]
[ROUSING POLKA MUSIC.]
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER.]
I didn't know that chain to your desk was this long.
Just needed a change of scenery.
At the very place I recommended.
I won't read too much into it.
I'm not here to see you, if that's what you're wondering.
Pierogi? It's mushroom.
- What's wrong? - [SIGHS.]
Nothing.
It's just work stuff.
Doesn't seem like nothing.
I don't know that it would be appropriate given your position.
That's okay.
You don't have to tell me.
You wanna get something to go, or The city attorney's burying evidence.
That's a hell of an allegation.
There was something missing from a case I'm working on, so I went back through all the liability cases under Sharma's tenure.
Every one of them settled for way less than expected, and there's evidence missing from every single one.
It's a pattern.
I see it.
I know it.
Talk to him about it? I did, and he didn't seem bothered at all, like it was just standard operating procedure.
- Jesus.
- This man is my mentor.
He's the best professor I had.
He hired me right out of law school.
I owe him everything.
That complicates things, doesn't it? What do I do? I thought you didn't come here to see me.
Please.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Look, you can do what your gut is telling you and expose him, but from what I've seen, whistleblowers rarely get rewarded.
Are you saying that to me as a politician? No, I'm saying that as someone who doesn't want to see you forced out of City Hall.
[CAR HONKING.]
Mr.
Alderman, come here.
Take a look.
You don't have to keep bringing me up here.
I get it.
Your building is very big and impressive.
I wanted to tell you this in person, see your reaction.
We're gonna make you mayor.
I I know, that's the idea.
No, no, buddy.
It's not an idea.
We're doing it now.
What are you talking about? ADA Mills is dropping out, poor bastard.
It's something about him diddling a paralegal a few years back.
Christ.
One mistake, your entire political career is over.
And someone else's gets started.
I had a consulting firm look into your strengths and weaknesses.
They even drafted up a platform.
You are for jobs and against gangs.
- What is this, a joke? - No, not to me.
I paid 20 grand for this.
Yeah, well, then you wasted your money.
Bobby, what what are you talking about? Pat, listen to me.
I know we've been talking about this for a long time and I agreed to play the long game and do your bidding on city council but the more I'm inside, the more this shit gets to me.
I wanna make a mark.
[LAUGHS.]
You are good! Well, you save that for the campaign I'm not fucking around.
This city's got a reputation for a reason, and I'm sick of it.
If I'm gonna do this thing, I want to be a new kind of mayor.
Did you get that out of your system? You ready to come back to planet Earth now? No, I've spent a lot of time and energy rounding up money for you, okay? A lot of rich people are gonna get behind you because I asked them to.
You wanna be a new kind of mayor? You won't be any kind of mayor if you don't win.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Trust me, Bobby.
Trust me and go along for the ride, and all this can be yours.
Like the mayor said, this whole area across there is open for development.
It's an amazing space.
There's the museums, the waterfront, Wrigleyville, Boystown.
And you're less than 15 miles from both airports.
You guys definitely have that live-work-play vibe my workforce wants.
[LAUGHS.]
I didn't know "vibe" was the company's top priority.
What's that? Nothing.
I think the guy who created a start-up valued at $100 million knows what he's doing.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
- Oh, no, I I'm sure he does.
It's just, you know, spending a fortune on a corporate playground, it just, uh when you have warehouse workers on food stamps, kind of seems like a backwards strategy.
You'll have to excuse Ms.
Castillo.
- She's our resident contrarian.
- That's okay.
She's not the first person to say it.
But you are the first from an administration vying for our business.
I'm not trying to call you out or anything.
I'm just looking out for Chicago's best interests.
- By calling me out.
- Yoli There's no problem here.
You're vetting a dozen cities, so you would understand why we want to do the same.
Hey, how about we go check out that vegan place in the Arts District? Sounds great.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC.]
Fucking kidding me? You can't talk to that guy like that.
- You told me to speak my mind.
- What? Yeah, the other day.
And weren't you speaking yours before this asshole showed up? That was my personal opinion.
I don't make policy decisions.
My job is to help the mayor.
The mayor lets them build IckarisWorld here, you're gonna have a lot of angry voters.
He'll have 4,000 people thanking him for a job.
That's what he's gonna have.
Or was.
Fuck! Hey.
Haven't seen you since you got back.
I had a lot to catch up on.
Yeah, I'm sure you got the headlines from Derrick.
We had quite a day ourselves with Lloyd.
Derrick's very good at his job.
Headlines conveyed the story.
Is that all? Something else you want to talk about? - How is she? - Why do you ask? What do you mean, "Why do I ask"? Because I care.
I don't want to talk about it.
Bobby, I'm just trying I don't want to talk about it with you or Jessica or anyone else.
Ah, that's why.
You're pissed 'cause I told Jessica.
- It wasn't your business.
- You know what? I had to tell her 'cause you're the one that brought her in.
You know how Stephanie feels about it.
She can't work five feet from you and not know what's going on.
What do you want to know, Keri? You wanna know what the doctor said? You wanna know what the scans showed? Nothing, okay? No one knows.
Two days, a battery of tests, thousands of dollars, for what? All I want is answers, and no one has the balls to tell me that five years from now, I'm out of this office and my wife is in a wheelchair.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
That what you wanted to know? 'Cause that's my life.
You wanna be a part of that? [SIREN WAILING.]
You waiting on me or the mayor? I don't clock out until you do.
That was the deal.
Well, after this morning, I wasn't so sure.
You were quiet.
Just doing my job.
And you've been doing it very quietly for a while now.
Since you questioned whether or not I was involved in a murder or not, you mean? No, since I determined you absolutely had nothing to do with one.
- I'm sorry I doubted you.
- That's fine.
But the fact that you suspected me, that says plenty about what you think of me.
I don't know what to think of you, Nick.
But this arrangement isn't going to work unless you trust me enough to let your walls down.
Don't you ever get bored of the view down that one-way street? What are you talking about? You expect everyone to open up for you but you don't give a thing in return.
I stood there at that press conference and not only did I answer every question, I handed out my number for follow-ups.
You didn't give them a thing you can't find on page one of an internet search.
Well, what do you think I'm hiding? Hell, for all I know, you're some Stepford wife programmed to write checks and issue sound bites.
But whatever you are, what the hell do you know about what the mayor's going through? You don't know anything about me.
Exactly.
I don't know anything.
[MOTOR WHIRRING.]
[TIRES SQUEAK SOFTLY.]
So you guys own this place too? You don't grow like we do without taking some chances.
So, Derrick, what's up? I got a late flight to Atlanta.
The mayor wants to take me to the zoo and show me the pandas.
About that.
I'm sorry at how that went down.
She does not represent the views of this administration.
But she is a part of it, and we do have 18 other cities dying to make a deal.
I know, and they're rolling out the red carpet.
And they should.
But you know she's not the only one saying those things.
Is that your pitch? "You guys suck.
Everybody knows it.
" My pitch is, "We can change the way the world sees you.
" The world sees us on the "Forbes 100" and climbing.
For now, but look what happened to Facebook and BP.
They were riding high, until they weren't.
We don't have a public relations problem, Derrick.
Right now, maybe not.
But you will, and you know it.
So what do you got? The mayor has a group of grassroots organizations that will partner with Ickaris to make this deal work for you and for the people of Chicago.
I know what a corporate accountability team is.
Then you know it can work.
It still seems like you guys are getting most of the benefits here.
This is good for your brand, and you know it.
[MELLOW MUSIC.]
Tell you what.
You increase the tax cuts on every concession that we make to the community, and we might have something here.
If I get the mayor to sign off on that, you'll go public we're top three? Yeah, you give the word, I'll release it.
Please state your full name for the record.
Keri Katherine Allen.
You are aware that you're being deposed in the case of Ken Sharma versus the city of Chicago? I am.
Will you please establish a timeline for your history at City Hall? I was deputy city attorney in 2013 until the incoming administration appointed me city attorney in 2015.
And what was your relationship to Ken Sharma? It was a working relationship.
We met in law school.
He was a mentor to me for two years until he was appointed city attorney, and then he hired me right after graduation, and I worked for him until his departure.
- And how long was that? - A little under a year.
- And how did it end? - Poorly.
Why is Mayor Novak named in the suit? That's a question for the person filing.
Take a wild guess.
The mayor was the one who outed Ken Sharma for mishandling evidence.
How did he get a hold of the information to do that? I gave it to him.
And how long had you known the alderman at that time? I don't see how that's relevant.
How long, Ms.
Allen? Uh, about a week.
So you trusted a man you barely knew a week with information that could cost you your job.
I was trying to do the right thing.
And the mayor repaid you for that information by making you the youngest city attorney in the history of Chicago.
Is that what you mean by "the right thing"? That is not why I gave him the information.
- Then why did you do it? - I just told you, I was Well, if it wasn't a quid pro quo, then what was it? - Okay, stop it.
- What was it, Ms.
Allen? Because what it looks like is, you exchanged sexual favors for professional gain.
Is that what it was? [TENSE MUSIC.]
Tell me if I'm crazy.
- You're crazy.
- I'm serious.
I really can't let him do what he's doing.
- I have to say something.
- Okay, take a breath.
I'm just I'm gonna go to the inspector general.
- Wait a second - It's systemic.
Sharma knows all about it, and he's taking kickbacks.
If you accuse him, you have to have proof.
There is a crippled boy, and they're trying to cheat him out of money and justify it by calling it prudent management.
I can't let it happen.
Okay, okay.
[TENSE PIANO MUSIC.]
You want me to talk you out of it? Is that why you came in here? I don't think so.
I just want you to think before you do anything.
I have.
Are you sure you want to do this? I'm sure.
[TWO FEET'S "I FEEL LIKE I'M DROWNING".]
I feel like I'm drowning Oh, drowning You're holding me down and Holding me down You're killing me slow [GASPS.]
So slow, oh, no I feel like I'm drowning I'm drowning [SIGHS.]
Hard to leave when you look like that.
[LAUGHS.]
Let me give you some extra motivation.
Listen your plan to go to the inspector general, it could take months or years, even, to show any real results.
So what if, in that time, Sharma gets wind of what's going on? Your career's over.
Let me do it.
- How? - I'm not sure.
I'll figure something out.
And if it doesn't work, then your career is over.
- It won't be, trust me.
- It's too risky.
I'm not gonna ask you to do that for me.
I'm offering.
It's my way of saying thank you.
For sleeping with you? Why don't you just leave some cash on the dresser? For reminding me why I went into this work in the first place.
I love being an alderman.
I love it, and I would never want to think that I take it for granted, but maybe because I was too young when I started.
I've been getting lazy and complacent and a little numb.
But now because of you [TENDER MUSIC.]
I got a pulse again.
And I'm not just talking about this.
I'm I'm talking about everything, all of me.
You wanna think that's a line from a politician, you go ahead and think it, but it's true.
Let me do this for you.
I need to do this.
[VALERIE JUNE'S "THE FRONT DOOR".]
How does it feel [KNOCK ON DOOR.]
[GLASS CLINKS.]
To know that you can't Go on anymore Well, if you're here to give me legal advice, you can save it.
I'm not.
But I do want to talk to you before you bring in another lawyer.
I'm not bringing in another lawyer.
[DOOR CLICKS.]
- What does that mean? - You're the mayor's fixer.
- Fix it.
- Keri.
The last wrongful termination suit against the city settled for a million, so just find a number.
You can't give in.
Don't tell me what I can and cannot do.
I'm the city attorney.
I can make a nuisance suit go away by paying it off.
Look, I know you're mad at me.
I'm not mad at you.
I'm mad at myself and this man and everybody but you.
You've made that perfectly clear for me.
Then you know that giving in isn't the way to go.
- Pay him.
- The man cheated people out of millions and lined his own pockets, unless you are lying and you just made it up to get his job.
- Fuck you.
- That's not an answer.
I didn't.
You know I didn't.
And that's what the jury will hear.
The jury's gonna hear a woman who was sleeping with the soon-to-be mayor and still is.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC.]
There, I said it for you.
Hope you're happy.
If this gets out, Bobby will be crushed, but he'll recover.
And me? [LAUGHS.]
No matter what anybody says, I will always be the woman who slept her way to the top.
It's different for women, and you know that.
I will never recover.
[DISTANT CARS HONKING.]
Nice going, Mayor Novak.
Can't believe you actually got him to sign off on this.
I didn't.
Oh.
Shit.
- Is he mad? - Yep, he's mad.
He shouldn't be.
You not only kept him in the running, but it says here that we're one of the favorites.
It's my job to speak for him, not to go behind his back and make promises we can't deliver.
You could have just told him that you were cleaning up after me, if you wanted.
I don't throw people under the bus.
Well, you could have, because I'm not ashamed of my beliefs.
- Damn.
- No, what? - I'm serious.
- I know you are.
Let me ask you something, Yoli Castillo.
Why do you want to be here? What do you mean? Why do you want to be part of government when you have zero respect for how it works? Because it doesn't work for everyone.
Working for everyone isn't practical or even possible.
It's our job to do the most good for the greatest number of people.
[SCOFFS.]
Wow.
You really sold your soul, huh? I hope you at least got a good price for it.
I believe in a lot of the same things you do.
I'm just a lot smarter about trying to get them done.
Funny, it looks like I'm standing in the same place you are by staying true to myself.
Well, the next time you want to be true to yourself, don't take me down with you.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[MELLOW MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS.]
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER.]
I shouldn't be meeting you without my lawyer present.
You're smarter than your lawyer.
That's why I'm coming right to you.
You think I can win, don't you? I think if you can make it look like your ambitious young protégé conspired with an equally ambitious young alderman to take you down, that you might get a jury to sympathize.
I'm glad you see it my way.
I said sympathize, not win.
But what you will definitely get is to exact your revenge on Keri and Bobby, which is what you really want, isn't it? They destroyed my career, Ms.
Pearson.
No, you destroyed your career when you decided to bury evidence and cheat innocent people.
No wonder you look like hell.
Guilt'll do that.
Look, if I had the chance to do it over, I might make some different choices.
But putting $10 million into public schools instead of paying damages to a kid who skipped school to jump between train cars? I think that was a fair trade.
And that sounds like a man who's still justifying his actions.
Sounds a lot like you, doesn't it? Two powerful attorneys who crossed lines to do what they thought was right, only I don't have a mayor to bail me out.
Well, that's where you're wrong, because your bail is set at $1 million, and the city's willing to pay it.
[SOFT LAUGH.]
You know, um I've spent my career convincing law students like Keri that, uh, it wasn't the money.
It was the privilege to serve that would drive them.
You lost that privilege, Mr.
Sharma.
Oh, I lost a lot more than that.
I mean, look at me.
[SCOFFS.]
I gave the city 20 years, 20 years.
And now I'm nothing in it.
Keep your money.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER.]
[LINE TRILLING.]
Don't tell me, the mayor fired you and you're coming back to New York.
[LAUGHS.]
Hardly.
You took over and you renamed the city Pearson.
- That's more like it.
- How are you, Jessica? I'm just fine, thank you very much, but I do need a favor.
I can be on the first plane out.
Save your miles for Tahiti.
You can do this from right where you are.
Good, I wasn't about to battle airport traffic.
What do you need? [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
Oh, man.
You should have seen the look on Sharma's face when I exposed his corrupt ass to the city council.
It was beautiful.
Now I'm ready to run.
What's the matter, Pat? City attorney a friend of yours? No.
No, your your big money backers were friends with him, and now they've all pulled out.
- Fuck them.
- "Fuck them"? This is our ticket to a whole new revenue stream now that the voters know I'm gonna clean this shit up.
You idiot.
And your father said you were the smart one.
Let's leave him out of this.
You think I'm helping you out of the goodness of my heart? Your old man and I, we had an arrangement.
What the hell are you talking about? Tommy Diehl.
Look what happened to Diehl made me sick, but everybody knows he was dirty.
And he had nothing to do with me.
No, he had everything to do with you.
Quid pro quo, Bobby boy.
Quid pro quo.
Are you saying my old man took care of Diehl? And in exchange, I make his son mayor.
Jesus Christ.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I don't want your help.
I don't need it.
You don't get a choice in this.
The hell I don't! After today, I won't have any trouble raising money.
Oh, okay, Bobby.
All right, you you go out and you find other backing 'cause you're a talented, charismatic guy, but that's all you'll ever be.
You're not becoming mayor if the public finds out that your family was involved in the disappearance of a union boss.
Cheer up.
You're gonna be an important man.
[LIQUID GURGLING.]
To your campaign.
You can start by getting rid of the girl.
[METAL CLATTERING.]
[KEYPAD BEEPING.]
- B3 still sticking? - Hi.
- Hi.
- Yeah.
It's all right.
Thank you.
Um, can we go somewhere and talk? Listen, you don't have to worry about stringing together some lame version of, "I'm a jerk "that slept with you once and I don't have time for a relationship.
" That's not what I wanted to talk to you about.
Either way, thank you for what you did for me.
I should be thanking you.
It's gonna be a boon to my career.
And it made me feel like myself for the first time in a while.
Listen, Bobby, now that, um, Sherma's out, work is different for me.
I really need people to know that I'm here on my own merits.
And not because some alderman took an interest in you.
Yeah.
- Somebody say something? - No, they didn't need to.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC.]
And that's the whole reason? That and the fact that you're married, and I don't want to be the reason you don't go back to your wife.
That's not something I can deal with.
Just so you know, I ever make it to that fifth floor office, I'm taking you with me.
Yeah, you gonna run for mayor? Uh, I'm thinking about it.
[LAUGHS.]
What do you think? Would you vote for me? [LAUGHS.]
I might.
It's a deal then.
Can't shortchange that meteoric rise, can we? [KNOCK ON DOOR.]
[SIGHS.]
It's over.
- Hmm? - Your problem.
It's over.
How much? Didn't cost the city a dime.
You didn't cut all my ties when you took a knife to my career.
I still have powerful friends in New York.
- I made a call.
- To who? What's gonna happen to him? They're lawyers, Keri, not mobsters.
Harvey Specter is connecting him with some corporate firms in the market for a Michael Clayton.
So that's it? He's willing to just walk away, - no revenge, no payout? - He didn't want the money.
He wanted his name back.
He wasn't gonna get that in Chicago.
So you rewarded him with a new job after the shitting the bed in his old one.
God, that's a real sweet deal.
I did for him what Bobby did for me.
And I can tell you from experience, starting over isn't easy.
He won't be living large in exile.
[MELLOW MUSIC.]
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
And I'm sorry.
- For what? - I never should have questioned how you got your job.
The truth is, Bobby is mayor because of you.
Nobody knows it and I wish they did.
Thank you.
What's the status of my Ickaris assignment? All taken care of.
Sounds like Everett was satisfied with your presentation.
He's on a plane home right now singing our praises.
And how much ass-kissing did Derrick have to do to clean up your mess? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire you right now.
I'm sorry.
I'm almost never wrong about a person, Yoli.
But maybe I was when I thought I saw something in you.
No, you weren't.
You're wrong now.
If you're gonna correct me, then you'd better have a damn good explanation.
I'm the voice this place is missing.
I'm passionate about the things that are important, and I am not afraid to push on the issues that I care about.
Isn't that what we're supposed to do here? Not if it costs us valuable relationships and opportunities.
I know I can be a lot sometimes, but I'm not stupid.
I can learn how to do this job, but you can't teach passion.
So please just give me another chance.
[ANDREW BELLE'S "DIVE DEEP".]
One shot.
That's it.
Oh, I don't want to stay Up out here on your fire escape But you won't let me go Hey.
Sorry to just drop by.
- Hi.
- Don't worry, I'm not stalking you.
I tried calling but, uh, did I leave my watch at your place? Uh, I don't think so, but I can check when I get home.
Cool.
While I'm here I don't think it's a good idea.
Tonight or? You're a really nice guy, but you were right.
I am seeing someone.
Okay.
I'm in a relationship.
It's okay, Keri.
Take it easy.
You too.
We get carried away Don't stop I've got nothing but time So come down when you wanna start My ex-husband had ALS.
Sorry? It's why I told Bobby I understood what he was going through.
It tore me apart, knowing that someone that I loved, no matter how complicated it was, was suffering.
And even though I was so in control of everything all day, I was powerless to do anything about it.
I had to stand by and watch, and I'm not very good at that.
Why didn't you tell Bobby? Because the story ends with a man dying, and I don't think he's ready to hear that right now.
He might appreciate a little empathy.
But I don't really understand it.
My ex-husband was diagnosed after we were divorced.
I don't know how I would have handled it had it happened during our marriage.
I like to think I'm a better person now, but Yeah, I think you're a better person than even you think you are.
I don't know why I'm telling you this.
Maybe it's because I'm here.
Let me into your heart Then we'll write on the wall You're what I want, and that's all Thank you.
I don't think I'll need a ride tonight.
Jeff.
[CHUCKLES.]
Miss me? I can't believe you're here.
Well, I knew you weren't gonna jump on a plane to Miami, so thought I would jump on a plane to come see you.
I'm glad you did.
You have something that I wanna keep We get carried away Don't stop I got nothing but time So come down when you wanna start Come down when you wanna start This is my heart Dive deep This is my heart - Aaron.
- Aaron! Oy.
Uh, thanks, I'm flattered, but I You're seeing someone.
I get it.
All I could think about was the married man that I am having an affair with.
I am so much better than this, Bobby.
Keri, Stephanie had a relapse.
I have a problem with boundaries, so I'll shut up.
Are you for real? Don't ever stop speaking your mind.
Why don't you tell me how you're gonna take your wife to a hospital in another state? Please don't suddenly make me a priority because I'm sick.
I'm making you a priority because you're my wife.
I'm going with you.
I've arranged for Nick D'Amato to be my driver.
Are you out of your mind? Jeff, I need to get close to him.
- I need to find out if he's - What, a murderer? I didn't mean to put you on the spot yesterday.
- Don't worry about it.
- Luke.
- Keri.
- Nice to meet you, Keri.
[RADICAL ROCK MUSIC.]
I've been waiting for someone like you To pull me through another 24 Please tell me that's not your lunch.
"Lunch," what's that? Just so you know, Polish place on the corner of Washington is fast and they have homemade pierogis.
Oh, that's good to know.
I got a settlement conference in a half an hour, though.
City attorney's office.
Hmm? You're the hotshot who went after U.
S.
Steel.
I thought you looked familiar.
There were a lot of us on that case.
You're being modest.
What's your name again? - Keri.
- Hi.
Bobby.
Novak.
[LAUGHS.]
What? You can cut the whole casual run-in, Alderman.
We've been in the elevator at least ten times.
- We have? - You know we have.
So you do know who I am.
Yes, and I also know that you're married.
Not that you asked, but I'm separated.
I didn't ask, and if I had a nickel for every time I heard that You'd have nearly a dollar.
I get it.
In this case, it's true.
Says the man who promised to support the last budget and then went back on it.
So you're not only looking to see if I'm wearing a ring, you're studying me at city council meetings? I'm starting to think you came here to run into me.
You know, instead of spending your lunch hour charming city employees, maybe you should be working for the people who put you in office.
You don't know what I do all day.
I know what I see, and your good looks are only gonna get you so far.
- I hope you don't mind.
- No, no, it's fine.
Um Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but, uh, you gotta go.
Oh, shit.
- Love 'em and leave 'em.
- No, it's not that.
I I have an early meeting.
Don't worry, I totally get it.
Hey, if you want, I was thinking maybe we can go away this weekend.
[LAUGHS.]
Kidding.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
Your face, though.
Wow.
Um, seriously, though, call you? Yeah, yeah, definitely call.
- All right.
- Okay.
[MELLOW MUSIC.]
[KNOCK ON DOOR.]
[SIGHS.]
- Are you Keri Allen? - Yeah.
This is for you.
Fuck.
[CARS HONKING.]
[DOOR CLICKS.]
There you are.
I thought maybe you changed your mind about our deal.
Sorry.
I asked him.
He's a bear without his coffee and doughnut first thing back.
Well, I'll forgive you this time as long as I get a cruller out of it.
And welcome back, by the way.
How was your trip? I'd like you to start digging in to some longer-term projects for me.
Technology, manufacturing, Ickaris's second headquarters.
You sure you want that headache? If that headache comes with 1/2 billion in construction, I'll take it.
What I should have asked is, do you need another headache right now? Is there something you want to say, Ms.
Pearson? I know why you were out of town.
And if there's anything I can do to help I just told you what you can do to help.
I know, but if you want someone to talk to, I understand what you're going through.
I doubt that's true.
Just get the ball rolling on those, please.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Keri.
If I knew you were waiting, I'd have brought you a doughnut.
[PHONES RINGING.]
- I need a favor.
- What kind of favor, Keri? It's a wrongful termination suit against the city.
Okay, but isn't that what you do, defend the city against lawsuits? Normally, yes, but the man suing is my former boss, and I'm a named defendant.
I don't mind helping you, Keri, but the mayor has already given me my marching orders, and, as you are so fond of reminding me, I'm no longer a lawyer.
I don't need a lawyer.
I don't want it litigated.
I want it to go away.
Isn't that what you do? In my experience, when someone wants something to go away, it tells me one of two things: either they're afraid of the outcome, or they're afraid of certain things coming out.
Which one is it? Bobby is named in the suit too, and I'm trying to protect him.
The last thing he needs right now is to become collateral damage in a courtroom spectacle, given everything that's going on with him, and I hope that you would feel the same way.
I'll see what I can do.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Jessica, this stays between us.
Of course.
City Hall, this is the mayor's office.
Yoli? Dark roast with a splash of cream, no sugar? I need more than coffee.
- I have an assignment for you.
- Ooh, an assignment.
How "Mission Impossible.
" You are aware that Chicago is on the short list to be the second headquarters of Ickaris.
I might have heard something.
The mayor's already done the dog and pony show, but I need someone who can sell them on the city itself, starting with a bird's-eye view of Lincoln Yards.
Who's "them"? Like, the CEO? Blake Everett.
He's one of their VPs of corporate affairs.
Don't worry, he's 31 and has a phone for an ear.
- Why can't you do it? - Excuse me? No, I mean, I don't understand why you're having me do this.
Because it's mile one of a marathon, and I have something pressing I have to attend to.
Yoli, what's going on? - Nothing, I just - No, no.
You have been chomping at the bit for a chance to be in the game, and I'm giving it to you.
Well, let's just say I'm not Ickaris's number one fan.
Oh, well, let's just say I pluck someone else out of Streets and Sanitation who is.
Not like I can't put my personal issues aside to do this job.
I'm happy to do it.
So [LAUGHS.]
Yoli, the file.
[SIGHS.]
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Thank you.
Hi, Keri Allen.
Ms.
Riculli has just gone on maternity leave, but I'm completely caught up to speed on your case, and I think that you'll find this number more than fair.
$7,000? That won't begin to pay our bills.
I'm sorry, that's the number on the table.
Well, then you can keep it on the table.
Ms.
Aquino, I feel for you and your family, but passing between train cars is illegal, and your son is at fault, not the city.
And the city's responsibility supersedes his violation if the train was not maintained.
That's true.
However, I'm sure that Ms.
Riculli explained to you that if this went to trial, Safety and Inspections would dispute your claim and you would end up with nothing.
I don't believe this.
If you give me a few days, I could probably get this up to $10,000.
My son is crippled, Ms.
Allen.
He'll never be normal again.
And we've asked for those inspections.
I don't understand.
My office requested documentation during discovery, and we got nothing back from your predecessor.
Something must have gotten lost in the shuffle.
- That's not - Three times? City Hall must be quite a mess.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
Still think you made the right choice coming here over big law? [LAUGHS.]
Well, I still have my soul.
[LAUGHS.]
Yeah, the work is soul-sucking, but I hear the paychecks fill some of the void.
Eh, who needs money when you have the glamor of public service? [LAUGHS.]
What can I help you with, Keri? And don't tell me you need more cases.
You already do double anyone else.
You know how you said it's our duty to overturn every rock? Oh, someone was listening in class.
So I think some of the evidence may have gotten lost in transition on Riculli's case.
Oh, uh, what evidence? The entire case hinges on annual inspections by the CTA, but we don't seem to have a single copy.
I'm sure it was an honest mistake.
I'm sure it was too, but I would like to go back through the case files and double-check.
Well, all right.
I'll look into it.
You have enough to work on.
No, I'm happy to do it myself.
Look, Keri, the truth is, to keep things moving, we rely on a reciprocal relationship with the departments we represent.
So in cases like these, if they don't give it to us we figure we don't need it.
Does that make sense? [ROUSING PERCUSSIVE MUSIC.]
Gentlemen.
Jessica Pearson.
Thank you for meeting with me.
Keri must be getting lazy in her old age - if she's delegating.
- [LAUGHS.]
I'm not here as an emissary of the law department.
- I get my orders from the top.
- Good.
I see you've read the complaint.
I have, and I've looked at the surrounding circumstances regarding your client's termination, and, to be honest, I don't see a case.
If that's what you see, I'd have my eyes checked.
My eyes are just fine.
What I do see, Mr.
Sharma, is a man whose career hasn't recovered since he left the city attorney's office.
That's why he's suing, Ms.
Pearson.
And that's why I'm sure we can come to some kind of understanding.
You want to pay me to go away.
That is what you want, isn't it? - Not interested.
- Well, maybe you should be.
If this goes to trial, the jury will see nothing more than a bitter employee who waited five years to sue because he just got a divorce and is out of money.
That's because the jury you're imagining isn't aware of all the facts.
The facts are that your client cheated victims out of liability claims for years.
He's lucky he's still a member of the bar.
Who the hell are you to judge me? My actions never hurt anyone, and I paid the price.
And so did I, but this isn't about what I did.
It's about what she did.
"She"? I thought you were suing the city and the current mayor.
Oh, we are.
But she knows what she did, and we'll start with her.
Deposition's on Wednesday.
[ELEVATOR DINGS.]
Hey.
I didn't miss the end of Daylight Savings Time, did I? No, why? I'm waiting for this Black Everett guy to show, and he's still not here.
You're waiting for Blake Everett? - I'm waiting for Blake Everett.
- To take him to Lincoln Yards? - [SIGHS.]
- Ah, man.
[LAUGHS.]
You know what this is, right? Millennials on parade.
I just find it so ironic that they're sending us out to whitewash the city.
Just smile and nod and sell them on our bike shares and beer gardens.
Yeah, and pay no attention to the gentrification behind the curtain.
You know what's so funny? I've been trying to talk the mayor out of this, and he sends me to sell them on it.
I don't know why.
You're a terrible salesman.
[SCOFFS.]
[PHONES DINGING, VIBRATING.]
Uh let's do this thing.
You always wanted to be a tour guide.
Oh, she got jokes.
I get it.
He's deposing me? That self-important asshole.
He didn't exactly win me over either.
Yeah, he's just trying to find something to distract from his meaningless life.
Well, he seems to think you had something to do with why it's meaningless.
Damn it, I asked you to make this go away.
And I will.
But before I do, I need a straight answer from you, Keri.
Is there any reason this man thinks he can invalidate the circumstances of his firing? - No.
- There was demonstrable proof? It wasn't just circumstantial evidence? Yes, there were clear grounds for his dismissal.
- He had to go.
- Okay, then it's personal.
As long as Sharma has as it out for you, you still have to prepare for the deposition.
Great.
I came to you because I didn't want to bring in outside council, and now I don't have a choice, do I? Well, at least let me help you prepare.
- I don't think so.
- Listen to me, Keri.
I've done a million depositions.
No one can prepare you better than me.
You go in there with outside council without me exploring every option, whatever it is you're trying to keep from getting out will get out.
That man has it out for you.
Your instincts were to come to me for help.
Trust your instincts.
Let me help you.
[BELL DINGS.]
[ROUSING POLKA MUSIC.]
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER.]
I didn't know that chain to your desk was this long.
Just needed a change of scenery.
At the very place I recommended.
I won't read too much into it.
I'm not here to see you, if that's what you're wondering.
Pierogi? It's mushroom.
- What's wrong? - [SIGHS.]
Nothing.
It's just work stuff.
Doesn't seem like nothing.
I don't know that it would be appropriate given your position.
That's okay.
You don't have to tell me.
You wanna get something to go, or The city attorney's burying evidence.
That's a hell of an allegation.
There was something missing from a case I'm working on, so I went back through all the liability cases under Sharma's tenure.
Every one of them settled for way less than expected, and there's evidence missing from every single one.
It's a pattern.
I see it.
I know it.
Talk to him about it? I did, and he didn't seem bothered at all, like it was just standard operating procedure.
- Jesus.
- This man is my mentor.
He's the best professor I had.
He hired me right out of law school.
I owe him everything.
That complicates things, doesn't it? What do I do? I thought you didn't come here to see me.
Please.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Look, you can do what your gut is telling you and expose him, but from what I've seen, whistleblowers rarely get rewarded.
Are you saying that to me as a politician? No, I'm saying that as someone who doesn't want to see you forced out of City Hall.
[CAR HONKING.]
Mr.
Alderman, come here.
Take a look.
You don't have to keep bringing me up here.
I get it.
Your building is very big and impressive.
I wanted to tell you this in person, see your reaction.
We're gonna make you mayor.
I I know, that's the idea.
No, no, buddy.
It's not an idea.
We're doing it now.
What are you talking about? ADA Mills is dropping out, poor bastard.
It's something about him diddling a paralegal a few years back.
Christ.
One mistake, your entire political career is over.
And someone else's gets started.
I had a consulting firm look into your strengths and weaknesses.
They even drafted up a platform.
You are for jobs and against gangs.
- What is this, a joke? - No, not to me.
I paid 20 grand for this.
Yeah, well, then you wasted your money.
Bobby, what what are you talking about? Pat, listen to me.
I know we've been talking about this for a long time and I agreed to play the long game and do your bidding on city council but the more I'm inside, the more this shit gets to me.
I wanna make a mark.
[LAUGHS.]
You are good! Well, you save that for the campaign I'm not fucking around.
This city's got a reputation for a reason, and I'm sick of it.
If I'm gonna do this thing, I want to be a new kind of mayor.
Did you get that out of your system? You ready to come back to planet Earth now? No, I've spent a lot of time and energy rounding up money for you, okay? A lot of rich people are gonna get behind you because I asked them to.
You wanna be a new kind of mayor? You won't be any kind of mayor if you don't win.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Trust me, Bobby.
Trust me and go along for the ride, and all this can be yours.
Like the mayor said, this whole area across there is open for development.
It's an amazing space.
There's the museums, the waterfront, Wrigleyville, Boystown.
And you're less than 15 miles from both airports.
You guys definitely have that live-work-play vibe my workforce wants.
[LAUGHS.]
I didn't know "vibe" was the company's top priority.
What's that? Nothing.
I think the guy who created a start-up valued at $100 million knows what he's doing.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
- Oh, no, I I'm sure he does.
It's just, you know, spending a fortune on a corporate playground, it just, uh when you have warehouse workers on food stamps, kind of seems like a backwards strategy.
You'll have to excuse Ms.
Castillo.
- She's our resident contrarian.
- That's okay.
She's not the first person to say it.
But you are the first from an administration vying for our business.
I'm not trying to call you out or anything.
I'm just looking out for Chicago's best interests.
- By calling me out.
- Yoli There's no problem here.
You're vetting a dozen cities, so you would understand why we want to do the same.
Hey, how about we go check out that vegan place in the Arts District? Sounds great.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC.]
Fucking kidding me? You can't talk to that guy like that.
- You told me to speak my mind.
- What? Yeah, the other day.
And weren't you speaking yours before this asshole showed up? That was my personal opinion.
I don't make policy decisions.
My job is to help the mayor.
The mayor lets them build IckarisWorld here, you're gonna have a lot of angry voters.
He'll have 4,000 people thanking him for a job.
That's what he's gonna have.
Or was.
Fuck! Hey.
Haven't seen you since you got back.
I had a lot to catch up on.
Yeah, I'm sure you got the headlines from Derrick.
We had quite a day ourselves with Lloyd.
Derrick's very good at his job.
Headlines conveyed the story.
Is that all? Something else you want to talk about? - How is she? - Why do you ask? What do you mean, "Why do I ask"? Because I care.
I don't want to talk about it.
Bobby, I'm just trying I don't want to talk about it with you or Jessica or anyone else.
Ah, that's why.
You're pissed 'cause I told Jessica.
- It wasn't your business.
- You know what? I had to tell her 'cause you're the one that brought her in.
You know how Stephanie feels about it.
She can't work five feet from you and not know what's going on.
What do you want to know, Keri? You wanna know what the doctor said? You wanna know what the scans showed? Nothing, okay? No one knows.
Two days, a battery of tests, thousands of dollars, for what? All I want is answers, and no one has the balls to tell me that five years from now, I'm out of this office and my wife is in a wheelchair.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
That what you wanted to know? 'Cause that's my life.
You wanna be a part of that? [SIREN WAILING.]
You waiting on me or the mayor? I don't clock out until you do.
That was the deal.
Well, after this morning, I wasn't so sure.
You were quiet.
Just doing my job.
And you've been doing it very quietly for a while now.
Since you questioned whether or not I was involved in a murder or not, you mean? No, since I determined you absolutely had nothing to do with one.
- I'm sorry I doubted you.
- That's fine.
But the fact that you suspected me, that says plenty about what you think of me.
I don't know what to think of you, Nick.
But this arrangement isn't going to work unless you trust me enough to let your walls down.
Don't you ever get bored of the view down that one-way street? What are you talking about? You expect everyone to open up for you but you don't give a thing in return.
I stood there at that press conference and not only did I answer every question, I handed out my number for follow-ups.
You didn't give them a thing you can't find on page one of an internet search.
Well, what do you think I'm hiding? Hell, for all I know, you're some Stepford wife programmed to write checks and issue sound bites.
But whatever you are, what the hell do you know about what the mayor's going through? You don't know anything about me.
Exactly.
I don't know anything.
[MOTOR WHIRRING.]
[TIRES SQUEAK SOFTLY.]
So you guys own this place too? You don't grow like we do without taking some chances.
So, Derrick, what's up? I got a late flight to Atlanta.
The mayor wants to take me to the zoo and show me the pandas.
About that.
I'm sorry at how that went down.
She does not represent the views of this administration.
But she is a part of it, and we do have 18 other cities dying to make a deal.
I know, and they're rolling out the red carpet.
And they should.
But you know she's not the only one saying those things.
Is that your pitch? "You guys suck.
Everybody knows it.
" My pitch is, "We can change the way the world sees you.
" The world sees us on the "Forbes 100" and climbing.
For now, but look what happened to Facebook and BP.
They were riding high, until they weren't.
We don't have a public relations problem, Derrick.
Right now, maybe not.
But you will, and you know it.
So what do you got? The mayor has a group of grassroots organizations that will partner with Ickaris to make this deal work for you and for the people of Chicago.
I know what a corporate accountability team is.
Then you know it can work.
It still seems like you guys are getting most of the benefits here.
This is good for your brand, and you know it.
[MELLOW MUSIC.]
Tell you what.
You increase the tax cuts on every concession that we make to the community, and we might have something here.
If I get the mayor to sign off on that, you'll go public we're top three? Yeah, you give the word, I'll release it.
Please state your full name for the record.
Keri Katherine Allen.
You are aware that you're being deposed in the case of Ken Sharma versus the city of Chicago? I am.
Will you please establish a timeline for your history at City Hall? I was deputy city attorney in 2013 until the incoming administration appointed me city attorney in 2015.
And what was your relationship to Ken Sharma? It was a working relationship.
We met in law school.
He was a mentor to me for two years until he was appointed city attorney, and then he hired me right after graduation, and I worked for him until his departure.
- And how long was that? - A little under a year.
- And how did it end? - Poorly.
Why is Mayor Novak named in the suit? That's a question for the person filing.
Take a wild guess.
The mayor was the one who outed Ken Sharma for mishandling evidence.
How did he get a hold of the information to do that? I gave it to him.
And how long had you known the alderman at that time? I don't see how that's relevant.
How long, Ms.
Allen? Uh, about a week.
So you trusted a man you barely knew a week with information that could cost you your job.
I was trying to do the right thing.
And the mayor repaid you for that information by making you the youngest city attorney in the history of Chicago.
Is that what you mean by "the right thing"? That is not why I gave him the information.
- Then why did you do it? - I just told you, I was Well, if it wasn't a quid pro quo, then what was it? - Okay, stop it.
- What was it, Ms.
Allen? Because what it looks like is, you exchanged sexual favors for professional gain.
Is that what it was? [TENSE MUSIC.]
Tell me if I'm crazy.
- You're crazy.
- I'm serious.
I really can't let him do what he's doing.
- I have to say something.
- Okay, take a breath.
I'm just I'm gonna go to the inspector general.
- Wait a second - It's systemic.
Sharma knows all about it, and he's taking kickbacks.
If you accuse him, you have to have proof.
There is a crippled boy, and they're trying to cheat him out of money and justify it by calling it prudent management.
I can't let it happen.
Okay, okay.
[TENSE PIANO MUSIC.]
You want me to talk you out of it? Is that why you came in here? I don't think so.
I just want you to think before you do anything.
I have.
Are you sure you want to do this? I'm sure.
[TWO FEET'S "I FEEL LIKE I'M DROWNING".]
I feel like I'm drowning Oh, drowning You're holding me down and Holding me down You're killing me slow [GASPS.]
So slow, oh, no I feel like I'm drowning I'm drowning [SIGHS.]
Hard to leave when you look like that.
[LAUGHS.]
Let me give you some extra motivation.
Listen your plan to go to the inspector general, it could take months or years, even, to show any real results.
So what if, in that time, Sharma gets wind of what's going on? Your career's over.
Let me do it.
- How? - I'm not sure.
I'll figure something out.
And if it doesn't work, then your career is over.
- It won't be, trust me.
- It's too risky.
I'm not gonna ask you to do that for me.
I'm offering.
It's my way of saying thank you.
For sleeping with you? Why don't you just leave some cash on the dresser? For reminding me why I went into this work in the first place.
I love being an alderman.
I love it, and I would never want to think that I take it for granted, but maybe because I was too young when I started.
I've been getting lazy and complacent and a little numb.
But now because of you [TENDER MUSIC.]
I got a pulse again.
And I'm not just talking about this.
I'm I'm talking about everything, all of me.
You wanna think that's a line from a politician, you go ahead and think it, but it's true.
Let me do this for you.
I need to do this.
[VALERIE JUNE'S "THE FRONT DOOR".]
How does it feel [KNOCK ON DOOR.]
[GLASS CLINKS.]
To know that you can't Go on anymore Well, if you're here to give me legal advice, you can save it.
I'm not.
But I do want to talk to you before you bring in another lawyer.
I'm not bringing in another lawyer.
[DOOR CLICKS.]
- What does that mean? - You're the mayor's fixer.
- Fix it.
- Keri.
The last wrongful termination suit against the city settled for a million, so just find a number.
You can't give in.
Don't tell me what I can and cannot do.
I'm the city attorney.
I can make a nuisance suit go away by paying it off.
Look, I know you're mad at me.
I'm not mad at you.
I'm mad at myself and this man and everybody but you.
You've made that perfectly clear for me.
Then you know that giving in isn't the way to go.
- Pay him.
- The man cheated people out of millions and lined his own pockets, unless you are lying and you just made it up to get his job.
- Fuck you.
- That's not an answer.
I didn't.
You know I didn't.
And that's what the jury will hear.
The jury's gonna hear a woman who was sleeping with the soon-to-be mayor and still is.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC.]
There, I said it for you.
Hope you're happy.
If this gets out, Bobby will be crushed, but he'll recover.
And me? [LAUGHS.]
No matter what anybody says, I will always be the woman who slept her way to the top.
It's different for women, and you know that.
I will never recover.
[DISTANT CARS HONKING.]
Nice going, Mayor Novak.
Can't believe you actually got him to sign off on this.
I didn't.
Oh.
Shit.
- Is he mad? - Yep, he's mad.
He shouldn't be.
You not only kept him in the running, but it says here that we're one of the favorites.
It's my job to speak for him, not to go behind his back and make promises we can't deliver.
You could have just told him that you were cleaning up after me, if you wanted.
I don't throw people under the bus.
Well, you could have, because I'm not ashamed of my beliefs.
- Damn.
- No, what? - I'm serious.
- I know you are.
Let me ask you something, Yoli Castillo.
Why do you want to be here? What do you mean? Why do you want to be part of government when you have zero respect for how it works? Because it doesn't work for everyone.
Working for everyone isn't practical or even possible.
It's our job to do the most good for the greatest number of people.
[SCOFFS.]
Wow.
You really sold your soul, huh? I hope you at least got a good price for it.
I believe in a lot of the same things you do.
I'm just a lot smarter about trying to get them done.
Funny, it looks like I'm standing in the same place you are by staying true to myself.
Well, the next time you want to be true to yourself, don't take me down with you.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[MELLOW MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS.]
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER.]
I shouldn't be meeting you without my lawyer present.
You're smarter than your lawyer.
That's why I'm coming right to you.
You think I can win, don't you? I think if you can make it look like your ambitious young protégé conspired with an equally ambitious young alderman to take you down, that you might get a jury to sympathize.
I'm glad you see it my way.
I said sympathize, not win.
But what you will definitely get is to exact your revenge on Keri and Bobby, which is what you really want, isn't it? They destroyed my career, Ms.
Pearson.
No, you destroyed your career when you decided to bury evidence and cheat innocent people.
No wonder you look like hell.
Guilt'll do that.
Look, if I had the chance to do it over, I might make some different choices.
But putting $10 million into public schools instead of paying damages to a kid who skipped school to jump between train cars? I think that was a fair trade.
And that sounds like a man who's still justifying his actions.
Sounds a lot like you, doesn't it? Two powerful attorneys who crossed lines to do what they thought was right, only I don't have a mayor to bail me out.
Well, that's where you're wrong, because your bail is set at $1 million, and the city's willing to pay it.
[SOFT LAUGH.]
You know, um I've spent my career convincing law students like Keri that, uh, it wasn't the money.
It was the privilege to serve that would drive them.
You lost that privilege, Mr.
Sharma.
Oh, I lost a lot more than that.
I mean, look at me.
[SCOFFS.]
I gave the city 20 years, 20 years.
And now I'm nothing in it.
Keep your money.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER.]
[LINE TRILLING.]
Don't tell me, the mayor fired you and you're coming back to New York.
[LAUGHS.]
Hardly.
You took over and you renamed the city Pearson.
- That's more like it.
- How are you, Jessica? I'm just fine, thank you very much, but I do need a favor.
I can be on the first plane out.
Save your miles for Tahiti.
You can do this from right where you are.
Good, I wasn't about to battle airport traffic.
What do you need? [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
Oh, man.
You should have seen the look on Sharma's face when I exposed his corrupt ass to the city council.
It was beautiful.
Now I'm ready to run.
What's the matter, Pat? City attorney a friend of yours? No.
No, your your big money backers were friends with him, and now they've all pulled out.
- Fuck them.
- "Fuck them"? This is our ticket to a whole new revenue stream now that the voters know I'm gonna clean this shit up.
You idiot.
And your father said you were the smart one.
Let's leave him out of this.
You think I'm helping you out of the goodness of my heart? Your old man and I, we had an arrangement.
What the hell are you talking about? Tommy Diehl.
Look what happened to Diehl made me sick, but everybody knows he was dirty.
And he had nothing to do with me.
No, he had everything to do with you.
Quid pro quo, Bobby boy.
Quid pro quo.
Are you saying my old man took care of Diehl? And in exchange, I make his son mayor.
Jesus Christ.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I don't want your help.
I don't need it.
You don't get a choice in this.
The hell I don't! After today, I won't have any trouble raising money.
Oh, okay, Bobby.
All right, you you go out and you find other backing 'cause you're a talented, charismatic guy, but that's all you'll ever be.
You're not becoming mayor if the public finds out that your family was involved in the disappearance of a union boss.
Cheer up.
You're gonna be an important man.
[LIQUID GURGLING.]
To your campaign.
You can start by getting rid of the girl.
[METAL CLATTERING.]
[KEYPAD BEEPING.]
- B3 still sticking? - Hi.
- Hi.
- Yeah.
It's all right.
Thank you.
Um, can we go somewhere and talk? Listen, you don't have to worry about stringing together some lame version of, "I'm a jerk "that slept with you once and I don't have time for a relationship.
" That's not what I wanted to talk to you about.
Either way, thank you for what you did for me.
I should be thanking you.
It's gonna be a boon to my career.
And it made me feel like myself for the first time in a while.
Listen, Bobby, now that, um, Sherma's out, work is different for me.
I really need people to know that I'm here on my own merits.
And not because some alderman took an interest in you.
Yeah.
- Somebody say something? - No, they didn't need to.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC.]
And that's the whole reason? That and the fact that you're married, and I don't want to be the reason you don't go back to your wife.
That's not something I can deal with.
Just so you know, I ever make it to that fifth floor office, I'm taking you with me.
Yeah, you gonna run for mayor? Uh, I'm thinking about it.
[LAUGHS.]
What do you think? Would you vote for me? [LAUGHS.]
I might.
It's a deal then.
Can't shortchange that meteoric rise, can we? [KNOCK ON DOOR.]
[SIGHS.]
It's over.
- Hmm? - Your problem.
It's over.
How much? Didn't cost the city a dime.
You didn't cut all my ties when you took a knife to my career.
I still have powerful friends in New York.
- I made a call.
- To who? What's gonna happen to him? They're lawyers, Keri, not mobsters.
Harvey Specter is connecting him with some corporate firms in the market for a Michael Clayton.
So that's it? He's willing to just walk away, - no revenge, no payout? - He didn't want the money.
He wanted his name back.
He wasn't gonna get that in Chicago.
So you rewarded him with a new job after the shitting the bed in his old one.
God, that's a real sweet deal.
I did for him what Bobby did for me.
And I can tell you from experience, starting over isn't easy.
He won't be living large in exile.
[MELLOW MUSIC.]
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
And I'm sorry.
- For what? - I never should have questioned how you got your job.
The truth is, Bobby is mayor because of you.
Nobody knows it and I wish they did.
Thank you.
What's the status of my Ickaris assignment? All taken care of.
Sounds like Everett was satisfied with your presentation.
He's on a plane home right now singing our praises.
And how much ass-kissing did Derrick have to do to clean up your mess? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire you right now.
I'm sorry.
I'm almost never wrong about a person, Yoli.
But maybe I was when I thought I saw something in you.
No, you weren't.
You're wrong now.
If you're gonna correct me, then you'd better have a damn good explanation.
I'm the voice this place is missing.
I'm passionate about the things that are important, and I am not afraid to push on the issues that I care about.
Isn't that what we're supposed to do here? Not if it costs us valuable relationships and opportunities.
I know I can be a lot sometimes, but I'm not stupid.
I can learn how to do this job, but you can't teach passion.
So please just give me another chance.
[ANDREW BELLE'S "DIVE DEEP".]
One shot.
That's it.
Oh, I don't want to stay Up out here on your fire escape But you won't let me go Hey.
Sorry to just drop by.
- Hi.
- Don't worry, I'm not stalking you.
I tried calling but, uh, did I leave my watch at your place? Uh, I don't think so, but I can check when I get home.
Cool.
While I'm here I don't think it's a good idea.
Tonight or? You're a really nice guy, but you were right.
I am seeing someone.
Okay.
I'm in a relationship.
It's okay, Keri.
Take it easy.
You too.
We get carried away Don't stop I've got nothing but time So come down when you wanna start My ex-husband had ALS.
Sorry? It's why I told Bobby I understood what he was going through.
It tore me apart, knowing that someone that I loved, no matter how complicated it was, was suffering.
And even though I was so in control of everything all day, I was powerless to do anything about it.
I had to stand by and watch, and I'm not very good at that.
Why didn't you tell Bobby? Because the story ends with a man dying, and I don't think he's ready to hear that right now.
He might appreciate a little empathy.
But I don't really understand it.
My ex-husband was diagnosed after we were divorced.
I don't know how I would have handled it had it happened during our marriage.
I like to think I'm a better person now, but Yeah, I think you're a better person than even you think you are.
I don't know why I'm telling you this.
Maybe it's because I'm here.
Let me into your heart Then we'll write on the wall You're what I want, and that's all Thank you.
I don't think I'll need a ride tonight.
Jeff.
[CHUCKLES.]
Miss me? I can't believe you're here.
Well, I knew you weren't gonna jump on a plane to Miami, so thought I would jump on a plane to come see you.
I'm glad you did.
You have something that I wanna keep We get carried away Don't stop I got nothing but time So come down when you wanna start Come down when you wanna start This is my heart Dive deep This is my heart - Aaron.
- Aaron! Oy.