Billions

Previously on Billions...

You know why I can see Yonkers' future?

'Cause I can see its past.

Mike Prince is Axe's real enemy.

You know the house he lives in now was my house.

Come on back, and have dinner with us.

I'll make meatloaf.

Can't wait. Dinner at home in my hometown.

Only I'm not gonna allow you to do any work.

I'm gonna bring my chef.

We should do it... Turn Mase Cap into an impact fund.

Together. Within Axe Cap. But ours.

Yes.

We were thrilled to hear

that you might be interested

in teaching here at the Law School this semester.

Professor Rhoades. I'm...

Oh, I know... Catherine Brant.

I heard you were up here.

You know my new artist... Tanner... I got working on commission.

- Yeah. - He's not working.

You're on the precipice

of the kind of success very few artists ever have.

Look.

There we go.

You'll be the first to see it when it's done.

I better be.

I'm fine with you winning in Yonkers.

Yonkers is you.

You are Yonkers. You've never really left.

You stink of the place.

And now you're back in it.

I've gotta get the fuck out of this dipshit town.

Baby brother.

But you suddenly showing up here...

Must mean you want something.

The one thing you do with those hands better than fight.

There's a safe?

My father called me.

His alliance with Axe isn't over.

What other venture are they embarking upon?

They're going into banking.

Then so are we.

We have to fire him.

"Have to" is a bit strong.

We have to breathe. Have to find shelter.

Food to eat. We don't have to fire Winston...

"Should." I can co-sign should.

We should fire him.

Then we will. Will we?

We said no exceptions.

The exact words were: "Strive for no exceptions."

Meaning... So Winston's the perfect fit.

You said... No.

Winston's Tony Stewart in 2005.

Cocky 'cause he drives fast, but too brazen, too cutthroat.

He'll punch you on pit row, or run you over.

But like Stewart, he gets results.

Sure. At Taylor Mason Capital.

But we're building something new.

Tell me he sees the Matrix and we're done here.

I can't tell you he sees the Matrix.

I saw the Matrix before they even made the fucking movie!

And I was like five years old then.

Rest my case.

Wait, you really want to fire me?

I thought I was gonna get a two percent slice

of the new company.

Dave Mustaine thought he would return to Metallica.

I get the new slogan: No more ass-pounding the planet.

Earth-positive approach.

We go to Phish concerts with our investors.

But we still love money too, right?

The math works the same no matter the names we own.

And that is where you will always need me.

"Need." Again, that overstates it.

Sell us on what you alone

add to this particular kind of investing.

Back to you soon.

What we need are true believers

with hard and soft skills.

If they don't work here now,

we have to find 'em.

I know, honey. She's just a bad pony...

But it's better you found out now, rather than later.

Well, she'd better give Grammy's ring back...

That's meant for a wife... Not a slut...

Oh, uh. Alright. Listen, I gotta go.

I'll talk to you later.

Yeah. Love you.

Well, Ms. Calder.

Ah.

Not every day the top legal officers

of the state pop up on my calendar.

Kind of like a digital rectal exam.

What's on your mind? Bobby Axelrod.

Specifically, an application he submitted for a bank charter.

I'm aware of it.

Well, we would like you to stall the approval.

And then deny it.

And why would I do that?

All of the preliminary paperwork seems fine.

We need straight-up banks in this state,

and he's like an old Jack Kramer stored without a press:

permanently warped.

You can prevent crimes before they happen...

Just by saying no.

This isn't Minority Report.

Now, we follow a process.

A crime happens, you deal with it later.

Certainly an expert in banking like yourself understands

the concept of taking out a line of credit.

Well, imagine what I can pay back with interest.

Not every day the top legal officers

of the state pop onto your calendar.

Go on.

Do this for us, and if you're ever in desperate straits,

reach out for us, and just watch what we can do.

Oh. You mean like prosecuting

someone to settle a political grudge.

Oh.

I would never prosecute someone unless they had actually...

But, uh, yes.

Sure. Yeah, yeah.

You know what?

Um, see, I don't walk around with a McCarthy list

- like you do, so... - Mm.

You seemed awfully upset about someone when we arrived.

Yeah, that was about my son's ex-fiancée.

That bitch broke off the engagement,

but she won't give the ring back.

Oh.

That ring was smuggled out of Germany

sewn into the lining of my father's coat

right at the beginning of World War II.

I mean, that... that...

It's a family heirloom...

Well. There may be legal remedies.

We could go after her in court and get it back.

That would give you a very special place in my heart.

Drag your feet on the approval to give me a chance.

Alright. Let's go get this fucking bank.

Give me the sign when you want me to play

bad cop in the meeting. No call for that.

They have the documents.

They've signaled to us that this process should go

as smooth as a freshly waxed...

Prom queen?

PBA lane.

That's Professional Bowlers Association.

Ah. Right.

You sure you don't want a bad cop?

We're sure, Wags.

But I love bad cop.

I've been rehearsing all morning.

Spyros, why the Alfred the Butler getup?

Naturally, I assume you'll want your eques of equities,

your consul of compliance, to join you in the assault

on the ramparts of government regulators.

Bad cop. Go.

When the meeting calls for an organ grinder's monkey

to come shake his cappuccino cup for nickels,

we'll let you know.

Sorry. I-I can't approve this just yet.

There's another bank representing that zone.

There is not.

If you look in the papers right in front of you there,

you'll see... Vark Community Bank.

Vark isn't even FDIC-insured.

- You can't possibly expect us... - Vark is a shining jewel

in the Banking Development District Program.

They serve many hardworking, undocumented customers.

Now, you run Vark off the ranch,

and where else are these people supposed to graze?

I dunno. Immigration Services?

If that's humor, it's left me cold.

And if it's your real answer,

then it's left you out in the cold.

Now, we are not going to proceed

with issuing a charter unless you can convince me

that there is a greater banking need in this zip code.

Go ahead.

Show me a competitive analysis that says so.

Oh, and also, you're gonna need to propose, um,

a suitable candidate for CEO.

You better have someone captaining

this ship that's legitimate,

or the ship doesn't leave the dock.

Turns out we didn't need the good cop.

You're right about that.

It was all naked fucking Harvey Keitel in there.

It doesn't make any sense. It does.

Harvey Keitel was Bad Lieutenant.

He's saying the banking person... He knows, Wags.

He means the timing is odd.

The sudden turn against us.

Mike Prince? Maybe.

Him or Chuck.

Get Hall with the banking team working on Vark Bank.

And get with Lauren and find another CEO.