We've got to be careful.
Don't worry. I'm committed to a gentle approach.
I'm serious.
I mean, about us. About anyone finding out.
The jury's been empanelled for your mom's case.
If Nick finds out about.
Don't think about Nick. We think about you and me.
I've just got a bad feeling.
I am gonna kiss it and make it better.
Jeremy, listen. This isn't a game.
If it gets out that I've gotten sexually involved
with the son of a defendant,
I won't just lose this trial. I will lose everything.
It won't get out. Trust me.
Okay. I'm just saying that we need to be more careful.
We cannot give Nick anything to put before a judge.
No more phone calls, no more e-mails and no witnesses.
I agree. Close your eyes.
No witnesses.
Mmm-hmm
I see it. But I don't believe you did it.
- Well, I. - Congratulations.
I haven't done anything yet. I still need the show to open tonight,
I need the right people to come, I need to sell a few paintings.
All I know is I'm a lucky guy
to be married to the owner of the coolest new gallery in town.
- I'm proud of you. - Thank you.
All right. I gotta go to court. I'll see you tonight.
- 6:00 p.m. Sharp. Remember. - I know, I know.
It's my first opening night.
Lisa, believe me, after the last time I was late for a date with you,
I understand how it's in my best interest to be punctual.
Nick,
Jeremy Darling is no longer a subject of conversation in our marriage.
- He's out of my life. - That's how I like him.
- Ooh! Mama, that was close. - Jeremy! Too close.
Why I ever thought you being my secret partner was a good idea.
Because it got you this gallery.
And 'cause of me you get to have it all.
Great career, great marriage.
Face it, Lisa. Sometimes things actually work out.
My favorite couple.
Why don't you tell me what we're doing in chambers on such a beautiful day?
Your Honor, it's come to my attention that Mr. George flew to France
and counseled my key witness to disregard my subpoena
and blow off a murder trial.
There is nothing preventing me from talking to a witness.
Especially when she's my mother.
Talking to a witness, no. Tampering, it starts getting dicey.
- What am I looking at? - Phone records.
Between Letitia Darling and Clare George. This proves they spoke.
Meaning we should be allowed to introduce
the witness's earlier statement as to the contents of those phone calls.
Your Honor, what Ms. Lyons is asking for is hearsay.
Totally inadmissible. Ordinarily she would know that.
You're a little off your game.
Is there something, I don't know, distracting you from your work?
Nothing besides my impending gloating over your denied motion.
Counselors.
Mr. George, for some reason known only to her, and perhaps to you,
your mother's chosen to make herself unavailable for the trial.
I'll admit her statement.
Thank you, Your Honor.
- You're amazing. - I hear that a lot.
Seriously. You dragged me down here and accused me of witness tampering,
when you're involved with the defendant's son?
- Excuse me? - You heard me.
There's something going on between you and Jeremy Darling.
- You sure of that? - You sure I'm not?
So tell it to the judge.
Let me guess.
You have no proof.
Ciao, Counselor.
Hey, hey.
The new Senator for New York. Hi, Paddy.
What can I do for you, Dad?
I was just wondering
if you'd put together a short list for candidates for your chief of staff.
Not yet. I've been kind of busy hunting down the woman I love
since you drove her away.
Not me.
Carmelita left of her own volition.
She would have found out how Ellen died eventually.
You would have told her. So it's better to let her go now.
Dad, I don't wanna argue with you today.
One heart attack per month, right?
What's that?
Oh, just some thoughts I had for your chief of staff.
Those are four excellent men.
- John McCormick is retired. - No, semi.
I spoke with him. He'd be more than willing to serve.
Ray Simon is quite interested. I spoke to him at the club last week.
Dad, I think I wanna meet with some fresh faces, you know?
Up and comers. People without colostomy bags.
But what you need as a first-term senator
is someone with experience, someone loyal.
Loyal.
To you.
All right. I'll meet with them.
Guess what. I'm marrying Simon.
I love him, Nick. I do.
And after four. Four! Failed marriages and pining over you all these years,
I have finally found the right man.
You sure about that?
Yeah. And you were all wrong about him.
All that conspiracy stuff about,
"He just wants me for my shares, so he can take over the company."
- Which he said to me word for word. - No. He's not like that, Nick.
You know, when he found out I was spying on him for Daddy,
he didn't even get mad.
- Karen. - Yeah?
If you don't trust me, why do you keep coming back here for my help?
Well, Nick,
because in a world full of Simons and Daddies,
you're all I have.
I'm not asking you to walk me down the aisle, okay? But I need.
What?
I need you to tell Daddy.
Just talk to him and, you know, get his blessing.
I don't want to lose my whole family over this.
And if Daddy's not on board, that is exactly what's going to happen.
What a foul business this is.
You're really sure his marriage to Karen is part of his takeover plan?
That's what Simon told me.
And, obviously, he anticipated how that would sound to her.
- Lf it were coming from you. - Yeah.
What a son of a bitch. He really knows our Karen, doesn't he?
The first thing he'll do, once they're married,
is move quickly and commingle their assets.
He'll own everything she owns,
including all her shares in Darling Enterprises.
Add to that whatever shares he's acquired
through the shell corporations he's hiding behind.
And Darling Enterprises will have a new majority shareholder.
So, what do we do?
I have an idea, but you're not gonna wanna hear it.
- Yeah, let me be the judge of that. - Cut her out.
No. Nick.
You pay me for my honest counsel, Tripp.
I would not be doing my job if I said anything else.
Nick.
Strip her of all current and future holdings of Darling Enterprises.
That is the only way to protect the company and the family.
Cut her out.
Okay.
Cut her out.
Yeah, but I had marzipan glaze for my second.
My second and my fourth weddings.
So maybe it's time to try something a little different.
Ooh! Coconut.
- Hey, baby. - Hey.
Hey, mind if I take your mind off the wedding for a second?
- Please. What's that? - It is the guest list
- for our engagement party. - Oh!
- Mmm! Mmm! - Mmm-hmm!
It's tomorrow night and none of your siblings have RSVP'd.
- Well, does that surprise you? - Mmm.
Juliet's not gonna interrupt her year-long orgasm in the South Pacific,
and the boys, I'm sure they're just too scared of Daddy to come.
Well, I hope they conquer that fear.
Occasions like these are oftentimes great opportunities to cement alliances.
- Alliances? - Yeah. Family alliances.
Thank you.
You know, Tripp might not feel so free to knock you guys around individually
if he knew you stuck together.
That one.
Strength in numbers.
Here, it's for you. It's from Nick's office.
It's probably him RSVPing,
- "No." - Mmm-hmm.
Mmm.
- Oh, my God. - What?
Oh, my God, Simon.
Daddy's rescinding all of my shares of Darling Enterprises
and, yeah, he's revoking my ineritance, too.
Wait a minute.
- He's cutting you off. - Yeah.
Taking away everything you own
- and everything you're entitled to. - Yeah. Oh, my God.
What a loving father.
See, that's what I'm saying. Family alliances.
Listen, if you wanna reclaim what's rightfully yours,
get your brothers to our engagement party,
here, tomorrow night, and let me take it from there.
- Okay. - All right?
- Okay. - All right. I'll handle it.
- Open wide. - Ah.
Oh, my. That's quite a red throat you have there.
All right, that does it. You're not flying my son back to Brazil tonight.
Brian, let's just wait and talk to the doctor.
You can't hold us hostage here over a sore throat.
Hostage?
That's what you call staying at the largest private residence in Manattan
with a staff that waits on you hand and foot?
I wasrt talking about the staff.
- How is everybody? - We're peachy.
How's my son?
It might just be the flu, but I am concerned,
given the fact that Brian Jr. Has spent the last six months in Brazil,
that he may have picked up a parasite.
See, there's another hidden benefit of life in the southern hemisphere.
As a matter of fact, since the two of you have spent time down there,
I'd like to check you both as well.
- Absolutely. Whatever you need. - Good.
I'll send my nurse up to collect some stool samples.
Boy, life with you just keeps getting better.
First, you move my son to South America,
and now you got me pooping in a cup.
Kudos.
- You busy? - No.
Just doing the trial prep on Letitia Darling's murder case
in between cleaning up all the messes you left behind
when you got promoted above me.
Never too busy for you, sir.
Does the name Chase Alexander mean anything to you?
No. Should it?
- He's the brother of Ellen Darling. - Patrick Darling's wife.
The one who got burned up in their family's country house.
What about him?
He gave a statement to one of our deputies.
He seems to think that the Darlings killed Ellen, dumped her there,
and then torched the place to make it seem like an accident.
Not exactly beyond the realm of possibilities, given the Darlings.
Agreed. We tried to follow up with Chase,
- but suddenly he's. - Gone.
- Right. - Mmm.
Dutch George, Ellen Darling and now this Alexander guy.
You think there's a connection?
I think, from where I sit in my plush corner office down the hall,
that it's your job to find out.
Do I really look that sad?
- Kind of, yeah. Nick George. - Joel Madden.
So, you know the artist?
No. The gallery owner asked me to pose.
Thought it might help make a splash or something.
I owed him some poker money, so.
- Him? - Yeah.
- Who owns this gallery? - Jeremy Darling.
Guess he's running late.
Excuse me for a second.
I don't want to pigeonole the work we show,
painting or photography.
Just looking for the freshest artists we can find.
Uh-huh.
- Excuse me. Thank you. - Of course.
- Hi! Isn't this amazing? - Amazing.
It's too bad your partner isn't here to enjoy all the attention.
What partner?
I know that you didn't get this place on your own.
I know you lied to me about. I know all about Jeremy.
Nick, I couldn't have gotten it without him cosigning.
Save it for the art critic.
I'm out of here.
Nick.
- Nick. - What?
Are we gonna talk about this?
- Talk about what? - The gallery.
Well, we did talk about it, Lisa. I said no, you did it anyway,
so obviously talking about it doesn't help.
Nick.
Nick!
Okay, so, listen. It would really mean a lot to me
if you guys could come to my party tomorrow night.
Especially given the fact that my fiance this time is so much more.
- Black. - Controversial.
- Karen, I'd love to come, really, but. - Wait, wait, wait.
I thought you were gonna start standing up to Daddy.
I am.
I just turned down his top two choices for my chief of staff.
You know, one battleground at a time, please.
Patrick, you of all people should know what it's like
to be in love with someone that Daddy disapproves of.
Well, yes, Karen, but he also didn't choose to fall in love
with Daddy's mortal enemy.
Look, I never ask you guys for anything. Ever.
I'm asking you now. Please.
Come on.
- Please, Jeremy. - Well, love's a wild beast, man.
You can't tame it, can't control it.
No one knows this more than me.
I'm in.
Thank you.
I'm guessing Tripp's gonna die long before you.
Might as well play the long game. I'm in.
Okay. Patrick?
All right. I'll be there.
- Really? - But nobody tells Dad.
- Are you kidding? - Of course not.
- Right? - No.
Mr. Senator-elect. Congratulations.
I'd love to chat, Ms. Lyons,
but I'm in the process of assembling a transition team.
Yes, I read about your short list for chief of staff.
Geriatric. But meeting Daddy's approval, I'm sure.
Ms. Lyons, I'm not sure what brings you
or your winning personality to the State office,
but I've already told you everything I know
about my mother's case in my deposition.
I'm not here to talk about the murder of Dutch George.
I'm here to talk about the night your family's country home burned down.
The night your wife died.
Plane crashes, fires.
The ratio of fun family dinners to suspicious deaths
runs pretty high in your family, don't you think?
We're not the luckiest crew, that's for sure.
What can you tell me about Chase Alexander?
I can tell you that he's my dear, dead wife's brother.
And that this little impromptu inquisition of yours is over.
Do you know where I might be able to find him?
- No idea. - He's kind of run off.
Perhaps you should follow his lead.
Thank you for your time.
Round One!
- Fight! - Eat it, Dad!
Like the taste of leather?
Why don't you save that trash talk
for somebody who can't spank you with the hand of impunity?
- Ms. Andrea is back. - Quick. Bed sheets.
Look how beautiful this is. Look at the beauty.
And I marinate the asparagus, and I brush this...
What's going on in here?
Nothing. Just watching the boob tube.
Brian, he's covered in sweat.
Maybe his fever's breaking.
I'm okay.
Hey, Dr. Little. What's up?
No, it's.
Uh-huh.
As soon as possible? Yeah. Okay, thanks.
What'd the doctor say?
Nothing. He just wants us to go down to his office downtown.
Your son will be thrilled to finally get out of the house.
No, he said not to bring the dwarf. No, he just wants to see the two of us.
Hey, Nick.
- Nice ride. - Yep. It's one of a kind.
Just arrived from Napoli. Designed by Gianni Depp.
No relation.
- What the hell? - So I guess putting my fist in your face
- didn't get the message across. - It did, I swear!
What was the message again?
- To stay away from my wife. - I am! I did!
Get your hands off me!
You don't have to go all Jet Li on me.
Jeremy, I asked you to steer clear of Lisa.
Now I find out you're bankrolling her gallery.
- I'm just helping her out as a friend. - Yeah.
It's true, Nick. I'm in love with someone, but not Lisa.
- Yeah, then with who? - No one you know.
- You sure? 'Cause I think I do. - Easy, Miss Cleo.
Nola Lyons.
- Who's that? - Come on, you're seeing Nola Lyons.
What if I am?
- Oh, so, it's the truth? - No.
- Just tell me, is it? - I don't know.
Jeremy, I need you admit that you are having a sexual relationship
with the woman who is prosecuting your mother for murder.
Own up to it, Jeremy! Come on!
Or I'm gonna kick your ass up and down Park Avenue.
Your mother could go to jail for the rest of her life!
Okay, okay! I'm having a thing with Nola.
- But you don't understand. - But it doesn't matter what I understand.
What matters is that you'll swear to it in court.
You suck, Nick.
Okay. Okay. I'll do it.
Smart choice
for a change.
What's this?
It's a sworn affidavit from Jeremy Darling
attesting to his extremely active, highly unusual
sexual relationship with Ms. Lyons.
- Your Honor, I'd like. - Ms. Lyons. Thank you.
My God, this reads like something out of Penthouse Forum.
Or how I imagine that would read.
We move for an immediate dismissal of all charges.
When a prosecutor's misconduct
rises to the level where it shocks the conscience.
Yes, I'm familiar with the penal code.
Ms. Lyons, is this true?
Are you having a sexual relationship with the son of the defendant?
Your Honor, my personal life has nothing to do with this case.
Well, if these allegations are true, it does.
So I'll ask you again,
and if you don't respond, you'll be held in contempt of court.
We've been seeing each other.
- Excuse me? - Yes.
I'm sorry, I can't hear you.
Yes, I'm sleeping with Jeremy Darling, the defendant's son.
Happy?
"Happy" doesn't quite do it justice, somehow, but.
Well, then. I'm sorry to say this,
but all charges against Letitia Darling are hereby dismissed.
- Dismissed? - Got a hearing problem?
Yes, completely. With this degree of prosecutorial misconduct,
- I don't see any other way. - So, this is it?
A rich woman in a fit of pique
deposits her lover on the bottom of the Long Island Sound
and she walks?
Is it really that easy to get away with murder? I mean.
Ms. Lyons, if this case is on a fast train out of town
it's because you bought it a first-class ticket.
Don't you dare get self-righteous with me.
- My apologies. - Good day, Your Honor.
Ms. Lyons, hang back. We're not done.
You're not bringing a gift?
My presence is my presents. Karen is lucky she's getting that.
- What's in the box? - His and her defibrillator paddles.
- What for? - The honeymoon.
Bro, if you have to ask, you don't want to know.
Jeremy. Brian.
- You going out? - No. Yeah.
We were just going out, yeah.
Oh.
Your mother and I were hoping I could persuade you to play a round of bridge.
Bridge.
Maximum. I would so dig that, and. But.
Levine's conducting Tannauser at the Met tonight.
Right, and we promised that we'd meet both of them after for nachos.
What's in the box?
A puppy.
Gotta run, Dad. The little fella's on the clock.
We're so frigging dead.
Scotch? Someone's unappy.
Did you speak with Jeremy and Brian about attending Karers fete?
We didn't discuss it.
But if they'd asked, I'd have encouraged it.
- Really? - I'd be there myself,
if the state of New York didn't have me penned inside their invisible fence.
She's not your little girl.
Tripp, she's grown up. Let her go.
Let them all go.
When we were little, Karen had this rule
that she could hit me whenever she wanted to
and I was never allowed to hit her back.
Little did she know she would be preparing me for a life in politics.
Seriously.
I love you, Tipsy.
And, Simon, you take care of her. She's a real pistol, that one.
And, Karen, let's just all hope this one sticks.
Oh, here, here.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
Thank you, Patrick and Brian. Jeremy.
It was brave of you three to come here tonight,
despite the fear, and let's face it,
the very real possibility of paternal retribution.
You'll never know how much we both appreciate it.
It is a testimony to your love for Karen
and to your openness as human beings. Thank you.
If you read the business section you might think this pending marriage
is some sort of corporate merger.
But it's not.
Far from it.
Karen and I are setting off to, hopefully with all of you by our sides,
to form a new kind of family.
One that operates without intimidation and authoritarian control.
A family that supports each other without coercion.
Just imagine a family with no secrets,
no loyalty tests, no traditions.
Just freedom, mutuality
and respect.
I know we're ready. Mmm?
And we hope you are, too.
Good evening.
It's fine. I'm expecting this.
Karen.
I know why you're doing what you're doing,
and I hope you understand, if not today, then someday,
why I did what I did.
It's just money.
And when it comes to that,
I'm sure that you'll be well taken care of in this place.
But please know that when it comes to what really matters,
I would never ever do anything to hurt you.
You're my little girl
and you always will be.
Thank you, Daddy.
As for you three.
Clearly, you felt the need to sneak around behind my back.
That was unfortunate.
Patrick, Patrick.
Patrick.
Sorry, Sis.
- Brian. - Thanks for the punch.
No.
Jeremy, it's. You can stay.
Peace out.
I'm sorry.
Me, too.
Whoo!
The party is over.
I'll say.
Hey, hey, hey. Are you having second thoughts?
No. I got through those a couple hundred thoughts ago.
Listen, honey, if you wanna go home and beg your father to take you back,
if you think this is all a huge mistake, it's okay. Go.
No, no, no. I mean it. I want you to be happy.
That's all I've wanted ever since we met, for you to be happy.
Well, I wanna be happy, too.
But right now it just seems impossible.
- Hey. Hey. - What?
Look at me. It's okay.
Karen, you grab on to me. I'm here.
And we will be alone
together.
Hey!
I got your message. Isn't this a little.
- What? - Out-in-public?
Like, I thought we were supposed to be keeping ourselves on the d-low.
- Yeah, it's over. - What is?
New York v. Letitia Darling, for one thing. You haven't heard?
- Your mother's a free woman. - Since when?
Since the judge threw out the case
on account of prosecutorial misconduct.
Congratulations. You told Nick about us.
- I had to. - After I'd begged you, I asked you.
I didn't think it would upset the whole freaking applecan't. Okay?
I'm sorry! It was a moment of weakness.
A moment? A moment. Okay. Yeah. Try a lifetime.
Hey, wait. It can't end like this.
No, you know what? You're right. You're right. It gets worse.
Because I still have to appear before the New York Bar Ethics Committee,
and sit there and squirm,
while they decide whether or not to have me disbarred!
Okay, 20 years! Everything that I've worked for?
Worthless.
My perfect conviction record? Smoke.
- I didn't have a choice. - No! No!
Don't kid yourself, you had a choice.
But you don't have one now.
Andrea, Brian.
- How's Brian Jr. This morning? - Yeah, he's great.
The herbal compresses and jungle twig tea
are really doing the trick.
He does actually seem better.
Good, good. Glad to hear it. Let's all take a seat.
- And how are you both doing today? - Fine.
Is our son okay?
Except for his flu, yes. Brian Jr. Is fine. His labs came back completely normal.
Is there something else?
As we discussed, I also ran both of your bloods,
and I have some difficult news.
What's wrong?
Andrea, you have cancer.
I know.
I was diagnosed a year and a half ago,
and my doctor said that if I started chemotherapy that day,
if I took his poison,
that I'd have a one in three shot of making it five years.
I couldn't live with those odds.
I needed more choices, more time.
And that's why you went to Brazil?
After six months of holistic treatment there,
my cancer went into remission.
And I've been disease-free for over a year now.
Till today.
So, what are you gonna do now?
Brian Jr. And I are gonna fly back to Sao Paulo
and I am gonna restart treatment.
Sure, why not? I mean, they seem to work wonders.
Brian, I know that you don't want Brian Jr. To leave.
Andrea, this is about you. Okay? Don't be a moron.
The twigs and tea won't work.
So will you just stay here and let me take care of you?
We need to spend some time apart.
- I can't be with you right now. - Nick.
Lisa, you lied to me. You lied to me about kissing Jeremy,
and then you lied to me about the gallery.
- I was gonna tell you about that. I was. - But you didn't.
And I can't be married to somebody who lies to me.
I get enough of that from the Darlings.
I thought we were trying to make things work.
Well, I thought we were, too.
I did, but they're not.
And we're holding on to this thing like our lives depend on it,
but it's killing us.
Are you leaving me?
I just need to spend some time away from you.
From us. That's all this is.
Just for a little while. That's all.
I always wanted us to give Kiki this picture-perfect American life.
And now we've got the picture-perfect American problems.
I'm gonna miss you.
- Lisa. - I am. I'm gonna miss you so much.
I'm gonna miss you, too.
I am gonna miss you, too.
Here's to this nightmare being lifted. Here's to the dawn.
Enough about the dawn. To Nick.
I never doubted you'd get them to see the truth.
Well, we still don't know the truth.
We do know that you're innocent, Letitia. That's enough for now.
To Letitia. And her innocence.
Mom? What are you doing out here? I've been looking all over for you.
I'm just breathing.
I feel like all the nastiness that's been hanging over us has lifted.
Do you feel it?
Yeah. It's totally faboo.
Come, dear. Keep me company.
Good job
with that Nola woman.
Thanks. I'm glad I could help out.
What's the matter?
I'm in love with her, Mom.
- I know I'm not supposed to be, but. - Oh, my.
That wasrt part of the plan.
Oh, no. It wasrt part of the plan. Oh, no. My poor baby.
Well,
I hope you're happy, Mr. Senator-elect. They forced me to resign.
I had nothing to do with that.
That's between you and the judge and my brother.
But you're happy about it.
No. You're a brilliant lawyer. A force of nature, almost.
I can't say I always agree with your tactics
or your choice of targets,
but you've been a real credit to the Manattan office. Good luck.
And you're still here.
I was just wondering. How goes the search for your chief of staff?
We've got a few names.
Any of them younger than the Woolwon'th Building
or not in Tripp Darling's pocket?
Why do you ask?
Because you're gonna need protection.
A freshman senator is in a very exposed position.
I mean, somebody could dig up all kinds of stuff.
Say, for example, that there's a local police department
covering up a possible arson case in the Senator's family home.
Say, there's a woman, a woman of mystery,
as in, it's a mystery whether she's a man or a woman,
and she could have something to do
with the Senator's wife's untimely demise.
- Would you get to the point? - I want the job.
- You want to be my chief of staff? - Yes.
You maliciously prosecute my mother for a crime she didn't commit,
indulge in an inappropriate relationship with my brother,
and then you waltz in here and you basically blackmail me.
Why the hell would I ever wanna make you my chief of staff?
Because you're gonna be so busy
fighting for your political life once you get to Washington
that you're gonna need more than a chief of staff.
You're gonna need an attack dog.
I'd be good for you and you know it.
- Karen. - What are you doing?
Don't marry Simon. It's a mistake.
Look, you did your job, smart guy, you saved the company.
I don't care about the company.
At least it's not my first concern.
Well, then, what is?
You.
And me.
- Did something happen with Lisa? - I don't know.
Yes.
- Nick, don't do this to me. - Karen.
Don't do this to me. I moved on.
- I made plans. - Your plans,
if they include marrying a guy who wants you
just so he can take over your family's company, are insane.
I'm sorry. You can't just show up here whenever you want
and screw with my head, Nick.
I know. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, okay? I just.
I don't wanna see you make a huge mistake.
Then step up.
What do you mean?
Don't ask me to give up everything for nothing.
Don't ask me to derail my life if you're not gonna derail yours.
Because I can't leave Simon for an abstraction, Nick.
I can only leave him for you.
What's it gonna be?
I gave you a very simple task,
and a chance, a promise, to be a part of something remarkable.
And, now, thanks to you, to your lack of control,
the project has been crippled.
I'm sorry. I made a mistake.
- But it wasrt all a waste. - The case is over!
And we both know that the evidence didn't point to her.
Our case was crumbling anyway.
I found another way in.
I'm listening.
I've been invited to go to Washington with a certain freshman senator.
Say hello to Patrick Darling's Chief of Staff.