[Primal Scream's "Rocks"]
[upbeat rock music]
♪ ♪
- Oh, Peters.
Give me 1,000 words on the party's platform.
Sounds like a shit show.
Get it up on the live briefing
before it's bullet points on Axios.
- Yes, sir, right away. - [sighs]
- Hey, Bruce? - Oh, no, not now, Bloom.
Whatever questions you think you have, go with your gut.
And give me copy.
Claire. - Bruce.
- I love you.
But you've gotta stop it with the alliteration.
This is not a creative writing class at Oberlin.
It is who, what, where, and why the fuck it happened.
Be clear. Be concise. Be accurate.
You got this.
Okay, listen up.
Come on. Bring it in.
As some of you might realize, our fair city is hosting
a brokered Democratic National Convention.
Now, this has never happened in my lifetime.
And I am old as shit.
[laughter]
Now, if you are not living for this moment,
then resign and get a job in PR.
But I'm gonna be editing like my life depends upon it.
And you should be writing with that same spirit.
I'm gonna meet McCarthy in an hour,
so do not disturb me until then.
You know, even then, don't disturb me.
And remember, we may never make history.
But we sure as hell are gonna write it.
[applause]
Get to work.
[breathing heavily]
[groans]
Oh, God!
[groans]
[typewriter clicking]
[ding]
[knock at door]
- Hello?
Eric?
[phone buzzing]
Hey.
How's it going over there?
- Uh, I have lost years of my life waiting in this line.
I'm 40 now. Where are you?
- I just had to grab a few clothes.
I can meet you back at the hotel.
- Yeah, that's fine, but just don't forget,
we have that sit-down interview
with the Senator from--
- I don't know what to tell you, homey.
The PNL's gonna be what the PNL's gonna be.
Don't be mad at Matt. Don't be mad at me.
All right, I'm grabbing my wallet.
I'll be back in 20 minutes.
[exhales]
[apprehensive music]
♪ ♪
- Hmm. Sounds like she's spiraling.
- Oh, yeah, she's definitely on a rampage.
Fired half the staff, including yours truly.
You know, HQ looks like one of those "Purge" movies.
- You know it's not your fault, right?
- Yeah, I know. It's your fault.
- I never wanted this to happen.
All she had to do was answer our questions
and stop being so damn defensive.
- Sadie, I'm messing with you.
Okay, look, I'm gonna be fine.
And if it turns out Walker didn't know the truth
about Novak, then maybe she'll be fine too.
- Well, it's hard to prove a negative.
But if I'm able to find out who paid
to dig up the dirt on Walker, maybe it will be the thing
that finally turns things around for her.
- Well, what about you? - Me?
Oh, things are already turning around for me.
I am about to have an actual meal with Bruce,
which means he's not mad at me anymore.
- I meant, um...
how are you, as, like, a person?
- Oh, uh...
I'm-I'm-I'm fine.
It really wasn't that bad.
But I appreciate all the checking in.
- I wish I could have done more.
- Uh, Bruce is gonna be here any minute.
Can I call you back?
- Okay. Uh, good luck.
- Okay.
- Welcome to the Democratic National Convention.
Please proceed to your morning session.
Our first events are about to begin.
- Hey. - Hey.
- Grace Gordon Greene, "Washington Union."
Got you right here. - Thanks, Jennifer.
- Sure.
- Have a good day. - Good to see you.
- Yo, Grace, wait for me.
We can go grab brunch at this stupidly overpriced
restaurant I saw on Insta.
- I thought you were so broke
you had to crash with Kimberlyn.
- Yeah, no, you're paying.
- [laughs] Oh, well, I would love to,
but I am already late for a meeting
with your favorite candidate
and then back-to-backs after that.
I will be subsisting on red eyes
as God and New York intended.
- Enjoy the city.
- Hey, Lola Rahaii.
- Okay, and are you print or TV?
- Digital.
Mainly TikTok, but I'm building out my Substack.
And I'm, like, huge on Snap, too, if that helps.
- I'm not seeing you as a credentialed media outlet.
Did you go to the new media tent?
It's outside.
Do that, and if you get yourself sorted out,
come and find me, okay? - Okay. Yeah.
- Great. Next. - All right.
[indistinct chatter]
[upbeat music]
[camera shutters snapping]
- Yo, what's up, Lola? Where you been?
- Oh, you know, on the road, following the campaign.
Looks like the scene hasn't changed here?
- Oh, no. It's way better this year.
Rock the Vote has stepped up the game.
There's like, five different sparkling water sponsors,
edibles out the wazoo.
- Do you know where they're giving out credentials?
- Do you mean wristbands?
- No, I mean, like, to get inside the convention.
Is anyone from the DNC here?
- You mean for, like, the presidential shit?
- Yeah.
- I don't know. Why?
- Because the point of being here
isn't to get likes and free swag.
This is democracy in action.
What's going on in there
is gonna have global implications.
I need to be in there watching that presidential shit.
My audience needs me in there.
- Mm.
- No, I know. I'm surprised as you are.
Freshman came off pretty poised.
I'm going in to meet the mayor now, yeah.
[phone beeps]
I will get you everything this afternoon.
I gotta go.
Hey. Any updates? - Annie's here.
- What? Where? - Home.
She hitchhiked from Nashville.
Piece of shit stole the van, left her with nothing.
- Is she okay?
- She barely said a word to me. She's taking a shower now.
I'm gonna talk to her once she's settled.
I mean, I don't think she's physically hurt.
- I am looking at Acelas.
- Wait, wait, wait, wait, just take a beat.
All right, she feels humiliated, Grace.
I don't want her to feel like she's being ganged up on.
Why don't we just give her a minute to decompress?
- I think it's important that
we're there together, don't you?
- I'm not shutting you out.
So I'll keep you posted. Just stay by the phone.
- Yeah.
I always am.
- No, it's no problem, Mr. Beamer.
Yeah, this afternoon will work.
Okay, thanks. I'll see you then.
Oh, my God.
- They wouldn't give me a key
because my name's not on the room.
- Yeah, I'm sorry, I meant to call them this afternoon,
but then my whole day got rearranged last minute.
Come in.
I had a meeting this morning with Johnny Beamer,
but then he pushed.
- Johnny Beamer? Holy shit.
- I know, right?
- I actually have no idea who that is.
- Johnny Beamer is the guy for jumping
from network to independent.
He knows all about launching platforms,
and I'm going to pitch him my vision
of my own media ecosystem.
I know that sounds crazy.
- That doesn't sound crazy.
It sounds cool.
- You know, actually, I should be
picking your brain about this.
You know all about brand building and independent news.
- True, but are you sure that's what you wanna do?
Said with love as someone who can't even
get inside the big tent.
And let's not forget, I'm crashing in your room,
not the other way around.
- Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure my shaky marital status
should get partial credit for that.
- You still haven't talked to Eric?
- No.
But I did go back to our place this morning
to grab a few things,
and I hid in the closet to avoid talking to him.
- No.
- Things are just really messed up right now.
- Just get your outlet up and running,
and there's gonna be plenty of time for makeup sex.
Now, what do you think about this?
I took a picture of Margaret's press pass,
and then I did a little Photoshop magic.
- Are you out of your mind?
You need to delete that right now.
Girl, if you wanna get into the big tent,
why don't you just call in a favor?
Don't you have, like, a friend in the Freshman's campaign?
- They turned out to be a psychopath.
- Welcome to politics.
Some of my best sources are psychopaths.
[sentimental music]
- Hello.
- Well, now I know I've made it.
The Grace Gordon Greene in the flesh.
- Ah, not all it's cracked up, I promise.
- [chuckles] Have a seat, please.
- Thank you. - Of course.
- My first campaign, and you made it
all the way to the convention.
- Well, me and three other candidates, sure.
- Still, you have exceeded expectations.
- Including yours. [chuckles]
- Look, you knew McCain was picking Palin
before McCain knew.
So what can I tell you that you don't already know?
- What qualifies you to be vice president,
much less president?
What do you say to voters who worry
about your lack of experience?
- You know, I've found it's reporters
who worry about that more than voters.
- Hmm.
- I survived ISIS. I'm confident I can handle D.C.
You know, as a mayor, I'd run into my constituents
in the grocery store.
If there was a pothole that needed fixing...
[phone buzzing]
I'd hear about it.
That's the kind of accountability
we need in government.
You know, my campaign is entirely funded
by small dollar donations.
And that kind of grassroots--
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Is there another time you'd like to do this?
Because off the record, it kind of feels like
you don't give a shit about what I'm saying.
- Well, it's not my job to give a shit,
it's my job to quote you accurately,
and so far, I've gotten every word.
- Well, look, I'm sorry if this process
has lost its luster for you.
- You want honest?
You're right about my Palin scoop.
I have seen this shtick before.
Aw, shucks, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" country boy
who is just so happy to be here.
Clearly, a lot of people are buying it, but I'm not.
So why don't you be honest and tell me
if you've been vetted to be the Action Star's veep?
- I haven't accepted defeat just yet.
But I'll be sure to give "The New York Sentinel" a call
when I pick my own veep.
[twangy upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- Walt, I need to push my sit-down with the Action Star.
Something came up. It's personal.
Well, then send someone else. I actually don't give a shit.
- Dumplings.
- Thanks. He'll be here any minute.
- Sure. Okay.
- Excuse me. I'll have some more water.
- Yeah. Be right back.
[soft pop music playing on speakers]
♪ ♪
[phone buzzing]
- Bruce, where are you?
The waiter thinks I'm getting stood up.
[somber acoustic music]
[Angelo De Augustine's "All Your Life"]
What?
- ♪ Oh ♪
♪ Thought I'd go and leave ♪
♪ Anyway time recalls ♪
♪ All your life, all your life, all your life ♪
♪ ♪
♪ All your life, all your life, all your life ♪
- He had a good ride.
- I need a minute.
- You don't have one.
Bruce is dead, which means it's on you to finish this thing.
Gotta figure out who wants Walker out of the race,
find that seedy spy-for-hire, Declan Morales,
sweet talk him, get him to go on the record.
- I don't give a shit.
I don't give a shit about Declan Morales or the story.
- Of course you do.
This is front page explosive shit.
- Can you stop?
None of it matters anymore.
I can't do it without Bruce.
- You think he'd want you to miss a story?
Your boss had nine lives. He battled demons.
He should have been dead years ago.
He did not pussy out.
- What do you know about Bruce?
When have you ever thought of anyone other than yourself?
Did you know he hated you? - [scoffs]
- Your selfishness and sexism?
You shit on journalistic ethics and called it gonzo,
not to mention your fucking run-on sentences.
You know what? You needed an editor.
You needed a Bruce.
- Babe, I was a counterculture icon.
Johnny Depp played me in a fucking movie.
- You wouldn't have survived five minutes in this era
of enraged fact checking.
- [laughs] Facts. - Yeah, facts.
- [laughs] Yeah.
- Bruce wasn't just my editor.
He was my friend.
He protected me...
Looked out for me...
Unlike you. So you need to go away now.
- Sadie. - I said get the fuck away!
[somber music]
♪ ♪
- Call on God, kiddo.
But row away from the rocks.
Good luck, Sadie.
♪ ♪
- [crying]
- It's so nice to meet you.
- Great to see you. - Hey.
- Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. - Great to meet you.
- Congresswoman.
- Hey, Lola.
I don't have time for an interview right now.
- It's not an interview, more of a favor.
I need to get into the convention hall,
and I was thinking maybe you could help me?
- Sorry, it's not my jurisdiction.
Maybe someone from the DNC can help.
- I tried.
They're a bunch of dinosaurs who don't understand
the value of new media, but you do.
You know that my audience is the future of this party,
the future of democracy.
And you know how important it is that they're
in there with all of you.
- I don't disagree, but I don't issue the credentials.
- Can you just bring me in then,
like a guest of the campaign?
- I wish I could help you, I really do,
but I can--[chuckles]
I can just see this coming to bite me in the ass somehow.
I don't wanna attract the wrong kind of attention
right now, not when I finally have a chance at winning.
- Yeah. Sure.
I understand.
- But between you and me, I am not the only show in town.
- What, Walker?
I really don't see her helping.
- Not Walker. She's in a death spiral.
But some people have a way of flying under the radar.
[inquisitive music]
Must be nice being a white guy.
- And at the end of the day,
I want to amplify the voices of moderates and conservatives
with common sense values who don't feel like
their views are represented in mainstream media.
- I gotta tell you, that's one of the best presentations
I've heard in a long time.
- Well, when do we launch? - [laughs]
Part us deciding if we're gonna invest in you
is getting a sense of your metrics, CPMs,
social media reach, your email list.
- Total followers on all socials is just under 300k.
And I know that that's not where it needs to be,
but Liberty's demo skews older.
A lot of those folks aren't on TikTok or even Instagram.
Once the platform is there, I know I can build my audience.
- You could really use a viral moment
to draw in a younger audience.
Get back to me with a plan to boost your engagement metrics.
What's your husband think about all this?
- He's not involved.
- Not yet, but he will be.
I mean, it's not just the time and energy
it takes to get something like this off the ground.
If you're gonna be the brand, your whole life is involved.
- To be honest, we're not really together right now.
- In that case, we'll play up the divorce angle.
There's a huge market there too.
Either way, let me know.
[somber music]
♪ ♪
- Sadie, for this, there are no words.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
[knock at door]
- Go away, please.
- We love you. That's not gonna happen.
- We're very persistent knockers, Sadie.
[knocking]
- Hey.
- Oh, Sadie.
- Ow.
- Charlie?
- Grace.
What are you doing? - I'm sorry.
I know what you said, but I just couldn't--
- No, no, no, just--thank God.
[sobbing]
- Is that her? - Yeah.
She won't come out of her room.
She won't let me come in.
I thought she might get hungry eventually.
- Jesus Christ. I mean, what happened?
Did she tell you anything? - Nothing.
Maybe you should talk to her.
- Uh, maybe you're right.
Maybe she needs more time to process.
- I'm gonna tell her you're here.
- Wait.
What if it makes it worse?
- Worse than this? [sobbing]
- I don't know, Charlie.
The last time she and I were in a room together,
it didn't go great.
- Are you scared? - Aren't you?
- Well, yeah, but you're never scared.
That's kind of why I married you.
- Bruce--Bruce had no filter.
He would call it like he saw it.
And sometimes I thought that that brutal honesty was harsh,
but now I realized that it was all just about truth.
Ah, and he didn't give a fuck about credentials, either.
I walked in there with no connections,
no--no fancy degree,
like, some mediocre clips from "The Star Ledger."
But Bruce said that, uh,
that the best storytellers were not in the club.
He took all of his reporters under his wing, fought for us,
even when it meant putting his own ass on the line.
I don't think--
I don't think anyone has ever believed in me like that.
- Sadie.
[knock at door]
- I'll get that.
- Grace?
- Uh...no, I spoke to Grace.
She's in D.C. It's family stuff.
- Hey.
♪ ♪
- Uh... - Malcolm?
- Hey, you know, I can come back if--
You're okay.
It's okay.
Okay.
Hey, hey, you're okay.
You're okay.
I'm so sorry.
- I can't believe Loafers is the guy.
I mean, he is the guy, right?
- Oh, he's definitely the guy.
I mean, I get it. He's cute and he's smart.
A little high strung, but still.
Why wouldn't Sadie tell us?
- Maybe because they are 100% not allowed to be hooking up.
[phone dings] - Forbidden love, even hotter.
- Oh, shit. - Hmm?
- Terry Heite wants to see me.
- Is he friends with Johnny Beamer?
I'm sorry. You just keep saying names.
- Terry Heite is my boss.
He must have found out about my meeting with Johnny Beamer.
He wants me to come to his office right now.
- Oh, shit. That sounds bad.
- Yeah, it's really bad. I'm getting fired.
- Hey, maybe that's okay.
Maybe this is a sign, like the universe
is telling you to take a leap and bet on yourself.
I mean, you said you wanted more freedom, right?
- Yeah, I said that, but I don't even know
if that's the move I wanna make right now,
or if I can even make it on my own.
Plus, Johnny Beamer said that I'm not even ready.
I would need a whole lot more followers.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey.
It's gonna be okay.
- Thank you.
- Do you want me to find him and kill him?
Because I know people.
Hey, I just need to make sure he didn't hurt you.
- No, it's not like that, he--
[sighs] He was just a regular asshole using me for my money.
As soon as I didn't have any, he took the van
and fucking left me there.
- I really might need to kill him.
- You were right.
About everything.
I feel so stupid, Mom.
- Oh, sweetie.
Hey, hey, hey.
We have all been there, trust me.
- You haven't.
You would never do something this dumb.
- Oh, no?
There was a guy that I thought was different.
- In college? - I wish.
I don't even have that as an excuse.
No, I was 24.
I mean, he was older, and I just--
I thought he knew everything.
- Who was he?
- He worked for a campaign.
- But you always say-- - Don't fuck the flack.
Now you know why.
The point is, you fuck up when you're young and then--
actually, you know what?
I still fuck up every single day.
But you learn from it.
And you find a way to put one foot in front of the other,
and then if you're lucky, you don't fuck up
in exactly the same way next time.
[sentimental music]
♪ ♪
You hungry?
Dad made pizza pockets.
- Dad's my real dad, right?
- Jesus, Annie.
- I'm-- - Yes.
Yes.
♪ ♪
- He'd always say to me that we were both broken toys.
And for the longest time, I pretended to know
what he meant, but now, I-I finally get it.
Um...
I was disappointed so many times growing up that...
- Depending on someone else for anything seemed stupid.
It seemed like a mistake.
So I didn't wanna depend on anyone,
and I didn't want anyone to depend on me
because I didn't wanna let them down
the way I felt let down.
But it seems like I managed to do that anyway.
I'm sorry.
- Hey, no.
You didn't let me down. - I did.
I did.
I just didn't ever feel like I would be
what you needed, what you deserve.
I'm so sorry, Malcolm.
I should have told you that a long time ago.
I should have told you a lot of things.
♪ ♪
- You know I don't give a shit
about your bad-ass writer armor.
All I wanted was to see you just the way you are.
♪ ♪
- Thank you.
- Have a seat.
- Kimberlyn, thanks for coming by.
- Of course.
It's not every day you get a call to come see Terry Heite.
- How are you? - I'm excited to be here.
It's been a long road, literally.
- And I heard you just got married.
Congratulations. - Yes. Thank you.
- I'm sure planning a wedding during a primary
was no small feat.
You've been doing great work these last few months.
And we've noticed.
And we know we're not the only ones.
I'm sure you've been getting plenty of interest
from our competitors.
But we want you here at Liberty Direct News.
"In the Spin with Kimberlyn."
How does that sound?
- My own segment. - Your own show.
We can roll it out at the convention.
- Wow. That--that's--wow.
- It's the perfect opportunity for a wider audience,
get you started on strong footing
as we head into the general.
And hey, you can be here in New York
instead of out on the road.
Think about it.
But don't take too long.
We need to move quickly on this.
- It's not a career. It's a calling.
Doubt yourself as a writer if you need to.
It will drive you to new ways of thinking.
But don't doubt who you are.
You are your own damn thing.
We get to afflict the comfortable
and comfort the afflicted.
Chase the facts, battle the dragons,
find the truth, yell it from the rooftops.
It beats working, Sadie.
[somber music]
Go get the story, Polar Bear.
♪ ♪
- Why are you up?
- I have to finish my story on Walker.
I have to get to the truth.
Bruce wasn't able to meet with the source,
who could have told us who paid for the opposition research.
But maybe--maybe he'll talk to me.
♪ ♪
Dear Mr. Morales, my name is Sadie McCarthy,
and I worked for your fishing buddy, Bruce Turner,
at "The Sentinel."
Bruce was more than my editor.
He was a friend.
He was family.
I'm trying to finish what we started together,
and I'm hoping you can help me.
♪ ♪
- Breakfast is just about ready.
- Wanna grab Annie? - Sure.
[phone buzzing]
- Walt, hi.
Yeah, I was just about to check in.
Well, I told you to send someone else.
Yeah, well, I'm not in the city,
so we can get on the phone, but--
oh, for fuck's sake, why the hell
does he need to meet in person? It's print.
- You want coffee or just orange juice?
- Both. - Both.
- Fine, let me just figure it out, and I'll call you back.
- Good morning, honey. How'd you sleep?
- Fine.
Who was that? - Just work.
You want more coffee? - Yeah, sure.
- Apparently, America's favorite fish man insists
on speaking to me in person.
- When? - Today.
Don't worry.
I'm not going.
- But isn't this, like, the most important part?
He could be the nominee.
You should go, Mom.
- Well, this is more important.
- We're still gonna be here when you get back.
I mean, it's not like I have school, anyway.
- Why don't you guys come with me?
- [coughs]
- To New York? Really?
- Mm. Why not?
All these years, neither of you have ever come to a convention.
I think it could be fun.
- I mean... [laughs]
- Thank you. - Excuse me.
Excuse me, Mr. Mayor.
- Can I help you? - Yeah. I'm a journalist.
I just need to speak to the mayor.
- Sorry, but the candidate isn't available right now.
- Actually, the candidate is. It's fine.
Thank you, Lizzie.
What can I do for you?
As I understand, you, um,
you already have a horse in this race, so...
- Actually, it turns out I'm in the market for a new one.
Here's my plan.
You get me into the convention,
I'll give you exposure.
- I like your initiative.
You know, we have more in common than you think.
- Okay, let's not get crazy.
- No, seriously, look, we're both new around here.
We're both trying to claw our way in from the outside,
relying on regular folks online to pick up the tab for us.
And we're both idealistic enough to think that we can.
- Or deluded.
- Well, I guess we'll find out, won't we?
- So is that a yes?
- I'll see what I can do.
Actually, I'll have Lizzie see what I can do.
But I'm speaking at this delegate coffee klatch at 4:30.
If you can be there and be ready--
- I was born ready.
- Well, then, I'll make it a priority to get you in.
[inquisitive music]
♪ ♪
[phone buzzing]
- What time is it?
- Sadie McCarthy.
- Declan Morales.
- Hi. Hi.
I didn't think I would hear from you.
- You sent me 17 encrypted messages.
- That many, huh?
Sorry.
- Don't be.
Bruce said you were tenacious.
And trustworthy.
- Can we meet?
- Bruce's spot, two hours.
Come alone.
[inquisitive music]
♪ ♪
- Ah, Grace. Thanks for stopping by.
- Well, thank you for sitting down with me.
- Of course.
- There's been a lot of speculation
about all the meetings you've had this week.
The latest RealClearPolitics average
puts you solidly in the lead.
So I assume you're vetting a running mate.
- Actually, no.
I'm dropping out of the race.
And I wanted to tell you first.
- But you're poised to win this thing.
- And I have nothing but love for all those
who voted for me, really.
And if they wanna see me as the president,
there gonna love my new project.
I am so excited to announce that we've begun pre-production
on my next film,
"All the President's Men in Black."
Bruckheimer called me. I said, "Jerry--"
- That's why you wanted to see me?
So that I could announce your next film.
- Well, I mean, I could offer it to "Deadline,"
but I was told you were the scoop queen.
- You know you're giving up an opportunity
to be the leader of the free world here?
- The truth is, I thought I was chasing something bigger.
But then I realized,
my cup's already full, you know?
- I think I might.
[pop music playing on headphones]
♪ ♪
- Hey.
How'd it go last night?
- You're not gonna believe this.
Liberty offered me my own show.
- What? No fucking way.
Oh, it must have felt so good
to tell them to shove it up their ass.
- Well, I told them I would think about it.
- What?
- I mean, I don't know.
Maybe it's better for me to get my name out there
and build up my metrics and then just put myself
in a stronger position
to launch my own thing for the midterms.
- You mean in two years?
- That's not that far away.
Or maybe it is. I don't know. I don't know.
I don't know anything anymore.
- Okay, hey, well, I'm here.
Let's--let's hash it out together.
- Honestly, you are not the person
I should be hashing it out with.
- This is about Eric.
- It's about me.
But I can't remember the last time
I made a big decision without him.
- Well, maybe you should talk to him about it.
- I can't.
I told him that I needed space to figure things out on my own.
And I do.
I just didn't think it would be this hard.
- Of course it's hard.
You love him.
- Really?
I thought you were gonna give me a whole long speech
about how we don't need cishet men for anything.
[both laugh]
- Uh, we don't.
But we all need love
in whatever form it takes.
And at the end of the day, I want you to be happy,
with or without a man.
And for what it's worth, I believe in you.
And I'm so impressed that you used cishet correctly.
[both laugh] - Don't you tell anyone.
- Too late. I tweeted it.
- Are you about to become a political donor?
- No, I just, um... I don't know.
I thought maybe it was a way to get into the convention.
- Lola, buying your way into politics?
Congratulations, girl.
You are officially a part of the establishment.
- Great.
- Are you hungry?
- It should go without saying that we never met.
And anything we discuss is off the record.
- Of course.
- They don't pay me just for intelligence.
They pay me for discretion.
- I understand.
You don't become a base chief at a black site
in al-Qaeda territory by talking to reporters.
- Bruce told you that?
You know, the day before he died,
he reached out, nagging me to meet with you.
He says that you're one of the good ones.
And he was always right about people.
- Who paid you to dig up the dirt on Walker?
I'll protect you.
- Oh, you think you can protect me?
You need to worry about yourself.
- I swear on Bruce's memory
that I will never reveal my source.
You don't even have to say it.
- Be careful, McCarthy.
These schmucks are dangerous.
They have all the money in the world.
And they play dirty.
♪ ♪
- Right this way. - Thank you.
- You think Mike Moriarty gets Botox?
- I don't--I never really thought about it.
- Come on, we've all thought about it.
- I can see my reflection in that forehead.
[both laugh]
- So where did we land?
- I've been thinking a lot about our conversation.
And I just wanted to say what an honor it is
that you would trust me with an hour
of Liberty's programming.
- But?
- No buts.
Let's get in the spin.
- Well, all right, good news.
Now, let's talk about your first guest.
[indistinct chatter]
[upbeat music playing]
- Hi.
- Hey. How's it going?
- I'm sorry, can you take a step back, please?
- Yeah, yeah, of course.
- How can I help you?
- I'm press.
- Credentials?
- Well, that's what I'm waiting for.
I think someone from the Garrett campaign
is supposed to come get me.
- Name?
- Of course. Yeah, sorry.
Lola Rahaii.
- Give me one second, okay?
Yeah, I have a Lola Rahaii back here,
says she's with Garrett.
They can't find anything.
- Okay, well, if you just call Lizzie, I'm sure--
- You have her number?
- Well, no, I don't, but--
- Look, ma'am, I can't let you in there without credentials.
- Great.
- Alex, if you're gonna be my new editor,
you need to trust me.
Dick Braun funded the opposition research.
He was Walker's biggest donor last cycle,
and then when he got arrested on that whole
crypto fraud thing, she cut ties.
- She had no problem taking his money.
- But she didn't. That's the whole point.
She gave his money back, publicly called for the DA
to throw the book at him, humiliated him.
- Slow down, Sadie.
Is any of this attributable?
Who told you about Braun?
- Uh...I can't tell you that.
I'll call you back.
- So how'd it go with the source?
- You ready for this?
Dick Braun paid for the oppo on Walker.
Walker's crypto bro donor.
- Holy--shit, a revenge story.
- Yes, exactly.
Thank you so much.
God, it is so good, it writes itself.
But Braun isn't just trying to smear Walker.
He also has a candidate in his back pocket
he's trying to install in the White House.
And it's gotta be the Action Star.
Why else would a totally unqualified...
[phone dings]
Blowhard celebrity wade into national politics?
- Uh, counterpoint.
Grace just reported that the Action Star is dropping out.
- What? - Yeah.
- God damn that woman. How does she know everything?
- She's real good.
- This doesn't make any sense.
- Braun would never back the Freshman, even out of spite.
[Nina Simone's "Sinnerman"]
- There's another guy still in the race.
- ♪ Please hide me, I run to the rock ♪
♪ Please hide me, Lord ♪
♪ All on that day ♪
♪ I said, rock ♪
- Oh. - Oh, I'm sorry.
- You do a piece on me.
- You have virtually zero name recognition.
- That's what you're for.
I heard there's a pretty good piece on me in "The Sentinel."
Thanks to a windfall, a small dollar donation
sent your profile.
Somehow my words always sound better
when you write about them. - Good luck.
- Good luck?
So you are rooting for me.
- Oh, my God.
- ♪ Power, Lord ♪
- Motherfucker! [vase crashes]
[exciting music]
♪ ♪
- Greg, move your head.
- Bye.