02x01 - Dear Uncle Rudy

[bunniefuu]

♪ I know ♪

♪ The only way out
is through ♪

♪ The only way out is... ♪

♪ If this is the way
that it must be done ♪

♪ I'm doing it the best,
and trust me, son ♪

♪ With a switchblade
and a rusty g*n ♪

♪ Doing this forever,
you've just begun ♪

♪ Metaphors, similes,
jokes, and puns... ♪

"Dear Mr. Baylor,
my name is Victor Suffredes.

"I saw you on TV.

"You won a big lawsuit
against that hospital.

"You're a good lawyer,
and I need a good lawyer.

"I don't belong in this place.

Bad things happen here."

Is it darker than last night?

This place messes
with your head.

How long did you say
you've been here?

A few weeks. I've been trying
to get a new lawyer.

If it works out,
I'll hook you up.

Oh, sh*t.

Which one of you is Victor?

Right here.

Why don't you get
out of bed, Victor?

What'd I do?

Nobody's coming for you.

"Please help me, Mr. Baylor.
Sincerely, Victor Suffredes."

Now that the voir dire
is behind us,

we've turned our focus
to the opening statement

and our first six witnesses.

- Uh, is Mr. Baylor joining us?
- No, he's working on--

This is supposed to be
a status meeting, isn't it?

And we are giving you
a status report.

Shoparoo Markets
clearly has a flimsy case.

They are infringing
on your brand.

I mean, and, clearly,
a Mellomar is not a Mallomar.

And I got to tell you, the two
formative moments in my life

were the first time I bit
into a Mallomar

and the first time I bit
into Jamie Pedulla.

She was my next-door neighbor.

Ms. Stone, let me be frank.

We took a big risk
hiring your firm.

You've never had a case
like this before.

In fact, three months ago,
we never even knew you existed.

Then Mr. Baylor had his,
well, very impressive victory

in the Great Benefit case--

Just as it probably
takes more than one person

to make your cookies,

it was a team effort
to win that case.

Well, the question remains,
where's Mr. Baylor?

Doing what
you're paying him for.

Working on his opening.

♪ I was saved
by the graces ♪

♪ I was saved by love ♪

♪ I found a friend in you ♪

Rudy, I want
to thank you again

for coming out with us today.

We've wanted to meet you
for a while now.

I'm excited to tell you
why J. Lyman Stone

is the perfect firm
for Fletcher Kincaid

to outsource any legal work
in South Carolina.

What does he mean,
"legal work"?

Rudy, we invited you here
for a different reason.

We are offering you
a position.

"A-a position"?
I don't understand.

We want you to consider
moving to Nashville.

We want you to come
work with us.

If you're as sought-after
as Peter says,

I'm sure you've been courted
by other firms.

But they're not Fletcher,
Kincaid, Brown and O'Brien.

I really appreciate this.

But I'm very happy where I am.

Highly unlikely.

Rudy, we know you're close

with Ms. Stone
and Mr. Shifflett,

but we're also aware
your firm's struggling a bit.

We just won $80 million.

I wouldn't say
we're struggling.

That money
is tied up on appeal.

And your Nabisco case
should settle quickly.

I don't think so.

And we think the damages
will be significant.

Can't get blood
from that turnip.

Oh, you'll get your hourly,
short a few hundred hours.

Probably not what someone
like you is looking for.

With the right firm
behind you,

you could be a rainmaker.

If I may, Forest,
Rudy already is a rainmaker,

aren't you, Rudy?

Ducks!

- Any greeting cards?
- Birthday or get-well?

Same price.

Birthday.

Whose birthday is it?

Pink?

Blue is sold out.

Delphine!

I said no power tools!

Listen, I told them!
I-I'll tell them again!

Ugh. Guys, guys, the boss
is going crazy. Come on.

Whoo!
We got some wild ones.

So this woman wants to sue
a deli over a toenail

she found in her potato salad.

How'd she know
it was a toenail?

Oh, wait, it was a toe.
I read it wrong.

Ew.
- Ew.

Hey.

You're supposed to be working
on your opening.

Where you been?

Uh, duck hunting.

"Duck hunting"?
With who?

Just, uh, some guys
from Fletcher Kincaid.

- Is that so?
- Come on.

They're one of the biggest
firms in Nashville.

I thought maybe they wanted
to subcontract with us.

You think
they took you duck hunting

because they're looking
for an LPO shop?

- Legal process outsourcing.
- Yeah, I know what that means.

Okay.

They were trying
to poach you.

- No, absolutely not.
- Oh, stop.

You smell like duck sh*t
and betrayal.

And while you were out
playing Bear Grylls,

we were giving Nabisco
the hand job

they expected from you.

Did they make you an offer?

No.

Yes.
They offered me partner.

Partner.
At 26--that's crazy.

- That's what I've been saying.
- I'm proud of you, boo-boo.

Why is that crazy?

Look, I'm building
you an office, aren't I?

Hold on.
We are building me an office.

Why can't I be partner?
- You can be.

But not a year out of law
school and after just one case.

Ah, two.
We have Nabisco now.

Thrilling.

Hey, you wanted
that case, too.

"No more hospital trolling"
is what you said, remember?

Yes, I remember.

Okay, well,
then try to remember

that Nabisco is paying
for the Great Benefit appeal,

not to mention
the lease on your bar.

Rudy, be happy.

You got a giant case, and
it was everything you wanted.

- Except the money.
- Shut up.

I'm trying to keep the lights
on here, all right?

Fletcher Kincaid thinks
I'm partner material.

Fletcher Kincaid
thinks you're a celebrity.

They're using you.

Now, while that can sound fun
on a Saturday night,

by Sunday morning, you'll just
want to wash the sheets.

You do know ducks
mate for life, right?

So you might have m*rder*d
someone's husband.

You're gonna have
to live with that.

What's the next number?

Five.

What's this for?

Just trying to get
a message past those dicks.

Is this gonna get you
in more trouble?

It's gonna get me
out of here...

hopefully.

She rarely gives interviews,

no press gaggles
on the courthouse steps

and no social-media presence.

Yet her string of high-profile
courtroom victories

is the envy of every attorney
in this room.

Please help me welcome
this year's recipient

of the Palmetto Award
for Excellence in Advocacy,

the incomparable Amanda Vonn.

Lovely to have you.
- Thank you, Steve.

Good afternoon.

Ms. Vonn...

people say a good litigator
is a good orator,

one who can hammer words
into swords

and weaponize
the English language.

Do you find that to be true?

What is the world's
most patented invention?

The mousetrap.

Dating back over 4,000 years,
it's remarkably simple--

bait, trigger, strike.

The perfect example
of stored energy,

it sits there in silence...

no showmanship, no argument,

no need to announce
its presence.

In fact, it does its best work
in total darkness.

It simply...

waits,

holding its power in reserve
until the very last instant.

And then...

without warning...

it fulfills its purpose
with deadly efficiency.

Do I think a good litigator

knows how
to weaponize language?

Perhaps.

But that is not
her most vital talent.

What is?

Knowing when to strike.

That Q&A was like
a Nyotaimori Experience...

you know, where they serve
sushi on a naked woman.

I'm aware.

Don't look up.
Sushi eater at 2 o'clock.

Ms. Vonn, I enjoyed
the interview so--

Ms. Vonn isn't taking
any more questions.

What time did you set
that meeting?

Ms. Vonn, if I could just--
if I could steal you

for a moment.
- It's all right.

Megan is my paralegal.
Careful, she bites.

So you've been calling
my office, Ms. Plankmore.

Um, you know my name?

Well, I appreciate
what you've been going through

since Great Benefit.
- Well, the jury got it wrong.

There's an appeal in process.

Look, Ms. Vonn,
I think I would be

an asset to your firm.

If I could--if I could just--
- This is where you listen.

Life leaves
fingerprints, darling.

Your colleague Brad Noonan
is in prison.

Your client has been indicted,

followed soon after
by my dear friend Leo Drummond.

But you...

you somehow emerged
without a scratch.

Because I did nothing wrong.

You believe the fact
that you weren't indicted

is exculpatory.

Everyone else thinks
it's because you cooperated.

No, that's--that's--

Perhaps the reason
why you're so toxic

isn't the result
of a spectacular loss

in your one and only case.

Perhaps it's because you
can't be trusted.

That's the sound
of a mousetrap snapping.

J. Lyman Stone
and Associates.

Mr. Baylor's not in
at the moment, no.

I can leave him a message,
if you'd like.

Hey, let me ask
you something.

Hmm?

Why don't you just make
the kid a partner?

Because it's not always
a great thing

to get what you want
the minute you want it.

But we could lose him.

If he goes
to another Trent-and-Brent,

he'll be back in a month.
- I'm not so sure.

Why is he
so restless, anyway?

Because he wants to do
something meaningful.

You know
I can hear everything

you guys are saying, right?

Yeah, our address
is on our website.

Um, I'm looking for Bruiser.

Relax, would you?

It's nothing I haven't said
to your face.

Holy sh*t.
- What?

Oh, boy.

What the hell
is he doing here?

Hey, Julep.

- Who's that?
- My ex-husband.

- You couldn't call first?
- You blocked my number.

Remember?
- I had to.

Every time you'd call,

I'd get rage texts
from your stripper wife.

That was a long time ago.
And Lynette's not a stripper.

She's Channel 4's
chief meteorologist.

Oh, right.

Strippers provide
an actual service to society.

She tells people
when it's gonna rain.

- Mm.
- So does Alexa!

Oldest story
in the book, Rudy.

Boy meets girl.

Boy gets drafted
to the big leagues.

Boy dumps her for bikini-model-
turned-weather-girl.

- What are you doing?
- What you mean?

What does it look
like I'm doing?

You know everybody studies
for the bar online these days.

"Online"?
What are you talking about?

I'm orally inclined.
It works for me.

Literally, it doesn't.

Let's start over.
Congrats.

On what?

The big case.
I saw it on the news.

You did good.

And you look good.
- Oh, cut the sh*t, Tom.

I can't help you,

even if I wanted to,
which I definitely do not.

The money's all tied up in big
words you wouldn't understand.

I don't need money this time.

I need a lawyer.

- I got mail, lots of it.
- Oh!

Thank you, Delphine.

Chocolate on your fingers.

Yeah, I'm saving it
for later.

I like her.
- Yeah, me too.

Right?

Been there.

Oh, look at this one.

It's from your nephew.
- I don't have a nephew.

Uh, well, apparently you do.

And maybe if you were
a little more involved,

little Victor here
wouldn't be in juvie prison.

You know how many of these
letters I've been getting?

Yeah, I like to read
them on the can.

"Dear Uncle Rudy, how's life?

Pen's not easy.
Maybe I'll get used to it."

"I've been working on my jump
shot, just like you taught me.

"Happy birthday.

A dollar is worth
more than meets the eye."

That's some sage advice,
my friend.

This could be a 60-year-old
man, for all we know.

It's stamped
"Medford Juvenile Detention."

This kid's my best arm.

He's been pumping cheddar
since the day we signed him.

He could go to The Show someday
if he's not ruined by this.

Or a torn ACL.

UCL.
Low blow.

He's a good kid, Julep.

Call me that again,
and it will be a torn ACL.

All right, so this kid...

he wake up with a dead hooker
in his bed?

He might have thrown a game.

Minor-league game,
minor-league crime.

Who gives a sh*t?
- Oh, you'd be surprised.

All the online betting,
there's a lot of action

down in the bush leagues.
- So wait a second.

You want me to defend
some hotshot kid

who cheated on his own team?

Are you not seeing
the irony here?

Listen, Bruiser...

this kid's special.

He's not like me.

What's in a name?

Fighting, fighting,
fighting for your name.

I don't know. It feels
like I'm swimming here.

"A dollar is worth
more than meets the eye."

It's just strange--a kid
pretending to be your nephew

sends you a birthday card
from prison.

Trademark infringement,
product confusion.

Who's gonna even care?

Unless he couldn't send you
a normal letter.

Hey, what's that thing
that Aristotle said

about knowing thyself?
- "Aristotle"?

Are you trying
to blow this case?

I'm trying to make it
mean something,

more than just money.

- Maybe this kids a puzzler.
- What do you mean?

Well, in the puzzler world,

that's what we call
a signifier, i.e. a clue.

- "The puzzler world"?
- I contain multitudes.

Tom, do you know
how I got to Milwaukee?

I sold my mother's watch
for a plane ticket

so I can see my man pitch
his first major-league game.

Called you as I was hustling
my way into the locker room

so you would think
that I was still at school.

And I round the corner,
and there you are...

on the phone, telling me
how much you miss me

and how much you love me...

all while getting blown
by Lynette

on a g*dd*mn massage table.

That's a long time
to hold a grudge.

Oh, a 20-year grudge
isn't old.

It's vintage...

ready to be decanted.

Now get out.

- Hey, Deck.
- Up yours, Tom.

Good talk.

All right, guys,
I think I cracked it.

- Got an opening argument?
- Yeah, I think so.

Oh, dude.

More than meets the eye.

What are you
blathering on about?

The dollar's the cipher,
the serial number, right?

So this little genius
wrote us a letter

specifically based
on this number.

Okay, look,
so each number corresponds

to a specific word
in the letter, right?

So the first number is four.

The fourth word is "how,"
first letter of which is H.

The next number is eight.

Eighth word is "easy,"
first letter, E.

Next is five.
The fifth word is "life," L.

Then we have the sixth word,
which is "pen."

Then the ninth number
is "maybe," M.

And then the last number
is eight,

so we're back to our "easy," E.

- "Help me."
- I'll be damned.

Why would he go
to all that trouble?

'Cause they're reading
his mail and...

- He's scared.
- Yes.

- Shakedown!
- Get up!

Let's go, let's go, let's go!

Everybody up now!

Facility-wide safety check
is in progress.

Follow the staff instructions.

Let's go, let's go, let's go!

Hell, that's the third one
this week.

- What am I gonna do with this?
- A toothbrush shiv?

Who told you to make that--
some guy on Reddit?

I can't go in the hole.

Relax, that's
not gonna happen.

Watch this.

- How'd you do that?
- Magic.

Let's go, gentlemen.

Come on, let's go.
- Get up.

You hiding something
there, huh?

What the hell is this?

I told my dentist I'd brush.

You know what this is?

Looks like another six months
to me.

This is a story
about David and Goliath.

You know, it takes courage
to pick up that stone

and say, no more.

And today that courage
belongs to Nabisco.

I know what you're thinking.

How could Nabisco be David...

in any story?

Believe me, I asked myself
the same thing.

But fairness...

isn't just for the underdog.

It's for anyone
who plays by the rules.

Now, the defendants
call this Mellomar...

not Mallomar,

Mellomar.

But it's the same
chocolate coating.

What do you see?

The same marshmallow inside,

but it is missing
one key ingredient

you can't copyright...

integrity.

♪ Oh, my Lord,
won't You come down to me? ♪

♪ Oh, my Lord... ♪

All right, and this,
this is the bullpen, yeah.

See, I find that not having
assigned offices

keeps everyone on their toes.
- It's very Silicon Valley.

Ah, those tech boys
are slicker than owl snot.

We're just working folk
out here,

trying to make a dollar
holler--no doors, no titles.

Just everyone digging
the same dirt.

Feed that bird, Billy.

That does sound refreshing.

I mean, your work is
primarily personal injury?

Well, we got slip-and-falls,
fender benders,

the occasional dog bite.

Hey, Josephine,
what do you call them dogs

everyone's trotting around?

You know, they mush them all
together so they don't sh*t?

Doodles.


liability work.

Keep it simple here--

no base, all commission,
you eat what you k*ll.

You know, most of our business
never even sees a courtroom.

So you don't try cases?

No, trials are for people
who like to lose money slow.

We get in, we get paid,
and we get gone.

What if you
didn't have to choose?

If you built
a small trial unit,

just one or two strong cases
a quarter,

you'd scare the insurers.

They'd pay out faster
on the rest and for more.

I admire the gumption.
I really do.

But this place runs on volume.

Big verdicts make headlines.

Small ones, they pay rent.

You could do both.

Build your reputation,
raise the floor.

Listen, you can dress it up
all you want, darling,

but lipstick don't turn a pig
into a paralegal.

This place is never gonna be
white-shoe.

Mm, well, not
with that attitude.

Thank you, Dina.

Listen, you change your mind,

we always got room
for a closer.

The pizza's hot.
The coffee's free.

And we get a discount
at the dry cleaner's next door.

I'll think about it.

All right, well, don't think
too long, now,

because pride
is a hell of a diet.

Thank you for your time.

- What are we doing here?
- Shh.

Do me a favor.
Just be cool, okay? Be cool.

Jerry, how you doing, pal?

You, uh, got room in there
for two more?

- Sure thing, Deck.
- Great.

Hey, say hi
to your sister for me.

What are you doing?
Get in here. Come on.

- 50 on the come.
- No more bets, no more bets.

- Yeah!
- Copy that--50 on big red.

Why are we here?

I just want to say a quick hi

to a certain public-defender
bottom-feeder

who happens to represent
Victor Suffredes.

This is the kid
with the letter?

You mean the unjustly
imprisoned 12-year-old

crying out
to his favorite uncle for help?

Yes.
- Deck, I'm not heartless.

I have a case to try.
- Exactly.

You are not heartless,
all right?

So don't be.
Come on.

Come on, nice and easy.
Here we go, baby.

Five.

There we go!

- Seeing 8 for 10.
- 20 on hard 6.

- 90 on the 8.
- 20, field.

Nah, he's not done yet.
Let's go 25 on...

- 10, 10 on 8.
- Wait, there he is.

Here we go.
Craps table, come on.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, Louie V.!
Still cheating gravity?

Still pretending
to be a lawyer?

Oh, 4, 4, easy 4.
sh**ter stays hot.

Hardway comes down.

Sir, if you're gonna stand
at the table,

you got to make a bet--
it's a $25 minimum.


Hey, hey, you got some cash?

- How much?
- 25.

- I only have a hundred.
- Yeah, that's perfect.

Yeah, I'll do, uh, four 25s.
- Four 25s for the gentlemen.



I'm gonna do 25
on the pass line,

all the hardways, 5 back.

Deck, why are you here?

I'm just here
to jog your memory--

client of yours, kid by
the name of Victor Suffredes.

Never heard of him.


Hardway comes down.

Wait, did I just lose?

- Did you just lose?
- Yes, sir, you did.

I did. All right, let's go


Sure you remember him, okay?
He's a 12-year-old kid.

He hacked
his entire school network,

Rickrolled every classroom.

Halloran gave him three years
at The Pen.

Three years for Rick Astley?

Yeah, I guess justice
did give him up.

That's
a sealed juvenile case.

Here we go.

You shouldn't be sniffing
around that file.

And if you don't mind,

I'm having
a hot freakin' roll here.

He wrote to me--he said
he's looking for new counsel.

He's wasting ink.
I'm still his lawyer.

All right, give me, uh,


If you're still his lawyer,
why hasn't he heard from you?

Because I already did
my part.

He pled.
Case closed.

"He pled"?



You could have filed
for post-conviction relief,

asked for reconsideration.
- Kid took a deal.

That's the end of it.
- He's 12 years old.

You think 3 years is justice?
- I think that's the sentence.

Yeah, let's see it.
Hit that back wall this time.

Who the hell walks away
from a heater?

Somebody who doesn't want
to answer questions.

Guys, please, I'm fine.

I've been networking.

I've been taking some
really interesting meetings.

I'm good.
I'm--I'm great, actually.

Just hear me out.

Dad, do you really think
that's a good idea?

What?

Me coming to work for you.

- No, no...
- Actually--

No, I was gonna say
move back in with us,

you know, until you figure out
your next move.

Wow, okay.

Um, am I really
that radioactive?

Sweetie, of course not.

It's just a little difficult

while you're still
under investigation.

You were the one who told me
it was my job to bend the law

and see how elastic it is, remember?

And then next thing I knew,
I'm sitting with the FBI.

I think you might have read
more into that than I meant.

Are you gonna take
any responsibility?

Are you gonna take
any responsibility?

That's not fair.
I didn't even commit a crime.

You committed
the greatest crime of all.

You lost.

And you're right.
It's not fair.

You're a better lawyer
than Rudy will ever be.

Wow, you finally remembered
his name.

I am going to run
to the men's room.

Did you ever
congratulate him?

Who, Rudy?
No.

No, Mom, believe me,
I'm the last person

he wants to hear from.

You two were so in love.

That was a long time ago.

Not so long.

Honey, do you mind
if I give you a little advice?

Everyone else seems to,
so, sure.

Look, I know you feel
like you've lost everything.

Haven't I?

I lost the case.
I lost my job.

I lost my boyfriend.
You and Dad are paying my rent.

What's left?

You.

You're what's left.

Every time we've spoken
in the past three months,

you've told me
how everybody got it wrong.

Sweetheart...

have you once stopped
and asked where you went wrong?

Hmm?

Oh, hey.
Got you coffee.

Thanks.

Hey, you know what?
Quick gut check--

I was thinking, um,
depo testimony first,

and then I'm gonna box them in
with the ratios on--

- Rudy, we settled.
- What do you mean?

We're cross-examining the lead
food scientist at 9:00.

No, we're not,
because they settled.

I know.

"Courtus" interruptus.

- How much?
- Nothing.

Consent decree
and permanent injunction.

They stop making the copycat,
destroy the molds,

and send recall notices.

So we get 10% of zero?

See, that's the thing
about your first case

going the distance.

You expect all of them to.

It's still a win, Rudy.

Congrats.

Look, I know
you want to be partner.

But trust me when I tell you,

there's a risk
in getting too much too soon.

Just ask my ex.

Tom was faced with a decision--

stay with a great team

who felt he needed
more seasoning in the minors

or go to a shitty team who'd
put him right in The Show.

He chose The Show.

And tore his UCL
in the first week.

He wasn't ready.

Right now this works.

I set the table.
You sharpen the knife.

Anything more than that
wouldn't be good for me.

It definitely
wouldn't be good for you.

- Jocelyn Stone?
- Yeah.

Namaste.

I'm gonna k*ll him.

Hey.

How you doing?
Deck Shifflet.

Right, right. Uh...

Are you, uh,
Victor Suffredes' father?

Step.

I like to think of it
as the dad who stepped up.

Am I right?
- What do you want?

Uh, well, I want to talk
to you about Victor's case.

He reached out to our law firm.

But, you know, the whole
juvenile-court system--

all the files
and transcripts are sealed.

So, if we want to help Victor--
- Oh, no, no, no, no,

Ain't no helping that boy.

Kid's a compulsive liar.

Right, well, uh...

have you, uh, c-considered
an appeal?

Because the window
for this closes on Monday.

I don't know
about any of that.

Sir, we're just concerned
that your son--

He is not my son.
Now, I told you that, yeah?

Okay.

Buddy, I'm just here

'cause I think
Victor might be in trouble.

Look...

I've washed my hands
of that boy.

Kid's been a migraine since
the day I married his mother.

Well, speaking of his mother,

if I wanted to talk to her
about an appeal,

you know where
I might find her?

Yep.

Marshview Cemetery.

All right, have a great day.

Thought I locked that.

You really bought Yogi's.

I, um...

I heard you're living
in the apartment upstairs?

And I, uh...

read that alumni profile
they did on you.

It was incredible.

I saw you on TV.

You, um...

You really--you really did it.

It's literally everything
you ever dreamed of, and I...

I just wanted to say
congratulations.

I, um...

I don't know
why I did what I did.

Rudy, I should have never used
your brother in that way.

I, um...

I was just so caught up in...

the case, the firm, Leo.

I just--I think I convinced
myself that I was doing my job.

Rudy, I'm sorry.

Are you gonna say anything?

We're closed.

That was unexpected.

What do you think
she really wants?

I don't know.

Maybe she just really wanted
to apologize.

Not a chance.

All right, but just
hear me out, okay?

Nabisco--it was a win,
no matter how you look at it.

It is hard to make a meal
out of cookies, though.

Lord knows that I've tried.
Wait, wait, no, stop.

Just sit down.
Sit down.

What I'm trying to say is,
you're not cookies, okay?

And you are definitely
not Fletcher Kincaid.

Rudy, you're not doing
what you're meant to do.

I know it doesn't always pay
the bills, okay?

But, Rudy, you fight bullies,
and right now this kid Victor--

he needs a Rudy Baylor
on his side

'cause he's got nobody else.

- Deck--
- No, no, let me finish.

Let me finish--
because as you said, right?

Literally, as you said,
it's not about the fight.

It's about who you fight for.

- Let's go talk to him.
- That's it?

You want to talk,
I'll talk to him.

I'm--no promises.
- No, right.

Of course, no promises.
Let's go talk to him.

I love this.
Yes, we're talking to him.

By the way, that was
a great opening argument.

- Really?
- Yeah.

- What was the best part?
- I'm not cookies.

Cookies.

Of course.

- I am not your lawyer.
- I know that.

Then why the hell
am I getting

your grand-jury subpoena?

Jocelyn,
what am I supposed to do?

Tell the truth.

You didn't know
what the kid was doing.

I might have known
what the kid was doing.

You idiot.

Baby, was that Amazon?

I needed that LED mask,
like, yesterday.

Ha! Honey, they don't make
LED strong enough.

Lord, give me strength.

Tommy, what is this b*tch
doing in my house?

- She's my lawyer.
- I'm not, actually.

- Great. Then go.
- Gladly.

Wait, Jocelyn.
Hold on, hold on, please.

Hang on.

Honey, she's
the best lawyer I know.

We need her.

You better believe
we're talking

to Dr. Kathy about this.

Jocelyn,
you got to help me out here.

- You can't afford me.
- Come on.

My retainer is 50 grand.

Jocelyn, listen...

I'm boxed in.

If I tell the truth
to the grand jury,

they're gonna k*ll me.

They don't k*ll you for this.
They put you in prison.

That's not what I meant.

What are you into?

I'll tell you everything

once we have
attorney-client privilege.

Please, Julep.

You got to be kidding me.

You're broke,
and she got one of these?

Do you know what this costs?
- Don't remind me.

I still owe a fortune
on that thing.

Hey, hey, what are you doing?

Taking my retainer.

Come by in the morning.

Lynette's gonna lose
her sh*t.

Well, tell it to Dr. Kathy.

- Holy sh*t, it worked.
- Victor?

Hey, are you--are you okay?
What happened to you?

I tried to send you a letter.
They did not like that.

Wait, they put
their hands on you?

Get a picture of him.
- Yeah.

I knew you were my guy.

We've only got a day left
to file an appeal.

Now, Victor,
I'm gonna ask you something.

Are you telling us
you're innocent?

No, I definitely hacked
the school network

to Rickroll all the screens.

I'm saying they tricked me.

Who did?
How?

Judge gives me
some slimy lawyer

who smelled
like an air freshener.

Louis V. Palermo.

Yeah, and Judge tells me
if I say I did it

and sorry and all that, then
I'll get a warning, so I did.

Then all of a sudden,
Judge crashes out,

yelling cyber t*rror1st,
gives me three years.

And I'm in, like,
literal shackles, bruh.

Hold on.
What did--what did Palermo say?

All right, you can go now.

Hey, are these the guys
who touched you?

Hey, you can't obstruct
his right to counsel.

Suffredes
is on behavior status.

He gets no visitors.
- Hey, take it easy!

Hey, he's a kid.
Take it easy on him.

Victor, I'm gonna file today.

Hey, you, you want
to say anything

about those bruises on him?

Who the hell
do you think you are?

I'm his lawyer.

- All right, thank you.
- Morning.

Yeah, I understand.
I'll call you back, okay?

We got boned.
- That was fast.

Who got boned?

The, uh--the Victor Suffredes
appeal got dismissed...

technicality.

You filed an appeal?

You're not
an appellate attorney.

Well, deadline was today,
so I had to file.

Okay, at the risk of sounding
like I approve any of this...

why was it dismissed?

We didn't get a signature
from the guardian.

Well, that's a hell
of a technicality.

Stepfather's a real charmer.

You can't file
on behalf of a minor

without a legal guardian
signing on.

I thought
it might slip by, okay?

Come on,
you know better than that.

And not for nothing,

but who did you think
was gonna pay for this appeal?

Who's paying for your
ex-husband's criminal case?

She got a handbag.

Yeah,
a very expensive handbag.

You're kidding, right?

It's worth
more than your car.

- You know what--
- All right, guys, guys.

Can we please just get back
to the whole guardian thing?

There's got to be
a way around that, right?

There isn't.
Sorry.

Hi.

- Oh, sh*t.
- Oh, good.

Oh, great.

I don't know how we went
from a whale to two fishes

in three months,
but here we are.

g*dd*mn, you look good.
Can't be all natural, no way.

Face is mine.
t*ts are real.

a*s is as tight
as a snare drum.

And you're not getting near
any of it.

Just making conversation.

I just don't get it, okay?

I mean, this guy's married
to Victor's mom

for all of, what,
like, three years,

and all of a sudden, he just
gets to decide this kid's life?

That's crazy.
- It's the law.

He's the legal guardian.

It was just one game.

I know it was stupid, but
I really believe in this kid.

And I don't want to see--
- Hang on a second.

I can't believe
I'm about to help with this,

but there might be a way.

What is it?

A section 1983 action.

- A civil suit?
- To get Victor out?

Followed by a petition
for habeas corpus.

Well, a Section 1983
is "stop abusing me."

That's how we get paid.

Habeas is "get me out of here."

Yeah, but don't we still have
the problem of the guardian?

- No.
- No, 'cause in a civil case,

you can get
a guardian ad litem.

Court-appointed guardian
for the purposes of the case.

But only if the minor
doesn't have a guardian, right?

both:
Wrong.

Also if the current guardian
isn't protecting

the minor's interests.
- Definitely not.

Court allows the attorney

to submit a guardian ad litem
for approval.

Well, who are we gonna get
for that?

What you smiling about?

No, we're not accepting
the tolling agreement.

If they want to extend
the statute, they can file.

Understood.
Thank you, Ms. Vonn.

Kid's name is
Victor Suffredes,


one of Judge Halloran's cases.

They filed a Section 1983 claim
and a habeas petition.

- Who's the attorney?
- Rudy Baylor.

He's the kid who won
the Great Benefit ca--

I know who he is.

Hello?

It's Amanda Vonn.

I put in a call
to Leo Drummond.

What did he say?

That you're an opportunist.

Oh.

But that I'd be hard-pressed

to find
a more tenacious attorney.

My office will call you
to set a meeting.

Wow. Um...

Hello?