The Deep End

The interview

justice...That's why I went to law school. I guess I really just always...

Wanted to help people...To really help people.

A practical exhibition of sympathy. That's what my grandfather called the law.

He was a federal judge. It's on my résum?

I believe in the quest for truth.

And I want to meet women.

Biggest flaw? If I had to choose one,I'd say...

I'm a perfectionist.

Ambition.

Women.

All in,I owe about $150,000...$200,000. $300,000 of educational debt.

my father endowed a chair at stanford. Technically,they owe us.

look,i know this is a huge opportunity. I guess I just need some more time to think.

Well,as I'm sure you're well aware,

each year,sterling screens over a thousand applicants,and we choose four...

Four...From the finest law schools worldwide.

Now,we nurture,shape,and guide those associates into becoming the best damn lawyers they can possibly be.

This is your lucky chance,

your break in the clouds,your four-leaf clover.

The only question is...

Are you gonna think your life away or you gonna sack up and grab opportunity's...

Doorknob?

the deep end Season1 Episode01

Three xxss..

hi. I'm dylan hewitt,one of the new first-year associates.

Well,what theell are you doing here?

Rowdy,hey. I know,i'm a few minutes early...

Early? You're 10 days late.

no. I can't be late.

Your note said the start date was the 10th.

My note said the start date was the 1st.

Look. Here it is. See,you wrote "see you on the 10th. "

finger-pointing is no way to make friends.

Now,if I were you,i'd be thiing about what I'm gonna tell the prince of darkness.

Who's the "prince of darkness"?

What about opportunity's doorknob?

I'm sorry. Dylan hewitt.

Beth branford. Fellow first-year. You are incredibly late.

Yeah,rowdy accidentally misinformed me about the date.

I wouldn't be so sure it was an accident.

Half of what they do here is to keep you off-balance. It's how they gain control.

"gain control"? That's not... Rowdy said they would nurture me.

Dylan,wake up. Law school is history.

We're first-years... Grunts,doormats,newbies -

Barely worth the partners' time,yet expected to perform flawlessly.

And here's where you live.

Don't you bloody knock?

Dylan hewitt,this is liam priory.

Dylan hewitt! My office mate!

Sorry about the wedding tackle. I was just getting changed for court.

I'm erin conway. - Ah,this is erin conway... A secretary.

My secretary.

Yeah,she's just revising this motion.

I'll get on that right away. -Looks like you already have.

Liam,you've got to help me.

Ah,addy fisher,meet dylan hewitt.

The fourth musketeer.

Oh. Uh,that's robert.

I'm behind on a brief for him,and it's got to be perfect.

Last week,I made one small mistake. He yelled at me until the smoke alarm went off.

Blow this one,he'll send you straight to the prince of darkness.

Who is this prince of darkness?

Firefighters with cancer? - Yeah.

Screw firefighters with cancer.

They're worthy clients,cliff.

And I'm head litigation partner,so no matter what you say,i'm taking the damn case.

Fine. You're just gonna have to do a little client maintenance for some paying accounts.

So tomorrow,you're going to the adler briss.

Seriously,cliff,what do you want from me?

Just what any good managing partner wants...

For his firm to run like a business,not a soup kitchen.

Oh,I get it. You're worried 'cause hart's coming back.

Worried? - Yeah.

When he left,this place was coasting on its reputation.

Now we are now three times as profitable as the day he threw me the keys.

You might not be so worried if you made better choices.

Sweetheart,those choices made you a very wealthy woman,so I expect just a little bit of loyalty.

Loyalty? That's rich,coming from you.

I'm sorry. Are we still talking about the firm,or have we moved on to the marriage?

I'd like to know.If you're going to accuse me of disloyalty,

I'd like to know if it's coming from susan the partner or susan the wife.

Fine. As your wife... - Yeah?...

I feel like you've been distant... - Okay. ...

Preoccupied... -Fine...

Emotionally unavailable. -All right,that's kind of hard to hear,but you're right.

No,I haven't been there. That's because I've been here.

I've been working day and night to turn this firm...

To turn our firm... Into an unstoppable winning machine.

And if hart disagrees for one second any choice I've made in his absence,then I will gladly throw him these.

You satisfied?

I'm never satisfied.

You see? That is what I love about you.

So,are you married yet?

Um,no. I- I dated at columbia,but...

She doesn't mean an actual relationship.

We work 24/7. We don't have time for romance.

I meant "married" as in "married to a matter." It's sterling-speak for "assigned to a case."

You live with it,you sleep with it,it flushes the toilet while you're in the shower.

Sorry. You paged me?

Oh,katie. I have these two pieces of busywork... One for robert,one for susan.

I need the robert thing proofed and copied.And if it's not done by the next time I see him...

We all remember the smoke alarm.

Katie's our senior paralegal. This is dylan hewitt.

So,you're the one who makes us look good. - You don't need any help with that.

Uh,I meant,uh,because of your legal brilliance...Not because of anything else.I have a boyfriend.

Oh,looks like the partners' meeting has officially adjourned,which means... - Food!

Oh,good. I'm starving.

Great job,guys. We'll take it from here.

They're probably pulling out all the stops because hart sterling is back.

Seriously? Hart sterling? Yeah.

I can't believe it. I don't see what the big deal is.

He's everything I want to be. He's a brilliant litigator,a civil-rights champion.

Yeah,I hear he can kill the opposing counsel at 50 yards with mind bullets.

it's not complicated,cliff.

I'm simply saying that there's more to a practice than representing corporations and sovereign wealth funds.

We need to help some regular people...People with a grievance,people with a problem.

Hart,with all due respect,there is no money in people.

Taking on a few pro bono cases is not just good for society. It's good for business.

My father understood that. He built this practice on...

Your father built this firm on big-money clients...Clients you let slide when jessica took ill.

Well,I'm sorry my wife's m.s. Was an inconvenience for you. - No,I didn't...

Look,you had your priorities,all right,and I respect that.

But while every other firm is dying out there,we are thriving because of my leadership.

So do not come in here looking down your nose at me and telling me things have to change.

Really?!I know you,cliff. I know the way you operate.

You don't want to get in a pissing match with me.

So,are we gonna do it my way? Or do things have to get emotional?

You're the boss. I thought so.

Bone up on your people skills.

that sanctimonious bastard. I saved his firm,and he slaps the taste out of my mouth?

We should marshal the partners and move him out.

Move him out?

That man has done a lot of great things for this firm,not to mention the fact that his family name comes first on the door.

All right,I know you two have history,but let's be perfectly clear here. Are you with me,or you against me?

I'm with you. Good.

I don't have time for whatever the hell that is. So,why don't you lay it off on a first-year?

Got any preferences? Well,it's pro bono. We got a boy scout with a savior complex?

Now,this is pro bono,which means we do not get paid. Okay? So manage expectations.

And this is for cliff,so you do not want to screw this up.

You think you can handle all that on your own,sport? - Absolutely.

I'll send katie with you.

Mrs. Pierson,I've read the expert testimony,and this ruling is virtually impossible to overcome.

Mr. Hewitt,after will was born,my husband,jeff,died of an aneurysm out of the blue.

After he died...I couldn't function. The doctors said that it was depression.

That's completely understandable.

Jeff's mothe didn't think so.She said that I "lacked capacity,"

she had the courts remove me,and then she stepped in as executor and froze all of jeff's money.

She froze the money? Why would she...She wants my son.

Excuse me?

She said that the only way that she will release the money is if I formally make her will's guardian.

The expert testimony alleging your lack of capacity to serve as executor of the will is virtually insurmountable.

Mr. Hewitt,I am a good mother.

She is lying about me,and she is holding my son hostage.

Molly,your sitter said she was sick and just dropped off your son.

You know we can't have that here. We've got to call the temp agency.

you are my only hope. Please,can you help me?

Absolutely.

You're gonna be her hero. - Yeah. There's only one problem.

There's no way I can win.

no,no,no,no,no! Wait! Wait! Wait!

Hey,sailor! Do you need a lift?

So,how was your first day? Everything okay?

No,it's not okay. What?

You know that case you gave me? Yeah.

There were complications. What kind of complications?

I promis to win,and it's unwinnable. I told you to manage expectations.

Yeah,and what you didn't tell me is that there's a little kid involved. There's always something.

Now,look,what you got to do is you got to get your priorities straight.

me? yes.

Me? what about you,huh? "nurture," you said. "guidance," you said.

You lied to me,rowdy! I do not lie. I embellish.

All right,listen,now... Now,I know that I dropped you in the deep end,soow about this?

Until you learn how to swim,i'll be your mentor.

Really? Yeah!

You... Do you really mean that? Absolutely. 100 percently.

All right,here we go.

The firm is like two blocks away.

Oh,I can't be seen with you,not until you prove yourself.

I thought you were my mentor. I am your mentor. But I'm your secret mentor.

I support you secretly... With my mind.

Now get the hell out of my car.

Thank you.

Susan,let me say this again. I am very,very sorry.

Sorry? Let's see if that suffices,shall we?

When we went to depose the president of liberty mutual bank yesterday,you nailed his niece in his beach house.

Actually,it wasn't in the beach house. It was up against the side...

You're not making this better. - Yeah. Sorry.

It's just that when it comes to women,I have an impulse-control problem.

No,what you have is a career-evaporation problem.

Let me lay it out for you,liam. Your photographic memory,your perfect gpa...None of that matters now.

You cost us a major client,and you'll replace that client or you're gone.

Understood? -Understood.

Good boy. And in the future,don't stick it in anything that hasn't been fully vetted first.

mazel tov!

So that,in a nutshell,is it.

As soon I draft the resolutions and Mr. Douglas signs them,mr. Ollerman will be the new c.e.o.

Very impressive. Speedy,too.

What do you say,tim? Are you ready to replace me in the big chair?

Nobody could replace you,hal.