Synopsis of The Getaway
Written by Jennifer W.
Richard walks into John's office. Both are looking really grim. Richard tells John that Ling and him have decided to take a break from each other. "It's that Jackson. She's tempted," he says. John asks if he is worried. "Well, there's nothing I can do really. I just hope at the end of the day, she looks at him, looks at me, and realizes I have more money," Richard answers. They both sigh. "What happened to us, buddy? Our women are gone. We're working late while all the associates are out living life. It's time for a change," Richard decides. He declares the two of them are going on vacation to sunny California-LA!
At the morning meeting, Richard announces that Ally is in charge while they are gone. There are some protests. "Uh, seniority," he says. He says they have a plane to catch so they have to go. He grabs John and leaves before the protests begin again.
At the airport, John assures Richard they aren't going to miss their flight. Richard has a baby carrier with a crying baby sound coming from it. They rush through the line. Once inside the plane, Richard stuffs the "baby" into the baggage compartment. (Obviously, the carrier was empty, except for a recorder playing the baby wails.) Everyone looks strangely at them. Richard is seated next to a pretty large person who causes Richard trouble getting into his seat, and the flight attendant starts to give her intro/directions speech. Richard interrupts, "Attention please! Before we get started, could I ask how many of you here are going to LA? (Everyone raises their hands.) For pleasure? Uh, show of hands, please. (Some raise their hands.) Excellent, uh, flight attendant lady...Let's start the vacation now, that's what I say. I assume the rest of you are going on business? (Everyone is just staring at him, as John covers his face in embarrassment.) Yeah, well, Bloody Mary's for them, too. Why should they be punished? How about you, partner? (to John) Maalox with a twist?" The attendant tries to interrupt Richard, but he continues, "One more thing, then I'll sit. Yeah, um, many of you I'm sure are concerned about a lot of planes going down lately. Let's not blame the airlines. It's a competitive market. They've all had to lay off mechanics, cut a few corners. Young pilots are cheaper. You've seen ours, uh, twenty-five tops. I saw them playing with their Gameboys. Luckily, I'm a lawyer, as is my colleague, John Cage. (John is still looking embarrassed and the flight attendant keeps trying to get Richard to stop talking.) It's not too late. We brought a portable fax machine with us. If any of you don't have final testaments-to fly these days without one is reckless. I don't need to tell you that." The passenger next to Richard passes gas. "Oh, there you go," Richard says, waving his hand. The flight attendant, very frustrated, says she is going to get the pilot. "Yeah, well, he's got a will. Trust me, he checks it before every flight. Oh, uh, Bloody Mary's now. We're all waiting," Richard says as the flight attendant storms off.
The pilot orders Richard not to speak for the rest of the flight. John calls Ally to research if that is legal or not. Mark, in Ally's office, says that it is perfectly legal since the captain of an airplane while in flight, has full authority to do almost anything, including enjoining the passengers from speaking. Richard isn't happy. The passenger next to Richard passes gas again. "Oh, did you hear that?!?! I paid 1,500 bucks to sit in the horn section," Richard protests. He pulls down the oxygen mask to the protests of the flight attendant. He tells her it is an emergency. She threatens to once again get the pilot.
Richard gets arrested! John says he will probably be able to represent him during his trial. During the trial, John interrupts the reading of the charges and says that they are "so ridiculous, they shouldn't even be uttered aloud". He continues to say that Richard was treated unfairly by being told to not speak on a six-hour flight. The two lawyers argue. The judge asks if this is why they were here (regarding the reason for this case). They say yes. The judge dismisses the case.
Richard and John go back to the hotel and walk down to the pool. Richard sees this cute girl sitting alone so he persuades John they should go and sit with her. They sit next to her and Richard initiates a conversation. He complains that he couldn't put lotion on the middle of his back. "And your friend couldn't help you with that?" she asks. "Yeah, well, you know I asked, but he's a little homophobic. You know, to each his own. The sun sure feels hot, though, huh?" Richard answers. She offers to put lotion on his back. They introduce themselves to each other. Her name is Jane Wilco, an actress. Richard asks her up to his room and she agrees. They leave John sitting alone. John spots a woman sitting alone at a table so he walks over and introduces himself.
In his room, Richard shows Jane around. She complements him on the room as Richard starts dancing. At his request, she starts doing "The Hustle" with him. Just then, the police burst through the door. Richard is arrested for solicitation! In jail, Richard calls Ally to get a hold of John for him.
Cassandra, the woman John met, is crying. He wonders what is wrong and she tells him she was getting a divorce and under the prenup, she forfeits all alimony and community property except for $100,000. "Wait, even though he was also having an affair?" John asks. "I'm afraid so. It's not that I care that much about money, although I must admit to being quite used to having it, but I'm faced with losing my art studio. Plus, he set up the affair," she explains. John is confused. "The man I had the affair with was hired by my husband. That's probably the most humiliating of it all. My adulterous lover was only in it for the money. My husband did it to disqualify me from alimony under the prenup," she cries. They're conversation is interrupted by a hotel staff member coming to tell John that Richard needs him to contact him on his cell.
John is shocked that Richard was arrested for solicitation. Richard explains, "Evidently she's a call girl. The hotel was suspicious. They hired some police to be on the lookout." John asks if they had sex and Richard says no. "I was just doing "The Hustle". They just busted in. There was no exchange of money.
We didn't even exchange bodily fluids," he says, "It's just the worst vacation, John, ever." His arraignment is set for tomorrow so he has to spend the night in jail.
John visits Jane in her cell. "I thought he was my, you know, date. I was told by my boss he'd find me at the pool," she explains to John. "So, you are a prostitute?" John asks. "No! I work for an escort service. I go on dates for money but I don't, you know," she explains, "I thought he was a weirdo guy who, you know, liked disco." "Oh, so you didn't even really like him," John says. "Well, actually, I kind of did. But I wasn't about to sleep with him. Could you represent me?" she asks. John tells her he will.
Cassandra and John are at the hotel bar having a drink. She asks if he thinks Richard is innocent. "Oh, I believe they both are. She's not a prostitute, and he didn't hire one. Yeah, I think I can beat it," he says. She smiles and thanks him for asking her out for a drink. They toast and then further discuss her case. He tells her he believes it can be challenged. She agrees to let him take her case.
In court, with no real evidence against them, Richard and Jane's charges are dismissed. Jane agrees to show them some real LA culture. The next day, they go rollerblading, hang out at the amusement park, and ride the bumper cars. She tells them that she is an escort but has never had sex for money and never will. John tells her she needs to leave her agent because he is obviously not looking out for her best interests. She says that she signed a contract but Richard offers to get her out of it. After their day of fun, Richard and Jane go to a club to do "The Hustle".
Cassandra, John, her soon-to-be ex, and his lawyer are in a conference room. "The language couldn't be more explicit. If she's unfaithful, she forfeits all rights, save for $100,000," the lawyer, Mr. Bork, says. "Yes, I read the agreement, Mr. Bork" John says. "And did you read the definition of "infidelity"? Any sexual contact. She slept with another man," Mr. Bork counters. "Now, if I'm not mistaken your client had three affairs, one with a woman..." John says. "The prenup doesn't speak to my client's conduct; it refers only to hers. Mr. Cage, this is what is wrong with the practice of law these days. It's not about justice, it's not about enforcing right, it's about baseless prosecutions. It's about attorneys going after what they think they can get with no regard for law, nor letter, nor the spirit of contract. Here we have an explicit bargained-for legal agreement which clearly lays out the rights and remedies of the parties and you're in here threatening us, I suppose with the big mighty bear of litigation, in the hopes that we'll roll over and give you something to go away. Well, unfortunately for you sir, you've walked into a den of conscience. I may not be a man of particular fight but I am one of principle and I'll be damned if I'll sacrifice the integrity of this profession, not to mention the process, in the name of expediency and will carry with it no legal consequence. I am going to utter it just the same when I say to you, shame," Mr. Bork says. John takes a deep breath and counters, "Whatever the definition of "infidelity" in this document you so revere, I think you would agree that there cannot be infidelity without the existence of fidelity itself. Perhaps you might also concur the concept of fidelity. Not only does it take two to tango, but also to trust and any such trust between your client and mine Mr. Bork, has long since been fractured by his adulterous behavior with three different women-not one, not two, but three-the last of which he was planning to marry after leaving my client. Then he hires a man to get her to stumble like a cheap episode of Temptation Island. This noble client of yours, as you sit so steeped in principle Mr. Bork, actually employed a man for the sole purpose-and I mean "sole" as in the cruddy bottom of a gummy shoe-for the sole purpose of interfering with marital relations. Well, that is unclean hands, Mr. Bork. Surely you know the term, it's a legal one. One with unclean hands cannot take advantage of a situation rendered by those hands. I will vitiate that prenuptial contract as sure as I'm sitting here. I will break that agreement. If I don't do it with a judge, I'll go to a jury and you consider that prospect, sir. I'd like your client to consider it as well. The jurors will look at you, they will look at her and who do you think they're going to like more? Now, let me conclude before I walk out of here in all my shame by saying one thing to you, sir, and I'll say it three times for emphasis. I will get you, I will get you, I will get you. Why, Mr. Attorney of Principle? Because it's in my baseless little character. Let's go, Cassandra." Later that night, John and Cassandra share an intimate moment-dancing to Tony Bennett.
Mr. Bork has come with an offer. "All right, against my better judgment, also against my principle, my client is willing to pay you $3 million mainly because he cares for you, Cassandra. It's non-negotiable. The offer's good for today only. My advice is that you take it and run." "Is said advice the product of your better judgment or your time-tested scruples?" John asks. John asks him to leave while he discusses the offer with Cassandra. Alone, Cassandra expresses her excitement that the offer went from $100,000 to $3 million. "It's a nice bump, Cassandra, but if he is claiming a net worth of $12 million, my suspicion is it's closer to $15 million. Now, if we vitiate the prenup, which I think is very possible, you could be entitled to upwards of $7 million," he tells her. "That would mean an audit and litigation and I don't want to go through all that. Three million would allow me to keep my art studio, and it's more than I'd know what to do with," she says. She asks him to settle but he thinks he can get more for her. "All right, what I want you to do is to get up, walk out of the room in a rage and just keep on walking. I'm going to tell Mr. Bork you're offended by the lowball. Now, I think I can chip it up some. If I can't, I will settle for the three. Just go on, keep going, and don't look back," John says. She angrily gets up and leaves, following his instructions.
Richard and Jane go meet her agent at his office. Richard convinces him to let her out of the contract. He agrees, but only if "she gives him three percent of any future earnings and an invitation to the Golden Globes if she ever gets nominated".
As they are packing to leave LA, Richard congratulates John on getting Cassandra $4.2 million. Jane shows up at the hotel to see them off, as does Cassandra-with a portrait for John from her art studio. They all bid farewell, as Richard and John climb in their limo. "You know what? That was fun, huh, buddy?" Richard asks. "It was good to get away indeed," John replies. They both smile.
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