“I’m not saying it is the truth, I’m saying that is how the world sees it.
asserted
world → say → it
Women like us are judged in a way that men never are.
asserted
men → judge → way
I know it’s a double-standard – let’s fucking use that double standard.”
asserted
’s → know → standard
This is Serena Byrne in a meeting with Carla about strategy, as the arbitration hearing for the Duval-Henderson divorce nears.
asserted
hearing → near → divorce
Serena is ever more pregnant, and Carla married Morgan as a single mother to Gabriel, now 16.
asserted
Carla → marry → Gabriel
Society holds the fact of these women’s respective careers against them, that they would dare wish to also be moms, something that same society never feels like asking a father, which they will use this as their arbitration argument.
asserted
they → hold → argument
Morgan wasn’t a dad to Gabriel when they married, but in time, and while Carla was away for her film work, he became one to his stepson.
asserted
he → marry → stepson
Make the appointed arbitrator see this, and Taylor & Byrne gets the prenuptial agreement nullified over Gabriel’s well-being.
asserted
agreement → make → being
It’s a tactic that exposes and pushes against societal pressures, but it’s fair to ask where Gabriel actually exists within it.
asserted
Gabriel → ’ → it
Last time on War on HBO, Carla had to be reminded of her son’s actual age by her assistant.
asserted
Carla → have → assistant
And when she shows up at Gabriel’s elite prep school to take him for cheesecake, he cuts through her precocious niceties with a teen’s cruel foresight.
asserted
he → show → foresight
“Why don’t you just tell me what you brought me here to tell me?”
asserted
you → tell → me
That she and Morgan are divorcing.
asserted
she → divorce → ?
That someone must have cheated.
asserted
someone → cheat → ?
And she has no real answer for his anger, because she knows she’s been absent.
asserted
she → have → anger
Gabe — that’s what Morgan calls him; they do seem to have a connection — decides he has his own role to play in this saga.
asserted
he → ’ → saga
In London, he barges into Cathcarts and confronts his stepdad, who tries to deflect but ultimately admits his infidelity.
asserted
who → barge → infidelity
And feeling forgotten, like a pawn for his rich parents, Gabriel indulges in the act-out behavior of a rich child.
asserted
Gabriel → feel → child
He meets up with a wealthy wasteoid pal, Thibault (Benjamin Robinson), whose everyday is vast mansions, no supervision, yelling “Who gives a fuck?!” and blowing lines of MDMA.
asserted
Who → meet → MDMA
Thibault –—that name! — is like the kids from The Shards gone end-of-days 21st century.
asserted
Thibault → go → days
“Marriage is a con,” Thibault declares; “My dad’s getting AI to design me an apocalypse bunker in New Zealand.”
asserted
AI → declare → Zealand
It’s just a party Gabriel shouldn’t have been at.
asserted
Gabriel → ’ → ?
But he inserts himself into the arbitration anyway.
asserted
he → insert → arbitration
The hearing takes place at Taylor & Byrne, with the principals and legal teams from both sides present, and Serena opens with the argument she pitched to Carla.
asserted
she → take → Carla
An argument, obviously, Cathcarts was prepared for, since their spy Johnny Warren told them all about it.
asserted
spy → prepare → it
The bickering over the prenup’s validity is about to go Cathcarts’ way for yet another win when Morgan’s late-onset fatherhood reveals itself.
asserted
fatherhood → go → itself
He’s just finished bitterly arguing with Carla across the conference room table — “You’ve weaponized him!” — when Gabriel himself bangs on the glass — “You’re the one who cheated!” — and Morgan bolts out of the meeting to openly scold his stepson.
asserted
Morgan → finish → stepson
Get back to your elite prep school, get back to your studies, if you don’t your headmaster will give me updates, etc.
asserted
headmaster → get → etc
Parenting shit while Carla stays silent.
asserted
Carla → parent → shit
The arbitration lawyer has a stern face as everyone in the room turns to her.
asserted
everyone → have → her
“If you’re not his father,” she says, “You’re doing a mighty good impression.”
asserted
You → ’re → impression
The prenuptial agreement has been invalidated in the face of this, the indication that Morgan actually might care more for Gabriel than Carla.
uncertain
Morgan → invalidate → Carla
This is going to lead down a dark trail of moneygrabbing, because Morgan immediately calls his Zephyr people to start moving his cash to where Carla can’t get at it.
asserted
Carla → go → it
But at the same time, we’re catching all kinds of vibes surfacing between her and Johnny.
asserted
we → catch → her
There was a bit of this last episode, as well, their making eyes.
asserted
their → be → eyes
But this time around, War makes it plain.
asserted
it → make → ?
Carla likes the idea of hurting Morgan — of getting her own win — by fucking someone and sending her cheating husband the photos.
asserted
Carla → like → photos
When Carla hears about Johnny’s girlfriend Bella and her social-climbing plans to attend a black tie dinner, she offers to purchase the tuxedo he does not own.
asserted
he → hear → tuxedo
(He lights her cigarette, notices her enormous ring.)
asserted
He → light → ring
And when Carla calls him for help with locating Gabriel, he immediately leaves Bella’s side, right on the cusp of the event’s doorstep, to drive around London looking for Thibault’s manse.
asserted
he → call → manse
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
