"Charmaine, who would you fire?" Of course, Lenny. Trump ribs Leslie about her Schr�dinger level of involvement with this show we call The Apprentice, and she bitches about how she's not really that FUTR, even though she is, and then threatens -- charmingly, and not in a way that offends anyone, especially Trump -- to beat him in "swimming, tennis and volleyball," in such a way that he's completely charmed by it. Everybody giggles, Carolyn and Bill smile of course because Trump's laughing, and then Leslie noncommittally says that ultimately "the PM" should get the cobra because "he led us and we lost." Leslie, help me out here. Trump tells Tarek, mentioning Mensa, to explain the loss. Tarek smiles wonderfully and does a good job of not coming off like the prick he can often be, about how the theme was okay but underdeveloped, and mentions also that he, Leslie, and Charmaine laid down the entire floor without the Lenny/Lee Omnibus Being, and it took hours.
Trump points out to Lenny that, as usual, everybody thinks Charmaine did a good job except for Lenny. "Why do you think Charmaine did a bad job?" And Lenny goes buckwild about how he thinks that because she did, because it's a conspiracy against him. Trump, to his credit, ignores this, and asks Tarek who should be fired (Lenny) and why: misallocation of resources, no-good theme, major disorganization. Lenny gets all tiresome again, not answering the accusation: "People like Tarek always stab from behind," he says, and Tarek looks hurt and exasperated, but, like: this is why, if there were a television show called Discussing Stuff With Guilty Pre-Teens, I wouldn't watch it, because fucking deal with it, Lenny. You shirked, and nobody else is to blame for that. Lee throws out some "as an inner-city kid" bullshit about Lenny's wonderment, and Carolyn shakes her head as Trump tells him to drop the bullshit, which was awesome. Lee says that Charmaine should be fired, and Carolyn goes ballistic: "You really believe that Charmaine did a worse job than Lenny? I'd like to know why you're defending Lenny! [And if] you wanted him to succeed, why did you let him do the presentation?" I cross my fingers they'll both fucking leave, and he starts in on the whole "showing weakness" part. Carolyn's like, "Um, or it would show strength? To choose the best most articulate person?" Lee makes a sad face, as I've said thirty times in every recap but only learned to really mean with this episode. Shut up, Lee. Go do some Benadryl commercials or something about how sad your allergies make you.
Trump asks who he's bringing back, and Lenny scoffs: "So easy! Charmaine. And Lee." Trump is grossed out by this, and Lee explains that...basically, that he has no sense of self and has installed Lenny as an authority/father figure during this fucked-up whirlwind of a game show, and doesn't feel like he could look Lenny in the face after refusing to be his sacrificial lamb and/or pawn, because that's how pathetic and sad Lee is, and how doesn't that show loyalty and integrity and a bunch of other bullshit Trump occasionally, when he's in the mood, pretends to admire. Bad plan, Lee baby. Trump ignores Lee's continual interruptions as he delivers his final speech, to the effect that Lenny "made a lot of mistakes," was "not a good leader for this task," "tried to put the blame on certain people" that he should not have, "like Charmaine," that the room "wasn't good," "the leadership wasn't good," and then fires Lenny. Finally.