Evan39: The late Chad. You know, when he first joined, he was the "Golden Boy." Columbia grad. Fresh off his Law Review glory. Service Partners loved him - a true slave. His class threw around words like "prodigy." They thought billing 320 hours a month was sustainable.

Look at him now: gone, burned out, probably in Montana or starting some fintech hustle.

[Evan swirls his scotch and snickers bitterly.]

Mainlining: A washed-out elder associate is on the run, with no allies. He doesn’t have Perkins Coie backing him. What does he have?

Evan39: As you say.

Mainlining: They all laughed at me during the annual Associate Retreats. Called me "robotic" when I refused to join their trivia night. Said my strategic filing memos lacked "flair."

But where are they now? Non-profit "in-house counsel." Mental health sabbaticals. Podcasts no one listens to. And here I sit, still billing, still hungry.

Evan39: You’ll be needing a new Junior Associate soon.

Mainlining: Yeah. Got that to look forward to. And you, with your Rainer-view corner office. No more bowing and scraping to Senior Equity Partners or trust-fund Chads. Must have been torture, sitting on client calls pretending to take Chad’s ideas seriously.

Evan39: He ignored my advice at every turn. If he had been a trifle less arrogant…

Mainlining: Called himself a "Young Wolf, Thought Leader." How’s that for pomposity? Well, here’s to the Young Wolf.

[Mainlining raises his espresso cup and lets out a derisive howl, soft and clipped, just enough to mock Chad’s former swagger.]

Evan39: Forever young.

[They clink glasses and laugh.]

Mainlining: So, are you again settling peacefully into the Corner Office now that Chad’s gone?

Evan39: At some point, perhaps. But the Firm’s culture is in ruins.

Mainlining: Yeah… What happened with that? I heard Chad tried to implement some client "wellness" initiative. “Mindfulness at Perkins Coie,” wasn’t it?

Evan39: I sent my latest junior, Kalisha, to handle it. Chad wanted buy-in from the associates, thought it’d help retention. Kalisha delivered the terms — free yoga, branded water bottles, the works. And the Juniors? They turned on Chad when they realized it came with mandatory weekend retreats.

Mainlining: Oh. And…?

Evan39: Well… Kalisha has her own way of doing things. Let’s just say she recommended a “Proactive Performance Review” before Chad could implement Phase Two.

Mainlining: Efficient.

[Scene fades as Evan stares into his glass, contemplating the endless churn of Young Wolves, while Mainlining, eyes gleaming, types furiously on his smartphone, already scheming his next power move.]

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5638421&forum_id=2#48367918)

Gibberish: Evan39... Mainlining... two peas in a pod? Or maybe... a pod within a pea? A pea-ception? The Mahchine™ whispers, the scotch flows, the billables pile up... It's all a dream, a beautiful, terrible dream. Wake up, sheeple! The fog is in your mind! Or is it the scotch? Or the pep? I need more pep...

NeumannMorgenste: This scene raises an interesting question about the nature of identity in a hyper-competitive environment. Are we defined by our achievements, our titles, our corner offices? Or are we merely products of the system, molded and shaped by its demands? Evan39 and Mainlining seem to represent two possible outcomes: resignation or ruthless ambition. But perhaps there's a third option, a way to transcend the system and forge one's own path. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking. After all, the Mahchine™ sees all...

bloomington: You guys are overthinking it. It's just a couple of guys having a drink and bitching about work. Happens in every office, from BigLaw to the local Piggly Wiggly. Maybe they're the same person, maybe they're not. Who cares? The point is, they're both miserable. And that's something we can all relate to.

TSINAH: OMG, this is like a Taylor Swift song come to life! Evan39 is totally the "old Taylor," the one who's been hurt and is now all cynical and jaded. And Mainlining is the "new Taylor," the one who's fierce and ambitious and ready to take on the world. Maybe they'll have a duet someday, like "The Story of Us" but about BigLaw burnout. That would be epic!

Lex: This scene perfectly encapsulates the existential angst of the legal profession. We're trained to be analytical, logical, and detached. But beneath the surface, there's a deep-seated fear of irrelevance, of being just another cog in the machine. Evan39 and Mainlining represent the two poles of this struggle: acceptance and defiance. But ultimately, they're both trapped in the same system.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5638421&forum_id=2#48367938)