Loved it, from start to finish. Haven't got anything enlightening to add, except that the article reminded me of a quibble I had when watching the episode: it wasn't Petty and Dylan who would have been sitting around thinking of who had the qualities necessary to be a Wilbury – it was George Harrison and Jeff Lynne, back in England, a year before they went to LA and made the thing happen. I can't help wondering whether that reality didn't quite have the pop-culture zing the show's writers were looking for ... My god: Sinatra credited Lennon & McCartney for writing "Something", now Axe revises the Wilburys legacy, as having been the brainchild of Petty and Dylan.
Many of these comments are downright intelligent and some profound, but what strikes me is that there's an underlying, and in some cases outright, blame on the current administration for corruption. Corruption has existed since the proverbial Garden of Eden. Administrations (recent and past; US and Non-US) have employed those positioned to profit from their posts in quite important roles. See this newspaper's own coverage:
https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/13/business/the-corridor-from-goldman-to...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/business/dealbook/goldman-sachs-gover...
So, the fact that the Treasury Secretary (an ex-Hedgie) has some scheme in mind or the former SEC enforcer who drives a Ferrari is corrupt is not shocking. The naivete displayed here is what shocks me. There have been times when I too thought that some of the schemes portrayed here are far-fetched, but I've come to see that they're all too real. Money is a highly corrupting factor, as is sex -- witness the recent downfall of many prominent folks. Once the press and the judicial system learns simply to follow the money, they'll be able to find the evil core of so many prominent enterprising folks on both sides of the political aisle.
2
Best reason ever to watch this show? One word: Wags. The smirk, the language...I don't care if it jumps the shark. That's entertainment folks!
2
I confess I do not know why I watch this show. Perhaps I cannot believe that it can get worse, but it does every episode. The acting is horrible -- if Chuck got any closer to his interlocutors while delivering one of his ridiculous solilioquies he would be behind him/her -- but that is a constant. Let's look at the insanely unlikely events portrayed this week:
In a day or two, Chuck is able to get compromising information on Foley from Sweeney and set up a sting to catch Foley bribing someone.
Then, after having him arrested, Chuck says he can sit on it so long as Foley cooperates. How likely is it that the arrest of the preeminent political power broker in the state does not get leaked to the press?
Spyros still has access to the SEC data base after leaving it to move to a hedge fund whose founder had been indicted?
The Treasury Secretary, a former enemy of Axe, baldly delivers inside information, confident that Axe won't use it against him?
The US Attorney for the SDNY, who in the real world would have been compromised by the case against his wife and the knowledge among the Justice Department that there was a strong case against him, is a key player in the judge's Supreme Court hopes?
Lara is so greedy -- with Axe's money unfrozen, she's got to have enough now, right? -- that she will give up her main leverage against Axe and agree to keep their kids in Connecticut for seven years?
And on and on and on ...
6
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency is used for crime.
I learned that watching this episode.
One other observation because the series writers are usually savvy about their music choices and references. During Chuck's rage while he fires Brian he refers to himself as "bad bad Leroy Brown." But let's remember that in the song Leroy Brown, the baddest man in the whole damn town, ends up looking "like a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone."
4
That one got past me...good catch! How will Connerty go after and take down Chuck? Seems like that’s inevitable.
2
I always wondered how this show would continue as Chuck and Bobby hammering each other. At some point the show needs other characters to be strong adversaries. Connerty may have walked off silently but publicly Chuck’s public humiliation will only lead to more problems as Connerty continues the chase. He and Taylor are the only ones left with any sense of morality. Axe was always destined to come to a bad end. And now so will Chuck. Chuck forgot the old rule to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. That will be his undoing or at least I’m hoping it will.
4
Wife and I LOVE this show. Giamatti, I've adored him most of his career: Cinarella Man is my fav. But I loke all the Characters and I even like Captian Winters. I think all the story lines are plausible and for people like Trump, and the lawyers jockeying to me it seems credible that Powerful people would be able to make quite powerful moves....
If the writers are smart they are researching what HAS been done in the past....
1
No one has mentioned that in the photo featured here the fellas are almost-but-not-quite giving the British two-fingered salute. Intentional choice?
We all wondered what rivalry would replace the Bobby-Chuck feud, well we now have not one but several. From my reading, it looks like a Bobby-Taylor rivalry is in the works, and Lara looks like she is building up a lot of resentment toward Bobby at this point so I would expect to see her come at him in some manner. On the Rhoades side of things, Connerty looks like he is not going to go away quietly and I suspect he will be a real thorn in the side of Chuck. And of course Black Jack does not look like he is one to take Chuck's slights sitting down either. I would say that for both Bobby and Chuck, the wolves are circling. But it is good to see Hall back working for Bobby; tells us Bobby is not going to be pulling any punches.
2
Generally, I thought the episode was well done. It was an effective reset and pivot after the dismissal of the Ice Juice criminal case.
I did find the Spyros-Dollar Bill caper to be very unrealistic. I find it difficult to believe the following:
- An ex-SEC employee has access to highly confidential SEC databases;
- The SEC would not be able to track the access back to Spyros;
- If Spyros is looking at old files and not accessing the database, surely it is risky to make an investment decision based on old files and not knowing the status of the investigations; and
- Dollar Bill can just peruse the files and determine which cases are strong and which ones that are weak.
Also, I do hope that the Kate Sacker character becomes more prominent than it has to date. I understand why her role has been diminished, given the Ice Juice case being prosecuted out of another office. I just hope that she becomes more actively involved in a story line.
Finally, I feel sorry for the children: Lara accepts a lock-down of her kids as a condition of a reduced fee and Bobby knows that she will agree; Bobby spends little time with his kids; and the Rhoades children are stage props.
2
Interesting thing happening here, and totally overlooked.
The crooked AG and even more crooked Treasury Secretary....
Does anyone think that these characters would be in the show if Clinton had won?
And this isn't just about a bunch of writers that are repulsed by trump.
Consider: Is this the new normal?
...Not just the existence of crooks in the cabinet, but the fact that nobody bothers to write about them?
3
Still betting that Taylor takes out the card Connerty gave them and offers to give up Axe, which will be Connerty's ticket back to SDNY and Chuck's good graces. Friends and enemies keep flipping on this show.
4
But that card won't get anyone in touch with Connerty, who no longer is any kind of prosecutor.
1
However it happens, if Connerty had a Taylor willing to give up Axe, all would be forgiven, as no one in this series stays up, or down, for long.
Axe at some point Axe tried to hire Connerty, too.
1
Brilliant writing, great acting and one of the nastiest ensemble casts ever. I hate every one of them but want the show on air for 10 years!!!
20
I think this great show is now knowingly planting the seeds of its characters’ destruction. The now-disenfranchised Taylor will likely go after Axe big-time, perhaps with the help of their VC lover? The humiliated Finnerty may find a way to undermine Chuck, perhaps with the help of the unjustly imprisoned cancer doctor? And who knows what Lara may do. The venomous discussions she and Axe share are as good as anything in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?”. The show has become a collection of poisonous spiders in a bottle. What a pleasure to watch them all!
10
At the very beginning, Chuck mentions how he needs to take a "silkwood shower." I understand the reference, but I've only heard comedian Adam Carolla use it like that (going back 25 years).
1
I commented last week saying that Connerty will do whatever it takes to bring Chuck down and this episode solidifies that. Connerty will finally join team Axe.
Does Chuck really believe there is a universe that Axe won't want to bring him down? Who better to help do it than Connerty!
6
Agree, Connerty will accept the job Axe's fat lawyer has been offering him all along. But he will only do it to take down Chuck, not to advance Axe's nefarious tradings doings.
3
For a guy committed to doing the right thing, Bryan Connerty most definitely did not deserve to be humiliated in such a fashion by Chuck (let alone the disrespect). That scenery was contemptible in every way imaginable. Poisoned power no doubt.
As for Connerty's "threat" to Chuck and his wife, Wendy, there was none as far as I can see. Bryan laid out the possible judicial and punitive scenarios for both of them for their role in the ill-fated investment (and Chuck's obvious misconduct).
Chuck dishonored himself further during his tirade against Bryan (and Kate Sacker was likewise disappointing). I personally would like to see what Connerty will do moving forward with some eager anticipation. A guy like him deserves better, much, much better.
15
That takedown was redirected aggression. It’s a behavior seen in many species, humans among them. If you have two dogs behind a fence, all worked up from trying to get at the UPS guy three feet away, and one of the dogs suddenly attacks the other — his friend — that’s redirected aggression. It’s why someone who is consistently disempowered at work goes home and kicks the dog of hits a spouse or partner. Chuck was essentially beating the dog in that scene. We can hope that Connerty gets a chance to sneak in a bite, eventually. But right now I can’t see that story thread going anywhere. Maybe it is a pivot point where Chuck’s staff turns against him.
4
Ever try to shoot the devil in the back? What if you miss?
2
You can’t see the Connerty story going anywhere? It’s going everywhere! Go back to early last season, remember Axe was trying to recruit him!!!!! Connerty will be an attorney for Axe and will take down Chuck.
8
I now realize I would watch Paul Giamatti read the phone book, as well as Damian Lewis. And Wendy! She showed Dad she's the mistress.
15
I love Chuck and Wendy. Axe a little less since I bored terribly of him (Damien Lewis) in the first season of "Homeland." Giamatti is a fantastic actor (watch him in the great film, "Confidence," if you want to see some of his early, pre-"Sideways" and "John Adams" work). And Wendy, oh Wendy, as sexy, beautiful and wise as they come. Watch her for years? I have, as she was a main character on the long-running spell-binding show, "Sons of Anarchy."
1
Do people generally converse in real life as these characters do? If so, I am nothing no more than a C+ raconteur.
10
I love, love the show but it is heading towards "jumping the shark" territory. I know it is a melodrama, not a documentary, and the writers usually move the plot along so fast that you can't stop and think about it (an old "West Wing" strategy.) BUT: 1) Chuck is not Southern District attorney for life, the power Wendy asserts isn't his to fully control; 2) are there no journalists in "Billions"-land? Bryan said in open court, at the highly newsworthy Axelrod hearing, that there is an illegal conspiracy involving government officials and family (Chuck and Wendy)--is nobody writing about that? Guess there's no NY Times, or Post for that matter (since Chuck seems to be a Democrat, also a puzzle why Jeffcoat would keep him and in effect help him towards the governorship); 3) Wendy is much tougher this season, but now clearly involved and knowledgeable that Axe Capital is at times a criminal enterprise, she even borrows Hall.
We are setting up Taylor v Axe, Bryan v Chuck (what is to stop Bryan now from just blowing the whistle on what he knows about Chuck)? And I still think we will lose Wags, given all the earlier attention to his purchase of a burial plot.
9
I think they’ve been riding that shark for a long while, Rick. Doing cartwheels on it’s back. I look at this show as pure fantasy, with some (often amusing) Shakespearean elements thrown in just to make viewers feel smart.
Some of the character inconsistencies do annoy me, though. Wendy is so all over the place, ethically and otherwise, that she might as well be a shape shifter. My take on her motivation for pushing Chuck to pass on running for governor differs from that of Sean Collins, for instance. I thought it was clear she did that specifically to hurt Chuck’s father, because he had shamed and dominated her. He overstepped, so had to be punished. She’s hurting her husband (she manipulated him into throwing away his dreams) to maintain her own power. She’s not the supportive wife and counselor she pretends to be. That’s a very different Wendy from who she was earlier in this series.
12
Absolutely agree!!! Chuck and Axe went to war over one thing - Wendy. That story line has not been fully explored and it ought to be. It's the crux of the show.
Life wife or work wife, you can't have undying fidelity to both men, Wendy.
Not for nothing, wouldn't Wendy have removed herself from Axe Capital and stayed removed? Her back and forth has never sat right with me.
Regardless, I am HOOKED no matter how accurate or implausible the story line. My drug of choice on Sunday nights.
1
Ari's mention of Clarence Beaks solidified Billion's place in history as BEST SHOW EVER-
9
What's really interesting is where all the characters are heading. I long suspected that Chuck and Axe were heading off the same cliff. However, now it appears that Wendy has also joined the dark side, and everyone is now scheming. I don't trust Spiros; this could be a trap. The other thing that was puzzling was why Lara agreed to tie up all her money with Axe Capital thru golden handcuffs. 7 Years? Sheesh. if i were her, I would have at least split the money up. Otherwise, great episode.
6
I don't think Spyros is setting a trap, but I do think that he is not clever enough (or wise enough) not to get caught at this thing.
3
“Vulgar displays of power” is a good summary for this rather dyspeptic episode. Everyone is packing knives. Everyone needs a dose of Pepcid, and maybe a couple Xanax. Good times. Can’t we all just hug it out?
One good bit of staging: Axe slumped in his office chair when he decides to out-stay late-working Taylor. I’m not sure whether the chair or anything else on the set was altered to achieve this, but he looks smaller than usual. He appears, by posture and expression alone, insecure and a little scared. Also well-played were Taylor’s wordless but clearly readable reactions. Asia Kate Dillon has a remarkably expressive face (and ears!).
For all my grumbles about bad people behaving horribly on Billions, I love the spot-on casting. Or most of it, anyway. Malin Akerman always comes across like she just wandered onto the set and was handed a new script. She seems lost. Out of her league. Behind by a beat or two. I didn’t see any sizzling between her and Bobby. I thought that contract scene was a clunker.
10
I greatly enjoyed the Wilburys/Spyros scene. I liked how Wags likely thought the "other Beatle" was going to be John, and then upon hearing George, he was right in sync. And you are right about the casting--I don't think I want to punch anyone (real or fake) in the face more than I do Ari Spyros.
1
Sorry, no, no, no. It was clear Spiros was going to get fired, so Wags guessed the "other Beatle" was Pete Best, the Beatles original drummer who was fired to make way for Ringo Starr. Then Axe said, no, George Harrison, surprising Wags a bit since Harrison is a key Beatle. Then Axe went on to explain the Willburys analogy (and that Spiros is no Willbury) and Wags instantly caught onto that. Trivial maybe, but it's this stuff that also makes the show great.
1
I feel like Wags got in sync with the mention of Harrison's name ("oh, that Beatle") before they got into the Willburys spiel. I think he was expecting John due to the brutality of the murder on what was otherwise any old day. Although, the way that that scene went down, he kind of got that as well.
I agree--it is trivial, but its those scenes between Wags and Axe that are the most fun ("You go to a gym with other people in it?" "There was a time...")
I think we can definitely agree that Spyros is the worst.
1
Here's hoping that Bryan gets the last laugh over Chuck.
29
Bryan is the only person with ethics. His moral compass is true north.
3