‘Billions’ Season 4, Episode 8: Raging Bulls

I don't care what you guys say, I love this show, and my very favorite character is Taylor! Even as a straight cishet middle aged woman, I have plenty of social acquaintances and colleagues who have changed their gender presentation during the time I've known them, and you know what? It is not the big, weird deal y'all make it out to be. A comparison: You remember how (pre-90s) it was weird to have to remember that gay people exist - like, this issue affects so few people, why should it be on my radar? And now gay people are everywhere, and so normal, running for president like everyone else ;-). This is how gender is going to feel in another 10 years. The characters on Billions, with their flamboyant mastery of historical minutiae, are constantly tossing off repartee that's 10 times tougher than just remembering someone's right pronouns. This is the future. Get over it.

I just finished watching this episode. As someone who has watches this series from the beginning of it's run, I can say that I am done with this show. It was great when Chuck and Axe were combatants but now that they are on the same side, there are too many weak sub-plots to hold any real interest. This is Wednesday night and there are only 30 comments from readers of this recap column when there used to be a lot more. I think a lot of other viewers have also stopped watching, too.

Shark officially jumped with this episode. Tim Ferris is the shark.

I have always been a fan of this show and its terrific actors, but this season is proving a challenge for me. When every character is reprehensible and totally lacking in ethics or morals, whom are we to root for? In the past, one could lean toward whichever side was acting in a less awful manner, but this season every character is off-the-charts terrible. It's tough to watch a show with no heroes...

I think Taylor is sick. She threw up in a previous episode, and in this episode she was very pale and looked like she was feeling ill (in addition to feeling bent on vengeance). Asia Kate Dillon is a great actress and her vulnerable demeanor wins her a lot of sympathy from the show fans who forget that she already sabotaged Axe the first time even before he ruined her romantic relationship. Why would she do that? Mafee signed off on it too, but maybe unknowingly. Also, you have to wonder why Taylor would have told Axe the info he could use to solve his company's money problem. Axe said so in essence himself when he said, "No, you did it when you told me he was at the dinner." I can't wrap my head around pronouns which are plural and confusing just because suddenly one group insists on it for their own sake. It is not an insult to someone to refer to them in correct English, and it is a lot to expect people to suddenly change centuries of language usage intended for clarity in just a matter of days/weeks. It's also a burden to have to fret about pronouns and who's going to be offended when simply trying to write a comment in support of a great series. Dillon is a great performer and I admire her for it. Everyone on this show knocks it out of the park every episode. I don't think we've seen the last of Taylor's father by any means. There are always surprises in store on Billions. As usual the final episodes in the season are likely to be well worth the buildup.

Even though Taylor seems like a robot, I like the bird-like gestures and nuances of the character.

@Patty Villanova and others. Hard to believe that people watching “Billions” are not aware of the usage of the words “their” or “them” - when speaking of Taylor. Both their (her) character and their (her) are non-binary. That might be awkward, grammatically incorrect or even indefensible for those who find PC in any situation irksome, but unless we are non-binary ourselves, the usage preferred is authentic and for “them” to decide on, not us. Perhaps those who dislike this new form of pronoun usage should move to MS and listen to the way language is used down here.

Enjoy the wraps. The show is a trip. Love it. One dimensional to very complex characters.

The fight scene was very entertaining and well done. I'm glad it was the opposite of a "Rocky" blood bath. Rich Eisen delivered his lines with his usual superb elocution. Not as funny as Dodge Ball's Cotton McKnight and Pepper Brooks, though. AC DC's TNT was a perfect accompaniment. When Taylor said, "What do you need the most of?," I thought sand. Nope, water.

Get rid of Taylor already, what an utterly obnoxious character. Not rooting for anyone in particular but hard not to be in Chuck's corner solely on Paul G's acting.

Cancelled Showtime. I'm just fed up with these shallow characters. The show has gone from contrived to puerile. "Perfect symbol" - if you're fond of self-congratulatory characters that are stereotypes who were developed by overgrown teenagers.

I thought Rich Eisen did a decent job with the dialog they gave him to narrate the fight. Not nearly as good as Cotton McKnight and Pepper Brooks, though.

Just a note: I noticed when I clicked on the 'Billions' tag at the top of this recap, all of the past recaps come up EXCEPT the one for Episode 5. I noticed because I was catching up on the earlier recaps. The only reason I was able to retrieve it was because I'd visited it in the past. It doesn't even come up suing the Times' search function.

I think the episode makes it pretty clear that Mason paid a high price for that particular lot. He says so specifically to Sarah, his second-in-command. I also thought it was surprising that Axe fell for the scheme, given that he did the same thing essentially to Mason and others previously (convince them to do something against their own interests that's actually beneficial to Axe. Just as an aside, I fully expect Axe to take revenge on Wags' behalf for his humiliation last week.

It is a tribute to the writers and actors that they can manipulate my emotions the way they do with every episode of Billions. One week I'm cheering for Bobby, Wags, Chuck et al, the next, I'm hoping they all end up in some super max prison. Hard to believe that I can still get so caught up in the twisted story line as no doubt do so many other fans. The one place where the show loses me is when they get ultra "politically correct" in a way that just isn't authentic such as the issue with Taylor's pronouns. Not only is it grammatically incorrect, but it is truly irksome for someone to refer to Taylor (singular) as "their" or "them" (plural). The correct pronouns for Taylor are either he, she or it, or his, hers, its. Taylor presents himself as a man who was obviously born a woman. (note Mr. Mason's lines about what a wonderful little girl he/she was). I was glad to see Bobby finally refer to Taylor as "he" and "him" in this episode. That being said, I have never been able to really connect and empathize with either Taylor or Wendy. Neither one of them seems able to show any true humanity that would evoke sympathy, even in their darkest hours. Both of them are arrogant and self-centered in a way that seems designed to keep people away. Even Grigor was a more sympathetic character than those two, and that's saying something. In any event, I do look forward to every new episode and enjoy re-watching the old ones. Great writing and acting all around.

I don't recall ever laughing during an episode of "Billions" but I couldn't stop roaring while watching that "boxing" match between Dollar Bill and Mafee. The conversation and observations between the two announcers had me rolling on the floor and that crack about these guys "boxing" was like a "preview of the "Walking Dead" was priceless. Other than that unique scene, the rest of the show was reflective of more yet similar complex chess moves between the various arch rivals. Thank goodness that "boxing" scene helped break up the monotony between Axe and Taylor and their assorted generals.

I think this astute analysis gives the episode too much credit. The boxing match, with its allusions to Rocky and Raging Bull, was a clunky attempt at significance. And the food fight between Axe and Taylor on the cable show would never happen even on the worst cable show. It feels like the has sacrificed character development to silly plot maneuvers. And is it my imagination, or are the number and frequency of f-bombs increasing? The show feels like it is starting to run out of gas.