Billions

[nelsonmuntz]

This show is incredibly well researched. I assumed Taylor was having a meltdown when they were smashing devices on the floor. Good pivot.

Taylor is just awesome. Even when making mistakes, Taylor is several steps ahead. It is cool how Wags has slid into the same role with Taylor that he had with Axe.

Axe's wife is annoying and was never really credible as the wife of a hedge fund titan. In real life, Axe would have upgraded her when his fund hit $100 million of assets, i.e. a long time ago.

I like Jack Foley, the David Straithairn character. That is who Axe wants to be. I hope Axe and Foley get into it this season.

 

[ZooCougar]

Great first episode. The music got on my nerves a little though.

 

[mauconnfan]

This show is incredibly well researched. I assumed Taylor was having a meltdown when they were smashing devices on the floor. Good pivot.

Taylor is just awesome. Even when making mistakes, Taylor is several steps ahead. It is cool how Wags has slid into the same role with Taylor that he had with Axe.

Axe's wife is annoying and was never really credible as the wife of a hedge fund titan. In real life, Axe would have upgraded her when his fund hit $100 million of assets, i.e. a long time ago.

I like Jack Foley, the David Straithairn character. That is who Axe wants to be. I hope Axe and Foley get into it this season.

Agree on the wife just not a good character. The personal beat down of the mom at the Little league game was so ridiculous.

Have you seen Straithairn on McMafia?

 

[J187Money]

This week’s episode was brilliant.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Show is absolutely getting better, its found a rhythm & niche and now they are adding characters (Jock Jeffcoat!) that can play in their awesome sandbox. Gotta hope the divorce being finalized means we are done with Malin Ackerman and they start providing a soft parade of Axe bimbos.

This week's episode was pretty rough on Chuck & Axe is seemingly making all the right moves notwithstanding that such moves are flagrantly flaunting the law*. I'm a bit suspicious that they are setting us up with lots of Axe love and Chuck comeuppance only to flip the table halfway thru this season. In contrast Wags is in such a groove right now that I think they are having a blast making him a continual badmfer. Banned from little league last week and this week tries a 'quant' backdoor power-play yet doesn't miss a beat in fessing up and moving on.

*Speaking of which, how can he buy $30MM of Ira's Ice Juice stock if he's not allowed to trade?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Show is absolutely getting better, its found a rhythm & niche and now they are adding characters (Jock Jeffcoat!) that can play in their awesome sandbox. Gotta hope the divorce being finalized means we are done with Malin Ackerman and they start providing a soft parade of Axe bimbos.

This week's episode was pretty rough on Chuck & Axe is seemingly making all the right moves notwithstanding that such moves are flagrantly flaunting the law*. I'm a bit suspicious that they are setting us up with lots of Axe love and Chuck comeuppance only to flip the table halfway thru this season. In contrast Wags is in such a groove right now that I think they are having a blast making him a continual badmfer. Banned from little league last week and this week tries a 'quant' backdoor power-play yet doesn't miss a beat in fessing up and moving on.

*Speaking of which, how can he buy $30MM of Ira's Ice Juice stock if he's not allowed to trade?

The Wags quant backdoor was very good. Someone must have tried that in real life. I know a guy that produced in Hollywood in the 2000's that told me that half the Entourage plots were based on real-life.

Axe's wheels are coming off a little bit. He is getting so reckless that the show needs to be careful or his character will stop being credible.

 

[Dogdeacon]

The Wags quant backdoor was very good. Someone must have tried that in real life. I know a guy that produced in Hollywood in the 2000's that told me that half the Entourage plots were based on real-life.

Great point, they should have showed Wags coaching that candidate into the backdoor. It was fitting that Taylor figured it out at same time as us, but;
Cooler if we knew Wags was trying to run the backdoor strategy (make us think it'll work, Maphee et all celebrate)
Cooler & more heroic (note not hero or heroine for Taylor if we thought it would get past 'them' and
We would have knowingly seen the candidate more shocked that despite following the playbook of the CFO he gets bounced by the COO.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

We are going down a road where Chuck and Axe are going to become allies. I don't know if I like that.

Taylor is one of the more interesting characters on television. The writers constantly surprise us with Taylor, but it never seems forced or contrived.

 

[Dogdeacon]

We are going down a road where Chuck and Axe are going to become allies. I don't know if I like that.

Taylor is one of the more interesting characters on television. The writers constantly surprise us with Taylor, but it never seems forced or contrived.

They gotta do something, the central conceit can't be Chuck vs. Axe forever. Maybe it is good (ethical behavior) vs evil (blind pursuit of wealth & power)?

I agree that especially with the end of previous epi & this one Taylor is evolving into a 3-dimensional character. Interestingly Taylor is on the bad team yet on the side of good.

Connaghty is tiresome, they're making us hate him via his failed grudges whereas Axe & Chuck are revered for theirs'. Is this pointing out that Chuck is loathsome or that he's admirable b/c his Machiavellian plays work?

Back to the original point, Wendy in the middle has run its course (they've copped to that) and we need some closure to the Chuck v Axe situation with room for what's the bigger picture. They've successfully jettisoned Lara, hopefully can pull off bigger trick with Chuck and Axe showdown morphing into one battle within a larger war.

 

[ZooCougar]

I definitely want to see Chuck and Axe as Allies against the government. The government are almost always the true evil.

 

[J187Money]

In a sense, I don't think it is good/evil. I think it is an overall commentary on the fact that the system is a mess, and in order to be successful you have to be willing to bend the rules (on either side).

 

[Dogdeacon]

In a sense, I don't think it is good/evil. I think it is an overall commentary on the fact that the system is a mess, and in order to be successful you have to be willing to bend the rules (on either side).

Whoa look at JMoney with the big brain

 

[Dogdeacon]

[SPOILER ALERT]
As speculated here Wendy thru direct acts of her own (loyalty, her trade made out of respect for Axe and to protect $ for Chuck, and of course final no options move) brings Axe and Chuck together.
A. Will we see what they propose to do - or will it be a caper we get to see play out? (pulling for latter)
B. Chuck seems willing to let Axe walk via his end of episode actions, can he stomach a plan to avoid mutual destruction via mutual vindication?
C. I don't buy Axe going to jail for Wendy, we've seen him be loyal but not at the expense of self. If Axe was sacrificing b/c he was caught via the evidence = he's got to be a little grateful to Chuck for removing that, but now why would he still risk prison? Axe can walk and let Chuck fall for Wendy's transgressions like Connety offered.
D. I would however buy Axe staying on team Chuck - Wendy simply for the thrill of victory and beating the law especially with the flip of #1 lawman (Axe's ego tells him he's so good Chuck flipped convinced that Axe's side is only way to win).

 

[ZooCougar]

[SPOILER ALERT]
As speculated here Wendy thru direct acts of her own (loyalty, her trade made out of respect for Axe and to protect $ for Chuck, and of course final no options move) brings Axe and Chuck together.
A. Will we see what they propose to do - or will it be a caper we get to see play out? (pulling for latter)
B. Chuck seems willing to let Axe walk via his end of episode actions, can he stomach a plan to avoid mutual destruction via mutual vindication?
C. I don't buy Axe going to jail for Wendy, we've seen him be loyal but not at the expense of self. If Axe was sacrificing b/c he was caught via the evidence = he's got to be a little grateful to Chuck for removing that, but now why would he still risk prison? Axe can walk and let Chuck fall for Wendy's transgressions like Connety offered.
D. I would however buy Axe staying on team Chuck - Wendy simply for the thrill of victory and beating the law especially with the flip of #1 lawman (Axe's ego tells him he's so good Chuck flipped convinced that Axe's side is only way to win).

What are the odds of a really awkward Chuck, Wendy and Axe Threesome? We already had to see Taylor with no clothes on. Will it get worse?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I didn't get why Chuck was torn about handing the slide over to Axe. He had no other play.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I didn't get why Chuck was torn about handing the slide over to Axe. He had no other play.

I don’t think he was torn just initially still laser focused on his gotcha plans until it dawned on him that all 3 go down was only outcome. He had to be physically in the 4 quadrant box to realize he’s not the prosecutor, he’s now the prisoner with a dilemma.

 

[ZooCougar]

Chuck will be stupid and try to doublecross Axe. Chuck isn’t good playing this game.

 

[intlzncster]

Chuck will be stupid and try to doublecross Axe. Chuck isn’t good playing this game.

Yeah, I was half wondering if he gave Axe a fake slide.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Yeah, I was half wondering if he gave Axe a fake slide.

Nah, I think that'd be too simple & repetitive & the show likes its machinations. There will likely be a betrayal or double cross but not initially, I think we are going to have some fun putting two sharp manipulators together and outsmarting the law. Only after they are in the getaway car will they start scheming once again about who makes off with the loot - and I wouldn't be surprised if Wendy is said loot.

Chuck did outsmart Axe via the ice juice long/short, but he was obviously sloppy in revealing his play to Ira and his Dad, Dake and not thorough in that he didn't collect physical evidence while Axe was unsuspecting and committing the sabotage. Nonetheless Chuck outsmarted Axe who has let his hubris lead him into that mistake and almost constant over-aggressive moves. Almost every single profitable Axe trade they've shown us is insider trading or influence peddling whereas Taylor consistently gets it done via smarts and hard work.
Chuck meanwhile played the governor stuff right so far and has manipulated judges and his bosses well. Yet he might need to exnay the S&M stuff if he really wants to be governor :0

 

[intlzncster]

Yet he might need to exnay the S&M stuff if he really wants to be governor :0

And here I was thinking the opposite. He'd fit right in.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I used to think that if I could be any TV character, it would be Roger Sterling from Mad Men. Now I think it might be Wags.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I used to think that if I could be any TV character, it would be Roger Sterling from Mad Men. Now I think it might be Wags.

[spoiler alerts, Billions, Breaking Bad, Mad Men] Its shocking that Wags/Gale Boetticher (RIP) the opera singing dweeb is sometimes lording over Wendy/Rachel Menken(RIP), Craig Hedecker (RIP)/Bob Benson and Karl Allard/Lou Avery (how is this numbnuts the only one who hasn't died in either show?!).

I keep hearing that John Malkovich is coming in as a Rounders derivative Russian, was really hoping he'd be part of springing Axe and Wendy.

That was done a lot easier & quicker then I'd thought. Feels like the central conflict of 2.5 seasons was undone too quickly. I like where they are going with Taylor & Mafee vs Bobby/Wags at Axe Capital and Connerty vs everyone at justice department. But b/c we didn't get but one Axe & Chuck cooperation scene, I'm mourning the dismissal of their blood feud a bit.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Axe and Rhoads both know that was way too easy. They aren't out of trouble yet.

 

[intlzncster]

Axe and Rhoads both know that was way too easy. They aren't out of trouble yet.

Connerty is not done. Guy is full on angry now. Maybe he gets Oliver involved.

 

[Kolumbo]

I started watching this and enjoyed it although certain scenes like the nude pool scene made no sense but then we moved and we no longer get showtime so I really have nothing further to add here other than I'm disappointed I can't watch it anymore. Thanks.