Billions on Showtime 2.12: Ball in Hand

We sit in the mud, my friend, and reach for the stars.

― Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Sons

Here we are, at the end of Season 2 of Billions, and what a ride it’s been. I know I’m not alone in wishing that these folks wrote and worked and filmed and screened all at the same time, so we wouldn’t have to suffer the excruciating dry months of waiting for the next season to start. In this season, the entire lot of them exceeded all expectations. The story was tight, the performances even tighter. It’s like they all came into their own skins this season and it was a treat to watch.

My review here won’t be a recap, because you’ve already read those. Instead I’ll focus on the father and son scenes central to Season 2, Episode 12, “Ball in Hand.” And I can’t leave the season without talking a bit about Bobby and Wendy. While most other connections between characters are clear, it seems there reigns a central mystery, still, between who Bobby and Wendy are to each other. This season, wonderfully, didn’t solve the mystery a bit, it only intensified it.

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Catching up with Bobby Axelrod on
Billions Season 2 Finale Set

Advance Warning: This post has SPOILERS about Billions Season 2 Finale.

source: Showtime

Billions Season 2 leaves us with more questions than answers, exactly in the way that it should, and I want to add to the already long list of questions: Who do you think is the first person Axe talks to after his arrest? No, not Chuck. Be open minded. Be creative. Make a guess. Find the answer below 😀

December 9, 2016 starts as an extraordinary day. I wake up to news any academic would kill to get! My co-author and I get a revision for a paper we wrote on civil wars from one of the top journals in the profession, and believe me, given that top journal acceptance rates wander around 10%, this kind of thing RARELY happens. So, I am over the moon and decide to reward myself by taking the day off for some shopping! And, while thinking the day could not get any better, I check my Instagram on the subway and THIS happens:

Continue reading “Catching up with Bobby Axelrod on
Billions Season 2 Finale Set”

Billions on Showtime, Season 2 Episode 12: Ball in Hand

source: Showtime

May I just say I will miss Sunday nights? My typical Sunday evening runs like this: I watch the show at 10pm and take notes. Then I watch for a second time and take more notes. Then I sit down and write. I typically go to bed as the sun rises. It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Writing for hours as if the world is waiting for my recap… But it is not about that… It is about the show and the thrill it gives me: WORTH IT! 😀  Besides, Billions is the ONLY show, other than Mad Men, to date, where I care about every single character. It does not mean I love them all, but I care about them all, which I think is the biggest achievement a show can ever have. I give standing ovation for all brilliant minds behind and in front of the camera and give special thanks to my husband for bearing with me for the last couple of months and letting me sleep until noon on Mondays.

The season may be coming to an end, but we still have so much to say about it. For starters, we are currently working on a FUN Best of Billions we will publish next week followed by a locations guide, a dining guide, a music guide and more. We hope you stay with us! Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, Season 2 Episode 12: Ball in Hand”

Previously on Billions: Season 2, Episode 11 “Golden Frog Time”

Two weeks ago, we are in Cullen’s Tavern with Terry shaking down someone who owes him money. He gives him a punch for good measure which compels the guy to say

“I will make things right, no matter what I have to do.”  

Ominous from the off!

One week ago, Wags is shaking someone else down on the phone in an entirely different manner. Wags storms into Bobby’s office with a

“Remind me the next time I forget, there is no one in this business who won’t sell you out if they think there is a nickel in it.”

Bobby finds this strangely reassuring.

Wags is there to tell Axe that Boyd was right about the IPO for Ice Juice and Chuck Snr has taken out a large position. He also tells Axe that Ira is in too and Axe chastises him for coming in to tell him there is no way to short when Chuck Snr and Jnr’s closest friend is involved.

source: Showtime

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From the Trader’s Desk, Billions S2E11: What the hell just happened?

Greetings from the Trader’s Desk!

After a brief hiatus, I’m back to dissect “Golden Frog Time”. Since this episode revolved around an IPO and stock manipulation, there’s a lot for me to say. I’ll be breaking my post into two sections: first part on the new Head of Research, Taylor and second part on Axe and Ice Juice (ICEJ). Continue reading “From the Trader’s Desk, Billions S2E11: What the hell just happened?”