Books are a Trigger for Billions

Perhaps not as sexy as the food or the music, nor as readily noticeable, is the backdrop of books used in a show. Shows that care about such things, like Billions, speak volumes with those carefully chosen volumes. It’s about setting the stage, providing props for the characters and the action. Most interestingly, the placement of books is about saying a thing or two about the character who owns them, in a language both visual and textual (if you look closely enough :)) Alternatively, barring such esoteric “meaning”, at the very least, books laying about can be fun Easter eggs that may say a thing or two about the folks who put the show together.

So, join me as we browse through the bookshelves of Billions.

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Finding Damian Lewis on the Throne of England: Erica’s Story

Hello all! Damianista welcomes you to a new Fan Story Tuesday!

Today’s story comes from Erica who has never seen Homeland (believe me, we can still be friends :D) and “discovered” Damian in two “as British as it gets” roles. Big thanks go to her for sharing her lovely story with us!

source: Erica

The first time I saw Damian Lewis, he was playing a young King Henry VIII in “Wolf Hall”. Like a lot of British series, this one started off so subtle that I actually fell asleep during episode one. I was really annoyed with myself because I know that these shows start off quiet and reach a boiling point at the end- most American shows do just the opposite. I rewatched and was blown away by the intensity of Mark Rylance’s Thomas Cromwell and by the power of Damian Lewis’ Henry. Continue reading “Finding Damian Lewis on the Throne of England: Erica’s Story”

Season 2 Bobby Axelrod – the “eyes” have it!

Hello, all! It’s officially springtime here in Minnesota. The trees are blooming and the citizens are sneezing!

the hills are alive with the sound of sniffling

I’ve been far more entertained by the critters returning to my bird feeder after the long, cold winter, than I ever care to admit.  I’m pretty sure the only thing that entertains me more, these days, has been Billions. And my-oh-my, season two has been mind-blowing!

source: Showtime

Today I am here to do a little comparison work between the Bobby of season one, and the Bobby in season two. As always, I’ll be viewing Damian’s work through the lens of a Delsartean. Continue reading “Season 2 Bobby Axelrod – the “eyes” have it!”

Music of Billions Season 2

Compared to Season 1, this season of Billions, for whatever reason, used a bit less music, fewer seminal tracks to accompany its richly crafted scenes. Music was still important this season, but somewhat less so than last. In my review of last year’s music, you’ll count 36 tracks. Here, the major songs in all episodes amounted to 20. Interesting revelation from this exercise is that they seem to follow a certain pattern in genres from one season to the next. That is to say, the aural landscape of this season seemed to contain the same proportion of arena metal, 70’s funk, contemporary alternative, live ballad, perennial classics, and lovely alt-country. All the tracks they chose, regardless of number, hit all the marks.

Let’s follow along with Season 2’s playlist, shall we?

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Damian Lewis Arrives with Her First “Binge”: Joyce’s Story

Hello all! Damianista welcomes you to a NEW Fan Story Tuesday!

We have made lovely friendships over the almost two and a half years we have been live. We “meet” some friends online only while we have the pleasure of meeting some others in person.

June 23, 2016. I arrived promptly at 5pm at Directors Guild Theatre to make sure I have a good seat for Damian Lewis at Times Talks scheduled at 7pm. A woman, who seemed pretty organized with a pillow for herself to sit on, arrived a few minutes later. And Paige, whom I had met earlier on Facebook, arrived a few minutes after her. And it took only a few extra minutes for us to click and then we talked non-stop until the event and, by the way, got the best seats in the house, too! Joyce, the lovely woman with the pillow, is here today to share her fan story with us. Joyce, you do not know how happy I am to have known you and HUGE thanks for your lovely contribution to our Fan Stories Series. Cheers!

copyright: Joyce

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