Month: April 2018

Billions on Showtime, Season 3 Episode 6: The Third Ortolan

Well, I said it time and again that it is only Wendy’s short that could force Axe and Chuck to take a break from their pissing contest and get themselves and the woman they both care about deeply out of the huge mess called Ice Juice. And the first half of the season has seamlessly built to this climactic episode which I believe is the BEST hour of television in a while, at least since we had Golden Frog Time!

Well, Dollar Bill is not alone in carrying bags full of money for business. We now find Chuck, the US attorney of the SDNY, paying $50K to a man who will plant the slide in Axe’s medicine cabinet while he is away at Art Basel in a few weeks. Axe and Chuck have so much in common they seriously could have been BFFs in another life. For one, they both know how to deal with vulnerable immigrants! Like Axe ended an American dream by having Maria Gonzalez deported to Guatemala in Episode 2: Wrong Maria Gonzalez,  Chuck is now creating an American Dream by promising Mr. Adubo $50K more as well as U.S. visas for his family in Congo once he completes the job. Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, Season 3 Episode 6: The Third Ortolan”

Throwback Thursday to London, The Goat, and Meeting Damian Lewis

Has it been a year? How can it be if I still have my dog-eared Rick Steves’ London on my end table? Sure, it’s buried beneath a precipitous “To Read” pile, but, still, it feels like I just unpacked it. The thing about travel is that it becomes a part of you in ways other human experience can’t. In two rich weeks, walking that town, its lovely byways and bridges, at all hours of the day and night, I felt like a Londoner. So looking forward to going back at the first opportunity. It’s Damian’s home turf and that’s an attraction, sure. But, more than that, London, to me, feels like a calmer, quieter version of New York, more amenable to those of us not so tough anymore. A place full of just as many rich experiences, but that doesn’t feel like it would kill you if you stayed too long.

Exactly a year ago, London is where we saw Damian on stage in The Goat. Let’s take a trip back, shall we? Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to London, The Goat, and Meeting Damian Lewis”

Billions on Showtime, 3.05: Flaw in the Death Star

In case you haven’t noticed, I tend to watch stuff with the eyes of one who looks for dark and light and all the gradations in between. Light for the fun and entertaining, dark for the real and true. This episode, “Flaw in the Death Star”, balanced the two quite nicely, never spending too much time in either extreme and provided a fair and balanced view of this world we’ve come to know as Billions.  Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, 3.05: Flaw in the Death Star”

Billions on Showtime, Season 3 Episode 5: Flaw in the Death Star

I may find the way they operate appalling, but it is impossible not to applaud Axe and Chuck for eliminating a lot of risk in the first four episodes. Chuck has been able to convince Dake to cover up Wendy’s Ice Juice short,  change the judge in the Axelrod case and keep his father quiet about his involvement in Ice Juice. Axe has given an even better performance by keeping Danny Margolis and the Burke Brothers quiet on his side, having Maria Gonzalez deported, and giving Ira his life back along with an engagement ring from Buccellati’s exclusive collection. We now find the two men going after the loyalty of the same man simultaneously.

Dr. Gilbert is the man of the hour.

While Axe is ready for his trip to Silicon Valley, the new Halls deliver news big enough to keep him in New York. The Eastern District has grilled every doctor Axe has been or donated to including Dr. Gilbert. This reminds Axe that the good doctor may still have the slide he told him to get rid of once he verified with him that the bacteria they put in Ice Juice would not be fatally hurting anyone. Given Axe is saying his line of business is about eliminating risk, I highly recommend him to hire our own Gingersnap as a personal consultant 😀 Gingersnap said the day after Season 2 Episode 11 Golden Frog Time that Axe should not have left that slide with Dr. Gilbert and it would come back and bite him in the ass. Kudos! Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, Season 3 Episode 5: Flaw in the Death Star”

From the Trader’s Desk: Winning Ugly Billions S3 Ep4

Happy Earnings Season from the Trader’s Desk!

This week’s episode of Billions was aptly named “Hell of a Ride”, and it certainly was one (maybe not so much for Craig Heidecker!!). We’ll also see how a win’s a win, even if it’s ugly.

Before I get into the meat of my recap (Axe and Taylor) some observations: Wendy’s look at the Yale reunion was amazing! I have never thought this about her before, and I guess it’s why it stood out for me. Her hair and make-up was great. She should keep that look – get that hair outta your face girl! Continue reading “From the Trader’s Desk: Winning Ugly Billions S3 Ep4”