Our Top 3 Billions Characters We’d Love to See Return

Over the coarse of 7 seasons, Billions has had many memorable characters that have made a distinct impression on the show, and the viewers.

With Billions coming to its end and Axe making a comeback, we thought we would list the Top Three characters we would also like to see return in Season 7.

Gingersnap

Number 1 – Rebecca Cantu (played by Nina Arianda) was a really cool character on the show. She was a self-made billionaire financier and businesswoman from a small town in Iowa who rose to prominence after picking big winners on the Home Shopping Network.

It’s implied her net worth was somewhere around Bobby’s…remember Wags saying to Axe “Money just walked in” while they were at a tech company’s robotics demo/dog and pony show? Eventually she starts dating Bobby and I appreciated their dynamic because it felt like they were both on the same level playing field. Her quick wit and intelligence could match Bobby’s, but all good things must come to an end in the Billions world. Ken leveraged her Barbie Dream House and Rebecca only thought of Axe as a “snake motherfucker” from then on.

I would kill for just a sneak peek into the Cantu world. What is she up to? Did she rebuild something like Saler’s [Sears] department store chain anyway? In our Expectations, Wishes and Fantasies post for season 7, I fantasized the camera would pan in on Rebecca Cantu’s office and working there are familiar faces Sara and Lauren. Girl power! Those of you who have not seen Nina in the Amazon Prime series Goliath, I highly recommend it. She’s a great actor. In the meantime, enjoy these two compilation videos of Axe and Rebecca.

Number 2 – I miss Bryan James Flynn Connerty (played by Toby Leonard Moore)! He was a tough, yet idealistic lawyer and pointed his moral compass directly at righting wrongs, making sure bad people were brought to justice. In my opinion, he was the most loyal in the Billions world. Even Axe tried to make him a lion to no avail. Bryan was Chuck Rhoades’ protege and Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney for the southern district of New York. Bryan came from a modest background, was a Fordham Law grad, and I miss his moral fiber, dandan noodles, and his kikashi moves in the oldest board game ever created, Go.

I recently watched Toby play the role of Congressman Arthur Hudson on another show The Blacklist and was reminded of just how much I missed him on Billions. Bryan’s demise came at the hands of Chuck when Chuck set a trap, warranting Bryan to engage in illegal activities while conducting an investigation. Bryan used his criminally-educated brother to break into Chuck’s safe to get a hold of a pre-corded tape, walking right into Chuck’s trap and ultimately Bryan’s tragic downfall when he was charged with witness tampering and sent to prison. Bryan had a brief cameo in season 5, episode 5 ‘Contract’ when Chuck visited him in prison, only to be punched in the face by Bryan. 😊

My point is, Bryan started off good and then succumbed to temptations of evil and became what he hated the most. But that’s the underlying theme of Billions isn’t it? That sometimes even the best characters get their hands dirty at some point. I would love to see Bryan released from prison on good behavior, giving us a snapshot of where his story ends.

Number 3 – Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Show me some Rudy!

Rudy’s real name is Peter and was played by Chris Carfizzi. We follow each other on Twitter, or whatever the kids are calling it these days. He tells Taylor that he loves being called Rudy because Axe Capital was his Notre Dame. He was a high school fuck-up, but impressed a teacher and got into Hofstra where he saw Axe speak, and from that moment on it was all he dreamt about.

What I loved about this character is that Rudy was consistently the worst-performing trader at Axe Capital and got into some shenanigans. He stole Dollar Bill’s lucky dollar and when Dollar Bill rounded up the potential culprits in search of it, he grabbed Rudy’s bag and dumped out the contents only to discover Rudy owns a flesh light! LOL But the biggest surprise about Rudy was his hidden talent – he is a magnificent opera singer! A big shoutout to Chris Carfizzi who shared this video with me so I could share it with you all! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

BILLIONS S 4 Ep 12 – EXTREME SANDBOX from Chris Carfizzi on Vimeo.

Ultimately Rudy was fired for attending a Mase Capital party without Bobby’s knowledge and we never saw Rudy again. Billions season 7 seems to be building back Axe Capital right under our noses at MPC and we just need the whole gang back together for the finale when (and I fantasize this) Axe walks back in to what is now Axe Global US in the final episode, final scene of the entire series and smiles that unforgettable Damian Lewis smirk when he sees all his employees back together in one place – Rudy, Dollar Bill, Mafee, Bonnie, Ben, Victor, Pouch, Dan M, Taylor, Winston, Wendy, Wags, Spyros, along with Rian, Everett, Tuk and other newcomers. END SCENE!

Honorable Mentions: Lonnie Watley with his fabulous hair and Axe’s Mom, played by the fantastic Patti D’Arbanville.

Damianista

Number 1 – Bruno Capparello (Arthur Nascarella)

Bruno is the only father figure in Bobby Axelrod’s life. He always gave him a free pie when young Bobby was broke and when we first met Bobby Axelrod in Billions he was returning the favor by partnering with Bruno who had financial problems. And once they partnered, the pizza place became Bobby’s favorite late night meeting place where a lot of interesting conversations took place!

Bobby broke my heart when he broke Bruno’s in Season 2 Episode 7 Victory Lap when he fucked Sandicot. But then he came around to making amends with the only father figure in his life in Season 4 Episode 7 Infinite Game. Axe bought Bruno out so the old man could make the sunshine state his home. And, believe it or not, I was extremely lucky to watch this scene being shot at Rosa’s Pizza. You can read my story here. Salud!

We saw Bruno again in Season 5 Episode 9 Implosion when he gave thumbs up to Bobby’s partnership with Anthony Mangieri in the frozen pizza business.

Now that the show is coming to an end, I would so much love to see Bruno’s new life and maybe love, too.  We know Bobby will be back in NYC at some point this season and I would love for Bruno to come visit NYC and he and Bobby have a slice at Capparello’s since Bobby is keeping this one place he feels truly home.

Number 2 – Danny Margolis (Daniel Cosgrove)

If you want some WILD twist in Billions, you want to see Danny Margolis in action. From drinking Ice Juice and getting sick so that the Ice Juice stock drops to providing his free port services so Bobby does not have to pay customs duties and sales tax for his original artworks, to donating his kidney to Chuck Senior so that Bobby gets Senior on his side, Danny  Margolis has always been a joker in Bobby’s game and won it for the boss!

Oh, and who can forget about Margolis speaking to Bryan and Terri in his birthday suit about the “unexplained coincidences” in the Ice Juice case?

I so hope that Danny Margolis appears out of blue and does something WILD again to score for Team Axe!

Number 3 – Hall (Terry Kinney)

Codenamed as “Iceland” on Bobby’s phone, Hall has been the ultimate fixer in Billions. We do not know much about Hall’s origins or how he and Bobby met. However, based on what Hall is good at, I imagine he has some kind of military / special forces kind of background. And while he is on Bobby’s payroll, he provided his services for everybody including Wendy (to find out about the hotel Senior meets with women), Chuck (to open a safe in Chuck Senior’s apartment) and even Kate in Season 6 Episode 10 Johnny Favorite. I am sure all of them would write glowing letters of recommendation 🙂

When she meets him for the first time, Kate immediately knows exactly who he is! 😀

Kate: So, you’re the one, aren’t you… that helped Axelrod beat us every single time?

Hall: All that matters is, I’m on your side now. I’m on your side now.

And this is all that matters. You want Hall on your side, especially if you plan to take a major player like Mike Prince down. So I hope Hall comes back and helps Bobby take down Prince. Pretty please!

Lady Trader

Number 1 – How I would love to see Rebecca Cantu make an  appearance! From the moment she walked into the road show meeting in “Arousal Template” (S4 E2) I was a fan; so much so that most of my “From the Trader’s Desk” posts for Season 4 were me fangirling her!  She was (maybe still is) Axe’s equal when it comes to making money and smart business decisions. Now, we all know Axe did her D-I-R-T-Y big time, but I believe she would put aside her emotions to help Axe take down Prince if there was money to be made. Wherever she is now, we know she’s successful, making smart business moves, and isn’t in exile!

Number 2 – Can we see how everyone’s favorite pizza maker is enjoying life in retirement? Bruno was the dad Axe never had and his pizzeria was so integral in Axe’s life he had some of his most important off campus meetings there (think of his meeting with Bryan and his war counsel to take down Taylor). I wouldn’t be surprised if Axe flies Bruno to Castle Axelrod just for a fresh pie!

Number 3 -When Taylor, Wendy, Wags and Axe finally get rid of Prince, I would hope Taylor either runs Axe Capital for Axe or opens their own shop (again). If that is the case, can we please bring back Lauren Turner? She was smart, smooth, and had impeccable fashion sense. And she was the right balance for Taylor. Who couldn’t use an amazing IR expert?

Honorable Mentions: Sara Hammon formerly of TMC, Momma Axelrod, and of course the infamous Hall.

Holliedazzle

Number 1 – Bryan Connerty

Aside from the fact that more than a few of his quotes have become infamous in my household…

I loved his exasperation in the dramatic moments, his fire in the sticky ones, and the way he kept Chuck in check, as needed. Unfortunately, he ended up a little too much like Chuck in the end. But I’d still love to see a road to redemption for him. What item would Chuck bribe him with in prison?  I don’t think he’s into cowboy boots…

Number 2 – Lara Axelrod

I was a HUGE Lara fan from the jump. My favorite episode of the whole entire show’s run is still “Yum Time,” which features Lara making moves to protect Bobby’s reputation.  She’s an absolute badass and Bobby completely fumbled the bag by doing what he did. It was one tiny little lie, but it cost him everything with her.  I want to see her again, not with him, but I want to know she’s well.

Number 3 – Bonnie

This woman just cracked me up.  Not only could she keep up with the boys, she ran circles around them! Unfortunately, she couldn’t play by Prince’s rules and ended up on the block. But I’d love to know what she’s up to. And I’m sure Bill wouldn’t mind another ride in the minivan 😀

TheTailThatWagsTheDog

Number 1 – Rudy (Chris Carfizzi) – I feel like Rudy the character was given a very ingracious and humiliating exit, which was brutal for someone who was one of the few decent people in the show. I liked what they did with him in Season 2 and thought they could keep that route, but now they have Tuk as the resident doormat so they don’t need Rudy as well. I am just bummed because over the past couple of years I have been able to chat with Chris on X(Twitter) and I even got to meet up with him and have dinner with him when I was in NYC recently.

Chris is an incredibly decent guy, a great father and husband, and a heck of a singer too. He’s the type of guy you root for – just like Rudy. So I would like to see him play one more snap at the end and get carried off the set by his classmates, just like the original Rudy.

Number 2 – Bryan Connerty – He was supposed to take over for Chuck. He was the heir apparent. And then they took him down this dark road from which he could not recover.  I get it -Toby Moore obviously wanted to do other things with his career, but dang he was a great character. And no one could bite into a sandwich like Bryan Connerty.

Number 3 – Lara Axelrod – I am sure I am the only one who is wishing this one, but I liked Axe’s wife. I thought they matched up with each other well. That first season they were collectively brutal with people. The way they had each other’s back and helped each other manipulate those around them – and their parenting complemented each other so nastily well.  The way she stood up for him with the 9-11 families, the way they defended and disciplined their boys, they was they schemed, it was all so delicious. Bobby hasn’t had the same chemistry with any other woman, and that includes Wendy.