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”

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”

Billions on Showtime, 3.02: The Wrong Maria Gonzalez

Bobby and Chuck are a set of twinsies this episode of Billions, Season 3, Episode 2, “The Wrong Maria Gonzalez.” Where we saw Chuck mildly relishing in his win in the first episode and Bobby not-so-mildly wondering what to do about his loss, in this episode the two foes are on more equal footing.

Bobby can’t act on his investing instincts about the earthquake on the coast of Africa, which he knows will lead to a tsunami on the coast of South America, leading to losses for Axe Cap investments in Brazil, specifically flooded sugar crops and interruptions in shipping.

On the other side, the wheel of fortune doesn’t roll in Chuck’s favor to be awarded the judge sympathetic to his cause in Eastern v. Axelrod.

Both Bobby and Chuck have obstacles set before them, both master their obstacle du jour, in essentially similar ways.

Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, 3.02: The Wrong Maria Gonzalez”

Billions on Showtime, Season 2 Episode 11: Golden Frog Time

Advance Warning: I have been on a less than 72-hour  trip to London to see Damian on stage. Having come back only last night, I am probably doing a crazy thing right now pulling an all nighter to write my recap for this crazy good episode! I apologize in advance for anything that does not make sense 😀

source: Showtime

Wags confirms with The Patriot Bank that they are taking out the Ice Juice IPO. Chuck Senior has already had an Uncle Miltie-sized position in the company and there is no avenue of short. Axe’s take on the situation is “Sonny on the causeway.” We all know what happened to Sonny, don’t we? Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, Season 2 Episode 11: Golden Frog Time”

Billions Season 2: The Ultimate Pissing Contest Continues!

Give me a few minutes of Billions video and I sit down and write 2000 words about it. I am as obsessed, if not more, with Billions as Axe and Chuck are obsessed with each other, and having watched the new promos here and here a few times now my head is spinning and my imagination is going wild.

source: showtime
“Change is coming.” You bet it is! source: Showtime

First things first: I totally know promo videos are edited in a way to trick the viewer so there is no real spoiler but just a taste of what is coming — which I LOVE. And that is why “reading” a promo video is no different than reading the tea leaves, or in my native country Turkey, the coffee cup. Still, we cannot help dive deep into these short videos and try to put the pieces together! So you have me today talking about what I am expecting when I am expecting Billions Season 2 and JaniaJania will do the same on Wednesday. Continue reading “Billions Season 2: The Ultimate Pissing Contest Continues!”