Billions: Tale of Two Marriages

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day on this blog than to do a deep dive into the two marriages at the heart of Billions? You won’t find any hearts and roses here, friends. The Axelrod and Rhoades marriages are drama thru and thru. It’s the lovely messiness of marriage portrayed in often surprising ways. So let’s take a trip back to the story so far of these two relationships, peppered, of course, by a healthy dose of speculation on what’s to come when Season 3 kicks off March 25 on Showtime.

As a drama about the high stakes financial world, Billions already stands apart from other dramas. It has none of the voilence and very little of the sex of its counterparts in so-called “elite” cable. What it has instead is soapy twists and turns and a fair amount of serious relationship ins and outs. As I’ve said before, the show is written by folks who care about portraying marriage in all its complexity. And the Axelrods and Rhoades are both wonderfully complex in totally different ways.

Continue reading “Billions: Tale of Two Marriages”

Decisions Matter: Game Theory
in Billions – Part II

In case you missed Part I, you can see it here.

We are getting into more intricate territory in Season 1 Episode 6 The Deal with Wendy now getting involved in the game with her two boys! 😀

Paul Giamatti, Maggie Siff and Damian Lewis at a Billions photo shoot at TCA 2017

Costly Signaling

We see Bobby playing a textbook signaling game in The Deal like Chuck does in The Pilot. He invites Wendy to a meeting at a very unusual spot: A spa pool. Bobby wants to make sure no one is listening but also, and more importantly, wants to find out whether Wendy is loyal or not. We know where Axe stands on loyalty from what he said to Mafee earlier: “You don’t try to be loyal. You just are. Or you’re not.” It is loyalty that rules Bobby Axelrod’s billions. Continue reading “Decisions Matter: Game Theory in Billions – Part II”

Billions Season 3: The Ultimate Pissing Contest Continues *UPDATED*

We kicked off the festivities for Billions Season 3 with a detailed coverage of Billions at TCA 2018 and now that we have an airdate, a trailer, a teaser and the new season poster, speculation rules until Season 3 premieres on March 25 10pm EST.

I wrote about what to expect when we are expecting Billions Season 3 based on my own thoughts and hints from a few set photos before they dropped the first few Season 3 promos. But now that I have seen the promos my head is spinning and my imagination is going wild. And as I keep the focus on the trailer and the teaser in this post, I leave the forensic analysis of the new season poster to Gingersnap. Stay tuned!

Continue reading “Billions Season 3: The Ultimate Pissing Contest Continues *UPDATED*”

Decisions Matter: Game Theory in
Billions – Part I

Game Theory. A term we have repeatedly heard on Billions.

Chuck talks about his strategy to make Pete Decker sing in Season 1, Episode 3 Yum Time:

Spyros: That’s what I like to call “the prisoner’s dilemma.”

Chuck: No, you don’t like to call it that. That’s what it’s called. Started as a thought experiment, game theory in the ’50s. Does no one ever check you on this bullshit?”

Wendy talks to Axe about Krakow (without naming him) in Season 2 Episode 1 Risk Management:

source: Showtime

“And the manager played some heavy game theory on me, boxed me into a spot, essentially put himself in a position to win no matter what I said.”

Axe tries to get Taylor play in the Alpha Cup in Season 2 Episode 3 Optimal Play:

I had a feeling, pulled your resume, saw some game theory strengths, looked into it a little bit more.”

What is game theory? Continue reading “Decisions Matter: Game Theory in Billions – Part I”

Billions Season 3 Trailer: The Ultimate Pissing Contest Continues

We kicked off the festivities for Billions Season 3 with a detailed coverage of Billions at TCA 2018 last week. Now that we have an airdate and a trailer, speculation rules until Season 3 premieres on March 25 10pm EST. Continue reading “Billions Season 3 Trailer: The Ultimate Pissing Contest Continues”