Tag: Chuck Rhoades

Billions on Showtime, Episode 4: Short Squeeze

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

Episode 4 opens with Axe Capital PM Mick Danzig slowly walking in his yard at 4:42am with a Singani 63 bottle in one hand and a semiautomatic in the other as Andrew Bird sings his Oh No with lyrics going “arm in arm we are harmless sociopaths…” in the background… Danzig starts shooting at deer eating his plants and gets squeezed by the police. Whether he is just a harmless sociopath is up for debate.

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

Axe and Hall take care of the situation that there will be no report on Danzig. But Axe cannot give the world another reason to hate them. What the fuck is happening? Danzig seems to lack adrenaline. He may feel a twinge when he goes down. But he feels nothing when he goes up. Then he sees the deer outside his window: “Eat. Move. Shit. Repeat.” And Bang! Where is Dr. Mojo when we need her? Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, Episode 4: Short Squeeze”

Billions ep 3 – YumTime

imageedit_6_9750129636As the credits roll, 9/11 widow June, wife of Axe’s deceased business partner, Rake, seems to have penned a manuscript and is thanking her publisher for giving her a book deal. Bryan is getting in good with the FBI. Meanwhile Axe sips his morning coffee as a truck pulls into his driveway. Again, the Billions writers seem to have effectively taken the beep-beep-beep of a truck backing up and the cranking chain sound of its opening door out of the strict purview of the mafioso drama.

Continue reading “Billions ep 3 – YumTime”

Bobby Axelrod in Billions: By the Book or On The Board

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First things first: We don’t really think it’s essential to be a financial or legal expert to enjoy Billions. It is a show more about complex characters and their even more complex relationships than about the workings of Axe Capital or the US attorney’s office. Having said that being the “forensic fans” that we are, we believe it is more likely for us and probably for some of you to enjoy Billions once we understand exactly what’s going on… which brings us to this post.

I would put my signature under what Bookworm has told us in our anniversary post: “If you told me 365 days ago I’d be trying to wrap my head around stock market jargon, I would have laughed at you.” Oh yes, I would have laughed, too. And quite loudly! I would have laughed even louder if someone had told me I would root for a hedge-fund guy… It is all Damian Lewis to blame! 😀 Continue reading “Bobby Axelrod in Billions: By the Book or On The Board”

Billions on Showtime, Episode 2:
Naming Rights

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

We have left Axe saying “I am ready” on the phone at the end of Pilot. Now we find him in Episode 2 Naming Rights with some time in his hands — he is about to derail Chuck’s plans by presenting the US attorney’s office with Steven Birch’s head on a silver platter — to figure out ways to be ready!

While Pilot opens with a bound and gagged Chuck in his underwear on the floor in submission to a dominatrix, Naming Rights opens with Axe his underwear telling Pete Decker on the phone Gold Standard is never coming back and if it did, the world would be so fucked up that he would buy space travel… while his secretary as well as his COO are on standby to dress him for his next gig!

Axe is the King of his realm.

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

A comparison to the other king Damian Lewis has recently brought to life is inevitable. Do Axe and Henry have anything in common? Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, Episode 2: Naming Rights”

Who’s got the POWER in Billions? Bobby? Chuck? Or Wendy?

The recent Billions tease “Nothing Speaks Louder than Power” is really something. I mean, it TEASES!

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

What do you see in this picture? I see two modern day gladiators going at each other big time as millions of viewers are watching them on Showtime and rooting for one or the other 😀 Yes, we are not living in Roman Times, so at least, one does not need to physically die for the other one to survive, but still one’s career probably needs to die for the other one to survive and thrive!

Well, we talked earlier about teams being more or less well-defined on Billions: On one side, we have Team Axelrod led by hedge-fund king Bobby “Axe” Axelrod along with his wife Lara Axelrod and his right-wing man Mike “Wags” Wagner; and on the other side, we have Team Rhoades led by US Attorney Chuck Rhoades along with his assistant attorney Brian Kennerty and assistant District Attorney Kate Sacher. The only character that we have had difficulty putting in either camp is… Wendy Rhoades. Continue reading “Who’s got the POWER in Billions? Bobby? Chuck? Or Wendy?”