Bobby Axelrod and Wendy Rhoades: A Special Relationship – Part IV

In case you missed Part III, it is here.

Wendy is back at Axe Capital with her “black magic” to influence minds and the first such mind she tries is Bobby. Bobby says Wendy is not comfortable being part of a plan that would destroy Sandicot. Wendy responds Bobby wants to talk about Sandicot just because he wants her to make him feel better about what he is about to do. Bobby may have a point, when turned down, thinking he may not be the only one putting his needs “above those of the good people of Sandicot” while Wendy may have a point, too, thinking Bobby does not have feelings when it comes to business. Their conversation feels like a thrilling rally between Nadal and Federer. Who do you think wins it? 😀 Continue reading “Bobby Axelrod and Wendy Rhoades: A Special Relationship – Part IV”

Books are a Trigger for Billions

How many days to go until Billions is back on our screens you ask? Why, 32 days to be exact. But who’s counting? Spoiler: We are!!! March 25 cannot get here fast enough. Till we get some juicy new stuff to write about, here’s a revisit to the books seen on the various shelves of Billions last season.

Shows that care, like Billions, speak volumes with what they choose to put on the shelves behind the characters as they go about their Billion-y business. Books are about setting the stage and providing props for the characters and the action. Most interestingly, the placement of books is about saying a thing or two about the character who owns them, in a language both visual and textual (if you look closely enough :)) Alternatively, barring such esoteric “meaning”, at the very least, books laying about can be fun Easter eggs that may say a thing or two about the folks who put the show together.

So, join me as we browse through the bookshelves of Billions.

Continue reading “Books are a Trigger for Billions”

Bobby Axelrod and Wendy Rhoades: A Special Relationship – Part III

Damian Lewis teases about Bobby and Wendy, a relationship that keeps fascinating us, before Billions Season 2 premiere, in an interview with AssignmentX:

As the paranoia increases, their relationship is challenged, too. Wendy is quite capable of taking care of herself, as we saw at the end of last season, when she plays Axe in that last moment and runs away with the Maserati and a five-million-dollar bonus. Was it five million? It suddenly doesn’t seem like very much in the world of Billions. And she doesn’t work with Axe anymore. Axe relies on her heavily, though. Of course, there’s always going to be a question of pride with him, and he attempts to lure her back. But it’s because, I think, there is some truth in the fact when she says, “We built this company together.” I think she is good counsel for him, and he needs her. He feels more confident with her. There certainly isn’t, for now, any kind of romantic interest between them.”

Continue reading “Bobby Axelrod and Wendy Rhoades: A Special Relationship – Part III”

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 III

“What makes someone like Bobby tick, someone like Chuck tick? I think it’s the game and the game only. I think that becomes more important than the money or status and everything. It’s just the desire to win. And the greater your desire to win the greater you will compromise yourself. I think we all love watching people try to win.” – Damian Lewis

In case you missed Part I and Part II, you can see them here and here. And Part III is dedicated to the most impressive game we have seen in Billions: Chuck’s long game to get Axe.

Chuck delivers his most honest lines of the entire season as he stands in front of Axe in the last few minutes of Season 1: Continue reading “Decisions Matter: Game Theory in Billions – Part III”