Category: Billions

Previously on Billions: YumTime

Previously on Billions…

June is having a YumTime with her Publisher; Brian is having a YumTime with inter-agency co-operation; and Ben and Bobby are not having a YumTime with YumTime products because they suck. They are, however, apparently bonding a little as Axe learns a bit more about the newest Analyst at Axe Capital.

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

There is no awkward morning after chat between Bryan and Terri as they’re too busy talking about how Eastern District have nipped in and stole a march on the case against Axe.

Team Chuck or not Team Chuck, I imagine this scene gave a lot of satisfaction to anyone who has ever stepped in the shit people leave behind their dog’s ass, as Chuck gives an inconsiderate dog walker a piece of his mind whilst also giving us another glimpse of the no compromising guy from the Pilot.

Chuck also receives a call from Bryan advising that Eastern is trying to take over the case on Axe. He’s not impressed.

Hutch Bailey III arrives to a cheery tune for the daily grind, but his staff don’t seem overly pleased to see him, their false smiles disappearing as soon as he is past them. He seems reasonably happy even if no one else is…that is until he gets a phone call telling him Axe is up to a 4.9% stake in YumTime. Oh, now that smile is wiped off his face and he reacts like a petulant, spoilt child and manages to spill his coffee all over the place which apparently he cannot manage to clean up himself. I feel sorry for Cheryl.

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Continue reading “Previously on Billions: YumTime”

Billions on Sky Atlantic, Episode 3: Yum Time

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Billions ep 3 – YumTime

Billions on Showtime, Episode 3: Yum Time

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Previously on Billions: Naming Rights

Previously on Billions…

Pete Decker is on the phone and apparently trying to make a ‘gold play’ to Bobby. If you have been paying attention you know Gold is not currently a good investment. It is quite interesting that Danny Margolis made contact with Bobby in the Pilot and here we have Decker with a play which is utterly ludicrous to even think Bobby would get involved. Hmmm…I make that two out of three.

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

Wags tries admirably to keep transport low key because some investors have had their feathers ruffled by Bobby and his beach house being all over the Post, but the King isn’t having it.

Over at Chuck’s office, Bryan is lecturing on noodles while they discuss how to bag Axe. Pete Decker’s name comes up again as the ‘in’ to getting at Axe. Chuck orders that all of Decker’s Analysts and Traders should be tracked and they jump on the first one to make a mistake.

“That Ponzi thing” is mentioned. We have no indication of what that is, but as Kate was just discussing “spraying shit all around” maybe we should take note of it.

Continue reading “Previously on Billions: Naming Rights”

Speculation Redux: Billions – Guns in a Pool

Damian Lewis, Bobby Axelrod
Source: Showtime

A slice of pizza here, a perfectly coiffed pompadour there, and badda bing badda boom Damian Lewis has transformed himself into a born and bred New Yorker. Let’s visit the ways and means by which he’s achieved the transformation. This post originally came about as speculation fueled by some tantalizing previews we got late last year, before Billions first aired in the States. Now that we have our friends across the pond tuning in every week, speculation has gotten a new lease on life. Some gems from Brit Twitter so far:

And my personal favorite:

So here we are, a revisit to my post “Billions: Guns in a Pool and the False Bravado of a New Yorker” with some notes added here and there without being too spoiler-y for those who didn’t splurge on the Sky Atlantic box set.

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How Loyalty Rules Bobby Axelrod’s Billions *UPDATED*

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

Regardless of the context it is set in, a good TV show is ultimately about human relations. It is the complex characters with exciting and compelling relationships in their personal and professional life that MAKE it great. And we can’t have enough of them in Billions.

I live and work in a world, academia, that cannot be farther away from the world of Axe Capital. Thus, I am fascinated by this world that is ALL NEW to me, and, in particular, by how Axe runs his business. Here’s my take on what it takes to be king with many thanks to Lady Trader who kindly read the post and gave me the thumbs up earlier.

Bobby “Axe” Axelrod is running a 15 billion dollar worth hedge fund. He is, in Chuck’s words, “an icon of the wealth of our age.” Thanks to his power and influence on the markets, Axe is the king that he is. Revered. Respected. Envied. However, as Pete Decker points out it is a zero-sum game and “these guys are like kings. There is always someone coming to assassinate them.” So… how do you run a business in a setting where there is always someone, say it is the US attorney, the SEC or another hedgie, trying to mess with you? Yes, exactly like a king, you have your close circle, you have your fixers. But one keyword stands out in Axe’s tight network: Loyalty.  Continue reading “How Loyalty Rules Bobby Axelrod’s Billions *UPDATED*”