From The Trader’s Desk: Sabotage! Billions S4 E12 – Season Finale

‘Cause what you see you might not get
And we can bet so don’t you get souped yet
You’re scheming on a thing that’s a mirage
I’m trying to tell you now it’s sabotage
Sabotage – Beastie Boys

Welcome to the last “From the Trader’s Desk” for Season 4 of Billions. We’ve seen the Good, the Bad, and ultimately, the very Ugly from our favorite characters this season (look for our upcoming “Best of Billions” for this season soon!), and this episode, “Extreme Sandbox” was no different.

Before I get into the episode, I want to say how much I have enjoyed bringing “From the Trader’s Desk” to you all each week. These posts were originally supposed to clear up any “fin-speak” that non-Wall Streeters just didn’t get. In the beginning, there was a lot of it! So much so, that we were adding to our Billions: Glossary on a weekly basis. However, as the show got more and more into the characters and the complexity of their relationships, the financial jargon got less and less. What would I write about? I decided that I would do what I do best: analyze and evaluate. If I can do it with companies I trade, I can do it with the rich characters of Billions. I didn’t know how it would go, but I have gotten some of the best feedback on my analysis posts, so thank you! Continue reading “From The Trader’s Desk: Sabotage! Billions S4 E12 – Season Finale”

Billions at Showtime’s “For Your Consideration”

Last night, Billions took center stage for Showtime’s Emmy consideration panel. “For Your Consideration” is a campaign rally where the goal is to get the story of a show, its actors and showrunners, into the minds and hearts of folks making Emmy nominations. In the crowd of shows, you gotta make yours stand out and cast members Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, and Asia Kate Dillon along with showrunners David Levien and Brian Koppelman did just that in a vibrant conversation with Jake Tapper where they were asked questions about their show and characters.

You can hear the conversation at least for the next few hours on the show’s Instagram. (If you’re like me and need your child to show you how to work instagram stories, some tips to save you the embarrassment: Works only on mobile, click the avatar. The desktop version has some cute stills and gifs from the event but not the live video.) No worries if you don’t get it, that’s what we’re for! Here, I’ll transcribe some of the conversation. Continue reading “Billions at Showtime’s “For Your Consideration””

From the Trader’s Desk: Moments in Time – Billions S4 E10

And so we’re told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
New Year’s Day – U2

Hello and welcome to the Trader’s Desk. I know I have said this a few times (and we still have two episodes left) but this may be my favorite episode of the season! From the opening, to getting answers to questions I have had for 4 seasons, this was exactly the episode I needed after last week’s break.

I want to break my post down into two parts: quick observations, and then diving into particular moments. I believe certain moments of “New Year’s Day” are pivotal for some of our favorite characters. Continue reading “From the Trader’s Desk: Moments in Time – Billions S4 E10”

From the Trader’s Desk: Office Romance 101! Billions S4E9

Some people say my love cannot be true
Please believe my love, and I’ll show you
I will give you those things you thought unreal
The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal
N.I.B – Black Sabbath

Welcome to the Trader’s Desk, where a refreshed and relaxed Lady Trader is ready to dive in to “American Champion”.

This week, Billions almost seemed like an episode of the Love Boat, in that we had stories about couples. Let’s look at some of these (surprising) pairings: Continue reading “From the Trader’s Desk: Office Romance 101! Billions S4E9”

From the Trader’s Desk: “I’m Going Through Changes” – Billions S4E7

Now all my days, are filled with tears
Wish I could go back and change these years
I’m going through changes
Changes – Black Sabbath

Welcome back to the Trader’s Desk. This was my favorite episode so far this season. No “fin-speak”, but oh man, the emotions! Wendy is all sorts of lost in this episode. In my last two posts, I wrote about the anger and trust issues Wendy is having that have lead to this point. In “Infinite Game” it all comes to a head.

On a housekeeping note, there will be no Trader’s Desk next week (5/10). Lady Trader has earned a much needed vacation, so I will not be recapping; but if there is financial jargon in Ep. 8 that needs clarification, you can always reach out on Twitter: @lisaglick926.

This week we saw some of our favorite characters going through emotional changes: one was a surprise (Axe), one we could see coming (Taylor), and one could be the most profound of them all (Wendy). Continue reading “From the Trader’s Desk: “I’m Going Through Changes” – Billions S4E7″