Categories Billions Recap

Billions on Showtime, Season 3 Episode 4: Hell of a Ride – April 16, 2018

Eventuality Bookends One Hell of a Ride

by Damianista | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | April 16, 2018

Source: Showtime

From a tragic death, to people trying to dig themselves out of their own grave, to those searching for the ultimate resting place, and to kiss of death, eventuality, literally and metaphorically, is at the heart of this episode.

Three Days Ago

Chuck drives his Porsche, which was probably bought by Axe Capital money, into a private garage only to find Dake waiting for him with bad news:  Connerty knows about Chuck Senior’s involvement in Ice Juice and Chuck needs to make sure his father will not testify against him. And when Chuck Senior does not answer his son’s calls, Chuck decides to go to his 25th year class reunion at Yale, which he RSVP’d no earlier, because it is celebrated together with his dad’s 50th year class reunion and Chuck Senior will be there to receive an award. We hear an extremely worried Wendy not only telling Chuck to convince him but also to do it for her.

The new Halls have eyes on three labs in the Tri-State area that can produce and store the toxicant used in Ice Juice. They know the FBI is talking to lead technicians at each lab and they will make sure there is no lab when the Feds arrive at their lab. And given that Axe has information from Ira that Dake is protecting Chuck, but Bryan, if properly armed, will chase him, the new Halls will also make sure Ira’s affidavit implicating both Senior and Junior makes it to Bryan’s apartment in an envelope.

As Axe is trying to dig himself out of his own grave, Wags is trying to get into one at New York Marble Cemetery. Well, not now, but when the time comes! Wags is happy to leave 432 Park Avenue (a real eyesore if you ask me) to the Saudis but determined to secure the last burial plot in NYC for a bargain $350K! 😀

Two Days Ago

Source: Showtime

As Axe shows up at St. Regis Roof Ballroom for a reception held by World-Aid, a charity whose board he is sitting on, Oscar Langstraat (Hello, Mike Birbiglia!) approaches him. Langstraat, whose plane runs on recycled corn oil, the same oil Axe’s masseuse uses, is worried about overheated Central Africa! He believes the future is in venture philanthropy and will pitch the idea that World-Aid should buy Rayveon Solar, the company that manufactures the solar panels, at the next board meeting. Would Axe back his pitch? Axe thinks the people on the World-Aid board do not care much about anything else but the status and the access the charity gives them. Their risk of tolerance is zero like Coach Tikhonov at Lake Placid. Langstraat believes future hurts once, but denying it stings forever like Shelob in Cirith Ungol. Their references may be different but Axe and Longstraat seem to agree on Rayveon Solar. Their conversation is interrupted by Sean Ayles who regrets to share the news that the World-Aid board wants Sean, and not Axe, to represent Axelrod Foundation on the dais.

It is no surprise that Axe does not want to be limited to the sandbox Taylor has given him. He wants Axe Capital to buy Rayveon shares for the main fund but since he does not want to make Taylor feel like he is steering them, they will now task Sean Ayles with marketing the idea to Taylor. But what if Taylor realizes Axe is behind Rayveon Solar play?

We have known about Axe being a fan of Inglourious Basterds since we heard Lara asking him if he will see it again while he was playing hooky from work in Season 1 Episode 5 The Good Life.

Source: Showtime

While Axe chose to watch Citizen Kane in that episode but it is Inglourious Basterds time of the year again! As Axe keeps watching The Bear Jew crushing skulls, he tells Ayles he expects Taylor to do the same for him. Besides, he does not care that the World-Aid board is planning to remove him from the board at the next meeting and that such meetings are traditionally held in the absentia of the person being removed. Axe is still confident he can go and convince the World-Aid board to buy Solar Rayveon at that meeting.

It seems Dake and Bryan do not agree about who the “single bull” is in the Ice Juice investigation. Dake wants Bryan to talk to the suspect lab tech, but Bryan pays Chuck Senior a “courtesy visit” at the sauna.

And while I do not know if Bryan had in mind bracing a man while grooming would make him feel vulnerable, I find it hilarious that he is the one that ends up saying:

“Why does this keep happening to me?”

Source: Showtime

Read the rest of the original article at Fan Fun with Damian Lewis