Categories Billions Print Media Recap

Billions Season 3, Episode 5 Recap: Forbes – April 23, 2018

There Is No ‘Flaw In The Death Star’

by Dana Feldman | Forbes | April 23, 2018

Source: Showtime

The latest episode of Billions is fast-paced, packed with intriguing plot lines and this week there’s a storyline that show creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien kept tightly under wraps. If you haven’t watched, there are spoilers.

In this episode entitled “Flaw In The Death Star”Axe (Damian Lewis) and Chuck (Paul Giamatti) are at it again, this time fighting for the loyalty of the same witness: the doctor. Axe may have had his favor at one point in time, but by the end of this episode, Chuck is in the lead and Axe knows it. Chuck also keeps himself busy trading favors with his co-conspirator, Lawrence Boyd (Eric Bogosian). As if he doesn’t have enough irons in the fire, Chuck needs to watch out for Connerty (Toby Leonard Moore) as he’s become increasingly obsessed in his search for the truth.

As Connerty gets closer, he approaches Kate Sacker (Condola Rashad) claiming to know Chuck has done something that will take the whole office down. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but he knows it has to do with the fact Boyd is no longer in prison. When Sacker confronts Chuck asking why Boyd is, in fact, a free man, Chuck admits he secured Boyd’s release because he was instrumental in bringing Axe to justice. Connerty asks the judge to unseal his order re-sentencing Boyd for time served, but Sacker argues to keep the order sealed. Connerty’s request is denied. Dollar Bill (Kelly AuCoin) plans a big short position on a pharmaceutical company stock, but not everyone at Axe Cap approves.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 5 Recap: Forbes – April 23, 2018

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Billions Season 3, Episode 5 Recap: New York Times – April 22, 2018

The Family We Choose

by Sean T. Collins | New York Times | April 22, 2018

Source: Showtime

Flaw in the Death Star

This week on “Billions,” romance is in the air. Who’da thunk it, right? Sex, sexuality, the rewards and compromises of long-term relationships, even the eroticized thrill of spectacular professional success — these themes are never in short supply on this show. But the pangs of infatuation that make your eyes widen, your heart quicken, and (with any luck) your clothes melt away to the tune of Echo and the Bunnymen? That’s … unexpected.

Even more unexpected? The young lovers involved. The casting of comedian Mike Birbiglia added an uncharacteristically mellow presence to this high-strung, hard-charging show. If you predicted that this addition was a prelude to an affair between Birbiglia’s Silicon Valley “venture philanthropist” character, Oscar Langstraat, and Bobby Axelrod’s handpicked successor, the tightly wound gender-nonbinary genius Taylor Mason, congratulations: Your powers of prognostication outstrip even those of Axe himself. Yet from the moment these two very different visionaries make a nerd-love connection in defense of a supposed “Star Wars” plot hole, it makes sense, retrospectively, that they would hook up. It just feels right. (Granted, I’m slightly biased in that I agree with their reasoning — “What material could withstand the heat expended from that mammoth sphere?” “Plus, it was fortified with gun turrets!” — but only slightly.)

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 5 Recap: New York Times – April 22, 2018

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Billions Season 3, Episode 5 Recap: Vulture – April 22, 2018

Walk on the Wild Side

by Nicole Cliffe | Vulture | April 22, 2018

Source: Showtime

Flaw in the Death Star

OMG THIS EPISODE! What a gift. What a treasure. This one was going straight out to the fans, and I loved every minute of it. I barely know where to start! I think I should save the best for last?

This is quite a week for dueling pairs, whether it’s the clashing egos of Spyros and Dollar Bill, the claim on Wendy’s time that Chuck and Axe are batting back and forth, or the mild helplessness of the New Halls when faced with a doctor who can’t be bought. Sacker and Connerty, too! Everyone gets a chance to shine on.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 5 Recap: Vulture – April 22, 2018

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Billions Season 3, Episode 5 Recap: Entertainment Weekly – April 22, 2018

“The question is: How long until it all begins to crumble?”

by Kyle Fowle | Entertainment Weekly | April 22, 2018

Source: Showtime

Flaw in the Death Star

The whole reason Axe Capital works the way it does is because of the company’s willingness to walk right up to the line of what’s legal. Sure, they cross that line from time to time, but is it really illegal if you don’t get caught? (Side note: yes it is, but that’s not the point). The cronies at Axe Capital, both the charming and the obnoxious ones, thrive by being able to follow their leads with reckless abandon. It’s why they can profit off of a space engineer dying, or a small town going bankrupt. They have no leash, or if they do, it’s a seriously long one.

That’s why Dollar Bill is so angry throughout this episode; his leash has been shortened. With Axe out of the office, he’s beholden to the whims of Ari Spyros, a man who nobody in the office seems to like. Ari’s in compliance now, and he sees his job as being on the front lines of keeping the doors of Axe Capital open. If he doesn’t keep their deals above board, he believes he’s failed. At least that’s what he tells himself. It’s more likely that he just enjoys wielding his power. So, when Dollar Bill comes to him with a short option on a pharmaceutical company that’s about to go belly-up because of a whistleblower looking to expose the animal cruelty in the labs, Ari shoots him down.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 5 Recap: Entertainment Weekly – April 22, 2018

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From the Trader’s Desk: Winning Ugly Billions S3 Ep4

A Win Is a Win, Even If It’s Ugly

by Lady Trader | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | April 20, 2018

Source: Showtime

Happy Earnings Season from the Trader’s Desk!

This week’s episode of Billons was aptly named “Hell of a Ride”, and it certainly was one (maybe not so much for Craig Heidecker!!). We’ll also see how a win’s a win, even if it’s ugly.

Before I get into the meat of my recap (Axe and Taylor) some observations: Wendy’s look at the Yale reunion was amazing! I have never thought this about her before, and I guess it’s why it stood out for me. Her hair and make-up was great. She should keep that look – get that hair outta your face girl!

Continue reading From the Trader’s Desk: Winning Ugly Billions S3 Ep4

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Billions on Showtime, 3.04: Hell of a Ride – April 18, 2018

Vanity and Legacy: Two Sides of the Same Coin

by JaniaJania | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | April 18, 2018

Source: Showtime

With Billions, you’ve got that easy on the eye and ear appeal going, but, look closer and there’s so much more. Look closer still, and there’s, like, everything.

Billions Season 3 Episode 4, “Hell of a Ride”, shows us, more than any episode so far, that “everything.” That is, everything, sans women. Though the women are well-written, this show will never be in danger of passing the Bechdel test, and that’s fine, because it is a story about men and their use and misuse of power and of men begetting men, which, to bring it all home, does indeed apply to everything. This episode is about men’s legacy and men’s vanity and the intersections between the two.

Continue reading Billions on Showtime, 3.04: Hell of a Ride – April 18, 2018

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Recappables Podcast: Billions S3E4 – April 16, 2018

The Recappables Crew Reviews the Most Scarring Scene of the Season

by Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin | The Ringer | April 16, 2018

Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin discuss how terrible Chuck is (1:55), why Taylor isn’t as interesting this season (25:47), and the most scarring scene of the week (and maybe the year) featuring Chuck Sr. (37:05).


Source: The Ringer

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Photos & Videos: Next Time on Billions Episode 5 – April 16, 2018

Season 3, Episode 5: Flaw in the Death Star

by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | April 16, 2018

On the next episode of Billions, Chuck trades favors with a co-conspirator. Axe and Chuck fight for the loyalty of the same witness. Connerty gets closer to the truth. Axe sends Taylor to Silicon Valley to explore new business opportunities. Dollar Bill plans a big short position on a pharmaceutical company stock, but not everyone at Axe Cap approves.

Source: Showtime

To view more sneak peek photos, please visit our Gallery

Official clip of episode 5: 

“Why Isn’t Lawrence Boyd in Prison?”

“No Fudgie?”

Categories Billions Print Media Recap

Billions: Latest Episode is a Hell of a Ride – April 16, 2018

Recap Plus David Costabile Talks About Graveyard Scene with Damian Lewis

by Dana Feldman | Forbes | April 16, 2018

Source: Showtime

Showtime’s hit series Billions continues to keep fans hooked with a third season that shows no signs of slowing down. As show creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien promised in a recent interview, this season things are ramped up even more than last.

The season three premiere was the show’s highest-rated ever, with the March 25 debut up 23% from last year. Billions is the network’s No. 2 drama series behind Homeland, averaging 4.5 million weekly viewers across platforms.

In the latest episode entitled “Hell of a Ride,” Axe (Damian Lewis) entertains the new arena of venture philanthropy, as he simultaneously looks to neutralize old accomplices. Things don’t go as planned when, due to his legal entanglements, he’s booted off the World-Aid Consortium Board of Directors. In this world, $10 million donations don’t go very far. Connerty (Toby Leonard Moore) continues his scrutiny of Chuck (Paul Giamatti), his boss and mentor, as he struggles with his loyalties versus the law, to which he remains faithfully devoted. Chuck attempts to reconcile with his father, though his motives aren’t solely based on love. He’s aware that his father could have an immunity deal if he agrees to cooperate with the opposition.

Continue reading Billions: Latest Episode is a Hell of a Ride – April 16, 2018

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Billions Has Become TV’s Sharpest Critique Of Toxic Masculinity – April 16, 2018

Billions is the Best Show About the Worst Kind of Masculinity

by Alison Willmore | BuzzFeed News | April 16, 2018

Source: Showtime

In its third season, Showtime’s Billions has snapped into focus from being a blurry series about power to an infinitely sharper one about gender. Spoilers through last night’s episode, “Hell of a Ride,” below.

Dick is a multipurpose metaphor in Billions. Most of the characters in Showtime’s hedge fund drama talk about their work, their success or lack thereof, and their stature as an extension of their virility. They aren’t all men, but they do all circle a luxe locker room of an industry that’s been overwhelmingly defined by men. Any observation you might feel inclined to make about Wall Street being dominated by bros vying to prove who has the biggest balls, Billions makes for you. In its very first episode, without the hint of a wink, a trader describes his issues at work to performance coach Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff) by using the language of erectile dysfunction: “I hear it happens to guys my age.”

Exactly a season later, Wendy shakes a bottle of Viagra at an audience of hedge fund types, telling them that while some of them rely on it, none would admit that: “The thought that someone might know you need help is worse than not getting the help you need. Still, when the time comes, when you need to pull the trigger on the buy or sell order, you better be hard as a rock and ready to go” — no Freudian subtext necessary. More recently, to really underscore the erection connection and the fragility that accompanies it, a character insists he would part with a fraction of his — “an inch off my dick” — if it meant he and his failing fund could get back in the game.

Continue reading Billions Has Become TV’s Sharpest Critique Of Toxic Masculinity – April 16, 2018

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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.

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

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Billions Season 3, Episode 4 Recap: Sealed with a Kiss – April 15, 2018

“It’s Oedipus all the way down, folks.”

by Sean T. Collins | New York Times | April 15, 2018

Source: Showtime

Hell of a Ride

Chuck Rhoades Jr. and Charles Rhoades Sr. are at war. They have been since the last season of “Billions,” when son betrayed father as part of a plot by Chuck to ruin his nemesis, Bobby Axelrod. But the most powerful weapon wielded in the conflict so far hasn’t been a legal threat or a stock swindle. It’s the kiss that Charles plants square on Chuck’s mouth, hands locked on his son’s head to prevent him from pulling away.

That kiss is the climax of “Hell of a Ride,” this week’s aptly titled episode from the writer Randall Green and the director John Dahl. In a series that has made a study of the physicality of the rich and powerful, the scene is a graduate-level course.

On one level, and like so many of these characters’ other words and actions, it is very likely a reference to a work of macho pop culture: the kiss of betrayal that Michael Corleone plants on his disloyal brother Fredo in “The Godfather Part II.” (Bobby quoted the first “Godfather” film earlier in the episode when he instructed his philanthropy guru, Sean Ayles (Jack Gilpin), to “use all your powers and all your skills” in support of his latest stealthy venture.) But like the best such moments on “Billions,” the context transforms the reference into something new and unique, and in this case uniquely disturbing.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 4 Recap: Sealed with a Kiss – April 15, 2018