Tag: Jeffrey DeMunn

Up In Smoke

by Sean T. Collins | New York Times | September 26, 2021

Season 5, Episode 11: ‘Victory Smoke’

Axe closes in on the big investment bucks he needs for his new bank. But don’t light those victory cigars just yet.

Watching “Billions” may be a breeze, but watching “Billions” to recap it is not. Constant pausing and rewinding is required to catch the countless twists and turns of every scheme; I would estimate that an hourlong episode takes me an hour and a half — at a minimum — to finish.

Nice work if you can get it, but it makes covering even famously dense shows like “The Wire” or “Game of Thrones” feel like recapping “Blue’s Clues.”

Continue reading Billions Season 5 Episode 11 Victory Smoke: New York Times Review

Axe’s Back Is Against the Wall

by Kyle Fowle | Entertainment Weekly | September 26, 2021

One of Billions‘ greatest strengths is how beautifully it sets up all its pieces before knocking them down. This season has been building towards the moment where Axe seems truly trapped, and this episode really delivers on that moment.

By the end of the episode, Axe will be looking at potential jail time, but for now, he’s desperately looking to get money into his bank before the whole thing is DOA. But that desperation is what will ultimately be his downfall. So, first things first, Axe needs Chuck Sr. to go to the Delaware Attorney General and report that the bank is all up to code and ready to move past its probationary period. Of course, Chuck Sr. wants something in return, so he gets a profit share for the upcoming cannabis deal. Then he goes to the AG and recommends lifting the probationary terms. The AG is confused because his understanding was that this plan was meant to trap Axe in something illegal, but he’s more than happy to sign off and get these chaotic people out of his life.

Continue reading Billions Season 5 Episode 11 Victory Smoke: Entertainment Weekly Review

Chains of Love

by Sarene Leeds | Vulture | September 26, 2021

Two episodes ago, I wrote about how Axe opened himself up to massive vulnerability by allowing emotion to guide all of his decisions. This is exactly how Chuck, Taylor, and Mike Prince claim their “victory smoke” in tonight’s episode.

But what makes the final moments of “Victory Smoke” a true cliffhanger isn’t the revelation that Axe has been utterly played by Chuck & Co. and is 24 hours away from arrest. It is how he hesitates to execute his escape plan, which, I can only assume, is to flee the country (something he’s had in place since season one). He doesn’t even need to say why — one lock of the eyes with Wendy over Zoom (yep, Axe is still “in quarantine,” with Damian Lewis again only appearing in this episode either solo or via video chat) tells us everything we needed to know: He’s willing to risk imprisonment for luuurrrvvve.

Continue reading Billions Season 5 Episode 11 Victory Smoke: Vulture Review