Categories Billions Recap

Billions Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: Refinery 29 – May 20, 2018

“Sitting Here in the Dark, Like an Assassin”

by Molly Stout | May 20, 2018 | Refinery 29

We’ve been waiting so long for John Malkovich to make his appearance on Billions that we started questioning the casting news: Were we sure we read that he was joining the cast as a Russian oligarch? Did we misread that, and he’s actually gonna show up on the final few episodes of The Americans? Was it all just wishful thinking on our part, fan fiction we came up with in a dream?
Nope. Finally, Malkovich made his Billions debut, dripping in Russian stereotypes. We first meet his character, Grigor Andolov, at a hockey rink, where the monotone, cold-blooded, probably murderous character is fresh off checking an opponent on the ice. At first, Malkovich’s Grigor reminded us a bit of an inebriated Uncle Junior from The Sopranos — if Junior had been rich and constantly drunk. Then we started getting Godfather vibes, particularly when Grigor begins his “funny story” in the episode’s final scene. But we’re not giving enough credit to Malkovich, who is essentially sui generis, and has created an original, watchable character in spite of all the familiar caricatures of rich, evil Russians infiltrating our government these days.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: Refinery 29 – May 20, 2018

Categories Billions Print Media Recap

Billions Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: Forbes – May 20, 2018

John Malkovich is an ‘Icebreaker’ and Stephen Kunken Talks Spyros

by Dana Feldman | Forbes | May 20, 2018

Source: Showtime

Icebreaker

The third season of ‘Billions’ continues to get better with each passing episode. The show is no longer centered around the cat and mouse game between Chuck (Paul Giamatti) and Axe (Damian Lewis). Tectonic shifts in plot, wavering loyalties and ever-evolving power plays are doing as intended, keeping fans on the edge of their seats week after week. As Showtime’s No. 2 drama series, Billions averages 4.5-to-5 million weekly viewers across platforms.

And, the show’s viewership has grown season-over-season. Throughout season two, the series grew on Sunday nights by more than 35% from premiere-to-finale. And, the season three premiere was the show’s highest-rated ever with the March 25 debut up 23% from last year. A fourth season is in the works and seeds are planted in this episode that can definitely lead to very exciting storylines next year.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: Forbes – May 20, 2018

Categories Billions Print Media Recap Review

Billions Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: New York Times – May 20, 2018

Bear Market

by Sean T. Collins | New York Times | May 20, 2018

Source: Showtime

Icebreaker

You can take the boys out of the blood feud, but you can’t take the blood feud out of the boys. Just two episodes after the successful conclusion of the truce that saw the main men of “Billions” call an end to hostilities and help each other out of potentially career-ending legal trouble, both Bobby Axelrod and Chuck Rhoades have launched dangerous new contests of the will. And this time around, it’s not the courtroom versus the boardroom: Each man has entered into a rivalry with a bigger fish in their own professional pond.

For Chuck, this means setting his sights on a new white whale: Attorney General Jock Jeffcoat, the Alamo authoritarian running the Justice Department. For Bobby, it entails entering an alliance of creepy convenience with Grigor Andolov, a cheerfully violent Russian oil baron, whose bottomless reserves of liquid cash are exceeded only by his well-earned reputation for criminality and cruelty. Together, writers Adam R. Perlman and Willie Reale and director Stacie Passon operate this week’s episode, titled “Icebreaker,” like a factory assembly line, cranking out perfect new foils for two characters who are never complete without conflict.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: New York Times – May 20, 2018

Categories Billions Print Media Recap

Billions Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: Vulture – May 20, 2018

I’ve Got a Bad Feeling About This

by Nicole Cliffe | Vulture | May 20, 2018

Source: Showtime

Icebreaker

Children, gather round. We have ourselves a “new” pair of Big Bads for the remainder of the season. I say “new” because Jock, our much hated Attorney General, has been wiggling around like a loose tooth since the season premiere, but only now is he really starting to ache. He’s not enough on his own to be interesting, of course, so we need someone to aggravate the heck out of Axe as well. And I am CONCERNED about the show’s choice for Axe’s new antagonist.

John Malkovich is always fun, he’s a fun dude! And when he plays scary, it’s particularly delicious. So I am extremely prepared for him to be good as his stint as Grigor Andolov develops, but this his first outing left me a bit… meh. It’s just more scenery-chewing than I would love to see from him. This particular character is SO in-your-face, being hugely dangerous and mercurial and Keyser Soze-y, and a softer touch of menace would make him significantly scarier. Right now he’s like a professional wrestler with an amped-up backstory, when I think the show would benefit more from a guy so dangerous that he doesn’t need to keep telling you how dangerous he is, or that you had better not lose his money.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: Vulture – May 20, 2018

Categories Billions Print Media Recap

Billions Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: Entertainment Weekly – May 20, 2018

Axe Invites the Devil Into His House

by Kyle Fowle | Entertainment Weekly | May 20, 2018

Source: Showtime

Icebreaker

At the outset of “Icebreaker,” Chuck is in a strange spot. He’s not fighting for his life in Southern, or working to bring charges against an enemy. Rather, he’s in West Texas in the middle of the night. He’s come to see the Attorney General about the case against Jose Lugo, the kid who was nearly beaten to death by a prison guard before killing him in self-defense. It’s a case Chuck didn’t want to take, but he had no choice but to prosecute the kid on instructions from Attorney General Waylon “Jock” Jeffcoat. Now, Chuck finds himself in the back of a pickup truck, shooting a coyote that’s bothering Jock’s cattle herd. Out of place indeed, but an apt visual metaphor for the kill or be killed nature of this episode.

“Icebreaker” is packed to the brim with important, weighty decisions that all boil down to that question of killing or being killed. It’s an episode filled with decisions that seem to have a monumental impact on the character arcs of the season, and it all begins when Axe decides to take a meeting with an advisor who works for Grigor Andolov (John Malkovich, deliciously creepy as always), a Russian oil baron and oligarch who’s also a very dangerous man. He’s the kind of man whose reputation of violence precedes him. But, he also has a ton of money and influence, and what Axe needs is an icebreaker, a first investment that gets him back in the game and tells other investors that it’s safe to start letting Axe play with their money.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: Entertainment Weekly – May 20, 2018

Categories Billions Recap

From The Trader’s Desk: “All The Wilburys” – May 18, 2018

Is Axe Going to the “End of the Line?”

by Lady Trader | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | May 18, 2018

Source: Showtime

Every day I sit and wonder
How my life it use to be
Now I feel I’m going under
Now my life is hard to see
So tell me people, am I going insane, insane?
Am I Going Insane – Black Sabbath

Greetings from the Headbanger’s Ball, oops, I mean the Trader’s Desk! It will never get old for me, but once again I’m starting my post with lyrics from Black Sabbath. This episode had me yelling at my television, and asking if Axe is going insane. He is making all the emotional decisions that have brought him to the brink of disaster.

Continue reading From The Trader’s Desk: “All The Wilburys” – May 18, 2018

Categories Billions Recap

Billions on Showtime, 3.08: All The Wilburys – May 16, 2018

“Ya think, Rickles?”

by JaniaJania | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | May 16, 2018

Source: Showtime

First question when we got the title for Billions, Season 3, Episode 8, “All the Wilburys”:  what, not just the traveling ones? Seems the Wilburys are a clever in group and the goal of this episode, now that our glorious Three are out free and clear is to delineate who among the satellites is out and who is in.

Foley and Senior catch Wendy and Junior in flagrante delicto engaging in the “childish enthusiasms” of their married sexual behavior. This gives them ammo for 1) displaying the fact they can access anything and 2) getting Chuck to commit to the work of becoming Governor by resigning his position as U.S. Attorney. Jack Foley says:

Continue reading Billions on Showtime, 3.08: All The Wilburys – May 16, 2018

Categories Award Submissions Emmy Gold Derby

Gold Derby Submissions – May 15, 2018

Emmys 2018 Exclusive: Showtime Categories for Billions

by Chris Beachum | Gold Derby | May 15, 2018

Source: Showtime/Photo by Jeff Neumann

In a Gold Derby exclusive, we have learned the category placements of the key Emmy Awards contenders for Showtime.  Below is a list of Billions‘ lead, supporting and guest submissions for their drama. More names might be added by the network on the final Emmy ballot. Also note that performers not included on this list may well be submitted by their personal representatives.

“BILLIONS”
Drama Series
Drama Actor – Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis
Drama Supporting Actress – Malin Akerman, Condola Rashad, Maggie Siff
Drama Supporting Actor – Kelly AuCoin, Clancy Brown, David Costabile, Jeffrey DeMunn, Christopher Denham, Asia Kate Dillon, Glenn Fleshler, Toby Leonard Moore, Dan Soder
Drama Guest Actor – Mike Birbiglia, Eric Bogosian, Terry Kinney, John Malkovich, Rob Morrow, David Strathairn, Danny Strong

Continue reading Gold Derby Submissions – May 15, 2018

Categories Billions Gallery Video

Photos & Videos: Next Time on Billions Episode 9 – May 14, 2018

Season 3, Episode 9: Icebreaker

by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | May 14, 2018

On the next episode of Billions, Axe makes a bold play to secure capital from a controversial source. Taylor chafes against Axe’s recent moves. Chuck recruits the allies he needs to move forward with a new plan. Connerty seeks out a career opportunity.

Source: Showtime

To view more sneak peek photos, please visit our Gallery

Official clip: “Next on Episode 9” 

Official clip: “Draw Up the Papers”

Categories Billions Print Media Recap

Billions Superlatives: Best, Worst, Most from S3E8 – May 14, 2018

Black Sabbath Tees, Absent Fathers, and Way Too Much of Chuck’s Saliva

by Miles Surrey | The Ringer | May 14, 2018

Source: Showtime

Here is the best, worst, and most from the eighth episode of Season 3

The (cocaine) dust has settled from Axe’s penthouse party in last week’s epic Billionssendoff—though I’d imagine that was quite a lengthy cleanup. Now Billions marches onward: it’s time for Axe to get back to work at Axe Capital, while Chuck has to decide whether his future resides in the district attorney’s office or as governor of the state. Lara is also being Lara—by which I mean she’s being awful.

In other words, there’s a lot going on in the eighth episode of this great third season, “All the Wilburys,” and I haven’t even touched on the most unexpected, unholy character alliance this side of Chuck and Axe playing for the same team. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that and plenty more from this action-packed installment.

Most Unnecessarily Dramatic Entrance

Continue reading Billions Superlatives: Best, Worst, Most from S3E8 – May 14, 2018

Categories Billions Print Media Recap

Billions Season 3, Episode 8 Recap: Forbes – May 14, 2018

“Axe Returns to Axe Cap to Cheers and High-Fives Befitting a Rock Star”

by Dana Feldman | Forbes | May 14, 2018

Showtime’s hit series Billions continues to prove itself worthy of the legendary Wilbury status that’s the basis of this latest episode. This week, it’s made abundantly clear who is up and who is down and out.  

In “All The Wilburys” Axe (Damian Lewis) and Wags (David Costabile) explain to Spyros (Stephen Kunken), as he’s being fired, the difference between those with Wilbury, or legend, status, and those without. Spyros falls into the latter category but gets a little help from an unexpected source: Dollar Bill (Kelly AuCoin). Do these enemies actually become friends in this episode? More on this below.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 8 Recap: Forbes – May 14, 2018

Categories Billions Recap

Billions on Showtime, Season 3 Episode 8: All the Wilburys – May 14, 2018

Handle with Care

by Damianista | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | May 14, 2018

Source: Showtime

Now that Axe and Chuck have dug themselves out of their own graves, both embrace their victories, and are ready to pick up the game where they left. We find them handling new situations they face in their own unique ways: sometimes with utmost care, and sometimes not so much.

Continue reading Billions on Showtime, Season 3 Episode 8: All the Wilburys – May 14, 2018