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Billions Season 3, Episode 4 Recap: I Learned It From Watching You, Dad! – April 15, 2018

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Charles and Chuck Fathers-and-Sons Tour de Force

by Nicole Cliffe | Vulture | April 15, 2018

Source: Showtime

Hell of a Ride

Dust off your Harry Chapin albums, ditto Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill,” and get your dad feelings ready. This episode is the Charles and Chuck fathers-and-sons tour de force we’ve been waiting for. It’s done a LOT less hackily than these arcs often are (a well-timed flashforward helps set a good tone of ambiguity) and teaches us a whole lot about Chuck’s childhood, which … explains plenty. I was also glad to see Wendy get more work to do this week, she’d been a muted presence this season and Maggie Siff really got the opportunity to swing for the fences and put in a beautiful, moving performance.

Wendy usually spends way more time dealing with the strong negative emotions of others than she does with her own self-care, and here she must deal with the unexpected and tragic death of the man who Mad Men fans still think of as Bob Benson, but on Billions is Craig Heidecker, a cuter/nicer Elon Musk type and Wendy’s onetime lover during her separation from Chuck. His loss, in pursuit of space travel, guts Wendy, but also has a real impact on Taylor, who (sensibly) had placed a major bet against his chance of launching successfully. Obviously this cannot be the first time Taylor has realized that their work is not always aligned with the path of furthering human happiness and scientific advancement, but it definitely seems to be the first time they feel it with any acuity.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 4 Recap: I Learned It From Watching You, Dad! – April 15, 2018

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Billions Season 3, Episode 4 Recap: Venture Philanthropy & Space Colonization – April 15, 2018

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“Wags knows that everybody in this world has a closet full of skeletons; all he has to do is channel his inner Randy Travis and get to digging up those bones.”

by Kyle Fowle | Entertainment Weekly | April 15, 2018

Source: Showtime

Hell of a Ride

Billions knows how to use time jumps and flashbacks better than most shows. The trick is that the show understands when to use them for maximum effect. “Golden Frog Time” might be the best example of the craft, but “Hell of a Ride” certainly ranks up there. The episode begins with Dake and Connerty offering Chuck Sr. full immunity in exchange for testimony against his son. They, or Connerty more specifically, want to know, on the record, that Chuck directed his father to use his trust money to invest in Ice Juice, therefore luring Axe into a trap before purposely sabotaging the IPO.

Then, the episode flashes back to three days earlier. It’s a wonderful setup, immediately establishing the stakes of the episode. What’s even more intriguing is that there’s truly no way to know what Chuck Sr. will do. We assume Chuck Jr. will find a way to sneak out of harm’s way, but considering how much the father hates the son in this moment, there’s no guarantee. Plus, Connerty is feeling more and more betrayed by his boss and mentor, and that means he’s seriously driven to combat his corruption.

Continue reading Billions Season 3, Episode 4 Recap: Venture Philanthropy & Space Colonization – April 15, 2018

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Billions Season Three: Creators Take Showtime Series to a Whole New Level – March 6, 2018

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“…Many will be damned by the end of the season.”

by Dana Feldman | Forbes | March 6, 2018

Showtime’s original hit drama series Billions returns for its highly-anticipated third season Sunday, March 25, and fans are eager to pick up where they left off at the end of season two. No show has better exemplified the quote made famous by Chinese philosopher Confucius: “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.”

Billions is Showtime’s No. 2 drama series behind Homeland, averaging five million weekly viewers across platforms. The series grew throughout the second season on Sunday nights by more than 35% from premiere-to-finale.

Starring Oscar nominee and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Paul Giamatti and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis, the show centers around the battle between hard-charging U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Giamatti) and billionaire hedge fund king Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Lewis) as the two continue to battle it out in an effort to destroy the other, even if the end result is self-destruction. This season the battle picks up in a world that has shifted on its axis. Though both are just as determined to destroy the other, each is simultaneously faced with battling for their own survival amid new forces at play and powerful enemies.

Continue reading Billions Season Three: Creators Take Showtime Series to a Whole New Level – March 6, 2018

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Billions Season 3 Plot: Damian Gives Clues – Jan 20, 2018

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Billions Season 3: Here’s Everything We Know.

by Don Kaye | Den of Geek! | January 20, 2018

Source: Twitter @SHO_Billions

Billions has quietly developed a devoted following over the course of its two seasons on Showtime.  There’s something to be said for quality, and the increasingly vocal Billions fans has helped with the show’s success.

Bobby Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis, is the kind of guy who can’t lead a “normal” life. But that’s exactly what he’ll have to try to do in Billions Season 3. This season will detail Axe’s struggle to regain his livelihood and his financial empire. Easier said than done.

As reported by Deadline, Brian Koppelman divulged, “By the 3rd episode of this season it’s pretty clear that he’s not going to accept that that’s his modern life. He’s going to work really hard to change that. We just wanted to take a superhero in a way and put them in a box for which it’s hard for them to escape.”

“We had these characters that are super powerful within their worlds,” executive producer David Levien said at the TCA press tour. “It’s fascinating to us to put them in situations where they become vulnerable or less powerful. It’s a changing landscape. The question is how will Axe react?”

Not well, one would assume. Will Axe find a way back? Here’s what Damian says about that:

“People go down on this show but they get back up pretty quick,” Damian Lewis said. “That buoyancy is what makes it so exciting to watch… He has a lieutenant now and they are the avatar of everything that he likes and believes in. He will find a way to come back.”

According to Showtime, Axe and Chuck will also “battle for their own survival amid new forces and powerful enemies.”

Continue reading Billions Season 3 Plot: Damian Gives Clues – Jan 20, 2018