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

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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

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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

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“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

Categories Billions Print Media Recap

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

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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

Categories Billions Print Media Recap

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

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

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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

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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