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I really like the performances on this show. I think it's the direction. This last episode had Paul Giamatti epitomizing a charismatic go-getter in a way that's well outside his usual zone. Anyhow, it was a decent episode on the Rhoads side with some pretty big stakes coming up on both sides of his ledger, though I think the boat bits were overlong to convey Axe's cold ruthlessness when injured. I like his new girl, even if she's already becoming a bit flat. I've always think Wendy doesn't fit in the show somehow. I root for Taylor way more than I should. Neither of them did much this ep except continue their current momentum. Be interesting to see how they interact next time, but I don't expect much will come of it given each's external equities don't allow a lot of influence here. But the show has surprised me before.
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Apr 15, 2019 02:28
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this show sucks but Paul G is a great actor and I like watching him act. Plot is nonsense, writing is terrible, characters act inconsistently. But drat, Paul's a good character. I think most of the main cast of characters give pretty awful acting performances. I like a lot of the secondary or tertiary characters though.
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Apr 15, 2019 03:21
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I feel like while Chuck and Axe are in theory on the same side now, they'll end up in a race to ratfuck each other to stay out of jail. What characters end up on what side in that war will be fascinating. I wonder if Wendy signed one of the iron-clad non competes that would prevent her from leaving Axe to go work for Taylor. Her "I want to see you" line to Taylor was interesting, usually that would be reserved for a romantic interest. There was a good shot last episode of Wendy leaving in the elevator after watching Chuck's presser, and the camera stayed on the open elevator like Axe was going to run and comfort her. Or someone...anyone...would run and comfort her.
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Apr 15, 2019 04:00
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A fun ep, it took me longer than I expected to see that Axe was going full coldhearted revenge over basically goddamn nothing, but I caught on a bit into the boat trip. Wendy was also much less pissed than I expected.
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Apr 15, 2019 09:36
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Do Chuck and Wendy still have kids or did they get sent to boarding school or something ?
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Apr 15, 2019 19:32
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Your Gay Uncle posted:Do Chuck and Wendy still have kids or did they get sent to boarding school or something ? Wendy sent them to her parents so they could avoid the shame of being around their mother.
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Apr 15, 2019 21:14
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nooneofconsequence posted:Wendy sent them to her parents so they could avoid the shame of being around their mother. They might have got Judy Winslowed - it seems like they’re never around and all the scenes at Chuck’s house take place at night to avoid explaining their absence beyond “they’re asleep” Not that rich parents in Manhattan see their kids often anyway A storyline about Au Paire’s would be great, now that I think about it
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Apr 15, 2019 22:11
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The funeral scene was top notch. Can somebody gif the pure joy on Chuck's dad's face as he watched it all go down and the FBI bust in the room. Man that must have been a hosed up childhood.
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Apr 18, 2019 00:05
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D-Pad posted:The funeral scene was top notch. Can somebody gif the pure joy on Chuck's dad's face as he watched it all go down and the FBI bust in the room. Man that must have been a hosed up childhood.  Also great when he's standing on the development site. "When you're in the penthouse God looks up to you" and the reply, "Hey we need to take those expectations down a notch". 
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Apr 18, 2019 01:28
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Binary Logic posted:
Awesome. There was an even better one right before that when the FBI busts in and everybody starts looking around and Sr. has a giant poo poo eating grin on his face.
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Apr 18, 2019 03:27
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Would love to see a montage of Chuck Sr. knowing grins/head nods. There have been many.
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Apr 18, 2019 06:08
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Wendy is concerned about what people think of her. Meanwhile in Wags' office...
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Apr 18, 2019 11:37
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It's state troopers with Chuck at the funeral, not FBI. Chuck's the state AG. The feds are tailing Sr to build a corruption case against him and our man Chuck. State vs Federal.
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Apr 18, 2019 12:58
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Binary Logic posted:Wendy is concerned about what people think of her. Meanwhile in Wags' office... It was interesting to see camaraderie among the two characters who, between Axe and Chuck, know where all the bodies are buried
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Apr 18, 2019 15:16
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"thank you" "gently caress you" gonna need a GIF of that Wendy's a piece of poo poo, my goodness. Couldn't even go 2 weeks before I lost all sympathy for her again. That scene on the water with her and Taylor playing chicken with their emotions was awesome. Wendy saw the slightest crack and pounced. Not sure where the video of Cool Judge meeting with Chuck is going to end up, but Chuck is very close to losing everything and doesn't even know it.
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Apr 22, 2019 03:26
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This felt like the weakest episode of the season so far, though I'm very much a fan of the Brian Connerty Descent into Amorality and Madness.
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Apr 22, 2019 21:30
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See what happens when Malkovich leaves a show! I didn't understand Wags storyline at all. EugeneJ posted:"thank you" Yes tough to feel any sympathy for Wendy's little personal problems when she's such an evil manipulator.
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Apr 23, 2019 03:45
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Binary Logic posted:I didn't understand Wags storyline at all. I had to Google it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_Beta_Phi quote:Kappa Beta Phi (ΚΒΦ) is a secret society, best known for its Wall Street Chapter that is made up of high-ranking financial executives. quote:The organization's name is a reversal of Phi Beta Kappa, and instead of a key, the members wear a fob tied to a red ribbon around their necks.
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Apr 23, 2019 03:55
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Binary Logic posted:See what happens when Malkovich leaves a show! He stole that guy's funeral plot so this was the "jock invites nerdy girl to prom prank" as revenge.
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Apr 23, 2019 04:46
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Thanks for the explanation, it still seems like a plot more suited to Silicon Valley than this show. But reading that I wish they'd allowed him onstage in his dress and heels to sing Major Tom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuJmxLzvMS8
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Apr 23, 2019 10:48
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I was expecting the battle lines in this season to be Wendy/Taylor vs Axe/Chuck. So it was a bit of a surprise to me that Wendy said she was working on a secret mission to gently caress with Taylor.
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Apr 23, 2019 12:37
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Man... Axe had a line in this week's episode...he said to that Victor guy who had to come back and work at AxeCap for him..."You're going to work like a sharecropper until these debts are repaid." I cringed hard at that line...kind of brought me back into perspective that this show is about IRL human garbage despite how fun it is watching these characters. Yes, working at a hedge fund in Manhattan is just like being an indentured farmer.
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Apr 24, 2019 20:53
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That's how metaphors work, not supposed to be taken literally.
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Apr 25, 2019 00:01
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re: Wendy. When your motives are inscrutable, your pain is likewise, and instead of empathy your crying evokes only confusion.
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Apr 28, 2019 15:47
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Autistic Edgy Guy posted:Man... Axe is a greedy, horrible person who only talks to someone when he wants something from them. Sarcastr0 posted:re: Wendy.
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Apr 28, 2019 19:25
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Binary Logic posted:Wendy could be lashing out at Taylor because there's no one else she can take out her anger and frustration on. (Chuck betrayed Wendy's trust, so Wendy is betraying Taylor's trust) However if that's the case the show should make it more explicit. Wendy said if she didn't have anyone to talk to (Taylor) she would end up in "a dark place" So if she's not talking about killing herself...I'd hate to see what that looks like - like how much more evil can she get? It's almost like the series is going to culminate with everyone in her life facing jailtime and she's going to have to try and fix it all - which would actually be a cool redemption story for her character
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Apr 29, 2019 01:28
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What happened to security? Mafee is allowed to just walk right into the office?
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Apr 29, 2019 06:45
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Give Paul Giamatti an Emmy for the pancake eater scene I think it would have been better storyline wise if Mafee had shouted something like “every secret you told her she will use to crush you” to plant doubt in the remaining Axe staff about Wendy
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Apr 29, 2019 21:07
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nooneofconsequence posted:What happened to security? Mafee is allowed to just walk right into the office? They showed up after it escalated, why would they stop him at the door when he left on semi-friendly terms? He might have been there to beg for his job back for all they know. It's not like when he quit he yelled "the next time you see me, I'm gonna be fighting Dollar Bill!"
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Apr 29, 2019 23:43
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Ben Kim smiling and waving at disliked traitor Mafee was weird. I know he's supposed to be super nice beta cuck guy, but a dumb move like that still felt unnatural. This season has had some nice, classic Billions "wow" moments, but in general it's all feeling a bit weak. I'm not finding the Axe vs. Taylor storyline all that compelling, and Connerty, Sacker and Jeffcoat have awkwardly faded into the background as these peripheral makeshift antagonists. I know the show's brand of conflict has always kinda been variations on a theme, but now it's feeling especially recycled. The Wendy arc has the most depth, and to be fair it does seem like they're building toward something interesting there.
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Apr 30, 2019 06:55
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Vernacular posted:Ben Kim smiling and waving at disliked traitor Mafee was weird. I know he's supposed to be super nice beta cuck guy, but a dumb move like that still felt unnatural. Episode recap: Axe buys a local pizzeria, Wendy goes jogging, Taylor's father returns home. j/k I liked the ep and it was good to see Peter Jacobson, who was last seen in Colony. While the dead dog story is done it would be nice if he makes more appearances, he's such a good antagonist. The Connerty stuff is building up, seems like everyone Chuck talks to and deals with is corrupt. EugeneJ posted:Give Paul Giamatti an Emmy for the pancake eater scene
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Apr 30, 2019 10:44
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I like that Chuck is constantly getting screwed by photo and video surveillance at a distance, and now wiretaps, though I expect him to be on the ball enough at this point to turn it around on Connerty and reveal he knew about it earlier than we've seen him know about it as viewers. I feel like Connerty just has a passive crew out there constantly tailing Chuck and taking photos at this point, that's really the only explanation I can come up with for the dog owner having that photo of Chuck showing up. Wendy's definitely been a garbage person of late, nice to see that land with her at last. Taylor realizing what was up with Wendy was really nice too, nice to see them see through her and for them to acknowledge that they figured they were being played but were hoping to turn that around and get leverage of their own. I feel like the big season 4 ending thing will be Wendy leaving Axe Cap, so that play might actually work out on Taylor's front though at a cost. We haven't quite hit the highs that season 3 did, that middle section of Chuck and Axe first getting together was super fun and Wendy was still likeable enough that we could root for her when she's totally down for setting some innocent guy up, but it's been a fun ride and the annual "here's how hosed up my childhood was and what an rear end in a top hat my dad was" monologue from Chuck was its usual Emmy-nomination worthy thing.
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Apr 30, 2019 12:48
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Just thought of an interesting idea - remember when Axe’s spy guy offered Wendy a job earlier in the season and Axe snapped “she’s not going anywhere” What if Wendy did end up working for that guy and used surveillance on Taylor/Axe/Chuck to manipulate them for...well who knows what motivates Wendy. Taylor should go after Wendy for HIPAA violations and go public with it - Wendy wouldn’t be able to work in the medical profession again
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Apr 30, 2019 17:29
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EugeneJ posted:Taylor should go after Wendy for HIPAA violations and go public with it - Wendy wouldn’t be able to work in the medical profession again This is actually an amazing idea and I want to personally congratulate you for listing the acronym right. Everyone says HIPPA, I even caught our compliance officer using that once. Ugh.
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May 1, 2019 19:26
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EugeneJ posted:Taylor should go after Wendy for HIPAA violations and go public with it - Wendy wouldn’t be able to work in the medical profession again Close enough to be impressive. In shows like this one ethics laws are always more like magic than science.
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May 5, 2019 16:55
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I usually wait until later Sunday to post in case other people didn’t watch the episode early on-demand, but gently caress it That episode had a lot going on - Chuck Sr. casually revealing he had a Native American lovechild in the middle of Chuck’s strongarm attempt was hilarious. Wendy and Chuck reconciling is disappointing. Wendy now feels powerless professionally and the only way she can feel in control is by pulling Chuck’s strings. Chuck and the head of the Native American board had some chemistry and I’d like to see them together again. End of the boxing match really drove home Taylor's dad's parting words that "even if you win, it won't feel like it". Wall Street is stupid and there will be no winners in the battle between Taylor and Axe. Sarcastr0 posted:Close enough to be impressive. In shows like this one ethics laws are always more like magic than science. Not sure if this is a credit to me or a credit to the show becoming more predictable. The minute Wendy asked for a former patient's records I was like "that's a red flag". If she has to go before the medical board, Wendy might escape unharmed if whatever clerk she got the records from is paid off beforehand. It's not like there's a paper trail as there would be had she accessed an electronic database. EugeneJ fucked around with this message at 03:26 on May 6, 2019 |
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May 5, 2019 23:20
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Bonnie seems like an awesome friend.
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May 6, 2019 07:09
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I think there's lots to be mined from that boxing match. The message that immediately comes to mind is that it's a nice reminder that no matter what massive amounts of money and influence you have to throw around, even the major players like Axe and Taylor can't buy or scheme their way to the outcome they want every time. I liked seeing Taylor get a win here, they were definitely due one and I liked that it showed they're willing to set aside personal beliefs (based on what we've seen of the character I have to think they're very anti-fracking) just to beat Axe. It's kind of a flawless victory on all counts and to me a more impressive one than anything Axe has really pulled off against them. Axe landed the more damaging personal blow, but screwing Axe over on a financial deal is kind of how you do the equivalent of souring a personal relationship, so it's probably closer in damage than you might expect. And getting your opponent to come off as an rear end in a top hat on T.V., publicly support an anti-environment position, and deploy lots of financial and political resources (adding off-screen lobbying fees, $1.2 million to the Governor and the cost of doing that big favor for him and I can easily see it landing somewhere in the $5-10 million in expenses range) all to land where they make money but you make way more? That's pretty smooth operating, and yet it's also a very Taylor thing to do where even when they're getting revenge they're enriching both sides, where Axe is always about completely destroying his opposition and not being content to see them get even a minor win, or this kind of thing that's actually a win/win scenario if you have the right outlook on things.
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May 6, 2019 13:24
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Everything about the boxing training montages and the boxing match itself was comedy gold. I died laughing when they were tired out by Round 3. Was cool to see Taylor get one over on Axe, very clever. The references are sometimes a little too much, but then they'll do one that tickles me perfectly and I forgive them. God the acting on this show is so fun to watch, everyone chewing all the scenery.
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May 7, 2019 02:15
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Haha was that Tim Ferriss as one of Mafee's trainers? I'm not really getting too much enjoyment out of this season, but the boxing match was definitely a good moment. Seems like it was meant to symbolize the feud between Axe and Taylor: lots of big talk and wasted energy that's ultimately not really worth it for either side, with both parties coming out looking bad. Vernacular fucked around with this message at 06:49 on May 7, 2019 |
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May 7, 2019 06:43
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