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Ah good a thread was made, happy to pass off those thread-starting duties. The barrage of cultural references really bugged me in this episode for some reason, maybe it just came off as a bit too forced. It's definitely par for the course, and I do like the show overall, so probably having Wags drop like 8 of them in the meeting with a definitely real Arab nation was a bridge too far for me. Taylor looking hot as hell presenting as a woman wasn't something I was expecting, given that they were meeting with an Arab nation I was expecting them to show up in full islamic body covering, so that was a fun swerve. Makes me look forward to seeing the actor in John Wick 3, their look in that isn't too different from Taylors and I'd been assuming they'd be presented as non-binary there too since that's the kind of extra character flourish I'd expect them to put in there, but now I'm kind of hoping to see them turn on the traditional feminine charm or charisma at some point in that movie. I'm a sucker for that kind of "swap your way up" development so that was fun to see Chuck do, and I liked that it brought in the parking pass at the end instead of it being the thing he started the swap with. It's also super interesting to see him at such a low point where he's not even willing to try to get a gun permit without being pushed into it, given where last season left off I thought he'd be launching right into a solid plan for revenge. Having Wendy get one of the swap elements without Chuck even being called over to the table was really notable to me too, there's always been that power disparity between them in many ways and having her get this pretty big favor for a literal 1-2 hours of her time while all he has to offer is a parking pass was fun. Given the reference to Chuck's S&M interests there's also that added layer of this basically being a professional and public expression of that dynamic, they didn't really make that explicit in the scene but I caught a quick little twinge from Giamatti that at least leaves that as a possibility. It's gonna be real interesting to see how Chuck gets into that AG race when Blackjack has what should be a sure thing to take him down. I'd be shocked if they go in this direction, but it'd be wild if Chuck was just like "publish it all, who cares it's 2019" and campaigned while acknowledging that he enjoys kinky sex. It's certainly more ideal to neutralize Foley another way but that'd be the more fun path to take for me as a viewer. Autistic Edgy Guy posted:wtf was with Wags being almost bigoted out of nowhere Wags has always been a supreme rear end in a top hat and he's never reacted well to being cornered or feeling weak (see his tirade with the attorney who stole his precious grave spot last season, for instance). While he's come off as progressive and a defender of what he sees as the right thing to do (sushi scene) or people he likes (Taylor steam room scene), I find it very easy to believe he's got some people he's not tolerant towards. I also find it equally believable that even if he doesn't believe a word of what he's saying, he'll say it if he thinks it'll help close the deal or to hurt/coerce someone into doing what he wants. There's also a big element of 'This is Axe Cap's big swinging dick here and I'm gonna swing it" to Wags dealing with the Arabs, he's been used to dictating terms just like this for a long time, going back to before the start of the show presumably, and trying to do that from a position of weakness probably makes him turn his normal attitude up to 11. That's just me doing my thing and overanalyzing this goofy show though. A fun premiere, my only true regret is that they didn't give us the ultimate curveball by having Axe actually legitimately stop messing with Taylor and show that he's changed somewhat from his attitude at the start of the show. You could then have Taylor keep poking at him (easy to want to go on offense when you know you don't need defense) and then you get the retaliation and all the trouble that comes with it. I'd have loved to see that inevitable scene of Axe going postal in Wendy's office over how he had finally done the right thing, the mature thing, set his anger aside, and they screwed with him anyway and now he'll never make that mistake again. Maybe that'll be a story development at some point down the line, Axe has been doing crazy poo poo constantly and with how it's blown up in his face as much as helped him (RIP his marriage and seeing his kids all the time), and with the canon best psychiatrist on the planet working with him, he really should be self-aware enough to rev the revenge/lashing out engine down, and that's certainly an idea Wendy's been trying to convey to him over the course of the show. Sorry for the big ol' post, I tend to get it out of my system over time. Kind of in a revved up mode myself seeing all these characters again.
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Mar 24, 2019 08:55
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Oasx posted:I love this show so much, Chuck and Axe being on the same team is so satisfying. I got a kick out of Chuck calling Axe up and being like "I need this whole school moved" and Axe is just like yeah sure np buddy. Also hilarious that it's because the diplomat's super privileged step-son just didn't want to move, all those hoops jumped by Chuck and it's to help solve a problem that really shouldn't be a problem. Come to think of it Chucks story was full of just the most incredibly rich first world problems, that's certainly par for the course with tons of Billions characters but now I'm thinking that's a nice story wrinkle. When Chuck was a DA he'd do way shadier poo poo but it was at least a 50/50 split on when he was doing it to help his own goals/save his butt and when it was to actually try to get some real justice to happen and hold the rich and powerful accountable. He'd also look out for the little guy like when that guy was accused of killing a guard in prison but the prison was super corrupt, and he wanted to help the guy while the AG just wanted that poo poo buried. Now he's just doing pure power broker stuff to get a bunch of people things they want but absolutely none of them need. I kind of dig that at the moment all pretense of doing things for the right reason, taking down people like Axe, etc. is completely gone from his life right now and he's just being friendly with Axe and plotting his revenge.
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Mar 26, 2019 00:56
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I think her desire there was pretty clearly to switch up the roles in the bedroom with Chuck being dominant. Him on top was working for her, the discussion in the shrink's office and going to see their old sex pal, definitely ample evidence. I do think it's possible that she cheats on him, but they've explored that story thread already and I definitely don't think that's what she's looking to do now. The thread of Billions bringing in clear expy's of existing people continues, and I like Axe's new girl a lot. Billions remains the #1 show for eating during scenes. If you add in drinking too then I think you can literally put it at 50% of the scenes in this episode. And Connerty full devouring that sandwich was as fun to see as the season's trailer suggested. Edit: Also, if anyone offhand remembers why Chuck was throwing away half his sandwich early in episode 2 then please clue me in, I feel like he's done that before and explained why but I can't recall. I think maybe as a diet thing? NowonSA fucked around with this message at 04:42 on Mar 26, 2019 |
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Mar 26, 2019 04:39
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I mean, my read on it is absolutely that she wanted to not do dominatrix-style stuff with Chuck and switch the roles, or less likely just have normal sex. Now if that doesn't happen and she can't accept that, then maybe cheating's back on the table, but as I've said I'm not really making that leap yet. What I will agree to with full conviction is that basically every character we've seen on the show would gladly hop into bed with Wendy and would want a full romantic partnership on top of that, while I can't picture anyone wanting to get with Chuck in that same way. He's really punching above his weight.
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Mar 27, 2019 07:54
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Yeah Asia had some nice little facial tics in this episode. I found myself sympathizing with Taylor's dad a lot too, it's got to be a head trip when you've raised a kid for so long and seen them as female and then they decide to not acknowledge your vision of their gender, when you've known them literally longer then they've known themselves, if you consider memories a sense of self. Taylor's dad has the memories and experiences of seeing Taylor at ages 1, 2 , 3, etc. that Taylor doesn't have, for instance. Changing pronouns seems simple to us as the audience, but with all that history and personal connection I was surprised that I read it as a complicated character thing and not that surface level "wrong pronoun" conflict. Also, sign me up for wanting that kitchen utensil "you're always doing things the hard way" scene to lead into some revelation on Taylor's part that they use against Axe. Chuck getting Axe to put him in the AG's office was inevitable, but I'm still excited to see that billion dollar rocket engine strapped to him and used against his enemies. Going to be really fun to see them fighting one another again down the line too, which given the characters certainly seems inevitable as well. That'd be a solid dynamic to close the series out on in season 6 or 7.
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Apr 1, 2019 10:31
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Yeah I'm down for Wendy vs. the boys, with her psych chops and rando connections with wallstreet bigwigs I think she can really rain down hell if she wants to. No way was Chuck going to fold and I expected him to lean into the scandal, but drat he put together (well, the Billions writers did) a good speech. He's definitely going to regret not having found some way to make Wendy at least somewhat okay with it getting out there. Wasn't expecting Gregor and Axe to basically end up chill with each other, but I'm cool with that being settled for now and him looming as a future conflict. With this show you absolutely know Axe is going to get wind of an insane financial opportunity in Russia and not be able to resist going for it. The little thing lost in the shuffle here is that Taylor's company was like, almost entirely built in Gregor's money right, so if that gets unfrozen and he withdraws it isn't Taylor basically screwed? Looking forward to seeing how that shakes out. Taylor's phone call to Wendy also made a ton of sense now that I think of it, good call to note the similarities of experience there, and I feel like that could very well be the new teamup between Chuck and Axe. As Wendy really becomes aware of how tight those two are now I feel like she's going to leave Axe Cap this season, and it'll be wild to see what other moves she makes after that. Overall a really good episode, they just kind of blew through what I expected to be the entire season's major conflicts in the first four episodes, going to be fun to see Chuck back in power and doing proper AG stuff.
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Apr 9, 2019 09:37
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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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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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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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Oasx posted:The show has been renewed for season 5. Sweet, I'm on board with this show getting a nice long 7-8 season run, round it all out nicely and go out while you still have a bit of steam left in the tank. Some fun returns in this episode with the alpha Jock therapist and the doctor Chuck, Wendy, and Axe framed. The medical board tie-in was fun there, as was Chuck doing some 3-D chess in pretty much just visiting him to make sure Connerty knew what he wanted. I'm pretty baffled that Chuck didn't just pick saving Wendy in exchange for the train, but I guess at least it seemed that at the end of it he went with no deal on that rather than outright siding with getting his Dad's ask done. Hopefully we find out what's behind this mobile voting thing soon seeing as he just mortgaged his marriage to keep that in his pocket. Stuff like this always comes out too, and once Wendy finds out he didn't do it I feel like that's the deathblow to their marriage. If Connerty was on his game, or operating at Chuck's diabolical level, I think he would have put together that Chuck may tell her he couldn't get it done and use that as leverage or just tell her to get some revenge. On the other hand I didn't really dig the Axe Cap side of things this episode, kind of all stuff we've seen before. At least we get the new Taylor romance (swerve in it not being their right-hand blonde lady) and Taylor knowing where to hit Axe out of it. I hope the status quo there changes soon, seeing Axe and Taylor take shots at each other has been fun but I'm good with just a season of that, and in Axe's case in particular it feels like 80% of what we've seen is him lashing out in revenge against rich people he feels have wronged him, with the other 20% being him defending himself against Chuck. Basically I kind of want to see some new angles taken with the characters and who they're in opposition against, kind of like how Wendy's been shaken up as of late. Her shift into full evil manipulator mode feels like a real change, whereas Axe is still doing Axe stuff and Chuck's doing Chuck stuff. Since I like the show and the actors I still like seeing them do their stuff, but I'd like some new twists beyond them doing the same stuff to different people. Edit: It just occurred to me that Connerty thinking a guy is a super great therapist and life coach because he made some gross references to Japanese culture is a really brilliant callback to all the random Japanese culture he's espoused over the series, and I want to give that its due. I may have some complaints about other characters' overall arcs and repetitive storytelling, but between Connertysandwich.gif and this I'm fully content with that character. NowonSA fucked around with this message at 06:00 on May 13, 2019 |
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May 13, 2019 05:39
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Connerty, Wendy and Chuck had a big scene together at Chuck's house where Connerty was trying to convince them to take a plea deal related to the whole Ice Juice mess. For the most part they haven't been together though, I agree that Connerty should get paired up with Wendy and Taylor eventually, that'll be fun. I'm also game to see Connerty realize Chuck's too smooth to really take out, or just get firmly beaten by him, and then work an angle to go after Axe instead. As chummy as Axe and Chuck are now there has to be a lasting sentiment on both sides that they'd like to see the other taken out of power, and I think it's an interesting character moment if Connerty has Axe dead to rights on something major and only Chuck could possibly throw a wrench into it, but instead of the obvious choice of stopping it because of their alliance and because he can't stand to see Connerty do what he couldn't he decides that ultimately he wants to see Axe burn and lets it happpen, blowing up their comraderie in the process.
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May 17, 2019 17:50
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I actually didn't like this episode as much as some of the past ones this season since it was so direct and on the nose with its themes and what was causing the wheels to turn in characters' heads. It's always been very much that type of show most of the time, just something about how it was done this time bothered me, even when it was being done well. I definitely think we're seeing that groundwork being put down for Wendy sleeping with Axe, and probably some of my dislike for the episode is from me not wanting to see that happen since it's such a conventional plot move. It creates plenty of good drama, and Axe being super supportive and that being extra effective with where Wendy's marriage is at makes loads of sense and hits harder because of it, but for me personally that's not a road I want to see traveled. I also didn't like that Chuck didn't pick up on the Treasury Secretary suddenly being half mime, hell he's had so many "smart" feats that I expected him to pick up on there being a bug as soon as he found out both his father and his family were out of their respective homes on that day. Maybe we'll get a nice little rewind and see that he started passing notes to his Dad ahead of the meeting. I'm certainly expecting that "the one at most risk" they're referring to is AG Jock and Chuck is turning this bug situation around to sink his enemy, with that Safe acting as a trap to help that avenue of attack. Kind of going to be real disappointed if Chuck's caught completely unaware on this, hell I'm on board for him knowing that he was spotted with the Judge all the way back to the wiretap being granted and having played that sweet, sweet long game since that's a narrative device I never get tired of. Still, certainly not a bad episode and plenty of interesting character stuff in there. I like that the sense I got was Chuck is in sync with S1/S2 Wendy with the plea deal but they've grown too far apart for him to recognize that she'd rather compromise her morals and sense of being a good person significantly and get a full win than take a deal, avoid the board meeting, and view herself as good without having to go on the record and be grilled. I feel like Wendy's also gone along with things that Chuck or Axe have told her are the way to go before, and this was a case where she wasn't willing to immediately defer to one party. With all that said, I feel like I can count on the show to manufacture a situation where Axe has to do serious harm to Wendy to get himself out of trouble (Ice Juice debacle but way more intense and unavoidable), and I'm down for either of the obvious possibilities there whether it's Axe throwing her under the bus or him not being willing to do it and that's what finally has him taken down and facing the harshest possibly consequences I can imagine for the character short of somebody deciding to straight up murder Axe: 3-5 years in a cushy Federal Prison and only having about a billion dollars stashed in an offshore account somewhere, and losing his trading license for good. Well I was due for a wall of words on this show I probably care about too much. One good thing I can definitely say about it is it seemed like Maggie Siff was acting her rear end off in this one, so that was fun to see.
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May 28, 2019 11:17
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I mean, Connerty's about to do some real unethical and unmoral stuff, probably the most clean cut case of him being shady in the show so far if he even tries to steal what's in that safe, so I think this counseling is justifying and feeding in to his desire to switch to breaking the rules. I hadn't thought of a wife swap but that would be a fun dynamic to explore, as much as part of me would still hate it I'd like a Wendy/Axe pairing a lot more if that happened. Put me down for Taylor showing up for the hearing after all, either because they really are committed to Axe-style vengeance to the point of lying about showing up to accentuate the impact or because something new happens before the hearing that pisses them off and makes them want to lash out at Axe/Wendy. I feel like we've seen Wendy lose less often than we've seen proper losses chalked up to the various other major cast members over the course of the show, and with her clearly being emotionally vulnerable, in conflict with herself, and enduring the public humilation of her sex practices being public I think we need to see her really lose the hearing to complete that arc and truly set her back, to the point that she's really at a different point in her character's arc going in to the next season. If she fully wins the hearing then she avoids the consequences of her actions, and even if she gets that win with dirty play Axe tactics, lying to the committee, or emotionally manipulating Taylor that's kind of just her showing that she's willing to get her hands dirty, and that's been clear ever since she was totally on board with setting up somebody to get out from under Ice Juice. A loss that results in her losing her license but Axe still 110% on board with working with her and giving her some kind of crazy high profile job title (I think something like V.P. of the company or otherwise basically at a Wags level) and an insane bonus/new salary, and her taking it but still clearly being super unhappy, all that seems like solid plot stuff that moves characters forward. Oh, and while I'm making wild predictions put me down for some other character who isn't Connerty making a huge kamikaze play that basically destroys themselves in some way but really harms someone else. That seems like a play that Chuck's dad would make, for instance, if it meant preserving his family's name and his son's career, but really I'm expecting it from someone more minor like Dollar Bill. There's been plenty of stuff that involved mutual damage, Ice Juice being the obvious example, but I just get the feeling that we'll see someone accept a true and complete "death" of something very dear to them, such as their career or freedom, for the sake of vengeance. Imagining Connerty's therapist using super weak and like, basically pre-broken boards made me smile too, but I think the guy takes himself too seriously to go that far and just went with the standard martial artist boards used for that sort of thing, which in fairness seem to be pretty weak already. NowonSA fucked around with this message at 12:08 on Jun 3, 2019 |
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May 31, 2019 11:04
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Well I didn't get the "in on it all along" wiretap story I wanted, at least not yet (and if they do reveal that it's a heck of a weird scene we saw between them, though if only Chuck knew ahead of time that could still work), but Jock is definitely screwed here (or in the near future next season) and I'm looking forward to seeing how Chuck bobbed and weaved his way through it. I also like that it's hard to picture it as a clean smooth win too, even if he used the wiretap against them (which isn't a certainty), he still has to work around the contract getting sniped. I suppose technically our favorite lady prosecutor could have turned on Chuck, but I don't believe that for a second. She brought up how she learned from him and now she's running basically the same play that Chuck tried to run at the end of last season, where she's giving info/working with Jock in exchange for professional advancement while really using that as part of the longer game. Happy that Wendy went with a full confession there, gotta lose that license to keep things moving forward! It also means that Chuck having that favor to cash in and save her license, but choosing not to, might not be a big ol hand grenade that could ruin their relationship if it comes out, and given this show loves to bring back stuff like that I feel like Connerty's gonna tell Wendy at some point. A fun episode this week, it's predictable that Axe is going to use Saler's and blow up his new relationship just to deal a serious blow to Taylor, but it'll still be fun to see the fallout. Even funner if Taylor knew it was coming and instead hurts Axe's relationships while keeping their own financial interests safe, or even better profiting. I guess I just want characters in this show playing 4D chess and making moves that we the audience don't know about until the big reveal, the way that Ice Juice played out with the flashbacks and all that really spoiled me.
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Jun 3, 2019 12:18
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I got my Chuck long-term masterminding that I wanted and then some, going back way further than I expected it to. I wonder what Connerty's going to be doing next season, I'd be shocked to see the one character who has been in literally every episode (weirdly somehow Axe, Chuck and Wendy were all missing from at least one episode in there at some point, if I'm remembering my random imdbing correctly) just drop out of the picture, though with where he's at now that streak of constant appearance should probably end. The FBI and others listening to the full wiretaps on Chuck are some straight up dummies though, that conversation they have full on admits that they know about the wiretap, and that seems like the kind of thing you need to clue Connerty in on as the guy running point on the case. Like hey by the way, all the wiretap evidence we have to this point is probably worthless or at least highly suspect since they knew they were being recorded. It works in goofy Billions logic, but it is some wild stuff. Solid character developments too, I wouldn't say it was too predictable for me because I definitely didn't expect Axe wanting Taylor working for him, though I should have with how much he's loved having people under this thumb. I don't mind them teasing some sexual tension here and there, though I'm also in the camp that I don't want to see Wendy and Axe together. But man, at the same time with what a nuke that would be to really set off Chuck and Axe against each other I feel like it's going to happen eventually, or we'll find out they hooked up before she married Chuck or something. That simile showcase is really something else too, what a fun and goofy show this is. EugeneJ posted:Taylor telling their girlfriend about the trojan horse is going to be a fatal mistake - Wendy's going to sniff that poo poo out Yeah probably, I can't give Taylor quite enough chessmaster credentials to say that they're doing that purposefully but they might use it to their advantage down the line. Swaying Wendy is really the lynchpin of Chuck and Axe scheming against each other, they might land punches here and there but using Wendy in a plot is a knockout blow, and Axe definitely has the upper hand there right now. i really like Taylor's idea to just set them both up and walk away on top, but it's hard to picture the endgame of the show leaving any major characters standing, I gotta figure Taylor ends up screwed too as part of one last "surprise, this happened behind the scenes" thing, probably done by Axe. Wags is doomed too, way too loyal to Axe, though goddamn am I on board with him turning his back on Axe at a key moment and taking over the firm when Axe gets truly ruined, that'd be a fun twist and really hammer home the ruthlessness that they've shown among the stock brokers. Dollar Bill and Victor have the ruthlessness to step up into a power vacuum too, and Ben Kim is a fun comedy option. That's really more me picturing that the firm must go on, I guess the more realistic thing is that the firm closes up shop when Axe is fined for all the money and his firm's reputation is shattered. Anyway, fun show, fun ranting about it, really liked the finale giving me all the Rhodes scheming I wanted and then some. drat him bugging Connerty with the flag pin was choice too, totally didn't see that coming. Gonna be fun to see what Kate gets up to now that she's calling her own shots more too.
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Jun 10, 2019 14:31
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Yeah pacing wise next season being the last would make sense, but I won't turn down more of this show if they want to put it out there. I think it bends credulity, even for this show, if Connerty isn't serving jailtime since evidence tampering is a legit crime, plus they have him for participating in a robbery. Now, Axe waving some money around and getting him released or a super reduced sentence in order to use Connerty for his own ends? That I'd get behind, though unless Axe is anticipating being in conflict with Chuck or already is fighting him I don't know how much value Connerty would really have to him now that he's for sure run out of the DA's office. I'd also really like it if Kate, working just as a legit good prosecutor with no massive personal grudges clouding her judgment and staying mostly within the lines with just a little bit of that good season 1 Chuck morally grey tactics, builds a strong case against Axe the right way while Axe is distracted by Taylor and Chuck, and just kind of blindsides him. That feels like a natural culmination of how the show has liked to do reveals that show more has been going on that we missed, just have this big deal thing come in out of nowhere and disrupt the Chuck/Axe blood feud. Bonus points if Chuck can't accept that he's barely responsible at all for Axe going down (shades of when he had to hand off the Axe case but still kept doing stuff related to it) and saves Axe since he needs to be the one to bring him down. It is a good point about Axe being immune from the harshest stuff because of his money too, we'll probably see him having been completely run out of Wall Street, turned from a billionaire into a high-millionaire, and forced into retirement out of the country on some nice beach somewhere with a grimace on his face, that's about the worst case scenario I can picture right now, but I have to figure the writers have some suitably terrible fate in store for him eventually.
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Jun 11, 2019 15:46
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Arbite posted:Too right. Definitely, when Wendy brought up that a babysitter was coming in the premiere I was like "But one of them looks like he's 15, wtf?" I haven't caught episode 3 yet, but I'm still liking this show far more than I should. It does need to stop running the same plays though, having Longriver get scooped out from other them was way too predictable. It also rankled me a bit that Wags' daughter wound up as a stripper, mostly because no matter how lovely a parent he is, he ought to be throwing enough money at her that it wouldn't be necessary. Like so many things that don't really add up on the show though, I can at least see that throughline of "Yeah Wags is a poo poo human and a perv, so of course his daughter would end up doing that." There's also some elements so far that come across as the kind of thing that I would expect from a SNL parody of the show, like Axe literally tearing an ad out of the magazine and handing it off so that plans can be made for him to bang the model in the later. I feel confident that no scene this season will top the comedy of the Chuck waterboarding scene. I could practically hear the laugh track for that whole scene. Also as a wrestling fan, Becky Lynch's scene came across as pretty cringey and the message was way too on the nose. Duffy also should have been freaking out way more. One thing about that scene that absolutely landed though was that literally no one was reacting like they had any clue who this person was, then kind of had that "oh this is really cool" reaction once they found out, and I think that was a really accurate depiction of the type of stardom that most pro wrestlers have. I think I'll always be glad to have this show around, and I look forward to analyzing it too much in posts later in the season. Connery better be back by episode five this season  !
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May 20, 2020 23:51
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From the sound of the synopsis maybe Connerty gets back on team Axe, which would be lots of fun to see. I think I'm seeing some of the beats to come for the season, should be enjoyable even if it goes how I expect in some cases. I liked Wendy feeling relieved she could stop dropping movie references, that worked as a character moment symbolizing how working with Taylor may be enjoyable for her and a fun lampshade on the goofy dialog of this goofy show. I was surprised that Sacker didn't say to Chuck that considering her dad "fair game" was an Old Chuck move, and not something he should do as part of his new "moral" outlook. I think it's a sensible thing for her to try to do to advance her own interests. Of course, the sweetest "I've learned from the master" move is if she's waiting to pull that card on something that really matters to her, and protecting her dad doesn't meet that criteria. Something that'd directly help her future political aspirations, however... NowonSA fucked around with this message at 05:03 on May 27, 2020 |
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May 27, 2020 04:42
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I was thinking that it's really about time that Wendy just had someone completely not buy in to her therapy or what she was trying to convince them to do. It would have been a fun subversion in this episode if at the Wendy and Taylor meeting it turns out that nope, this guy's just an rear end in a top hat and he's not going to do anything you wanted him to. So far the only L''s she's chalked up have been from Chuck, Taylor, and getting caught up in some bullshit Axe is doing. Those three have all had major professional setbacks at one time or another, and I can't really think of a situation she's been in that's been at a similar level. Maybe the artist will freak out (make a bad painting or have a significant downward spiral) and blame her for it, that'd be a good start towards some setbacks for her and challenges for her to overcome.
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May 27, 2020 07:24
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drat Spyros would be a great comedy pick, they'd walk all over him and he'd be happy to let them do it. I hope the chips end up falling that way in the end. I'm sure they've touched on Axe's Dad stuff before, but having it all spelled out here was nice and helps explain why Axe is so messed up. I haven't seen Eva Victor in anything, but it's nice to see her join the ranks of "comedians doing a dramatic role associated with the character Taylor Mason on Billions" alongside Mike Birbiglia. After their big loss last season, I'm expecting Taylor to be really set up well by the end of this one. My best guess right now is that they know that Chuck and Axe taking each other out is how they'll win (as they explicitly stated last season) and getting Wendy fully on her team is the way to do that. If they can convince Wendy to do something Axe sees as even a little bit of a betrayal, or to stop working for Axe Cap/giving Axe therapy, then I think that's what would make Axe make a big mistake that'll leave him open for Chuck to get him, but Chuck would do some dirty poo poo to make that happen and boom, both are taken out just like Taylor wants. That 40% equity move screams to me that Taylor knows Wendy is going to be vital to a future plan they have, even moreso than Wendy does.
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Jun 5, 2020 06:12
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Funny to see Chuck conveniently forget the various dominatrixes he's paid when his girlfriend asked if he had visited sex workers, though clearly she wouldn't have thought any less of him if he had told her given how their story ended in this episode. She's definitely winning best romantic partner ever in this show's history. Helping your partner attack a group you want to defend and use them as a political piece to advance their personal goals, and then rewarding them with a threesome after. It makes sense in the Billions-y "everything is over the top" way, but yeah that's just being too unbelievably nice and caring.
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Jun 9, 2020 00:54
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Ur Getting Fatter posted:loving lol at ADT getting their product placed in a scene where a psychopath boss spies on their employees. Hey, good for them not caring about that. It's nice to see a company that's way on the other side of Apple's "NO BAD CHARACTERS CAN USE AN IPHONE AND NO ONE CAN SPEAK POORLY OF ANY FEATURE OF THE MIGHTY IPHONE" stance. I've always felt that product placement is kind of dumb. If you want your product shown in an awkwardly positive light with characters going out of their way to say how the rear-view camera in their car makes parking so convenient, pay for it. If they want to just use common brands and items as a natural part of setting the scene, then hey go for it. I don't know, it's just kind of weird to me. Like I get why the system is how it is, even if a brand is just on screen that's possibly millions of people seeing it and shows/movies will want to get their beak wet from that, but I think there's ways to make all of that a lot less complicated.
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Jun 12, 2020 03:18
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It was fun to see Rick Hoffman (best known as Louis Litt on Suits, a show I also liked) playing a sleazy but confident organ trafficker. Nice to see him getting work even if it's back in the "occasional guest star" role that he was pretty steadily working in before Suits.
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Jun 19, 2020 19:37
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D-Pad posted:Why no episodes this week? Is it a break due to pandemic not allowing them to finish editing the season? How long do we wait? On hiatus due to the pandemic not letting them complete filming, and I don't think anyone knows when the rest of the season will come out. I'm okay with this approach, and it's probably the best choice they had in this situation.
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Jun 22, 2020 05:54
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pnumoman posted:Oh, they never finished filming, that's not good. Well, better a hiatus than whatever the Blacklist did. That was my thought as well, though weirdly as someone who's caught a fair amount of Blacklist putting out the finale in some form made sense to me. The snippets I've caught to see Spader chewing scenery are full of crazy lore and storylines, so I could see them not wanting to leave their fans hanging. I'm kind of hoping the lean into it and we get to see the rest of the episodes of this season of Billion lean heavily into Axe and Taylor shorting the hell out of the market as COVID starts spreading. Very major bonus points if they give the disease a different name as well, that's the kind of "let's not use the name because of weird T.V. logic even though everyone will know what we refer to" that I can get behind.
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Jun 23, 2020 06:28
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6 seasons sounds about right. Once Wendy and Axe get together we've got to be in the endgame. I enjoyed seeing a big ol consipracy collab again, that's some classic billions right there. I hope they end the show by going above and beyond with dueling massive plots by both Axe and Chuck, Taylor playing both sides to come out on top, and like 30 characters or more involved in the insanity. Does anyone know if there was a proper reason for Axe to be separated a bunch of the time? I'm just curious if that came down to a practical necessity and not just something being done for the story. I do kind of like that it gives the impression that he's disconnected from what's going on, which is leaving him more open to not seeing all the angles in this particular case. And it's fun to think that he might loopy from Corona and that's dragging him down as well. One thing I didn't really like is how massive a time jump the show seemed to make. It went from "hey corona's right around the corner" to "alright everyone's vaccinated, and I'm just now hanging up this painting that I got about a year ago." Like am I crazy, or did the show just skip forward basically a year and just not acknowledge it? I guess nobody will really notice it when this stuff's all well and truly behind us, but that seemed really weird to me. I guess time-traveling forward to everyone being vaccinated was a convenient way to get all those actors' faces on the screen uncovered. Next season really should be Chuck vs. Axe in a proper trial. We got a bit of a tease of that before, but I'm ready for that to go down in earnest.
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Oct 1, 2021 11:52
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drat, I'm sorry to hear about Lewis' wife, that sucks. It's wild that he's leaving the show, I can't really picture how it'll shake out now. I guess Chuck ending up politically ruined and having a nice 10 minute+ scene sitting around a table with Wendy and Axe in Switzerland would be a fitting finale in its own way. If we literally never see Axe again for the rest of the show it seems like a huge loss, but I really hope he has at least a cameo (and preferably a strong presence) in the last episode or last few episodes.
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Oct 14, 2021 02:14
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Cataffy posted:Gotta figure the final arc will be the surprise return of Axe. Prince's biggest mistake was costing a guy who is addicted to revenge his company and reputation, then handing him TWO BILLION DOLLARS and letting him leave the country. Axe is the guy who hosed over a former mentee because they had the sheer GALL to give the money Axe gave him back. And I can't recall it off the top of my head, but I guarantee that this Axe/Pence rivalry started over some petty billionaire bullshit, and it still escalated like crazy. Chuck can scheme against Prince all he wants, but it seems like a real lapse on the writer's part if Prince doesn't end up 100% ruined (somehow worse than locked up in prison; also somehow penniless) at Axe's hand, even if we never see Axe onscreen again. I'd bet on Axe to pull that off if he was on the run with a mere couple hundred million to his name. Honestly, what else is he going to do with his time? I remember a time when he said to somebody who hated his guts that he'd give him something ridiculous like a billion dollars to do what he wanted, then said of course he wasn't going to pay him that but the guy would take it if he offered. It's easy for me to picture Axe tossing that billion at someone or a select group of people to get that sweet, sweet revenge on the guy that finally beat him at his own game. Axe in exile with no Wendy there to talk him out of his worst impulses or keep his psyche on track is a really tantalizing prospect, which makes me all the sadder that Lewis isn't returning. Hopefully they still manage to make that whole situation play out in a satisfying way in the end. It'd kind of be brilliant in its own way to do a full season 6 with no Axe/Lewis, then get most of the way through 7 and have Axe/Lewis return like a goddamn tornado and blow up everything and everyone in the final arc.
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Oct 14, 2021 23:31
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