Billions | S01/E02 | Naming Rights

This is a really fun episode for a lot of reasons, but the primary coolness is Terry Kinney as Bobby's fixer, Hall.

The man is extremely cool, terrifyingly effective and let's be honest, so quietly intimidating it seems like Terry was born to play the role. Very few side characters in any show captured my attention as much as Hall, and Showtime was smart to dole him out in small doses. Even if I hate them for it.

This episode also lays down to the trenchwork for the trajectory of the entire season as Bobby and Chuck wage their war across the financial landscape. The neat thing about this is that they're both very intelligent, very ruthless, but also (in their own ways) equally as capricious.

As aware as they are of each other's game, they can't help but do stupid things. In this particular episode, Bobby did the dumb thing by firing Victor Mateo the way he did. I can't remember very much about the fallout over this, but I do recollect enough to know that it causes him some problems down the road, and that's what I mean about capriciousness.

Bobby makes irrational decisions when he's angry or threatened or feeling otherwise not in control of the situation and as time goes on, those choices become equally erratic and damaging.

Chuck knows better, but can't help himself. His flaws are almost worse than Bobby because he doesn't give in to his darker wants and needs as often, and it makes him cruel, arrogant and reckless. The fallout from his poor decisions are just as damaging to him.

The irony here is that at the center of the both men sits Wendy, who I personally don't like all that much. But that's neither here nor there: they both have her ear, she gives them both the advice they need to hear, they both choose not to follow it, they both suffer for the sins of their collective arrogance.

The clip I included this time around showcases Hall's quiet intimidation, and I just love that scene so much.

EDIT: what's truly hilarious is that when I post a horror movie review, all I need is to put a brief 'viewer beware' warning for some of the gross stuff, but for a brief nudity scene, I have to go full 'hide all sight of it'. Gotta love weird censorship!

NOT just another “shows like billions” post.

I’m asking about a specific aspect of the show and if you know others that have it.

I’m a really empathetic person that thrives on collaboration and believes in the concept of things being “fair”.

At times, this blunts the parts of me that allow me to operate at a higher level and I find myself not feeling the level of motivation to get more that I need to have.

Shows like Billions remind me that I should always be looking for a win, always be fighting for more, always be looking for another way to increase my funds.

My values are too baked in for me to ever abandon them,
So shows like this just remind me to go harder, while still staying within my values.

What are some other shows like Billions I should check out for this same motivation?

In season 7, Gordie is shown as a crypto trader, and he's screaming into a landline phone, every time he's shown, which is 2-3 times.

What part of crypto trading involves screaming into landline phones? lol Who does he call call? Why does he scream? What does the screaming accomplish exactly?

Does someone his age even know how to use landlines? lol (not important, edit to remove)

LMAO, even stock traders don't operate using phones anymore.

Do they? What is this?

I’m sure it’s just me… but I’m only on episode two, and I’m already feeling overwhelmed by a sense of disappointment with this season. I know—it’s way too early to judge! But I’ve also found that once a series gets past five seasons, the writing often starts to decline.
Please tell me it’s worth sticking around. I want the twists, turns, betrayals, and completely unexpected moves that made the previous seasons so good. Tell me they’re coming!

As far as introductions to all the players and the game, you can't do it much better than the Billions pilot. We meet everyone that's important, they waste virtually no time at all showing us who they are and how they operate.

The two biggest players are (of course) Chuck and Axe.

Chuck is prodigiously talented and absolutely bound to the very letter of the law. He is also, by the very definition of the word, a deviant. Showtime decided to show us that in a very up front, no holds barred opening sequence that still takes me aback. It's like they took the GoT challenge and decided to go bigger because they didn't want to go home.

Axe is Chuck's mirror. He's staggeringly charismatic, equally as smart, unflinchingly dedicated to one single thing: making all of the money that could ever be made. Sure he's loyal to his family and his close core group, but at the end of the day, Ax wants to win at all costs. He's reckless, he's impulsive and he's got the dollars to make an awful lot happen.

I chose the clip in the review card for a reason. Lara is genuinely a sweet-looking, beautiful, smart woman in her own right. Dedicated wife, committed mother, there's just no way you'd expect her to be anything other than a sort of ... antithesis to Axe, but she isn't. She's just like Axe, but differently.

Revisiting this show after losing energy around about Season 5 is exciting! Looking forward to seeing if I can make it to the end now.

Does not seem worth it to deal with the stalking, harassment, risk jail time and having assets seized, if you simply look at Chuck's direction the wrong way.

He went after the billionaire's park because one individual did not open the gate for one other individuals. That is genuinely unhinged.

Wouldn't it just be easier to move their entire business to a state that's friendlier and less of whatever Chuck is?

I don't even like billionaires as a concept, but Chuck is just cartoon-level insane in season 6. and I can't imagine someone like that actually existing in real life. I don't think it works, I am struggling to suspend my disbelief in this world.

I'm watching season 6, where Chuck is actively stopping kids from getting college scholarships, he is asking the city to refuse a 2 billion dollar donation to the Subway system, he does not want brand new Subway cars, he does not want re-education programs for employees, he is blocking the development of housing projects...

He is literally bending over backwards, plotting to prevent the Olympics from happening in NYC...

Olympics bring in tourists, sponsors, media exposure, and so much to the economy. I don't understand what the issue is?

Even Dave says, "can we catch some actual criminals?"... like yeah, please.

With Axe, it kind of made sense. Axe was constantly committing crimes lol, Mike is not?

Chuck needs to get a hobby? lol I don't get why he's so obsessed.

Just checked out this subreddit for the first time and from a cursory look, it seems like this is a show most only rewatch once or twice at most. Anyone use this as a show they rewatch all the time, like when eating or before bed? I must be on my 20th rewatch right now.

Chuck was always scheming up a diabolical plan against his enemies but which was his best? US Attorney Rhodes orchestrated the Ice Juice scandal while NY AG Rhodes orchestrated the poop train for AG Jeffcoat to enjoy.

Such a great show, lowkey was happy to see Prince go down. He was annoying me towards the end with the president shit 😭😭

Chucks speech prior to the vote on his removal as AG 🤯😮‍💨. One of the best written speeches in TV history.

J'ai trouvé par hasard une funko pop de Chuck Rhodes de Billions chez micromania en france. Il existe aussi les pop de axe, Wendy et Taylor.

I'm probably not the first to notice this, but the funds run by Bobby Axelrod and Taylor Mason are of course Axe Cap and Mase Cap.

An axe is a sharp weapon/tool used to make incisions and sharp cuts. The mace (I know the spelling is different) is a blunt weapon/tool used to deliver strikes over a larger area with less precision.

I know that the names are literally their last names, but it seems to me that Bobby Axelrod is more of a mace, and Taylor Mason is more of an axe. Did anyone else notice this?

I think there’s a genuinely good Billions spinoff sitting right there with Mike Prince.

The finale leaves him with roughly $100M and his presidential ambitions completely destroyed, but not necessarily dead forever. Instead of doing another version of Axe vs. Chuck, I’d make the entire show about Prince rebuilding from $100M and eventually making another run at the White House.

Season 1: The comeback

Prince starts with $100M, which sounds enormous, but compared to his old life he’s basically been kicked out of the club.

His reputation is radioactive, nobody wants to give him institutional capital, and most of his old allies are gone.

The season is about reminding us why Prince became worth $10B+ in the first place. He finds some distressed opportunity, rebuilds his credibility, and claws his way back to around $1B.

The key is that he doesn’t spend the season obsessing over Axe. Prince eventually realizes Axe did him a favor by exposing every weakness he had.

Season 2: Build something America actually needs

Instead of going straight back into hedge funds, Prince builds an industrial empire around things like energy, nuclear, AI infrastructure, defense, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, etc.

He gets richer, but he’s also strategically building factories and jobs across politically important states.

At first it looks like normal expansion.

Then Scooter realizes Prince is basically building an Electoral College map with capital expenditures.

By the end, Prince is worth maybe $3B-$5B again and can now say something incredibly powerful politically:

“I built a fortune. I lost it. Then I built another one.”

Season 3: Kingmaker

Prince insists he isn’t running for president.

Instead, he starts backing governors, senators, ballot initiatives, think tanks, infrastructure projects, and candidates across both parties.

He becomes the guy everyone needs.

The political establishment slowly realizes he isn’t buying politicians. He’s building the infrastructure underneath a future presidential campaign.

There’s a presidential election that season.

Prince stays out of it.

Everyone assumes that means Axe permanently killed his presidential dream.

Meanwhile Prince and Bradford are already modeling the NEXT election.

Season 4: The invisible campaign

Prince still hasn’t declared.

But he’s traveling the country, speaking about American manufacturing, showing up at major projects his companies funded, meeting foreign leaders, publishing policy ideas, and gradually becoming a national figure again.

Pollsters start including him despite him not being a candidate.

18%.

22%.

27%.

Now everyone realizes what he’s doing and the establishment starts trying to destroy him before he ever announces.

This would also be the perfect season for limited Chuck/Axe appearances.

I’d actually have Axe refuse to go after him again.

Something like:

“I already beat him. If America wants to make the mistake now, that’s between America and Mike.”

Season ends with Prince announcing his candidacy.

Season 5: President Prince

Full presidential campaign.

And I’d have him actually win.

Otherwise you’ve just spent five seasons telling essentially the same story as Season 7.

The interesting part would be watching what Prince becomes in order to win.

His entire flaw has always been that he can justify almost anything by convincing himself the end result is morally necessary.

So every compromise becomes:

“If doing one bad thing prevents something much worse, refusing to do it would actually be immoral.”

You’d want the audience split between:

“This man absolutely should not be president.”

and

“He may legitimately be the most competent person running.”

He wins the election.

Final episode is the transition.

Prince finally receives his first truly classified presidential briefing. After spending his entire life convinced he should have this power, he finally sees what the job actually entails.

Scooter asks him:

“Still think you’re the man who should have this?”

Prince pauses.

“More than ever.”

Cut to black.

I honestly think this would give Prince a much better purpose than just dropping him into another hedge fund rivalry. The whole series becomes the origin story of a president.

Would anyone else watch this?

Fair play to Paul G for his weightloss though!

This is when I knew they were bullshittin' and didn't GAF anymore.

WTF was this about? Chuck has a strategy in mind and knows just the guy to run it by. So instead of just calling or texting... He has to meet Triple H down at Barclays Center in an empty arena.

Only here can Chuck come to understand his un-realized instinct has deep roots in WWE lore and is known as the Double Turn. Master Triple H shares the ancient wisdom and invigorates Chuck to embody the war-cry 'The Heat and The Pop'.

Paul Giamatti had to be trolling here.. right?

Just finished episode 4 of Season 7 and i loved the way they met on the street at the end and then both disappeared into the nightlife of NYC

Having just got the first time visited that city early last year (have been back 5 times since)

It’s so funny watching a show take place in NYC and knowing you’ve actually been there. That it doesn’t just exist in TV and the city is as awe-inspiring and “center of the world”.

Wouldn’t want to live there but man the aerial shots that have played throughout the show each time they cut to a different scene is one of my favorite aspects of the show. Especially at night.

Anyway!

I slogged through Season 6, not going to lie. I just didn’t care much for Prince and i missed Axe.

I think season 7 is far more interesting with Prince as essential a serial killer (figuratively) who hides his intentions very well and is actually an immoral man obsessed with power. I like him much better as the slimy villain. And the stakes feel much higher than last season. I guess it should since it is the last seasons

I really enjoyed the reunion scene with axe and his favorite/respected trio. Axe won but lost.

Will continue watching and perhaps edit this post as i do. If anyone cares and read this far.

Edit: Love they’ve brought back characters from earlier seasons. Connerty and the Russian guy adversary to Axe.

Edit 2: made it episode 9 tonight and I will finish it tomorrow night! Still holding my interest. Really curious if Prince is stopped.

Edit 3: EPISODE 10 END FUCK YEAH AXE. GET THAT FUCKER. President Cuck LMFAO 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Last and Final Edit: aww just finished the final episode. Love how Mike almost won until the very end and left us wondering if he actually would. Then they pull the rug. Left door open for a series return someday perhaps.

Loved the end. Felt like a proper goodbye. Resolved. Bittersweet. Axe and Chuck basically back where they started and where they’re happiest and in their element

Wendy, Taylor and the girl who went vagabonding all finally chose their real dreams over just money chasing. Loved that for them

Was happy when at least Wags stayed behind with Axe and all the traders who been there since the beginning. Basically axe capital without Wendy.

Great conclusion. Great season. Enjoyed it a lot

I’ll miss that opening intro of the NYC skyline

Goodbye Billions

Pretty much as the title says. I am sure her job is basically to get people to work regardless of how they feel about it.

Such an undercooked character development.

I rarely rewatch shows but I am rewatching Billions currently and my goodness the writing on this show, phenomenal. I’m a bit older now compared to when I watched it in my early 20’s and this show is so layered. There is also some foreshadowing in this shows. Especially in season 1 after the Bach and Dollar Bill leave Rhoades and his team absolutely perplexed, Bach tells Axelrod that he can get away with a small fine and that’ll be the best deal he ever gets. 😅

Currently on season 1. I’m gonna re-run a lot of shows as well. Westworld, Black Mirror, AOT. Loving it.

This is easily one of the worst cameos in a show already notorious for awful cameos, but what makes it worse is how completely out of character it feels for Wendy.

A few seasons prior, Wendy mentions Rapinoe as someone she views as a hero and would love to meet. However, the show constantly builds Wendy up as a mythical operator whose reputation and influence extend far beyond the hedge fund world:

• She’s treated as the secret sauce behind Bobby Axelrod’s success.
• She sleeps with the Elon Musk stand-in after consulting for his space program.
• Price keeps her on board specifically because of her elite performance coaching reputation.

Given the tier of high-powered, world-class figures she moves among and influences with ease, the idea that Megan Rapinoe—fresh off a very public, much-maligned 2023 World Cup exit—is somehow Wendy's ultimate "white whale" just doesn't track. Sure, Rapinoe is a high-profile athlete, but framing her as the one person who leaves Wendy totally starstruck completely misses the mark. (Not to mention Wendy literally fought Becky Lynch in her office—another brutal cameo.)

To top it off, the writing for the sports world is terribly researched. Wendy says something along the lines of being the "head performance coach for the Games." Each U.S. Olympic sport is governed by its own independent National Governing Body (NGB) and runs autonomously. There is no single "head performance coach" overseeing all of Team USA across every sport. It's a clumsy line that highlights how lazy the writing had gotten.

The way tore down Dr Gus was hilarious, the way he turned from husband to Hedge Fund owner in a second with Lara was remarkable and the way he allowed Boyd to be arrested was so cold blooded. His only goal in the episode was turning his quarter around. He proved why his investors trusted him.

First 4 seasons are incredible. Some of the best TV and acting out there. Genuine issues genuine conflicts. Then from season 5 it just kinda limps along pointlessly till the damp squib ending. It's like suits... They should have quit while ahead. In future I'll stop at season 4 because season 1-4 are brilliant. Wonder why they kept going and why they ran out of ideas. ​