Previously on Billions: Season 2 Episode 9 “Sic Transit Imperium”

We open with a ‘hedge against humanity’ called the Arc, which Wags has bought Axe a place in for the end of times. Axe’s birthday preparations are underway.

Chuck is rallying the troops over Axe ‘looting’ Sandicot. Bryan delivers the news that the bond deal itself is legal, but the timing is suspect. Chuck adds that Axe acted when he did because he knew something.  They need to consider how he came by the information and who might be involved.

The subpoena for Steph Reed is in and Kate will be taking care of this.  Chuck tells Kate he has complete confidence in her and she asks “I thought Connerty did?” Chuck responds “I have enough confidence to go around.”

Bill is about to recoup on a major investment in a teenage baseball player who he has been paying private lessons for since he was 13. Bill has a birthday present for Axe…Klaxon, a Belgian car company. They are headed for a recall, fines, sanctions etc. Bill says they need to move on their position fast as the news won’t be held for long.  Axe asks Bill his level of certainty and we are treated to a flashback of Victor obtaining information and passing it to Bill. Bill tells Axe he is not uncertain.

Bill does not take Axe’s cautious approach well and unlike Mafee, has no problem standing up to Wags’ intimidation tactics.  $ Bill will be heard! Axe says that Bill is a guy giving him all the right questions.

The Calvary (Team Chuck) arrive in Sandicot. The Police force has been cut in half and the library is only open for 12 hours.  Chuck thinks this is revolting. Someone shouts “lock him (Axe) up”. Chuck says

“If the law lets me then I will and if it doesn’t then someone needs to change the law”.

He continues with Kennedy’s quote

“Every society gets the criminal it deserves, but Sandicot sure does not deserve Bobby Axelrod. But you do deserve the law enforcement I plan on bringing.”

Chuck doesn’t want to trump his own horn and talk to the media since the people of Sandicot will do it for him. Chuck is then asked to go with someone and ends up meeting with Foley, who is showing there is nowhere he can’t be. Foley’s granddaughter, Emma, has gotten a Clerkship after all and Foley assures Chuck that he and Emma are touched by the gesture. Foley wants Chuck to meet George Minchak who vets all his candidates.

Deb is in with Wendy talking about how she has been trying to get into investor relations for 16 months. Deb talks about Sandicot and how the things they do have to compromise them. Wendy cuts the meeting short having picked up something in Deb’s behaviour.

Deb comes into Axe’s office and he asks her what Wendy said

“An overgrown conscience will not help”.

Axe realises Wendy saw through his attempts to get information out of her by using Deb.

Wags shows Axe the news from Sandicot and tells Wags to tell Bill no on Klaxon because Chuck was never not coming.

Mafee is an introvert whose equilibrium is knocked off by having to go to parties. He wants to give Axe’s party a miss. Taylor comes to Wags to gauge the importance of attending Axe’s party.

Wags: “Axe doesn’t take attendance but he knows who is in the room. I’ll leave it at that.”

Taylor: “F**k.”

Wags: “Did you just say F**k?”

Taylor: “I did.”

Wags (smiles proudly): “You’re one of us now.”

Kate is interviewing Stephanie to find out what she was doing at Axe Capital and the exact nature of her job…basically to protect Axe from illicit dealings.  Stephanie gives Kate, Victor and Taylor’s names.

Sean from Ellis Eads…sorry, Axelrod Hall is back pitching a “legacy” charitable foundation to Axe. Axe does want to set up a charitable foundation and makes Sean the Steward. Sean immediately tells him to cancel his party as he cannot have a lavish party at the very moment he is draining the resources of Sandicot. Axe says that the party was arranged before Sandicot kicked off and to cancel the party would be weak and he is not hiring Sean to make him weak tea.

Ira is here to talk to Chuck about Ice Juice. Ira needs money just now to take over the company. He knows Chuck can’t help him just now as his money is in a blind Trust so he needs Chuck Snr’s money.  Chuck stays out of his dad’s business deals and he can’t talk to his dad about this because it is tantamount to endorsing it. Ira says the IPO is a blockbuster. Chuck will think about.

Axe thinks that the gift Wags has bought him is a scam. He and Lara discuss making their own arc with Lara saying there would have to be room for her brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews…Axe says fine but only if they make them a separate arc.

Axe wants to bail on the party, but Lara isn’t having it as his whole gang will be there and can honour him. Axe says “They work for me, they are not my friends.” Lara asks about Wags and Bill who she says are more like brothers. Lara says Wendy should also be included in the invite.

Chuck tells Wendy what he has been doing in Sandicot. Wendy tells him she was invited to Axe’s birthday party and she said no. Her readjustment back at Axe Capital has been bumpy. Chuck asks her why she is staying. She says she has been asking herself that, but it is because she put so much into Axe Capital. Wendy says it is easy to know what to do when helping someone else, but not when it is you.

Hall says Axe would be clean if the deal Bill is proposing went south. It could not be traced back to him. Hall has been snooping around Bills very protected laptop. Yeah, that is how to treat a brother, Axe! Hall has identified Bill’s source as Victor and says he is either trying to get back into Axe’s good graces or looking to get close enough to screw them over.

Lara has a very wonderful way of introducing herself to Chuck on the phone.

“Oh, I was looking for Wendy.”

They discuss Wendy’s RSVP no to Bobby’s party and Lara says that Wendy should be there and

Lara: “I would invite you as her plus one…but under the circumstances…”

Chuck: “There is such a thing as too weird even for all of us.”

Chuck calls Wendy to tell her to go to the party.

Axe is meeting with Bill to discuss Klaxon and Victor.   Bill says “The word outlaw meant the law didn’t apply to you.”  And tells Axe to go see Victor for himself and look him in the eye.

Kate gives Chuck the notes from her interview with Steph Reed. She reports Axe has been very careful. However, she has picked up the fact that Thayer, involved with the Casino, received a dodge challenger from Axe.

Wendy comes into talk to Axe. She tells him not to run people at her (Deb) and asks him if he really wants her at his party. He says she knows him well enough to know the answer.

Chuck goes to see Thayer and asks him who Bobby is to him, puts the squeeze on him. Thayer laughs at Chuck trying to leverage him. Chuck brings up his past when he used to dig holes to put people in them and then fill them up. Thayer is not intimidated by Chuck.

Taylor speaks with Axe about whether they have to go to his party or not. Axe says they should not feel obligated to attend. Taylor’s sister is getting married. Taylor didn’t want to book a private plane because of the carbon footprint.

Axe never thought he would be living the life he is. He visited 4 world trade and found he could read the tape like he could read the board at the race track. Axe says the moral of the story is

“You get one life, so do it all.”

Foley and Chuck are meeting again. Chuck is irritated about Thayer who he has realised may have links to Foley. Foley makes Chuck see that Sandicot is a circle which leads back to Chuck. Chuck thinks he will get Axe on something else.

Axe’s party is in full swing.

Chuck tells Bryan that he is dropping the Axe case on a purely political basis. There is virtually no reaction from Bryan to this. It is his job to tell the team the news.

Axe is not at his own party. He is meeting Victor at his bowling club. Victor gives him the inside scoop on Klaxon and gets the ok from Axe to look for his own office space.

Chuck is reading Kate’s notes from the meeting with Stephanie Reed and realises Axe has bought his first edition Churchill books and has a meltdown about it going as far as to call Kate in to clarify the position and Kate is lost on this one.

Chuck picks up Ira’s folder on Ice Juice which he is now clearly thinking he can use to lure Axe. He calls his dad, who is happy to get involved. Chuck Senior has his money tied up in Kingsford and therefore  needs access to Jnr’s funds from the blind trust to get into Ice juice and Jnr agrees to go with it.

Wendy arrives at Axe’s party and Lara tries to rub Wendy’s face in it again. Again, she fails as Wendy sees through her and lets her know it was her who set the condition of no sessions between her and Axe.

Taylor is getting on Axe’s private plane and is being photographed by the FBI.

Axe calls Lara down to the front gate so they can get out of there. He wants to be with her and wants to take her somewhere that matters. Lara says that Wags is about to give a speech. Wags is talking about friendship and almost being like family.

Debs hands a bit of paper to Wags from Axe…the coin for the Arc.

Lara is at the racetrack with Bobby. He is oblivious to her unhappiness.