Axe needs to stay away from trading. He does not. Chuck needs to stay away from the Axelrod case. He does not. As both suffer from insomnia and operate behind the scenes to remove any uncertainty in their way, I cannot help think they have so much in common that they could have been BFFs in another life.
We find Axe where we left him at the end of the season premiere: His terrace. No wonder he said he might as well give up his license to breathe when advised the only way to make Axe Capital liquid immediately was for him to give up his license to trade. Axe feels suffocated and his phone call to Wendy in the middle of the night brings nothing but an idea that this is an opportunity for him to realign who he is.
The man who does not regret the crime he committed and feels rage for only getting caught believes the law has got in his way. But I agree with Wendy it is not the law that made the deal, which Axe sees as a mistake, necessary. His disregard of the law did.
As he went down to the crossroads, Axe notices some breaking news.
Seeing an opportunity where everyone else sees a disaster made Bobby Axelrod. Not being able to act on this should be eating him alive.
Well, you can take the boy out of the trade, but you cannot take the trade out of the boy. As Axe approaches his “satellites” (Hello, Carly!) with a plan, his lawyer is standing next to the Eastern District Boys to find out what judge the wooden wheel will draw for United States v Robert Axelrod.
Leonard Funt, or in Bach’s words, the prosecution just got Funted. Funt is known to champion free markets.
Chuck meets Dake at Kossar’s to discuss how to get the case de-Funted. If Funt does not take the case, there is no more wheel of fortune, and it is up to the chief judge to decide who will take the case. And more often than not the judge who lobbies the chief judge first gets it. Where Dake sees “tempering” Chuck sees “finesse.” And this research article argues even though assigning judges at random is widely assumed in the SDNY, “finesse” seems to take precedence.
Chuck gives Wendy the detailed description of the judge they need:
“…that believes the rich has gotten away with too much for too long, and one that won’t allow Axelrod to create a distraction that I set up a roach motel to lure him in.”
Has Chuck just called Axe a cockroach? Well, Damian is probably used to his characters being called a cockroach by now 😀
Wendy points out to Chuck, exactly like Bach pointed out to Axe earlier, that Axe cannot expose what Chuck did to suck him in because that would be admission of guilt. But I believe it is Axe’s words from Season 2 Finale that is keeping Chuck up all night.
“I might go down behind all of this, but one thing is for sure, you are gonna be right there next to me.”
Given what he risked, Chuck wants to know what Axe will give to get him. Wendy’s answer ensures the stakes are extremely high and she imposes her will on Chuck for him to impose his will on Funt. Chuck did a favor for the judge years ago without him asking for it and it is payback time! We can only hope a Funt always pays his debts (Game of Thrones, anyone?) 😀
Axe Capital has its money back and Taylor has invested 9 billion into the market in phases. Now that they want to invest another 2 billion they are told by Spyros that Axe has put a “velvet rope” around it. Spyros, who may still be mad he could not get into Xenon, thinks Axe is hedging against Taylor.
Axe has two new friends who seem to have a combined background of Stanford, DARPA and the military. And while they are as knowledgable about the new food trends (“the smashed spring pea toast is the new avocado toast“) as about counter-intelligence, I am not sure if the two of them can add up to one Hall.
Wags, who we have never seen criticize Axe, puts El Jefe, The Liege, The Nagusi, The Sahabi aside and gets serious: He knows what Axe is up to and he is worried Axe’s money will make the funds it lands in as hot as Farrah Fawcett in 1976 and can burn them all.
Because one email, one phone call, one trade that tracks back to Axe means the end of Axe Capital: Hassan Chop!
So why not Axe go satisfy his urges in other ways? Why not add that vintage Cheetah he has been eyeing to his modest collection?
Axe agrees it is dangerous to hide the money. But what he plans to do sounds more dangerous: Taylor could invest the money in outside shops for him in a perfectly legal way. Wouldn’t this make them a partner-in-crime if there was a leak? What is in there for Taylor?
“They get to keep their princely fucking job.”
Still, he gets Wags’ point, he says. And when Axe arrives at the vintage car dealer, we, for a split second, think Axe may be taking his advice.
But Axe is there to talk to Mark Cuban. Axe did not listen to him when Cuban told him not to fuck with Chuck last season and now Cuban does not want to play with him. I cannot believe Axe’s arrogance with Michael Panay seconds after Cuban kindly puts him in his place but I love it Axe was watching Flintstones growing up, too. Yabba Dabba Doo!
Bryan’s “Me llamo Bryan Connerty” is cute but he and Terri certainly terrify Maria Gonzalez, a vulnerable immigrant from Guatemala, about her Green Card application and make her sing: Mr. Victor made her drink Ice Juice. He is a monster. But he is a careful monster. Victor knows something is cooking when Maria is late for work for the first time ever.
While Axe is facing the billion dollar question “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” Taylor is facing more than a billion dollar crisis at Axe Capital. A tsunami has hit Brazil affecting Axe Capital’s new investments in Brazilian sugar and shipping. Taylor has taken some initial steps but they still need good ideas to make up for the losses. Taylor finds the answer to the test in being a true doppelgänger: If it is a money maker they will do it no matter what.
Chuck knows the judge who fits his description and needs to have him ready to lobby the chief judge the moment they get Funt off the case. So he puts himself in Adam DeGiulio’s debt! There is nothing Adam can ask that Chuck refuses for the rest of their days should Adam take the case. Chuck believes Adam has to take it because he cannot be bought, bent, or worked. Well, isn’t Adam, who is taking Chuck’s words as gospel, being bought, bent and worked at this very moment? And I wonder why Axe should not try the same with him.
Bobby “Gordon Ramsay” Axelrod arrives at Axe Capital as soon as he sees the company losses on his phone. Wags is waiting at Axe Capital entrance not because he thinks the company is getting crushed without Axe, but because Axe needs to know he will find a different situation once he gets out of the elevator. For one, he may forget about feeling like Washington Crossing the Delaware since he is not allowed to lead his men anymore.
“It’s 12:09 pm I am here with Robert Axelrod and we’ll stay with him anywhere he goes inside these walls… ” followed by men coming to Axe’s office to take away his Bloomberg. And Wags calling Spyros “Zapruder” is everything.
Bryan and Terri cannot intimidate Danny Margolis, who greets them in his birthday suit, about the “unexplained coincidences.” And Axe gets a phone call from Margolis about his poolside chat about “beverages” as Spyros keeps lecturing about how to find a good flat white outside Australia 😀
Axe Capital employees are intimidated by Axe’s presence in the office and are confused about who is running the shop. Ben Kim not knowing to sit or stand is the cutest thing. And Rudy not wanting Axe to know about his new idea – not because it is illegal to talk shop wth him but because he may hate the idea – is the last straw for Taylor.
They know they should have anticipated the tsunami. They know Axe knew it right away but could not act. They understand it must be very hard to have things to say but not allowed to say them. But he is not allowed to.
If you can’t live with that, I can be the one who leaves, you’ll probably make up the losses, but get yourself banned for life or worse.”
Taylor is not bluffing and Axe is pulling his 2 billion.
“1:53 pm. Robert Axelrod has left the building.”
He may have left the building but Axe cannot shut it off. Wendy, who catches up with him outside, tells him he will lose the battle and the war if he cannot. Axe telling Wendy to stay with Taylor tells me he has said he would pull his money just to push Taylor to do better. Axe fires his driver (Is “you’re fired” a reference to Trump?) and drives his Porsche to Transmitter Park to meet his new friends about his urgent needs. He is too distracted to remember that his”princelings” need to be at the Little League game so it is the chopper for “Edward” and “George.”
In their search for Maria Gonzalez who does not show up for her appointment, Bryan and Terri end up at Varick Street detention center only to find the wrong Maria Gonzalez! Their Maria was put on a goodbye charter earlier in the day. Bryan knows it is Axe and pushes Dake to ask Jeffcoat if they can bring Maria back. Dake, a guy who watches Decalogue every year, cannot catch the AG’s quote from The Departed but we certainly catch Jeffcoat rivaling Wags in Virgin Mary references:
“Next time… Instead of asking me to undo your fuck-up, maybe just see to it that he situation remains like our mother of mercy – blessingly unfucked.”
Taylor finds a high risk/reward play thanks to Ben Kim who is not brave enough to voice his findings. But they are hesitating since this is the single largest investment they will make as the CIO. They pull the trigger when Wendy advises even a loss will be good in the long run: It will be a horrible feeling Taylor will do everything not to feel like that ever again.
Whoever hesitates should take a dose of Wendy’s magic! When Chuck is terrified he will be exposed if he screws up with Funt, Wendy telling him she knows he is not a coward does the trick. We find out Chuck helped Funt’s son with medical school admissions. The judge first thinks Chuck is trying to dictate his rulings but when he realizes what Chuck wants is for him to recuse himself from the case, he complies.
As soon as Bryan hears their case just got DeGiulio-ed, he knows it is Chuck. Dake may not have the habit of rejecting gifts but Bryan knows this is Valentine’s Day and White Day is coming. What Bryan does not know is the favor Chuck promised to Dake arrived at the SDNY in a trench coat: Karl Allerd is Chuck’s new AUSA.
Dake is not the only one receiving gifts today. Axe appreciates the CIO has done the best that could be done and is not pulling his 2 billion. And if this is a Valentine Day’s gift, what Taylor gives him is a White Day one. They will invest in outside funds (read “satellites) and become a passive investor so Axe could use his private channels to trade. Axe knows Taylor is not doing this just because he needs it but they could benefit from his moves in case of an emergency.
“I’m your hedge.”
Indeed. And it is such a pleasure to hear the dialogue between two smart people outsmarting each other with every word.
As she gets off the bus in her village, the American Dream is over for Maria Gonzalez. And it is one down and several more to go for the man who is the depiction of the American Dream.
Two episodes into Season 3 and we see both Dake and Taylor adapting to ways they seemed to dislike earlier. Bryan Connerty, on the other hand, is still the conscience of the show. I have recently seen an interview with Damian in which he says Bryan is such a lonely voice on Billions: He tries to do the right thing and no one seems to care. But I want to think Bryan will dig into Chuck’s involvement in Ice Juice and some will care.
One character that is growing on me this season is Lara. The way she describes marriage – partly her feelings and partly handling her fake friend Lily – shows Lara is trying to find out who she is without her husband. I completely agree with her that boys arriving at the baseball game in the chopper is mortifying and that they do not know to be embarrassed is unacceptable. If Axe does not want her help, it is his problem.
In closing, I have a theory about “single Axe” I want to run by you: Knowing how hard he tried to bring Wendy back to Axe Capital in Season 2, I cannot believe Axe is not doing anything to steal Lara’s heart again. And my hunch is he may be doing what he is doing for his family without anyone, including Lara, knowing. Could it be that the move to Manhattan, the bachelor pad, and the women, especially the women, are a show to make the outside world believe in the separation? And so a divorce transferring at least half of the assets to Lara would not be perceived as fraudulent conveyance? Just saying – not that I know if this could play out fine legally.
Damianista,
As always, thank you for catching all those culture references I don’t. I know about Washington crossing the Delaware, but I had no idea was a flat white was (I don’t drink coffee), had no idea who Zapruder was, and I have never seen The Departed.
As much as I do like a lot of these references, sometimes I do find them a bit much, but maybe that seems to be because many of them go over my head. It feels like I’m not part of the “in” crowd. I’m just glad that most of the time it doesn’t make or break the plot.
There was a lot going on in this episode, and I’ll go over some of it from The Trader’s Desk on Friday.
That being said, I am in 100% agreement with you regarding Axe “acting” single. We know he likes to show the world one thing (he covered a trade by saying he was getting out of the business!!), but plans another.
Since there is no pre-nup, Lara could possibly get half of everything, maybe even half of Axe Capital (it depends on how it’s set up). But, if that is he play, he truly takes a gamble. Once they are divorced, even if he explained to her what he was doing, it doesn’t stop her from just walking away.
Thank you for reading! I first catch the stuff I already know (Flintstones, Farrah Fawcett, Flat White, George and Edward, Decalogue, Zapruder, etc) but then I need to look some of them up (Hassan Chop, The Departed, I went down to the crossroads, etc) This episode was relatively easy, sports references are the hardest for me! 🙂 I think they enjoy burying these easter eggs for fans to find and they seem to resonate with people. It works well for me too when they are referring to something I care about — like Flintstones 🙂 And I am sure the sports references work well for a lot of fans! I agree some episodes have more than the others, and if they have references back to back that you have no idea about, you can even turn you off. I remember we all complained about one episode last season – maybe it was Episode 5 Currency?
YES! Nothing is what it seems on Billions, and Axe always does a thing while he is planning something else. I was thinking about the Telecom deal, too, in Season 1. And I read a bit about legal asset protection and it seems, as you suggest, it is a gamble to transfer assets to relatives since there is always the risk of this person not returning them when the time comes. I believe though Axe trusts Lara 100%, and maybe he trusts himself 100% that he will be able to get his family back. And I don’t think Lara would sell Axe out, but of course only time will tell!
I guess it’s a good thing there are so many of us watching and writing that we can compliment each other on the references. I totally got the crossroads ref (I’m a big Clapton fan, and I’m actually reading his autobiography now), and I get any of the “fin-speak” but as long as you keep linking them, I’m good!
If Axe trusted Lara 100% then wouldn’t he let her in on his plan? He never told her about the telecom play, didn’t tell he about ICEJ, did tell her about Wendy. I feel like at some point Lara will (is she isn’t already) become disillusioned with Axe, tired of his games, and with 1/2 of everything, just walk away.
Absolutely! We all catch different things!
The main point of departure for my theory is that it is very difficult to accept that Axe tried so hard to Wendy back and is now doing nothing to gain Lara back. Love is one thing, but this man is obviously possessive and he must want to have his wife back. The only explanation I can come up with is that there should be some convenience in doing that.
I think Axe trusts Lara. Yes, he did not tell her about Telecom but I think he did not let her in just because he did not want her to be a partner in his crimes in any way. And now if he has a plan, he may not want Lara to get involved, play a part in the game, and be responsible in case there is a legal problem later. Re Wendy, we know why he did not tell… but came to a point of sacrificing Wendy should Lara ask for it when she left him with the kids.
If you are right and he does not trust her 100% then I would not feel one bit for him if she got all the money and walked away.
One other theory is they are in this together – which I doubt, but who knows, we saw him separated in season premiere, we do not know what they talked about when Axe made bail and came home – but then Lara is a very good actor and they promised each other that they would play the game even when they are alone together until it is over.
I am so looking forward to seeing the scene with Lara signing stuff – I think it is a critical scene to continue the speculation 😀
Clapton!!! No no Mr Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil so he could play blues on his guitar. Clapton is merely his disciple.
Yes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=Yd60nI4sa9A
Got that “invalid security token” again after trying to enter a reply to Lady Trader. What is it with that?
Connie, since this comment has made it to the blog, I guess there is no problem. Could you explain what is happening exactly?
Okay, it happened twice.
I type my comments, put in the details below, check off the two notify boxes and also click on the post comment. My comments disappears and are far too lengthy to bother writing the third time.
I have no idea what is happening there. I am so sorry and I will look it up. One thing I would recommend though is — I always do it when I comment here or anywhere else to be on the safe side — to copy your comment before pressing the submit button. The interesting thing is the short comments all arrive well. This is pretty weird.
I submitted a problem ticket with JetPack support – the application that supports the comments section. Let us see what they will say.
Absolutely last try here, and a shortened form of what I tried to post before. The constant references drive me nuts, but that is probably a generational thing. had to look up flat white, as to me it is a type of paint and I like my coffee. The White Day reference was terrible weak. Hubby and I spent 3 years in Japan while he was active duty and I was pretty much up on the holidays there. Turns out it is a recent one, late 1970s, after I lived there, and is one of those commercial things, not all related to history or religion. Of course, that is on the writers, not Bryan C. and I like that character more and more each week. Zapruder was easy; everyone of my generation knows where they were on that day in history.
While firmly in Lara’s camp as opposed to Wendy’s, why was she at Axe’s apartment to complain about his time spent with the kids? She should have been at home with them.
On the whole, this episode was too much Taylor and Wendy, not enough of the ginger guy and Giamatti and Lewis are supposed to be the leads. However, Damian did a great job with facial expressions, one of his strong points, we know, thinking of Dick Winters, Soames Forsyte and William Keane.
Connie, I typed your comment here 🙂 So, when one of your comments makes it, you can always press edit and paste your long comment, too — if we cannot solve the problem this is worth trying!
Now on to your comments!
I think “cultural references” is a love/hate thing with Billions. I am not sure if it is a generational thing. I personally enjoy them more when they are about something I used to like (Atari, Flintstones, Charlie’s Angels) when I was a kid, but I do not care as much about sports references — but they work because they are always used in the right context. Billions is BIG on analogies which I admit I love. And, accordingly, I liked the Valentines Day / White Day reference because they used it to convey the idea that Chuck is giving a gift right now but he will be asking for something more valuable later context so it worked for me. And since Bryan explained what White Day was, I did not have to look it up. That said, for example, our Gingersnap does not like it that they explain the cultural references in this season rather than letting us look it up — there are several examples. So, I think everyone is looking at this reference stuff differently.
I guess Lara thought she needed to talk to him before things got worse. Sending the kids to the game in a chopper was probably the most obnoxious thing to do and Lara needed to set the record straight with Axe. He should either get his shit together, become a full partner in custody or give it up.
You are right this episode did not give a lot of screen time to Axe and Chuck but, after all, it is an ensemble act. Taylor is a VERY popular character. But you know what? We were h the episode last night and Lewisto said he could not believe what Damian could convey only with his facial expressions 🙂
Thanks for your work on my comments….much appreciated. With a nod to Lewisto and his comment on Damian’s facial expressions, I noticed last week during that Dickens session, Damian conveyed every bit of what he was thinking with his eyes closed. Not too many actors are capable of that.
Aha that one worked…why?
I just edited one of your comments and typed this comment in.
You’re very welcome!
Not too many actors can do it at all. Quite a few, in fact. And two of them are called Lewis 🙂 Daniel Day-Lewis is another actor I would put next to Damian.
I put it in my review last week that less is always more with Damian and you feel what Axe feels the best in his stillness. AMAZING!
Hey guys I have a positive “Wendy comment “! She keeps her eye on the big picture. The best advice I’ve received was not “do this or do that” but – it depends on what you want. Very Wendyish.
The conflict between Taylor and Bobby is yummy.
In the scene with Lara I felt Bobby yearning for his wife, wanting her help. He can’t ask – yet.
Thanks for the wrap Damianista! I read you this am before watching then read the remarks – so far – after. So helpful. A few loose ends
What did you mean Hello Carly.
Who is Danny Margolis? LMAO
What “Departed” quote?
DeGuilio’d?
Did you catch Axe’s new spooks mention of “the girls”?
Note to Lady Trader – Drop everything and watch “The Departed”!!!
I am in awe of the conversation between Taylor and Axe at the end of the episode. Two smart people outsmarting each other with every word. That is so my kind of conversation! LOVE IT!
You know I love Wendy and I think she is on fire this season! The stakes are high so she needs to orchestrate the game better than ever – on both sides! The way she imposes her will on Chuck for him to impose his will on Judge Funt was mind-blowing. Because she can go to jail if things do not go their way and if there is a leak about her Ice Juice short.
Let’s tie the loose ends now!
1. Carly is a former Axe Capital employee that left after Axe’s 9/11 stuff became public and set up shop called Ionosphere. Remember she had had a digestive problem after Body Sushi? 😀 Axe made Ionosphere his own in S1 E10 Quality of Life 😀 They are part of his satellite system 🙂
2. Danny Margolis is one of the guys that drank Ice Juice for Axe in S2 E11 Golden Frog Time. But he was also a former Axe Capital employee, and he ratted on Axe in the series pilot, spent time in jail and last time we saw him he was working as part of a catering service at the party at Black Jack Foley’s house when Axe was there to meet Black Jack Foley. He made Margolis to take a good look at the guests and he sent Axe a picture of Chuck Sr and Jr at the party proving that they fucked him off about the casino business. That is when Axe rode his motorcycle to Yale Club. And he paid off Margolis’ mortgage, too 🙂
3. “I have an immaculate record” — I think it’s “You have an immaculate record” in The Departed. I put a link to the quote in the post, too.
4. Because they said the case got Funt-ed after the first judge I made a wordplay with DeGuilio-d — Adam DeGuilio is the new judge and Chuck’s good friend.
5. Yes. It was Wags that said “The Women” when the spooks asked about other visitors. And I am very much behind my theory that he is having these women over for a play. And yes you can all me an idiot if it turns out that he is not! 😀
6. I second your suggestion to Lady Trader. The Departed is a good movie. That said, Dake is my man. I am a Decalogue kind of girl! 😀
Thanks so much for reading, NotLinda! <3
“That said, for example, our Gingersnap does not like it that they explain the cultural references in this season rather than letting us look it up”
Yep, I like hunting for eggs! I like to Nancy Drew the shit out of things. I like mystery and solving that mystery. #ScoobyDoo
Billions didn’t need to change the formula IMO. The references that people (including myself) don’t get doesn’t effect plot (like Lady Trader said), so don’t spoil it for those of us who still want Damianista to explain it to us or Google it later 😀 Seems Billions responded to some of the public noise about it, giving us part explanation, part hidden eggs. Both episodes this season have so far started explaining some of the references.
I think you are spot on! Unlike film, TV is a platform where feedback can be incorporated into the show and I think they are trying to balance things out! There were at least two in this one where the character explained the reference, the White Day and the Sea Hangover.
On the other hand if feedback wasn’t heeded we wouldn’t have gotten three seasons with Brody. Must be a record – it took me 3 posts to say his name!
You’ve been patient! 😀 And you are absolutely right. But, I believe, in general, feedback should not intervene with what filmmakers want to do. And, retrospectively, can we say Homeland Season 3 is a strong season? I am so glad Billions does not give in to people (and there are LOTS of them) that want to have Axe and Wendy fall in love! 🙂
While you and I disagree on Wendy Damianista, we do agree that we do NOT want Axe and Wendy to fall in love. Another comment on those references, most miss their mark with me, especially those from movies as I am not a movie goer. I think Brian’s explanation of White Day was rather off the mark anyway. True they don’t seem to affect the story line too much, where as the financial jargon is probably more crucial. I tune that out as well. I wonder how it affects the average American viewer and if it has anything to do with the fact that Billions hasn’t attracted the attention on the awards circuit that Homeland did right out of the gate. I really feel like the devil’s advocate here!
Billions is doing great in terms of ratings though. They are Showtime’s second biggest show ever after Homeland. My hunch is the show will go at least for two more seasons. The subject matter may not be as sexy as Homeland but it is very timely. It ws very timely when the show started since the borders between politics, big business and law are quite blurred in the system. And, even though I don’t want to be political, but since Damian said it multiple times in his interviews, the show seems to be even more timely now that we have a billionaire in the White House.
So glad we think alike on Axe and Wendy 🙂
LadyTrader,
This is for you.
The confidence and precision with Taylor in looking for prices to bottom in four days in Scandinavian shipping company in conversation with Rudy was quite a telling.
Is that kind of precision a reality or a hubris they exhibit?
On another thread, you had mentioned about gut instinct, fact, luck in the making of a trade. Looking forward for that post. But why wait till the end of the season 🙂
I believe the timing of the trade Taylor is discussing with Rudy (four days instead of two) is based on their assessment of the facts and figures (and we all know Taylor see things other don’t), their gut feeling, and as in every trade, a bit of luck.
Taylor needs to portray this precision and confidence to the firm (and a bit to themselves) to show who is really running the show. I go more into this in my Friday post.
I’d love to do a post on the process of how I make a trade, but with doing my Friday posts, and working 9:30-4, it’s about all I can do for now!! Thank you for your kind words.
Lady Trader, I hope some time you do get chance to explain how you make a trade. Watching Billions is not really educating me on that and I am woefully unschooled is such things financial. I believe while watching Billions I concentrate mostly on the characters and not the processes they are using.
I certainly will! But it will most likely be at the end of the season, as the recaps keep me busy. I try as much as I can to explain things when they happen in my weekly recaps, but I know I can’t cover everything. Maybe we’ll an episode with not as much fin-speak and I can do it then.