One of the many reasons why I can’t wait for Billions — the MAJOR one being the prospect of having my weekly Damian Lewis fix on TV — is that the show is giving us not one but two smart and strong female characters in Wendy Rhoades and Lara Axelrod. I just LOVE smart and strong women that give hard time to men — sorry, Bobby!
Well… I have written about Wendy and the uniquely powerful position she may have over Bobby and Chuck here and here. And today I turn my attention to Lara Axelrod and try to figure her out with the information at hand.
One major question about Lara is whether she is involved in the business, and, if she is, then how much she knows about what’s going on. If we drop a few familiar names for convenience, the question is whether Lara is some kind of a Carmela Soprano (knows and looks the other way), Skyler White (doesn’t want to know first but then buried up to her neck) or Claire Underwood (an equal partner from day one).
A few hints Malin Akerman gives in a You Tube interview partially answers the question: “Great character… Strong female character… just what I was attracted to… You know, it’s, instead of standing behind your man, standing beside your man in this show…” So, Lara seems to be more of a Claire Underwood in this respect. Interestingly, Malin Akerman, in a recent interview with Real Style Network also talks about her character being a “reminiscent of Claire Underwood” but with “a little more warmth to her.” This makes me very happy because, as much as I think Robin Wright is doing an amazing job as the ultimate ice queen Claire Underwood in House of Cards, I just cannot bring myself to connect with the character.
We all now know Bobby and Lara are hailing from tough neighborhoods of New York, Yonkers and Inwood, respectively; and seem to have made it to the point they stand today together. However, we have no clue about how they became a couple in the first place… My hunch is that, being the beautiful and smart woman that she is, I don’t think Bobby was the only guy after Lara… Bobby being Bobby, I can see him having the confidence to step up … But I still think it was more of a two-way street for them: Lara probably saw the future she dreamed about for herself in this guy among her suitors… and took him! I really hope we find out more, over the season, about how Bobby and Lara came together as a couple.
There is this scene in the show trailer with Bobby and Lara having pizza at this neighborhood joint (FYI that scene was filmed at Rosa’s Pizza on Metro in Queens and Yelp reviews are good, so go have a Sicilian slice if you are in the area!). It seems like a place where they feel HOME, where they feel relaxed and feel like the young boy and girl they used to be, and where they may also feel damn proud of how far they come. Who knows… It may even be the place that Bobby took Lara on their very first date… Oh My God! My imagination just runs wild so much so that I can sit and write a novel called Axelrods: The Early Years just right now and right here!
Malin Akerman gives a bit more background information about Lara in a recent Billions promo: “The thing I like about Lara is that she grew up in a working class family, was a nurse, and she has this edge to her that is a bit different than someone who perhaps would have been born into money… and now they are this massively powerful couple that kind of rule in New York City. Lara has quite eloquently taken on this role.”
So, how eloquently has Lara taken her new role in New York City?
First, she seems to be running a charity and I put my money on the charity doing good in the NYPD and FDNY community. It is, in fact, an educated guess based on the information that Lara is coming from a family of police and firefighters and also Bobby “survived 9/11 by a fluke.” A scene in the official trailer gives hints about the charity giving out scholarships to young guys who could be the kids of NYPD and FDNY members that perished on 9/11. 
Secondly, while she is doing some serious good in the neighborhood, Lara also owns a restaurant in which she has her two sisters as her employees. One thing I like about Lara already is the woman seems to be as comfortable about hanging out with farm workers and bump-fisting them as she is hanging out with NYC’s top elite.
Her restaurant, the charity and her two kids should be taking A LOT of her time, but still Lara seems to have another favorite pastime: Threatening people! 😀 We see her in the show trailer openly threatening Melissa Errico’s character June, who is, “a widow with a connection to the brilliant, ambitious hedge fund king Bobby Axelrod.”
Lara says: “In Inwood growing up, if someone has a problem with you … And they take that beef public, the ground just falls out from beneath them.”
Whoa…
Lara is obviously not just standing beside her man; she at times is standing in front of her man — sort of shielding him to protect what they have built together.
In another recent promo, we see Lara telling a man that her husband “is playing hard ball. And he did what he had to do.” I have no clue what the two are talking about but my hunch is that if you ask Lara now whether she is about to threaten this guy, her response would probably be “fucking right I am!” 🙂
These brief scenes are pretty telling about how far Lara could go to keep what she and Bobby have built together. I wonder though about if Bobby knows that his wife is going around threatening people? Well… Even if he does not, Bobby seems to know his wife HAS what it takes to go after what she wants…
Lara: “Some women do not have what it takes…”
Bobby: “And some do.”
This is also the scene that makes JaniaJania think Damian Lewis should teach an online course on how a man should look at a woman, and I just cannot help seconding this brilliant idea: Please, and thank you 🙂
Malin Akerman, in her recent interview with Real Style Network, says: “Lara is very much a family woman. You cannot mess with her family because she will cut you. A lot of shit goes down. There is a lot of tension within the family trying to keep it together, and raising her two boys without them becoming spoiled brats.”
Hmmm… I believe the following conversation between Bobby and Lara attests to THIS side of an otherwise “family woman.”
Bobby: “You don’t get to where I am without tolerating a lot of risk…”
Lara: “WE… WHERE WE ARE…”
Hehe. So, it is not just others but even her own husband cannot mess with Lara! Or one can try, as Bobby tries here a bit, and the ice queen in Lara pops up immediately and puts him in his place!
But what about “tensions in the family” Akerman is talking about?
At first look, the Axelrods look like the dream family: a pretty loved up couple raising two cute kids! And so one thinks all “tensions in the family” should be business related; in particular it should be US attorney Chuck Rhoades who is trying to put Bobby “in a cell” giving them more than a headache.
One question that’s been haunting me for some time though is a woman —who we have seen in a recent promo, taking off her bathrobe to get into the spa tub with Bobby who seems to be a bit surprised to see her.
Well… Well… Well… The latest Billions promo “It’s not About the Money” reveals that the woman in the spa tub is nobody other than…
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Wendy Rhoades!
Now how about that? Could it still be harmless workplace flirting that we were talking earlier here? Or could it be that Wendy is doing some in-house performance coaching in the spa tub? Maybe… and maybe not 😀 And what would Lara do if she found out? Ha! That would be something!
In closing, if you are wondering what Malin Akerman thinks of her “TV husband” I am happy to report she is very impressed: “He’s incredible! What a phenomenal actor and a very charming Brit. He’s just lovely to work with — a professional, really inspiring kind of guy. I’m working with someone who I respect very much. As an actor, I feel like I’m going to learn a lot from working with him. we get along really well.”
No surprise there, huh? 🙂
Ooh I am just loving this speculation/insight so much. Thank you for keeping it going and raising more questions.
So, just as Wendy is making it clear to Chuck that she is just as important as him, Lara is doing the same to Bobby.
Do you think that, if Bobby’s position at some point becomes a threat to the kids’ stable home life, would Lara drop him? Hmm these women are not to be messed with.
As we can’t wait for Billions to arrive, SPECULATION rules!!! I believe the two women cannot be more similar and more different at the same time. You are making an amazing observation – exactly, they both tell their significant other that they are as important in this partnership, and THEY ARE! I am sure Lara would do anything to protect her kids from any harm (not necessarily physical) and yes, I’d say, this would include dad as well! We should really do a Wendy/Lara comparison at some point a few episodes into the show maybe – I think you just made the FIRST critical observation for that one!!!!
There is also the Rhoades kids to consider as well. There is certainly a comparison to be made. I wonder what assets, if any, are in Lara’s sole name and/or the kids’ names (in Trust) for convenience
to…cough…ahem…cough allow Bobby to erm fleece the tax man?Ha! Oh yeah that LOVING relationship between Axe and Tax!!! There is so much to find out about, isn’t it? I imagine the NEW house in the Hamptons could be in Lara’s name — I imagine it may be a gift for her… Thought they were talking about the house when he asks “do you like it?” she says “I love it” and they kiss… I am so curious how the US attorney’s office finds something is fishy with Axe Capital in the first place. I bet it has something to do with insider trading because it’s apparently Chuck’s specialty (81-0)!
A pharmaceutical company is mentioned in one of the trailers regarding 3 other companies (presumably investing in the pharmaceutical company) with links to Bobby and ‘suspicious trading patterns’. Insider trading seems most likely.
I watched the first episode and plan to watch this season. – Very intriguing and exciting. I thought the scene at the pizza parlor was odd when Bobby’s wife was just sitting there not eating or even drinking a water. The couple did not even seem close or connected? Awkward ish.. Does anyone agree? Maybe I imagined this.. Either way, looking forward to it. Damian Lewis is great.
Hi Kathleen, thanks for your feedback! Here’s my take on the pizza scene: They do not go there to eat. I also think Lara may be into healthy eating or something 🙂 But they were not there for a meal. And it is also morning (Bruno says he’s not usually open in the morning) not ideal pizza time. But Bobby, because he LOVES Bruno’s pizza, has one as they wait for the other friend to arrive and the two men tell Bruno that Bobby is saving his pizza joint! For her credit, Lara takes a bite 😀 Bobby becomes Bobby in that pizza joint, good old neighborhood boy that he is, and not Axe. He seems to feel quite at home, too. Thanks so much visiting & reading us! I would love to hear others’ comments on the scene as well!!
I would pretty much agree with this, only adding that I thought she seemed quite amused just watching him. She poked a little fun at his enthusiasm. He really went for that Pizza, didn’t he? Plus when Bobby’s friend comes in notice how he went right for a bit as well!
Oh I completely agree he LOVES that pizza, and he looks almost like a little boy in the candy store – she finds it sweet and amusing, I think — very different from Axe at Axe Capital, huh? 😀