“From The Trader’s Desk”: Is This the End of the Beginning? Or the Beginning of the End? Billions S5 E11 Victory Smoke

Is this the end of the beginning?
Or the beginning of the end?
Losing control or are you winning?
Is your life real or just pretend?
End of the Beginning – Black Sabbath

 

After a quick trip to the West Coast, the Trader’s Desk is back for your Friday enjoyment. I have thoughts, so let’s get right to it.

I have always felt the idea of Axe turning Axe Capital into a bank was a bad idea. Why go through all the changes, and deal with all different types of rules and regulations? It’s not worth it. Also, this whole bank idea was purely emotional. Axe got the bee in his bonnet about the bank after Prince rattled his cage and “stole his shaman” at “The Mike”. It was a frustrated Axe no longer wanting to be the player at the casino but be the house. The problem is, Axe is a gambler, and I went into detail on why I believe that all the way back at the beginning of Season 2. He has become a deca being a speculator. He is good at trading and deal making. Why change and give up that shot of adrenaline?  This bank is all ego and emotion, and it may finally be the nail in Axe’s coffin. Continue reading ““From The Trader’s Desk”: Is This the End of the Beginning? Or the Beginning of the End? Billions S5 E11 Victory Smoke”

The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs from Billions Season 5 Episode 11 Victory Smoke

We continue to award our Most Valuable Players for Billions season five in our series compilation, the ‘Billions MVP Fanbook,’ which commemorates all those in honor of achievement for the utmost brazen, uber shameless, ultra scheming, unmatched bad asses to date – from sports references, music and tasty food to pop culture remarks, shocking twists and ultimate paybacks. In case you missed it, here are the MVPs for season five episodes one, two, three, four, five, six, seveneight, nine and ten.

Let us resume that tradition as we award our Most Valuable Players (MVPs) for the most recent episode. Here are the Billions MVP awards for Season 5, Episode 11, “Victory Smoke.”

Continue reading “The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs from Billions Season 5 Episode 11 Victory Smoke”

Billions on Showtime, Season 5 Episode 11: Victory Smoke

WOW. Is this it? Is this checkmate?

I don’t think a scene-by-scene recap like I always do will not do justice to this utterly crazy episode. That is why I have decided to talk about how Chuck has made sure that Axe gets caught in the trap he set up for him along  with the personal costs of doing that for everyone involved.

So shall we? Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, Season 5 Episode 11: Victory Smoke”

The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs from Billions Season 5 Episode 10 Liberty

We continue to award our Most Valuable Players for Billions season five in our series compilation, the ‘Billions MVP Fanbook,’ which commemorates all those in honor of achievement for the utmost brazen, uber shameless, ultra scheming, unmatched bad asses to date – from sports references, music and tasty food to pop culture remarks, shocking twists and ultimate paybacks. In case you missed it, here are the MVPs for season five episodes one, two, three, four, five, six, seveneight and nine.

Let us resume that tradition as we award our Most Valuable Players (MVPs) for the most recent episode. Here are the Billions MVP awards for Season 5, Episode 10, “Liberty.”

Continue reading “The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs from Billions Season 5 Episode 10 Liberty”

Billions on Showtime, Season 5 Episode 10: Liberty

Ladies and Gentlemen: WOW. WOW. WOW.  I called last week’s episode as the most Billions-y in a while, and as a game theorist, I declare this week’s episode the most game-theoretic to date. Hats off to Billions writers who are at the peak of their powers. I cannot imagine better or smarter writing.  And since alliances shift like sand in this show, I really cannot see where we will end up by the end of this season, but I know we are in for an epic roller coaster. Bring it on!

They gave the first hints of Covid-19 hitting New York in  Episode 9 Implosion with Chuck telling Kate to “go home and stock up on canned food for the coming plague” and Swerdlow (I cannot bring myself to call that man Dr. Swerdlow!) telling Chuck it is great Senior is having his operation before the hospitals are overrun because of the “Chinese bug”. And now Covid-19 has arrived at Axe Capital. Continue reading “Billions on Showtime, Season 5 Episode 10: Liberty”