Billions remains a typical pay cable drama albeit with moments of unexpected excellence in its eighth episode.
Or again: to laugh or whatever.
On that front, its beyond time to giveBillionssome credit.
In its 8th episode,Billionsis what it is: an average to above average pay cable show.
Hes tried to communicate just much he hates Wendy working there previously and all the explanations have felt shallow.
He hates Bobby Axelrod, of course.
He hates corrupt business practices, of course.
Mark Teixeira* for the Rhoades son Kevin.
And I fucking hate it.
Thats pretty heady, human stuff for a show about financial fraud.
And hes not worried about them carrying on a sexual or romantic relationship.
No, its that Wendy and Axe share something markedly different from a loving relationship.
Chuck doesnt have a word for it.
Its in this unexplainable relationship whereBillionshas found the most dramatically fertile ground.
Wendy doesnt get explosively angry.
No one has to spend the night on the couch.
But at the same time, there are no easy answers.
How could there be in something so relatively unprecedented?
And its that other stuff whereBillionscontinues to be punishingly average.
The central conflict of Boast and Rails isnt much of a conflict at all.
Chuck, while still officially recused from the Axe Capital case is coaching Bryan Connerty from the sidelines.
The problems here are two-fold.
One is Chucks recommendation to Bryan to get his hands dirty has been done to death in storytelling.
Especially, sinceBillionsturns it into a weird, extended kids these days metaphor.
Milk is the fucking worst.
The other factor here is why is Axe letting any of this happen in the first place?
not have a janitor mole in the District Attorneys office.
What is it, old people?
Frame innocent people or nah?
Stop getting your wires crossed!
This insistence on doing things weve seen before means for a somewhat boring episode, twist-y ending or no.
Still, there is one more, slightly underplayed plot line that feels unique or at least exceedingly rare.
We find out what Axes big, guilty secret is.
He was meeting with his lawyers as the firm was preparing to fire him for unethical trading practices.
And if I were watching a news story reveal that in real life, I would be disgusted.
Instead of denying it to his P.R.
Hes not wrong there.
If Wendy says it, it must be true.
In these morally gray moments,Billionsis its best version of itself.
Still, the other kimchi-eating, yelling-at-cloud version of Billions continues to gobble up most of the screentime.
Rating:
3 out of 5
