Despite an extended hiatus, Billions season 5 picks up where it left off
Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) has lost some face as the Showtime drama turns from its long pandemic break
TV Reviews Billions
“Don’t make a whole thing out of it,” Paul Giamatti’s Chuck Rhoades says near the beginning of “Copenhagen.” He’s referring to the fact that he’s shaved his beard, but he might as well be speaking for Billions itself as it returns after nearly fifteen months of pandemic hiatus. Despite the lengthy absence, this is not a season premiere, and Billions would prefer we didn’t notice how much time has passed.
That keeps the conflicts that were so rudely interrupted last June very much in play. Axe is still keenly interested in burning rival Michael Prince’s life to the ground. Prince is up for an ambassadorship to Denmark, but a very hungover Wags has a lead on digging up some dirt on him. Prince’s associate Scooter appears to have a gambling problem, which Wags plans to use as leverage to get the goods. The plan backfires when it turns out Scooter has been placing the (legal) bets on Prince’s behalf, leaving Axe humiliated at what was supposed to be his moment of triumph.
It’s a temporary setback, as in true Billions fashion, the tables don’t so much turn as rotate continuously at breakneck speed. Dollar Bill comes up with the next plan while reminiscing about reading financial periodicals on the can. It seems Prince’s first business partner died young in an accident, and his mother has no happy memories of Michael Prince. The now-billionaire cheated his partner out of millions when he made his first big deal, a revelation that turns a scheduled puff-piece TV profile into an exposé of “exploitation and betrayal.” It’s must-see TV for Axe and his crew, but it leaves Prince ditching his Danish get-up and plotting whatever comes next.
At the AG’s office, the newly clean-shaven Chuck is also looking to clean up his conscience. He’s still searching for a kidney donor for Senior, who doesn’t even trust Chuck enough to make him his medical proxy, instead putting Wendy in charge of his end-of-life decisions. This doesn’t prove so easy, as Chuck’s past bad actions keep coming back to haunt him. One of the students he’d enlisted in his scheme to discredit Todd Krakow has come into possession of a photo of young Chuck burning Yale student body election ballots in a bathtub. Chuck insists his intentions were pure, as he planned to press Yale to divest from South Africa’s Apartheid regime, while his opponent for student body president did not.
The student is unmoved by this explanation, but rather than resorting to threats or bribery, Chuck shares the wisdom of his experience. He warns young Merle that this threat of blackmail will lead him down a dark path, and urges him to live a life of honor instead. Ira, the devil on Chuck’s shoulder, wants to use the tried and true tactics. He’s assembled a folder of intel on Chuck’s former opponent, all the better to trash him in the press and make Chuck look like a hero for stealing the election. In the end, Chuck declines to use the intel, losing his cherished teaching gig at Yale in the process. Whether this is a true change of heart…sorry, I just started laughing uncontrollably. Of course it isn’t.
As always, the collision course of Axe and Chuck is bubbling in the background. As a way of saving face in case the photo leaks, Chuck has Sackler find him a case that will make him look like a hero. She digs up a predatory money lender for him to go after, but it turns out to be bait in a trap set by Axe. Once Chuck has reduced the value of the money lender to pennies, Axe snatches it up. Why? Because they have a banking charter, which Chuck has now handed him. Tune in next week, when the ever-rotating tables get turned again.
Stray observations
- Welcome back to Billions coverage, at least on a trial basis. I’ll be here for the next couple of episodes, and if enough of you come along for the ride, perhaps through the rest of the season.
- Taylor’s impact fund provides the opportunity for Jason Isbell to do a PSA on behalf of the Bail Project before playing “Last of My Kind.” Later, Isbell’s expressed disdain for the financial world helps Tanner get back in touch with his muse after the artist is tempted by big money. One imagines this storyline is not yet resolved.
- A trick the writers always have in their bag is dropping a villain from seasons past into the proceedings to screw up Chuck’s (or Axe’s) latest scheme. This time it’s Dr. Gilbert, the fall guy for the Ice Juice caper, now every prisoner’s (and guard’s) favorite medic. As always, Billions demands encyclopedic recall of the entire series.
- Taylor’s subplot involves an employee who won’t give up her night job working catering gigs with her pals ala Party Down. This makes Taylor look bad, but in the end it’s just another soul stolen by the world of big finance.
- While Chuck is able to resist the devil on his shoulder, Axe won’t listen to the angel on his. Wendy tries to talk him down from his Prince vendetta, but in the end she’s on board.
- Mock tuna wrap, anyone?
35 Comments
I miss chuck’s goatee. It made him look a lot more sinister. Now he just looks….odd.
I’m curious, does the show acknowledge that any time has passed or are we simply picking up as if it was a week after the previous episode?
I didn’t get the impression that much time had passed, if at all.There may have been a gap between Axe sending the info to the news network to take down Prince, because generally researched documentaries don’t happen immediately, especially with on screen interviews.
I don’t think it does acknowledge it at all. Even though Coronavirus was referenced in a previous episode, so far it looks like they will ignore the true impact of it (especially in NYC) and keep to being an escapist fantasy.
Between knowing Lewis lost his wife earlier this year and Giamatti’s weight loss, both leads seemed to be fitting into the new routine. I won’t be surprised if the show leans more Chuck for the remainder of this season
Very excited to have this show back. It’s always a blast to watch, if nothing else.I recall by the point at which they were forced to suspend production they got in what was perhaps the first direct reference to Covid in a scripted show.
It was so odd – (IIRC) it was like they were filming in weird ways – people all over the room spread way out, and a small mention here and there of the pandemic.. like they weren’t sure if it was going to be a long term thing or not. It’s so funny/not funny to think about those days.
Oh absolutely.Funny thing – The Australian soap opera Neighbours only paused filming for a few weeks right at the start of the pandemic in March last year but were able to resume filming with long enough lead-in time so that they didn’t miss an episode airing. They made a conscious decision to not acknowledge the pandemic at all (beyond hand sanitiser being in the background). But it’s been funny to watch it in the pandemic era because of how much it’s forced them to change the way the shot is shot – Only a handful of people in each scene, everyone sitting far apart, few extras and very little non-backlot filming (excluding Ramsay Street itself which they’ve got free access to).Instead they’ve built up their backlot sets in a big way and even though they’re not allowing the actors to touch again and all that, they’re still working under very intense Covid-safe measure to ensure they don’t get shut down.
I enjoyed this episode very much, and look forward to the rest of the season. Giamatti really needs the goatee. And he looks like he’s lost weight, too, which is…not actually a good look on him? I like the subplot of Taylor and the young analyst–I think that’ll be going somewhere, too, based on their last scene together. Whether it’s more impactful for Taylor or the analyst TBD, but I like the angle of soul-selling.
……….possibly because he’s gonna show up in Spider-Man?
I thought it was a great episode and thrilled the show is finally back. I’m frustrated by how quickly Chuck’s office was able to take down Plaintiff Full? The investigation had just begun, that begs belief. The Isbell apparently and shout out to the great work of The Bail Fund were a fun surprise, though perhaps could have been executed a bit more smoothly. I hope you keep covering the show!!
Everyone goes on and on about Succession. This is my jam, right here.
So true. Billions is way better then the unwatchable Succession.
De gustibus et coloribus…
I’ve watched Billions since the beginning, and enjoy it more than most, but overall Succession is the better show IMHO.There are too many downright silly moments like the theatrical ‘shouting match with flickering lights’ in the end of Season 1 that kinda derail Billions at times.
I stopped watching Succession because of the ridiculous Roman and Gerri storyline midway through season 2. I guess I like my silly with Damian and Giamatti more 😉
Yeah, it is pretty odd, but there are plenty of other moments in Billions that are really too ridiculous for the plot. Like Chuck getting peed on for example.
Yeah, that’s a fair point. I’m not sure if I’ll stick in with Billions after the recent casting changes…
“As always, Billions demands encyclopedic recall of the entire series.”
Yep.
After a year & a half I had zero clue who the caterer could possibly be and why Taylor would possibly be so freaked out by an offered hors d’oeuvre. I ended up speculating for several minutes that there was some subplot I’d forgotten about a MaseCap takeover gone wrong because the target company’s vegan tuna scandalously turned out to be actual fish…
I lose track too but I think the show moves so fast and the leads are so great it really doesn’t matter. It’s such a pulpy show you can piece together what you need and these characters on the sideline are all destined to be collateral damage anyway.
It took a while to recall she was the one who “learned conversational Spanish” while on the limitless shit.
My wife and I looked at each other blankly at the recognition scene. She asked, “Were they having sex?” I had no idea who she was even after the plot point was explained.
I dunno. The show seems to have been spinning its wheels for a couple of seasons now. It was okay, but that’s about all I expect of it now.Two things I could totally do without: the showrunners’ obsessions with bringing on celebrities in order to meet them and featuring restaurants where they want to eat (though it’s not like the Second Ave. Deli is exclusive) and their mentioning movies and musicians that, since they like them, they think everyone is obsessed and intimately familiar with.I like the new Giamatti and think he looks a good ten years younger. How he did that overnight in show time should actually be a plot point.
Asking her employee to leave the catering biz made Taylor look strong not mean. Taylor was 100% correct.
I’d like to know what diet Chuck used to lose thirty pounds in a couple of days. Jason Isbell, musician: A+ Jason Isbell, actor: D-
My head cannon will be that we’re around 6 months after the end of the first half of the season.Chuck came to the same realization many of us did about the comorbidity aspects of obesity in the pandemic and got serious
Stiltedly – “I spend most of my money on guitars”.
I thought the comment was more about the weight than the goatee. Though the combination of the two made for a jarring difference.
I’m so happy to see the return of Billions, I’ve also missed these types of episode reviews . Paul Giamatti looks younger sans weight loss & beard, but he needs to be fitted for some new suits everything he’s wearing looks too big!!
I was such a big fan but the last series was so awful I think I’m done.
Does Taylor look bad? She had a legit business reason for whoever she was to stop her side gigs. And the woman’s attitude was shitty enough I initially hoped Taylor would fire her.And can’t someone on this show have a change of heart? I liked that Chuck didn’t immediately roll over to his vengeful prick self, and salt more earth. I’d like to see someone on this show seem vaguely trustworthy.As for Grillo’s painter, ffs, I hope he doesn’t get fucked over. But this is BILLIONS, so…
Taylor’s analyst will prove useful if I am able to organically learn and remember her name before the end of the season.
Please tell me they give a “previously on” because I have no clue where all this left off.
They do, but I re-watched the episode before the break and it helped a lot.
This show is now so camp that I just love watching for the ridiculousness of it all. The Bachelor reference from Taylor was so forced but I’m glad the writer is self-aware enough to have tuna-wrap employee question it.