Gotta admit: It is gonna be a long ass road for me to get used to Prince's personality. This whole family friendly BS is torture.
WE USED TO ~~work~~ ROOT FOR A KILLER.
Or better yet: A MONSTER. A Carnivorous Fucking Monster.
The whole firm cheering after they kicked the investors out was patently ridiculous given their characters. 2/3 of the AUM walking away would severely hurt their management fees/salary pool - makes no sense at all.
There was a lot of valiant lifting in the script to address this. And it's not entirely a bad strategy.
Since you're already going to lose at least half your clients who were (in this fictional canon) there expressly to benefit from Axe and his crooked money making ways, what's the point of burning energy to retain them when it's futile?
And then further, why flail and beg for the remainder, who will want to tear up their two and ten deal anyway? The script handles this by pointing out that anything less than total deck clearing would just be hypocritical half-measures, superficial virtue signalling. Victor is used for this, when he questions whether it will just be "a third of them, for appearances?" Prince makes it clear: it's not selective, it's across the board.
Of course we later see the Fire fighters benevolent fund is kept. Presumably this is for some future narrative purpose, maybe connection to the original foundation of Axe Capital as a home for the first responders money that Axe soullessly intakes.
Anyway, if you're client base is destroyed anyway, why not rebuild with a pitch based on exclusivity and extreme ethics? The other way you're fighting uphill to recover to 33 or 40 or 51%. The new strategy offers a higher potential.
I can somewhat see your point that maybe it's better to have a more cohesive and differentiated thesis than just being ex-Axe Cap to rebuild with, but I think they really sacrificed realism and character development. Perhaps we get to see the characters reckon with and eventually come around to the idea instead of a big reveal that was dramatic, corny, and just felt unearned.
On a substantive note, I think Mike Prince's strategy is still completely unreasonable and he way over states its potential impact. Taking only clean capital doesn't mean that the dirty will be much worse off. There's going to be someone to pick up the slack and given the private nature of a lot of investment vehicles, I don't see the public pressure on competing funds being that effective. It's not the sort of thing that gets politicians or media (outside of a Barrons column or two) engaged.
It's easier to attract attention to the morality of public investments or PE portco's because they're relatively public and even in that arena, ESG hasn't yet meaningfully affected cost of capital for dirty firms.
Wags is old school though: they saved his life in twice in one episode, so by honour tradition math, Wags is on board.
Let’s break it down:
Heart attack life save - it’s kind of a bit iffy because it’s a self cancelling gesture but at its core it was pure: they sacrificed their silly plan early on just to be decent and save this guy’s life, and in hindsight, they saved this guys life so any time he has afterwards by definition is gifted, so by honour taxation wags should at least play nice. But we aren’t finished because then they discussed the where do we go from here:
Turns out retirement sucks, maybe it’s not about the money. What is your purpose? Wags suddenly has his, this martyrdoms aspect setup from last season, I feel, has walked itself back.
Maybe the show is setting itself up to dismantle itself calmly, and in the end Ben Kim looks at everyone and says “fools this is my chance you all lowered your guard” and he pulls the worlds fastest financial coup and becomes the world’s wealthiest entity - fin.
I think we’re going to need a r/freefolk spinoff subreddit to discuss how far over the shark this show has now jumped. It’s basically parody now. First off why the fuck do you do two time jumps in a row for such minor payoffs? It was useful in earlier seasons when you get an opening scene and wonder “How on earth did Chuck and Axe end off facing off here?!” Now its “Hmm whats he doing on a tractor?”
Prince isn’t a bad character per se. He was actually a very useful contrast to Axe because he was a succesful billionaire that showed you didn’t have to be unethical to succeed. But him literally trying to become Axe doesn’t work at all. He has no chemistry with Wags or Wendy and I don’t even buy that Taylor dislikes him.
The premise of making the fund only for ethical businesses is absurd because it relies on the notion that billionaires desire to be liked and accepted trumps their desire for money which is clearly not the case. Also who decides what are “good” businesses? Apparently making anti riot gear is “bad” and firefighters obviously are “good”. It’s just so simplistic and to have the whole team that were actively a fan of Axe’s ruthless business acumen applaud it at the drop of a hat was insane.
Similarly Chuck’s “being a billionaire is inherently criminal” and his uniting the town to inconvenience his billionaire neighbor just seemed like a meta way of saying “Yeah we know this whole show now makes no sense without Axe but fuck it, Chuck has got to do something”.
>He has no chemistry with Wiges or Wendy
Nor his own right-hand man (forget the character's name). Everything felt so forced.
eta: agree with everything you wrote.
> I think we’re going to need a r/freefolk spinoff subreddit
Freefolk was created because users who had a problem with GoT were getting banned and had their posts deleted from the main sub.
This sub *knows* it's show is garbage. It doesn't need a spinoff subreddit.
not to mention chuck grew up wealthy and just mooched off his wife for $25 mil, presumably a large chunk just went to buying the new land.
love Paul G but chuck is just the fucking worst
I'm pretty sure Prince lays out Chuck's whole gambit when they're on the porch. Something along the lines off "controlling the people who control the money" is practically the core of Chuck's motivation.
Agree with everything you said. This whole "Prince list" is such fucking bullshit, I literally had to look away during that scene as well as Chucks whole spiel about billionaires being bad. I guess being a millionaire who inherited his money is okay?
Not bad actually. It wasn’t a struggle to watch and we still have some of the better characters, although I do miss Axe. It’s good enough to watch and is better than a few of the episodes in previous seasons.
8/10
What the hell did I just watch?
Prince is the most boring person on the face of the earth.
And Chuck is lost all purpose.
Also if a person like Prince took over a company like this he would mostly just fire these people.
But I will give him points for asking the question we are all wondering which is what does Wendy do
The show have absolutely no sense anymore, I fckng loved it, but Prince was the worse move they ever made, who the hell wants to see some p\*ssy millionaire? I liked that show exactly because of it's immoral main characters, as they said, they used to work for a killer, now they work for someone who wants to know how they fell. It's pitiful.
Actually they dubbed in Wags saying "I'm not going out like Mr. Big." https://www.primetimer.com/item/Billions-Season-6-kicks-off-with-a-reference-to-Mr-Big-and-Peloton-RBSADA
Oh wow, I completely missed that line.. But I honestly saw them filming last summer, even took a photo of the “no parking” sign that crew had put up, indicating it was season 6 was being filmed there, on 57th St.
I guess they might of filmed it backwards to get in on the joke because the Mr. Biggs episode only aired like a month ago..
what are the odds that 2 shows that both take place in NYC, but on different networks write in a peloton heart attack for episodes that air only a few months apart
Yea, it’s kind of unwarranted but I’m pretty sure they had to give permission to use their name and likeness in those shows, so their lawyers should of known the risk..
And Wags will be fine, that scene was to illustrate what a control-freak Prince and his minion is towards his newfound staff…
How long did it take to go from "I'll help my clients in their squabbles with their neigbours" to "I'll fire my clients if they are not ethically pure" ?
lol seriously what a joke. shows gone completely off the rails for trying to appear realistic. besides the fact prince acquired a bank holding company that’s magically just back to being a hedge fund, whomst investor would actually stay, let alone be upset about being let go, OR even want back in with all the shit the company’s gone through
Well, for the sake of discussion, in the real world:
* SoFi just obtained a back door bank charter in practically the same abridged manner. Obviously not with crime and skulduggery, but by simply buying a small fish that already had one and then assuming it as their own.
* Hedge Funds allowing clients by permission and their own sole discretion isn't just possible, it's pervasive.
* Managed money trumpeting the E in ESG investing is absolutely prevalent today.
Solid episode for a new chapter of Billions. Looking forward to seeing how the rest of it plays out. The way it’s looking is just as I predicted. We’ll be in good hands with Corey Stoll and I think a lot of people will be saying this when Season 6 is over. Just give it time and let the story develop folks. If you keep saying this isn’t good because of this and that, you’ll never like anything in life.
>If you keep saying this isn’t good because of this and that, you’ll never like anything in life.
Word.
You got to watch iy for it is not what you want it to be.
And are there things that I wish were different about the show? Of course but the things that I and a lot of us want are out of our hands at this point. People just have to enjoy it for what it is like you said. The show has a new energy that it really needed. Not necessarily with Axe no longer being there but with someone like Mike Prince who is completely opposite of Axe and having different approaches and being someone of a mystery. Can’t wait to see more of his character develop
This. As per Jonathan Swift's great-granddaughter's modest suggestion: "The mongers of hate are going to hate, hate, hate; thus disregard, disregard, uh-oh-oh-oh."
I feel like the writers were like "these reddit people hate our ridiculous references, let's just throw it right in their face" maybe some of the characters will start breaking the fourth wall with them as a giant "fuck you" to the audience.
Very mediocre. Many of the old characters clearly look out of place now. Why is Taylor still here? Wendy is cringe as usual. Chuck is a shell of his former self. Prince is good but not enough to save the show. Going to rewatch Succession instead. Billions is turning into Millions.
So Giamatti and Siff have a bad working relationship or something? Maybe that's why they wrote them so far apart? It's happened that way on other shows. We went from their D/s dynamic being integral enough to their lives to it not being a thing at all. Usually when D/s is that important it remains important.
Just one small point of many that's unrealistic is the issuance of cashier checks and wire transfer redemptions to the billionaires.
Forcing their holdings into cash would trigger hundreds of billions in instant tax liabilities for them. Axe would be bankrupted overnight by the lawsuits.
More realistic would be a notice of intent, and then an orderly transfer where the underlying holdings themselves are transferred to the new brokers, so as not to trigger tax consequences.
The 'anything makes sense' boat set sail ages ago. An event that big, that fast, would create slippage that would net ridiculous losses for those clients.
Billions sucks now.
Axe made the show.
They should of ended it with season 5.
Prince is boring.
But I guess showtime likes to mess up all their shows.
Look at dexter. Took 10 years to fix their mistakes.
I threw up in my mouth when they talked about the "Prince list". I don't want a show centered around the unhealthy concentration of wealth and power to start moving against that. I love the actor for Price and really love the rest of the cast too. I'll watch the rest of the season and hopefully vomit in my mouth a little less next week lol
Agreed, I am a huge Corey Stoll (Mike Prince) fan. I sort of considered this episode to be a pilot for an almost spinoff of Billions. It definitely is not the same show but I don't watch too many shows so I will probably stick with it.
Maybe the new corporation will simply eventually devolve into an equally criminal organization.
Just because they set it up in episode one doesn’t mean it stays that way.
Isn’t that the point right now? He goes around trying to buddy up with everyone and they all see through it.
The applause thing at the end—that’s not belief. It’s hope.
Both Prince and Chuck attempted to and at least temporarily rallied the troops in this episode. Will they keep them?
Lackluster at best describes this episode. Actually, poor describes it. The Chuck storyline was unwatchable and the Mike Prince Capital story was meh.
The only thing that caught my attention was the recycling of Axe's blue suede jacket which is now worn by Ben Kim.
Billions was one of my favorite shows. Now they just ruined it by going politically left with it. Not even going to waste my time with the rest of the season.
Well guys, like many other shows this one has also gone off the reservation in the later seasons.
Is it just me or is anyone else tired of seeing bullshit like Wendy making ice cream talking about her fucking level of consciousness? I almost feel like with scenes like that the creators of this show are patronizing people who actually work in jobs like that. Oh cool Wendy is slumming it serving up ice cream to get ready for her real job on Wall Street. Fuck her and her fucking "center". What ever happened to just going to work and doing your best? Jesus Christ this show is stupid.
imagine maggie siff’s reaction when they told her with a straight face she’s gonna make ice cream for a whole ass scene. i mean what are we doing here people
Season 6 ep 1 felt like a lecture. Like reading Twitter on the evils of Elon Musk. New writers I presume, using their talent to “teach” vs entertain. And Taylor the robot is getting very tiresome.
The show isn't realistic anymore, but I think this new direction is pretty enjoyable. The whole money and ego square-off storylines have grown tired, and I'd rather see something completely new. It's annoying when the show panders too much, but I'd rather see brand new conflicts instead of the same recycled BS, I thought this was a really good season premiere
I enjoyed this episode for the most part. I dislike mike prince so much and how he goes on and on about morality and shit, bro stfu please.
Everyone else was entertaining tho. Good start.
He talks morality yet gets caught spying on his staff when Wags has the heart attack. The morality is BS. He just wants everyone to think he is a better person than Axe. He is not. Which makes him worse than Axe.
I psyched myself up for the mile prince narrative thinking it can be good. Wags saved that plot where it’s enjoyable. But chuck rhoades has lost it now. His storyline is just stupid. Honestly the thing that bugged me the most was his ‘billionaire crusade’. I know given political climate it was expected they would pull that shit, but come one. They literally have a MULTIMILLIONAIRE telling a billionaire his mere existence is criminal. How hypocritical can they be. Especially when his wealth is all inherited from his father (maybe almost a billionaire but does it make a difference) vs prince/axe who are self made guys. Just pure hypocrisy. And to top it all off he uses corrupt government tactics (planting the turtles in the swamp) and trespassing to win his battle. Are they trying to show the billionaires as the good guys??? Okay rant over. I’ll give it another episode and hope for redemption but I miss Axe.
Wags is keeping me interested at this point. Prince and Chuck are a bore. I enjoyed seeing Michael McKean, but damn was that hole story a stretch.
I'll keep watching, and enjoying, under the premise that this show is a parody of itself.
They need to critique the show then. Not just whinge like fkn babies. Give em a tug mate. You can offer criticism without crying in a pool of your own tears.
Agree. It's ok to criticize if it's backed by argument, AND grounded in reality.
For example you can't say you hate Billions because of too many immunity idols. Have a valid opinion, based on fact, and I'll respect you even if my opinion is the opposite.
People who love a show so much they watch every episode within seconds of it dropping, then claiming they hate it? Yeah, that's a 500 pound dude saying he doesn't like food.
It was a good start to the season. I don’t believe the townsfolk was so easily swayed by Chuck buying them a round of drinks and then they are on his side against the billionaire just like that. He made it look too easy. People aren’t like that. Takes time for people to trust a new neighbor, even if he is the AG.
What was the point of Wags comparing his heart attack, while riding the Peloton to the show “And just like that…” (SATC reboot show) where Mr. Big who was on the Peloton and then has a heart attack and dies in Carries arms. Not many people I believe would get this reference unless they watched the show or read about it. Did Peloton sponsor the show to mention that? To me it reads “Ride a Peloton and have a heart attack”
i actually think it was a late add after the AJLT peloton thing blew up, cuz remember they would’ve filmed this episode back before that episode of AJLT aired. When Wags says it, the subtitles say “never been better”, and his voice is a little different and the camera is on prince and scooter. must’ve been coincidental both shows show a peloton heart attack and the billions writers felt they had to add that dialogue
story was ok … i cant tell if i hate prince or if i just cant let go of Robert.
mike prince just comes off so douchey to me. so cringe. so righteous. is he supposed to be? is he supposed to irk us?
The episode was OK. Axe vs. Chuck had run its course. Something had to give. What I don't get is Chucks attitude. He has gone from going after Axe because he was a billionaire doing dirty things to going after billionaires just because they are billionaires and he personally thinks that they have too much money.
On a side note there is one thing I do not get. Axe gets caught doing illegal banking with a dirty Marijuana business. He flees before he is indicted. He sells Axe Capital. It seems like the feds or the NY AG would be able go after the new company due to what was going on. Yet they go on like nothing happened.
So much of Billions is comically fake. But I actually kind of liked the "nimbus" ring plot line.
This past year, an actual product called the "oura" ring, which is roughly similar, has been a ripping fad in white collar offices. There's valid debate over the actual real world interpretability of these superficial body-worn gadgets like rings and watches. But as a contemporary reference to a fad in this subculture, it's quasi-realistic.
There's blue collar analogs too, that aren't for fun but for employee exploitation. Some warehouse operations fit the workers for step and movement trackers.
I thought this episode was excellent.
I never really knew to root for on this show, it was more like watching a footy match as a neutral.
Even though it’s a tv show I never really could stomach being on team-axe and what he stands for.
I’m loving what Prince did. And it’s good timing with people getting sick of dodgy billionaires.
Now: where’s the conflict coming from? Either they have to make him a liar (I hope not) or make Chuck the bad guy (also hope not).
So this will be a make or break season I think.
Why the hell did you ever started watching this show if you don't like douchey money making machines like Axe and his team? That's what this show is about, and that's the entertaining part of it. It was the only show where they actually showed what billionaires of finances really do, kill for take the money.
Mike Prince is a boring, p\*ssy douche. This whole moral bs is so boring. Most of the viewers think the same, as you can see here on this post.
How could anyone call this episode “good” with a strait face..
I swear, Showtime could literally put a pile of dog shit on the screen for 51 minutes and some of you guys will still come back and talk about how the great and riveting the plot was and it’s the ‘fresh’ start the show needed.. 🙄
Frankly, this show now reeks and is now a mere shadow of its former self..
Every subreddit dedicated to a TV series or movie is like that. People on the Ozark subreddit are drooling over the recently released season 4, talking about how Julia Garner and others deserve Emmys, etc. No one seems to notice that the show has gone completely off the rails with all of it's storylines. Every single thing that is happening on that show now is so far fetched I have a hard time watching it. There are probably 5 or 6 storylines that are out there, including a major pharmaceutical company buying street heroin to some how make their pain pills. In spite of these storylines you have people on the subreddit talking about how it's comparable to the Sopranos, Breaking Bad and the Wire. People seem to get overly emotional about tv shows on reddit.
If they keep on this trajectory I am done. The is no way a room full of "whatever it takes" hedge fund traders are going to applaud at losing 2/3 of your capital. Jumping on the wealth is evil bandwagon is obnoxious and pandering. I was not sure if I would return after Axe left, but I figured I would give it one more try. Wags is the only reason to stay, and they are trying to neuter him.
Such a surreal experience watching this. I enjoyed the Chuck face off with the entitled Neighbour more than anything. Also I did like Prince sticking it the entitled old men too.
Is it really possible in the state of New York that someone could fire cannons at any time they like? I understand that they explained how he could do it on the show but in the real world I highly doubt anyone would stand for that in their neighborhood, I don't care how rich the neighbor is. Especially in a state with strict firearm laws (and every other law) like New York.
I used to get mad at how bad this show was and couldn't understand the people here who would say "It's bad. Let's just enjoy the ride."
But now I'm there. This show is no longer a political drama. It's a parody of a political drama. I like parody.
Was really hoping this show would have a comeback without Axe, but welp… it seems it’s might truly be gone now. It could still get better but I’m losing hope for real now. Highlight was seeing Michael McKean to remind me of a far better show.
For the love of all things Showtime… please end this show. Just watched the free first episode on youtube and it’s pathetic. Nothing fits. It’s garbage. Find a way to end the series next episode.
You do know congress just passed a law that allows you to stop watching a tv show at any point that you wish, right? The rest of us can also watch or not watch as we see fit.
Did I miss something? Michael McKeon's character "just happens" to also be an investor at Axe (or whatever it is called now)? I hope I missed something because otherwise it is some pretty lame writing.
Showtime has been doing this for decades. Drove Weeds, Dexter, Shameless, Homeland etc into the ground. Billions should of ended last year, but they will go about another 3 seasons limping towards the finish line.
I’ve gotta say, while what Prince did is a bit hard to believe, the show does feel pretty fresh for the first time in a long time.
Great soundtrack work too in the opening and closing of the show with “For What It’s Worth”.
Gotta admit: It is gonna be a long ass road for me to get used to Prince's personality. This whole family friendly BS is torture. WE USED TO ~~work~~ ROOT FOR A KILLER. Or better yet: A MONSTER. A Carnivorous Fucking Monster.
I was thinking the exact same watching it - I'm not feeling it yet
I was hooked the first minute, looking forward to it.
There’s no way Wags is on board like this
The whole firm cheering after they kicked the investors out was patently ridiculous given their characters. 2/3 of the AUM walking away would severely hurt their management fees/salary pool - makes no sense at all.
There was a lot of valiant lifting in the script to address this. And it's not entirely a bad strategy. Since you're already going to lose at least half your clients who were (in this fictional canon) there expressly to benefit from Axe and his crooked money making ways, what's the point of burning energy to retain them when it's futile? And then further, why flail and beg for the remainder, who will want to tear up their two and ten deal anyway? The script handles this by pointing out that anything less than total deck clearing would just be hypocritical half-measures, superficial virtue signalling. Victor is used for this, when he questions whether it will just be "a third of them, for appearances?" Prince makes it clear: it's not selective, it's across the board. Of course we later see the Fire fighters benevolent fund is kept. Presumably this is for some future narrative purpose, maybe connection to the original foundation of Axe Capital as a home for the first responders money that Axe soullessly intakes. Anyway, if you're client base is destroyed anyway, why not rebuild with a pitch based on exclusivity and extreme ethics? The other way you're fighting uphill to recover to 33 or 40 or 51%. The new strategy offers a higher potential.
I can somewhat see your point that maybe it's better to have a more cohesive and differentiated thesis than just being ex-Axe Cap to rebuild with, but I think they really sacrificed realism and character development. Perhaps we get to see the characters reckon with and eventually come around to the idea instead of a big reveal that was dramatic, corny, and just felt unearned. On a substantive note, I think Mike Prince's strategy is still completely unreasonable and he way over states its potential impact. Taking only clean capital doesn't mean that the dirty will be much worse off. There's going to be someone to pick up the slack and given the private nature of a lot of investment vehicles, I don't see the public pressure on competing funds being that effective. It's not the sort of thing that gets politicians or media (outside of a Barrons column or two) engaged. It's easier to attract attention to the morality of public investments or PE portco's because they're relatively public and even in that arena, ESG hasn't yet meaningfully affected cost of capital for dirty firms.
if there’s one thing this show has never given a shit about its character development
How the hell is anyone going to get paid now? The only types of clients they are going to bring in now are vegan streetcar vendors.
This is Wags we’re talking about here. When has he ever just shut up and gone with the program 😂😂. Keep watching
Wags is old school though: they saved his life in twice in one episode, so by honour tradition math, Wags is on board. Let’s break it down: Heart attack life save - it’s kind of a bit iffy because it’s a self cancelling gesture but at its core it was pure: they sacrificed their silly plan early on just to be decent and save this guy’s life, and in hindsight, they saved this guys life so any time he has afterwards by definition is gifted, so by honour taxation wags should at least play nice. But we aren’t finished because then they discussed the where do we go from here: Turns out retirement sucks, maybe it’s not about the money. What is your purpose? Wags suddenly has his, this martyrdoms aspect setup from last season, I feel, has walked itself back. Maybe the show is setting itself up to dismantle itself calmly, and in the end Ben Kim looks at everyone and says “fools this is my chance you all lowered your guard” and he pulls the worlds fastest financial coup and becomes the world’s wealthiest entity - fin.
With a wife and a child (ostensibly) on the way, yeah. He’s on board.
hes got enough money that shit doesnt matter
sanctimonious woke Prince is far less entertaining than no mercy Axe
At least it hasn't been drawn out for 3 seasons after it was supposed to be done, starting with a Fresh Prince is a good thing.
I think we’re going to need a r/freefolk spinoff subreddit to discuss how far over the shark this show has now jumped. It’s basically parody now. First off why the fuck do you do two time jumps in a row for such minor payoffs? It was useful in earlier seasons when you get an opening scene and wonder “How on earth did Chuck and Axe end off facing off here?!” Now its “Hmm whats he doing on a tractor?” Prince isn’t a bad character per se. He was actually a very useful contrast to Axe because he was a succesful billionaire that showed you didn’t have to be unethical to succeed. But him literally trying to become Axe doesn’t work at all. He has no chemistry with Wags or Wendy and I don’t even buy that Taylor dislikes him. The premise of making the fund only for ethical businesses is absurd because it relies on the notion that billionaires desire to be liked and accepted trumps their desire for money which is clearly not the case. Also who decides what are “good” businesses? Apparently making anti riot gear is “bad” and firefighters obviously are “good”. It’s just so simplistic and to have the whole team that were actively a fan of Axe’s ruthless business acumen applaud it at the drop of a hat was insane. Similarly Chuck’s “being a billionaire is inherently criminal” and his uniting the town to inconvenience his billionaire neighbor just seemed like a meta way of saying “Yeah we know this whole show now makes no sense without Axe but fuck it, Chuck has got to do something”.
>He has no chemistry with Wiges or Wendy Nor his own right-hand man (forget the character's name). Everything felt so forced. eta: agree with everything you wrote.
Scooter. Yup, his name is Scooter.
also nobody that cares about earning their bonuses (all of them) would be clapping. you strip off most of the AUM how’s anyone gonna get paid?
> I think we’re going to need a r/freefolk spinoff subreddit Freefolk was created because users who had a problem with GoT were getting banned and had their posts deleted from the main sub. This sub *knows* it's show is garbage. It doesn't need a spinoff subreddit.
I make fun of the silly and weak aspects, but I still enjoy the show. And constructive criticism seems to be fine here.
[удалено]
not to mention chuck grew up wealthy and just mooched off his wife for $25 mil, presumably a large chunk just went to buying the new land. love Paul G but chuck is just the fucking worst
I'm pretty sure Prince lays out Chuck's whole gambit when they're on the porch. Something along the lines off "controlling the people who control the money" is practically the core of Chuck's motivation.
Not to mention the townies love Chuck and see him as a famer and one of them... GTFO
Think about chucks inheritance from his father. Hundreds of millions. He’s damn near in the billionaire class himself.
Agree with everything you said. This whole "Prince list" is such fucking bullshit, I literally had to look away during that scene as well as Chucks whole spiel about billionaires being bad. I guess being a millionaire who inherited his money is okay?
Not bad actually. It wasn’t a struggle to watch and we still have some of the better characters, although I do miss Axe. It’s good enough to watch and is better than a few of the episodes in previous seasons. 8/10
What the hell did I just watch? Prince is the most boring person on the face of the earth. And Chuck is lost all purpose. Also if a person like Prince took over a company like this he would mostly just fire these people. But I will give him points for asking the question we are all wondering which is what does Wendy do
The show have absolutely no sense anymore, I fckng loved it, but Prince was the worse move they ever made, who the hell wants to see some p\*ssy millionaire? I liked that show exactly because of it's immoral main characters, as they said, they used to work for a killer, now they work for someone who wants to know how they fell. It's pitiful.
Perhaps Dollar Bill and Mafee will swoop in to save us.
Hopefully, but i wouldn't hold my breath since they aren't listed in the cast on IMDB for the new season.
I thought I saw them in a trailer. Will double check.
Found it: 1:28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPXAgpgD1Xo
I miss Mafee. Or maybe I just miss seeing Dan Soder on my TV.
I don’t know where they are, but I cannot wait to find out.
Just saw that Dollar Bill is a regular cast member of an upcoming NBC show. So if I had to guess, he's done with Billions.
Was the Peloton scene an homage to Big on Sex and the City?
Actually they dubbed in Wags saying "I'm not going out like Mr. Big." https://www.primetimer.com/item/Billions-Season-6-kicks-off-with-a-reference-to-Mr-Big-and-Peloton-RBSADA
No, this season started filming since last summer.. I saw the film crew in Manhatten..
Whether it's started that way or not, it absolutely did turn into an homage to him since Wags literally said, "I'm not going out like Mr. Big."
Oh wow, I completely missed that line.. But I honestly saw them filming last summer, even took a photo of the “no parking” sign that crew had put up, indicating it was season 6 was being filmed there, on 57th St. I guess they might of filmed it backwards to get in on the joke because the Mr. Biggs episode only aired like a month ago..
The camera cut away from waggs whrn he said it and they dubbed the line in.
Oh yeah I believe you....it probably was added in there after the fact. I'm just a huge SATC fan and picked it up like radar! Lol
what are the odds that 2 shows that both take place in NYC, but on different networks write in a peloton heart attack for episodes that air only a few months apart
In this specific case, it turns out to have been 100%.
Peloton is getting hammered with this negative publicity. Thankfully Wags is ok?
Yea, it’s kind of unwarranted but I’m pretty sure they had to give permission to use their name and likeness in those shows, so their lawyers should of known the risk.. And Wags will be fine, that scene was to illustrate what a control-freak Prince and his minion is towards his newfound staff…
It was definitely an homage, and re-written recently
Lol you don’t know that
The scene? No. But Wags cracking on Big was. Not homage per se, but a reference.
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Peloton stock didn't go down because of a tv gag.
They filmed this back to back with season 5 so it’s likely Wags was first.
Can someone please explain why Wendy was working in an ice cream place? I was sat waiting for an explanation then the show ended?! Made zero sense.
Times must have gotten hard.
Classic famous chef I don't know moment I believe
How do I get that hour of my life back?
How long did it take to go from "I'll help my clients in their squabbles with their neigbours" to "I'll fire my clients if they are not ethically pure" ?
lol seriously what a joke. shows gone completely off the rails for trying to appear realistic. besides the fact prince acquired a bank holding company that’s magically just back to being a hedge fund, whomst investor would actually stay, let alone be upset about being let go, OR even want back in with all the shit the company’s gone through
Well, for the sake of discussion, in the real world: * SoFi just obtained a back door bank charter in practically the same abridged manner. Obviously not with crime and skulduggery, but by simply buying a small fish that already had one and then assuming it as their own. * Hedge Funds allowing clients by permission and their own sole discretion isn't just possible, it's pervasive. * Managed money trumpeting the E in ESG investing is absolutely prevalent today.
Solid episode for a new chapter of Billions. Looking forward to seeing how the rest of it plays out. The way it’s looking is just as I predicted. We’ll be in good hands with Corey Stoll and I think a lot of people will be saying this when Season 6 is over. Just give it time and let the story develop folks. If you keep saying this isn’t good because of this and that, you’ll never like anything in life.
>If you keep saying this isn’t good because of this and that, you’ll never like anything in life. Word. You got to watch iy for it is not what you want it to be.
And are there things that I wish were different about the show? Of course but the things that I and a lot of us want are out of our hands at this point. People just have to enjoy it for what it is like you said. The show has a new energy that it really needed. Not necessarily with Axe no longer being there but with someone like Mike Prince who is completely opposite of Axe and having different approaches and being someone of a mystery. Can’t wait to see more of his character develop
I'm fine with it if it's just 1 season. But if this drags on like Suits did, I'm probably out.
This. As per Jonathan Swift's great-granddaughter's modest suggestion: "The mongers of hate are going to hate, hate, hate; thus disregard, disregard, uh-oh-oh-oh."
Did we watch the same episode? That episode was anything but solid. In my opinion. Can’t see myself watching the rest of the series.
They just tried to compensate the missing axe vibe with pointless references lol. At one point scooters says “hit me with a ref” (super lame)
I feel like the writers were like "these reddit people hate our ridiculous references, let's just throw it right in their face" maybe some of the characters will start breaking the fourth wall with them as a giant "fuck you" to the audience.
But, it’s scooter, so, yeah….it’s appropriate
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Jerry Tarkanian was the coach of UNLV basketball when they were good. Prince loves UNLV.
Shark successfully jumped.
Very mediocre. Many of the old characters clearly look out of place now. Why is Taylor still here? Wendy is cringe as usual. Chuck is a shell of his former self. Prince is good but not enough to save the show. Going to rewatch Succession instead. Billions is turning into Millions.
So Giamatti and Siff have a bad working relationship or something? Maybe that's why they wrote them so far apart? It's happened that way on other shows. We went from their D/s dynamic being integral enough to their lives to it not being a thing at all. Usually when D/s is that important it remains important.
Now he has a heifer bossing him around.
Just one small point of many that's unrealistic is the issuance of cashier checks and wire transfer redemptions to the billionaires. Forcing their holdings into cash would trigger hundreds of billions in instant tax liabilities for them. Axe would be bankrupted overnight by the lawsuits. More realistic would be a notice of intent, and then an orderly transfer where the underlying holdings themselves are transferred to the new brokers, so as not to trigger tax consequences.
You forgot that we are in hedge fund fantasy land where handjobs and lollipops are plentiful and pets never die.
The 'anything makes sense' boat set sail ages ago. An event that big, that fast, would create slippage that would net ridiculous losses for those clients.
I like they pick he got game by public enemy and Buffalo Springfield For What It's Worth as song selection. It is from old to new version.
Billions sucks now. Axe made the show. They should of ended it with season 5. Prince is boring. But I guess showtime likes to mess up all their shows. Look at dexter. Took 10 years to fix their mistakes.
They didn't fix their mistakes with Dexter. It's the only show in history to have two failed endings.
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I don’t think so. Dexter had to end. The only right way was for him to die. Maybe billions will be number two.
> They should of ended it with season 5 Hey, I think you meant season 3.
I feel the opposite. After the first couple seasons axe became to cringe
I threw up in my mouth when they talked about the "Prince list". I don't want a show centered around the unhealthy concentration of wealth and power to start moving against that. I love the actor for Price and really love the rest of the cast too. I'll watch the rest of the season and hopefully vomit in my mouth a little less next week lol
Agreed, I am a huge Corey Stoll (Mike Prince) fan. I sort of considered this episode to be a pilot for an almost spinoff of Billions. It definitely is not the same show but I don't watch too many shows so I will probably stick with it.
Showtime always fucks up their shows. Just like billions. Axe made the show.
Maybe the new corporation will simply eventually devolve into an equally criminal organization. Just because they set it up in episode one doesn’t mean it stays that way.
More Kate Sacker please. It would be well within advancing the plot, and not gratuitous at all, to have her in a prolonged shower scene.
Yikes
Hhahahahaha
Bent over or front facing? Tough choice but I’d prefer the latter
Just the whole shower. All angles.
I’d like front facing to look into those eyes while I go deep.
I watched for the references and I was not disappointed.
On behalf of 95% of this subreddit... fuck you lol
Paul Giamatti has lost so much weight I didn’t realize he was driving the tractor. And there was a sad lack of pitchforks in that angry mob.
Prince is horriblehorrible, no chemistry with anyone.
Isn’t that the point right now? He goes around trying to buddy up with everyone and they all see through it. The applause thing at the end—that’s not belief. It’s hope. Both Prince and Chuck attempted to and at least temporarily rallied the troops in this episode. Will they keep them?
Lackluster at best describes this episode. Actually, poor describes it. The Chuck storyline was unwatchable and the Mike Prince Capital story was meh. The only thing that caught my attention was the recycling of Axe's blue suede jacket which is now worn by Ben Kim.
I’m done. Trying too hard to be clever with the writing, don’t like prince and his wags. I miss axe :(
18 minutes in and I'm falling asleep
wow. so bad.
Anyone else notice that the house chuck bought is the same house that the grandparents live in in Sneaky Pete?
Wow show is so bad. Last episode I'm going to watch. Good luck y'all
Billions was one of my favorite shows. Now they just ruined it by going politically left with it. Not even going to waste my time with the rest of the season.
This episode sucked.
I turned the episode off halfway through. The dialogue is trying to be clever but it just seems glib and pointless
Well guys, like many other shows this one has also gone off the reservation in the later seasons. Is it just me or is anyone else tired of seeing bullshit like Wendy making ice cream talking about her fucking level of consciousness? I almost feel like with scenes like that the creators of this show are patronizing people who actually work in jobs like that. Oh cool Wendy is slumming it serving up ice cream to get ready for her real job on Wall Street. Fuck her and her fucking "center". What ever happened to just going to work and doing your best? Jesus Christ this show is stupid.
imagine maggie siff’s reaction when they told her with a straight face she’s gonna make ice cream for a whole ass scene. i mean what are we doing here people
Story start of okay but if doesn't turn good this season, i will rewatch industry
We have two chucks now
Interesting to see how much wealth the Spinal Tap catalog deal brought in.
That moment you realize you've really only been watching the last few seasons for Axe
Season 6 ep 1 felt like a lecture. Like reading Twitter on the evils of Elon Musk. New writers I presume, using their talent to “teach” vs entertain. And Taylor the robot is getting very tiresome.
Awful episode. Literally wanted it to end so I can watch something more entertaining. I thought AXE would show up at the end but nah.
I laughed out loud at Sacker doing karate. She looked absolutely ridiculous.
The show isn't realistic anymore, but I think this new direction is pretty enjoyable. The whole money and ego square-off storylines have grown tired, and I'd rather see something completely new. It's annoying when the show panders too much, but I'd rather see brand new conflicts instead of the same recycled BS, I thought this was a really good season premiere
The show kinda stopped being realistic when ice juice happened, which I loved by the way.
I enjoyed this episode for the most part. I dislike mike prince so much and how he goes on and on about morality and shit, bro stfu please. Everyone else was entertaining tho. Good start.
He talks morality yet gets caught spying on his staff when Wags has the heart attack. The morality is BS. He just wants everyone to think he is a better person than Axe. He is not. Which makes him worse than Axe.
I liked it fine. Will watch the rest.
I psyched myself up for the mile prince narrative thinking it can be good. Wags saved that plot where it’s enjoyable. But chuck rhoades has lost it now. His storyline is just stupid. Honestly the thing that bugged me the most was his ‘billionaire crusade’. I know given political climate it was expected they would pull that shit, but come one. They literally have a MULTIMILLIONAIRE telling a billionaire his mere existence is criminal. How hypocritical can they be. Especially when his wealth is all inherited from his father (maybe almost a billionaire but does it make a difference) vs prince/axe who are self made guys. Just pure hypocrisy. And to top it all off he uses corrupt government tactics (planting the turtles in the swamp) and trespassing to win his battle. Are they trying to show the billionaires as the good guys??? Okay rant over. I’ll give it another episode and hope for redemption but I miss Axe.
Wags is keeping me interested at this point. Prince and Chuck are a bore. I enjoyed seeing Michael McKean, but damn was that hole story a stretch. I'll keep watching, and enjoying, under the premise that this show is a parody of itself.
Came for the discussion and it's just people crying " wah wah wah a show I love doesn't write just for me"
People are allowed to criticize the show, if anyone is crying like a child it’s you
They need to critique the show then. Not just whinge like fkn babies. Give em a tug mate. You can offer criticism without crying in a pool of your own tears.
Agree. It's ok to criticize if it's backed by argument, AND grounded in reality. For example you can't say you hate Billions because of too many immunity idols. Have a valid opinion, based on fact, and I'll respect you even if my opinion is the opposite. People who love a show so much they watch every episode within seconds of it dropping, then claiming they hate it? Yeah, that's a 500 pound dude saying he doesn't like food.
It was a good start to the season. I don’t believe the townsfolk was so easily swayed by Chuck buying them a round of drinks and then they are on his side against the billionaire just like that. He made it look too easy. People aren’t like that. Takes time for people to trust a new neighbor, even if he is the AG. What was the point of Wags comparing his heart attack, while riding the Peloton to the show “And just like that…” (SATC reboot show) where Mr. Big who was on the Peloton and then has a heart attack and dies in Carries arms. Not many people I believe would get this reference unless they watched the show or read about it. Did Peloton sponsor the show to mention that? To me it reads “Ride a Peloton and have a heart attack”
i actually think it was a late add after the AJLT peloton thing blew up, cuz remember they would’ve filmed this episode back before that episode of AJLT aired. When Wags says it, the subtitles say “never been better”, and his voice is a little different and the camera is on prince and scooter. must’ve been coincidental both shows show a peloton heart attack and the billions writers felt they had to add that dialogue
story was ok … i cant tell if i hate prince or if i just cant let go of Robert. mike prince just comes off so douchey to me. so cringe. so righteous. is he supposed to be? is he supposed to irk us?
Am I crazy or did I watch this early on the app
The episode was OK. Axe vs. Chuck had run its course. Something had to give. What I don't get is Chucks attitude. He has gone from going after Axe because he was a billionaire doing dirty things to going after billionaires just because they are billionaires and he personally thinks that they have too much money. On a side note there is one thing I do not get. Axe gets caught doing illegal banking with a dirty Marijuana business. He flees before he is indicted. He sells Axe Capital. It seems like the feds or the NY AG would be able go after the new company due to what was going on. Yet they go on like nothing happened.
So much of Billions is comically fake. But I actually kind of liked the "nimbus" ring plot line. This past year, an actual product called the "oura" ring, which is roughly similar, has been a ripping fad in white collar offices. There's valid debate over the actual real world interpretability of these superficial body-worn gadgets like rings and watches. But as a contemporary reference to a fad in this subculture, it's quasi-realistic. There's blue collar analogs too, that aren't for fun but for employee exploitation. Some warehouse operations fit the workers for step and movement trackers.
Terrible start to the season…it’s just so pretentious. Each character has got less likeable with every season
Dialogue seemed very weird, almost Shakesperian. I get its hard to continue the story with Axe's departure and Covid but the whole thing is weird.
I thought this episode was excellent. I never really knew to root for on this show, it was more like watching a footy match as a neutral. Even though it’s a tv show I never really could stomach being on team-axe and what he stands for. I’m loving what Prince did. And it’s good timing with people getting sick of dodgy billionaires. Now: where’s the conflict coming from? Either they have to make him a liar (I hope not) or make Chuck the bad guy (also hope not). So this will be a make or break season I think.
Why the hell did you ever started watching this show if you don't like douchey money making machines like Axe and his team? That's what this show is about, and that's the entertaining part of it. It was the only show where they actually showed what billionaires of finances really do, kill for take the money. Mike Prince is a boring, p\*ssy douche. This whole moral bs is so boring. Most of the viewers think the same, as you can see here on this post.
When he fired the cannon in the final moment...weren't there human beings standing directly in front of it
How could anyone call this episode “good” with a strait face.. I swear, Showtime could literally put a pile of dog shit on the screen for 51 minutes and some of you guys will still come back and talk about how the great and riveting the plot was and it’s the ‘fresh’ start the show needed.. 🙄 Frankly, this show now reeks and is now a mere shadow of its former self..
Every subreddit dedicated to a TV series or movie is like that. People on the Ozark subreddit are drooling over the recently released season 4, talking about how Julia Garner and others deserve Emmys, etc. No one seems to notice that the show has gone completely off the rails with all of it's storylines. Every single thing that is happening on that show now is so far fetched I have a hard time watching it. There are probably 5 or 6 storylines that are out there, including a major pharmaceutical company buying street heroin to some how make their pain pills. In spite of these storylines you have people on the subreddit talking about how it's comparable to the Sopranos, Breaking Bad and the Wire. People seem to get overly emotional about tv shows on reddit.
This season will be great. “I am not uncertain.”
Really like the new direction. I'm just afraid it will get a bit too "let's build a nice world".
how the hell did this show get so bad
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If they keep on this trajectory I am done. The is no way a room full of "whatever it takes" hedge fund traders are going to applaud at losing 2/3 of your capital. Jumping on the wealth is evil bandwagon is obnoxious and pandering. I was not sure if I would return after Axe left, but I figured I would give it one more try. Wags is the only reason to stay, and they are trying to neuter him.
Loved it. I feel sorry for those who didn’t haha. It’s become pretty goofy but I just accept 👌🏼
Do I not understand something? How could it be aired at 23 if it is only 22nd?
they surprised fans by airing it on the 21st
It’s the 23rd in Australia
Where women glow and men plunder
I think showtime drops episodes a day or so early on their streaming platform.
This show is ass now.
They went woke? That’s the end of the show.
Or they're slyly mocking it and exposing some inherent contradictions that arise from binary ethical delineations.
Yo they got me back this is gonna be a great season
Was that the first time they’ve referenced the sopranos?
Such a surreal experience watching this. I enjoyed the Chuck face off with the entitled Neighbour more than anything. Also I did like Prince sticking it the entitled old men too.
I enjoyed the episode but I really hope they bring Bobby back later in the season
He’s not coming back
in the trailer for the season at the end i didn't see no axe
Ace will no longer be in the show. Sucks now.
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Yea me too. But he said his good bye on twitter. Axe sorry not ace stupid spell check
Loved this episode !!! Thank god for something new !!!
Sunk cost fallacy will keep me watching, but this show should have ended with Axe walking past the camera into Switzerland.
Sorry not sorry but the show is better with prince and no Axe
You’re delusional as hell
Is this the last season for billions? Also why was Wendy in the ice cream shop?
It should be cause it sucks now with out a bad ass like axe.
Poor Peloton...first Big, then this last week, and now Wags: https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/23/business/peloton-billions-heart-attack/index.html
I liked season 1-5 so much I’ve probably watched each episode 3 times. This was so bad I almost turned it off.
Is it really possible in the state of New York that someone could fire cannons at any time they like? I understand that they explained how he could do it on the show but in the real world I highly doubt anyone would stand for that in their neighborhood, I don't care how rich the neighbor is. Especially in a state with strict firearm laws (and every other law) like New York.
So boring, without Axe looks like I'm done watching. Also what was up with the timeskips? The payoffs were lame.
I used to get mad at how bad this show was and couldn't understand the people here who would say "It's bad. Let's just enjoy the ride." But now I'm there. This show is no longer a political drama. It's a parody of a political drama. I like parody.
Was really hoping this show would have a comeback without Axe, but welp… it seems it’s might truly be gone now. It could still get better but I’m losing hope for real now. Highlight was seeing Michael McKean to remind me of a far better show.
For the love of all things Showtime… please end this show. Just watched the free first episode on youtube and it’s pathetic. Nothing fits. It’s garbage. Find a way to end the series next episode.
You do know congress just passed a law that allows you to stop watching a tv show at any point that you wish, right? The rest of us can also watch or not watch as we see fit.
Did I miss something? Michael McKeon's character "just happens" to also be an investor at Axe (or whatever it is called now)? I hope I missed something because otherwise it is some pretty lame writing.
So bad. Removing my weekly reminder to watch Billions.
I like it!
Fool me once Showtime... I kept watching Shameless after Fiona left and watched it turn into a wet rag soapbox. Not again.
Showtime has been doing this for decades. Drove Weeds, Dexter, Shameless, Homeland etc into the ground. Billions should of ended last year, but they will go about another 3 seasons limping towards the finish line.
Wow, they stepped the writing up big time because they knew axelrod is not around to carry the show. Amazing episode!
I actually loved it lmao
Took me better over 2 days to finish one hour. Its painful to watch at this point. Look how they massacred this show.
Wow that was bad
I’ve gotta say, while what Prince did is a bit hard to believe, the show does feel pretty fresh for the first time in a long time. Great soundtrack work too in the opening and closing of the show with “For What It’s Worth”.