Without much fanfare, Showtime’s legal/financial drama Billions has become one of the most consistently entertaining shows on television in its second season. If Billions was a baseball prospect, it would have a “high floor” (such as the Cincinnati Reds’ Nick Senzel) – it might not reach the soaring heights of The Americans or Bojack Horseman, but it is consistent enough that it never reaches the lows of, say, The Walking Dead. Nevertheless, last year during Billions’s first season, I outlined some suggestions on how to improve the show. Let’s revisit that column to see whether or not Billions has taken my suggestions to heart.
The Marriage Plot – Last season, I had trouble believing that Chuck and Wendy Rhoades were an actual married couple, as they seemed completely incompatible. There are plenty of television couples whose marriages are on shaky ground but who clearly once loved each other (e.g., Tony and Carmela Soprano); Chuck and Wendy just did not seem like one of them. My concern has been alleviated this season as Chuck and Wendy have separated, and so their icy relationship makes more sense. Furthermore, the separation enables the show to explore the problems with their marriage. For example, Chuck admits to their marriage counselor that he is intimidated by the fact that Wendy is more attractive than him, an interesting revelation by Chuck to which the show has disappointingly not returned.
Because they are separated, Chuck and Wendy are beginning to see other people. Wendy has a one-night stand with tech maven Craig Heidecker, a not particularly interesting storyline except that it was a reunion between two Mad Men actors: Maggie Siff and James Wolk. Chuck goes on a chaste date with his jujitsu partner, which is equally boring. However, the date does allow Paul Giamatti to excel in this past Sunday’s episode when he reveals to Wendy that even though they have separated, his date felt like infidelity. Giamatti does not act in an understated manner very often on Billions, so this scene was a pleasant surprise.
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Less Food – I somewhat facetiously complained about Paul Giamatti’s eating style, particularly his propensity to chomp on unhealthy food. This season, Chuck initially refrained from eating anything unhealthy in an attempt to lead a healthier lifestyle. But while Chuck has moved on and is now game for eating anything (such as the mutton he ate with Bryan Connerty in a recent episode), he has thankfully refrained from masticating in an aesthetically displeasing manner. Moreover, the show has stepped up its focus on food, attempting to win over New York restaurant aficionados by setting scenes at Keens Steakhouse, Peking Duck House, Sushi Nakazawa, and Momofuku Ko (including a David Chang cameo!).
More Bryan Connerty – Brian Connerty was perhaps my favorite character in the first season, as his desire to prosecute financial criminals came into conflict with Chuck’s propensity to skirt ethical lines in order to do so. That arc has continued into the second season, as Bryan makes an ethics complaint about Chuck that leads to an investigation by special investigator Oliver Dake, creating even more tension between Bryan and Chuck. Even though Bryan’s masterful jury selection during the Lawrence Boyd trial enables the U.S. Attorney to enter into a favorable plea deal with the financial CEO (resulting in positive press for Chuck), Chuck delivers a Godfather Part II-esque “I knew it was you” speech to Bryan after a long and somewhat tortured mutton metaphor. Even though Bryan has not been quite as prominent as last season, his ethical misgivings and his unease at working for Chuck remain one of the show’s most interesting storylines.
This Is The End – Given Showtime’s propensity to allow their shows to run forever (after Sunday’s mediocre Homeland finale, I am not relishing the thought of two more seasons of that show), I wondered how long Billions could keep up its central conflict of Axe vs. Chuck. But this season, prior to this past Sunday, the show has smartly put that on the back burner. First, Chuck prosecuted Axe’s friend Boyd. Now, Chuck is thinking about running for governor of New York, with the help of Black Jack Foley (David Strathairn), the “King Maker” in New York state politics. Axe is also at odds with Foley, after Foley helped scuttle a deal to build a casino in the economically depressed upstate town of Sandicott. Axe had previously bought Sandicott bonds at bargain basement prices, with the expectation that the bonds’ value would soar once the casino deal was announced. But without the casino, Axe was forced to either declare a major loss or to foreclose on the town’s few assets. These have all been interesting plotlines, and the writers have smartly avoided the wheel-spinning that has plagued other shows whose endgames are years away.
However, at the very end of this past Sunday’s episode, Axe learns that Chuck’s father was instrumental in convincing Foley to move the casino away from Sandicott. Axe publicly confronts Chuck and his father at the Yale Club, which leads to Chuck directing Bryan to re-open the Axe investigation. While this was a nice twist and gives the show a sense of forward momentum for the rest of the season, I remain concerned about how this is going to play out in the future. How many seasons can the prosecution possibly last? What is the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth season of Billions going to look like? Is Chuck’s prosecution of Axe going to continue to be in fits and starts?
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Get The Guests – Last year, I praised Billions’s murderer’s row of guest stars and recurring cast members. That trend has continued this season, as Strathairn, Eric Bogosian, Christopher Denham, Danny Strong, Wolk, and Matt Servitto have all done strong work in guest appearances. And as I wrote about in my initial review of the second season, the breakout star this year is Asia Kate Dillon as Taylor. Taylor’s struggle to fit in at Axe Capital has been the best new storyline this season, and there has been a direct relationship between Dillon’s screentime in a particular episode and that episode’s quality. So last year, when I asked for more Bryan Connerty, this year I am asking for more Taylor.
My last two suggestions last season were completely in jest, so I will ignore them now. I intend to write about Billions at least once more this season. Hopefully we will find out if Billions can ever go from a Nick Senzel-type prospect to an Anderson Espinoza-type high-ceiling one.
Earlier: Standard Of Review: ‘Billions’ Returns For Its Enjoyable And Surprisingly Newsworthy Second Season
Standard Of Review: Showtime’s ‘Billions’ Shows Promise
Harry Graff is a litigation associate at a firm, but he spends days wishing that he was writing about film, television, literature, and pop culture instead of writing briefs. If there is a law-related movie, television show, book, or any other form of media that you would like Harry Graff to discuss, he can be reached at [email protected]. Be sure to follow Harry Graff on Twitter at @harrygraff19.