The ‘Billions’ Recap Reality Index: “Sic Transit Imperium” (Season 2, Episode 9)

By Comfortably Smug @ComfortablySmug
Published April 17, 2017, 2:15 p.m. ET

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The recap is back! Welcome back to the Billions Recap Reality Index where this week we provide you with due diligence on the ninth episode of Season 2, “Sic Transit Imperium.”

We are down to the final four episodes of the season and, accordingly, the pace of things is picking up, racing towards an inevitable showdown. This week on Billions, it’s Axe’s birthday, and everyone is asking what you get the man who has everything (a question even Axe himself is asking). With Chuck running for office on a populist platform, Axe finds himself back in the US Attorney office’s crosshairs, even as he’s exhibited a lot of restraint this season avoiding turning to the black edge which helped make his fortune. But a meeting with Dollar Bill which leaves him questioning who he is could tip him back over that edge to the dark side. Will Axe return to the outlaw life? Is Chuck going to steamroll Axe on his way to the governor’s office? Can anyone stop Dollar Bill, King of the Fleece Bros reign? Find out below:

THE BILLIONS RECAP REALITY INDEX

REALER THAN A HEDGE FUND TITAN SICK OF OPTICS AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEND HIS MONEY HOWEVER HE WANTS

  • As a birthday present, Wags gets Axe a ticket to a bunker in case of the apocalypse. You might be surprised by just how many high net worth individuals are preppers.
    PLUS 1

  • Chuck and Connerty describe Axe imposing austerity on Sandicot as him being like the bad guy in a Springsteen song.
    PLUS 1 Check Preet Bharara’s profile on Twitter. Public servants love them some Springsteen.

  • Dollar Bill rockin’ the Fleece. Always keepin it real.
    PLUS 1

  • 5:20 – Of course Dollar Bill would be involved in some shit like sponsoring foreign baseball players for a cut of their contracts.
    PLUS 1

  • Chuck ended up getting Black Jack Foley’s grand daughter a solid clerkship in D.C. Yup, that’s how the game’s played.
    PLUS 1

  • Black Jack Foley tells Chuck he needs to meet with an oppo specialist who Chuck has to confess all his dirty laundry to. This happens in real life.
    PLUS 1

  • Hearing Taylor say “Fuck” brings a smile to Wags’ face. “You’re one of us now.” Working in finance will have you cursing like a sailor in no time.
    PLUS 1

  • The new director for Axe’s charitable foundation recommends Axe cancel his plans for a lavish party. This is a SMART suggestion. Shout out Stephen Schwarzman (who learned the hard way).
    PLUS 2

  • Axe is tired about worrying about optics, about not being perceived as too rich and evil. This is a frustration shared by many in financial services, especially in the wake of the financial crisis.
    PLUS 1

  • Chuck shows up to a construction site to grill a developer named Donald Thayer known for stiffing his vendors. Do we know anyone like that?
    PLUS 1

  • Axe clowns Victor by saying he works at a boutique firm and is a glorified day trader. Savage.
    PLUS 1

  • Victor proposes the idea to Axe of starting up a satellite fund that Axe would seed. This is similar to how Steven Cohen operated.
    PLUS 1

  • Dollar Bill explains to the others about how Axe remembered he’s an outlaw. It’s a solid characterization. People in the hedge fund game see themselves in that way, operating on their own, free of the bureaucracy that bankers on the sell side deal with, like gunslingers; surviving only by how good they are in a duel.
    PLUS 2

TOTAL FOR REAL: PLUS 15

FAKER THAN A FIRST YEAR ANALYST CHARTERING PRIVATE JETS

  • The language Chuck drops at a town hall in Sandicot excoriating Axe is a bit strong for what a candidate for office would drop.
    MINUS 1

  • After the town hall, Chuck walks away casually to meet with Black Jack Foley at a diner. Not a single reporter from the crowd outside follows?
    MINUS 1

  • Investor Relations for Axe Capital wouldn’t have a hard time talking to potential investors for fear of perception from the Sandicot move. Investors care about returns, they wouldn’t care about Sandicot outrage.
    MINUS 1

  • 37:25 – Taylor shows up yet again in a button down shirt with a tie. We’ve been over this and I said I’d ding it 3 points if it happened again.
    MINUS 3

  • Didn’t Taylor sign with Axe Capital only a few months ago? Must have been a helluva signing bonus for a first year analyst for them to be able to charter private jets.
    MINUS 2

  • Point blank- Chuck would be stupid to try and secretly move blind trust money into the juice IPO deal with his father. That would get out, and it would be political hell.
    MINUS 2

TOTAL FOR FAKE: MINUS 12

OVERALL SCORE FOR “SIC TRANSIT IMPERIUM”: PLUS 3

With a PLUS 3 score, Billions holds on tightly to keep its head above water this week. While having a first year analyst make it rain like Rick Ross was tough to swallow, Billions continued its positive run this season managing to stay grounded in reality. As such, the Reality Index puts a Hold rating on the show pending next weeks numbers (hopefully we’ve seen the last button down with a tie this season). What can we expect next week? Lara on the warpath and Axe returning to his outlaw roots that got him where he is promise to bring the fireworks. Will the show be able to hang on or will the race to the finish line this season become a flight from reality? Stick with the recap when we return next week.

OVERALL SCORE FOR BILLIONS SEASON 2: PLUS 69

Comfortably Smug is a government relations professional with a focus on the financial services industry. He can be found on Twitter with his musings on all things finance and politics at @ComfortablySmug

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