Billions

[Blue Jam]

Started watching this last night in a bid to fill the Better Call Saul-shaped void in my life. Three episodes in and I'm hooked. Any other fans here?

[beanheadmcginty]

Bloody love it, except the celebrity cameos which are universally shite. David Costabile is like a little terrier dog in human form and I want one.

[Better Midlands]

I liked it, I think I dropped off around season 5 though (I can't remember why)

Paul Giamatti is very watchable and like said above DC is fun in this.

[DrGreggles]

I think I got up to the Covid-interrupted season and never went back.
Very silly show, but good fun.

[JohnnyCouncil]

Been a fan since the start, it goes up and down and at one point I thought it should stop but it seems to have got into a pretty decent dance now.

[Mr_Simnock]

Watched every episode and loved it

[Blue Jam]

David Costabile is like a little terrier dog in human form and I want one.

I do enjoy The Costabile and his magnificent self-assured campness. Of course he's also in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. And Suits. Never more than six metres away from a sleazy lawyer is DC.

Five episodes in now and still hooked. Interesting that this is pleasantly undemanding, in that you don't need to pay close attention and absorb all the details, but it's simultaneously very high-quality. It's kind of better than it really needs to be, and I admire that.

[rjd2]

I think I got up to the Covid-interrupted season and never went back.
Very silly show, but good fun.

Same here, I keep meaning to go back but apparently last few seasons are very poor so no rush sadly.

[thr0b]

Took me a while to get into season six, but I ended up watching seven episodes yesterday. It's no worse than any other season, overall.

Few shows can deal with the loss of a lead, but this one had so many different important secondary characters, their promotion and the addition of a new, different type of billionaire as Chuck's adversary really worked.

Matthew Lillard as a rich MAGA type was a very unexpected cameo.

Lots of people complaining that they don't find Chuck likeable. And thus missing the point. He's just as flawed and horrible as his adversaries. Both "sides" have redeeming qualities, but are ultimately bastards.

Loved the final scene with

Spoiler alert

Chuck being released from Prison by Dave for A Secret Undercover Mission

[close]

I suspect season 7 will be the last, however.

[Blue Jam]

Lots of people complaining that they don't find Chuck likeable. And thus missing the point. He's just as flawed and horrible as his adversaries. Both "sides" have redeeming qualities, but are ultimately bastards.

I've only just got to the end of season 2, but I thought the entire point of the plot where

Spoiler alert

Chuck engineers a situation where Axe can be caught red-handed shorting a stock- and it's a stock Chuck bought into, to the tune of $27 million

[close]

was to show that Chuck is every bit as petty and vindictive as Axe, and fully prepared to cut off his nose to spite his face. He uses Axe's obsessive spitefulness against him... with his own act of obsessive spitefulness.

Axe buying up Chuck's cherished set of signed Winston Churchill books, then setting out to buy every signed Churchill book in existence so he will never be able to replace them, was pretty fucking funny though.

[Blue Jam]

Finished season 3. The Salt Bae cameo in the penultimate episode made me laugh. Did some roast pork last night and pretended I was Salt Bae while I was salting it.

[TrenterPercenter]

Tried to give this a go as generally get along with BJ recommendations but couldn't get with it.  Really not a fan of Lewis and felt a bit "oooooh I'm an American" bit bolshy.  Not sure if this is first episode thing or whether it's just not for me.

Have started Damages instead for now.

[thr0b]

It's definitely a slow-burn of a show, and I find if I'm not in the right mood, it can take me weeks to get through a season (which, fairly, is how it's shown on telly). But when it grabs me, I can burn through half a season in a matter of hours.

I like that it's an ongoing cat and mouse story; neither side ever truly wins, and both sides need each other for something to do. Basically, it's Tom & Jerry with bondage.

[Blue Jam]

Really not a fan of Lewis

I am very much a fan of Lewis ;)

Wot no mention of the fact that this show also contains LOTS AND LOTS of Maggie Siff in dominatrix gear? That said

Spoiler alert

I did wince at that scene in season 3 where Chuck Rhoades is strapped to a table and she grabs his balls, and I don't even have balls.

[close]

[TrenterPercenter]

I am very much a fan of Lewis ;)

There is just something about his face and I find him a very unconvincing American.  On the other hand big fan on Giamatti but he never really got going in the first episode. I might return to it at some point.

Damages is pretty good though if you've not seen it. 

[Blue Jam]

There is just something about his face

Oh hell yeah there is. And the rest ;)

Where is Damages streaming then? I do love a bit of legal bureaucracy.

[DrGreggles]

I thought Damages was shite.
S1 was OK, I  guess, but after that it stank of producer desparation.

[TrenterPercenter]

Oh hell yeah there is. And the rest ;)

Where is Damages streaming then? I do love a bit of legal bureaucracy.

Amazon Prime freevee thing

I thought Damages was shite.
S1 was OK, I  guess, but after that it stank of producer desparation.

Noted I'm only 2 episodes in

[thr0b]

The most recent season features no Maggie Siff in bondage gear :(

Chuck does get to visit his mistress at her dungeon though.

[Blue Jam]

Up to the end of season 4 now. Gawd, Taylor is a little shit. Doesn't blink enough either,like Ford Prefect. Wears some bloody nice coats though, I'm well jel.

[Blue Jam]

Also I watched the episode where Wags gets invited to join Kappa Beta Phi

Spoiler alert

...or DOES HE?

[close]

and he was

Spoiler alert

totally enjoying the dress and heels a bit too much

[close]

LEDGE:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2014/02/i-crashed-a-wall-street-secret-society.html

[phes]

Just started S4 on this. Enjoying it but largely for Giamatti.

Not a huge fan of the amount of unnecessary exposition. The dialogue is crap compared to another law/outlaw blurred lines show - Justified. Very different pace of show, but still feels at times like rapid spoon-feeding.

Still watchable. Really like Dollar bill. Total bastard, cracking character

[Blue Jam]

Really like Dollar bill. Total bastard, cracking character

Oh yeah. Loved his season 4

Spoiler alert

Charity boxing match/wimp fight with Mafee

[close]

Also

Spoiler alert

Dollar Bill and Bonnie finally relieving their UST. Ewwwww... but it works, and it's fucking hilarious

[close]

[thr0b]

Spoiler alert

Axe is back

[close]

, which should make the next season excellent in all sorts of new ways.

[Blue Jam]

Finished season 6 at the weekend and I am so ready for more of this. Liked the ending and Mike Prince's Herculean poker face. I hadn't been convinced that the show would work without Axe but having a different kind of bastard, the bullshitting "ethical" investor, was refreshing.

Was good to see a bit more of Rick Hoffman as the sleazy tracksuit-wearing doctor as well. Put on an episode of Suits afterwards and it was the one where Louis Litt becomes convinced that Jeff fancies him because (among other things) he keeps saying "penal" and generally outdoing him on the aggressively gay innuendo. Heheheh. Rick Hoffman needs to be in everything.

[thr0b]

Finished season 6 at the weekend and I am so ready for more of this. Liked the ending and Mike Prince's Herculean poker face. I hadn't been convinced that the show would work without Axe but having a different kind of bastard, the bullshitting "ethical" investor, was refreshing.

Aye, he's arguably even more of a cunt than Axe. Axe never pretended to me more than a rich cunt looking for money and power.

New season should be interesting, what with the presidential machinations.

[Blue Jam]

Aye, he's arguably even more of a cunt than Axe. Axe never pretended to me more than a rich cunt looking for money and power.

New season should be interesting, what with the presidential machinations.

Should be interesting having a season of Billions with Mike Prince running for President alongside a season of Succession with Connor Roy running for President. I guess there's simply a finite number of storylines when you're writing a show about ambitious rich American sociopaths.

Useless as Connor may be I'd take President Roy over President Prince any day.

Billions of course has an episode called 'Succession'- coincidence or a cheeky shout-out?

[Blue Jam]

Billions S7 drops in the UK on Saturday...




...on Paramount+ FFS



One episode per week so I may just wait until they're all available and take in that and Your Honor and then cancel. Meh, £6.99 per month isnae bad really, better than forking out for a couple of boxsets. Might have to start a Paramount+ recommendations thread.

[extraordinary walnuts]

Looking forward to one last go round with this, even though it's not quite the show it was it's still pretty fun. Like a big-budget live-action Road Runner cartoon basically. I think S4E1 "Chucky Rhoades's Greatest Game" is the best it ever got, the one where Chuck has to parlay his VIP parking permit into the gun carry license.

[Blue Jam]

I think S4E1 "Chucky Rhoades's Greatest Game" is the best it ever got, the one where Chuck has to parlay his VIP parking permit into the gun carry license.

Oh yes, that one is gloriously farcical. Fawlty Towers or Father Ted would be proud of that plot.