Sunday, May 27, 2018

What I’m Watching: Billions


Billions: Season 3, Episode 9 “Icebreaker” (B+)

It’s always a nice surprise to see a completely unexpected guest star, especially one as well-cast for this role as John Malkovich. The two-time Oscar nominee is probably best known to most for appearing in the truly odd “Being John Malkovich,” and he was last seen on television as Blackbeard in the short-lived NBC series “Crossbones.” While he’s definitely American, it was fun to see him chew almost as much scenery here as he did in his unforgettable part as a criminal in “Con Air.” It would be hard to imagine someone who could go head-to-head with Axe, aside from Chuck of course, and someone who could strike fear in him in a way that Chuck has never managed to do. Making a comment about being invited to the place where Axe’s kids sleep got the moneyman to be very defensive, and that story at the end of the episode showed that he isn’t going to tolerate anything, including the rightfully unpredictable stock market taking even a bit of his money. It’s Axe’s own fault for being so desperate to do something extreme, and Taylor is obviously hedging their own bets, bringing Will Roland’s smartass on board to give him another chance. Bonnie seems like an interesting addition to the team, and putting her next to Dollar Bill after he got the guy who stole his dollar for luck demoted. In the wake of the death in custody of the man they were supposed to prosecute, Kate and Chuck seem to be on the same page about going against Jock, who said in explicit terms that not all people are created equal, creating an even greater foe for Chuck to go after than Axe ever was.

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