Billions: Season 4, Episode 12 “Extreme Sandbox” (B-)
This episode certainly changed things, though I think I’d feel a lot better about sticking around for season five if I knew that it was the final iteration of this show. So many shows I still find to be terrific have had their runs cut short, yet this one seems to be enjoying endless episodes and arcs, most of which are beyond irritating at this point. Bryan’s curiosity about who the idiot was led to a surprising revelation that probably shouldn’t have come as much of a shock, which is that Chuck was working as hard as possible to set his would-be successor up for a fall this whole time. The problem with that plotline in particular and this show in general is that it’s almost arbitrary who Chuck and Axe use as allies, with Kate turning out to have sided with him to bug his jacket so that Jock too would be implicated for his crossing of the line in commissioning Bryan to scorch earth for him. Perhaps the biggest twist was that, frustrated with being told time and time again that he wasn’t doing enough for him, Chuck opted to turn Taylor into an asset, reading them into Axe’s master plan so that they could help him get Axe once and for all. After he had Rebecca help Wendy so that she would be away while he seized power and pushed her out, Axe has proven that he cares about only one person. I thought this hour was going to end with Axe and Wendy sleeping together, but I guess their relationship can be more about closeness than physical contact. Though it’s nothing like what it used to be when it first started, this show remains moderately watchable, and I expect to continue to tune in when season five begins.
Season grade: B-
Season MVP: Nina Arianda as Rebecca
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