What I’m Watching: Billions (Season Premiere)

Billions: Season 5, Episode 8 “Copenhagen” (B)

Sure, this isn’t technically a season premiere, but it’s been more than a year since we last saw this show, which I remember being one of the last series to finish post-production as the pandemic was starting, airing the first half of its fifth season in May and June 2020. It was jarring to see Chuck looking very different, and for Paul Giamatti’s obvious weight loss to be explained away as him having simply shaved his goatee. But this episode, which initially felt like just more of the same, did manage to pivot at its end to bring Chuck and company back in full force as going after Axe and crew, though, as always, Chuck isn’t completely free and clear given his questionable activities as both teacher and student government representative. Axe was not at all pleased to see Prince show up when he thought he had managed to outwit him, and he even threatened to replace Wags, a sign that his patience was wearing thin and that he was gearing up for just as big a fight as we’ve previously seen him take up with Chuck. He’s found a fitting nemesis in Prince, who was just as enraged as Axe would have been when he heard his reputation being tarnished on television and is going to scorch earth to get his revenge. The commentary from Axe’s guys about Tanner’s work is hardly sophisticated, and he took advantage of that by selling them an autographed napkin for thousands of dollars. Taylor made an important choice with their management style, one that shows a marked difference from Axe and an actual appreciation of employees’ boundaries.