What I’m Watching: Billions

Billions: Season 5, Episode 10 “Liberty” (B-)

While it seemed like this show might eventually address and feature the coronavirus pandemic, I didn’t expect it to play out like this, though I guess it makes some sense given how someone like Axe would handle it if he really existed. Ordering everyone to take off their masks because they had been vaccinated ahead of the line thanks to his having pulled strings tracked with his typical behavior, and firing everyone so that he could reestablish two separate companies was yet another workaround for him to get ever closer to world domination. It was obvious from the start that Chuck and Prince were engineering a lavish deception that they knew Wendy would call Axe and that he would send Chuck Sr. and Dr. Swerdlow to report back, and I’m not even sure exactly what trap they were trying to set for him. Taylor sabotaged a personal and professional relationship with Lauren in order to maintain control, choosing someone like Rian as a loyal follower who still asks tough questions instead. Watching Chuck cook breakfast for his daughter and for Prince felt a bit tedious, and I’m not really sure what the point of it was. Axe and Wendy confessing their feelings for each other is sure to shake things up in a big way, and I’m curious to see if that’s going to be a power move or a volatile step. Wags couldn’t focus during his date with Chelz, but going off on Tuk was apparently a real turn-on, which should give the hard-working Wags some much-needed relief.