Tuesday, November 2, 2021

What I’m Watching: Billions (Season Finale)

Billions: Season 5, Episode 12 “No Direction Home” (B)

The downfall of watching a high-profile season finale more than three weeks after it first airs is that it’s hard to avoid spoilers. While the news of Damian Lewis’ departure from the show didn’t reveal what happened to his character, I had a feeling that he was going to be conclusively written out as tends to be the case with exits like this. Though I’ve grown tired of the jumbled storytelling that involves multiple “however many hours earlier” cards to explain the many duplicitous twists along the way, I did appreciate the way Axe left here since it made a degree of sense. He knew that he had no way out, and so he took the offer that Prince gave him, which solidified his rival as someone just as fiercely competitive and determined to be in power as both Axe and Chuck. The way Prince sauntered in with Scooter at his side showed how much pleasure he took in being in charge and owning everything. It was interesting that only Dollar Bill and Mafee opted to leave, and I’ll be curious to see what their newfound partnership will look like. Wendy and Taylor will also likely team up to try to undermine Prince, which should make for a very intriguing and watchable power dynamic. Wags and Scooter should be a fascinating duo to watch too. While Lewis has been one of the best parts of this show since its inception, I’m all for fresh storylines, and I think that promoting Prince to chief villain will be a productive step. Season six is just over two months away, and I’m looking forward to what’s to come.

Season grade: B-
Season MVP: Corey Stoll as Mike Prince

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