Thursday 14 December 2017

THE CONTINUOS FEUD: BILLIONS



When a political man born with a silver spoon in his mouth met head to head with a self-made billionaire businessman who rose from scrapes of odds and ends. What do you think will happen when two divergent men brush each other's shoulders? Shall we find out in the 2016 American television series created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin entitled Billions... 

They, Bobby "Axe" Axelrod and Charles "Chuck" Rhoades Jr., both had a common denominator in life, a strong-minded woman. Wendy Rhoades, M.D. was the wife of Charles "Chuck" Rhoades Jr. and a psychiatrist and in-house performance coach at Axe Capital. Her driven mindset and and on-the-fence character became more valuable but at the same time led to vulnerability by both of them. 

He saw the advantages of the 9/11 terrorism coordinated attacks on The Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York and the attacks on Washington. Instead of mourning the lost thousands of lives, Bobby "Axe" Axelrod (Damian Lewis) saw the post- September 11th chaos auspiciously different; a way of augmenting his financial assets. In what way? In the episode, “Boast and Rails”, there was a meeting with his lawyer outside usual appointments to recapitulate the September 2001's events and the position of his firm. They were working out a severance agreement but it ceased when the The Twin Towers were hit. Its because he could foresee the financial profits by venturing his firm from the ashes of the brave souls to the top of Wall Street's hedge fund game. That was the explosive summary of his company's new name, Axe Capital, personal rise to power in 2001. However, he didn't just keep all the three quarters of a million profits he had piled-up. He and his wife, Lara, helped financially a lot of families whose loved ones died in the terrorism attacks. They also shared the yielded “sensitive dough” by donating millions worth of things to worthy charities.  
(Damian Lewis as Bobby "Axe" Axelrod)

Bobby "Axe" Axelrod's spearheaded standpoint in life and brilliant mind on Wall Street's hedge fund game was strengthen and balance morally by his devoted wife, Lara Axelrod (Malin Akerman). She was a nurse by profession with a blue-collar upbringing who fascinated and bewitched Axe when he was still a low-key profiled man. According to one of the episodes, because of her unrefined charisma Axe fell in love with her instantly and the next day, they got married. The fruits of their love and devotion as a couple procreated 2 complaisant boys. Despite their wealthy status in life, Lara remained unpretentiously balance especially when her family members and their jealous friends would like to ruin her husband's reputation. She deterred in her own approach a few plotted public humiliations against Bobby "Axe" Axelrod- even when it involved her family. However, her sensibility as a wife was muddied every time her husband defended and highlighted in their conversations the company's in-house performance coach, Wendy Rhoades. That is why, when her sacred vow as a wife was rimmed by jealousness because of one untold truth she left Axe with the boys in a troubled state.  
(Malin Akerman as Lara Axelrod)

When Axe was just starting and wasn't well-heeled in life yet, Wendy Rhoades, M.D. (Maggie Siff) stood beside him as company's psychiatrist and more so, as a bestfriend. They were bonded with a strong attachment as grown-up professionals who both respected each other's private life. Wendy's sympathetic characteristic at work was valued highly by Axe as she was the only one who could pacified his unuttered caprice. That is why, when Wendy decided to resign her post at Axe Capital because of her husband's stilted vendetta, she also cut all direct personal communications with Axe. Undeniably, the business equilibrium mindset of Axe was distressed despite the fact that they hired a new in-house performance coach. Her resignation was a great loss for Axe which also resulted in a marital separation with Chuck. However, they were able to work again at Axe Capital when Wendy gave Axe an assent phone call in the episode, "Indian Four". They met in person and she favourably asked him to drop all of the lawsuit charges against her husband, Charles "Chuck" Rhoades Jr.
(Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades, M.D.)


He came from a silver spoon family who had a quick uplift exposure in politics because of his father's wealthy connections. Charles "Chuck" Rhoades Jr. (Paul Giamatti) thinks highly of himself as a great defender of justice who had a particular distaste for wealthy criminals. Yes, he had significant power as a U.S. Attorney who tried to set aside personal motives in order to follow jurisdictions. However, he became more twisted like the corrupt officials in power when he focused more on placing the nouveau riche, Bobby "Axe" Axelrod, in prison. Because of his withhold personal animosities, it affected his matrimonial relationship with his wife, Wendy Rhoades. He pried on Wendy's laptop and found out some confidential conversation's jottings with Axe in the episode, "Magical Thinking". Because of his rapacious behaviour, Wendy resigned at Axe Capital and also decided to extricate herself emotionally from him as a wife. Chuck's life didn't just evolve in the yearning for more political power as he was also an “ill” man. He had a secret life which he dearly enjoyed and couldn't resist in the world of erotic roleplaying (submission) called BDSM. His obsession for roleplaying was a secret in the public's eyes but not to his wife, Wendy. She understood and even embraced roleplaying as well as enslaved Chuck as the dominant Ma'am. 
(Paul Giamatti as Charles "Chuck" Rhoades Jr.)


Taylor Amber Mason (Asis Kate Dillion) is the first-ever non-binary character and in real life has been using preferably the pronouns “they, their and them” as an uncustomary identification. They was an intern at Axe Capital under the supervision of Mafee (Daniel Soder) when their was introduced to Bobby "Axe" Axelrod. Taylor's forthright hedge fund knowledge caught the full attention of Axe who later in the second season proposed to them a staggering and brilliant offer to be an employee at Axe Capital. The offer was accepted and as the series continues, they role in the company progressed headily as an appointed C.I.O. Because of their unequivocal attitude towards Axe, Taylor was invited to play on Axe's team at the Alpha Cup to which their crushed and shamed Todd Krakow (Danny Strong) in the episode, "Optimal Play". Taylor became like a right-hand man to Axe and when Bryan Coonerty (Toby Leonard Moore), Chuck' point man, found out about it he cajouled Taylor to testify against Axe's fraudulent hedge fund. However, them calm  mind paved the way for they disregard the high moral grounds that was accounted for by Bryan. As a result, they went to the U.S. Attorney's office with the twist of embarrassing Bryan and turning down the impunity proposition in the episode, "Golden Frog Time".
(Asis Kate Dillion as Taylor Amber Mason)


Generally speaking, both Axe and Chuck had stubborn personalities and wanted their own way. Chuck, a defender of the law, went too far and broke the trust of his office in order to catch Axe. The common upstart, Axe, also broke the law knowingly and was aware of what he was doing. As they battled, we see their human frailties which constantly dogged their higher plans.

When main motives are clouded by personal animosities, always expect to reap worst chain reactions, which is either a long-faced consequence or the tearful collapse of your entire life.

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