The ‘Billions’ Recap Reality Index: “Victory Lap” (Season 2, Episode 7)

By Comfortably Smug @ComfortablySmug
Published April 3, 2017, 9:29 a.m. ET

Where to Stream:

Billions

Powered by Reelgood

The recap is back! Welcome back to the Billions Recap Reality Index where this week we provide you with due diligence on the seventh episode of Season 2, “Victory Lap.”

The Sandicot deal has gone to hell and Bobby and Wolf are looking for answers! The episode begins with them hunting down whoever the hell is responsible for Albany screwing up Axe Capital’s big casino payout. Axe organizes a war room and is presented with a question the Eurozone has become quite familiar with over the past few years. To austerity or not to austerity? That is the question he wrestles with over the course of the episode. Meanwhile, Wendy reconnects with an Elon Musk doppelganger and Chuck Rhoades starts weighing his political future after a trophy win for the US Attorney’s office with Lawrence Boyd’s pelt.

Will Bobby put the squeeze on Sandicot? Will Chuck Rhoades decide between Gracie Mansion or the Governor’s? Will Dollar Bill bring the fleece back out for all the bros? See our scorecard below:

THE BILLIONS RECAP REALITY INDEX

Dillen Phelps

REALER THAN “THE ALBANY MACHINE SHIT” RUINING THE MOST CAREFULLY LAID PLANS

  • When things don’t turn out as planned, the New York politician blames dysfunction in Albany.
    PLUS 1

  • Chuck Rhoades has learned the importance of utilizing a relationship with the press to further the aims of the US Attorney’s office when he invites Mike over.
    PLUS 1

  • After his big win, journalists are asking the US Attorney if his next stop is city hall or the governor’s mansion.
    PLUS 1

  • After the Sandicot deal has gone to hell, Axe assembles a war room to figure out what to do next. Dollar Bill comes through with the classic suggestion, “Isn’t there someone we can just unload this turd to?” Perfect.
    PLUS 1

  • At the war room there’s a shoutout to Paul Singer for sticking it to Argentina!
    PLUS 1

  • Mafee knows about Remington. Typical lax bro took art history for the easy A. Classic.
    PLUS 1

  • Chuck Rhoades Sr. explaining to his son how Wendy, “a natural born killer”, completes him as a candidate. This is more common than you might imagine, Mark Sanford being a prime example.
    PLUS 1

  • The gaming license was moved at the last second by a NY State Senator named Joe Scalari. Can anything be any more New York state politics?
    PLUS 1

  • The political ad that Axe Capital previews for the Sandicot deal is just perfect. I could already picture it airing on NY 1.
    PLUS 1

  • DOLLAR BILL COMING THROUGH WITH A FLEECE VEST.
    PLUS 1

  • Standing ovation for Taylor’s stirring libertarian defense of hedge funds. Bonus chuckle for even quoting Nassim Taleb.
    PLUS 1

  • Seeing those poll numbers got Chuck ready to explore a run real quick.
    PLUS 1

  • The horse trading has begun for Chuck to run for office. He needs to get a guy named Blackjack Foley’s granddaughter a clerkship. I don’t know who is advising the writers on NY State politics but they deserve a bonus.
    PLUS 1

  • Mick Danzig quits Axe Capital. Once you’ve gone soft on foreclosing on towns, there’s no space for you running money at a fund.
    PLUS 1

  • Wendy exclaims to Axe that it takes her long enough to convince the guys there that Bobby doesn’t have her office bugged. That would be a legit concern.
    PLUS 1

  • Everyone keeps asking Chuck what he’s going to run for after his recent win. The same way everyone is asking Preet what he’s going to run for now that he’s a free agent.
    PLUS 1

  • Lawrence Boyd describes Blackjack Foley to Axe as a guy who manages the sixth generation of family money who likes to stay invisible and an advisor to kings and princes. There are a couple folks involved in NY State politics exactly like that.
    PLUS 1

  • Triple mixtape airhorns for Lawrence Boyd dropping the realest quote of the entire series. “If they hate you enough, they will find legal grounds to fuck you.”
    PLUS 3

  • Lara Axelrod’s prescription for fixing Sandicot is bringing in charter schools. Classic hedge fund wife move.
    PLUS 1.

TOTAL FOR REAL: PLUS 21

FAKER THAN THE HELP GETTING CAUGHT IN FLAGRANTE DELICTO IN FRONT OF THE WIFE AND KIDS AND NOT GETTING CANNED

  • One of Axe’s analysts are feeling morally compromised at the thought of austerity affecting a town they invested in. If he had gone soft, he wouldn’t be there anymore. He’d be working on landing a book deal for “Why I left finance.”
    MINUS 2

  • Even more bonkers, the analyst then brings it up during a work meeting saying they could just make up the lost money next quarter, that it’s okay for the fund to lose money. Spoiler alert: it’s never okay for a fund to lose money.
    MINUS 1

  • Wendy walking into Axe’s office and saying they shouldn’t squeeze Sandicot is bonkers. She’s there as the firm’s psychologist, not a trader running money.
    MINUS 2

  • When Chuck has lunch with him to get Blackjack Foley’s granddaughter a clerkship, Adam has suddenly gotten sick of dealmaking and how favors work? He even name drops clerking for Ruth Bader Ginsburg to describe his newfound purity. Yeah right. The game is the game.
    MINUS 1

  • The CEO of a bulge bracket does not end up where Lawrence Boyd is locked up. Never gonna happen.
    MINUS 3

TOTAL FOR FAKE: MINUS 9

OVERALL SCORE FOR “VICTORY LAP”: PLUS 12

Dillen Phelps

PLUS 12! A strong finish for this episode of Billions, breathing new life into its bull run so far this season. Beyond just sticking to reality on finance, the writers deserve to be recognized for doing their homework on New York State politics. The character of Black Jack Foley sounds an awful lot like a gentleman I know whose family financed the run of one of our governors; the similarities between the two are uncanny. Combined with continued reference to real life situations like Paul Singer’s adventure in Argentina, Billions continues to get a buy rating from us at the Reality Index. Will they be able to keep the streak going next week? Stick with us when the recap returns with next week’s episode of Billions.

OVERALL SCORE FOR BILLIONS SEASON 2: PLUS 53

Comfortably Smug is a government relations professional with a focus on the financial services industry. He can be found on Twitter with his musings on all things finance and politics at @ComfortablySmug

Watch the "Victory Lap" episode of Billions on Showtime Anytime