‘Billions’ Recap Reality Index: Season 3, Episode 4 (“Hell Of A Ride”)

The recap is back! Welcome back to the Billions, where every week we tally a list of events from each episode of Billions that we found to be either too real to fail or as fake as a toxic asset’s triple A rating, scored on our completely subjective point system.

This week we provide you with due diligence on the fourth episode of Season 3, “Hell of a Ride.”

When we last saw Axe and the gang, the traders at Axe Capital were sweating bullets at the prospect of the quants coming for their jobs and way of life. Bobby pulled off quite the maneuver buying Ira’s silence, but will it be enough to check Chuck’s endless hunt for him? And what about Chuck now facing the prospect of being done in by his own father, will we see the father son relationship restored, or will Charles capitalize on an opportunity for revenge? Let’s go over the numbers and find out.

THE BILLIONS RECAP REALITY INDEX

REALER THAN CHARLES REGALING CHUCK AT YALE REUNION WITH STORIES OF HIS CAMPUS CONQUESTS (IN GRAPHIC DETAIL)

• Wags is obsessed with having a Manhattan burial plot for himself, because it truly is a one of a kind status symbol.
  PLUS 1
• One of Axe’s fixer’s uses the disguise of a Chinese food delivery guy to gain access to Connerty’s front door. This is perfect, those bastards always find a way to get their takeout menu on your apt door.
  PLUS 1
• A socially awkward, environmentally conscious VC dedicated to the cause of solar powered, air conditioned tents for Africa is completely believable.
  PLUS 1
• Hedge funder Bobby Axelrod using a sports reference while the VC replies using a Middle Earth reference is absolutely perfect. The Paypal Mafia is known for their affinity for all things Tolkien, with Peter Thiel famously naming multiple firms after them.
  PLUS 1
• Taylor shorting the stock of a charismatic, rocket obsessed silicon valley rockstar perfectly mirrors real life where tons of major hedge fund managers are short Elon Musk.
  PLUS 1
• The board of a philanthropic foundation is moving to kick Bobby off given his legal situation. That’s pretty standard.
  PLUS 1

• The rocket explosion – there’s a lot there. 1) Great reference to the film Wall Street where it was joked that Gordon Gekko was short NASA during the Challenger disaster. 2) OF COURSE Dollar Bill started cheering because of how much money was just made.
  PLUS 2
• Blackjack Foley knowing a crooked State Senator he loans out to Chuck to put the screws on Charles’ casino land deal is pretty much New York State politics in a nutshell.
  PLUS 1
• Wendy’s advice to Taylor on reconciling making money off the death of their hero- “Mind the truth that makes you money”. Flawless. As is Taylor’s reaction.
  PLUS 1

• Nussfaur learns his wife found out about his mistress when Wags shows him the Page Six article. Classic.
  PLUS 1
• Wendy drops knowledge –“Sure it may matter to people in finance but their reputations are buttressed by money, philanthropists only have their reputation, and you are a threat to theirs. It’s like academia, everything’s such a big deal because the stakes are so small.”
  PLUS 1
• “Spoken like the overpaid day trader you are.” “So says the northern California pipe dreamer.”– the skepticism and contempt VCs have for hedge funders is very real (and mutual).
  PLUS 1
• A Patek 5270R is exactly the heavy hitter timepiece a fund manager like Taylor would purchase to celebrate a big win.
  PLUS 1

TOTAL POINTS FOR REAL: PLUS 14

FAKER THAN A WIRE TRANSFER BOUNCING DUE TO INSUFFICENT FUNDS

• Charles Rhodes wouldn’t be working out at and a member of Core Club, that’s way too new school for his tastes. He’d more likely be found at the Yale Club or the Union Club.
  MINUS 2

• Taylor is now the CIO of a top tier fund, they wouldn’t be using a Macbook, they’d have that Bloomberg terminal and a half dozen mounted monitors plugged into their workstation.
  MINUS 2
• The software used by the sketch artist helping Connerty was hilarious in how perfectly it put together that drawing of Hall using a few clicks and words to describe him.
  MINUS 1
• How does the ambulance chaser’s wire transfer bounce? Wire transfers don’t bounce because banks verify there are sufficient funds before the transfer is initiated.
  MINUS 3
• Axe and Taylor are now openly discussing out loud at a restaurant the trades Axe is having Taylor do. That is beyond moronic, they would be far more careful.
  MINUS 2

TOTAL POINTS FOR FAKE: MINUS 10

OVERALL SCORE FOR “HELL OF A RIDE”: PLUS 4

OVERALL SCORE FOR BILLIONS SEASON 3: PLUS 24

While not as high as last week’s PLUS 10, a PLUS 4 is a very respectable number. Besides, better to have a soft landing than crash from too much irrational exuberance. There was a lot to love this episode, namely that we finally understand Charles through his valuing of what must be done to win over anything else, especially emotions. (It was also hilarious to see him be a real bastard when Wendy learns Craig died). Season 3 is definitely strong, the question is can it keep its solid footing thus far in not straying too far from reality? So what happens next? Will Connerty finally get the break he needs to bring down his mentor? Will Axe go full Paul Tudor Jones and make venture philanthropy his new hobby? Will Dollar Bill let Taylor have the title of best timepiece as Axe Capital? Stick with the recap when we return with next week’s episode of Billions.

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 Billions Season 3 Episode 4 ("Hell Of A Ride") on Showtime Anytime