Billions recap: Reset, Recharge, Revenge

At the beginning of "Johnny Favorite," Chuck (Paul Giamatti) is doing his best to put on a brave face at his retirement party. To be fair, it's hardly a joyous occasion after years of service as New York's Attorney General. Rather, he's been forced out of his position by Mike Prince (Corey Stoll), and he has no idea where he'll go next. Dave (Sakina Jaffrey), taking over his job for the remainder of his term, draws pretty clear lines, letting Chuck know that he won't be hanging around influencing her office like a puppet master behind the curtain.

With nowhere to go, some of Chuck's friends (and his father) show up to take him away for a spa weekend. Ira (Ben Shenkman), his old pal Judge DeGiulio, and Chuck Sr. convince him to take some time away, to not get too wrapped up in making his next move and doing something stupid just to get back at Prince. An achievable goal, certainly, but Chuck proves to be difficult to pull away. While on the retreat he spends most of his time on his phone trying to find another job, and no matter how many times his friends tell him he seems desperate, he refuses to change course.

Meanwhile, back at Mike Prince Capital, the boss is in a celebratory mood. He tells Wags (David Constabile) and Scooter (Daniel Breaker) to call an "all hands" meeting, and that it'll take place at Prince's house. Wags wants more details, but Prince is being mysterious. So they do as they're told, and the employees are, naturally, nervous. Could this be a celebration or a firing? Prince won't tip his hand, so everyone is left panicking.

While all of this is going on, Kate (Condola Rashad) learns about some of the forces that used to work against her when she worked for Chuck. In preparing for her Congressional run, Wags gives her a number to call, and says that the man she talks to will be able to dig up all sorts of dirt on her. "Why on me, why not my opponent?" she asks. As Wags tells her, she'll want to know everything that could be used against her come election time. Kate is hesitant to make the call, but eventually does, which leads to her meeting Hall (Terry Kinney) for the first time. "So you're the one who was always one step ahead of us?" says Kate, referring to her time trying to lock up Axe.

Hall's information isn't really damning in a sensational way, but it is troubling. What he details is a life of relative comfort and privilege, with her father paying for her past mistakes to go away. Namely, when Kate vandalized a school building during a protest, her father paid off the headmaster's mortgage, all cash, in order to have the event stricken from her record, which in turn meant that she could still go to a prestigious school. Again, nothing truly awful, and Kate's father makes no apologies for doing what he needed to do to make sure she kept up with the privileged white kids who were all getting the same favors, but it makes Kate question herself and the story of her life.

Alright, back to Chuck's not-so-relaxing weekend. While the weekend doesn't seem to be helping him much, eventually there's a spark that gets him going again. He runs into an obnoxious, rich man named Ron Chestnut (played with wonderful sliminess by Matthew Lillard) while trying to enjoy a sensory deprivation chamber, and then that same man shows up while Chuck and his friends are having a great time sharing drinks and laughs with some women at the bar later that night. Ron's rather aggressive and misogynistic attempts at wooing the women gets Chuck all fired up, and he cuts Ron down in front of the whole bar. Just like his speech in front of the senate from last week's episode, this is the stuff that makes Chuck feel good, like a man with purpose. He needs to be in front of people again, going after the worst society has to offer.

This season has seen some ebbs and flows. I think the start of the season was entertaining, doing a good job of finding its footing after the departure of Damian Lewis. But then the Olympics bid story dragged on, and the conclusion wasn't particularly interesting despite some good moments and character development. Simply put, the season started to stagnate. But this is maybe the best episode of the season because it feels like the show finding itself once again, giving us hope for the future.

In essence, Chuck feels reinvigorated, and to go along with that, Prince now feels like a more concrete character. After throwing his party, getting all his employees to love him and respect him, he's become a true heir to Axe. Wendy is now by his side, invested in helping him get to new heights, and Prince is done with the "good billionaire" gimmick. He's letting go, embracing that he wants power and wealth, even if he still hopes to do some good with it. He's done trying to balance his desires with his image, lying to himself in the process, and that makes him a dangerous man going forward. All of this is to say that the end of the season is shaping up nicely, which is a great change of pace after a few dull episodes.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Billions recap: The downfall of Chuck Rhoades
• Billions recap: Prince's beloved Olympics bid goes up in smoke
• Billions recap: Michael Prince, the new King of New York