'Billions' Season 5 Episode 11 Review: Deception, trash talk and Auerbach cigars
This review contains spoilers for 'Billions' Season 5 Episode 11: 'Victory Smokes'
Red Auerbach famously pulled out a cigar when his Boston Celtics had the game in their pockets. The man's brand was the Hoyo de Monterrey which he puffed, feeling the sweet scent of tobacco on his lips and a contented look on his face as his men celebrated after locking the game. The move may have infuriated the NBA brass, especially the choice of his smokes, but it was a ritual — a victory smoke, coming after a hard-earned win. Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) and his men on 'Billions' were all Auerbachs for maybe 15 minutes before a technical gave them an ominous jolt.
'Billions' finally embraces what it always was: An utterly, criminally genius of a show that makes toes curl. Wouldn't put it past the better than sex innuendo, because it comes close, but can't beat it. However, if anything, 'Victory Smokes' shows the world something they hadn't seen in a long, long time. A stumped Axe.
The plot is simple. For the 2-0 win that Axe had on Mike Prince (Corey Stoll), the rival counter-attacked with a scheme that came at a greater personal cost. It may have snatched away his integrity as a father, but his team-up with a deviant Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) and a rage-filled Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon), who used all their allies as pieces to checkmate Axe for the double-whammy, finally landed a punch. It wasn't very Rocky, so to speak, but it was a Billy Hope.
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The plotline is simple. The trio set a solid booby trap to lure Axe into using his efforts to make Winslow (Janeane Garofalo), the hip owner of a legal cannabis corp, sign up as the client for his bank. The deal is set up in such a way that she would sign over with Axe who would use Prince's due diligence and the sucker punch would be that she is just another peddler selling a lot of illegal products and the man bankrolling it would be Axe. Like we said, a masterstroke that has Axe without an answer.
It just so happens that his relationship with Wendy (Maggie Siff) makes it a lot more complicated. She's left Rhoades for good and has just begun accepting Axe for the man he is. This move that sees the authorities coming in has Axe torn between choosing to save his bank (which would mean a certain time in prison) or give it all up for a meaningful life with Wendy. It is a classic case of choosing between love and luxury.
Somewhere there, 'Billions' is all about love. It's a complex financial drama at best but at its core, it's just people wanting to have love. Wags (David Costabile) gets him by screwing Chelz and her father, Mick (who he nurses a personal vendetta against, but still bags the daughter), while Chuck still suffers from being hated by people who loved him for what he was in the initial few seasons.
This is just the sort of episode that would make you wait for what's coming next. For now, Axelrod and his bunch of Celtics are staring down the barrel of a shotgun. And you know what they say, you either let them pull the trigger, or you pull out a gun and point it right back at them. Thanks for that, Harvey!
'Billions' Season 5 airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on Showtime.