'Billions' Season 5 Episode 7 Review: Not a hard-hitting midseason finale, but a great start to a battle
Spoilers for 'Billions' Season 5 Episode 7 'The Limitless Sh*t'
As far as midseason finales go, it's almost tradition that it ends on a cliffhanger. Not in the case of 'Billions' as it just signifies the start of a battle— Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) v Mike Prince (Corey Stoll). And this time, it is personal. By the second half of the episode, it is clear the financial drama shot this chapter probably when Covid-19 just hit the US. They make use of the pandemic and drop it in tying it up as a disease that never leaves. From productivity-enhancing drugs, geopolitical landscape surveys and Chuck's (Paul Giamatti) personal issues, the episode has seen it all.
Vigilantrix is a drug that dials senses to eleven and that means increasing human productivity by leaps and bounds. Literally, every member of Axe Cap and Taylor Mason Carbon pop a few and what follows is some intense and insane moves that an already-high-on-the-red-pill Axe approves without a second thought. All on a hunch that they'd stand to make billions of dollars on investments that may actually sink the ship should the move backfire.
It does eventually take Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon) to knock some sense into Axe as he calls off the drug-driven move to make more money. Taylor salvages enough but gets on Axe's bad side after revealing the plan to work with Mike Prince on the tin project which has become a cause of stress across the Supply Chain honchos. Mike plays the longer game by putting an end to the operations and that makes Axe mad enough to know he's been played as Taylor Mason Carbon takes a hit.
For Wendy (Maggie Siff), the relationship with Nico Tanner (Frank Grillo) goes full-tilt south when Axe sabotages their evening with a display of the artist's latest work. This may have caused a dent and only time will tell if Axe's intention is to separate Wendy from the artist or use it as a ruse to get her closer to him. Chuck Rhoades might not have been the star of the episode, but that doesn't stop him from playing a crucial role in 'The Limitless Sh*t' as he interacts with Dr Swerdlow, a doctor with some unorthodox (Read shady) treatment methods.
With Rhoades Sr (Jeffrey DeMunn) suffering from renal failure and the possibility of a donor getting bleaker by the day, Swerdlow comes in as a man with some contacts who can help. While Chuck dismisses the idea without a second thought, he is forced to go back to the good doctor for getting his father treated. Swerdlow is such a sharp contrast to the slick and partly-stupid Louis Litt we have seen in 'Suits'. Don't get us wrong, not a shard of hate against the character, but he did goof up in his attempt to "Litt" people up and that served 'Suits well.
Speaking of Chuck, he does manage a moral win by getting secretary of the Treasury, Todd Krakow (Danny Strong) to resign. In an attempt to build a legal case, Kate Sacker (Condola Rashad) and Chuck subtly threaten Krakow who accuses the treasury of being corrupt and gets kicked out, especially after referring to the members' corruptive mindset as the coronavirus.
'The Limitless Sh*t' might not have been the hard-hitting midseason finale we hoped for, but it does pack a punch. Were we just to just focus on "Limitless", then that is what each character is, save for Wendy at the moment.
'Billions' airs Sundays 9 pm ET on Showtime.