‘Billions’ Season 5 Episode 7: When was it shot, is it the first TV show to make THAT coronavirus reference?
Spoilers for 'Billions' Season 5 Episode 7 'The Limitless Sh*t'
Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) has stolen hearts as the witty, vulturous, billionaire businessman on ‘Billions’. In this week's episode, a drug named Vigilantrix seeps into Axe Cap and Bobby is so enamoured by its effects that he makes each member of his team try it to shoot their productivity up. The drug dials senses to eleven and after everyone pops a pill, there are major repercussions on the floor.
Well, it soon leads to an ego clash and gameplay between Axe and Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) and before it's too late, Bobby realizes he was charting towards the wrong path. If that was not all, the episode surprisingly mentions the deadly disease lurking in the corners of almost every country. The pandemic has brought lives all across the globe to a halt and perhaps, ‘Billions’ is the first TV show to make a reference to the coronavirus crisis.
Moreover, Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) manages to get a moral win by getting secretary of the Treasury, Todd Krakow (Danny Strong) to resign. In a heated speech, he says, “There is coronavirus on it and that sh*t spreads!” That reference to Covid-19 is making fans freak out and they can't stop wondering when was the episode shot. It's clear that the makers filmed the episode when the virus had just hit the United States.
So is the Showtime series the first TV show to make that reference? "Is #Billions the first TV show who has incorporated coronavirus into its script? @BillionsWriters," one fan wrote and another said, "I’m watching #Billions and this dude just made a reference to coronavirus being ships and spreading." One went on to wonder: "When did they shoot #Billions S5, they talking CoronaVirus episode 7."
While showrunners haven't responded to the tweet queries yet, one fan posted, "I just watched the latest ep of Billions and I suspect it was shot after Covid-19 started becoming a concern in NYC. I *think* a lot of scenes were shot with actors physically distanced from each other. If you’ve seen it let me know your opinions." Another said, "The show Billions just mentioned Coronavirus, first time I’ve heard it mentioned in a fictional television show #Billions." And one went on to joke: "@BillionsWriters invoked #coronavirus tonight. something about cruise ships. Will they all begin wearing masks next week? will they obey @NYGovCuomo stay at home orders in the script?"
Fans can't stop praising the dialogue. "#Billions ...reference to Corona virus....in the latest episode....love the part where a look turns into a stare," one tweet read and another asked, "@briankoppelman How did you sneak Corona Virus into the dialogue so soon? #Billions."
But that's not all, a lot more happens in the intriguing hour-long episode directed by David Costabile. "Axe makes big plays with an unconventional source of inspiration. Chuck goes to desperate lengths for family. Tensions rise in Wendy's relationships. Chuck and Sacker manipulate a past collaborator. Taylor steps up and takes charge," the official summary reads. As the midseason finale ends, it does a good job of leaving fans with a hunger to see more episodes when it comes back after the Covid-19 situation gets better.