'Billions' Season 5 Episode 9: Is Mike Prince a good man? 'Implosion' suggests so

Quite a few instances show that Mike Prince cared for what he stood for, only time will tell if he turns evil to stick it to Axe
Paul Giamatti as Chuck Rhoades and Corey Stoll as Mike Prince in 'Billions' (Showtime)
Paul Giamatti as Chuck Rhoades and Corey Stoll as Mike Prince in 'Billions' (Showtime)

Spoilers for 'Billions' Season 5 Episode 9 'Implosion'

If anything, 'Billions' Season 5 Episode 9 shows one side of Mike Prince (Corey Stoll) that makes you root for him. 'Implosion' suggests that he may have been devious, but he does have a good side to him and that is shown distinctly in the episode. One of the scenes sees him talk to a client who thinks of Prince as a no-good conniving son-of-b***h after Axe (Damian Lewis) exposes him on national television.

The approach when it comes to retaining the client would be to look him in the eye and use his flaws against him. It was a move that made Prince sick. "It makes me want to change my shirt," he says. This just goes on to show he is not the man who Axe wants to decimate and burn his business to the ground.

RELATED ARTICLES

'Billions' Season 5 Episode 7 Review: Not a hard-hitting midseason finale, but a great start to a battle

'Billions' Season 5 Episode 8 Review: Axe low blows Prince to go 1-0 in battle

In the final minutes, he sides with New York AG and Axe's archenemy Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) to bring down Axe, and joining the fight is Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon) whose company garnered major flak for a move Axe pulled. This not just jeopardized the image of the company, but also her image and loyalty to her boss that now comes as tarnished. The move against Axe's pizza investment too was more of retaliation against his competition whose sole intention is to just vanquish Prince.

The other instance of his goodness was seen when he confronts Taylor about the move of putting good companies out of business. A perplexed Taylor listens as he goes about the ramifications of the underhanded stunt Axe pulls. By setting Impact Investment back, every company that was sold off would see all the humanitarian work undone.

This pretty much shows Prince cares. He even makes the visit to his dead friend David's mother who accuses him of stealing the pal's idea and become the success he is now. It ends badly, but it proves he has regretted the decision. Making us question how this fight might just end. Will it be Prince playing dirty to get the better of Axe, or will he just give the good fight and move away with mixed feelings after probably winning?

'Billions' airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on Showtime.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

A dangerous former client targets top divorce attorney Allura Grant with a series of escalating attacks before holding her hostage at gunpoint
2026-11-05T08:27:49.000Z
Joe Miñoso left 'Chicago Fire' in the procedural's momentous 300th episode
2026-11-05T07:53:12.000Z
‘Chicago Fire’ honors a fan favorite character in its 300th episode
2026-11-05T05:51:40.000Z
‘Chicago Med’ focuses on Dr Wu’s pursuit of the Chief Resident position in its latest episode
2026-11-05T04:50:53.000Z
Tomlin risks Cruz’s job to convince Severide in the latest episode of ‘Chicago Fire’
2026-11-05T03:47:56.000Z
The untitled Hulu series follows Leavitt and her family as she handles new fame and career ambitions
2026-11-05T03:29:58.000Z
The ‘All’s Fair’ cast return for a second season of divorce cases and personal drama. Here’s when new episodes arrive, where to watch and what to know about before the finale.
2026-11-04T16:46:27.000Z
'Batman: Knightfall Part 2' unveils a first-look clip as Azrael takes up the cowl after Bruce Wayne is left paralyzed by Bane.
2026-11-04T16:27:06.000Z
Owen Wilson returns to the green in ‘Stick’ Season 2. Here’s your guide to Apple TV’s weekly episode rollout, streaming details and finale date.
2026-11-04T15:48:30.000Z
'Trinity,' starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Richard Madden, follows a naval officer who suspects the US Secretary of Defense is at center of a conspiracy.
2026-11-04T15:21:56.000Z