'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

OA’s shocking FBI exit was not what it seemed, and the finale’s last-minute undercover twist may change everything in Season 9.
23 minutes ago
While this marks the first major replacement for the HBO series, the film adaptation underwent several casting changes during its run
53 minutes ago
‘CIA’ stars Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss as Colin and Bill, respectively, and the next installment could push their partnership even further
1 hour ago
HBO's 'Lanterns' latest teaser confirmed a major addition to the cast while teasing tension between John Stewart and Hal Jordan.
10 hours ago
The debut season of the Prime Video show combined elements from the books 'The Deal' and 'The Score' by Elle Kennedy.
10 hours ago
'Stranger Things' creators, the Duffer Brothers, revealed their first choice to play Chief Hooper in the Happy Sad Confused' podcast.
11 hours ago
The 2007 movie also starred Miranda Johnson and was based on the eponymous novel written by British author Fay Weldon
12 hours ago
Brooke Shields got candid about a role she has never played before in 'You're Killing Me,' a six-episode series.
14 hours ago
The renewal is also marked by the departure of former showrunner Eli Jorné and the onboarding of Seth Hoffman.
15 hours ago
Black Jack Randall died at the start of Season 3 at the hands of Jamie Fraser during a gruesome battle.
17 hours ago