'Billions' Season 6 Episode 5 Review: Of John R Wooden, sharpening knives & Air Jordans
Contains spoilers for 'Billions' Season 6 Episode 5 'Rock of Eye'
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton will surely attribute some of their success to John R Wooden, their decorated coach at UCLA and his Pyramid of Success. Another player who's benefited from it is Mike Prince in 'Billions' Season 6. That Corey Stoll's character is a massive basketball fan and a baller himself is no secret, but that he relies on the life lessons that hooping has taught him makes him starkly different from Bobby Axelrod (Damn, we got to stop talkin' about that dude).
'Rock of Eye' comes as a slower episode, especially after that bombshell fifth episode that sees Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) lose his MVP. Kate Sacker (Condola Rashad) is now team Prince and while that storyline sort of gives the possibility of her being a mole, there's also every reason to believe that she wants in some of the action that Prince and his MPC is on. There's a new character in Philip Charyn (played by 'For Life' star Toney Goins) and some major rework strategy at Prince's castle.
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Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon), not the one to back away from making humongous profits when seen, gets the team to grab a sizeable opportunity in the form of a vegan food company. The whiz pulls off a risky move, and it pays dividends making Taylor Mason Carbon a valuable arm of MPC. The others, however, are now part of a restructured firm that looks at fearless and efficient trading but by not jeopardizing the moolah at stake. And to start off on the right foot, Prince gets the team Jordans to wear and teaches them "how to lace up" the Wooden way.
At the other end, Rhoades is like the New England Patriots looking for a new QB after his Tom Brady's left for Tampa Bay. Safe to say, he's found one in Sakina Jaffrey's Daevisha 'Dave' Mahar, a no-nonsense, no sleaze attorney who puts him in his place in a case. He's quietly sharpening his knives while letting ex-wife Wendy (Maggie Siff) sort out some affair trouble that his father gets into. Although it looks like Prince is the one buying up people and talent, Rhoades is the man biding his time.
'Billions' Season 6 may have had its moments where it's sent ripples of excitement and inducing yawns in copious measure, but for now, it promises to deliver. The renewal of the Showtime drama for a possible final seventh season shows the faith the network has on the brains behind and in front of the lens. Plus, there's also the point it wants to prove. 'Rock of Eye' does justice after a whopper Episode 5 and we'd recommend sticking with the season.
'Billions' Season 6 airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on Showtime.