'Billions' Season 5: Bryan's downfall to Taylor's return to Axe Capital, a recap of the Season 4 finale
'Billions' is set to return with the fifth season on Showtime and that would mean catching up on Season 4. This recap tries to capture the major talking points so as to help connect the dots.
To start with, the finale of 'Billions' Season 4 is all about determination, change and what does it mean to win ruthlessly? The season has three major plotlines — Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) and Rebecca Cantu (Nina Arianda) who had a snag in their relationship after Axe's bitter plan to take down Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) Fueled by this obsession and raw rage, Axe is on a rampage.
Up next is Chuck Roades (Paul Giamatti) and his tussle with Bryan Connerty (Toby Leonard Moore) and Waylon 'Jock' Jeffcoat (Clancy Brown) to make sure he hangs on tight to his new job. There is also that storyline where Axe and Chuck bury the hatchet briefly. However, as the season drew to a close, the egomaniacs they are, it was all back to a square one. In many ways, it was a move that we all saw coming.
Add to this some drama that 'Billons' throws in, in the form of Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff) who is going through her own share of issues with the medical suspension and Chuck reassures her that he would give it his all to reduce the suspension time. Meanwhile, Taylor decides the team has to take the step to move beyond Axe Capital. Kate Sacker (Condola Rashad), who has been an integral part of the series since inception continues to ward off Bryan's efforts to hear the privileged recordings.
It is at this point we see a tighter and crisp narrative that's also equally pacy. There's that stunning move from Axe where he makes his trademark move with Saler's and does so by asking Rebecca to distract Wendy with a day out. He gets in the votes to liquidate Saler's and makes enough moolah for everyone. And when confronted by Rebecca about it, Axe tries to explain that this trump card move for him was a necessity. The deal with Taylor didn't really sit well with him.
That said, Rebecca just walks out on him by saying there's nothing left between the two. Despite losing the relationship, Axe still focuses on Taylor and while it is pretty evident he's hurting, he's nor giving up. There is still that question of Rebecca and how the strained relationship might pan out in the upcoming season. In all this, there's a whiplash for Taylor as Axe's move dents Taylor Mason Capital badly and for the first time, payback moves have been exhausted.
The seemingly burgeoning friendship between Axe and Chuck sees the latter live up to his end of the deal and lock up Taylor, but by then there's also enough doubt as to why he really is working with Axe as he starts to see that there's nothing in it for him. Speaking of Chuck, 'Billions' has one of the most electric scenes when Rhoades Sr (Jeffrey DeMunn) and he hatch a plan to corner Bryan and Jock who's hot on their heels.
Working with Bryan from Season 1, Chuck knows how he operates and banks on the fact the latter won't be able to resist the recording. Fans would remember this scene where "The Idiot" in question sees Bryan illegally listens in on the recording and is revealed that it is him in the tape. The FBI raids in and there's a neat explanation from Kate: The flag pin Chuck gives her was planted on Bryan and was able to record Jock telling him to listen to the clip.
The realization also dawns when Chuck finds out Axe was just playing him and wasn't on his side to lend any value. He hatches a plan that sees him use the one kryptonite Axe has: Taylor. He arrests the head honcho and instead asks her to work at Axe Capital so he can have his revenge by taking Axe down in one final showdown. The finale ends with the Taylor looking to make full use of the enmity between the two as she and her team make their way to Axe Capital.
And what happens next will be a story that's to be told when 'Billions' Season 5 returns on May 3 at 9 pm ET on Showtime.