The HBO program "Billions" started off as a continuing story about the conflicts/war between a federal prosecutor ("Chuck Rhodes" played by Paul Giamatti) and a rogue billionaire investment manager (not exactly sure what he would be called. His firm manages people's money). The investor ("Bobby Axelrod"), played by Damian Lewis of "Homeland" fame, dances around the limits of the law, rarely ethically and sometimes landing outside the lines, while the prosecutor is in a constant campaign to catch Axelrod in some illegal activity. The show has a bit of middle-aged eye candy (Maggie Siff, who plays Rhodes's wife), and the first couple seasons played out this war of personalities reasonably well.
In the most recent episode, one of Axelrod's minions comes into the office with a packet of red pills, which he claims have the effect of temporarily heightening awareness and mental acuity. Of course, after a quick discussion, all of the minions and then Axelrod take the pill...but it turns out that the pill merely makes one THINK he is a maniacal genius, but in fact you are a blithering idiot. They hatch a crazy plan to find and purchase a meteorite (or something) that will give them control of mountains of various precious and strategic metals; they sell off billions of dollars in assets (presumably stocks and bonds) to put the plan into action, but come to their senses before pissing away the money, saved by the wise counsel of non-binary genius "Taylor Mason."
One might almost think that the writers have actually taken the pill that their fictional characters swallowed. What a horrible excuse for a program plot.
I have watched this show go down the shitter for the past couple seasons, but it is now too obvious that the writers have simply run out of ideas. Sadly, they regularly make high-schooler errors in the technicalities of investments and criminal law, but even the stuff that they should be good at has eroded.
I write it off. No longer worth investing the 50 minutes on Sunday evening.
In the most recent episode, one of Axelrod's minions comes into the office with a packet of red pills, which he claims have the effect of temporarily heightening awareness and mental acuity. Of course, after a quick discussion, all of the minions and then Axelrod take the pill...but it turns out that the pill merely makes one THINK he is a maniacal genius, but in fact you are a blithering idiot. They hatch a crazy plan to find and purchase a meteorite (or something) that will give them control of mountains of various precious and strategic metals; they sell off billions of dollars in assets (presumably stocks and bonds) to put the plan into action, but come to their senses before pissing away the money, saved by the wise counsel of non-binary genius "Taylor Mason."
One might almost think that the writers have actually taken the pill that their fictional characters swallowed. What a horrible excuse for a program plot.
I have watched this show go down the shitter for the past couple seasons, but it is now too obvious that the writers have simply run out of ideas. Sadly, they regularly make high-schooler errors in the technicalities of investments and criminal law, but even the stuff that they should be good at has eroded.
I write it off. No longer worth investing the 50 minutes on Sunday evening.
