Billions - Season 2

The cat-and-mouse game continues. Two different worlds which are equally bloodthirsty.

Bobby fucking Axelrod. Here we go again.

In Billions' second season temperatures rise when Bobby "Axe" Axelrod (Damian Lewis, Homeland) and Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti, Barney's Version) take their fight to the next level, and no one wants to come out on the losing side.

The cat-and-mouse game continues. Two different worlds which are equally bloodthirsty. Axelrod and Rhoades are still on opposite sides, but the lines between good and evil become blurred. This season makes it very clear that deep down the two men are more alike than they care to admit. Axelrod is no better than Rhoades and Rhoades is no better than Axelrod. Both lose themselves, both need to face the consequences. Family man Bobby doesn't even realise that his wife is drifting away. It is good to see that the characters don't remain black-and-white, but are made human by showing they are more than just good or evil.

The acting is great. The characters are more defined than in the first season and the number of characters are also more diverse. Still, there is only one character that is constantly on my mind: Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy). The woman who is trying so hard to find her own way, but in actuality is trapped between two worlds, between two men. The questions which occupy my mind are related to her relationship with Bobby. Why are they willing to go to such lengths for each other? How did this mysterious bond between them develop?



One weak point in this season is that the writers make Wendy look quite naïve in the game her husband plays, especially in the scenes concerning the plot twist at the end of the season. Her character deserves better and I would have preferred it if she had chosen her own path instead of a compromise which still leaves her as a pawn between the two men. By the way, the episode in which everything becomes clear, Golden Frog Time, is brilliant. It has a good pace and it's great to watch, while I had some difficulties with other episodes and I had the feeling something was missing.

Not as addictive as the first season, but the second one is still a fine continuation of the series: the characters are better, the acting is good. Season three is standing by, and I can't wait to start watching!