It is on!
After nine episodes that felt like forever, the war between Prince and Chuck kicked off officially, with everyone picking members for their team.
It all came down to loyalty; whoever had the most loyal people on his side was better positioned to win.
We will discuss everything that went down on Billions Season 7 Episode 10, so if you’re yet to get caught up, beware of spoilers.
A lot happened, so where should we begin? The logical start would be the episode’s beginning.
After years apart, Prince and Chuck finally met, and the circumstances could not have been worse. Prince was fired up, and from the first word he uttered, one could tell that he was mad.
I’m all for honoring your emotions, but it is wise not to expose your feelings to your enemies. It was rational that Prince felt angry after discovering betrayal on that scale, but his first mistake was letting that control him.
He could have taken the time to understand what Taylor was doing with Axe, but his narcissism had him assume it had to do with him. And he was right. It had to do with him but not precisely how he thought.
He made the mistake of jumping the gun and waking up a sleeping giant or releasing the genie from the bottle, if you will.
Wendy: Welcome home, Bobby.
Chuck: Never thought I’d say it, never thought I’d think it, but thank God you’re here.
Wags: Ain’t that the motherfucking truth.
Axe: Now, let’s get to work.
There was no going back after he exposed that he had Wendy buttered and ready to be served to the wolves.
If anything stuck out in this episode, loyalty is important.
As early as on Billions Season 7 Episode 1, I had suspicions about the real motivation behind Wendy, Wags, and Taylor’s actions. It felt like they missed the old Axe days and would do anything to the man who put them in the current position.
Loyalties at Axe Cap ran deeper than Prince could ever understand, and after the events of this hour, I was convinced that he should have fired the whole floor on the spot and brought in fresh blood.
These people had slain giants, metaphorically speaking. People had taken the fall for things they were innocent of for Axe, and others had gone behind their spouses. Some had destroyed entire companies for him.
And in return, he had rewarded them handsomely and then some. They had shown loyalty, and he reciprocated that.
Wendy was one of those people.
Prince messed up in revealing his play too early. He should have let them run headfirst into his trap, but also needed them in place until he was elected.
A massive overhaul in the corporate hierarchy at Prince Capital saw some more loyalties put to the test.
Even if he was absent, a lot of the people on that floor had some love for Axe.
With Wags, Taylor, and Wendy ousted from their positions, more loyalties were tested, and some people folded while others stood firm in their convictions. And others regretted it.
Rian was not anyone’s favorite because they made her seem like a mean girl; it was all she could be after Bonnie left.
Seeing her stand for what she believed to be right was a nice break from all the backstabbing on the show.
She went from someone no one cared much about to the episode’s MVP, whose actions might affect the end game.
Her moral compass was unwavering, but she needed a final push to drive her to take action, and seeing what Prince had done to Wendy was more than enough.
Can we just take a moment to (un)appreciate what an evil plan he had concocted?
Wendy: Jesus fuck, this is already such a fucked day.
Wags: A two-fuck walk-in sentence from you is not something to take lightly.
Wendy: Sure as fuck isn’t.
The current conversation, especially in the television industry, is about the effects of Artificial Intelligence and the damage it can do to the industry. With the SAG-AFTRA strike still raging, the contentious issue between the performers’ union and the studio union is the issue of using A.I. to replicate various characteristics of a performer.
But the issue of A.I. should be everyone’s concern because it has permeated every facet of our lives, and healthcare is no different.
Wendy: Explain the outsized revenue despite the skeletal staff of doctors.
Rian: Mental’s been billing insurers for its A.I. check-ins as if they’re actual human sessions.
Wendy: So our big strength, automated therapy, it’s actually a big scam?
Rian: It’s Medicare fraud. And, like, a federal crime, for reals.
It might lead to a breakdown of trust in society, a serious concern.
Prince really did a number on Wendy, and he could have had her gone for good.
Despite wanting to jump on the opportunity to take down Prince, Axe had to proceed cautiously, which wasn’t fun for him or Chuck.
Chuck’s enthusiasm was hilarious when he called in the favor, only for it to dwindle like a kerosene lamp that has used up all the fuel.
The hour saw the ant-Prince crowd try to take him down from all sides. They went after his companies, employees, and money.
But it took a realization by Axe that a man like Prince needs something different. Everyone has something to hide.
This was where loyalty came in again. Prince was loyal to his friends, but the presidency had messed up with his brain so much that his loyalty had a definite length.
To save his skin, he sacrificed multiple people, making him vulnerable to attack.
Axe saw a way to play that to his advantage when all seemed lost, and he was able to lock Prince in position.
Their final scene in the episode was almost poetic. Just a short while ago, Prince had the upper hand, and now all he could do was listen as he was dressed down for filth.
The look on his face when he saw Axe was what in some industries would be called the money shot, and it was priceless.
Hearing Axe read him the gospel of what a broken marriage does to politicians made me finally understand the stakes involved and why people try to keep issues about infidelity a tight secret.
Once it comes out, it can be twisted in a million ways, and for Prince, he was never beating the cuckoldry allegations.
The entire country will think of you as a man who couldn’t satisfy his own wife. They won’t care about arrangements or you getting yours. They’ll just know that she was bivouacking with the mountain man instead of shacking up with you. And you have to know, there is nobody in this country who’s gonna vote for President Cuck.
Axe
If Trump was able to beat the pornstar scandal, Prince could too.
Intrusive Thoughts
- I think this has always been the case, but Philip is awful. I don’t know why I’ve never seen that before. He made me livid.
- What effect on Chuck’s plan do you think Sacker’s little talk with Torre will have?
- With Rian occupying Taylor’s office, she might be the link the mutinous group needs to get into the current operations at MPC.
- It sucks that the show is ending because the interactions between Wags and Senior are wholesome. Finally, two people with on-point cultural references. Imagine what they could do.
Chuck Senior: The only object lesson that I see is that this D-team, this poor man’s McEnroe/Fleming… couldn’t take down a Christmas ornament.
Chuck Junior: Just leave us to it, Dad. Please.
Wags: I’m McEnroe, at least, right?
Chuck Senior: I was being charitable. It’s Fleming/Fleming.
“Enemies List” was a jam-packed episode of Billions that had everything we had been waiting for.
Lines were drawn, and the armory opened. The battle was imminent.
Share what you thought about the episode.
Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.