‘Billions’ Season 3 Continues Cat and Mouse Game Between Attorney and Mogul

Alci Rengifo

The masters of political power and the economy continue to scheme and clash in the third season of Showtime’s “Billions.” This is one of the most stretched out cat and mouse games on television as U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhodes (Paul Giamatti) continues to obsess over catching nefarious hedge fund powerhouse Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). In the last season Rhodes almost became a villain himself by dragging friends and family financially into a scheme to lure Axelrod into a financial trap. The results were far from positive and as the season opens, Rhodes finds himself isolated from his father and facing a new, right-wing attorney general. The new major character also updates “Billions” for the Trump era, as the writing team starts sprinkling more political commentary into the plot.

As the season opens Rhodes meets his new superior, Attorney General Waylon “Jock” Jeffcoat (Clancy Brown), a Texan who makes uncouth comparisons between running the Justice Department and prepping bulls for breeding. Rhodes will face a hard time because as he tries to keep his office on the side of truth and justice, his arch nemesis Axelrod is attempting to figure out how to get back in the game of, well, making more piles of money. His assets have been frozen and after being advised to give up trading until he can beat his case, Axelrod puts the brilliant but cold Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) in charge of Axe Capital. Mason, a self-professed liberal who once participated in Occupy Wall Street, will now face the rigors of running a financial office and the ideological dilemmas that come with such a job (which of course begs the question of why is Mason even involved in this world). Of course Axelrod isn’t simply going away. He will now plot a new way to continue trading unofficially and further evade Rhode’s increasingly obsessive drive to get him.

“Billions” is now a series firmly being made for its established audience. If you have not seen the first two seasons then good luck keeping up with what happens in this one. The first five episodes alone are a labyrinth of financial lingo, multiple subplots and characters mixed with cryptic exposition. Newcomers will easily catch on to the central plot of the show, that being the vendetta between Rhodes and Axelrod. But it is so driven by this very narrative that it has little time to go anywhere else, it wants to breathlessly follow these characters and bring them closer to a great clash. This means that for devotees of the show this season is yet another engaging, at times wickedly funny financial thriller. There is little to no violence in this show, because the weapons of these characters are their capacity to manipulate numbers, move money around and offer bribes to the weak. It’s no surprise characters constantly quote and reference finance or gangster movies like “Wall Street” and “Donnie Brasco.” Axelrod has some great scenes of cutthroat intensity where he meets with characters going broke, offering them Faustian bargains to help him trade through third parties. Rhodes is also not exactly clean. He will go so far as to charge a judge an owed debt to get his way. He doesn’t dive as deep into the dark side as in season 2, but his obsession still inspires moves that border on being unethical.

Like many TV dramas, “Billions” is also starting to inject a bit of political commentary into its narrative. This is especially obvious with the character of Jeffcoat. In one scene he brazenly tells Rhodes how things are going to be run in “the current regime,” and Rhodes responds that he’s never been comfortable with the idea of a regime in government. Even as he tries to capture Axelrod, Rhodes begins to focus more energy this season on fighting for the little guy. In one subplot he tries to get an innocent man out of jail, but Jeffcoat has different ideas. Words like “tyrant” are thrown around in clear, political statements within the writing of the show. But this gives it some added intelligence. “Billions” at heart is a melodrama dressed in expensive suits, with dialogue that can at times border on too over the top (“I’m willing to cut an inch off my d–k to get it all back”). The addition of some political commentary gives the show a new momentum. The character of Mason is an interesting, inclusive addition to the roster. Mason is a non-binary, non-gender character who is vegan but works in an environment in total contrast to their philosophy. It’s a sly commentary on the type of persona espousing certain views, but lured in by the big bucks the other side offers.

A particular strength this season is that the characters remain as fascinating as ever. There’s something fun about watching power player scumbags on TV, maybe because through drama they project how many of us feel about the state of things. David Costabile has some great scenes as Axe Capital official Wags Wagner, who chews out a private chef for not making a gourmet burger to his exact desires. Paul Giamatti brings a raw complexity again to Rhodes as a man devoted to justice, but edging closer to corruption in order to bag the corrupt. Damian Lewis is quiet, assured villainy as Axelrod, never losing his cool and always thinking. In one fantastic scene he buys someone’s loyalty by offering to pay for a proposal ring for the poor soul’s fiancé, he of course already has a box of options ready.

“Billions” returns for its viewers not missing a beat. Deals are struck, plots are hatched and new vendettas take shape. It’s most gripping moments come from understanding that in the world of the powerful numbers are the most dangerous weapons of all.

“Billions” Season 3 premieres March 25 and airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime.