Billions commentary

There were at least two readers who asked me, given the name of this blog and my profession, why is it that I haven’t done a review or commentary on Billions, the Showtime smash hit who rolled their 4th Season Sunday ? Do I watch it ? Did I get the Billions fever that has taken excel monkeys by the storm ? How come I’ve done a post on Games of Thrones’s Season 7 but haven’t done a Billions one yet ?

Well, let me put your mind at ease. I’ve watched it, and I’ve enclosed yesterday’s episode (which is free). I watch it when I catch it sometimes.

Billions is a pretty drama, very intense, yet I don’t see it a formative movie. I haven’t reviewed it because I don’t get much from it. Watching rich people fight and screw each other…there’s really no conclusion for me. That is not to say I don’t appreciate Brian Kopelman and David Levien’s artistic geniuses. But I thought watching The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (Alex Gibney on HBO) was more interesting.

Some things don’t sit down well with me. For example:

-They had a Russian oligarch sit in for a SWF decision-maker -makes no sense.

-The whole idea of a former intern, Taylor, starting her own fund after leaving Axe Capital is silly. Taylor is a woman who shaves her head, dresses like a man and makes decisions like Popeye the Sailor Man. In last year’s Season 3, Taylor bonds with a nerdy VC named Oscar and beds him. You don’t bed someone over your love of the game NetRunner or Star Wars.

-The main character, Axe, barely resembles real life characters. Number one: If you work with them, you just don’t see that much of them. 99.99% of times these people conduct business though an intermediary. People ask me: Is this how it is ? One piranha bigger than the other ?

What you <b>don’t understand</b>. **If you work there in real life**:

You are too insignificant to them. You're a fly on the wall. This guy (or gal) doesn't even remember your name (unless you're named like their pet dog).  Nobody cares and nobody will listen to you. Let that amount to something.

People who work in the big money space will back me up on this.

That being said, I heard some good things in Sunday’s episode.

Quotes from S04 E01 · Chucky Rhoades’s Greatest Game:

“Like a honeybee, take what you pick up here and drop it there,

Just make sure at the end of the day.

You’re the one who ends up with all of the nectar.” -Wendy Rhodes

“Intentions don’t matter at all to me,

I reward actions,

And I punish them, too.” -Axe

Wendy Rhoades sitting in as Performance Coach…that doesn’t sit well with me. A company that needs a Full-Time “performance coach”: doesn’t happen. This Wendy character seems to be administering HR policies, plus too many things rest with her. If she were real, she’s be a liability in any company. The jobs she does are too many, her accountability-in-line too small. You can’t have somebody like that with too many hats on.

Those in hedge funds will back up what I’m saying.

Knuckleheads and dumbshits will have a hard time sorting it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGihUNnLQJU