Here’s the first of a new weekly segment where we count down the top 10 moments each week during ‘Billions’ on Showtime starting with the season 4 debut…
‘Billions’ is back and if you’re not already aware, the Showtime series is one of the absolute best on television. In fact, ‘Billions’ was our 2017 Best Television Show of the Year and No. 2 for 2018 as well.
The series returned on Sunday night for the season 4 debut titled ‘Chucky Rhoades’s Greatest Hits’ and now we’re going to count down the top 10 moments from the episode as a way to recap the best and honestly the funniest parts every week.
If you’re just catching up or you just want to catch the highlights, here are the top 10 moments from the ‘Billions’ season 4 debut:
1.) Chuck Rhoades Jamming to ‘I Feel Good’ by Al Green
Definitely a highlight of this episode as Chuck begins his new career as a power broker where he’s been asked to find a way to help a wealthy businessman from New York receive a conceal carry permit. Chuck tries to dissuade him by sharing a story about Al Green and the guilt he felt after an ex-girlfriend killed herself using a gun he kept in the house.
2.) Public Execution
Bobby Axelrod is not playing around after having all of his employees sign non-complete contracts to ensure no one goes to work with Taylor Mason after her defection to start a new hedge fund. He needs everybody on the same page.
“I want you two in sync like incestuous ice dancers”
~ Bobby Axelrod
Unfortunately, Rudy wasn’t paying attention to the new decree after attending the Taylor Mason team barbecue and that leads to the little guy everybody roots for getting fired to set a new precedent at Axe Cap. Wendy Rhoades lays it down in our third top moment from the episode.
3.) New Regime
“Get with it or get fucked people”
~ Wendy Rhoades
4.) Power Base
After Brian Connerty is sworn in as the new U.S. District Attorney for the southern district of N.Y., Chuck finds out that his former prodigy has been ordered to dig into all his past cases for any possible errors in an attempt to undo everything he did during his time in charge. In other words, they want to ruin Chuck’s legacy and he doesn’t have any way to stop them right now without a power base that gives him leverage over them.
Needless to say, Chuck’s father wasn’t too impressed with his son folding over the threat of Jack Foley exposing his S&M bedroom behavior.
“I would slap your face and tell you to act like a man if I didn’t think it would turn you on”
~ Charles Rhoades Sr.
5.) Starship Troopers
As Taylor continues to search for new employees to add to their firm, they are pitching the differences between Taylor Mason Capital and Axe Capital when trying to hire Mick Danzig to join them. They use a snappy analogy related to the classic sci-fi film ‘Starship Troopers’ to convey the mindset at Axe Cap.
“Axe and Wags even Wendy are like the United Citizen Federation. They turned us all into starship troopers, sent us to Klendathu and some of us got our brains eaten.”
~ Taylor Mason
6) Let Me Rock You, Chaka Khan
Wags meets with representatives from a powerful middle eastern sheik, who is considering handing over royal family funds to Axe Capital and after a heated negotiation, the two sides decide to retire for the day and meet for nighttime activities instead. As Wags demonstrates — those nighttime plans are on like Chaka Khan.
7) Park Anywhere Pass
As Chuck bobs and weaves his way around the power breakfast and lunch spots around New York, he’s robbing from Peter to pay Paul in an attempt to eventually get the police commissioner to hand over that conceal carry permit for his client. Unfortunately one stop requires a deal made with Steven Birch — a hedge fund manager he prosecuted back in season 1. That means Wendy is required to pinch hit for her husband and she makes a deal for his exclusive ski lodge passes in exchange for a therapy session with her.
All day long, Chuck has desperately been trying to use a ‘park anywhere pass’ given to him by the Mayor of New York City as part of his deal making exchange but clearly no one was interested.
“Nobody wants this fucking thing”
~ Chuck Rhoades
One other note, the song that continuously plays during Chuck’s voyage across New York is a track titled ‘King of New York’ by the Fun Lovin’ Criminals.
8) Playing Dress Up
To secure the royal family funds, Taylor is forced to dress up in drag so they can convince the oil rich country to invest money in their firm rather than Axe Capital or anybody else. Taylor is happy to counter when the sheik’s No. 2 man in charge attempts to goad her with a sexist speech about how men are the hunters and women stay at home to tend for the children.
“That kind of bifurcation of roles makes sense when you’re dealing with a single meal at a time. But when the hunt will provide for generations, one would do well to go with whoever can get the best kill”
~ Taylor Mason
9.) Happy Days
Following a day spent hunting for Wags after he went missing during his night out with the sheik’s entourage, Axe finally figures out the reason he kept running into roadblocks. Russian oligarch Grigor Andolov has been pulling the strings thanks to his close relationship with the sheik and the royal family. As a friendly gesture, Grigor returns Wags unharmed but passes a long a stern warning to Bobby — after proudly proclaiming that his English skills were picked up thanks to reruns of ‘Happy Days’.
“No sweat, Fonzie. Now please stop fucking with Taylor Mason. As a matter of fact by the time you get back to your luxurious penthouse, forget all about them but be sure you don’t forget about me.”
~ Grigor Andolov
10.) A New Friendship
Chuck finally delivered when he helped the police commissioner keep his little league team together by providing him with a blank birth certificate from the Dominican Republic that would allow his slightly overage pitcher to keep playing for him. In return, the police commissioner gives him that conceal carry permit he so desperately needed for his client. Chuck hopes that this is the start of a new partnership before the two of them end up getting sauced in Sparks Steakhouse and then realizing afterwards they are standing on the same spot where Gambino mob boss Paul Castellano was shot and killed decades ago.
Chuck even decides to pose in the way Castellano was found dead after being shot multiple times.
‘Billions’ returns next Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime and then return every week for our top 10 moments from the episode.
