Here are the top 10 moments from the latest episode of ‘Billions’ titled ‘Chickentown’ as Dollar Bill promises huge returns and Axe does some spying on Taylor…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
Bobby Axelrod has an axe to grind.
There’s no better way to say it after he’s spent the first three episodes of ‘Billions’ season 4 seeking vengeance on Taylor Mason after they left his firm and started one of their own.
The latest episode titled ‘Chickentown’ ratchets up the rivalry even more after Axe spies on Taylor’s new shop while they are entertaining their father, who just so happened to drop by for a visit.
Meanwhile, Chuck is trying to get the voters of New York on his side as he runs for state attorney general but a story about how he failed to prosecute a poisonous vape company might just cost him a fundraiser and a lot of support amongst his constituants.
Chuck is determined to get some revenge of his own against ‘Jock’ Jeffcoat and Brian Connerty after they booted him from his perch as U.S. District Attorney and that might require a little bit of help from a friend.
With that said, let’s look at our top 10 moments from ‘Billions’ season 4, episode 3 titled ‘Chickentown’…
1 ) Atlantic City
“I’ve got chicken business with you” ~ Dollar Bill Stern
In the lead up to this episode of ‘Billion’s, co-creator Brian Koppelman was admittedly excited about a song they managed to land — and that track was ‘Atlantic City’ by Bruce Springsteen.
Of course as great as it was to hear ‘The Boss’ open the episode, hearing ‘Dollar’ Bill Stern’s version may have been even better as he excitedly told Axe about a position he had on the upcoming Arkansas Chicken Index that could result in a huge windfall of cash for the firm.
Side note on a great line this episode when Wags asks Bill how he knows the girl getting him the information on ‘The Chicken Man’.
“How do you know where to find mustache wax? If it’s crucial, you get it done”
2 ) Not Flat, We Checked
This isn’t so much a moment as a fucking great t-shirt worn by one of Taylor’s analysts when they are grilling them over the positions they’ve taken not getting the gains they expected. In the era of the moronic ‘flat earth’ movement, this is a mic drop moment with a t-shirt that says it all.
3 ) ‘He’s Fucking Dead?’
Bill gets the shock of a lifetime when he gets to Arkansas and pays a visit to the Chicken Man, only to find out he’s dead. Well, at least we think he’s dead.
“Most people don’t nap in that position so yeah, dead seems like a real safe bet” ~ ‘Dollar’ Bill Stern
Axe tells him to find out who is replacing the now deceased Chicken Man and get them on board to report the same numbers that will allow their investment to pay off or he might be the one counting chickens in the near future.
“Otherwise, your chicken business will consist of you asking ‘do you want original recipe or extra fucking crispy?” ~ Bobby Axelrod
4 ) Best Sushi in the World
As Taylor and their father chow down on some delicious sushi, we learn that the best piece of fish that are caught and frozen are first taken by the vendors at the New York Fish Market before the rest gets sent out to the rest of the United States.
Needless to say, next time you’re in New York — get the sushi.
5 ) Wags Needs a Girlfriend?
While waiting for word on the latest spy project to peek into what Taylor is doing in their firm, Wags waxes intellectual and wonders if it’s time he gets a girlfriend.
Axe: ‘Suddenly have a craving for antiquing and long walks in the Hamptons?’
Wags: ‘Post brunch reach around anyway”
When Hall shows up with some information from his spy camera, Wags wonders if he’s carrying a giant ‘Reggie’ bar. For those curious, the ‘Reggie! Bar was a candy made starting in 1976 until around 1982 based on New York Yankees right fielder Reggie Jackson.
The chocolate-covered bar featured peanuts and a caramel center but as Axe points out, there was no nougat.
6 ) Knockout Puncher
“The right thing to do is get Triple-G to go in the ring for him and fuck the other guy up. So come on, I’m the Triple-G of the southern district”
~ Kate Sacker
Kate Sacker has quietly become the biggest bad ass on this entire show, first helping Chuck stay in power and then preparing to tear him down with Brian Connerty as the new U.S. District Attorney. Her latest power move is convincing a whistle blower to go back on the record for a story that will punch Chuck right in the gut as he tries to gain momentum for his election race.
Kate promises to get into the ring and do the heavy work for the whistleblower so he’ll tell his side of the story while simultaneously sinking Chuck and something tells me she would fuck up a lot of people willing to do battle with her.
7 ) The Nuclear Option
With the chicken numbers higher than expected, Axe Capital is way out of position and expected to take heavy losses. That means ‘Dollar’ Bill only has one more option left to him to ensure he produces another winner for the fund.
Bill: “I’ve got a solution to our chicken problem — a final solution”
Axe: “Bill? Did he just say?
Wags: “Oh shit, it’s a chicken holocaust”
Bill decides to kidnap an infected chicken from a quarantine warehouse and then drop it off at a farm with nothing but healthy birds. The chickens will then mix together and all of the birds will have to be destroyed, thus lowering the total number of chickens in the index and Axe Cap will be back on track to make a lot of money.
Also credit to the creators behind ‘Billions’ for actually finding a song called ‘Chicken Bill’ that served as the backdrop to Bill’s attempted mass murder of a whole lot of chickens.
8 ) Photo Shy
“Did you see that? They’re avoiding being photographed with you — all of them” ~ Wendy Rhoades
Chuck has to put on a happy face to greet some union delegates at the casino sitting on his father’s land in an effort to gain votes even after the story was released that essentially accused him of burying a potential prosecution of a vapor company because some of the board members were friends of Chuck Rhoades Sr.
To help him along the way, Chuck has attached a rather large rubber band around his leg that he snaps back every now and again to provide him the much-needed endorphin rush to survive.
Just as the event is ending, a photographer asks to snap a few pictures but as Chuck goes to embrace his new ‘friends’, they all quickly move away and Wendy notices that no one wants to be seen in a photo with them.
Later that night, Chuck and his father enjoy a performance of the track “Steel Bars” by Michael Bolton, who serves as the opening act for the casino.
9 ) Did They Buy It?
“You’re the fucking genius. Figure it out”
Axe discovers that the mathematical soup that Taylor and their father were working on together was actually a trap that only he would discover to set up a meeting in hopes of settling this blood feud.
Taylor knows that Axe’s thirst for vengeance is costing both of them right now so they offer a truce — he will buy into Taylor Mason Capital with attractive terms. To the rest of the world, it will appear that they are no longer at war and Axe has the upper hand by giving Taylor his blessing. In reality, the truce will just allow everybody to get back to business.
Axe agrees but then after returning to the car, it’s clear this was all a ruse to get Taylor to drop their guard until the real bombs start dropping on them.
10 ) Strange Bedfellows
Axe: “You want me to help put you in the state attorney general’s office.”
Chuck: “I do.”
Axe: “The last time you were a lawman it wasn’t so good for me”
Chuck: “This time it’d different.”
Axe: “You sure about that? I’ve seen a lot of Westerns. A man changes when he puts on that star.”
Chuck needs help if he’s going to get elected and there is no one more powerful with money and influence than his new friend Bobby Axelrod. Obviously, Axe is somewhat apprehensive because the last time Chuck was a prosecutor, he fired at him with both barrels.
This time around, Chuck promises they’ll be working for the same goal and he would pay Axe back by offering him favors once he’s in a position of power. Axe agrees to help him while promising to tell him those favors once he’s in office. It would certainly seem that Axe has an idea how to use Chuck to either rid himself of Taylor, Grigor Andulov or possibly both in one fell swoop.
With that, a new partnership is born as Chuck and Axe team up for the election.
‘Billions’ returns with a brand new episode on Sunday on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET
