S05.E05: Contract

[l star]

I'm going to go in the middle and say that I think the way he spoke to her was abusive and unnecessary, but the action itself was not. My experience- I gave my parents money for a car payment one month when they were having trouble. If they had instead passed that money off to my brother or taken a trip with it, I'd have been pissed and the next time they had trouble, I don't think I'd have been as quick to pitch in. That's how I see this. Axe is giving his mother money with the understanding (or contract per this ep) that he is taking care of her. If it turns out that's not what is happening, it's reasonable to me that Axe can change his end too.

That does not excuse the delivery however though it was in character. Axe has no ability to censor himself when crossed. He must win at all costs and that interaction was all about getting his mother to come to heel. It reminded me of the venom he spewed when he thought Wendy had leaked information to Chuck or when Lara left. The nastiness gets more over the top the more personally slighted he feels. That's compared to when Taylor left for example, when he went on a control and power trip but the interactions and treatment were much less visceral.

[edhopper]

So you can buy one house and then another and completely move all the contents from one to another overnight.

[Lone Wolf]

Neil Young songs two weeks in a row.  Does he own part of Showtime like he does Lionel Trains?

Wow, Wendy Malick works a lot.  Good for her.

Speaking of which, that story about the ring smuggled out of Germany sewn into the lining of her father's coat reminded me of:

 

 

 

[Lone Wolf]

And speaking of ripping off movies to which this show can't hold a candle, hello.....

If Senior would have kicked it, I'd have filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Francis Ford Coppola.  I know, it was an homage, not lazy writing...right...

I hope they aren't going to go down a path with Winston and Gal Godot's quirky sister.  I have even less interest in that than I have in Axe's f'd up childhood.  I guess we're supposed to be getting insight into what makes him tick, but I just don't care.  

Again...Spyros gonna Spryros....Oy....

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[scrb]

1 hour ago, l star said:

I'm going to go in the middle and say that I think the way he spoke to her was abusive and unnecessary, but the action itself was not. My experience- I gave my parents money for a car payment one month when they were having trouble. If they had instead passed that money off to my brother or taken a trip with it, I'd have been pissed and the next time they had trouble, I don't think I'd have been as quick to pitch in. That's how I see this. Axe is giving his mother money with the understanding (or contract per this ep) that he is taking care of her. If it turns out that's not what is happening, it's reasonable to me that Axe can change his end too.

That does not excuse the delivery however though it was in character. Axe has no ability to censor himself when crossed. He must win at all costs and that interaction was all about getting his mother to come to heel. It reminded me of the venom he spewed when he thought Wendy had leaked information to Chuck or when Lara left. The nastiness gets more over the top the more personally slighted he feels. That's compared to when Taylor left for example, when he went on a control and power trip but the interactions and treatment were much less visceral.

Thing is, the money he gives to his mother is NOTHING to him.

She lives in Yonkers, not Central Park West overlooking the Park.  Even though that was a McMansion, it could be in his name or she's going to leave it to him or other family members if she passes.

Maybe there's housekeeping, maybe someone comes and cooks for her.  And when she needs help when she's older, he could hire some nurse to help her or move her into a fancy retirement home.

All that cost is probably not even 1% of his annual income for a "deca."

OK so he's going to cut her off, go to some retirement home for people on Medicaid?  You know, the nursing homes which are raging with the corona virus thees days?

He was worried about adverse publicity from not showing up for that Yonkers dinner, how is it going to look when stories come out that "deca" Bobby Axelrod put his mother out on the streets?

 

Now maybe she's given his father money in the past.  He was probably suspicious when he didn't see the car he bought her in the driveway.

 

But what's at issue is not money.  He barely notices it going to his mother and who cares if she gives some of it to his father?  She probably figures it's nothing to Axe and sees no reason her ex has to deal with buses.

For Bobby, it's about punishing him and then if she doesn't bend to his will, punishing her too, though I think it wouldn't be too long before Wendy points out it's not a smart PR move, especially when he's trying to get a bank which requires govt. agencies approving.

That's why he yelled at her, because he's a petulant prick who was threatening to take his ball and go home when things don't go his way.

You can take the boy out of Yonkers but you can't take Yonkers out of the boy.

 

 

[Lemons]

18 minutes ago, scrb said:

Thing is, the money he gives to his mother is NOTHING to him.

She lives in Yonkers, not Central Park West overlooking the Park.  Even though that was a McMansion, it could be in his name or she's going to leave it to him or other family members if she passes.

All that cost is probably not even 1% of his annual income for a "deca."

 

1% of $10 billion dollars is $100 million dollars, so we know he doesn’t come even close to given his mother 1% of his wealth. At most he gives her .0001% of his wealth.  
If he gave her $100,000 dollars per year it would be like someone who makes $100,000 per year tossing a penny to their mother. 

For someone with $10 billion dollars he’s kind of a loser.  What does he have to show for it?  

[txhorns79]

1 hour ago, scrb said:

For Bobby, it's about punishing him and then if she doesn't bend to his will, punishing her too, though I think it wouldn't be too long before Wendy points out it's not a smart PR move, especially when he's trying to get a bank which requires govt. agencies approving.

I was fine with his threat. His dad sounds pretty darn awful, and I can imagine the last thing Bobby wants is his largess going to his father in any fashion.  If I was giving money or another expensive item to my mother and I found out she was redirecting that money to someone I never would want to have those things, I would probably set a boundary as well.   

Quote

When you give an adult $$$ you don’t get a say in how they use it, nor do you get to follow them around like a psycho monitoring their movements.

You can certainly condition money you give to someone else.  As to Axe, he followed up on his mom because he said he knew she was lying about having sold the car. 

Also, Chuck Sr. playing with the baby was all sorts of adorable.   And I enjoyed they brought Connerty back just to punch Chuck in the face. 

[janeta]

4 hours ago, edhopper said:

So you can buy one house and then another and completely move all the contents from one to another overnight.

Well, they do it every Inauguration  Day in D.C. 😉
 

why do i have a feeling that by the end of this all, chuck will get bobby, and wendy will end up with both axe cap and mascap?

[hoodooznoodooz]

I rewatched the scene. When she tells Axe she gave his dad the Lexus, he yells, “Then why the F would you do anything to help him!?! After everything we’ve been through?!” When he warns her, he is no longer yelling, but he uses an intimidating tone and intensity. He doesn’t want her to even speak to his dad again.

[RealReality]

4 hours ago, scrb said:

Thing is, the money he gives to his mother is NOTHING to him.

She lives in Yonkers, not Central Park West overlooking the Park.  Even though that was a McMansion, it could be in his name or she's going to leave it to him or other family members if she passes.

Maybe there's housekeeping, maybe someone comes and cooks for her.  And when she needs help when she's older, he could hire some nurse to help her or move her into a fancy retirement home.

All that cost is probably not even 1% of his annual income for a "deca."

OK so he's going to cut her off, go to some retirement home for people on Medicaid?  You know, the nursing homes which are raging with the corona virus thees days?

He was worried about adverse publicity from not showing up for that Yonkers dinner, how is it going to look when stories come out that "deca" Bobby Axelrod put his mother out on the streets?

 

Now maybe she's given his father money in the past.  He was probably suspicious when he didn't see the car he bought her in the driveway.

 

But what's at issue is not money.  He barely notices it going to his mother and who cares if she gives some of it to his father?  She probably figures it's nothing to Axe and sees no reason her ex has to deal with buses.

For Bobby, it's about punishing him and then if she doesn't bend to his will, punishing her too, though I think it wouldn't be too long before Wendy points out it's not a smart PR move, especially when he's trying to get a bank which requires govt. agencies approving.

That's why he yelled at her, because he's a petulant prick who was threatening to take his ball and go home when things don't go his way.

You can take the boy out of Yonkers but you can't take Yonkers out of the boy.

 

 

Yeah, the amount of money isn't the issue the issue is that his own mkther would take a penny of his money and a gift he bought specifically for her and hand it over to a man who abused him.  

That is a giant slap in the face and fantastically disrespectful to the one person who made it a priority to take care of her.  

Here, I'm taking your money and using it to subsidize your abuser.  I can't believe you have a problem with that....I mean YOU can afford it, so why would you have a problem supporting a man who abused you for years?  

Honestly, id be far more annoyed by the Gordon gecko speech than a man refusing to fund his tormentor.  I don't expect anyone to do that.  Not even axe. 

I don't think a bank licensing board would give a crap about a mother being cut off because her son doesn't want to support his abusive father.  

I don't think his mother would go to the press, but I think his father would and that is a very very easy story to spin.  Most mothers, in my experience, do almost anything to protect their children.  Someone taking their kids money to support the man who abused them for years is not a good and sympathetic look.  

No matter how much money I had, the idea that any of it would go to someone who spent their life abusing myself and my mother, terrorizing me and hurting me over and over would never be okay.  Even if it didn't hurt me financially, the very idea that my own mother would take my money to subsidize a man who abused me would never be okay with me.  

Axe shouldn't have to accept that because he can "afford it"  rich, poor or otherwise that's a shit thing for a mother to do to her child. 

[RealReality]

The idea that someone should subsidize their tormentoe because they "can afford it" and refusing to do so makes them a "controlling abuser" is something I strongly disagree with. 

Neither a rich person nor a poor person nor anyone in between should have to suffer the indignity of supporting their abuser whether they can afford it or not.  

The idea that you're a prick because you decide that you don't want to support someone who spent their life making you miserable is something I'll never understand be it 100% of your income or .00000000000000001% of your income.  

Being forced to support someone who tormented you doesn't become less of an indignity because it's not a high enough percentage of your net worth .  That thinking is foreign to me.

[Meres]

Can anyone help me with this? Mother was given a Lexus. Wendy was given a Maserati. Does anyone remember what make of car Axe bought Taylor (scene was in the car dealership)?

[rhygirl720]

16 hours ago, Lemons said:

And at the same time revealing this weakness they still show him as being in control of anyone he wants.  

Is he though? I'm not so sure. He definitely does not get everything he wants. He didn't get the NFL team. I doubt he'll get a bank. He doesn't control Wendy or Chuck and eventually not Taylor. Control is very important to him.. however his toolbox is limited. 

[edhopper]

And along with a depth of movie trivia greater than IMDB, Taylor also has an extensive knowledge of NASCAR. How does she keep up with finance with all these other pursuits.

[Marley]

Really boring episode. 

I have never like Chuck so I don’t care about his stupid new romance. I’m sorry what does anyone see in Chuck. He’s an asshole.

I don't care at all about his old geezer dad who is a POS. I was hoping he had died. Are we going to have to watch Chuck give his dad his kidney now ugh.

Wags as a CEO? Fuck off. There’s no way. I hate Wags more and more each episode.

 

[Lone Wolf]

On 6/1/2020 at 11:56 PM, Meres said:

Can anyone help me with this? Mother was given a Lexus. Wendy was given a Maserati. Does anyone remember what make of car Axe bought Taylor (scene was in the car dealership)?

If this is the scene you're thinking of, it's a Land-Rover Defender 90.  Around $50k, IIRC.  Pretty modest, all things considered.

 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[Lemons]

14 hours ago, Marley said:

Really boring episode. 

I have never like Chuck so I don’t care about his stupid new romance. I’m sorry what does anyone see in Chuck. He’s an asshole.

I don't care at all about his old geezer dad who is a POS. I was hoping he had died. Are we going to have to watch Chuck give his dad his kidney now ugh.

Wags as a CEO? Fuck off. There’s no way. I hate Wags more and more each episode.

 

I like Chuck but there’s a whole lot of nothing going on in his office. But yeah, his father is annoying and wags is a clown that’s not funny. 

[Broderbits]

On 6/3/2020 at 3:00 AM, Marley said:

I’m sorry what does anyone see in Chuck. He’s an asshole.

Not defending Chuck, but everyone in this show is an asshole. Maybe not the baby........yet.

[Joimiaroxeu]

I still have a hard time believing Wendy is really going in with Taylor on this project inside Axe Cap. I think they're both shining each other on and I'm rooting for Taylor.

Swick. Yuck.

"Stevie Wonder can see" truthers. Is that really a thing and if so, why? Who cares that much?

I think Axe is a POS bribing that poor kid. Also, bad timing on the plot point altogether, IMO.

I can't believe Chuck walked into such a cheap trick with Connerty at the prison.

Man, if Prince found Axe's father and put him back in play to mess with Axe's head I would be so impressed. Doesn't really seem like Prince's kind of move though.

So who will be playing Axe's dad, Don Johnson? 🙄

[Auntie Anxiety]

Arrived late to this party, and don’t have time to read all the comments, but the biggest hand wave of all is that anyone in this galaxy would find Chuck attractive. Paul Giamatti is a talented actor, no doubt, but a love interest for Juliana Margulies (?) ? Really? She had George Clooney, she had Chris Noth, she had Josh Charles, now Paul Giamatti? NFW. The man is gross. 

Will Baby Sister be the kidney match for Senior?

I have no problem with Axe getting angry about his money benefitting his father. A number of years ago, I had a very serious health issue and spoke to my grown sons about their inheritance. Not a ton of money, but hey, it’s enough money to make a difference. Anyway, I told them that their father, who I’ve been divorced from for over 20 years now, will come running the minute I die, because he is always in debt and he thinks my money belongs to him. Told them that they shouldn’t give him a penny, that I worked too hard for it (in my divorce) and that he had the same amount as I did (split marital assets), but he frittered his away while I wisely invested mine. Can’t control from the grave, but those were my hopes. Still are.

[Paws]

On 6/7/2020 at 7:54 PM, Auntie Anxiety said:

Arrived late to this party, and don’t have time to read all the comments, but the biggest hand wave of all is that anyone in this galaxy would find Chuck attractive. Paul Giamatti is a talented actor, no doubt, but a love interest for Juliana Margulies (?) ? Really? She had George Clooney, she had Chris Noth, she had Josh Charles, now Paul Giamatti? NFW. The man is gross. 

Will Baby Sister be the kidney match for Senior?

Even later to the party. And I agree, he’s so unattractive and such an asshole and I NEVER want to see his sex scenes again. BARF.

did they even mention the possibility of Chuck being a donor? Isn’t that usually the preferred route before going on the transplant list? They didn’t even hand wave the possibility away with “he’s not a match” at least, not that I heard. The writing on this show has gotten so lazy and bad. 

[talktoomuch]

On 7/24/2020 at 10:48 PM, Paws said:

They didn’t even hand wave the possibility away with “he’s not a match”

They did.

[Chickabiddy]

On 6/1/2020 at 11:23 AM, RealReality said:

That his mother literally took a gift bought for her and directly handed it to his abusive father.  What a thing to do to your own child.  

 What people don't understand about gifts is that the moment you give it, your control over the item ends. You cede control to the person you gave it to. If an item is truly a gift, then the giver lets go completely - meaning the person who received it can throw it away, set it on fire, or give it to someone else. 

When gits have strings, they are not gifts, they are transactional items used to control for the benefit of the giver in some way. The definition of a gift is "a thing given willingly to someone without payment" Wanting a say in how someone uses a gift is demanding a form of payment in terms of control by exerting your own vision or desires for how something is used on to someone else. 

  Using gifts to control the actions of others, no matter how subtly, means that the "giver" is not generous or actually giving. The giver wants something in return, no matter how intangible. It's a transaction. A quid pro quo. 

It doesn't make the person who does this evil, but it does mean that her or she is not the virtuous or generous person they want to think they are.