S06.E10: Johnny Favorite

[luckyroll3]

Quote

Chuck goes on a retreat to regroup; Prince looks to consolidate his wins; Wendy tries to figure out Prince's bigger picture; Sacker reckons with some old skeletons in her closet.

Original Airdate: 2022.03.27

[aghst]

Chuck tries get Dave to take over his agenda but she's not playing.

Prince the megalomaniac, thinks he's a once in a thousand years type of great man.  Is Wendy going to write an exposé about him?

Meanwhile, Rhoads Sr. and best friends take Chuck to some swanky upstate resort to make him forget about losing his roost.  But Chuck is more determined than ever to take down Prince.  His last rationalization is that Prince came to watch him get stripped of power so Prince enjoys bloodsport.

Well isn't that what he tried to do in the previous episode, showed up at Prince's Olympics offices and tried to spike the ball in his face?

Prince plans a big party to celebrate taking down Chuck, talks about eating the dragon's heart and letting his army also partake.

Then he partakes in some Rian who had turned down Taylor when they wanted to partake.

Yeah they throw some allusions around as they always do, something about knights slaying dragons and then some average old movie, Angel Heart.

Sacker learns what kind of opposition research her opponents would have from Hall, Axe's former Black Ops guy.  She decides she can't run for Congress now.

She and Dave threaten to have a little cat fight with Dave saying she belongs in prison.  For what exactly?

 

So the show's writers have determined that the only thing they can do is to always pit Chuck vs. Prince.  They try to make it sound like Chuck knows Prince isn't as pure as Prince makes himself out to be and Prince is something of a power-hungry hypocrite.  They double down on the same tiresome plot because they've already moved on to Super Pumped, an even worse show?

 

 

[l star]

I continue to enjoy Wendy’s dislike of Prince. It must bug him that she won’t give in. She didn’t even care enough about his edicts to skip work or show up for his party. If he requires love, respect and fear from everyone, he’s 0/3 with her. He can’t even get her to care about what he did to Chuck.

So is Wendy writing the true story of Axe Cap? Maybe she wasn’t sure if she should go into Prince’s takeover until she knew the whys of it better. She was definitely deliberate enough when she told him it was coaching only, ie no confidentiality. That could be how she’s processing what happened with Axe since she certainly isn’t talking about it. That could also fulfill what she’s been looking for to understand her part in it all. If that is some version of what it is, I hope it pisses off more than the traders. Bring Chuck and Prince into it.

Taylor blatantly hitting on Rian was so out of the blue that I can’t even care. Rian sleeping with Prince however was not. I couldn’t believe he took that pill. As soon as he did, I figured where it was going. Hopefully that’s the last we see of his wife.

Taylor’s bigger concern should be Prince’s total lack of respect for her autonomy. She is basically just another manager like Phillip now.

So we now have confirmation of Wendy’s theory on Prince’s ego. That reveal was all the way into megalomania. Damn dude. A one in a thousand years kind of man? The presidency theory is too small for him. 

So Sacker hit some hiccups. It seems she really did believe that her life wasn’t just charmed- she was that good. I appreciated the return of Hall and Wags’ role in it. If she let the news get her down that much, she’s right; she’s not ready.

I continue to like Dave. I loved her pointing out that it’s her agenda now. I also appreciated her putting Sacker in her place. What did she really hope to achieve by going there? If anything, Dave was nice. 

I’m ignoring Chuck’s storyline, and the episode is greatly improved. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by l star

[paigow]

36 minutes ago, l star said:

Rian sleeping with Prince however was not. I couldn’t believe he took that pill. As soon as he did, I figured where it was going.

Did she get those at Whole Foods? Maybe it was just dried kale...

[paigow]

Did Rian leave with everyone else and sneak back? When Taylor finds out... Prince will fall permanently.

[AntFTW]

10 hours ago, aghst said:

Then he partakes in some Rian who had turned down Taylor when they wanted to partake.

10 hours ago, l star said:

Rian sleeping with Prince however was not. I couldn’t believe he took that pill. As soon as he did, I figured where it was going.

1 hour ago, paigow said:

Did Rian leave with everyone else and sneak back? When Taylor finds out... Prince will fall permanently.

So I'm not crazy, Rian slept with Prince. I was really questioning if I saw what I thought I saw. I did see it. Phew!

[dwmarch]

15 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

So I'm not crazy, Rian slept with Prince. I was really questioning if I saw what I thought I saw. I did see it. Phew!

She also gave him a tab of ecstasy which is hilarious in retrospect considering that no one at MPC knew the All Hands meeting was going to be a party.

I liked the conversation between Wendy and Prince except for the parts where she would loudly swear at him for shock value. Calm down, Wends. That's not the only way of speaking truth to power.

Loved Sacker's dad in this. She comes at him to give him shit about saving her back in the college days and he peels paint off the walls telling her off. Why can't we have that same kind of performance from Harry Lennix on The Blacklist?

Great to see Hall again.

It was nice to see Wags having genuine affection for Sacker. Tuk had some nice character moments too.

The douchebag in the episode was Matthew Lillard. Haven't seen him for a while!

[Lone Wolf]

What a coincidence that there happened to be some barely age appropriate, attractive women who just happened to be DTF at the same dinner as Chuck and the boys (including the guy who killed Joan Rivers, apparently).  And Horny Goat Senior nabs the youngest one.  Gross.

Speaking of gross, I'm surprised that they didn't at least change the pillow, if not the all bedding, in the Total Immersion Chamber after each user.  I wouldn't want to be putting my head where someone's had been moments before.

13 hours ago, l star said:

Rian sleeping with Prince however was not. I couldn’t believe he took that pill. As soon as he did, I figured where it was going.

Same here.  She had enough class to use a glass with the ice luge. , while Sad Sack Tuk screws it up and enjoys a nice vodka facial.  I saw that one coming (see what I did there?)

[Broderbits]

2 hours ago, dwmarch said:

The douchebag in the episode was Matthew Lillard.

This show is nothing but douchebags (except for Questlove!).

[paigow]

Rian is:

• Working with Taylor to destroy Prince.  Or 
• Using Prince to destroy Taylor. Or 
• Working with Scooter to eliminate Taylor AND Prince. Or
• Working for Axe [via Wags] to scorch the earth... to set up Dollar Bill as a front-man puppet

Edited March 28, 2022 by paigow

[aghst]

Trying to remember if there were previous indications that she might be into Prince or for that matter anyone else.

Or maybe this is just a one-off, fueled by Ecstasy.

None of the Mason Cap people seemed particularly excited about going over to Prince's place.

[AntFTW]

40 minutes ago, aghst said:

Trying to remember if there were previous indications that she might be into Prince or for that matter anyone else.

I remember absolutely none. Have we had a scene where Rian and Prince interact? This came out of nowhere for me.

[l star]

There was the scene about the goofy triangle he posted in the break area between Prince and Rian. That was a few episodes ago, but I remember it because of how awkward it was. I’m thinking what prompted this was very simple though- they got high and drunk, she hit on him, he said yes. I don’t think there’s any need for him to have noticed her before. Circumstances worked out for it so they slept together. I am curious what happens next. Is Prince a one and done kind of guy? Is Rian second guessing it sober as much as she appeared to be?

Someone on another board pointed out how much Rian looks like Prince’s similarly aged daughter, and now that’s all I can see. 

[Broderbits]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

Or maybe this is just a one-off, fueled by Ecstasy.

That's what it seemed like to me, just 2 people looking to get laid.

1 hour ago, aghst said:

None of the Mason Cap people seemed particularly excited about going over to Prince's place.

Many of them seemed rather terrified. But you'd have to be pretty damn special for the boss to invite you to his home just to fire you.

I can't believe Chuck actually thinks he's a righteous Man of the People fighting for the ordinary New Yorker; that's a level of non-awareness I wouldn't think possible for someone of above average intelligence. So you're only a millionaire instead of a billionaire, that doesn't make you an average joe. This is the story Wendy should be writing.....

[aghst]

Anyone who sleeps with the owner/boss of a firm full of ambitious employees is going to get a lot of side eye.

Especially since Rian blew off Taylor, even though she was on E.

She had one of the lower numbers for quitting from that episode earlier in the season.  

If Prince wants more, he probably stops calling Andy and then gives Rian special projects so they could be near each other more.

Then eventually a higher position of some kind, bigger bonus.

It wouldn't be uncommon for these high level Wall Street types to go through several younger female employees though they tend to be older.  But Prince is around 50, maybe still in his 40s.

Only thing that may have kept him back was trying to get the ex-wife back.  But now, maybe if he doesn't want more from Rian, he finds some other SWTs.

[l star]

17 minutes ago, Broderbits said:

I can't believe Chuck actually thinks he's a righteous Man of the People fighting for the ordinary New Yorker; that's a level of non-awareness I wouldn't think possible for someone of above average intelligence. So you're only a millionaire instead of a billionaire, that doesn't make you an average joe. This is the story Wendy should be writing.....

This. I know Senior always said Wendy made Chuck a killer, but it seems more like she kept him sane. His current vendetta is ridiculous. No way would she let this crap go on if she still cared about his life. Maybe that’s his problem- he lost his balance and therefore his perspective when he lost her. He thinks he’s too special to listen to anyone else so it just keeps getting worse the longer they’re apart. He certainly lost his manners. He was an ungrateful prick this ep. Too bad- she seems thoroughly and thankfully done with him. 

[Starchild]

That just might be the most pretentious script I've ever heard. They were practically speaking Tamarian.

And we went through all that for no plot?

[Bulldog]

Was I the only one thinking that they were about to reveal that Dave had been conspiring w/ Prince to oust Chuck the whole time?  

I still don't really understand Chuck's obsession w/ Prince, whose apparent main offense is simply being rich.  It makes even less sense now that Chuck's father has publically admitted to being a slumlord whose property conditions appear to have contributed to the deaths of multiple people.  Would seem that would have been a bigger investigation for Chuck to have pursued?  And Chuck clearly new about the incident prior to this episode.  

[Carolina Girl]

10 hours ago, Bulldog said:

I still don't really understand Chuck's obsession w/ Prince, whose apparent main offense is simply being rich. 

In the previous season, it was Prince working WITH Chuck to take down Axe.  But at the last minute, Price bought Axe out for several billion and allowed him to get away to Switzerland just as Chuck was prepared to arrest Axe at the heliport, for his big moment of triumph and was left there with egg on his face.  Prince was Lucy pulling the football out from Charlie Brown.   And since Chuck is big on the personal vendetta, Prince was the new victim of his obsessive "show me the man and I'll find the crime."

[aghst]

10 hours ago, Bulldog said:

Was I the only one thinking that they were about to reveal that Dave had been conspiring w/ Prince to oust Chuck the whole time?  

I still don't really understand Chuck's obsession w/ Prince, whose apparent main offense is simply being rich.  It makes even less sense now that Chuck's father has publically admitted to being a slumlord whose property conditions appear to have contributed to the deaths of multiple people.  Would seem that would have been a bigger investigation for Chuck to have pursued?  And Chuck clearly new about the incident prior to this episode.  

It has little to do with the characters or how they’ve behaved and have been developed.

It’s more about sustaining the one gimmick this show has had from the beginning, which is about two supposedly larger than life figures going at each other, with one woman caught in between.

Axe wasn’t written off the show because they wanted to move in a new direction.  One of their leads wanted off the show so the plan was to have Prince replace Axe in the feud.

Regardless of what he did, Chuck was always going to be pitted against Prince.

But it took until almost a full season after Axe left for Chuck to come up with a reason why Prince is bad in his opinion, that Prince came to watch him be kicked out of office, meaning Prince enjoys blood sport so that’s why he should take him down, continue his crusade.

But Chuck himself taunted Prince in his moment of defeat, telling him he should sell the Olympics properties to the trust he controls for much less than Prince could get.

 

They also waited until this episode for Wendy to get Prince to admit his megalomania the whole once in a thousand years leader or great man.  
 

Maybe his transformation to just another rich entitled asshole is complete.  He will now keep sleeping with young female employees, even have some #MeToo moments.

[Carolina Girl]

I'm still debating if I plan to come back for the next season.  

[Joimiaroxeu]

Yeah, Dave drew a hard line with Chuck. She's definitely not planning to be his puppet. Or perhaps she just wants to have plausible deniability when she goes after Prince on her own.

Ice sculpture fountains and dragon t-shirts. And club dancing dj'd by Questlove. Wow. What a generous guy Prince is.

Wonder why Wendy didn't go to Prince's big party? Too busy putting a ribbon on the book knife she's going to stab everyone in the back with?

When Chuck was meditating outside I kept waiting for him to look around and see Don Draper.

Wait, what? After that speech Rian gave Taylor about not getting involved with her boss? What a hypocrite. But I guess sleeping with Prince is more lucrative. I'm curious to see how they'll play it at work. Keep it on the low or put it in everyone's face?

Quote

Speaking of gross, I'm surprised that they didn't at least change the pillow, if not the all bedding, in the Total Immersion Chamber after each user.

I thought those things were filled with water? Seems to me you're not totally immersed if you're laying on top of something you can feel underneath you.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Joimiaroxeu

[hoodooznoodooz]

Well, I do love the movie Angel Heart. Without the De Niro/Lucifer glowing eye special effects. But I don’t buy someone that age obsessing over the movie.

 

[Taget]

18 hours ago, paigow said:

Rian is:

• Working with Taylor to destroy Prince.  Or 
• Using Prince to destroy Taylor. Or 
• Working with Scooter to eliminate Taylor AND Prince. Or
• Working for Axe [via Wags] to scorch the earth... to set up Dollar Bill as a front-man puppet

Using Occam's razor Rian is probably working for Rian.  A constant theme of the show is the corrupting nature of money and power.  Taylor started off as an intern with a high moral code who saw a way to make money.  And then dispensed with it as they fell down the rabbit hole of the ends justified the means.  Something they share with Prince with the talk of the "number in their head."  If enough money or power is accrued they can be a Carnagie and dispense "good" to the masses.  Which may actually be true and plausible.  But comes at a price to their soul.

Taylor warned Rian of this and warned her to get out.  That she risked the same thing happening to her.  Rian decided to stay.  She likes the money.  She seems to think Taylor provides a cocoon where she be both moral and filthy rich.  But maybe what Rian warned about is happening and she does want what everyone on the show wants.  More.

You get Prince and you have won the lottery.  No one is shedding any tears for Melinda Gates or MacKenzie Scott.  At the very least can't hurt for career advancement.  Worst case.  She now has a surefire sexual harassment lawsuit in her back pocket.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Taget

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

You get Prince and you have won the lottery.  No one is shedding any tears for Melinda Gates or MacKenzie Scott. 

Melinda and MacKenzie got with their billionaires long before those guys got rich though. Rian is coming in late in the game, and after #metoo became a thing. If Prince didn't make her sign an NDA, I think the best she can hope for is a nice going-away gift which won't be half of his net worth. If Rian tries to accuse him of sexual harassment he can afford to fight it indefinitely. Taylor could try to go for the hostile work environment angle I guess, especially if Rian starts getting preferential treatment from Prince now and Taylor assumes it's because of the sex. Again, I think a lot of this hangs on whether Prince and/or Rian are going to keep it secret and leave it as a ONS, or if they're going to let it be known they're continuing to see each other.

[SnapHappy]

On 3/27/2022 at 11:31 PM, Bulldog said:

Was I the only one thinking that they were about to reveal that Dave had been conspiring w/ Prince to oust Chuck the whole time?  

I was hoping for that.  I do like how Dave slapped Chuck down, turned him around & sent him firmly on his way.  A metaphorical kick in the pants.  Fun!

I love shot luge's, and I want one of those tank tops!  

I like Rian & Prince.  I think they are so radically different, yet smart, that they make sense.   I think she's less conniving than Taylor, but is definitely enjoying the perks.  And Prince isn't her boss, so the conflict is murky at best. 

I'm dating myself, but seeing her come out of his shower reminds me of CSI, when we found out Sarah & Gil had been sleeping together.  WHAAAAT??????   

I was sad to see Matthew Lillard play such a douchebag.  I love him in most things, especially in the "Bosch" series.  

More Wags though.   

19 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Melinda and MacKenzie got with their billionaires long before those guys got rich though. 

Almost.  Bill was considered the richest man in the US when he & Melinda got married in 1994.  

[AriAu]

Quote

When Chuck was meditating outside I kept waiting for him to look around and see Don Draper.

Yeah pretty out of character for Chuck....and for Don! But the zen like state wont last long for Chuck, just like it didnt last long for Don as he taught the world to sing "..... in perfect harmony".

Prince's speech with Wendy lacked any real emotion....kinda like the character himself....and what makes it feel like this season is dragging along.

[yourmomiseasy]

On 3/28/2022 at 10:34 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Wait, what? After that speech Rian gave Taylor about not getting involved with her boss? What a hypocrite. But I guess sleeping with Prince is more lucrative. I'm curious to see how they'll play it at work. Keep it on the low or put it in everyone's face?

 

Taylor is not entitled to sex with Rian and when your boss hits on you the "I don't shit where I eat" speech is one of the few semi-easy ways to extricate yourself from the situation with hopefully very little blow back.  Not meaning it doesn't make you a hypocrite, it makes you someone that was put in a difficult situation that had to quickly come up with a way to get out of it.

[Lone Wolf]

On 3/28/2022 at 10:34 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

When Chuck was meditating outside I kept waiting for him to look around and see Don Draper.

I thought something similar - I had a joke that Chuck would have made better use of his time at that resort if he had rewritten a Coca-Cola jingle, but I couldn't quite get it off the ground.

[aghst]

I researched that place, it's called The Sagamore on Lake George, NY.  It's north of Albany.

Rooms start at $500 a night and up.

Probably doesn't include golfing fees or shooting skeet fees.

Not out of the reach for even the upper middle class but seems to be catering to millionaire clientele.

That is where they took the guy who saw himself as the champion for eliminating inequality.

[paigow]

4 hours ago, aghst said:

That is where they took the guy who saw himself as the champion for eliminating inequality.

Chuck is just the excuse they needed... for their own debauchery

Edited March 30, 2022 by paigow

[Bluesky]

On 3/28/2022 at 12:31 AM, Bulldog said:

Was I the only one thinking that they were about to reveal that Dave had been conspiring w/ Prince to oust Chuck the whole time?  

I still don't really understand Chuck's obsession w/ Prince, whose apparent main offense is simply being rich.  It makes even less sense now that Chuck's father has publically admitted to being a slumlord whose property conditions appear to have contributed to the deaths of multiple people.  Would seem that would have been a bigger investigation for Chuck to have pursued?  And Chuck clearly new about the incident prior to this episode.  

Prince help Axe escape, he should have been arrested for that.   I can’t figure out the purpose of creepy Prince.
 

 There is greed and corruptness among this line of work.  NYC removed all of their pensions from hedge funds because of low returns and excessive fees. So many hedge funds fail that if one is over performing everyone they are automatically suspect.  Ponzi schemes, money laundering, inflating valuations, outright stealing from clients.   The SDNY’s white collar criminal division, securities and commodities probably had some Chucks obsessing over Steve Cohen, Bernie Madoff.   Actually there needed to be more obsessing over Madoff. Axe committed all these crimes except Ponzi I think.  They should have had a full time staff overseeing every transaction that corrupt company made. 
 

Yeah, I hate his father.  Conflict of interest, he should have assigned someone else to investigate.   

[hoodooznoodooz]

On 3/27/2022 at 1:52 PM, dwmarch said:

The douchebag in the episode was Matthew Lillard. Haven't seen him for a while!

He did a good job as the DB. But there’s no way the staff would have let him shout on his cell phone for that long.

[janeta]

On 3/29/2022 at 5:26 PM, aghst said:

I researched that place, it's called The Sagamore on Lake George, NY.  It's north of Albany.

Rooms start at $500 a night and up.

Probably doesn't include golfing fees or shooting skeet fees.

Not out of the reach for even the upper middle class but seems to be catering to millionaire clientele.

That is where they took the guy who saw himself as the champion for eliminating inequality.

You can get rooms for a bit under $300/night depending on the season. But the daily resort fee is anywhere from $40-100/day. And yes, you’ll pay extra for basically anything you want to do. But hey, the bottled water in the room is included!

[grommit2]

On 3/30/2022 at 1:24 AM, Bluesky said:

Prince help Axe escape, he should have been arrested for that.   I can’t figure out the purpose of creepy Prince.
 

 There is greed and corruptness among this line of work.  NYC removed all of their pensions from hedge funds because of low returns and excessive fees. So many hedge funds fail that if one is over performing everyone they are automatically suspect.  Ponzi schemes, money laundering, inflating valuations, outright stealing from clients.   The SDNY’s white collar criminal division, securities and commodities probably had some Chucks obsessing over Steve Cohen, Bernie Madoff.   Actually there needed to be more obsessing over Madoff. Axe committed all these crimes except Ponzi I think.  They should have had a full time staff overseeing every transaction that corrupt company made. 
 

Yeah, I hate his father.  Conflict of interest, he should have assigned someone else to investigate.   

Hi BlueSKY...
Yes, the Prince character is confusing.  His sessions with Wendy seem to require recording and playing back to follow everything.  Oh well.
But Bernie Madoff? Yes, there needed to be more obsessing over Madoff.
Fascinating how no one figured out that Bernie was fudging numbers for years. 
Yes, he was cold-blooded in how he took money from anyone and every one.  
And it was amazing how his family had no idea he was faking it. 

[Ottis]

On 3/27/2022 at 4:12 PM, Broderbits said:

This show is nothing but douchebags (except for Questlove!).

Yep. At least Wendy finally stated it, and Prince acknowledged it. Like I have posted before, I prefer Axe. He was who he was. 

That said, they are douchebags because that is how the show wants to depict people with money, as if having money always means someone is a douchebag. The characters never had a chance.

[Dianaofthehunt]

Where has Spiros been these past two episodes? I need to marvel at his earlobes before I can get into the groove of this show.