S02.E07: Victory Lap

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Axe assembles a war room following a setback; Chuck capitalizes on a victory.

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Clips:

 

[PBSLover]

So good!

[dmc]

So Victory Lap...

First...I am not sure I buy that this whole bankrupting the town is a huge ethical dilemma  for Axe, a guy who profited off 9/11...either we are supposed to believe Axe has changed significantly or I don't know...its seems not realistic...I mean the opening scene is him threatening bodily harm to the person he believes set up him up

Bryan needs to just leave...I told you guys Chuck is the worst...I mean seriously the worst...He is a bad person who actually believes he is a good person but is actually a terrible person...

Wendy...seems devoid of feeling this episode...she is pulling away from Chuck but equally away from Axe as well...

Has anyone noticed that Axe only confides is Lara after he even let down by Wendy...this too are headed for splitsville...

[Joimiaroxeu]

Ugh, Lara. "I got mine. Fcuk that town." I'm gonna start calling her Marie Antoinette now.

[roughing it]

1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Ugh, Lara.

'cause it had to be said twice

[PBSLover]

I loved this episode.  I think all the characters are evolving except Chuck, who is still a complete shit.  I think Axe is going to do something surprising with the town, but maybe I am wrong.

I am one of the few who really likes Malin Ackerman in this role.  I didn’t at first but she is holding her own as ruthless woman who wants more than what she has.  I find her character interesting but we’ll see.

Love Bryan and how they are writing this character; I just wish he had more screen time.  I really liked that they showed what happened after he left the pizza restaurant after last season.

It does surprise me that Sacker hasn’t really had much of a storyline at all this season and when the hell are well going to see what happened between her and Bryan?  She had such a big presence last season.

Axe is going to find out about Chuck Sr. and then god help the man because Axe is going to get revenge in a big way...I just hope.

Wendy is just an interesting character.  I just love her, no matter what she does.  She written as such a smart woman, she is another character that I wish had more screen time.

[AlleC17]

I never liked the Lara character and after this episode, I dislike her even more.  Ugh is right.  Her giving her speech while choosing an outfit (with the tags still on) from a ginormous walk in closet was especially revolting.  They all suck, but I still love this show.  lol

[scrb]

Yeah the poor old pizza guy drives up in his beat up old Chevy while Axe has exotic cars parked there.

Then they pan over Lara's closet before she makes her little "let them eat cake" speech.

Essentially what Taylor said too.  Wendy was the opposite but maybe she was feeling generous because of the date she was planning with the guy who goes for hairless 21 year olds.

Speaking of, she didn't waste any time after saying she wanted to see other people.  She had that date set up in her mind already.  But it was probably to punish Chuck for getting upset at her going back to Axe.

Maffee scores with the assistant!  But he's looking over his shoulders now.

Danzig left the firm because of what Axe was going to do with Sandecott?  Hedge funds are not places for people looking to listen to their conscience, buddy.

Boyd probably gave Bobby the best advice -- don't give people a reason to make you a target like he did.  

[DarkRaichu]

I like how the season split Chuck and Axe to their own separate but still somehow connected storylines.  There are only so many times they can trade blows head to head without becoming repetitive.

11 hours ago, PBSLover said:

Love Bryan and how they are writing this character; I just wish he had more screen time.  I really liked that they showed what happened after he left the pizza restaurant after last season.

Agreed.  He was instrumental last season but this season he barely has more screen time than the other assistant DA.  And he is completely alone now.  Not sure where the writers want to go from here.

11 hours ago, PBSLover said:

I am one of the few who really likes Malin Ackerman in this role.  I didn’t at first but she is holding her own as ruthless woman who wants more than what she has.  I find her character interesting but we’ll see.

I bought the writing and the direction for her character, but the acting still bugged me somehow.  Like when she gave Axe her advice, was she supposed to be a cold and calculating or indifferent or tough or something else ????  I just did not buy the acting.

6 hours ago, scrb said:

Wendy was the opposite but maybe she was feeling generous because of the date she was planning with the guy who goes for hairless 21 year olds.

Speaking of acting ;)  Wendy and the space CEO guy had a lot of chemistry so I bought that they would eventually hook up

6 hours ago, scrb said:

Maffee scores with the assistant!  But he's looking over his shoulders now.

I thought they have been going steady for a while?? That was how she learned Mafee knew the black dude who is a genius in currency play

5 hours ago, scrb said:

Danzig left the firm because of what Axe was going to do with Sandecott?  Hedge funds are not places for people looking to listen to their conscience, buddy.

Eh the dude looks more like a Secret Service agent than an hedge fund manager anyway... wink wink :P

[PBSLover]

19 hours ago, scrb said:

Danzig left the firm because of what Axe was going to do with Sandecott?  Hedge funds are not places for people looking to listen to their conscience, buddy.

The actor got another acting job, probably.  He was killed off on House of Cards, came to this show but hasn’t had much of a role.  

[Sheenieb]

Quote

Speaking of, she didn't waste any time after saying she wanted to see other people.  She had that date set up in her mind already.  But it was probably to punish Chuck for getting upset at her going back to Axe.

I'm tired of Wendy. She was on my nerves this episode. Either fix shit with Chuck or get a divorce. Just stop with the back and forth half measures. 

She's working at Axe Capital, yet, she wants to continue to have the moral high ground. Refusing sessions with Bobby does not absolve her of any guilt, if any, she feels about working there. She obviously enjoys what she does. Just be honest about it.

[Chas411]

47 minutes ago, Sheenieb said:

I'm tired of Wendy. She was on my nerves this episode. Either fix shit with Chuck or get a divorce. Just stop with the back and forth half measures. 

This bugged me also. I feel like in her head she wants out and as already said she wanted to date others but I don't like how she keeps trying to play it as ~because Chuck wronged her. That's bullshit. He's in the wrong about lots of thugs but her wanting to date others is on her.

[MV007]

On 4/3/2017 at 9:22 AM, dmc said:

So Victory Lap...

First...I am not sure I buy that this whole bankrupting the town is a huge ethical dilemma  for Axe, a guy who profited off 9/11...either we are supposed to believe Axe has changed significantly or I don't know...its seems not realistic...I mean the opening scene is him threatening bodily harm to the person he believes set up him up

I think there is a difference between Sandecott and how Axe profited off 9/11.  The market was open.  He made a play based on information.  Did his actions hurt anyone?  The stocks were going to free fall or rise whether he did it or not. On the other hand, his actions with Sandecott will directly harm others.  I can see a moral distinction there.  I'm not saying profiting off 9/11 is good just that I think one is worse than the other imo.  

 

17 hours ago, Sheenieb said:

I'm tired of Wendy. She was on my nerves this episode. Either fix shit with Chuck or get a divorce. Just stop with the back and forth half measures. 

She's working at Axe Capital, yet, she wants to continue to have the moral high ground. Refusing sessions with Bobby does not absolve her of any guilt, if any, she feels about working there. She obviously enjoys what she does. Just be honest about it.

Agree with the divorce thing.  And, I am actively rooting for the divorce.  I want Wendy to be a free agent so her relationship with Axe brings something more to the table.

As for her moral high ground.  I don't think she feels guilty working for Axe Capital and I don't think her refusing sessions has anything to do with that guilt.  She's refusing sessions because she doesn't like Axe manipulating her.  I think she has been honest that she loves working there.  She just doesn't like Axe getting the best of her and using her.

I am also really hoping we get some flashbacks of Wendy and Axe.  I want to know more about their relationship.  Not necessarily how they met but how the relationship grew into what it was when we met them.  How did Axe come to trust her so much and why do they have such sexual tension.

Edited April 5, 2017 by MV007

[dmc]

19 minutes ago, MV007 said:

I think there is a difference between Sandecott and how Axe profited off 9/11.  The market was open.  He made a play based on information.  Did his actions hurt anyone?  The stocks were going to free fall or rise whether he did it or not. On the other hand, his actions with Sandecott will directly harm others.  I can see a moral distinction there.  I'm not saying profiting off 9/11 is good just that I think one is worse than the other imo.  

 

Agree with the divorce thing.  And, I am actively rooting for the divorce.  I want Wendy to be a free agent so her relationship with Axe brings something more to the table.

As for her moral high ground.  I don't think she feels guilty working for Axe Capital and I don't think her refusing sessions has anything to do with that guilt.  She's refusing sessions because she doesn't like Axe manipulating her.  I think she has been honest that she loves working there.  She just doesn't like Axe getting the best of her and using her.

I am also really hoping we get some flashbacks of Wendy and Axe.  I want to know more about their relationship.  Not necessarily how they met but how the relationship grew into what it was when we met them.  How did Axe come to trust her so much and why do they have such sexual tension.

I personally agree with you BUT none of the people that found out about 9/11 deal on the show agreed.  Lara had to threaten her brother to get him to speak with Axe this season.  Lara's restaurant closed, they had spray paint on their car, protests etc.

People view it as terrible. 

But Taylor is sort of right, the town is overextended so Axe isn't doing anything illegal. 

 

If I had to be involved in one of these deals...I would pick the town over 9/11.

[MV007]

25 minutes ago, dmc said:

I personally agree with you BUT none of the people that found out about 9/11 deal on the show agreed.  Lara had to threaten her brother to get him to speak with Axe this season.  Lara's restaurant closed, they had spray paint on their car, protests etc.

People view it as terrible. 

But Taylor is sort of right, the town is overextended so Axe isn't doing anything illegal. 

 

If I had to be involved in one of these deals...I would pick the town over 9/11.

That's interesting because I think I agree with you.  The public perception might be that 9/11 was worse but intellectually I think its the other way around.

Thinking more about Lara, I might be more inclined to want to watch her if she went full Villain.  I found her more interesting when she gave that little speech to Axe saying everyone else could fuck off.

Edited April 5, 2017 by MV007

[dmc]

8 minutes ago, MV007 said:

That's interesting because I think I agree with you.  The public perception might be that 9/11 was worse but intellectually I think its the other way around.

Thinking more about Lara, I might be more inclined to want to watch her if she went full Villain.  I found her more interesting when she gave that little speech to Axe saying everyone else could fuck off.

Agreed because the town would affect people and his 9/11 business deal while looking horrible didn't actually adversely affect anyone. 

Lara...anything she does annoys me.  I mean when she kept saying no one helped us...us? Your husband is the billionaire Lara...no one helped him get where he was, you just got married.  I think I would like her more if she was crazy smart and ruthless but a lot of the times I feel she is ruthless but kind of dumb...but one of those dumb people who believes they are actually smart...

IE her entire new company debacle. 

[scrb]

Saying nobody helped us, so fuck them is basically the "fuck you I got mine" attitude that infects politics today.

Some people get a lot of govt. benefits like generous pensions or full medical care but they object to other people, usually ethnic minorities, from getting those same benefits or other govt. benefits.

Or other examples are people who benefitted from programs like affirmative action wanting to abolish AA or immigrants or descendants of immigrants demanding to stop all kinds of immigrants and helping "those who are already here."

Like I said, they showed her luxurious closet with a shoe collection of Imelda Marcos proportions before she gave out her bit of "wisdom."  I think the writers and directors wanted to show what a Marie Antoinette wannabe she is with that bit of editing.

Aaron Sorkin is fairly liberal and he's probably been around enough billionaires to kind of get an idea of the way they think.  I don't know if he's directly involved in the production of the show now.  He was probably approached as a creator since he's written about this world so much.  Not sure how the show runners look at real-life Bobby Axelrods.

[roughing it]

Lara's take was (paraphrasing) "no one helped us, we made our own way"; however what they are doing to the townspeople is taking away what they have.  No one "took away" anything from Bobby and Lara to make them start over from below zero.  So she's basically comparing apples to oranges here.  And in a snot-nose kind of way.

[MV007]

15 minutes ago, roughing it said:

Lara's take was (paraphrasing) "no one helped us, we made our own way"; however what they are doing to the townspeople is taking away what they have.  No one "took away" anything from Bobby and Lara to make them start over from below zero.  So she's basically comparing apples to oranges here.  And in a snot-nose kind of way.

I think thats one way to look at it and certainly reasonable.  I think Lara looks at it differently though and in a much more self-assuring way.  I think Lara looks at it like no one sacrificed a dime to help them so why should they.  In this case Axe would have to take a hit to not screw this town over.  Lara is thinking, no one else was willing to do that when they needed a break.

I also wonder if at the end of the day most people would understand that it was their stupid politicians that did this.  Bruno's sleazeball nephew actually put the town in this position.

Edited April 5, 2017 by MV007

[Lemons]

3 hours ago, dmc said:

I personally agree with you BUT none of the people that found out about 9/11 deal on the show agreed.  Lara had to threaten her brother to get him to speak with Axe this season.  Lara's restaurant closed, they had spray paint on their car, protests etc.

People view it as terrible. 

But Taylor is sort of right, the town is overextended so Axe isn't doing anything illegal. 

 

If I had to be involved in one of these deals...I would pick the town over 9/11.

People don't like the idea of other people profiting on others misery and death. It's pretty gross. 

In terms of destroying a working class town, well, anything can be justified. It's how people are able to do such heinous things. 

It's not necessary to destroy the town. He will be destroying the town to save his ego and regain money that none of them need. He could work out a plan to regain at least some of his money and help improve the town, but that's not how these people work. They are thugs who will do anything for money. That's all they are.

[chick binewski]

On 4/3/2017 at 7:03 PM, scrb said:

Speaking of, she didn't waste any time after saying she wanted to see other people.  She had that date set up in her mind already.  But it was probably to punish Chuck for getting upset at her going back to Axe.

I thought what the writers were initially trying to convey was that she was hurt by Chuck bringing up the subject of dating. And that James Wolk is delicious. That second part might just be me.

I'm waiting for Tammy Blanchard to come back; I don't think they would cast her in basically a walk-on for 1 episode and I thought that's exactly who Chuck had on his mind when he was talking to Wendy.   

On 4/4/2017 at 1:16 AM, DarkRaichu said:

I bought the writing and the direction for her character, but the acting still bugged me somehow.  Like when she gave Axe her advice, was she supposed to be a cold and calculating or indifferent or tough or something else ????  I just did not buy the acting.

I come over to this thread infrequently so I don't mean to beat this subject into the ground but to me Akerman is so woefully miscast I disengage the minute she appears onscreen. She's certainly not without talent and I thought she was great in Trophy Wife. It's fine if I'm not supposed to like her - I find almost everyone on this show unlikable - but the way the character is played she is not at all interesting to watch.   

[mledawn]

On ‎2017‎-‎04‎-‎08 at 2:40 PM, chick binewski said:

I come over to this thread infrequently so I don't mean to beat this subject into the ground but to me Akerman is so woefully miscast I disengage the minute she appears onscreen. She's certainly not without talent and I thought she was great in Trophy Wife. It's fine if I'm not supposed to like her - I find almost everyone on this show unlikable - but the way the character is played she is not at all interesting to watch.   

I'm binging to catch up and am late to this episode discussion as well but I agree (still) that she is miscast. That little smile she had as she was putting her dress back - are we to believe Lara feels like she's manipulated Axe somehow? Or is it just bad acting?

[ribboninthesky1]

On 4/8/2017 at 2:40 PM, chick binewski said:

I thought what the writers were initially trying to convey was that she was hurt by Chuck bringing up the subject of dating. And that James Wolk is delicious. That second part might just be me.

James Wolk is delicious. 

On 4/4/2017 at 4:50 PM, Sheenieb said:

I'm tired of Wendy. She was on my nerves this episode. Either fix shit with Chuck or get a divorce. Just stop with the back and forth half measures. 

When Chuck brought up seeing other people, she went on about "freedom" and such.  And you know, I could like Wendy so much more if she stopped acting like being married to Chuck was such a burden.  As far as I know, no one forced her to marry the man, or remain married to him all this time.  She's had a wildly inappropriate relationship with Axe since before she got married, which is why I've always rolled my eyes at the showrunners insisting that it was mostly Chuck who caused the marriage woes.  Just move on already.

Chuck is on my nerves as well - she keeps choosing Axe, and he keeps hoping for a different result? I guess he's trying to salvage the marriage now partly out of his political ambitions, but he's better off going it alone. 

As for Axe and the town, of course he moves ahead with austerity.  Because he always goes with what's in his best interests.  He's done so since S1E1.  I don't care what Lara said (she did come off badly), Axe was always gonna go with austerity.  It's been implied and shown that he does his homework - putting it on his staff and others to come up with a solution for a decision he unilaterally made was cowardly.  He wanted someone else to give him a reason NOT to do it, instead of truly looking for a way to avoid it.  

[FozzyBear]

On 5/9/2017 at 8:28 PM, ribboninthesky1 said:

James Wolk is delicious. 

When Chuck brought up seeing other people, she went on about "freedom" and such.  And you know, I could like Wendy so much more if she stopped acting like being married to Chuck was such a burden.  As far as I know, no one forced her to marry the man, or remain married to him all this time.  She's had a wildly inappropriate relationship with Axe since before she got married, which is why I've always rolled my eyes at the showrunners insisting that it was mostly Chuck who caused the marriage woes.  Just move on already.

Chuck is on my nerves as well - she keeps choosing Axe, and he keeps hoping for a different result? I guess he's trying to salvage the marriage now partly out of his political ambitions, but he's better off going it alone. 

As for Axe and the town, of course he moves ahead with austerity.  Because he always goes with what's in his best interests.  He's done so since S1E1.  I don't care what Lara said (she did come off badly), Axe was always gonna go with austerity.  It's been implied and shown that he does his homework - putting it on his staff and others to come up with a solution for a decision he unilaterally made was cowardly.  He wanted someone else to give him a reason NOT to do it, instead of truly looking for a way to avoid it.  

I actually think he was looking for someone to give him a reason he could do the austerity plan and still be the good guy working man hero. And Lara gave it to him, they’ll bring in charter schools! Charter schools! That will make it an even better town! And that’s why he’ll never leave Lara. She knows that Bobby needs to be the hero in the story. Wendy by her nature is all about uncovering truths (at least in others). Lara understands the need for a good lie.

Edited June 16, 2022 by FozzyBear