S02.E08: The Kingmaker

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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Axe faces opposition investigating Sandicot; Chuck finds dirt on a rival.

Promo:

 

Clips:

 

[dwmarch]

Let's walk down there and fuck 'em all!

Loved Wendy and Taylor meeting. Such a good pairing. Taylor is so insightful and Wendy needs to hear what they have to say right now.

I was surprised not one but two Axelrod former employees were so willing to turn on him. I guess Alexrod never met a bridge he wasn't afraid to burn.

Maffee is such a puppy I find myself wondering how he got caught up in all of this. Plus he likes wrestling!

Random Ben Folds appearance! I love the cameos in this show!

I am not super-invested in the whole plotline about Sandicott but I loved that scene where Axe realizes there is a person more scared of someone else than they are of him. I also loved that the billion dollar scene played out like that joke about someone offering a woman a million dollars if she'll sleep with him. She says yes. He says how about one dollar? She says do you think I'm a whore? He says we've already established that, now we're negotiating price.

[PBSLover]

The show is really heating up.  Wendy is obviously very conflicted now that she is back.  Next week’s episode explores this from the promo.

Showtime just aired a short interview with Damian Lewis about Axe's dynamic with Chuck.  He made a comment “neither of them comes out on top” so I wonder if he is telling something about how this season ends.

Edited April 10, 2017 by PBSLover

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Behind the episode:

[PBSLover]

Oh, I forgot this before:  why did Axe ask Jack Foley if he liked parties?  

[mochamajesty]

Axe is new money and no matter how much wealth he obtains he will never belong. I loved the scene at the club. Axe is not a member and never will be.

[Joimiaroxeu]

How many times are we going to see upset Axe jump in/on one of his fast, expensive toys to go blow off some steam? Oh, and the His and Her private jets had my eyes rolling too. Yet he's fine with bankrupting a town full of innocent people, and then getting a tax write-off to help them get back on their feet again! Ugh, these people.

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Axe is new money and no matter how much wealth he obtains he will never belong. I loved the scene at the club. Axe is not a member and never will be.

It doesn't seem to me that he really wants to belong. In fact, he probably thinks he's better than them because he made his money without a leg up from daddy's money and influence, granddaddy's money and influence, etc.

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why did Axe ask Jack Foley if he liked parties?  

To let him know he new about the party he (Axe) wasn't invited to?

[PBSLover]

2 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

To let him know he new about the party he (Axe) wasn't invited to?

I thought about that but I don’t think so. But I could be wrong.

[truecrystal]

I have to say, I really enjoy Wags when he's a smart and devious dick as opposed to a pathetic dick. He and Wendy are the only ones truly capable of challenging Axe. Those character beats are important because it shows that Axe is a really smart, thoughtful guy and balances out all those scenes of him running around all hot-headed and throwing money at people. The fact that his usual techniques aren't working are getting to him but it's interesting to see how his mind works.

Chuck is interesting too in that he's also a really smart guy who is desperate for power and acceptance but he knows it and totally leans into it. Sometimes it works - like the play with his potential competition for governor - and sometimes it doesn't, like with Wendy and seeing other people. 

Speaking of Wendy, funny that she lied about sleeping with James Wolk. I originally thought she lied to keep from hurting Chuck after he opened up and maybe even keeping the door open to a possible reconciliation, but after her call with Taylor, I'm wondering if it had more to do with keeping her options open and how it's just easier to lie in order to do so. She kicked James Wolk to the curb easily enough but I didn't get the sense it was because she was missing her husband so much. 

[dmc]

Another strong episode.

I still cannot stand Chuck but I do like his relationship with his father.  His dad (although ruthless) cares about him.

Wendy and Chuck's marital problems...neither wants to make any comprises to be together or make their marriage work.  It's hard to feel bad for them because if either of them gave a little they could be together.

Interesting to me that Axe's predicament...is partly due to his dropping those law suits because of Wendy...I can't stand Lara but she is right...Wendy is a weakness for Axe...if the lawsuits were still going he would have Chuck right where he wants him. 

And really with Wendy back...what has Axe gained?  She won't see him as a patient, she undermined him last week...he literally gave all of that up to have her in the same building as him.

[PBSLover]

3 hours ago, dmc said:

Wendy and Chuck's marital problems...neither wants to make any comprises to be together or make their marriage work.  It's hard to feel bad for them because if either of them gave a little they could be together.

Chuck loves Wendy.  Completely.  I don’t believe we have been shown how much Wendy loves Chuck. 

[dmc]

1 minute ago, PBSLover said:

Chuck loves Wendy.  Completely.  I don’t believe we have been shown how much Wendy loves Chuck. 

Not enough to recuse himself from Axe's case.  Not enough to avoid going through her work computer files. 

Chuck loves Wendy but doesn't want to make any compromises and Wendy is the same. 

[Syd]

3 hours ago, tvaddict44 said:

I never understand all the financial dealings on this show, but surely I would have remembered if David Straithairn had been on before.  He doesn't show up on TV very often and I almost didn't recognize him as he looked so much better than the last time I saw him (being murdered on Blacklist, I think).  He's one of favorites. Somebody tell me if he has been on before because I'll have to go back over old episodes

I don't think he's been on here before, but I agree that he looks great. I even commented on how handsome he looked when we were watching this. 

[clb1016]

1 hour ago, Syd said:

I don't think he's been on here before, but I agree that he looks great. I even commented on how handsome he looked when we were watching this. 

He's been in at least one other episode this season, and possibly two.  Oddly, however, IMDB doesn't show him with any appearances on this show.

[scrb]

Come on, the first person Axe should have thought of is Rhodes!

So they spent most of the season to set up another round of Bobby vs. Chuck.  Off course they have to milk this for as long as they can, have a resolution only after they banked a lot of box set sales.

Seems sudden how much Chuck wants to be governor now.

As for the let them eat cake Axelrods, I don't buy that he can liquidate the town.  Cities only issues muni bonds, which have a maturity into the decades.  He can't just call in the bonds and force the city to give up assets.  I think if they did have to liquidate, they'd auction off the assets and whatever they get is whatever they get, so Axe would likely get pennies on the dollar, not get a profit as he claims.

It's a dead town with no economic base.  Who's going to buy?  The premise is Axe bought the debt obligations cheap because the town was distressed but he thought casino would fill up its tax coffers, causing those bonds to go up in value.

[scrb]

On 4/11/2017 at 6:54 PM, dmc said:

Not enough to recuse himself from Axe's case.  Not enough to avoid going through her work computer files. 

Chuck loves Wendy but doesn't want to make any compromises and Wendy is the same. 

Chuck confessed to kissing but said it felt bad.  Meanwhile Wendy seems to have fond memories of her date, the tender kisses in the morning.

Was she thinking of confessing to that or did she realize it would crush Chuck?

The flashbacks indicate that she liked it, so maybe she'd be more truthful telling him that she's into someone else.

But then she got emotional and called Taylor, who supposedly has a thing for Maffee (who's being faithful to the hot assistant -- keep forgetting her name -- while she's free?  What a chump!).

And Taylor thinks Wendy and Axe wanted each other.  So Wendy calling Taylor is suppose to be a warning not to make the same mistake she made by not going for it early in her relationship with Axe, but he was already married to Lara?

Hmm, so many feelings all around?

[scrb]

Okay found this article about a recent trend.  Private equity firms buy up infrastructures of towns, such as their water system.  They make repairs and then jack up water rates.  Some residents unable to pay water bills have had liens placed on their homes, leading to foreclosures.

But where PE firms really make money is by flipping their rights to new investors, who will raise prices again to get their return:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/24/business/dealbook/private-equity-water.html

 

Ominously, the article indicates that Trump wants to have private investors own new infrastructure to push this practice even greater.

So in the show, Axe wouldn't be selling the physical assets of the town.  He might have built them new water pipes, new treatment plants and then jacked up the rates.

[Lemons]

6 minutes ago, scrb said:

Okay found this article about a recent trend.  Private equity firms buy up infrastructures of towns, such as their water system.  They make repairs and then jack up water rates.  Some residents unable to pay water bills have had liens placed on their homes, leading to foreclosures.

But where PE firms really make money is by flipping their rights to new investors, who will raise prices again to get their return:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/24/business/dealbook/private-equity-water.html

 

Ominously, the article indicates that Trump wants to have private investors own new infrastructure to push this practice even greater.

So in the show, Axe wouldn't be selling the physical assets of the town.  He might have built them new water pipes, new treatment plants and then jacked up the rates.

That's what's so shitty about the Axe and his company characters.  They are always scheming to make money and they contribute nothing to society.  It's not enough anymore to invest in companies and people, they want more and more on their return.   

[MaryWebGirl]

12 minutes ago, Lemons said:

That's what's so shitty about the Axe and his company characters.  They are always scheming to make money and they contribute nothing to society.  It's not enough anymore to invest in companies and people, they want more and more on their return.   

To this end I kind of wonder if they're setting up Bobby to run for office, possibly against Chuck? One of the themes of the episode seems to be that he thought his money gave him all the power, but he doesn't have the real power of the politicians.

[dmc]

3 hours ago, scrb said:

Chuck confessed to kissing but said it felt bad.  Meanwhile Wendy seems to have fond memories of her date, the tender kisses in the morning.

Was she thinking of confessing to that or did she realize it would crush Chuck?

The flashbacks indicate that she liked it, so maybe she'd be more truthful telling him that she's into someone else.

But then she got emotional and called Taylor, who supposedly has a thing for Maffee (who's being faithful to the hot assistant -- keep forgetting her name -- while she's free?  What a chump!).

And Taylor thinks Wendy and Axe wanted each other.  So Wendy calling Taylor is suppose to be a warning not to make the same mistake she made by not going for it early in her relationship with Axe, but he was already married to Lara?

Hmm, so many feelings all around?

 I got the impression Wendy didn't have fun on her date...she was pretty cold the next day

[Lemons]

5 hours ago, MaryWebGirl said:

To this end I kind of wonder if they're setting up Bobby to run for office, possibly against Chuck? One of the themes of the episode seems to be that he thought his money gave him all the power, but he doesn't have the real power of the politicians.

Profiting from 9/11 will mean he will never win in New York.  I think they're setting him up for some real shadiness and law breaking.  He's becoming unglued.

[PBSLover]

21 hours ago, scrb said:

But then she got emotional and called Taylor, who supposedly has a thing for Maffee (who's being faithful to the hot assistant -- keep forgetting her name -- while she's free?  What a chump!).

And Taylor thinks Wendy and Axe wanted each other.  So Wendy calling Taylor is suppose to be a warning not to make the same mistake she made by not going for it early in her relationship with Axe, but he was already married to Lara?

Wow...I guess I need to watch the episode again because I missed ALL OF THIS.  I believe you are wrong though.

[PBSLover]

15 hours ago, Lemons said:

He's becoming unglued.

I disagree.  Just because the Rhoades men say so, doesn’t make it true. Bobby is smart.  That is what makes the show so watchable.  One or both of them may get knocked to the side a bit, but both will get win. But neither of them will bring the other down.  I think that is the point of the show.  No matter how much they scheme, plot, maneuver, whatever, it’s just not going to happen.

18 hours ago, dmc said:

Wendy didn't have fun on her date

I don’t believe the point of the date was to have fun. I think it was to have sex with someone she was attracted and someone other than her husband.  It wasn’t as satisfying as she imagined was my take away.

[dmc]

1 hour ago, PBSLover said:

I disagree.  Just because the Rhoades men say so, doesn’t make it true. Bobby is smart.  That is what makes the show so watchable.  One or both of them may get knocked to the side a bit, but both will get win. But neither of them will bring the other down.  I think that is the point of the show.  No matter how much they scheme, plot, maneuver, whatever, it’s just not going to happen.

I don’t believe the point of the date was to have fun. I think it was to have sex with someone she was attracted and someone other than her husband.  It wasn’t as satisfying as she imagined was my take away.

agreed

[roughing it]

1 hour ago, PBSLover said:

23 hours ago, scrb said:

But then she got emotional and called Taylor, who supposedly has a thing for Maffee (who's being faithful to the hot assistant -- keep forgetting her name -- while she's free?  What a chump!).

And Taylor thinks Wendy and Axe wanted each other.  So Wendy calling Taylor is suppose to be a warning not to make the same mistake she made by not going for it early in her relationship with Axe, but he was already married to Lara?

Wow...I guess I need to watch the episode again because I missed ALL OF THIS.  I believe you are wrong though.

(First bolded part) Taylor bought a gift for Maffee - a movie poster, I believe? and left it for him at his desk.

(Second bolded part)  I missed this part too.  Was Wendy saying that she wished she had made a play for Bobby?  Weren't they both married back then?  Or was Wendy unhappily married during that time, and then she and Chuck started the BDSM to save the marriage?

[scrb]

1 hour ago, roughing it said:

(First bolded part) Taylor bought a gift for Maffee - a movie poster, I believe? and left it for him at his desk.

(Second bolded part)  I missed this part too.  Was Wendy saying that she wished she had made a play for Bobby?  Weren't they both married back then?  Or was Wendy unhappily married during that time, and then she and Chuck started the BDSM to save the marriage?

See I'm not sure.  I don't know what the point of Taylor seeing Wendy was.  Do all Axe Cap employees have to see her or it's voluntary?

Wendy said a lot of the employees assume she and Axe are sleeping together already.  Then they talk about Taylor's relationships with the coworkers and she says Maffee has been cool about not taking credit for Taylor's successes, even though she was his intern?

Wendy calls Taylor after she has that emotional exchange with Chuck, where Chuck confesses to going on a date, having a kiss but not going further, though he could have.  Wendy has flashbacks of her own date but doesn't tell Chuck and then later calls Taylor.

So I'm not sure what all these scenes are suppose to convey, other than maybe there are a lot of emotional people here.

[Lemons]

2 hours ago, PBSLover said:

I disagree.  Just because the Rhoades men say so, doesn’t make it true. Bobby is smart.  That is what makes the show so watchable.  One or both of them may get knocked to the side a bit, but both will get win. But neither of them will bring the other down.  I think that is the point of the show.  No matter how much they scheme, plot, maneuver, whatever, it’s just not going to happen.

.

I thought it looked like he was losing it the way he was so obsessive, running from person to person, practically begging them to tell him who it was who changed towns.  He doesn't know when to let things go.  That's not so smart.  Maybe he will end up winning, but it's not worth it to most sane people.  

[dmc]

22 hours ago, roughing it said:

(First bolded part) Taylor bought a gift for Maffee - a movie poster, I believe? and left it for him at his desk.

(Second bolded part)  I missed this part too.  Was Wendy saying that she wished she had made a play for Bobby?  Weren't they both married back then?  Or was Wendy unhappily married during that time, and then she and Chuck started the BDSM to save the marriage?

Also missed it

21 hours ago, Lemons said:

I thought it looked like he was losing it the way he was so obsessive, running from person to person, practically begging them to tell him who it was who changed towns.  He doesn't know when to let things go.  That's not so smart.  Maybe he will end up winning, but it's not worth it to most sane people.  

He isn't losing it but he's off kilter and that leads to making mistakes. 

[wvmafia]

On 4/11/2017 at 0:54 PM, dmc said:

Not enough to recuse himself from Axe's case.  Not enough to avoid going through her work computer files. 

Chuck loves Wendy but doesn't want to make any compromises and Wendy is the same. 

There's a difference between love and respect.  I agree that he LOVES her greatly, but has no respect for her or her profession.  Probably rooted in his "old money privilege"...

[chick binewski]

I like watching the maneuvering within the show (and I'm a sucker for any program filmed in the tri-state area) but the dialogue leaves me cold, so I welcome everyone's interpretation of Wendy & Axe: The Early Years. I rarely have any idea what point Wendy or Chuck are trying to make when they talk of their relationship, I love David Costabile and I'm liking the actor who plays Taylor but I feel like the writers create characters for an effect but have no idea how they'd speak. So they carefully place Far Niente labels to face the camera and make esoteric references and it just seems lazy for what seems to be a somewhat ambitious show.

Flove seeing David Strathairn (Moss!) and am I the only one assuming

Spoiler

Tammy Blanchard is Black Jack's granddaughter and Chuck was possibly/totally lying about his involvement with her?

[dmc]

On 4/15/2017 at 10:13 AM, wvmafia said:

There's a difference between love and respect.  I agree that he LOVES her greatly, but has no respect for her or her profession.  Probably rooted in his "old money privilege"...

I am not saying he doesn't love her I am saying he doesn't love her enough to make any compromises.