S02.E09: Sic Transit Imperium

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Axe has an offer for inside information; Chuck is urged to end an investigation.

Promo:

Clips:

 

[dmc]

Is much is I hate Lara I felt bad for her this episode...Wendy totally told her on purpose

[dwmarch]

I think this episode had the best humor of all of them so far, including the hilarious argument between Axe and Dollar Bill in season 1. For example:

Wags: Axe doesn't take attendance. But he knows who's in the room. I'll leave it at that.

Taylor: Fuck.

Wags: Did you just say fuck?

Taylor: I did.

Wags: (smiling) You're one of us now...

There was also the bit between Stephanie and Sacker about the specific definition of what a Terminator was and then Sacker repeating it back to Chuck just as specifically. And who could forget that priceless moment where Chuck freaks out about Axe buying his first edition Winston Churchill books and Sacker meekly saying "I can see books are a trigger for you..." because she has absolutely no context as to why Chuck just entirely lost his shit.

I also loved Axe's majordomo mentioning "even if they trace his burner... or get into his air-gapped laptop... like I did..." Having been raised on 90's West Coast hip hop, I love me some gangsta shit.

That conversation between Chuck and Lara was interesting as well. Unlikely allies? Are they going to do like Shania Twain and Mutt Lange and swap spouses?

[Adultosaurus]

It was weird that Bobby lied to Lara about Wendy in the first place, so I don't hate that Wendy spilled.  I enjoyed the different-meaning convo Wendy and Chuck had about not knowing if something is worth giving up - but with the introduction of Foley's fixer next week I think it'll be a new love interest for Chuck anyway.

[dmc]

20 minutes ago, Adultosaurus said:

It was weird that Bobby lied to Lara about Wendy in the first place, so I don't hate that Wendy spilled.  I enjoyed the different-meaning convo Wendy and Chuck had about not knowing if something is worth giving up - but with the introduction of Foley's fixer next week I think it'll be a new love interest for Chuck anyway.

I don't mind it, it was necessary for the plot...But just seeing her face and after she went through all of that trouble for a party for him-she hates Wendy and she asked her because it was important to him, she wanted him to have everyone there that was important

[Joimiaroxeu]

Do we know if Axe and Lara have a prenup? Lara has been getting disappointed by Axe on several fronts lately--her budding business, her family getting shut out of the apocalypse bunker, and finally his no-show at the party--and I could see her sniffing out the possibility of a divorce. She could probably grab him by the nuts financially since she knows where a lot of the proverbial bodies are buried, but then he'd probably snatch their sons and stash them somewhere where she couldn't find them. Standoff. I'd love to see that go down.

[minamurray78]

What is up with that juice thingy? After having that melt down about the books, Chuck called his dad and met him to talk about the project. I though he had figured something about it that would help him. And the way he told his dad to go ahead and use his trust money to invest in it... I don't know wheteher I'm reading too much into it.

I thought it was mature of Chuck and Lara the way they reacted about Axe's party and Wendy attending. I felt they meant what they said and that there was no subterfuge.  And I get Lara was upset, was it just because Axe had told her things had gone down differently or is there something else I'm forgetting?

Also I completely forgot wtf Victor was and what he did???

[auntiemel]

I don't feel bad for Lara that Wendy laid it out like that. She started the interaction with a little bitchy cattiness. "It must be so hard for you not to have access to Axe anymore. But we just thought it was best for everyone."

Wendy, I thought, set the record straight with a minimum of bitchiness.

[PBSLover]

15 hours ago, dmc said:

Is much is I hate Lara I felt bad for her this episode...Wendy totally told her on purpose

I couldn’t disagree more. Lara was generous and lovely reaching out to Wendy about the birthday party, in addition to having a really NICE conversation with Chuck. I think Wendy wanted to reassure Lara that she and Axe have a different relationship now.  

How would Wendy know that Axe told Lara the complete opposite?  Wendy might have realized that something was wrong when the conversation came to a halt so she excused herself thinking Lara was just thinking about what Wendy just said?  That’s what I got out of that scene. 

[PBSLover]

It is now completely confirmed that Axe and Chuck are the same person.  Ruthless men that will do anything to get what they want, no matter who stands in their way...even their families.

Next week’s episode looks amazing. 

[dmc]

17 minutes ago, PBSLover said:

I couldn’t disagree more. Lara was generous and lovely reaching out to Wendy about the birthday party, in addition to having a really NICE conversation with Chuck. I think Wendy wanted to reassure Lara that she and Axe have a different relationship now.  

How would Wendy know that Axe told Lara the complete opposite?  Wendy might have realized that something was wrong when the conversation came to a halt so she excused herself thinking Lara was just thinking about what Wendy just said?  That’s what I got out of that scene. 

She knew by what Lara said to her. Lara makes it clear that it was a joint decision by Axe and Lara to Wendy.  Wendy could have let it go but decided to tell her the truth instead.  It was a calculated decision, rewatch the scene. I have read a few recaps on entertainment sites that concur.  I'm not sure why she did it. Maybe she thought Lara was being catty and she decided to put her in her place.  But Lara looked devastated.

[chick binewski]

1 hour ago, minamurray78 said:

I thought it was mature of Chuck and Lara the way they reacted about Axe's party and Wendy attending. I felt they meant what they said and that there was no subterfuge. 

I agree and I thought it was one of the few times two main characters were talking straight, albeit overly civil and contained.

3 minutes ago, dmc said:

She knew by what Lara said to her. Lara makes it clear that it was a joint decision by Axe and Lara to Wendy.  Wendy could have let it go but decided to tell her the truth instead.  It was a calculated decision, rewatch the scene. I have read a few recaps on entertainment sites that concur.  I'm not sure why she did it. Maybe she thought Lara was being catty and she decided to put her in her place.  But Lara looked devastated.

Yeah Wendy totally spilled on purpose - Maggie Siff did a kind of shift that was the giveaway for me, and Wendy doesn't come forth with a lot of information unless there's a reason. However thinking back on the scene her target may have been Axe, not Lara. 

I am so bloody tired of hearing about Chekov's granddaughter. Also, enjoy that cocktail Taylor! I don't think the upcoming episodes are going to go well for you.

[dmc]

6 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

I agree and I thought it was one of the few times two main characters were talking straight, albeit overly civil and contained.

Yeah Wendy totally spilled on purpose - Maggie Siff did a kind of shift that was the giveaway for me, and Wendy doesn't come forth with a lot of information unless there's a reason. However thinking back on the scene her target may have been Axe, not Lara. 

I am so bloody tired of hearing about Chekov's granddaughter. Also, enjoy that cocktail Taylor! I don't think the upcoming episodes are going to go well for you.

 Oh my God I totally think you're right .  Axe has been manipulating her and she gets him back

[AlleC17]

I agree, she told Lara that ensuring it gets back to Axe.

[CleoCaesar]

4 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Do we know if Axe and Lara have a prenup? Lara has been getting disappointed by Axe on several fronts lately--her budding business, her family getting shut out of the apocalypse bunker, and finally his no-show at the party--and I could see her sniffing out the possibility of a divorce. She could probably grab him by the nuts financially since she knows where a lot of the proverbial bodies are buried, but then he'd probably snatch their sons and stash them somewhere where she couldn't find them. Standoff. I'd love to see that go down.

It'd be an interesting twist if after all the fines and penalties and settlements and whatever that Chuck is trying to wrangle out of Axe, the biggest blow to Axe financially is a divorce. I think it's unlikely that they have a prenup (two poor kids who married before Axe was anyone).

I can't stand Lara mostly due to Malin Ackerman and she and Damien Lewis have no chemistry, so there's nothing that makes me want to see them stay together.

[PBSLover]

5 hours ago, dmc said:

She knew by what Lara said to her. Lara makes it clear that it was a joint decision by Axe and Lara to Wendy.  Wendy could have let it go but decided to tell her the truth instead.  It was a calculated decision, rewatch the scene. I have read a few recaps on entertainment sites that concur.  I'm not sure why she did it. Maybe she thought Lara was being catty and she decided to put her in her place.  But Lara looked devastated.

Hmmm.  Okay. So I guess I got that wrong.  

5 hours ago, chick binewski said:

However thinking back on the scene her target may have been Axe, not Lara.

Reading into this whole thing, Axe is missing his relationship with Wendy. That is the crux of it.  I can’t see Wendy staying at the company.

[dmc]

1 hour ago, PBSLover said:

Hmmm.  Okay. So I guess I got that wrong.  

Reading into this whole thing, Axe is missing his relationship with Wendy. That is the crux of it.  I can’t see Wendy staying at the company.

Yep Axe misses wendy

Edited April 18, 2017 by dmc
Missing

[scrb]

Chuck has to find another way to get Axe, comparing him to a shark that pounces instantly on anything.

But then the next thing is that his blind trust is going to invest in that IPO, which he becomes interested in after discovering that Axe pounced on his precious Churchill books.

So he wants to make a lot of money all of a sudden?  He could be working for some big private firm, taking it in all this time.  Or will this IPO deal trip up his political ambitions later?

Speaking of which, that guy what's Chuck to reveal all the skeletons in his closet, so there will be no surprises in his campaign.  Chuck seems mostly worried about the S&M proclivities.  And ironically, turns out the last guy not to go through this vetting process is ... Spitzer, who is one of the real-life models for the Chuck Rhodes character -- a crusading figure who went after big, rich targets to propel him to higher office, only to be taken down by personal peccadilloes involving his personal life.

[ahpny]

Quote

It was weird that Bobby lied to Lara about Wendy in the first place, so I don't hate that Wendy spilled.  I enjoyed the different-meaning convo Wendy and Chuck had about not knowing if something is worth giving up - but with the introduction of Foley's fixer next week I think it'll be a new love interest for Chuck anyway.

Quote

I don't mind it, it was necessary for the plot...But just seeing her face and after she went through all of that trouble for a party for him-she hates Wendy and she asked her because it was important to him, she wanted him to have everyone there that was important

I don’t get why Axe lied to Lara in the first place about Wendy’s new Axe-reduced role. Why couldn’t he have told Lara the truth. That is, that Wendy suggested keeping them apart and he thought that was a good idea and hired her back only on that basis? I guess part of the deception that might not be clear to Lara now is that Axe had already rehired Wendy by the time the “I’ll only take her back of she agrees not to see me” discussion with Lara happened. Lara doesn’t seem to know that part yet, and when she learns of it, this will get worse.

Quote

I thought it was mature of Chuck and Lara the way they reacted about Axe's party and Wendy attending. I felt they meant what they said and that there was no subterfuge. 

Perhaps. Maybe I’m too cynical, but I inferred some hidden agenda on both their parts. On Chuck’s part, it was reconnaissance. On Lara’s part, it was keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

While there’s some foundation for the erupting Lara troubles (pressure from Lara’s family to leave her ‘criminal” husband, and Lara’s occasional disappointment with various stuff Axe does), something seemed insufficient about the Wendy discussion triggering a complete breakdown. Moreover, how can Axe – that ace reader of people – fail to see the concern in his wife’s face at the track? He knows her. She is not a trophy wife. They've been married for a long time, since before the money (I think?). He listens to her and takes her advice, such as screw those casino-less townies. She shares a life with Axe that few can imagine. He cares about her – indeed he claims to care truly about nothing other than her and their kids.

Is worry about a renewed emotional affair really cause to end it all? If it's the "straw the game that broke the camel's back," we're kind of missing the camal's back.

One the conceits of this show is Axe’s loyalty to his wife. “You shall not commit adultery,” unlike most other rules, is a rule he will not transgress. Of course, according to the trope of men being emotionally tone deaf, Axe equates faithfullness with sexual fidelity. Emotional connections with other women – that is Wendy – don’t really count. Lara, as part of the companion trope of women being more emotionally sensitive, values sexual fidelity, but thinks emotional loyalty is also important. This reminded me of the Sopranos, and specifically when Carmella first found out that Tony’s therapist(!) was a woman. Carmella felt jealous, at least initially. In both shows, there was no immediate concern of the husband banging the therapist, but an alternate concern that emotional intimacy was inappropriately shared with an attractive woman under the guise of therapy.

But unlike the Carmela and Tony, neither Axe nor Lara are developed enough to make their characters fully credible. Why is Axe so averse to screwing around when he feels free to flout just about every other rule? Why does he really care only about Lara and the kids? Why did he lie to Lara in the first place? What cause does Lara have to be so pissed apart from the recent lie? Why is that lie so significant to Lara anyway? Doesn't it matter more that Axe and Wendy are staying apart rather than who suggested that first? All in all, Lara seems to have it pretty good. Up to this episode, their marriage seemed healthier than many, and certainly more robust than the Rhodes’ marriage.

Edited April 18, 2017 by ahpny

[PBSLover]

56 minutes ago, ahpny said:

Perhaps. Maybe I’m too cynical, but I inferred some hidden agenda on both their parts. On Chuck’s part, it was reconnaissance. On Lara’s part, it was keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

While there’s some foundation for the erupting Lara troubles (pressure from Lara’s family to leave her ‘criminal” husband, and Lara’s occasional disappointment with various stuff Axe does), something seemed insufficient about the Wendy discussion triggering a complete breakdown. Moreover, how can Axe – that ace reader of people – fail to see the concern in his wife’s face at the track? He knows her. She is not a trophy wife. They've been married for a long time, since before the money (I think?). He listens to her and takes her advice, such as screw those casino-less townies. She shares a life with Axe that few can imagine. He cares about her – indeed he claims to care truly about nothing other than her and their kids.

Is worry about a renewed emotional affair really cause to end it all? If it's the "straw the game that broke the camel's back," we're kind of missing the camal's back.

One the conceits of this show is Axe’s loyalty to his wife. “You shall not commit adultery,” unlike most other rules, is a rule he will not transgress. Of course, according to the trope of men being emotionally tone deaf, Axe equates faithfullness with sexual fidelity. Emotional connections with other women – that is Wendy – don’t really count. Lara, as part of the companion trope of women being more emotionally sensitive, values sexual fidelity, but thinks emotional loyalty is also important. This reminded me of the Sopranos, and specifically when Carmella first found out that Tony’s therapist(!) was a woman. Carmella felt jealous, at least initially. In both shows, there was no immediate concern of the husband banging the therapist, but an alternate concern that emotional intimacy was inappropriately shared with an attractive woman under the guise of therapy.

But unlike the Carmela and Tony, neither Axe nor Lara are developed enough to make their characters fully credible. Why is Axe so averse to screwing around when he feels free to flout just about every other rule? Why does he really care only about Lara and the kids? Why did he lie to Lara in the first place? What cause does Lara have to be so pissed apart from the recent lie? Why is that lie so significant to Lara anyway? Doesn't it matter more that Axe and Wendy are staying apart rather than who suggested that first? All in all, Lara seems to have it pretty good. Up to this episode, their marriage seemed healthier than many, and certainly more robust than the Rhodes’ marriage.

Well said.  I don’t understand why Axe couldn’t sit Lara down, take her hand and tell her what Wendy means to him and she is coming back to the company.  We know it stems from jealously.  Lara is jealous of his emotional relationship with Wendy.  But for the past 15 years, Lara was cool with it.  Then because Chuck comes after Axe, Wendy is the enemy?  We need more. As well as what broke up Connerty and Sacker.  

[roughing it]

13 minutes ago, PBSLover said:

But for the past 15 years, Lara was cool with it.

but was she really?  Maybe the underlying jealousy was there the whole time?

[nameless slob]

On 17/04/2017 at 2:25 PM, minamurray78 said:

What is up with that juice thingy? After having that melt down about the books, Chuck called his dad and met him to talk about the project. I though he had figured something about it that would help him. And the way he told his dad to go ahead and use his trust money to invest in it... I don't know wheteher I'm reading too much into it.

I think Chuck is thinking way ahead, in a way I can't yet grasp, but it looks promising. I am loving it. When he was talking to the Kate Sacker, when he found out about the books, he was thinking about a way to get someone who can smell any hint of blood and go for the neck, as Axel was doing with the books. So I think he knew his father would suggest his blind trust for the investment (as he knew his father would talk on the golf course with Lawrence Boyd and say Chuck is not pursuing him anymore, thus allowing Chuck to wire Boyd during a vulnerable time).

I think, in the end, the blind trust is just a way to allure Axel again, the same as the Churchill's books. And when Axel thinks that Chuck is in fact exposed, and when he tries to use that information (the use of the blind trust) to end Chuck's public image, going for the neck, that is when in fact Chuck will be the one to go for the neck. I don't know how, but that is what I got from that interaction.

Chuck seems like a smart enough man to no allow his blind trust to be used in such contrived matter. He declined once or twice before to use it (I think in season one, in an interaction with an older man, when he said he would only have access to it once out of public office; and I think in season two, when he was hiring the lawyer to defend him against Axel's lawsuits).

So that is why I think that was staged.

[PBSLover]

On 4/18/2017 at 0:22 PM, roughing it said:

but was she really?  Maybe the underlying jealousy was there the whole time?

She was very nice to her at the beginning of the first season, telling Wendy to bring the kids to the restaurant for the tasting menu, seeming at ease in conversation.  

18 hours ago, nameless slob said:

think Chuck is thinking way ahead, in a way I can't yet grasp, but it looks promising. I am loving it. When he was talking to the Kate Sacker, when he found out about the books, he was thinking about a way to get someone who can smell any hint of blood and go for the neck, as Axel was doing with the books. So I think he knew his father would suggest his blind trust for the investment (as he knew his father would talk on the golf course with Lawrence Boyd and say Chuck is not pursuing him anymore, thus allowing Chuck to wire Boyd during a vulnerable time).

I think, in the end, the blind trust is just a way to allure Axel again, the same as the Churchill's books. And when Axel thinks that Chuck is in fact exposed, and when he tries to use that information (the use of the blind trust) to end Chuck's public image, going for the neck, that is when in fact Chuck will be the one to go for the neck. I don't know how, but that is what I got from that interaction.

Chuck seems like a smart enough man to no allow his blind trust to be used in such contrived matter. He declined once or twice before to use it (I think in season one, in an interaction with an older man, when he said he would only have access to it once out of public office; and I think in season two, when he was hiring the lawyer to defend him against Axel's lawsuits).

So that is why I think that was staged.

Wow. Check out the big brain on you!