S02.E11: Golden Frog Time

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Chuck finds he has much at stake in Ice Juice; Axe takes out a huge short.

Promo:

 

Clips:

 

[Philbert]

Bloody Hell, that so didn't go where I thought it would. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

Way to play the long con, Chuck. Very impressive. 

Whoever writes Chuck Sr.'s lines does a great job because I cannot stand the guy. What a tool!

[Artsda]

Wow, was not expecting that to happen. I wasn't sure where they were going with all the jumping around time, but I was not expecting the Juice IPO to all be a play by Chuck.

[scrb]

Chuck used all his trust money as lure for Axe?  I think if he's doing everything above board, he'd get the DOJ to sign off on fronting the money, though then again, I don't see how the DOJ would sign off on all the investors taking big losses, just for this sting to trap Bobby.

That weasel guy who wanted to take down Chuck for not recusing himself from the previous Axe Capital investigation now signs off on this elaborate sting?  Or maybe he wants to win brownie points by taking down Axe so he goes along with it.

It wasn't just Chuck's money but also Ira's money and the money of a lot of other people.

Ira's talking about making $250 million so that Ice Juice manager who took the bribe to contaminate the bottles in the factory would also be in line to make millions as well.  Did Axe bribe him by that much?

Also would be easy to track all the others he paid off, suddenly getting at least 6-figure (the scientist got a check for $500k) influx of cash on their bank accounts.

As for Taylor, she doesn't believe in a soul and she sleeps well because making all that money and winning with Axe makes her feel vibrant?  I think that's the adjective she used.

She also didn't question the big bag of cash from Dollar Bill, unless she knows with some high level of confidence that it's really from Axe.  But that could make her susceptible to a sting as well.

Unless Connerty is setting her up with his talk about her soul, there must be a reason he held back on the auto parts company short report that she signed off on?

[PBSLover]

11 hours ago, scrb said:

She also didn't question the big bag of cash from Dollar Bill, unless she knows with some high level of confidence that it's really from Axe.  But that could make her susceptible to a sting as well.

Dollar Bill gave Taylor his own money because Klaxon (or Klaxon) was his deal. He set up all the stuff behind-the-scenes to make the stock tank but Taylor was the one to put the financial logic on paper.

I don’t understand what happened in this episode. Now Wendy, unknowingly, has inserted herself into this new Chuck/Axe plan.  This is all so complicated.

Edited May 1, 2017 by PBSLover

[Waldo13]

Is Chuck that big of an egomaniac where he would loose millions and cause his friend loose millions just to bring Axe down?

Axe's saving grace, in all this, is that Wendy took a short position, on Ice Juice, and as a Axe Capital employee, can be shown that she was complicit with Axe's intentions.  

Let's see how the battle of the egos play out in the season final.  

[hoodooznoodooz]

I don't understand Ira saying that a week earlier, someone knew that there was some kind of problem at the juice company but never disclosed it to him. 

[dmc]

Wow Chuck is desperate...this is a lot to risk for one fish...

I applaud his ingenuity but can't help being worried this won't turn out the way he thinks it will.

[nameless slob]

10 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Way to play the long con, Chuck. Very impressive. 

 

8 hours ago, Artsda said:

Wow, was not expecting that to happen. I wasn't sure where they were going with all the jumping around time, but I was not expecting the Juice IPO to all be a play by Chuck.

That is so cool! I was right, it was all a play by Chuck! 

[Pop Tart]

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Is Chuck that big of an egomaniac where he would loose millions and cause his friend loose millions just to bring Axe down?

I didn't quite get how the plan could have been put it play without his revealing to the new US Attorney guy (formerly investigating Chuck for unethical, possibly illegal deeds) that he'd put a whole bunch of money into the IceJuice thing and that's why Axe was going to tank it? Chuck okayed his dad raiding his blind trust for the money to fund the investment, and though I don't know much about blind trusts, I got the sense that this was at the least unethical and possibly illegal, because Chuck's dad made a point of saying once the IPO happened they'd put the money right back in the trust. So how does Chuck get the investigator guy on board with going after Axe without telling him that Axe is likely to tank the IJ offering and if he tells him that wouldn't the investigator ask how he knows that's likely to happen?

I did love the double con, and Chuck's reaction at the end was perfect, crying and laughing at the same time because, yes he's now got Axe on illegal doings, but he's also lost his entire trust and it's probably cost him Wendy as well.

[ahpny]

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I don’t understand what happened in this episode. Now Wendy is a part of his bringing down Axe.  This is all so complicated.

I didn't quite get some of this either and have lots of questions, but kudos to the writers for coming up with a twist no one seems to have foreseen. But I don't understand why Chuck would barter away all of his, his father's and his close lawyer-friend's money just to take down Axe. Axe may be Chuck nemesis, but is defeating Axe worth financial ruin for Chuck, his father and his friend? But how "gone" exactly is that money? 

If the feds do take down Axe, do Chuck, his father and his lawyer-friend get their money back? How would that work exactly? Would Chuck (or maybe some class action including him and other aggrieved investors) need to prevail in a civil suit against Axe apart from any criminal proceeding?

Any what about Wendy? Is she going to jail with Axe as well for trading short? Why was Axe so angry about Wendy's short-selling? Wouldn't Wendy's short-selling create added leverage for Axe against Chuck if Chuck challenged Axe Cap's dealings? How much money did she make? As much as Chuck lost?

I guess what I fundamentally don't understand is how, if at all, are the cheated investors made whole after insider trading is actually proven?

[scrb]

Thing is, I don't see how Axe comes back from this.  The FBI was surveilling him to all the people who poisoned themselves.

I don't know if they got the henchman who paid off the Ice Juice guy to contaminate the samples at the factory though.  That guy seems to be never seen by anyone else.

If they connect Bobby to the sabotage, those are criminal acts, which go beyond securities fraud.  It won't just be country club prison for Axe if he's busted.  And I can't imagine Rhodes or the Attorney General settling for anything less than prison time, as opposed to Axe just paying a big fine and running a family office (that is, just investing his own and his employees' money).

The timing is suspicious too, all the poisonings happen on IPO day, instead of over several weeks.

But if Axe goes to prison, then what happens to the show?

Wags tries too hard to be the mustache-twirling villain, yelling out loud to the whole office about Taylor shanking someone.  Hey, you're still Gail from Breaking Bad.

[cali1981]

Best episode of the season!  Did anyone see Chuck's play coming.  Axe is Chuck's white whale so I could see him doing something as crazy as losing all of his money to get him.  Of course Chuck could still have some financial resources that papa doesn't know about (including Wendy's 5 million payment from Axe?) Wendy's play is far more interesting.  She could have done it to guilt trip and leverage Axe in some way. More perversely, she may have wanted to teach Chuck a lesson about listening to her or to show him that she was willing to risk taking a big loss to somehow show Chuck that she was still hoping to save the marriage. It's bizarre but who in this series has displayed anything resembling normal behavior.

Edited May 1, 2017 by cali1981

[scrb]

Even after the con was revealed, I was thinking Bobby left too many loose ends.  Like that one former employee, whose mortgage he paid off, drinking the contaminated juice himself because the other guy refused to do it.  That's a direct link to Axe Capital.

Also the contamination breaking out on IPO day is too convenient.  Even if he didn't have Axe tailed in the lead up to all this, any case of contamination is going to be widely investigated, so they would unearth certain people getting huge payments out of nowhere.

[AlleC17]

I did not think Chuck was willing to go that far to get back at Axe.  Damn.  Of course, I don't think he realized that Daddy dearest beggared him by putting ALL of the trust into the IPO, did he?  Poor Ira.  Poor other, innocent investors, employees etc.  Little did they know they were caught up in a huge pissing contest between two (three if your count Rhoades Sr.) despicable human beings.  Will Wendy's actions on the short sell come back to bite Chuck in the ass?  This was an awesome episode!

[minamurray78]

I KNEW Chuck was up to something. There was something weird about how, after finding out about Axe buying all the editions of the books Chuck had to sell, he went running to his father with the juice idea even okeing the use of the money from his trust. He knew once tipped about it, Axe would find out all he could and the lure of Chuck's trust money in the middle would be impossible to resist. Although I wonder how it all moves foward now. If the sabotage comes out and it's proven, can they sue Axe Capital for the losses? and the brand is probably lost anyway, even if the juice people were also wictims. What would be worst pr for Axe, that he sabotaged a company for his short position, or that he actually did it just to mess with Chuck Roadhes? How will all of this affect Chuck's campaign? Will there be enough time before the season finale for these questions?

[PBSLover]

2 hours ago, cali1981 said:

Wendy's play is far more interesting.  She could have done it to guilt trip and leverage Axe in some way. More perversely, she may have wanted to teach Chuck a lesson about listening to her or to show him that she was willing to risk taking a big loss to somehow show Chuck that she was still hoping to save the marriage. It's bizarre but who in this series has displayed anything resembling normal behavior.

I thought it was about money.  I thought Wendy took a piece so Chuck wouldn’t lose everything.

Edited May 1, 2017 by PBSLover

[dmc]

52 minutes ago, PBSLover said:

I thought it was about money.  I thought Wendy took a piece so Chuck wouldn’t lose everything.

I think she took it because he didn't listen to her.  Wendy of all the characters...I never understand

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

I thought it was about money.  I thought Wendy took a piece so Chuck wouldn’t lose everything.

That's how I saw it too. Too bad she didn't just stay out of it because I imagine when the crap hits the fan for Axe he'll try to use her participation to get Chuck to influence the new regional AG to ease up on him. I guess it might look like some kind of insider trading since she knew Chuck had taken a large position in the IPO? Good luck for anyone to try to prove that it wasn't just a coincidence though. And it'll be interesting to see how this affects Chuck's political ambitions.

Edited May 1, 2017 by Joimiaroxeu

[Lemons]

1 hour ago, AlleC17 said:

I did not think Chuck was willing to go that far to get back at Axe.  Damn.  Of course, I don't think he realized that Daddy dearest beggared him by putting ALL of the trust into the IPO, did he?  Poor Ira.  Poor other, innocent investors, employees etc.  Little did they know they were caught up in a huge pissing contest between two (three if your count Rhoades Sr.) despicable human beings.  Will Wendy's actions on the short sell come back to bite Chuck in the ass?  This was an awesome episode!

They would all be compensated once axe is found responsible. Chuck could not have made up a more perfect case. Sabotage with life threatening contamination. So many connections to axe capital. There's no way out of this. Axe risked his company in order to get back at Rhodes. He got sloppy, and he's finally caught. I loved the song playing "even the losers get lucky some time" playing while chuck is laughing like a crazy person. 

57 minutes ago, PBSLover said:

I thought it was about money.  I thought Wendy took a piece so Chuck wouldn’t lose everything.

She did it because she was angry at chuck. Now she's in a shit load of trouble. 

[hokeypokeyFOIA]

Was Axe mad about Wendy taking that position because it mitigated Chuck's losses? Or because he didn't want any direct connection to Chuck and Rhoades Sr. ?

[cali1981]

14 minutes ago, hokeypokeyFOIA said:

Was Axe mad about Wendy taking that position because it mitigated Chuck's losses? Or because he didn't want any direct connection to Chuck and Rhoades Sr. ?

Who knows?  The Wendy/Axe relationship is very complicated.  I've always felt that somewhere down deep, maybe not even clear to Axe, he has a "thing" for Wendy.  Of course given what Lara just did to him, even if he was aware of it, he wouldn't dare act on it, would he now? Getting back to Wendy's investment, she clearly knew that something was wrong with the juice play. She tried to warn Chuck off, didn't she?  I suspect that much will be revealed next Sunday.  I also love how Eric Bogosian's character was fully willing to sell Axe out to get sprung.  So much for loyalty among thieves.  If Axe can be connected to the poisoning of the juice and driving the stock down, it won't be Chuck who nails him but it will be Oliver Dake, the new USA for the Eastern District who had the setup handed to him by Chuck.  Pretty clever on Chuck's part. Dake is uber ambitious and would likely take the major credit for the bust, leaving Chuck's role largely invisible and avoid the ire of the Attorney General.  I have a feeling that it may not quite turn out that way.  I'm wondering if, at the end of the day, all of the chief protagonists will be taken down in various ways but all still linked to each other.

[jvr]

53 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

That's how I saw it too. Too bad she didn't just stay out of it because I imagine when the crap hits the fan for Axe he'll try to use her participation to get Chuck to influence the new regional AG to ease up on him.

Why, why, why did Chuck tell Wendy he had a position on the Ice Juice IPO!?!?! If he hadn't said anything she wouldn't have known anything, and wouldn't have thought anything about Axe Cap shorting it. If he wasn't gonna tell her the whole deal (that it was a setup) why tell her about the IPO knowing he was going to lose it all and it wasn't a good bet? Did he think she would be happy he lost so much (now all) of his trust and bankrupted his friends company all to get Axe? Was he testing her loyalty, whether she would come and say something to him about what Axe Cap was doing (which she isn't party to most times anyway)? He should have told her when she came to him with the information, something she wasn't allowed to do, instead of just brushing her off like some idiot. That's the only part I don't understand.

I think Wendy took the short for two reasons, one she went against her better judgment (and against her contract to the firm and Axe) to tell him something he shouldn't have know (she thought) and he didn't listen, so yes she was angry. And two because he was gonna lose so much she thought she could mitigate his losses. They are going to both end up bankrupt, Wendy will have to give back those gains no doubt. So any money she had is gone (at the very least she might have to pay huge fines) and Chuck is now most definitely broke. Good job Chuck.

Chuck, you are brilliant and a fucking idiot. You lost all your money, your best friend, and Wendy who I doubt will go to jail since she is a bit player but she will be a focal point because she is the DAs wife. And Axe will probably still skate somehow by using her as well.

Great episode and I'm upset next week is the last. Another long year waiting ahead.

eta: I actually don't think Axe will skate but he will try and play some Wendy angle. Next season should be the last with everyone going down.

Edited May 1, 2017 by jvr

[scrb]

Chuck told Wendy the morning after they slept together.  Maybe a continuation from the previous episode where they role-played S&M again.

So maybe still addled with hormones when he let it out, though he made it sound like he was giddy at making a lot of money.  But if he knew the short was coming, why would he be giddy unless it was being giddy about entrapping Axe.

At the office too, he was playing up the opening of the market that morning, to really pay attention to the business his underlings were discussing.

So if he was in control of every action in this con, he told Wendy deliberately, knowing she would warn him?  Maybe he wanted her to lose her job over this?

Or did he anticipate she would short?  But he could be accused of tipping Wendy off that Axe was going to make a big play against the IPO, though it would be difficult to prove that Wendy knew about the con or Axe's sabotage.  Difficult since she didn't know either of these things but if they could cast aspersions, a jury might buy it.

[roughing it]

1 hour ago, scrb said:

So if he was in control of every action in this con, he told Wendy deliberately, knowing she would warn him?  Maybe he wanted her to lose her job over this?

Or maybe Chuck was trying to see which side of the fence Wendy was really on?

[jvr]

@roughing it that makes no sense. Wendy isn't a trader and he would have no way of knowing if she even knew Axe was shorting the stock. We saw she only found out because she wandered into the room at the right (wrong) time. Her coming to him with the info when she didn't even know truely what Axe had done showed him where she stood and he still didn't tell everything, he let her leave upset thinking he didn't think anything of her personal or professional opinions and that he was going to lose everything! He should have never told her shit to begin with.

[hoodooznoodooz]

On 5/1/2017 at 11:42 AM, scrb said:

Wags tries too hard to be the mustache-twirling villain, yelling out loud to the whole office about Taylor shanking someone.  Hey, you're still Gail from Breaking Bad.

Is Wags supposed to be cool? I don't find him cool. He comes across as someone who was really dorky when he was younger. Now, somehow Axe likes and trusts him, so he's trying way too hard to seem cool.  

Edited May 3, 2017 by hoodooznoodooz

[clb1016]

7 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Is Wags supposed to be cool? I don't find him cool. He across as someone who was really dorky when he was younger. Now, somehow Axe likes and trusts him, so he's trying way to hard to seem cool.  

And like a lot of young dorky guys who become rich middle-aged guys, he thinks he's cool because now everyone laughs at his jokes, goes out drinking and drugging and whoring with him,  and generally sucks up to him, and he can get away with saying anything because nobody would dare tell him to shut up.  In truth, without money he'd be sitting home alone every night (just as he did when he was young) because he's basically an unlikable jerk.

[RicoBillions]

Omg Bobby is completely fucked!! 

Edited May 2, 2017 by RicoBillions

[RicoBillions]

13 hours ago, Waldo13 said:

Is Chuck that big of an egomaniac where he would loose millions and cause his friend loose millions just to bring Axe down?

Axe's saving grace, in all this, is that Wendy took a short position, on Ice Juice, and as a Axe Capital employee, can be shown that she was complicit with Axe's intentions.  

Let's see how the battle of the egos play out in the season final.  

 

1 hour ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Is Wags supposed to be cool? I don't find him cool. He comes across as someone who was really dorky when he was younger. Now, somehow Axe likes and trusts him, so he's trying way to hard to seem cool.  

I love wags hefits the character very well

[nameless slob]

That was such a wonderful episode! So satisfying. And validating. Since episode 9, when he found out about the books, and in his jiu jitsu class, when talking about luring the opponent, you could see there was something big coming.

I adore Paul Giamatti, and I think my adoration for Chuck has something to do with it. But his laughter at the end was so devilish that I almost feel bad about rooting for him. Almost. To think someone has such a misguided notion of doing justice.

21 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Whoever writes Chuck Sr.'s lines does a great job because I cannot stand the guy. What a tool!

I know, when Ira said he would trow up and Chuck Sr. said "well, you had some of the Ice Juice earlier". Heh! The man doesn't miss a beat. He is ruthless and funny and unapologetic. And the actor is amazing. Even him being such a prick, Chuck Sr. is someone I would very much enjoy being acquainted with, that would be a daily blast.

6 hours ago, jvr said:

He should have told her when she came to him with the information, something she wasn't allowed to do, instead of just brushing her off like some idiot. That's the only part I don't understand.

Me neither. Maybe because of fear his office could be wired? So no conversation that could be incriminatory should take place? Not for him and neither for Wendy (she could be accused of sharing inside information). So maybe that is why he made it seem like a simple domestic dispute between spouses (you think I am an idiot etc) and acted so smug about not leaving the stocks, so both could make a case, if necessary, that the discussion about selling the stocks was all about who has the biggest dick in the house, and not in any way related to inside information.

6 hours ago, cali1981 said:

I also love how Eric Bogosian's character was fully willing to sell Axe out to get sprung. 

Yes, that is very real and I also love it.

[RicoBillions]

Now I see why Rhodes brought that guy. Rhodes knows that guy will do some extreme vetting. (this is going to be bad).

[Pike Ludwell]

If Chuck has the goods totally on Bobby, as soon as that news and details hit, the stock will pop fast back to at least the offering price, and maybe back to the mid-20s. So the injured parties will recover nicely, and Chuck needs to get the news out there fast. Wendy, if she has any sense, should cover her short asap, but she will be included in the charges against Axelrod. She could win at court because her inside knowledge was just that Axelrod was heavily short -- not the details of why. Knowing that a hedge fund is shorting can be determined quickly as public knowledge.

Edited May 2, 2017 by riverclown

[jvr]

@riverclown They can definitely play it like that on the show, Chuck and Co. use the evidence on Bobby poisoning people to get the stock to bounce back, and I wouldn't think it was totally out of bounds or unrealistic. It would be interesting if that was part of Chucks plan from the beginning. But realistically that brand might never recover (especially a brand new one, or not as established), there would be large groups of people that just wouldn't want the product anymore. People that loved it will stick around, but profits will suffer (in the short term at least), momentum has taken a huge hit and the stock will reflect that. Maybe they could break even or make some money off the deal again (in the long term) but probably nothing of what they were expecting and giddy about on IPO day. People would take a wait and see approach. 

Chipotle (who I love so much) has only recently started to recover from their sickness outbreak almost 2 years ago, an incident most people had nearly a zero chance of ever being affected by. If they had announced during the outbreak that they discovered a competitor tainted the lettuce at select locations it might have helped. The brand might still be tainted today though (a punch line), the momentum they had might have still been stalled and they probably would have faced an uphill battle either way.

Edited May 2, 2017 by jvr

[seasquared]

I didn't think there was any impropriety in Wendy's jumping in on the short. I thought it would be public knowledge that Axe was shorting. And I was thinking that maybe Chuck told Wendy he was in on the IPO as a way to continue baiting Axe. If Axe found out that it wasn't just Rhodes Sr. but also CHUCK who was involved with IPO, wouldn't that make sure that the hook is dug deep in to the fish (to use a fishing metaphor) and make certain that Axe goes through with the sabotage? Because up to that point, Chuck's plan would only work if Axe went through with his.

[khyber]

Great episode. Didn't see the curve ball coming.

[Joimiaroxeu]

But why would Chuck assume that Wendy would tell Axe that he was in the IPO in a big way? To me that would not be something he could count on unless he deliberately provoked her in some way. I'd think he'd want her to steer clear given their previous troubles in that area. It's probably going to be tough for him to find out Wendy also shorted the stock because it may look to some more like they colluded than a fortunate coincidence.

Quote

Chipotle

Yep, I was thinking about them when it became apparent what Axe was doing. While wearing my lovely tinfoil hat I still think what happened with Chipotle was some kind of dirty tricks (no pun intended) instigated by a competitor. A competitor with deep pockets since the incidents were happening in several parts of the country. It probably didn't help that Chipotle was getting kind of full of themselves--IMO. They got a big reality check and will likely come out better for it if they do continue to recover. Now Ice Juice, I dunno. Seems too much like another health food fad.

[scrb]

Another loose end is that Axe would have shorted right before the people he hired to drink the contaminated bottles would have done the deed.

So a hot IPO, with all the institutions backing it up with research to buy the shares and the price almost doubles in the first day of trading but somehow, this one hedge fund gets in a lot of orders to short, just before the news breaks of people getting sick?

You bet that would be investigated, even if the FBI wasn't already tailing the people doing the staged drinking of the contaminated bottles.

Really is a reckless move by Bobby, thinking he could get away with it.

[roughing it]

It looks like Axe isn't completely out of the doghouse with Lara - could she have discovered the deleted voice mails after all?

[scrb]

17 minutes ago, roughing it said:

It looks like Axe isn't completely out of the doghouse with Lara - could she have discovered the deleted voice mails after all?

No she's trying.

But some part of her doesn't trust him, with good reason.

Time for a trophy wife!

[DarkRaichu]

Interesting episode.  Did not see Chuck's long con.  I get it.  Chuck was prevented from persecuting the casino deal by his political backer (can't remember the guys name).  So Chuck needed to reel in another big whale to solidify his chance to be elected governor(?).  Destroying his nemesis in the process would be the cherry on the top.

HOWEVER, Wendy's short play would be his undoing.  Wendy will be dragged through the mud along with Axe, that new Assistant DA with glasses will make sure of it

[Lemons]

On 5/1/2017 at 9:22 PM, nameless slob said:

That was such a wonderful episode! So satisfying. And validating. Since episode 9, when he found out about the books, and in his jiu jitsu class, when talking about luring the opponent, you could see there was something big coming.

I adore Paul Giamatti, and I think my adoration for Chuck has something to do with it. But his laughter at the end was so devilish that I almost feel bad about rooting for him. Almost. To think someone has such a misguided notion of doing justice.

 

I don't see him as misguided at all. He set up a brilliant sting. Axe took the bait and did what he always does. This time, Chuck's office has all the evidence. The losers got lucky this time. Chuck knowing what a low life criminal thug Axe is and not being able to prove it was driving him crazy.  Chuck finally got him and of course Wendy had to ruin it. Wendy will probably be Axe's bargaining chip. 

[PBSLover]

On 5/3/2017 at 10:08 AM, Lemons said:

Wendy will probably be Axe's bargaining chip. 

This. You nailed it.

[Jamey]

Chuck Jr really hasn't thought about the long term consequences of this play. Wendy is deep in this and will go to jail if Axe does. Combine what Axe knows about Chuck Sr's dealings with the casino with a very thorough Oliver Dake running Eastern and Chuck Sr is going to jail too. If Chuck Sr goes then Jack Foley is toast and there goes Chuck's political future. In the end Chuck could end up divorced, hated by his family and broke.

Edited May 5, 2017 by Jamey
Spelling

[Seppuku]

I find it very unrealistic and quite laughable that someone as smart as Axe would be so directly involved in the implementation of the operation as to be caught in the way he did.  Did he really need to personally deal with the  doctor, or be involved in recruiting those who will take the contaminated juice?! Come on!!  His special guy (Iceland) could've handled all that giving Axe plausible deniability. I know the writers tried to sell it by showing him "spiraling" leading to this operation but still, someone like him will NEVER directly get involved in such criminal conduct.  The writers only got him involved because they needed him to get busted.

[missyb]

On May 5, 2017 at 5:00 AM, Seppuku said:

I find it very unrealistic and quite laughable that someone as smart as Axe would be so directly involved in the implementation of the operation as to be caught in the way he did.  Did he really need to personally deal with the  doctor, or be involved in recruiting those who will take the contaminated juice?! Come on!!  His special guy (Iceland) could've handled all that giving Axe plausible deniability. I know the writers tried to sell it by showing him "spiraling" leading to this operation but still, someone like him will NEVER directly get involved in such criminal conduct.  The writers only got him involved because they needed him to get busted.

Yes to this post ! Someone with Bobby's business acumen would never got a both this the way we saw. Never ! He could be found at at every stage of this game. 

I have really enjoyed the entire season bit this was so disappointing. Maybe because deep down inside i am an Axe fan and Chuck actually disgusts me more. At least Bobby knows he is callous and a "thief" while Chuck acts as if this is all to give the American people justice. Its not for him. He desperately  wants to bring Bobby down for personal reasons. Primairly, his wife chose Bobby and Axe over him. A few times. They both go caught up in a cat and mouse game. 

But the big disappointment is that they have been giving us a showdown between two incredible intelligent men and Bobby makes the most amateurish mistake ever. 

[Lemons]

15 hours ago, missyb said:

Yes to this post ! Someone with Bobby's business acumen would never got a both this the way we saw. Never ! He could be found at at every stage of this game. 

I have really enjoyed the entire season bit this was so disappointing. Maybe because deep down inside i am an Axe fan and Chuck actually disgusts me more. At least Bobby knows he is callous and a "thief" while Chuck acts as if this is all to give the American people justice. Its not for him. He desperately  wants to bring Bobby down for personal reasons. Primairly, his wife chose Bobby and Axe over him. A few times. They both go caught up in a cat and mouse game. 

But the big disappointment is that they have been giving us a showdown between two incredible intelligent men and Bobby makes the most amateurish mistake ever. 

People a lot more brilliant than the Axe character have gotten caught. They really do develop a God complex and think they are invincible. They have gotten away with everything and don't think they will ever get caught and they get sloppy. I found it believable. You only need patience with scum like Axe. They all eventually mess up. 

[Carolina Girl]

One thing I haven't analyzed out is Axe's reaction to Wendy's participation.  He was over the top pissed about it.  Makes me wonder.   Also it surprises me that Axe met with all of these participants directly.  I think we may see another twist OR Chuck realize that now that Wendy can be implicated and jailed, he has to drop it.   Which would mean he sacrificed his fortune for nothing.    So many possibilities.   

[NeverLate]

We just finished season two .OMG, I love to binge on this very clever show. I knew Chuck was setting Axe up. But not as bad as that! 

I think Axe was pissed  Wendy bought in, he wanted Chuck and his father to gain nothing! Wendy is part of that family.Then it all blew up

I've always had the feeling there is great sexual chemistry between Wendy and Axe. 

What a great set up for season three! I adore Taylor!!

I think Damien Lewis is so hot! Phew! :)