S02.E12: Ball in Hand

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Axe receives news from an unexpected source that he's in the crosshairs of law enforcement. While Axe moves quickly to safeguard his livelihood, Chuck arranges the last pieces of his long game in order to secure victory. Lara marshals her resources to protect what’s hers. Wendy and Chuck make a momentous decision about the state of their marriage. Season finale.

[grommit2]

Didn't Chuck's wife save the family fortune by joining the short play?
Perhaps someone in law/finance can tell me:  does that make her liable for legal action - trading on inside knowledge?

[Rock knocker]

Insider trading is trading on information from inside a corporation (in this case Ice Juice).  Ax Capital is a trading company, so information of what they are doing is already outside the Ice Juice corporate sphere.

[AlwaysWatching]

Wow. That could be a series ender.  I haven't looked for any confirmation or anything - just making a comment.  I admit to not understanding most of what's going on in Axe Capital.  But, this is the type of show that is still great even if you've never owned a stock in your life. 

What a perfect ( or absolutely awful )  place for Axe and Chuck to be.  They did surprise me a bit with Wendy and Chuck at the very end.  Going back to the first scene of the first episode, if I remember correctly, it makes perfect sense.

[Rock knocker]

12 minutes ago, AlwaysWatching said:

Wow. That could be a series ender.  I haven't looked for any confirmation or anything - just making a comment. 

I think it already signed for season 3

[minamurray78]

This was a good episode. There was a time though, during all the preparations that were being made, when I feared in the end "Roberto" might no get arrested.

Somehow, both Mafee and Dollar Bill grew on me.

But what I like most about this show, is that wathever shit happens to the characters, they mostly have it coming. They have been scewed over and screwed someone else.

Oliver continues to act like a rookie. He's got a gazillion FBI agents at his disposal, yet he wasn't tailing Bobby since the day before he was going to arrest him? Guy like him could've been out of the country in a minute if he hadn't decided to confront the thing.

Edited May 8, 2017 by minamurray78

[PBSLover]

This episode was powerful.

Dying to know what’s going to happen when Chuck finds out Wendy is part of Axe’s short. This show needs more episodes.

[Artsda]

That was such a great episode, amazing pace and plot.  I loved Bobby running around all day.

So Axe got out of jail before Chuck even made it home? lol 

[scrb]

I would point out how disgraceful Lara was, scurrying around with bags full of cash, going to check her "status" as far as Axe's fortune, stashing a lot of it with her sister.

Oh but Axe did lie to her, or so she'd tell herself.

But the bottom line is that Bobby went to see Wendy before he (temporarily) lost his freedom, not Lara and the kids.  It was Wendy to whom he made promises once he was free again, not Lara.

What is that place suppose to be anyways, seemed like a busy intersection, not some place with the sentimental value to make them misty-eyed.

Thing is, Lara is the one with a legal claim to half his money so maybe she's the one he should have been hugging.

[coop]

I'm having trouble with Chuck having no problem at losing his entire inheritance as being worth it to bring Ax down.   Making his dad and buddy pawns in the scheme is totally consistent with Chuck's character.

It will be interesting to see how Chuck's dad's parting shot of proof of Wendy's infidelity with another man plays with Chuck.

[dwmarch]

1 hour ago, scrb said:

What is that place suppose to be anyways, seemed like a busy intersection, not some place with the sentimental value to make them misty-eyed.

That large, square pool behind them is the footprint of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.

[Auntie Anxiety]

Yes, that place is the 9/11 memorial.

[clb1016]

7 hours ago, minamurray78 said:

Somehow, both Mafee and Dollar Bill grew on me.

 

I would happily watch a show with just Dollar Bill, Mafee and Taylor, and Wags (in small doses).

[DarkRaichu]

4 hours ago, dwmarch said:

That large, square pool behind them is the footprint of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.

Where everything began (9\11).  Makes sense.

I gotta hand it to the actor who played Chuckk's dad.  I felt kind of sorry for that ruthless SOB.  I thought he was going to be all proud of Chuck.  The last shot of him looked like the end of Godfather 3, all alone and sad.

Heh at the end Wendy meant more to Axe than Lara.  That is not going to wnd well for Axe next season.

[queenbee9b]

Chuck made a lot of new enemies this time around that know too much -- the look on Watley's face during the final montage was intense.

[Artsda]

7 hours ago, scrb said:

 

I would point out how disgraceful Lara was, scurrying around with bags full of cash, going to check her "status" as far as Axe's fortune, stashing a lot of it with her sister.

 

Yes, she was pretty selfish all episode. Questioning if she should file for separation or divorce. Going to his lawyer, telling Axe she won't run, she was only concerned about her half the entire episode.

Axe having no prenup was really not the best idea for him.

[Adultosaurus]

40 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Yes, she was pretty selfish all episode. Questioning if she should file for separation or divorce. Going to his lawyer, telling Axe she won't run, she was only concerned about her half the entire episode.

Axe having no prenup was really not the best idea for him.

But VERY on-character.  His unquestionable love for Lara has been a grounding for Bobby this entire series.  For them to have had a pre-nup would have been jarring, I think

[scrb]

Who's Watley?

I don't know, Dollar Bill is pretty horrible.  He's going to use a more toxic substance at his dry cleaner to save costs.

I would think all those FBI agents showing up at Axe's properties and at Axe Capital would tip off the market and could hurt Axe Capital's holdings.

Didn't Chuck tell Ira they'd be able to recover the money?

[minamurray78]

7 minutes ago, scrb said:

Didn't Chuck tell Ira they'd be able to recover the money?

Ira will be able to sue Axe Capital... After Bobby gets convicted, It'll take years, they said maybe 7 years. Ira was getting ready to quit his job that very day. It was a hell of a blow.

Roadhes Sr however, will have to suck it up. His involvement with the juice business must remain hidden for a reason I... didn't quite get actually. In fact, I thought that would be a selling point in court and with the public opinion: that Ax sabotaged the juice knowing of Chuck's father's investment because of personal animosity against Chuck. But Ax cried entrapment. Was it really though? All Chuck did was make sure Bobby got the tip of what his father was doing. Which he could've heard from someone else, it's happened before. I'm not quite clear about this part.

I thought Lara would have figured Bobby wouldn't be able to make it home in time before the arrest, seeing how they searched her home moments after their phone conversation, which would have meant her cousin's phone was being listened to... Oh well. But I think Bobby would have expected her to take all the cash outta the house, since they knew the feds were coming. You know, it reminded me of a Soprano's episode, were all the bosses were attending a wedding and started leaving unexpectedly once they got wind the FBI were getting search warrants; Tony & Carmela were hiding cash, guns and jewlery in various hidey holes around the house, others were burning papers in their backyards, etc.

[AlwaysWatching]

28 minutes ago, scrb said:

Didn't Chuck tell Ira they'd be able to recover the money?

Let me see if I can get close on this one.  Ira can sue to get his money back because he suffered the damage.  Chuck's father can't sue, even though he also suffered damage,  because Chuck has talked his father into not telling anyone he put money in to the venture.  He "son" guilted him and he also knows his father does want to see him as Governor - even if his father kinda hates him right now.

Thanks Rock knocker!  I want another season!

[Waldo13]

13 hours ago, Rock knocker said:

Insider trading is trading on information from inside a corporation (in this case Ice Juice).  Ax Capital is a trading company, so information of what they are doing is already outside the Ice Juice corporate sphere.

That's not exactly true.  Insider trading occurs when a company employee gives information to a non employee about anything that can effect the stock price. This usually occurs when a quarterly loss or profit is given before the public announcement. It could be argued that once Wendy found out about Axe's short position, her shorting of the stock can name her as a co conspirator.  

For the most part, I find the show to be believable as to Axe and Chuck inner workings, but when the FBI raids Axe's home, with guns drawn, is absolutely ridiculous.

Why is Wendy taking Chuck back?  Does she know that Chuck used her to find Axe?   

[Adultosaurus]

I'm not sure Wendy "took" Chuck back, they just had a moment (as they have before).  I think George is going to figure prominently next season in regards to Chuck and his sexual proclivities.

22 minutes ago, Waldo13 said:

That's not exactly true.  Insider trading occurs when a company employee gives information to a non employee about anything that can effect the stock price. This usually occurs when a quarterly loss or profit is given before the public announcement. It could be argued that once Wendy found out about Axe's short position, her shorting of the stock can name her as a co conspirator.  

For the most part, I find the show to be believable as to Axe and Chuck inner workings, but when the FBI raids Axe's home, with guns drawn, is absolutely ridiculous.

Why is Wendy taking Chuck back?  Does she know that Chuck used her to find Axe?   

I worked in a building that housed a trading corp that came under fire - I can tell you that when the FBI descends, they descend with guns drawn.  It was very dramatic, and what I saw on Billions wasn't far from what I saw in real life.  There were just fewer agents - but all with guns and jackets and the like.

[CleoCaesar]

36 minutes ago, Waldo13 said:

For the most part, I find the show to be believable as to Axe and Chuck inner workings, but when the FBI raids Axe's home, with guns drawn, is absolutely ridiculous.

I could barely stop rolling my eyes during that scene. Really, two dozen FBI agents tearing up the house? Who are they hunting down, a key member of ISIS?

At the end of the day, I will hope that Axe triumphs regardless of his shady business dealings and will hope Chuck fails at everything regardless of how "moral" his position is.

[lampwick]

I thought it was reckless of Chuck to visit Axe in the jail cell.  Wasn't that conversation recorded?  If not, Dollar Bill told Axe to pay off the guard, and we see a guard at the end of their converstion, so I'm thinking maybe he has that conversation recorded with Chuck admitting that he lost a lot of money and that he definitely "trapped, not entrapped" Axe, but it was all worth it.  I would think that half cocked ego move by Chuck will come back to bite him in the ass.  And what is the fake back story of why Boyd was released?  Doesn't that need an explanation?  Boyd's tip to Axe was the catalyst for the entire trap.  Why wouldn't Axe want to admit that Boyd gave him that inside info?   Axe is on the hook for everything else, so how is Boyd's involvement and release going to be explained by Chuck?  I must have missed something...  I need to rewatch the last couple episodes.  

[Adultosaurus]

2 minutes ago, lampwick said:

I thought it was reckless of Chuck to visit Axe in the jail cell.  Wasn't that conversation recorded?  If not, Dollar Bill told Axe to pay off the guard, and we see a guard at the end of their converstion, so I'm thinking maybe he has that conversation recorded with Chuck admitting that he lost a lot of money and that he definitely "trapped, not entrapped" Axe, but it was all worth it.  I would think that half cocked ego move by Chuck will come back to bite him in the ass.  And what is the fake back story of why Boyd was released?  Doesn't that need an explanation?  Boyd's tip to Axe was the catalyst for the entire trap.  Why wouldn't Axe want to admit that Boyd gave him that inside info?   Axe is on the hook for everything else, so how is Boyd's involvement and release going to be explained by Chuck?  I must have missed something...  I need to rewatch the last couple episodes.  

Trapping is legal, entrapment isn't - so he's in the clear there.  Boyd made a deal to sing and get himself released - info from him wouldn't be considered inside info.

[roughing it]

43 minutes ago, CleoCaesar said:

At the end of the day, I will hope that Axe triumphs regardless of his shady business dealings and will hope Chuck fails at everything regardless of how "moral" his position is.

And I am of the opposite, hoping that Axe goes down.  I guess that's good programming, right?  That the "good" guy and the "bad" guy are to each their own.  In this case the "bad" Axe also has good qualities, and the "good" Chuck also has horrible qualities.  Both are flawed and let's the audience to decide whom they root for. 

[lampwick]

Oh yeah... wait til Bach tells Axe about Lara's angling

[lampwick]

Trapping is fine, but doesn't Boyd's deal trace back to Chuck?  I guess it doesn't matter, but Chuck admitted that Boyd went off book when he tipped off Axe about the arrest, which means he can't control Boyd, and he definitely cannot control Dake.  I think it's going to end up being Dake going after Axe and Chuck....Wendy, the dad, Lara... the whole lot of them.  Hell, he's already reporting Bach - Dake is obsessive, and he's fully nauseated by all of the characters involved.  He'll go full scorched earth.   Taylor will have to save everybody - or Just replace Axe permanently.   What happens when Taylor finds out what Axe did with the poisoning scheme?  Does she care?  She might feel it's one reindeer game too many.   

[scrb]

In one of the previously on Billions clips, they showed Axe asking the doctor to make sure the bug they used as contaminant won't cause permanent damage and then showed one of the fakers vomiting a red stream.

I thought maybe someone who took the contaminated juice was going to get real sick or die.

Or maybe some innocent bystander somehow drank the contaminated juice.

That would make Axe liable to criminal prosecution, though manipulation of stock is criminal too.

If the FBI showed footage of the staged poisonings, it might drive investors from Axe Capital.  In fact the publicity would make it almost impossible to get a cushy plea deal, where they just pay a big fine and are barred from certain types of trading for a few years.

But they will probably find a way to keep him out of prison or even have a prolonged trial which takes up most of the season because that might change the show.  If Bobby is out of the action too long, then it's just not the same show since he's one of the leads.

[PBSLover]

I’ve posted a bit but now having a thought about, I have questions/comments:

1) We never did a reason for the Sacker/Connerty break up.  Too similar in personality?  Sacker was virtually nonexistent this season so it will be interesting to see what happens to her character.

2) Lara/Axe - an interesting storyline to be sure.  First season: happy couple, wife sacrifices what she loves (restaurant and farm) for her husband, but she did have to keep saying we when Axe would say me. Second season: Lara launches another business but does not feel her husband’s support, and then there is the Axe/Wendy complication.  Didn’t she think it a bit odd that Wendy left Axe Capital and her husband at the same time.  Why is she so bitter towards Wendy? Is Lara just feeling insecure? Don’t these people talk to each other when we are not watching?????  Ha! 

When Lara disappeared and Axe was calling her over and over, one of the messages said, "Wendy is good for Axe Capital and what is good for Axe Capital is good for you.  Why don’t you know that?  You used to know that.”  So after her encounter with Wendy at the apartment does she realize that Wendy is not her enemy?  Her actions are very over the top (the money on the table at Bach’s office was so Black Widow), so it will be interesting to see what happens.

3) Does Chuck have a shoe or foot fetish on top of his BDSM proclivity?  

4) Chuck.  It’s all too complicated at this point. Last season he lost Wendy and his fight with Axe.  This season he got Wendy back but lost his dad and his best friend and possibly through his hate, his run for governor.  Next season will be interesting.

5) Hall or Hull. That was unexpected.

6) Taylor and Wendy are my two favorite characters on the show.  Taylor is just fascinating.

[PBSLover]

2 hours ago, scrb said:

Who's Watley?

Lonnie.

[Adultosaurus]

2 minutes ago, PBSLover said:

I’ve posted a bit but now having a thought about, I have questions/comments:

1) We never did a reason for the Sacker/Connerty break up.  Too similar in personality?  Sacker was virtually nonexistent this season so it will be interesting to see what happens to her character.

2) Lara/Axe - an interesting storyline to be sure.  First season: happy couple, wife sacrifices what she loves (restaurant and farm) for her husband, but she did have to keep saying we when Axe would say me. Second season: Lara launches another business but does not feel her husband’s support, and then there is the Axe/Wendy complication.  Didn’t she think it a bit odd that Wendy left Axe Capital and her husband at the same time.  Why is she so bitter towards Wendy? Is Lara just feeling insecure? Don’t these people talk to each other when we are not watching?????  Ha! 

When Lara disappeared and Axe was calling her over and over, one of the messages said, "Wendy is good for Axe Capital and what is good for Axe Capital is good for you.  Why don’t you know that?  You used to know that.”  So after her encounter with Wendy at the apartment does she realize that Wendy is not her enemy?  Her actions are very over the top (the money on the table at Bach’s office was so Black Widow), so it will be interesting to see what happens.

3) Does Chuck have a shoe or foot fetish on top of his BDSM proclivity?  

4) Chuck.  It’s all too complicated at this point. Last season he lost Wendy and his fight with Axe.  This season he got Wendy back but lost his dad and his best friend and possibly through his hate, his run for governor.  Next season will be interesting.

5) Hall or Hull. That was unexpected.

6) Taylor and Wendy are my two favorite characters on the show.  Taylor is just fascinating.

1:  Connerty showed some weakness in character, and it turned Sacker off immediately.  #2 Lara seems to try to be anything but an alpha's wife, but that's really all she is. She is threatened by Wendy because Axe cares about someone other than her.   #3 Yes - that was made clear in the first sub/dom episode b/w him and Wendy  #4  He hasn't gotten Wendy back - but the run for Albany will be interesting.  #5 Hall.  And I'm sad he might not be back.  #6  I agree with Taylor - Wendy is superfluous to me and doesn't add at all to the story.

[Lemons]

1 hour ago, roughing it said:

 In this case the "bad" Axe also has good qualities, and the "good" Chuck also has horrible qualities.  

I thought this at first, but I don't really see any of Axe's good qualities.  I can understand Chuck's obsession with bringing Axe down.  It's like cops, you know someone's guilty and  you can't rest until you see them arrested.  It's Chuck's job to see that people breaking the law go down.  Chuck's co-workers wanted to see Axe go down just as bad.  With Chuck it did have a personal element to it, complicating matters.  

Axe, on the other hand, was motivated by pure hate.  He risked his livelihood along with hundreds of his employees just to settle a beef.  Axe did not have to take the bait.  He could have lived his greedy life with his embarrassingly huge estates and just let it go.  But no, he's a despicable hateful man and he couldn't control himself.   I root for Chuck all the way.

[clb1016]

1 hour ago, Adultosaurus said:

1:  Connerty showed some weakness in character, and it turned Sacker off immediately.  #2 Lara seems to try to be anything but an alpha's wife, but that's really all she is. She is threatened by Wendy because Axe cares about someone other than her.   #3 Yes - that was made clear in the first sub/dom episode b/w him and Wendy  #4  He hasn't gotten Wendy back - but the run for Albany will be interesting.  #5 Hall.  And I'm sad he might not be back.  #6  I agree with Taylor - Wendy is superfluous to me and doesn't add at all to the story.

Your first sentence @ #2 above is the key here, I believe.  Axe respects Wendy as a professional--indeed, considers her vital to his business (I, on the other hand, am baffled) whereas Lara hasn't succeeded as a businesswoman beyond her ability to throw money into something.  Axe seems to respect Lara's instincts, and he encourages (indulges?) her when she has a new project.  But it seems like for her it's more "Ooh! What a great idea!" rather than taking a hard, cold-eyed look at the enterprise and doing the research/prep that someone with real business acumen would do, as Axe pointed out to her a few episodes back.

[Adultosaurus]

I think Lara (sadly, though I don't love the character) is posited here as a normative "guy should have a wife" character...so her arc doesn't really take too much attention away.  It's interesting that they make Bobby very loyal to her, and there is no question about his personal/sexual morality.

[Waldo13]

4 hours ago, Adultosaurus said:

I'm not sure Wendy "took" Chuck back, they just had a moment (as they have before).  I think George is going to figure prominently next season in regards to Chuck and his sexual proclivities.

I worked in a building that housed a trading corp that came under fire - I can tell you that when the FBI descends, they descend with guns drawn.  It was very dramatic, and what I saw on Billions wasn't far from what I saw in real life.  There were just fewer agents - but all with guns and jackets and the like.

I'm not doubting you but when the FBI decended on Axe's office last season, no guns were drawn.  

[dmc]

I have so much to say about this episode. First I was really sorry for Chuck's dad yes he's a terrible person but he really really loves Chuck so I still feel terrible for him.  I got to say I'm pretty shocked about Lara.  I get that she's upset about the lie and some other stuff but it's quite a journey from being willing to do anything for someone to finding out there about to go to jail and looking out for yourself.   I'm not sure that I feel like I saw enough go wrong between them to see that kind of behavior.  Axe finds out he's going to be arrested and the person he goes to Wendy.  I mean I know these two had problems the season but I really didn't see enough distance between the two of them for these things to be happening in the finale.  The interesting thing to me is in the final scene between both men you can tell Axe  realizes he screwed up and he asked Wendy how can you get back to the person he was before.  Chuck is now exactly were Axe was at the beginning of the season...willing to do anything to get ahead.  Also I don't know if you guys caught it but Wendy whispered something to axe right before he was arrested.  I bet anything she was telling him she would help him get out of this and that's the reason why she went home to her husband

Edited May 8, 2017 by dmc

[Seppuku]

1 hour ago, Waldo13 said:

I'm not doubting you but when the FBI decended on Axe's office last season, no guns were drawn.  

Maybe because this time Axe appeared to be on the run and trying to escape whereas last time they were going after physical objects in the office?!

 

regarding the going to see Wendy when he knew/thought he's going to prison, Axe knew he would be out in few hours so it's not like he wasn't going to see Lana for lon time.  He did need to make sure, however, that things are ready at the office, and part of that was making sure Wendy is on board since he believes she's so crucial to the success of the firm (I don't see it myself; nothing she said has resonated with me as being some mind blowingly insightful or inspiring)

Edited May 8, 2017 by Seppuku

[minamurray78]

55 minutes ago, Seppuku said:

Maybe because this time Axe appeared to be on the run and trying to escape whereas last time they were going after physical objects in the office?!

I do remember Connerty showing up at Axe Capital was for Dollar Bill's arrest, with an impressive amount of agents (including the one he was having an affair with) but no guns drawn that time. Maybe they were just trying to make Axe's arrest look more risky or intimidatory. Was it really necessary to torch the vault door without bothering to ask the wife to open it first? How long would that have taken really? I don't think Axe would get any old cheap thing. 

[PBSLover]

2 hours ago, dmc said:

Also I don't know if you guys caught it but Wendy whispered something to axe right before he was arrested.  I bet anything she was telling him she would help him get out of this and that's the reason why she went home to her husband

I watched the episode again and it looked like she said, “You’ll be fine" or "You’ll be alright.” I need to watch again to be sure.  I thought it was something important as well the first time I watched but re-watching, it looked like she just said something comforting. 

Edited May 9, 2017 by PBSLover

[The Mighty Peanut]

4 hours ago, dmc said:

I have so much to say about this episode. First I was really sorry for Chuck's dad yes he's a terrible person but he really really loves Chuck so I still feel terrible for him.  I got to say I'm pretty shocked about Lara.  I get that she's upset about the lie and some other stuff but it's quite a journey from being willing to do anything for someone to finding out there about to go to jail and looking out for yourself.   I'm not sure that I feel like I saw enough go wrong between them to see that kind of behavior.  Axe finds out he's going to be arrested and the person he goes to Wendy.  I mean I know these two had problems the season but I really didn't see enough distance between the two of them for these things to be happening in the finale.  The interesting thing to me is in the final scene between both men you can tell Axe  realizes he screwed up and he asked Wendy how can you get back to the person he was before.  Chuck is now exactly were Axe was at the beginning of the season...willing to do anything to get ahead.  Also I don't know if you guys caught it but Wendy whispered something to axe right before he was arrested.  I bet anything she was telling him she would help him get out of this and that's the reason why she went home to her husband

Yeah, I agree. I get being upset that Axe has a close emotional bond with another woman he has known longer, but she went from being totally guns blazing, ride or die, us against the world, to exploring divorce options and offering stacks of cash for inside legal advice. The lie he told was not that big a deal. He just kind of puffed himself up by making the no sessions with Wendy thing seem like it was his idea. Yeah, he should have said he wanted Wendy back because she helps performance there and while they were discussing the terms of their agreement she came up with the idea which he felt was appropriate. But, IIRC it's not like he said she came crawling back begging for her old job and out of loyalty and respect for their history he reluctantly rehired her based on certain conditions. He just wanted to sound like Mr. Badass Take Charge Terminator Guy in front of his wife, whom he actually does respect. 

Now, if Lara reconsidered being with

A) a criminal

B) someone who, when she asked for some time apart, had her followed and left a series of increasingly unhinged/erratic voicemails

C) a person who would straight up destroy an entire community over a casino license 

D) a man who would spend the night naked in a hot tub with her arch nemesis "to make sure he could trust her" 

...Then I'd understand. But he took credit for a rather unimportant idea. And she was the one who urged him to ruin peoples' lives because no one personally looked out for her whem she was poor.

Edited May 9, 2017 by The Mighty Peanut

[dmc]

2 hours ago, PBSLover said:

I watched the episode again and it looked like she said, “You’ll be fine" or "You’ll be alright.” I need to watch again to be sure.  I thought it was something important as well the first time I watched but re-watching, it looked like she just said something comforting. 

I have to watch again as well, I always miss stuff the first time

59 minutes ago, The Mighty Peanut said:

Yeah, I agree. I get being upset that Axe has a close emotional bond with another woman he has known longer, but she went from being totally guns blazing, ride or die, us against the world, to exploring divorce options and offering stacks of cash for inside legal advice. The lie he told was not that big a deal. He just kind of puffed himself up by making the no sessions with Wendy thing seem like it was his idea. Yeah, he should have said he wanted Wendy back because she helps performance there and while they were discussing the terms of their agreement she came up with the idea which he felt was appropriate. But, IIRC it's not like he said she came crawling back begging for her old job and out of loyalty and respect for their history he reluctantly rehired her based on certain conditions. He just wanted to sound like Mr. Badass Take Charge Terminator Guy in front of his wife, whom he actually does respect. 

Now, if Lara reconsidered being with

A) a criminal

B) someone who, when she asked for some time apart, had her followed and left a series of increasingly unhinged/erratic voicemails

C) a person who would straight up destroy an entire community over a casino license 

D) a man who would spend the night naked in a hot tub with her arch nemesis "to make sure he could trust her" 

...Then I'd understand. But he took credit for a rather unimportant idea. And she was the one who urged him to ruin peoples' lives because no one personally looked out for her whem she was poor.

Exactly sorry but it seems drastic for her to act like this.  He lies once and didn't support your bad business idea...:/

[Adultosaurus]

2 hours ago, dmc said:

I have to watch again as well, I always miss stuff the first time

Exactly sorry but it seems drastic for her to act like this.  He lies once and didn't support your bad business idea...:/

Seriously though, Lara is not a major player in this story at all.  She's even usurped by Wendy in the finale...

[dwmarch]

10 hours ago, PBSLover said:

Does Chuck have a shoe or foot fetish on top of his BDSM proclivity? 

That is how I have read his scenes with MLP. When she takes off those giant kinky heels he definitely notices and she notices him noticing. But since he did hand her a laptop full of his BDSM adventures it shouldn't surprise her. I think it did surprise Chuck that she didn't show up in tennis shoes after seeing what was on that laptop.

There was also a scene an episode or two ago where Chuck's dominatrix brought him great pleasure/pain by stepping on his hand. And whenever Wendy is feeling kinky she's always got thigh high boots on (which she sometimes wears to the office as she did this episode!) so I'm pretty sure Chuck has a deep appreciation for kinky footwear.

[Adultosaurus]

I think MLP is going to figure huge next season, for this reason. George knows Chuck's proclivities, and she's leaning in to them.  

[dmc]

5 hours ago, Adultosaurus said:

Seriously though, Lara is not a major player in this story at all.  She's even usurped by Wendy in the finale...

Because she sucks lol

[Mileman]

Malin Akerman is doing a great job portraying someone so easy to hate.

If the idea of the folks running the show is to show someone that everyone wants dead, then they cast the perfect person.

[Rock knocker]

23 hours ago, Waldo13 said:

That's not exactly true.  Insider trading occurs when a company employee gives information to a non employee about anything that can effect the stock price. This usually occurs when a quarterly loss or profit is given before the public announcement. It could be argued that once Wendy found out about Axe's short position, her shorting of the stock can name her as a co conspirator.  

 

Insider trading is transactions by anyone based on confidential information from inside the company or outsiders with access to confidential information, such as legal council, auditors, accountants and employees of regulatory agencies.  Wendy's trading was not based on any information from or about inside Ice Juice, but instead about what a brokerage company was going to do outside the Ice Juice corporate sphere.

 

http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/192.asp

https://www.sec.gov/fast-answers/answersinsiderhtm.html

Edited May 9, 2017 by Rock knocker

[scrb]

Only other thing I've seen her in is the Lisa Kudrow HBO show where the character she plays is nice.

So the actress gets some credit for showing some range?

[PBSLover]

How about when the FBI show up at Axelrod’s home, Lara and her cigarette?  The way she played it was right out of a 1940’s movie: cops at the door and the uncaring harlot/street walker/prostitute answers the door leisurely dragging on her smoke.