S04.E12: Extreme Sandbox

[scrb]

Quote

Axe makes a big decision; Connerty gets closer to the truth; tensions rise and dynamics shift.

OK some abrupt about-faces and other decisions here.

We already knew Axe was going to go scorched earth on Taylor, even if it meant Rebecca was going to be collateral damage.  Of course she's going to make a ton but the ruthless private equity raiderette really had her heart set on actually running a dept. store rather than sell it for parts and walk away with a big profit after a short time.

Enough so that she dumps Axe, which he anticipated but still went through with his plan, though at the end, he's suppose to be sad Bobby.

Taylor all of a sudden was going to drop her vendetta against Axe and promised her troops she'd be good.

Axe meanwhile wanted Chuck to bust Taylor for doing some illegal deal out of desperation, after Axe screws her and Rebecca over on the Salers deal.  But he sent fucking Rudy to entrap her?  And Rudy gives up the game by singing opera?

Wendy gets off with a light slap on the wrist and keeps her medical license.  She thinks Chuck did something and he lets her believe that.  But then iPad notification shows Axe bribed the medical board guy.  So Wendy leave Chuck and the children right then and there.  Talk about rash decisions.  Sure Chuck tried to deceive her but she leaves without the kids?

Because she was going to Axe's place and didn't want to bring along baggage ...  She could have taken all the baggage -- literal and figurative -- to go to her mom's or some sibling's or some platonic friend's place.

Chuck has been stewing for awhile with his deal with Axe, who's been ordering him around.  The final straw was making Wendy leave.  So instead of arresting Taylor, he tries to turn her.

Then another abrupt act, Taylor agrees to be the mole but her real plan is to try to take down both men.  The kindler, gentler Taylor vanishes within an hour!

Meanwhile Chuck and Sr. has been running a con on that fucking idiot Connerty, who actually went to break into the safe instead of sending some henchman.  There are these things called cameras and microphones which Bryan thought only he used.  Little did he know his brother was lousy at casing the joint and Sacker was ready to shiv him to get his job.

I think he'll come back at some point, can't imagine this is the last of him.  But good riddance to Jock and his folksy bon mots about balls!

[dmc]

Shit.  What an episode.  

The scene with Axe after the board meeting with Rebecca.  I usually like Axe but there is coldness there we seen hinted at (9/11) but this seems so blatant.  Also you can totally tell he’s done with Rebecca not sure why he feeds her let’s see what’s between us line...

Chuck is equally terrible.  Chuck has a lot of low points in his marriage but his scene with Wendy is meant to parallel Axe’s scene with Rebecca. Both sacrificed people who didn’t mean that much to them for something and they both lie about it.  Chuck tells Wendy he did help her.  Axe tells Rebecca we were both screwed over now we can move on.  Both are lying.  Chuck is finally listening to his dad and putting Wendy last and his ambition first.  Axe liked Rebecca enough until her disposal could help him.

We are being shown again and again, they are the same person.  Then both feel bad but would make the same choice again.  

Wendy is better off with Axe because he tells Wags correctly he’s only a gentleman for her and that’s all.  But the question is would you want someone whose capable of this?  Also Axe’s view of loyalty is you are loyal to him and he gets to do what he wants.  

[Joimiaroxeu]

Rodomontade. I like when TV shows teach me new vocabulary words.

So, vengeance is mine, sayeth Axe. I'm just not seeing why gutting Rebecca in such a public way was necessary. Did he seriously think she'd want to have anything to do with him after that?

Alrighty then, the Chuck & Axe band is starting to break up finally.

I don't  see how Axe could possibly trust Taylor, even if he does think he has them under his thumb.

Taylor playing the long game to take both Axe and Chuck out--or position them to take each other out. I am ready for it.

I'm predicting that next season Lauren is going to sleep with either Wags or Axe himself in support of Taylor's plan. At least I hope it'll be them and not one of the lessor bozos at AC.

Quote

Because she was going to Axe's place and didn't want to bring along baggage ...  She could have taken all the baggage -- literal and figurative -- to go to her mom's or some sibling's or some platonic friend's place.

Yeah. Did she really half think Axe would take a gratitude screw from her? It appears he actually has more respect for her than that. Plus, I think if he wanted to go there he would've done so before now.

[ApathyMonger]

That ending definitely seems to be setting up a final season, getting back to the Chuck v Axe dynamic? I love the show, but I wouldn't be disappointed if they announce it's ending next year.

It's still Showtime though, so who knows.

[scrb]

As long as the major cast members want to keep doing it, I think Showtime would keep running it.

Or the leads demand too much money eventually.

OK I get that these guys are very smart, well-educated.  But I don't see bankers and politically-ambitious prosecutors being literary day in and day out, with multiple references throughout the day.

They're suppose to log in tons of hours in their high-profile jobs.  I doubt they're reading the canon.  

Of course the way the dialog is written with these cultural references, the screen writers are Googling and reading up on these things they drop references to, before crafting lines around them.

[Broderbits]

47 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

So, vengeance is mine, sayeth Axe. I'm just not seeing why gutting Rebecca in such a public way was necessary. Did he seriously think she'd want to have anything to do with him after that?

And he used the classic abuser's excuse: Look what you made me do.

I think he would have continued the sexual relationship if she was willing, I just don't understand how he could possibly think she would ever forgive him. Maybe next season she'll team with Chuck & Taylor.

[scrb]

I think they won't have the character back next season.

Maybe in a couple of episodes here and there.  She'll be about as present as Lara or the Axelrod sons.

[LibertarianSlut]

Does anyone know what Chuck said to Jeffcoat in Italian?

[janeta]

Ok so you can seriously pay someone to do that to you??

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

Does anyone know what Chuck said to Jeffcoat in Italian?

An apparent native Italian speaker on reddit provided a detailed translation here.

I don't know, it's some pretty nasty stuff and is warranted, at least from Chuck's POV. However, what's the point if the person it's aimed at doesn't speak the language? Sure Jeffcoat got the gist from Chuck's tone but for all he knew Chuck could've been spewing gibberish.

[janeta]

Oh I like that look on Connerty... 🙂

[chick binewski]

3 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

An apparent native Italian speaker on reddit provided a detailed translation here.

I don't know, it's some pretty nasty stuff and is warranted, at least from Chuck's POV. However, what's the point if the person it's aimed at doesn't speak the language? Sure Jeffcoat got the gist from Chuck's tone but for all he knew Chuck could've been spewing gibberish.

To me it was similar to every pop culture nod or fad reference the writers insert - to show how smart the character is (or thinks they are).

I'm guessing the presence of Idiot brother during the break-in will be some kind of negotiation tool that will keep Connerty in the dealing mix next season. 

This is the first episode I didn't dislike Not Courtney Love. Also, now I want pancakes.

[janeta]

If we’re done with Jock and Connerty that will be fine. I figured Chuck might be setting them up; glad it worked out, and that Sacker came out on the side of, if not the angels, at least not the actual devil. 😁

[juno]

Not sure how many more times we can cycle through the Chuck vs Axe conflagration. This show is blessed with very good acting and mostly good writing but if it continues I am sensing a shark sighting in the fifth season.

I was mostly disappointed in Wendy this season. She was angry that Chuck took credit and lied about the medical license being restored but it didn't seem to bother her that Axe had bought that reinstatement. Basically bribing a medical board to reinstate her when she didn't deserve it and she acknowledged that she didn't deserve it.

My guess is the show-runners intend to make them all so loathsome that the most likable of this group will come out on top.

[jvr]

Damn this episode was packed! So good. Maybe the best of the season. 

Connerty is a fucking idiot. I feel like I've typed that every time I post in here but it's true (and I love that this ep gave him that official title). No wonder Sacker dumped his ass, she could smell the fucking stupid on him and she wasn't gonna let him sink her ship. I still don't understand wtf was going on in his brain, and why he was so obsessed with Chuck so much (to the point of allowing Axe to run free). Chuck definitely broke the law in his pursuit of the criminal that is Axe but the second Connerty got in the seat he was breaking the law in his pursuit of Chuck! You doing the same shit fool. Anyway, looks like he is gone. I wonder if Kate will wind up in the coveted seat now.

9 hours ago, scrb said:

 So Wendy leave Chuck and the children right then and there.  Talk about rash decisions.  Sure Chuck tried to deceive her but she leaves without the kids?

Because she was going to Axe's place and didn't want to bring along baggage ...  She could have taken all the baggage -- literal and figurative -- to go to her mom's or some sibling's or some platonic friend's place.

Why does society shackle women to their children? Those kids have a beautiful home and a father that has not been shown to be abusive or unable to care for them (and they both have full time jobs so it's not like she is their full time caregiver). It makes no sense for Wendy to drag them out of their warm bed as if their life was in danger just because she is finally done with Chuck. It would not be better for them to be uprooted and sleeping in strange places... she left the house, not their lives. Any custody issues can be dealt with later.

I agree that there is no reason that Axe would trust Taylor at this point. He has to know that he has gone above and beyond in destroying them and there is no way things will be ok between them. I'm interested in how this all plays out but I hope Axe is not played as dumb, I hope he is legitimately outsmarted.

edited:

21 minutes ago, juno said:

I was mostly disappointed in Wendy this season. She was angry that Chuck took credit and lied about the medical license being restored but it didn't seem to bother her that Axe had bought that reinstatement. Basically bribing a medical board to reinstate her when she didn't deserve it and she acknowledged that she didn't deserve it.

I feel like people put Wendy up on some pedestal she couldn't possible live up to (on this show). She is far better than most of these assholes yet she is the most maligned at times. Anyway, why would she be necessarily mad at Axe for paying someone off when she was asking her husband to pull political strings to lessen her punishment? I don't think she is proud or happy about any of it, just very grateful that someone seems to care about her.

Edited June 10, 2019 by jvr

[Chaos Theory]

OK that was a pretty interesting season finale. Is anyone surprised that Alex screwed with Rebecca’s company. That was probably the most obvious thing about the episode.  It was still cruel and his explanation was a perfect representation of who he is.  

I loved the revelation that Connerty was “the idiot”. We watched him break several laws in his quest to arrest Chuck and the end with him listening in on a private conversation is enough to end him.  Of course Chuck has been planning this for awhile.

And of course Axe being the one to get Wendy back her medical license will be what ends the alliance between Axe and Chuck.   Wendy choosing Axe over her marriage would be enough to send Chuck to Taylor who actually does make  a good  adversary for them both .   Taylor is smart enough to play both sides and will be an interesting player next season.

For a moment  there I thought Axe and Wendy were going to have sex when they were making that bed together.  I’m kind of glad they didn’t though they make better friends than they would’ve been romantic partners.   As we know what happens to all of Axe’s love interests.  

Side note:  “Behind Blue Eyes”. Is actually a apt song for Wendy.  It was timed all wrong but it fits her personality real well. 

Edited June 10, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[kieyra]

1 minute ago, Chaos Theory said:

Side note:  “Behind Blue Eyes”. Is actually a apt song for Wendy.  It was timed all wrong but it fits her personality real well. 

Poorly-timed and excruciatingly “on-the-nose” musical choices are a hallmark of this show.

[Dminches]

I enjoyed the finale and the set up for next year's "Axe vs. Chuck," but I did find the Connerty story line to be ridiculously far fetched.  For starters, there is no way someone at his level would physically be part of the break-in.  Second, he would have gotten someone else to listen to the recording.  Given how easy it was for him to get his hands on it he would have had someone do it long ago.

Props to Axe for not suggesting that Wendy spend the night in his room.  Maybe not believable, but appropriate.  I think he respects her more than any other single person on earth other than himself.

I would also think that Taylor would have had enough of this revenge behavior.  Now she is putting herself between 2 heavyweights.

It does make for good teevee!

Edited June 10, 2019 by Dminches

[Eyes High]

Jeffcoat has always been a ridiculous character, so I can't say I'm sorry to see him gone.

Chuck cussing out Jeffcoat in Italian was cringeworthy, even for this show.

Krakow is one of the show's great minor characters, and he was a lot of fun in this episode.

Why did the writers need to "explain" why Taylor realized that something was off about Rudy's pitch by tying it to the aria Rudy chose? Sometimes things just smell wrong, and Taylor must have some sort of instinct in that department by now. (There's a great story about how Bernie Madoff, a matter of weeks before his Ponzi scheme was outed, made a pitch to billionaire Kenneth Langone seeking a $500 million "investment." Langone realized that something was off and ultimately decided not to invest.)

15 hours ago, kieyra said:

Poorly-timed and excruciatingly “on-the-nose” musical choices are a hallmark of this show.

It's gotten pretty shameless. "New Year's Day" for an episode on New Year's Day? "Saboteurs" for when Axe decides to fuck over Rebecca? The Pogues for an Irish bar scene?

Edited June 10, 2019 by Eyes High

[kieyra]

1 hour ago, Eyes High said:

It's gotten pretty shameless. "New Year's Day" for an episode on New Year's Day? "Saboteurs" for when Axe decides to fuck over Rebecca? The Pogues for an Irish bar scene?

I'm being 100% honest here: I didn't watch the New Year's Day episode because I knew there was a good chance they would be deploying U2's "New Year's Day" in a way that would aggravate the heck out of me. 

[Chaos Theory]

Taylor makes too good of an advisory to go out with a single blow.   They makes a much better catalyst for a bigger war between Chuck and Axe.  Put Taylor in the middle with Their people playing both sides and see what happens.    

[missyb]

So Chuck can trace back all his "bad behavior" to  one Bobby Axelrod??  Its all about blaming it on your nemesis Bobby and not your abhorrent self ? Or your ruthless father whose knees you studied at ?

Ok then. At least Bobby knows he is a vindictive asshole who can't let anything go if he is not the declared winner. Chuck  just blames it on Bobby.

[hoodooznoodooz]

“Hi, Taylor! Hi, Mafee!” made me smile.

[Starchild]

I love Ben!

[mledawn]

Three seasons later and we're still struggling with Taylor's pronouns? Come tf on.

Billions is no longer must-see tv, which is disappointing. These people are all such assholes.

[talktoomuch]

On 6/9/2019 at 9:21 PM, jvr said:

I feel like people put Wendy up on some pedestal she couldn't possible live up to (on this show). She is far better than most of these assholes yet she is the most maligned at times. Anyway, why would she be necessarily mad at Axe for paying someone off when she was asking her husband to pull political strings to lessen her punishment? I don't think she is proud or happy about any of it, just very grateful that someone seems to care about her.

Wendy and Sacker are far better than most people on this show (except Ben Kim and Mafee) because they both have consciouses. They aren't perfect; both are climbers and often do deceptive things to get what they want. But they are better than Chuck, Axe, Senior, Connerty, Jeffcoat, etc.

My biggest problem is that the show is always showing us why Wendy and Axe should be OTP but has never shown us why Wendy even married Chuck. It has been clear since the first episode that she doesn't love him, and mostly doesn't even like him.

Are they afraid we won't root for the reddish golden boy if Wendy is truly torn? It would make such a better story, more actual tension and a more suspenseful storyline if Chuck were a true foe for Axe both professionally and personally. Instead we always get deneutered Chuck, machismo Axe and smitten Wendy. Come on show!

22 hours ago, Dminches said:

I would also think that Taylor would have had enough of this revenge behavior.  Now she is putting herself between 2 heavyweights.

Taylor had had enough of the revenge stuff, hence the speech to their team that they were refocused. If Chuck hadn't pulled them back in, I have no doubt that that would have been the end of it for them. They had already declined to go after Wendy further and buried the ax (ha!) with Axe's GF to their own financial risk. What more show of retreat could they have made to Axe?

Axe and Chuck are the ones who pulled Taylor back into their selfish, petty orbit for their own selfish, petty gain with no regard for how it may affect them. As they do. And I am 100% rooting for Taylor to end them both. 

[Chaos Theory]

First off their are a handful of true white hats on the show.  Honestly I find them boring on a show like this.   I don’t even know most of the peoples names in Axe’s shop because the goodish ones I find boring.

On the other hand most of the characters are actually gray hats.  Wendy, Taylor and Sacker are all different degrees of gray.  Wendy is more loyal to Axe then she is Chuck.  But then that is the source of a lot of Chucks anger toward  Axe.   Do I want Wendy and Axe to be a couple?  No.     They make much better allies then they ever would as romantic partners.   Wendy being the one person Axe would never fuck over but Wendy knowing him well enough to not put him in the position to have to.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Sacker as a recurring character.   Maybe ally herself with Taylor to get back at Axe.   I forget the blonde woman’s name on Taylor’s team but I really like her and would love more scenes with her and Axe’s crew.   Have her loyalty tested by money and power.

But Ultimately the is a war between Axe and Chuck.  Two house,  both alike in dignity,  in fair New York. 

[Lemons]

5 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

First off their are a handful of true white hats on the show.  Honestly I find them boring on a show like this.   I don’t even know most of the peoples names in Axe’s shop because the goodish ones I find boring.

On the other hand most of the characters are actually gray hats.  Wendy, Taylor and Sacker are all different degrees of gray.  Wendy is more loyal to Axe then she is Chuck.  But then that is the source of a lot of Chucks anger toward  Axe.   Do I want Wendy and Axe to be a couple?  No.     They make much better allies then they ever would as romantic partners.   Wendy being the one person Axe would never fuck over but Wendy knowing him well enough to not put him in the position to have to.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Sacker as a recurring character.   Maybe ally herself with Taylor to get back at Axe.   I forget the blonde woman’s name on Taylor’s team but I really like her and would love more scenes with her and Axe’s crew.   Have her loyalty tested by money and power.

But Ultimately the is a war between Axe and Chuck.  Two house,  both alike in dignity,  in fair New York. 

I don’t know.  I think the Axe/Chuck thing started with chuck being an attorney for the Southern District and Axe was the type of crook they go after.  He became obsessed and did whatever was necessary to bring Axe down, even crossing ethical lines which did a lot of damage. 

They called a truce for awhile and Axe now seems to think he’s a mob boss with everyone at his beck and call.   Chuck is seeing all trouble starting with Axe and Axe has become a monster needing to be taken down.  

Axe is way more vile and disgusting and dangerous than any of the others. He doesn’t lose any sleep over destroying lives, destroying thousands of people’s livelihoods, even murder.  Chuck isn’t even in that same league.   

[Chaos Theory]

28 minutes ago, Lemons said:

I

They called a truce for awhile and Axe now seems to think he’s a mob boss with everyone at his beck and call.   Chuck is seeing all trouble starting with Axe and Axe has become a monster needing to be taken down.  

Axe is way more vile and disgusting and dangerous than any of the others. He doesn’t lose any sleep over destroying lives, destroying thousands of people’s livelihoods, even murder.  Chuck isn’t even in that same league.   

I honestly think Chuck is worse.  Axe has zero illusions about who and what he is.  Chuck pretends to be a crusader for justice yet he would destroy the career and life of his prodigy because it benighted him to do so.   Axe on the other hand has kept a 9-11 fund going far longer then he essentially needed to and instead of outright destroying his gf he just screwed over enough to get what he wanted.   I don’t think he should have been expected to care a lot the employees in her company.

[jvr]

I don't prescribe to this theory that knowing you are terrible and not caring somehow makes you a better person. Axe...the guy who we have debates about regrading whether he murdered someone, the guy who has people deported...the guy who destroys lives and entire towns to get what he wants...he is better than a person who for the most part wants to do good but isn't against bending the rules to do it and also profit from it himself. Naaaaahhhh...I don't see it. Axe has all the money in the world, giving money to some fund doesn't hurt him at all, he likely never even thinks about it...but I'm sure it benefits him greatly to keep it going. I think Chuck is a far better person as a whole then Axe...but that doesn't mean I like Chuck..or don't find things about Axe that are sometimes sympathetic. 

It sucks that trying to catch criminals is a lot harder if you follow the rules...because they don't have any. I agree that most people on this show are gray hats...mostly good people doing bad things from time to time. Axe is not a grey character...and neither is his hitman friend...most everyone else are in shades.

edit: As an aside, the few things that make Axe seem more human (Lara (ugh), his sons, his relationship with Wendy) have slowly been stripped away. That's part of the reason I thought it was dangerous of them to flirt with having Axe turn his scorched earth eyes on Wendy a few season ago when he thought she had betrayed him. His relationship with Wendy is essential to pull him back from being just a terrible person on every level. When he went down that road of destroying Lara I was totally rooting him on because I can't stand her but it also was backing his character into a corner. He only has Wendy (and Wags to a lesser degree) now.

Edited June 11, 2019 by jvr

[Lemons]

15 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I honestly think Chuck is worse.  Axe has zero illusions about who and what he is.  Chuck pretends to be a crusader for justice yet he would destroy the career and life of his prodigy because it benighted him to do so.   Axe on the other hand has kept a 9-11 fund going far longer then he essentially needed to and instead of outright destroying his gf he just screwed over enough to get what he wanted.   I don’t think he should have been expected to care a lot the employees in her company.

I don’t think Axe knowing what a piece of shit he is makes him any better.  Axe emotionally destroyed a woman he thought he might marry because she made a decision he didn’t agree with. And all Connerty had to do is not break the law and he wouldn’t be in trouble.  Connerty destroyed his own career by breaking into a home and breaking into evidence off limits to him.  

Chuck, when speaking to Taylor admitted he has gone out of control with trying to get Axe and has lost his way. We’ll see how far he goes next season. 

[car54]

19 hours ago, jvr said:

He only has Wendy (and Wags to a lesser degree) now.

I was thinking about this after the show---that really Wendy and Wags and maybe his mother are the only people he won't screw over if he thinks he needs to.     He's done it to his wife and children, long time friends....I feel like he's done minor things to Wags to punk on him and I'm not sure Wags has ever put him in the position to need to demonstrate he would step up for him--so I'm just guessing on how far their relationship would go.

I've been trying to remember if they've ever done any kind of back-story on Wendy--what makes her so astute in reading people and what brought her to her relationship with Chuck.  She seems to have a lot going on and to be going through some self-discovery --I'd be interested in some kind of info about her.    To me, I've always found her personal life and her professional life and her third, somewhat secret life interesting and I wonder how she got this way.

[Auntie Anxiety]

On 6/9/2019 at 10:21 PM, jvr said:

Why does society shackle women to their children? Those kids have a beautiful home and a father that has not been shown to be abusive or unable to care for them (and they both have full time jobs so it's not like she is their full time caregiver). It makes no sense for Wendy to drag them out of their warm bed as if their life was in danger just because she is finally done with Chuck. It would not be better for them to be uprooted and sleeping in strange places... she left the house, not their lives. Any custody issues can be dealt with later.

Wendy is a psychiatrist. She knows that Chuck is emotionally unhealthy, has poor impulse control, absolutely no interest in anyone else’s feelings and comes from a long line (well, at least Rhoades, Sr.) of misogynists, exploiters and cheaters. Why would she leave the kids with Chuck? He’s toxic. Yeah, it’s tv and it was more dramatic for her to get out of the house, but it’s stupid and lazy writing.

Next season, Taylor partners with Willow to take everyone down. That’s how idiotic this show has become.

[dwmarch]

On 6/11/2019 at 5:18 AM, talktoomuch said:

My biggest problem is that the show is always showing us why Wendy and Axe should be OTP but has never shown us why Wendy even married Chuck. It has been clear since the first episode that she doesn't love him, and mostly doesn't even like him.

My head canon for their relationship is that she was a professional dominatrix at one point and after Chuck's first session with her he just followed her around like a puppy dog. Combine that with his willingness to let Wendy grind her spike heels into his soft bits and put out cigarettes on his chest and I could see her deciding okay, he's not the man of my dreams but he'll do what I want and that's good enough for now. Time and chance did the rest.

On 6/11/2019 at 5:49 AM, Chaos Theory said:

But Ultimately the is a war between Axe and Chuck.  Two house,  both alike in dignity,  in fair New York. 

You may already know this but Damien Lewis played Lord Capulet in a 2013 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Paul Giamatti was in there too but as Friar Lawrence.

[johnnykane]

I think that Axe and Chuck are still allies.   They are just pretending to be enemies again to set Taylor up for another fall.

[dmc]

On 6/15/2019 at 12:00 AM, Auntie Anxiety said:

Wendy is a psychiatrist. She knows that Chuck is emotionally unhealthy, has poor impulse control, absolutely no interest in anyone else’s feelings and comes from a long line (well, at least Rhoades, Sr.) of misogynists, exploiters and cheaters. Why would she leave the kids with Chuck? He’s toxic. Yeah, it’s tv and it was more dramatic for her to get out of the house, but it’s stupid and lazy writing.

Next season, Taylor partners with Willow to take everyone down. That’s how idiotic this show has become.

Chuck has never been shown on this show as a bad parent.  Plenty of people who are toxic at work and in their marriage are good parents.  I feel people‘s main reaction here is to a woman leaving her husband.  Also, I don’t think it’s rash.  Wendy and Chuck have had problems since season 1.   Chuck could have easily been honest with Wendy about the medical license. Instead he was more than willing to lie to her face about it and that coupled with outing their sex life, stealing her medical records was her limit.   I think this has been a long time coming. Also I don’t think it helps that her boss/friend is willing to jump through all the hoops her husband won’t. 

[l star]

I've been binge-ing this series, and I'm finally to the current one. Confession: I fast forward through Connerty and Sacher's scenes and have for about a season and a half. Sometimes I even fast forward them when Chuck is in the scene too. It's really made the show much more enjoyable for me.

Of course Chuck is going after Axe again. It was always just a matter of time. Wendy is really the only positive thing between them. There certainly isn't any like or respect. I'm not surprised that it comes about when Wendy is leaving him either. Chuck was never good at admitting his fault and since he lost his job, I think that has only gotten worse. Much like I think early seasons Chuck would have gone along when Wendy didn't feel like doing BDSM in an earlier ep, I think he also would have come up with some kind of bullshit to answer her moment question in earlier seasons too. Now there's just not enough left between them to make the effort worth it. I hope their split sticks this time.

I really thought Axe and Wendy were going to end up hooking up. I think he thought so too; he was just waiting for her to initiate. The way Damian Lewis said 'oh' each time was perfect the perfect mix of surprise, recognition, and unease. The problem is that right now Axe is perfect for Wendy which makes it an awful time to sleep together. In the last few eps, he's hit every note perfectly when it comes to what she needs right now. He couldn't be more all in on her side if he'd walked into bullets for her. Combined with the journey she's been on all season of losing herself and trying to find her way back, she's way too vulnerable to the appeal of that. So while I think they'd both be willing, I hope she stays in the guest room. For now at least. I could probably get on board an Axe/Wendy ship next season.

Last thing about them- I think Axe saying that he's only a gentleman for Wendy says it all. That has nothing to do with manners and everything to do with him actually thinking of and prioritizing her feelings in conjunction with his own wants. For someone as essentially self-centered as Axe is, that's huge. Season one Axe could have articulated a desire to do that or even recognized that that's what Lara wanted, but I'm not sure he could have followed through with any sincerity. I still doubt that he could if the situation was his problem, not Wendy's but maybe this is a bit of progress.

Well the Taylor situation just screams clusterfuck. I fully expect all three of them to start screwing each other over immediately. Surely they all expect it too. So what's the point? Some kind of last man standing endgame? It makes perfect sense for Axe to truly believe that he can control all the actors, same for Chuck honestly, but I thought Taylor would have more sense than this. Not to say that they are not arrogant or risk-adverse, but basic sense should have had them declining this whole mess.