#reposting because it wasn't showing up at the tags

[mydaylight]

THE GILDED AGE (2022- ) | 2.05 "Close Enough to Touch"

George takes off Bertha's necklace

[leahwllmsn]

tell me I'm the number one girl in your eyes

alexia putellas x reader

word count: 2.5k

You thought that Alexia was the only person in the world who could never hurt you.

You thought about a lot of things. About how Alexia was going to be the one to propose. How your wedding was going to be an intimate one in your and Alexia’s hometown, by the vineyard. How you would have a maximum of two children, no doubt one of which was going to follow in Alexia’s footsteps.

Your life with Alexia was set. It was predictable, really. From the moment you met her back in Mollet del Vallès when you were children, to your first kiss in her backyard, to the day you moved to the city together.

Childhood best friends who fell in love along the way—it couldn’t get anymore perfect than that. Your families were neighbours, it was practically one big family. Everyone was looking forward to your wedding, and by everyone that included you too.

You had been dating for fifteen years (well, you were on and off at some point, but that didn’t count), so it wasn’t far-fetched that you were expecting a proposal soon. You and Alexia talked about getting married, it wasn’t a new subject for the two of you.

The only problem was that the proposal wasn’t coming and for the first time ever, you had a feeling that it wasn’t going to come. Ever.

You couldn’t pinpoint when Alexia changed, when Alexia stopped buying you flowers just because and when the conversations between you felt forced. Maybe it was after Alexia went back defeated from the Olympics. Or maybe it was after Barcelona won the Champions League and Alexia was everywhere but your home.

The distance between you grew and grew until you were left to beg for Alexia’s attention as if you were another fan and not her girlfriend, the person Alexia claimed she loved more than anything.

“I have meetings with investors tonight, for Eleven.” Alexia’s voice broke the silence in your apartment. “Might go on until late.”

“Okay,” was all you could say.

Another excuse, you figured. Another reason to avoid coming home to you. It had been going on for some time. You couldn’t remember the last time you went to bed at the same time anymore. 

Alexia’s figure appeared in the kitchen, she went straight to the fridge and took out her box of orange juice. Gone were the arms around your waist, the gentle kisses to your neck as you read the morning news. Her laughter would ring around the space as she claimed “only old people read newspapers these days, amor!”

“Are we still on for tomorrow though?�� You hated that your voice was hopeful. Too hopeful.

Alexia finally looked at you, her brows furrowed. You weren’t surprised anymore that she’d forgotten. It was laughable at this point because it seemed that you were the only one still present in this relationship.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Dinner.” You tried to act nonchalant about it, as if it didn’t hurt that your own girlfriend forgot about your birthday.

Alexia stared at you for a few seconds, then nodded. “Of course. You know I finish training at four. Dinner is at seven, right?”

“Six.” And I thought you have a day off tomorrow, you wanted to argue. But you kept your mouth shut and let it go. 

Alexia finished her orange juice and grabbed her bag, stepping close to you to press a quick kiss to your cheek. “Don’t wait up.”

And just like that she was gone.

“I love you too.” You whispered to the empty apartment. It felt humiliating at times, to be the only one left in a relationship.

You wondered if Alexia still loved you. You couldn’t remember the last time she said those three words to you. You had a feeling that she stopped, that must be why she never said it anymore.

You wanted to confront her about it, to ask her why you weren’t worth her time anymore, but you didn’t think you were ready to face the fallout. You would be devastated when Alexia decided it was time to leave you. It wasn’t an if, but a when, because you knew it was inevitable. It could be tomorrow, or in a few weeks or even months.

Selfishly, you wanted to keep Alexia to yourself a little bit longer. Even though Alexia didn’t feel like yours anymore. 

You could pretend that you didn’t die every time Alexia’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. You could pretend that it was fine that Alexia never held your hand as you walked through the streets of Barcelona anymore.

You could pretend that Alexia still loved you, and that you were still the greatest thing the universe had ever given her—her words, a few years ago.

Tomorrow, you knew Alexia would go through her day as if it was just another regular day. If you were lucky, she’d remember that it was your birthday. If you were extra lucky, she’d even give you flowers.

Above everything though, you just hoped that she would show up to dinner.

You didn’t think you had any fight left in you if she didn’t.

—

The sun was shining against your face the moment you opened your eyes. Out of habit, your hands reached out to the other side. You couldn’t help the disappointed sigh that left your lips when you were met with empty sheets. You relished in the mornings when Alexia wasn’t awake and you could hold her, even though you had to pretend to be asleep as she gently lifted your hand and slipped out of bed when she woke. You missed when she would turn around and peppered your face with kisses to wake you up. She loved being the first thing you see in the morning.

Usually on your birthday, Alexia would treat you to breakfast in bed. It was tradition, one that she started ever since the two of you moved to Barcelona about a decade ago.

For a brief second, you had a dangerous glimmer of hope that Alexia was just in the kitchen. But with how quiet your apartment felt, you knew she left.

Alexia forgot. Or maybe she remembered, but she didn’t care anymore. You didn’t know which one was worse.

With a sigh and an ache so deep in your chest, you got ready for the day. You went through your usual routine: shower, breakfast, tidying any mess around your apartment that was out of place. 

It wasn’t until an hour later that the doorbell rang. A part of you hoped that it was Alexia, but the thought disappeared as fast. Your girlfriend wouldn’t need to knock on her own door.

It was a delivery man. Surprisingly, with flowers in his arms. Your heart leaped to the faint hope that they were from Alexia.

“Y/N?”

“That’s me.”

“Must be a special day,” he gave a kind smile, handing the flowers over to you. “Delivery for you from… Alba.”

The tinge of disappointment couldn’t help but creep into your chest. Still, you gave him the best smile you could muster and thanked him.

Alba remembered your birthday. Scrolling through your phone, you saw more people who remembered it was your birthday, even people you weren’t that close with.

It was radio silence from the person who mattered the most to you though.

Sitting alone on your sofa, you realized that you had nothing to do. You cleared your schedule out, and Alexia would usually take the lead. It was tradition to spend your birthdays just the two of you.

You dragged yourself to Mercadona, wanting to buy yourself a small cake and some candles. Before blowing the candles out, you wished for the impossible; birthday wishes were supposed to be powerful, weren’t they?

I wish things go back to the way they were before

Most importantly… I wish my girlfriend still wants me

—

You arrived at your favorite restaurant at exactly six o’clock. You ordered a bottle of wine and finished two glasses when thirty minutes had passed and your girlfriend was still nowhere to be seen.

The need to cry was overwhelming, you felt the tears pooling in your eyes already, waiting for the right time to fall. But you swallowed the ache and forced yourself to think of something happy, because crying whilst being alone at a table clearly meant for two was pathetic.

Your texts and calls went unanswered. An hour in and your last resort was to call Mapi and ask her if she’d seen or heard from Alexia.

“¡Hola, cumpleañera!”

“Maps, hey,” you tried to keep your voice steady, but they were futile. You were truly going to sound pathetic with your question. “Have you… Is Ale with you?”

“Qué? Alexia? Is she not with you?” Mapi sounded concerned. She sounded like she was ready to fight her best friend for you. The fact brought a slight smile to your face.

“No,” you took a deep breath. You couldn’t believe this was how your relationship had come to be. “She’s supposed to be here an hour ago.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, chica. She left a few hours ago, I don’t know where she went.”

“That’s okay.” You stared at your empty glass and contemplated on whether you should pour yourself another. You’d finish the whole bottle by yourself at this rate.

“Do you… do you want me and Ingrid to come over?”

The offer was sweet, your heart swell at the reinforcement that there were still people who cared about you. But you didn’t think you could go through conversations without breaking down.

So you politely declined Mapi’s offer and poured yourself another glass of wine. You were finishing this bottle, you decided.

It was a strange feeling. To feel abandoned. Alexia had never made you feel that way before.

Alexia was your safe space. She made you feel loved and made you feel that you mattered.

That Alexia felt like a lifetime ago, like she belonged to another, better version of you—one worthy of her time and effort.

—

The apartment was dark when you got home, but you knew Alexia was here. Her car keys were on the hook, and the shoes she wore earlier were haphazardly placed by the front door.

“Ale?” You let out a wince as you took off your heels, you could feel a blister coming.

As you entered your living room, you found your girlfriend still in her Barcelona sweatshirt passed out on the couch. She looked so at peace that you couldn’t help but pressed a kiss to her forehead.

As much as you hated how she’d been treating you, a part of you still had so much love for her. You knew you deserved better than this version of Alexia, but you didn’t think you had it in you to let her go.

Alexia stirred, not even a guilty look when she opened her eyes and saw you standing there. “Hey, what time is it?”

“Late,” you muttered, walking back to your bedroom. You heard faint footsteps behind you, telling you Alexia was following you. You knew she was watching you, you in your fitted black dress that stopped just above your thigh. It was Alexia’s favourite dress on you, hence why you decided to wear it tonight.

“I… fell asleep,” Alexia’s voice broke the silence. She must’ve realized her mistake then. A part of you broke when she said nothing else, not even an apology.

“That’s fine,” you shrugged. You stripped off your dress and changed into a t-shirt. When you realized it was an old, faded one which belonged to Alexia, you angrily took it off and tossed it aside. This was supposed to be your side of the closet, but over the years, your clothes and Alexia’s have blended together.

“Amor…”

You couldn’t remember the last time Alexia called you that. It used to bring you warmth, but now it only made you feel mocked.

“What, Alexia?” You turned around and the sight of her finally in front of you, of her finally looking at you, made you snap. “It’s not like I waited hours for you, looking like a complete idiota as the waiter kept on checking if I was okay.”

“I didn’t—”

You put a hand up, signaling your girlfriend to stop talking. “Save it, Alexia. You know, I wasn’t even surprised that you didn’t show up. But I thought that your girlfriend’s birthday must count as a special occasion, right? I guess I really do mean nothing to you.”

“Your birthday?” Alexia’s eyes went impossibly wide. 

You laughed, that evil laughter you hear from villains in movies. There wasn’t anything funny. You just felt so pathetic to the point that there wasn’t anything else you could do but laugh at the situation.

Alexia looked like she was close to tears, but you forced yourself to not feel bad for her. She made you feel so much worse these past few weeks.

“I don’t know what I did wrong, Alexia,” you sighed. You knew you were going to lose her after this. There wasn’t going back. “I’ve done nothing but love you unconditionally, but even that seems like it’s not enough for you anymore. It used to be though, so tell me, Alexia, what changed? What did I do to make you stop loving me? We used to be so good.”

The tears were flowing freely down your face. You looked terrible. Your heart was in pieces. It wasn’t a birthday you wanted to remember.

“Ale… If you don’t want me around anymore, the least you could do is tell me. Tell me so I don’t have to wait for you to notice me again. Tell me so I can pack up my bags and leave you alone.”

“It’s not like that,” Alexia finally spoke up, her voice barely a whisper.

“Then what? I feel like I don’t matter to you anymore. You’ve done a great job of showing me that. Forgetting that it’s my birthday is the cherry on top.”

Alexia was crying too, but you didn’t know why she was crying. Guilt, maybe? But this had been going on for some time, why feel guilty now?

“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” you decided, having to force the words out of your mouth. “I know you don’t want to be the one to end things, so I’ll do you a favour.”

This wasn’t what you wanted. You wanted Alexia to fight for you, to prove you wrong. You wanted Alexia to tell you that she was sorry and that she didn’t realize she had been neglecting you. You wanted Alexia to pull you into her arms and not let go. You wanted her to convince you that you were still the love of her life and that she still loved you more than anything.

But Alexia said nothing else and that was all you needed to know.

[danlous]

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE 1.07 "The Thing Lay Still"

Claudia could taste her freedom, suffered the hunger with a cold joy, matched only by the sun-hot ego of the vampire king.

[vanilla-rainbows]

A little moment from my AU. Luna is doing her best to make King Candy feel welcomed in her game. He's being very appreciative so far :)

I'd like to commit to more complex pieces in the future, though I worry it will take me too much time because I'm very slow. In the meantime, I hope you'll like these silly sketches 🌈

[redkyrii]

The bearog owner experience.

[pairingbrainrot]

the bellyjere season 2 finale kiss but it's with a different version of XO

{Credit goes to bellyjeregifs on Twitter for the scene without BG Music!!}

[imjustavenuxwithaboomerang]

picrews of my descendants oc because i teased her existence a little bit ago

her name is navia and she's the daughter of tiana and naveen

(her name could probably start with a 't' if i really thought of one but when i created her, i decided to just blend tiana and naveen's names together. however i really like navia for her so it's sticking idc)

here are some things that i just threw together to show her vibe (outfits and colors on the left and sample hairstyles on the right)

link to the picrews: 1, 2, 3, 4

[hollowflight-propaganda]

Aged up Bumblebee + Dusky concepts as I try to figure out how I want to draw Hive and SilkWings

[seiya-starsniper]

On a dark and stormy night

Little non-explicit Sandflower prompt for my @monsterfucktoberbingobingo square - faerie

tagging @nualaofthefaerie cause you gotta 💖💖💖

AO3 Link Here, or read below:

-----------

It has been raining in the Dreaming nonstop for days.

Nuala sighs as another gust of wind rattles the windows of her bedroom, and another crack of thunder shakes the very foundations of the walls. She cannot sleep. She hasn’t slept well ever since Dream had ended his affair with Thessaly, the immortal witch. 

Or rather, the witch had ended the affair with him. Hence, the endless bouts of rain. 

Nuala tosses the covers off her body and lights the lantern next to her bed, having given up on sleep for now. Perhaps she could take a walk around the castle instead. Calm her nerves. Maybe even pour herself a glass of wine to help her sleep.

The castle halls are dark and dreary as Nuala walks through them, trying her best not to get lost. Still, she knows the halls and the stairways change frequently according to its monarch’s whims, and tonight seems to be no different. There are steps and turns she’s never seen before, and before she knows it, Nuala finds herself in front of a large wooden door with no other path forward. She considers turning around and heading back to bed, but something about the door calls to her, and so eventually, she pushes it open, surprised at how easily it gives underneath her hand.

She finds herself inside a small room with a roaring fire, sparsely decorated with only a single chair with a high back sat directly in front of the flames. Nuala smiles to herself as she moves towards the chair. This would be a fine place to escape the storm, the fire feels warm, and there are no windows inside the room so it seems to be a true escape from unpredictable weather raging just outside. 

She jumps in surprise when she reaches the chair and finds it occupied instead of empty, as she expected. 

“My lord!” Nuala cries out, when she realizes precisely who is seated in the chair. “My apologies, I didn’t notice you were there.”

Dream is curled in upon himself on the chair, his bare feet resting on the edges while his knees are tucked underneath his arms. His head is resting absently on a shoulder, and the dream king seems lost in thought for sometime before his eyes finally flit to meet Nuala’s. She doesn’t flinch underneath the intensity of the Endless’s gaze, but it’s a near thing. 

“...Nuala,” Dream finally grunts, lifting a hand and gesturing to her to move closer. “Join me.”

“Yes!” Nuala squeaks, moving hurriedly to close the distance between herself and the small piece of furniture where the dreamlord has draped himself. As she approaches, the chair extends in length to accommodate her, effectively transforming into a small sofa. Dream rearranges himself to leave open a small space where Nuala can sit—sprawl, even, if she wanted to. She chooses instead to sit up straight, not wanting to look unseemly in front of Dream.

“My lord—” Nuala begins after some silence has passed between them. “Are you…are you quite all right?” she asks, already knowing the answer. Dream grunts and sits up slightly, shaking his head as he does so. 

“I have been better,” Dream replies, before coughing into his fist, almost awkwardly. “But I suppose you already knew that.” 

Nuala clenches her fists and nods, not knowing what else to do. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asks, blushing as she realizes too late how suggestive her words sound. Dream lets out a small huff of laughter before he turns to face her, leveling the faerie with an intense gaze.

“You say you wish to help…” he says, his eyes trailing downwards from her face to her neck. Nuala flushes as he continues to stare but does not say anything more. His eyes are practically blackened, and Nuala cannot help but wonder what about her he’s so focused on.  Surely he can’t be thinking—? No, he’s only just ended another relationship, there’s no way he would think of her like that. Nuala pushes aside her lurid thoughts and only nods firmly, meeting his gaze head on.

“I do,” she answers, proud that her voice does not waver. “If there is anything you need, I would be—”

“And yet,” Dream interrupts her, and oh. When had he come so close? One moment he was on the other side of the sofa and now his face is directly in front of hers. His expression is now contorted in displeasure as he stares down at her, and Nuala does her best not to shrink and curl up in shame.

“You wear a reminder of her around your neck,” he finishes, right before he forcefully tugs the pendant Thessaly gave her from underneath her nightdress causing Nuala to shriek in surprise. Dream has never touched her so familiarly before, and the residual warmth of his fingers seems to burn where he touched her to get at the necklace.

Dream hums as he turns the pendant over in his fingers, considering. Nuala wonders if he means to destroy it. She wouldn’t be surprised if he wished to, and if he asked, she would hand it over, although she’d be sad to lose it. It really was so pretty…

“How long have you had this?” Dream asks, no, demands, his eyes darkening once more as he waits for her answer.

“N-n-not long, my lord, I swear!” Nuala yelps. “She uhm, I mean Thess—”

Dream growls and Nuala shrinks back, chastised. She remembered now how her lord had commanded no one speak her name in his presence. Another awkward silence falls between them before Dream sighs and releases his hold on the necklace, letting it drop back down to Nuala’s chest.

“My apologies,” Dream says, his eyes returning back to their normal color. “I know you were close with…her,” he finishes, nodding at the faerie to gauge her understanding of how to refer to his ex-lover. Nuala nods her assent and starts fiddling with the pendant herself, focusing on it instead of meeting her lord in the eyes.

“She was nice to me,” the faerie says. “The necklace was…a parting gift,” she admits, wondering if it’s a mistake to do so. She really liked Thessaly, she was always telling her stories and making Nuala laugh, even if the faerie really didn’t care for her complaints about Dream. And there were so many, it seemed. No matter what her lord seemed to do, it was never enough for Thessaly to be happy. 

“A parting gift,” Dream spits out the last word as if it were poison. Nuala flinches, but only so slightly. It was clear their breakup was still a sensitive subject. 

“I suppose she thought she could bribe you to leave me with pretty trinkets,” Dream continues, sniffing disdainfully as his gaze returns to the pendant once more. “I imagine she thought you would choose to leave with her if she gave you enough shiny things.”

“I—no, I would never!” Nuala insists, dropping the pendant from her hands immediately. She’s horrified that Dream would ever think such a thing. Thessaly was nice, but the Dreaming was her home, and her loyalties did not switch so easily. 

“No—you are still here after all,” Dream murmurs. “Still, I don’t like this,” he says, right before he grabs the pendant once more and snaps the chain clean off her neck.

“Lord Morpheus!” Nuala cries unhappily. So he was going to destroy the pendant after all.

“Peace, little one,” Dream replies, holding up the pendant, undamaged, though the chain it sat upon is irreparably broken. Nuala silently mourns its loss but she supposes it’s better than the whole thing being destroyed. “I will return this to you,” he adds.

Nuala feels a surge of warmth as she reaches to take the pendant back, but Dream holds it just out of reach and shakes his head.

“Before that,” Dream says, “I would like for you to tell me a story.”

“A story, my lord?” Nuala asks, unable to hide her surprise.  

“Yes,” Dream says, waving the pendant back and forth. “In exchange for your secrecy, you will give me a story, and I will let you keep this trinket now that I know it poses no threat.”

Oh. Of course that’s what he wanted to inspect the thing for. Of course.

“Are we in agreement?” Dream asks her, and Nuala nods eagerly. 

“Yes, my lord,” she answers, and then she begins to think of a story that would be worthy of telling to the Dream King. She’s so lost in her thoughts and what to talk about that she does not notice Dream shifting his position until a weight makes itself known on her thighs. Nuala squeaks when she realizes Dream has lain his head down on her lap.

“My lord?!” Nuala asks, her whole body feeling as if it were on fire. Could one self-combust in the Dreaming? She certainly felt like she was. Oh gods, how was she supposed to concentrate on telling a story now?

“Hmm?” Dream hums as if there were absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. As if this was something he did all the time. When Nuala looks down at him, she notices his eyes are closed and thank goodness for that. 

“I—are you comfortable, my lord?” Nuala asks, hoping Dream cannot hear her how fast her pulse is jackrabbiting.

“I am,” Dream answers. “You may begin.”

[motelsnleatherseats]

Wincest Kinktober!

Finally participating this year! Can't wait to complete the set, I'm really looking forward to something each day.

Day 1 kink: Edging.

[mydaylight]

Carrie Coon as BERTHA RUSSELL in The Gilded Age, 2x01 "You Don't Even Like Opera"

[thatsoraeden]

With the festival drawing to a close, Raeden is sent back to where she was before; Hisui.

E returns to their true form, the body no longer required.

[livinginanotherworld]

EricBogosian

[mochamvgz]

don't tell me that it's gone

; sunghoon comes home after walking out during and argument to find you asleep on the couch.

; park sunghoon x fem!reader

; genre: angst, hurt/comfort, est. rel., can be read as idol or non idol au

; warnings: mentions of neglect, mention of an argument, crying, indirect mention of blood

; 0.5k words

; tags: @sobun1est @kbookshelf

you were staring at the wall of your living room, hugging a cushion to your chest even though it provided little comfort. your phone lay beside you but your lock screen didn't light up with a text or call or anything from sunghoon. the two of you had gotten into a fight that had ended with him walking out to cool off.

when you first started your relationship, you had agreed to make time for each other despite your busy schedules and yet… lately it seemed as though he wasn't even trying. you had started to feel like you weren't a priority to him, like you didn't matter, because that was the message his actions were sending.

you had finally brought it up to him that evening only for him to get defensive and call you needy, and then proceed to slam the door on his way out.

you had slumped on the couch, utterly defeated, and cried every tear you had in you. now, all that remained was numbness, exhaustion, and worst of all, longing.

unable to fight it any longer, you let your eyelids close and retreated to a dreamless slumber.

—

sunghoon opened the door as quietly as he could, careful not to break the silence that hung heavily in the apartment. seeing you curled up on the couch, without the crease between your brows that he had grown so accustomed to of late, something in his chest loosened.

you were there.

he hadn't lost you just yet.

he held onto that sliver of hope, letting himself believe it wasn't too late.

he stood there for a while, then sighed and stalked over to you silently. sunghoon tenderly brushed your hair out of your face and removed the cushion from your arms. he gently slid his arms under your knees and lower back, picking you up bridal style as he carried you to your bedroom.

you made a faint sound and curled closer to him in your sleep, seeking his warmth. sunghoon resisted the urge to coo.

he set you down on your bed sat on the other side of it, observing the dried tear stains on your cheeks, your puffy eyes that he knew would be bloodshot if you opened them right now, the red crescent indents littered across your palms from where you had dug your fingernails. he felt like the biggest idiot in the world—no—the universe.

you stirred lightly. he stiffened beside you as you started to speak.

“you know, if you're tired of me-”

a finger pressed on your lips, cutting you off. you opened your eyes just a crack, sunghoon was violently shaking his head, eyes squeezed shut, refusing to even entertain that possibility. he didn't know such thoughts were all you had known for the past few weeks.

“no. never.”

“sunghoon-”

he visibly flinched. his name sounded foreign on your lips after hearing you call him nicknames and sweet terms of endearment, though they may have been silly at times.

“stop. no. i love you, only you, always you.”

he slipped his hand into yours, bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss to your knuckles.

“i'll do a better job of showing it, i promise.”

you nodded. you didn't say it was okay or that you forgave him, because it wasn't, and you didn't, not yet anyway. instead, you patted the pillow beside you, inviting him to lie down, which he did.

; a/n: *collective gasp*! cinny is alive! who would've thought??

© mochamvgz on tumblr | all rights reserved | do not plagiarise, repost, or translate

[nothingunrealistic]

review roundup: billions 7x10 “enemies list”

a strong entry in the streak of underwhelming even-numbered episodes this season! what did reviewers think?

New York Times: ‘Billions’ Season 7, Episode 10: Mutually Assured Destruction

To borrow some terminology from professional wrestling, an art form much beloved by the traders and lawyers of “Billions” (to say nothing of the show’s writers), Mike Prince is a monster heel champion. He is a bad guy at the top of the heap, gold around his waist and his last defeat a distant memory. Seemingly impervious to attack, Prince steamrolls every babyface contender who comes his way. He is an effective villain because he has been booked to be unstoppable — all to better set up the moment when he is stopped. This week’s episode of “Billions” is that moment. And the babyface responsible for handing Prince his first real setback? Bobby Axelrod.

hmm well i seem to remember prince experiencing a real setback about five episodes ago at someone else’s hands. maybe it’s just me!

(U2’s “Beautiful Day” cuts off so hard the moment Axe appears that your brain will supply the needle-scratch sound effect.)

fantastic description. it really did feel like that.

With Taylor by his side and Chuck pestering him to come through with his promised aid in the anti-Prince efforts, Axe tries and fails to extricate Wendy through financial means. It isn’t until he takes Taylor’s advice to come up with a play no other Wall Street brain could see coming that he succeeds.

once again taylor is the most competent non-axe person on team kill prince extended edition!

But the behemoth has been staggered for the first time in a long time, and Axe is now back in the United States and free to plot with Chuck, Wendy, Wags and Ira.

is that the whole list?

This is music to the ears of a killer like Victor, and he happily swipes a strong idea from the timid Tuk to burnish his own chances. By contrast, Rian, disgusted by how Prince duped her and Wendy, rejects the job when Philip all but hands it to her.

nope, that’s the wrong order! philip offers rian the partnership and she declines, then she witnesses victor stealing tuk’s idea, then she finds out that prince tricked her and wendy re: mental. important to get the chronology right when you’re tying cause and effect to it!

Ironically, it’s a pep talk from Victor, who tells her she is afraid of her own killer nature, that persuades her to just walk right in and demand the partnership. Her self-confidence convinces Philip she’s right for it, after all.

who’s gonna point out that rian has been preying on the weaker animals from the day she arrived? (god i hope it’s winston.)

It’s too bad, really. Just when it seemed like the likable Rian might extricate herself from Mike Prince’s moral morass, perhaps even joining the fight against him, she joins his brain trust. Or is that precisely the idea? Could she be the insider Chuck’s cabal needs, now that Wendy, Wags and Taylor have all been frozen out?

i don’t think rian is in prince’s brain trust *or* a mole therein. i think she’s just wandering around bouncing off of everyone she interacts with and will go down with the prince capital ship if she doesn’t make a new move.

The use of Slayer’s “Angel of Death” as the episode’s climactic needle drop made my metalhead night. I like how Bobby Axelrod has his own trademark musical genre on this show.

sean and i can never really be friends because he loves axelrod’s shitty metal bands but hates the eagles. also, i must wonder about the semiotics of heralding axe’s triumphant return with a song about josef mengele after comparing prince to hitler all season.

In a revealing moment, Kate tells Chuck’s new up-and-comer, Amanda, why she ultimately left the Southern District for the greener pastures of Prince Capital: Unlike Chuck, Prince is honest about who and what he is. So does that mean this Kate, the new Kate, is being honest about who and what she is? Yikes. If you want evidence that learning Chuck’s methods can make you a monster, Kate is exhibit A.

and also recall that “he pretends to be good but he actually sucks” was the number one criticism of prince all through seasons 5-6! sacker claiming prince doesn’t hide who he is? laughable!

“Whimsy has a half life, and you’ve reached it,” Philip tells Rian regarding her general vibe of wisecrackery. I prefer the Rian who laughs off the insult to the one who winds up taking it into consideration.

don’t we all.

We get a price tag for how much Taylor stands to lose if Prince makes good on his threats: $650 million. That is a price Taylor is willing to pay, which tells Axe an awful lot.

and it reminds me why i love taylor so so so much.

A common criticism of “Billions” is that its constant pop-culture references can seem forced. This time around, that’s the idea, as Prince bobbles two separate Quentin Tarantino references during the standoffs with Bobby that begin and end the show. Axe goes so far as to point this out — sure, it’s the show hanging a lampshade on what is either a tic or a signature, but it makes sense.

this isn’t the first time someone’s been criticized or otherwise analyzed for the choice and manner of a pop culture reference. they were pretty overt about it this time, though.

Mike Prince’s Bobby Axelrod impression: not half bad!

mentions of prince’s axe impression: 1. contrast sean’s assessment of taylor’s impression of oscar (or more precisely, asia kate dillon’s impression of mike birbiglia) in 5x06 as “spot on.”

Vulture: Billions Recap: Welcome Home, Bobby

three stars! i see sarene stands closer to my position than to the imdb rating.

Bobby Axelrod just doesn’t work as a supporting character. With two episodes left in Billions, Axe has finally returned Stateside after an almost two-season absence, but good God, getting him here was harder than pulling an abscessed tooth. And that was just this episode alone!

so true! they should have left him out entirely 🥰

In case you couldn’t tell, I’m conflicted by the Axe homecoming. On the one hand, Billions is infinitely better whenever Damian Lewis is onscreen. That is an undeniable fact.

no, that’s an easily deniable opinion. i’m denying it right now.

Even now, with Axe firmly aligned with Team Wendy-Chuck-Wags-Taylor, I’m still scratching my head over why the four of them needed him so badly. Chuck giving Axe the “Thank God you’re here” cliché? Insert eye-roll emoji. At this point, I’m not impressed with how Billions turned Wendy into a damsel in distress needing to be rescued by Sir Axelrod. And it will take a lot more than Axe showing up in a Slayer T-shirt for me to feel confident that he’ll ultimately topple Mike Prince. Axe’s big save of the episode — screwing with Prince’s dainty ego to keep Wendy out of prison — isn’t going to set Prince back for long. While I get why we had to wait until the end of “Enemies List” for Axe’s surprise New York reveal, these kinds of narrative setups sometimes make Billions tedious. Did it have to take the entire episode for Axe to devise a workable plan? Of course not, but what’s a drama without tension?

yeah, this gets at the heart of what i disliked about this episode. so much of it was devoted to team kill prince extended edition sitting around going “well we can’t do anything without axe and we can’t get axe. sucks for us” and assorted rian-centric subplotting. was it really only axe who could have thought of “use derek against prince and use kai huang liu to get derek”? couldn’t we have spent more time on taylor going off to see axe, one of the few interesting and successful moves made toward taking down prince in this whole episode, and a little less on wendy going “oh no i’m in trouble because i tried to run away from killing prince and didn’t realize i was stepping into one of his traps which wouldn’t even exist if i hadn’t tried to run away. well i guess i’m screwed, carry on without me”?

Speak of the devil (or is she?), the next scene has Kate ordering Wendy and Wags to comply with the new leadership structure at Michael Prince Capital (where it’s publicly announced that they’re on staff, albeit stripped of all authority). I’m suspicious of her behavior here because while her character isn’t warm and fuzzy, she’s not an Über-bitch, either. Please tell me she’s a double agent for someone in the government. She’s too smart not to have a long game. Also curious is Kate’s recruitment of Chuck’s SDNY colleague Amanda Torre at a “Women in Criminal Law” breakfast. She hints that Amanda could take over for her at MPC when she runs for Congress … along with planting a seed of doubt about Chuck and his so-called good intentions.

hm. i haven’t taken “sacker is secretly a double agent!” seriously from damianista, and i still don’t believe in it, but its proposal by someone who actually has an editor forces me to consider it a little more seriously. i don’t think the way she dealt with wendy & wags was really out of character — it’s reminiscent of how she talked to taylor & philip about the dissolution of tmc in the season premiere, and i don’t recall anyone saying that seemed off — but i do wonder what the point of this setup with sacker and amanda, which it seems will continue into 7x11, is going to be. surely it isn’t just “we snipe at each other about how we would never work for the other person’s boss (again) and then go about our business.” (and more broadly i’ve wondered about the point of amanda being introduced at all; it seems her connection with sacker is the answer.) but sacker pitching amanda on taking over her job once she runs for congress doesn’t seem like the move for someone trying to take down prince, unless that’s how she intends to get someone still affiliated with sdny into the building without making prince too suspicious.

Another character who’s been unfairly stuck with the short end of the stick all season is Taylor Mason. It feels like Billions doesn’t know what to do with them. Unfortunately, sending them off to Haddon Hall wasn’t the answer either. Taylor is officially out at MPC, so they show up at Axe’s doorstep, having left their $650 million portfolio behind and determined to “take that fucker down before he rises any higher.” While it’s nice to see Axe and Taylor bonding again, their attempts to figure out how exactly Prince has ensnared Wendy and how they can circumvent his communication blockade didn’t lead to any breakthroughs.

the real dirty secret of this season of billions is that if taylor were leading the charge to take down prince, and was as competent in that role as they are in their actual supporting role, he’d be dead by now. and billions doesn’t know what to do with them because the writers decided that wendy Had to shine this season, and also that axe Had to come back and help save the day, and didn’t see the contradiction in forcing wendy to lead team kill prince while ensuring that she’d never be able to succeed on her own.

Now that Wendy is officially the CEO of Mental, she has full access to the company’s financial data, and the books look a little sketchy. So she has Rian help her do a deeper dive into Mental’s financials. You’ve heard of boy math and girl math, right? Well, Rian says Mental has been doing “Enron math.”

what is it about rian that makes people write the worst things i’ve ever had to read?

During an encrypted FaceTime, Wendy pleads with Axe to return to the U.S. — not for her sake, but for democracy’s sake. (Would someone please explain why Bobby Axelrod is suddenly Captain America?)

if you’re breaking out a marvel reference, i’ll respond by paraphrasing another: he wants to save america so he can go back to being one of the idiots who lives in it.

She rattles off a bunch of Billions plotlines to help Axe better understand Prince’s willingness to throw friends and loved ones under the bus to serve his own needs. When she gets to The One Where Prince Hands Over the Son of a Business Partner for Expedience and The One Where Prince “Let a Climber He’s Trying to Rescue for His Wife Get Taken by the Fucking Chinese for Self-Preservation,” Axe’s eyes light up.

they were really going hard on calling back to prior episodes here! and not at all on considering whether it was Only Axe who could come up with an according scheme.

At a flashy campaign gala at Lincoln Center, Prince and his entourage arrive to the strains of U2’s “Beautiful Day.” Just in time for Axe, clad in the most Axe uniform ever (a Slayer T-shirt and leather jacket), to perform a human record scratch in front of an ashen-faced Prince.

yet another fantastic description.

Axe has the best plus-one ever for the evening: Derek, as in Andy’s climbing lover/the guy Prince had captured by the Chinese government.

since sarene has repeated axe’s description of derek as his plus-one, let me put forward my suggestion that they should fuck.

Derek is more than willing to book himself onto every cable-news program and spill every depraved detail about Mike and Andy Prince’s very, very open marriage. Again, Prince shrugs it off. That is until Axe aims his words squarely at “President Cuck”: Voters don’t pick the guy who “can’t satisfy his own wife.” (I mean, they do, but Axe is on a roll here.)

lol and lmao. the other dirty secret of this season of billions is that they want us to believe “guy who’s never held office before can run for president as an independent and feasibly win” and “guy who’s had extramarital sexual relationships, and whose wife has as well, can’t possibly be elected president” at the same time, and the historical record shows the exact inverse of that.

Sorry, Corey Stoll, but you’re no Paul Giamatti doing Jeffrey DeMunn-as-Senior. That Damian Lewis–as-Axe impression fell flatter than a pancake (eater).

mentions of prince’s axe impression: 2. mentions of chuck’s chuck senior impression: 1. mentions of taylor’s oscar impression: 0, sadly.

Prince wanting U2 to play “Until the End of the World” at his gala was a poetic choice. (The Achtung Baby tune is a fictional conversation between Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot.)

i looked up the lyrics, so let me add some detail: it’s a fictional conversation between jesus christ and judas iscariot that makes them sound like ex-lovers. wonder what prince likes about that!

Throughout the episode, I wondered if Showtime scored the band for a cameo like they did with Metallica in season one. But as soon as I heard the album track of “Beautiful Day” (as opposed to a live version), I knew Bono wasn’t showing up.

i wondered the same thing!

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis (Damianista): Billions on Showtime, Episode 10: Enemies List

Back in New York, Prince is getting ready to make an announcement about the recent significant structural changes at MPC. Knowing that several employees (read “former Axe Cappers”) will come to Wendy and Wags crying after the announcement, Kate tells Wendy and Wags that, for their own sake, they should comply and act like they fully support Prince’s decisions.

in this case, it couldn’t be anyone other than former axe cappers, seeing as the only people who have been hired since prince took over are 1) sacker, who was present for wendy & wags & taylor being strung up in private, 2) philip, ditto, and 3) dollar bill, a former axe capper. hard to believe prince capital is thriving when he has so few employees who aren’t holdovers from when he showed up. or so few employees, period.

As both plans are now gone, Taylor steps up and takes us all back to Alpha Cup Charity Poker Tournament at Edison Ballroom in Season 2 Episode 3 Optimal Play. “A bad motherfucker once told me hate is nature’s most perfect energy source. Endlessly renewable.” That bad motherfucker needs to sit down and listen to the hate. Fair enough!

and i went so crazy about it!

In Chuck’s mind, Wendy, Taylor and Axe all being unaccounted for attests to the abilities of the enemy  they are confronting. Prince is ruthless. Wags thinks Taylor may have bailed out like Colonel Markinson in A Few Good Men but he cannot be more wrong.

i finally looked up this comparison and. uh. colonel markinson “bailed out” via suicide. that doesn’t seem to be what wags means to imply, or what chuck takes from it, but geez.

Honestly, I have also been thinking that Bradford might join the alliance against Prince, especially after his facial expression in Episode 4 Hurricane Rosie when he hears Prince promise to his Taiwanese business partner trade privileges once he becomes the POTUS. But now that Bradford is talking about being filter/buffer/protector to Prince like Kelly and Mattis were to 45, and Haldeman and Ehrlichman were to 37, I am not that sure about his motivations. And is it me or Prince is a bit like 37 because Nixon also had an enemies list of his own and he loved bugging the offices of his opponents:)

it’s not just you, since wendy explicitly compared prince to nixon on the grounds of having an enemies list. but yes, i’ve never expected luke to join team kill prince because he’s only here for prince and for the power he could get from joining prince in the white house.

So Wags takes the necessary risk and tells them all. Still, he adds, there is a level beyond that, a veil, beyond which  even he cannot see. And it is my pleasure to share the job ad Wags has for the person they need to do this. “Need the instincts of a truffle hound mixed with a Daniel Negreanu-like ability to think 9 moves ahead, mixed with the cold and steady hand of a sniper a la Barry Pepper in (Saving Private) Ryan. The full package.” There is only one man, ladies and gentlemen, that fits the description.

doesn’t mean there’s only one person that fits the description!

Food for Thought: I keep going back to Wendy telling Wags at the end of Episode 4 Hurricane Rosie that they have to do it like in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. I love the book and the original movie in which 12 people coordinate to murder a man who hurt so many people in the past. And since every word and reference used in Billions has a purpose, I believe it will be an alliance  of 12 that will collectively coordinate to take down Prince in the series finale.

i think the validity of this theory expired when prince found out about the assassination attempt before the alliance even reached 6 people, but sure, let’s see where we’re at now.

So let us count: Wendy, Wags, Taylor, Chuck, Ira, and Axe. Six. I am positive that Kate is not the soulless woman she portrays this season, she is just playing the long game, and she will be part of  the alliance who takes down Prince. I also think that Kate approaching Amanda at the Women in Criminal Panel they were panelists on together could be a subtle, but effective way of reaching out to Chuck. Seven. And then we have Philip who is not a big fan of Prince since he screwed Prof. Ruloff in Episode 7 DMV. Eight. More importantly, one of the dozen murderers in Murder on the Orient Express is the victim’s right-hand man! So, ladies and gentlemen, I put my money on Scooter to join the alliance against Prince. Scooter’s face spoke volumes when Prince came to his office to say he could not allow him to conduct the NY Philharmonic in Episode 4 Hurricane Rosie. I am positive this is not the first time Prince disappointed Scooter. I am also thinking about Dr. Mayer. Why did she let everyone go to take Wendy as a patient? Out of her big heart? And if she is reporting to someone, who is that? Prince or Scooter? My hunch would be Scooter since Prince has not confronted Wendy about what she said to Dr. Mayer. Scooter may have found out about Wendy’s plan early on from Dr. Mayer and may have been playing along. And I am sure Wendy knows about it all. With Scooter, we have nine We are three people short. I believe one of those may be Andy. She knows Prince better than anyone and that the rescue mission could go wrong only if Prince wanted it to go wrong. Ten. Then we have Bradford. He has been witnessing what kind of man Prince is for a while, and when he realizes that Prince would not let him be the filter/buffer/protector, he may join the ranks of the opposition. Eleven. And, ladies and gentlemen, I believe the last member of the alliance will be Rian. While she was considering to leave the company, once she sees the trap Prince has set up for Wendy, she returns to the office and accepts Philip’s offer to take one of the new partnership slots. I think Rian will play a critical role in the downfall of Prince. And Prince leaving his fingerprints on her tablet in Episode 9 Game Theory Optimal may come in handy soon!

sigh. okay. here’s my analysis:

wendy, wags, taylor, chuck, axe, and ira are givens, barring a shocking last-minute betrayal from one or more of them. 6.

senior and allerd were both tangentially involved in the plot this episode and last, so we have to rule them in. 8.

i still don’t expect sacker to join team kill prince. if she is trying to take him down, which i don’t think she is, i expect it to be for her own ends rather than The Good Of The Country. however, i would ultimately expect amanda to work against prince. 9.

philip is still a wild card because of the question of whether he really signed that waiver and because he now possesses chekhov’s signoff power which has yet to be used. if he’s prince’s man to the end, none of that serves any purpose. 10.

i’m not sure andy will be involved any further, but derek is already involved. 11.

i don’t expect luke to change sides. scooter is a maybe, but leaning toward no.

let’s look outside mpc. winston is around and will be back for 7x11 for purposes & with motivations unknown. mafee will surely come back at some point, and he’d never take prince’s side in this.

now let’s look inside mpc, where the prince cappers’ loyalties are about to be tested. ben & tuk may quit, but would they go over to axe? would rian give up on her partnership slot to fight against prince? what about dollar bill & victor?

shut up about prince’s fingerprints! shut up about prince’s fingerprints!

Entertainment Weekly: Billions recap

kyle did not do a recap of this episode. can’t say i’m too broken up about that.

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis (Gingersnap): The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs from Billions Season 7 Episode 10, “Enemies List”

Gingersnap Oh my gosh, you guys! This episode was the best episode of Billions season seven, and dare I say, one of the best episodes of the entire series.

go rate it ten stars on imdb, why don’t you?

Preet Bharara vs Donald Trump Vibes – Chuck and Prince. Chuck pretends to handle the Kai Huang Liu situation for Prince by releasing the NFT scammer to the Taiwanese authorities as a gesture of good faith in hopes Prince won’t fire him upon his 1600 Pennsylvania Ave residency. That way Prince won’t have to look duplicitous in pardoning the son of his business associate while President of the United States. This mirrors the notion of Bharara’s SDNY ousting after refusing to submit his resignation as part of the 2017 dismissal of U.S. attorneys when Trump was president. Chuck is being proactive.

not everything is about trump! and billions already alluded to the ousting of US attorneys after the 2017 inauguration by having chuck being one of the few US attorneys who hung on after the 2017 inauguration until he was fired at the end of season 3! if anything, this is reflecting that earlier plot point!

Axelrod Defined – Wags sums it up perfectly. Instincts of a truffle hound + next level poker player + a cold-hearted but steady-handed sniper. Yep, that’s our Bobby Axelrod.

axe wasn’t even the best poker player at haddon hall this episode!

When the Protégé Counsels the Mentor Award – Taylor. Taylor reminds Axe that even Icahn, Buffet and Ackman could strategize the needed moves, then Taylor brought it back full circle to season 2, episode 3 ‘Optimal Play‘ by re-quoting back to Axe his own advice, “A bad motherfucker once told me ‘Hate is nature’s most perfect energy source. Endlessly renewable.’ Lean into that feeling. Because what this is going to take is one hate-fueled bad motherfucker.”

they gave that advice to their own protégé first and now they’re giving it back to their former mentor! the real full circle!

Thanos The Mad Titan – Prince.

PLEASE get some other source material to reference.

Damianista […] Perfect Job Ad – Wags Wags’ description of the person the alliance needs for their operation against Prince to be successful would make the perfect job ad! “Need the instincts of a truffle hound mixed with a Daniel Negreanu-like ability to think 9 moves ahead, mixed with the cold and steady hand of a sniper a la Barry Pepper in (Saving Private) Ryan. The full package.” It is perfect because there is only one person that fits the description!

[EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER]

Lady Trader […] The Dr. Spock Award: I have likened Taylor to Mr. Spock, the logical Vulcan several times “From the Trader’s Desk”, but this week they get the Dr. Spock award for helping Axe with Gordie.  I’m sure Taylor will combine the two Spocks and give Gordie very good logical advice.

i think you’re overestimating taylor’s skill as a child psychologist. (you also don’t understand spock, but that’s an issue for another time.)

TheTailThatWagsTheDog The So-Close to Being There Award – Goes to me. I was supposed to be in that scene outside Lincoln Center. They had put out a general casting call for extras and I had applied and been accepted to be in it. I was all set to go to New York and Lincoln Center. I was going to be in a scene with Damian Lewis and Corey Stoll!  This was going to be SO FRICKIN’ AWESOME!  And then the day before I was supposed to go up to NYC I got this email

DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN!

this email is strengthening my suspicion that the gala scene was supposed to be longer and got cut down from what it was. my other piece of proof for that: this clip seemingly showing andy and ayles on set for that scene, though they did not appear in the episode.

Lost Souls Award (tie) – Sacker and Philip. Sacker is just plain flat-out obnoxious to Wendy and Wags, and Philip looks like a corporate zombie when talking to the traders (especially Rian and Tuk). Can either one of them save their soul in these last two episodes? How can Sacker think any of this is ok knowing how Prince has bent and broken the law this season? How can Philip stand to do Prince’s bidding knowing what Prince did to his mentor? One of them has to show some kind of backbone here, don’t they? That would be awful if they stayed this particular course.

i mean, this is the “giving in to the lure of money and power at the cost of your moral compass” show, but yes, i do expect one of them (philip) to ultimately switch sides.

LOL Award – Prince asking for loyalty from his traders. Didn’t he try to (and is continuing to try to) spy on his own workers. Why exactly would they show fealty to him? Is he that delusional? Don’t answer that.

well he has all their money, so how could they possibly be disloyal to him??? (lol. lmao.)

Best Musical Reference – In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins – why is it that when someone references this song, the only thing they talk about is that drum fill? I wonder if Phil is perturbed by that, that this really good song of his is basically only known for a 10-second drum fill?

ben didn’t only talk about the drum fill — the reason he brought it up was to quote one of the verses in reference to his suspicions about the organizational changes. (and the drum fill bangs.)

I’m Sorry But He Doesn’t Belong Award – Tuk. I know he’s a really sweet guy, but does anyone believe that he would be employed by a mercenaries group of traders and dealers the likes of which Prince would hire? I don’t. He doesn’t fit – never really did. Rudy fit better than Tuk did. Sorry – just calling it like I see it.

rudy was incompetent. tuk has actually made some successful plays. and prince has barely hired anyone since he took over, so it’s not like he can afford to lose tuk at this juncture.

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis (Lady Trader): “From the Trader’s Desk” Don’t Kick the Hornet’s Nest! Billions S7E10 “Enemies List”

turns out lady trader posted a standard recap of this episode after all!

Before I get into the Axe/Prince cage match, I want to address and explain some financial questions I got on X (formerly known as Twitter) and then go into some observations. A few readers wanted to know why at the end of the episode, Prince tells Scooter, Kate, and Philip to go to all cash and clear the portfolio of every position. He is doing this because now that he knows his enemies are circling, it will be much harder for them to hurt him financially if the fund is in all cash. No companies that they can buy out, no insider trading claims, etc. However, there are several downsides to this strategy. Prince Capital just sold all the fund’s holdings in foreign investments and in fully invested in US-based assets. Going to all cash in such a short turnaround time would cause people to ask, “What does he know that we don’t?” and “Why is he getting out of American investments?” For someone running for President of the United States, bailing on the country you want to lead is not a good look. Also, the selling of all those assets at once would cause enormous market fluctuations. Prince Capital has billions of dollars of assets under management – you don’t just unwind that number of stocks, bonds, and private equity investments without causing havoc to the markets. Additionally, you are not going to continue to be the best performing fund on the Street if you are all cash. You can place your money in high yielding bonds and treasuries, but you are still not going to get nearly the kind of returns you would if you were fully invested; I also don’t think your clients will be willing to pay a 2/20 fee for cash positions. They are paying for active management, not fixed income. Finally, you have a staff of traders, analysts, and portfolio managers – what are they supposed to do all day if they can’t trade?

certainly all relevant points! i believe someone specifically mentioned in 7x11 that it would be hard to justify a 2 and 20 fee for cash, though i can’t recall who. though by the end of 7x11 it’s hard to assert that prince Has a staff of traders, analysts, and portfolio managers.

Last week in my own Q&A, I asked why Rian didn’t know Mental was controlled by Prince through a shell company. Well, this week we know why – it was a set up by Prince the whole time. The financials both Wendy and Rian saw were fake. They were numbers that Prince wanted both to see in order for the offer to be tempting enough for Wendy, and to be endorsed by Rian. How could this happen? Mental is a private company, which means there is less public information published about it. If it were a public company, it would be required to file various reports to the SEC, like 10-K and 10-Q reports that would state the company’s balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow. It would be much harder to fake the numbers on a public company. No doubt it has been done (like Rian states about Enron) but I do think Rian would have been able to spot it.

that does explain that. and taylor mentioned that it was a private company before wendy and rian looked at the numbers again.

This got me thinking: who was the one who told Wendy to open her folder of job offers? Wasn’t that Dr. Mayer? I have been suspect of Mayer’s intentions from the beginning and this strange coincidence just makes me question her motives even more. She seemed a little bit too pleased when Wendy signed that contract in her office.

dr. mayer did encourage wendy to look at her job offers, but wendy had already begun doing so by that point.

I’m hoping that Rian is stepping into the partnership role to be a saboteur from the inside. She has had a front row seat to see what kind of person Prince is and I can’t believe she is suddenly motivated just by money. The pep talk from Wendy probably put her on the path to doing what is right.

having seen 7x11: lol. lmao.

I was so happy to see Axe and Taylor working together again. From the first time Taylor stepped into the offices of Axe Capital (when they were back in CT) we knew they brought something different to the firm, but more importantly was a good partner with Axe.

we did not know that from the first time taylor stepped into the offices of axe capital, because they were an intern there for three months before we or axe ever met them. but points for mentioning taylor!

When Axe was forbidden from trading back in S3, who did he put in charge of Axe Cap? Taylor. They did temporarily become enemies in S4 (which was all Axe’s doing), but they both realize they bring out the best in each other.

that enmity really began in season 3 and extended into season 5. i don’t think you can say they bring out the best in each other, full stop, and leave it there.

Before I continue, I can’t wait to see exactly how Chuck got Axe to be allowed back in the United States. He got Andolov back by saying he was using Andolov as an expert witness in by commodity fraud case in the oil industry. Is Axe going to be a witness against Prince? And where is Bryan Connerty? I do not believe that the request to Kate to get his law license back was put out there for no reason. I could totally see Bryan being legal counsel for Axe Global when all of this is said and done. He will finally become a lion!

having seen 7x11: i doubt any of this will be relevant 👍

Getting Prince to back down from possibly putting Wendy in jail for 35 years by using Andy’s “friend” Derek is genius.

come on now. we’re all adults here. you can use a term for derek that clearly indicates he and andy were sleeping together, rather than winking and nudging and using air quotes about it.

[turnabout-cats]

klavier as cats day 4 (excuse the cropping. klavier is also a giraffe): this is like my fav piece of aa4 official art