Tonight on Showtime the show Billions airs with an all new Sunday January 24, season 1 episode 2 called “Naming Rights” and we have your weekly recap below. On tonight’s episode, Chuck’s (Paul Giamatti) probe is temporarily derailed.
On the last episode, the world of high finance was explored by tracking the approaching collision between a savvy U.S. Attorney and a billionaire hedge-fund manager. In the opener, an inside tip sparked a high-level game of cat and mouse. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it we have you covered with a full and detailed recap right here for you.
On tonight’s episode as per the Showtime synopsis, “Chuck’s probe is temporarily derailed; Axe makes an aggressive move.”
Tonight’s Shameless season 1 episode 2 is going to be great, and you won’t want to miss it. So be sure to tune in for our live coverage of Billions— tonight at 10 PM EST! While you wait for our recap, hit the comments and let us know how excited you are about the new show of the Billions?
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#Billions starts with Bobby ending a call standing in his undies. A woman helps him dress then Wags comes to help. He says people didn’t like seeing him on the front of the Post. He says all they see is the house. Bobby says soon enough someone else will be on the front page.
He says get with Sykes and keep them on board. Bobby gets on a helicopter with his wife and takes off. Chuck and Bryan discuss how to nail Bobby. Bryan says Pete Decker is the key since he was at Axe the longest.
Kate comes in and Bryan tells the story about General Tso, the history lesson. Chuck says they need to get Decker on the hook and they decide to look at his traders to see if one screws up. Bobby and Lara are outside a party talking smack about the others. He says the building has a terrible name and it’s a great building. She asks how much he likes it. He says good question. They hand their joint to Wags who puffs then tosses it. Steve is there and Bobby acts nice. Two women are having sex and doing coke. The phone rings and it’s Randy calling Tara with a hot story tip – about Steven Birch. Mike had him call.
Randy tells her they need to get a quote from the US Attorney’s office. She calls Bryan and Chuck for a comment on the Birch story. Bryan says how could they have it before them or the FBI. Kate goes to run it down and Chuck says call Terri at the FBI.
Wags and Bobby talk to one of his lawyers – he says the US Attorney will try to bag him. He says they need to think ahead and act like they would never settle. Bobby assures him he never would. Penn Jilette is doing magic at the event.
He asks who will give a million and Bobby stands then Birch stands too. Wags gets a text with the Birch story and says the Financial Journal just pasted him. Bobby gets a text and shows it to Lara. She looks over at Steve. Someone hands him a phone and he looks shocked.
He whispers to his date and they creep out. Bobby makes a sympathetic face for him. Wendy gives one of the traders a pep talk. Lara works in her gardens giving directions to her staff. Wags leads the staff meeting and Bobby gives a good talk.
He asks Pouch if he’s smart enough then asks him about a deal. Wags calls him a pussy. Pouch says Bobby could have pushed it. He asks Saldana about the hospitals. She says the stock is going to pop and he says good answer.
Bobby asks for new ideas. He asks Donnie what he has. He says Apple may move north. Bobby lays into him and he says he’s not seeing the matrix right now. Wags says that’s his f-ing job. Bobby stops Wags and tells him to give it time.
SEC Compliance marches in and tells traders to stay here and everyone else go back to your desk. Bobby tells his staff to cooperate. They ask for research on energy trades from a guy and says they see gaps. He admits he got an unsolicited tip that seemed solid.
Another trader says his was an event driven macro play then says tip. They all says phone tips, anonymous tips, prom night promise “just the tip.” Then they pull Pouch in and tell him he’s been in a rough patch.
The compliance guy knocks on Wendy’s door and says her files are confidential and he can f-k off. She says if he calls the Attorney General, tell her she said hi. Bobby comes in and tells the crew it was a lifeboat drill and says they did not do well.
He says if had been real, they would have been f-d. One of the guys says he shit his pants for nothing. Bobby says what happened to Birch could happen to them. He introduces them to the fake SEC people and says they are the new compliance department.
He says they evaluate every move for ethical grounding. Wags says they have to be more pure than the Virgin Mary before her first period. Victor asks how they can make any money. Bobby says he was one of the ones who was flagged. He says his last deal was over the line.
Bobby tells him he’s fired and they’re lucky the SEC isn’t here for real. He tells him to leave his key cards and get out. Victor says he didn’t do anything that others don’t do. Bobby says he didn’t sign off on the deal and he put them all at risk.
Bobby tells everyone to play clean. Wags says he’ll make sure the board and investors hear about it. Wendy watches Victor being escorted out by security as he rages. She goes to see Bobby and he says he was going to tell her about the compliance gag but she wasn’t at dinner.
He says it was an oversight. Wendy says no then says Victor is the wrong person to fire like that. She says it was a f-k up. She says he will react poorly to public humiliation and says he will stew, obsess and try to get revenge. Bobby asks her to fix it.
She asks again and he says it was a red team drill and he wanted everyone to react naturally and left her out on purpose and will make it up to her. She walks out irritated. Lara calls Sean about making a donation and naming rights.
Bobby meets with a guy who talks about naming rights to buildings was tied to titans of industry. Bobby mocks the lecture and the guy says it’s a tight spot. Bobby says the Eads family must own the naming rights in perpetuity but he’s offering $100 million.
Sean says he’s in a difficult spot. He mentions other naming opportunities then asks why this building. Bobby says it’s the only way he’ll get a dollar out of him. He says he knows the Eads family is in financial straits. He tells Sean to offer the family $25 million to let his name be on it.
Bobby says he has a condition he has to sign off on. Hall is in Tara’s place and shows her he recorded her having sex. She tells him to get out but he says he’s her new best friend. He says this can go viral if she wants.
Tara says she won’t be blackmailed over her sex life. She says it won’t compromise her then Hall says the coke is the issue. He says he has her hair which will test positive for coke and can be in Chuck’s hands in an hour.
He says all she has to do it watch, listen and report. Hall says he knows it’s a lot. Kate tells Chuck and Bryan that Birch set up a war room. Chuck says no denial means there’s something there. Chuck says he doesn’t like this leak to the reporter.
Chuck says set the Axe thing aside for now and focus on Birch. He asks Kate to pull Mike Dimonda and Randy Kornbluth’s articles. Chuck lurks outside Mike’s place later. Mike says this is intimidation and he’ll write it up.
Chuck says come on then says that’s not the big story. He says he’s been reading Kornbluth too and says he usually covers politics not business then this big Birch story. He says he quoted James Robins. He says Mike quotes James Robins all the time.
He says he knows he wrote the Birch story and why he hid it. Mike says if he was that ambitious, he would take credit. Chuck says he should have come to him and Mike says Chuck doesn’t play like that. Chuck says tell me who fed you the story.
Mike says no and says he won’t write this up but he can anytime he wants to. He says don’t try and bar me from a press conference or dodge my calls. He goes inside his place. Chuck is in line at a food truck with his kids and sees a guy in line that he takes note of.
He gives extra money to pay for that guy’s food. Kroll approaches Chuck and asks him to meet his kids. Chuck says his kids are there and says they shouldn’t talk in public. Kroll hands back the $20 and says he doesn’t need his kindness now – he needed it at sentencing.
He asks Chuck how he lives with himself and he says he thinks long and hard before prosecuting anyone and says what he does is justified. Kroll says he made one small mistake and no one got hurt. Kroll says he knew his wife died and he was desperate and lost.
He tells Chuck that he’s the only parent his kids have and won’t have him again for four years. He says have a nice stroll with your kids. Kroll tosses the $20 and walks away. Chuck picks it up and looks pained.
Bobby calls in Pouch to talk about going short on Cross Co. Pouch says he doesn’t see the short side and Bobby says just do it. Pouch has no choice. Wags comes in as he leaves and he says he can’t get Garth Sykes on the phone.
Bobby says this could be bad and Wags asks him to give the guy some face time but Bobby says handle it. Wendy shows up to see Victor and says she doesn’t want him to make this worse. Victor says he made a lot of money for Bobby.
Wendy shrinks him and he says he knows how Axe works and the dirty edge. He says he knows the recipe for the secret sauce. Wendy asks if he’s rich enough to never get another job. He says he worked hard for Bobby and bribed a company.
Wendy says don’t say that, they’re not in session. Victor says he’ll rub what he wants on Bobby’s clean white shirt. She reminds him about Jaffen and says word got back to Axe that he bad mouthed him in the interview and he lost a $3m a year offer at a bank.
Wendy says that had to be so humiliating and then says Axe called every bank and had him blackballed. She tells him Warren now has a blog and that’s what he does. Wendy says Victor built a life and he if he acts right, Axe will make sure he’s taken care of.
Wendy says the way he wins now is to let this go. He’s calmer now. Later, Chuck tells Wendy that he took the kids for donuts. She says she knows – Kevin told her. He says good – he doesn’t want the kids to keep secrets from her.
He says everyone always feels like she’s on their side. Wendy says she tries to be. Chuck says he has to be a real prick at his job. Wendy says we all do things we’re not proud of at work. Chuck tells her about the Kroll incident.
Chuck says they say they are proud when they decide not to prosecute a case and says that’s just something they say and wishes he could be more human – but can’t see how to do that and his job at the same time.
Wendy says if he can figure out how to be 100% good and 100% good at his job, they can quit theirs and write a book. Wags and Sykes are at a massage parlor and Sykes says he needs to look Bobby in the eyes and hear that it’s good.
He says he doesn’t like seeing his investor spending money like a rap star. Wags says they crushed the S&P seven years running. The massage ladies tell them to turn over. Sykes asks when he can see Axe. They both get happy endings – ick.
Dale and Terri come in and tell Chuck and Bryan about evidence they got on Birch. It’s solid. Tara lurks in the room until Bryan makes her leave. Terri says Burch is a slam dunk on the railroad deal.
Tara texts Hall. Bryan and the team talk about serving the search warrant on Birch and whether or not to handcuff him. Chuck watches them plan how to get the records and show up at the right time. Chuck looks at the whiteboard on Axe they’re not working on right now.
Chuck calls Bryan over and says let’s hold up on the arrest and bring Birch in for a settlement talk. Bryan says they have him and can send him to jail. Chuck says they can bring him in, make him fold and gets back to Axe where they should be focused.
Chuck says Bobby did this to distract them and says they’re chasing a riderless horse and quotes Butch Cassidy. Bryan says he rooted for Butch and Sundance. Chuck says they all did, but that’s not who they are now.
Bobby goes to a fancy place in his hoodie and interrupts Ken and Garth at dinner. He drags a chair over to their table and sits. Bobby calls Ken a poacher and says he and Garth don’t like poachers. Ken asks how is he doing.
Bobby says Ken thinks that he’s running bad because Garth is with him. Bobby says it’s like Highlander – there can be only one. Bobby says he’s up 32% and that’s 30% better than him. Ken says he’s risk averse and knows the responsibility to investors.
Ken says he may not be a rock star but he’s still plugging away. Bobby says have fun with your plugger. Garth steps away with Bobby and says he loves talking to him but needs things nice and comfie for optics plus results.
He says his members count on him. He says Ken is dry but is solid. Bobby says he knows he hated that headline in the newspaper and says do what you need to do, but you’ll see how solid I am too.
Chuck sits down with Birch and his lawyers on the railroad trade. Chuck says if it goes to trial, he’ll serve 11 years. Chuck brings up Birch’s young children and says they’ll be out of college by then. Bryan says they’ll take a quick plea for $386 million,
He tells Birch he also has to shutter his firm and make it a family office. Chuck says settlement or trial. Birch’s lawyers says they can fight it and Birch says he doesn’t want to go to jail. Chuck says good, he won’t get a chance like that again.
Tara lurks and hears Birch saying he’s relieved they settled. She texts Hall again who is with a little woman at a steam bath. Wendy gets a visit from Bobby who flops onto her couch. She says she’s expecting someone soon and the boss being there will freak them.
He says he came to say thank you and sorry. He says she nailed it with Victor and she says she knew everything about him to make him capitulate. She says she went for Bobby then says they have never let each other down.
She says if he cuts her out again and she’s gone. Bobby says he knows. His phone buzzes with a message from Hall that Birch settled and Chuck is back on him. Bobby and Lara meet with the Eads family.
Bobby says Chad must not remember him and says he caddied when he was a kid and carried his bag and his grandfather’s. He says the summer after middle school he carried his bag too. Bobby says the number that matters is $16. He says that’s how much he got paid for a round of golf.
He says it was 90 degree heat and says he did two loops a day so he got $32 each day – Saturday or Sunday. Lara says that was his spending money for the whole year. Bobby says his grandfather asked him to read a putt and he did and did it right.
He says Chad laughed at his grandfather so he fired him right there on the spot – from the whole club. He says he needed the $16 bucks but his grandfather didn’t care. Chad asks if they are there because of that ancient BS.
Bobby says he’s leaving them a check for $25 million minus $16 so they get $9 million. They threaten to walk out and Bobby says they won’t and can’t since they haven’t worked since their miserable grandfather dropped dead. He says take the check and walk or I will.
Tara stands by her man. One of them takes it and the whole family walks out mad. Sean says it will be the Axelrod building. They watch as the Eads name is sawed off the statue off front. Tara and Bobby hold hands and smile as they watch them fall.
THE END!
