#lot 7x09

[talas-first-lady]

Lowest Common Demoninator, missed opportunity edition

Behrad: I died and I haven't talked about it. Real Housewife Sara: That's so sad that you died ONCE. That must be so hard for you. I don't whine about it, and do you even know how many times I've died? Jersey Nate: Oh my god, NOBODY knows how many times you've died. All you do is die. Newsflash: you're not special. We ALL died. Gwyn: ...What's that now? Ava: I guess that's technically true. Everyone who was there at the time either got murdered by Atropos or torn apart by zombies. The original Zari was - Zari 2.0: EXCUSE ME? Gary: And if Gideon blew up and Gwyn died in his original timeline, that leaves... Naked Spooner: I'm the Survivor. I just beat all you morons without even trying. Astra: Don't celebrate yet because I am on the verge of MURDERING ALL OF YOU.

#who needs heartfelt speeches when you can have more crazy? #sorry behrad #legends of tomorrow #incorrect legends of tomorrow #lot 7x09 #behrad tarazi #sara lance #nate heywood #gwyn davies #ava sharpe #zari tarazi #gary green #spooner cruz #astra logue

[cockworkangels]

he's constantly being tortured by devil visions orchestrated by satan inside his brain after being tortured in hell for hundreds of years but sure yeah a lot of people have it worse

#oh sammy #pretty sure there are not a lot of people who have it this bad in this this specific way #s7 rewatch #7x09 how to win friends and influence monsters

[appendectomy]

the house/cuddy relationship is also so interesting because a big part of the essence of 'doom' that the writers give their relationship is also based in direct comparison to the not-doomed-ness of house/wilson. there are so many moments where it feels to me that the writers are grabbing me by the shoulders, shaking me and going 'look!!! look at them and compare them look at how different these two dynamics are'.

one of the most obvious examples of this is in 7x09 when house is trying to get out of hanging out with wilson and going to cuddy's birthday dinner at the same time. cuddy outright asks 'you have to choose one of us,' and house replies 'i choose wilson'. apart from making me giggle, these lines also serve the very obvious purpose of not just being about where house would prefer to spend a thursday evening. it's quite blatant foreshadowing about the fact that, at the end of everything, house always prefers to choose wilson and is more capable of being there for him than he is for anyone else, including romantic partners and especially including cuddy.

the next big example of this that struck me is in 7x15 when cuddy is in surgery. this is an almost word-for-word recreation of the scenario in 6x10 where wilson went into surgery. they both want house to be there, and house struggles to show up both times. we even get this wonderful visual parallel between the two, which is something i've noticed has been talked about a little by other people on here, and so is definitely something I imagine the writers thought about too. with 6x10:

and 7x15:

the key difference between these two situations is house being sober in one, and on drugs in the other. house can be there for wilson and emotionally support him while also being sober, but he cannot do the same for cuddy. this comparison i think is such a clear communication that not only is house's relationship with wilson easier for house to maintain than his relationship with cuddy, but that it is also better for him mentally. with wilson, there isn't an anxiety that he isn't good enough for him the way there is with cuddy, and this just fundamentally fosters a better environment for him as an addict.

this says a lot about house/wilson, but it also says a lot about house's approach to romance versus friendship in general. he places so much more importance on the emotional challenges of a romantic relationship than he does platonic. he spends the whole episode of 7x15 practically agonising over wether cuddy will be ok or not, whereas he spends most of 6x10 telling wilson he's an idiot. he seems to doom himself in romantic relationships by creating so much of his own anxiety: he worries about getting it right, being the man cuddy needs him to be, doing what a good partner should, and it causes him to be unable to actually perform any of these actions without the crutch of being high. this in turn underminines the genuineness of any attempt to be better that he makes in cuddy's eyes. i don't think any of the emotional demands cuddy makes of house are unreasonable at all, but because house is such an emotionally stunted and volatile person he can't approach the very normal expectations of a romantic relationship in any sort of healthy way. the only relationships he can maintain are unconventional ones that don't have these expectations, like his friendship with wilson.

the next example, and the one that is most likely a little bit of a reach, is also in 7x15, specifically in the few dream sequences cuddy has that feature wilson. in the first, she imagines house and wilson as rachel's adoptive fathers (which i've already written a little bit about here if you're interested). then she has another dream set in a black-and-white 50s sitcom where she is the breadwinner, house is the housewife, and wilson is the mailman/milkman (not completely sure which of these he is, but he's definitely one of them). in both of these situations, wilson is the proverbial 'other woman': he takes the place of house's domestic partner in one of the dreams, and in the other he's the mailman/milkman to house's housewife, which traditionally in media is a comedic character pairing that involves the housewife cheating on her working husband with the mailman/milkman. i doubt this symbolism is really that intentional, and i don't think that it's meant to imply any sort of genuine romantic coding between house and wilson, it's probably just a couple of early 2000s gay jokes. but if you critically look at these instances, you can begin to extrapolate a sense that in house's romantic relationships, wilson is always hovering in the background. wilson is always the proverbial 'other woman', someone who's relationship with house is just as important and very likely also easier to maintain for house, just as the inverse is true for wilson as established by testimony from his ex-wife bonnie. i mainly think this inclusion of wilson in these dreams and the deliberate role he plays just serves to remind the viewer that while house and cuddy's relationship is rocky and uncertain, house and wilson's is pretty much constant and inevitable.

the last comment i have on this is about the scene in 7x23 where house crashes his car into cuddy's home. i think you can pretty easily compare wilson and cuddy situationally in this scene: house is putting cuddy in immense danger (though not actually intending on hurting her), whereas in comparison he yells at wilson to get out of the car before he does it. to me, there's an obvious difference there - a deliberate effort to endanger a person vs a deliberate effort to remove a person from danger. and in both instances, house is intentionally causing the danger. it very strikingly reminded me of the scene in 3x07 where house tells wilson to get out of their hotel room before he does something that could incriminate wilson. he specifically tells wilson 'maybe i don't wanna push this til it breaks' in regard to their friendship. house is very cognizant of not pushing wilson away completey, not squandering their relationship once and for all with his dangerous behaviour. but with cuddy, he gets to a point where he actively burns the bridge. the difference to me is sad and clear: house is willing and able to maintain his relationship with wilson. he is not willing and able to maintain his relationship with cuddy. and by comparing the two, each dynamic becomes clearer.

#house md #um.. hiii :)

[mayasdeluca]

People on X freaking out about 7x09 lol

If and that’s a big IF Marina are part of it, I think it’ll be about the adoption. Maybe someone tries contesting it? Predictable but obvious. No one is getting killed off. Jesus.

Andy is gonna be the one in the hospital. Why else would Jaina mention it?

Unfortunately, as far as quality scenes of Marina go, I feel like we’re aren’t going to see much of it compared to other seasons. Their relationship really is background fodder at this point.

It's ridiculous because there's nothing to indicate that they would be giving Marina that kind of big storyline and yet any kind of BTS or info we get from the season, Marina fans are always trying to connect it to them regardless.

Now that we know about this I think it's involving Andy too, especially since Jaina was the one to mention the crazy crossover thing. She wouldn't do it for anyone else. And no one is going to die, it's just going to be this dramatic thing that ends up being fine. I just hope it doesn't go that much into episode 10 also because considering it's most likely the series finale, they need to make sure all the storylines get attention and closure, not waste time on an eventual useless crossover.

Sadly that's what it's been with Marina so far...a lot of background stuff. It doesn't seem like they'll get much in the Pride episode either which is so wrong for so many reasons. But I hope starting with episode 4, they start to get some actual material.

#asks #anon

[jackabelle73]

For Your Consideration -- CCA 2023

Greetings, Rumbelle peeps!

It's that time of year again. Our beloved awards event for Rumbelle fic and art has a new name and blog -- The Chipped Cup Awards, but we ARE having an awards event.

I've posted almost nothing new in the past year. However, in the spirit of participation and supporting the new event, I'm making an FYC post anyway. I went back through my entire body of work, and I'm putting forth anything that I feel fits the categories, even if it's a few years old.

And you know what? I encourage everyone to do the same. With the fandom getting smaller and less active, it's expected that there will be fewer new works to nominate. Maybe now is a good time for some older or previously overlooked works to get recognition. Several dedicated Rumbellers have put a lot of work into building a new awards event for us, so let's support it.

That said, my FYC list with the categories I believe they fit is under the cut.

FLUFF

Comfort - In Sickness and in Health

Soon after leaving Storybrooke to travel the Realm Without Magic, the Golds' trip is interrupted.

Reunion - The Other Fork in the Path

An alternate ending to a scene from 1x21, "An Apple Red as Blood."

ANGST 

Hurts So Good – Beyond the Door

Rumplestiltskin finds out that his son Gideon may still be able to access the Dream Realm, and that presents an opportunity that he can't ignore.

ROMANCE

Best Date (Overall) - The Worst Date

Detective Weaver is enjoying a drink at Roni's Bar and a young woman who seems familiar to him, enters with her date. When her date acts inappropriately, Weaver is only too happy to offer assistance.

Best First Meeting- Click 

A chance meeting on a country road. Two souls in search of something.

GENERAL 

Best One-Shot - And Then, One Thursday Night… 

A chance meeting on an ordinary weeknight, that will change two lives as they each go their own way.

Best Series - Precious Moments

A series of ficlets, depicting everyday moments in Gideon's childhood that Belle and Rumple almost didn't get to have.

Best "Missing Years" - An Unexplored Realm

Rumple and Belle, along with ten-year-old Gideon, visit the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

SPECIAL CATEGORIES

Best Supernatural/Sci-Fi/Horror  - Mortuus Loqueris Ad

While exploring the contents of her new library in the Dark Castle, Belle finds a dusty book that presents an irresistible opportunity.

Best Creature - In the Moonlight Deep 

Facing an unwanted arranged marriage, Belle enlists the help of loyal friends and non-human strangers alike, to take charge of her own destiny.

Best Trope - Love and Happiness

Belle French receives notice from the government that her marriage has been arranged for her, as it is for all residents of Storybrooke. She reports to Town Hall on the designated day to find out who she is fated to marry.

CHARACTER AWARDS 

Best Belle - Love and Happiness

Belle French receives notice from the government that her marriage has been arranged for her, as it is for all residents of Storybrooke. She reports to Town Hall on the designated day to find out who she is fated to marry.

Best Gideon -  The Visitor

Set during season 7 and canon divergent after 7x09, "One Little Tear." As this fic begins, Gideon Gold arrives in Seattle in search of his father. Rumplestiltskin, woken from the curse but still maintaining his cursed persona of Detective Weaver, is having a bad day and has no idea he's about to receive a visitor.

ART

Best Graphic Art - “If alternate universes exist….” 

Gif set with the quote: I hope that, if alternate universes exist, it will still be you and me in every world, in every story.

Best Video - Dance Me to the End of Love 

Set to the Civil Wars' cover of Leonard Cohen's song of the same name.

* * *

⭐️ This post edited on January 12th, to remove one fic. I realized it was ineligible. My mistake.

#ouat #rumbelle #the chipped cup awards #fyc #for your consideration

[laufire]

For what it's worth, given that we're talking about September 2023 - I'll gladly join you in a stacked rewatch for The 100. I've tried to rewatch in order and it's just impossible for me now, but I think the air date method is a really novel way to mix it up. Count me in! (In ten months, lol.)

I often find myself missing the ~energy of this fandom (read: exclusively that of my mutuals in my little dash <3), so if any of you joined me I'd love it! I do want to rewatch the show eventually, but like you, thinking of a regular rewatch... eh. But this way is a lot of fun and can lead to really interesting findings IMO.

(in particular, I think a rewatch of this show, knowing all I know in hindsight, it's going to make Clarke a more enjoyable protagonist for me LMAO)

The (tentative) idea would be start in October 22nd 2023 (in part so I have time after finishing stackediaries lol), with the second season's premiere. That way, we'd finish on September 30th (2024) with the proper series finale. I'm c&p how the schedule would look under the cut:

October

22 – 2x01

29 – 2x02

November

5 – 2x03

12 – 2x04

19 – 2x05

December

3 – 2x06

10 – 2x07

17 – 2x08

January

21 – 2x09 + 3x01

28 – 2x10 + 3x02

February

1 – 4x01

4 – 2x11 + 3x03

8 – 4x02

11 – 2x12 + 3x04

15 – 4x03

18 – 2x13 + 3x05

22 – 4x04

25 – 2x14 + 3x06

March

1 – 4x05

3 – 3x07

4 – 2x15

10 – 3x08

11 – 2x16

15 – 4x06

19 – 1x01

22 – 4x07

26 – 1x02

29 – 4x08

31 – 3x09

April

2 – 1x03

7 – 3x10

9 – 1x04

14 – 3x11

16 – 1x05

21 – 3x12

23 – 1x06

24 – 5x01

26 – 4x09

28 – 3x13

30 – 1x07 + 6x01

May

1 – 5x02

3 – 4x10

5 – 3x14

7 – 1x08 + 6x02

8 – 5x03

10 – 4x11

12 – 3x15

14 – 1x09 + 6x03

15 – 5x04

17 – 4x12

19 – 3x16

20 – 7x01

21 – 1x10 + 6x04

22 – 5x05

24 – 4x13

27 – 7x02

28 – 1x11 + 6x05

June

3 – 7x03

4 – 1x12

5 – 5x06

10 – 7x04

11 – 1x13 + 6x06

17 – 7x05

18 – 6x07

19 – 5x07

24 – 7x06

25 – 6x08

26 – 5x08

July

1 – 7x07

8 – 7x08

9 – 6x09

10 – 5x09

15 – 7x09

16 – 6x10

17 – 5x10

23 – 6x11

24 – 5x11

30 – 6x12

31 – 5x12

August

5 – 7x10

6 – 6x13

7 – 5x13

12 – 7x11

19 – 7x12

September

9 – 7x13

16 – 7x14

23 – 7x15

30 – 7x16

#it's not as near in sync as tvd's but alas. it didn't have as consistent a schedule lol #lots less episodes so more manageable though #oh. and right after i thought of 100stacked i got the idea to do stackedsails lmao (with black sails) #which i think would be a SUPER interesting show to watch out of order #and also a lot more lowkey since it would start on january 23rd (2025 in this scenario lol) with 3x01 and finish on april 2nd with 4x10 #replies #talking to the void #my thoughts #the 100 #t100 thoughts #stacked100 #i think i prefer this name #iamnotawomanimagod

[themattress]

OUAT Observation

I want to conduct an experiment and list every major character (so important characters to the plot and/or characters whose actors had “Regular” status) who dropped out of the show, and then see how often they were referenced again or appeared again in any capacity.

Graham Humbert/The Hunstman: Wow. Following 1x08, the episode after his death, Graham was never mentioned again for the remainder of the season, and only showed up briefly in the finale as the Huntsman in a flashback. He fares no better in the later seasons, only getting one flashback appearance in 2x17 and one offhand mention from Emma in 4x03. I’m inclined to believe this is because of how awkward it would make Regina’s redemption if the circumstances behind his death were ever revealed, but it seems ridiculous given that Emma wouldn’t have her position as Sheriff of Storybrooke if not for him. He deserved better.

August W. Booth/Pinocchio: After Season 2, August received no mention in Season 3. He then showed up again and played an important role in Season 4B, only to go without mention once more in Season 5. He then appeared in back-to-back episodes 6x11 and 6x12, then disappeared for the remainder of the show. Maybe he should’ve stayed gone the first time...

Albert Spencer/King George: Following his arrest in 2x07, he received mention in the flashbacks of 2x10 and 2x20 and appeared in the flashback of 2x13. Otherwise, he only got mentioned in the Season 3 finale and briefly in 5x15, and only ever appeared again in 6x12.

Cora Mills/The Queen of Hearts: Cora died in 2x16, but was still constantly referenced by other characters for the remainder of the season. She then showed up in the flashback of OUATIW’s 11th episode, referenced throughout Season 3B and even appeared both in flashback form and as a ghost in 3x18, was mentioned occasionally throughout Seasons 4 through 6, showed up in the flashback of 4x20, and appeared in 5x12 and 5x19 where her character was definitively sent off. Despite all of this, Season 7 only referenced her twice, in 7x06 and 7x11, adding to the feeling of disconnect that season had to the rest of the show.

Ruby Lucas/Red Riding Hood: After just up and disappearing following 2x17, Ruby had mentions in 3x07 and 3x09, and then in 3x11 there was often an open slot in crowd shots where you swear she was meant to be digitally inserted in but wasn’t for some reason. Then in 3x12 she really was digitally inserted into a crowd shot, then had a brief cameo in 3x13. A waitress that was possibly her is seen from the backside in 3x17, then she played a major role in the two-part season finale. Following this, she disappeared again only to resurface in 5x09, which explained her disappearance and was later followed by her send-off in 5x18. Megan Ory is great, but her character was more important and should’ve just been recast.

Malcolm/Peter Pan: Pan was mentioned quite a lot following his demise in 3x11; coming up in 3x15, 3x16, 3x17, 3x20 and 3x21. He wasn’t mentioned much afterward in Season 4 and the first half of Season 5, only to then return in a major recurring role in 5B across 5x12, 5x14 (voice only), 5x17 (visual cue), 5x19 and 5x20, and given mention in 5x23. In Season 6, he was referenced in 6x11, 6x16 and 6x17, and appeared in his adult form in 6x19′s flashback. His Wish Realm counterpart appears in 7x21, mainly as fanservice since he does nothing.

Neal Cassady/Baelfire: Given that this character was a major driving force across the first three seasons of the show, it’s understandable he was referenced a lot afterward; in 4x01, 4x03, 4x04, 4x05, 4x08, 4x17, 4x20, 4x21, 4x22, 5x03, 5x05, 5x06, 5x08, 5x10, 5x11, 5x16, 5x20, 5x22, 5x23, 6x01, 6x06, 6x08, 6x09, 6x10, 6x11, 6x12, 6x17, 6x19 and 6x22. He also appeared in person in 5x12, and in the flashbacks of 5x14 and 6x13. In Season 7, however, he was only off-handedly mentioned in 7x04, 7x09 and 7x21. There’s that disconnect again!

Ingrid/The Snow Queen: Following Season 4A where she was the Big Bad, Ingrid is only mentioned in 4x12, 4x19, and 5x02. Ultimately, she didn’t really leave much of an impact.

Elsa: 4x15. That is the first and last time Elsa was mentioned beyond Season 4A.

Maleficent: Despite Season 4B building her up as a major permanent presence in Storybrooke going forward, Maleficent was never seen again afterward. She received mention in 5x02, 5x09, 6x21, and 7x16....and none of these refer to her directly by name.

Lily Page: In one of the most notorious instances of a character receiving a lot of build-up for being important and then just disappearing without closure, Lily was never seen again after Season 4, the season that introduced her and built her up, and she was only mentioned in the final episode, 7x22, with her dangling plot thread reduced to a joke. (Seriously? Zorro!?)

Will Scarlet: In another one of the most notorious instances of a character receiving a lot of build-up for being important and then just disappearing without closure, Will literally dropped off the face of the Earth without further mention after Season 4. As a result, everyone has come to agree that OUATIW takes place after Season 4 rather than before as was planned, as this perfectly explains his sudden disappearance without contradicting any hard facts.

Isaac Heller: While the position of the Author remained important, the prior Author himself wasn’t spoken of again following his arrest in the Season 4 finale and subsequent 5x01 until reappearing in 6x16 where he was let out of jail in exchange for revealing a major plot point. 

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Following his death in 5x01, we see him in 5x07′s flashback and in the Underworld in 5x15, plus hear references to him in 5x05, 5x06, 5x11 and 5x13. Additionally, his Wish Realm counterpart appears in 7x21 and gets to play a significant role.

Merlin: He dies in 5x10, and then is referenced in 5x13, 5x15, 5x17, 5x23, 6x08, 6x16, 6x18, 7x01 and 7x21. But here’s the thing: all but one of those (5x17) has him referenced as “the Sorcerer” rather than by name and is generally tying in with Henry’s position as the Author. This gets me asking...in the end, what was the point of the Sorcerer being Merlin? Why not just make the Apprentice the Sorcerer, given that he ends up with a more lasting presence? No wonder Elliot Knight was pissed off after leaving the show; his character got screwed!

Violet Morgan: Despite being Henry’s first girlfriend and a recurring character in Seasons 5 and 6 (and an adorable one, at that!), Violet only receives an offhanded mention in 7x20. 

Hades: The Big Bad of Season 5B only gets brought up in 6x01 and 6x18 afterward.

Robin Hood: While dying in 5x21, Robin still gets brought up in the two-part season finale, and then in 6x01, 6x09, 6x10, 6x11, 6x12, 6x13, 6x14, 6x18, 7x10, 7x11, and 7x14. His spirit makes an appearance in 7x21, while his Wish Realm counterpart appears in 6x10 through 6x14 and has a brief voiceover in 6x22. And so his legacy, however dubious, was honored.

Mr. Hyde: Remember in the Season 5 finale, where it looked like he was going to be a major villain going forward? Well, after dying in 6x04, he only gets mentioned in 6x05, 6x06 and 6x09. He ultimately ended up being as pointless as the Land of Untold Stories he came from.

Gideon: Despite so much of Seasons 5B and 6 being dedicated to this fucker, he only appears in 7x04 and is mentioned briefly in 7x18. The disconnect...it’s so disconnecting!

Fiona/The Black Fairy: She is never referenced in Season 7 at all. Yes, really. The villain that A&E hyped up as the Ultimate Evil, the creator of the Dark Curse who was thus billed as the one behind almost everything that went wrong in the show...and she is totally forgotten.

Belle: While she dies in 7x04, the show never lets you forget about her as she is now Rumple’s primary motivation and thus comes up in 7x06, 7x08, 7x09, 7x15, 7x17, 7x18, 7x20, 7x21 and 7x22, the last of which also having her appear one final time in spirit form. Given that she wasn’t initially meant to be a major character and the writers clearly gave up on making her interesting by the end, it’s bizarre that so much of the final season and Rumple’s characterization ends up being built around the memory of her. It just feels off.

Victoria Belfrey/Rapunzel Tremaine: After perishing in 7x11, she is brought up again in 7x12, 7x13, 7x14, 7x15 and 7x20...although all things considered, I wish that she wasn’t.

Ivy Belfrey/Drizella Tremaine: After she leaves in 7x15, she’s mentioned in 7x16 and 7x18.

Nick Branson/Jack/Hansel: He gets brought up again in the episodes following his death...and then isn’t at all in the two-part series finale, because really, who cares about this guy?

#Once Upon a Time #ABC #Opinion #Analysis #This has been a PSA

[agent-bash]

Have you seen the promo pics for 3? What’s your take on those? Any theories?

I have seen the photos. I'm still pretty calm. It's interesting that they're in dress blues again; I have a feeling that's going to be nearer the end of the episode. Unless the new chief is really kissing ass, I can't see the whole team being rewarded, so maybe a promotion ceremony of some kind? With Kim's smile in one I can't see it being a bad thing.

I know a lot are freaking out about Jay and the knife. For now, I'm going with self-defence. It's something we've seen from him before (7x09), and seeing as he might be fighting someone with a similar skill set to him (army training) it could be very much fighting for this life in a way we've not seen from him before.

It really doesn't give a lot away in terms of how the exit is happening, or even if it is (though based on BTS there will be at least a gap. But they definitely did their job and got people talking and speculating.

#asked and answered #Chicago PD spoilers #Jay Halstead #Theories just theories

[anniesardors]

i think that in the hailey episode (9x13) the friendship between hailey and kevin as well as that of hailey and trudy has deepened and hailey and kim (i wish there were more scenes between kim and jay and no i don't ship them) also get more scenes. .. that jay is an absolute lone wolf as far as friendships go as he doesn't get scenes with the others (Adam,Kevin,Trudy,Kim and Vo*ght who sees him as his son)...since Mouse and Antonio left he has no deep talks with the others!!!! I hope there would be someone new to the unit who also has a military background that he could develop a deeper friendship with...how do you see it?

I wish we saw more of those friendships all around. Every now and then we will see Jay joking with Adam, and I remember in 7x09, Adam mentions they were going to get beers. But we don't see a lot for him friendship wise. Same with Hailey. It's occasionally, and typically with Kevin, maybe Kim. But it's normally Kim, Kevin and Adam and then Hailey and Jay. They've been working together for years. Even if they are not absolute best friends outside of work, they have some type of relationships formed and I would love to see more of the different dynamics in season 10.

#anon asks #annie answers 🖤 #chicago pd #jay halstead #hailey upton #kim burgess #adam ruzek #kevin atwater

[wafflesetc]

i don't know how you see it but i think pd uses double standards when it comes to injuries Jay and Kim are shot several times and have to go straight to the hospital and stay there longer (8x16/9x01 & 7x09/7x10) Jay had to wear an arm sling... but Vo*ght and Hailey become invincible (9x21/9x22) Hailey with the explosion where so many shrapnel are flying around and they would have gotten immense damage but nothing... and then Vo*ght gets shot and walks around like he is it nothing... wtf

To be honest, I don't really think it's double standards. I think it is more along the lines of the timeline and pacing for the episodes and how it affects the rest of the season. First off, Jay should have stayed in the hospital for a few days and been in a sling a lot longer. As with Kim and her PTSD after the shooting, it should have lasted like more than one episode. But neither here nor there, I think it just boils down to pacing and time for the story line as a whole for the entire 22-24 episodes we got that season. So, idk.

#Ask Waffs

[nothingunrealistic]

review roundup: billions 7x09 “game theory optimal”

holy shit! holy fucking shit! let’s read those reviews baby!

New York Times: ‘Billions’ Season 7, Episode 9 Recap: The Walls Close in

Think of this week’s episode of “Billions” as the Death Star trash compactor. In this memorable scene from “Star Wars,” our heroes, Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie, are stuck waist-deep in refuse as the walls of the compactor slowly close in on them. Shooting at those walls, climbing them, bracing them with metal beams — nothing works. It is simply a race against time: Either their robotic friends C-3PO and R2-D2 figure out how to shut down the space station’s trash compactor, or — well, as Han Solo puts it, “We’re all going to be a lot thinner.”

sounds like team kill prince needs to find a… flaw in the death star! [CROWD BOOING]

But that won’t work for Chuck. For one thing, he cares about Wendy, one of the key courtiers he’ll need in order to stop Mike Prince from getting his finger on the nuclear button. (The stakes on this show have gotten insanely high all of a sudden!)

not that suddenly, if you were listening to wendy — she was worried about prince “tak[ing] out Russia or China […] preemptively” or “gassing Des Moines” all the way back in 7x01.

Mike Prince has been alerted by Kate, astute and increasingly repugnant, that a mutiny may be afoot.

yeah :/

Taylor will not be allowed to so much as log into a company computer; the effect is like locking away the firm’s most brilliant mind in a rubber room, which Prince clearly realizes is the worst punishment a genius like Taylor could endure.

yeah :(

Ain’t it grand? Beyond the wealth porn and barrage of pop-culture and sports references, the charm of “Billions” has always been that it is simply a well-made financial thriller, written by smart people who, like the characters they chronicle, enjoy being five steps ahead of everyone else. Personally, I love that feeling. I love not knowing what Chuck is up to, or whether Prince can root out the conspirators before they close ranks with Chuck, or what fate worse than death Prince is planning for his enemies once he has them in his clutches. I love being outsmarted by a television show, and that is the stock in trade of “Billions.”

hm. well that’s nice for you i suppose.

Not only does Billy Joel’s simultaneously cynical and elegiac ode to the high life, “I’ve Loved These Days,” open and close this episode, it actually replaces the composer Brendan Angelides’s trademark electronic “chug-chug-chug-chug-whirr-whirr-whirr-wirr” over the “Billions” title card.

love the transcription of the usual title sequence music. (and it sure was crazymaking to hear it replaced by a needle drop for the first and, presumably, last time.)

Ira is an interesting character in that he serves as Chuck’s one-man Greek chorus or a Jiminy Cricket who can be routinely ignored; his job is mostly to watch his friend and react with dismay and resignation.

sean i WILL take the phrase “jiminy cricket” away from you if you start that up again.

This season has demonstrated that few of the players in this high-stakes game of chess make a move without anticipating the response. A few episodes back, for example, Philip approached Wendy with his concerns about Prince, knowing full well she would relay them to Chuck. With that in mind, we are left to wonder why Wendy asked Rian to vet that mental health start-up for her. Was it just to survey its financial and ethical soundness? Or did she know Rian would take it to Prince, anticipating that he would buy it on the sly? Does Wendy need him to own it for some unknown purpose integral to their mutiny? Or is it simply that Wendy is every bit as screwed as it seems?

i sure am wondering what the purpose of wendy going to rian was! if she wanted financial due diligence from someone who wouldn’t snitch to prince, she could simply have asked taylor, who doesn’t seem to be kept so busy by running the place and plotting against prince that they can’t do some basic research.

Not to sound like a broken record, but it’s been that kind of season: This is the best “Billions” in quite some time.

helps when the bar is as low as 7x08 set it.

Vulture: Billions Recap: Uneasy Alliance

another four-star episode! will the streak be unbroken? or will one (or more) of the last three episodes be either enough of a clunker to get knocked back down to three stars or stellar enough to get five? (the last episode to earn that rating was 5x12.)

With “Game Theory Optimal,” Billions has entered its third and final act. Although we’re still waiting for one key player to take his position — Axe — the Rebel Alliance/MPC Fifth Column can now claim Chuck Rhoades as one of its members. However, it’s hard to know what difference that will make now that Mike Prince has firmly entered Lex Luthor territory, obliterating traitors from the comforts of his lair/townhouse with the help of his dedicated hench-people. Sorry, I buried the lede here: Prince discovered that Wendy, Wags, and Taylor were making feeble attempts at mutiny, and now they are screwed.

beautifully executed. thank you, sarene.

Billions knows the end is nigh, and soon enough, someone, or maybe even everyone in this television universe of haves and have-nots (mostly haves), must say farewell to their life of unbridled wealth and debauchery. Which is why “Game Theory Optimal” opens (and closes) with Billy Joel’s sendoff to decadence, “I’ve Loved These Days,” paired with a montage of famed New York bars and eateries frequented by the Billions characters.

and that’s exactly why i lost my shit about it!

Over at MPC, Kate Sacker has finally put that brilliant brain to good use, approaching Scooter with a theory that three senior-level employees are organizing an insurrection. Again, this is when I get angry at Billions for making Kate — undeniably the smartest person in the room 100 percent of the time — slow on the uptake when it suits the narrative. She’s only now realizing that Wags planted the idea of leaving MPC in her head and that he, Wendy, and Taylor are “weirdly secretive” whenever she walks by.

honestly! she goes through a post-decision review process once a week, and she just figured out something was fishy about an obviously suspicious interaction that happened at least a month prior in-universe? (one can quibble about “undeniably the smartest person in the room 100 percent of the time,” and we certainly have, but regardless, sacker should have reached that conclusion sooner.)

Scooter says they can confirm her theory right away, because guess what? Prince had the whole damn office bugged as soon as he took over. (Somehow, Kate, an attorney, is totally okay with this.)

she’s not “totally okay” with it — she desperately reassures herself that it’s “mostly legal,” which is the best thing she can say about it, and is desperate to know that at least the bathrooms aren’t on camera. (and she’s done crimes in the past, so this wouldn’t be the first time even if it were wholly, flagrantly illegal.)

They pull up a video of the moment in episode six when Wendy, Wags, and Taylor were stupidly having a Fifth Column meeting in the office snack area, which provides the evidence Kate needs to fire them.

the exact decision so utterly thoughtless that many people think it must have been a deliberate ploy on team kill prince’s part!

If you remember, Taylor was in the middle of a fireside chat with Axe at Stately Axelrod Manor when Scooter called. They passed off the cozy atmosphere as their hotel’s décor, but Scooter didn’t buy it. He took a screenshot of Taylor and hired an “expert in English architecture and antiquities” to verify their exact location. Ruh-roh.

scream

Dr. Mayer seems awfully invested in why Wendy feels this way, so much so that now I’m wondering if she’s under Prince’s payroll? (Since I can’t trust anyone on Billions, I certainly can’t trust Dr. Mayer.)

i still don’t buy the theory that dr. mayer is in league with prince, and i think if she were, 1) we’d have seen her in more than three episodes at this point 2) there would have been more obvious connections from her to prince in this episode.

So, Scooter’s FaceTime research is in, and now Prince knows that Taylor wasn’t doing business in London seven episodes ago. Instead, they were sipping whiskey at Haddon Hall, a castle owned by Bobby Axelrod. Since Prince and Co. knew Wendy and Wags were in London at the same time, they (correctly) assume all three were conspiring with Axe.

it depends on what the meaning of the word “conspiring” is. they were trying to conspire with him, sure, but he wasn’t leaning in.

Chuck created this digital trail of his crimes to prove that the Fifth Column could trust him. See, Chuck knows that if he entrusts the drive to Wendy, she will never use its contents against him no matter what, because kids. There is one person, however, who would, without hesitation, use that drive against Chuck if he betrayed any of the three people standing before him: Michael Wagner. Therefore, Chuck hands the drive to Wags, assured by Wendy that her colleague won’t burn any of them if Chuck comes through with helping them destroy Prince. Like Senior says, it’s a high-risk play, but it was the only way these four could ever work together.

and the thing that goes unsaid, in the episode and elsewhere: taylor would use that drive against chuck if they deemed it necessary and wouldn’t refrain out of loyalty to wendy. (after all, they weren’t the one who stormed into chuck’s office to defend wendy’s honor.)

Prince sneers to Scooter, Bradford, and Kate that he’s “taken care of Wendy,” but he needs to know who can really run MPC once he’s in the White House and has “put the others in a box.” Scooter shows Prince something on his phone — something we don’t see — and Prince nods in agreement. Yikes.

putting this here to clarify the next excerpt.

All predictable developments for Billions. But what I’m trying to figure out is what is up with Philip. Philip has been handed MPC’s the reins, but there’s some sort of blackmail or missing details at play here. Scooter presents a video of a session between Wendy and Philip, the one where he tells her to leave him out of whatever she’s planning. (What we don’t know is if this is what Scooter showed Prince on his phone or if it was something else.) Wendy is understandably furious that Prince had the audacity to put cameras in her private sessions, but Scooter retorts that Philip signed a waiver beforehand. Did he? We have no proof of this. Plus, when Scooter looks at Philip for confirmation, there’s a pause, as if Philip is desperately trying to keep up with whatever Uncle Scooter is telegraphing with his eyes. Philip responds in the affirmative, but I’m not sure which way things are going to swing with this character. I think Philip is being punished for not reporting what he knew about the impending mutiny, and he’s now Prince’s puppet.

i agree with everything except that last sentence. whatever scooter showed prince on his phone, prince only looked at it for a moment, which makes it unlikely that it was the video of philip & wendy. (and it didn’t have any accompanying audio, either.) and if it was as simple as showing prince philip’s name, there’s no reason why scooter wouldn’t just say it aloud. my best guess is that:

scooter showed prince the alleged waiver that philip signed.

he did this because he found the video of philip & wendy’s session and wanted to protect philip and make it seem as though philip was on prince’s side / against the conspirators all along.

in scooter’s mind, the best way to protect philip was to make it seem that his second session with wendy was a sting operation (hence the waiver beforehand) in which he’d lay out his suspicions of a plot against prince and wendy wouldn’t deny it.

philip signed no waiver and had no idea any of this was coming, apart from his actual suspicions about wendy and taylor, and he had to follow scooter’s lead in saying Yes, Of Course I Signed A Waiver, You Can’t Pin Confidentiality Violations On Me.

this is not a punishment for philip, because the whole point is to protect him from punishment. (and at that point, philip didn’t even have any concrete proof of the plot, as he clearly said, so there wouldn’t have been anything but Vibes to report anyway.)

I’m curious about Kate Sacker and her long game. She is a political animal, so will she be the one who ends up on top?

an excellent question!

Why did it take Scooter seven episodes to figure out Taylor was at Haddon Hall?

in his own words: “I had hoped the sixth sense was wrong. This was taken when they were in England together, reportedly in a hotel. […] I hired an expert on English architecture and antiquities weeks ago.” he spent a significant part of those seven episodes wanting there to not be anything to figure out. and once he decided something was afoot, he started seeking the truth but couldn’t get there right away, because english architecture experts are busy people, i guess.

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis (Damianista): Billions on Showtime, Season 7 Episode 9: Game Theory Optimal

First things first. Apologies for not writing a recap for Season 7 Episode 8 The Owl.

no apology necessary for that. i really didn’t want to read more recaps of that episode than i had to.

Now on to Game Theory Optimal: As someone who teaches game theory for a living, I HEART the title. It is a poker term. a player attempts to play perfect poker so that their moves cannot be exploited by their opponents. Game theory optimal incorporates mixed strategies where a player incorporates bluffs and semi-bluffs in their value bets to have a balanced game. The strategy ultimately dictates that the player makes the decision to maximize their utility. And the title is very fitting for this episode in which all our characters attempt to play their perfect game!

what gets me about this title is 1) it’s never said or even alluded to in the episode 2) wendy & wags & taylor are, if their actions are what they seem to be on the surface, playing a pretty shitty game. but since the last two game theory titles, 2x03 optimal play and 4x07 infinite game, were given to episodes heavily featuring taylor, who we know has an excellent grasp of game theory, and who just two episodes ago was described as a high-level poker player… it seems entirely plausible that this title will turn out to describe taylor’s actions here in a way we can’t see now.

As the final season brings back many of the characters we have seen over the years in the show, the opening scene of this episode brings back a number of the landmarks and restaurants that appeared in Billions paying New York City a beautiful tribute.

exactly exactly. i get the feeling that brian & david have been wanting to do that sequence for a while now, and this was the perfect place for it. (also of note: most of the shots in that sequence were of various restaurants, but two of the non-restaurants were places where taylor has met with another character in the midst of a scheme. specifically, 1) the waterfront where they met axe in 4x03 to ask him to make peace, which he agreed to but had no intention of actually doing, and 2) the other waterfront where they met chuck in 5x02 and he told them he knew they’d confessed their double agency to axe. interesting!)

Wendy tasks Rian with looking into an online therapy company called Mental where she is supposed to give a pep talk. She would be willing to do it only if the company did  not raise any red flags. Rian gets back to her fast. “Not full-on like Simone Biles but close.” Mental has a good business model, major employee and patient retention, and a strong  market share – all point to a healthy company worth investing in. And she goes to pitch it to Prince… hmm…

i don’t have anything to say about this except that you should brace yourself for what i’m putting here next.

Now, me thinks if Rian really wanted to make a pitch to the boss she would not ask Ben Kim to accompany her to his office. I suspect that all Rian wants is to have Prince touch her tablet and do something with his fingerprints from which it is to get DNA. I am saying all this because I always though that one-night stand with Rian could haunt Prince somehow… And now I suspect that Rian may be carrying a little Prince in her belly! Yes, Billions has made me such a cynical person 🙂

these are, as i said to milo upon first reading, some of the worst sentences i’ve ever read about this show that weren’t just bigotry. forget that it would be perfectly reasonable for rian to 1) ask someone to come with her to make a pitch, as in the past she’s been averse to doing things on her own; 2) not want to be alone with prince in particular; and 3) want to get her tablet back rather than letting prince leave the building with it. forget that any fingerprints prince might have left on that tablet were surely ruined by rian grabbing and hugging it. forget that this is the second instance of someone going “pregnant???” about a plot point not intended to convey any such thing. forget that there’s no reason rian, a financially independent adult living in new york city in the year 2023, couldn’t or wouldn’t just get an abortion rather than staying pregnant and seeking dna from the presumed sperm donor for unclear reasons. instead, consider: 6x10 is set in october 2021, which we know from the bookends of 6x09 and 6x11 both being set in october 2021. 7x09 is set in march 2023 at the earliest, which we know from the dating of 7x08 in march 2023. you are suggesting that rian is SEVENTEEN MONTHS PREGNANT. let me speak for brian and david once again: no ❤️

It turns out that Scooter was also suspicious about the trio’s UK trip that he took a picture of his Facetime with Taylor as they were sitting in front of the fire with Axe at his castle. Then he hired an expert on British architecture and antiquities to get some kind of verification. Well, I called it in my recap of Episode 2: Original Sin that Scooter might not be convinced that Taylor was sitting in front of the fireplace in their hotel lobby!

what you said was actually as follows:

Their chat is interrupted by a call from Scooter who asks Taylor how the “Redemption Tour” is going. And he also asks them about the fire cracking in the background. Taylor may be a good liar but Scooter can easily check if there is a fireplace at the hotel they are supposedly staying. Just saying…

which was not how scooter found out that taylor was lying at all. the fireplace itself was a total decoy — the word “hotel” and the scenery behind them were what gave them away.

And that is why Chuck wants to add someone else to their alliance who is similarly motivated and near and dear to the his new partners’ hearts. We all know who he is talking about, don’t we? The man who owes Chuck a favor 🙂 I am sure Chuck has already recruited him and I cannot wait for the king’s BIG return to kick the prince’s ass the in the last three episodes.

NO, HE HASN’T ALREADY RECRUITED AXE. HE’S GETTING AROUND TO IT. WATCH THE UPCOMING EPISODE TRAILER PLEASE I BEG YOU!!! (the billions recap podcast i’ve been listening to made exactly the same error and it is REALLY grating on me.)

Prince tells all three that they lose their bonus money and that he confiscates the rest of their money in the fund to avoid further disloyalty! Yet another piece of evidence that Prince thinks everything in life is about money.

he sure has interesting ideas about what promotes loyalty!

In what follows is Scooter taking out the recording from Wendy’s office where Philip tells Wendy that he does not want to be a part of whatever she and Taylor are plotting! And, just with a look, he makes his nephew say he signed a waiver before he saw Wendy that day so the recording does not violate the doctor – patient privilege.

“makes his nephew say” is great phrasing.

Now, you may ask, having seen this episode, if I still think that Kate plans to take down Prince. My answer is yes.

you think rian is 17 months pregnant. why should i believe your theories about anything?

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 Mayer. Scooter may have found out about the alliance early on from Dr. Mayer and may have been playing along. And I am positive Wendy knows about it all.

if wendy’s orchestrating All That, what does she need chuck for?

In closing, I was expecting Prince to throw that computer through Wendy’s office glass this episode.

nope! it was a printer!

Entertainment Weekly: Billions recap: Character assassination

This final season in particular has been rather sluggish and meandering, failing to create any real tension. But now that the end is in sight, things are ramping up. Finally, there seems to be real stakes here, and the twists and power plays are getting started.

now there are real stakes? do i need to remind everyone about that t-shirt of yours again?

The four of them form an alliance, but it isn't long before Prince is calling Wags, Taylor, and Wendy to his home. He, Scooter, Kate, and Philip (Toney Goins), lay out everything they know about what he calls an "attempted assassination" and goes about punishing all of them, stripping them of their power but keeping them under his watchful eye.

no! prince doesn’t lay out anything he knows about the assassination plot! the only evidence anyone shows is scooter playing that video of philip and wendy! wendy & wags & taylor don’t know anything else about how they were caught! this is crucial!

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis (Gingersnap): The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs from Billions Season 7 Episode 9, “Game Theory Optimal”

Gingersnap […] Footnote: I think the last time Wags was in those very SDNY offices was season one episode six ‘The Deal‘ when Bobby ripped up the $1.9 billion dollar check and threw it in Chuck’s face in the conference room.

finally, someone remembers that wags & chuck have interacted before! countless denizens of twitter seem to have totally forgotten that! (though their most recent interactions were in 5x12, first in an interrogation room and then at the helipad.)

Game of Thrones Vibe – Chuck referring to Prince as the “Mad King.” King Aerys II Targaryen, aka “the Mad King,” was the last member of House Targaryen to rule from the Iron Throne and Chuck wants to take down Prince before he ascents to the Presidency to rule from the Oval Office of the White House. Chuck just needs assistance from inside the King’s Court to depose him while keeping all their heads intact.

you know there have been kings in real life too, right?

The Avengers – Chuck, Wendy, Wags, Taylor and member at large Axe. 

i can’t even bear to copy and paste the full paragraph this came from. just believe me that it’s bad.

Damianista […] Most Forensic Trader – Rian

i can’t bear to copy and paste the rest of this either, but rest assured she’s doubling down on what she said in her recap.

Lady Trader The Lazarus Award: This award goes to the writers. After last week’s episode (which in my opinion was so bad I didn’t even do a Trader’s Desk on it) it is great to see the writing back from the dead, and one of the most Billionsy episodes in a long while.

get their asses!

Best Record Collection Revisited Award: Back in Episode 3, “Winston Dick Energy”, I gave Mike Prince this award because of the vinyl record collection that was visible in his home. This week, I spied with my little eye a few of the album covers: Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls” (a double album no less!), Nirvana’s “Nevermind“, The Who’s “Who’s Next“,  Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Legend“, Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way“, and even Ozzy Osbourne’s “Diary of a Madman” – and that’s only the ones I could recognize with the background not being in focus. I might not like Prince at all, but damn, he does have good taste in music.

LADY GAGA’S BORN THIS WAY? FOR REAL? okay i need to check that. please hold while i do some investigation.

oh hey, songs in the key of life by stevie wonder!

AND BORN THIS WAY SPECIAL EDITION RIGHT NEXT TO IT.

michael prince who ARE you. have you ever had a meaningful conversation about lady gaga with philip. i MUST know. oh, and he also has he has my beautiful dark twisted fantasy by kanye west.

TheTailThatWagsTheDog They’re Back!!!  – This is for the writers – this episode was classic Billions – the three-dimensional chess game they play with the audience – this was fun – albeit unsettling – to watch. Last week was like comic relief – it didn’t advance the plot at all and we really didn’t gain much from it – almost like how musical numbers are described in Something Rotten – a Broadway show you all should see.

7x08 being comic relief would imply that it was funny.

How Far They’ve Fallen Award – Kate Sacker – she went form being completely on the side of the law to now turning a blind eye to every legally questionable move that Prince makes. Surveillance cameras in every corner of the room, even the offices? I think there is more behind this, but right now she looks like she has lost all of her ethics.

this is just one in a long string of instances of sacker overlooking the letter of the law, and sometimes even the precepts of decency, in favor of her own advancement. i don’t know how everyone keeps forgetting this.

Most Unethical – Prince and Scooter – installing the camera system after using the tracker rings as decoys? Whatever happened to the idea that Prince was trying to be the ‘good’ billionaire? Have they just abandoned that idea?

the point is that his attempt to cultivate the appearance of goodness didn’t always correspond to reality.

Karma is a bitch man – and in this show, everyone ends up answering for their misdeeds.

do they, though?

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis (Lady Trader): “From the Trader’s Desk”: I have questions…. Billions S7E9 “Game Theory Optimal”

i’m reading and commenting on this after watching 7x10, which i suspect will answer some of those questions. you really gotta change your upload schedule so you don’t run into things like this!

I try to change up the Trader’s Desk every once in a while to make it interesting, so this week my approach is “I have questions…”. I’ll state my question, then discuss what I think may or may not be the answer. Please share what you think in the comments.

i’ll be sure to share what i think in my comments :)

Did Chuck really just admit he is a criminal? Why yes, yes he did. While I admire Chuck for putting all his past transgressions on a drive as a way to give trust to Wags and Taylor, I was just happy to hear him admit that he is no better than anyone he has targeted.

do you really think that this is the first time chuck’s admitted to doing crimes or taking other regrettable actions?

Is Kate playing the real long game? Damianista’s theory that Kate is trying to take down Prince makes sense. We know that she has had big political aspirations since the very first season when she told Bryan she wanted to get to the White House. Prince is in her way, and she’s certainly been in the inner, inner circle at MPC and knows where all the bodies are buried. Her being the one exposing the attempted coup by Wendy, Taylor and Wags undoubtedly makes sure Prince never doubts her loyalty. If she is playing the long game, I will be very interested to see her final moves.

this theory didn’t make sense before 7x10 and it doesn’t make sense after. how, at this point in time, is prince in her way on her path to the presidency? she’s running for congress and she wants the name recognition boost that association with him gives her. she’s not going to automatically gain the presidency in his stead by killing him.

Is taping your employees without their knowledge even legal? When Scooter quotes Warner Wolf and says “let’s go to the video tape” I’m shocked. MPC has had the place bugged the whole time? He says they didn’t record the trading floor or the bathrooms, but do we put anything past Prince and his paranoia? I did do some research, and in New York State, it is only legal to video tape your business for security purposes and the employer must post a visible notice stating a video surveillance system has been installed for that purpose. Also, NYS is a one-party consent state, which means it is a “criminal offense to obtain, record, share or use electronic, wire or oral communications without at least one party’s consent during that interchange”. Since either Wendy, Taylor or Wags gave consent I do believe that the taping is illegal! I’m hoping Kate knows this and that this ties into the way she is going to take down Prince.

if this was illegal *and* sacker knew it *and* she wanted to use that information to take down prince, why would she be so desperate to reassure herself (and by extension scooter) that what they’re doing is “mostly legal” and that they’re not taping the bathrooms? why not just say “yeah this is fine” so as not to raise any red flags for scooter?

Did Chuck realize that maybe Axe wasn’t that bad after all? Chuck’s white whale for 5 seasons of Billions was Axe. His desire to catch him at any price made him throw his father and best friend under the bus and cost him his marriage. But I think he now understands that guys like Axe, billionaires who just want to make money and make deals, are nothing compared to a megalomaniac who is willing to push the nuclear button. His perspective has changed so much that now he wants and needs Axe’s help!

do you really think there’s a hard boundary between “billionaires who just want to make money and make deals” and “a megalomaniac who is willing to push the nuclear button”? so much of the point of prince’s arc is that it’s very easy for someone to slide from one to the other. you know, just like in real life. and axe has ruined plenty of lives already, in the service of making money and making deals, even without the nuclear button handy.

How did Rian not know that Mental was owned by Prince? Out of all the MPC employees, Wendy chose Rian to do the research on Mental. Wendy knows that Rian is thorough and good at what she does. When she gives Wendy the all-clear to work with Mental, she even says she may invest in the company herself. I’m sure she would have done a deep dive into the ownership of the company, and once she found out it was owned by a shell company, would have done the research on who was behind it. She definitely would have done a real deep dive if she was going to pitch it to Prince. Something just doesn’t seem right about her not knowing Prince owned Mental. Is she in cahoots with Prince? Why was it so important to get her tablet back from Prince? Did she need his fingerprints for something? Rian is a wildcard in my opinion, and I just can’t read what’s her deal.

LOL. LMAO. turns out the answer is that rian is not, in fact, all that great at what she does or secretly planning anything, with prince or otherwise! her deal is that she just does things without thinking about them beforehand and other characters insist she’s so smart and thoughtful and talented nonetheless.

Is Wags the man you want on your team? The only answer to this is yes. If Michael Wagner is your friend, then you are extremely fortunate.

wags has been a net detriment to the mission of taking down prince. equally importantly, he is awful. i do not want him on my team for any purpose whatsoever.

Has Prince made enough enemies yet? Mike Prince has burned almost every single person that is close to him this season. He took away Scooter’s dream of conducting the New York Philharmonic, closed down Taylor’s ESG fund, decimated Philip’s mentor, stopped Kate from leaving MPC to focus on her Senate run, abandon his wife’s friend on a Chinese mountain, has whipsawed his traders and made it tremendously difficult for them to grow their returns and book, and last but not least, played Wendy into a CEO job that he controls and took all power and authority from Taylor and Wags. That is quite the enemies list, and that is without adding Chuck and Axe to that list. No wonder he ends up throwing a computer through a wall – making that many enemies is bound to come back to haunt you.

nope! it was a printer! (and sacker is running for the house, not the senate! *and* prince didn’t stop her from doing anything!)

Did Philip really sign a waiver before he spoke to Wendy? When Wendy tries to protest about Prince video tapping her office because of doctor-patient privilege, Scooter tells her Philip signed a waiver before he spoke to her. Did I detect Scooter giving Philip the “just go along with the plan” look? Philip did seem to hesitate before saying yes. I know he said that he did not want to be a part of Wendy’s plan, but now that he has full control of MPC, and he has time to see what a monster Prince truly is, maybe he will become part of the conspiracy.

this is the one question on here i’m still asking myself. 7x10 sure didn’t give us any answers or any hint that philip might be working against prince or at least thinking about it.

Is Prince stupid enough to go to Haddon Hall and confront Axe? Because Prince knows Taylor was at Axe’s castle, he naturally assumes that Wendy, Taylor, and Wags are working with his enemy. He has no clue that Axe turned them down when they tried to enlist him. Prince is going fly 6 hours just to go kick the hornets nest. He is going to wake the sleeping giant for no reason. For someone who thinks they are the smartest person in the room, he really does make some foolish decisions.

and this is in fact exactly what happened!

#billions #7x09 #review roundup

[cockworkangels]

s7 is about dean being suicidal 🧍‍♂️

#in a very different way than later on but it's very. well it's a lot #s7 rewatch #7x09 how to win friends and influence monsters #cw suicide mention

[cherryliqueurkinks]

I cant believe no one's been utilising the insane beronica content we've been getting in the show!!! It's SO MUCH I'm LOVING IT!!

One that keeps coming up is them in the girls locker room having some fun (especially with the visual aid the show so gratefully blessed us with) maybe perhaps the girls get a little frisky after practice, Veronica takes charge and had her way with Betty against the lockers...I always thought that V would be obsessed with Betty's huge tits but the way they pressed against each other and no doubt Betty grabbing her ass has me thinking A LOT of things...please tell me you have plans to take these gifs to your advantage 😩

(here's some visual aid if needed :)

https://www.tumblr.com/userzil/718306198825336832/betty-cooper-and-veronica-lodge-riverdale-7x09?source=share

Betty/Veronica being canon wasn't in my wildest dreams for 2023 but especially not horny Betty/Veronica being canon - needless to say that I don't need confirmation that the writers found the smutty corner of the fandom this season ;) It almost makes me want to watch the episodes but honestly, seeing the clips and gifsets all over my feed is giving me more than enough inspiration as it is!

Locker room smut is an absolute must, but I also think that sleepover smut and Pop's diner smut are just as essential!

#answers

[sharpe-lances]

Dinner with the Legends in Hell’s Kitchen Dining Room, Lowest Common Demoninator

#legends of tomorrow #ava sharpe #sara lance #avalance #astra logue #spooner cruz #zari tarazi #gideon lot #gideon #gary green #nate heywood #gwyn davies #pls they’re so dramatic 😭😭 #and chaotic #lmao #lot spoilers #legends season 7 #lot season 7 #lot 7x09 #showsseriesngifs #lot gifs

[jackklyne]

Gwyn's censored prayer

#gwyn davies #zari tarazi #nate heywood #legends of tomorrow #legends 7x09 #lot 7x09 #lot #mine

[alycosworld]

YESYESYES im up to date on LoT s7, got both Valentine's day fics out before 2am (might be later depending on time zone) aND I got to do see an old friend from ages ago.

BTW CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS???

SEASON 7 AS A WHOLE IS PRETTY DAMN GOOD BUT THIS DINNER SCENE?? THE LITTLE INTERVIEWS?? MY MAN BEHRAD FIGURING IT ALL OUT??

GOLD. PURE FUCKING GOLD. LOVED IT. 10/10. JOHN IS GONE BUT WE HAVE GWYN WHO I LOVE WITH MY WHOLE HEART SO ITS OKAY 👍

#dc's legends of tomorrow #aly.rants #legends of tomorrow #matt ryan #caity lotz #gwyn davies #sara lance #zari tarazi #tala ashe #astra logue #olivia swann #lowest common denominator #lot 7x09 #legends of tomorrow 7x09 #behrad tarazi #shayan sobhian #john constantine #i love them all 🥺🥺