This one is also not a movie but its a TV show i just finished on 06/11/23.
It's Billions(2016-2023), a financial drama following a US attorney Chuck Rhoades(Paul Giamatti) trying to bring down Hedge Fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). In season 5,6 & 7 the Axelrod was partially replaced with Mike Prince(Corey Stoll).
The show was good in the first couple of seasons, seeing the lengths, the high stakes, a modern version of wall street, it was fun to see how things work or maybe work. Chuck seemed like an honest character who was willing to do good and Axe was just a man trying to make money.
As the season progressed Chuck became less likable because he would outta pocket things that hurt him and his family. I really don't understand the reason he was written a downfall arc. Axe somehow stayed the same, adventurous, caring for loved ones, willing to go a certain distance but also being ruthless when it was needed.
Now the final season and final episode. the final season was alright, it was good to see Axe after not seeing him throughout season 6. Mike decided to run for president and honestly i didn't mind, i was curious to see where the story would go. but it went downhill.
I have no issues with trying take people down, sometimes they do not see the harm they are doing and for the greater good things need to be done.
I waited the entire season for that to proved about Prince. i have absolutely no idea what the writers were doing when trying to create this illusion that Mike Prince is bad, he might be, but show it properly. Over the season there were some moments attempting to show the bad nature of Prince, The not saving his wife's lover because he got himself stuck in China, The self healing cement thing which Chuck could have saved from Prince but suddenly decided that money will make it sham and proceeded to destroy a man's whole life. All because trust fund baby Chuck though that his way is the only way.
The show has done a poor job of trying to turn Prince into a villain the Olympic arc, the rash business decision. He's no saint, but Chuck and Axe are also not, Prince has past grievances, things he's had to do to rise up in the world but that's the way any billionaire in the real word has been made. But compared to things the show has shown Axe done, Mike is far more better.
The show feels like it was written and produced by people who have never had a conversation with anyone apart from themselves, the unnecessary power dialogues, long monologues about some random event that adds bare minimum, It looks like they just wanted to get this over with.
I'll say this, ending a show is hard, especially one that has run for 7 seasons, there is a lot of pressure regarding ratings and the following that make it difficult. The finale is not the worst of a show i have seen, but it affects my love for the previous seasons.
They could have dones something like the Veep(TV 2012-2019) by showing the future, maybe Prince became President or Chuck, Axe, the whole gang went to prison, but that won't happen because they need to show that what they did was "correct".
Season 7 - 3/10
Season 7 finale - 1/10
Billions(Entire Show) - 6/10
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my next review is a sci-fi movie Infinite (2021) watched it on 7/11/23 and the review is dropping soon!!!
Check this out on Medium.
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