Previewing Billions

The first season of Homeland was one of the great season's in the history of television. Sure everyone knew it probably would have been better had they actually let Brody kill himself in the season finale, but it came back for the second season and continued to be great. Then about half way through the second season things started going downhill and the "they should have killed Brody long ago" chants started to get more fervent. Then the third season was dreadful and every time Brody showed up, you just could not help but wonder why is he still here. But at least he finally died at the end of that season.

So when Showtime announced Billions and Damien Lewis was listed in the cast you have to wonder why they were getting back into the Sergeant Brody business? Does he have pictures of Showtime executives? But anyway. On the show Lewis plays a hedge fund manager, but before you start thinking of The Wolf of Wall Street, he is is presented as a hedge fund manager with the heart of gold for giving out free tuition and is adored by the public since he was the lone partner of his firm not to die on 9/11.

Opposite him is Paul Giamatti (San Andreas) as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, basically the guy who prosecutes all the insider trading that happens on Wall Street (basically Eliot Sptizer but more powerful). Okay, this is a show on premium cable so these heroic personas are just for show, they are both mostly horrible people. Giamatti is the kind of guy who enjoys being burned by cigarette butts that are cooled down by, um, you do not want to know. But he is right to go after Brody because he has some ill gotten gain and says things like, "Why have (expletive deleted) you money if you never say (expletive deleted) you?"

And of course there is a twist: Giamatti's wife, Maggie Siff (Sons of Anarchy) just so happens to be the in house "performance coach" (a nicer way to say shrink) for Brody's Axe Capital, a job she had before she even met him and makes a sizable more than he does. So a guy who prosecutes inside traders really cannot give his wife a heads up he is building a case against her boss. On the flip side, Brody is married to Malin Akerman (Watchmen) who is just as conniving as her husband.

The biggest problem with Billions (once you get past Brody's inclusion in the cast) is I have little understanding what goes on with these hedge fund guys and Wall Street in general. I have seen multiple movies and read plenty of articles on it but still come away confused. And I think I am not the only one which is why these people were able to sink our economy because no one but these hedge fund guys knew what was going on. Apparently the new movie The Big Short recruits celebrities like Margo Robbie in a bubble bath, to help explain what went on. What Billions really needs is Margo Robbie in a bubble bath. Granted everything could benefit from Margo Robbie in a bubble bath.

Earlier I questioned why Showtime would want to get back in the Sergeant Brody business, but not only that why would they bring him back in the role that probably has just a shelf life of one season? Doesn't Brody have to go to jail in the season finale? I am not sure if many people want to see a cat and mouse game between a hedge fund manager and district attorney for multiple season. Sure season two could be the trial but we still need to get to the end of season one first.

Billions airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime.