Finale season of the show. Mike Prince is making a bid for the presidency, and Bobby Axelrod making a comeback, sorta, kinda...so I was quite excited at the beginning of the season. This season was more political than anything. The show still has a habit of inserting numerous references and idioms into almost every conversation, sometimes rather blatantly. In s07e04, when the lawyer Ira said, "I'm unfamiliar" in response to Chuck's reference, I found it to be the most relatable moment in the show.
The season showed promise in its first two episodes, felt well-structured and like the creators knew where they were taking the story without needing unnecessary extra things to make it seem good. I still can't forgive the low point in S06E04, when they had video game stats about the cost of everyone's possessions.
It is now more captivating and exciting, but the series now feels like the repetitive back-and-forth between Chuck and Axe, has now evolved into Chuck and Prince, but with higher stakes. This was a positive outcome of Axe's previous exit - Prince injected some fresh energy into the show and posed a greater threat than Axe himself. That comes to fruition in s07.
Sadly, the previous season, S06, fell short of expectations and came under even more scrutiny due to the departure of fan-favorite Bobby. However, for most of the s07, the show seemed to have regained its old charm, found myself more invested than I had been in a long time, consistently. Back to the Billions of old; I had mentioned this in reference to specific episodes before, but now, I was saying it about a multiple-episode stretch. Despite my attempts to level my excitement, it started to give me hope. I hoped that this hope wouldn't be dashed when the season ended. I was looking forward to seeing if they could maintain the strong start throughout the rest of the season, which was why I waited until the season ended before posting this review, lol.
I should say, Bobby's return is just a tease, which can be frustrating, especially considering it was highlighted in trailers and pre-season headlines. You'll have to wait for older episodes to see more of him in his former glory. I wish they kept it as a surprise and didn't announce it before.
Episodes 7 to 9 have slowed down a bit, but they set up the next episode to be quite exciting. So far, this season surpasses the previous one and is getting back on track. While Billions is still about billionaires, it's becoming more about politics and less about Wall Street shenanigans.
Episode 10 sees Bobby finally back, honestly I lost my shiiit getting excited over that "president cuck" line.
Unfortunately, I wasn't too fond of episode 11. Axe and Prince were in the same room, but their conversation didn't seem fitting for people of their stature and intelligence. It felt like a never-ending argument with a convoluted backstory, much like the restaurant bill dispute where both people are trying to pay the bill and go back and forth forever. Except it's revenge. The episode's ending was a great cliffhanger, but the episode itself fell short.
Throughout the season, Billions experimented with various new elements that felt like gimmicks to enhance the story, even though the story was already strong in my opinion. The season's inconsistency may be due to different directors for different episodes. Some, especially the last two, felt overly stylized and gimmicky, reminiscent of the episode that showcased everyone's extravagant watch and tie costs. I wasn't a fan of the time jumps to narrate the story. Despite this, the season had its remarkable moments.
All in all, this season was pretty great, considering my expectations. It had highs and a few lows, but they weren't as bad as in previous seasons. Season 7 evolved to focus more on politics than the financial world but found its footing towards the end. While it's advertised as the final season, Prince hinted at his "second coming" being even more glorious than the first. However, I believe they shouldn't pursue another season or spinoff; ending it here would be the safe choice.
Billions started as a great show but lost its way somewhere along the journey. Nevertheless, it managed to run for seven seasons, and I believe it ended on a high note, not enough to erase the stain of the previous few seasons, but still good. I'll remember it for its high highs and low lows, and I appreciate that it began and ended with Bobby Axelrod.
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