Tamal Kundu
Created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin, ‘Billions’ is a Showtime drama series about people who have everything but continue to want more. For the first seasons of the series, the main narrative revolves around the bitter enmity between Charles “Chuck” Rhoades, Jr. (Paul Giamatti) and Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis), but in season 5, following Lewis’ departure from the series, another billionaire Mike Prince (Cory Stoll) was elevated to the position of Chuck’s primary antagonist. In the seventh and final season, things have become quite complicated and perhaps even a three-way struggle with Axe’s return.
Episode 3, titled ‘Winston Dick Energy,’ revolves around self-assertion for three different characters, Chuck, Wendy, and Wags. Winston leaves Mike Prince Capital to set up his own company, but things don’t exactly go according to the plans. Prince decides to put out a lure to see if Chuck will take the bait. Here is everything you might want to know about the ending of ‘Billions’ season 7 episode 3. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Billions Season 7 Episode 3 Recap
The episode begins with Wags, Who discovers that his reputation on the streets of greed is on a downward spiral. Michael Lewis, author of ‘Liar’s Poker,’ makes a guest appearance at a soiree that Wags attends. Later, Wags finds out that his peers no longer hold a favorable opinion of him. According to them, he has lost his ruthless edge after becoming one of the deputies of a privileged wanna-be statesman. Wags takes the criticism to heart, wondering whether his life in the hedge fund business has come to an end, and speaks to Wendy, who is dealing with her own crisis. Despite that, Wendy’s words have the desired effect, and Wags gets his mojo back, at least partly. When he learns about the situation with Winstone, he immediately pounces on it, knowing that this is as good an opportunity as any to revive his old self.
As Chuck begins a new chapter in his life, he is tentative, to say the least. There is no doubt he is brilliant, but as Kate observes Prince, Chuck’s emotions got the better of him in the past, leading to a number of disasters and career setbacks. However, this time, it feels different. He has taken specific steps in the first two episodes that would have made Machiavelli proud. As one of his first acts as the US Attorney, he hires his longtime friend Ira as his deputy, though the latter does need some convincing to accept the gig.
However, almost everyone close to Chuck initially questions his plans, mistaking his carefulness for hesitance and fear. When Amanda, an ambitious attorney working under Chuck at the Southern District, brings a sure-fire winnable case, Ira wants it to be the first one that the department under Chuck handles, but his boss decides to consider his options before making the decision.
Meanwhile, Prince knows that it’s only a matter of time before Chuck comes after him, so he attempts to pre-emptive that inevitability by sending the list of the members of his political super PAC. However, Chuck sees through the plan and pretends to take the bait while ordering his subordinates to keep their focus on other aspects of King’s businesses and presidential campaign. He also decides the case Amanda brought will be their first with him at the helm of the office. An important thing to note here is that Charles Sr., Ira, and Karl hold an intervention for Chuck at the tomb of Ulysses S. Grant, even enlisting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to give a rousing speech.
Billions Season 7 Episode 3: What Happens to Winstone?
Despite how expansive ‘Billions’ have become over the years, it’s always fascinating to see how well they utilize their massive cast. In this episode, Bonnie Barella makes her brief return to Mike Prince Capital to reveal that Winstone, who left the company earlier in the episode, is up to no good. Bonnie’s severance with MPC happened in a less-than-ideal manner, but as she declares, she hates traitors more than she hates MPC. It turns out that Winstone has developed a highly effective risk management software and is now looking for a buyer. Even though he denies it, it’s quite clear that he developed while he was employed at MPC. Taylor and Philip get 48 hours to force Winstone to return to the MPC fold before Kate files an injunction.
Wags walks into Winstone’s apartment while Taylor and Philip are already there and threatens the man. When they are outside, Taylor and Philip complain that they were given 48 years, prompting Wags to explain that he didn’t do this on Prince’s orders. His real purpose of storming into Winstone’s apartment was to plant a listening device for Hall, who gets all the necessary data on their target — from the names of the potential buyer of the software to his past work as a hacktivist. Wags then does another barging in, this time with Taylor and Philip, just ahead of Winstone’s meeting with the potential buyers and forces him to return to MCP. In the process, Wags regains his sense of self-worth.
Does Wendy Get Therapy?
Wendy gets the biggest surprise of her professional career when she discovers that everyone in the office, except Wags and Prince, gets professional therapy from a psychologist, relegating her role in their lives to nothing more than a performance coach. Both curious and envious, she goes to meet this person, Dr. Eleanor Mayer, who helps her realize that the role she plays in the lives of the people she works with is not entirely constructive. Her job essentially is to ensure that the hamsters keep running on their wheels, ironically not realizing that she is trapped in a wheel of her own. In the end, Wendy decides to become Mayer’s latest patient.
Read More: Billions Season 7 Episode 2 Recap and Ending, Explained
