Tamal Kundu
A Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin creation, ‘Billions’ is a Showtime drama series. The plot initially revolves around the enmity between Charles “Chuck” Rhoades, Jr. and Robert “Bobby” Axelrod. However, after Damian Lewis, who portrays Bobby, leaves the show, another billionaire, Mike Prince, becomes Chuck’s primary adversary and reveals his plans to be the President of the United States. In season 7 episode 5, ‘The Gulag Archipelago,’ disaster strikes at Mike Prince Capital with the lack of proper communication. After Ira loses something important, it falls on Chuck to retrieve it for him. Here is everything you might want to know about the ending of ‘Billions’ season 7 episode 5. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Billions Season 7 Episode 5 Recap
The episode begins with Ira walking into Chuck’s office to reveal that he and his wife were mugged. Karl is also there. Ira states that the thief only took his cell phone, which, he claims, contains sensitive data related to their work. Chuck senses that his friend is hiding something and lets Karl leave. After some prodding, Ira admits that while the phone doesn’t contain any important material, it does have sex videos of him and his wife, and they are terrified that it might get leaked. Both bemused and concerned, Chuck promises his friend that he will look into it.
Later, Dev pays Chuck a visit, expressing her desire to be part of his case against Prince. They parted ways in a less-than-amicable manner, and both Dev and Chuck can’t completely trust the other person. Chuck, who was in custody while Dev actively tried to build a case against Prince, felt left out and eventually heralded what can effectively called a mass revolution that led to his release. Both are bitter about what happened, but Dev is prepared to put it all behind them, knowing what being part of the group that brings down Mike Prince will mean for her career. Despite acknowledging that Dev is probably the best trial lawyer he knows, Chuck declines Dev’s offer and gives the pie she brought to his employees.
At MPC, issues start to pop up regarding the fragmented leadership. Although Taylor and Philip are now leaders of the firm for all intent and purpose, they are still aspects of the firm that are under the control of Prince and his second-in-command, Scooter. For instance, there is a cap of 500 million dollars on how much they can spend before gaining permission from the higher-ups.
Philip and Taylor approach Prince and Rooster trying to make them understand that as they don’t have complete authority, they don’t have the complete respect of the people on the floor. This apparent short-sightedness causes a massive problem at MPC, and the firm ends up losing more than a billion dollars.
Prince and Rooster leave to convince Rapper Killer Mike to endorse Prince’s campaign. Meanwhile, Dollar Bill brings in an extremely profitable business opportunity in the sector of Helium production. Taylor subsequently hands it to Rian to find a better point of entry, and she does. But the problem is that the investment MPC needs to make is much more than the 500 million dollar cap, and the two people who can authorize such spending are unreachable.
Unaware of the disaster unfolding at their office, Prince and Rooster focus on Killer Mike. Prince agrees to the man’s condition of investing in the local banks of Killer Mike’s hometown and earns the promise of endorsement. He and Scooter were forced to leave their phones outside. When they get their phones back and browse through the flood of messages they have received, they realize that things have gone horribly wrong.
Billions Season 7 Episode 5 Ending: Does Taylor Sabotage the Helium Deal?
Yes, Taylor sabotages the Helium deal. When Prince and Rooster finally return to MPC, it’s already too late, and the investment opportunity has gone to someone else. As the company reels after losing over a billion-dollar business opportunity, Prince celebrates that they have gained Killer Mike’s support. Luke calls him, asking his permission to question Wendy about him. Apparently, Wendy insisted that she would not reveal anything about Prince without his explicit permission.
What neither Luke nor Prince knows is that Wendy is actively working to put a stop to the campaign. Toward the end of the episode, Wendy gets together with Taylor and Wags, and it is revealed that Taylor set up the Helum deal to hit Prince. They know that while this is a considerable loss for Prince, his campaign is far from over. But now, Wags has gotten sign-off, with which he can freely access Prince’s wealth and hit him where it hurts the most.
Does Chuck Get Ira’s Phone Back?
Yes, Chuck gets Ira’s phone back but has to pay a steep price. He reaches out to the soon-to-be-installed NYPD Commissioner, claiming that it’s imperative to retrieve the phone as it contains state secrets. When it is recovered, the incoming Commissioner hands it over to Dev, who uses it to force her way back into the future trial of Mike Prince. Both Chuck and Dev know that the phone only has homemade porn, but Chuck still accepts her offer. As he explains later to Ira, he is a changed man.
Read More: Billions Season 7 Episode 4 Recap and Ending, Explained
