Are there spoilers, clues, and hints hidden in the new Billions season three promotional material?
by Gingersnap | Fan Fun with Damian Lewis | January 28, 2018
On Wednesday, January 24, Showtime released new promotional material for Billions season three. Are there spoilers, clues and hints hidden in the poster art and logo? I immediately began scrutinizing the photos for suggestion and significance. I mean, after all, it is instinctive to analyze everything since I have a degree in that field and do it for a living. It’s second nature. When dissecting the details of the promo material, you’ll never guess what I found. So come with me on a deep dive and see if we can come up with an indication of what’s to come.
Let’s start with the logo.
Ominous, is it not? Dark slate grey background of metal with exposed rivets. Reminds me of a war ship and we know the Billions‘ writers like to reference historical battles and cannon fodder. Is that grey metal iron? In some biblical meanings, natural iron is a symbol of natural, rational truth. Will the truth come out that Wendy violated her contract to warn Chuck about Ice Juice and will Dake discover that she shorted the Ice Juice stock? This scenario is definitely a favorite of mine and my fellow blogger/partner in crime, Damianista, and she talks about it here. Oh, and I’ll come back to biblical references in a few paragraphs below, even though it seems like it’s out of left field at the moment. Stick with me kid, it will make sense in a bit.
What’s even more prominent about the Billions season three logo is the golden text. Gold as a precious metal signifies wealth, grandeur and prosperity and billionaires are not adverse to gold bar collections, including Axe. But take a second look at the golden text. Is it me, or is Billions fading, almost bleeding or melting? Are the billions disappearing into perhaps, millions? Is Axe’s financial empire on the brink of ruin? Is Axe Capital soon to be erased like the letters? Quick, someone grab a gold Sharpie® and start coloring the font back in. Please help my Bobby.
Now for the meaty part of my post, the group photo.
Source: Twitter @SHO_PR and @SHO_BillionsÂ
So many things to examine, so many directions this could turn! Let’s start with the Captain Obvious–the photo is quite reminiscent of The Last Supper in my opinion, at least in terms of basic content. There are stark differences, too. I had the pleasure of viewing Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper mural in person while traveling in Italy. The hosts at Milan’s Santa Maria delle Grazie church did not allow us visitors to take photographs at the viewing and there were watchdogs in both front and back of us. I still wonder to this day why they just didn’t confiscate our phones upon entry. And I’m not going to lie, I still tried to take a photo without the flash. I placed my iPhone camera in my cleavage and inconspicuously pressed the shutter button 3-4 times, hoping, but not able to check if my Inspector Gadget technique worked until after we left. Alas, Dr. Claw must have thwarted my efforts because my aim was way off, but I have a perfect picture of the ceiling.
ANYHOO, let’s compare and contrast The Last Supper with The Axelrod Supper, as I lovingly refer to it.
The Axelrod Supper
The wrinkled, white, disheveled table linen in the Billions promo photo reminds me of the cloth in the original mural. The wine spillage, possibly to imitate blood, could signify there will be blood spilled this season. And we know Christianity teaches that communion of bread and wine is symbolic of the sacramental blood that Christ shed on the cross. This got me thinking, who will be the sacrificial lamb this season? If things go the way I think they will this season, Axe and Chuck will mend fences to protect Wendy from the Ice Juice violation (mentioned above) and someone will have to be sacrificed in doing so. And let’s go one further — who is Judas? I’ve been leery about Taylor from the get-go. Even Bryan seems to be giving them side eye in the photo. Ever heard of the saying “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is?” Taylor had too quick of a story line to be positioned where they are at Axe Capital for my taste. I don’t trust them. They told Wendy it was difficult seeing their father laid off from his position in the aviation field, which was a financial burden in their household. Did Axe’s short in aviation stock during 9/11 have any part in Taylor’s home life situation? If my math is correct, Taylor’s age would fit that timeline. Is this a slow revenge? I talk about revenge a little later in this post when discussing the color red. Carry on.
Like The Last Supper, there are disciples at The Axelrod Supper. Team Axe has his followers. Team Chuck has his. Albeit, not as many as portrayed in Leonardo’s original. Chuck Sr. is the only one looking anywhere but the table. Almost like an afterthought of disinterest. I anticipate there will be even more strife between Senior and Son this season after Chuck “sold his friend” Ira down the river just to dismantle Axe and leaving Senior in a precarious spot at the end of season two.
Wendy is somewhat centered between the two titans in what appears to be a clear division between the two teams, per usual. Is she at the center of all the discord this season? Isn’t she always, just a little bit? Or is she? Is there a division at all? Is she the rock caught between a hard place or the glue adhering the teams together? Folklore has it Mary Magdalene was at the center of discord between Him and his disciples. Ponder that. Moreover, Chuck isn’t positioned all the way to the right with his team. He’s leaning toward them, not seated like Axe is with his team, but standing almost center alongside Wendy with a noticeable separation between him and his team, another clue to me that Chuck will probably work with Axe this season to save Mary Magdalene. There’s no question I’m #TeamAxe all the way, so on behalf of the team let me just chant, “Red rover, red rover, let Chuck come on over.” The real question is, where does Chuck’s loyalty lie this season? Loyalty lie? Loyalties LIE! Which happens to be the premise of the new Billions season three teaser that can be seen here.
But the biggest clue about someone’s loyalty came from…
Read the rest of the original article at Fan Fun with Damian Lewis