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Billions MVPs: Season 7 Episode 10, “Enemies List”

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Gingersnap
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The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs 

by Staff | Fan Fun With Damian Lewis | October 18, 2023

Billions is back and so is our MVP series! We continue to award our Most Valuable Players for Billions season seven in our series compilation, the ‘Billions MVP Fanbook,’ which commemorates all those in honor of achievement for the utmost brazen, uber shameless, ultra scheming, unmatched bad asses from the episode – from sports references, music and tasty food to pop culture remarks, shocking twists and ultimate paybacks. In case you missed it, catch up with the MVPs of the season seven premiere Tower of London, episode two Original Sin, episode three Winston Dick Energy, episode four Hurricane Rosie, episode five The Gulag Archipelago, episode six The Man in the Olive Drab T-Shirt, episode seven DMV, episode eight The Owl, and episode nine Game Theory Optimal.

Now let’s dive in. Here are the Billions MVP awards for Season 7, Episode 10, “Enemies List.”

Gingersnap

Oh my gosh, you guys! This episode was the best episode of Billions season seven, and dare I say, one of the best episodes of the entire series. I’m biased though, because we got more Damian on our screen. But still, after all the build-up of chess moves leading up to squaring off, this episode was so dynamic and what we’ve all been waiting for! If you think I’ve awarded too many MVPs, just remember how phenomenal the episode was, plus the fact I held back some. It wasn’t easy.

Preet Bharara vs Donald Trump Vibes – Chuck and Prince. Chuck pretends to handle the Kai Huang Liu situation for Prince by releasing the NFT scammer to the Taiwanese authorities as a gesture of good faith in hopes Prince won’t fire him upon his 1600 Pennsylvania Ave residency. That way Prince won’t have to look duplicitous in pardoning the son of his business associate while President of the United States. This mirrors the notion of Bharara’s SDNY ousting after refusing to submit his resignation as part of the 2017 dismissal of U.S. attorneys when Trump was president. Chuck is being proactive.

Axelrod Defined – Wags sums it up perfectly. Instincts of a truffle hound + next level poker player + a cold-hearted but steady-handed sniper. Yep, that’s our Bobby Axelrod.

‘He Came to Slay’ Trophy – Axe showing up at Prince’s campaign gala wearing his Slayer heavy metal t-shirt with Andy’s lover Derek as his plus+one is chef’s kiss and the only way to slay your opponent.

Axe announces, “Any idea where I can scalp a pair of tickets to this thing?” Saying “scalp” in this scene is so fitting for two reasons: 1) Axe is wearing a concert tee and we all know the issue of scalping concert tickets (am I right all you Swifties?) and 2) Axe is there to scalp Prince’s bald head, he just doesn’t know it…yet.

Axe and Chuck worked a prison swap behind the scenes together. Apparently Kai Huang Liu’s plane to Taiwan was diverted to Macau near China where he was traded for Derek. Axe then grinds the salt in the wound by telling Prince, “You know, he got here so last minute, he hasn’t had a chance to catch up with Andy. Yet.”

And Dereck is happy to tell Anderson Cooper or Rachel Maddow about his tryst with Prince’s wife Andy and all about their open marriage should Wendy become cannon fodder. Surprise, Prince!!!

Then Axe delivers Prince a cutthroat diatribe ending with a couple of doozy zingers, “It’ll be the end for you. Forget about Andy’s embarrassment. The entire country will think of you as a man who couldn’t satisfy his own wife. They won’t care about arrangements or you getting yours. They’ll just know that she was bivouacking with the Mountain Man instead of shacking up with you. And you have to know there is nobody in this country who’s gonna vote for President Cuck. You see, this is the problem with squaring away your enemies list. You wake up all your enemies in the process. Smelling salts in all our fucking faces.”

Best Acting With One Look – Damian Lewis. When Derek starts describing Andy’s freckle on her ass and the way she exhales when she orgasms, the side eye is brilliant. A real testament to Damian’s stage acting in theatre.

When the Protégé Counsels the Mentor Award – Taylor. Taylor reminds Axe that even Icahn, Buffet and Ackman could strategize the needed moves, then Taylor brought it back full circle to season 2, episode 3 ‘Optimal Play‘ by re-quoting back to Axe his own advice, “A bad motherfucker once told me ‘Hate is nature’s most perfect energy source. Endlessly renewable.’ Lean into that feeling. Because what this is going to take is one hate-fueled bad motherfucker.”

Best Movie Reference – Victor and Wags. Victor surmises The Terrible Trio – Prince, Scooter and Kate – have screwed over Wags and sent him up the Cahulawassee River without a paddle regarding his new demotion (aka fucked him in the ass). Victor says to Wags, “They put a belt around your neck and told you to squeal like a pig for them, didn’t they?” Wags retorts, “I’ve got a real pretty mouth.” Straight from Deliverance:

Most Unappetizing Host – Senior. Chuck tells his father that his hors d’oeuvres of rolled up bologna and cheese logs staggered between gherkins are less than ideal, “Frilly toothpicks do not a canapé make.” I’ll say! This “starfish” on a plate is worse than the 1970’s Jello® molds.

Supreme Seniorisms in One Scene –

When referring to his absentee house staff, “He made me send home the domestics for privacy.”

When sitting in as an unappointed moderator at the ‘Take Down Prince’ assembly meeting, “The only object lesson that I see is that this D-team, this poor man’s McEnroe/Fleming, couldn’t take down a Christmas ornament.”

The pride Senior felt seeing his sonny-boy play good host by ordering food for the their conclave, “You think you’ve one-upped me, but I smile like Jim Nabors because it’s the only proof I need that I did one thing right in regards to your rearing.”

Thanos The Mad Titan – Prince. He threatens Axe “If you try anything, it won’t be you who suffers, it’ll be Wendy Rhoades. I have her tied to the railroad tracks and I own the whole damn Transcontinental.” Yeah, not so fast Thanos.

Food for Thought:

  • Hey Kate, the 1950’s called and want their Mop & Glo reference back!
  • Amanda’s Slap Leather comment to Kate took me back to the 1881 O.K. Corral from last week’s MVPs with this gunslinging from the holsters reference … walk 10 paces, then draw!
  • Victor Mateo appreciation post for reminding Rian she is worth her weight in the best way he knows how via his dead, cold emotionless delivery: “You’re not one of the weaker animals. Never have been. You just walk like you are when you pass by a mirror, so you don’t have to see how strong you really are.” Awwwwwwww
  • Based on the mid-season trailer, me thinkx we might see Axe in a total of three metal t-shirts for the final season. Slayer in episode 10. Guns N’ Roses and Metallica in the remaining two episodes.

Damianista

Ultimate Threat – Axe

“And you have to know, there’s nobody in this country who’s gonna vote for President Cuck.”

People vote for candidates who evade taxes, who discriminate against gender and race, who want to restrict democratic freedoms, but they will never vote for President Cuck. Sad but universally true. Hats off to Axe: this is the ultimate threat to stop Prince from messing with Wendy ever again.

Read the rest of the original article at Fan Fun With Damian Lewis here.