The practice of catching and preparing an Ortolan, a small bird, is no longer allowed. Its a cruel process indeed. Its a fitting start to the episode, and a fitting ritual for the people ofBillions. They thrive during rituals of cruelty. The cage is no metaphor; it becomes literal in The Third Ortolan. Chuck, Axe, and Wendy find themselves threatened with very real jail time. sighs Axe to Wags after theyve eaten three Ortolans, proving again that they dont know when to stop....

Hes made Axe Capital what it is. Hes sacrificed everything along the way, including, most recently, his marriage. As The Wrong Maria Gonzalez kicks off, Axe stares out at the city at night. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME Hes lost, unsure of what to do. He calls Wendy, his lighthouse in the storm and also the wife of his enemy. Surprise, he doesnt! Of course, such a move is extremely dangerous. If hes caught, Axe Capital would certainly be done for, and Axe would end up in prison....

Thats where the second half comes into play. With the indictment behind them, Chuck, Wendy, and Axe are feeling good about their futures. It doesnt take long for reality to come crashing back in to their dream state of freedom. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME Chuck Sr. and Black Jack arent there to join the party. If hes going to be Governor, he needs to be discreet. Private liaisons with Wendy as his dom?...

He’s not fighting for his life in Southern, or working to bring charges against an enemy. Rather, he’s in West Texas in the middle of the night. Out of place indeed, but an apt visual metaphor for the kill-or-be-killed nature of this episode. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME He’s the kind of man whose reputation for violence precedes him. She tells Chuck as much, and while he sympathizes with her, he wants her focused....

Chickentown is that kind of episode. Hes key to something big that Dollar Bill has stumbled on (or slept his way to). Dollar Bill has all his eggs in the Chicken Mans basket (sorry). Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME OnBillions, its never good to have all your eggs in any basket. Well get there though. For now, thats enough. Drip, drip, drip, she says. If you ever get tired of working for him, call me, says Hall....

Well, that threat has become a reality. At the top of Fight Night, Sara and Wags meet to sort out all the details. Fight Night isnt really about the bad blood between Mafee and Dollar Bill though. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME It all starts out mysteriously, as Taylor enters a live auction. We dont know why, but Taylor and Sara seem both excited and nervous about the purchase. They buy a vacant lot of some sort, but what its for remains a mystery....

Its a question with a literal and figurative meaning. Well get to all the sex in a bit, but there are other things to cover first. Or, so he says. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME Sure enough, this is just the first stage of Axes plan. Hes in awe of Rebecca, and the surefire way she pokes holes in the investment pitch. He likes her ambition and her no-nonsense behavior, but he also likes that she represents an opportunity....

Instead, the day sees more power moves, more backstabbing, and more personal reckoning. Things dont stay friendly for long, but thats because Wendy and Chuck are at odds. Now they just know all of it, she says, which is fair. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME But Rebecca sees it another way. She sees people so concerned with their own problems that theyll forget about Wendy in due time. This dinner isnt just social though; it never is....

Wendys been real close to going off the deep end for a while now. When Infinite Game kicks off, it looks like its going to be a throwaway episode of sorts. Cause and effect, baby; its a reliable storytelling tool. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME Things kick off with the aforementioned dog killer. So, Chuck sets about rectifying that situation. Pain is at the center of this episode. The main source is the relationship between Taylor, Axe, and Wendy....

Loyalties are tested, and the stage is set for a thrilling finale. Much like Golden Frog Time before it, the penultimate episode of season four isBillionsat its best. The episode begins in a panic, as Chuck Sr. has discovered that his home is bugged. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME Chuck also needs a favor from Axe. He needs to borrow his best safe-cracker so that get the papers that prove the deal with Krakow....

Tonights episode, Maximum Recreational Depth, kicks off with a renewed relationship of sorts. He brings a picture of them at the development site as evidence. Chuck takes that information and decides its time to go harder against Jock Jeffcoat. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME Thats all a play though. The back-and-forth between Bryan and Chuck is far from over. (My sidenote is this: do the kids know? They seem to be totally unaware, which seems ludicrous....

New Years Day takes place on, you guessed it, New Years Day. Theres a lot to ring in the new year. Lets start with Wendys prep work. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME She cant square the circle, and that means she does terribly during the mock session. Again, its because she kind of is. She used Taylors personal information to win a business battle. Even Wags knows Wendy is guilty, and hes rather maudlin about it....

We get Chuck and Jock going head to head. Lets start with Chuck, who arguably makes the biggest move of the episode. Hes in a tight spot right now. Credit: Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME Both Wendy and his father want something from him. Theres so much history behind their anger. Luckily for Chuck, he knows a former member of the State Medical Board. Unsurprisingly, Gilbert has no interest in cooperating with Chuck....