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.
You fought the law, and the law won.
Ill miss you, says Wags, as sincere as hes ever been.
The structure is familiar, almost procedural in nature.
And yet,Billionsmakes it feel fresh, urgent, and raw.
Perhaps thats because Wendy, likely the most relatable character on the show, is caught in the crossfire.
Well get to that in due time, but theres lots to cover.
The Third Ortolan is the episode where all the walls start closing in.
An impending trial will do that.
Everyone is scrambling, and it makes for a truly exciting episode.
Essentially, the episode tests everyones loyalty,andtheir ability to bluff.
Its the day of the dismissal hearing for the Ice Juice case.
The episode checks in with each team as they get ready to present their case.
Orrin believes Dake and Connerty have nothing on Axe.
In short: Connerty fails miserably.
Orrin sees it as a win.
Axe sees it as more time he has to spend worrying.
Connerty sees nothing but an impossible task ahead of him.
Things really pick up when Ari Spyros goes off on his own.
His confidence has been building all season.
He sees himself as one of the big boys.
What he fails to assess, though, is Axes unwavering loyalty to Wendy.
Shes this companys fuing spirit animal, he says, ripping into Ari for his foolish venture.
Theres no taking it back, though.
Rather than check with Axe first, Ari just went ahead and handed over all the evidence to Connerty.
Hes no perfect spy, even when meeting out in the cold.
Aris been playing a role for weeks now, and this is where it finally catches up with him.
Hes a fraud, play-acting his way in this world of cutthroat people.
Now, hes scrambling just as much as Axe, and Wendy is the collateral damage.
In a stirring sequence, we see Axe break the bad news to her.
Its a stirring scene because we understand the weight of this moment.
For all of his terrible qualities, Axe truly cares about Wendy.
Thats too much to sacrifice, and yet, Axe doesnt have any other options.
Taylor knows Axe doesnt have too many options.
While Dollar Bill is preemptively celebrating, Taylor is thinking about what Axe Capital looks like without its leader.
Its why theyre so focused on perfecting their algorithm.
If Taylor can do that, theyve made their mark.
Taylor already has a support system in place now that theyve hit it off with Oliver.
All thats left is creating that algorithm and moving Axe Capital in a new direction.
Its not only Axe whos run out of options, though.
Chuck doesnt have too many himself.
Its the most assured Bryan has been in some time, perhaps because he feels betrayed by Chuck.
Connerty knows he has all the leverage in the world, and hes not giving up anything.
Of course, Chuck, Axe, and Wendy wont accept any of this.
The cages are for the Ortolans, not for them.
Thus, Wendy devises a plan.
Its clear that Wendy doesnt want to betray Axe like this, but she sees no other option.
They meet up and Wendy urges them to surrender their weapons and lay everything on the table.
Shes asking for full transparency, and thats when Chuck asks to use the washroom.
He wanders through the house and finds the perfect spot to plant the evidence.
Will Chuck really cross this line?
Will Wendy regret it?
Does Axe see it coming?
It turns out the latter questions dont matter, because Chuck doesnt plant the evidence.
moment and puts the slide on the table.
Axe is astonished, and Wendy cant believe what shes seeing.
What could Chuck possibly have in mind?
