When season 6 began, we saw a shift in Chuck’s character. After the defeat against Bobby Axelrod, Chuck had found a bigger rival – the billionaires of New York. After the first episode, we see him announce a war against the rich and the elite who trample over the common folk of society.
On paper, this makes up for an exciting premise. In fact, this was a subtle promise to the audience that in season 6, the stakes would be much higher, and the tensions would reach newer levels. However, as we’re approaching the mid-season episode, the execution seems to lack the grit required for something as big as waging a legal war against an entire class of society that houses the most influential people of New York.
In many ways, this also makes me wonder why is Chuck’s arc so weak. Although he was one of the strongest characters throughout the show, right now, he seems insignificant.
Chuck Rhoades seems to be targeting random elite people as he encounters them. He doesn’t have a clear strategy on how he will bring down the billionaires of New York and lacks a vision of how he wants to get justice for the ordinary people.
If you look at Chuck’s arc in Billions season 6 so far, you’ll notice a few things. He first began fighting with his neighbor, who had a privileged and powerful background. After tasting the sweetness victory, Chuck decided to wage war against all people who were like his neighbors – rich, elite, and powerful.
In his self-righteous quest, he tries to fight an owner of a domestic laborers’ association and also a fishery owner who makes sub-par quality products. No thread links these people, except that they are privileged, powerful, and corrupt. Furthermore, he didn’t target these people but just stumbled upon their cases. All this shows that Chuck’s grand scheme of going after billionaires were merely words, and he has no plan of action to back them up.
If you delve deeper into the character’s psyche, you’ll realize that he hasn’t recovered from Axe’s defeat. Chuck got played, and his biggest rival escaped right under his nose. This makes him desperate, and he’s trying to find an outlet wherever he can for his frustration. In the end, he just wants to prove that he can bring down billionaires and stroke his fragile ego, which right now is crumbling.
In episode 5, this is perhaps why he tries to hire the lawyer who defeated him in court. He is pining for the slightest ounce of victory that he can get. While this makes up for an exciting character sketch, it isn’t executed well.
The writers are still trying to portray him as the aggressive, powerful man who never backs down while also showing him as someone who is incoherent and doesn’t have any clarity on what he wants. These two traits conflict, and as a result, we see an increasingly boring character whose value diminishes with every scene.
Billions season 6, episode 6, will release on February 27. It will be the mid-season episode, and ideally, it should set the core plot and the main characters who will face each other in a battle of power, greed, and ambition.
About Billions
Billions is an American drama created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin. The series is set in financial centres based in America.
The series follows hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis), as he accumulates wealth and power in the world of high finance. The series premiered on Showtime on January 17, 2016.
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