Billions – Golden Frog Time

By: Jay Smith

“Foolishness is right next door to strength.” – Wendy (Maggie Siff) to Chuck (Paul Giamatti)

We get a two week old flashback of Terry (Michael Stoyanov) and Johnny (Kevin Breznahan) threatening someone who owes them money. The guy promises to make it right by doing whatever it takes. We get another old flashback to a week ago and it’s of Wags (David Costabile) yelling and then informing Bobby (Damian Lewis) that Ice Juice is getting ready to go public, Sr. took a big backing to secure his place, and it’s too late to try to sabotage The Rhoades especially since Ira also is with the venture. They call Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon) in and they give the rundown on Sr.’s money troubles which brings them to ask who gave Sr. his share. Bobby is excited for this opportunity to take down The Rhoades men by sabotaging one to get to the other or Golden Frog, a poisonous dart killing one man and then the other at the same time. We’re now in present time and Chuck (Paul Giamatti), Sr. (Jeffrey DeMunn) and Ira (Ben Shenkman) are enjoying a drink the night before the opening of the IPO. Chuck advises caution and Ira admits to almost being completely done with the law firm. Wendy (Maggie Siff) and Chuck are snuggled up the next morning and she thinks it’s best Chuck leaves before the kids awake to not give them false hope. Before he leaves, he admits to Wendy that he does have a part in the IPO. Bobby awakes to an empty bed and immediately jumps up and rushes down stairs. The boys are eating breakfast and they tell him Lara is in the basement. Bobby rushes to it and sees she’s in yoga practice and Lara (Malin Akerman) asks if he needs anything. Bobby says he doesn’t and as he’s walking away, we see a slight smile on Lara’s face because she enjoyed the panic in his eyes and demeanor. Chuck is sparring and once he wins his match, his teacher gives him praise.

Taylor is in Bobby’s office with Wags ready to fire the weakest link in their department. Bobby doesn’t approve of their current method, Wags jokes that their method especially before bonus time is harsh even for him and Bobby advises they sit down with everyone individually because they can’t just go off numbers to get ahead in the world. Bobby and Wags use prison jokes to drive their point for Taylor being top dog in their department and explain they didn’t have Internet so that’s why they have so many references. As Taylor leave, Wags opens the door to give his loud testimony on how it felt his first time firing someone and the office hears causing some worry amongst them.

Chuck has an employee put a stock app on his computer for him to receive live updates. Sports (Stephen Kunkman), Kate (Condola Rashad) and Bryan (Toby Leonard Moore) enter the office and they get right into their meeting. Spyros gives information on Klaxon Auto and Bobby somehow swooped in and got involved in the last minute. Chuck appreciates the information, looks at the clock, gives the okay for Kate and Bryan to probe and ends the meeting in time for the opening bell. Mafee (Dan Soder) gives the office an update once the IPO went live. Taylor is going over Ben’s (Daniel K. Isaac) file and he nervously offers a drink before Taylor dives in and starts their interrogation. We see them interrogate others and Pununzio somewhat sticks out. Kate and Bryan look through the paperwork Spyros left and they discover that Taylor signed off on the report. Bryan gets upset and moves Taylor’s picture closer to Bobby’s indicating they’re higher up on the illegal activity pyramid. Taylor enters Wendy’s office and they ask her how do they fire someone. Wendy gives them the advice that they should fire someone instead of giving the person the opportunity to quit and Taylor firing someone will change them. Taylor opens up that their father being fired was tough on the family, but the company thrived after it happened. Taylor bosses up after the session and asks for Graff sternly.

Bobby is on the phone with Hall (Terry Kinney) and he’s waiting on the word to proceed with whatever plan Bobby has cooked up. Ira tries to give Sr. a high five after watching the stock rise. Larry (Eric Bogosian), calling from his work job, asks Bobby when will he do his plan and Bobby tells him soon after seeing where the stock is on an employee’s desktop. Graff exits her interrogation and informs an employee she still has her job. Bill (Kelly AuCoin) enters Taylor’s office and he asks to take them to coffee. Taylor is confused by this gesture because Bill really doesn’t talk to them. Bill takes the decline and says they’ll talk later. Lara and Mo (Erinn Ruth) are at the house when beautiful flowers are coming in. Bobby calls and says he sent them because he senses they aren’t okay still.

Ira and Sr. are still celebrating the rise of the stock and Sr. makes a call to add more money to his backing. Mafee comes in and informs Bobby and Wags a small company just added a big share to the company and will look into it. They think Sr. just pulled this move and now it’s time to set his plan “Golden Frog Time” into motion. He sends a text and we get a six-night flashback. It’s Terry in a lab, watching a bug do its job and the technician gets paid for his help. Bobby sits with a doctor and asks about permanent damages from his created virus. The doctor informs no serious damages and he doesn’t completely approve of this, but he takes the check Bobby made out to his foundation for his help. Four nights ago we see Hall talking to someone and passes the virus off to an employee and gives instructions on what they should do. The employee, Ronnie, works for Ice Juice. Three nights ago Johnny and Terry sit with Bobby and they tell him they have a guy for the job. We get a look at the bar and it’s the guy from the beginning of the episode that owes the two money. Two days ago we see a woman taking a trash can out and she’s a former employee of Victor (Louis Cancelmi). She was caught stealing and he will have someone far removed from them to ask her to do this favor for Bobby. One day ago we see Margolis (Daniel Cosgrove) thanking Bobby for paying off his house and he agrees to finding someone to do this favor for Bobby. Back to present day we see bar guy take a gulp of their infected Ice Juice in front of the store, Margolis’ associate backing out of the favor and the former employee of Victor spiking her drink with the virus before drinking it. Now bar guy has a new Ice Juice, takes a sip and then he proceeds to vomit in the store causing a frenzy. Michael (Sam Gilroy) is on the phone and he breaks it to his editor that there’s a developing story on people getting sick on Ice Juice.

Wendy enters the office, sees Taylor and asks for an update. They say everything is fine and they explain to Wendy the crowd around Mafee’s desk is everyone taking bets on when a stock will begin to tank. Once Mafee mentions the stock being Ice Juice she declines to get in on the bet and she rushes to Chuck’s office. She tells Chuck that Bobby has short the stock so he needs to pull out of it to save his money. Chuck is offended that Wendy doesn’t have faith in him and once he refuses, Wendy angrily gives advice, leaves his office, calls Mafee and takes out a big bet. Margolis is being put on a stretcher when he says he thought the Ice Juice was suppose to be good for you. The news room is going crazy for this story as they gather more information and question the safety of Ice Juice. They compare the incident to Chipotle. Ira calls Chuck in a panic because Ice juice is causing illness, trading has halted, and if it resumes the stock will plummet. Sr. and Ira on look at the screen as the stock is pending for further action. Taylor calls in Rudy (Chris Carfizzi), whose real name is Peter and compares himself to the movie character, and he explains he hasn’t found his footing in the company, but once he does he’ll be a better and great asset. He leaves the office and once he gives the thumbs up, the office cheers him on like the stadium and football team did in “Rudy” and Mafee finally gets the reference. A health inspector puts a closed sign on Ice Juice and Chuck asks his assistant to call the employee back in to take the stock software off his computer.

Wags and Bobby are excited to see the stock tank and relish in the idea of Sr. having to sell his houses. Mafee comes in with his trading report and once Wags goes over the report to sign it he sees Wendy’s name and Mafee admits she got in on the bet and didn’t clear it with Bobby because he thought he already knew. Bobby informs him he didn’t and yells at Mafee to now bring anything Wendy gets involved in to his attention before he goes through with the help. Wags and Bobby ask each other if they think she knew and it was ballsy to go against the family either way. Chuck, Sr. and Ira are in disbelief over the loss. Taylor is packing up their interview files and Wags scares them and asks who did they fire. Taylor tells him it should’ve been Rudy but they fired Pununzio instead because he’s a weasel. Wags tells them the move makes sense and that they are now baptized in blood. Taylor tells Wags they need a drink and he loves the new Taylor that’s forming. In the parking lot Bill catches up to Taylor and tells them he wanted to meet for coffee to give them a mysterious bag. They open the bag and it’s $250,000 for their help in the Klaxon venture. Taylor tries to give it back, but Bill explains why he’s giving them extra money because it’s part of the environment and more deals and off the record money will be coming. He also finally gets what Bobby sees in them.

Chuck, Ira, and Sr. are still relishing in the loss and Sr. admits that Chuck helped with the backing to Ira and that the trust is drained. Ira leaves to go thrown up and Sr. makes a mild joke that he did have Ice Juice earlier. Bryan meets Taylor at their new apartment and after a brief story he recalls his meeting and proposition from Bobby and warns Taylor they won’t remain the same person once they really get involved in Bobby’s world. Taylor retorts and scoffs at Bryan’s attempt to talk some sense into them. Bobby comes home and sees Lara with pizza and a few of the flowers. Lara formally accepts Bobby’s apology and the two have a first date. After Bobby realizes it’s not Bruno’s and Lara expresses her distaste for the old friend, Bobby puts caviar on the pizza and they reminisce. While trying to make love, Bobby stops and Lara realizes she can’t have sex with him showing that she isn’t completely passed the betrayal.

Chuck enters his room and cries into his hands. We get a flashback of Chuck in his office going over the Ice Juice proposal and allowing Sr. to dip in his trust. Chuck meets Larry and gives him a proposition for his help and we see that Chuck orchestrated the trap to get Bobby implicated by having him tank the Ice Juice venture. Dake gets a promotion and heads back to NY and we see Chuck meets him outside with instructions to take down Bobby and how to do it. We see the FBI following everyone Bobby has met and their associates leading up to the day of the outbreak. Back to the present, Chuck finally takes his hands off his face and he’s laughing hysterically at his plan working.