‘Billions’ Season 3, Episode 10: Defcon 6
It would do the show’s writers — in this case, the series co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien, joined by Matthew Fennell — a disservice to describe these financial machinations as merely a MacGuffin; too much effort is put into nailing the almost esoteric intricacy and jargon of these multi-hundred-million dollar transactions. But in the same way that the Maltese Falcon or the “Pulp Fiction” briefcase are meaningful mostly through what people do in their name, Bobby’s predicament — moronically described as “Defcon 6” by his unctuous, hilarious compliance officer Ari Spyros (Stephen Kunken) — enables an entire cast of characters and guest stars to shine.
It’s Paul Giamatti vs. Clancy Brown and Damian Lewis vs. John Malkovich with a heaping helping of David Krumholtz, Maggie Siff, Asia Kate Dillon, and Maria Sharapova (!) on the side: I reviewed last week’s Billions for the New York Times. Absolutely unimpeachable writing, casting, acting.
