Pearse Redmond joins us to discuss the TV series Billions, which mixes elements of legal thrillers, human drama, sexual fetishes, 9/11 insider trading and deep politics. We examine the characters in the film and how they are metaphors for the philosophical conflict at the heart of American politics between individual free will and the need for government as a restricting force. In short, Axe represents Ayn Rand and Chuck represents James Madison. We also look at several supporting characters including the non-binary Taylor who works at Axe’s hedge fund, Chuck’s father and his deep political friend Black Jack Foley, and how both sides in this conflict use coded language and spycraft as weapons against the other.(Read more...)
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