The Oath

**The Oath** is the fourth episode of the Season 2 of *Billions*. The episode was written by Adam R. Perlman and directed by Noah Emmerich.

## Plot Summary

Under pressure to make progress, Chuck develops a new strategy. Wendy helps a tech billionaire assess a candidate for a special project. Axe considers pledging half his net worth to charity. Lara's new business faces a rival. Meanwhile, Axe and Chuck find themselves together in a room for the first time since their face off.

## Plot

Wendy Rhoades walks inside a hangar with the CEO of Farpoint Craig Heidecker. Craig owns the hangar and the space shuttle housed inside it. He tells Wendy that he needs her expertise in assessing the qualifications of Elena Gabriel, the woman destined to pilot the shuttle. He has already sunk over $1.2 billion dollars into the enterprise and wants to ensure Elena is psychologically fit to handle the mission. Wendy says it will take time, but Craig offers her free reign and use of his facilities to make the decision. Elena arrives just then and introduces herself to Wendy while Heidecker takes his leave.

Bobby Axelrod is dining with Mark Cuban who calls him out on his recent conduct. He tells Axe he knows his lawsuit with the S.E.C. is an attempt to clear his name in the eyes of the NFL Commision, but warns him that his own attempts, though successful, did nothing to help him acquire a baseball team. Cuban advises Axe to make it clear to the Commision that he is turning over a new leaf and that he will be dropping all pending suits, including the one against Chuck Rhoades. Bobby says he won't do that, but Cuban tells him he needs to not only play the long game but also do something effective today if he really wants that football team.

Chuck Rhoades discusses the Spartan-Ives case with Fred Reyes, who is representing the interests of the Attorney General. Chuck assures him its going well but Fred warns him he's running out of time. He tells Chuck he is only "alive as long as he is making progress, a reminder that he will face termination if he doesn't make this case soon. Chuck thanks him for the warning and impatiently shows him the door.

Tom McKinnon meets with Chuck and his team to share the bad news that there is no concrete evidence of the Treasury rigging conducted by Spartan-Ives. Bryan calls him out saying they know it happened, but Tom says that everything has stopped now that word is out they are being targeted by the NY AG. He shares with them that he is having trouble keeping it together. He hats having to share a bed with his adulteress wife. It is starting to get to him even though he knows it'll jeopardize their chances of catching Boyd if he does anything suspicious. Bryan tells him to man up, but Chuck shuts Bryan up before he can say anything else. He tells Bryan that Tom is more man then either of them as none of them can imagine enduring what Tom is going through. He asks Tom to continue for a bit longer while they form a new strategy cause he will make it worth it, and Tom agrees before leaving. Afterwards, Chuck acknowledges this is a setback, but not a defeat. Bryan suggests finding someone else to flip "up the chain", but Chuck believes that doing that, as well as Bryan's research into the Panama Papers/Spartan-Ives connection, is a dead end.

Hall tells Axe in a private meeting that Lawrence Boyd is not ready to do what needs to be done. Bobby curses, but Hall states that for him to be effective, he needs Boyd to permit him to take the "steps he needs to". He asks Bobby if he wants to proceed without Boyd's permission, but Axe says not to move forward until he gets Boyd's approval. Meanwhile Lonnie Watley loudly celebrates his most recent win in the offices. Bryan questions his enthusiasm and Lonnie shares with him that he's been winning cases left and right. Last week he prosecuted a child predator, this week he nailed a Panamanian drug lord. He asks Bryan how the Spartan-Ives case is going, but Bryan leaves abruptly after curtly saying its "solid".

At Axe's home, Orrin Bach meets with Bobby to tell him that a judge has denied Chucks attempt to dismiss the charges. Axe celebrates, but Orrin tells him they should postpone given the bid he is making on the football team. Bobby shares with Orrin a story of his early days, how young executives thought the answer to a successful trade was to convince the other party to say "yes". Axe realized though that it was more effective to make saying "no" impossible for the other party. To remove it from their vocabulary altogether. Chuck's pursuit of Bobby is the NFL's "no", and by proving it was Chuck that crossed the line with this lawsuit, Axe believes the NFL Commision will no longer have a reason to say anything else except "yes". Orrin understands, but warns him that things could get muddy during depositions. Bobby is confident, but Orrin decides to test him, and fields Bobby questions while playing the part of opposing counsel. He brings up the police bribery that saved Mick Danzig, and Bobby realizes Orrin's concerns may hold some merit as he has no immediate reply, knowing full well the wrong answer may bring out perjury charges. He advises Bobby that should he feel rattled, however rare that is, then he should stay silent and ask for a break. He jokingly asks Bobby if he wants a break right now, but Bobby tells Orrin to keep testing him.

Wendy and Elena walk together throughout the Farpoint compound. Elena explains to Wendy that the "shaker room" they are looking at is where metals are tested in similar conditions to space to see how they will hold up. Wendy point blank asks Elena why she wants to go to space, to which Elena states its the "undiscovered country", a quote Wendy recognizes from *Hamlet*. Elena then says that its the "final frontier", but Wendy has seen *Star Trek* as well and asks her to use her own words instead. Elena tells Wendy that most of her peers are either in academia or a lucrative startup. She hates the idea of going into either field, but highlights that such life goals are a result of the limited opportunities in their environment on earth. Humanity needs to start expanding into the stars to continue growing out of its current shell, and Elena wants to be the first one to attempt "the impossible" by heading into space to live on another planet. She worries that she probably sounds dumb, but Wendy smiles and says she doesn't sound foolish at all.

Chuck Rhoades Sr. has one of his henchmen, Angel, explain how following Axelrod is a "nonstarter". Angel tells him that Axe has men covering him now wherever he goes at all times. He also brings up that one of his former FBI colleagues, Hall, is in Bobby's employ, and that concerns him as he is familiar with how effective Hall is. He advises Chuck Sr. to have his son handle their pursuit of Axe, but Chuck Sr. shuts the idea down immediately. This is between himself and Bobby, meaning his son should not be aware of anything they are doing. Angel acknowledges but reiterates that there is no way for him to pursue Axe currently. Chuck Sr. tells him to "drop down a rung" and follow Bobby's top people instead. Angel agrees to do this but, before leaving, gives a thumb drive to Chuck Sr. and tells him that all the information he wanted on their other "subject" is there. He then negotiates an increase in payment by mentioning that monitoring a Federal agent is a Class E felony, something that Chuck Sr. does not seem to mind as he wants to continue their arrangement regardless of the risks or costs.

Chuck receives a package in his office, inside which is the thumb drive Angel gave Chuck Sr. At the same time, Oliver Dake ambushes Bryan outside by a food cart. The two trade remarks, but Dake reminds him that the Spartan-Ives investigation is proving to be a waste of time and that Chuck will lose his job eventually. Bryan wants to know the where Dake got that information from, but Dake responds that Bryan shouldn't lose his job clinging to a corrupt boss. He advises Bryan to "finish Chuck off himself" and score some points with the Justice Department when Chuck falls.

Bobby has a sit down with Sanford Bensinger at Bruno's Pizzeria before he leaves town. Sanford isn't impressed with the location, but Bobby reminds him that this talk of theirs has been a long time coming these last 5 years. Sanford shares with Bobby that the cost of him putting his money behind Axe doesn't come cheap and will require Bobby to join his charitable organizations as a regular donor. Axe jokes around a bit more, but Sanford asks Bobby why he pursues wealth. Bobby tells him its because he's good at it and he can, but Sanford counters that its because it feels good. Sanford says it felt good when he earned his first $1 million dollars too, but he started feeling hollow afterwards and never felt the same high until he started his charity, The Giving Oath, and pledged to give 20,000 times that. Bobby is uncertain, but continues to listen.

Chuck spars with his martial arts trainer who easily headlocks Chuck with his legs. Chuck taps out and his trainer tells him that he feels he is diving too much and exposing himself as a result. He advises Chuck to learn the difference between "naive aggression and effective aggression", something Chuck seems to take to heart. Bryan meanwhile visits Kate at her apartment. She is currently on a date. Music is playing in her apartment and she blocks the doorway so Bryan can't see her suitor. Bryan is thrown off for a moment, but then admits the reason he is there is because he has discovered a secret stash of money tied to her father during his research into the Panama Papers. Kate tells him she already knew this and that the money isn't illegal, its just a secret because its bad PR to hold such a large amount of money offshore. She asks Bryan if he is assuming the worst because its her father or because he doesn't like anyone with that much money. Before Bryan can answer, she shuts the door in his face.

Mo and Lara Axelrod are out shopping to refill the pantry at home. Lara is concerned about Wags, and Mo admits that he has been coming to her for an IV treatment nearly every day since they started. Lara says she'll take care of it now that its been confirmed to her, but Mo says they have bigger problems. She shows Lara an advert on her smartphone that is being sent to their clients; the advert features a competitor called, The Mercy Squad, which is offering the same services for cheaper. Mo wonders if they should shift their company to New Jersey instead of staying in New York and focus on smaller groups, but Lara tells her that they should stand their ground and fight instead. This was their business first and they shouldn't let someone else force them to change.

Chuck tells Kate and Bryan to get a warrant on Spartan-Ives for "quote stuffing". Bryan laughs and says Chuck mocked him when he brought that to his attention a year ago. Kate agrees, saying juries will be too confused to follow any of it, but Chuck compares the warrant to the first wave of Normandy in World War 2. The first wave will be cut down so the second wave has a fighting chance. Back at Axe Capital, Lara comes in to see Bobby and his employees regarding the recent poaching efforts from The Mercy Squad. Bobby says he'll take care of it and tell the competitor to back off, but Lara is offended and says she'll handle it because she is a businesswoman. Before they can discuss it further, Wags comes in and asks to know how much Axe is donating to The Giving Oath. He tells Bobby he's gone soft to join Bensinger, but Lara assures Wags that the "headlines are now" and the actual donating, if it ever happens, will be later. Bobby staged the meeting with Sanford and had a reporter snap photos. Wags recognizes the brilliant move was made so Axe can improve his public image and better his chances in acquiring the NFL team.

Wendy and Elena continue their talk, and Elena mentions the band Wilco and how they were able to continue on despite one of the key members, Bennett, leaving the group. Bennett ended up overdosing because he couldn't "keep it together" after the separation. Elena admits to Wendy that relationships make things complicated, and it surprises Wendy to hear that Elena actively made efforts to prevent making a meaningful connection as it opened the possibility of stifling her personal goals. Wendy thanks Elena and mentions before ending their talk that she is certain she will accomplish great things.

Back at the offices, Chuck opens the file on the flash drive given to him. He see's a video of Dake telling Bryan to flip on his boss and how he knows Bryan was the one that tipped them all off of Chuck's wrong doing. Chuck looks distraught over the betrayal but just then, Bryan enters the office. Chuck looks like is going to say something about what he just saw, but decides against it. He tells Bryan to setup a meeting between Chuck and Boyd. Bryan is surprised but understands this must be the "second wave" of their attack. Chuck tells Bryan that he plans on "bonding" with Boyd by asking for a favor. He explains to his protege that asking for a favor of someone reduces their perception of you being a threat and makes them feel important. The irony, of course, is that Chuck is doing the same thing with Bryan right now.

Chuck and Boyd meet and he informs Boyd that he wants to end their conflict. Boyd says he actually prefers fighting to plea bargains. He asks Chuck how comfortable he is in his pursuit of him, and Chuck admits that the Attorney General is not happy at all with his handling of the case. Boyd counters that the AG likes people who don't "turn their house upside down" for attention, which is why he says Spartan-Ives has a strong relationship with the AG still. Chuck says he agrees, and then states he needs a favor, surprising Boyd. Chuck leans in and says he needs Boyd to launch an internal investigation via Spartan-Ives's compliance department to give the appearance that Chuck's pressure is having an effect. Boyd asks why he'd ever do that, but Chuck says after a year he'll call off the investigation and Boyd can be the one to claim a win, that any "wrong-doing" was handled internally. Boyd tells him he doesn't want to wait a year so he offers Chuck instead some mid-level guys that his compliance department has already "flagged". Chuck agrees to the trade and Boyd tells him their offices will coordinate the press releases later.

Wags interrupts Bobby's cardio session to let him know that one of the bidders of the available football team has dropped out, leaving only one other bidder. Bobby's happy to hear that his chances of acquiring the NFL team are improving following his Bensinger play. Axe tells Stephanie to draft a letter praising The Giving Oath and to release it. Lara in the meantime is enjoying a drink with some old friends back in her hometown bar. She asks for their assistance with The Mercy Squad and tells them it needs to be discreet. She offers money, but they decline, saying Lara is like family, but Lara insists they take the money to pay off the girl they will use. They agree and everyone toasts Dean, Lara's deceased brother, before continuing drinking.

Boyd catches up with Bobby on what Chuck asked of him. Axe isn't happy and mistrusts Chuck's intentions, but Boyd tells him not to worry. He will proceed with caution and believes Chuck is civilized enough to willingly engage in backroom deals. Back at the offices, Chuck and Ira go over their game plan with all the lawsuits against him. Ira asks Chuck to trust him and advises him not to come to the deposition, believing that Chuck will not be able to control his emotions and say something damaging. Chuck says he won't say a word, but Ira tells him its not worth the risk. Kate comes in and Ira excuses himself for coffee while they speak in private. She tells Chuck that she has found out recently that her father, who she once considered worthy of looking up to, has been hiding money off shore. She lied to Bryan earlier about her knowledge of the offshore accounts. It's clear her fathers activities have shaken her. While all of Frank's activities are legal, its something her father has spoken vocally about never engaging in, and she has a hard time stomaching that he can be so two-faced. Chuck counsels her to not be too hard on her father and to discuss the discovery with him to help clear the air. He tells her that the parent-child relationship should be protected no matter what. Everyone else will screw you over in time, but not your parents.

Chuck Sr. ambushes Boyd during a golf outing and, after talking about the matter with his son earlier, tells Boyd hat his son was telling the truth; the investigation into Spartan-Ives and Boyd is more or less over. He asks Boyd to consider putting in a good word for his son, and Boyd nods, asking Chuck Sr. how proud he must be of his son for accepting the reality of the world he is in.

At Farpoint, Wendy discusses her report of Elena with Craig. She finds her to be brilliant, but ultimately unfit for the program. Craig asks why and Wendy responds that she is a "ghost" who has never allowed herself to encounter awkward situations or adversity. She believes this is the wrong profile for an astronaut candidate, and tells him that when things go wrong in space, as they always inevitably do, she will crack under the pressure as Elena is used to avoiding stress. Wendy advises Craig to reject her now and again when she reapplies to the program, but advises that if Elena applies a third time, to stress test her again. Craig thanks Wendy for the insight and says he is eager for her to examine his next promising candidate for their mission, but Wendy says she might not be available as she prefers to work with people. She finds it distasteful to only judge people as she has just done with Elena. Heidecker tells her they all need to live their truth. He says his is to leave this universe "traversable" and he requires people like Wendy to make that a reality, but she counters that he is asking less of her then that. She doesn't want to simply sort people into one of two boxes. Craig asks if she is testing him now to see if he'll come crawling back, but Wendy tells him she isn't. They shake hands and Wendy tells him that she would be happy to see him in the future if he ever wants to talk about his life goals in more detail. She also asks him to see her so they can discuss why he feels the need to engage himself in the company of 21 year old girls, flirtatiously telling him she'll "fix that" problem quick for him. Craig is excited by the offer as well as what their "session" could lead to.

At Axe Capital, Axe confronts two of his employees on why they aren't working. Mafee and Dollar Bill Stearn tell Axe that Dan Wolfe, head of The Mercy Squad, has been apprehended by NYPD for "pimping" out his nurses. Apparently one of the girls on his team tried to solicit sex from a Project Manager at Vista Verde. Axe calls Lara and asks how she pulled it off. She simply replies that she told him she's a business woman and could handle it, which pleases Axe immensely. Just then, Bruno and his nephew, Marco Capparelo, arrive at Axe Capital for a meeting, carrying delicious pizza inside with them. While the staff enjoys the food, Marco, Bobby, and Stephanie sit in private and Axe demands to know why he should invest in Marco's home state. Marco tells him that Sandicot's downtown is "ripe for redevelopment" and that the city council is onboard, thereby facilitating whatever Axe tries to do there. Bobby interrupts the pitch and tells him that his state is a "shithole" and might not be worth losing money over, but Marco counters that Axe will be getting the upside on the deal, putting in a little and getting a lot in return. Marco brings up that there will be a lavish casino there too, and Bobby perks up, considerably more interested in continuing talks.

Tom McKinnon meets with Chuck and Bryan during a quick lunch and tells the two that the "faucets back on". Boyd, believing Chuck has backed off, has started up the rigging of Treasury auctions again in his offices. He asks Chuck what he should do now, and Chuck tells him to sit tight while he mulls this new information over. In private, Bryan tells Chuck he is amazed they have a way in now, but Chuck tells him, sometimes you got to faith in people behaving by their true nature.

Axe taps Taylor Mason into the Sandicot deal, informing them that their task will be to investigate if a casino gaming license can indeed be granted in the Marco's state. Mason is upset that Axe will make this deal to help the people of Sandicot only if it benefits him, but when Axe counters that he will benefit as much as them, they state that Bobby will definitely benefit more. After Mason leaves, Stephanie tells Bobby that people are noticing Taylor is Bobby's new "favorite" and that they aren't happy about it. Wags rushes in, apologizing for being so late and missing the Sandicot deal. Wags asks for some privacy and Stephanie leaves. At this point, Wags tells Bobby he got way too intoxicated last night and woke up in some sleazy motel by the Port Authority with a tattoo on his ass. Bobby is amazed and tells Wags he needs to see it for himself. Wags pulls down his pants and Bobby is shocked to see Yosemite Sam, a cartoon character of which Wags is a fan of apparently. Bobby tells him he's sending him somewhere for help. Wags pleads to not go to rehab, but Bobby sends him to Wendy instead. She isn't happy about it, but when Wags shows her the tattoo and explains he remembers nothing about it, she agrees to counsel him at later date.

Bryan reaches out to Dake, who is thrilled that Bryan called him. He tells Bryan he knew he'd come around eventually, but Bryan quickly turns around and tells him he plans to stand by Chuck. Chuck's play has worked and Bryan has followed his "true nature" by ultimately deciding to stick with his mentor. He tells Dake to "prove it" that he was the one that tipped Dake's offices about Chuck and that he can prove Chuck is guilty without him if he is good enough to prove Bryan was the tip. Dake is disappointed, telling the man their situation is much like the *Titanic*; he offered Bryan a lifeboat but instead Bryan has chosen to play the violin as the ship goes down.

Chuck and Ira go to Axe Capital to battle with Bobby and Orrin. Everyone at the office is silent when they see Chuck enter and continue to watch, rather then work, as the deposition moves forward. Ira tries to open a line of questioning, but Bobby and Chuck continue to interrupt to go "off the record" and hurl insults at one another. Eventually Ira manages to get a word in, and asks Bobby how he knows Chuck didn't come to his office the last time they met on legitimate AG business. This is in reference to the night Chuck snuck in after he tricked Bobby into tearing apart his own building to look for a fake wiretap. Axe responds that because Chuck came alone and without a subpoena or team with him in the dead of night, it was obvious that he was coming to intimidate him. Ira responds because Chuck's wife works for Bobby, its possible he came over to see her, but Bobby says this was after Wendy quit and it was far too late in the night for Chuck to be looking for his wife.

Ira brings up the bribery of the officers handling his employee, Mick Danzig, but Bobby plays it cool and says this meeting is about what Chuck did, not what Bobby may have. Ira switches gears and asks if Bobby is willing to "open his books" to show with hard numbers what monetary damage Chuck supposedly is responsible for. Bobby is thrown off but says while Chuck did do real harm, at this time he is not willing to open the books. He also states it is unnecessary to do so to prove the damage Chuck has done. Ira concludes then that if opening the books isn't required to assess the harm, then it must be emotional/mental damage that Bobby is talking about. He pokes fun at Bobby asking him to admit, on camera and in the presence of a stenographer, that Chuck "hurt his feelings" and in doing so, threw him off his game, affecting his work abilities. This effectively gets under Axe's skin and he calls for a break. Chuck pats Ira on the shoulder acknowledging his brilliant maneuver.

Alone in his office, Bobby contemplates what he should do when Deb Kawi enters to tell him that Sanford Bensinger is calling. Bobby picks up the phone to a very unhappy man. Sanford tells Bobby he doesn't like being played. He has connected the dots and knows Bobby staged the photo-op and, after being given ample time to donate, see's that no money has been transferred. He now knows Axe has no intention of making a donation to The Giving Oath. Bobby tries to backpedal, but Sanford tells him to save it and that he is calling to tell him personally that he will not be getting the football team. Bobby is shocked that the NFL is gonna walk away from the unprecedented amount of money he is willing to give, but Sanford tells him that sports franchises is "how we knight people" here in the USA and Axe is nothing more then a "robber baron".

Bobby ends the call, clearly shaken by the realization that he has lost the football team and, despite throwing more money at the problem then anyone else in history, has been deemed unworthy. Its a serious blow to his ego, and he gets up after some time and re-enters the meeting with Chuck, Ira, and Orrin. Bobby opens by saying he now has concrete monetary damages to discuss regarding the harm Chuck has caused him. He asks that they go back on the record and takes a seat. As Bobby begins to explain how Chuck has just cost him an NFL team, Chuck's face drops and starts to lose the energy it once possessed.

## Cast

### Starring

* Paul Giamatti as Charles 'Chuck' Rhoades, Jr.
* Damian Lewis as Robert 'Bobby' Axelrod
* Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades
* Malin Åkerman as Lara Axelrod
* Toby Leonard Moore as Bryan Connerty
* David Costabile as Mike 'Wags' Wagner
* Condola Rashad as Kate Sacker

### Guest Starring

* Jeffrey DeMunn as Chuck Rhoades, Sr.
* James Wolk as Craig Heidecker
* Terry Kinney as Hall
* Glenn Fleshler as Orrin Bach
* Asia Kate Dillon as Taylor Mason
* Malachi Weir as Lonnie Watley
* Christopher Denham as Oliver Dake
* Ben Shenkman as Ira Schirmer
* Ross Partridge as Tom McKinnon
* Richard Thomas as Sanford Bensinger
* Kelly AuCoin as "Dollar" Bill Stearn
* Eric Bogosian as Lawrence Boyd
* Ian Kahn as Fred Reyes
* Ilfenesh Hadera as Deb Kawi
* Dan Soder as Dudley Mafee
* Shaunette Renée Wilson as Stephanie Reed
* Arthur Nascarella as Bruno Capparelo
* Erinn Ruth as Mo
* Tony Yazbeck as Marco Capparelo
* Melissa Navia as Elena Gabriel
* Richard Topol as Angel
* Michael Stoyanov as Terry Burke
* Kevin Breznahan as Johnny Burke