Where the F*** is Donnie? is the ninth episode of the Season 1 of Billions. The episode was written by Peter K. Blake and directed by Susanna White.
Plot Summary[]
The repercussions of the revelations come home to roost with public demonstrations, inside insurrection, and fleeing investors. A sudden and mysterious disappearance sends both Axe and Chuck spinning. Connerty, Chuck and the FBI go into manhunt mode. Meanwhile, Lara has to contend with the brotherhood of firefighters who are furious about Axe's behavior - and in an effort to circle the wagons, makes a painful sacrifice.
Plot[]
The Axelrod family is enjoying a night on the town. Bobby quizzes his kids on who the best baseball team of all time was. While the children come up with answers, Bobby interrupts them and says they can both have ice cream. Lara is surprised as its a school night, but Bobby insists. As they head inside, Lara's eyes turn to what pushed Axe to make the ice cream choice. A distraction was needed as the vehicle the family drove into town in has been marked with graffiti. The words "FUCK YOU PIG$" are written across the driver side of the vehicle. Axe says he'll call for another vehicle to come get them, but Lara is troubled and tells Bobby things are getting worse. Bobby acknowledges her and says the harassment is just starting.
Back at home, Bobby is playing at the pool table to distract himself from the events but Lara insists on talking about it. She admits that Bobby handled it well and caught it in time but is worried about how things will keep escalating. Lara says that there is obvious hatred and is scared, something that doesn't happen easily she admits, about what happens when they don't catch it in time and the kids are exposed in front of them. She believes they should move away, but Bobby doesn't wanna be seen running from this. Meanwhile, a bus loaded with protesters arrives in front of Axe Capital. By the time the workday begins, they have setup a perimeter around the entrance of the building and chant "Towers down, profits up!" as security personal hired by Axe escort employees inside.
Sean is sitting in Axe's office, and Axe greets him saying he expected he'd make a visit after the story broke on Axelrod regarding his 9/11 activities. Sean opens by stating its his job to speak to the patrons of institutions regarding donations and, given that it is nearing Christmas time, recounts the story of Saint Nikolaos, a 4th century bishop of Myra, whose anonymous donations inspired the creation of Santa Claus. Bobby retorts that if it was truly anonymous, no one would know it was him. Sean laughs, but then gets to the point; it is important that the Axelrod Hall be renamed immediately. Bobby says sure, but he wants the $100 million dollars he gave returned to him as well as the 3.3% interest for the three months Sean held the money, totaling his refund at $100,825,000 dollars. Sean says that isn't an option, and insists that the building be given a neutral name so as not to invoke any bad publicity or vandalism and that Axe should consider the money given a charitable donation. Axe tells Sean to quit while he is ahead or he will tell his lawyers to go on a warpath that ends with him owning the entire place. Sean departs, as unhappy with the conclusion as Bobby is.
At a cafe, Adam and Chuck discuss how Asians from overseas are gonna takeover all the enrollment spots into top tier ivy league schools soon, leaving their own kids with the leftovers. Chuck insists his daughter will go to Yale, but Adam, who went to Harvard, says that's exactly what he meant by leftovers. Setting the jokes aside, Adam congratulates Chuck on having an inside man at Axe Capital. Chuck is shocked to hear this and asks who looped Adam in, but Adam does not reveal the source. Adam insists fate has dealt Chuck a winning hand now that the story Dimonda wrote has painted Bobby as the poster boy for "wall street malfeasance". Adam brings up optics again, and states that their offices failed to indict a "giant" during the 2008 crash, but this is their chance to take down a big one. Adam, not believing Chuck has recused himself, tells him that he needs to ensure this goes well, and all resources are now available to him. Chuck is taken aback though, and tells Adam that when the "jungle was thick, you hid in the hills", but now that the path to victory has been carved out by him, Adam and the Attorney General are ready to swoop in and claim a win together with him, as if they were partners. Adam points out to Chuck that its not possible for them to win this together, as he recused himself.
At Axe Capital, the employees stare down the protesters. Mafee decides to shout back insults at the crowd but it only serves to fuel the flames and something is thrown at him, but it misses. Back inside, the staff are instructed to return to work and Donnie is told that Axe wants to see him in 4 minutes. Dale and Terri, who are monitoring Donnie, call Bryan over to let him know that a private meeting with Axe is about to happen. As Bryan and his team listen, Axe tells Donnie to go "long" and invest $200 million into Kemlot. Donnie tells Axe the trade is very large and insists on knowing how he can be so certain. Bobby asks Donnie to "take a walk" with him, and the two enter the room Bobby has constructed at Axe Capital. Immediately, the wire that Donnie is wearing fails to record anything, making Bryan and his team curse at their bad luck.
Donnie returns to his desk, about to confirm the trade, but panics and decides to go to the cafeteria instead. While there, he goes through a lot of emotions, and Wendy, who is sitting nearby, notices and approaches Donnie. She tells Donnie that he has lost a lot of weight, and Donnie jokes that he is on an all stress diet. Wendy says Donnie should take it easy, that he is moving a lot of money, but that he can handle it and that Axe trusts him. Donnie tells Wendy about a dream he keeps having. He is tied down to train tracks but there is a knife that he can reach to cut himself free. The train is barreling towards him, but for some reason, Donnie's hands aren't working. He tells Wendy no matter how hard he tries, he cannot use the knife to save himself. Wendy tells Donnie her interpretation of the dream, that Donnie feels he is trapped, and for some reason believes he deserves what is coming to him. She tells him he doesn't, but Donnie says he does and that he is living a lie. Wendy tells Donnie he is a good person and that he can always talk to her about anything, but Donnie says he knows who she answers to. Wendy assures him that she won't tell Chuck, but Donnie says its Axe that he is worried about, and walks away. Bryan and his team are not happy when they hear the conversation, and Dale remarks that Donny is falling apart. Terri disagrees and says its a last gasp of conscious and that she believes Donnie will commit to them.
Donnie returns to his desk and calls Mafee over. He confirms the purchase of 1.8 million shares in the company and asks Mafee if he wants to join him as there are 800,000 shares still up for grabs. Mafee agrees to do it and Bryan is thrilled as he believes Donnie has come through for them. The IT specialist they brought in tells Bryan and his team that the signal was blocked earlier, which is why they couldn't hear Axe and Donnie's conversation. He puts forth the hypothesis that Axe built an enclosure inside Axe Capital which should block all electronic communication, but Terri interrupts him saying he should clean up the audio file as best as he can. Meanwhile, Donnie removes the flannel shirt he was wearing and places it on his chair. He leaves it back at the offices and quietly goes to his vehicle without telling anyone.
Chuck meets with Bryan and questions him on why Adam knows about their informant. Bryan tells Chuck he told him. This angers Chuck, but Bryan insists it was necessary to ensure the case stayed in their hands, as the Attorney General was considering moving it to another district. Bryan also reveals that a big development has happened recently with Donnie, and that they may be ready to move in on Axelrod soon. Kate interrupts the private meeting to tell them both that Judge Whit Wilcox will be overseeing the "Dollar Bill" Stearn case. Wilcox is a self styled "defender of capitalism", but Chuck says he will talk to Wilcox to sway him to their side. Terri enters to say they have a huge problem as Donnie has gone missing.
Lara enters the restaurant to a family intervention. Lu and Lara's other siblings all tell her that Bobby has made a mess of things and are having trouble showing their faces at work. Lara insists that it is not something Axe should have to fix alone, that they are a family and will work together, but she is told she will be better off if she just divorces him. They argue that she will still be rich and that the children will be better off.
Wendy notices that Donnie is not at the office and asks Mafee where he could be. Mafee suggest calling his cell phone, but its Ben Kim that picks up. Donnie has apparently abandoned his cell phone at his desk before leaving the offices. Meanwhile, Axe receives a call from Raul Gomez. Raul apologizes but the news story about Axe forces his hand. Axe says he understands and tells Raul he is free to withdraw his money anytime, without penalty. Axe hopes that the two of them can work together down the road, and Raul says he looks forward to doing so again one day. Wendy arrives at the end of the call to inquire about Donnie. Axe has no idea where he has gone to, but Wendy stresses that its important they find Donnie. When Axe asks why, Wendy says she can't get into it due to patient confidentiality, but Axe gets the message. He sends a text message to Hall to figure out where Donnie is.
Lara's restaurant is ambushed for a sudden fire inspection. While diners are enjoying their meals and cooking is going on, the inspector, escorted by several fireman, harass the staff and damage things in the kitchen. Lu is rattled, but Lara remains steadfast and questions if this is really how they wanna play things. The inspector returns to the dining room and demands everyone disperse immediately as the restaurant has failed to meet their fire safety codes. The diners leave abruptly along with the firefighters.
Axe makes an offering of coffee and donuts to the protesters, but is told it was denied, and that they were heard saying they don't want his "poison". Security reminds Axe that it is private property and the protesters can be thrown out, an action Wags agrees with, but Bobby doesn't want to do that. Bryan and Terri talk in private, and he pushes her to understand why things have been tense between them. Terri tells Bryan to keep an eye on Chuck as he doesn't have his best interests in mind. Bryan disagrees, but Terri says she has noticed Chuck's body language, and more importantly Bryan's body language whenever Kate enters a room. Bryan again disagrees, and says he wants a relationship with Terri, but Terri says she is ending their fling. Bryan is disheartened and leaves the room with Terri telling him that he is a nice guy, but would benefit from becoming his own man.
Overnight at Axe Capital, Carly, Channing, and several other members of Axe Capital are snatching up their client lists and leads and breaking away from Axe Capital. They have plans to start their own investment fund. Channing feels guilt over the fact that they are jumping ship, but Carly tells him to keep it to himself. The group leaves with boxes of information in hand to help them jump start their own business. In the morning, the protesters have returned and Wags informs Axe of the betrayal. Security footage confirms their identities, but Axe says he will wait to take action and get his revenge.
Chuck meets with Judge Wilcox but fails to appease the man. Wilcox says his court is tough, but fair, just like the free market. Chuck tests the waters before leaving, and asks for a warrant to wiretap Axe's home. Wilcox says no, reminding him that while some business may be conducted there, it is mostly the place of intimate conversations that there are things that should not be eavesdropped on. He asks Chuck if he would be okay with a wiretap going to all Axe Capital employee homes and states that it would include his own home too as his wife works there. Chuck decides to leave having made no headway.
Kate informs Bryan that Kemlot was just bought out by another company. Bryan is ecstatic as this means Axe just made $100 million on a dirty trade. The two are thrilled that they are about to achieve a win. While they make dinner plans to celebrate, Bryan gets a call from Terri saying that they still cannot locate Donnie, spoiling the mood.
Lara visits her ex Mikey, a firefighter for the FDNY. Mikey is still interested in Lara, but she makes clear that she is here on business, and that its important she knows that Mikey is not applying pressure on his coworkers to target the Axelrod family. Mikey says they don't need any nudging as everyone is furious about Bobby. Lara says their donations should not be taken for granted and that Mikey could try to promote a better narrative, but he indicates he has no interest in doing that. Lara leaves saying this type of childishness is why things didn't work out between them.
Lara meets up with Axe and he tells her he will get the violations at the restaurant cleared. Lara is not confident the local firefighters will stop harassing them. Bobby asks Lara how her family feels about all this, and Lara lies to him, saying they support him 100%. Lara says the FDNY are calling the shots on this harassment and Axe has to appease them to make it stop Axe agrees and states that he will find a way to do that.
Chase visits Wendy at Axe Capital to inform him that she has to accept the job offer he presented her with or it'll go to someone else. Wendy says she isn't ready to leave Axe yet, so she says if it ends up going to someone else, she will accept that reality. Chase is disheartened but decides to salvage the moment and ask Wendy out on a date to a new bar opening that is styled in appearance to reflect the prohibition era. Wendy is clearly interested in Chase, but declines the offer. When Lara enters her office, Wendy is shocked and her entire body language changes. Chase takes the hint and decides to leave Wendy's office. Lara asks Wendy for advice but it becomes clear quickly she is telling Wendy to pressure Chuck to back off, as she believes he is behind the families recent misfortunes. Wendy says Chuck has recused himself, which Lara does not believe, and that she has drawn a line between her job and Chucks and that neither of them influence what the other does. Lara says she is very lucky, but she doesn't believe in these types of rules. Wendy offers the name of a therapist Lara can talk to, but Lara walks out without taking the offer.
Wags and Bobby talk inside Axe's anti-listening device room, where Wags informs Bobby that the Kemlot deal has gone through and that Donnie Caan is still missing. Wags is shocked to hear Bobby didn't orchestrate his disappearance the same way he faked the firing of Pouch. Axe says he is worried as Hall cannot find Donnie either. Back at the Rhoades residence, Chuck takes a phone call over dinner with Wendy. Bryan informs him they got a hit on Donnie's ez-pass. Chuck excuses himself and says that duty calls, making Wendy question if Lara was right about Chuck really recusing himself. When a tollbooth operator gives the signal, the police surround the flagged vehicle but find an elderly Asian man behind the wheel. They inform Bryan that it is the Donnie's ez-pass but that it isn't Donnie's car. Bryan questions if the Asian driver stopped at a rest stop, and the police officer confirms that he did in New Jersey. Bryan realizes that Donnie must have swapped ez-passes when nobody was looking and that the man could be anywhere now. Chuck tells Bryan it is not his fault, as people like Donnie are professional schemers.
Chuck leaves the office for a visit with Lonnie. Lonnie invites him into his home, but his wife is not happy to see Chuck at all. Chuck states that it is time to repay his debt to Lonnie and says that he will do so by offering Judge Wilcox to him. Lonnie is interested, as he had a kid convicted of gun trafficking that he wanted to give 7 years to, but Wilcox decided to ruin the kids life and imposed 35 years on the youth. Lonnie reminds Chuck when he wanted to investigate Wilcox earlier for this, he made him stand down, as Chuck stated, for all his faults, at least Wilcox was a "prosecutors judge". Chuck says he reconsidered as things have changed. Lonnie is still skeptical about Chuck's motives, but agrees to look into the judge.
Axe and Lara meet with the FDNY at their firehouse. Axe tells them he doesn't blame them for hating him. They lost so much on 9/11 and his wife Lara lost her brother Dean, one of Bobby's hedge fund partners at the time. Axe tells them how he met Lara at an aid tent and didn't make the connection of who Lara was related to, but that when he did connect the dots, he realized what he'd done and how it made him feel. Axe brings up his decision to donate to the firefighters fund following this event wasn't calculated, but many in the crowd don't believe him. They tell Axe he sounds like a politician making excuses. Axe chooses this moment to confess to something that the article didn't state. That he didn't just trade when the first tower was hit and people were unaware that it was linked to terrorism, but that he continued to do so even after the second tower was hit. The crowd is appalled, but Bobby defends it saying that, looking back on it, what he did was cold-hearted, but he did it knowing that he would be all that was left afterwards. All his partners were dead, and there would be well over a dozen families without support, so he had to pull through. He states that he had the rest of his life still to trade and earn that money, but he chose not to run or hide, he chose instead to earn, and he is also choosing to come clean to them instead of running and hiding now that the story has gone public. Axe finishes up stating how much the firehouse means to him and that he hopes they can forgive him. He leaves with Lara as everyone looks on. There are mixed feelings everywhere, and Mikey stands silently and is reserved.
Donnie has reached his destination and meets with a spiritual guru. A long line of people have gathered to meet the man but now its Donnie's turn to see him. Donnie says he is lost, but the guru tells him, now he is found. He hugs Donnie and for the first time in a long stretch, we see Donnie relax. Chuck is preparing the kids school lunches with Wendy and gets a call at home from Bryan saying Donnie has just used his credit card at some placed called Trapper Lodge. While Wendy is busy, Chuck investigates and discovers it is a hotel which is hosting an event where Guru Ash, a "third eye seer", is offering spiritual guidance. Wendy returns and overhears the conversation and questions Chuck if he is still on the Axelrod case. Chuck is defensive and lies to her saying he was discussing a different case with Bryan. When she presses, Chuck tells her to call Bryan herself and ask him, but Wendy leaves upset and unconvinced.
Lara goes to Axe Hills and is devastated to see a wildfire has destroyed much of the farms crops. Tito and Lara are called over by one of the workers who points out that there are signs a large truck was here. He also points to 30 silver dollars that have been left on the ground. Lara looks up to see Mikey and other members of FDNY admiring their handiwork. At that moment, Wendy enters Axe Capital and is surprised when she gets a call from Donnie. He tells her that the advice she gave him really helped him. He went to Cleveland to see Guru Ash and he believes it, along with Wendy's advice, has really helped put things into perspective for him. He says he understand what is important in his life and tells Wendy that he will be returning to work tomorrow. Back at home, Chuck gets a call from Bryan that they have located Donnie and are about to bring him in. Chuck is excited and says he will be there soon. Wendy catches Chuck as he is leaving and says she wants to talk, but Chuck tells her he has no time and has to go in for work.
Security informs Axe the protesters are in trouble. They were preparing to leave for the day, but their bus has broken down. Wags laughs at their misfortune as its about to rain down on them as well, but Bobby decides he doesn't want to see them catching pneumonia. Instead, Bobby rents limousines for the protesters to take them home and has the protesters bus towed away to be repaired, all on his dime, while a news crew film it. Wags is surprised they agreed to Bobby's offer of aid, but Axe says he isn't surprised as "no one turns down a limo".
Back at home, Lara finds Bobby in bed and says she has decided to close down the restaurant and sell their farm as well. Bobby asks why she didn't talk to him first and is upset she is giving in to their attackers, but Lara says she is simply removing her "weaknesses" to make her stronger. Axe lays with Lara and confides in her that when things turn highly stressful, he goes on auto-pilot. He confesses he did it on 9/11 because its the only way he knows how to cope. Lara tells him he has to find another way.
Donnie is with Bryan and his team and is getting grilled for his sudden departure. Donnie plays it off saying he returned of his own accord and has given them everything they asked for. They have the Kemlot trade and they have Bobby Axelrod. Bryan says they don't have everything as he still requires the source of the intel and Axe decided to take that conversation to a place they couldn't record anything. Donnie says he will give him that source, and says it was someone from the FDA named Glenn Gilmartin. Dale reveals to Bryan that Donnie is telling the truth, that such a person does exist and works for the FDA. Donnie claims Axe paid Glenn off for the information, but before he can go further, tries to end the session saying he is exhausted and they can continue tomorrow. Bryan refuses to delay, but Donnie coughs up blood onto Bryan's suit and collapses. Chuck stares in shock as Terri races to get medical help and Donnie dies on the floor of the interrogation room.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Paul Giamatti as Chuck Rhoades
- Damian Lewis as Bobby Axelrod
- Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades
- Malin Åkerman as Lara Axelrod
- Toby Leonard Moore as Bryan Connerty
- David Costabile as Mike Wagner
- Condola Rashad as Kate Sacker
Guest Starring[]
- Rob Morrow as Adam DeGiulio
- Terry Kinney as Hall
- Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Raul Gomez
- Susan Misner as Terri McCue
- David Cromer as Donnie Caan
- Ben Lawson as Mikey
- Ali Ahn as Carly
- Kelly AuCoin as Dollar Bill Stearn
- Frank Harts as Dale Christo
- Louisa Krause as Lu
- Jack Gilpin as Sean Ayles
- Malachi Weir as Lonnie Watley
- Joel Marsh Garland as Sean
- Christopher Paul Richards as Dean Axelrod
- Jack Gore as Gordie Axelrod
- Steven Pasquale as Chase
- Anthony Edwards as Whit Wilcox
| v - e - dSeason 1 |
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| Pilot • Naming Rights • YumTime • Short Squeeze • The Good Life • The Deal • The Punch • Boasts and Rails • Where the F*** is Donnie? • Quality of Life • Magical Thinking • The Conversation |