Damian Lewis' exit makes sense for Billions

Indiewire

"Through the show’s run, Chuck and Axe have gone through every step on the ally/enemy spectrum," says Steve Greene. "While the two were never friends — this season’s lingering animus is probably the best proof, in hindsight — their shared efforts did take down common foes and set up some mutually beneficial circumstances. Despite them being back at each other’s throats in Season 5, Billions is built on mutually assured destruction. After exhausting many of its available maneuvers to head off an all-out war, continuing the show only works if one of their arsenals is transferred to another player. The Season 5 introduction of Corey Stoll turned out to be a savvy bait-and-switch (one that series showrunners Brian Koppelman and David Levien say was in place well before the season’s pandemic production hiatus). For a show built on the lives and preoccupations of The .1 percent, Stoll’s Mike Prince arrived as a potential new way of looking at wealth. At first, he didn’t seem to have Axe’s lust for financial conquest, and he certainly didn’t have the ostentatious flair of Wags (David Costabile). Here was the show’s best chance to present a billionaire who wasn’t a policy failure." ALSO: How David Costabile's Wags became the hedonistic heart of Billions.