This article was published in the "Sanlian Life Weekly" No. 22, 2020, the original title is "Alienated and assimilated enemies", it is strictly forbidden to reprint privately, and infringement must be investigated
Each of them is the embodiment or doll of money and power, and will be destroyed by money and power.
Chief Writer / Miao Qian
Stills from the American drama "Billions"
The 2016-run American drama "Billions" opens with a one-sided line that shows the show's long-standing rivals: Chuck Rhoades, the federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, and Bobby Axelrod, a hedge fund tycoon. The unfinished battle for power and money has just entered its fifth season, and Axrod changes his image when he appears, with long beards and long hair in a tent deep in the Alaskan forest, as if he is practicing some kind of practice. When the practice was over, he bluntly said that the perspective of the world had completely changed, and he had a very enlightened demeanor, which also heralded a huge change in the struggle of this season. On the other hand, Rhodes, who succeeded in his plan at the end of the previous season, finally returned to his long-lost throne of power, ready to fight Axrode to the end.
In Manhattan, New York, the core area of the world's wealth, the struggle between prosecutors and billionaires is like watching the gods fight for many viewers, just to take the opportunity to open their eyes. In fact, the struggle between money and power, the transformation of each other, and even the interdependence of each other is indeed the oldest story in human history. The core of this kind of story has never changed, just constantly changing the new coat of the times. The relationship between the two protagonists is constantly changing and transposing, showing the conversion between power and money. It can be said that the two are the embodiment or dolls of money and power, and they will be destroyed by money and power.
An atypical pair of nemesis
"Billions" reflects an ancient theme through the struggle of a pair of old enemies, making the series itself seem to have an epic texture, telling the contradictions in human nature that have been difficult to solve since ancient times. On the other hand, in order to show novelty in film and television dramas depicting the financial field, the design of the characters and stories in "Billions" is also painstaking, which tells the alienation and assimilation of a pair of old enemies. The relationship between Rhodes and Axrode, beneath the surface of their nemesis, is constantly changing and evolving at the core, which is the key to attracting the audience to follow along the way.
It is rumored that the two protagonists in the play have their own prototypes in real life. The shrewd and tough prosecutor is based on the American lawyer, former Federal Prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, while the ruthless and ambitious hedge fund tycoon originates from Steve Cohen, the founder of the S..C A. hedge fund, known as the "king of short-term trading" and "jordan in the hedge fund world". In fact, it is difficult to say that the story between these two people in reality has much to do with the plot of "Billions". During his time as prosecutor, The aggressive Barala pursued Cohen's irregularities in the financial sector for years. Eventually, the S.A.C fund was forced to close to outside investors, and Cohen paid a sky-high fine and settlement of $1.8 billion. The antagonistic relationship between the two can be said to be relatively clear and simple.
However, in the "Billions" drama, the relationship between the two old enemies is far from being as simple and straightforward as the real-life version of "the police catch the thief". Rhodes and Axrodes fought each other, transformed, and even interdependent. It can be said that this TV series explores a new realm of old enemy relationship. There are many films and television works depicting Wall Street and the greedy financiers on Wall Street. For example, works such as "Wall Street", "The Wolf of Wall Street", "Too Big to Fall", "Big Short" and so on can be regarded as traditional "Wall Street movies". In these films, the protagonists are relatively single, and the audience naturally focuses on the financier who never knows how to satisfy and will not hesitate to obtain money. These people are mostly negative in the story, and in contrast, the law enforcement agencies that represent the righteous side, like the police in the gunfight film, only appear when the story is over and everything is dusty, which is missing in the entire film and television work.
Rhodes's image is completely different from the traditional embodiment of justice. In the prosecutor's position, it is difficult to say that Rhodes's pursuit of the financial predators is motivated by righteous or noble goals, but more out of a desire for power. Compared to the financiers who are desperate for money, Rhodes shows the same ruthlessness, aggression and unscrupulousness in order to find evidence of their crimes. The two opposing parties have surprisingly consistent means on the way to achieve their goals in life. This injects financiers into the pursuit of money. Justice is no longer inviolable, but becomes a chip.
A pair of old enemies who do not share the same heaven may also attract each other, each other's positions will change, and even the coordinates of good and evil in the traditional sense are no longer fixed, but constantly moving. Although there are not many works that show such a complex relationship and show the fight between a pair of old enemies with the same vision and drama, most of them are impressive. For example, in the movie "Batman The Dark Knight", the Joker, as the embodiment of evil, has been seducing the righteous avatar Batman, trying to make Batman abandon his own good principles, do everything to achieve his goals like him, and eventually slide to the side of evil. Batman did not let the Joker succeed, he stuck to his bottom line, but the "White Knight" in the story, who also belonged to the righteous camp, eventually fell into the abyss of evil. It also injects a rare depth into superhero movies like Batman.
On this basis, with the characteristics that TV dramas can be more long and delicate than movies, "Billions" has brought the discussion of the relationship between old enemies to the extreme. It is precisely because of the uncertainty of the position of the two people that the interaction between them is extremely frequent and the relationship is more complicated. There is not only opposition, but also cooperation between the two. Rhodes and Axrod went so far as to frame innocent people and go to jail to get rid of the two common charges. Seeing this, the audience will inevitably think, where is the dignity of the law, and where is the value of justice? Money and power have become a pair of twins.
Yourself in the mirror
"Stay close to your friends, but get closer to your enemies." This is a classic line from the movie "The Godfather". There are probably not many people who can personally practice such life advice, but it can be said that the pair of old enemies in "Billions" do have an unusually close relationship, and their relationship is closer than that of colleagues, confidants and even wives. Probably because they all saw in each other theirselves that they had never found before. If we take a step further from the discussion of the relationship between the two protagonists' old enemies, we will find a high degree of complementarity and consistency in the hearts of the two characters. And in each other's eyes, whether they see themselves or their opposites is an unclear topic.
"When I saw my life become so messy, from my removal from office, to public humiliation, to elections with strings attached, to the destruction of my marriage, the family was irreparable. Is it my fault? Maybe. But more precisely, it all goes back to one source, one person. This man is extremely destructive, he can mutilate the mind, he manipulates the minds of others, he deprives me of all my good qualities, my kindness, my compassion, my sense of justice, and perhaps my ability to love. These words are not so much a description of his lifelong nemesis as it is of himself. It is precisely because in this person who has no resemblance to his own background that he has discovered the truest self, a self that he cannot accept at all. The impulses of destroying each other and self-destruction merge into one.
The image in the mirror does not necessarily match yourself exactly. The two mirrors in the play complement each other in many ways and can be considered to be themselves in another parallel universe. The image of the father is a key part of this. Rhodes' father, Chuck Rhodes Sr., was the most important mentor in Rhodes's life. This well-connected and experienced New York real estate developer acted as Rhodes' behind-the-scenes mentor in the fight between Rhodes and Axrod, sometimes even running straight to the front desk to help his son.
Let the father become the most important guide in their lives, which is something that many people dream of but cannot get. It can be said that The Elder Chuck Rhodes determined the undertone of Rhodes' life. A son born with a silver spoon never needs to worry about money, so he does not need to work for money, but only wants to seek power. When life is difficult or wandering, the father will always appear in time to give his son a ride. Having such a father was an important reason why Rhodes never fell in the struggle for power, and it was also an important part of his opponent, Axrod's life, which was always missing and could never be repaired.
"Money is not money, but a scorecard, and it symbolizes cold and objective, with a bitter taste but superior qualifications." ——This line of Axrode in the play reflects his cold character, and it is not difficult to guess the pain of his early life. Born in a civilian family, Axrod's father abandoned his mother at an early age, which directly led to Axrod having to experience the hardships of life in a crippled and impoverished environment. Between the ages of 11 and 14, Axrode delivered newspapers every day to earn a living, and he worked on a golf course during the summer, but was dismissed from the rich man's unfair treatment. Unlike Rhodes, who came from a "blue-blooded family" and was able to go to Yale, where his father graduated, Axrod had to go to the unremarkable Hofstra University. Years of wandering left him surrounded only his subordinates who carried out orders, but no mentor-like figures who could give him advice on life.
In addition to the role of father, another interesting role between the two is wendy Rhodes, the ex-wife of prosecutor Rhodes. She forms a family with Rhodes and raises children together, while on the other hand is in a high position in Axrod's hedge fund, and both powerful men are deeply dependent on Wendy. Between this pair of old enemies, whether Wendy feels that she is in a dilemma, or whether she is in a good situation, or whether she sees two people with different backgrounds but very similar in her heart, this can only be left to the audience to imagine.
The battle between Rhodes and Axrod certainly won't last forever, and for a result, there may be some catalysts between the two. At the beginning of the fifth season, this catalyst has already appeared, suggesting that the whole plot is coming to an end. This is another financial genius in the show, Taylor Mason. Mason is not only a financial genius, but also a subversive power character who understands human nature and hopes to profit from the battle between Rhodes and Axrod, and is currently in a state of stoicism. If Rhodes and Axrod end up together, Mason may reap the benefits of this battle that has lasted for years. Another Wall Street predator is growing, and he is also waiting for his fateful opponent.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > more exciting reports are detailed in this issue of the new issue "Hair Problems", click on the product card below to purchase</h1>
【Sanlian Life Weekly】2020 No. 22 Hair Problem ¥15 Purchase