“Where else would he be?”
replies Dollar Bill, “it’s his office, isn’t it?”
“For now,” says Chuck.
It’s a bit of misdirection that propels the episode’s events.
Wags, as the CEO of Axe Bank, faces a similar sentence.
With his team showing no way around the arrest, Axe goes on the offensive.
Chuck is livid because Axe wasn’t supposed to know about the arrest; someone must have leaked it.
They throw barbs and quotes at each other, but neither accepts defeat.
In a way, the confrontation is cathartic for Chuck.
He feels like he’s finally won, and he goes to his father with this sense of contentment.
Chuck Sr. sees the change in his demeanor too.
Chuck has finally caught his white whale, and this time it’s for real.
Or so Chuck thinks.
Everything is arranged for Axe to surrender himself to Chuck.
Everyone meaningful is present, from Chuck and Kate to Wags, Wendy, Orrin, and Taylor.
Axe’s helicopter lands, but no one comes out.
Chuck orders the cops to drag Axe out kicking and screaming, but there’s no one there.
Axe has gone on the run, and it all starts to click into place for Chuck.
He knows who leaked the impending arrest and why.
We flashback again to see how this all happened.
Prince secretly meets with Axe and lays out his situation simply: Axe lost.
There’s no way around it.
Now, Axe is heading to prison, and his assets will be frozen.
But Prince sees another way to do business here.
Axe hates the offer but knows this is the only path forward.
So, Axe ends up in Switzerland, and Prince ends up in Axe’s office.
Enter Chuck, as we saw at the beginning of the episode.
Chuck, betrayed and angry, is ready to come after this new foe in a familiar place.
The power dynamics have shifted, setting the stage for what should be a compelling sixth season.
