Succession
- Thread starter Lately
- Start date
The most anxiety-inducing TV I've seen since... the last US presidential election? Objectively well-written to cause such emotion, but God that was hard to watch.
At least I can now actively root against Roman and Kendall. But I have absolutely no faith in Shiv to orchestrate their takedown so... Greg being the one who basically pulled the trigger was a sick joke from the writers too.
At least I can now actively root against Roman and Kendall. But I have absolutely no faith in Shiv to orchestrate their takedown so... Greg being the one who basically pulled the trigger was a sick joke from the writers too.
Kendall discovering that Shiv was playing both sides (thanks to Greg!) had me holding my breath.
I don’t miss Logan at all ddd. I like seeing the siblings spin out and have to deal with the consequences of their unseriousness as people (to paraphrase one of Logan’s most cutting insults).
I think any issues with the writing (which to me has remained largely fantastic) have been due to the timeline/pacing constraints of each episode basically being a day. Sometimes it feels like we’re just watching characters kick the can down the road for the inevitable explosion to happen at the end of the episode. Events/plot lines such as the deal back and forth, Tom v Shiv, the election can seem kind of wrung out at times to fill an episode?
But inevitably when the explosion does happen the payback is satisfying enough that you wind up forgiving the build up.
I think any issues with the writing (which to me has remained largely fantastic) have been due to the timeline/pacing constraints of each episode basically being a day. Sometimes it feels like we’re just watching characters kick the can down the road for the inevitable explosion to happen at the end of the episode. Events/plot lines such as the deal back and forth, Tom v Shiv, the election can seem kind of wrung out at times to fill an episode?
But inevitably when the explosion does happen the payback is satisfying enough that you wind up forgiving the build up.
Amazing episode. My heart was pounding. And a stark reminder that the lives of millions really are controlled by the greed of a few.
Also I’m stupid and didn’t catch this detail - looks like Jess snitched on Tom to the other station.
Also I’m stupid and didn’t catch this detail - looks like Jess snitched on Tom to the other station.
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Great detail.
I loved that scene - the way Jess thought she might get some human empathy out of Greg, and it seemed like he might actually be thinking it’s gone to far… but he’s actually just basking in being part of Roy Imperial history.
Agree. Season 3 felt much bigger.
The lighter moments of the episode need a mention.
- everyone, especially Tom, freaking out about the touchscreen malfunctioning.
- the choir master from Love Actually getting wasabi in his eyes due to to Greg faffing about (I was wondering what he was doing) and then Greg trying to resolve it with a HINT of lemon La Croix.
- Greg pretending to take coke.
- Kendall thinking having his ex wife and kids being tailed, without telling them they were being tailed, was a "good parenting" move.
- Conheads.
- The old guard keeping their distance from the drama and laughing at it all.
- everyone, especially Tom, freaking out about the touchscreen malfunctioning.
- the choir master from Love Actually getting wasabi in his eyes due to to Greg faffing about (I was wondering what he was doing) and then Greg trying to resolve it with a HINT of lemon La Croix.
- Greg pretending to take coke.
- Kendall thinking having his ex wife and kids being tailed, without telling them they were being tailed, was a "good parenting" move.
- Conheads.
- The old guard keeping their distance from the drama and laughing at it all.
I think this is the best written and constructed series I've ever watched.
Truly, I don't think I've ever witnessed such well-developed, layered and realistic characters. The way you can trace their motivations and behaviours to not only events that happened years ago off-screen but also small moments and interactions from episodes and seasons back.
Roman desperate to emulate his father but unable to grasp that Logan wielded his power so much more effectively than just brute force. It all going back to Logan routinely wailing on Roman's ass as a child. Whew. The trajectory.
Truly, I don't think I've ever witnessed such well-developed, layered and realistic characters. The way you can trace their motivations and behaviours to not only events that happened years ago off-screen but also small moments and interactions from episodes and seasons back.
Roman desperate to emulate his father but unable to grasp that Logan wielded his power so much more effectively than just brute force. It all going back to Logan routinely wailing on Roman's ass as a child. Whew. The trajectory.
Sk yes. People misinterpreting Roman as being sympathetic towards Kerry when he just wanted to find out if Logan had heard his voicemail. Brain worms!
The show rarely if ever goes for super broad comedy but the wasabi/La Croix bit literally had me crying. It was a funny note in a very grim episode.
2020? I mean - Trump STILL hasn't conceded. A dangerously anti democratic leader and a compliant network - yes - it's certainly enough to cause a LOT of disruption.
2000 - Bush / Gore - called election despite Florida being far from clear and requiring recount/investigation - ultimately the force of the call towards Bush started to make the Democratic position look like bad sports/ like they were hurling the union into chaos -
A lot of this stuff is just down to - if your going to tell a lie tell a BIG one - and then just wait it out - normally the other side will back down eventually. The less moral, decent, logical, hell the less you hold at your heart any normal expectations of good or fair behaviour the better chance you have to hold your ground and just grind the other guy into the ground.
They called it to create a narrative, it was mentioned that because of ballots lost in the fire it will take months for court to actually officially give results and that why Shiv was opposing it cause it will create chaos and violence, especially since the Nazi candidate will use ATN proclamation as legitimisation, not to mentione they'll look like fools when official results come in eventually. "Things do happen".
What a brilliant episode of television. It was so tense and so triggering - it just made me sad that these world changing things are decided in back rooms by awful people, however dramatised it might be it can't be too far from the truth. 'Things do happen, Rome' was especially chilling.
Totally missed Jess snitching, yes jump the sinking ship queen!
Totally missed Jess snitching, yes jump the sinking ship queen!
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The problem with the “Things do happen, Rome” line is there’s no one good enough on the show to make that point, and this is where my complaint about the writing comes back, because there have been a few too many similar moments. The start of episode five, with Gerri’s speech and Hugo’s “We’re snakes on a plane,” I’m sorry, is this suddenly The West Wing?
It’s not that I miss Logan as a character, but without him, and this is probably deliberate, the floundering of the characters means some stuff is landing perfectly and other stuff feels like dead air. I thought the wasabi and La Croix scene was terrible, but once we got past that bullshit, and the characters motivations were put to the forefront in the final third, the episode finally came together.
I should say, I grade Succession on a tough scale. When I know something can be as good as this can be, I want it that good all the time.
It’s not that I miss Logan as a character, but without him, and this is probably deliberate, the floundering of the characters means some stuff is landing perfectly and other stuff feels like dead air. I thought the wasabi and La Croix scene was terrible, but once we got past that bullshit, and the characters motivations were put to the forefront in the final third, the episode finally came together.
I should say, I grade Succession on a tough scale. When I know something can be as good as this can be, I want it that good all the time.
she/her
What I really want to know is how on EARTH are they going to end this in two episodes. There is so much more to be played out, they could easily do a fifth season if they wanted. Shiv's pregnancy and how her and Tom navigate that, the fallout from ATN's election call and the subsequent court cases and politics of it, and the obvious question of whoever does become CEO - how will they handle that, and what happens to the 3 kids as a result of that decision.
I feel like we may end up with a The Wire type ending, where life goes on for most of the characters and nothing fundamentally changes because the system is broken. But I don't know and I'm interested to see how it plays out.
I feel like we may end up with a The Wire type ending, where life goes on for most of the characters and nothing fundamentally changes because the system is broken. But I don't know and I'm interested to see how it plays out.