Summary: The Roys prepare for Investor Day where they plan to launch Living+, a project their father was working on. Matsson tells Shiv to scrap the idea and tells her about the negotiation with Roman and Kendall. Shiv confronts her brothers when they claim the opposite and figures out they are trying to tank the GoJo deal. Roman meets with Joy, the head of Waystar studios, and impulsively fires her after she pisses him off. Gerri chastises him for this and he angrily fires her too but regrets it after. Kendall becomes obsessive with the Living+ announcement and forces everyone to abide by extremely optimistic projections that he will announce. Tom and Shiv start to reconnect. Roman backs out of the Living+ announcement after Shiv tries to get him to stop Kendall. Kendall goes up alone after being threatened by Karl and his speech is ultimately successful, but Matsson posts negative comments online.
The Good: The follow-up from last episode is great, and I'm enjoying the emotional journey that this season is taking me on. After "Honeymoon States", I was fully behind the siblings to step up and take Waystar in a good direction. After "Kill List", my feelings completely reversed and I'm convinced that these three goons are going to run the company into the ground. "Living+" confirms my feelings from "Kill List" in an engaging way, showing us each character's dysfunction in unique ways while still being thoroughly entertaining. The sibling dynamic is already fraying at the seams, and nothing demonstrates this better than Shiv confronting her brothers about cutting her out. Naturally Roman and Kendall hide behind the assertion that they were "protecting" her (total bullshit), and Shiv clearly doesn't buy it. The brothers are quick to apologize and hug it out, but it rings hollow and you can tell that Shiv isn't satisfied by this. It's clear to her that her brothers are shrugging off her involvement completely and have no intention of working with her, and it's in this moment that Kendall and Roman lose Shiv to Matsson. They've lost her trust and now Shiv has every reason to keep working with the charismatic Matsson who continues to show so much interest in her. Following this, Shiv's story throughout the episode surprisingly centers around getting back together with Tom. It felt like their relationship has been burned but they just can't seem to escape each other. After Shiv's 20 minute booked crying session is interrupted, she reconnects with Tom in a surprising way. Tom appears to have given up on the relationship being loving and is behaving with so much more aggression and straight-forwardness. Based on Shiv's reactions, it seems that she prefers him this way. I can't imagine these two ever playing "Bitey" in an earlier season, yet they do it here and have a blast. Tom's newfound clarity in this relationship has extended it in a compelling and realistic way, and it's fascinating to see Shiv respond to this other side of Tom, and to see Tom finally openly admit his obsession with wealth and that his love for Shiv is built on the foundation of his love for money. These are sides to this relationship that we could have only guessed at before, but now we get to see what makes these two tick deep down. Tom is selfishly motivated, and whenever Shiv is reminded of the toughness of her husband, she grows closer to him. Roman and Kendall's stories are equally compelling as they continue to flail around in their new position. Roman especially looks completely in over his head. Season 3 showed Roman maturing into a genuine leader, but Logan's death has completely stunted his development, and I think this episode does a magnificent job exploring his inner turmoil. The fantastic outburst against Matsson in "Kill List" suggested that Roman was not alright deep down, and this episode confirms it. Roman goes into professional meetings with Joy and Gerri, and every time he throws a temper tantrum and fires them both for basically no reason. His need to be like his father has re-emerged and when both Joy and Gerri fail to work with his inferiority complex when compared to Logan, he fires them out of frustration. This is behaviour of a loose cannon and it's far more pathetic than anything we've seen from Roman before this. He failed to process his father's death despite his assertions that he is okay, and he's paying for it in his day-to-day actions. The end of the episode makes it all the more sad as we hear Roman replaying the edited voice of Logan chastising him, desperately seeking some comfort from the abuser that he dearly misses and feels afloat without. This is a compelling and sad story, and it's impressive that I feel something for Roman despite him making some of the worst decisions ever in this episode. Meanwhile Kendall is back on his manic high. It's like the poor guy is trapped in a cycle he can't escape from, and it's all his own fault. It was distressing seeing Kendall going all in on Living+ despite there being numerous concerns that he chooses to ignore. Numbers aren't good? Let's increase them unrealistically. Production isn't that impressive? Well then let's make it impressive. Logan's final words aren't lining up? Let's poorly edit them to make him say what we want him to say. Kendall makes bad decisions at every turn, and it's both painful and hilarious to see him do this in the set up for what's sure to be a disastrous presentation. The presentation more than lived up to the hype. Kendall's awkwardness is hysterical and it's baffling to see him make every mistake imaginable while his siblings chastise him from behind the scenes. The Living+ presentation was thoroughly entertaining and it felt like a classic Kendall moment seeing him up there. A few other talking points in the episode: It was nice to see Logan back briefly, and he was his usual vicious self in the recordings. Hearing him trash on his useless kids from beyond the grave is hilariously fitting, and I appreciate that it was included. Karl has been on fire this season, and he gets a terrific scene where he threatens Kendall into cooperating. Greg is mostly in the background in this episode, but he still provides some really good lines and laughs. The Bad: After all the build-up to the Living+ presentation being a disaster and seeing Kendall make mistake after mistake, it was jarring to hear everyone call the presentation a resounding success. This was tonally confusing and it made me question the story of the episode because this did not feel like the conclusion we were building up to. The transition from laughing stock to success was way too jarring, and this prevented me from engaging with the emotions of the final few scenes where we're supposed to believe that Kendall actually succeeded. The Unknown: Is Shiv going to hook up with Tom again? I feel like they aren't going to get past their many, many problems, but it's surprising to see them getting into each other again. Was Kendall's Living+ presentation actually a success? Will he face any consequences for what he said up there? Will Matsson's comments have any bearing on this or on the GoJo deal? Is Gerri actually fired? Is Roman going through with it or will he be forced to back off? Interesting opening scene. It sounds to me like Shiv is pregnant. Why isn't she telling anyone? When will she tell Tom? How will pregnancy affect Shiv's career? As much as I would love to say it won't, you get the sense that the scumbags around Shiv will most certainly use her pregnancy against her. Best Moment: Shiv confronting Kendall and Roman about trying to destroy the deal behind her back. Character of the Episode: Roman. Conclusion: This episode had great stories for all three siblings and was easy to enjoy all the way through. Some confused tones towards the end do detract from the episode, but overall this was another success in what has been another consistent season. Score: 68
0 Comments
Summary: The Roys head to Norway to meet with Matsson. The entire team is brought along as Matsson wishes to assess everybody. He meets with Kendall and Roman and gives them an extremely generous deal of $187 per share (the minimum they were looking for is $144) but this also includes Matsson buying ATN. Kendall and Roman handle negotiations poorly and are uncertain about giving away Logan's legacy. Later, Kendall and Roman try to get more money onto the deal but it doesn't work. Tom and Greg try to gain favour with the GoJo team but it goes poorly. Kendall and Roman decide that they will try to tank the deal. Matsson meets privately with Shiv and opens up about a potential public scandal that could emerge with ex-girlfriend Ebba who he sent litres of his own blood to as a joke. Matsson connects with Shiv and they form an alliance of sorts. The next day, Kendall and Roman meet with Matsson who realizes that they are trying to blow up the deal. He threatens to go around them to the board and Roman lashes out at his viciously. On the flight back, Frank gets a call from Matsson saying that he is offering $192 per share. They then learn that much of Wayster's team is going to be let go. Shiv reconnects with Tom and tasks him with firing Cyd.
The Good: 5 episodes into the final season and finally "Succession" unleashes Matsson into the main story. I've been anticipating his return the entire season, and the show has done very well to hold him back for so long to make his eventual arrival feel so much more exciting and interesting. As such, this episode was immediately engaging and I was interested to see how the Roys handled Matsson. Alexander Skarsgard delivered throughout the episode. Matsson was every bit as impressive, unpredictable, friendly, and aggressive as you would expect someone like him to be. He commanded every scene he was in and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him interact with everybody. I like that this episode forced the Roys to come to Norway, providing yet another gorgeous and unique setting for negotiations. The beauty in the setting is probably one of the most understated yet important aspects of "Succession" that make it such a great show. And the answer was that they handled him so very badly. Kendall and Roman felt the hype around themselves early in the episode; their arrival at Waystar and the applause Kendall got is telling enough of how big this is and how powerful they feel. And immediately, they get in their own heads and completely screw up negotiations with Matsson when this should have been the moment for them to rise up and prove their worth. All their lives, Kendall and Roman have played second fiddle, negotiating with Logan or preparing their opposition to meet Logan. But now that they are the big fish, they look utterly clueless in how to handle themselves. All they have learned to do is spitball with numbers, and they look foolish, awkward, and unprepared as Matsson tries to socialize with them. They take forever to get what he's saying, and they don't know how to respond when they figure it out; they're amateurs in every sense of the word. The most striking thing is how they have failed to learn anything across the last 4 seasons and are every bit as woeful as we remember from "Lifeboats" when they were last in charge. They prepare for one specific possibility and are lost puppies the second the conversation goes elsewhere. They are too busy getting in their heads that they need to emulate Logan's no-nonsense approach to the point that they lose any strengths that they have as individuals. And they continue to ignore advice from their senior execs at every turn, so it's no surprise that they get completely screwed over. These two were amateurish and incompetent, and Matsson preys on them at literally every turn. He controls the conversation, he takes the high ground, and he is the one who can make fun of the Roys for the dumb things they say. The episode's resolution is perfect in how it encapsulates all that happened. Kendall and Roman make the braindead decision to screw Matsson over, not even thinking about how a genius businessman like him would immediately catch on to their ploy. Kendall and Roman aren't even allowed to get off the ground floor in their plan as Matsson exposes them and insults them immediately, making it clear that he's a step above them and that they are embarrassing for how they handled this meet. The worst part is that after all we've seen, Matsson is absolutely right. Going into this episode, I was eager to see how Kendall and Roman had grown and to see them prove their mettle at a difficult negotiation. But they were utterly disappointing and I had to accept that even though I was rooting for them, Kendall and Roman deserve the worst because of how poorly they performed here. The most we got was a brilliant cathartic moment as Roman lashed out at Matsson, the most decisive and impressive he was all episode (see: Best Moment), but even that backfired on them at the end. The episode's conclusion is wonderfully ironic as Kendall and Roman are praised for getting such a great deal, when the reality was that the one time they succeeded was because they were trying to fail. That pretty much sums up these Roy children in a nutshell, doesn't it? Shiv surprisingly had the best episode out of all the Roys. It quickly became clear that Shiv was screwed over with the deal in the previous episode as she is already being left out of the loop. Roman always advocates for her involvement, but Kendall seems to not care about her at any moment, and by the end of the episode he has convinced Roman to ignore Shiv with the degrading line "do you think Pinky can dance?". Well as this episode has shown, she can certainly dance better than these two dopes! It's nice to see Shiv get a chance to shine after being left in the dust for much of season 3. As someone with a background in politics, Shiv is excellent at handling individuals like Matsson and she excels in these personal conversations where Kendall and Roman failed. Shiv's scene with Matsson is fantastic and very nearly the highlight scene of the episode. She understood that to handle Matsson, she would have to meet with him at his level, doing the same kind of jokes and talking frankly without ever playing games. She plays it perfectly to endear herself to him and to form a strong alliance. Plus we get an amazingly funny story about Matsson sending frozen bricks of his blood to his ex-girlfriend, with Shiv giving the most frank and most hilarious advice to Matsson ("step one: might be hard for you, but stop sending people your blood" and "deniability might be difficult when she has so much of your blood"). By the end of the episode, it looks like Shiv has placed herself well with a new ally as she laughs with Matsson by sending pics of her dejected brothers to him. I'm excited to see where this alliance goes and what kind of drama we'll get when Kendall and Roman realize that Shiv has sided with Matsson. Tom and Greg have a solid episode. Poor Tom spends much of the episode in silence, listening to everyone talk about him and what they are doing. Tom is completely adrift at this point and seems to have nobody on his side. He tries to make a play to join in with Matsson and make some new friends, but it goes absolutely terribly. Leave it to Greg to make him look less awful as Greg's arrival and attempt to convince everyone that he reads "The Economist" goes hilariously poorly. Everyone talking about him in Swedish is hilarious, especially if you listen closely and pick up the words "incest" and "Hapsburg" which tells you all you need to know about what was said. Tom and Shiv had a surprisingly good scene at the end of the episode. Tensions remain between them, but it's clear that Shiv did feel bad for him as he tried to get close with Mattson, and it appears that she may have talked with Matsson to save his career (see: The Unknown). I'm curious to see where their relationship goes this season. Frank and Karl wearing compression socks after what happened to Logan was really funny. Hugo had some lovely moments throughout the episode as well. The Bad: I know the Roys are quite incompetent and bad at what they do. But in this meeting with Matsson, they are almost comically bad, as if they have lost all semblance of what skills they displayed in previous seasons. Roman especially falls victim to this, and he seems to have lost all of the guile and intelligence that he displayed last season. The episode does eventually make it clear that this is because of Roman's struggle to process his dad's death, but it does feel awkward in the early phases of the episode when Roman is incapable of matching with Matsson's energy while Shiv is somehow able to do it way better than he does. On rewatch, I'm sure that this will work better as Roman's character inconsistency is explained, but on my first watch it was a bit confusing and I was concerned that the Roys were being written as caricatures of themselves, being incompetent at literally everything. The Unknown: Will the board take Matsson's extremely generous deal? Are the Roys going to allow this to happen? Has Shiv thrown in her lot with Matsson? How long will it be until Kendall and Roman find out? What consequences will she face for her decision? How bad is the Ebba situation? Could this stuff coming to light bring down Matsson? Will Shiv help him keep it under wraps? Or could she maybe manipulate him and bring it to light? Are Hugo, Frank, Karl, and the others on the kill list going to lose their jobs? How was this kill list decided? Did Shiv play a role in this? It's very suspicious that Tom was allowed to stay on, and I suspect that this was Shiv's involvement. Best Moment: Roman lashing out at Matsson was a terrific scene, wonderfully realized by Kieran Culkin. It's clear that Roman has taken Logan's death the hardest, and after all of his grief denial, his emotions finally pour out in this tremendous moment as he spits venom at Matsson. The moment feels great as Roman gets to speak out about every annoying thing Matsson has done, but it's a tremendous blunder for the Roys as it gives Matsson the ultimate motivation to have this deal go down: to ruin the best laid plans of these spoiled assholes and win. This scene is acted brilliantly and the satisfying feel of the scene combined with the business blunder makes this a unique and excellent watch. We know Roman is making a mistake but can't help but egg him on as he does it. Character of the Episode: Matsson. Conclusion: Another excellent episode. Negotiations with Matsson were tremendously fun and had a lot of excellent character exploration. Then add on the great setting, some terrific jokes, and a masterful moment between Roman and Matsson. In the end, this episode is a definite winner that will only get better with every watch. Score: 72 Summary: Shiv learns she is pregnant. The Roys attend Logan's wake and band together. Tom tries to suck up to everyone to secure his future, but has no success. Roman is called by Matsson and the siblings don't pick up, discuss, and call back. They reach his assistant Oskar who tells them they have to fly to Norway to meet him in the next day. The board discuss who to name as interim CEO. Frank finds an undated piece of paper naming Kendall as CEO with it being unclear if Kendall's name was underlined or crossed out. Kendall wants to take over but his siblings aren't happy about it. Stewy arrives and Kendall is able to get his support. Kerry also appears but Marcia kicks her out. Kendall talks with Roman and Shiv and they agree that Kendall and Roman take over together, but they will keep Shiv in the loop. The board discuss things and ultimately agree with this. Hugo proposes spreading news that Logan's health was failing and many of his later decisions were overseen by Kendall and Roman. The siblings are appalled and refuse, but Kendall later blackmails Hugo into secretly doing this. Marcia sells Logan's house to Connor and Willa.
The Good: Finally, after almost four seasons, we finally arrive at a legitimate succession issue. With Logan finally dead, it's time to name his successor and the episode does a good job of showing this decisions. The negotiations between the board are a lot of fun, and it's amusing to see them all be so much more free to say what they want without Logan around. It's like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders, and I delighted in seeing them all make their plays. Karl had to be the most enjoyable, especially as he trashes Tom and suggests that the problematic "piece of paper" gets flushed down the toilet. I enjoyed seeing this changed dynamic and I think the episode handled it well. What was also handled well is how the board still failed to take enough power and were bested by the Roy kids. The Roys have learned how to handle these people over the course of the show, and so they are well prepared to not get walked over. Kendall, Roman, and Shiv have a pretty significant victory here as they prevent one of the board members from taking over and are able to latch onto the piece of paper to secure their own ascents. This storyline is fun and has some very good moments. It was nice to see Stewy return and get to play a role in the story for a change. His presence adds to the negotiations and I really have missed seeing his dynamic with Kendall. Even Greg gets involved for a pretty funny scene where he tries to sneak in to being second-in-command, even making Frank of all people laugh. But of course the big talking point is that conspicuous underline/strikethrough that Logan added to Kendall's name. This was such a brilliant idea because it powerfully shows us that even in his grave Logan is still going to drive Kendall mad with the question of if he loved him or not. Kendall was clearly happy to imagine it as an underline to cement his position and confirm his father's affections, but a jealous Shiv immediately questions it, and just like that Kendall's illusion shatters. You can hear him repeating that it was an underline throughout the episode, but a beautiful alone moment as he examines the paper reveals to us that Kendall will likely be tortured by this for the rest of his life. This was a brilliant piece of storytelling, and a fantastic idea to explore. The sibling negotiations were enjoyable to watch in this episode. After their alliance was going so well, you can see that there is a lot of discomfort when Roman and Shiv realize that Kendall is still willing to be CEO for Waystar. But for once, Kendall is actually able to reach them and secure a deal that leaves everyone (mostly) happy. Roman and Shiv had various reasons to be upset, and Kendall appeals to them effectively. Roman is upset because he was the closest with Logan when he died, and yet he has received nothing in the aftermath of Logan's death to reward him for this. But luckily he is able to secure himself a co-CEO position, and so he is temporarily pacified. Meanwhile Shiv is upset with how Logan has left nothing for her and never given her a chance, and she is still left as a lone fighter pushing for her own talents. She doesn't taste as much success, but promises from her two brothers allows her to feel comfortable enough to allow them to take over. But Shiv is not happy about this. Her following anger against Mencken and her dramatic slip and fall in the main room highlight how uncomfortable she is with all of this. She knows her brothers promised, but you get the sense that they are going to cut her off at the first available chance, and poor Shiv knows it. She got the worst out of this deal, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see her making some moves soon. I like how this episode handles Tom. He is stuck in limbo without Logan anymore and he's desperately trying to cling on to whatever person he can. It's sad to see him going from person to person saying "I'm here to serve" only to get absolutely nothing. At the start of the episode we see him choosing the board over the Roy siblings, but after Karl rips him apart, it's clear that there is no security for him here. Then he goes to each Roy sibling, one after the other, and each attempt is a failure. Kendall hits him with his usual passive-aggressive "I like you", Roman sees through his attempts with ease, and even Shiv throws his love back in his face right when it seems like Tom may have genuinely reconnected with her. It's sad to see Tom in this state, and it makes me wonder about his future. Is he going to go downhill, or can he pull himself back up like he did in season 3? This will be an exciting question to explore for the rest of the season. There are some other nice moments in the episode. Hugo's scheme with selling shares is hilarious and I continue to really enjoy this character. Marcia had a good episode as she spreads lies to justify her appearance at the funeral and her inheritance of the house and more. She had a very good scene with Kerry as she goes full-on stonehearted by refusing to let her stay and grieve. Greg is also very funny as he offers completely unnecessary commentary. The Bad: I can't say that there's anything outright wrong with this episode, but it does feel a bit too safe for the show. Because of this, I don't love this episode like many other well-written and focused episodes. Nothing in this episode surprised me and I felt that Kendall being placed as interim CEO was the obvious answer and it did not surprise me much. Due to this, and the pushing back of the extremely interesting Matsson storyline, "Honeymoon States" didn't engage me as much as the very best "Succession" episodes did. The Unknown: So Shiv is pregnant! That was a surprising reveal early in the episode. Is she going to keep the baby? Why? Does she have some sort of plan? Why hasn't she told anyone? Will Hugo face consequences for his market escapades? I remain disappointed with how small of a role Marcia ended up having in the show, but I wonder if she will have a larger role here. Is she only going to be involved with selling the house, or will she have more to offer to the story? Will the Roys agree to meet with Matsson? Who will they send? Will Matsson blow up the deal if things don't go well? How will Kendall and Roman do as co-CEOs? Will they actually keep Shiv in the loop or is that just something they said to pacify her? Did Logan cross out Kendall's name, or underline it? My heart tells me that he crossed it out. I don't see any reason why he would bother with underlining. Why did Logan scribble Greg's name on the paper? Was he considering giving everything to Greg at some point in the story? Is Tom going to survive the fallout of Logan's death? Will he get a protective connection somewhere, or will he be let go? Best Moment: Shiv and Tom's scene suggesting their backstory was fascinating, and I really like that Shiv didn't fall for Tom's blatant attempt at reconnection. Character of the Episode: Kendall. Conclusion: A clever, funny, and entertaining episode that dives straight into the aftermath of Logan's death. Most of this episode played the aftermath safe with only the brilliant dual meanings of Logan's paper standing out as special. But even still it was another well-written and entertaining hour that sets up the rest of the season effectively. Score: 68 Summary: Roman is told by Logan that he is not going to make it to Connor's wedding and he tells Roman to fire Gerri. Roman tells Gerri and she is angered. Roman calls Logan back and leaves an angry voicemail. Shiv goes to tell Connor that Logan isn't coming. Tom calls Roman and tells him that Logan is unwell. After a panicked conversation, Kendall and Roman learn that Logan is receiving CPR. After saying potential final words to him, Kendall goes to get Shiv and tells her what happened. Roman tells them that Logan's heart has stopped and he isn't breathing and the siblings begin to grieve. Eventually they tell Connor what happened. Tom calls Greg to tell him what happened. Karolina begins to work on a statement following Logan's death, but the siblings call in and decide to do it themselves. Connor talks to Willa and they decide to get married in front of a small crowd. Logan is taken off the plane and the siblings share a hug.
The Good: Well of all the things that could have happened during Connor's wedding, this was not at all what I was expecting. Logan dying was always an inevitability in a TV show called "Succession", and the question was always when and how he would die instead of if. Because of this, Logan's death shouldn't have any right to be surprising, shocking, and completely out of left field. And yet I was completely stunned and caught off guard when we learned that Logan was dying, and full credit must go to the amazing team behind this show for coming up with such a creative, impactful, and memorable way to remove Logan from the show. There is no grand final moment for Logan, no last words, no intense final scene, and no emotional goodbye. All we get is a sudden phone call at a time when Logan is supposed to be fulfilling an extremely important story role by meeting Matsson. A genius decision to make this feel so much more realistic. This brilliantly encapsulated the shock, confusion, and horror of learning that a loved one has suddenly passed away, and the episode's ability to also shock us with this death went a long way towards making us connect with the Roy children as they are thrust out of their lives to learn what happened. There are very few episodes I have seen that have disarmed me and emotionally drained me in the way that this one did. I'll say it again, well done to everyone working on this episode because it was executed perfectly. Anyone who has suddenly lost someone can connect to what the Roy children are going through in this episode, and I have to say that "Succession" nailed everything about these scenes. The confusion, contrasting reactions, the shock, and the raw emotion is done incredibly well. The episode went from 0 to 100 once Tom calls Roman, and it's hard to process what even happened. The directing is sublime as we don't get confirmation that Logan is indeed unconscious for what feels like an eternity, making you doubt if Tom's phone call is even real or just a sick manipulation, connecting us to the emotions that Roman and Kendall are feeling as they listen to him. Once we realize what is actually happening, things take an impactful turn and we suddenly get to see all of the Roy children express their grief in painfully different ways. Every actor delivers a mesmerizing performance in this episode, bringing the emotions of the characters to life in a brutally realistic way. I love that every character shows their grief in different ways, all painfully realistic. Kendall, who feels a responsibility as the eldest sibling, has to try to keep his cool and do what's right, but you can see that this affects him. He doesn't forgive Logan, but clearly still loved him and is devastated by his death. It's Kendall who puts in the work to learn from Frank if Logan is really gone. He's the first to accept, and he takes responsibility to try to move past his grief and look at reality, understanding that he and the other kids have a responsibility to handle this situation effectively or their public images will forever be ruined. On the other hand, Shiv and Roman are not at all thinking about this and struggle much more with their grief than Kendall does. Roman is in pure denial and can't seem to accept that his father is really gone. Kieran Culkin is probably the stand-out performer of the episode (stiff competition, to be sure), and it's sad to see his constant assertions that they don't really know if Logan's dead despite all of the evidence pointing towards it. Having him get angry and upset with Shiv for suggesting Logan's death because it upsets him was a powerful and realistic scene, and I love that they included it. It's also fitting that Roman, the one in denial, is the only one who has to go see his father's body just to confirm that he really is gone. Sad stuff. Then there's Shiv, who is also struggling to process what has happened and just wants to stall and give herself more time to accept reality. She's constantly trying to stop things from happening so that she doesn't have to address this pain, and goes as far as to suggest that they keep Logan's dead body in the air until their ready. This aversion to tragedy has been a defining feature of Shiv, who always tends to leave when things get bad, and I found it to be a heartbreakingly real reaction from her. Then we have Connor who has such a brutal and detached reaction to his father's death, saying "he never even liked me". Connor's reaction is so painfully sad and what you would expect from a neglected child who is mostly just pained at the fact that he will now never have a chance to ever impress his father. Connor is also so loving towards his siblings, and I really appreciated that he immediately changed the tune of his grief to blend in with the others when he realized how his words were upsetting his siblings. Brilliant writing. All four of these characters offer different explorations into grief without ever sacrificing the immersive reality of the characters or the situation. The success of all of this is indicative of how well written this show has been and how rich the characters are. Events on the plane are enticing to watch as well. Tom is impressive on the phone as he manages to keep his cool in such a difficult situation, showing us his maturity. As ever, he calls Greg when he needs to let out his emotions, and seeing Tom go from making horrific jokes to sobbing was a phenomenal piece of acting that fits such a weird guy like Tom. Everyone else was fittingly sad. Frank is simply processing the loss of a close friend in silence, Karolina is keeping herself busy by doing what's next, Karl is being as hilariously awkward as ever, and Kerry is in a darkly hilarious shock after witnessing Logan's death. These moments were all superb and added a lot to the episode. With all of the chaos that happened after Tom's phone call, it's easy to forget that there was some good stuff at the start of the episode too. Tom and Greg have some fun interactions with Tom getting his "Greglets", Connor's loony cake is a sad yet funny concept that I really enjoyed, and poor Roman had a really good story as he was forced to fire Gerri. You can tell Roman did not want to do it and tried to put it off. But Gerri being as smart as she is immediately saw through him and realized what was going on, which was terrific. This hurt Roman badly, and I was honestly proud to see him finally lash out as his father for his mistreatment over that voicemail. It's the first time we've ever seen Roman stand up to his father for abuse, and Kieran Culkin beautifully portrays the nerves he would feel doing it. It's a damn tragedy that right when Roman finally stands up for himself, his father dies. Another painful reality for Roman to deal with. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: What happens now that Logan died? Will the GoJo deal still happen? How will Matsson react? What is next for the show? Who is going to succeed Logan? How are things going to be decided at the board meeting? How will they choose the successor? Will Gerri and Cyd still be fired even after Logan died? Will they manage to stay in the company since nothing was finalized? Best Moment: The pure shock from that phone call, slowly realizing what has happened, and seeing the devastating reactions from all of the children was easily one of the most powerful sequences of television I've ever seen. It's a bit cheap to call it a single "moment" since it's something like 10 minutes of the episode, but the entire sequence had me glued to the screen in stunned silence for that entire time. Character of the Episode: Roman. Conclusion: I would be surprised if "Succession" can top this episode. This was a shocker that came right out of nowhere, giving us the most powerful and evocative demonstration of familial grief that I have ever seen on television. This will go down as one of the all-time great episodes. Score: 87 Summary: Logan visits the ATN newsroom and delivers a speech indicating that he intends to reimagine the network. Kerry becomes an ATN anchor but is embarrassingly bad at it. Logan sees others laughing at her and has Tom take her off TV. Shiv learns that Tom met with all of New York's good divorce attorneys so she can't use them. She, Roman, and Kendall leave to attend Connor's wedding rehearsal. When they arrive, Willa has left after panicking and Connor is dejected. Shiv tries to convince the others to join in on Stewy's plan to veto the GoJo deal to bleed more money from Matsson but they don't listen. After Matsson calls Kendall threatening to disperse the deal if they push for more money, Kendall joins in too. Logan learns of what happened from Connor and goes to meet his children. They have a nasty meeting at a karaoke bar and harsh words are exchanged. Roman goes to visit Logan afterwards and Logan asks for his help.
The Good: The episode started slow, but the main plot gradually became more and more interesting as it went on, and it was engaging to feel myself get pulled into the episode more and more like this. The episode takes place mostly at Connor's wedding rehearsal, but the main story revolves around Stewy and Sandy trying to convince the Roys to bomb the Matsson deal to squeeze him for more money. Naturally, Kendall and Roman don't care for this because it's just a little more money and they are already set up for the Pierce deal. But Shiv is the one who wants to join forces with them, and at first it's hard to see why. But then you gradually realize that it's just because she wants to spite Logan further by inconveniencing him with this deal. The episode gets really good when it begins to explore how messed up this way of thinking is, and also when the same thinking spreads to Kendall. Shiv's motives being revealed make her seem villainous, and it's disgusting to see that she values vengeance against her father over the Pierce deal (when Roman brings up that Matsson will tank the deal, she discredits him and ignores the risk). To make matters worse, Kendall actually ends up agreeing with her after calling Matsson, and he only agrees when Matsson confirms that he will blow up the deal. It seems like Kendall is also after blowing up the deal specifically to piss off Logan, and while he is abusive and awful, it's disgusting that he and Shiv are solely motivated by lashing out against him. It disgusts Roman too, and it's clear that he is disturbed with the way his siblings are handling the situation, and with the way they gang up on him and dismiss his business instincts - not too far off from what Logan at his worst would tell him, is it? Unlike his siblings, Roman doesn't hate his father to the same degree, and it's fascinating to see him be the one more focused on securing their own future while his siblings deride him for not despising Logan like they do. This made for a really interesting sibling dynamic throughout the episode, culminating in a great twist as Roman leaves his siblings and seemingly decides to throw in his lot with Logan again (see: The Unknown). After seeing the extent of their hatred and having them gang up on him, it's totally understandable that Roman would return to his father seeing that he hasn't yet had as many bad memories with him as they have. Everything comes to a head in that magnificent karaoke bar scene, one of those rare terrific scenes that puts the entire family together and lets the tensions between everyone create a dramatic spectacle. This scene is incredible and does a magnificent job of highlighting the dynamic between Logan and his kids. Shiv and Kendall have clearly decided that they won't believe a word that Logan says once he enters that room, and it's brutally amusing seeing them quip and insult at every turn while Logan tries to turn on his usual manipulation to get them to stop interfering with the Matsson deal. I don't deny that Logan does miss them to a degree, but he is not here because he wants them back, he's only here to stop them from interfering with him. And Shiv and Kendall know that, and are all about throwing it in his face that they know, making for a brutal sequence of insults and barbs. Then you have Roman and Connor on the sidelines who stay fairly quiet. Clearly these two just want the dust to settle so they can all stay together, and they are the ones trying to mediate the arguments so that the family can continue. It's heartbreaking to see them fail. Connor is resigned, knowing that he doesn't matter much to them, but Roman tries his best to mend fences only for it to fail completely. In the end, Logan gives in to his frustration and storms out of the room delivering perhaps the most accurate assessment of his kids that we've ever seen from him: "you're not serious people". This was a magnificent scene that more than earns being the centerpiece of this episode. Despite all of this great character work and drama, I actually think that Connor was the episode's standout, and this was the best we've ever seen from him. In this episode, Connor has to contend with the idea of Willa possibly having left him on the eve of their wedding, he has to contend with the awful "comfort" he gets from his siblings, and he has to handle yet another large-scale family argument that he is powerless to put an end to. This episode paints Connor's tragedy beautifully, and Alan Ruck is given plenty of moments to shine as he contends with how marginalized he always is, never being the focal point at any point in the episode despite being the one who desperately needs some comfort after Willa leaves. It's sad, and I've never felt more for Connor than I did in this episode. His speech at the end, regardless of if it's true or not, is so powerful because this is how Connor has to cope with having a family that doesn't care about him. He says he doesn't need love to survive because he knows after all these years that he is never going to get it from his family. Regardless of if this is what he really feels, he has to tell himself that he does not need love or else he will likely fall into intense depression. This moment was powerful and the significance it had for the character of Connor made it even better. The episode has a fun side story at ATN, and I enjoyed this quite a bit. Logan's inspiring speech was a nice surprise because we've never seen this side of him before, and he was fierce and motivational in all the right ways. I liked that a lot. Even better was Kerry's stint as news anchor. She was laughably bad, and I loved seeing the various characters poking fun at her bad performances. Hugo having to hide what he was doing when Logan walks in was easily the comedic highlight, and that moment made me laugh a lot. I also enjoyed Tom's interactions with Logan as he is clearly more comfortable with him (he made an awkward joke like he usually does with Greg!), but he still has to toe the line of giving him what he wants. The conversations regarding Kerry where Logan indirectly tells Tom what to do about her is hilarious and I really liked seeing Tom struggle to figure out what it is that Logan wants. Lastly, I got a real laugh out of poor Greg having to "fire" Kerry because of the "focus group", another comedic highlight in an episode that had a lot of good jokes. The Bad: I'm sad about how this show handled the Stewy/Sandy story and their characters. Back in seasons 1 and 2, these two were pretty much the main antagonists of the show and they posed an enormous threat to Waystar. But now? They don't even matter at all. Stewy has hardly appeared since season 2 despite being a really fun character to have around, and he is showing none of the clever resourcefulness that made him a player in the earlier seasons. Once upon a time, he was motivated to take the entire company for himself and cleverly manipulated characters to make this happen; now he just begs people to help him get a little bit more money out of a deal. The difference is enormous, and highlights how Stewy has been wasted by the show. His entire subplot faded into nothingness following "Retired Janitors of Idaho" and I wish that it had been handled better. The Unknown: Is Tom going to try to prevent a divorce, or was his move to secure the divorce lawyers just to help him get a better deal out of the divorce? Will the GoJo deal blow up because of Shiv and Kendall's actions? Will this ruin the Pierce deal since the Roy kids won't be able to get enough money? Will they care if they are still part of Waystar? Is Roman going to join forces with Logan again? He seems very alienated from his siblings after their mean-spirited actions against their father. Why did Kendall change his mind after Matsson's call? What motivated him? Is it because he still wants to be CEO deep down? Or is it just because he saw a chance to screw over Logan and wanted to take it, just like Shiv? Is Willa going to stay put at the wedding? Can she go through with marrying Connor? Best Moment: You know it's going to be an excellent scene when we get to see the Roy family dynamics in action. The karaoke bar scene with all of the kids and Logan together was superbly written and acted, and it was easily the highlight of the episode. Character of the Episode: Connor. Conclusion: Season 4 is already getting into its groove. This episode was a slow starter, but it built up into something excellent, delivering a phenomenal family scene in the climax. Score: 72 Summary: Kendall, Shiv, and Roman are starting a new media brand called "The Hundred". Tom calls Shiv about a meeting he had with Naomi and they realize that Logan is trying to buy Pierce, so they decide they will make a bid for Pierce as well. Logan is celebrating his birthday but feels lonely. The Roy kids go to meet with Nan and she eventually agrees to see them. They make a deal while Logan has Tom call in and negotiate from their end. Logan is frustrated when he finds out that his kids are the rival bidders. The Roys decide to make a conversation-ending bid of 10 bil and it works. Logan is frustrated. Shiv returns home to Tom after they had been separated for a while and tells him that they should get a divorce.
The Good: It's good to have "Succession" back for this fourth season. Things have changed after "All the Bells Say", and season 4 isn't afraid to show that. The Roy siblings have finally allied with each other, and it's nice to see that they are still working together even without the common goal of taking down their father. The interactions are as fun as ever, filled with hilarious one-liners, a total lack of sympathy for other people, loads of ego, and distrust between one another. It's a joy seeing them work together, and it's clear that each character has changed now that they are free from their father. Kendall looks like he has a weight off of his shoulders. He still does drugs, but he no longer seems like he is destroying himself from the inside now that he is surrounded by family that loves him and he has addressed what he did to Andrew Dodds. Kendall's in a happier place, and while going up against his father still excites him like always, he carries himself in a more laid back way this time. Roman seems to have matured the most without Logan around. He's still snarky, mean-spirited, and dismissive. But now he has fully developed that mature side of him since he no longer has to worry about being excessively disgusting to impress his abusive father. It's no surprise to see Roman take the most excitement in the Roy siblings doing their own thing, and he takes the most responsibility in making it happen as well. Then there's Shiv, who has actually changed the least. She is helping her siblings in their new venture, but just like with Logan, she still has one foot out the door looking for other options in case things don't work out. Where Kendall and Roman are so different from before, Shiv is interesting because of how similar she behaves, which is perhaps indicative of her unique style of coping with her family. The main plot of the episode sees the Roys join in on a bidding war to acquire Pierce to screw over Logan. Even though they tried to move on and do something new, they can't help themselves from getting involved with their dad again, and this time they're looking for petty revenge with this buyout. And remarkably, the plan actually works! These three put their minds together and are able to handle themselves with enough composure to completely screw over Logan and take Pierce for themselves, the first time we have ever seen Logan lose to his children in the entire show. This is pretty monumental, and could indicate a change in tone heading into this fourth season. It looks like Logan isn't the main threat anymore and the Roy kids may have to worry about their powerful alliance falling apart from within. I do like how this episode portrayed Logan. Now that his children (and Marcia too) are all gone, he feels genuinely lonely. His birthday is a quieter affair than Kendall's back in "Too Much Birthday", but it carries that same lonely atmosphere. Without his kids to beat down at every turn, it looks like Logan is unable to connect with anyone else and is feeling isolated by the world around him, calling all of these people "Munsters". He even takes Colin (seriously, COLIN) out for dinner and tries to connect with him a little bit. Even Colin is thrown for a loop, and seeing him struggle to have a genuine conversation is quite funny. But this shows us that Logan is starved for a connection with people, and he likely feels a bit adrift after losing his kids. The final scene of the episode perfectly shows Logan's pain as he sits alone watching and criticizing the news at night with nobody to share his displeasure with. He absolutely deserves it, but it's still sad. Shiv and Tom's relationship gets a lot of time in this episode. I'm pleased to see that Tom's actions in "All the Bells Say" had immediate consequences on this relationship, and already we are seeing those consequences play out. The phone calls between them are devastating because of the obvious tension and the buried feelings of betrayal that both characters are unable or unwilling to share with each other. It's like a pressure cooker that never explodes, and every scene carries the weight of what's gone on between them without ever going off. Even the final scene where Shiv asks for a divorce and both characters face the end of their relationship (see: Best Moment) keeps these emotions in check as Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen act out what the characters feel without them ever communicating it to each other. This relationship continues to be beautifully written and acted, and it's as compelling as ever even in its denouement. The Bad: Greg is as funny as ever in this episode, but his story again feels like background filler, which has been a trend in recent episodes. I wish that "Succession" could get more utility out of Greg by giving him a more important role, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen, even in this final season. I hope I'm wrong and that Greg has a huge role to play in the plot of this final season, but I suspect that he'll be relegated to the background in the same way that he has been in the past couple of seasons. The Unknown: Will the Roy kids be able to pay the 10 bil for Pierce? Will Logan be petty enough to screw them over by tanking the GoJo deal? Will The Hundred amount to anything? Is this truly the end for Shiv and Tom? Could this be a problem for Tom since he's not technically family anymore? Will Connor be able to keep his one percent? Will his relationship with Willa last? Best Moment: Shiv and Tom's fantastic conversation at the end of the episode. This scene portrays their emotions beautifully, especially seeing that both characters are unable to express them to each other. From Shiv's sad facial expressions when she looks away, to Tom's general deflated demeanour, everything is nailed in this scene to make this divorce feel meaningful and devastating while still being logical and inevitable. Character of the Episode: Shiv. Conclusion: This show has become extremely dependable for good television. Nothing in this season premiere blew me away, but the storytelling and performances were superb and I was captivated by the character beats we were given to start off season 4. Score: 67 Summary: In 1969, Nida is a sales assistant who is frustrated by the racist, awful people around her. When she is forced to eat lunch in the basement one day, she accidentally releases a demon named Gaap. Gaap tells Nida that she has three days to make three sacrifices or the world will end. Nida is initially terrified and thinks she is insane but Gaap talks sense into her. After trying to run away, she ends up in a back alley with an abusive man walking his dog and she kills him with a brick for the first sacrifice. Nida goes to kill Keith, a known murderer, the next day. She follows him home and murders him, but his brother suddenly returns and notices her. Nida is forced to kill him too, distraught that he was a good man. Gaap is happy that the sacrifices are done, but learns that they don't count if the individual is a murderer, so Keith did not count. Nida decides to kill her xenophobic co-worker Vicky, but changes her mind and targets Michael upon realizing that he will become Prime Minister and instill a totalitarian regime. Nida chases him down and tries to kill him, but she's apprehended by cops before she can. Nida explains the reasoning behind her killings but she is thought to be insane. The time limit is reached and the world enters nuclear war. Gaap is going to be sent to oblivion for failing and invites Nida to go with him, and she agrees.
The Good: Anjana Vasan's portrayal of Nida practically carries this episode. The character is relatable and endearing, and seeing her embrace her darker side fostered by all the xenophobia she endures is compelling stuff. I enjoyed seeing Nida get darker and darker throughout the episode as she becomes obsessed with the idea of killing the worst possible people to save the world. Her dynamic with Gaap is also a lot of fun. I have to commend the idea behind Gaap. I like that despite him being a demon, he's actually kind of charming and likeable in a dark sort of way. He bounces off of Nida pretty well, and his antics are consistently amusing. I thought that the setting was very good in this episode. Considering that racism was a huge aspect of this episode, it made sense to set the episode in the 60s when this infuriating behaviour was much more normal and typically went unpunished. Plus, the episode visually looked great and unique because of the time period, and it helped the episode stand out compared to everything else. The Bad: Again, did this need to be so long? The ideas tackled in this episode are fairly simple and I feel like they could have been addressed in half the time with a much more streamlined narrative. Nida having to deal with her conscience while trying to kill, and her bond with Gaap are decent ideas, but not explored in a particularly emotional or impactful way. I feel like we could have accomplished the same thing in half the time. The story itself somewhat disappointed me. Even more than any other episode this season, "Demon 79" didn't have any connection with technology. It's a strange choice to take away one of the best aspects of "Black Mirror" (its commentary on technology), and it's even stranger because the episode didn't offer anything to replace the commentary on technology. Without that, this felt like a pretty simplistic horror/thriller with no real reason for me to analyze the episode or think about what I had watched. The experience felt shallow and I wish that there had been more substance to the story outside of basic entertainment. The detective storyline was an afterthought and I was bored any time we switched to them. The entertaining aspect of the episode is the dynamic between Nida and Gaap, so any time spent away from them is bland and uninteresting. I wish that this side story had been cut out entirely. The Unknown: What happened to Nida's mother? Did she die of natural causes or is there more to that story? What is oblivion, and how will Gaap and Nida tolerate eternity together? Best Moment: Nida and Gaap bonding over how lonely they feel after the murders of Keith and his brother. Character of the Episode: Nida. Conclusion: A fittingly weird and atypical episode of "Black Mirror" to end season 6. Not all of this worked, in fact a lot didn't, but it was an enjoyable enough experience for what it was. Season 6 was ultimately quite disappointing and it did not succeed in changing my mind that Charlie Brooker has run out of ideas and is not able to hit the same quality that he had in earlier "Black Mirror" seasons. Season 6 took more risks and there are plenty of episodes that don't feel like typical "Black Mirror" episodes, suggesting that the show is taking risks and heading in new directions to address the idea drought. However it hasn't worked yet. Risky episodes like "Mazey Day" and "Demon 79" weren't particularly successful, and it's clear that the writing in this show needs to get much better if we are to get a season that is as good as the first three. I'm not sure how long it will be until we get a season 7, but I will be watching. The one nice thing about this show is that every season is short and every episode unique, making it tremendously easy to watch even if it is sometimes disappointing. Score: 56 Summary: Bo is a paparazzi and takes a photo of an actor having a gay affair, and he later kills himself. Bo feels guilty and quits her job, but struggles to make a living. After famous actress Mazey Day flees the country following a hit and run unknown to the public, Bo returns to her job to collect an enormous $50,000 reward for photos. She and fellow photographer Hector track down Mazey to a rehab center and they are followed by other photographers. They break in to get their pictures but find that Mazey has become a werewolf that starts killing everyone. Bo and Hector escape to a nearby diner where the werewolf kills everyone, but Bo is able to defeat her with a gun. Reverted to her human form, Mazey takes the gun and kills herself as Bo takes a picture.
The Good: Paparazzi is a good concept to tackle, especially with how willing these people are to invade people's privacy to expose online. This fits perfectly with the themes of "Black Mirror", and I was excited to see what the show's take on paparazzi would be. The Bad: Except the message of this episode is completely confused, and the story is pretty awful. The idea of paparazzi is wasted because I'm left confused if "Black Mirror" is condemning or supporting paparazzi. Sometimes I feel like this episode is about how awful paparazzi are, like with Bo feeling guilty about indirectly causing a suicide, and the other photographers getting killed by Mazey because they stuck around to take pictures. But then at other points it seems like paparazzi are justified, especially since Mazey Day actually is hiding a deadly secret that needs to be exposed to the world. The end of the episode suggests that it's so valuable that werewolves have been exposed to the world, justifying paparazzi. So ultimately, I'm confused what the episode's message is. It's jumbled and confused between the pros and cons, leading to a less satisfying and clear story overall. Furthermore, Bo is one of the weirdest main characters we have had because she doesn't have any clear arc in this episode, and her conclusion offers no emotional closure or any interesting conflict. The writing is all so strangely unclear and messy. The werewolf twist is one of the worst things I've seen from "Black Mirror". Sure, it subverted my expectations, but to what end? What benefits did the werewolf twist provide this episode? Absolutely nothing. The idea is given the most shallow exploration, and it shifted the attention away from the main idea about paparazzi, diluting the episode's main message and making the whole experience more convoluted. I have very little to say about this episode, because it feels like there's hardly anything to talk about. This went from an interesting story to a random horror/thriller for no real reason, and the climactic sequence as Bo is chased by Mazey's werewolf form feels entirely out of place compared to the rest of the episode. I found the episode's setting to be pretty bad. This season played around with time a lot, and this episode is set in the early 2000s. The problem is that this is hardly noticed by the story and it doesn't create as unique of a setting compared to episodes like "Demon 79" and "Beyond the Sea" which are set much more significantly in the past. The early 2000s setting doesn't have much to offer the episode, and is another wasted idea. The Unknown: What happens when the werewolves get exposed? Is there a backlash? Is it explained away somehow? How prevalent are these werewolves? Why is this such a big secret? Best Moment: The opening scene of Bo taking pictures of the celebrity is the most interesting because this is when it still felt like "Black Mirror" was going to explore an interesting idea. Character of the Episode: Bo. Conclusion: What a weird, confused, ridiculous episode. I didn't see much of a point to this episode and didn't get much out of it. A dull, overly ambitious episode that doesn't have much that's worth your time. Score: 43 Summary: Cliff and David are two astronauts working in space while robotic replicas live their lives down on Earth. Cliff stays in the country with his wife Lana while David is more sociable with his family in public. A cult attacks David at night, murdering his family and destroying his replica before turning themselves in. David is deeply depressed and Cliff offers to let him use his replica. David does and finds some peace in doing this, and continues to use the replica occasionally to paint a picture for Cliff to keep in his house. As he does this, David becomes obsessed with Lana and makes a pass at her. Lana tells Cliff and doesn't want David to come back, while Cliff is suspicious that they had an affair. Cliff refuses to let David use his replica again so David fakes an emergency and goes back to murder Cliff's family. Cliff goes back and sees what happened before returning horrified to David.
The Good: This episode does a lot of things right, and it has its heart in the right place emotionally. David's story is genuinely disturbing and upsetting. We establish a great, sociable family, and seeing them get slaughtered ruthlessly by a cult group is absolutely horrifying. David's grief is realistically portrayed and it's tough not to feel for him as he suffers alone in space. Him finding some peace in using Cliff's replica makes sense, and the story told between them is good as David goes from grateful to entitled and dependent on Cliff's life. Aaron Paul is the glue that makes this work. He does a tremendous job playing two different characters, and the quality of his performance sells the story being told magnificently. What we get is a pretty standard domestic conflict for much of the episode (with a technology twist of course), but the strength of the performance makes it much better. The Bad: This episode has no business being 80 minutes long. The story is enough for a 40-50 minute episode, but the pacing is screwed up when the story is extended to be almost twice that length. Scenes go longer than they should, there are scenes that should have been significantly trimmed or cut out entirely, and the episode doesn't have an additional layer of complex storytelling to justify being so long. I'm usually not too bothered by methodical pacing, but this story drags and bores me at times because it is needlessly slow, and it doesn't even capitalize on any of the strengths that come from slow-paced storytelling. One of the biggest strengths of slow storytelling is that you can dive deep into character. Yet as slow as the episode is, somehow it still failed to emotionally sell me on the choices the characters made at various points in the story. We had so many scenes of David using Cliff's replica, and yet I still couldn't buy into his decision to advance on her and try to hook up, which seemingly came out of nowhere. The show failed to effectively convey David's over-dependence and entitlement to the degree where I could buy into him hitting on Lana. This is unforgivable when the episode is so slow-paced. I also was baffled by David's decision to kill Cliff's family. Was he really so far gone that he felt like he had to do this? I couldn't believe that David was so willing to blow up Cliff's life, especially considering that David was technically living a significant part of his life as well. These are key emotional moments in David's character arc, and I felt like they were unearned and difficult to connect with. The premise of this episode is marred by one enormous plot hole. If repairs on the space shuttle are only required once in a while, why wouldn't the replicas be sent to space instead of the humans? Surely it would be much cheaper and more feasible to send robots to space and let the humans remain back with their families. I can't find any answer to explain this plot hole, and it unfortunately destroys the entire premise because this situation is no longer feasible. The Unknown: What's next for David and Cliff? Will they attack each other or will they somehow keep things civil? It's hard to see a world where they get through their job together, but you never know. Best Moment: David crying out in the woods was incredibly well acted by Aaron Paul and devastating. Character of the Episode: David. Conclusion: This episode was the most emotionally heavy and horrific of this season, but unfortunately it is too slow paced, inconsistently written, and it has an enormous plot hole. The result is a disappointing episode that should have been much better. Score: 57 Summary: Davis and Pia are dating and making a film together. They visit Davis' hometown Loch Henry and from Davis' friend Stuart, Pia learns about Davis' troubled past involving a kidnapper and killer Iain Adair who turned Loch Henry from a tourist hub into a ghost town and indirectly killed his father Kenneth. Pia convinces David to make their movie about this story. Davis and Pia explore around and make their film. While driving home at night, Davis gets into an accident and stays at the hospital. Pia stays with Janet, Davis' mom, and finds on one of her VCR tapes that she and Kenneth participated in the kidnappings with Iain. At the same time, Stuart's father tells Davis the truth. Pia is terrified of Janet and runs away, but dies in the wilderness. Janet thinks her secret is out and commits suicide. Much later, Davis' film is a smashing success and tourism returns to Loch Henry, but Davis is still traumatized by the entire ordeal.
The Good: I've seen a lot of people dismiss this episode as "not true Black Mirror" because it does not focus on technology. I don't believe that this is true. This episode does focus on the impacts of technology in our lives, and what's special about it this episode is that it focuses on what is happening right now in the world instead of focusing on what may happen in the future. This episode focuses on real-life stories being somewhat fetishized by the entertainment industry through the creation of documentaries and other media products for entertainment purposes. I think that the episode explores this idea beautifully and perfectly highlights how this fetishization affects the victims of these incidents. Davis was a compelling character because we got to see how his personal life was destroyed by his movie-making endeavour. The episode drew emotional impact in seeing what happened to him, and it led to this being one of the most emotionally impactful episodes in the season. This episode had a far more realistic tone than "Joan is Awful", and that resulted in a more engaging and grounded atmosphere to tell this story. The pacing is fairly slow, but it's helped along with imaginative filmmaking, a beautiful and unique setting in Scotland, realistic characters, and brilliant utilization of suspense to keep uneventful scenes interesting by making us constantly think that something is going to happen. So many little things were done right. Side characters were kept mysterious to get us interested in learning the truth, Iain Adair's story is told beautifully to create an interesting horror piece, and the eerie and empty setting of Loch Henry gives the episode a spooky and unsettling tone. I also connected with the characters because they all had simple and clearly defined drives. Pia represents the entertainment industry perfectly because she seems to stop at nothing in order to get the best possible film. This sets her up perfectly to be the one to die as punishment for her ambitious nature. Davis is compelling because he is clearly traumatized and reluctant to dive into his history, and his actions reflect this at every turn, making it even more brutal when he uncovers the truth. Stuart is a lot of fun and brings in a lot of comedy, but even he is consistently written as someone who yearns for Loch Henry to be a tourist hub once more, with his every move being done in the hopes of achieving this goal. The story being told was really good and had a good twist at the end revealing the truth about what happened. The mystery aspect of discovering the truth of what happened with Iain Adair had me interested the entire episode, and the incorporation of horror/thriller aspects made for a uniquely entertaining experience. The twist caught me off guard and it worked well in terms of explaining some of the weirdness in Davis' past, providing a satisfying climax and conclusion to the story. The Bad: Pia makes so many poor decisions upon leaning the truth about Janet. I do get that she would be terrified and her judgement would be compromised, but the way she consistently makes the worst possible decision at every turn until she literally gets herself killed is almost unbelievable, and it's a level of incompetence that takes me out of the story being told. To be clear, I do like that she died by going into the wilderness alone (this was foreshadowed and set up earlier in the episode), but I found the choices that she made to get into that situation to be baffling. Pia immediately panicking about Janet, not taking any evidence when she left, acting incredibly suspicious, running away alone in the night, and staying on the road knowing that Janet would come after her was incredibly stupid. The Unknown: Was Richard involved in the crime too? He was so perturbed by Davis' investigation, and it makes me wonder if he was also in on the crimes alongside Davis' parents. It would make sense that he scapegoated Davis' parents to mask his own involvement in the case. Best Moment: Davis sitting in silence after everything that happened, emphasizing the episode's message on the damage that these kinds of documentaries can have on the victims directly involved. Though Davis was successful and achieved everything he could have wanted with his film, it doesn't help him handle the grief and pain of what happened. Character of the Episode: Davis. Conclusion: Not everything about this worked, but overall this was a very well told and engaging story with a powerful message and plenty of suspense. Score: 67 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|