Summary: The story is framed by a married couple telling stories of their clients to each other. BoJack is distressed by his mother's death but is struggling to express it. He wants to talk with Diane, but she needs space from BoJack after hearing the tape. Diane tells BoJack her therapist says she shouldn't talk to him so BoJack storms off to see the therapist and ends up becoming her client unintentionally. Diane is furious and leaves, but BoJack also leaves when he realizes this is therapy and not just a new friend. Diane and BoJack argue and Diane writes a scene into Philbert that mirrors what happened to BoJack in New Mexico. Princess Carolyn and Todd have a disagreement when Todd accuses her of stealing his cheese string. After some drama, they end up working it out and Todd gives Princess Carolyn a new office.
The Good: This episode has such a creative concept behind it that makes it so much more interesting. This could easily just be a normal story exploring two separate conflicts but instead the episode goes the extra mile and tells a vast majority of the story from the perspective of a married couple swapping stories in a restaurant. This is a breath of fresh air, and it leads to several hilarious jokes involving the characters who are now alternate versions of themselves. The new intro with "BoBo the Angsty Zebra" is fantastic, and the rest of the episode is filled with similarly comedic characters. Flippy the dolphin is really funny, Todd being "Emperor Fingerface" for some reason is really amusing, and I got a real laugh out of the simplicity of "Mr. Chocolate Hazelnut Spread". I also like that the character of each of the wives is established with how they name the characters. Indira isn't particularly creative and just makes character names sound laughably similar to what they actually are, while Mary-Beth comes up with outrageously left field ideas to describe everyone. It's consistently entertaining and I got a lot of laughs out of seeing what variations of existing characters we will get. The storytelling is pretty good too. I thought that BoJack and Diane's conflict was very realistic. BoJack's way to handle problems has always been to clamour for attention without outright asking for it, leading to nobody actually caring. So he just ends up complaining to whoever will listen to him, which is usually Diane. However, Diane wants to stay away from him this time and that puts BoJack in an awkward place. He desperately needs to talk to someone but his one friend he usually relies on is unavailable. To make matters worse, Mr. Peanutbutter continues to make him feel bad about himself because of how BoJack is unable to connect with people like he does. It's amusing to see everyone console Mr. Peanutbutter on a loss that doesn't ring true like it does for BoJack, and it's easy to understand his frustration. Meanwhile, Diane just needs some time to process what she heard on the tape and collect her thoughts regarding BoJack. But he doesn't give her the opportunity because he ends up going to her therapist (courtesy of some awful advice from Indira) and even steals her therapist away. Indira is pretty deplorable here to cause all of this chaos, and you can't help but feel bad for Diane who has now lost her safe space to BoJack. Their eventual argument at the end of the episode feels earned, and it makes sense that Diane would lash out angrily at BoJack considering what she knows and how her morality will not let her stand for BoJack's awful behaviour. This was a well written story that perfectly captures how frustrations can lead to a divide in friendships. The end of the episode is a perfect catharsis for everything. Diane is fed up by BoJack relating with her and thinking they are the same because she knows that he crossed a boundary that she never will cross. And his stubborn refusal to do therapy pushes her over the edge, doing something that will most certainly hurt BoJack and could potentially undo all of the progress he has made to become a better person. Diane writes a scene for Flip and makes it so that the character BoJack is playing will be struggling with the very same past mistake that BoJack is dealing with, forcing BoJack to relive his nightmare every single day. It's a cruel and vindictive thing to do, and it's heartbreaking to see BoJack realize what Diane has done and that she knows about what happened. We know BoJack has been trying to get better, and it's sad to see that he is unable to escape from his past mistakes, even if he justifiably should be condemned for what he's done. This is a dark and complicated moment that really made me think about what is justifiable and who is in the right in this fight between BoJack and Diane. Princess Carolyn and Todd's B-story doesn't add much (see: The Bad), but it's a decent way to flesh out their relationship more. I was especially amused by the cheese string reveal at the end of the storyline, which had been subtly set up by some dramatic drumrolls any time Todd reached for his pen earlier in the episode. There are some little things as always. The various iterations of our main characters were quite funny, and I love that the show went all out with making a new intro featuring BoBo instead of BoJack. I enjoyed Mary-Beth quite a bit because her mediation tactics were laughably simplistic. Her flowchart in the background called "Mary-Beth's mediation map" is laughably simplistic and utterly useless. I also quite liked the 4th wall breaking joke as Mary-Beth and Indira talk about how it will be better to intertwine their stories as a tongue-in-cheek reference to how TV shows handle A-stories and B-stories. Lastly, I really liked the jab at cliched action movies with the "barf me a river fartbags" line during the intense submarine shootout. The Bad: The Todd/Princess Carolyn story feels completely pointless. It has been a pattern in this season where the side stories don't go anywhere interesting and only serve to provide a comedic B-story. Previous seasons had more substance to their side stories, but this season has not offered the same storytelling depth. Instead we get what is basically a typical animated comedy storyline that doesn't offer much outside of the novelty of the episode's main premise. The Unknown: I imagine that BoJack will tell Diane the full story of New Mexico at some point. What happens when Diane finds out? Will they reconnect, or will this destroy their friendship? Best Moment: The final scene is done very well as BoJack slowly realizes that this submarine scene has been maliciously inspired by his most shameful moment in real life. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: Another creative episode, this time one that is rooted in the compelling developing conflict between BoJack and Diane. The story was good and I got some of the biggest laughs of the season out of this one. Score: 73
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Summary: A flashback shows Butterscotch picking up BoJack late after soccer and ranting to him about Beatrice and life in general. In the present, BoJack gives an extended eulogy for his mother but it turns out he was at the wrong funeral.
The Good: It was a genius idea to have this episode be one long monologue. Well technically two if you count the flashback sequence as well, but it's still the same brilliant idea. A whole episode of listening to BoJack speak and process his mother's death as a way to dive into the character deeper than we have ever gone before. This concept is basically the inverse of season 3's fantastic "Fish Out of Water", and it is every bit as effective. The whole premise is BoJack giving a eulogy, in which he amusingly uses his stand-up comedy skills to make it more entertaining. Throughout this self-indulgent, emotionally messy speech, we get to learn more and more about BoJack's past, unearthing new details we never knew, while also exploring his current mental state and why it has been so hard for him to deal with his parents dying even though he never even liked them. The episode handles this stuff superbly well and I can't wait to dive into what this episode had to offer. First and foremost, BoJack's grief for his mother is crushingly sad. What makes it so impactful is that the episode doesn't outwardly show his pain, instead it subtly reveals it underneath the surface of a man who is trying to stay put together and explain this pain that he can't seem to understand. The loss of an abusive parent is so much more complex than just losing a parent, and I love that this episode cared to address the contradictory feelings that one experiences in this situation. It's the accuracy to reality which makes this so affecting and so painful. So many little things are perfectly accurate. BoJack's jokes about his dead mother scream defence mechanism to save himself from hurting too much. I also absolutely loved seeing BoJack ranting about the bad parts about his mother, and yet still finding solace in one of the few beautiful memories he had: when his father would come out to watch her dance at parties. The only moment when the monologue stopped all episode was for a brief bit of recollection in this moment as BoJack remembers the one hopeful memory he had. And just like in real life, it's gone in a flash and we see him snap back to reality and the eulogy he is giving. Brutal stuff. The obvious highlight of the episode for me is BoJack trying to attribute meaning to his mother's "I See You" (see: Best Moment). He dwells on this for a long period, going through the rational and emotional aspects of his brain in trying to figure out what it all meant, before discovering the truth towards the end of the episode in a heartbreaking moment. This is all outstanding storytelling, and a compelling dive into the character of BoJack and the episode's theme of the complicated grief after losing family members. The episode started away from BoJack's monologue in an interesting flashback sequence where we get another horrifying snapshot of BoJack's life when his father comes to pick him up. The sequence is horrible as Butterscotch rambles on and on, somehow saying worse and worse things every sentence while a hurt and angry BoJack cowers, looking outside the car window. Anyone who has experienced similar ravings from a parent can understand and connect to BoJack, and the scene is fantastically written. It does hold some storytelling weight to it as well since Butterscotch advises BoJack that he can never rely on other people and that he's all alone. It's an awful thing to say to your own kid, but ironically, Butterscotch telling this to BoJack accomplishes the opposite. Instead of believing he is alone, BoJack lived a life in denial of this fact, waiting for it to be proven wrong because he so desperately wanted some sort of affection from his awful parents. But as BoJack repeats Butterscotch's dialogue about how good it is that he learned not to rely on others at Beatrice's funeral, it's clear that BoJack has finally been defeated by this lesson. That's a tragic overarching theme for this episode, and it's told naturally with such great attention to detail to make it all the more devastating. More on Butterscotch, we learned quite a bit about him. We never knew how he passed away, but now we get the half-funny, half-sad reveal that he died after tripping and falling during a duel because people didn't like his novel. It's painfully ironic and exemplifies all of Butterscotch's worst character traits, but you can only imagine how this would have affected BoJack and Beatrice. It also stemmed one of the episode's best lines: "my husband is dead and everything is worse now", a line that is explored in great depth by BoJack throughout the episode. Before I ramble on about every little thing I loved about this episode, I'll go ahead and talk about the ending. After BoJack finally finds some clarity and closure for saying goodbye to his mother, he decides to do an open casket and honour the one thing he knew his mother wanted. It's here that we're given a fantastic gag to close out the episode as BoJack realizes he was in the wrong funeral parlour and gave this heartfelt eulogy to a dozen lizards who don't even know Beatrice. This is a hilarious and excellent closing joke, but it also reflects BoJack's character perfectly. This eulogy is incredibly self-indulgent, which is what we expect of BoJack who has always struggled to see things outside of his point of view. Him not even noticing that he might be in the wrong room is perfectly in-character with someone who is so self-obsessed that he doesn't think a single thought about the audience members, failing to even realize that he's at the wrong funeral. It's fantastic, it's fitting, and it ends the episode on the right note. I've got a few other small bits that I want to touch on before finishing this review. I loved the gag with the musician, who always seemed to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. It was amusing and added to the feeling that BoJack was using his stand-up skills to get by with this eulogy. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing BoJack reference his attempt to save Todd back in "Out to Sea" when he's talking about how a grand gesture of love isn't enough to make up for consistent failings. It's clear that BoJack has taken the incident to heart and regrets what happened with Todd, but he understands that he failed as a friend, which is a beautiful detail to include. The story about how he got a free churro was a good way to kick off the speech since it's BoJack contemplating something odd he couldn't quite explain (getting a free churro because your mother died). It sets the right tone for the contemplative nature of his eulogy, and it also gets called back brilliantly at the end with BoJack referencing the kindness of the stranger giving him a free churro in contrast to his mother's cruelty. Lastly, as a writer I couldn't help but chuckle when Butterscotch talked about his unique sentence that went on for pages and pages. If only we could have a chance to read his novel, I'm sure it was awful. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Will BoJack ever find peace after his mother's passing? How will this affect him going forwards? Best Moment: BoJack's realization that "I see you" was actually "ICU". This is a crushing realization for BoJack who had blissfully tries to use this final line as closure, perhaps just one moment where his mother recognized him. But it was false, and the realization launches BoJack into a heartfelt rant where he gets to address his disappointment and frustration in his mother and why it still hurts to lose her. Consistent with how BoJack learned everything from TV, he compares his feeling for her passing to his feelings for the TV show "Becker", a profound way for him to communicate his feelings in a way we don't usually see from him. In an incredible and profound monologue, this small section stood out the most to me. Character of the Episode: BoJack obviously. Conclusion: One of the best episode's of the show yet, easily. The premise behind this one was creative and unique, and the result was a focused and emotional deep dive into BoJack with some brilliant writing and voice acting. You don't get episodes like these from every TV show. This is a rare gem, and it will go down as one of the most memorable experiences from this show. Score: 86 Summary: Loki puts in every effort to prevent the Temporal Loom from exploding but he fails at every turn and it is simply not possible. Loki goes back to stop Sylvie from killing He Who Remains, but is also unsuccessful. He realizes he may have to kill Sylvie to save everyone but doesn’t want to do it. After talking in the past with Mobius and Sylvie, Loki decides to destroy the Temporal Loom and keeps the timelines in balance with his own power, choosing to remain at the End of Time himself to govern the multiverse.
The Good: So many MCU shows have had awful season finales, opting for a basic and predictable action climax with zero twists, turns, or emotional character moments. “Loki” stunned me by refusing to adhere to conventions, crafting a terrific finale that celebrates the character of Loki and all he achieved throughout the show. I was invested in this show and the characters, and that paid off beautifully by the end. As Loki climbed to the throne with a far more honourable motive than anything we’ve ever seen from him before, I felt genuine catharsis, evidence that this show succeeded with the story that it was telling. The episode earned this ending by having Loki do everything in his power to fix the Temporal Loom without resorting to this. The early parts of the episode are terrific, editing Loki’s attempts to save the world in increasingly comedic ways as the character grows more and more frustrated by his failures. Even after studying time for literal centuries, he was unable to save the world, a fantastic reveal and a terrific twist in this finale. I appreciated that the story went back to the season 1 finale with He Who Remains, and forcing Loki to negotiate with someone who is basically another god was highly compelling stuff. But the show did not get lost in plot. The final act of this show is determined by two emotional conversations with Loki and his two closest companions, Mobius and Sylvie. Loki knew he would have to kill Sylvie to save the world, and couldn’t bear to do it. But he knew he had to make the hard choice to save the world after a great talk with Mobius. But after speaking with Sylvie, Loki understands that he needs to preserve free will, and so he makes the ultimate sacrifice; instead of sacrificing Sylvie, Loki sacrifices himself, using magic to create an ideal universe for everyone to live the lives that they want. It’s a beautiful bit of character development with Loki opening his mind to accept the truths that others have told him throughout the show, finally achieving the glorious purpose he was hunting in the series premiere, albeit in a way he never would have imagined. The storytelling is brilliant, and it leads to a beautiful and satisfying conclusion that thematically fits the show, and achieves everything that the show set out to achieve involving its main character. I was very pleased by this ending. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Will Loki ever be able to leave the End of Time, or is this his fate forever? Will his new TVA be able to stop the Kang variants from starting a multiversal war? Best Moment: Loki stepping up to his new throne and finally achieving his glorious purpose. Character of the Episode: Loki. Conclusion: This was an immensely satisfying finale, closing out Loki’s character arc in a beautiful and dramatic way, while making every event in this show feel like it had weight. Now this is how you do a finale episode. Score: 73 Summary: Loki starts time-slipping again as the TVA is destroyed. He keeps teleporting to alternate variants of his friends in various universes. After talking with OB, he realizes he needs to reunite them to save the TVA. While OB builds a TemPad, Loki recruits everyone else, but he fails to get Sylvie. Sylvie changes her mind and joins him when her timeline is destroyed. Everyone is assembled, but the TemPad disappears and the universe is destroyed. Loki manages to control his time-slipping and moves to before the Temporal Loom’s destruction.
The Good: I enjoyed this. It felt like an old-fashioned sci-fi movie with Loki jumping around through time with OB playing the role of an intelligent scientist who can help the protagonist deal with a situation that’s almost impossible to navigate. This was simple entertainment, and it felt different from anything else we’ve seen on the show. It was also enjoyable to see Loki going from friend to friend, recruiting them for his mission to save the TVA. It was great to finally see Mobius’ alternate life, and his role as a salesman fits the character perfectly. B-15 being a doctor is also fitting with her sharp desire to start saving lives in the TVA, Casey being an escaping inmate is pretty funny, and OB’s alternate life as a fiction writer is pretty entertaining too. I enjoyed getting the chance to see all of these alternate lives. The centerpiece scene of the episode is Loki speaking with Sylvie, and it works to an extent (see: The Bad). I like that this scene was used to ignite the Loki/Sylvie conflict one more time, and the exploration of how Loki has become attached to his new friends was nice. The end of the episode provides a fun cliffhanger as Loki’s extreme frustration seems to lead to him mastering time-slipping. The Bad: Loki’s scene with Sylvie has one huge flaw: why does he not bring up that all timelines will be destroyed if she doesn’t help him? He practically couldn’t shut up about this earlier, so why didn’t he mention it here? Especially since Sylvie does change her mind when her timeline is destroyed. Clearly this was only omitted because the show wanted Loki’s hidden motivation reveal to be more dramatic, but it’s always unsatisfying when the writer’s fingerprints are so plain to see without much thought. The Unknown: Did Loki control his time-slipping at the end? Can he use the time-slipping to go back in time and save the Temporal Loom? What can he do to save it? Best Moment: Loki’s frustration when things fall apart for him once again at the end of the episode. Character of the Episode: Loki. Conclusion: This was an atypical, but fun episode paying homage to older sci-fi films. I enjoyed it for its simplicity and found it to be an engrossing set-up for the finale. Score: 66 Summary: Ravonna learns that she commanded He Who Remains’ army but he erased her memories. Ravonna kills Dox and her people, recruiting Brad in the process. Timely works to help solve OB’s problem but he is captured by Brad while taking a break. Sylvie uses Brad to prune Ravonna, while OB reboots the system to deactivate Miss Minutes. Timely decides to help fix the Temporal Loom by using the Throughput Multiplier, but he is immediately killed by the temporal radiation. The temporal loom explodes.
The Good: The fourth episode was a climactic and surprising episode in the first season, and the same rings true for the second season. This episode had a lot going on, and it was interesting to see where the story went next. It was challenging to predict, and there was plenty of tension with Ravonna’s impending presence, the failing Temporal Loom, and Timely being captured. I especially enjoyed the scenes with the Temporal Loom. There was still a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo, but it’s grounded in the amusing mutual respect between Timely and OB. Timely has another great episode with his entertaining interactions and fascination over the TVA. The importance of saving the Temporal Loom is communicated well, so I was invested in seeing if OB and Timely could save it, even if I did not fully understand why. The twist at the end is terrific as Timely is immediately disintegrated against all odds and the Temporal Loom seems to collapse at the end. It’s difficult to see what comes next, and I’m excited to see what twists “Loki” has in store for the final two episodes. The Bad: The Dox storyline is over, and it all feels completely pointless. They didn’t end up doing anything for the plot, and the resolution with all of them being killed by Ravonna was underwhelming. I was also disappointed with how things were resolved for the Ravonna/Miss Minutes storyline. I expected them to play a bigger role and have a more climactic finale. Instead, the story fizzled out after a very simple enchantment by Sylvie, and one technical adjustment from OB. The reveal that Loki pruned himself in “Ouroboros” fell flat because it didn’t really add anything interesting to the story. The Unknown: Is this the end for Ravonna and Miss Minutes? What will become of Brad? Is the TVA going to be destroyed now that the Temporal Loom has exploded? Can Loki do anything to stop this? What will come next? Best Moment: Everything going up in smoke at the end. Character of the Episode: Timely. Conclusion: This is a fun and climactic episode, but some disappointing aspects of the story prevent it from reaching the highs I expected. Score: 62 Summary: Loki and Mobius hunt for Miss Minutes to try to help OB. Miss Minutes is with Ravonna and they are meeting Victor Timely, a Kang variant. Loki and Mobius arrive and the two parties fight over Timely, each trying to use him for their own ends. Ravonna and Miss Minutes betray each other, Sylvie arrives, and Timely ends up being taken to the TVA successfully by Loki and Mobius. Sylvie sends Ravonna to the End of Time, and Ravonna allies with Miss Minutes again to fight against He Who Remains.
The Good: I thoroughly enjoyed this episode’s mad scramble to get to Victor Timely. There were almost countless different groups all hunting him down, and this led to a momentous and thrilling chase episode. Timely is the star of the whole process. He’s much more than just a smart man as he exhibits a feigned innocence to sell his act of being a con-man that profits off of the stupidity of rich white men. On top of that he’s incredibly prideful and arrogant, so it’s fun to not only see him try to grasp what is happening around him, but to pick an choose who he wants to support because of how they treat him. It’s amusing to see him betray Ravonna for the crime of viewing herself as an equal, just as fun as any other exciting chase sequence in the episode. The Bad: I’m disappointed that there was virtually no follow-up on the end of the previous episode. It’s quite convenient how quickly Loki and Mobius find Ravonna and Timely in an enormous fair. Motives are once more a problem. I’m not sure what Ravonna and Miss Minutes are after with Timely. Are they trying to make another He Who Remains? How will they do that, and why do they care to do that? These are important questions, but they aren’t addressed throughout the episode. After, we get a twist that their motives changed and they no longer need Timely, which just confuses me more. Sylvie’s motives are even worse. She’s a wild card, but I fail to understand why she wants to kill the HWR variants when she is the reason for their existence. I don’t understand why she cares so much. That’s the issue with this episode, it’s fun on the surface but the muddled motivations make this harder to enjoy. The Unknown: What will Timely do now that he’s in the TVA? Will he comply with Loki and Mobius or does he have other aspirations? What is Ravonna’s secret? Best Moment: Timely’s introduction on the stage is a brilliant moment, and Johnathan Majors’ performance is electric. Character of the Episode: Timely. Conclusion: The mad chase for Timely was fun to watch and it gives this episode a unique premise. Unfortunately the muddled motives get in the way and damage the episode’s quality. Outside of that, this was a good episode. Score: 59 Summary: Loki and Mobius track down X-5 to find Sylvie. They find him living normally as Brad and they capture him. Together they wear him down and convince him to reveal where Sylvie is. Loki meets with Sylvie but she doesn’t want to help him save the TVA. OB works to repair the Temporal Loom, but is stumped when he needs a scan of He Who Remains, who is now dead. Brad reveals that Dox plans to prune all branching timelines, which she does, causing mass casualties.
The Good: I’m thankful that this season is giving us plenty of scenes with Loki and Mobius together as they were one of the highlights of the first season. The whole section where they had to get the truth out of Brad was very well done and made good use of the characters. Loki got to show his development by using his mischievous nature with some restraint, Mobius got some much-needed direction as we explore how his character has handled learning about the real life he has, and Brad was entertaining as a sleazy villain that they needed to break down. This was fun stuff, and the heart to heart over pie between Loki and Mobius was especially compelling. The Bad: Unfortunately things start falling apart when we look at the bigger picture. Loki and Mobius spend the episode hunting for Sylvie, and I can’t quite figure out what they want to accomplish with her. When Loki and Sylvie finally meet, all he wants is answers but surely he knows that she won’t have any for him! It’s Brad who knows what Dox is up to, which should be a more urgent issue for Loki and Mobius right now. I was also very confused why Brad didn’t reveal anything to Loki and Mobius, surely giving up Sylvie’s location won’t interfere with Dox’s plan. I was also confused why Dox seemingly didn’t make any contact with Sylvie after the last episode established that she was going after her. The end of the episode completely falls flat. The TVA being able to prune entire timelines came out of nowhere, and everyone’s horrified reaction at what happened did not have any impact. I’m not sure how this will affect the story at all (what’s stopping more timelines from popping up), and I struggle to believe that the TVA will be so horrified about all this death when they have been killing variants for centuries, which is surely a bigger tragedy to process than this. It also felt redundant to have Sylvie return to the TVA, only to leave again immediately after what happened. I also found the episode’s pacing to be inconsistent. We sped through the opening and ending scenes without giving any context to what was happening, yet we spent an eternity on the Loki/Mobius/Brad storyline. It felt wrong. The Unknown: What will be the consequences of the timeline destruction at the end? Why isn’t OB allowed into the Temporal Loom? Did Miss Minutes change this? Where has Ravonna been found? Best Moment: Mobius and Loki having a heart to heart over pie. It was nice to see Loki diving into Mobius’ psyche to help him process his meltdown against Brad, a nice inversion of season 1. Character of the Episode: Mobius. Conclusion: Loki and Mobius do their best to make this enjoyable, but the episode is weighed down by strange pacing, murky character motivations, and a confusing ending. Score: 55 Summary: Loki is time slipping, constantly jumping uncontrollably between timelines. Mobius and B-15 meet with the TVA judges and convince them to stop killing branched timelines with help from a manic Loki. General Dox doesn’t agree and sends out X-5 to find Sylvie. Mobius takes Loki to Ouroboros (OB) to get help. Mobius and Loki learn that Loki has to prune himself while Mobius uses a Temporal Aura Extractor on the Temporal Loom with risk of death if they fail. Mobius uses the TEA properly but Loki is unable to prune himself in another timeline. However, he is somehow pruned anyways and survives. Meanwhile, Sylvie starts a new life in 1982.
The Good: The time-slipping concept is a lot of fun, and it’s executed well in this episode. It’s simultaneously dramatic and terrifying, while having an amusing comedic timing that works very well. Loki being stuck with this condition immediately gives this season momentum as there is a rush to get him back to normal, and healing him also puts the lives of Mobius and Loki in danger. This makes the premiere episode unexpectedly climactic and intense, and this works to make season 2 immediately exciting and interesting. I really enjoyed the presence of OB, played by the talented Ke Huy Quan. OB is instantly charismatic, and his way of talking is quite funny. He seems like a good addition to the cast while also offering some important information about how the TVA functions with the Temporal Loom. The Bad: This episode missed the mark a few times. There is a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo thrown into the exposition scenes, which has the unintended side effect of making it hard to engage with the plot since it does not make sense. I’m also quite certain that OB’s explanations will not hold up to scrutiny if you think about it, making the convoluted exposition feel like a plot device whenever I hear it. I enjoy this show’s mix of comedy and drama, but sometimes it was too much. For example, a joke about a random TVA lady overhearing Loki’s crazy explanations breaks my immersion because this is information that Loki and Mobius should be keeping to themselves to prevent a panic; we should not be laughing at the fact that someone else is learning this stuff. The Unknown: Will Mobius talking to OB 400 years ago be an important plot point? How did Loki get pruned? Why was Sylvie there? When did this happen? Loki heard Kang and Ravonna talking? When did this happen? Where is Ravonna? What is Sylvie doing in this new universe? Will Dox find Sylvie? Best Moment: I’ll go with the charm of OB’s introduction. The character is so fun and full of energy, and he plays the role of all-knowing helper very well. Character of the Episode: OB. Conclusion: This was a fine way to start a new season. Things were immediately dramatic and there’s plenty to enjoy here. Score: 66 Summary: Loki is time-slipping uncontrollably and he and Mobius get help from OB, who gives them a task to do to fix him. It works, so Loki and Mobius move on to finding Sylvie, and they interrogate Brad, a TVA hunter who was hunting down Sylvie. They find her and realize that General Dox intends to destroy all the branching timelines, which she does, horrifying everyone. Sylvie agrees to work with them again after this happens. Ravonna and Miss Minutes meet with Victor Timely, a variant of Kang. They are tracked by Loki and Mobius who need Timely's help to fix the Temporal Loom to stop the TVA from being destroyed. The groups all try to get Timely, but Loki and Mobius end up succeeding and bring him back. Ravonna and Miss Minutes return and get Brad on their side after murdering Dox and all of her soldiers. They intercept Timely, but are ultimately defeated. OB explains that Timely needs to correct the Temporal Loom, but they are too late and he dies. The TVA is destroyed and Loki is stuck time-slipping again as he desperately tries to correct the past> Eventually he realizes that he can't save the TVA since this is all predetermined since Sylvie killed He Who Remains. Loki realizes he has to kill her, but he finds a new solution and ends up taking the place of He Who Remains, keeping all the timelines intact while the TVA manage the Kang variants.
The Good: It's clear as day that the second season of "Loki" was the second half of a single story instead of a cash-grab sequel, and I thoroughly appreciate that. The cohesion between seasons 1 and 2 means that the show feels focused, important, and thematically relevant at every turn. When I watched the finale, it felt like the story had been building up to this episode from the very start, developing Loki and destroying the balance of time specifically so that Loki could finally make the benevolent decision to save the world and finally claim the throne he long sought after, even if it was not the throne he had imagined. The storytelling here was exceptional, and it's a big reason why "Loki" is a step above every other MCU TV show. The show develops Loki organically and gives him a wholly unique arc, letting the emotional aspects of the character sink in and hit hard. Season 2 has numerous terrific Loki moments. The highlights have to be his admission that he values his friends and his final conversations with Mobius and Sylvie, leading to his fateful decision. Great character moments that the whole show had been building towards from the beginning. Compared to most Marvel projects, this show has excellent side characters. I'm pleased to say that season 2 does not change that. Mobius was a highlight in season 1, and I'm glad that season 2 did not diminish or simplify the character in any way. Mobius was very well-written in this season as he maintained his usual aloof style while his over-arching story of being scared to find out what his real life was served as an interesting way to explore the character further. The final scene where he looks at his reality is surprisingly beautiful and impactful. I wasn't the biggest fan of Sylvie in season 1, but she is used superbly in this season. I'm thankful that the writers put the romantic aspect of the story away and mostly utilized Sylvie as a wild card, a character who finally achieved her dream but is now willing to do anything to preserve that dream. I'm also pleased that Loki and Sylvie's great debates about the importance of freedom continued into this season, as freedom is a very important theme of the show that is explored in a fairly compelling way. I'm less positive on the Ravonna and Miss Minutes storyline (see: The Bad), but I still appreciate that the show found a good use for the characters, giving them a mostly satisfying conclusion albeit one that felt a bit rushed. Lastly, there's B-15 and Casey, who I enjoyed more this season. B-15 played far too big of a role in season 1 considering how flat of a character she was, but I enjoyed her role in this season. The character has inexplicably had the biggest change of heart since the end of season 1, but the new role suits her better, and I'm glad that she spent most of this season in the background. Casey didn't do much in season 1, but he was pretty fun in this season as somebody who isn't important to the plot and it pretty much just there. He adds a more human element to the wildly sci-fi plot which I appreciate. While the old characters were utilized well, the new ones were the highlight for me. Ouroboros, or OB, was a ton of fun in ever scene he's in. The character is written brilliantly, and his quirky style makes him play the typical role of all-knowing scientist wonderfully well. Ke Huy Quan's performance is what sells the character to me as he brings the role to life with his amusingly straightforward line delivery. Victor Timely was a thoroughly entertaining Kang variant. I was expecting to see a more ruthless and terrifying version of the character in this season, so I was caught off guard by the nervous, stuttering Timely. But I really enjoyed the character and I thought that he added a lot to the show. It was amusing how Timely was such a brilliant mind that was sought out by everyone, but he had next to no physical skills and was left at the mercy of those around him. Yet the character was still a proud, conniving con man who took advantage of situations using his sly nature, which consistently entertained me. I wish there was more of him in the show, but what little we got was entertaining. As for the plot of the show, I had more problems with it this time around (see: The Bad). But that doesn't mean that there aren't aspects that I greatly enjoyed. Season 1 had some brilliant twists and creative episode premises that made the plot so engaging to follow. While season 2 doesn't hit that same level, it still has some truly great aspects. For twists, season 2 has some great highlights like the destruction of the TVA in season As for creativity, the fifth episode, "Science/Fiction" is a very fun episode that turns Loki into a typical 1900s sci-fi flick, which was a lot more entertaining to watch than it should have been. The Bad: This season was not without its flaws, and I took more issues with this one than with season 1. The biggest deterrent for this show is how much sci-fi expositional mumbo jumbo we get. I'm okay with expository dialogue, but when the exposition is just meaningless words that go in one ear and out the other, then it's disengaging me from the story. That's what happens in "Loki" season 2 because the content is so needlessly complex and confusing that exposition is difficult to grasp. Plus, I'm sure that actually thinking about what is being said will only make the story feel more flimsy and half-baked. It's a shame that this type of exposition is all over "Loki" season 2 because the first season was notable in its ability to keep the story grounded. Season 1 handled the concept of the TVA and time travel brilliantly and I was never confused or overwhelmed by the story. I can't say the same about this season, where the main plot is centered around the complex and confusing concept of the Temporal Loom, which is never adequately explained or visualized to us at any point. This season also very clearly did not have as much story as season 1, and some secondary storylines highlight this a lot. The most damning storyline is the one involving Dox, who shows up out of nowhere as a character in this season and offers damn near nothing to the story. Her entire subplot doesn't amount to much more than a convoluted way to have the TVA destroy the branching timelines, a plot point that was ultimately unnecessary in the grander scheme of the show. Furthermore, we spend a ton of time with her and Brad, two characters who did not captivate me. Dox was always half-baked in her morals, and then she has a half-baked character turn before being killed off in an underwhelming matter. Brad is another character who disappointed me. The concept behind the character is great (a disillusioned hunter who went to live his real life), but the show doesn't do enough interesting things with him, and he's not given a proper resolution. While I enjoyed Ravonna's storyline to an extent, I thought that it was resolved far too flippantly and did not have the importance that I thought it would. I was also disappointed by how the TVA reacted to Ravonna, as they never treated her like the major criminal she is supposed to be after season 1. I never found Ravonna to be the most interesting character either, and I was hoping that season 2 would change my mind on her role overall. It did not. The final issue I took with this season concerns character motivations. I enjoy the characters and their personalities a lot, but a lot of their goals left me scratching my head throughout the season. It was never clear what exactly the major characters were after, and this made several dramatic moments fall flat because it was hard to understand why the characters did what they did. A few examples stand out in particular. Loki was hard to connect with until the final two episodes because it was difficult to understand what he hoped to accomplish by saving the TVA and what his overall goal was. Sylvie was similarly difficult to understand because she seemingly only wanted to live in her own timeline, but kept getting involved with the TVA for increasingly unclear reasons. Ravonna and Miss Minutes were especially perplexing because I never knew what they wanted to achieve. Did they want to save the TVA? Destroy the world? Simply create a new Kang? Rule the world on their own? None of this ever became clear, and it affected how I viewed them and their stories. Best Episodes: E01 Ouroboros: The first episode of the season was one of the easiest to wrap my head around: Loki was stuck time-slipping and he and Mobius had to get help from OB, the expert to save him. A simple concept can sometimes lead to very entertaining drama, and that's what happened here. E06 Glorious Purpose: The season finale was a beautiful piece of work, concluding Loki's story and bringing the character full circle in a wildly entertaining and compelling hour of television. Worst Episodes: E02 Breaking Brad: Barring the amusing episode title, this episode doesn't do much for me. Character motivations and plot points are quite confusing, and the show doesn't help itself by moving through the Brad storyline at such a slow pace. E03 1893: This is a fun episode, but it's still hurt by the confusing character motivations. This is especially problematic since the episode is focused on how almost every character wants to find Victor Timely, but without knowing exactly what they have to accomplish it is not as engaging. Character of the Season: Loki. This was his story through and through. Conclusion: In the end, I'm very glad that I watched the second season of "Loki". I've been disillusioned with the MCU for a while now and have grown weary of the constant influx of mediocre TV shows. But amidst all the garbage, "Loki" shines brightly. This show remained creative and unpredictable throughout its run, it had excellent characters and storylines, brilliant visual presentations, and an impactful story with themes I have never seen explored in the MCU before. Sure, season 2 had its fair share flaws and wasn't as well-written or compelling as season 1, but I enjoyed the season overall and I found it to be a great way to conclude "Loki". I hope we see more creative TV shows like this going forwards. Summary: Kendall is working hard to secure votes for the board meeting, while Shiv does the same for Matsson. Kendall and Shiv track down Roman at their mother's house and try to get him to vote. Matsson doesn't want Shiv as CEO and offers the job to Tom. Tom doesn't inform Greg, who tells Kendall about Matsson looking for a CEO. Kendall tells Shiv, who is upset, and the siblings decide to band together to back Kendall and stop Matsson. They share a fun night together in Caroline's house. Shiv learns that Tom is the CEO and she tells him that they have the votes to turn the board meeting in their favour. Tom gets upset with Greg for leaking information. Roman has second thoughts before the meeting but Kendall uses pain to get him back on track. At the board meeting, Shiv ultimately backs out. Kendall and Roman follow her out to discuss and a huge fight breaks out. Shiv thinks Kendall would be a bad leader and cites his killing od Andrew Dodds, but Kendall claims it never happened, alienating his siblings. Shiv votes against Kendall. Tom ends up as the new CEO of Waystar and opts to protect Greg, keeping him close. Roman, now free from the company, goes to a bar. Shiv and Tom continue their relationship. Kendall sits in a park looking out at the water with Colin watching over him.
The Good: I loved almost everything about this. This 90 minute finale told a complete story with one last battle, one last reunion, and one last betrayal in the Roy family, ending the series with what the show does best. In the end, this was always about the relationship between the three siblings, their dysfunction as a family, and their inability to succeed because of who they are and what they represent. This finale explored these ideas masterfully, and ending with the Roys all falling apart and failing spectacularly was truly the only way that this show could have ended. The build-up to all of this was excellent. Roman's breakdown in the last episode was a huge emotional climax for the character, so I like that the episode started with the big question of where Roman was and how he's taking everything. In true "Succession" fashion, the siblings checking in on him mentally quickly turned to political maneuvering as both Kendall and Shiv fought to get Roman on their side. It's an engaging war between Kendall and Shiv, but the show hits us with a major twist as Shiv falls out of the race when Matsson betrays her and hunts down another candidate for CEO. Shiv's slow realization of this, her denial, her frustration, and her despair is portrayed phenomenally. Naturally, Shiv's total defeat allows for Kendall to do his usual thing. Kendall has always been entitled, and he always grabs onto whatever point he can to make himself look good and support his own goals. Here he latches onto Shiv's loss in an effort to promote himself, practically begging his siblings to band together and let him be CEO. And now that both Shiv and Roman have no other recourse, they both agree. What results is one of the most fascinating scenes of the entire show as we see the three siblings supporting each other and being on the same page to for the first time ever. Kendall is so happy because he has always dreamed of his siblings supporting him like this, while Roman and Shiv look so much more in their own element without the burden of trying to fight from below for the CEO position. It's so brutally tragic because the three of them look so happy, and there are genuinely great laughs like the concoction Kendall is made to drink and Roman having a weird sexual experience with Peter's precious cheese. Of course after what happens next, they will almost certainly never interact like this again. It's fitting that the show concludes with a vote at a board meeting, hearkening back to "Which Side Are You On" all the way back in season 1. Back then, it was Roman who stopped Kendall from taking over, and this time it's Shiv. I thought the build-up to this was exceptional with Kendall showing such disgusting traits that make it clear he will just be another Logan, except worse. When Roman expresses doubt, Kendall hurts him, manipulating him to stay by his side in one of the show's darkest scenes. Instead of helping his brother, Kendall enables him because it will work in his favour. Shiv is not so easily pacified, and true to what we've seen from the character, she's observant enough to notice Kendall's disrespectful, flippant, and careless demeanor in a position of power. Shiv recognizes how disastrous it would be if he has power and behaves like this, and this doubt is what leads to her acting against Kendall in the meeting. This doesn't feel cheap because we are shown in advance why Shiv wouldn't be able to handle Kendall taking over, and it is consistent with the behaviour we have seen her exhibit throughout the whole season. Shiv backing out sets up one of the most painful and stunning scenes in the entire show as Kendall, Shiv, and Roman go to the other room to have an intense personal argument (one that is amusingly overheard by everyone in the board room). This scene is downright stomach-churning to watch, with the characters unleashing some fantastic personal jabs and letting emotions run sky-high. Several moments stood out from me from this phenomenal sequence. Shiv saying she can't stomach Kendall is perfect writing because it neatly encompasses her feelings about him from the start. She loves him for sure, but she has never agreed with the way he has done things, and this line perfectly lets out the frustration she has had with him. Kendall's desperation to win her back is fantastically acted, and it leads to him saying something so horribly wrong, and yet I understood why he did it in the moment: Kendall denies his role in killing Andrew, the waiter. Shiv was completely awful to use this against him, but Kendall is so desperate to win her back that he denies it even happening, completely ignorant to realizing how this destroys their relationship. Kendall opening up to them was one of the best moments of the show because of how it strengthened the bond between the siblings, who struggle so much to be real with one another because of the constant competition between them. Revealing that this one intimate moment was a strategic play, even if this is not true, will permanently damage the relationship between these three forever. When Kendall denies it happening, not only does he lose Shiv but he loses Roman too, a tragic mistake that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Another standout moment is Roman telling Kendal that Logan believed his kids to be illegitimate. Kendall's children not being related to him is something that I suspected in the back of my mind for quite some time (just look at Sophie), but I'm incredibly impressed that the writers held out on using this stunning personal jab until the bitter end. It would have been so easy to use this in any earlier argument, but saving this for one final jab makes it so much more devastating. This almost certainly ends the relationship between Kendall and Roman, especially with how Kendall physically attacks Roman right after this. This entire sequence is deeply upsetting and one of the biggest accomplishments of the entire show. This leads me to the conclusion for the three siblings. After all that they have been through, none of them end up as CEO and the company is completely lost to them forever. Shiv is the closest to the company as she's married to the new CEO and pregnant with his child. But they are trapped in a loveless marriage, and the beautiful final scene as Tom and Shiv "hold hands" in the least intimate way imaginable makes it clear that it will be exceedingly difficult and highly unlikely that these two will be able to work through their problems and get something good out of their marriage. Roman is back where he started the series, cut off from the company, a free spirit doing whatever he pleases. His scene in the bar is great as he relishes in his new freedom, but reflects on all that he lost (he's drinking Gerri's signature drink, a beautiful touch). Then we have Kendall, who suffers the most brilliantly tragic fate. That final scene highlights his isolation, and you get the sense that he may have jumped had Colin not been there to watch over him. Jeremy Strong's acting says it all about how lost he feels, and with suicide not happening, Kendall now has to pave a new way forward, one without any connection to his estranged siblings. I also have to mention how much I love the way water has been used as a recurring motif for Kendall. Water is commonly used as a metaphor to indicate Kendall's connection with Waystar Royco, and countless scenes have indicated this (scenes from "Secession" and "Chiantishire" come to mind as examples"). But now that Kendall is no longer with the company, his final scene sees him longingly staring out at the water, a beautiful metaphorical end to this story. I haven't talked about Tom, Greg, and Matsson at all yet, but they had a significant and well written part of this episode. Tom's meeting with Matsson is terrific, and it was great to see how Tom's willingness to be a beta ironically made him a better candidate to become CEO than the drive and motivation of the siblings. His victory was satisfying to watch, and it led to a number of amusing moments. He has some funny scenes with Greg as always. It's beautifully ironic that Tom doesn't tell Greg the news, only for Greg to find out using a Swedish translator (hilarious), that Shiv is out and Matsson is looking for someone else. Then he unintentionally sabotages himself by reporting the information, leading to a hilarious bathroom brawl between Greg and Tom. Thankfully, in parallel to the fight between the siblings, this one is not relationship-ending, and it highlights the genuine bond that we have seen these two develop. As Tom is crowned at the end of the episode, it brings a smile to my face to see him still looking out for Greg and making sure that he is taken care of. For all the spite between him and Shiv, his relationship with Greg has always been far more positive, and I'm glad that these two had a happy ending. Connor in this episode is perfectly representative of his role in this series: he never gets involved, he's just there in the background offering up comedy and serving as a mirror for the siblings. Connor's presence offers this fantastic scene where the siblings get to watch a video of Connor and the other execs spending some quality time with Logan, revealing a side of him that it's clear the siblings never got to experience. They were all too busy fighting each other trying to earn their father's affections, and because of that, they never got to experience the softer side of Logan as much as they should have. All three of them convey the sadness and regret in this scene perfectly. Fantastic acting and storytelling in this scene. The Bad: I wish that Frank had played more of an active role in this final act. Kendall gave him a key offer a few episodes ago, but we never had any follow-up and Frank is now pro-Matsson without any real explanation of his motives. I wish that Frank had been handled better and given more to do in this finale. Another missed opportunity was Lawrence. They brought him up again in this finale, but he remains one of the strangest characters in this show. I wish that the show did more with him and gave him a more active role. In general, I found that a lot of the side characters that weren't directly involved with Waystar were underutilized, with Stewy and Lawrence being standouts. The Unknown: Will Connor keep Slovenia, or will he fade into obscurity once more? Will his marriage with Wylla last? What's next for all the siblings? What will Kendall do next now that he's lost the company? Does he try to commit suicide? Does he find something else to do? Does he ever repair his relationship with his siblings? What's next for Roman? He's a free spirit again, just like he was back in the pilot. What will he do? Will he be able to find his way in the world? I feel like he would be better off than everyone else. Will Tom and Shiv's relationship last? Where will Shiv go with her career? Back to politics? Is Tom going to be a long-term CEO, or will he be replaced soon by Matsson? Best Moment: The ugly spat between siblings at the board meeting was horrific, personal, and hard to watch. It's like a bomb going off. It's scary and disastrous, but you can't help but admire the sheer majesty of it all. Character of the Episode: Kendall. Conclusion: This felt like a grand finale. The extended length, methodical pacing, numerous call-backs, and heavily emotional moments turned this into a genuine epic, closing out "Succession" in a perfect way. Score: 82 Summary: Protests break out after Mencken's election. Rava tells Kendall she won't be attending Logan's funeral with the kids. Kendall also learns that Jess is quitting soon. The Roy children travel together and Shiv reveals she is pregnant. Tom stays at ATN doing damage control after the election. At the funeral, Shiv advises Matsson to come clean about the India numbers and cut a deal with Mencken to keep the GoJo deal with an American CEO. Shiv proposes herself for the position. At the funeral, Ewan goes up unprompted to eulogize Logan. Roman goes up after him but breaks down on the stand. Kendall takes his place and says words with Shiv going briefly after him. Logan is taken to a mausoleum. At the reception, Kendall hires Colin, who has been adrift without Logan. Kendall goes to talk with Mencken, but when Roman, Greg, and Connor all arrive, Mencken leaves with Shiv to talk with Matsson who gives him his proposal. Later, Mencken accepts. Tom arrives late and shares a moment with Shiv before she tells him to get some rest. Kendall proposes that Roman helps him at the board meeting against Shiv, but Roman is out of it. After, Roman goes out into the riot and provokes people into hurting him.
The Good: I love focused episodes of storytelling, and "Church and State" is a perfect example of this, with the episode fixated on sending off Logan Roy while addressing and admiring the complexity of this man and the fascinating, ambiguous nature of the relationships he had with those closest to him. We spend a ton of time at the funeral watching characters attempt to eulogize Logan, capturing him to the best of their own imagination to send him to rest. Yet no character is able to fully encompass all about Logan, and it takes three eulogies from three people closest to him until we are able to get a good grasp of who Logan was and what he meant to the world around him. Listening to these eulogies was a spectacular experience and the writing was phenomenal. If I had the time, I could easily do a line-by-line analysis of all that was great about this funeral, but I'll try to keep it brief and address the fascinating aspects of the story that was being told. Ewan's speech came first, and it was a magnificent exploration of Logan's upbringing, giving us the most details we have ever had about his past and answering some key questions regarding things like his uncle (from "Austerlitz") and what happened to his sister Rose (from "Dundee"). I found it compelling to hear Ewan reminiscing about his past with Logan, and it's beautiful to see that even with their differences, Ewan still fondly remembers his brother before he was corrupted by the life he had, and shares sympathy and pity for his cause. This nicely illuminates with Ewan still had a fierce loyalty towards Logan despite condemning him at every turn. He had his reasons to despise and disagree with Logan (and he wasn't afraid to let everyone know about them), but they are still family, and I like that "Succession" allowed Ewan to convey the mixed feelings about Logan instead of jumping into a rant like we had seen in earlier episodes like "I Went to Market". This eulogy added an impressive amount of depth that recontextualized the relationship between the two brothers, and was a perfect way to kick off the funeral by highlighting the man Logan was before his kids came into the picture. This feeds nicely into Kendall's eulogy which came next (I'll talk more about Roman later, don't worry). Stepping in for his distraught brother, Kendall is forced to improvise a speech about his father to try to fill in the holes that Ewan was unable to. Ewan condemned all of Logan's business moves, and it was up to Kendall to protect his image. This was a defining moment for Kendall, who is forced to step up on a day when he's unprepared, emotional, and struggling with outside problems (Jess quitting, his ex-wife and kids not coming to the funeral). He's been awkward since the beginning of the series, but we've seen him grow better and better at public presentations through the course of the show, with notable highlights in "D.C." and "Living+". He's not perfect in the eulogy (note how Kendall tries to not-so-subtly sell himself numerous times), but he steps up big-time and uses all of his experience to tell a grandiose speech in an effort to capture the massive majesty of what Logan accomplished with his company. Watching Kendall do this is engrossing and we can see the emotion pour out of him as he describes those gargantuan qualities his father possesses that have been a cause for so much internal conflict. Kendall has always wanted to believe that he is the spitting image of his father, and this is a chance for him to showcase why he admired Logan so much and why it is so necessary for him to continue Logan's legacy, the prime driving factor behind the character since the first episode. Not only was this speech about Logan's impact on the world, but it was about Logan's impact on Kendall and shedding more light on how Kendall's relationship with his father made both such fascinating characters to follow. Lastly, we get to Shiv's eulogy, the shortest and most personal accounting of Logan. Where Ewan and Kendall stood opposite of each other to argue Logan's weaknesses and strengths, Shiv chooses to touch on the humanity of Logan, highlighting how Logan was as a father and as a figure in the lives of the children. She's very emotional so she isn't quite able to nail everything about Logan, but she is able to tell a beautiful story about how even as a parent Logan was larger-than-life for the kids, and while this led to some troubles in their upbringing and connection with him, there was always a fascinating love between them, which is something that she will miss. Shiv is perhaps the one who was the harshest on Logan while he was alive, always snapping back at him, demanding things of him, and feeling cheated by him. But now that he's gone, she is able to give him a fond farewell through the emotions she is feeling after his death. The eulogies aren't all that speak about Logan in this episode, and a lot of the most fascinating stuff came from Roman, who was completely unable to speak when the time came. Kieran Culkin shines in an episode full of tremendous performances with how he portrays Roman's challenging emotions at the funeral. He claims to have pre-grieved Logan's death, but it has been clear this season that he has been adrift without his father, a loose cannon that isn't able to put himself back together into the person he had become in the last season. All of the build-up of Roman not being okay paid off massively in this episode when Roman falls apart when he's about to make his speech, destroying his career in the process. Roman is heart-breaking as he cries with his siblings, begging them to take Logan out of the coffin to bring him back. This scene is a fantastic example of how bottling up grief is simply impossible, and it's devastating to see Roman's alliance with Mencken fall apart following his "pathetic" showing. Now Kendall has taken a leading role and Roman has been left behind, feeling truly empty without his abusive father to ground him to reality. Roman's relationship with Logan is an outstanding example of the love that someone can have towards their abuser, and how empty it can feel when that abuser is gone. It was devastating to see Roman, at the end of the episode, charge into a riot desperate to get the abuse that he needs from somewhere else. As beautiful as the eulogies were, this episode's greatest success is how it poignantly illustrates the important of Logan's abuse in Roman's life, and how self-destructive of a character Roman really is. There are plenty of other things I enjoyed in the episode, and it will be impossible for me to list every little thing that I enjoyed. I'll try my best though. Tom skipping Logan's funeral and showing up at the end in tears with Shiv was a lovely background story that perfectly encapsulated Tom's grief as a result of this weird relationship he had with Logan. Caroline getting Marcia and Kerry together for the funeral was oddly sweet, and a nice moment to have all the women in Logan's life come together out of respect for the man. I quite liked how the execs behaved in this episode as they reflected on their long past with Logan while still making moves for the future. There were several nice character moments here like Frank noticing Roman's distress as he goes up to the podium, Kendall raging at Rava for (justifiably) skipping the funeral, Mencken insulting Roman for crying, Connor's insights about the mausoleum, "woof woof", and many more. The Bad: I loved everything that happened at the funeral, but I have to admit that the episode somewhat lost me after the funeral scenes ended ended. This was a brilliant stand-alone piece about the impact of Logan Roy in the lives of those closest to him, and the burial scene felt like a perfect closing point to end the episode. Because of that, it felt jarring when I was reminded that this was the penultimate episode of the series and had an additional duty of setting up the finale. All the scenes at the reception are in service of furthering the main plot, and it felt entirely disconnected from so much of what I had just watched earlier in the episode. Is the content still good? Of course. But the set-up for the finale did not engage me because I was too invested in the Logan's funeral aspect of the episode to care about what's next for the Roys vs Matsson storyline. The funeral scenes feel like they form a complete episode with the set-up at the reception being an additional 15 minutes that were tacked on after the fact. The result is that the episode grew weaker as it went towards its end because I was in no state to invest in the set-up for the finale following the heavy emotional stuff at Logan's funeral. Thankfully, the episode ends on a real high with Roman at the riot, but there was a long while where the episode started to stagnate because it forced itself to set up the series finale. I also have to question the timing of this funeral episode. By design, funeral episodes are slow, contemplative, and emotional, which does not fit at all into a penultimate episode, which by design is typically full of set-up, excitement, and escalating tension for the finale, with some penultimate episodes even containing the climax of an entire season. It's so strange that a funeral was held at a point where the story should be ramping up, and I wish that the events and story of this season were rearranged with the funeral being one or two episodes earlier so that it would fit in more naturally with the narrative. The Unknown: Is Roman's alliance with Mencken dead? It looks like Mencken has went with Matsson, does this mean that he's completely cutting off both Kendall and Roman as allies? How is Kendall planning to stop Shiv? She has a pretty big advantage right now. Will Kendall's alliance with Hugo and Colin work out? How is he planning to get everyone on the board to align with him? Of course, the question everyone has wondered since the very start of the series: who is going to be the CEO of Waystar at the end? Best Moment: Roman's breakdown at the podium. Character of the Episode: Roman. Conclusion: The funeral of Logan Roy lived up to all expectations and provided a powerful, memorable close to the character and his relationships with those closest to him. The episode lost its way a bit when it shifted focus towards setting up the finale, but this was still an excellent experience. Bring on the finale, and let's see how this great story wraps up. Score: 74 Summary: Tom is in charge of ATN for election day. Greg tells him about Shiv's alliance with Matsson. Tom does some cocaine so he can better handle the stresses of the day. Roman is backing Mencken and Shiv is backing Jimenez. After hearing of Sophie being bullied, Kendall wants to back Jimenez, but needs certainty that the GoJo deal will be blocked by him. A fire in Milwaukee destroys many votes and Roman wants ATN to call it for Mencken despite the likelihood of the state going to Jimenez if the votes weren't burned. Shiv tells Tom she's pregnant but he doesn't believe her, and she threatens Greg to be silent about her alliance with Matsson. Tom ultimately greenlights making a "pending" call for Mencken. Connor pulls out of the race, conceding to Mencken to get an ambassadorship. Roman continues to strongly back Mencken out of self-interest, so Roman talks to Shiv about concerns about the type of country Mencken would make for his children. Shiv capitalizes and makes a fake phone call to Nate announcing that Jimenez may consider stopping the GoJo deal. Shiv goes against Roman with this and Kendall calls Jimenez himself. After learning the call was faked and after Greg sells Shiv out, Kendall reveals her alliance with Matsson and sides with Roman. Tom gives Greg the order to announce for Mencken, and ATN announces Mencken as the winner of the election.
The Good: This feels like a spiritual successor to "What it Takes" from season 3, focusing heavily on politics for the entire episode and exploring how the rich affect key political events like elections. The episode does this very well, highlighting some interesting ideas without ever letting the political themes take away from the engaging story that's being told. The result in another compelling episode that feels unique due to covering themes that aren't addressed much in other episodes. Much of this episode is spent with Tom and Greg as they run ATN on election day, and the chaos that unfolds is marvelous to watch. We get plenty of great Tom and Greg interactions, including a hilarious scene of Tom forcing Greg to do some coke to ease their stress, and a memorable quote likening information to a bottle of wine ("you wait for a special occassion and then you smash someone's f*cking face in with it"). Both Tom and Greg have strong episodes and are utilized well. Tom is consistently stepping up to make decisions while in charge of ATN, and he is the one who ultimately decides to make the call for Mencken, an enormous decision that is given the weight that it deserves. The episode also finally has Shiv reveal her pregnancy to Tom in an outstanding moment where Tom doesn't even believe it's true, anticipating that it's likely a move by Shiv, who desperately will do anything to make Jimenez win. The whole episode is littered with great moments like this, utilizing every character perfectly. It's refreshing to see Greg given a significant role, using the character to his fullest potential. Greg has a lot of funny scenes throughout the episode, the highlight certainly being the lemon water debacle with Darwin, a fantastic joke at the most unexpected time. But Greg has always been used as a comic relief, so his funny scenes are not the more significant role I'm talking about. That is his knowledge of Shiv's alliance with Matsson, which he found out after spending a lot of time with Matsson in the previous episode. Seeing Greg sitting on this information all episode is intense, and it leads to a couple of terrific moments. The first is when Shiv tries to threaten Greg into silence. The scene is fantastic as Shiv tries to intimidate Greg like Logan did, but she just doesn't have the authority or the power to make the same impact. She should have offered something for Greg's silence, and she pays for her mistake dearly when Greg reveals everything to Kendall, sending Shiv off with a nonchalant shrug and a brief sinister smile. Greg took Tom's advice about information to heart, and seeing him crumble Shiv's entire plan was magnificent. I also quite liked the brief scene between him and Jess, which is indicative of how even ordinary people like them can wield so much power and yet be ultimately powerless to change the outcome in their favour. That was a surprisingly thought-provoking moment. The rest of the episode is primarily focused on the conflict between Roman and Shiv, with Kendall caught in the middle. All three characters are utilized fantastically with easily understood motivations that made it clear what each character was after. Roman is the simplest to understand because he's operating in pure self-interest, the way that Logan taught him to. Roman wants the GoJo deal blocked, and he is unmoving from the stance that Mencken will block the deal, so he's the right choice. Of course Mencken is his man, and so getting him in power puts Roman in a very favourable position as well, but Mencken is also the option that gets Kendall what he wants, and Roman is unafraid to use the idea of Kendall's best interests to promote Mencken. Meanwhile Shiv take a moral stance in rejecting Mencken. Of course Jimenez is her man and allows the GoJo deal to go through which she secretly wants, but Shiv hides behind morality in picking the actual good candidate instead of the fascist. Ultimately it's a case of morality vs self-interest with Shiv vs Roman, and it's Kendall who has to decide which he prefers, and he has good reason for both. Yes, he wants to be CEO at Waystar, and for that to happen, he has to block the GoJo deal and is tempted by Mencken. But with reports of his kids being bullied at school, and the idea of making an unsafe world for his children with Mencken in charge, Kendall is strongly considering the morality aspect. He wants to vote for Jimenez more than anything else, but it's just not the right business move for him. Kendall's conflict is very interesting to follow, especially considering that it's his decision that is going to result in a victory for either Roman or Shiv. And in true "Succession" fashion, the conflict is not resolved through Kendall choosing what his heart wants, or what he thinks is most important. Nope. Instead it's simple pettiness that sways Kendall's hand. He learns that Shiv betrayed them, so to get back at her he picks Mencken. Of course Kendall does the rash, short-sighted move instead of making a genuine decision, because we are still watching "Succession" after all. The execution of this reveal was fantastic (see: Best Moment), and it's very effective seeing Shiv make a critical error by trying to manipulate Kendall into thinking that Jimenez may also go for the GoJo deal. The fake phone call is a terrific plot point, and it's the mistake that leads to everything blowing up in Shiv's face. The ensuing argument between the siblings is as good as any scene between them, and it serves as an explosive and decisive resolution to the conflict that has permeated the episode, resulting in a Mencken victory. Naturally, he gives the most fascist speech imaginable after being elected that makes you really question if it was worth selecting him. In an episode all about democracy and elections, ultimately the decision was made through a spat between three siblings, and the episode is careful to remind you of the lunacy of this by the end, reflecting its political themes through the conflict between Shiv, Roman, and Kendall that we have been watching all episode. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: What can Shiv do now? She lost the election significantly, her brothers know she betrayed them, and Matsson will be displeased by how things turned out. What can she do now? It's hard to see her coming back from this. Is the GoJo deal screwed now? Will Matsson find away around Mencken blocking the deal from happening? Is Connor going to get his ambassador position, or is Mencken going to ignore him? I suspect that the latter might end up happing, poor Connor. Will Mencken becoming the President be allowed to stand? Considering how shifty the election was, I imagine that there would be an investigation of some sort. Could that lead to Mencken's downfall? Best Moment: The moment Kendall finds out about Shiv's betrayal, specifically when he's outside of the room. The acting here is phenomenal as Shiv continues her meaningless squabble with Roman while her hilariously nervous face reveals her fear as Kendall starts putting the pieces together outside the room. This was fantastic visual storytelling, and I especially love the blink-and-you-miss-it shot of Greg smiling as he walks away after telling Kendall the truth. Kendall and Roman cornering Shiv for what she did is every bit as perfect as you would expect, but it's the brief bit of visual storytelling that sets up this scene that takes the cake for me, being such a unique and awesome moment. Character of the Episode: Shiv, but everybody shines in this episode. Conclusion: A magnificent, chaotic episode that pays off the political storyline through what the show does best: conflict between the three Roy siblings. This is signature "Succession" with painful betrayals, stellar character moments, hilarious jokes, and such a disgusting view of humanity as a whole. I loved this episode, and I can't wait to see how all this wraps up in the final two episodes. Score: 78 Summary: Shiv and Tom host the pre-election party at their house. Kendall and Roman plan to go through regulatory to stop Matsson's deal, so Shiv informs Matsson and tells him to be there to stop it. Tom gets Greg to fire over a hundred employees over Zoom before the election. The siblings discuss who will speak at Logan's funeral and Roman ultimately volunteers. At the party, Kendall makes a toast for Logan as Matsson arrives. As Matsson and Shiv talk with others, rumours circulate that Tom may be fired, upsetting him. Roman tries to convince Connor to drop out so that Mencken can win, but he refuses in the end. Kendall tries to cut a deal with Nate, but Nate leaves the party. Roman and Kendall learn from Ebba that Matsson has fishy numbers in India. This leads to Kendall and Matsson having a verbal confrontation. Roman tries to apologize to Gerri but she isn't having it. Shiv and Tom talk on the balcony and get into a heated fight, finally clearing the air between them. Tom ends the party and finds himself unable to sleep.
The Good: Even though this episode is centered around a party with major political players trying to win over others, the most interesting and engaging dynamic is the simple dysfunction between Shiv and Tom. They surprisingly reunited last episode, but it's not like all of their issues are just going to disappear because of that. I like how this episode saw both characters realize this truth and gradually get more and more frustrated until it was time for them to let loose by the end of the episode. "Succession" has always had a good grasp on how humans work and that has made the development of these relationships feel so realistic. Shiv is once again on the political bandwagon and throwing Tom under the bus in ways that she just can't comprehend as betrayal. Her frustrations begin to emerge when Tom continues to remind her how she is a "scorpion" because of her actions, and with Tom continually complaining about how sleepy he is, frustrating her because she believes her problems to be more important than his. So when he prattles on and calls her out for her attempts to go upwards in the world, she fittingly has enough and is ready for a big blow-out. Add on the realization that Shiv may have picked the wrong side by joining Matsson, and she's on the verge of exploding. On the other side, Tom has been working extremely hard with the all-important election coming up, the biggest night of his career. He's exhausted and not thinking straight (Matthew Macfadyen puts in a really unique performance to convey Tom's sleep deprivation), and now he's suddenly hearing everyone talking about how he's going to be fired despite doing nothing wrong, and he again sees that Shiv is spreading these rumours and doing nothing to help him, like she always does. This combination of frustrations pushes Tom to his breaking point at the episode's climax. I found it engaging to follow both characters through the episode because their escalating frustration perfectly sets them up for what is probably the most impressive and painful fight in the entire series. The fight scene between Shiv and Tom is one of those magnificent moments of television. It's almost unbelievable to think that these two have never simply had it out with each other before this episode. They have had conversations and frustrations for sure, but never anything like this. This fight feels so monumental because it is finally paying off on everything we have watched for the last four seasons. Tom and Shiv pull out every frustration between them that we have seen throughout the series from Tom's awkward proposal in season 1 to Shiv trying to send Tom to jail in season 3. Every ugly detail is pulled out with escalating maliciousness and it is both brutal and fascinating to watch. Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen needed to bring their A-game to make this scene work, and they killed it with fantastic performances. They are both ruthless as they spit vitriol at each other, yet devastated when they take time to reflect and listen to what the other is saying. Perhaps the most impactful exchange in the whole scene is Tom telling Shiv that she would not be a good mother, which is written in such a realistic way, making it seem like Tom is going deep into his suppressed thoughts to pull out something that would hurt Shiv as much as possible. And boy does it hurt Shiv. Sarah Snook is terrific here because she doesn't back down from the argument at this point, yet makes it clear that Shiv has been badly hurt by this comment, especially considering that she is pregnant. Her retort of "well that's not a very nice thing to say, it it?" is perfect, an attempt at anger to mask the pain that she feels. The whole fight is filled with brilliant moments like this that can be deeply analyzed for the impact they have on the characters, but I would be here all day if I tried to take it all on. Overall, the scene is masterful and one of the very best in the entire show. The fallout is effective as both Tom and Shiv sleep on their own that night, with the heartbreaking clincher being Tom laying wide awake in his bed; he had wanted to sleep for the entire episode, but after what happened with Shiv, he's now painfully unable to fall asleep. The side stories don't have the same impact in this episode (see: The Bad), but they are still solid and advance the characters and the story nicely. The most significant development is Kendall and Roman's continued battle against the GoJo deal which leads to the discovery that he has exaggerated numbers in India. This was a nice twist, revealing to us that even someone as reputable as Matsson may be another rich fraud who is nowhere near as impressive as he seems. This serves to set up a great avenue for Kendall and Roman to take him down and prevent the GoJo deal from happening, and already we get to see Kendall making moves. His regulatory efforts early in the episode fall flat when Nate refuses to even hear him out, but he seems to reach Frank when he notifies him about the India numbers, and Kendall notably does seem to have more menace and leverage when he subtly spars with Matsson in front of everybody, a good scene to make use of the obvious tensions between them. Matsson's presence makes the party more entertaining in general. His entrance during a moment of silence for Logan is hilariously fitting and sets the tone pretty quickly for his role as a disruptor at this party. I got a good laugh out of his awful interactions with Ebba, and it's very amusing to see Greg ingratiate himself with Matsson by playing along with his toxic behaviour. There's also the aforementioned great confrontation between Kendall and Matsson, and one easy-to-miss joke that really got a laugh out of me when Connor tells Roman that he's going to listen to the one person who has his back and you can see an out-of-focus Matsson point at himself in the background. Matsson's presence added a lot to this party and kept things interesting. Roman spends much of the episode trying to convince Connor to drop out of the running in favour of Mencken. I wish the episode had given Roman more to do, but this storyline is fine and it serves Connor well by diving into the importance of this election to him and the importance he gives to Willa's opinions. Roman does his best to convince Connor and there are some good laughs as they usually are with these two, but eventually things fall through. Roman's most interesting scene is probably the one with Gerri where he tries to conjure up an apology to her only to be slapped in the face with the reality that he dug himself into a large hole. Gerri's ruthlessness is always a treat, and seeing her finally use Roman's dick pics as blackmail against him felt like justice. Greg has a great scene where he fires over 100 people over Zoom, being his usual awkward self. This scene is quite funny, and I like that Greg ended up using this to get Matsson's interest later in the episode. The scene serves another key purpose which is to emphasize how dirty Tom really is. Tom is able to sit back and have someone else fire an enormous number of his employees, but then he gets all pissy when he hears that he may be fired too. Tom's frustration is understandable until you remember that he afforded zero sympathy to any of the people he just had fired, a reminder that he's just as corrupt and hypocritical as the family he's married into, he's just more subtle about it. The Bad: This episode has one of the show's very best scenes in it, but that doesn't always guarantee an all-time great episode. The rest of the episode has to maintain a high quality that is complementary to the Tom/Shiv storyline for the entire episode to be fantastic, and I don't think that it accomplishes this. Typically "Succession" has been very good at making every episode stand out on its own with individual stories, cathartic moments, and fascinating character dynamics that work together to create an isolated emotional experience within each episode. However with "Tailgate Party", I felt like the side stories did not have this quality and were simply a collection of scenes that set up more interesting episodes down the road instead of being their own emotionally satisfying storyline. In the past, "Succession" has done so well to avoid its episodes feeling like transition episodes, but I think that the writers assumed that the strength of the Tom/Shiv story was enough to disguise how much transitional storytelling and how little pay-off is in this episode. Unfortunately the episode is noticeably weighed down by this and that leads to an episode that had a shot at being one of the show's very best ending up nowhere near that mark. Is this episode still good? Of course, I think it's another excellent episode, but I can't help but notice that this episode could have been so much better had there been more interesting and emotional storylines occurring around Tom and Shiv's dynamic. The Unknown: Will Jimenez or Mencken win the election? How will the result affect the plot? Is Connor going to drop out or will he stand by his guns throughout the entire election? How will Kendall and Roman use Matsson's India numbers against him? Is this an opportunity for them to fight back against the deal? Will Shiv plan to stop them? How? Is Shiv staying with Matsson, or will she jump ship to her siblings? How is the Gerri/Roman situation going to evolve? Will Gerri escalate things to ruin his reputation? Is Roman going to be able to handle doing Logan's eulogy? Best Moment: Shiv and Tom's fight scene of course. Magnificent performances from Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen made this feel all the more realistic, and the dialogue brilliantly conveyed the bottled up emotions that these characters were finally releasing. What an amazing pay-off of four seasons of storytelling. Character of the Episode: Tom. Conclusion: Another great episode, this time highlighted by that incredible Shiv/Tom scene at the episode's climax. The rest of the episode is still very good, but pales in comparison to that fantastic scene which easily steals the show. Season 4 has had a lot of great episodes, but outside of "Connor's Wedding", every episode hasn't quite hit its fullest potential despite still being very high quality. I hope that these final few episodes aren't held back by similar issues because this show has a great opportunity to conclude on a high note. Score: 72 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 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 Summary: Joan lays off one of her employees with no spine and goes to therapy where she confides in being disappointed in her relationship with her fiance Krish. She is texted by Mac, her ex, and agrees to meet with him where they kiss before she returns home. At home, she watches Streamberry with Krish and watch a new show "Joan is Awful", but the show is actually just showing Joan's daily life acted by Salma Hayek. Joan is horrified and Krish leaves her after seeing what happened with Mac. Joan tries to take legal action but realizes that it's impossible. Joan then defecates in a church in protest. Salma learns that a digital version of her is doing this and is upset, but is also unable to take legal action. She teams up with Joan and they decide to destroy Streamberry's quantum computer or quamputer that gathers data and creates these TV shows. Joan and Salma break into Streamberry and Joan is about to break it, but she learns that she's not even the original Joan she's one of the AIs produced within the quamputer. She realizes original Joan did it anyways and breaks the computer. The original Joan is placed under house arrest but has more control in her life.
The Good: The title of this episode is definitely accurate because Joan is awful and it's amusing to watch her stumble from situation to situation making everything worse and worse. There is some good comedy throughout the episode that elevates this, and while the lighthearted tone fails to create a realistic atmosphere (see: The Bad), it does provide some quality comedy that I enjoyed. Joan and Salma Hayek are fun to watch and their jokes are elevated by some spirited performances. I like the ideas being explored here. This episode is reminiscent of "Inception" with there being layers of AI within other AI, creating a complex and difficult to comprehend realm of existences all within a computer. This episode is essentially taking the idea of us all living in a simulation and running several miles with the concept. I found this to be interesting and compelling. I also liked the exploration of the control a streaming service can have over the world, and this is a clever idea for a "Black Mirror" episode. The Bad: I can't stand the lightheartedness that "Black Mirror" has used in this episode and the previous episode in season 5. This show tackles serious ideas and disturbs viewers because of how realistic its characters and world feels in each episode. When we see characters behaving like comic book characters with no realistic aspects at all. The actors get lots of comedy out of it, but they never feel like real people with real problems, and I spent the entirety of the episode being unable to take the ideas seriously because of the strange tone. By far the most immersion-breaking aspect of this episode is how nobody ever seems concerned by how the "Joan is Awful" TV show is a total disruption of personal privacy and what it could mean about corporations surveilling people's personal lives. The existence of this show should result in total paranoia, distrust, fear, and genuine anger towards people in power for allowing this to happen. Instead, the characters only care about how other people perceive them in the TV show, which is entirely unrealistic and it makes these characters feel fake at every turn. Nothing feels real because nobody acts like a real person would. I deeply dislike the terms and conditions idea. Instead of exploring realistic consequences of terms and conditions allowing for unfair surveillance of everyone living in the world, the idea is treated like a gimmick. It's implied that all legal power would be moot because of a single signature, which is laughably unrealistic, and it's a cop-out from genuinely exploring the impact that terms and conditions has on our daily lives. Most of the time "Black Mirror" handles exaggerations of real life fairly well because the concept feels like a natural extension of what currently exists in our world. The terms and conditions idea fails at this because corporations creating a TV show targeted towards individuals feels like an idea that would never even be considered, never mind implemented. The Unknown: What happened to all of the AI? Did they all just die, or were they recovered somehow? Did Joan actually stop Streamberry, or would they simply build a new quamputer? What allows Streamberry to take such control through terms and conditions? What happened in this world to make this the norm and to make this level of surveillance legal? Best Moment: I'll go with the sheer comic shock of Joan pooping in the church. Character of the Episode: Joan. Conclusion: This was a disappointing episode. It had good ideas, but the writing and execution was terrible and ruined the episode. Score: 47 Summary: Kendall is recovering from almost drowning. Logan and Roman meet with Matsson, who proposes an alteration of the deal where GoJo buys Waystar. Logan refuses but tells Roman to head back and stays to negotiate. Roman tells the others of the news. Connor is furious and has an outburst and leaves. Willa decides to commit to marrying him. Shiv and Roman begin to notice suspicious activity from Gerri, Frank, and others. Roman tells Shiv about Matsson's proposal and they tell Kendall, concerned that Logan will give the company to Matsson. Kendall is overwhelmed and confesses about killing the waiter. The three decide to confront Logan and use the clause from Logan and Caroline's divorce that gives them a vote in a change in company control to stop Logan from giving up the company. Shiv informs Tom of her plans but hasn't considered a place for him. Tom meets with Greg and convinces him to join him in making a big move. The Roys confront Logan with their plan but Logan shuts them down and reveals that he has already called Caroline and altered the terms of the divorce, having been warned prior. The Roy children lose and Logan leaves. Tom arrives and Shiv realizes that he was the one who sold them out.
The Good: "Succession" has always been a somewhat static show. The situations in the plot have typically remained the same throughout its run, but what keeps it fresh are the constantly changing character dynamics. Now, after three seasons of storytelling, "Succession" finally decides to shake things up, and finally seeing a huge change in plot dynamics is enormously effective because of how patient the show has been. By holding back such a pivotal change for three seasons, the show succeeds in making the buyout of Waystar a massive moment that we know will have significant consequences on the story. This is why "All the Bells Say" is such a successful season finale. This is the first time we have ever seen the table get completely flipped over, and that makes the deal Logan strikes with Matsson a more-than-worthy event to center a season finale around. Logan's meeting with Matsson early in the episode was gripping and fantastic. It was amusing to see him diss Roman (you stay here and play with your d*ck), only to immediately ask him to come when the other option is to take transparent, self-absorbed Shiv with him instead. The meeting with Matsson is beautifully done, and it does a terrific job to raise suspense when Logan doesn't react as viciously as we expect him to. After Roman is asked to leave, and we see that strange smile from Logan, you can't help but wonder if he's actually going to let Matsson buy his company. But surely Logan of all people wouldn't do that... right? The way that this is handled creates an exciting mystery with enormous stakes, and that makes this episode feel like a huge deal. Seeing Roman and Shiv slowly suspect that something is going on behind their backs only fuels the paranoia and the excitement, and this created one of the most thrilling and engaging premises that I have seen in a "Succession" episode. But leave it to "Succession" to continuously swerve into unexpected territory. From a fairly fast-paced and exciting storyline, we are suddenly sent sideways into one of the show's most powerful and emotional scenes yet. Kendall's confession came practically out of nowhere and floored me, especially Jeremy Strong's unbelievably good performance, conveying all of Kendall's guilt, regret, loneliness, and pain outstandingly well. The reactions from the siblings were also terrific. Shiv is caught off guard and takes the first opportunity to escape an uncomfortably intimate moment, while Roman continues to joke around and downplay things in an attempt to make Kendall feel better without making himself emotionally available. This scene brilliantly encapsulates the toxicity of the relationship between these siblings. They absolutely love each other, and they want to help each other when they need to. But because of the way they were raised and the family they were a part of, they are entirely unable to emotionally help one another and the defence mechanisms that have been developed throughout their lives are all that appear when it's time to comfort Kendall. This was fantastic stuff, and one of the very best moments in this finale. Following this, we finally get to see what I wanted to see from the very start of this show: the kids all team up to take down their monstrous father. This felt triumphant and satisfying, and I absolutely loved the way they confidently marched to Logan's room, a cathartic pay-off after these three have spent three seasons battling each other. But tragically, they were too late in banding together. If they wanted kill Logan, they needed to align with each other back in "Mass in Time of War". By this point, Logan holds all the cards and their alliance has come far too late for it to be impactful. The confrontation with Logan is thrilling. Shiv is the one who finds it the most easy to attack Logan and fight against him, Kendall is mostly observing in the background but firm with his beliefs, and Roman is absolutely shit-scared when faced against the wrath of his father. All four actors do a magnificent job here, but it's Kieran Culkin who steals the show in this scene as his voice constantly shakes and quivers as he struggles to mask his fear underneath his typical snarky exterior. Unfortunately for the Roys, Logan totally eats them up. It's disturbing to think that Logan fully knew why they had come, yet he still manipulates them and acts like a soft, caring father at the start as he tries to ease them into the deal. It's only once Logan forces them to play their hand that he unleashes that signature viciousness, smugly shouting at them as he revels in his victory. The call to Caroline was unnecessary and purely prideful, but it is still unnervingly effective. There's something so heartbreaking about seeing two parents conspire to screw over all of their children due to purely selfish motives. Caroline has thrown her kids to the dogs to please her new husband in a sick and twisted deal, and this is shattering enough as is. But it's Logan who is the real villain here. He hides behind the idea that he has earned selling this company and that his kids have to "make your own pile", which could be a fair parenting decision in some scenarios. But in this scenario, it's not at all about parenting. This is about Logan being an abusive, manipulative, terrible parent. If he really wanted them to make their own pile, he would let Shiv go on with her career, and he would let Kendall cash out of the company. What's really happening is that Logan sickly enjoys taking everything away from his children, and he delights in taking away things that they don't deserve, even though he is the one responsible for them being in this situation to begin with. Logan creates the toxic environment for his kids and delights in abusing them within it. It's clear as day in this episode that even though his kids have grown up, Logan has never let their relationship evolve past his poor treatment of them that has gone on since childhood. And if this wasn't already enough, the episode ends with a terrific twist as Tom finally turns on Shiv in the single most significant moment. I had expected that Tom would turn away from her eventually, but I never expected it to happen in such an epic betrayal that totally annihilates any chance of the Roys becoming CEO. And holy hell, is this satisfying. While I do feel bad for the Roy siblings for the abuse they have suffered, they are still fundamentally terrible people, and none of them deserve the CEO position. Tom has seen this for a long time, and he's consistently been thrown under the bus, ignored, abused, and manipulated for the last three seasons. He was a mess in the first half of this season and it looked like there was nowhere for him to go but down. But finally, Tom has taken his own self-interest into his own hands. If nobody else was going to fight for him, he was going to do it himself. The reveal that he betrayed the Roy siblings at the end of the episode is phenomenal, and Sarah Snook sells Shiv's reaction perfectly. I could totally buy into Tom doing this, especially with how Logan was the only one who seemed to appreciate the sacrifice that Tom was willing to make by going to prison. This is a great move by Tom, and it looks like he has aligned himself to be one of the best options to take over Logan's position once he retires/dies. The scene with Greg sets up this twist wonderfully, and it becomes clear what Tom is talking about on rewatch. I liked the callback to "Sporus" from "Lion in the Meadow", and it's satisfying to see these two, the best friendship in the show, end the season on top for a change. Even Connor got a fantastic moment in this episode that paid off of the story being told with him throughout the whole series. Connor has long been snubbed and overlooked by his family, and finally he breaks when he hears Kendall call himself the "eldest son". It's tough to blame Connor too, especially after learning how Connor stepped up in childhood for his siblings to create nice memories for them when their father couldn't be bothered. All that love, and this is how his siblings repay him? I felt gutted for Connor, and his outburst was a terrific moment of catharsis for the character. Though, Connor is too kind and forgiving at heart. All it takes is one piece of good news from Willa and Connor is back on top of the world and excited to invite everyone to his wedding. Connor's emotions are valid, but I suspect that it's his inability to consistently maintain anger at his poor treatment that has led to him becoming a doormat for the rest of his family. The Bad: I have to admit that Greg has started to feel a bit like filler over the past few episodes, as he becomes less interesting as he gets more and more distant with interacting with the other main characters. I didn't get much enjoyment out of his attempted flirtation with the contessa outside of the usual fun Greg moments, which are not as funny as they were before. The Unknown: Is Willa actually going to marry Connor? Surely this isn't going to go well. Is Logan actually trying to make another baby, or is this just hearsay? Could this line just be referring to the symbolic value of Logan's "new baby" being Matsson? Is Waystar going to be sold? I don't see any way that the Roy children can stop Logan now. What will become of them after this happens? Will they be able to find any significant positions in the new version of the company? I imagine that Logan would be petty enough to smash them back into the ground after their failed coup. Tom's huge betrayal was stunning, and I'm excited to see the consequences. How will this affect his relationship with Shiv? Will Logan reward him for his continued loyalty? Best Moment: The final five minutes were some of the most intense, dramatic, and fascinating minutes of television I have ever seen. What a superb, game-changing ending. Character of the Episode: It could go to anybody, but I'll give it to Kendall for the fantastic confession scene. Conclusion: This was an incredible finale to an incredible season. Every scene here was done to perfection, making this a highly satisfying climax that finally delivered on the unwritten promises of change that this season had carried within it. I'm going to struggle to find more praise for season 3 than what I've already said. I thought that this season was superb, with every episode being a winner, and there being so many phenomenal aspects of storytelling throughout. I've seen some complaints calling this season repetitive, but I strongly disagree. While the plot didn't evolve as much as expected following the season 2 finale, that was the point of the season. Kendall has a chance to change everything, but couldn't overcome his character flaws, and fell flat on his face once again. The same happened to his siblings (Roman blew his chance after finally becoming experienced enough, Shiv continues to be snubbed because Logan is misogynistic). Furthermore, to say that nothing changed is entirely untrue. The situations the characters find themselves in are similar, but what is constantly evolving in each episode is the relationships between these characters, and season 3 was the best season by far when it came to exploring the complexity within these characters and their relationships with one another. This season utilized the fact that we are familiar with these characters to put them through some terrific storylines. Tom's fear of prison, Roman finally being recognized by Logan, Shiv being constantly snubbed and ignored, and Kendall isolating himself through manic behaviour are all fantastic storylines with enormous emotional value. Add on this brilliant, game-changing finale on top of all that, and season 3 looks like a damn good season. Score: 85 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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