Summary: Kendall delivers a letter to Logan about the bear hug. Logan is furious and knows he's in a bad position. Logan informs his children, who all meet with Kendall and pressure him. Leaving the meeting, Kendall is stressed and wants to do some coke, but Stewy tells him he has none. At the wedding, Roman watches the satellite launch, but it explodes at the launch pad. Roman is terrified, but relieved when he learns that nobody died. After "winning a debate" with Gil, Connor decides that he wants to run for President. Shiv and Tom head to the bedroom and Shiv admits that she has been cheating and doesn't want a monogamous marriage. Tom is uncomfortable but accepts it. Later, with Shiv's permission, he kicks Nate out from the wedding. Kendall goes looking for coke and runs into Greg who tells him about cruise documents he has copies, and Kendall is impressed. Kendall finds a waiter who was fired by Logan and drives him to a place where he says he can find coke. However, a deer causes the car to crash in a river. Kendall escapes, but the waiter dies. Horrified, Kendall walks back to the wedding, cleans himself up, and makes appearances. The next day, Logan summons him and says he will clean everything up, but Kendall has to opt out of the bear hug. Crying, Kendall embraces his father.
The Good: Kendall has been the star of this first season, and he takes center stage in this episode too. This bear hug is a big move, and unlike the vote of no confidence where Kendall can hide behind his father's health, this is a clear betrayal of his family and Kendall has to cope with that. The confrontations with everyone are terrific. Kendall does his best to not waver and keep his calm, but the pressure is telling. Logan is as frightening as ever, and watching Kendall struggle to form words as he reverts to a childlike level of fear when facing Logan's wrath is superb stuff. The family argument later in the episode is also terrific. Logan telling his children what happened as an "advantage" to get into Kendall's head is pretty ruthless, and it led to a tense and exciting scene (that also happened to have a great joke as Connor announces his Presidential ambitions). But credit to Kendall, he kept his cool and stuck to his guns in this power play, forcing himself to make it happen. But because it's Kendall, something had to go wrong. The plan was sloppy as usual, and the opening scene hilariously shows how little was thought out. The letter being printed in the wrong place, there being no organization about who gives the letter to Logan, and Kendall yelling at his son on accident is all hysterical incompetence that's joyful to watch, and it's setting up a much bigger error from Kendall later in the episode. Kendall managed to keep his cool through all of the familial confrontations, but he needs some drugs to help cope with it all. And there's Kendall's fatal flaw creeping up again. His need for coke leads to him tracking down a poor waiter who was scolded by Logan, and a series of bad decisions later ends with Kendall crashing the waiter's car into a river, killing the waiter. This event may seem out of place at first glance, but Kendall's actions directly led to it, and the event was pivotal in the episode. The first 45 minutes were nonstop discussions that advanced the plot and satisfied character conflicts, but everything after the crash happens in near silence, carried by Jeremy Strong's superb acting. This was a tragedy, but Kendall is ultimately to blame for what happened, and this will certainly destroy his career if it gets out, similar to what the Chappaquiddick Incident did to Ted Kennedy. As such, Kendall is freaked out by the whole thing, and I absolutely love that "Succession" was so willing to slow the pace down and allow so much time for Kendall to process exactly what had happened, showing us that he understands the consequences and is horrified by them. Seeing Kendall so traumatized while trying to cover his tracks is heartbreaking, and his fear and stress while communicating with everyone afterwards is heartbreaking, especially during the dance scene with his family. I felt so bad for him, and the sheer weight of the situation allowed for me to fully empathize with a character who I've struggled to fully connect with all season. The conclusion to this episode works perfectly as a conclusion to Kendall's overall story this season. Kendall's been trying to prove himself all season as capable enough to take over from his father, but we've been shown time and time again that he's just not cut out for this. Unfortunately, it is as Logan says. Kendall is spoiled, Kendall doesn't have the experience necessary to do this job, and Kendall isn't the type of man who can handle the emotional fallout of the tough decisions that have to be made. This car crash is the ultimate example of these character flaws, and Logan is able to exploit what happened to ensure his victory over Kendall's latest, and probably final, attempt to gain power. Kendall is shellshocked after what happened, and the fear follows him. There's a marvelous shot where one of Logan's men comes to get Kendall and Kendall stands there frozen, looking like a little kid who has just been caught doing something wrong. He's shut down, and he's scared, and he doesn't know what will happen next. Logan uses this to his advantage and in a fantastic final scene he manipulates Kendall into rejoining the family and moving on together with his father. It's unclear how much of this is genuine and how much of this is manipulation on Logan's part, but what's important is that Kendall believes what is said, and the simple act of his father offering an embrace is all it takes for Kendall to revert to tears, letting out all of the pain he currently feels. These tears have been waiting all season, not just from the tragedy in this episode, and this is Kendall finally recognizing the fact that he just isn't cut out for this and that he needs his father's help to get out of the mess he's made for himself. It's so heartbreaking, so powerful, and so well told. The other characters don't hit this same level of phenomenal storytelling, but their stories are all very entertaining and impactful. Shiv and Tom finally get to clear the air and have that emotional conversation they've been long overdue. Setting it up are some great scenes at their wedding as everyone gives sappy speeches, but the tension of Shiv's affair remains. And as Tom and Shiv prepare for their wedding night, the tension finally breaks and Shiv reveals her desire to be non-monogamous. It has been sitting there in plain sight all season, and now finally Shiv talks about it, and Tom has to contend with if he can handle this reality. The performances in this scene are terrific, and both characters effectively express the complexity of emotions that one would feel in this situation. And we arrive at the sensible conclusion too. And by sensible, I don't mean the ideal conclusion for the characters, but the realistic one. Tom and Shiv should probably be finished after this, but because Tom so desperately wants this to work, he works with Shiv and conforms to her will. It's sad, it's real, and it's brilliantly executed. At least the episode doesn't end on the sad aspect of this conclusion, as we get a fantastic follow-up scene where Tom finally shows some spine by kicking Nate out of the wedding. That scene is fantastic, and something I never knew I needed. Nate has been so scummy, so it's delightful to see Tom take full control over him, using his power to force Nate out. I loved the scene, and I appreciate the little nod of respect between Greg and Tom afterwards. Greg did not get as much screen-time as I expected in this episode, but his big scene with Kendall made a lasting impact. I've been suspecting that Greg is more calculating than we expected, and this episode absolutely confirmed that. I completely missed Greg copying documents back in "I Went to Market", but he did, and now he's using it to his advantage to try to make his way upwards in the company. Much like Kendall, I was impressed by Greg's unexpected power play. Greg has no enemies, nobody takes him seriously, and he has every chance to continue his rise. Roman didn't have a major role in this episode, but he had what may have been the funniest storyline in the entire season. I've barely mentioned it in previous episodes because it was never relevant, but Roman just could not shut up about how he was in charge of the satellite launch in Japan, and how he was accelerating the release date. He bragged about it at every turn, and it was clear that this was the one actual job he was doing at Waystar Royco. So what happens? In an incredible moment of black comedy, we watch as Roman watches the launch alone in the bathroom only for the rocket to dramatically explode, his one job ending in a colossal failure. The moment is absolutely hilarious, and made better by Roman figuratively and literally washing his hands of the whole incident immediately after. Roman is silent afterwards, and it's so funny to see him go from bragging to avoiding all discussion on the topic, ignoring the issue, knowing that he's screwed. And to add on to Roman's stupidity, there are plenty of emails tracing back to his negligence, and it doesn't help that he's told absolutely everyone what he's done, destroying any shot at plausible deniability. Man, watching this family be completely incompetent at everything never gets old. Luckily for Roman, things work out for him, and his story ends with a fantastic line as Roman gives the incredible line "guess who didn't kill anybody but maybe just lost a couple of thumbs; this guy!". Comedy at its finest. Connor remains in a background role, which is where he's been all season. But that's fine when he's so incredibly funny whenever he's on screen. Connor is so delusional and lives in his own reality, and never is that more clear than when he claims that he wants to run for President of the Untied States. His entire thought process, his "debate" with Gil, and pretty much every conversation he gets into is really funny, and Connor has been perhaps the most reliable source of comic relief throughout the first season. He's hardly been important to the main plot, but the entertainment value he provides is enormous. The Bad: I found the conversation between Shiv and Nate to be confusing, and I'm not sure what exactly they were talking about. Even after rewatch, I couldn't figure out what was going on. I might be missing something, but I still think that the dialogue could have, and probably should have, given us more context as to what was happening. The Unknown: Is Connor actually going to run for President? I can only imagine the laughs that would bring, so I hope he goes through with it! Will Greg's important copies come into play later? How will he get utility out of them? Is Greg allied with Kendall now? Kendall was quite impressed with Greg's plays. Shiv tells Tom that she was a mess when they hooked up. Why? What happened to her before? How did this relationship start exactly? Will Kendall ever oppose his father again? How will Stewy and Sandy react to Kendall backing out? What will be their next move? Will Kendall ever face consequences for the car accident? How much of Logan's compassion at the episode's end was real? Did he genuinely feel fatherly protective instinct for his son, or did he just manipulate Kendall entirely only to mitigate the threat he posed? Best Moment: We're spoiled for choice, but I have to give it to the sheer emotional release of Kendall crying in his father's embrace, a culmination of 10 episodes of storytelling. That it's unclear how much, if any, of this emotion from Logan is real just adds to the brilliance of the scene. Character of the Episode: Kendall. Conclusion: A lot came together for "Succession" in this season finale. Not only is this the best episode of the season, but it's where the show finally sunk its hooks into me. I've become invested in the character dynamics at play, and I was fascinated by so much of what went on in this episode. This was a big success of a season finale. Season 1 of "Succession" was rough going for a decent amount of its run, but by the end it definitely won me over. Starting a TV show strong with an engaging hook and compelling characters is an art that I find is often overlooked in modern TV shows. So many shows nowadays don't put in effort to suck in viewers in the first episode, and "Succession" is one such show. And it's a real shame, because with where season 1 went, this actually looks like it's going to be a great show if handled correctly. The first five episodes struggled a lot to engage me, and I found myself being tired out by how horrible everyone was, especially since I didn't know much about these people. But starting with episode 6, I started to get more into the series, and as we learned more about the characters, I got more interested in what was going on. It all culminated in this excellent season finale, and now I can safely say that I'm invested in the show. It's just a shame to me that so many people will likely stop watching the show due to the weak first few episodes, missing the good stuff that comes in the back half of the season. Every Roy character ultimately won me over. I still despise them all, and I'm impressed by the ambition to run a TV show with zero likeable characters, but I find these characters to be very interesting and compelling now. Logan is a monster, but his complicated relationship with his children is so fascinating to watch. Kendall, Shiv, Roman, and Connor are all awful people, but they deal with unique struggles, and I enjoy seeing their bad choices completely blow up the world around them. Then there's Tom and Greg, the standouts of the season. They definitely aren't good people, but they are so funny and entertaining to watch that you can't help but root for them. Overall, I enjoyed this first season. It took time to get going, especially due to the show's struggle with introducing the story and characters in an interesting way, but it found its way in the end. Score: 73
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Summary: The Roys and Tom's family arrive in England for Tom and Shiv's wedding. Shiv is trying to get information from Tom about the cruise to use against Logan. Kendall meets with Stewy about their alliance and is worried he is going to be cut out. Kendall confides with Frank for advice. Tom meets Nate and becomes suspicious of Shiv. He pulls her aside and they open up to each other. Shiv says she is not cheating and Tom tells her about the cruise. Logan decides to come to the wedding and arrives late. Shiv threatens to release the cruise information unless Logan stops bringing up Gil's wife. Logan and Gil end up making a deal. Sandy phones in to talk with Kendall and says that they have been contacted by a reporter, likely because of Frank. He urges Kendall to accelerate the plan to that weekend at Shiv's wedding.
The Good: This is a good concept for an episode. Much like "Austerlitz", this benefits from assembling the entire cast at one location, setting up dynamic and exciting character interactions and exploring the characters in unique ways. The wedding setting is an engaging set-up for secrets and schemes to come out, and there is some suspense created by Logan's impending arrival. While not the most intense or exciting episode, this is a good setting for an episode filled with dealings and machinations. The tension between Shiv and Tom is the definite highlight here, providing a meaningful emotional crux to structure the episode around. Poor Tom is being completely abused by Shiv here. Shiv is cheating on him and going to every length to hide this from him, lying openly to his face and manipulating his good-heartedness. Tom even asks her if they should call off the wedding, but Shiv refuses that too. Tom gives her every out in the event that she needs it, but her persistence convinces the poor guy that she's still all-in on this relationship. It's devastatingly sad to see Tom buy into this and in the name of "trust", divulge sensitive information that Shiv has been trying to manipulate him into giving up to her so she can use it for her own means, ignoring the risk that it will pose to Tom's career. This is awful from Shiv, who spends the day before her wedding scheming and plotting instead of preparing for what should be the biggest moment of her life. Tom is excited to be married and spends the day agonizing over his relationship with Shiv, while Shiv spends her day making moves in her career by blackmailing her father and Gerri to get what she wants, while fending off Nate's advances (he's still amusingly the absolute worst). There's some extra disgust created by Sarah Snook's acting as it's clear that Shiv is also fighting off her own temptation to cheat at her own wedding. This is ruthless and horrible from Shiv, and it contrasts in a very sad way with poor Tom, who just wants to focus on the wedding. The real kicker comes at the end of the episode when Greg comes to Tom with further proof of Shiv's cheating, and Tom is too scared to even hear him out because he doesn't want to believe that Shiv would use him like that (see: Best Moment). These two seem to be on route to disaster in their relationship, and it is quite sad to see. This episode has a surprisingly tragic aspect to it. Kendall is currently plotting against his family, and by the episode he learns that he's going to have to betray everybody at the wedding, which could potentially destroy his relationship with everyone. The episode brilliantly utilizes this opportunity to have a moment of family closeness between Kendall, Shiv, and Roman, highlighting that despite their character flaws, this family has a genuine bond between them that is continually put on the line by each character's attempts at pursuing power. This added an unexpected air of tragedy, and I wonder if the show will play into this aspect in the season finale. The rest of Kendall's story is quite good. He is still doing drugs, and this leads into a brilliant scene where Kendall lashes out at Rava, after she offers support to him knowing that he's doing drugs again. Kendall is far gone from his family at this point, and it's clear that his outburst is the frustration coming out, frustration at his failing family life and frustration over the betrayal that he's going to have to do soon. Kendall is still Kendall of course; he agonizes over the idea of this betrayal, and he continues to make rookie mistakes that make his life difficult, like confiding in Frank for no real reason. There are plenty of other interactions that consist of the rest of the episode and offer some entertainment. Logan's arrival leads to some very good moments of dialogue. Logan and Gil's verbal sparring is quite fun to watch and they have a couple of nice scenes together. It's clear that Logan is much more experienced in this department, and he always comes off as the man with greater control over the situation. Shiv's machinations lead to some great confrontations with Marcia and Gerri, two very well written and well acted scenes. Greg continues to bring the laughs whenever he is around, and I liked his interactions with Caroline, who calls him "Greg egg". Caroline doesn't make a huge impression in this episode in terms of political plays, but she's amusing and politely vicious in a way similar to Olenna from "Game of Thrones", asking everybody how long she thinks the marriage will last. The Bad: Nothing I would call outright bad. This episode is mostly table-setting for the season finale outside of the Shiv/Tom stuff, so it gets hurt by being a set-up episode. The Unknown: Did Frank leak what he learned from Kendall to Gerri? Kendall's very naive to think that Frank is purely sticking by him. What did he tell her, and what did Gerri do? Will Kendall be able to go through with the takeover at Shiv's wedding? This will surely damage his relationship with his family badly, possibly even permanently. Will Logan honour the deal with Gil? Shiv appears to have outmanoeuvred him completely, and Logan isn't the kind of man to simply take that. Will he somehow blow this all up in Shiv's face? Is Tom going to turn a blind eye on Shiv's cheating? Can he live with this? Is the knowledge going to eat away at him? Will this ruin their relationship? Is Shiv going to keep seeing Nate? Why did Logan give Kendall a job offer? What is his angle? Roman isn't having sex with Tabitha either. Is he asexual? Best Moment: Greg tells Tom what he saw, but Tom is absolutely not hearing it. Poor Tom just really wants this relationship to work, and is terrified to think that Shiv would lie to him so convincingly. Tom goes to every extent to not hear what Greg has to say and is neck-deep in denial by this point. It's so sad to see, and beautifully acted by Matthew Macfayden. Character of the Episode: Tom. Conclusion: Another solid episode of dealings and character interactions. "Succession" hasn't fully captured my interest yet, but it has started to produce fairly consistent television. Score: 66 Summary: Kendall is doing a new business venture and meets with girls and gets a deal. Stewy convinces Roman to move Tom's bachelor party to a nightclub so he can meet with Sandy Furness. Roman agrees and takes all the guys there. Greg meets with Logan who asks him to make sure Kendall doesn't overdose. Tom tries to get the stones to have sex but keeps anxiously calling Shiv, who is working with Gil. The suicide of Gil's wife is exploited by Logan on TV. Shiv later meets with Logan who tries to buy her off. Shiv refuses and Logan threatens her and later pulls out of attending her wedding. At the nightclub, Tom eventually gets with a girl and Greg ends up doing drugs to stop Kendall from doing them. Kendall meets Stewy and meets with Sandy who is looking to buy his share. Kendall refuses but ultimately decides to partner with Sandy to take down his father. His personal business venture fails and Kendall tells Frank to tear down the girls by spreading rumours.
The Good: This is possibly the funniest episode yet, thanks mostly to Tom and Greg as usual. The nightclub setting is a fun location for engaging dealings to occur, but it's Greg and Tom on their own adventures who delight the most. Greg is hyper-focused on his one job to protect Kendall, and it's really fun to watch his snort coke and regret everything while trying to accomplish his mission. Meanwhile Tom's overthinking is consistently hilarious, and he steals the show with some fantastic scenes where he described finally getting sexually active only to reveal he swallowed his own load, and another great moment as he celebrates the sight of Greg doing cocaine. These two characters are always amusing to watch, and they allow me to still engage with the show in spite of how fundamentally unlikeable the characters are. Connor is closely behind them in terms of comedy, and he has some great moments in this episode, particularly his 9/11 questions and the fact that he seems to tell every girl he sees "I love you". I imagine there's probably some trauma hidden behind this, but for now it's amusing to watch. On the plot side of things, there are interesting dealings happening here as Kendall meets with Stewy and Sandy to form an uneasy alliance. I feel for Roman in all of this because he thinks he's the top dog here, when really he is being used by Stewy to get to Kendall. It's sad to see Roman sabotage Tom's bachelor party only to get absolutely nothing out of it since Kendall was Sandy's goal, never Roman. Back to Kendall, he had a solid story setting up his decision to ally with Sandy. We see Kendall trying a separate business venture, and he's surprisingly good at this stuff. He was dire while working at Waystar Royco, but he seems to be enjoying himself more in this new role. Unfortunately for him, the Roy name haunts him and is preventing him from ever truly succeeding with this new job. So Kendall embraces the Roy within him by annihilating the girls he was just working with using tactics eerily similar to Logan, and he decides to screw over his family and find another way to inherit the company. This story was told solidly, and watching some backroom business deals get made is always intriguing to watch. Shiv is growing on me, especially with how she has the courage to act out against her father, something her brothers entirely lack. Shiv impressively sees through Logan's flattery and is able to get to the heart of their meeting. Logan is perturbed by Gil Eavis and is actively trying to shut him down, and that means he has to deal with Shiv as well. But Shiv calls him out, and it looks like Logan has gone with a more sinister plan B to take her down by potentially revealing her affair, which doesn't bode well (see: The Unknown). Shiv can feel the pressure too, as she goes from happily having sex with Nate to having a quiet night with him, clearly unnerved by what has happened. It can be easy to feel bad for Shiv considering her situation and the strength she shows, but it's important to remember that she is cheating on Tom and doesn't feel bad about it, and she's no better than the rest of her scum family. Perhaps it's a weakness of this show that its characters are difficult to root for, but at the very least they are all proving to be complicated in their own ways. Lastly, I'll praise the use of setting in this show. Every episode in this first season has had a different central location, and this allows every episode to feel fresh, unique, and visually cinematic. There are some lovely shots here and the night club setting is used effectively. Add on the uniqueness of Austerlitz in the previous episode, and I've been very impressed by the visual style in this show. The Bad: This episode is funny and has good plot progression, but it doesn't do enough to prevent it from feeling like a transitional episode setting up Kendall's next moves against his father. There are plenty of things to enjoy here, but it never feels like we're watching particularly meaningful television. The Unknown: How will Kendall's alliance with Sandy go? Will they be able to bring down Logan together? Will Kendall be able to commit? Will Sandy stick to the alliance or betray Kendall? Why did Logan tell Greg to take care of Kendall? What was the motivation behind that? Why Greg? Why is Logan looking out for Kendall now? Why is Greg looking for a lateral shift? Is he really so perturbed by Tom, or is there more to this? What does Logan know about Shiv? Does he know about her affair? Is he planning on revealing her affair at her wedding? Why isn't he going to the wedding now? What's his plan? Will Roman realize that Sandy is not actually interested in their dealings? Or is he not going to pick up on it? Best Moment: Tom telling the story about how he swallowed his own load really made me laugh. This was the most hilariously fitting way that Tom's misadventures could have ended. What a goofball. Character of the Episode: Tom. Conclusion: This was a unique and funny episode. While there isn't much outright special about it, I had fun watching this. Score: 64 Summary: Public image on Logan is bad so he decides to do a family therapy session at Connor's ranch and invites everyone. Shiv, and Roman arrive but Kendall ignores the email. Kendall is currently suing the company. After rumours of him returning to drugs leak online, Kendall decides to go but gets sidetracked in a bar and ends up doing drugs. The family therapy doesn't go well as Logan is unwilling to properly dig into things. The therapist ends up losing teeth in a pool accident and leaves prematurely. Shiv takes the opportunity to take Nate's opportunity and meet with Gil Beavis, becoming his strategist. Upon returning, Logan is unimpressed and fights with her. Roman goes to pick up Kendall and brings him back. Kendall gets involved as well and Shiv leaves crying after Tom is insulted. The family leave the ranch.
The Good: The premise of this episode is terrific and addresses one of my biggest problems with this show so far: the lack of clear character dynamics. With a family gathering and forced therapy session, this is a perfect opportunity for us to get a good feel of the relationships between all of the characters, especially involving Logan who I feel we hadn't gotten a good chance to understand up until now. The family therapy scene is great and highlights perfectly how monstrous Logan is, and how his children feel about that. The tension in that room is palpable, and the discussions are indicative of the family's troubles. Shiv, Roman, and Connor are all feeling defensive and almost scared in their discussion, with each character's actions informing us about how they feel about their father. Shiv is tired and frustrated by Logan, clearly after many arguments with him in the past. Connor has distanced himself in an effort to stay happy, with his solution to family trouble being avoidance. And Roman is weak and timid like he was in the last episode, terrified to even speak up. All three of them are scared of their father, and the therapy session makes it clear why that is. Logan is not even willing to accept any wrongdoing of any kind, and doesn't care at all about the mental health of his kids. It's all about how he does things, and we're quickly shown why his children are so jaded and afraid when we see how quickly Logan's temper flares up over the tiniest of problems, and how narrow-minded he is. He doesn't even attempt to work with the therapist, and when a hilarious accident happens and the therapist loses his teeth, Logan dismisses him entirely, calling him an idiot, and once again convinces himself that everyone in the world is an idiot except for him. I say once again because this episode makes it clear that Logan's behaviour is a repeated pattern, and I'm sure that this narcissistic, stubborn dismissal of others has been something that Logan's children have had to put up with for their entire lives. So many interactions fleshed out the main characters for us. Shiv had the stand-out episode here as we finally get insight into her frustrations with her father, and we get to see every other aspect of the character brought to light. Shiv's frustration with her father is palpable in every scene, and it's likely what led to her ignoring the family business to get into politics. We also get more depth on her relationship with Tom through Logan's scathing appraisal that she's only with him because he'll never betray her, and through Shiv's desire for romantic affection with Nate (who remains a fun-to-watch scumbag). Further, a car ride early in the episode continues a pattern between Shiv and Tom where one asks the other for their input, only for quick affirmation and redirection of the conversation to something else. They're both too absorbed with their own problems to acknowledge the other's problems, and I bet that this will cause friction between them. I quite enjoyed seeing more of Shiv and Roman's relationship, which seems to be the most fun within the family. Despite tensions between them, they get back to ribbing each other quickly. Their dynamic is fun and it's clear that they have a deep bond. Roman had a surprisingly tender episode as we get to see more of what's in his heart. He's happy to have received some work from his father, who appears to maybe have something of a soft spot for him, but he is somebody who puts family first. After betraying Kendall last episode due to his own cowardice, it's sweet to see Roman dropping everything to help get Kendall away from the drugs in an attempt to genuinely help his brother through a dark time. This is heavy stuff, and it effectively reveals more about these characters. Lastly, there's Connor who remains fairly fun. He has some curious dynamics with Willa (see: The Unknown), but outside of that he mostly serves as comic relief. A lot of what Connor says is funny and misses the point, so I enjoy watching him. Poor Kendall is really suffering in this episode. Having lost his job and his family after Rava and his kids believe rumours of his abuse, Kendall literally had nothing to lose. It's no wonder that he went back to drugs; everyone else believes it so he might as well get the enjoyment out of it. The methheads are fun characters, and it's sad to see Kendall find such serenity after going back to a habit he worked so hard to kick. Kendall no longer cares about anything, and I'm curious to see where he will go now that he feels so adrift. The Bad: This show doesn't do a great job of establishing situations and providing us with the necessary information to follow along. This has been a problem all season long, and I'll highlight one specific example from this episode. I spent too much of the early parts of this episode confused as to where Kendall was, what he's been doing, and what his apparent lawsuit was about. It wasn't until halfway through the episode that I actually found out that there was a lawsuit for breach of contract when I really should have learned this information much earlier. If the premise of the episode is that the family is broken, we should understand what is driving the family apart from the beginning, and this lawsuit is a significant part of what is driving them apart, so it's criminal not to tell us more information about it. Not knowing about the lawsuit has a ripple effect into other storylines too. For example, I never suspected that Logan would have planted a story about Kendall's drug use because I could not have known how it would benefit Logan until I learned about Kendall's lawsuit. This made it confusing to me why Shiv and Roman would think that Logan planted those stories because I did not know what they knew. The most interesting drama about this story is the question of if Logan planted these stories or not, and I was never even asking the question until it was too late, stripping away much of what makes this story interesting. This is just one example of how the show does not establish its storylines effectively, and there have been several cases of this throughout this first season. The stories are very good and well written, I just hope that they get translated to us better. I miss Greg. The Unknown: Why did Kendall decide to do drugs again? What pushed him over the edge? Did it have something to do with the story about Connor? What repercussions will he face for his return to drug use? Is Shiv actually betraying her family by working for Gil Eavis? Why did she decide to do this? Is it just for Nate? Did she have sex with him? Will she cheat on Tom? Connor reacted weirdly to Karolina, do they have some sort of history together? Is Willa going to use Connor for her own goals? I can't imagine this relationship lasting much longer. Who was Logan's uncle? Was he also abusive? The end of the episode revealed some scars on Logan's back, were these done by his uncle? What was Logan's upbringing like? Best Moment: The absolute mess of an argument that happened at the episode's climax was great. Shiv's disbelief at Logan, Logan's fury and hateful words, and Kendall's ambivalent comments combined to perfectly show us how dysfunctional this family really is. Character of the Episode: Shiv. Conclusion: This was a very good episode that finally pulled back the curtain on the Roy family and allowed me to connect with these characters much more than what I had been allowed in the first six episodes. I get the sense that we may have turned a corner with what this episode accomplished, and I hope that there is some good stuff in store for the rest of the season. Score: 68 Summary: Logan goes to visit the President, but believes he's been snubbed when the President says he has a terrorism problem to deal with. Kendall and Roman continue to secure support for the vote of no confidence. Roman meets with Lawrence that night and wins over his support. Kendall is invited to meet Logan and fears that he knows, but it's only a social visit. Tom decides to treat Greg at a good restaurant. Greg has dinner with Ewan beforehand and learns that Ewan intends to go to the meeting. He tells Tom, who informs Kendall. Shiv meets with Nate and is convinced to leave her client to join in on supporting Gil, Nate's client. There is sexual tension between them but nothing happens. The next day, Kendall flies out to Long Island to win over Ilona's support for the meeting, but is unable to return due to the terrorist attack and has to drive back. The meeting starts and the vote of no confidence begins. Without Kendall's presence, Logan stays in the room and intimidates several people to stay quiet, including Roman. The vote of no confidence falls through and Logan fires Kendall, Frank, Asha, and Ilona who all voted for it.
The Good: Watching the night before the vote was more engaging than I expected. This vote has been built up as a big deal, so knowing that we were on the verge of seeing it made me invested in seeing how it all happens. It's engaging to see Kendall and Frank outline all of the votes so we can actually follow what's going on. It's important that we understand the importance of each vote, and exactly who is being counted on during the meeting. Watching the arrangements the night before makes it all clear to us, setting up the board meeting in an exciting way. Furthermore, we do get some lovely character moments, which I wish we could see more of in this show (see: The Bad). Roman showed a new side of him when he met with Lawrence by making a surprisingly effective pitch, showing an understanding of his own strengths and weaknesses and buttering up Lawrence at the same time. Roman has come off as an idiot for much of this season, so it's nice to finally see what some of his better qualities are. Unlike Kendall, Roman has significant people skills and an understanding of what others bring to the table. Kendall gets an unexpected call from his father to visit, and I was surprised to see that it was just for a social visit. This brief interaction between Logan and Kendall was quite good, and it fittingly planted some guilt in Kendall who was reminded of the relationship with his father that he will likely lose after the vote of no confidence. Also on this night, we get some solid enough side stories with Tom, Greg, and Shiv. Tom treating Greg to a high quality restaurant is fun (especially as Tom disses CPK), and informs us of Tom's character, showing what he thinks of being rich. He lives in his own little bubble and doesn't see the bigger picture. But he does seem to genuinely care about Greg. That he takes Greg with him to celebrate is touching in a way and informs us that Tom does feel some sort of connection with him, even if he does immediately throw Greg under the bus at every turn. Greg continues to be interesting, and I suspect he's more cunning than he lets on. He notably only told Tom about the information he got from Ewan after it would serve to benefit him. Shiv continues to feel a bit too distant from the main story, but we learn more about her in this episode, specifically with her relationship with Nate. It looks like Shiv will have to contend with the idea that Tom may be too docile for her, and there may be a temptation for her to cheat on him. It's nice to see Shiv finally heading somewhere after being stagnant for most of the season. Everything builds up to the board meeting, and the pay-off is tremendous. The sequence is structured perfectly as everything falls apart for Kendall. All of the best laid plans go awry because of Kendall's poor decision-making, and the result is Kendall fumbling his best shot to take over the company. I appreciate how much of what happened is Kendall's fault from his poor decision-making to visit Ilona in person, to the subtle detail of him dismissing a terrorist threat earlier in the episode only for it to screw over his plans later in the episode. I also like that the show establishes the significance of Kendall's tardiness as a point is made how Logan never arrives late to a board meeting. Yet now Kendall wants to take over and is tardy when it comes to showing up to the meeting where he wants to take over? That's an awful look, and the episode makes it clear why this is a big deal. Kendall's absence also results in a clear lack of leadership, allowing Logan to remain in the room, and creating uncertainty that loses the votes of Stewy and Lawrence, and it results in Roman cowering under the pressure of his father (a fantastic moment that offers us a glimpse at how small Roman feels underneath his joking demeanor). This group of people needed a leader, they didn't get one, and the result is the single possible outcome where Kendall loses. We've watched Kendall's incompetence for 6 episodes now, and this conclusion for him is absolutely fitting from what we have seen. The sequence captured suspense nicely as well. Kendall's plans were well made so it was tough to figure out if the vote would work or not, and Kendall's lateness mixed with Logan's hate-filled remarks added a lot of suspense. The Bad: I'm still not fully into the show and its characters. Seeing how this episode went, I think the biggest issue so far has been a lack of character interactions that inform us about the relationships between characters. This show is all about the Roy family, yet we've seen precious little about how all of the Roys interact with one another and what they think of each other. Logan has only extensively interacted with Kendall, and we've hardly seen him with the other kids. Meanwhile the kids don't even interact with each other all that much, and I'm uncertain about how close they are and how I should feel about them. For example, Kendall gets fired and we see several characters hearing the news. Yet I'm uncertain about how they feel about this because I don't know how they feel about Kendall, making these scenes fall flat. After six episodes all of the important character relationships should have been established for us, yet they have not been and the show suffers because of that. This episode had some nice character moments like Roman balking to Logan, but these moments are too few in number to make us care about the characters and their conflicts. I need to see more family dynamics for big events like this vote of no confidence to mean more to me. The superfluous nature of the side stories rears its ugly head once again. This episode could have been great had it been entirely focused on the vote of no confidence. I was thoroughly engaged in this story and I found it to be compelling for a standalone episode. What's the issue? The issue comes whenever the story veered off to check on other characters. Tom and Greg have been a really fun aspect of the show, but I struggled to care about their misadventures when such a big event was looming on the horizon. The same goes for Shiv, whose inner conflict and plot-related conflict were not engaging for me considering what else was happening in the episode. Any time the episode cut away from the A-story, I found myself itching to get back and caring very little about what was happening on-screen. The Unknown: What happens next after the firing? I'm sure that losing half of the board will be an enormous loss for the company, and it's bound to make an impact. Who will replace the existing members? What's next for Kendall? He's practically a nobody now. What's his next move? Where does he go next? Will he try to find a place back at Wayster Royco? I'm sure that Logan won't have any big plans for Roman after what happened. Will he be demoted now? How is Logan going to handle him? Why are Tom and Shiv together exactly? How did they meet? What did they see in each other? The show has been very vague in telling us why they are together. Will Shiv cheat on Tom in the future? Will we see Shiv getting involved in the company after what happened? She was very upset to have been kept out of the loop. Best Moment: The entire vote sequence is fantastic. From Logan slowly realizing what's going on and refusing to budge, to everyone's awkwardness due to Kendall not being there, and to Logan dressing down everybody who goes against him, this sequence captivated at every turn and created a memorable setpiece that was thrilling to watch unfold. Character of the Episode: Logan. Conclusion: Certainly the best episode so far, and a very unpredictable and intense experience. The show still has to iron out some issues before it can ascend to a higher quality, but this is a step in the right direction. Score: 67 Summary: Marcia invites Ewan, Logan's brother, to Thanksgiving. Greg picks him up and brings him back for Thanksgiving. Logan decides that he wants to buy local TV despite Roman and Kendall not wanting it. After Logan insults Roman and threatens to demote Kendall back to his old job, they decide to come up with a plan to get him our of power. Kendall meets with Frank and prepares a plan to make a vote of no confidence. At Thanksgiving, Ewan arrives and fights with his brother again at dinner. Ewan leaves and Kendall gives him his offer. Ewan refuses him and leaves. Tom needs to bury the information about the cruises and sends Greg to do the job at the office. Greg does so successfully. Tom has his lawyer, who is his mother, check the pre-nuptial contract presented to him by Shiv. The family plays I Went to Market and Logan accidentally hits Kendall's son. Gerri talks to Kendall having heard him with Ewan, offering to join in on his plan.
The Good: This episode starts to move the narrative forwards as Kendall and Roman begin to turn on Logan, looking to secure their own future ahead of his. I like that this is done under the guise of doing "what's good for Logan". However, Logan seems perfectly lucid in his decisions, and a couple lapses in awareness are what Kendall and Roman latch onto to justify their plan to remove their father. When in reality, it's clear that they are doing this because of how Logan is treating them. Roman is annoyed to be openly insulted by his father, and Kendall is angered by the possibility of being sent back to his old job. The characters we watch remain self-absorbed schemers, and it's a bold choice to have everyone be so thoroughly unlikable. The Thanksgiving dinner is a good event to structure the episode around. This also gives us a good excuse to meet Ewan, who we have heard about for a few episodes, and now we get to see who he is. Ewan's presence makes the dinner wonderfully awkward, and it's engaging to see what will happen between Logan and Ewan. Their inevitable arguments and sparring steal the show, and it's impressive that we're able to get a perfect idea of their relationship without hearing a single line of exposition. This show hasn't always been good at introducing characters, but it did very well here. Ewan is a lot of fun to watch as he's a very different kind of bitter old man, and it's amusing to see him diss Logan, but also his own family. Kendall thought he had a chance when he tried to recruit Ewan to his side, but as usual he has grossly misjudged him. I got a laugh out of Ewan's viper metaphor, an intense moment of dialogue, leading into a joke when Greg corrects that it is boa constrictors that suffocate you, not vipers. The rest of the Thanksgiving dinner is just as compelling even when Ewan leaves. I'm glad that we get to see what a family event looks like now that I have a better idea of who each character is. The character interactions are much more rich and entertaining, making it clearer what this family dynamic is. These interactions further cement the characterization of the characters as well, and finally I'm starting to feel like I know who these characters are and what to expect from them. The fun family setting has some pretty funny moments (Grace thanking Roman sarcastically, Willa being thankful for being welcomed only to be met with awkward silence, Connor's awkward announcement, etc.), but it builds up nicely to a pretty scary moment when Logan accidentally hits Kendall's son. This is a pretty horrifying scene, and Kendall and Rava's reaction suggests to me that Logan has had a history of violence/abuse before, which could add further layers to this moment, as well as Logan's persistence that Iverson join them for dinner despite him dealing with what is most likely to be some degree of autism. Greg and Tom continue to be the most entertaining thing about this show. Their dynamic is really fun to watch, and these two provide the most consistent laughs throughout the episode. Greg's drive home with his grandfather is amusing, and it's so much fun seeing Greg's timid awkwardness in every scene. The disastrous phone call with Tom was the funniest moment of the episode, and I got a chuckle out of how Tom immediately called Greg after being told to use somebody expendable. Greg's trip to the office is a lot of fun, watching him bumble around, realizing that he's being set up to fall in case anything goes wrong. The fact that Greg is accidentally high through all of this makes it even funnier, as does the fact that the poor guy just can't seem to catch a break without somebody telling him to go somewhere or do something. I love watching Greg and Tom's antics, and I'm looking forward to see what they get up to next. The Bad: There is still too much going on in each episode. This is preventing the show from having good standalone episodes because all of the good stuff is diluted throughout a myriad of storylines, with each episode having at least a couple plot threads that are confusing, uninteresting, or questionable in relevance. Most aspects of this episode centered around Thanksgiving, Ewan, and Tom/Greg's story worked, but we also have so many other plot threads that get lost in the shuffle and make this episode feel bloated and poorly paced. A lot of this is because "Succession" has so far spent far too much time suggesting character details instead of actually showing us character details. A good example is Connor and Roman's story. The amount of time spent with Connor and Roman's love life with Willa and Grace felt like a bit of a waste because both love interests are boring characters and don't answer enough of the pressing questions I have about Connor and Roman (see: The Unknown). Add on some plot fluff with a random turkey movie, and Connor's confusing arrangement with Willa and there is just too much. Imagine how much easier it would be to enjoy this show if we spent this time actually learning about Connor and Roman in the way that we learned about Tom and Greg. Wouldn't the show be much more gripping if that were the case? Then there's more suggestions of Tom's relationship with Shiv without confirming anything to us, further suggestions of Kendall's strained family life, Marcia's intentions with the random introduction of Amir, and so much more. These suggestions are too much and distract a lot from the good stuff that we get throughout the episode. You could argue that they are here to build mystery and intrigue, but I'm not invested enough in these plot threads for that mystery to be compelling. The show needs to introduce the story and characters before building intrigue like this. The Unknown: Is Logan capable of making decisions himself? The show suggests this idea, but it is never clear if his decision-making has been skewed or if he's always been like this. Will Ewan continue to play a role in this show? Or will he remain in Canada the entire time? So Connor is paying a prostitute to be in a relationship with him. Why does he feel like he has to do this? What has his upbringing been like? I'm sure that there's much more to Connor than what we have been shown. What's going on with Roman? Why hasn't he been having sex with Grace? Why did he break up with her? What's his deal? Is Shiv cheating on Tom? Can he trust her? Since we also know very little about Shiv, I genuinely don't know. Will Greg's actions come back to bite him later? Or can he use what he did to continue to rise? Did Iverson have autism, or some other disorder? It sounded like he had some underlying condition. Who is Amir? Why did Marcia invite him? Will he play a role in the show? Will Kendall succeed in removing Logan from power? What will be the fallout of this vote of no confidence? Is Gerri trustworthy? Is Frank trustworthy? Will this plan work? Will someone betray Kendall's trust? Best Moment: Logan and Ewan's argument was great, effectively telling us the entire dynamic and conflict between Logan and Ewan by showing them blowing up at each other. Character of the Episode: Greg. Conclusion: After watching this episode, I finally feel like "Succession" is succeeding at its character dynamics. I am starting to have a good feel for most characters, and the dynamics are becoming more interesting for me. We're not at a high quality show yet, but this is a step in the right direction. Score: 63 Summary: Connor organizes the RECNY, a huge event for investors organized by the ROy family. Kendall plans to do a speech. Kendall is surprised when Logan comes in to work. Kendall defends his choices, but Logan still disagrees with him at every turn. Roman is upset when Frank is re-hired by Logan to show him the ropes. Shiv tries to do damage control when her client's husband posts a picture of his naked butt. Tom learns a horrific secret about Waystar Royco and struggles to handle it. He tells it to Greg and Shiv. Greg tells this to Gerri, who confronts Tom at the ball and threatens him not to reveal anything about it. Connor sees that Kendall may be announcing Logan's announcement at the ball and informs him. Logan takes over and makes the speech himself. He confronts Kendall after, but Kendall was only going to make a joke.
The Good: Kendall and Logan's conflict continues to carry the show. This is the one aspect of the story that has clear-cut stakes and narrative momentum. We know that Kendall wants to take over after Logan and that Logan thinks he isn't good enough, and watching how this dynamic influences their actions has been engaging. It's great to see how Kendall is unnerved by just a single appearance by Logan, and how much this undermines his leadership. Even Stewy is left questioning who is in charge, and there never seems to be any discussion between Logan and Kendall to resolve problems. I've been harsh on Kendall since the start of the show, but this episode does a good job to show us how Kendall's failings are a fault of Logan's poor parenting style. It seems clear to me that Kendall's need for validation originates from the distrust, strictness and cruelty inflicted on him by Logan, who always goes out of his way to insult, belittle, and invalidate his son. The episode's climax demonstrates this well. Kendall was simply going to make a speech and include a joke about Logan's retirement, but Logan's paranoia and distaste for his son leads to him completely taking over Kendall's moment for what was ultimately no reason at all. Simple communication could have corrected this situation, but Logan decided to oppose his son immediately. I wouldn't be surprised if Logan's distrust of Kendall is what leads to Kendall actually trying to get his father out of the company in the future. This episode does well to make us sympathize more with Kendall in general. Despite his position and current power, Kendall is lonely and in a struggling relationship with his wife. To remedy this, he tries to secure a date for himself, but the end result is an empty night with someone who Kendall unknowingly forced to be there because of the power dynamic. It's a sad look into Kendall's disastrous personal life. The side story with Tom is easily the best in this episode. This story follows the basic rules of a side story that can be used to reveal about characters: you give a character a critical conflict to solve, and reveal who they are through their approach to solving this problem. I feel like I have a much better understanding of Tom after seeing how he handled this situation. The story caught my attention by taking so long to reveal what the big secret was, and the reveal itself was well done with Tom's entertaining "virus" metaphor. Tom has been the most entertaining character to watch due to his cringeworthy attempts at charisma, and it's fun to see that light-heartedness collide with a serious situation. Tom showed a surprising amount of morality in handling this situation, and learned the hard lesson that he can't be so soft in this important job. Surprisingly, it was timid, quiet Greg who sold out Tom to Gerri to prevent the story from getting out. While Tom comes off as somewhat naive, Greg has proven that he has what it takes to survive in this company, and he's living up to being a Roy. This stone-cold decision, and the smoothness of Greg's lie to Tom caught me off guard, and it makes me view Greg in a very different light. Greg initially seemed to be a bumbling fool who is an easy punching bag for Tom, but now we see a ruthless, self-serving side to him. I like how this episode handled these two characters, and found this storyline to be quite compelling. The side characters get some decent characterization. We finally get to spend some time with Connor and we learn more about him. He says he wants to be an observer, but it seems more likely that his ideas for the company have never been good, and everyone knows it. As such, he likely has stepped away from the company. We see him coming up with some less than stellar business plans, and his management style leaves a lot to be desired. It was good to see Gerri show a bit of spine, letting us know more about who she is. She threatens Tom, so she is somebody who is okay with/contributing to corruption. Furthermore, we see that she's strictly loyal to Logan over Kendall as she pretends that she's trying to convince Logan not to go on stage, when in reality she wishes him good luck. The Bad: This show has been very messy so far in this first season. After four episodes, nothing particularly interesting has happened, and we're still in the phase where I'm trying to get to know these characters and the relationships with one another. It's fine to build up a story like this, but these early episodes have suffered a lot because I'm not fully invested yet, and it feels like the show is spinning its wheels instead of moving forwards. Surely there are much better ways to get us to know the characters, and surely this could have been done more efficiently without taking so much time. This episode is hurt by other familiar issues. I still dislike every character, making it hard for me to get emotionally invested in this family, and I think there are too many storylines going on that make the show feel less interesting. I can tell that Roman and Shiv are key characters who will likely have importance as the show goes on. However, right now they feel superfluous to the show. This episode has a lengthy side story dedicated to Shiv trying to protect her client's reputation by lowering coverage of the story that her husband posted a naked photo online. This story feels utterly pointless. Why was this included? I couldn't tell you. It has no relevance to the main plot, doesn't inform us anything about Shiv's character, isn't funny, and has no resolution by the end of the episode. What a pointless waste of my time. I feel similarly with Roman so far. All we know about him is that he doesn't care much for his job and spends his time having sex with women. Every episode shows him with a new woman and we repeat the same beat over and over again. It's getting repetitive, and I'm wondering when we're actually going to learn more about this character. Shiv and Roman are two characters who are spinning their wheels right now, and it's starting to test my patience. The Unknown: What was the point of the whole butt storyline? Will it come up again later? Poor Logan does seem to be confused to an extent, and this predated his stroke. What condition does he have? Did he intentionally piss in Kendall's office, or was it just another moment of confusion? Why is Greg talking with Gerri? Is he trying to use whatever information he gathers to improve his standing in the family? What else has Greg been doing behind the scenes? Will Tom find out it was Greg? How will he react? Will Tom incorrectly distrust Shiv? What's Roman's deal? Why does he just sleep around with everyone? Where is this going? Best Moment: Logan's speech and confrontation with Kendall afterwards was exciting. This scene was nicely built up, and that created some tension because I felt like something big might happen. While that wasn't quite the case, this was easily the most engaging sequence in the episode. Character of the Episode: Tom. Conclusion: This show continues its slow-burn approach to setting up the narrative. Some storylines are engaging to watch, but by this point it is becoming more frustrating than fascinating to see this slow-paced storytelling. Something significant needs to happen soon to get me interested in the show. Score: 58 Summary: Kendall tries to handle the debt issue. He hardballs the bank but it fails spectacularly. Kendall meet with Furness, a competitor who wants to "help out", but Kendall refuses him. Eventually Kendall is pressured to make a deal with an old friend Stewy, where he invests enough money to cover the debt and gets a place on the board. However, Stewy is working with Furness. Kendall is pleased with himself and has sex with his estranged wife, who still wants to break up. Shiv is suspicious that Marcia is doing something to Logan since she doesn't allow anyone to see him. She does a background check on her and forces her way to see Logan, who is delirious with the morphine and makes a pass on her. Shiv, shaken, leaves. Logan starts to feel better and meets with Kendall to call him a "f**king idiot". Greg arrives at his new job, and while he's out, he sees Kendall meeting with Stewy and Stewy meeting with Furness. Roman has back problems and messes with his personal trainer. He doesn't take his job seriously.
The Good: Watching Kendall attempt to do things remains an immense joy of this show. He's painfully incompetent at almost everything, and the one seemingly good decision he makes in this episode looks like it has actually set up his company for failure (see: The Unknown). Throughout the episode, it's funny to see Kendall's lack of confidence and poor killer instinct. From asking his estranged wife what he should wear to an important business meeting, to his hilariously awful strategy on call with Mr. Polk at the bank (see: Best Moment), Kendall comes off as a total clown that is in over his head. This episode serves as a warning of sorts of what will happen if Logan dies, and I'm certain that a company run by incompetent Kendall and outrageously carefree Roman will immediately go down in flames. Kendall and Roman's "hype speech" in the conference room may sound good on the outside, but looking at what was actually said makes it clear how naive and lacking in knowledge/experience Kendall and Roman really are. The episode's side stories are decent enough. Roman is entertaining to watch, and the way he does things tells us everything about the type of person he is. Masturbating in the office and neglecting to check his email speaks volumes. Shiv's distrust of Marcia is a fun storyline. Marcia remains a mystery to us, and the way the storyline ends continues to raise questions about her and what her motives are. Greg's first day at work has some amusing moments, particularly when Tom runs into him stuffing cookies into dog-poop bags. Tom's charisma is fun to watch, and I enjoyed his "Star Wars" references. The Bad: There's a lot of plot happening right now, but I'm still not quite invested enough in the story to enjoy it. Outside of Kendall, I feel like I don't know any character well enough to care about what's going on with them. I barely know anything about Shiv, and I can't tell you much about who she is and what she believes in. I know more about Roman, but he feels very one-note so far, and not like a three-dimensional character. Significant figures like Logan, Furness, Stewy, and Lawrence are also underdeveloped so far, making it tough to fully engage in the politics within the plot. I've criticized the show for its lack of a hook in the first two episodes, and the problem is still persisting here. The Unknown: Is Marcia trustworthy? This episode suggests that she has been truthful and genuine this whole time, but her past is still mysterious. Also, did she find out that Shiv did a background check? How did she find out, and what does this mean? Why is Logan so angry with Kendall? Is it because of the investment? We see Stewy talking with Furness, so is Logan aware that taking this investment is a move that could lead the company into trouble with others? What does Furness have planned? How will Kendall/Logan deal with him? Were Kendall and Stewy old friends? It sounds like they used to snort coke together in the past. What's their relationship? Kendall and Rava's relationship is interesting. Why has Rava soured so much on him? What is it about him that drives her away? Their sex scene is amusing, and it seems like Kendall's desire for her was a turn-on. So what is Rava's problem with him exactly? What's going on with Roman and his personal trainer? Greg witnesses Stewy meeting with Kendall and Furness. Is he following Stewy? Why? Or has he just chanced on this important information? What is he going to do with what he knows? Will he do anything? Best Moment: Kendall's initial phone call with Mr. Polk is so funny to watch. His strategy that he announces to us is "go f**k yourself", and watching him implement it is downright juvenile. Kendall is polite enough at the start, but the questions he asks make him look like a repetitive idiot, or a child, and then he hits Mr. Polk with a spontaneous "fuck off" that lands about as well as diarrhea going into a toilet. The awkward silence following this is hysterical, and Kendall follows up by continuing to fail to control the conversation, and Mr. Polk hangs up on him. What a total disaster, and it was so entertaining to watch it go down. Kendall failed in every way. Gerri gives him some documents to prepare that he completely ignores, so he wings this super important phone call. Then, he looks juvenile and lacking in confidence as he fails to directly lead into negotiations and give Mr. Polk some idea of what can be done in the future. And to cap it all off, Kendall fails to realize that Mr. Polk never liked Logan's style, and he plows forward with the abrasive "f**k off" strategy that leads to him falling flat on his face. This was quite literally a comedy of errors. Character of the Episode: Kendall. Conclusion: This is a fine episode of plot progression and character building, but without an emotional hook I struggle to invest much into what's going on. At the very least, the show's comedic value ensures that I still have a good time, but I'm going to need more than that to keep watching. Score: 60 Summary: The Roy family all gather at the hospital where Logan is being treated. They all don't want to talk about the succession issue, but all end up doing it anyways. Kendall wants to be acting CEO, but Roman and Shiv try to stop him. Greg is sent to get Logan's slippers from his house, but gets contrasting requests from Roman and Shiv to retrieve and not retrieve the contracts for the trust. Roman wants everyone to sign it and Shiv does not. Roman approaches Gerri for the CEO position but she refuses it. Kendall approaches Frank for the COO position but he refuses it. In the end, Kendall will go on as CEO and Roman as COO. Greg finally returns and doesn't bring the papers. Logan wakes up at the end of the episode.
The Good: After a very serious first episode, "Succession" completely changes the tone by treating us to what sometimes felt like an extended comedy episode. Logan has been hospitalized, and this is a very serious situation, but "Succession" is all about making fun of how awful Logan's family is during the time that he is hospitalized. With the exception of Marcia, literally every character expresses sorrow about what happened but immediately shifts into politics, looking to secure their own ends. This is such a funny idea, and the episode is an unlikely source for laughs at every turn. So many character interactions left me laughing, and I love a lot of the storytelling ideas in this episode. Roman and Shiv's "alliance" against Kendall is fun to watch, especially since they oppose each other on signing off on the trust. Seeing them physically fight near the start of the episode was quite funny, and this is a good way for us to learn more about who they are. Roman's moment where he tries to small talk Gerri is absolutely hilarious, and I continue to enjoy Kieran Culkin's portrayal of this complete asshole/total moron character. Kendall trying to step up in this situation is also quite amusing. He is still trying his best but falls painfully short at nearly every turn, and even when he's finally successful, he realizes that he's been screwed over by debt. There's a really great scene in there where Kendall calls Lawrence and tries to threaten him out of publishing an article. But Kendall is so non-threatening and annoying that he instead causes Lawrence to go out of his way to publish something. Greg's side trip to the apartment that takes an eternity is fantastic. It's so funny to watch Greg get into trouble, and if the rest of the episode hadn't been so funny already, I would call him a comic relief character. Greg taking forever to complete a mundane task is amusing, I enjoy him bickering with his unhelpful mother, his amusing attempts to get the $14 cab fare paid, and how he savours his time in the apartment, eating a sandwich on the bed. Then we have Tom, who is kind of sweet with how badly he wants to propose to Shiv, but is also hilariously tone-deaf as he continually badgers Marcia and then proposes to Shiv at the absolute worst time. The Bad: This episode is basically all bickering. I understand that this is the point of the episode, but it isn't very interesting to watch and gets old rather quickly. We hope from scene to scene of people plotting and scheming without anything to break up the pacing and it gets tiring, especially when this goes on for literally the entire hour of the episode. It's too much, and the episode lost me in the second half because of how long it spent doing this. There are a few reasons that the constant plotting does not work at all. First, and most importantly, I do not know who I am rooting for. I don't feel like I have a connection with any of these characters, and everybody has been thoroughly unlikeable so far. Thus, I have limited emotional investment in what happens. This type of situation where everybody is awful can work in a comedy for 20 minutes (like in "Seinfeld"), and it can also work in a TV show where I am already invested in the concept and the world, and there's enough variety to break up the monotony of the scheming (like in "House of the Dragon"). But "Succession" does not offer either of these solutions. I don't know these people, I don't know this world, and I don't yet know the story that is being told. Because of this, being subjected to a full hour of scheming and people being horrible human beings is not very entertaining to watch. This episode also has the problem of introducing too many people. We meet Gerri, and many other side characters in Logan's operation, and they all seem to play a somewhat important role. What's the problem? I hardly know them, and they are introduced in such a rapid-fire manner that I never get the chance to feel like I am learning about them. It's tedious to introduce new characters in this way without allowing any of them to make an impression on me. The Unknown: Who is leaking information about the Roy family? How do so many people know what is going on behind the scenes? How will Kendall and Roman handle the debt problem? This seems like a nearly impossible situation to escape from. Did Logan wake up at the episode's end? How will this change things? Will Kendall and Roman go back to their previous roles immediately? Will Kendall's dynamic with Logan change now that he is aware of the debt? Will we see an alliance between Greg and Shiv? Where is this relationship going to go? Best Moment: Roman approaching Gerri and completely screwing up the small talk by failing to remember the existence of her dead husband was my hardest laugh of the episode. Character of the Episode: Roman. Conclusion: This episode is well-written and funny, but it is too much, and it tested my patience for much of its runtime. Score: 60 Summary: Logan Roy is the CEO is Waystar RoyCo, a significant media conglomerate, but his health is failing. His son Kendall tries to acquire Vaulter, but the deal doesn't go as planned. Logan celebrates his 80th birthday with his family. Kendall makes time to arrive, and the rest of the family including Shiv and Roman are also there. Greg is a nephew who just got fired from a smaller job and he comes to the party to ask a favour from Logan. Logan gets his children together since he wants to give his current wife Marcia two spots on the board to choose his successor. Kendall has already been fooled into signing it. Logan also announces that he will stay on as CEO for 5 years, upsetting Kendall who thought he would be named CEO. Kendall and Logan argue. The family goes for a traditional softball game. Logan reassigns his friend Frank to a different position to accommodate Roman and offers a better position to Shiv to secure their approval. Kendall goes back to the office and secures a deal with Lawrence, the CEO of Vaulter. Roman and Shiv decline Logan's trust for Marcia. Logan is upset by this and has a brain hemorrhage. He is taken to a hospital.
The Good: This is a fun concept to watch unfold. This episode is built around introducing us to the Roy family, and meeting all of these new characters and learning more about them is the fun of the episode. I enjoyed learning about these people, and some of the conflicts that developed at the episode's end did interest me. Kendall is the character we spend the most time with, and I think he's the character we understand best after this first episode. Kendall has big shoes to step into as the heir to his father's company, and it looks like he does not have what it takes. It's entertaining to see Kendall make poor decision after poor decision, culminating in a great scene between him and Logan where he has missed out on his chance of being named the successor and Logan has to explain to him exactly why that is. Add on some interesting background of substance abuse, an estranged marriage, and temper issues, and Kendall is set up to be an intriguing loose cannon. His handling of the deal with Lawrence is highly amusing. Kendall tries to be confident and control the room, but fails miserably. He was born into power and is severely lacking in experience. As a result, Lawrence, a seasoned businessman, toys with him and totally annihilates him by the episode's end. The other characters don't get as much time, but they are interesting enough. Logan is a ton of fun. He seems delirious and confused for much of the first half of the episode, but that scene with Kendall nicely shows us why this guy is so important, and what it is that he brings to the table. Logan has a fierceness and understanding of what needs to be done that everyone else is missing, and it's fascinating to see these traits in a character who is approaching his death. The others in the family are fun enough. Roman is immediately captivating as an eccentric. His dialogue is fun to listen to, but he's been unsuccessful, and the episode takes the time to show us that he doesn't have the necessary empathy to thrive as a leader. We see him constantly laughing at the suffering of others, and there's a great moment where he emotionally tortures a kid by ripping up a $1 million cheque in front of him, gloating with faux praise the entire time. Logan's assured compliments to the kid shows us exactly what Roman is missing, and Logan giving the child an expensive watch speaks volumes of his understanding of his position compared to others. Roman shows no such wisdom. Shiv and Tom are also interesting, though we don't see much from them. Shiv seems to be the most intelligent of the bunch, but she has no interest in the business, while Tom has an interest in rising up, but is a prick. His mean-spirited bullying of Greg is hilarious because we get to see how sensitive and petty this man really is. No wonder Logan disses his gift so much, because he knows that Tom is being false with him. Then there's Greg, a total nobody with nothing to his name at all who is also caught up in this mess as a beggar, after his own bad decisions got him fired from his simple labour job at a theme park. It should be fun to see what Greg tries to do with what little he has going for him, and seeing him attempt to suck up to Logan who clearly does not care is amusing. The Bad: This episode is missing a hook to grab our attention and secure our investment. This episode just throws characters at us for the whole hour, and doesn't do anything exciting or interesting to confirm our emotional investment. Considering that this is a pilot episode that is tasked with making us want to watch more, not having a hook is a significant failure of the episode. We are presented characters and a premise in an uncreative way, resulting in an episode that forces us to take a leap of faith and latch on to the story without an actual reason to do so. Is this story well-written? So far, sure. But competent storytelling isn't enough to make me itch to watch more of the show. Because of the missing hook, it's difficult to say that this pilot did its job. The Unknown: Is Kendall going to sabotage Logan and the rest of the family to get his way? Will it work? Will he be a better successor? Is Logan going to be okay? The brain hemorrhage is quite serious. Is he going to die sooner than everyone expects? How will Lawrence capitalize on Logan's hospitalization? I imagine that he will be a significant challenge for Kendall to overcome. Will Kendall need help from his siblings to deal with him? Who is Logan's brother? Why are they estranged? Will Logan end up helping Greg? Is Marcia genuine, or is she in this family for power? Is Logan being manipulated by her, or is she genuinely a good person? How will Frank respond to his demotion? Will he make a power play for himself? Best Moment: Logan and Kendall's spat. So much of the history of these characters was revealed in this great scene, and we can see why Logan, despite his old age, is clearly the most competent of his family. We see the edge and necessary ruthlessness within Logan, and we can see clear as day how Kendall fails in every regard to embody this toughness. Character of the Episode: Kendall. Conclusion: While this episode struggled to hook me, it laid out the premise of the show and its main characters in an effective way, and I'm intrigued enough to tune in for more. Score: 63 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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