Summary: Hank calls Fuches who agrees to meet upon hearing that Barry has a kid who Hank has captured. Barry buys guns and heads to Hank's place. Fuches arrives first and has a stand-off with Hank. Fuches says he has accepted who he is and will leave Hank alone if he admits he killed Cristobal. Hank breaks down but ultimately can't do it so Fuches shoots and kills him. Fuches dives on John to protect him while the remaining men all kill each other. Fuches delivers John to Barry and leaves. Barry, Sally, and John sleep in a motel. Sally and John leave during the night and Barry goes looking for them at Gene's place. He ultimately decides to turn himself in while talking with Tom, but Gene abruptly kills him. A few years later, Sally is teaching acting again with John. John goes out to a friend's place and watches the movie made about Gene and his father called "The Mask Collector". Gene is serving life in prison and Barry was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honours.
The Good: This episode subverted my expectations in many ways, and I applaud the writing team for creating an ending that surprised and entertained at every turn. I imagined that much of this episode would have been dedicated to Barry's conflict with Hank and Fuches, and yet the situation was resolved in the episode's first half, amusingly before Barry even got there. I went into this episode expecting another massacre by Barry, so having everyone kill each other before he got there ended up playing on my expectations beautifully to create the perfect surprise. Hank and Fuches also received a terrific conclusion. Their conflict occurred far too quickly and I didn't quite feel the significance of their disagreement until their showdown in this episode. Fuches has done the hard yards to change and he has accepted how bad of a person he is, and because of that he is disturbed by Hank's stubborn delusions where he gets to pretend that he's still a good person without accepting the bad that he has done. Hank killed Cristobal, and rather than face that truth and accept it, Hank hides from it and lashes out angrily at anyone who tells him otherwise. This fundamental difference between Hank and Fuches creates an almost primal distaste for each other, one that is fittingly utilized in their confrontation. Stephen Root and Anthony Carrigan are outstanding as Fuches lays bare what he needs from Hank, and Hank crumbles under the weight of his grief. In the end, Hank is killed and Fuches lives, which is fitting with the message of the show. Fuches did the right thing and accepted who he was. The result for Fuches is genuine redemption as he saves Barry's son and gets an opportunity to set things right with Barry in a beautiful final scene they have together. That they don't speak is perfect as it shows Fuches' restraint to manipulate Barry any further. But on the other hand, Hank dies because he was unable to accept the bad things he has done and was never able to achieve true change. Hank's death is tragic, and I love his final scene where you can tell that he sees Cristobal during his final breaths. The image of Hank's lifeless body holding the Cristobal statue's hand is a beautiful send-off for the character, one that worked exceedingly well. Everything else going on around Hank and Fuches also works really well. The action sequences in this show are excellent, and this last one was no exception. It was ridiculous to see everyone get mowed down instantly, and the grenade going off was darkly comical. I appreciate Bill Hader's direction as always, and the sequence of Fuches walking John away from the carnage as everyone agonizes in their pain was brilliantly executed. As for Sally, she finally gets to confess all that she has done wrong to John in a beautiful moment. This feels like John meeting his real mother for the first time as Sally is finally able to be her true self instead of "Emily", and the mother-son moment here works really well, especially to set up Sally's choice to leave Barry and what we see at the end of the episode. I like that Sally's story has come full circle as she ends up leaving Barry in the same way that she left Sam (sneaking out in the middle of the night), giving herself a chance at another life. It's almost funny how Barry is relegated to the background during all of this. As Fuches and Hank have a tremendous philosophical clash, Barry is just buying guns to prepare for his sacrifice, and it's all ultimately pointless. I have to applaud the show for still including so much comedy in this finale, as scenes like Barry walking through a store fully armed really made me laugh. "Barry" may have shifted more towards drama, but it never left the comedy behind. Barry is all prepared for an honourable sacrifice and one final big hurrah, and yet when he arrives he simply reunites with his family and nothing more. There isn't much for him to do here, but that's the point. Barry has nothing more to contribute, all that's left is for him to turn himself in, but he doesn't want to do it. It's funny to hear him make up excuses to Sally to not want to turn himself in. It's easy to understand why. Barry has a family to hold onto and that prevents him from giving himself up; it's the same deal as before, where Barry held onto the idea of a future where he could be happy to prevent giving himself up. But once Barry realizes his family has left him, he has nothing holding him back and he can finally understand that it's time for him to truly redeem himself and pay for his crimes. It's funny that Tom is ultimately the one to talk him down in this situation, but this makes it clear that it was Barry's own choice, not the will of someone else. And in one final ironic twist, Barry is denied his chance at true redemption. Because by now it's far too late, and it would be almost sick to give this man another chance. In one final brilliant scene, Gene shoots Barry abruptly in a scene that's edited in such a comedic way that I can't help but laugh. Only a show like this one would make me chuckle when the main character was killed off. I can't think of a better way that Barry could have died. Surprisingly, the show doesn't end here. After a nice piece of editing that makes you think for a moment that they are going to do an awful "it was all just a theatre production" ending, we get one final timeskip to explore the legacy that Barry left behind. I love this decision so much. In these final moments we get to see Barry tackle one final interesting theme: the inaccuracy in media portraying the lives of real people. This idea was set up back in the aptly titled "tricky legacies", and it pays off enormously here as we get to see just how badly Hollywood butchered the Barry/Gene story. Seeing a movie about this story that we just watched which so enormously misses the point is comical, but also a sad reflection on how true stories can get lost in translation and how difficult it is to trust in what we haven't seen with our own eyes. "The Mask Collector" was a blast to watch, and it's interesting to think about what John would take away from this movie. Would he be happy to know that his dad was a hero? Would he understand that a Hollywood production like this can never answer his questions, considering that he would know how inaccurate the scene of Barry saving his family was? It's difficult to read, but it is engaging to think through these ideas and create our own takeaways from the story. It's also quite frustrating and almost infuriating to learn that Barry was given a hero's burial while poor Gene rots away in prison, having lost everything in his life because of the one awful man who is now being praised as a hero. Sad, thought-provoking stuff. The Bad: This can't help but feel a little underwhelming. A big reason for that is because of the timeskip happening so late in the show. With only 4 episodes to develop a story post-timeskip, the show wasn't quite able to make this final act as emotionally engaging, dramatic, and interesting as it could have been. Barry and Sally's story was fleshed out, but they didn't ultimately end up doing a whole lot in these final three episodes. Meanwhile Hank, Fuches, and Gene all felt underdeveloped and I never got a clear sense of who they were post-timeskip to connect with their emotions in the way that I had with the characters pre-timeskip. It's a shame because so much of this finale was beautifully written, well-acted, and thematically significant, but I didn't have the same level of emotional investment as I did before the timeskip. It's disappointing to learn that Jim genuinely did let Barry just get away. Are we seriously going to pretend that Jim doesn't want any justice for the man who pulled the trigger on his daughter? Barry could offer such valuable information on the Gene Cousineau case, so Jim should absolutely want to keep him imprisoned. Ultimately, Barry getting away from Jim's captivity is just a moment of very lazy writing in a season that was otherwise pretty well done. The Unknown: Will John believe that his father was a hero? Or will he recognize the inaccuracy of "The Mask Collector" and understand that this film is not the truth he would have been seeking? What has Sally told him about Barry? What became of Fuches after he left Barry? Did he continue to live a life of crime until it inevitably caught up to him? Best Moment: The stand-off between Hank and Fuches, and the carnage that resulted was hugely satisfying. Character of the Episode: Hank. Conclusion: Overall, this was an emotionally satisfying, poetic, and enjoyable finale that concluded this series in as darkly comedic of a way as you would expect. I've seen a lot of mixed opinions on the final season of "Barry", but I don't quite agree with them. Yes, this season had its weaknesses, but I found it to be every bit as compelling as the other seasons of the show. Season 2 is still easily the best for me, but I rate season 4 as similar in quality to seasons 1 and 3. There was a darker tone to this season and some heavier scenes, but there is still absurdity and comedy in every episode in this season. While the tonal balance may have shifted towards drama this season, I never felt like "Barry" lost its heart, nor its comedic edge. The storytelling in this fourth season was superb, and every character was given a memorable send-off and conclusion, with all of them coming with their own twists and turns that both surprised and impressed me. As such, I'm very satisfied with this season as a finale, and even though there weren't quite as many laughs as I'm used to seeing from "Barry", I'm overall happy with how the series ended. "Barry" has been a lot of fun to watch and I'm very glad that I got to experience it. The blend between comedy and drama felt unique from the first episode, and I continued to be both captivated and entertained by the show through all four seasons. Bill Hader's sense of humour and his directing style came together nicely to create a visually memorable and funny show that also happened to have some well-written and thought-provoking storylines, even if they weren't the most subtle. At only 32 episodes long, I can easily recommend "Barry" since it offers an incredible amount of content and entertainment with such a small time commitment, and incredible consistency that ensures you will be entertained until the very end. I don't rate "Barry" as one of the greatest shows of all time, but it's still terrific; it's an easy, entertaining watch that I thoroughly enjoyed and I look forward to rewatching in the years to come. Score: 73
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Summary: The Roys prepare to meet the Pierces at their estate, Tern Haven and Logan prepares everyone with roles and target individuals to speak with. The family arrives at the Estate and are welcomed. Connor has friction with Maxim who has differing political views, and Shiv accidentally offends Mark with a joke. Logan is unhappy and scolds everyone, upsetting Marcia as well. The two families have dinner and tensions arrive through political issues, specifically regarding ATN. Shiv panics when she is unable to handle the conversation and she leaves briefly with Tom as they both air out their concerns. The discussion shifts to Logan's successor and Shiv ends up blurting out that it will be her, stunning the table. Dinner ends quickly after that. Shiv panics with Tom. Roman tries to have sex with Tabitha and ends up going to Gerri's place instead. Kendall connects with Naomi over their addiction and he manages to sell her on taking their offer due to the freedom that escaping from the business can offer. The next day, Nan meets with Logan, Shiv, Kendall, and Gerri and agrees to the deal if Shiv is made the successor. Logan is unwilling to negotiate and leaves, but is frustrated when the family doesn't call to change their minds. Upon landing in Manhattan, Logan hears that they accepted the deal and everyone celebrates.
The Good: The premise of this episode is brilliant, and is a big part of why this is so intense and captivating. We have been building up to this Pierce deal for a long time, so there is an air of importance to secure this deal, and we understand the consequences if the Roys fail to secure it. Because these basics in storytelling were addressed, the episode is put in a position to succeed, and with the masterful writing and production of this episode, it succeeds in a big way. The visit to Tern Haven is fresh and exciting as we get to see the Roys interact with another rich family who are entirely different to them in an attempt to win over their trust. Every character has to mask who they really are and attempt to sell what they are doing, and it is so compelling to watch everyone attempt (and fail at) this. It's an engaging charade to watch, and it ultimately devolves into simple brass tacks by the end of the episode, providing a compelling climax. Every character is so much fun to watch as they attempt to win over the Pierces. Seeing such a compassionate and friendly Logan is amusing, and it's even funnier seeing the shocked reactions of other characters as they openly express how strange it is to see this version of him. While Logan is a master of putting on a guise, his children are far worse at it. It's hilarious to see Connor, Shiv, and Roman make mistake after mistake during the stay, alienating and offending the Pierces at every turn. Connor's rivalry with Maxim is really funny because of how volatile Connor is, and it ends in hilarious fashion with them somehow making peace and Maxim landing a new job. Shiv's barb about Mark's PhD is quite funny, especially because of how clearly rude it is even if Shiv didn't mean it that way. Shiv pretty much makes a fool of herself throughout the visit, especially at dinner, and it's both hard to watch and hilarious seeing her say just about everything wrong as she tries to sell to Nan. Then there's Roman who has the episode's funniest moment with his discussion about "The Electric Circus". He totally dug a hole for himself with that one, and I laughed at Shiv quizzing him further since apparently teasing Roman is more important to her than maintaining appearances. The lengthy dinner scene is the episode's major setpiece and it is phenomenal. The dialogue is written delightfully well, and we see so many great conversations that provide laughs, raise the suspense, and lead to exciting moments of conflict. What started out as simple veiled negotiations turn disastrous due to the incompetent Roys all failing to provide adequate answers and making fools out of themselves at every turn. Whether it's Roman talking about "The Electric Circus", Marcia antagonizing Logan out of frustration, Shiv being woefully awkward, or Tom failing to defend ATN, a company he doesn't even like, the Roys handle every situation poorly and the dinner is disastrous as a result. But of course, nothing goes worse than the successor announcement, as Shiv forces her father's hand and drops the bombshell at a terrible time, stunning everybody at the table in a terrific scene. This entire sequence was a brilliant piece of suspense/comedy and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it. The night after had some good storylines occurring as well. Shiv's regret and anxiety after what happened is exactly what you would expect her to feel, and Sarah Snook plays it really well. Roman's sexual escapades are funny to watch, and we are getting a better idea of what it is that he needs. It's a shame that he can't express his desires effectively to Tabitha, but it seems like he's found someone who understands it in Gerri. Kendall and Naomi's night is a blast to watch and is the most compelling part of the episode. Kendall has been so subdued and sad, so it's surprisingly endearing to see him smile and connect with someone even if it's only through the influence of drugs. Of course we are still concerned for him, and when he and Naomi got into the helicopter I was terrified that Kendall was about to make yet another fatal mistake, which was a great misdirection to lead into their emotional conversation. Kendall is trying to convince Naomi to take the deal, but it's clear that what he says comes from the heart as what he truly wants. More than anything, Kendall wants to escape from the political world he lives in, and he truthfully tells Naomi how he feels about sacrificing it all for money: it's a relief, it's freedom, and it's a burden off of his back. This moment was terrific and nicely got into what Kendall has been feeling all season and how desperately he needs to get out of this family business. Furthermore, it looks like Kendall's little bit of honestly and humanity managed to undo the damage caused by the rest of the family at dinner and gave the Roys a shot to make this deal happen. Despite being so broken, when Kendall is able to be his real self he is genuinely capable of doing great things; it's just when he puts on a mask and has to play the part of the family, he loses sight of his own strengths. The episode's conclusion works wonderfully. After the Roys did practically everything wrong, somehow (mostly thanks to Kendall) they have ended up in a position where they can secure the deal. The hard negotiations were engaging to watch, especially because of how Logan drops the charade and is his usual ruthless self when dealing with the Pierces. He's cocky, arrogant, aggressive, and commands the room throughout the scene. He emphasizes the importance of money and he firmly holds his ground of not naming a successor, and impressively, it works. Watching Logan walk out of the meeting after working so hard all weekend was quite a shock, and it's not until his outburst on the helicopter that we understand that it was a tactic. Ultimately, the tactic works and Logan's celebration after landing in Manhattan is a fantastic moment, filmed beautifully to feel triumphant and powerful. As despicable as Logan is, I managed to sympathize with the emotional feeling of achievement, and that made this moment highly effective. What a perfect way to end an intense, funny, and unpredictable episode. The Bad: Marcia's conflict with Logan feels like it has come out of nowhere and is something that needed much more build-up than what we had got. She was steadfast at his side last season, but inexplicably Logan has slightly cut her off and now there is tension between them. I struggle to connect much with this conflict because we know so little about Marcia and her relationship with Logan, and I'm unclear why this conflict has arisen now and never before. Marcia as a character has been underwhelming thus far because I don't have a good understanding of who she is and what she wants, and the show hasn't given her enough screentime to truly flourish as a character. The Unknown: Why is Marcia so upset with Logan? Is it because he's not keeping her in the loop anymore? Or is there something else at play? Has Shiv destroyed her future with her awful performance in this episode? I can't imagine that Logan will be too happy to commit to her after this. Did Logan even intend to make Shiv his successor? It's strange that he's so hesitant to name anyone, and that suggests that he was not committed to Shiv succeeding him and he may have only promised it to her to get her to leave Gil's political team. Is Tom going to get fired? Did Logan know this and willingly sacrifice his position? Greg has some newfound confidence. What happened while everyone else was away? Will Tabitha break up with Roman? The failed sex scene seems like it will spell the end of their relationship. Best Moment: The entire dinner scene is a masterclass in uncomfortable tension and manages to combine suspense and humour in such a compelling way. If I had to zero in on a more specific moment, I have to go with Shiv saying "just tell them it's gonna be me", a moment that left everyone at the table, as well as everyone watching the episode, absolutely stunned. Character of the Episode: Logan. Conclusion: An excellent episode that showcases the absolute best of "Succession". Engaging character dynamics, some delightfully awkward scenes, and a compelling negotiation plot that is a blast to watch unfold. Season 2 continues to deliver compelling and interesting television. Score: 77 Summary: Kendall calls Rhea before the upcoming meeting. Tom and Shiv head to Waystar Royco for Shiv's first day. A board meeting is held and Tom is tasked with checking the background of Ravenhead, who is suspected to be involved with Nazism. Logan, Kendall, and Frank keep the meeting with Rhea secret but Shiv suspects something. Rhea arrives and she doesn't accept any offer. Before she leaves, a gunshot rings out and the building goes into a panic. Tom and Greg end up together in a safe room, but it's the wrong safe room. Greg asks Tom to be transferred elsewhere, and Tom is enraged. Afterwards, they make up and Tom agrees to let him go after being impressed by Greg "blackmailing" him with the cruise documents. Logan, Kendall, and Shiv end up together and negotiate with Rhea. They get through with their proposal and convince Rhea, who will tell the family. Shiv meets with Kendall after and Kendall admits he isn't a competitor and has a vulnerable moment with her. Roman goes to management training and works with Brian, who he becomes friends with. Later, Roman is unable to have phone sex with Tabitha, but pleasures himself when Gerri belittles him. Connor attends Mo's funeral, and Willa rewrites his script to save face when Pantsil arrives at the funeral.
The Good: The main plot was very engaging. The meeting with Rhea was a huge deal that was built up suitably well, with some extra tension added from Shiv not knowing about the meeting, but quickly figuring out that something was going on. Initially the meeting doesn't go well, but after the episode is spiced up by a shooter threat, we get to see the meeting for real. Conveniently, Logan, Kendall, Shiv, and Rhea all end up together in a safe room to do the negotiations, and this time it works out wonderfully. It makes me question how much of this was planned (see: The Unknown) and how much was accidental. I don't imagine that Logan, Kendall, and Shiv thought through their plan together, but what's compelling is that when they all worked together like this, the result was magnificent. Rhea went from not even considering the option to being sold due to the combined teamwork of Kendall, Shiv, and Logan. It's a sad reflection of how much better this family would be if they actually worked with each other instead of going at each other's throats constantly. It was magnificent to see Shiv's negotiating skills, Kendall's straight-to-the-point strategy, and Logan's reputation all come together to create the perfectly crafted argument. I really loved this sequence. Even better yet was how the episode ended. After an episode full of political manoeuvring, we had a surprisingly emotional sequence highlighting the extent of Kendall's depression (see: Best Moment). Tom and Greg have a great episode with lots of strong scenes. There is tension between them due to the idea of Greg moving elsewhere to get a different job, and the start of the episode establishes that well as Greg is talking to Cyd about other opportunities and Tom gets him to go get a latte that he doesn't even need (and Greg hilariously turns up with it to the board meeting). This tension comes to a head after the shooter situation when Greg decides to talk to Tom about moving since they have plenty of time together now. But Greg innocuously ends up saying the worst possible thing by describing a "business open relationship". Tom flips out, and it's clear from the onset that he's letting out his frustrations with Shiv on poor Greg, who has basically been a punching bag this entire time. The water bottle barrage is both sad (because of how little control Tom has over his life) and hilarious (the image of Greg being pelted by water bottles is inherently funny), a great climax to the episode. But true to form with these two, they are able to get along just fine afterwards. Tom gets some enjoyment out of seeing Greg having the balls to blackmail him, and I really like the decision to have Tom love this. Tom has been a loose cannon a lot of the time, but he seems to genuinely care about Greg, so why wouldn't he be happy and impressed that Greg made some moves for himself? This is great character writing, and I continue to enjoy the dynamic that these two have. Plus, these two are just so funny in every scene. Several other moments throughout the episode made me laugh like Tom's interview with Ravenhead and Greg's paranoia about the safe room leading to him fearing an "attack child" coming in to get them. This show has no business being as funny as it is. The side stories with Roman and Connor add a lot of great comedy. It's a blast to see Roman doing management training with the "normos" and he continues to be a total prick to absolutely everyone around him for basically no reason. His interactions with Brian are pretty amusing, and it was nice to see Roman actually take a liking to him and instruct Gerri to make him rise within the company. The phone scene with Gerri was certainly unexpected and curious (see: The Unknown). Roman's sexuality has been a weird topic in the show since the start, but it looks like we're finally uncovering what exactly his problem is, and it looks like affirmation of Roman's own insecurity through degrading comments is the awkward thing that gets him off. Meanwhile, Connor's presidential campaign continues to be great. Mo's funeral is chock full of great comedy from the reveal of the nickname's origin (Mo-Lester) to Connor's hilariously wooden eulogy written by Willa (who was amusingly proud of her terrible writing). I'm enjoying this storyline, and it will be fun to see Willa help Connor get out of making the terrible decisions that I expect from him. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. The Unknown: How much of the shooter incident was staged? Did Logan and Kendall just get lucky, or did they arrange for this tragedy to happen somehow? Logan seemed concerned at times, so I doubt it was staged, but this incident benefited Logan too much for it to not be staged. It's tough to tell. If it was staged, did Logan sacrifice an employee for this meeting? That would be very dark. Furthermore, it's strange that Tom, Greg, and several others were sent to an incorrect safe room. Does this mean that Logan had already reserved his safe room for the meeting with Rhea and wanted to remove anyone who may get in the way? Did Logan intend for Shiv to help him and Kendall seal the proposal with Rhea? Is that why he invited her? Or was it all a happy accident? Either way, it's still a good story to tell. Will Pierce accept the proposal? Is Kendall's shoplifting going to get him in trouble? Where will Greg be relocated to? So does Roman get off on his insecurities being preyed upon? That's very strange, and I have to wonder about the significance of this. Why was it necessary to make this such a core aspect of Roman's character? What else can we understand from this weird fetish he has? Is he into Gerri specifically? Will we see Brian again? If not, I hope Roman's influence gave him a great career. Pantsil is back again. Is she going to continue to investigate the Roys for the rest of the season? Will she uncover any big information about them? Considering secrets like the cruise ship documents, and Kendall's accident, there is potential for her to find something bad. Best Moment: The moments with Kendall at the episode's end were fantastic. After an engaging episode of comedy and stone-cold negotiations, it felt like a total shock to see the extent of Kendall's pain coming out as he talked with Shiv. Sarah Snook was phenomenal here as she conveyed Shiv transitioning from playing "the game" to realizing that her brother was in a lot of pain. Poor Kendall just needs some direction for himself, and it's heartbreaking to hear him ask Shiv to take care of him because he doesn't know "what I would be for". Then add on a brilliant final image as Kendall goes onto the roof once more and we get a subtle, quiet reveal that Kendall was likely spending time up here because he found comfort in the idea that he could always jump as a way out. But after a suicide, the glass walls have been doubled in height and Kendall's comfort has just vanished. The final image of a depressed Kendall resting his face on these glass walls is heart-breaking, and an unexpectedly somber end to an otherwise exciting and entertaining episode. It's the unexpected addition of genuine emotion that makes this sequence so brilliant, possibly the best 5 minutes of the entire show. Character of the Episode: Tom. Conclusion: This was an excellent episode. Every storyline was thoroughly engaging. There was engaging plot development, compelling character interactions, and plenty of laughs to keep things entertaining. Then we concluded with a surprisingly emotional sequence to add the cherry on top of the best episode of "Succession" so far. Season 2 feels like it's well and truly in action now. Score: 74 Summary: Greg meets with Pantsil who is writing a biography on Logan, and leaves upon realizing what it is, but he has given some information. Logan is obsessed with the idea of buying out Pierce, a news network, and forces the idea upon everyone who remain skeptical. Logan rehires Frank, who was well liked by Pierce. Shiv hears about this and tells Tom that she wants him to rebel against Logan's decision when they go to a retreat in Hungary. At the retreat, Logan is upset when he learns someone talked to Pantsil for the biography, people are opposed to his Pierce acquisition plan, and Pierce has heard of the plan and are resistant. At dinner, Logan lashes out at everyone and plays a made-up game "boar on the floor" where he humiliates Tom, Greg, and Karl. Kendall exposes that Roman was the one who called Pierce as Roman intended to use a connection with Tabitha to secure the deal. Logan calls him a moron and declares he will go through with things anyways. Shiv goes to see Connor who is recording an awful anti-tax campaign video but she can't stop it. She has sex with a man she meets at a bar. After the retreat, Tom is upset with Shiv for getting him to do something he didn't want to do, and is further upset when she tells him she had sex with someone else. Roman meets with Gerri who advises him to get management training. Frank tells Logan that Pierce's CEO wants to meet. Logan calls Shiv and says he wants to bring her into the company.
The Good: I really liked most of this, particularly in how the story was executed. The Pierce problem is much more engaging than last episode's central problem of what to do with Vaulter. This decision to acquire Pierce feels like a big deal because we are told that if this goes wrong, it could potentially burn down the entire company, giving us an incentive to invest in the decision-making process. Furthermore, the process is so much more fun to watch in this episode because of how many players are in action trying to sway things to go their way. Just about everybody has some stake in this, and it's hugely fun seeing how they approach the problem. For example, Tom is put in an impossible situation where he wants to side with Logan, but Shiv and several others are pushing him to be a leader in a rebellion that would never work. Meanwhile Roman and Kendall both want to acquisition to happen, but they end up butting heads due to tensions between them. Kendall is basically Logan's lapdog scouting for weaknesses, while Roman is just trying to impress his father but he continues to fail spectacularly. Add on some other interesting dynamics with Karl opposing Logan in secret, Greg trying to hide that he met with Pantsil, and a few other story threads, and this is a very fun episode to explore. Then we get to the boar on the floor scene. Wow. Talk about massively over-the-top. This sequence is all about showing us Logan's psyche and how it is that he dominates everyone around him to get what he wants. Logan came to Hungary to relax, but upon being pressured by "traitors" through the biography meeting, the opposition to the Pierce acquisition, and then a leak to Pierce, Logan snapped in rage just like he did back in "Which Side Are You On?". Despite practically nobody in the room actually supporting his beliefs, Logan abuses his power to bully everyone into accepting him. He humiliates Tom, Greg, and Karl using only his status and power in such a childish and barbaric way that it is shocking. Logan's relentlessly cruel here, and Brian Cox sells his fury perfectly. If only Logan actually took the advice of the people around him, maybe he would have a better standing within the company and within his family. I want to highlight Tom in particular in this episode. The poor guy had an absolute nightmare of a trip and spent the entire episode being bullied and pushed around against his will. Tom's not a great guy, but it's easy to empathize with him when he is put under so much pressure. He just wants a cushy job and the affections of his wife, but right now that is impossible for him. He spends his weekend away getting verbally and physically abused by Logan, despite the fact that he was one of the only people in the room that genuinely supported Logan's decision to acquire Pierce. All that because Tom was voluntold to represent the people who were against the acquisition, making the situation feel entirely unfair. Impressively, through all of this carnage, Tom valued his friendship with Greg as he refused to reveal the damning information that he knew, information that may have spared him from this entire situation. And how is Tom rewarded for a tough weekend where he kept his morals? With Shiv revealing to him that she has already started to take advantage of their open relationship, messing around with some random guy while he suffered trying to enforce her ideals; ideals that Shiv selfishly placed onto Tom. Tom got walked all over in this episode, and regardless of the type of person he is, I feel bad for him because he is being screwed over by worse people. More on Tom. Poor guy had the worst time this episode and the retreat was a nightmare trip. Pressured by his wife and even Gerri and Karl, sides with Logan ultimately yet he still finds himself embarrassed and humiliated. He even stood by Greg and didn't reveal his secret, the one leverage he had, which was honorable. Sweet to see them eating together later. Then at home it gets worse as he expresses his frustration with Shiv only to learn that she fucked someone else, I just feel bad for the guy. He did nothing wrong in this episode but just got screwed. Connor's presidential video is hysterical and brought me a lot of laughs. I can't believe he actually posted it online. The anti-tax stance is an absurdity, and I'm amused by Willa helping him because he is her financial source. This is sure to be an exciting presidential campaign, and I expect to laugh lots. The Bad: This episode is brutally uncomfortable and it doesn't make you feel good. The writing and storytelling rules, but emotionally this feels like too much. Especially for a comedy/drama this is bleak to a whole other degree. I feel awful and uncomfortable watching Logan rule his power over everyone else in the room, and those emotions have nowhere to go since there is such a limited amount of empathy that I feel for all of the characters being bullied. It is fascinating and emotionally affecting, but considering that I don't really care about anyone in this show, it doesn't feel like it is worth putting myself through the wringer in this scene for awful people. This is a complicated feeling to describe. I've enjoyed plenty of TV episodes that make you feel bad, but this one makes me feel bad in a different way that significantly diminishes my enjoyment of the episode. The Unknown: What will become of the biography? Will it still be written? Will Greg's secret be kept? Will anyone else find out what he did? Is Frank going to stick around now? Will he be firmly behind Logan? He indicates that his return is like a "moth to a flame", which is kind of sad. Is this genuine? Greg admits that Ewan has been giving him orders. What has Ewan told him? Has Greg listened? So Connor has kicked off his campaign (god help us all). How is it going to go? How will Connor's actions reflect on the rest of the story? Tensions are heating up rapidly between Shiv and Tom. Will Tom reach a breaking point soon? What happens then? Is Roman going to do management training? Best Moment: The boar on the floor game is intense, uncomfortable, and brilliantly acted. Even with my reservations, I can't deny that it's an excellent scene. Character of the Episode: Logan. Conclusion: This is a very strange episode for me, and one that is hard to score. I recognize the brilliance of the storytelling, and I enjoyed much of what we got in the episode. It's just that the "boar on the floor" sequence is so brutally uncomfortable and awkward that it becomes a bit too unpleasant for me to enjoy. This is one of those episodes where I understand why people love it and I recognize how well-executed it is, but it's just not for me. Score: 65 Summary: Jim tortures Barry using VR and learns that he gave $250,000 to Gene. Suspicious, Jim leaves. Barry escapes but cuts his hand and passes out. Gene gets a call from an agent looking for advice on the movie. He tempts Gene by saying they are making the movie with Daniel Day Lewis and Mark Wahlberg. Gene is suckered in and agrees to meet, but it's a trap set by Jim, who now suspects that Gene hired Barry to kill Janice. Hank sends four men to kill Fuches but they are all killed. Hank then tries to send a rocket at Fuches' house, it fails, and Hank barely escapes. Hank decides he will track down Barry. He watched Gene's house where Sally arrives with John, looking for help. Hank captures them and calls Barry. Barry wakes up and answers and learns that Hank is holding them hostage.
The Good: Barry didn't have a huge role in this episode, but he continued to carry most of the drama in the show. Barry's VR-style torture is a unique idea, and compellingly executed. It's unclear how long Jim left him with it on, but it's evident that it was really breaking him down. These scenes are intense and well-done overall. We got to see the facade Gene has been putting on crumble to great effect in this episode. The man said he had changed, but he's still the same guy with the same weakness, and this time he's really getting punished for it. Once again, Gene's ego completely ruins everything for him. He said he had changed and he was honourable, yet the mere mentioning of Daniel Day Lewis and Mark Wahlberg immediately makes him sing another tune. Suddenly it's not about protecting Janice's legacy, it's about "getting her story out there". Barry isn't an evil bastard anymore, he's a "sympathetic soul". Gene swings whichever way the breeze takes him as long as he's still the center of attention. It's frustrating to watch Gene fall back into these habits, and immensely satisfying when we learn that it's all a trap. It's absolutely fitting that the man who conned him was a former student, and it's even more fitting that the mistake Gene made was the exact same mistake he made with Lon all those years ago. He really hasn't changed at all, and now it looks like Gene will face some major consequences for his enormous ego. Hank steals the show in this episode. His attempts to take out Fuches are absolutely hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed them. The FUBAKs is a really funny concept, and I loved Hank's reactions to each of them like he had just received exciting new toys. Even better was the reveal of the heads in boxes, and Hank opening each one ("why am I still opening these?") was really funny. Then it all culminates in a fantastic sequence as Hank comically misses the one rocket he brought to kill Fuches (his henchman "was thinking budget") before we launch into a hilarious gunfight that culminates in Hank falling down a hill Looney Tunes-style. The sequence is all done in a oner, which is quite impressive, but is also laugh-out-loud funny throughout. Then the episode takes a turn towards the end as Hank captures Sally. It's surprising that it's taken this long to see Hank and Sally in a scene together, and it's great that we get one before the end of the series. Poor Sally's paranoia has taken her back to LA, and it's sad to see her PTSD continuing to engulf her as she fails an attempt to confess due to the lingering trauma of the man she murdered. Now it looks like things are going to come crumbling down for her and her family, and it's an exciting cliffhanger with Barry preparing to go save them. The Bad: I find it hard to believe that Jim would be so sloppy that he lets Barry escape his garage. did he really not tie up his feet? Or bolt the chair into the ground? Or take out all the weapons from the room? Jim has been the one competent character in this series so far, so to see him suddenly become incompetent is frustrating. Even if he believes that Gene is the real target and not Barry, surely he wouldn't just let Barry get away like that? The man killed his daughter! I have suspended my disbelief in a lot of places for this show because of how generally incompetent most people are, but Jim is the one character who I have been told should be competent. So I struggle to get over this issue. There was a possible inconsistency in this episode with Sally calling Gene's phone. We heard in the previous episode that Gene changed his phone number after he ran away. If that's the case, then how was Sally able to contact him? There's no way that she should have his phone number. This is most likely an oversight by the writers. The Unknown: What's next for Gene? Will he be put behind bars for this "crime" he committed? Will Barry get involved somehow? How will Gene's story intersect with everything else that's going on? Is Hank going to give Barry the address to Fuches' place? What will happen when they meet? What is Hank going to do with Sally? Will John find out who his parents really are? Have Sally and Gene been in somewhat regular contact? How does she have his number? Why did Jim leave Barry in a position where he could easily escape? Best Moment: Hank's failed rocket followed by a gunfight was a beautifully shot sequence and also absolutely hilarious. Character of the Episode: Hank. Conclusion: A compelling and funny episode to set up the endgame of the series. This isn't exceptional television, but it more than did its job of setting up the series finale while still providing enough story beats and laughs to stand out on its own. Score: 68 Summary: Logan meets with the Roys when Stewy does an interview against Waystar Royco. Logan agrees with Shiv's suggestion to immediately fight back. Later, Logan meets with Roman and Kendall to get them to look into Vaulter, who have been underperforming. After doing some research, Kendall wants to invest in improvement while Roman wants to shut them down. Logan agrees to shut them down and sends Kendall to gut them. Kendall initially tries to give them a shot to improve and stop them from unionizing, but it fails. In response, Kendall shuts down Vaulter. Tom gets to his new job at ATN and brings Greg with him. Shiv gets offered a promotion by Gil. Shiv meets with Logan who wants a three-year track for her, but Shiv wants it to be sooner. Shiv tells Tom about Logan's offer and says it's a deviation from him taking control, but Tom is concerned by the development. Later, Shiv talks out against Gil and quits while he fires her at the same time.
The Good: I enjoy the character dynamics on show through the Vaulter problem. Kendall really feels like a shell in these latest episodes. Vaulter was his investment, and we expect that Kendall would put in a big fight to keep it running. For a bit, it seems like he's going to ignore his father's wishes and keep vying for Vaulter, but the end of the episode puts in a nice twist when we learn that Kendall was simply extracting whatever final value he could from Vaulter. He guts them heartlessly, reminding us that he's purely his father's pawn now, and the scene is brilliant. The follow-up with Kendall is great. A beautiful image of Kendall sitting in his father's office shows how subservient he has become, and a brief scene where he steals some batteries from a convenience store illustrates how desperate Kendall is for some agency, but he's too terrified to take control anywhere near where his father can see. Lawrence getting soundly beaten was also quite satisfying because of how much of a prick he has been. Lawrence jerks around Kendall at every turn, and that was an awful move because Kendall was the only one that genuinely believed in him. As a result, Lawrence had no friends to hide behind, and he had alienated the one person who was backing him. I feel like he deserved this. Roman's competition with Kendall when it comes to evaluating Vaulter is a lot of fun. Roman is happy to have bested Kendall when Logan goes with his plan, but he hilariously doubts his own decision later in the episode, showing once again how weak he is when it comes to leadership. It's hilarious to see him thinking that he's the best choice to be named successor when I'm certain that he's currently Logan's last option. Shivs political story looks like it has come to an end, and that's likely for the better. She's forced to choose between her father's proposal and her ongoing commitment with Gil, and she makes her decision rapidly. To be fair, it's an easy decision for her. Keep working with her ex, or do the job that she's been dreaming about for years? Shiv opts for the CEO job, and continues to be an awful person by quitting her job by insulting Gil and letting out all the frustrations that she had towards him. Even more troubling is how Shiv is hiding her true feelings from Tom. Tom is under the impression that he's supposed to be the one getting everything, but now Shiv has sneaked in and taken the position instead, and lies to him about her intentions. This is horrific communication, and Shiv is setting up this relationship for failure yet again. Shiv knows she's lying to him, and Tom knows that she is likely lying to him. How hard is it for there to be some honesty in this relationship? Apparently it's nearly impossible. It should be fun to see how this conflict boils throughout the season. We've already seen Tom's tempers flare up at dinner with Roman, so I wonder what more we're going to see. Greg continues to be a lot of fun to watch. His hunt for a house is amusing, and it has a surprisingly sweet conclusion when Kendall gives him a free place to live. Greg's skepticism is hilarious after being so consistently teased by Tom, but his celebration is sweet and nice to see. Of course Kendall has his own agenda and just wants a party to do drugs, but it's still a nice moment. Poor Greg has also been dragged to ATN alongside Tom, which is pretty amusing. I'm glad that I get to see more of their dynamic since they are so funny together. The Bad: The biggest issue with this is that the main plot isn't interesting. Vaulter is a familiar company for us, but you can't convince me that Vaulter's fate, whether they stay or go, will be an important plot point for the future. They haven't amounted to anything important in 11 episodes up until now, so I had no reason to believe that this company's fate will be important to the show. The plot allows for good character exploration, but in terms of plot, it feels almost like filler. The Unknown: How did Shiv respond to Stewy's interview? Will we see Lawrence again now that Vaulter has been gutted? Marcia did not seem to be happy that Logan and Shiv had a secret that she wasn't allowed to listen in on. Will she try to find out what it is? How important is it to her to know these things? Will there be consequences for Shiv for leaving Gil's campaign under such negative circumstances? Why is Kendall stealing from shops? Is this his only way to keep some form of agency in his life? How will Tom's plan to digitize ATN go? How will Tom handle Shiv's change in their plan? Does this mean that Shiv will try to take it all for herself and leave Tom in the dust? Best Moment: Kendall gutting Vaulter was cold, and Jeremy Strong played it perfectly showing us that the Kendall we knew before is gone and right now Kendall is just an instrument of his dad's will and nothing more. Character of the Episode: Kendall. Conclusion: Another solid episode of character exploration, though a relatively uninteresting plot brings this episode down a bit. Score: 65 Summary: Kendall is taken out of rehab to make a media statement on why he sided with his father again, and he does a good job. However, this doesn't change things for Logan. Logan meets with Laird, his banker, and is given advice to sell. He sets up a meeting with all of his children to discuss. Roman makes a pitch, but Logan is unimpressed by it. Shiv is skeptical, but Logan wants her to be CEO. After some negotiating, she agrees and they decide to tell nobody. Logan decides not to sell. Logan takes Kendall with him to meet with Stewy and Sandy. Logan doesn't go in and instead Kendall goes in to tell them that there will be no deal and that Logan will fight with everything he's got.
The Good: After all that happened last season, Kendall is exactly where he should be: struggling to recover and return to who he was before. Saddled with the knowledge of wat he's done and being forced to keep this secret forever, Kendall is suitably jumpy. Jeremy Strong portrays him so well, showing him scared and nervous in absolutely every situation, the anxiety of never knowing if this will come back to haunt him eating away at him from the inside. This is gripping to see, and Kendall is terrific in every scene. His shellshocked media appearance is pretty bad, but he keeps his calm and says exactly what needs to be said (to Logan's hilarious comment of "that's the first fucking thing he's done right in his life"). After that, Kendall goes back to being a husk, and it's amusing to see him sticking to the fake media story to hide the truth from everyone he interacts with ("Dad's plan was better"). I'm curious to see what more there is for Kendall this season, and if there is a way for him to get some agency back. It's fun to catch up with the other Roys, and their disdain for Kendall is what you would expect to see. They don't forgive the betrayal easily at all, and are infuriated by the fact that Logan doesn't seem to be punishing Kendall, blissfully unaware of the horrors he is going through. I enjoy the central role that Shiv and Roman play in this episode, and seeing them each going to talk to Logan about his decision to sell is engaging. It becomes clear in retrospect that Logan never intended to sell and looked to weigh his options with Shiv and Roman, but during the episode there is some genuine suspense and intrigue for what comes next. Logan's meeting with Roman is first, and it's another glorious reminder of how dumb he is. Roman comes up with some ideas, but always misses the bigger picture, and Logan's disappointment is made clear through him appointing Kendall as co-COO to prevent Roman from doing anything else stupid like blowing up another rocket. Logan's conversation with Shiv forms the centerpiece of this episode. Throughout the series Shiv has been completely disillusioned. She sees through Logan's plans, and we can tell from her conversation here that it's because she learned that Logan never had any real plans for her, and got disappointed by expecting more. But this time, it's different. Logan breaks through her many layers of skepticism, dismissal, and nihilism to get to the heart of what she wants. Shiv has wanted the CEO position more than anything, and her resentment for Logan has been because he cut her off from this position. But when faced with the possibility of her father actually opening his arms for her, she breaks down just like Kendall in the final scene of "Nobody is Ever Missing". It's clear that the desire to be recognized by her father has plagued Shiv for many, many years, and now we get to see Logan using this weakness to get what he wants from Shiv so that he can name her as his successor. This scene is layered and brilliantly acted by Brian Cox and Sarah Snook, who are both so good at feigned emotion and real emotion in their characters respectively. In all of this, there is still a fun background story as the Roys find three dead raccoons stuffed in the chimney (a nice metaphor for the 3 Roy kids fighting to climb the ranks?), and we get reminded of the disillusionment of the wealthy. Logan underpaid the catering service already, and now after getting suitably poor service, he underpays them further. We don't need a reminder that Logan is awful, but of course that's not going to stop him from doing terrible things to lower class people regardless. The Bad: Nothing bad. The Unknown: Will Kendall's secret get out? Will people find out from a loose end somewhere, or is he going to confide in somebody when he really shouldn't? What is Logan's long-term plan for Kendall? Does he intend to keep using him for his own gain, or will he cut him off eventually? How are Stewy and Sandy going to respond to Logan essentially declaring war on them? What's their next move? How did Logan's conversation with Roman end off? I can't imagine Logan had any big plans for Roman. Is Logan's deal for Shiv real? Does he intend to go through with it? Or is this another twisted scheme that he is manipulating her for? Will Shiv cooperate with him? Will she tell Tom what happened? Did Shiv actually get Tom a promotion, or was that a lie? Best Moment: Logan and Shiv's negotiations definitely stole the show. Such brilliant acting, and such fascinating layers underneath this relationship. Character of the Episode: Shiv. Conclusion: This was a rock solid premier for season 2, introducing interesting new storylines and being consistently entertaining throughout. Score: 66 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 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: Flashbacks show Princess Carolyn living with her mother in North Carolina as a housekeeper. She gets pregnant with the son of the Wallace family, the house they serve. Princess Carolyn's mother is excited but there is a miscarriage. Princess Carolyn gets into UCLA and leaves. In the present, Princess Carolyn goes to North Carolina to meet with Sadie who is looking for someone to adopt her unborn baby. Princess Carolyn tries to win her over, but struggles to balance her conversations with her life as she gets constant calls from L.A., which ultimately leads to BoJack falling off a building and being hospitalized after a dangerous stunt. Sadie notices how manipulative Princess Carolyn is and passes on her. Princess Carolyn returns to LA unsuccessful.
The Good: I appreciate that we got a deeper look into Princess Carolyn's past and what shaped her as a person. Everything didn't quite work perfectly (see: The Bad), but it was a good story that's worth telling. Princess Carolyn's mother is drunk, manipulative, and sometimes abusive in her parenting style. I thought the character was well realized. She seems like she genuinely cares about her children, but her stubborn beliefs that her lifestyle is ideal, and her inability to cope with her kids moving on in their lives made her a bad parent. We also get to see how Princess Carolyn's manipulations manifested from a young age with how she convinces Cooper to convince the coach that he's good enough, even if he's not. This business strategy is something that Princess Carolyn employs time and time again throughout the episode with just about everyone she talks to. It's fun to see the rest of the main cast checking in by phone with her, but Princess Carolyn uses her skillset to get rid of them as quickly as possible, creating red flags for Sadie to notice and ultimately call her out on by the episode's end (see: Best Moment). I appreciate how entertaining it is to watch how things fall apart in LA. Most of the humour in this episode comes from these check-ins, and every character is fun to watch. BoJack's good times on set being disrupted by Mr. Peanutbutter upstaging him is true to what I would expect to happen, and it's amusing to see BoJack's jealousy clash with Mr. Peanutbutter's obliviousness. Todd struggling to answer questions in his new job is an amusing development as well. On the more serious side, Princess Carolyn's advice for Diane is consistent with her manipulative behaviour. Princess Carolyn encourages Diane to manipulate Flip into doing something, and then absolves her of all blame after it led somewhere bad. You get the sense that this is what Princess Carolyn does, she manipulates others to get what she wants, but absolves herself of blame if anything goes wrong. In this case, Princess Carolyn's lack of involvement with her job and her thoughtless encouragement leads to BoJack getting into a horrific accident, but she clearly has absolved herself of any blame for what happened. It is a sad and relatable scenario though, as most people can relate to putting their every effort into getting something done (the adoption), only to get nothing to show for their efforts. Princess Carolyn sacrificed a lot to appeal to Sadie, and ultimately it was all for nothing. There are a few fun jokes that I got a laugh out of. The Wallace family having an empire built on answering machine tapes is quite funny. The flea market has some funny jokes in it, like a sign saying " stuff I stole to make money to buy heroin", and a shirt that says "stop pausing and just watch the show". The Bad: This episode does not go far enough into Princess Carolyn's past to entirely work. We learn about her backstory, but much of it is stuff that we could have already guessed based on what we knew about Princess Carolyn before this episode. "Ruthie" gave several hints about Princess Carolyn's troubled relationship with her mother involving miscarriages, and also told us the truth about Princess Carolyn's necklace. Seeing these scenes actually happen did not feel fascinating, instead it just felt like checking items off a list to show us. This made Princess Carolyn's backstory feel somewhat forgettable and less emotional than I was expecting. I thought this episode was lacking in jokes. We didn't get the usual amount of background humour as I've come to expect, and if there were North Carolina centric jokes, I didn't understand very many of them since I don't know much about North Carolina. "BoJack Horseman" has quite a bit of reference humour, and the negative aspect of this type of humour is that if the viewer is not well versed in the topic being jokes about, the jokes will fall flat. I don't think many people are well versed in North Carolina, so the jokes in this episode won't work very well for a significant portion of the audience. The Unknown: How bad is BoJack's injury? Will this be a key storyline in this season? Will Princess Carolyn find other opportunities for adoption? Best Moment: Princess Carolyn tries to make a big play to convince Sadie that she's the best pick, but Sadie is not falling for it. Sadie has seen Princess Carolyn manipulate just about everyone for her own needs, and is not afraid to call her out on it. In response to this, Princess Carolyn has nothing. Without her selling abilities, she has nothing to offer and has to contend with the fact that she's not the best choice. So in the character's best moment in the episode, Princess Carolyn gives up the facade and gives her genuine advice to Sadie based on her own experiences. Finally, an honest moment. Princess Carolyn gets no reward for it, but it's nice to see her show something genuine. Character of the Episode: Princess Carolyn. Conclusion: An episode that has some good ideas and fills in some solid backstory for Princess Carolyn, but it doesn't quite hit those lofty emotional highs it's aiming for. Score: 67 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: Barry leaves Sally with a gun and goes to L.A. to kill Gene. He looks for a religious podcast to justify his choice to kill Gene. Gene claims he is back in town to stop the movie being made. He visits Leo to explain himself and tells him he will be in town. Gene heads home and Barry follows him to kill him, but suddenly Barry is captured and taken to the garage by Jim. Sally gets drunk and gives alcohol to John to stop him from crying. She seemingly gets attacked in her house, but it's unclear if this is real. Fuches gets out of prison and meets with Hank, agreeing to be protection for his business in exchange for getting Barry. However, Fuches gets drunk and congratulates Hank for killing Cristobal, which Hank denies. Hank gets upset and takes the deal off the table.
The Good: Barry's sheer stubbornness and the extremity of his claims throughout the episode are a blast to watch. I think we can all agree that Barry is a terrible person, and watching terrible people do things is endlessly funny. Poor Sally tries to be reasonable with Barry, pointing out that he likely only wants petty revenge on Gene, and naturally Barry denies it and tries to paint himself as doing the right thing. This idea is taken even further as Barry hilariously searches for a religious podcast that aligns with his worldview so that he can feel justified. It's hilarious listening to increasingly questionable pastors, culminating in a really fun Bill Burr cameo as he announces the validity of murder, finally giving Barry what he's been looking for. This religious aspect to Barry has been an excellent source of comedy so far, and I really enjoy it. The story culminates in Barry finally moving in to kill Gene, but he's apprehended by Jim and taken to the garage in an excellent twist. It's been nearly impossible to predict where the story heads in every episode this season, and this Jim twist continues that unpredictability in an exciting way. Sally is a total mess right now. This episode stitches together a fantastic sequence to show how Sally is haunted by her past, and afraid of everything that goes on in her life. It's awful how she treats her son, making him a burnt grilled cheese and then sneaking him some booze to get him to stop crying. And after getting herself wasted, Sally then enters a surreal sequence that sees the house get attacked by some mysterious men, triggering her PTSD in interesting ways. I'm not certain how much of what we saw was actually real (see: The Bad and The Unknown), and that makes it mysterious and engaging to try to figure out if what we're watching is actually happening. The sequence also builds tension very effectively, leaving us at the edge of our seats. Lastly, there's Fuches and Hank who steal the show this episode. We haven't seen them for a long time, so seeing what they have done in the past 8 years in entertaining. Fuches' transformation into a prison big-shot is absolutely hilarious, and his mannerisms and behaviour after leaving the prison are a never-ending source of entertainment throughout the episode. Hank's new businessman role is amusing to watch, and it's sweet to see all of the Cristobal tributes that he has placed all around the new "Nohobal" building. Fuches and Hank's reunion is nice to see, and it's sad but understandable to see thei rrelationship fall apart rapidly. Fuches is drunk and not able to see that Hank genuinely did love Cristobal, and the result is that Fuches opens old wounds by pointing out that Hank did murder Cristobal, a truth that Hank has clearly ignored for a long time. I like this character work, and it's set up an intriguing new relationship between Fuches and Hank. The Bad: I praised the Sally storyline for effectively making us connect with her terror by having it be totally unclear how much of what she was experiencing was real or if it was all in her head. But if this was never the intention of the scene, then the scene completely failed to communicate what was real and not real and it became confusing for no reason. I suppose we'll find out next episode if this sequence was good or bad. The Unknown: Is Gene actually a changed man? Why was he in Israel for 8 years? How did he get there? Why didn't he ever come back? Is Jim involved somehow? How will Leo handle his dad returning to his life? Will Hank be able to track down Barry? Will he even try after arguing with Fuches? Where is the Hank/Fuches story going? Are they going to end up fighting each other? Will Barry get involved somehow? What the heck happened with Sally? How much of this was real and how much was in her head? Was there actually a man in the house? Did the house really get attacked by a truck? Or did she imagine that? I'm sure she was imagining the lines that were identical to those said by the man she murdered back in "starting now", but how much else was imagined? Was the whole thing a hallucination, and did she trash the house herself? What does Jim have planned for Barry? Has he been looking for him this entire time? Did he set a trap with Gene? Best Moment: The image of badass prison Fuches strutting out to his car while Black Sabbath plays is absolutely hysterical, and my favourite part of the episode. Character of the Episode: Fuches. Conclusion: The previous episode derailed some of the momentum of the season, but this episode restored it. This was a thoroughly enjoyable episode that effectively sets the stage for the final act of "Barry". Score: 66 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: Princess Carolyn tries to hire Vance Waggoner, a disgraced celebrity, for Philbert. He gets a Forgivie award and BoJack makes a disgusted face on the TV in response to cheese, making the media think he doesn't approve. As fallout, BoJack becomes a feminist icon and Vance opts not to do the show. Princess Carolyn is annoyed and works with Diane and BoJack to disgrace Vance, but Vance comes out as feminist too. Ultimately Vance gets himself in trouble again, and Ana, his publicist, meets with Diane and shows her the tape recording of BoJack's New Mexico story. BoJack gets Diane a job on his TV show to make a difference, but she still isn't able to do much. Mr. Peanutbutter wants to be tough to be considered for new roles, but every attempt to be tough results in him being loved more. In the end, he's selected for a role on Philbert.
The Good: The concept of this episode is the usual absurd fun. Vance Waggoner is a creative take on toxic celebrities who do terrible things, and it's a lot of fun to watch him and compare how his actions are reminiscent of BoJack in the earlier seasons, just worse and much less sympathetic. Vance is ludicrously awful, and this character allows the episode a fun lens to explore cancel culture and how little damage this actually does to the lives of celebrities who do terrible things. I also quite like how the episode sets up BoJack being a "feminist". BoJack reacting badly to cheese at a bad time is the type of thing that's very consistent with how BoJack is, and it's amusing to see how BoJack, despite trying to correct things, gets sucked into being a feminist after saying simple things that net him a positive public reaction. He's always fallen victim to his own desire to get people to cheer him, and he does the same thing here to become a "feminist". But this is still BoJack 2.0 who is an improved man from who he was before, and BoJack is smart enough to realize that Diane has a point about how inherently sexist his show is, and it's nice to see BoJack helping her and her ideals by getting her a job on his show. Much of this episode is focused on Diane, and her frustration is beautifully realized. Princess Carolyn is the first to frustrate her by hiring Vance Waggoner, and it's totally understandable how angry Diane is about how these awful men do awful things and somehow keep coming back. Diane is sent from infuriating scenario to infuriating scenario first from Princess Carolyn's selfishness ahead of morality when it comes to Vance, then with Ana showing no integrity as she helps Vance, and also with BoJack as he shows absolutely zero interest to learn anything about feminism. Everything Diane experiences frustrates her as the episode goes on and it culminates with her finally getting a good position to make a difference on "Philbert", but she quickly finds that nobody is going to listen with her and she's entirely useless, just like she was on "Secretariat". Then the kicker at the very end: Diane learns what happened with BoJack in New Mexico and has to face the possibility that BoJack isn't just an asshole, he might be as bad as Vance Waggoner. The episode tells Diane's story beautifully from frustration to frustration, making this ending moment where Ana plays the tape feel so impactful for Diane, a boiling point to serve as the episode's climax. Mr. Peanutbutter and Todd take up a lot of the episode on a side story, and luckily it is really funny. The idea of Mr. Peanutbutter trying to be tough and menacing and accidentally helping the people he's trying to act tough to is a hilarious idea, and the episode goes a long way with it. Mr. Peanutbutter's reactions to this increasing absurdity are a lot of fun to watch, and his interactions with Todd are as good as ever. There are plenty of fun jokes in this episode. There's an amusing animal joke as a chameleon girl camouflages with a building to hide from a bad date. GirlCroosh has a funny memorial for the cockroaches who were exterminated a few episodes ago, with the message "they checked in but didn't check out". Diane's computer has an amusing article on it that parodies Buzzfeed ("13 celebs who look exactly like soup"). The news headlines offer some gems as always, such as "Buffalo Buffalo sues Buffalo Buffalo for Buffaloing Buffalo Buffalo", and "victims families breathe sigh of relief as authorities declare mass shooting by white man not terrorism". The Bad: Mr. Peanutbutter's story is entirely superfluous and unnecessary ultimately. It's funny, but a needless distraction without a whole lot of merit. The Unknown: How will Diane react to the tape? How is this going to change her relationship with BoJack? How will Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter handle working together? Best Moment: Ana showing Diane the tape of BoJack's New Mexico story is a big moment, and an exciting cliffhanger. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: We get our seasonal political episode, and this one is another solid and fun experience with lots of laughs. Score: 66 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 Summary: Barry is homeschooling his son John, making him sheltered and preventing him from spending time with other children. He tries to teach him not to be angry. Sally works as a waitress and is trapped within her life. She is sad to see Natalie with a successful TV show and is not invested in her new family. She chokes Bevel, a bad co-worker who tries to hook up with her before getting him fired. After returning home, Sally sees that Gene has re-emerged after 8 years with the intention to speak out in a movie about Barry.
The Good: This episode confirms that what we are seeing is an 8-year timeskip, which is such a bold move for the final act of this story. I quite like this decision as it throws us off in a way that we don't expect, making the story feel even more unpredictable and exciting. Now Barry and Sally have a new life to fight for, and it's tough to see where both characters are going to go, and how the rest of the main cast fit into this. As for that new life, this episode's entire purpose is to establish what this new life is, and what it means to Barry and Sally. Barry is clearly living it up playing this new role. As a father to John, Barry can play up all of the aspects of his character that he wants to be true, but we can see that evil within him as he holds Sally prisoner in this life and creates a traumatic environment for his son to grow up in. This is the answer that "Barry" provides to those asking the question "is it just if Barry gets a second chance". The answer ends up being a resounding no. Barry has tricked himself into thinking he's a good man, but it's a facade, and Barry's statement that he has to kill Gene at the episode's end confirms that the evil within Barry is still there. The soft-spoken, religious father that we see here is not the real Barry, and even though he's having a good life and has created a bubble to hide from what he's done, the things he has done continue to haunt the world around him. Sally is suffering immensely (more on her in a bit), and poor John is living through a traumatic childhood without even knowing it. This episode is uncomfortable and bleak in showing Barry's parenting style, how he manipulates John to love him with his stories, and how he isolates John from being able to form relationships with others. Add on these false stories of Barry's past, and John is set up to have a horrifying moment in his growth when he learns who his dad really is, and finds that he has no ability to connect with other people to overcome this. The knowledge of all this makes Barry's bond with John feel disgusting. Even if Barry seems like just another caring parent at first glance, this episode firmly hammers in that what Barry is doing is not good. Poor Sally is living a trapped life, and it looks like she has nothing to live for with this new family. Barry has it easy staying at home to parent, and naturally Sally is the one that has to go work and take risks with other people so that Barry can live his fantasy life. We can see how this new life weighs on Sally. Being a waitress is crushing for her as she knows she could be so much more, indicative with how she tortures herself watching Natalie's show regularly. To cope with her new life, Sally drinks, Sally ignores her son, and Sally chokes disgusting men to at least give herself the power of being the abuser instead of the victim for a change. This is her sad fate, and the episode portrays this nicely. Seeing Gene again was a blast, and a welcome departure from seeing Barry and Sally's new life. His re-emergence raises several exciting questions, and provides a necessary hook to make me anticipate the final three episodes. The Bad: This episode is too bleak and uncomfortable to watch. The storytelling is good, and the show artfully and impressively conveyed Barry and Sally's new life, but it is too much. "Barry" is a tragicomedy that gets by with lots of humour to take the edge off of some of the darker moments in the show. Because of this, it has always operated at a fast pace, offering plenty of jokes, and never forcing us to sit in the uncomfortable subject matter that is being discussed. Even the most dramatic of episodes obey this rule. The season 3 finale, "starting now", is another bleak and intense episode, but because it moves quickly between scenes, it's constantly entertaining. It doesn't linger in the misery felt by the characters, and its primary goal is still to entertain. "tricky legacies" struggles because it does linger in misery, and it doesn't do much else. This episode is deeply uncomfortable and dark, and instead of channeling this tone to tell a story, the entire point of the episode is to sit and watch how uncomfortable and dark it is. This doesn't make for entertaining television, and after 10 minutes I already got the picture and was more than ready to move on to see what came next. Instead, the episode continued to beat us over the head with the horror of Barry and Sally's new life to its detriment. The pace of the episode is painfully slow, and because of that, this doesn't feel like an episode of "Barry" anymore. So many scenes move at a glacial pace to get to the point, and the length of scenes is much longer than what we typically see in "Barry". This is not necessarily a bad thing - "Better Call Saul" does slow, long scenes to great effect - but this style of storytelling has never been what "Barry" does, and the switch to it in this episode did not work because it made "Barry" feel like a different show altogether. It felt jarring, odd, and out of place. Was the story competently told, and was the episode directed well? Yes, absolutely. But the story was told in such a weird and ultimately unnecessary way (a 10 minute sequence could easily accomplish this), that it did not work the way it should have. I usually love episodes that break the norm (just look at how much I praised "ronny/lily"), but when an episode does that, it should still feel like it belongs in the TV show it is a part of. For example, great formula-break episodes from "Lost" still very clearly had the same tone, directing style, and emotional resonance as other episodes in that show, but "tricky legacies" did not feel like it belonged as a part of "Barry". The Unknown: Where has Gene been for 8 years? Has he just been at his cabin? What happened to Leo, did he die? Or did he simply abandon his father? Why has Gene emerged now? Is it really just to tell the story of Barry in a movie? Or does he have ulterior motives? How is Barry going to kill Gene? What is he going to do? Will Sally be willing to risk everything for this new life with Barry? Or will she ultimately choose to escape from Barry? I get the sense that Sally will have to make a choice about this soon. Where have Hank and Fuches been? How are they going to fit into the final act of this story? Best Moment: Honestly, the brief scene with Gene because of how it felt more like the old "Barry" that this episode tries so hard not to be. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: Quite possibly the strangest episode of the series. This episode showed us the bleak reality of Barry and Sally's new life. While this was effective, the way it was shown to us was out-of-character for "Barry", resulting in a weird episode that has a very limited entertainment value. Score: 57 Summary: BoJack grows closer with Gina on set. He learns that she loves musicals and dreams of singing and tries to give her a shot to sing on the show. Gina is upset that he did this, but she gives it a shot and it doesn't go well. BoJack feels bad about it. Mr. Peanutbutter invites Pickles on a date, but Pickles is nervous they are moving too fast. After Mr. Peanutbutter admits he still has feelings for Diane, things get awkward, but they have a romantic night. Yolanda takes Todd to meet her family and they try to hide their asexuality. Eventually it gets out and the family is understanding. However, Todd decides to break up with Yolanda as they have nothing in common.
The Good: Todd meeting Yolanda's parents is a comedic highlight. The entire family is the height of absurdity with how thoroughly associated they are with sex. Every member has something funny to offer, and poor Todd is very relatable as he's put in this highly awkward scenario. The plot is intentionally convoluted with over-the-top characters for comedic purposes, and it works well. The real kicker is that the family was accepting about asexuality all along, and all of this chaos was essentially for nothing. The end of the episode is a bit of a surprise as Todd breaks up with Yolanda. These two never felt like a good fit, so it's sensible that Todd would see this and call things off. This nicely tackles the idea that finding someone else who is the same minority as you is not all that you should base a relationship on. BoJack's story is fun as he continues to bring a positive vibe to set, and gets closer with Gina. BoJack is making a clear effort to be better in this season, and we see him trying to develop a closer relationship with Gina, trying to make a positive impact in her life. Though Gina is happy to stay distant, BoJack wants something more and enjoys learning more about her and teasing her. Unfortunately, while BoJack had good intentions, they backfired on him again. He tries to get closer to Gina and he tries to help her realize her potential, but the result is an embarrassing audition (I love that Gina wasn't comically bad, just painfully average) and a hollow feeling for BoJack when he tried to do something good for someone. This nicely goes to show that sometimes you may try to do good, but it won't always pan out. Mr. Peanutbutter and Pickles have a decent episode too. It's nice to get a deeper look into why Mr. Peanutbutter is with her, and how he still hasn't fully been able to move on from Diane. It's a sad situation since Mr. Peanutbutter and Pickles contrast each other nicely, but it's poor timing. The end of the episode is sweet as they are able to temporarily get past the situational problems in their relationship. This makes me wonder if Mr. Peanutbutter has finally found the right person for him, even though Pickles is significantly younger than him. A couple little things were amusing. Mr. Peanutbutter's constant pop culture references reached a new absurd high in this episode, and I loved it. Diane's appearance on her podcast is fun, and I chuckled at how she openly trashed Mr. Peanutbutter on it. Even funnier is Mr. Peanubutter's hate for Twenty One Pilots, which makes sense considering how downbeat their music is, not at all Mr. Peanutbutter's type. Todd's story is full of great jokes like Yolanda's mother telling him "asexualize me", everything involving the lube, and Todd being unable to read tone ("riiiiiight...", "right!"). I love that the "cock at midnight" kept being brought up and we actually get to see it crowing in a transition scene. The International Space Station exploding for unknown reasons is very on-brand with this show's sense of humour. The Bad: This episode did not click with me. The three stories are fine, but they have no real emotional resonance and don't offer as much comedy as I would want from fairly uninspired stories. The biggest issue for me is that we are spending a lot of time with characters we just met and don't have much of a connection with. Yolanda has been one of the more forgettable characters on the show, and it looks like her role has finished already. I think she was meant to play the serious role in contrast to Todd's wackiness, but the show failed to extract any comedy from this idea. The only laughs came from her family's weirdness. We have only just met Gina, and I don't think we know enough about her yet to care about her. BoJack clearly likes her and has a desire to build a relationship with her, but it's hard to tell why. I hope she gets more depth going forward. Pickles is the most amusing of the three side characters so far, but we only just met her as well and I don't think she is all that interesting or entertaining. Structuring this episode around these three average side characters was never going to result in great television. This much is clear from the opening scene where all three characters interact in a scene and it falls painfully flat. The Unknown: BoJack's attempt at a good deed backfired here. How will this affect BoJack going forwards? Will this be a setback in his attempts to do good? Will Mr. Peanutbutter and Pickles work out together? Best Moment: The sheer insanity that happened once the lube started to spill was the highlight of the episode for me. Todd being told to stick his erect penis to seal the hole in the barrel is something I never thought I would hear in my life. Character of the Episode: Todd. Conclusion: An average episode. This had some decent ideas and was watchable, but the focus on three side characters that I don't have any investment in meant that this was a duller episode than what we usually get. Score: 58 Summary: Diane tries to find the positive in life after breaking up with Mr. Peanutbutter. She has a new apartment, a therapist, and reconnects with BoJack. She goes to a party at Mr. Peanutbutter's and is distraught when she sees him kiss someone else. In pain, she leaves the party and goes to Vietnam. But in Vietnam she doesn't find much to help her and ends up flying back home afterwards. While in Vietnam, she writes a blog for Girl Croosh. Mr. Peanutbutter picks Diane up and tells her he is seeing someone. She says she is happy for him.
The Good: The premise of this episode is perfect, and exactly what we needed to see following Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter's break-up. I love that we spent a whole episode focused on the banality of life that you experience after a long relationship, diving into Diane's psyche and the pain she feels. This is a terrific character study that offers a lot of moving moments. But in typical "BoJack Horseman" fashion, the episode does not commit to being purely bleak and miserable with many jokes and stylistic decisions. The art and animation was allowed to flex a little bit with the Vietnam setting, making this episode visually distinct. Also, the episode had a unique gimmick with Diane writing a blog throughout the episode, permitting voiceover narration to further make this feel special and different. These various decisions came together to make a high quality, memorable experience. The episode presents its story almost as a mystery. We open with Diane in a flood of tears, but we don't know why exactly she has broken down like this, and the episode is centered around answering this question. Most of the episode shows Diane in the present looking to find herself in Vietnam, but in the past we get a few flashbacks to show what led Diane to take this trip. The flashbacks are highly effective, as we see Diane desperately trying to spin things in a positive light for herself. She has an awful apartment, she feels lonely, and has many untapped emotions inside her. But she tries to put a coat of paint over all of this, saying that she likes her new life and that this is all going to be good for her. By the end of the flashbacks, we see this all come crumbling down. After some drunken dialogue and a poorly thought-out joke alienates BoJack (who seems to have genuinely become better since he refuses the chance to take advantage of Diane), Diane goes to Mr. Peanutbutter's party feeling empty and alone, and seeing Mr. Peanutbutter move on and find someone else and a new place to belong makes her feel adrift and lost. Hence the breakdown, and the impromptu trip to Vietnam. This reveal is simple, but shockingly effective as it perfectly encapsulates how even the tiniest of things can have a devastating impact on someone who is going through a tough time. Diane's speech at the end of the episode on how hard it is to move forwards after such a big change in your life is phenomenal and embodies these ideas magnificently (see: Best Moment), concluding the episode on an emotional high. The Vietnam part of the story is also highly effective. Seeing Diane venture into her homeland, only to be alienated by it all is quite sad, and the episode includes several nice touches to make this feel like a foreign experience for Diane. Scenes like Diane dressing up in traditional clothing, Diane getting hit by a local for no reason, and others help display how wrong it feels for Diane to be there. Another funny touch is that there is a Hollywoo movie being filmed in Hanoi, so Diane truly is unable to get away from her life by going to Vietnam as parts of it will always be with her. I found Diane's conversation with Laura Linney to be quite fascinating as well. After a trip that was completely useless to her, the fiction in Laura Linney's film is Diane's final chance to get some meaning out of it. And true to form, there's nothing there whatsoever outside of the usual Hollywoo smoke and mirrors, further cementing that Diane failed to find what she was looking for from this desperate trip. If there's one thing that this show does very well, it's showing us the harsh realities of life in a way that's accessible and not too bleak. The way this show avoids being overly bleak is, as always, through its comedy. This episode is particularly rich with funny moments and background details that I enjoyed. I smiled when I noticed that just about every sign in Hanoi had "Nguyen" written on it. The "Americrane Airlines" board also had some fun bits like Iceland being "Miceland" and the plane to Turkey having the status of being "stuffed". There's also a good joke in that scene about how personal customer service is being replaced by screens. There are more funny scenes too. Diane's interactions with the tourists in Vietnam was fantastic (as was the fact that she was eating a human-sized chicken leg), and I enjoyed her dressing down of the grip when she accidentally let it sleep that she speaks English. I got a laugh out of Stefani calling an exterminator to deal with unionizing cockroaches, and BoJack's "that was my Vietnam" line had tremendous comedic timing. The background jokes were terrific too. I especially got a kick out of a pig head being served at Elefante, horrifying an adult pig eating in the background, disturbing her to the point where she stops eating. The boxes in Diane's home are quite funny, especially when you realize that she has entire boxes that just describe the outfit she is wearing (my favourite is realizing that the red arrows on her jacket are apparently something that she puts on separately). The therapist's office has a great poster in the background saying "holding back tears in like spanking your inner child". Todd has a very small role in this episode, but it's amusing to hear about the whole ice sculpture debacle. The Bad: Nothing outright bad, but there was one weird moment in the episode I'll point out. Being Vietnamese, Diane naturally asks her dad why she looks different from everybody else. However, the phrasing of this is very awkward in the context of this world. A sizeable population in this world consists of animals, so this makes Diane saying that she looks different from "everyone else" ring a bit hollow. Thinking about this makes me really want to see how ideas like racism would extend into a world with animal-human hybrids. The Unknown: How will Mr. Peanutbutter's new relationship go? Will he have a better relationship with Pickles? Best Moment: Diane's speech at the end of the episode is fantastic. I couldn't ask for a better exploration of how life changes after a break-up, and I was particularly touched by how Diane knew that she asked for this, and yet now she feels so lost and unsure of where to go or where she even belongs. It's a sad monologue, and it's accompanied by fantastic visuals as we see Diane flashing from location to location, never feeling like herself and never feeling like she belongs. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: An outstanding episode. "BoJack Horseman" strikes the balance between emotional storytelling and amusing comedy so well, and episodes like these perfectly exemplify that. This was a compelling character study for Diane with a unique premise, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching this. Season 5 is up and running. Score: 80 Summary: BoJack works on his new show, but isn't a fan of the show. He has sex with Gina, his co-star, but still feels lonely. BoJack tries to reduce the gratuity in the show by talking to Flip but ends up making it worse. After some arguments with Flip, BoJack talks to Princess Carolyn who helps him make peace with the show and the character he is playing. Afterwards, BoJack is more friendly on set. Todd is dating Yolanda, who is unhappy with his lack of career direction. Todd tries to get a new job, but ends up becoming Chief of Sales and What Time is it Right Now. Diane returns from a trip and is picked up by Mr. Peanutbutter, who is finalizing their divorce. Princess Carolyn goes to an adoption agency.
The Good: BoJack is given an engaging story in this episode. He has changed for the better, and we can see that through how he is limiting the amount of alcohol he has each day. But maintaining this is tricky, and we see that he is crushingly lonely. Doing his job on set leads to many problems, and with Hollyhock gone, he doesn't have anyone to spend his free time with. It's tough going for BoJack, and the result is growing tensions between him and Flip due to BoJack taking issue with the show, primarily because he sees too much of himself in Philbert. BoJack and Flip's rivalry is fun to watch as we get a sense of this new character. Flip doesn't seem like a bad guy by any means, but he's definitely a little misguided and it's amusing to see how he tries to fix the gratuity problem in increasingly dumb ways. His argument with BoJack made sense for the character, and it led to a good scene where BoJack speaks with Princess Carolyn who is able to help him navigate his problems and find some motivation to do this job and do it properly. It's refreshing to see BoJack being so charismatic and friendly by the end of the episode, showing that BoJack has successfully overcome his natural instincts of scheming, causing problems, and running away. At least for now. It was nice to see BoJack and Todd reconnecting for a bit, giving us a bit of a throwback as they try to execute another scheme. We haven't seen them together for a long time, and it's nice to see them at peace with each other. BoJack's scheme to get his way is typical of BoJack, and the way it spins horribly out of control with Todd's promotion is unexpectedly hilarious. BoJack's frustration with it all, and Todd's acceptance of his new role are quite funny. The side stories are set up well enough for the season. Todd and Yolanda already have some friction, which makes me question their future. It was nice to see Emily again, and the confused firefighter Steve is pretty amusing. Princess Carolyn is going for adoption now, and her scenes at the agency are amusing. Tracy is horrible, as you would expect, and it's funny to see her explaining the difference between agent and manager, which is a joke that keeps on giving. Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane are firmly in the background, but they have gotten a divorce, confirming the worst from last season's finale. We are misled to think that they are working out their differences with Mr. Peanutbutter picking up Diane, but there is a good reveal shortly after confirming that they are splitting up. I expect that these three storylines will be developed as the season goes on, and they are established in a competent way in this episode. A few little things as always. I like that What Time is it Right Now doesn't want to "remind the audience of the existence of clocks", and it's funny to see Flip pull up the app, which is absolutely useless. BoJack using the turning chair with Princess Carolyn is a funny continuation of a joke from last season where BoJack used the same chair with Hollyhock. He just can't seem to make it work. I liked the callback to David Boreanaz House from the first season, with Philbert's house being modelled to look like BoJack's because of this. The "Warbler Brothers" company name is amusing, and I got a smile out of Flip looking for "hot and haunted" being met by a girl dressing up as a ghost with boobs drawn on. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. This episode definitely feels like one at the start of a season. There's not much in terms of character development, or interesting plot developments. The comedy was surprisingly mundane this time around. There was more of a focus on drama even in this first episode, which is a shame because the comedy is usually what makes these earlier episodes in the season stand out. The Unknown: Where did Diane go for a trip? Will BoJack get through this show, or will he leave this one too? Will Princess Carolyn be able to adopt a baby? Her new manager isn't particularly promising. What will Todd do with his new job? Will Yolanda be happy about this? Will their relationship last? Best Moment: Dramatically, I'll go with Princess Carolyn helping BoJack get to the root of his problem with Flip and Philbert. In terms of comedy, I got a good laugh out of BoJack saying "of Todd, your good-hearted naivete has once again conspired with outrageous happenstance to completely dick me over". Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: This is nothing particularly special, but it's a solid episode to set up the stories being told in season 5. Score: 63 Summary: Fuches is beaten by prison guards to reveal where Barry is gone but he does not know. He earns respect from other prisoners for not selling Barry out. Hank and Cristobal celebrate the sand, but Hank cooperates with the Chechens to kill all of their men. He tries to get Cristobal to join him to work with the Chechens but Cristobal is furious. He tries to leave and Hank fails to stop him. The Chechens kill Cristobal. Gene is isolated in his cabin and learns that Barry escaped. In his paranoia, he accidentally shoots his son who came to visit. Sally continues to help Kristen and tries to swipe her role when she fails. Realizing she has no career, she returns home dejected. Barry is waiting for her and she wants to leave with him. A hallucination/timeskip sees Barry and Sally living in the middle of nowhere with their son, John.
The Good: This episode is a testament to how interesting and compelling the supporting cast is in this show. Barry doesn't appear until the very end of this episode, and all other scenes are dependent on the supporting cast to create a compelling episode. As you would expect, "Barry" steps up in this department because the side characters are all terrific. Hank, Sally, Gene, and Fuches are more than enough to carry this episode on this own, and all of their stories are effective. Hank is definitely the one who steals the show. This episode creates a very memorable story with Hank as we slowly learn that Hank has sold his soul to the Chechens and finally embraced his darker side, something that I have theorized about since season 2. This development works really well. Hank has always been naive as he never had to do any typical criminal actions himself, but ever since his traumatic experiences in the season 3 finale, he's changed. We are seeing the results of that change in this episode as Hank is able to turn on these newly hired men in the blink of an eye, killing them all and almost killing Cristobal too. It's sad to see Hank change like this after being one of the friendliest people in the show for 4 seasons. Last episode saw Hank accuse Barry of being narcissistic, self-centered, and murderous, yet now we see Hank exhibit these same traits with how he turns on Cristobal. It's sad to see him fall into darkness and destroy his life, a pattern that we see throughout this episode. Cristobal's death was sudden and heartbreaking, and it forms the centerpiece of this episode. The sand-sinking scene came right out of nowhere, and it was horrifying to watch. The lack of music as Cristobal cried out for help, the visuals of us sinking with him, and the muffled sound effects were masterful at making this feel terrifying. For a moment I thought he was actually going to die like this, but that wasn't the case. Having this death fake-out does serve a greater purpose because it gets our guard down for later when Cristobal actually does die, making the moment hit that much harder. Hank and Cristobal's break-up is a tough scene to watch. Anthony Carrigan is fantastic throughout the scene showing Hank's varying emotions, and hearing him go from defending his actions to panicking and begging Cristobal to stay while apologizing was devastatingly sad. Even sadder was the extent of Cristobal's betrayal, as he's ultimately unable to even touch Hank after seeing what he did, which was so far removed from the Hank that he knew. Michael Irby and Anthony Carrigan played off of each other so well, making this feel so raw and emotional. The ending with Hank walking back, knowing that he won't see Cristobal again is an incredible moment, and the breakdown on the couch was really sad. The episode does one more excellent move by making us think that Cristobal has walked back in, only for it to be someone else. Ordinarily, this would feel cheap. But since Hank has his back turned and is also hoping desperately that this is Cristobal coming back, the moment works because it connects our emotions with Hank's emotions, adding extra weight to the moment that Hank realizes it's all over. I can't praise this sequence enough. Masterful filmmaking, terrific acting, and the intense emotional weight made this terrific. Sally's time as a teacher goes exactly where you would expect with her. She is caring and she genuinely wants Kristen to succeed as her teacher. But Sally has always been jealous, and when the time comes, Sally chooses to stop helping Kristen and instead attempts to poach her role by "auditioning" for Sian Heder (whose presence is a great meta joke on directors getting swooped up to do franchise films like Star Wars and Marvel). Seeing Sally switch over during her performance to appeal to Sian Heder was quite funny, and the confirmation that she is trying to steal the role is when she comically steps right in front of Kristen while performing. This is a pretty disgusting thing to do, but it's absolutely in-character with Sally, who gets jealous of absolutely everyone. Thankfully, her attempt her doesn't work and Sally is faced with the harsh reality that her career is essentially done. No matter how good she is, no matter what she tries to do, she will never be able to have the career that she dreamed of. The despair of everything being done gets to her, and when faced with reality, she has opted to run away with Barry instead. The final scene between Sally and Barry is excellent with Barry stepping out of the darkness. His presence has lingered throughout the episode with us never knowing where and when he's going to turn up. This reveal made the most sense, and followed by a fantastic time-skip/hallucination scene (see: The Unknown), ends the episode on a great note. Gene and Fuches have less to do in this episode, but their stories are still good. Gene is consumed by paranoia, and it looks like his paranoia may have just cost him his son. In his sheer panic, Gene ends up shooting his son (hopefully not fatally), and I suspect that this may be the straw that breaks the camel's back for Leo. The saddest touch is that Leo was likely just trying to surprise his father by dropping off the coral tree cafe that he had been asking for. Fuches is comically beaten up immediately upon the realization of Barry's break-out. Fuches absolutely deserves this for all that he has done, but funnily enough, it works in his favour. Despite genuinely not knowing where Barry went, the prisoners think that Fuches is remaining loyal to Barry and that earns their respect. Next time we see Fuches, he may just have that gang he was talking about a few episodes ago. There are a few other great moments in the episode. The cops charging into the D&B and annihilating everyone was hilarious, and the comment of "there was one guy in a Houston Oilers hat which was confusing" is a great joke. I continue to enjoy Tom, and his comment on how his phone "leapt to life" is quite amusing. The Bad: I do have some problems with Hank and Cristobal's break-up. As well-executed as the scene was, I was a little confused by Cristobal being so fundamentally against any form of violence or killing. Cristobal always has been a softer leader, just like Hank, but he has never been so innocent and legitimate that he would never condone murder. His first scene sees him getting his men to kill everyone in Barry and Taylor's car when they tried to bum-rush him. Later, in season 2, Cristobal allows Ester's men to burn Hank and the Chechens alive in a bus, which is extremely messed up. Considering this, I found it difficult to believe in Cristobal making such a big stink over Hank being willing to murder. Should Cristobal have been furious? Yes, absolutely. But this should not be the main reason. He should be furious that Hank never told him any of this and didn't even look for an alternative to killing everyone, and he should be furious that Hank's actions nearly killed him as well. I wish the scene had leaned into this angle more. The Unknown: What is that ending scene supposed to be? Is this another hallucination? The desolate landscape is similar to what we've seen in Barry's head, and details like the donut in the fridge (the same one Barry was eating in "forgiving jeff") suggest that this may be a vision, just like previous visions in Barry's head. Or is this actually real? It's hard to see how this could be a reality, but you never know with this show. I was tricked into thinking the sequence at Gene's cabin to conclude season 1 was a hallucination, when it was actually reality. Is it possible that Barry and Sally went off the grid and established a new life in the middle of nowhere, with a sheltered child who they desperately do not want to become violent like Barry? Where are Barry and Sally going? How will Jim get involved? Is Leo going to survive his gunshot? How will this affect his relationship with Gene? What's next for Hank now that Cristobal is dead? Will he lean further into his villainous side? What's next for Fuches? Will he also get out of jail, or will he build a community for himself? Best Moment: Hank and Cristobal's break-up followed by Cristobal's death is an absolutely devastating sequence acted to perfection by Anthony Carrigan and Michael Irby. Character of the Episode: Hank. Conclusion: Another excellent episode. Though this one leans further into the drama side than comedy, it is just as effective. Still, this episode is a testament to the strength of the supporting cast, and it provided a shocking, tense experience. Score: 73 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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