Summary: One of Waystar's shareholders Josh is threatening to join Sandy and Stewy so he invites Kendall and Logan to his island to talk things through. Kendall initially refuses but ultimately agrees to go. There are tensions between Kendall and Logan but they discuss with Josh. Josh is unconvinced by their relationship and decides to join Sandy and Stewy. Greg meets with Logan who offers him an excellent deal to leave Kendall. Roman looks into a tattoo man who he and Kendall convinced to tattoo Kendall's initials on his forehead. Shiv is tasked with making ATN more critical of the President and she tries to get Tom to do her bidding. Tom is able to talk to Greg and secure him on Logan's side, but can't get ATN to do Logan's bidding. Shiv meets with Mark herself and convinces him, but her approach upsets Karl and Frank.
The Good: The main story is a lot of fun. The idea of Logan and Kendall interacting with all the tension between them has been exciting for the first few episodes in this season, and "Lion in the Meadow" finally allows them an excuse to be together to explore how their dynamic has changed. What we got was splendid. Seeing these two tested by Josh was gripping, and their dynamic never failed to shine in this scenes. Logan saying nice things about Kendall when under pressure before letting him know that it was all a load of crap was sad and powerful. As was Kendall attempting to befriend Josh and seemingly hitting it off only for Josh to show much more interest and energy around Logan instead of him. I love the way this show handles its characters and this was no exception. Josh was a formidable foe for these two, and he preyed on their weaknesses. Logan and Kendall thought they just had to reassure Josh and act tough, but Josh was looking for so much more. Seeing Josh turn the tables on them in their discussion was fantastic, and Josh forced Logan to play to his tune, which is something we don't always see from the Roys. The Roys are so arrogant that they very rarely place value on other key members of their company, and that showed in this episode. Furthermore, I love that Josh did not decide to stick with them. He seems far more cunning than he initially let on. I'm sure his daughter was never sick, and I suspect that he took Logan out on such a long walk to test how much Kendall cares for his father. When Kendall failed to intervene on his behalf, that was likely when Josh decided not to side with them. It's terrific writing because we know that Kendall actually does care for his father, but he's too terrified to step in on his own to help Logan for fear of his wrath; a childhood fear manifested in adulthood. And this weakness ends up being the reason that the Roys lose Josh's support. Brilliant writing. I am enjoying Tom's storyline a lot this season because of how different he feels. So many shows keep their characters static throughout every season, and it would be easy to do the same with Tom, who is such a funny and well-received character. But this show is better than that and we are getting a long-term storyline with Tom. I'm not sure if this is an act anymore as I predicted last episode, and it looks like Tom is genuinely afraid of prison and he realizes too late that he has nobody in his corner to protect him. He thought he had Shiv, but now that he can see her narcissism in full effect, he realizes that Shiv doesn't give a damn about what happens to him. Tom's conversation with Shiv is so sad because you can see Tom understand this, and hearing Shiv neglect to give any thought or time to his worries is so sad. Add on a terrific scene with Greg where Tom realizes that lowly Greg is likely to end up in a better position than him is sad, especially as Tom tries to wrestle him, likely in a confused effort to make some sort of connection with someone around him. This is sad stuff buried under the mask of comedy, and it's great to watch. Roman, Shiv, and Greg have solid side stories in this episode. Shiv finally has her job and she's trying to slip into it but doesn't realize that she needs to establish herself before she does all the "badass" things she wants to do. As a result, she quickly alienates her own people and is only successful when it comes to Tom and threatening other people with Logan's name. Compare this to Roman who has adjusted over time by this point. Roman doesn't just do what Logan has ordered him to do, and he actively pursues the tattoo man, his own project to get some extra leverage over Kendall. It's great to see how Roman has matured over the last few seasons, and his interactions with tattoo man are quite funny, a further reminder of the complete disregard the Roys have for lower-class people. Greg's rise continues to be fun to watch. Kendall tries to assure Greg's loyalty at the start of the episode, but when Logan gives Greg a fantastic offer that could have him go to any department he would like, of course Greg caves in. Kendall has provided no reason for Greg to remain loyal, so naturally Greg ditches him as soon as he gets a good reason to. The Greg/Logan conversation was superb, and Greg does a lot of fun things as always, like chugging his rum and coke in front of Logan. The Bad: This episode does feel a bit slow and inconsequential ultimately. The way "Succession" structures its episodes by introducing a unique conflict to be solved in each episode usually prevents there from being transition or set-up episodes. But in rare exceptions like this episode and last season's "Vaulter", some episodes do feel like they are just stalling time or filling in the gaps before more significant events happen. This episode feels like an extra plot before the shareholder meeting, and as such it does not provide as engaging, intense, funny, or emotional of an experience as the episodes that have come before it. This episode doesn't do anything outwardly wrong, it's just that the type of episode it is prevents it from scoring highly. The Unknown: Greg didn't sign any paperwork with Logan, so is he confirmed to be leaving Kendall? Or is he still weighing his options? How does Ewan factor in with all of this? What will be the consequences of Josh siding with Sandy and Stewy? Is this going to screw over the Roys? Or will they still be able to win at the shareholder meeting somehow? Shiv's attempts to sway Mark appear to have worked. What does this mean for Logan's relationship with the President? Will the President be able to help him out now? Will Roman ever make the tattoo man story public? I suspect that Tom may leave Waystar and join up with Kendall. Will this happen? Best Moment: Logan assuring Kendall that what he said to Josh was bullshit. Another reminder to Kendall that his dad is a manipulative ass and that he made the right choice in cutting him off. Both Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong performed wonderfully in this scene and gave it some real weight. Character of the Episode: Tom. Conclusion: A solid episode of storytelling that never aspired to be more than that. This did what it wanted to do effectively, but this is the type of episode that you enjoy and quickly forget about in the long run. Score: 65
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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