Succession - *spoiler warning from ET + Ty*

[Ty21]

1 hour ago, ET80 said:

@FinneasGage - we get a great birthday present, new season starts on October 17th. 

I just finished my... 3rd watch through? I've lost count. I'm actually going to pick out a few scenes (favorite moments, key moments) and share my thoughts on how the scene played out. Dialogue is good!

@Ty21 -  can you drop a *spoilers* to the title? I'm sure we're going to be talking a lot about what's going on.

I’m not watching the trailer but I’m full **** excited for this 

[ET80]

8 hours ago, ET80 said:

I'm actually going to pick out a few scenes (favorite moments, key moments) and share my thoughts on how the scene played out.

The chemistry between Matthew McFadyen (Tom) and Nicholas Braun (Greg the egg) is nothing short of fantastic - every scene they're in is golden, neither shine as well without the other in frame (although both are great on their own).

Tom is incredibly insecure on his standing in the family and the organization, and Greg is the odd family member that isn't directly ahead of him on either pole, so he takes out that insecurity on Greg, who simply doesn't know any better - Greg is simply trying to catch his breath in the moment, only to be lambasted by Tom for every perceived infraction. Greg helplessly crying out "Tom, we're good! You're my friend, YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND!" while Tom pelts him with water bottles is just another example of their abusive relationship. It's Theon Greyjoy/Ramsey Bolton - minus the mutilation (and who knows if we cross that threshold - I could see Tom chopping off Greg's finger in a show of loyalty).

[ET80]

8 hours ago, ET80 said:

I'm actually going to pick out a few scenes (favorite moments, key moments) and share my thoughts on how the scene played out.

Twofer today!

Same episode, the oldest Roy child (Connor Roy, played by Alan Ruck - better known as Cameron Frye from Ferris Bueller's Day Off) is attending the funeral of Lester McClintock - a smarmy executive at the center of a massive sexual assault/misconduct situation against Waystar Royco.

Connor - who has (very delusional) aspirations of becoming the President of the United States - uses this event to push that agenda, then goes out of his way to not say anything that would get him in hot water.

Ruck plays the entitled rich guy to perfection - an air of "why not me" mixed with a lot of resources to actually do something stupid; While he continually drops how he was interested in politics at a young age, his REAL interest was from a few months ago, where he accosted a Presidential candidate at an event, and conflates that as "winning a debate". Despite literally everyone in his life telling him it's a bad idea (including his escort girlfriend, Willa - played by the lovely Justine Lupe) he's pushing forward...

... because Connor Roy was interested in politics at a very young age.

[ET80]

On 10/6/2021 at 9:59 AM, ET80 said:

I'm actually going to pick out a few scenes (favorite moments, key moments) and share my thoughts on how the scene played out.

So, this scene is one of my favorite scenes from the S2 season finale - the inner circle is meeting to figure out who is taking the fall for the sexual assault cover up going on in the firm. Brass tacks: somebody is going to go to jail for this issue, and everyone is on edge... despite being on a super luxurious yacht.

In addition to being one of the top guys due to take a fall on this, Tom (Matthew McFadyen) is incredibly upset with the direction of his marriage; he feels his wife (who asked for an Open Relationship on their wedding night) really isn't there for him, and the combined pressure of the upcoming bloodletting and this failed relationship gets Tom to snap.

The best part of this scene is twofold:

1. Tom doesn't really have it in him to really snap, but he does what he can with the situation in front of him.

2. For the first time on this show, Logan Roy (Brian Cox) looks scared. He's sitting there, not sure what Tom is going to do, and he looks legitimately worried and uncomfortable. When Tom does what he does, Logan simply sits there, stunned... and out of control of the situation. It's a subtle bit of great acting from Brian Cox, the uneasy glances to a hostile presence.

Just a wonderful scene all around.

[ET80]

On 10/6/2021 at 9:59 AM, ET80 said:

I'm actually going to pick out a few scenes (favorite moments, key moments) and share my thoughts on how the scene played out.

Gonna do a few of these today, know that S3 will probably dominate the conversation next week:

Season 2 - Congressional hearing.

This scene probably illustrates how the power dynamic is heavily skewed away from how it operates behind closed doors. For all of his guffawing and browbeating to his staff, Logan Roy really has no response once challenged by an outside source - one of his biggest rivals, Senator Eavis.

Logan has no real answer to the barrage of questions, and pretty much tosses Kendall overboard in the process. Kendall responds by going on a RAMPAGE - calls Senator Eavis to the carpet and tells him to do their worst, Waystar Royco is READY.

By the end of this scene, I was doing the same fist pump that Connor did. Kendall found his killer instinct - an instinct that Logan didn't even know he had. Jeremy Strong is one of the pillars of the show, and this quick scene shows exactly why.

[ET80]

On 10/6/2021 at 9:59 AM, ET80 said:

I'm actually going to pick out a few scenes (favorite moments, key moments) and share my thoughts on how the scene played out.

Full disclosure: These two scenes are my favorite scenes from the show. There's so much to pack in here, so I'm going bullet points on the things that make this one of the best experiences on TV:

- It seems over the top, but I've heard from high ranking individuals in real, Fortune 500 companies that this is very accurate; Corporate retreats with C-Level folks and their directs go off the rails QUICKLY. It's a frat house environment, and the CEO runs it as crazy as they choose. (Not shown is the NDAs filled out before anyone arrives). Lot of $500-a-glass scotch, lot of cocaine, lot of craziness.

- This scene shows the absolute power Logan Roy holds over everyone; Keep in mind, everyone in that room is a multi-millionare, very successful in their role. However, that fortune and success is 100% an extension of Logan Roy; the minute he doesn't want you to have it... he'll take it away and you'll never get it back no matter where or how you go. Frank is the trophy in the room to remind everyone; Sure, he has a part to play in the bear hug proxy defense, but that can be discussed elsewhere. Frank is there to demonstrate that anyone shot out of the cannon will come running back at first opportunity.

- Tom and Greg are dynamic as usual in this scene, despite not really interacting much; both of them bewildered as to what game they're a part of, but helpless to do anything other than play. As Tom says emphatically "...do you think I have a rational explanation for this!?"

- Greg cluelessly eating his sausage during the fight between Kendall and Roman... is pure Gregory Hirsch.

- Roman is such a conflicting character, truly a product of his environment. When he's got the backing of his money behind him, he's arrogant and headstrong. Take that away, and he's nowhere near that ...and he knows it. You see both sides of that person in these two scenes; He's quick to talk down to the boars, but gets desperate and scared once he's under scrutiny. Big round of applause for Kieran Culkin on his overall performance on this show.

- None of them know how much a damn gallon of milk cost. How out of touch does someone need to be to not know that? (Roughly $3 for 2%... for the record)

- Despite the craziness, despite the randomness, despite the lack of any sort of logic... Logan got what he wanted. He found out who spiked the Pierce deal, he forced everyone to get on board with the Pierce deal and he eventually got the name of who spoke to the biographer.

In the end... Logan wins.

[ET80]

Last one (for now):

So these two scenes are a bookend for the tale of Vaulter. Vaulter is the fictional online media outlet - think Uproxx, BuzzFeed or Vulture (who is supposedly the outfit Vaulter is based on). My opinion is that these companies are all pseudo-journalism; Yes, they have some moments where they get a scoop and they push out an phenomenal bit of reporting. That's about 1% of their existence. The other 99% is speculative hit pieces against people they don't like, Op Eds with no real grounding or Reddit trawling - find a thread, repackage it as reporting and go forth. It's not exactly a fountain of insight, but it gets clicks, and clicks are the name of the game.

The first scene is actually THE first scene of the show; Kendall being driven up to his building, hyping himself up to close the deal, knowing THIS is the deal that'll signal his ascent to the throne from COO to CEO. His best efforts are pretty much thwarted, as Lawrence Yee (Rob Yang) pretty much tells him to go to hell, acting with a layer of contempt directed to Kendall. It's a huge gut punch to Kendall - the deal failing - and he starts throwing money at it (it eventually works). It's Kendall's baby, he believes in this deal and it's all part of his roadmap.

By S2, Kendall is asked to shut the shop down, despite his efforts to draw up the narrative that Vaulter is a profitable venture. Despite this being his baby... he walks in, does his due diligence and calmly advises everyone in the room that they are fired. No pleading, no browbeating, no spitting is going to deter Kendall from his job as the grim reaper. Kendall is soulless and unfeeling as he tosses these people out, regardless of the perception. 

The tale of Vaulter is really about the evolution of Kendall - he starts off as headstrong, cocky and assured of his path, but is generally unliked by nearly everyone and is desperately wanting to be loved by everyone. Kendall is still unliked by everyone as he's putting the knife to Vaulter, but now? He simply does give a damn. He might actually enjoy it, now.

If Boar on the Floor is my favorite scene, the folding up of Vaulter is my 2nd favorite scene. You love seeing Kendall evolve into a corporate killer - and I personally love seeing the smug Lawrence get what's coming to him.

Go find another chicken coop, Lawrence.

[Ty21]

🕕 to 🕛 

[Ty21]

“Who said I never killed anyone?” -Kendall 😬

[Ty21]

Kendall talking over the two and not listening after telling them he needs to hear their pitch to let them on is a small sign that he’s gonna fail. 

[Ty21]

First episode was a slow start for me but towards the end I’m feeling conflicted. Logan Roy seems very unsettled but I still think Kendall is too rash, in his own way, and immature for the job. 
This is the kind of show where Kendall wouldn’t be allowed to transition in and be the guy smoothly anyway. No matter who’s running the show now, it’ll just be chaos. 
I do wonder what Shiv is doing. My first thought was that she was joining forces with Kendall to spite her dad but idk if she’d do that after the awkward meeting with Lisa. 

[ET80]

Ok, first episode in...

It's a good starting point - team Logan and team Kendall are starting to form. Pretty much everyone on every side doesn't want to be here and it's great seeing everyone scrambling for survival.

- First 15 minutes in, Roman seems like he's ready for this moment. Final 15 minutes, Roman shows why he isn't CEO material.

- IMO, Shiv is going to have a CEO offer... from Pierce Media. Nan Pierce was adamant to get Shiv in place even before Kendall dropped his pipe bomb; Shiv distancing herself through Nan (I think Eavis is off the table) seems like a play.

- The public perception is that Kendall is the greatest person in the world. I think as long as Naomi is in his life, he's ready to live up to that. 

- Naomi getting Greg to open up that bottle was a designed power play; She knows who Rava is and while she might not know the origins of the bottle... she can tell it's important and it would absolutely upset Rava. Kendall is going to have to pick the mother of his kids, or the woman who brings out the best in him. And - as Roman alluded to - Kendall is the best at self destruction.

- Tom giving Shiv the cold shoulder on the tarmac and talking her down as CEO was a huge shift for him. He's starting to stand up for himself, and he's starting to see how bad she is/was to him. I expect Tom to side with whatever side Shiv is NOT on, and wouldn't be too shocked if an amicable separation is due.

- Greg. Oh, my sweet Greg. The internet IS a big place.

- I think Lisa Arthur isn't going to live up to her reputation. 

 - "Let a thousand flowers bloom" is such a great line for a brainstorm session.

- I think we all saw Logan giving up the nameplate to a puppet, but I don't think many of us seeing Gerri taking the mantle.

- Next week, I half expect Stewy and Sandy going full court press on this one.

[Ty21]

8 hours ago, ET80 said:

- First 15 minutes in, Roman seems like he's ready for this moment. Final 15 minutes, Roman shows why he isn't CEO material

I audibly “awwww’ed” when Logan hung up and said Roman was out lol. Cringed the whole phone call cause he totally f’ed himself. Poor guy. 

8 hours ago, ET80 said:

- IMO, Shiv is going to have a CEO offer... from Pierce Media. Nan Pierce was adamant to get Shiv in place even before Kendall dropped his pipe bomb; Shiv distancing herself through Nan (I think Eavis is off the table) seems like a play

Good read. Idk why I assumed she would be going after something more immediate to the current issues at hand but that makes sense. Something irrelevant from the troubles of Waystar Royco but a competitor she can use to venge **** em lol. 

8 hours ago, ET80 said:

- The public perception is that Kendall is the greatest person in the world. I think as long as Naomi is in his life, he's ready to live up to that

But will Logan ever sink him for killing a guy? It would burn everything down, Logan included. Kendall doesn’t have it in him to be picture perfect though, and Naomi is a former addict. 

8 hours ago, ET80 said:

- Tom giving Shiv the cold shoulder on the tarmac and talking her down as CEO was a huge shift for him. He's starting to stand up for himself, and he's starting to see how bad she is/was to him. I expect Tom to side with whatever side Shiv is NOT on, and wouldn't be too shocked if an amicable separation is due

I can definitely see a significant change in Tom coming. I just watched the prior seasons fairly recently but don’t remember where Tom and Shiv stand with each other now? I remember everything up to them deciding to do an open marriage of sorts. 

8 hours ago, ET80 said:

- I think we all saw Logan giving up the nameplate to a puppet, but I don't think many of us seeing Gerri taking the mantle

She’s absolutely the perfect puppet for him tho. She knows how to soften blows and fix situations and will do everything Logan tells her to do. She does have some secrecy and backstabbery to her, but I don’t think she’s much of a player in the show. 

[Ty21]

I was actually advertising this show all day at work Sunday to my customers to get them into it. I said it sounds like a boring premise but it’s easily my favorite show on right now. Actually had a few customers that had seen it already and we talked about it for a while. One of the few shows I could talk to people for a half hour about if I got started on it. 

[ET80]

12 hours ago, Ty21 said:

I audibly “awwww’ed” when Logan hung up and said Roman was out lol. Cringed the whole phone call cause he totally f’ed himself. Poor guy. 

It's such a contrast from who he was in the first few moments of the show. Given the uncertainty, he devised an EXCELLENT plan to smear Kendall, leverage political contacts and let the standard 24 hour news cycle to let this go stale.

It was very rare moment of clarity for Romulus - he saw the path forward, crystal clear.

12 hours ago, Ty21 said:

Good read. Idk why I assumed she would be going after something more immediate to the current issues at hand but that makes sense. Something irrelevant from the troubles of Waystar Royco but a competitor she can use to venge **** em lol. 

The ONLY thing that makes this a scary path? Pierce is very cash-strapped at the moment. That's why they considered the takeover bid, they needed the money.

I'd also think Rhea Jurrell would find a way to spike the punch on this one.... Someone like Rhea doesn't just disappear, they lie in wait.

12 hours ago, Ty21 said:

But will Logan ever sink him for killing a guy? It would burn everything down, Logan included. Kendall doesn’t have it in him to be picture perfect though, and Naomi is a former addict. 

I probably thought about this the most - doing so would hand the keys to Sandy and Stewy, which is akin to burning in hell, no chance he'd ever be able to buy back into W/R. This would be the 2nd cover-up Logan Roy was directly tied to, and it would lead to criminal investigations over in England - Logan would be effectively ended in doing so (doesn't mean he WON'T, mind you).

Now... Two people I could see doing it would be Marcia (she's scorned right now and would be the last person standing from such a fallout - she'd get Logan's board seat and her son is already an executive, so there's a person to run the company on her behalf) and...

... Kendall himself. We already know he's guilt ridden on the death, but he'd also know this is a nuclear option on Logan; Having him front and center on a 2nd criminal cover-up while he's under investigation for the cruises scandal. 

It's hari-kari in its finest, neither would really survive. But, I sort of feel like we're already heading in that direction.

12 hours ago, Ty21 said:

I can definitely see a significant change in Tom coming. I just watched the prior seasons fairly recently but don’t remember where Tom and Shiv stand with each other now? I remember everything up to them deciding to do an open marriage of sorts.

I like Shiv, but she wanted to have her cake and eat it too - she slept with some random cast member in Willa's play, but got jealous when Tom was talking to someone in Argentes. She also tried to coordinate a threesome with Tom on the yacht, but Tom shut that down and admitted how miserable he was...

Tom is sort of looking to create space between he and Shiv. (I don't know why, her booty is PHENOMENAL).

12 hours ago, Ty21 said:

She's absolutely the perfect puppet for him tho. She knows how to soften blows and fix situations and will do everything Logan tells her to do. She does have some secrecy and backstabbery to her, but I don’t think she’s much of a player in the show. 

I don't disagree, BUT... remember, she was part of the "vote of no confidence" play orchestrated by Frank and Kendall. I also think the only person she's going to try to keep is Roman; It's clear both of them have a pretty twisted relationship, but they also accentuate their strengths: Rome is very dynamic, Gerri is very pragmatic. It makes for a good CEO/Chairman vibe, and I think it'll position itself as we move ahead.