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#1 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Succession Spoilers Thread
This thread is one giant spoiler. Use black spoiler text if you want, but it's superfluous because it'll be nothing but spoilers, including the most recent ep(s).
That said, I'm still shaking my cobwebs out this morning, so I'll start super vague: What do you guys (probably just Destor at this point) think of the current season? I already thought the show was an all-timer, but this last season is really solidifying its standing in my book. First few eps of Season 1 really weren't all that great, and I thought it only got going in ep 6 (with ep 5 being a gorgeous prologue). Part of this was I thought Logan being at his full powers provided the kids with a necessary foil (and vice versa). The worry with killing Logan was losing that foil--but they've done such great work with each character that it was probably the best thing the show could've done. I love the new arc and love how Logan's ghost looms over literally every scene. The writers/creators say Tom and Shiv is the driving narrative force of the show, which makes me want to watch it with a different lens. I want to try to be more aware of the ebbs and flows of all other plots/subplots based on their relationship and see if I can draw parallels/chain reactions. Team Toxic 4 lyfe |
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#2 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Also Kendall's reaction to the smoke clouds not working properly was fucking hysterical. Logan may as well have just died all over again.
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#3 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Also, Living+ is also the most Margaret Atwood shit ever.
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#4 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,619
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I watch it like it’s the McMahon family nowadays, just waiting for Vince to die or retire and with no assurance of their continued involvement in the business he created. You could say it’s Game Of Thrones without the tits and dragons but with far far better dialogue. I suppose it all goes back to King Lear really, and even that was probably ripped off. It may be the best dialogue driven show I can name off the top of my head, but I suppose I actively avoid political shows and they make up the brunt of the genre.
As for how good this season is… it’s pretty amazing given how predictable it should be. I’m just waiting for the shoe to drop and the kids to realise how fucked they are with or without Logan. Every sniff of success is sniffed out by their own neuroses and inherent belief that they are not the screw ups that they are portrayed to be. |
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#5 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Kendall is my spirit animal. I hate him so much but for the reasons I hate myself.
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#6 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,619
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Connor had some big lines in the wedding episode. That “I don’t need love” speech was short but fantastic. I also feel for Roman, but Kendall and Siobhan are equally unstable in a far more destructive way. I particularly enjoyed the Norway episode. Scooby Doo indeed.
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#7 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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I also wanted to crawl into a hole and die when he performed L to the OG.
As far as this season goes, you’re right about how it’s been predictable yet no less astounding in quality. It’s not the general broad plot points that matter, it’s the various shades and intricacies that do. I realized when Sandy and Stewie’s takeover ended with zero fanfare (followed by a throwaway end to Waystar’s legal troubles) that those components are solely there for context. What’s most important is the character dynamics. Business stuff is the backdrop. |
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#8 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Also next time we have a beef Seanny, I’m just gonna tell you your numbers are gay.
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#9 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,619
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Ok but I get to slap you in the ear like Tom
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#10 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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I don’t blame you. They’re thick and chewy like barnacle meat.
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#11 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,619
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L to the OG might be the best scene in the whole show… totally took my breath away.
One of the last episodes I watched had a great reaction in it. When Greg assumed he’ll be Kendall’s second in command and Frank starts pissing himself in a way that looked real as fuck. Even the small things are crafted beyond comparison in Succession. The Disgusting Brothers ffs… top notch. |
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#12 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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The understated, grounded performances of the old guard are so perfect. Now that the apex predator is gone, they can be more candid while maintaining their calmness. Carl’s been on a fucking heater all season. He’s delivered some of my favourite lines of the entire show.
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#13 |
World Class References
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I’m really enjoying Connor this season, that’s exactly how inherited wealth should behave. Just embrace the total lack of legitimacy and marry a woman that doesn’t even hate you, she just feels sorry for you.
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#14 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Alan Ruck is an American treasure and I’ll hear nothing suggesting otherwise.
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#15 |
World Class References
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Him and Kieran Culkin are the best cast Roy offspring. While Snook and Strong are both great, they had to win me over first. Snook looks weird these days. Like a male-female power lifter hiding the guns under a suit-strong wardrobe. She looks Herculean compared to other women in the show.
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#16 |
World Class References
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Also she has a terrible voice, I’d argue the same for Strong. They have lisps that aren’t lisps, it’s like she gets the back of her tongue trapped in her back teeth when she talks…like a duck hissing.
Strong sounds more like he’s lisping through his teeth instead of lips. I guess that Habsburg incest crack was pretty good all things considered. |
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#17 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Ken and Shiv needed time because of the layers involved. It took me a while to “get” Ken. I still don’t even know if I do. He reminds me a lot of Pete Campbell from Mad Men but that doesn’t quite do the character or performance justice.
His stammering and stuttering is a thing of beauty. He’s a disaster and nothing he does really lands, but he’s willing to commit and force feed whateve horse shit he’s spewing. |
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#18 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Shane blowing out his knee on a leap frog during his supposed-to-be triumphant return at Mania was so Kendall.
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#19 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,619
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Watching Living+ now. Another great episode, every one of the three main siblings is doing their very best to capsize the ship in a slightly different way.
They have been insulated and protected from the repercussions of failure all of their lives, now there’s nobody to motivate them and nobody that cares enough about them or has the influence to rein them in before they lose everything. I have a few suspicions about how dark the outcome will be. It’s looking to be an epic downfall. |
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#20 |
World Class References
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Tom totally destroyed Siobhan in their balcony bitch-off. That was glorious from Macfadyen. Sarah Snook wasn’t well directed there. She is not great at anything emotional anyway but they’re playing it like every “complicated” female character nowadays - lots of screwy faces but no real tears so you are expected to believe she’s strong for looking like a bald monkey with a stubbed toe after her husband devastates her with some rapid fire, well articulated baggage unloading.
You need a big cryer for that shit. I want to hear a muffled sob or an angry tearful scream not a character actor trying to cough out some emotion, failing and it being edited to look like she’s struggling to steel herself. Fuck right off with that. They need to start writing better women, stop writing them as men with tits. It’s too close to the truth now. |
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#21 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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I thought she played it right. Like a spoiled brat trying to act tough.
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#22 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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She’s also the daughter of Logan Roy so she’s not going to be some simpering crybaby.
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#23 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,619
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Maybe she should have a heart attack on a plane then.
She looks huge, it’s believable. |
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#24 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Nah she’d remember to wear her compression socks.
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#25 |
World Class References
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I’d say all four of those kids are simpering crybabies, Shiv just hides it better. Those Roy brats go bonkers when things don’t go their way, Kendal is self destructive, Roman is self flagellating, Connor is a martyr. Siobhan is more of a “can’t see the wood for the trees” type so she’ll hurt herself but she won’t mean to and will never see it coming.
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#26 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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They’re all useless in their way and the show highlights it constantly. But there’s also this undercurrent that they’re all in a position to thrive and can do so even if they kind of suck. In the back of my mind, I can’t help but think of all the “Titans of business” who are inevitably exposed as frauds. In a sense , the show could be an origin story for one of those very frauds.
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#27 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Rhea basically told us who each character was and why they sucked when Logan asked her for an objective assessment.
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#28 |
boop/bop/beep
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At the same time, though, the kids—besides Connor—aren’t necessarily dumb. None of them are a modicum as smart as they think they are. But there’s intelligence there…just a lack of understanding of how to apply it practically.
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#29 |
World Class References
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They make terrible decisions in the name of appearing competent enough to hold their own last name. All four are definitely hamstrung by their fathers epic success. There is no hope for any.
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#30 |
boop/bop/beep
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Gerri’s pretty sure Waystar will get swallowed by tech but I honestly think it’s too big to fail. Apparently the ending will be wild and unpredictable but who knows? I honestly think you can have have the failsons bumblefucking at the top of the org and it remain afloat because of brand equity. But that’s definitely not how it will play out.
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#31 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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I say this because Logan toward the end wasn’t doing much of use other than when he decided to sell. He basically just yelled at people and fought off takeovers and had deals fall through. He was chasing his tail because he was losing it. Was just getting by on who he used to be and his unlimited access to resources.
By the end, his competency was a myth. He was just intimidating and knew how to carry himself. I say this as someone who adores Logan, too. Probably one of the best characters in TV history. |
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#32 |
World Class References
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I see Logan as more of a one dimensional character than the offspring are, in that way I actually think he might be there almost solely for context as you said about the business side earlier on. The context being - this is who you have to be to be successful at the top and pale imitations will not cut the mustard. Everything those kids touch turns to shit so fast purely due to their own conflicting need to impress and piss off their dad. They want to be him without putting in the work, this is why you get Kendall going all weird over clouds…
You’re undeniably right that certain factors make it difficult for the mega successful to go broke or even truly fail, but I think that’s more true of self made men like Logan rather than his typically spoiled and oblivious progeny. They just cut the safety net that would have kept them in the catbird seat too… the old guard and the new money are all ready to drown them before they even get a chance to capsize. |
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#33 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Very good point about Logan. He is totally contextual, which is probably why I see him as a myth, even when he's still alive. He's also the embodiment of the show's contextual "business stuff."
It's also probably why you don't get much into his psyche on the show. You definitely see his doggedness, determination, spitefulness, and pettiness. There's a hint of background story when he and Ewan (who is a personal favourite) get into it. But there's never usually anything deeper going on than his obvious ulterior motives. |
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#34 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Also, the show occurs after Logan's basically lived his entire life. All that's left is for his shadow to loom over his broken children, even when he's still alive those last few years.
-edit-this is why the intro has fucked me up ever since he died. Last edited by Ol Dirty Dastard; 05-11-2023 at 01:31 PM. |
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#35 |
World Class References
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The intro is pretty great, especially the theme tune. I always skip the intro’s but not for Succession. That tune has been stuck in my head a lot.
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#36 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,428
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Kinda like a more menacing Mad Men theme, which is already pretty dark.
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#37 |
World Class References
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Dale I’m five minutes into episode 8, I stayed up all night waiting for it to drop.
Tom and Greg give me a boner. I’m conditioned to enjoy their banter now. Like a Pavlov dog. |
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#38 |
World Class References
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Hey Dale? Stay hydrated.
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#39 |
World Class References
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This episode has me all excited. Connor and Willa are fantastic at looking stupid, you have to earn that though and at this point I just love every character so much that it feels as if the show is cheating. Miles ahead of regular tv. Miles.
Kieran Culkin has done it, he’s better than his big brother. |
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#40 |
World Class References
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Roman Roy is the one. He’s the most like Logan.
I need a hero. |
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