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| Succession |
Anyone watch
Succession on HBO? I am a fan of this series
which explores the relationship of media mogul Logan Roy and his
children. The show is loosely based on the Murdoch family, specifically Rupert
Murdoch. Among his holdings, Logan runs ATN News which is clearly inspired by
Fox News. Yeah, this show is full of profanity, sex, drugs and abusive power.
The first season was
all about who was going to get the red light and become the new CEO of
Waystar-Royco. There is a lot of maneuvering and manipulation by each sibling
in order to obtain powerful roles in the corporation.
We are introduced to
Kendall, the heir apparent, who falls into disgrace and partakes of alcohol and
drugs to soothe the pain. Shiv, who is a
selfish, manipulative woman who is oblivious to the hardships of others. Connor
is basically the "outsider". Roman is an arrogant, snarky, lazy know- it-all and a
total turn off. Then there are the
family "others", Tom who happens to be Shiv's sycophantic husband and
cousin Greg, who is basically an errand boy for any Roy family member who is in
need at the moment.
In the season one
finale, Kendall presents his father with a hostile takeover, breaking the news
on Shiv's wedding day. The show takes
a Chappaquiddick shortcut as Kendall, searching for cocaine, finds a waiter who promises to "hook him up". While driving to the hook up site, Kendall careens off the bridge and fails to save the passenger from the sinking car. He stumbles back to the wedding and passes out. The next day everyone is talking about the dead waiter. Of
course, Logan knows who was driving the car that killed the waiter and corners Kendall, advising him that he can make the problem go away as long as Kendall abandons his takeover plan.
On to season two!
Despite Kendall's newfound fealty to his father for getting him clear of the
Chappaquiddick mess, things aren't going well between Kendall and Logan. Throughout the season Kendall assumes the role of sacrificial lamb, bowing and scraping to Logan's whims. Most
of the early episodes concern the
everyday running of a media empire. Logan begins negotiations for an important
acquisition to expand his universe. The
Roy's are trying to dominate the news media world (sound familiar?). Suddenly there is
trouble with the Waystar-Royco cruise lines, a massive sex coverup scandal hits
the news. The Roy's must attend a Senate hearing to explain their position, with Tom
making a fool out of himself and Kendall coming out blasting in the
corporation's defense.
In the season two
finale, in light of the cruise line fiasco, the shareholders ask Logan to step down. But Logan doesn't give
up his throne so easily. Everyone is on edge about who will get
"canned", leading to several tense moments between the odds on
favorite Tom and his father-in-law Logan. Shiv comes to the rescue, advising her father that it can't be Tom...Kendall is the perfect choice to sacrifice to the shareholders. Logan breaks the news gently (or as gentle as Logan can get) to Kendall. "Don't worry", he tells Kendall, "I'll take care of
you."
However, things get
wild at the press conference when Kendall decides to stab his father Logan in
the back. Surprised? No, I always
thought Kendall was a fighter and have been waiting all season for Kendall to explode. I actually cheered when he ripped up the
prepared statement and walked out like a "bad ass"! It was the perfect payback for the miserable
way he has been treated by his father.
Hmmm…but wait! Logan
(who is watching the press conference) has a slight smile on his
lips. He had earlier told Kendall he wasn't "a killer" and couldn't handle
running the empire. It now appears his
son is a "killer" after all. Or....is this all part of a "big
plan"? We just have to wait for
season three….
Cheers!🍷
Current Mood: 😎
Photo Courtesy of HBO