I started my TV month two weeks ago, and once again realised that I'm not a huge fan of the format and would prefer to get through it as fast as possible. This is one of two reasons why I pushed through in the last two days and basically watched the entire final season of Succession in the last 24 hours, the other being that it's a truly compelling show, a show that won't go down as one of my all-time favourites but was still very much worth the time, since it's one of the most consistently strong shows I've seen in a while, with excellent writing and incredible performances, especially by Matthew Macfadyen and Jeremy Strong.
One thing I didn't know before I started was that this was basically comedy, and it's often hilarious and quotable, balancing tones extraordinarily well. The satirical elements with stabs at conservative media (the newsroom scenes in the final season), hypocritical corporate virtue signaling (Kendall in season 3), or luxury and privilege leading to detachment from reality (Connor). With a cast of predominantly objectionable characters, Succession manages to balance depicting them in a way that makes you look forward to seeing it all burn, and exploring the underlying tragedies of despicable yet broken characters like Roman.
I don't get how people can be Team Kendall or Team Shiv (or worse, Team Roman), they're all repulsive, whether it's due to Ken's narcissism or Shiv's entitlement or Roman basically being a fascist, the show lets you watch from a distance while still exposing relatable or nearly likable streaks in characters like Tom, who keeps trying to hide his insecurity and unhappiness, or even Connor, who, while pretty much the most pathetic character in the show, is still mostly trying to cling to the little bit of warmth and love he can receive.
Matthew Macfadyen steals the show, playing against type and nailing it perfectly. Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong are basically just as good, and Kieran Culkin manages to transcend his role that he's clearly being typecast in, especially in the last three episodes. Very happy to see guest appearances by the likes of Adrien Brody or Holly Hunter.
I have a few criticisms, and one of them is pretty big and, to me, a massive flaw in the writing here. It seems like the writers set up storylines earlier in the show, only to drop them later on, leaving us with empty moments of obvious foreshadowing that lead nowhere. The biggest issue here, SPOILER, is that Marcia's arc feels so inconsequential, but there are a few instances of that, another being Vaulter. Season 3 is where the show started to meander a little bit, almost losing focus and becoming repetitive, but fortunately, a strong finale and excellent final season brought it back on track. Overall, this is an excellent show, highly recommended to any fan of dialogue heavy family (and political) drama.
Favourite episode: Which Side Are You On?
Favourite season: 4 Favourite character: Tom Wambsgans.
One thing I didn't know before I started was that this was basically comedy, and it's often hilarious and quotable, balancing tones extraordinarily well. The satirical elements with stabs at conservative media (the newsroom scenes in the final season), hypocritical corporate virtue signaling (Kendall in season 3), or luxury and privilege leading to detachment from reality (Connor). With a cast of predominantly objectionable characters, Succession manages to balance depicting them in a way that makes you look forward to seeing it all burn, and exploring the underlying tragedies of despicable yet broken characters like Roman.
I don't get how people can be Team Kendall or Team Shiv (or worse, Team Roman), they're all repulsive, whether it's due to Ken's narcissism or Shiv's entitlement or Roman basically being a fascist, the show lets you watch from a distance while still exposing relatable or nearly likable streaks in characters like Tom, who keeps trying to hide his insecurity and unhappiness, or even Connor, who, while pretty much the most pathetic character in the show, is still mostly trying to cling to the little bit of warmth and love he can receive.
Matthew Macfadyen steals the show, playing against type and nailing it perfectly. Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong are basically just as good, and Kieran Culkin manages to transcend his role that he's clearly being typecast in, especially in the last three episodes. Very happy to see guest appearances by the likes of Adrien Brody or Holly Hunter.
I have a few criticisms, and one of them is pretty big and, to me, a massive flaw in the writing here. It seems like the writers set up storylines earlier in the show, only to drop them later on, leaving us with empty moments of obvious foreshadowing that lead nowhere. The biggest issue here, SPOILER, is that Marcia's arc feels so inconsequential, but there are a few instances of that, another being Vaulter. Season 3 is where the show started to meander a little bit, almost losing focus and becoming repetitive, but fortunately, a strong finale and excellent final season brought it back on track. Overall, this is an excellent show, highly recommended to any fan of dialogue heavy family (and political) drama.
Favourite episode: Which Side Are You On?
Favourite season: 4 Favourite character: Tom Wambsgans.
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