Friday, November 19, 2021

Review: Succession season 3

I've followed this series since its first season in 2018, but this is only my second blog post about it, despite its big Emmy wins last year for a spectacular season 2.
It just crossed the halfway mark for season 3, and I can safely say it's going to surpass Dexter as my favourite TV show.
That's how terrific it is.
Sadly, no one in my social circles watches it, but there's a great fan club on Facebook, and we have the best time dissecting each new episode and delving deep into past storylines.

For the uninitiated, Succession is about the fictional Roy family, which owns a business empire called Waystar/Royco.
Primarily a media industry player, it also runs cruises and parks.
The head of the family is Logan, who has four children - Connor, Kendall, Siobhan and Roman.
Connor is a slacker who spends his time and allowance on frivolous pursuits; Kendall and Roman help dad with the business; Siobhan spent seasons 1 and 2 running a U.S. Presidential candidate's campaign, before being recruited for the family business in season 3.
The main arc of the show is the power struggle between Logan and Kendall, as the latter tries repeatedly to wrestle control of the company from a man he views as out of touch, as well as physically and mentally frail.
But there're also lots of subplots, mostly involving sibling rivalry, scheming and law-breaking.
It's impossible for me go into specific details because every episode is so jam-packed with memorable and shocking events, it makes my head spin.
And season 3 is even more unbelievable, with episodes 3 and 5 destined for eternal greatness. 
I've already watched seasons 1 and 2 twice, and am currently rewatching all the current season's episodes just to make sure I don't miss anything.

One of its greatest attributes is the writing.
Aside from the numerous twists and turns in the story, Succession's trademark is its wit, or more accurately, its unapologetically vulgar and politically incorrect humour.
In the current climate of tiresome tip-toeing around everything like it's a ticking time bomb, it's a breath of fresh air to hear people saying what they really think, even if it's clearly offensive.
To have a better understanding of Succession's essence, I recommend this compilation of clips from the show
No surprise that my favourite comedy series of all time is Seinfeld, which also skewers political sensitivities with glee.

Another of the show's strengths is its characters.
The Roy family is what I call a paradox. 
Every single member is nasty and self-serving in his/her own way, but we still love them.
In one episode, Logan's brother says they're "a nest of vipers" who will "wrap themselves around you and suffocate you".
But in the FB fan group, there're different teams rooting for various characters. ( FYI, I'm Team Kendall. :))
Maintaining this fine balance for 3 seasons is no small feat, and major kudos to the writers for achieving something that most cannot.
The magic ingredient, of course, is weakness.
Even the most vile being in the universe has one, and the Roys are no exception.
All of them suffer from hubris, resulting in lack of insight, bad decisions and a variety of disasters.
But each sibling also demonstrates insecurity and fear at one point or another, and vies for Logan's attention and approval like it's The Hunger Games.
If the parent-child relationship isn't warped enough, season 3 has the siblings turning on one another, with an exceptionally brutal exchange between Kendall and Siobhan.

Last but not least, the cast.
I can't begin to describe how amazing all the actors are, but my favourites are Jeremy Strong and Matthew MacFadyen.
Jeremy plays Kendall, aka the son who's constantly locked in an epic battle with his terrifying father.
From the very first episode of season 1, I knew Jeremy was really special, and my instinct turned out to be 100% correct when he won the Emmy for best actor in a drama series last year.
Kendall is, in my opinion, the most complex character in the show - deeply flawed and occasionally deplorable, but somehow likable and worth rooting for. 
He has good intentions but often fails miserably in the execution phase. He wants to dethrone Logan and become CEO, but is so thin-skinned he hides in a dark room and wallows in despair when Siobhan issues a press statement about his drug habits.
He sometimes says or does the craziest, stupidest thing, then in the next moment, gives a brilliant speech at a congressional hearing and saves a vital business deal from imploding.
His relationship with Logan is nail-bitingly unstable, with the latter having the upper hand most of the time.
Many fans - myself included - hope Kendall will finally get what he wants this season.
Apologies for digressing.
I described Kendall in great detail to illustrate what a complex character he is, and how challenging it is to portray him.
It's a testament to Jeremy's immense talent that we're able to see and feel Kendall's emotional turmoil, and most importantly, become invested in his journey and fervently hope he succeeds.

Matthew plays a more peripheral character, i.e. Tom Wambsgans, Siobhan's fiance and later husband.
Tom isn't a nice guy at all, and naturally elicits a lot of negative comments on the fan group.
But this is exactly why he's worthy of special mention.
Even though Tom is technically a minor character, he's been given a disproportionately large number of unforgettable scenes and lines.
And Matthew pounces on every opportunity by hamming it up and burning every moment into our brains.
What's even more fun is the fact that Matthew's British and most well-known for his role as the dour, uptight Mr. Darcy in 2005's Pride & Prejudice.
I'm always amused by the stark contrast, and awed by his versatility.

Another fun fact about the cast is the freedom they're given to improvise the dialogue.
I found out about this in a few interviews, and it definitely adds more flavour to the viewing experience!
It really makes me wonder how many of the best lines were scripted versus off the cuff, and whether any of the latter changed the trajectory of the plot.

Succession season 4 was confirmed in late October, so we'll be seeing more of the Roys ( hopefully in late 2022 - please don't make us wait too long! ).
If you enjoyed this post, please watch the show!

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