The Amusing Vultures: Zach's Thoughts on Succession

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored nor endorsed by HBO Entertainment or any other business/organization. All views are the author's own.

Sometimes it can be difficult to grasp how different people's lives are from one another, and how the socioeconomic statuses of… well, life, cause different scenarios and predictaments to play out. Sometimes only for the screen, but oftentimes taking "source" material from real life situations.

Like the Murdoch Family.

Which is exactly what the show Succession is. A "parody", albeit very well-done, of what the rich billionaire corporate megalords do when things don't quite go their way.

And, quite frankly, the show does a marvelous job going about it.

So, without me rambling without any further preface, here are my thoughts on Succession.

This post may contain spoilers. You have been warned.

Succession takes place in a world where Fox News does not exist and instead replaced by ATN, run by Waystar-Royco, which in turn is narrowly controlled by the Roy Family headed by Logan Roy. The show depicts Logan's health decline and refusal to step down with his children (and company's old guard) all vying to get the top spot of the company and become the most powerful person in media.

Unfortunately for, everyone really, none of Logan's children are perfect angels for a multitude of reasons. Partially because they are billionaires and have never had any real problem, but also because of their father's abuse and their mother's negligence (or absence thereof). There's the eldest, Connor, who wants to be President, Kendall, the self-proclaimed "eldest boy" and addict, Roman, a sexual deviant, and Shiv, an aspiring lobbyist whose career directly counteracts her father. All of them (save for Connor) are trying to outdo the others to become CEO, with predictable results. No, there won't be any more spoilers. But you'd be surprise looking at Episode 1 what happens by Episode 39 (the finale)!

Not only is everyone circling around the ailing father, but also a Presidential election and potential federal charges loom over the show. For the drama, of course!

Now all you need to do is add all of these different components together and you get Succession.

So, why would I, someone who usually avoids most drama series, enjoy this.

Well…

Many television shows make their characters one-dimensional. Like: "Oh, that's the funny one," or "He's meant to be the sociopath." This show does not have that. Everyone is shades of gray. While it is implied that they have all done pretty horrible things, there are elements of them with some guilt and remorse and want to be better people, to mixed results all around.

Take Kendall Roy, played by Jeremy Strong. On the exterior, it seems that he is put together and eagar to be the successor of his father. However, when you stop and find the cracks (which you'll find are many), you'll see that he's an addict and determinist that his views triumph all others — even when that leads to his downfall.

Now that's not even going to go into how individual episodes and actors take the drama to the next level. An episode in season 2 takes hazing to a professional, albeit humilating/cringe-worthy in the viewer's eyes, way, and there never seems to really be a moment of calm. Even towards the end, the characters and their mannerisms set off the alarm for us to witness this from the get-go.

But I am not just talking about the main characters, but also many of the side ones. Let's take Ewan, Logan's brother who is a staunch environmentalist yet refuses to leave his seat on the board. He comes off as gruff and isolated from the rest of the family, yet has moments and insights that not only bring the plot together, but why certain characters and dynamics are the way that they are. The writers ensured that no one was left unscathed, and I'm all here for it.

Succession is in essence a parody with the real-life media families and how much of the news and other content that we the average people consume is controlled by a select group of billionaires who believe they are better than others for the sake of the money. Take the Roys' anti-archetype who convey the stereotypical New England elite families who portray the shining ideals of liberalism. Sure, their news looks like that, and has similarities to CNN and other assorted networks, but they are still just like other wealthy groups, but falling to a different side of the coin.

The show does a masterful job of showing just how small the elite circles are, and how everything can be easily manipulated. We see that happening with Fox News and CNN, but oftentimes we refuse to believe that. Here, we're just seeing it from the other side; and if it's like this in the show, who's to say we don't know what's actually going on in actuality?

The one thing that I do feel like brings the show down a teeny bit is that the plot sort of runs around itself for a bit.

Let me explain.

The first and third season sees the supposed heir apparant try to go up against his father to no avail, and attempts to split the family into two. This is fine if it's a one-and-done type deal, but it happens twice, and seems redundant.

Of course they do spice it up occasionally, but the show sometimes goes on a slower gear until a major event happens towards the middle of the last season, when everything goes into hyper-speed towards the race to the end.

This show is more so significant for its characters and emotional dynamics rather than an ongoing plot, which doesn't really move except for a few significant strings. This is just something that I notice.

Succession probably is one of the most powerful shows I've seen because of its characters and portrayal of the elite class from a position we don't necessarily see often. For that, it is easily one of the best things I've watched… really ever.

Of course, the plot and some other minor mishaps make the show seem tedious, but given what happens, I believe it's well worth the wait.

If you're looking for a new drama that will leave you wanting more of the nefarious ultra-powerful media owners, then this show is definitely for you.

I apologize for the post delay, there were some technical issues that had to be solved to ensure this worked. Fun fact: it took four distinct post drafts for the landing to stick!

On a brighter note, I'm excited to review a new comedy sitcom that I just binge-watched. If you know, then you know ;)

Thanks for reading, see you soon!