Succession

What’s the hold Succession has on us?

Succession is worth every award, compliment and ounce of hype it receives. In my opinion, this show is flawless in every single respect: cinematography, writing, acting, scoring, pacing – everything.

Above all, it is an outstanding examination and critique of how paradigms of capitalism and privatised media and Western supremacy have plagued every corner of society. The Roy family undoubtedly represents these ideals, and any toxicity or fractures within ultimately get “pumped out into the groundwater which we’re all drinking from”, as Jeremy Strong, the phenomenal actor who plays Kendall Roy, proposes.

I would also consider this an anthropological series; there are several scenes in the show that allude to why the Roy children are the way they are. These scenes always imply and insinuate, rather than explicitly showing us. There are no flashback scenes or episodes, just present day and we are invited to follow along. A perfect example of this is in Season 2, Episode 6. Logan’s daughter Shiv refers to her father as a “dinosaur” while being interviewed in front of several people during a conference. Afterwards, they all meet backstage where Logan is visibly seething, Kendall is silently observing, Shiv is oblivious to what she has said, and Roman is making light of the situation, as usual, with extremely inappropriate jokes. The tension from Logan is palpable, and even as a viewer, it made me extremely nervous to see how he would explode. Marcia, Logan’s wife, berates Shiv for speaking ill of her husband. Logan remains silent. Shiv and Marcia continue to argue, while Roman keeps interjecting with his sarcastic comments. With Roman’s continuous poking, Logan finally blows his top. He bellows, “Don’t fuck with me!” as he slaps Roman with the full force of his body weight, knocking Roman’s tooth out and nearly striking him to the floor. Kendall immediately steps in, like a reflex, and yells, “Hey! No! Don’t fucking touch him!” with his finger unrelentingly pointed in his father’s face. Shiv remains in the corner.

From this brief scene, we have enough to gather the dynamics and paint a vivid picture of what it must have been like growing up with Logan Roy as a father. Here’s what I got: Shiv is a ‘daddy’s girl’ which gives her a level of immunity, therefore he redirects his anger onto the defenceless youngest son, where the elder brother steps in to protect him. Further, Kendall’s instinctive defiance against Logan indicates that he was never physically abused himself. So, was Roman the sole punching bag? Does this explain his insufferable child-like qualities that make it nearly impossible for him to take anything seriously? Did this trauma stunt his cognitive growth and emotional maturity?

In the following episode, there’s an intimate scene between Logan and Roman. In the back seats of the car, Logan somewhat addresses the incident, adamantly declaring, “…because, that’s not something I do.” Roman, again not taking it seriously, gives a couple of half-hearted chuckles, but his face says otherwise. He’s not convinced, therefore, we as the audience aren’t convinced. Logan continues, “Did I even make contact?” Roman, normally quick to respond with a crude, witty comeback, “ums” and “ahs” and fails to give a straight answer. Here, we get another piece of the puzzle. Logan, knowing full well he hit his son the day before, is a serial gaslighter. The choice to have this scene in the back seat of a car is intentional, too. Even in the most private of moments, Logan manipulates, gaslights, lies, and clings to a severely warped and mythical self-perception.

This is the model which Succession follows: don’t show and don’t tell. Instead, infer, imply and insinuate. It leaves the viewer with so much more to chew on, and is the secret, I think, to keep us coming back for more.