[yasr_overall_rating]
Set in New York City, “Succession” follows the Roy family – headed by the aging patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox; “Medici: Masters of Florence,”) and his four children – who together control one of the biggest media communications and entertainment conglomerates in the world.
“Succession” grates on you at first, longer even. It takes patience to get a feel for the dynamics, of the show, of the family within the show. What’s the point? What’s their point? Why am I having to watch a nauseating series opening scene of a man pumping himself up for the day in the backseat of a car, as if he were Eminem, only to be given forced encouragement from his driver? It puts a bad taste in your mouth. But truly, it’s the best bad taste. It’s the foie gras of bad tastes: morally questionable but delectable. It’s this opening scene that sets the tone of the series and comes full circle.
The man in the car is Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), he’s pumping himself up because he is looking forward to taking the reins of his father’s company Waystar Royco, one of the biggest media and entertainment conglomerates. Kendall is feeling like the big man on campus, trying his best to imitate the presence of his father, Logan Roy (Brian Cox). Logan Roy radiates raw power, his whisper has just as much heft as his rampage. He seems more of a force than an actual human. Kendall can’t compare. His hesitation and insecurity are uncomfortably palpable, and his incessant posturing makes it unendingly embarrassing, and it’s unclear if he even realizes it. Even if he doesn’t, his father does. And after a quick drop into the office for a little “housekeeping,” he decides that he isn’t quite ready to retire. This news leaves Kendall with egg on his face, and to add insult to injury Logan desires to hand over quite a bit of power to his children’s step-mother Marcia (Hiam Abbass), a woman that exudes sovereignty in hushed tones. You never really know what her game is, or if she even has a game at all.
Kendall and his siblings push back, and it’s all fun and games until the old man’s head explodes. With Logan on death’s door, Kendall, Roman (Kieran Culkin), Connor (Alan Ruck), and Siobhan “Shiv” (Sarah Snook) feel they have some clout regarding present situations involving both family matters and business matters (although it goes without saying that the two are inexplicably intertwined). Spoiler: Logan Roy lives, and regains strength with every breath. But the game has been set and pieces moved, bets placed; so, the power struggle must go on.
With the exception of Shiv, who is rather sharp although, perhaps, emotionally stunted, Logan’s children are hopeless. Crushed under the weight of their father, and raised within a carefully crafted universe, they don’t have the gumption to make it on their own. Scared of their own decisions and easily swayed by decadent perversions, they are crippled by their denial. They believe the power they have is real but it’s as constructed as much as their upbringing. Logan is the “Eye in the Sky” and he likes it that way. His children are not HIS failures, but failures in and of themselves. It’s a painfully addicting dynamic.
“Succession” is about power, both real and illusory, family, and the caustic combination of the two. The delivery of the show feels unusual, almost unsettling. There are strong “American Psycho” (Mary Harron, 2000) vibes with a splash of “The Office.” It’s hard to distinguish the line between straight satire and serious drama. But it works, as eventually there is a balance between the two.
While all of the acting is top notch, Matthew Macfadyen and Nicholas Braun particularly stand out. They brought forth this bizarre comical edge to the series. Their performances alone are worth the time it takes to really dig into “Succession.” And you really do have to take the time to dig in. Underneath the excessive cheap use of expletives, cocaine, call girls and fine dining, is a finely tuned show that unveils the subtleties and nuances of real power and the difference between who has it and who thinks they have it.
Now available on Digital HD and on Blu-ray & DVD November 6th
