The dark comedy-drama series “Succession” revolves around a family that owns a media corporation known as Waystar Royco. The founder of the company and the father of the family, Logan Roy, is a serious, no-nonsense, and sometimes even intimidating person. His four children are Kendall, Roman, Shiv and Connor, three of whom also work for the company.
There have been many real-life influences for the creation of the Roy family in Succession, the most important being the Murdoc family (one of the largest media tycoons in the world). These people have a great impact on the general public’s mindset, and in Succession, the power and authority of media corporations is vividly portrayed. Almost all the characters from the show are selfish, and desire nothing but personal power and high positions. These characters aren’t necessarily likeable, but their relationships and their unique attributes, creates a captivating set of characters.
The siblings in the family are constantly arguing and competing against each other, and their worries and concerns seem silly and meaningless to us. We, as an audience, are more aware than these people, since we can clearly see that they are gradually ruining their lives and causing their mental state to worsen. Despite their overwhelming wealth and success, all of these people live lonely and empty lives that are devoid of any kind of compassion. The most important thing that Kendall, Roman and Shiv have in common is their relationship with their father, and the fact that they all have the same goal of making their father proud of them, and proving themselves to him. Other than the brief glimpses shown in the opening credits, the Roys’ childhood lives are never seen, but from those brief moments and the general progression of the show, we can understand that Logan has always been distant from his children, and that he’s never shown enough kindness to them. As children they’ve all had wealthy and prosperous lives, but this lack of connection from their father still affects their mental state, and so we can, at least to some degree, sympathize with these people.
The show utilizes cinematography techniques like handheld camera or quick zooms to create tension. Although in certain scenes the camera moves slowly, and the crowded, depressing sight of New York City is captured, accompanied by Nicholas Brittel’s fantastic musical score. With top-notch performances, quick witted and comedic dialogue, Succession is one of the best shows running right now, and I’m eagerly waiting for the fourth season.
My Top 10 Episodes:
10. S01-Ep01 | Austerliz
9. S01-Ep10 | Nobody Is Ever Missing
8. S02-Ep08 | Dundee
7. S03-Ep07 | Too Much Birthday
6. S02-Ep04 | Safe Room
5. S01-Ep06 | Which Side Are You On?
4. S03-Ep09 | All the Bells Say
3. S02-Ep03 | Hunting
2. S03-Ep05 | Retired Janitors of Idaho
1. S02-Ep10 | This Is Not For Tears
