TV Thread - beware, [expletive] can get spoilery

[haltz]

I didn't read that as a lightbulb moment for Kendall, but as a confirmation and him knowing that the only way to make his dad proud is to be that killer. He's tried it once and he has the opportunity to do it again.

[ghostrunner]

This show often has me wondering if any filthy rich kids have walked away from their family wealth. Not just stopped hanging out with them, but rejected the money.

And why didn't I put all this in the Succession thread I made?

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I didn't read that as a lightbulb moment for Kendall, but as a confirmation and him knowing that the only way to make his dad proud is to be that killer. He's tried it once and he has the opportunity to do it again.

I still don't find the show all that great. Definitely something to watch, but still a Tier II show at best for a lot of the reasons y'all are talking about.

Along with the ambiguity in this scene, a lot of the story just doesn't make sense.

Why doesn't Greg leverage his knowledge into good graces with his grandpa to get money now as well as his inheritance.
Why is Logan, one of the best businessmen ever presumably, unable to find a successor over the past 20 or so years OR have any sort of exit strategy at all? Kind of Business 101 stuff.
Why did Shiv pass up the opportunity at Chief of Staff for some unsecured back room promise with no logistics to become CEO? Further, why doesn't she pursue Pearce still now that the promise has *shockingly* been taken away?
What is Roman's overall character? Some dufus with both incredibly brilliant and incredibly stupid moments? The same guy who could see behind the motifs of some cut-throat middle eastern billionaire and in the process single handedly ex-nayed a multi-billion dollar business deal...that same guy thought the way to a deal with Pearce was to reach out to a 3rd cousin Pearce family junkie with zero influence and ask her about it despite being told, correctly, to not leak their talks to anyone especially the Pearce family? Uh-huh.
What is the timeframe here because the hostile takeover has seemingly been going on for, well, a season and a half now. Doesn't that [expletive] come to a vote within months? Not multiple quarters or years?

Back to Kendall, is he the most annoying character in the history of television history. I guess he's a good character in that he's easy to hate but also has moments where he draws empathy. But his stuttering sheepishness is cringe-worthy.

And, sure, if this is viewed solely as a satire and not a drama, then all those points are meaningless. At the same time, a lot of points are being talked about as if it's a drama. Also, I highly prefer Gemstones to Succession if we're going for humor. So, as a drama it fails to be be believable. As a satire, it fails to deliver on the comedy.

Obviously, imo.

[haltz]

I watched The Big Short again the other day and I was shocked to see Jeremy Strong even though I've seen that movie more than once and remember his character. It made me appreciate him as an actor and how intentionally he's making those choices in Succession.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Yes, he was awesome in The Big Short. He's obviously very capable and portraying Kendall Roy very well which makes it bearable because he isn't some terrible actor. Still, his character on screen is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

[33anda3rd]

Greg told Kendall about the documents at Shiv's wedding in the last ep of Season 1 when Kendall was looking for drugs. Greg basically tells him, when Kendall had given his dad the bear hug and was going for the top job, "it would be wise for anyone in power to keep me close" and Kendall goes "you little Machiavellian motherf*cker I like you" or something like that then says "I see you" which is Kendall speak for "I acknowledge the move you're making." Kendall kept Greg close in Season 2. Gave him a dope apartment, etc. Multiple times you see them in proximity, you see them close throughout Season 2. When Kendall was ready to make his move, he had what he needed from Greg and knew it was there.

Jeremy Strong should win the Emmy. His arc this year from sad-eyed Daddy's Boy to making his fourth power move in the, what, 10 months this show covers?, was really awesome.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Right, but Greg's an awkward moron, no? I mean, what skills does he possess? He got fired in episode 1 season 1 for failing his drug test if i remember. Didn't have $20 to his name. His own family cut him off from money or something so he had to go see Logan. He offered to get his grandpa off the board in exchange for a sweet job or money or something though his gpa is still around. he destroyed some docs, kept some docs, and has blackmailed everyone with them ever sense. All in the hope for what, some money? His gpa basically says, hey kiddo, I've got $250M for you (which is a lot more than $20), but you have to quit working with Logan because he's worse than hitler. Continue to work there, and you won't get it in the inheritance. So, he keeps working for Logan because why? He has these documents that he, the mastermind he is, plans on leveraging it into more than a quarter billion dollars? Mind you, none of the cruise business at that time was a big deal. Smart money on his earning potential is well south of $250M.

Regardless, the docs then become a big deal. And, all of a sudden he's got all this power. Which he's going to use to....bet on a guy that's making his fourth power move in the, what, 10 months this show covers?

In short, he's either a complete moron or there's more to the story than anyone knows and he's in for a massive windfall. And, if the later is true, the show's kind of done him a disservice in his portrayal.

[33anda3rd]

The Cruise business was rape, murder, cover-ups. It wasn't light stuff.

Tom takes Greg to his first tasting menu restaurant in S1. Greg asks why there are no prices on the wine list. Tom: 'because they're obscene.' Then they cover their heads and eat rare songbirds. Greg is in. Sex clubs, scoring blow in the park for Kendall, flying on helicopters, being upset that you're in the not-really-safe Safe Room, he's in. Power, money, women, influence, it's all drugs and he's hooked. He's not into human furniture or the actual dirt-under-the-nails stuff but he wants the power and the money and the helicopters and being driven around Scotland and England and and NYC in black luxury cars by armed guards and lounging on a battleship-sized yacht in Lake Como pondering his favorite champagne. He thinks there's $250,000,000.01 or more in it for him, or that there's less than that but still a lot and that the ride will be worth the difference.

Greg played his cards brilliantly. Two people knew he had those papers: Tom and Kendall, and he played them both to get ahead. Big promotion from Tom, and now in the inner circle if Kendall takes over. In S1 when Tom almost goes to the media to blow the whistle on the cruises stuff and Gerri stops him, she stops him because Greg talked to her. "Good boy," she tells him, "keep the lines of communication open." He also lies to Tom so that Tom assumes it was Shiv, the only other person who knew, who ratted him out to Gerri. Greg seems like a poon but he's a ruthless mothergrabbing climber.

[ghostrunner]

I get the Kendall/Greg thing but they didn’t show much past Kendall giving him that apartment. So I didn’t have any sense that they were close. The apartment does suggest Kendall might have had this cooking for a while though.

Mostly I just think it’s kind of tricksy [expletive] that we didn’t see Greg wrestle with the decision at all. Still not sure what the reasoning is for him being on the plane with Kendall. I wasn’t even sure why he was on the boat after the hearing. It’s interesting we were only shown a few seconds of his testimony, which should have been damning.

[33anda3rd]

Greg signed out and shredded the cruises docs. He belonged on the boat more than Willa, Con, and Shiv, none of whom have ever worked for Waystar Royco.

I’m curious about Marcia. She’s on the outs. Her and her climber kid know about Kendall in England. There has to be some season 3 drama surrounding that.