Succession on HBO (1 Viewer)

[Mr Anonymous]

The drama and dialogue and humor is always good. It’s never been a realistic show but did go farther over the line than normal tonight with the idea a network calling an election would matter all that much, not to mention a president-elect being able to snap his fingers and tank a merger.

The episode was comically absurd. Near the end, Roman had the throwaway line something like "of course none of this tonight really matters" referring to the notion that their network call of the Republican doesn't actually make it so. I feel like that was tossed in by the writers to offset an entire hour of fantasyland. Every character on the show spent the night acting as though there was permanence and real consequence to ATN making that call. The episode was porn for people who hate Fox News. I get it, but the show has done a brilliant job not going for that low hanging fruit for 4 years. It was an intelligent show until last night.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Two thoughts on the episode:

First, the nitpicker in me has to agree with those saying the political storyline was unrealistic. It started last week when Mencken is trying to get Connor to drop out 10 hours before the polls open, as if that could possibly have any impact. And last night, having the siblings argue over how to handle the Wisconsin fire, and whether to call the election for Mencken, seemed silly as well. Not to get into US politics, but since the show made the comparison so directly, I always thought the Trump campaign's obsession with Fox calling Arizona was weird. The numbers are the numbers. A network calling a state a few hours (or days) early can't change the results, no matter what kind of "narrative" that creates. (Also, our obsession with the way election results are sequenced is highly misleading. It would be like if I told you about the Super Bowl results by first announcing that the Chiefs had 38 points, and then gradually revealed each Eagles score to make it look like they staged a furious comeback that fell just short).

All that said, I recognize all of that is just the nitpicking of a political junkie. In terms of the show's broad themes, I thought last night was a fantastic episode about the siblings jockeying for the upper hand, and the way rich people amorally exercise power with little thought to the consequences. Even Shiv, who is supposedly on the side of "democracy", is really just using that as a cover for her own machinations. The most powerful scenes in the episode where when two of the characters (Ken and Greg) are are forced by people of color (Ken's daughter and Jess) to confront the actual consequences of whatever Mencken's election unleashes

 

[Dr. Octopus]

never been a realistic show but did go farther over the line than normal tonight with the idea a network calling an election would matter all that much

I liked the episode for everything that was going on, but didn’t “get” this part either. It’s not like ATN’s proclamation is official.

 

[Capella]

never been a realistic show but did go farther over the line than normal tonight with the idea a network calling an election would matter all that much

I liked the episode for everything that was going on, but didn’t “get” this part either. It’s not like ATN’s proclamation is official.

I think the point was it showed their delusions of how much power they actually have, how they make decisions solely in their best interest and also set up the final power play between the siblings.

In the real world none of what they did mattered.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

never been a realistic show but did go farther over the line than normal tonight with the idea a network calling an election would matter all that much

I liked the episode for everything that was going on, but didn’t “get” this part either. It’s not like ATN’s proclamation is official.

I think the point was it showed their delusions of how much power they actually have, how they make decisions solely in their best interest and also set up the final power play between the siblings.

In the real world none of what they did mattered.

I actually disagree, at least in the context of the show. First of all, it's mentioned that it's only been six months since the incumbent president pulled out. Clearly ATN had a lot to do with Mencken's rise. Second, one of the key outcomes of the evening is that Mencken himself clearly believes that ATN, and specifically Roman, had a lot to do with him becoming president, so this cements their relationship. And most importantly, we're supposed to see Roman's rhetoric as a rationalization. He's telling himself (and his siblings) that nothing matters, but who gets elected president matters a great deal to the people who will be affected by the administration's policies

 

[Desert_Power]

The drama and dialogue and humor is always good. It’s never been a realistic show but did go farther over the line than normal tonight with the idea a network calling an election would matter all that much, not to mention a president-elect being able to snap his fingers and tank a merger.

The unrealistic thing to me feels like way too many people know about the cooked books in India for Matsson's company.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

The drama and dialogue and humor is always good. It’s never been a realistic show but did go farther over the line than normal tonight with the idea a network calling an election would matter all that much, not to mention a president-elect being able to snap his fingers and tank a merger.

The unrealistic thing to me feels like way too many people know about the cooked books in India for Matsson's company.

That's another side story that is more than a bit silly. If the Roys wanted to tank this deal, there would be so many easier ways to do it. Its a 50% stock offer. We don't even really know who's on the board, although I recall that being the major topic of an episode a year or two ago, when Logan was momentarily delirious and Shiv negotiated away a couple seats. Why aren't they meeting with Adrian Brody and other big shareholders like their dad did when he needed support on a merger a couple seasons ago? Why wouldn't they be hammering the unnamed current president to put regulatory pressure on the deal rather than someone not yet in office? Still a great show though! I'm going to miss it.

 

[Yo Mama]

[deleted a paragraph on parallels to the real world since it could be seen as too political]

Even though a news organization calling the presidency for a candidate doesn’t make that person the president, imagine this scene happening in real life. 100k votes from the largest metro area in a swing state are destroyed (regardless of how they were destroyed - by accident, by design, as a false flag).

If they aren’t counted in some way, the state and national elections go one way. If the votes would have followed historical patterns and still existed, the state and National elections go the other way. The upcoming political / legal / constitutional crisis would be incredibly messy.

Now you have one of the major media organizations - rather than waiting on the side and reporting on the story, actually taking sides in the conversation (the votes don’t exist so the votes don’t count). And this is done by the legitimate “news” part of the organization and not just the entertainment / opinion / Ravenclaw side of the organization.

That would have a huge impact on how a large portion of the US population would accept and react to any potential decision on the destroyed votes and have major implications to the legitimacy of the next administration.



Disclaimer: all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this commentary are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

[deleted a paragraph on parallels to the real world since it could be seen as too political]

Even though a news organization calling the presidency for a candidate doesn’t make that person the president, imagine this scene happening in real life. 100k votes from the largest metro area in a swing state are destroyed (regardless of how they were destroyed - by accident, by design, as a false flag).

If they aren’t counted in some way, the state and national elections go one way. If the votes would have followed historical patterns and still existed, the state and National elections go the other way. The upcoming political / legal / constitutional crisis would be incredibly messy.

Now you have one of the major media organizations - rather than waiting on the side and reporting on the story, actually taking sides in the conversation (the votes don’t exist so the votes don’t count). And this is done by the legitimate “news” part of the organization and not just the entertainment / opinion / Ravenclaw side of the organization.

That would have a huge impact on how a large portion of the US population would accept and react to any potential decision on the destroyed votes and have major implications to the legitimacy of the next administration.



Disclaimer: all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this commentary are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

This is all fine and would make for a good television show. The problem with last night's episode is that Succession mostly hasn't been that kind of show. I'm not here for a ripped-straight-from-today's-headlines political what-if. That stuff is fine when it serves as the backdrop for a story about palace intrigue, but I'd rather not have it as the main focus.

 

[Yo Mama]

[deleted a paragraph on parallels to the real world since it could be seen as too political]

Even though a news organization calling the presidency for a candidate doesn’t make that person the president, imagine this scene happening in real life. 100k votes from the largest metro area in a swing state are destroyed (regardless of how they were destroyed - by accident, by design, as a false flag).

If they aren’t counted in some way, the state and national elections go one way. If the votes would have followed historical patterns and still existed, the state and National elections go the other way. The upcoming political / legal / constitutional crisis would be incredibly messy.

Now you have one of the major media organizations - rather than waiting on the side and reporting on the story, actually taking sides in the conversation (the votes don’t exist so the votes don’t count). And this is done by the legitimate “news” part of the organization and not just the entertainment / opinion / Ravenclaw side of the organization.

That would have a huge impact on how a large portion of the US population would accept and react to any potential decision on the destroyed votes and have major implications to the legitimacy of the next administration.



Disclaimer: all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this commentary are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

This is all fine and would make for a good television show. The problem with last night's episode is that Succession mostly hasn't been that kind of show. I'm not here for a ripped-straight-from-today's-headlines political what-if. That stuff is fine when it serves as the backdrop for a story about palace intrigue, but I'd rather not have it as the main focus.

I see your point - I was more responding to the comments about how far-fetched and unrealistic the storyline was regarding the impact a media organization has.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

On the Ringer's recap podcast, Bill Simmons floated the Internet theory that Mattson is deliberately spreading the rumors about himself (mailed blood, India numbers) as a kind of mind#### on the siblings, which I agree would be kind of interesting, but he and his co-hosts all shot it down as not typically being how the show operates.

 

[rockaction]

Bill Simmons is talking about it on his podcast. Now I know I'm not missing anything. Phew! I was beginning to get nervous.

 

[shuke]

[deleted a paragraph on parallels to the real world since it could be seen as too political]

Even though a news organization calling the presidency for a candidate doesn’t make that person the president, imagine this scene happening in real life. 100k votes from the largest metro area in a swing state are destroyed (regardless of how they were destroyed - by accident, by design, as a false flag).

If they aren’t counted in some way, the state and national elections go one way. If the votes would have followed historical patterns and still existed, the state and National elections go the other way. The upcoming political / legal / constitutional crisis would be incredibly messy.

Now you have one of the major media organizations - rather than waiting on the side and reporting on the story, actually taking sides in the conversation (the votes don’t exist so the votes don’t count). And this is done by the legitimate “news” part of the organization and not just the entertainment / opinion / Ravenclaw side of the organization.

That would have a huge impact on how a large portion of the US population would accept and react to any potential decision on the destroyed votes and have major implications to the legitimacy of the next administration.



Disclaimer: all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this commentary are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

This is all fine and would make for a good television show. The problem with last night's episode is that Succession mostly hasn't been that kind of show. I'm not here for a ripped-straight-from-today's-headlines political what-if. That stuff is fine when it serves as the backdrop for a story about palace intrigue, but I'd rather not have it as the main focus.

It wasn't the main focus. It was still the backdrop to the tension within the family.

 

[D-Day]

It wasn’t the best episode, but not as bad as rubbing wasabi in your eyes.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Interesting interview with one of the show's political consulting producers. TLDR: His job is to make sure that, even if the plotlines are somewhat outlandish, they're not implausible

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Did anyone catch the three different presidential campaign's slogans? I remember thinking they were funny, but now I can only remember Connor's ("Enough already!")

 

[BeTheMatch]

never been a realistic show but did go farther over the line than normal tonight with the idea a network calling an election would matter all that much

I liked the episode for everything that was going on, but didn’t “get” this part either. It’s not like ATN’s proclamation is official.

You guys really don't remember Bush v Gore?

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

never been a realistic show but did go farther over the line than normal tonight with the idea a network calling an election would matter all that much

I liked the episode for everything that was going on, but didn’t “get” this part either. It’s not like ATN’s proclamation is official.

You guys really don't remember Bush v Gore?

The more I think of it, the less bothered I am by the plot. Some of the details may have been implausible, but I think it broadly captured the feelings people experienced in '00, '16 and '20 (reading the various reviews of the episode today, it certainly seems to have resonated with lots of people on an emotional level, in some cases too much so)

 

[CletiusMaximus]

never been a realistic show but did go farther over the line than normal tonight with the idea a network calling an election would matter all that much

I liked the episode for everything that was going on, but didn’t “get” this part either. It’s not like ATN’s proclamation is official.

You guys really don't remember Bush v Gore?

I got the reference but the network call of Florida was a non event. Every network called it early but it didn’t matter. Maybe thats where they’ll take it next episode - ATN is ridiculed and their election call is just a blip on the radar.

 

[supermike80]

Yeah....kinda had a hard time following why this was so critical etc. Ok so they call it wrong(if they do) BFD really. Seems they made much ado about nothing. LOVE the dynamic going on between Shiv and Tom right now though.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Yeah....kinda had a hard time following why this was so critical etc. Ok so they call it wrong(if they do) BFD really. Seems they made much ado about nothing. LOVE the dynamic going on between Shiv and Tom right now though.

Part of it, imo, is also the very point that they thought it was so important. Because they think everything they do is life and death and the most critical thing ever.

 

[Capella]

Yeah....kinda had a hard time following why this was so critical etc. Ok so they call it wrong(if they do) BFD really. Seems they made much ado about nothing. LOVE the dynamic going on between Shiv and Tom right now though.

Part of it, imo, is also the very point that they thought it was so important. Because they think everything they do is life and death and the most critical thing ever.

Right. It’s literally the point of the show.

 

[jb1020]

never been a realistic show but did go farther over the line than normal tonight with the idea a network calling an election would matter all that much

I liked the episode for everything that was going on, but didn’t “get” this part either. It’s not like ATN’s proclamation is official.

You guys really don't remember Bush v Gore?

False Flag!

 

[Ilov80s]

Love the show as always. Surprised people don’t think it’s political or that it’s neutral. It’s clearly mocking real people so much so that there part of Murdoch’s pre-nup included specifically that she wasn’t allowed to talk to the writers of Succession.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

“Pending call…”

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

"It's not that lemony! It's just a hint of lemon!"

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Love the show as always. Surprised people don’t think it’s political or that it’s neutral. It’s clearly mocking real people so much so that there part of Murdoch’s pre-nup included specifically that she wasn’t allowed to talk to the writers of Succession.

That's not political, though.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

"It's not that lemony! It's just a hint of lemon!"

Greg eating the bodega sushi too

 

[Ilov80s]

Love the show as always. Surprised people don’t think it’s political or that it’s neutral. It’s clearly mocking real people so much so that there part of Murdoch’s pre-nup included specifically that she wasn’t allowed to talk to the writers of Succession.

That's not political, though.

Maybe I have a broader view of politics. I certainly think Fox News and Murdoch are political entities. Sure they aren’t actually in the government but they have been extremely influential in the direction of our politics and it’s pretty clear the show has a negative view of them.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Love the show as always. Surprised people don’t think it’s political or that it’s neutral. It’s clearly mocking real people so much so that there part of Murdoch’s pre-nup included specifically that she wasn’t allowed to talk to the writers of Succession.

That's not political, though.

Maybe I have a broader view of politics. I certainly think Fox News and Murdoch are political entities. Sure they aren’t actually in the government but they have been extremely influential in the direction of our politics and it’s pretty clear the show has a negative view of them.

Well, I certainly agree that this show hates its characters. I like that a lot.

We're going to have to agree to disagree about whether having a weird prenup is political.

 

[Ilov80s]

Love the show as always. Surprised people don’t think it’s political or that it’s neutral. It’s clearly mocking real people so much so that there part of Murdoch’s pre-nup included specifically that she wasn’t allowed to talk to the writers of Succession.

That's not political, though.

Maybe I have a broader view of politics. I certainly think Fox News and Murdoch are political entities. Sure they aren’t actually in the government but they have been extremely influential in the direction of our politics and it’s pretty clear the show has a negative view of them.

Well, I certainly agree that this show hates its characters. I like that a lot.

We're going to have to agree to disagree about whether having a weird prenup is political.

The prenup isn’t but anyway I’ll just drop this since we are forbidden from such topics here.

 

[dkp993]

Loved the episode.
This need to dissect the “realism” of it (or most shows for that matter) makes little sense to me. It’s a TV show FFS. Just enjoy the ride.

 

[dickey moe]

How the hell did political guru guy get wasabi in his eyes?

 

[Frostillicus]

How the hell did political guru guy get wasabi in his eyes?

Shiv and Roman were having a secretly throwing wasabi contest. Shiv won.

 

[ProstheticRGK]

"It's not that lemony! It's just a hint of lemon!"

“It’s medicinal, even.”

 

[Payne]

Glad to see I'm not the only one. This show is just bad at times. No way it should be considered near anyone's top 5 list.

The scorpion gift scene was cringeworthy.

My favorite scene in the most recent episode was Tom having Ken, Roman and everyone else leave the main floor. He was dealing with a major crisis.
Then Shiv politely asks "Hey, do you have a minute" and proceeds to apologize for what she said the night before. Really?? At that moment? Comically bad.

Tom is either one of the worst actors, one of the worse written characters or both.
Shiv and her constant head shaking of disbelief is annoying too.

Cox was head and shoulders above everyone else from an acting standpoint. He his sorely missed.

 

[supermike80]

Glad to see I'm not the only one. This show is just bad at times. No way it should be considered near anyone's top 5 list.

The scorpion gift scene was cringeworthy.

My favorite scene in the most recent episode was Tom having Ken, Roman and everyone else leave the main floor. He was dealing with a major crisis.
Then Shiv politely asks "Hey, do you have a minute" and proceeds to apologize for what she said the night before. Really?? At that moment? Comically bad.

Tom is either one of the worst actors, one of the worse written characters or both.
Shiv and her constant head shaking of disbelief is annoying too.

Cox was head and shoulders above everyone else from an acting standpoint. He his sorely missed.

Oh I totally disagree about Tom being a bad character. I think hes fantastic. Plays the wimp well and flips it on Gregg wen needed. He's sly, very complex and fun to watch.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Glad to see I'm not the only one. This show is just bad at times. No way it should be considered near anyone's top 5 list.

The scorpion gift scene was cringeworthy.

My favorite scene in the most recent episode was Tom having Ken, Roman and everyone else leave the main floor. He was dealing with a major crisis.
Then Shiv politely asks "Hey, do you have a minute" and proceeds to apologize for what she said the night before. Really?? At that moment? Comically bad.

Tom is either one of the worst actors, one of the worse written characters or both.
Shiv and her constant head shaking of disbelief is annoying too.

Cox was head and shoulders above everyone else from an acting standpoint. He his sorely missed.

Oh I totally disagree about Tom being a bad character. I think hes fantastic. Plays the wimp well and flips it on Gregg wen needed. He's sly, very complex and fun to watch.

Agreed. Tom is a great, well-written character. Nice portrait of the kiss-up, kick-down type.

 

[dkp993]

Glad to see I'm not the only one. This show is just bad at times. No way it should be considered near anyone's top 5 list.

The scorpion gift scene was cringeworthy.

My favorite scene in the most recent episode was Tom having Ken, Roman and everyone else leave the main floor. He was dealing with a major crisis.
Then Shiv politely asks "Hey, do you have a minute" and proceeds to apologize for what she said the night before. Really?? At that moment? Comically bad.

Tom is either one of the worst actors, one of the worse written characters or both.
Shiv and her constant head shaking of disbelief is annoying too.

Cox was head and shoulders above everyone else from an acting standpoint. He his sorely missed.

Oh I totally disagree about Tom being a bad character. I think hes fantastic. Plays the wimp well and flips it on Gregg wen needed. He's sly, very complex and fun to watch.

Payne- a few things…

Scorpion scene was supposed to be cringe worthy. It showing how dysfunctional their relationship has become and it Tom passive aggressively taking out his anger on her.

For the Shiv apologizing scene, I believe you missed the undertone and play. Like everything with Shiv it was a leverage move, she needed Tom that night to be on her side in the fight with Rome over the election. She know Tom is in a position that night to make decisions on how ATN plays the coverage, she picks that moment to apologize solely because she reads the room and realizes she has no allies there. She didn’t do it because of love, it was strategic. She fully expected Tom to do what he always does and back down and allow her back in. But Tom‘s done playing the wimp role and doesn’t play into her move ( i think he knows what she’s doing as his eyes are open to her manipulation now) so the whole thing goes off the rails.

 

[Capella]

Tom is either one of the worst actors, one of the worse written characters or both.

has to be shtick

 

[urbanhack]

Glad to see I'm not the only one. This show is just bad at times. No way it should be considered near anyone's top 5 list.

The scorpion gift scene was cringeworthy.

My favorite scene in the most recent episode was Tom having Ken, Roman and everyone else leave the main floor. He was dealing with a major crisis.
Then Shiv politely asks "Hey, do you have a minute" and proceeds to apologize for what she said the night before. Really?? At that moment? Comically bad.

Tom is either one of the worst actors, one of the worse written characters or both.
Shiv and her constant head shaking of disbelief is annoying too.

Cox was head and shoulders above everyone else from an acting standpoint. He his sorely missed.

Oh I totally disagree about Tom being a bad character. I think hes fantastic. Plays the wimp well and flips it on Gregg wen needed. He's sly, very complex and fun to watch.

Agreed. Tom is a great, well-written character. Nice portrait of the kiss-up, kick-down type.

and also "failing upwards"

 

[phandango]

My favorite scene in the most recent episode was Tom having Ken, Roman and everyone else leave the main floor. He was dealing with a major crisis.
Then Shiv politely asks "Hey, do you have a minute" and proceeds to apologize for what she said the night before. Really?? At that moment? Comically bad.

Yes, it was supposed to be comically bad. Logan Roy was a horrible person, but he was successful because he was a master manipulator who did what he thought necessary to get what he wanted. His kids are horrible people who are also not good at any of the things Logan excelled at. On election night, Shiv's moves were all reactionary and transparent, so pulling Tom aside and apologizing at that moment was supposed to show ineptitude, not deft skill, as was faking the call to the Democrat campaign strategist and blowing up her alliance with Ken just when she was about to pull him over to her side. Whenever Logan thought his kids were trying to out-maneuver him, he called it "amateur hour," and he was right.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Glad to see I'm not the only one. This show is just bad at times. No way it should be considered near anyone's top 5 list.

The scorpion gift scene was cringeworthy.

My favorite scene in the most recent episode was Tom having Ken, Roman and everyone else leave the main floor. He was dealing with a major crisis.
Then Shiv politely asks "Hey, do you have a minute" and proceeds to apologize for what she said the night before. Really?? At that moment? Comically bad.

Tom is either one of the worst actors, one of the worse written characters or both.
Shiv and her constant head shaking of disbelief is annoying too.

Cox was head and shoulders above everyone else from an acting standpoint. He his sorely missed.

Oh I totally disagree about Tom being a bad character. I think hes fantastic. Plays the wimp well and flips it on Gregg wen needed. He's sly, very complex and fun to watch.

Agreed. Tom is a great, well-written character. Nice portrait of the kiss-up, kick-down type.

and also "failing upwards"

I love the fact that every "family member" in this show is obviously incompetent and failing upwards. I feel like there's a whole nother show out there where this story is told from Gerri's and Frank's POV and they just unload on the kids when the kids aren't around.

There's a lot going on in this show, but it really reinforces how people like Logan are sort of unique, and there's just no way that you can magically transform a loser like Ken or Roman into a genuine captain of industry. In real life, there is no Michael to replace Vito -- it's always just different flavors of Fredo.

 

[supermike80]

Glad to see I'm not the only one. This show is just bad at times. No way it should be considered near anyone's top 5 list.

The scorpion gift scene was cringeworthy.

My favorite scene in the most recent episode was Tom having Ken, Roman and everyone else leave the main floor. He was dealing with a major crisis.
Then Shiv politely asks "Hey, do you have a minute" and proceeds to apologize for what she said the night before. Really?? At that moment? Comically bad.

Tom is either one of the worst actors, one of the worse written characters or both.
Shiv and her constant head shaking of disbelief is annoying too.

Cox was head and shoulders above everyone else from an acting standpoint. He his sorely missed.

Oh I totally disagree about Tom being a bad character. I think hes fantastic. Plays the wimp well and flips it on Gregg wen needed. He's sly, very complex and fun to watch.

Agreed. Tom is a great, well-written character. Nice portrait of the kiss-up, kick-down type.

and also "failing upwards"

I love the fact that every "family member" in this show is obviously incompetent and failing upwards. I feel like there's a whole nother show out there where this story is told from Gerri's and Frank's POV and they just unload on the kids when the kids aren't around.

There's a lot going on in this show, but it really reinforces how people like Logan are sort of unique, and there's just no way that you can magically transform a loser like Ken or Roman into a genuine captain of industry. In real life, there is no Michael to replace Vito -- it's always just different flavors of Fredo.

Dead on. Add to it it's showing how utterly dysfunctional the offspring are. And how, it can be argued, Logan had to be a bad a** cause his kids weren't up to it. And he knew it. With Logan gone, they are exposed and all their failings are brought to light.

 

[Desert_Power]

Glad to see I'm not the only one. This show is just bad at times. No way it should be considered near anyone's top 5 list.

The scorpion gift scene was cringeworthy.

My favorite scene in the most recent episode was Tom having Ken, Roman and everyone else leave the main floor. He was dealing with a major crisis.
Then Shiv politely asks "Hey, do you have a minute" and proceeds to apologize for what she said the night before. Really?? At that moment? Comically bad.

Tom is either one of the worst actors, one of the worse written characters or both.
Shiv and her constant head shaking of disbelief is annoying too.

Cox was head and shoulders above everyone else from an acting standpoint. He his sorely missed.

Oh I totally disagree about Tom being a bad character. I think hes fantastic. Plays the wimp well and flips it on Gregg wen needed. He's sly, very complex and fun to watch.

Agreed. Tom is a great, well-written character. Nice portrait of the kiss-up, kick-down type.

and also "failing upwards"

I love the fact that every "family member" in this show is obviously incompetent and failing upwards. I feel like there's a whole nother show out there where this story is told from Gerri's and Frank's POV and they just unload on the kids when the kids aren't around.

There's a lot going on in this show, but it really reinforces how people like Logan are sort of unique, and there's just no way that you can magically transform a loser like Ken or Roman into a genuine captain of industry. In real life, there is no Michael to replace Vito -- it's always just different flavors of Fredo.

This is also why Karl has been so funny this season. I'd watch this spinoff

 

[TLEF316]

Yeah, i would absolutely watch the "Crap on the Roy children" spin off. That would be AWESOME

 

[CletiusMaximus]

That was great television. I think Culkin is probably the leading candidate for an Emmy nom from this show after tonight. Last year Cox and Strong got nominations.

 

[TLEF316]

I knew were in for a treat when uncle ewan took the stage. And he did not disappoint

 

[Capella]

That was great television. I think Culkin is probably the leading candidate for an Emmy nom from this show after tonight. Last year Cox and Strong got nominations.

Gonna be hard to sort this out. Strong and the actor who plays Tom (can’t spell his last name) have also been super good.

 

[Capella]

I don’t know if this is the best show I’ve ever seen, but I do feel like this may be the best season of tv I’ve seen. Really great.