In a sense Succession is a Reversed Family
HBO’s dark humor Succession has us entertained following the never-ending power struggle in a royal media family known as the Roys. A bracing satire of the billionaire class and the effects on family and society of the ruling class.
A House Divided The Roy Family
The story centers around Logan Roy, the head of Waystar RoyCo. Logan is hard to categorize, an often wild card, frequently merciless human who has engendered a cutthroat milieu in his family. His children, in turn, all war-ing to wrestle control of the firm, their motives bred from the heady cocktail of love — and hate (and infinite, infinite craving for daddy’s love) — that are only ever found amongst family.
- Kendall Roy: The older son, once the golden boy, now a public drug addict ivy leaguer. There’s a lot to hate about Black, but in the same breath, his angelic allure and tactical acumen make him a formidable opponent.
- Shiv Roy: Logan Roy’s only child, Shiv is an ambitious and ruthless political operative, and she doesn’t shy away from playing to the stereotype. She is a corporate politician, capable of swimming with the sharks of company politics, pitting her siblings against one another at every opportunity to get her way.
- Roman Roy: The youngest: a real rapscallion. His immaturity and lack of self awareness make for humor, but also infuriate his family.
- Connor Roy: The eldest and most distant Roy sibling, Connor is mostly dismissed by the family. My mind – No business smarts, no political connections… and he expects to be handed the joint
A Satire of the Super Rich (Succession)
Succession is more than a look at a family — it is an incisive satire of the very rich and their impact on the world. Everything else in the show exposes the 1% for the moral bankrupt charlatans they truly are — willing to do anything as long as the price is right, willing to disregard humanity in favour of a profit. With an endless pile of cash and power, the Roys can literally murder and get murder, the market, the newspapers, and then go on to commit any sort of war crime and never pay for it.
The Craft of Words and Lies
You can tolerate many parts of a show but not the language language has to be pretty stellar, and I do think the language is among the most impressive facets of the show. The Roys are manipulators, each words and cool phrases used to toy with others (if you know, you know). The cat and mouse games they all play with one another, peppered by insults, threats, doublespeak reveal the seedy underbelly of their relationships.
A Tragicomedy
The world has been glued to Succession, that tragicomedy of succession. Featuring complex characters, smart dialogue and an unflinching look at power and avarice, the US version is a must watch for anyone i
