Succession Season 3 Discussion

[bundabergdevil]

At this point it feels like the characters are stuck in a loop: Kendall is the pendulum swinging from optimism to lonely despair over and over again; Roman is trying really hard but is always in over his head (and I’m sure the streaming app guy is playing him to get a better deal elsewhere); Shiv is in the outer circle of whatever side she chooses; Tom is always a taken for granted afterthought; Logan will never cede control. This season just keeps reinforcing that. If someone can break the pattern then things will get more interesting.

This is where I am, I think. There have been interesting character developments over the course of the first 2.5 seasons but for everything that has happened, everyone is more or less in the same place and the characters feel like they’ve defaulted to their Achilles’ heels. The show is going to great lengths to show us why none of the Roy children are killers but I would like to see some hard power changes in addition to the soft power machinations (delicious though they may be).

At some point, Logan has to go down, right?

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

This is where I am, I think. There have been interesting character developments over the course of the first 2.5 seasons but for everything that has happened, everyone is more or less in the same place and the characters feel like they’ve defaulted to their Achilles’ heels. The show is going to great lengths to show us why none of the Roy children are killers but I would like to see some hard power changes in addition to the soft power machinations (delicious though they may be).

At some point, Logan has to go down, right?

Remember, Connor Roy is polling near one percent.

[bundabergdevil]

Remember, Connor Roy is polling near one percent.

Please. Everyone knows Con-heads don’t trust pollsters so they’re dramatically underrepresented.

[Bostondevil]

I got curious about how old the actors playing the roles actually are. Tomorrow is Sarah (Shiv) Snook's birthday: Dec. 1, 1987. Nicholas (Greg) Braun? May 1, 1988. The character Greg seems more than 5 months younger than Shiv. Alan (Connor) Ruck? July 1, 1956 which means he was nearly 30 when he was in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and he is 10 years and 1 month younger than Brian (Logan) Cox, June 1, 1946. That's a May 1, a June 1, a July 1, and Dec. 1. Jeremy (Kendall) Strong breaks the streak being born on Christmas Day in 1978. And Matthew MacFayden was born October 17, 1974.

[bundabergdevil]

I got curious about how old the actors playing the roles actually are. Tomorrow is Sarah (Shiv) Snook's birthday: Dec. 1, 1987. Nicholas (Greg) Braun? May 1, 1988. The character Greg seems more than 5 months younger than Shiv. Alan (Connor) Ruck? July 1, 1956 which means he was nearly 30 when he was in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and he is 10 years and 1 month younger than Brian (Logan) Cox, June 1, 1946. That's a May 1, a June 1, a July 1, and Dec. 1. Jeremy (Kendall) Strong breaks the streak being born on Christmas Day in 1978. And Matthew MacFayden was born October 17, 1974.

Wow. Alan Ruck is mid-60s?!? He’s aged well. Never would have guessed.

[Bostondevil]

Wow. Alan Ruck is mid-60s?!? He’s aged well. Never would have guessed.

Yeah - no kidding.

[budwom]

huh, he looks all of that to me...

[Bostondevil]

huh, he looks all of that to me...

You think he looks only 10 years younger than Bryan Cox (the actor playing his dad)? I don't.

[budwom]

You think he looks only 10 years younger than Bryan Cox (the actor playing his dad)? I don't.

Cox looks older but Ruck hardly looks youthful. He looks all of 65.

[Bostondevil]

Cox looks older but Ruck hardly looks youthful. He looks all of 65.

I think it's that comparison that made me think he was younger - and that he plausibly played a teenager with Matthew Broderick in 1986. I always figured he was about the same age or younger than Broderick. I guess 6 years is about the same age. It's also the character's age that affects my perception. Connor the character can't be more than 45 and Ruck does a great job projecting that age. Ruck may look 65, but his portrayal of Connor is not that of a 65 year old man.

[bundabergdevil]

I think it's that comparison that made me think he was younger - and that he plausibly played a teenager with Matthew Broderick in 1986. I always figured he was about the same age or younger than Broderick. I guess 6 years is about the same age. It's also the character's age that affects my perception. Connor the character can't be more than 45 and Ruck does a great job projecting that age. Ruck may look 65, but his portrayal of Connor is not that of a 65 year old man.

If I look that good when I’m 53, I’ll be psyched.

I think Logan is 83 and Connor is supposed to be in his 50s.

[Bostondevil]

If I look that good when I’m 53, I’ll be psyched.

I think Logan is 83 and Connor is supposed to be in his 50s.

Do all the kids have the same mother on the show?

[bundabergdevil]

Do all the kids have the same mother on the show?

No. Connor is from wife 1.

[JasonEvans]

No. Connor is from wife 1.

How many wives has Logan had? I think it is 3, right?

In season 1, there was all this tension about Logan wanting to make Marcia (wife #3) a bigger part of the family legacy but it seemed to fizzle out very quickly and she became a non-character. I feel like the writers try different stuff to see what works and then drop the stuff that doesn't. Marcia as a significant player in the game wasn't working.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

How many wives has Logan had? I think it is 3, right?

In season 1, there was all this tension about Logan wanting to make Marcia (wife #3) a bigger part of the family legacy but it seemed to fizzle out very quickly and she became a non-character. I feel like the writers try different stuff to see what works and then drop the stuff that doesn't. Marcia as a significant player in the game wasn't working.

She got a SIGNIFICANT chunk of change early this season. I suspect that will silence here for some time.

[weezie]

And wasn't she trying to shoe horn her son into the biz?
That might come around again.

[Duke79UNLV77]

I differ with some of the quibbles with the last episode mentioned above.

Extremely rich people get showy birthday gifts they don't actually need from other extremely rich people? Well, yes.

Greg is told someone is out of his league? Sure. He is not a real insider, as evidenced by Roman telling he gets one vote on election day for the President, just like the general public. In a world where all the closer family members are getting pushed down by each other and Logan, Greg is the piss boy, someone they can safely put down to feel more powerful and better about themselves. His getting the beautiful and smart PR expert to go out with him doesn't fit that role.

Tom seems too glum at the end of the show? Sure. He hit a euphoria when he heard he's not going to prison, but now he's back to his normal life, in which he was very unhappy before the prison scare. Plus, he keeps seeing Greg, the one guy he can lord over, enjoying life more than he is.

As an example of how the show seems to hit its mark for me, my wife is a Director reporting to a narcissistic, very successful business founder with other family members in the business. When she heard the line about the lunch boxes, she texted the woman who manages the founder's vacation home (with multiple guest cottages, golf holes, a place for helicopters to land, etc.) and asked the woman if she watches "Succession." Without further prompting, the woman responded yes, said she agreed with whatever my wife had to say about it, and specifically mentioned the lunch box line, even though my wife hadn't referred to it!

[bundabergdevil]

I differ with some of the quibbles with the last episode mentioned above.

Extremely rich people get showy birthday gifts they don't actually need from other extremely rich people? Well, yes.

Greg is told someone is out of his league? Sure. He is not a real insider, as evidenced by Roman telling he gets one vote on election day for the President, just like the general public. In a world where all the closer family members are getting pushed down by each other and Logan, Greg is the piss boy, someone they can safely put down to feel more powerful and better about themselves. His getting the beautiful and smart PR expert to go out with him doesn't fit that role.

Tom seems too glum at the end of the show? Sure. He hit a euphoria when he heard he's not going to prison, but now he's back to his normal life, in which he was very unhappy before the prison scare. Plus, he keeps seeing Greg, the one guy he can lord over, enjoying life more than he is.

As an example of how the show seems to hit its mark for me, my wife is a Director reporting to a narcissistic, very successful business founder with other family members in the business. When she heard the line about the lunch boxes, she texted the woman who manages the founder's vacation home (with multiple guest cottages, golf holes, a place for helicopters to land, etc.) and asked the woman if she watches "Succession." Without further prompting, the woman responded yes, said she agreed with whatever my wife had to say about it, and specifically mentioned the lunch box line, even though my wife hadn't referred to it!

My wife spent a terrifying 5 months as the 3rd executive assistant for a billionaire NFL owner. He threw a fit if his coffee wasn’t made so that it ended up a specific color.

[Furniture]

I personally am starting to find Succession very frustrating. It’s agonizing and somewhat painful to watch. Where is it even going? I think Toms comment to Kendall sums up the whole show for me. Paraphrasing: Why should I come on your side? You always get flecked and Logan never gets flecked. Kendall’s crazy erratic behavior is excruciating.
Having said all that we will probably carry on watching.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I personally am starting to find Succession very frustrating. It’s agonizing and somewhat painful to watch. Where is it even going? I think Toms comment to Kendall sums up the whole show for me. Paraphrasing: Why should I come on your side? You always get flecked and Logan never gets flecked. Kendall’s crazy erratic behavior is excruciating.
Having said all that we will probably carry on watching.

I guess I'm enjoying the journey more than most. The characters are horrible, but fascinatingly so. The dialogue is wildly unrealistic, but incredibly witty and fun. The story is excruciating, but also similar to a car wreck where you can't look away.

I'm all in. I want to see where it goes. I suspect when the rubber meets the road, we will learn which - if any - characters have a semblance of a moral compass.

I'm somewhat disappointed that Gerri has been mostly sidelined this season (despite being theoretically in charge of the company), and would love to see her make a play in the next two episodes.

In fact, Gerri and Greg are two characters everyone else seems to be taking for granted, and I suspect that will come back to bite someone in the tookus.