Created by Jesse Armstrong, Succession is a social satire about the power relations of a media empire, which leads the company with an iron grip. The series stars Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook.
The text does not contain direct plot revelations about the end of the series.
HBO Max’s hit series Succession has now come to an end after four seasons. Awarded with multiple Emmys, the outstandingly scripted and acted series will live on in the auditory memory of its viewers as well, thanks to its amazing theme music composed by Nicolas Brittelli.
In Succession, produced by Jesse Armstrong (In the Loop, The Thick of It), who cultivates tough social satire in his previous works, media mogul Logan Roy, played by Brian Cox, struggles with the end of his life and the power relations surrounding it. Getting closer. Start boiling it.
Logan has four children, Kendall played by Jeremy Strong, Roman played by Kieran Culkin, Shiva played by Sarah Snooki, and relegated to the background, eldest son Connor played by Alan Ruck, who is unable to reach his father at any time. Not a viable option to be a successor. Kendall, Roman and Shiva are broken human ruins who have lived their entire lives in their father’s powerful shadow, each of whom imagines himself as a continuation of his father’s work.
There are also top performers outside the family. None of Logan Roy’s children seem like a very credible leader of a large company, which is why son-in-law Tom Wambsgans is played by Matthew McFadden, son-in-law Greg is played by Nicholas Braun, several company board members and Finally, Swedish boss Lucas Mattsson, played by Alexander Skarsgård, also tries to fill the upcoming power vacuum.
The name Succession means succession of power, order of succession, implying that the series shows episode after episode of backstabbing. It also means that the main character, Logan, has to die at some point in order to resolve the situation. This is unfortunate for the actor, as Cox is perfect in the role of “fuck off” Logan, who no one cares about.
Succession is also an interesting series in the sense that practically all of the characters in the series are either monsters or just as terrifying as humans. You can’t really like someone. Roy is a privileged bastard who cares little for his fellow man and flies his plane from continent to continent.
Meanwhile, Logan Roy’s children are themselves victims of circumstance, unable to fully develop under the shadow of their father and abandoned by their mother. Each of them fantasizes that they can do the same as their father, but at the same time deep down they doubt their abilities, which is not surprising after growing up under the roof of an emotionally cold billionaire father. . No matter how hard they try, they are not good enough for their father.
So they grow up to be suspicious backbiters who find it impossible to trust anyone else – or even their own siblings. They have sought support and support for their shattered self-esteem in drugs and everything that money can buy.
But money can’t buy true love or true care.
The drama intersperses the series’ human relationships with an excellent element of pitch-black humour. While exploring the family’s internal and external power relations, Succession also uses satire to take a social stance, and offers a glimpse into the lives of the ultra-wealthy, through the media dynasty owned by Roy, leading the world takes shape.
Since the presidential election, Logan Roy has been behind major decisions concerning the entire United States. When the mainstream media owned by Roy declares something to be true, it often turns out to be true. He is also directly related to the President and thus the power of the entire state is at his fingertips.
Succession is a series that surprises at every turn. Everything explodes in the next episode as an alliance is formed. And just when the viewers think they know what’s going to happen next, the story pulls the rug out from under their feet and the viewer is left screaming at the TV not to do that again, but to do it right for once.
And they never do.
Which is why Succession is so exhilaratingly depressing and downright scary at the same time. It doesn’t give viewers easy solutions, and it doesn’t let its characters go too easily. It completely lacks soft laziness and good nature, and instead we only see human monsters suffering in the midst of their riches, unable to love, for whom nothing is enough and who still act as total idiots. I pull the strings of power.
Finally, a brief note about the end of the series. If you want to avoid spoilers, stop reading now.
Succession’s final, nearly movie-long closing sequence is sure to divide opinion. Some think that, after all the previous stress, the decision to turn in that direction is downright antithetical, others think that it is actually the perfect decision for a situation that has turned dire. I’m of the latter myself, because Succession, in all its starkness, has been a painful, but surprisingly surprising rise in this world of formulaic stories.
The cotton in Roy’s family is not easy hugs, smiles and back pats, but crude and self-centred power play. Yet, in the last episode, we see a rare, almost affectionate, warm scene between the siblings. The scene is utterly hopeful, but true to the series’ style, even this warmth doesn’t last.
The final solution can also be seen as a certain kind of relief, a release from the burdens of the past and finally a new, completely unique future – at least for Kendall. The new manager of the company was perhaps a surprising move of the screenwriters, on the other hand, it is consistent with everything that happened before and in a certain way has been staged for a long time. With this, Logan’s ruthless bastard style remains in the background as the official leader, and a man who wants to please because he doesn’t want to take responsibility as a nominal leader.
Either way, the world of succession remains in the hands of rabid bastards.
All four seasons of Succession are now available to watch on HBO Max.
