Succession season 3

[up_the_hampipe]

We were all hoping Roman would screw himself after last week, but this was even better than I could have imagined.

By the way, I'd highly recommend The New Yorker's profile on Jeremy Strong, it is truly astonishing. He's the most intense charicature of a pompous thespian you could ever encounter. The cast don't seem to like him, neither do many who have worked with him previously, and he doesn't seem to be aware that Succession is a comedy, or even partially so. He sounds like a nightmare but I still find him very endearing https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/12/13/on-succession-jeremy-strong-doesnt-get-the-joke

[selectivememory]

It was amazing. A season's worth of his plotting and manoeuvring all went up in smoke in an instant. And Logan looked properly weirded out by it. Rare that you see him so unsettled.

Edit: yeah, I read that profile this morning. Very interesting. He seems like a bit of a handful.

[mjwilson]

I think it's good to have spoilers for a bit, at least until the main Monday evening showing on Sky Atlantic or whatever it's on.

Like I could probably watch it at 2 in the morning or something on streaming, but I wouldn't come in and post untagged spoilers.

[Blue Jam]

Seeing "DAD" at the top of that text conversation made me cringe even harder than "L to tha O-G" did. I could feel Roman's stomach dropping into his shoes. Amazing.

[Enzo]

Reading that New Yorker profile gives me the feeling that some of the writers' choices for Kendall's arc this season were a bit inspired by Strong himself.

[Blue Jam]

Logan looked properly weirded out by it. Rare that you see him so unsettled.

I did wonder if that was inspired by Rupert Murdoch's legendarily hypocrital prudishness- ie, the way he was never a fan of Page 3 and always wanted The S*n to ditch it, but never seemed to have a problem with the rest of his newspapers' sordid content.

Logan also being aware of what a "dick pic" is ("We probably invented the name" or words to that effect) but being completely baffled as to why someone would send one, and that crossing a line even after the cruise ship scandal... so much to unpack once again.

I'm now wondering if that little incident is going to leave Roman in urgent need of therapy or if it will just leave him with enough guilt and shame for the mother of all wanks. Probably the latter.

[chveik]

Reading that New Yorker profile gives me the feeling that some of the writers' choices for Kendall's arc this season were a bit inspired by Strong himself.

yeah he sounds like a real oddball

[Vitalstatistix]

Mock his intellectualism and methods all we like but the results are the only riposte needed. An utterly spellbinding performance through three seasons. I actually don't think he says anything particularly absurd and the reaction to the piece seems a bit over the top.

[poo]

Wondering if Ken is now desperate enough to come out publicly with the car crash confession, to implicate his father for his part in the cover-up.

[AllisonSays]

Wondering if Ken is now desperate enough to come out publicly with the car crash confession, to implicate his father for his part in the cover-up.

That was what I thought too, with the final pool scene as a kind of nod to that. Expiation for him and a final way to blow up the company, it'd make sense.

[non capisco]

I'm now pretty convinced that will be the ending of the current series. They've maybe seeded it by having Comfrey (sp?) mention that podcast to Kendall which could be where he spills the beans.

[Emotional Support Peacock]

I'm now pretty convinced that will be the ending of the current series. They've maybe seeded it by having Comfrey (sp?) mention that podcast to Kendall which could be where he spills the beans.

I thought that, and maybe Kendal recorded the conversation he had with Logan. Although what was said was not explicitly incriminating as far as I remember...

[mjwilson]

I don't think we can reasonably have another "Kendall announces he's going to blow up the company" can we?

[Blue Jam]

Shiv is still insanely attractive, then. And a great character. Her dynamic with her brothers is so real and great

I loved Shiv being all tell-tale-tit on Roman this week. She was being completely reasonable as he was out of order with the dick pic but that alone was enough, also revealing he has a "thing" for Gerri was twisting the knife when he was already in trouble, fantastically petty. I als love watching Shiv and Roman bickering, the two annoying youngest siblings at each others' throats, they're hilarious but all too believeable with it.

If we're doing perving then I've developed a bit of a "thing" for WAMBSGANS. I think it's the "adorkable" thing again, arrgghhh. It may also be because Shiv's been so horrible to him this season he's become something of a woobie. Her tormenting him with "even though I don't really love you" was so cruel, just really rubbing it in over his trophy husband/doormat status.

Also suddenly deciding she wanted a baby purely because her (equally horrible) mother said she wouldn't be any good at raising one, and then in the cold light of day talking about "popsicle babies". Again, more horribly unsexy stuff.

I only recently learned that Sarah Snook is Australian. Her accent has become a bit Americanised (Mid-Pacific?) so presumably doing the accent in the show isn't too much of a stretch but it's still weird to hear her natural accent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt44ICmdN3Q

[selectivememory]

I wonder if Ken owning up about the crash (assuming he didn't die at the end of the last episode) would be more about his taking responsibility so he can do his time and then move on with his life, rather than being a move against his dad. He does seem to be at the point where he doesn't want to be involved in any more bullshit with the company. Implicating Logan might be a by-product of his owning up to it, but I think he knows now that his only chance of a tolerable existence is if he distances himself from the family and the business.

We finally saw some self-awareness from him. I do think his major role in the series is coming to an end, either with him being dead, going to prison, or just retreating to raise his kids in peace. It would kind of undermine his character development if he gets drawn back into it all in the next season.

[selectivememory]

I'm now wondering if that little incident is going to leave Roman in urgent need of therapy or if it will just leave him with enough guilt and shame for the mother of all wanks. Probably the latter.

Heh. Definitely the latter. It'll keep him going for months.

[Blue Jam]

Yeah, he must be massively in the black at the wank bank now. Roman's wealthier than any other Roy on that front.

[Inspector Norse]

Hate to be a spoilsport but for me the dick pic incident felt far too convenient a plot device given its timing.
The Roman-Gerri thing was going to blow up at some point, and credit to them for leaving it pretty ambiguous (everyone saw right through Shiv's attempts to turn it to her advantage), just... right in the middle of the meeting to seal the GoJo deal? Not for me, Clive.

I reckon Wambsgans is going to explode soon.

[rjd2]

Bit of a shame we have not seen the mini Josh Hawley since episode 6, I assume he is been kept for season 4?

[up_the_hampipe]

Hate to be a spoilsport but for me the dick pic incident felt far too convenient a plot device given its timing.
The Roman-Gerri thing was going to blow up at some point, and credit to them for leaving it pretty ambiguous (everyone saw right through Shiv's attempts to turn it to her advantage), just... right in the middle of the meeting to seal the GoJo deal? Not for me, Clive.

It seemed to all line up perfectly to me. He's high off selling the deal, it all happens so quick and that's when these mistakes are made.

[Blue Jam]

Is WAMBSGANS a made-up name then? I searched for it and it appears that the top results are all to do with Succession, plus people asking Google "Is WAMBSGANS a real name?".

I did wonder if it was a nod to WABZNASM in The Day Today but Armando Iannucci isn't involved in this and even if he was that would be stretching it.

[Inspector Norse]

It seemed to all line up perfectly to me.

Too perfectly, is the problem. It felt a bit too heavyhanded and "and now it's Roman's turn, and this is how he loses favour".

Would a man who pissed on his son's office floor be that shocked by another son sending an accidental dick pic?

[canted_angle_again]

So nobody else thinks he drowned in the pool on ket?

[Enzo]

So nobody else thinks he drowned in the pool on ket?

definitely getting a feeling of finality to Kendall's story in the last couple of episodes.

I wouldn't count it out.

[up_the_hampipe]

Would a man who pissed on his son's office floor be that shocked by another son sending an accidental dick pic?

Logan is a raging hypocrite, so yes of course. He thinks it's sick that Roman wants to hook up with Gerri due to the age difference, despite his situation with Kerry.

Also him pissing in Kendall's office because he's disoriented following a stroke and can't find the toilet is a much different situation, surely.

[AngryGazelle]

So nobody else thinks he drowned in the pool on ket?

I hope not, although I'm unsure where they take him next unless he confesses to the car crash. Either way I feel like his life is fucked now.

He wanted two billion for a pay out but surely he can just sell shares and assets and still be filthy rich? And get himself away from Logan. 

[Inspector Norse]

Logan is a raging hypocrite, so yes of course. He thinks it's sick that Roman wants to hook up with Gerri due to the age difference, despite his situation with Kerry.

Also him pissing in Kendall's office because he's disoriented following a stroke and can't find the toilet is a much different situation, surely.

hmmm, maybe, just... something about the whole thing felt a bit facile and false to me, too clearly TV plotting. Took me out of the show's world a bit.

Another good episode otherwise, though: lots more of those painful, telling glimpses of their fucked-upbringing, and the dinner scene midway was a really chilling glimpse of what a psychopath Logan really is, and felt like the last straw for Kendall, the petty, spiteful closing of his escape route. That closing scene where you could see all the fight and heart was gone: I don't know if he will kill himself or admit his complicity in the kid's death, but I think he's just passively waiting to be put out of his misery. This series has been darker and moodier than the previous two and I think that's been building up to something.

If Roman really is on the way out, what next? Three siblings have had a go - is season four Connor's turn? Or will Logan reward WAMBSGANS' offer to sacrifice himself with a big promotion? If so, what does that mean for Greg, and for Shiv? There's definitely something in the offing with that relationship.

[Waking Life]

I get the point on the #dickpic being a convenient way to fall out of favour with Logan, but it's probably been more concrete than some of the others in previous seasons (although I guess the implication - made clear with the dog kicking comment - is that Logan will always be mercurial with his children). I thought it was the most Roman thing that Roman could have done, highlighting that his impetuousness (combined with his sleaze) would always be (and probably always will be) his downfall.

On the previous episode, there was another pointed side remark from Logan to WAMBSGANS about how he would never forget what he did. Despite Logan's obvious disdain for him, an obvious plot point might Logan 'choosing' WAMBSGANS over Shiv in some form or other. Obviously not as a successor, but it could make for an interesting dynamic shift if Shiv got sidelined over her sycophantic Yes Man husband. Although he's not really out of the legal woods yet and the comment was probably just chickenfeed.

I don't think the implication was that Ken died in the pool - I thought the final frame showed him breathing out - but likely foreshadowing the resurfacing of the crash in the next episode (or his suicide, although would be a bit too on the nose now). I don't see where they can take his character, and with only one more season (I think?), I suspect he'll be bowing out one way or another.

[peanutbutter]

Given how Skarsgard seems to be playing the family, Roman's fallout there didn't seem that necessary to me. Surely Skarsgard is gonna either fuck the lot of them over or explicitly fuck Roman over.

Def seems like Kendall will be coming clean about the car accident in the next episode, kinda hard to grasp why Logan would decide to push him on it when there's a risk of him bringing the two of them down with it.

They've yet to do anything at all to make Shiv seem like a remotely feasible successor. Or have I just forgotten some big moment?
I wonder if the end result will just be Logan outright picking some external figure (Skarsgard's character being an obvious option at this point) and the three of them pretty much burning the place down in response. That's if this season doesn't end with Skarsgard as interim-to-be-permanent CEO.

[EOLAN]

Is WAMBSGANS a made-up name then? I searched for it and it appears that the top results are all to do with Succession, plus people asking Google "Is WAMBSGANS a real name?".

There was a Baseball player who made the only unassisted triple-play in a World Series calle Bill Wambsganss. With an extra s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Wambsganss