I’ve never related with a character more than Kendall. That finale destroyed me Edit: also I hadn’t heard of Jeremy strong before succession but he’s now in my top 3 fav actors
I'm pleased to see that Mark valued the 'virtual dinner' scene so highly. It strikes me as one of the most important scenes of the whole show. Such a small, unexpected thing that has a huge emotional iimpact on the characters and recontextualises the whole story arc for the viewer.. they did it to even greater effect with Ewan's eulogy which caused us to understand Logan and his life in a whole new way. And somehow it was achieved organically, withoug seeming forced or jarring. Truly expert and empathetic storytelling.
Oh he directed that? Was an asbolute treat of a film IMHO. Had some cool ideas to explore about art and the way we all treat it and eventually ruin it. Great film. Sad it didn't get much love from general dumb audiences but it was a great original story. And super well directed!
@@ginger22ly The drama revolved all about fake numbers. The value of Waystar Royco was entirely hype. I'm not sure I agree with the concept of "late stage capitalism" but fakery and cronyism is one of its traits
Honestly, I have completely run out of hats to take off to Jesse Armstrong and every single person involved and responsible for putting together this 21st-century masterpiece. I am beyond thankful Succession existed during my time and generation. Truly one of the greatest shows ever made. Thank you HBO for giving this show the green light. You guys have truly gifted me with something that will last in my memory for several years to come. Definitely earned a prestigious seat at the table amongst all greatest TV dramas of all time and definitely my personal #1 favourite drama series of all time👑
Would you say this is a Mt. Rushmore TV show of HBO or of all time? (Sorry if you aren't familiar with the Mt. Rushmore reference. It's synonymous to Top 4 of all time, if you will.)
That walk back into the boardroom and then to the elevator was improvised? 🤯 It felt very poignant when Kendall pressed the button on the elevator and then he and the camera focused briefly on the number 0. That that was improvised is amazing.
@@MisterRawgers yes, this is how "improvised" scenes usually work. Mylod's description here makes it sound like he just walked around improvising and the camera/sound crew followed him spontaneously and "that cut ended up in the finale",which is obviously not exactly what happened.
Exactly! Imagine being me - a Kendall fan and a Boston Bruins fan. In a sense, the Season 4 Kendall arc mirrored the Bruins arc perfectly - making the right moves all season, getting our hopes up, getting people invested and then crashing down and burning just when it was so close.
No it really was perfect. I am SO GLAD they knew where this was going from day 1. Cause to me, they set Tom up so beautifully but undermined him in the show so much that it still felt shocking, even tho, if you paid attention, it was pretty clear he was the perfect canidate to ultimately succeed as CEO. Mattson pulling the strings is almost irrelevant. Its so good. All hail the disgusting brothers! The way he forgives Greg at the end too, warmed my heart, Tom is awesome. And my name is Tom too so I would know one when I see one.
Same. It was devastating to see them end like this. Especially the part when Matson signs the acquisition of Waystar RoyCo. And we'll see my number one boy Kendall killed by her sibling( metaphorical ) by taking the CEO position.
I wondered about this because I know Logan had Colin follow him so he didn’t hurt himself. Did Colin take that on himself to do for Logan or did the kids hire him to follow Kendall or did Kendall tell him to look out for him? I don’t know it was great though what a foreshadowing.
@@katepadova I think Collin found comfort in working for Ken, since Logan told him He was his best friend. Also since Kendall lost they both now feel like they have no purpose anymore
It's interesting how your own interpretation of the finale can contrast so much with the actual director of the episode. The change in the power dynamic in Tom and Shiv's relationship, as shown by the limp touching of hands in the car, struck me as something that would always serve to grate on Shiv (being a petty and vindictive person as demonstrated numerous times in the show, not least in her final betrayal of Kendall). She would therefore end up in a loveless marriage, probably have an affair with Matsson and raise her children in a similar environment in which the siblings were raised. Full circle. Roman on the other hand, with the brief knowing smile whilst drinking his martini, suggested to me that he felt freed by the loss of the company. Of course, it's only a fleeting moment of happiness, which makes sense since he is the most twisted and emotionally damaged of the children, but it made me hopeful that he could be the only sibling to potentially overcome his issues in the future.
I agree with you. I think Mark is right about the new power dynamic working in Tom's favor and, possibly, the baby will add to that for a little while. But ultimately, the real feelings will come back to the surface and she'll only play second fiddle for so long. She'll be miserable and she'll probably be like her mom.
Sure, but who is the real victim there? Tom could have easily rubbed it in her freaking face. But hes the real deal, and she knows it. Thats why she wanted that relationship to continue, thats why she choose to have the baby even tho they were split up at the time. Shes not going to do better than Tom emotionally the amount of love that man shows her is incredible. I do think they will be ok. Or Tom will find someone better. Cause he deserves better.
I love Kara's interviewing, but how does she always find a way to mention that she's personally been in executive board meetings and speaking with billionaires and CEOs🤣
Yes. As an aside: I didn’t appreciate the way she referred to the ‘actress’ playing Lady Caroline, without naming her. Dame Harriet Walter is a stellar performer in anything she does, with an estimable stage career. She added so many layers to Lady Caroline’s character - way beyond the cartoonish view of her as merely a horrible mother. (Caroline too was a tragic figure, unable to escape her upbringing, and thus her character. She probably loved her children but couldn’t really express it.)
Yes, it is name-dropping in a way, but it adds contextually to the interview, and I also appreciate the insertion at the same time. She must weigh this out herself, what to give, what to keep. Just like the show itself.
Agreed also from listening to this podcast series and the way she framed a few of her questions I also feel she disliked the Kendall character, and had a soft spot for Shiv. Which is fine as it's her feelings but from this podcast point of view I think it should have only been a tool to pick the guests brains
Kara loves everything about Kara and doesn’t mind telling us. And don’t forget to thank her for Elon musk cause she was very tight with him. Gave him so much good publicity then 🤷🏼♂️
“My crown I am, but still my griefs are mine. You may my glories and my state depose but not my griefs; still am I king of those.” - King Richard in Richard II
Thank you HBO and thank you Jesse Armstrong for penning such a great story and sticking to your guns through it all!!!! Was a PERFECT way to go out. We all still held hope for the kids coming together under Kendal, and seeing them do that was amazing only I think we all suspected it would never last. And giving Tom what he deserved as well was pure cathartic genius!!! Yall set that up from the start, I was hoping it would somehow shake out this way for him!!! How can you ever top this dramatically? I will be rewatching this series almost yearly from now on! Bravo.
This show was just magnificent. An all time great drama. The story this team managed to tell with these characters will go down in television history. Bravo everybody involved and thank you for one of the best television experiences I've ever had!
Oh man, what a great series. Tom winning, Ken losing was inevitable. S3 and S4 finales are basically the same in a way, the siblings come together, decide to lauch a coup and then Shiv confiding in Tom is what makes it all fall apart. Ken tried so hard, but I think his need to be CEO blinded him to everything. He betrayed and lashed out at his siblings for years, never thinking it might come back to haunt him. It also shows the lack of his parental instincts, Ken never stopped to think what Shiv would do for her child, never realising it would be better for her to be out of Waystar and the wife of a CEO, trying not to let the poison drop through, then nipping at the sides of power and fighting with her siblings forever.
Tom is a puppet with no real power or control, just the fame and the salary. The Roys could have, should have kept it in the family. Being able to influence elections and politics is a VERY powerful tool that can't be duplicated with money. Being a disposable CEO's wife with no real power of her own doesn't trump being the actual power at the top of the mountain (not as the CEO but as part owner of the organization with strong influence over the decisions). I think Shiv betrayed the family out of spite and jealousy. Women are notorious for not being loyal and for being purely self interested. She couldn't handle that she wasn't gong to be the top dog, even though she had no reason / qualifications to be vs Kendell who was likely working at the company for 20+ years. What makes some guy who stole someone elses software and simply promoted it a better CEO / owner? The payout was big, but no amount of money can buy power and influence.
"Lashed out at his siblings for years"? Sorry, this narrative is false. He's been the only one who protected his siblings and stood up for them to everyone outside them when they were being hurt.
@@sathyajithshankar8821 He lashed out at them at his birthday S03E07, he insulted them again at about in S03E02 when they didn't want to team up against Logan, he played Nirvana over Shivs speech to humiliate her, he has lashed out at them before. As they all have to each other.
she didnt do it for her child, she did it because she couldn't stomatch Kendall in that position, as the winner. She literally says so in the board meeting scene.
In my estimation, Shiv could not run the company without Tom. None of them had intentions of hiring Shiv for ANYTHING. If Shiv had gotten hired by Matsson, her brothers would have interfered at every turn; Tom would have nagged her at every turn. Tom (by an unwitting recommendation by Shiv to Matsson) got hired, since the company was sold. Kendall and Roman were involuntarily retired since the company was sold. Tom was already doing the job while the siblings were battling their father.
Sure but despite the drama, IRL situations like this will still lead to the players being 'okay' far more likely than any of the masses of impoverished. One of them may or may not suicide and/or get put in jail for a time, at most. Sadness and emptiness that always has a reasonable chance of some healing, is far better hopes than the majority of USA, and huge majority of the world's population. They'll be 'okay', at least like Logan was 'okay' (for an abuse survivor himself). With probably less money in the end, and a little more hope for a healthier social life. They're all loaded, with all the tools to get even more loaded, and none of them are terminally ill etc.
Kara perceived the Tom/Shiv car scene showing Shiv is going to take over? Talk about total cope. Tom is now finally the dominant spouse and will dictate their relationship. Shiv is no more than the wife of an important businessman now. If Tom doesn't divorce her first.
I’m with you on that. I don’t see their bright future together. And having a kid won’t help at all. Looks like they both don’t care much) CEO position was more important
Tom has gained some power to balance the act, not overcome. I think that's true, he has CEO appeal in her family's business, he is the last connection she has to her lost legacy, but she also has billions of dollars, and she's carrying the child. Nasty stuff put in perspective, but these people are all about transactions. And also I think maybe Tom loved her a bit more than she did love him (without forgetting that he is also total power hungry), but now they both accepts the nature of their relationship, with Tom not feeling like he has no real power to back him up (and knowing she doesn't really love him), and Shiv knowing that Tom isn't just that puppet she can pull around.
Really interesting to see how strong Jeremy’s method acting is. He believed that the siblings finally came to the realisation he was actually the right one for the job. Everyone else saw it differently.
Excellent interview with Mark Mylod. What an incredible show. The exceptional writing and the fact, the creator knew exactly when he wanted it to end~~ON TOP IMO. Cheers!
The writing and acting on this show are top tier. And the directing on this show always blows me away - both technically and creatively. I mean, it's VERY challenging to direct in a room full of glass without the camera/equipment being seen in the reflection. That alone is a feat. But these directors also really add to the storytelling through their work in a way that is significant without overpowering the acting and writing.
"Tom hasn't won anything, he has no power, he's a puppet for Lucas" - I've seen this a lot. This is the beautiful irony of the show - The people hungry for power, and to win; being content with all that money and luxury was of no interest to them, yet in the end, the person who gets the chair is someone who wants nothing else but to maintain wealth, and nice things. Tom has never once expressed a desire for power, responsibility and total control. Tom has always expressed a stronger hunger for simply remaining rich without full power. Tom has absolutely won. He got everything he wanted, especially making Shiv the metaphorical cuckhold. Tom won 100%.
Umm not so sure about that, Tom does enjoy the power influence which is why he treats everyone beneath him like trash. He treats assistants like human furniture and you saw in the restaurant with Matsson that he doesn’t even thank the waiter while Matsson does. Tom sees the money as a tool for power and influence. Don’t know how you think he doesn’t care about it.
Tom (and Shiv) will be discarded eventually. Lukas is a narcissist/psychopath and all they do is discard eventually. Tom's (and Shiv's) usefulness as a carrier of Roy continuity will eventually run out and he WILL be replaced. You really think Tom "won"? He's won for now.
Tom hasn’t got real power, but he’ll have enough in day to day operations to feel good about his position. Shiv has basically become her mother, with Tom as a proxy for Logan. It’s pretty bonkers how people think this is a win for Shiv, or how she has leverage over Tom because she’s carrying a baby he didn’t believe was real. Pretty lol that Kara thought she was going to take over.. speaks volumes.
Shyv is never without options. Placing her hand noncommittally in Tom’s is the start of a negotiation. She’s pregnant with leverage. Thanks and congratulations to eeeeveryone who worked on this series!
Greg is the true Successor. He has dirt on Tom who said “Info. is like a bottle of fine wine. You store it, you hoard it, you save it for a special occasion.” Greg has a *whole case of vintage Cruise Scandal Cabernet* in his cellar!
Doesn't matter anymore. Greg has no leverage. Tom is is the top dog being backed by a psycho. If Greg tried to bring anything up he'd be squashed like a bug.
Yall need to stop with the Greg mastermind narratives. No-one really changes, or evolves in any substantial way in this show. Greg is just a Greg, forever a subordinate.
@@namdeer If anything, Greg will be a successor to influence just out of sheer proximity to players over the span of decades, but that doesn't mean he's any mastermind, yes. Just the part of the story that reminds us that its arguably all about who you know, than anything else. And please pray for any organization he'd be CEO of.
One things about episode 3 thats I dont see a lot of people talking is that Tom, Kerry and everyone on that plane stayed in a plane with a dead body for HOURS can you imagine it ? No escape I would freak out.
Thanks to Mr Mylod for the show along w all the other brilliant minds and actor bodies that formed a great work of 21st century literature, really. Glad to hear of your optimism for Tom & Shiv and the baby -
@@MisterRawgers Ya like Mark says, it seems obvious now that Tom was always going to succeed logan, the show did such a good job of undermining him it made us all undermine him in our minds. But Tom was always my fav character anyways so I was sooo happy for him and hope Shiv finaly treats him right for once.
It's hard to let such a masterpiece of.... writing, acting, directing, music score, cinematography, design.....go! Brilliant work. TY HBO and enter Succession team for this great show.
I am in love with this show. Written so beautifully, so creative from the outstanding acting and cast to the shooting locations, everything was magic. I wished i had more seasons i wasn't ready for it to be over. To be honest i wasn't happy with the ending but it does make sense for how hard they had it. It makes sense no one is happy in the end. But i was rooting for them and i wanted one of the kids to take over. Brilliant and well done all. Ready for a reboot. Lets see the kids take over the 100 or pierce and go after Mattson.. Just a thought :)
Tom deserved it. He always played it smart. The siblings either weren’t fit for the job, or didn’t really want it. Greg didn’t pick a side, that’s why he lost.
@@jdbwh5 Greg wanted to make it a Quad because he is a cousin of blood. It didn't work for him. He should have done what Gramps told him. By not doing so, his inheritance went to GreenPeace.
Going to miss this podcast. Great guests, and even better commentary. I wish you all the best, and thank you for diving deep into the show we all loved so much.
Sure, but if anything, most viewers were actually focused on the power plays to the point that they're allowed to forget that these characters were already multimillionaires so maybe fans shouldn't start a Kendall Fan Club for a character that has no critical need for any leadership role anyway. But the show is good at portraying some of the insular communities of the rich and powerful.
Dollars can only buy so much. The amount of power and influence they had with the news organization can NOT be bought. At the same time though, Logan made a salient point in Season 2. In 1999 Kodak was worth X amount, and a few years later their market value plunged due to the change in technology / times. If conventional TV news became obsolete, it would destroy their money and influence.
@@Tyrantresister The company sold, and they're loaded without the company. They're OKAY. More okay than nearly anyone else in the entire world, past and at least far future. You do not need heightened power and influence in a developed nation, in order to be OKAY. You only need money and a measure of luck (like any human; cancer or an accident etc can happen out of nowhere, but that's irrelevant). You're talking about being GREAT, or MAGNIFICANT, or SUPREME (like Logan worked to project), which of course to the insular attitudes of the most wealthy, just may well feel like essential goals to have, but realistically is ridiculous to sacrifice your well-being to obsessively obtain. That's kind of the point of much of the finale. So you don't have FOX News level of power over the nation and world? OKAY. You're PERFECTLY fine. You're maybe not going to be 0.001% of the upper crust of society. Amazing. I cry for you poor children. This group, individually, can afford not just to have a wealthy retirement immediately, but afford such for all of their staffers and then some. They're okay, and much more. Maybe Kendall can invest in a startup again and not drop it like a child's toy.
The moderator is garbage and was a waste of a interview. She's desperately trying to look for validation that Shiv comes out on top, because they are both women. She has bad insight and worse questions.
Turns out Trauma is King for the Roy siblings- which seems as authentic and true to their experience as an ending than any of them being successors. They bounced their traumas off each other constantly within the confines of scrambling for Logan’s love which was as elusive as Shiv, Kendall or Roman having any real power other than residing in Logan’s shadow and not at the top of Waystar….
In car at end, it was a classic portrayal of a stoic king & his queen on the throne. His hand by her’s. Tom and his queen Shiv! The slight & relieved smile on Roman’s face at end was priceless. Gregie still has Tom by the b*lls from the paper shredding!
I got a real "end of The Godfather" vibe in the car scene. Tom might be a puppet CEO in his corporate life, but in his marriage he has ascended to become Don Corleone. I found it rather chilling.
@@ProuvaireJean How does a working stiff become a Don Corleone to a billionaire wife who can jet out at anytime? Check will be in her name? Please advise how that dynamic works, unless you are referring the brute force?
Its interesting, shiv got what she wanted ken didn’t get the chair, roman got what he wanted he got out of it. Kendall didnt know what he wanted and he got it.. prefect.
It's interesting and a bit sad that he said he didn't have any hope for Roman in the end. I felt like there was the most hope for him in terms of being/becoming a "normal" functioning person coming out of everything. He was the only one that seemed to truly want to do the 100 with the siblings and the most ok outside of Waystar.
People think that smile from Roman at the bar means he's moved or or healed, but quite the contrary... that forced smile has so much pain and resentment behind it.
Greg is like Zelig, bumbling into important, historic events. But, he also seems marked by the same indifferent influences in his upbringing. Ewan was not a warm fuzzy grandfather, and his parents seemed problematic at best.
Can someone please tell me the name of the soundtrack which plays in S01E10 of Succession when at the start of the episode Shiv's wedding photoshoot is taking place. And where can I find that soundtrack? Please do tell if you know.
I know Kendall (actually all of them) is a horrible person, so why do i feel so badly for him. There is something about the way in which Jeremy played the part that made him a sympathetic character.
To me, the final episode and the whole show are among the best things on television that I've ever seen. One minor point of criticism is that Connor's arc felt a bit reduced in the end. I guess some things didn't survive the cutting room floor. I would really like to see the deleted scenes with Mencken from episode 4 which were shown in the trailers. Justin Kirk was so villainous in that role. I'm curious about his interaction with Connor in that episode.
Is it possible that Roman & Shiv were talking about killing Kendall by actually voting against him and they’re covering it with humour to really convince him that they’re doing it with him?
Possible, but very unlikely. I think it was more to suggest their present capacity to, even subconsciously. There's the undercurrent even in this most positive set of scenes, that their relationships can never be truly cooperative.
When Lady Caroline called Shiv to come to Barbados, do you think that she called Shiv at Rom’s request? Was Rom having second thoughts about the sale and working with Kendall?
I think people are mistaking Tom's dynamic as a CEO and his new dynamic with Shiv. Tom is a CEO puppet for sure he knows it and he knows that being servile its his power, but since season 3 they are building a change is his specific dynamic with Shiv he is a puppet in his business but he is not a meat puppet for Shiv anymore he holds power over her (she is the one in the beginning of the episode that call him trying to get back). They are in the car together and that shows that they had at least a talk about the voting (before or after? We dont know) the important thing they are on their way to somewhere together (maybe home). She consented to this new power dynamic in some way. She is now the wife of a puppet CEO that is her only connectio inside the business the shift of power did happen between the two.
i'm starting to thinking they talked before the vote tbh why he would ask her if they should leave together so suddenly and when karolina asked if she can fire hugo its because she knew shiv was with tom but idk lets see if someone clear this
@@moonchiId. I thought Tom knew how Shiv was leaning in her vote (because she asked him how he felt after one of their get “glad” boudoir encounters) until he found out that Greg told Kendall that Shiv would not be the CEO. It was not until Tom told Shiv that he was was going to be Matsson’s CEO that board vote came in play. The two people Tom asked about were Karolina and Gerri when he walked in the door.
The power has shifted between Tom and Shiv. He's no longer subservient. Shiv can't push him around anymore. She's become her mother. Just the wife. She will feel nothing for her child. The cycle continues.
@M Holla She seems like she'll overcompensate in care and attention and maybe burn out because while she can love, its very hard to. So just another flavor of toxic.
