What Was Succession All About? 

This is the golden age of video essays

I think Shiv's moment of betrayal started when they went to Logan's old office and Kendall sat in the chair. Rather than get down to work, he swung back and forth, like a child in his father's chair. I think it hit Shiv (and Roman a little bit too) that Kendall was a child pretending to be their father.

“I sorta see Colin as Logan reaching beyond the grave, not to save his son from death, but to sentence him to life, an utter non-life” oooooooof 🔥🔥🔥

I really wish we saw more of Stewy. He was like a breath of fresh air in the show because he always added great commentary and different perspective

This is one of the best discussions of a television show I've ever seen. As a media scholar, I tip my hat to you for how you organized, constructed and presented all of your arguments. I truly enjoyed it and will be showing it to graduate students as an exemplar.

One thing I realized watching your video, though I don’t know for sure if it was intentional, is that Shiv’s pregnancy in season 4 even further mirrors the Nero and Sporus anecdote as one detail in that story that Tom didn’t mention was that Nero pushed his pregnant wife down the stairs in order to castrate and subsequently marry Sporus. I feel like the ending of the show really cemented everyone’s roles in this story with Tom as Nero becoming the “emperor” of Waystar/Royco as its CEO and Greg’s betrayal of Tom and then his hiring on as Tom’s right hand man shows that in a business sense, his upward mobility is castrated in the corporate world since he can go no higher while Shiv, being pregnant and pushed down the metaphorical stairs that she’d climbed on her way to the top of the corporate ladder by Tom’s ascendency as CEO and her being relatively insignificant in the company. I feel like with how masterful the writing is that the show did make this intentional but even if they didn’t it’s a very nice callback to the story from last season.

I thought your comment of Shiv possibly having an ED is interesting, since Kieran did comment in an interview that he always played Roman as if he had an ED. It's not adressed directly on the show, but it fits so well and if you rewatch you notice he barely touches food. So, I think because the cast was so talented and commited, there are lots of tiny details open to interpretation. So, your view is not far off...

Marcia was Logan's 3rd wife. We never actually meet Logan's first wife.

I love your take on the "power vacuum" - you're the first one to mention it in the videos I've seen. Kendall is happy to be with his siblings and away from the office and it's the subsequent episodes - when he finds his father's maybe-will that says his name, maybe, where the potential for power sucks him back into evil. This reminded me more than anything of Lord of the Rings. The Ring of Power and how it makes everyone evil but they still want it. That strange addiction to something so terrible.

I've just started rewatching the show these past few days and one of the things I've noticed is the criticism you highlighted in the video. They shower you with a firehose of plot (like Marcia's role in the trust during the first few episodes) that ultimately never goes anywhere. On the one hand I do find it frustrating as a viewer, but on the other, it highlights something important about these power worlds (business, politics,...). They live in a state of perpetual crisis and stress. Every detail seems entirely relevant (it's very apparent to anyone who follows politics for even a month) and yet its relevance is only meaningful as long as people keep mentioning it. For example, Kendall's accident/murder could have gone away by the next episode but because Logan uses it and keeps using it until his death to loom large over him it stays at the foreground. Meanwhile, Cruises is forgotten until it pops back up or Hugo's insider trading is entirely forgotten because no one talks about it or uses it in any way to hurt him. Every plot point in those worlds is meaningless until someone imbues it with meaning by using it.

I am in no way as eloquent as you or the other people in this comment section, but I did want to thank you for this incredible video. I specifically want to thank you for your section on Shiv. She has easily become one of my all-time favorite characters due to her complexity. It is so, so easy for me to sympathize with her, only to be slapped across the face with her ability to act like a monster a moment later. I've been quite frustrated with the videos I've watched about Succession disregarding Shiv or not wanting to get into her character due to not being able to make sense of her true intentions. She is so, so interesting precisely because she (via the phenomenal writing and through Sarah Snook's monumental acting) doesn't spell her thoughts out to us! It was refreshing to see someone delve into her character like you did, so... thank you so much!

I have listened to most of the succession commentary/analysis and yours is mind-blowingly THE ABSOLUTE BEST- so tragic that so few have heard it / liked becauseyou are so much at the level of the creators in intellect, literacy, just sheer brilliance. I have a phd from harvard and your analysis is up there with the best minds i have been privileged to learn from. What a gift u are and i hope it gets wider exposure. What do u do " in real life?" Your scorpion analysis! With all the great analysis out there, noome comes close. I hope Jesse A. is aware of you, he would be honored to see what you have accomplished here. Thank you so much - you gave this miraculous show the analysis it deserves.

16:35 another example is when shiv makes a successful deal in season 3 episode 5 to get stewy and sandi to back off while logan is senile bc he forgot to take his uti pills, and when logan becomes lucid again he ignores shiv and belittles her

"Because to be meager is to shy away from the true difficulties of life: empathy, kindness, forgiveness, values perhaps traditionally associated with femininity, and even weakness, but they should be universal."

I like the way you trust your audience.

I think Tom might be a window into some of the information that we're missing about Logan. So much is lost because of pride, shiv literally had the throne handed to her and dropped it out of insecurity and ego. Even the Pierces who are portrayed as being better than the Roy's in many ways, though at their core not that different, end up having to eat humble pie when they sell to the Roys for much less than was originally discussed in the first deal. Not only does Tom marry an upper class woman for status just like Logan, Tom has shown to have a similar level of pettiness and cruelty to the siblings but he directs it in a much different way. All three of the siblings blow it by saying the wrong thing to the wrong person, meanwhile Tom acts subservient while pouring malice into Greg and other lower people on the totem pole. Logan might have achieved success in the same way, sucking up to the right people while domineering those he could. I think your observation that Logan doesn't actually seem to be smart is on purpose. One of the first things I noticed was that all of the siblings are essentially attempting to mimic their father. "Fuck off/fuck em" "you're fired" etc etc but they don't seem to understand why it works when their father does it. It usually works because the people around him snap into focus and do everything they can to make the stupid plan work, because he's the big boss who can't fail. It's not directly quoted but someone says that Logan once said that his favorite employee was someone who ate shit without him knowing. They're trying to be their father but they can't because A. Logan literally has no one above him to accidently mouth off to and B. He's the one who holds all the cards and might screw you over. Tom demonstrates and understanding of his place in the hierarchy, he scrambles to the top viciously but you aren't going to catch him contradicting the boss. Also, shiv is not a feminist by any stretch of the imagination. But I love how her femininity is ultimately her downfall, the only time she really brings it up is when she's trying to use it as a sledgehammer to get pity points. But ultimately she refuses to actually reject patriarchal power schemes, in fact she attempts to act like her father and her brothers by being cruel and vindictive. In the end, I choose to believe that she has realized that her place on the totem pole is (excuse my crudeness) to be fucked, literally. Matteson rejects her explicitly because he loves her as a candidate but surely whoever is LITERALLY fucking her, is somehow better. In the end her only access to power is through a man, explicitly this is patriarchy. Rule of the Father, before her only access to power was through her father and now it is through the man who is fathering her child. It might be a little reductive of me to think that, and you definitely proposed some good alternatives but that's just what I think.

I forgot to mention that noone captures the most important theme of the show as you have- the economic thrust/ thirst for power in our culture- what has to be " shedded " what the " meager," forego- all the humane values, the connection between the personal and the societal. Congrats and heartfelt thanks , again

this was absolutely brilliant. amazing analysis, and i learned a lot about shakespeare! one tiny thing i'd add is that marcia is logan's third wife, not his second. his first wife, connor's mother, is never named but we know from little pieces of dialogue that logan had her institutionalised when connor was a child. i think that exemplifies the transactional nature of logan's relationships, the fact that he can't fit a whole woman in his head, and both connor's ability to show genuine affection to his siblings (he wasn't raised by a cold person like caroline) and his feelings of abandonment and neglect. i look forward to watching literally anything else you decide to make!

This was the best video essay I've seen on Succession yet. Beautifully articulated a lot of thoughts I couldn't put to words and opened up a lot more interpretations and more ways to look at this amazing show. Thank you

Thank you, that was so well written. Informed and well structured, I feel smarter after having watched.

Beautiful analysis friend, you actually get this show. I've seen so many dumb/misplaced takes online regarding this show, even from bigger channels and famous critics, that i thought no one really paid attention to what they were seeing.

This is a great in depth video, immediately watched it twice, your hard work did not go unappreciated

You write beautifully. Thanks for the thorough analysis. SUPPORT THE WRITERS ❤.

Great analysis. One thing I'd disagree with is Mattson winning per se. I think he almost wins because his plan was to have the acquisition go through to hide his own fraud and sell the business for parts to recuperate his investment. He gets what he wants except for the fact that he's paid 33% premium on an already overpriced company that he can't afford. He will ultimately go bust because of his own hubris, desperation and greed. He in many ways is no different from the Roy siblings in terms of being too emotional even though he is more tactical then them. The point of Mattson in the story is to tell the audience that even the "new rich" are just as fallible to the same tropes our characters suffer from.

Thank you for making the point that we never really have proof of Logan’s “genius” and that his kids do show promise in outsmarting him several times only to lose steam because they don’t really want to hurt him. Logan is just poisonous, but not the same as a business genius. This is the brilliance of Brian Cox. We believe it because of the sheer weight of his presence and force of his personality.

This is the best commentary that I've seen so far on a complex show that will be discussed and mulled over for decades to come. Fantastic job!

“He’s actually frequently rattled and cornered… He typically triumphs because of someone else’s mistakes instead of his own actions.” I think this is still part of the reason Logan was the guy running things. Perhaps he didn’t have too many strokes of business acumen or genius, but I think a lot of the times it can be more about what you “don’t do” rather than what you “do do.” Avoid catastrophic mistakes and foolish blunders that could take down empires, etc

Having watched probably 50? videos of Succession commentary or analysis, this is one of the best. Bravo.

Their academic language, despite not being academics, is pretty common amongst their class. Like they're all educated at the "best" schools even if they aren't in academia. Reminds me of being around my wealthy grandmothers (one was an heiress, the other was married to an oil man), neither of which went to college. I grew up with adults making references to greek mythology and shakespeare all the time.

I love how you structured this video to cover everything from story and intent to characters and payoffs I also loved how you went so far as to quote Shakespeare accordingly. You speak with a great eloquence. Excellent job.

"Pregrieving" 😂😂😂 That was an amazing and effortlessly funny beginning 😂❤ loved your humor!

I always wondered why Marcia was so outspoken about having depth with Logan, when we as viewers never got to see any of it. I really love your take on this!

What a great breakdown. You seem to have a real idea of the intended themes and metaphors, whereas most other channels seem to be grasping at straws. At least for me.

Easily one of the best video essays I’ve seen on the show as an actor and writer myself. Great work!

This is top 10 video essays I’ve ever seen on RU-vid. I’ve watched it 3 times already, thanks for your hard work!

this review was almost as good as a new episode of succession-almost ;) really wonderful. this show seems to bring the best essayists out of the woodwork, and their best work out of them. i’ve found some of my favorite essay channels just because at some point they talked about this show thank you for making this

i really like your analysis. none of the characters are particularly talented or smarter, but they have the access and knowhow to be able to make a gamble. and for some of them, it paid off. there's an immense amount of determination and work put in, but ultimately circumstance allowed them to be where they are, and its just how the world works, and its brilliant

One of the best videos on succession I've seen!!!

I like the fact that Roman Roy is narrating this video. That's so cool!

This is the best Succession video essay ever made

This is excellent. The deep dive into the writing, the Shakespearean analysis, and the breakdown of each character what they represent is fantastic. Immediately subscribed 🙌🏾😮‍💨

This video is a breath of fresh air! Thank you for all of the time and effort you put into it!

Clicked "like" after the intro on why Shakespeare still matters. Not sure if I've ever heard such a succinct summary of the point, and the comparison to Succession is very valid, I think - ultimately, Shakespeare was popular entertainment in his own times, before he was enshrined on the altar of high culture.

Loved it!!! Thank you for taking the time to make this

omg that was such an incredible video!! amazing work!!

THANK YOU FOR THISSSSSS! What a great essay!!!

You've created a fantastic essay, and please continue because your thoughts are clean, precise and very complex and I can't wait to see more form you

I LOVED this video, you made a beautiful summary of the masterpiece "Succession" is, kudos to you!

I love your analysis of each character as well as the show as a whole. Great essay!

Incredible video my friend. One of the best shows I have ever watched and one of the most in depth analysis videos I have found on youtube.

Fine I'll watch succession again

Fabulous breakdown and treatment of this complicated and nuanced series. Well done!

Exceptional essay, loved every second of the series and of this video as well!

you are a FANTASTIC analyst. i am so jealous of this talent. love this so much.

Your wrap up thoughts were brilliant and quotable. Subscribed. Thank you.

This is really good! The best analysis of these characters I have seen.

I’m watching this again. Thank you for it. I’m in, subbed and all the buttons

Love channels like this! Keep making videos like this cause I seriously search for these kind of video essays!! I just subbed :)

Excellent analysis.

Amazing deep dive, very well presented! Thank you, you helped with my post-grieving

This is BRILLIANT WORK!! WOW. Thank You

Great essay, thank you!

What a great analysis. Seriously underrated!

Amazing analysis and breakdown, well done!

thank you so much for this video, it was so eloquently said!

This is a beautiful video. Thank you.

Love this analysis, thank you

Excellent analysis, thank you.

stellar work. absolutely elegant literary analysis of what may be my favorite tragedy of the television medium in recent years.

Wow! What a brilliantly composed video essay! Thank you for giving me more literary angles with which to rewatch Succession. Absolutely loved your analysis. New subscriber!

Really nice analysis. Eloquent and comprehensive

Holy shit. Your eloquence and ability to put into words exactly what I’ve always thought about this show gave me goosebumps and chills multiple times. This was unreal. A masterpiece in and of itself 🥲

what an incredible video, thank you for this

Fantastic video!

Thank you so much for this amazing video

This analysis is pure perfection. 👏👏👏👏👏

You're an amazing analyst and you got me wanting to study my shakespeare texts

excellent video!!! 👏👏

Really great. Keep it comin. Subscribed!

Amazing video, I love Shakespeare, I love Succession, you did a perfect job.

I never watched succession but once i found that i couldn't escape the headlines i gave in and binged it over the last 2 weeks. holy moly what a MASTERPIECE! I saw this youtube video come up on my algorithm and bookmarked it because I knew I would want to watch it once I finished the series and I'm so glad I saved this -- this is everything my nerd-brain english-class-loving-ass lives for. The analysis!! the connections you point out!!! This show was so rich with material to discuss, I regret watching it alone, but thank you so much for creating such a well-made deep-dive into, what I agree to be one of the best shows of all time. BTW -- when you said Jesse Pinkman I got chills just from remembering what a legendary character he was. I have no doubt that when I hear the name Kendall Roy, I'll have the same feeling.

I love the contrast between Stewy and Nate.. never thought of it before. Brilliantly put essay, enjoyed the whole video

Thanks. A very thoughtful take that adds to the show.

Amazing video. I hope you make a follow up discussing the other side characters you wanted to discuss. Subbed.

Brilliant!!

Allow my to say BRAVO, well done. i bend the knee.

best analysis i have seen

this review is the succession of succession reviews! thank you

Phenomenal. Subscribed

Interesting to hear the take on Shiv's potential ED. This only adds to your point of the show's Shakespearean ambiguity, as I personally interpreted Roman to have an ED. He's hardly seen eating much of a full meal, especially compared to others, and often has alcohol or a drink as a substitute. Also, he consistently snacks on 'nibbles' but not a lot else, perhaps pointing to an obsession w/ food yet he always picks at it awkwardly, distantly. But, as stated in the video, this could be nothing haha. Fascinating stuff.

BRILLIANT commentary!!! ❤

amazing video

Fly content, subbed

Fantastic and intelligent breakdown. Rome was my favorite character the entire series.

Tank you for this brilliant video!! i dont ave anything else to say but i must comment something to get you more engagement from the algorithm

Terrific essay.

What the hell did I just witnessed!! Keep it my man🎉

I enjoyed your analysis so much your podcasts are always so insightful and interesting to listen to, succession was my all-time favorite series as well

love the channel name

yooo i wish to write media analyses as good as you someday, this was very well done!