With all due respect to Game of Thrones and Euphoria (ok, a little disrespect to Game of Thrones), HBO’s real, new, flagship show is finally back. I haven’t seen the timeline this electrified about a relatively new series in a while—given how Season 1 became the sleeper hit of summer 2018 and taken together with the hype leading into Season 2, it feels like we’re approaching the crest of a new dynasty with Succession. As you’ll recall, even though the incestuously duplicitous Roy family were painted in strokes of Murdoch with shades of Trump, the finale went full Kennedy: Kendall killed a guy, while dad Logan covered it up—and effectively neutered Kendall’s ability to force a takeover.
Now we’re back, with Shiv married, Kendall broken and the definition of a puppet for his father and the family drama is now peaking with the threat of a real corporate takeover. But this is a show about a warring family dynasty, after all, so most importantly we’ll be declaring: who won the episode? And who, among this deceptively stacked ensemble, shone the brightest this week? Read on for Waystar Roybro’s Chopz and Frazier to hash it all out over ketamine and ortolan.
Chopz: I mean...holy fucking shit. I love that they start Season 2 a mere 48 hours after the Season 1 finale and we first see Kendall at some Swedish (Frazier Editor's Note: That was very clearly Iceland, Chopz) rehab trying to soak away the horrors of what his life has become. The beauty of this fucking show is that it’s great at packing so much into an hour, which is the opposite of that trash show Game of Thrones, where nothing happened. For real though, they came back and didn’t skip a beat. And I love that we only had one Cousin Greg scene. They know the audience craves his genius and only gave up a taste of the brilliance.
Frazier: Was that Succession or Days of Future Past? X2’s William Stryker sitting down with X-Men Origins’ WIlliam Stryker discussing the feasibility of maintaining a media conglomerate going into the roaring 2020s was a thing of beauty. As was this whole episode. The simple science of Succession isn’t much different than the winning formula instituted by The O.C.—bear with me. O.C. always used an excuse, be it fundraiser, charity dinner, sweet sixteen or some other bullshit soiree to reasonably assemble its core cast under one roof and let the fireworks that had been percolating all episode ring off. The best episodes of Succession do the same—note how Season 1 started to hit its stride with the back-to-back charity dinner and Thanksgiving episodes. “Summer Palace” finds the Roys convening at the eponymous family getaway for an unprecedentedly straightforward summit proposed by Logan: everyone reasonably discussing and debating the best choice for the family’s future, well, like a family. Of course, it’s just a ruse for more backdoor plotting, but hey, the notion was nice, at least. Now, let's get to our lists:
Chopz's Succession Season 2, Episode 1 Rankings:
WINNER(S): SHIV, Logan, Tom (Not actually but he thinks he won for now)
LOSERS: KENDALL, Roman, Cousin Greg’s cocaine connects, the Summer Palace contractor (He really picked the wrong one to fuck with)
Best Characters:
1. Cousin Greg (duh)
2. Shiv (what a boss)
3. Roman (it looks like he’s on a path to destruction this season)
4. Logan (he should be the most unlikable but somehow he isn’t)
5. Tom (Tom looks so happy just to be invited to the table that he’s oblivious to what’s about to happen to him)
Most Awesome Moments:
1. Cousin Greg buying Kendall coke from the park and then offering to return it
2. Roman’s press conference for the spaceship explosion
3a. Kendall looking like an actual corpse for the entire episode
3b. Kendall having to ride on the back of the motorcycle
5. Shiv bossing the fuck up and taking over. “How dare you apologize to me” is the bar of the year.
Most Extravagant Moment: It HAS to be Roman making an “I’m not a rocket scientist” joke during the spaceship press conference. It's extravagant because it showcases Roman’s level of not giving a fuck. Close second in my book is Shiv getting Tom to cancel their honeymoon after two days because they missed the action. I often go back to the dinner night that Tom and Greg had in Season 1 when Tom was showing Greg how to be rich and not give a shit. They don’t actually care about having nice things, per se. They care about being so rich that they don’t have to give a fuck.
Predictions: They push Roman to the edge and he goes scorched earth on them. He’s continually buckled under his dad’s pressure (i.e. the vote of no confidence) but I think lining up Shiv to be the rightful heir when he threw his name into the ring will be the last straw.
Frazier's Succession Season 2, Episode 1 Rankings:
WINNER(S): SHIV.I see why you gave Logan runner-up but technically he ain’t won shit yet. I like his energy, though.
LOSERS: Tom, Roman, Kendall.
Best Characters:
1. Cousin Greg (duh)
2. Logan (ditto, Cox makes this guy much more charming than he should be)
3. Kendall (he’s in a bed of his own making but still, the cucking is so thorough it’s hard not to feel for him
4. Karolina the Head of PR (she didn’t shine in Season 1 as much as Gerri but she definitely stands out and I hope we see more of her)
5. The Summer Palace Contractor. That poor guy.
Most Awesome Moments:
1. Cousin Greg, who probably looked like Larry David buying Viagra (or Larry David buying weed) in his bid to score Kendall some Park Coke™. I love that Greg only appeared in one scene, a blessed reassurance that they aren’t about to give us too much of a good thing in a misguided attempt at fan service. It’s one thing to anticipate new Cousin Greg Classics, it would totally suck if Season 2 felt like those moments were being reverse-engineered.
2a.Shiv is a ruthless demon, which is precisely why she’s always been the heir apparent. Nice to see her get her due, although I think back to “Austerlitz” or the following episode’s intense dinner date with Logan and wonder if these two aren’t at their best when they're at odds.
2b. Shiv and Roman’s walk was cute—love when we get to see the core three kids engage like actual siblings—but realizing what Shiv was really up to is even better. God, she’s evil. (Also, Logan’s face during Roman’s 1-on-1. Poor Roman.)
3. Logan’s lead-in to the theme song was just perfect. I love a good theme song particularly in 2019 when so few shows bother (the main titles for Billions is just BILLIONS in Instagram Story strong font across a basic shot of Manhattan); I love an in media res theme song even more.
4. Logan arguing with the contractor—anytime a Roy interacts with a mortal it speaks volumes about said character, the family and the class divide. This gave us “My lawyer worked for the Justice Dept, who’s yours? Mr Magoo?” Did I mention this is a Brian Cox stan account?
5. Colin the fixer—my Season 1 rewatch keyed me into a character I never even noticed on the first go-round, mainly because his job is to not be noticed. But Logan keeps the same bodyguard/fixer on deck all the way from offering up the Latinx family Tom’s Patek gift in exchange for their NDA’d silence in the pilot to cleaning up Kendall’s Chappaquiddick mess in the finale. I wonder if we’ll see more of him going forward. Is this the type of show to break format for an episode from his POV?
Most Extravagant Moment: Kendall casually lamenting that his glistening new apartment was mid by 1% standards because “all the good penthouses” are taken during Fashion Week was up there, but c’mon? That Iceland spa was ridiculous.
Predictions: Roman's going to learn what Logan has over Kendall, uniting them against him and Shiv.
