TV Review: Succession

TV Review: Succession – Season 2

August 7th 2019, 5:01pm

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

SYNOPSIS: Beginning where season one dramatically left off, season two follows the Roy family as they struggle to retain control of their empire, and while the future looks increasingly uncertain, it is the past that threatens to ultimately destroy them.

REVIEW: Watching rich people act like assholes has been a staple of film and television for as long as the medium has existed. Even on air right now we have shows like Showtime's Billions, The CW's Dynasty, and Paramount Network's Yellowstone. All of these shows give us one-percenter clans acting like assholes as they scheme, screw, and lie their way to becoming richer. Audiences eat up shows about these first world problems, but no show gives us a more unflattering look than HBO's Succession. Produced by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, the first season of Succession was a satirical drama along the lines of THE BIG SHORT and lambasted the Roy family, led by Brian Cox as patriarch Logan. As we enter season two, we get more of the same. While by no means bad, Succession fails to tread any new ground which doesn't do much to make a case for a third season. Still, it is fun to watch awful people being awful, it just loses a bit of novelty.

Picking up where the first season left off, we find the Roy family in the midst of a hostile takeover of their corporation. Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) is wrecked by his actions in the season finale while daughter Siobhan (Sarah Snook) and troublesome son Roman (Kieran Culkin) vie for new positions within the company and their father's affection. As eldest son Connor (Alan Ruck) contemplates a bid for the Presidency, the family mulls a takeover of their own. All of this sounds eerily familiar to season one because it is essentially an extension of the same narrative. There is not much new here development wise, but allegiances are shifting and Logan Roy (Cox) is back to his full faculties which makes him a formidable foe for every character.

The few new cast members this season include Danny Huston as the Roy family banker and Holly Hunter as a member of a rival rich family, but the focus here takes into account contemporary news elements as the Roy news network, ATN, is eerily similar to FOX News. With references to ANTIFA and workplace shooters, Succession maintains a relevant feel even if the format isn't quite as fresh as it was last season. In fact, while Jeremy Strong was a highlight of last season, his muted and despondent performance this season takes some of the energy out of the mix. The focal point feels much more balances on all of the siblings this season which gives Culkin and Snook a little more meat to their performances. Alan Ruck also seems to be more present this season which truly gives Succession an ensemble feel rather than the power play of Strong versus Cox last year.

And Brian Cox is the real draw here. Few actors are as fun to watch as they rant and rave at people as Cox who can deliver biting profane monologues with the rest of them. Over the first five episodes that were made available for review, there are multiple standout moments where Cox chews the scenery in such a way that should all but guarantee him an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for the show. There are several scenes in particular that, once you get past the dark humor, are pretty depressing. You will see tray upon tray of lobster and steak thrown in the garbage, executives bullying workers, and the pure unabashed disdain that the filthy rich can have for those lesser than them. At times, Succession handles these moments satirically and it really drives the point home while others don't seem to carry much message beyond shock value.

The second season feels like a contemporary Shakespearean play with hints of Hamlet, King Lear, and even Macbeth which this show is really striving for. Director Mark Mylod and showrunner Jesse Armstrong revel in showing us that the Roy family are merciless and cruel but at the same time as broken as the rest of us. The difference is they can afford to be broken and never bother fixing themselves. They lie, cheat, steal, kill, and snort their way to a numbness that the rest of us would have to face head on. By getting through the first season machinations between Kendall and Logan, Succession has finally settled into being a family melodrama that is uncomfortable to watch in the best way possible. While many of you may not have given the show a chance with so many other HBO dramas on the air, this is definitely a potential successor to Game of Thrones but instead of dragons, we have lawyers and stacks of money.

The second season of Succession premieres on HBO on Sunday, August 11th.