Thursday 12 March 2020

Succession (2018 Creator Jesse Armstrong)

A horrible family squabble and machinate over power (they may be based on the Murdochs?) They are Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong (The Big Short, Molly's Game), Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook (Steve Jobs) (and fiancee Matthew Macfadyen), Nicholas Braun (Get a Job; cousin - the only likeable one), Alan Ruck (the older one) and Hiam Abbass.

Jesse Armstrong's the creator, but he's only credited with writing Episode 1, and 9-10. Each of the others has a different writer. Adam Arkin's directed some of them.

Odd decision that almost every music cue is essentially a rearrangement of the main theme, which is great (Nicholas Britell).

It's a black comedy? OK, offering the kid $1 million for home run (then giving him unwanted watch gift); Strong getting held up, thus missing the crucial Board vote. But what we're supposed to make of Culkin wanking on his window, I do not know... A counterpoint to Cox pissing on the carpet? For me it has more of a Sweet Smell of Success vibe about it. More of an ironic drama, too, especially the way it ends... Father Always Wins. (That ending is surely a reference to the Kennedy-Chappaquiddick affair.)

Macfadyen's is a complex role as he wears so many faces: arse-kisser, bully, child (on being taken to stag party), adulterer. That episode includes the best line, delivered by he to Braun, who's just taken three consecutive lines of cocaine: "I hope you don't die. If you do, you're heart's going to be pumping so hard, it'll probably bring you back to life." And, to Macfadyen - "Congratulations, Tom. I hear you swallowed your own load." (Best not to ask.) As such, Tom Wambsgams is a funny and somehow fitting character name. He's a good actor.

Well, yes, we could foresee the family counselling session in the desert wasn't going to work out...




An HBO production. Series 2 is out, 3 in production.

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