Succession – America Decides

By: Kelly Kearney

A trigger warning should’ve preceded “Succession”’s eighth episode thanks to how closely it mirrored the nation’s collective 2016 trauma. The episode was a heart-racing, nail-biting, infuriating look at capitalism in its rarest and most monstrous form. It managed to effortlessly rip the curtain back to reveal Oz’s motivations behind pulling the levers of a Constitutional Republic to suit him– and only him. Kicking off election night with Logan’s funeral less than 24 hours away and his family still trying to recover from that Tailgate Party that left both Roman and Tom heartbroken and heading toward personal and professional disasters, this week the country sits and waits to see who will be crowned their new King. It’s a dog fight in the gutter between the likable Daniel Jimenez and the fascist white nationalist promising death to democracy–and the GoJo deal, Jeryd Mencken. With ATN’s map-man, Darwin, delivering the state-by-state count, the CE-Bros have one last chance to secure their positions in their father’s company before the winner is announced. With unlimited and unchecked power, the episode paints a vivid picture of democracy in peril thanks to corporate interests’ addiction to wealth accumulation and their never-ending thirst for power. We, the people, knew the outcome of this episode having lived the inevitable tragedy of our own reprehensible Kingmakers–those leaders of industry and media who white-knuckle gripped their power after ripping it from the hands of voters. So, grab a drink and call your therapist and ask them to book you a double because this episode is not only a reminder of the past but a terrifying warning of what’s soon to come.

Bodega Sushi is a Good Sign that Democracy is in Peril

After their vicious fight at the end of the tailgate party, Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) is still reeling over his lack of sleep and ultimately, the demise of his marriage. He’s at ATN ready to usher in the election of results and it is hectic; everyone wants something from Tom, as the head of ATN, he needs to be the one to deliver the results before their rivals. He tells Greg (Nicholas Braun) it’s up to him to bring in the best election numbers because he knows his job is on the chopping block if this deal goes through. To keep him going he needs sustenance and the bodega sushi that Greg tries to push on him isn’t going to cut it. He needs something to boost his energy and listening to Greg complain about how he’s no longer Tom’s servant isn’t really hitting the spot. In fact, Tom seems to be drowning in panic and can’t be bothered to find a replacement for Greg so he busts the Roy cousin back down to “Gregging” for him because he needs his right-hand man to keep him afloat. Ken phones in to add even more pressure onto Tom, making sure he “goes like gangbusters” until the final tally is done. Kendall (Jeremy Strong) also reminds him that the market is watching these numbers too and ATN has to be in front of every breaking result to keep everyone from the board to the shareholders happy. After all, the CE-Bros have something to prove; this is the first election without Logan (Brian Cox) running the show and the kids have agreed to follow in their father’s footsteps by staying out of the newsroom while the votes are being counted.  The person delivering the results is ATN’s very own version of Steve Kornacki–the man behind the election map, Darwin (Adam Godley). The numbers maestro offers a bit of a pregame analysis for their father’s hand-picked candidate and right-winged audiences who watch ATN. Darwin’is early read on this election is much closer than the polls would have suggested with the early front runner, Daniel Jimenez (Elliot Villar), still projected to win. That said, anything can happen and he can’t ignore the gigantic red fascist in the room–Jaryd Mencken (Justin Kirk) is picking up speed and certainly giving the Dem candidate a run for his money. Darwin also reiterates Logan’s election rules: that any information leaked by their press before voting polls are closed would put the company in legal jeopardy so the top brass needs to stay out of it until Lady Liberty calls it. Tom steps in to back him up, “You heard the man– zip it.” Tom is juggling a lot of balls–which he predicted would happen when told Shiv (Sarah Snook) he was pre-tired from the tiring ordeal of choosing the next leader of the free world. Now he is running ATN, coming to terms with the downfall of his marriage, and also trying to keep his soon-to-be ex-wife’s partnership with Lucas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard) a secret. This, on top of worrying about his own job prospects in the post-Logan world, has him on edge. As for that billionaire Swede, Tom seething over the fact  Greg spent the previous night partying his way into Mattson’s inner circle, and according to “The Egg” the European crew is into some really weird stuff. They made Greg drink things that wouldn’t normally be considered drugs and dance with an old man who definitely did not want to dance with him. The only part of the night that seemed useful was his attempts at securing a position at Waystar/Gojo after Lukas confided in him about his partnership with Shiv. Tom seems angry that his friend and part-time servant Greg knows more about this secret partnership than he does. It sounds like Matsson got over his detest of “Gary” and now Greg might have an in with the man. This also means the end of the Disgusting Brothers because Matsson has made it perfectly clear, the future of the company will not include Tom. He tries covering up his feelings of inadequacy by pretending he’s on top of the Shiv/Lukas thing,“ information, Greg, is like a bottle of fine wine. You store it, you hoard it, you save it for a special occasion, and then you smash someone’s f**king face in with it.”

If smashing something in your face is what Tom’s into, then Greg has just the pick-me-up he needs. He asked Greg for a little pre-election party drugs to prepare for what is starting to look like a very long night ahead. Greg always seems to be the supplier of drugs in this group of conservative value types, so of course he brought the coke but doesn’t want to partake since he is still recovering from his night out with Matsson. Tom hates hearing no, so he quickly turns into some ‘80s after-school special and pressures Greg into taking a bump with him. Misery loves company, and tonight, Tom couldn’t be more miserable.

False Flags or Voter Suppression?

While the kids all agree to let the voters decide the election, the news out of Florida has them questioning if the hands-off rule can’t be broken. Shiv heard from Jimenez’s camp that there are “Nazi vans” or what Roman (Kieran Culkin) calls, “fun buses” driving voters to polls but leaving at least one little kid behind on the side of the road. On top of that bizarre update, there was also a fire in Milwaukee,  and now Nate is urging Shiv to cover it on ATN. He is certain the fire was set by Menckenists, hoping to destroy a batch of votes in the swing state’s heavily Democratic district. She promises Nate (Ashley Zuckerman) she’s on it but Roman– who is team Mencken, disagrees. He has Jeryd’s camp on the phone offering a tentative deal where ATN helps install him into the White House– regardless of the final tally of votes, and he gives them full access to the West Wing. Shiv has a lot on her plate as she is working with Nate on one phone and keeping track of ATN and Tom on another, while also keeping Matsson in the loop about everything her brothers are up to. As much as she judges Roman for interfering, Shiv is too, and it’s not for the good of the country–no matter what patriotic drivel she whines out, it’s exactly what her brothers are doing: securing her position in the winner’s circle while simultaneously kicking her brother’s out. Her selfishness comes at the expense of her own ethics, and as the hour progresses, Shiv’s choices have perilous results that she never sees coming, and that is that character’s ultimate downfall. Shiv cannot see past her insecurities and that lack of foresight always ends with her backing the wrong horse in the race. First the Senator, now Lukas; always standing in the shadows of mediocre men…do better, Shiv!

It’s a dead heat between an Obama-esqu Democrat and the hard right-white nationalist and it echoes the real 2016 and 2020 election, but for the Roys, it’s never been a fight between the right and the left and always been protecting the establishment [them] and their wealth. This is why Ken continues to ask Shiv to keep Nate on the phone to push for Jimenez to go after Big Tech. He is trying to cover all of his bases and since it looks like Jimenez has the lead, he wants guarantees that the new president will block the Gojo deal. Roman steps out to take a meeting with Mencken who summons him to get a read on how ATN will spin his loss–if he does lose. Jaryd wants to be President–win or lose and promises to turn ATN into a state-run mouthpiece for his right winged party if they keep him as their all-powerful leader for the next election. Roman will get a seat at his table but no mention of Kendall, who is already threatened by little bro’s friendship with the Nazi in Chief.

While the voters are fighting for the country’s soul, liberal-leaning Shiv and her alt-right edge-lord, brother, Roman argue over how that Milwaukee fire. It is beyond obvious that the heavily Dem District was going to go for Jimenez and fire–that just happened to torch 100,000 votes, would only be beneficial to one candidate: Mencken. Shiv knows his people are behind it, but Roman shoots that theory down by calling it a false flag ANTIFA attack and would win she can’t say for sure who would win Milwaukee. Maybe her army of manic-pixie-haired justice warriors burned down the evidence of an embarrassing loss? The fact even he doesn’t believe that is obvious and beyond obnoxious, but now that his father is dead and his mommy girlfriend is no longer by his side, the extremely manipulative Mencken is giving Roman the head pats he so desperately craves and he isn’t going to disappoint the man doling them out. His allegiance to Mencken is similar to Shiv’s for Matsson; whether or not he agrees with the man’s politics is beside the point, he is the key to Roman’s success so whatever that man has planned for the country, the people can get over it. This viciousness Roman displays towards people he views as beneath him is a direct result of his upbringing. He only saw the abusive side of Logan, but not the deal-making side, and never got a good view of the King’s business acumen, and now Roman is like a child trying to walk in his dead daddy’s shoes–too big for his feet, too seasoned for his amateur hour.

Do They Double-Decant in Slovenia?

After Jeryd sweet talks him into pushing the narrative about the Milwaukee fire away from Mencken’s camp, Roman heads back to ATN where he tells his siblings he’s ready to call Wisconsin for his pal. They can’t do a revote, and without those missing ballots, Mencken wins the state. Everyone– including the well-respected Darwin, disagrees but Roman laughs them off and then starts spewing insensitive language and adopting a very unlikable white nationalist repertoire. He even jokes about the only reason why Shiv is worried about this election is because his team– if they win, will shoot her team. Kendall, whose daughter, Sophie (Swayam Bhatia) is terrified of the kind of country Mencken has in mind for minorities like herself, is on the fence and refuses to give Roman the go-ahead to ignore 100,000 votes. Roman doesn’t take no for an answer and runs down to the floor of ATN filling Ravenhead’s (Zack Robidas) mouth with incoherent talking points and finger points at shadowy liberal terror cells trying to silence the voices of hard-working Nazis in America. He also manages to serve Jeryd’s interests when he negotiates Connor’s (Alan Ruck) out. Apparently, the Con-heads are not delivering for the eldest Roy at the polls and now he’s starting to double-guess his decision to stay in the race. An ambassadorship is a nice parting deal after spending $100 million on an election he has no chance of winning, so he goes to Roman to ask if the deal is still on the table, and after a few phone calls Connor agrees to Slovenia and makes a speech throwing his support to Jeryd. It’s a win-win for Roman who is running sprints to get Mencken’s approval, and in the process, burning every bridge behind him.

Now that Ravenhead has gone rogue with the nod from Roman, ATN has been backed into a corner on the Wisconsin call. Their competitors on the right have already called it for Mencken and now ATN has to decide whether or not they’re going to do the responsible thing and wait for the state to determine the outcome or jump the gun and hope none of this winds up in court…after all, their most competent legal mind walked away with a hard drive full of Roman Roy’s genitalia and parting check that would make Logan rise up from the dead, s they aren’t exactly covered legally.  ATN might not be the pinnacle of journalistic integrity, but the company would at least like to keep up appearances as if they are. He’s also given up on his father’s promise to stay off the floor during an election night as he runs down to the floor to see what’s going on with only Greg and Tom making an attempt to stop him. It doesn’t work because from the floor Roman announces that he, along with Tom and Darwin are making the decision together to call the state of Wisconsin for Mencken. Too bad he never asked Darwin’s opinion because the man looks like he’s going to have a stroke knowing there are severe legal ramifications if they go through with this. Instead of just calling it, he tries to negotiate a way back from Roman’s awful decision by asking for a graphic to run across the bottom of the screen that says this is a pending call. They can walk back from a maybe but when the courts get involved, they cannot walk back an ironclad declaration. Darwin certainly doesn’t want to be dragged into whatever Roman meltdown or sibling feud is fueling this rush to the finish line, so they all agree pending will work for now. Darwin sits down to take a look at the numbers on his laptop but somehow, he winds up getting a bit of bodega wasabi from Greg’s sushi in his eye. He starts to tear up and cry out in pain, and Tom, who’s already in a panic and doesn’t want his star to tap out because of Greg’s culinary mishaps, orders the careless buffoon to help Darwin wash out the heat. Greg, not thinking, grabs a lemon-flavored LaCroix and pours it Into Darwin’s eye, adding to the pain! Everyone in the room screams and people are talking over each other as Darwin attempts to return to camera readiness, That’s when Ken steps forward to quiet the room with a deciding vote. ideologically he agrees with Shiv, Mencken is a threat to the country and certainly one to his daughter. All of his assurances and promises that she will be safe– even the security detail he has following her and Rava (Natalie Gold), does nothing to settle her or any other minority citizen’s fears. Ken wants to believe that he’s a good father, he wants to believe that he is better than Logan, but with the deal dangling over his head like the Sword of Damocles ready to slice his crown in two, he is at least open to working with the man he says “… believes that bad s**t.”  He is beyond torn between his conscience– which knows Jimenez will usher in a better and safer future vs. his own need to succeed– which he knows is a guarantee if he buries his morality six feet below his own greed. When Roman leaves the room to go to the bathroom, Kendall gets honest with Shiv and tells her that he has nobody to talk to about his feelings on who should be running Waystar, and admits he thinks he’s right for the job– and only him. He then adds that he doesn’t think any of that means he is a very good father because if Jeryd does win, he will have to carry that Nazi wannabe’s water while ignoring the fear that man puts in his children. Having no idea his sister is pregnant, Kendall wonders if, “maybe the poison drips through?” like some defect in Roy’s DNA that permits their quest for power to supersede their moral centers. That truth is tough for Shiv to swallow, so instead she keeps telling Ken he is a good guy. Whether she believes that or not really doesn’t matter because the entire purpose of her saying it is based on her own selfishness. She knows Kendall wants to believe he is better than Logan, and by telling him he is good she hopes he chooses to back good over the evil that will guarantee him his rightful place on the Waystar throne. Kendall starts to see through her manipulations when he questions whether or not she wants the deal blocked and she circumvents that subject by trying to stay focused on the election. Kendall is picking up on cues that she’s not exactly team CE-Bros and with so many people who know she isn’t, things could get dicey for her and fast!

Et tu, Brute

Shiv has her work cut out for her because after getting what’s left of her heart broken by Tom– who accused her of possibly manipulating him with a fake pregnancy story, she now has to face the fact Jeryd Menken and his white hood might win this election. She knows Jimenez is not the type of candidate to risk his reputation by getting into bed with the Roys, and quite frankly, she doesn’t want him to. She wants him to win–not just because she agrees ethically and politically with his platform, but because she knows if he wins the election then her brothers lose. Before they make the final decision on Milwaukee, Ken asks her to put in one last call to Nate to try to get Jimenez on board with killing the deal. She agrees and leaves the room to make the call, but she just pretends like she’s making moves from the other side of the glass office door, and it looks like Kendall knows it. When she returns with empty-sounding promises frm Jimenez, both brothers are not buying it, nor are they willing to take the risk and back Blue. Kendall decides to flush out the rat by announcing he’s going to call Jimenez one last time to be sure, after all, the country is at risk. Shiv tries stopping him but Ken leaves the room while her pounding heart drowns out Roman’s newfound flashy-faschie Mencken-speak. Her whole world is closing in on her while she zeroes in on Kendall talking on the phone. The look he is giving her back says it is all over for her. Equally, if looks could kill, Greg would be in the morgue next to Logan, because when she sees her brother hang up the phone and stop their cousin in the hallway to presumably ask him what he knows about her and Matsson, she fears Greg will give him an ear full. She had a very awkward run-in with him earlier, where she cornered him with a mix of incestuous come-ons and threats of disembowelment if he ever mentioned what he learned during his night of Swedish debauchery. She knows Greg has no reason to keep her secrets now–he is a Roy, after all, and as such, has his own ways of securing his future. Ignoring the deadly looks she’s sending him, Greg seals her fate by telling Kendall everything he knows about her and Lucas working together behind the scenes.

Her betrayal gives Ken the green light to abandon his moral objections and his promises to Sophie. He agrees with Roman to make the call– Milwaukee goes to Jeryd, but he also hands that nightmare to the White House too! The numbers are in and the state of Arizona is going red and that means Jeryd Mencken has enough electoral votes to go to Washington. Darwin announces the winner as the siblings listen to the new President’s acceptance speech, which is full of white nationalist dog whistles like “purity” and “cleansing” and should send a chill up anyone’s spine who lived through 2016. Kendall actively ignores the content of the new King’s character because, “ he’s a guy we can do business with,” and Roman adds that the night came down to making good TV. He also scoffs at a weeping nation by predicting, “ nothing happens” like he’s rationalizing his evil deeds as just the status quo to a nation bought and sold by corporate interests. Shiv is standing in the doorway devastated by the outcome for herself and maybe even the child she’s bringing into the world, and leaves her brothers with a prophetic warning, “Things do happen,  Rome.”  Indeed they do, and if this episode was truly meant to mimic the 2016/2020 elections then we know where things are heading. Shiv, for all of her blunders, is right, and the decision from this election could have catastrophic outcomes for the company, the country, and the world they live in. We learn from Cyd’s replacement it could take months to come to a final decision on the winner as it is bound to make its way through the courts, and ATN could find itself wrapped up in those legal proceedings thanks to jumping the gun. Roman better hope he can count on Jeryd’s word because that unethical man could easily pull the rug out from under him on a whim. Logan knew how to handle maniacs like Menken but his children might learn the hard way that power is a hungry beast never satiated, It will rock the very foundations of truth just to refill its bottomless empty gut, and if the Roys are not careful, it will pick its teeth with their bones.