Succession Season 2 Episode 10 This Is Not for Tears

Thank you so much for your S2 reactions and as always super insightful commentary! S2 might be my personal favorite but they all are great so it is hard to choose! Logan somehow this season felt less in control then in S1 where he was in poor health and recovering. Here a lot of stuff slips his grasp, the plans he builds fail, Marcia calls him out on his bullshit with Rhea (I think the show purposefully left it ambiguous if there was an affair or not. I think Brian Cox said no, but the show never made it clear). Logan was a bully as always, with the most violent outburst to Roman, but emotionally he probably hurt Ken the most. So the final scene was a nice surprise, finally a sense of pride probably over Ken growing a pair. I am gonna be honest. I still do not love Ken. I am just not sure why but he just does not really resonate with me. He spiraled a lot this season and a lot if it was just S1 fallout which in turn was self-inflicted a lot. Finding Naomi helped (I think he seemed happier with that actress girl, but also she did not have sufficient reverence for Logan, and Logan did not approve so she had to go). Naomi also had to go but Ken will still probably resent Logan even if he was absolutely right that they were just enabling each other's addictions. Despite all this Ken ends the season on a high note, prepped as a 'blood sacrifice' he turns the table on the press conference and we will have to dig into S3 for the fallout of it all. On a side note watching the finale episode knowing Ken is who will end up with the bag for it? Fascinating. When they bicker around the table his is the only name not thrown into the discussion. Roman in contrast is still absolutely one of my favs. He does some corporate growing up (steered a lot by Gerri along the way like going to that corporate training she said to him to do). Here in final episodes, he easily could have recommend the buyout to look better in Logan's eyes but he knew enough to voice his objections. I also strangely love Roman's relationship with Gerri. I think it helps that actors are long time friends, and have super easy banter on screen. He really went to bat for her at the table, and while his argument was delayed, it was actually a decent one. Sacrificing a woman, for a scandal with mostly women victims would be horrible optics. Shiv I feel plays with fire a lot. She drops her political career and gets nothing out of it so far. Logan still keeps her at arm's length, she has to compromise her morals (does she have those, or does she just like to see herself as this feminist person?) and threaten one of Mo's victims to silence her. And she is still outside, still not given the top job. Her 'open marriage' with Tom is painfully one-sided. Her seeing the actor friend of Willa at the play premiere, another reminder that she once described her husband as 'guy who works for me'. While she seems to need Tom to love her, she is not really willing to love him back (or maybe unable to). The beach scene is probably my favorite in the finale going full circle to S1 finale and her 'open marriage' declaration. I love that she shows that hint of vulnerability by going to Logan to save Tom. She might be incapable to love him as he wants it but she still needs him and shows care in her own way. Now Tom. As much as I love Roman and Kieran's acting I think Mathew MacFadyen is probably my fav acting-wise in a show where most of the main cast is probably giving already a performance of a lifetime. Tom is still outsider, still someone who will get scapegoated if needed. But he probably is the closest to real person I can think of. I think this season he also internalized finally that Shiv does not love him. But as much as we could think of him as just gold-digger and social-climber (which of course he is), he also does love her. So you can see each stab from her cuts deep. Greg 'sprinkles' continue, he works mostly as a comic relief, but we do see this 'power/money corruption' creep bit on him. He was always just out for himself but in the finale he is now the guy who has his favorite champagne. Willing or not he went along with a lot of Tom's company plays and is not as innocent as his goofy smiles would let us believe. Connor and Willa continue to live in their fun bubble of dubious theatre plays and political aspirations. When they were doing previous and she was like 'oh the play is 40% ready' in freaking previous I just shook my head. Oh honey. Money cannot buy a talent I'm afraid. Off we go to S3 then. I kinda love that this show is slightly messy and that most of the storylines are really SHOW not just season storylines. Like the cruises document burning or Sandy&Stevie trying to take over company? All started in S1. We dealt a lot with S2 on various threats, and we go into S3 with all those plots still unravelling. I am super happy you continue to enjoy this show! :)

Sikozu