Succession

I think his deep down choice was no one, that he thought nobody but him could really do it, and he enjoyed toying with them. His ex-wife summarized his character for us: "He never saw anything he loved that he didn't want to kick it just to see if it would still come back." But it was Kendall by default before his various coups, so it makes more sense than any one alternative, I guess.

Re: Ebba and Matsson. I just mean that it's convenient for Matsson to reveal something so damaging, presumably because it's going to "save" the Roy children later, when we've already established Ebba is disgruntled, and Shiv's already done the whole "we girls have to stick together" thing with Sandi once before. It's a more elegant way to achieve the same outcome, narratively, I think. Unless they've got something up their sleeve I've completely missed.

As for Shiv's pregnancy, I think it's just Tom's, she's keeping it from him because she's still mad at him and not sure what she wants to do, but you can see her WANTING him to make amends, wanting him to give her a way to save face in reuniting. Interesting storytelling choice to bring us in after she's known for awhile.

Thanks but there was no mention of it in the next episode. Effectively, for all Roman knows, Hugo has gone against the family's wishes and done a dirt piece on Logan. Roman should have been furious. Just thought that the big cliffhanger that episode 4 ended on, hasn't even been touched on since. Massive continuity error for me. But enjoying the season.

I'm not sure that Roman knows it was Hugo. He just knows it happened/has his suspicions, but at that point it could be a few people. Karolina among them.

Kendall tells Hugo to do it in episode 4 and then we see the result (Kendall pretending to be mad about it on the plane in front of Roman) in episode 5.

Kendall seems to be back to his old form in "Skill Set". Don't understand why it's so important to Lucas that he attain ATN. When Carl, Frank, and Gerri arrived for the trip, the looked terrified that they would lose their jobs. That verbal exchange between Tom and Shiv was ugly. If this deal with Lucas goes through, Tom's head really seems to be on the chopping block. Does Lucas really think he can use Shiv to influence Kendall? Interesting that Shiv hasn't mentioned her pregnancy to anybody.

Lukas may be messing with them. Seems as soon as they told him ATN is off the table, he decides he wants it. He’s childish in some ways.

Carl is terrified about finances because he & his BIL are buying a Greek island. Hilarious.

Tom & Shiv verbally sparred not for the first time, but, worse, Tom hit her. Unacceptable behavior. Has this happened before?

Shiv’s pregnancy certainly is strange. Someone suggested on Twitter that she miscarried when she fell in Logan’s house. If she’s pregnant, why drink?

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I like "Succession", but I don't love it. Very little happens to move the plot forward. The acting is great, the writing is well done, but most every episode is populated with witty conversation and little else. It's a bit one note for me. I also think it was a mistake to

Not sure we need spoiler alerts, but you used them so I will too.

We didn’t actually see Shiv take a hit of cocaine with Lukas, did we? We saw her drink twice though: Scotch with Lukas & champagne at the end of the episode. This pregnancy thing is puzzling.

Loved the opening moments of Living + with everyone watching that tape of Logan and not being able to tell what anyone was thinking, especially Kendall. Lukas' interest in Shiv just seems very convenient and coming out of nowhere. Looked like Shiv was almost going to tell Tom she's pregnant and then thought better of it. Roman's refusal of condolences was unnecessarily rude. Didn't really get the point of Tom and Shiv and the biting game. I knew Roman firing Joy was going to bite him in the ass. Looks like Greg is learning how to be a real Roy. "We're just going to do an acoustic set...Ken and Rome unplugged." That was totally bizarre what Ken did at the meeting with his dad...freaking surreal and a little bit creepy. Kendall really shouldn't allow Mattson to rattle him like that. "How am I supposed to follow this? He just promised them eternal life." Kendall in the water...what was that all about?

I hope they don't rely on that old trope of a woman falling and then miscarrying, especially so early in a pregnancy. It's trite, and it's largely a myth. But of course, most people's minds went there when it happened. Otherwise, why else would they have a character fall in mid-scene for no other reason?

This final season, post-Logan, is muddy, unfocused, and feels as if it's taking forever to wrap things up. I'm surprised at how little interest I have in these characters without Logan around to manipulate them all like the petty god he was.

Of course, I'll watch a Greg/Tom interaction and banter scene any day! I do miss those earlier days before Greg got a little wiser.

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I love Tom & Greg scenes. Also, in this season I am finding Karl & Frank to be unknowingly hilarious.

YES! Karl and Frank and the looks they constantly exchange when the kids aren't looking are hilarious!

All Karl is thinking about is the Greek island he’s buying with his BIL.

...and figuring out how the heck he's gonna pay for it when these kids let everything go to crap.

Didn't really get Tom's scorpio in the glass, but he's going to have to do better than that if he wants to save his marriage. Why was Kendall getting so upset with his ex? I can't even remember the last time he shared a scene with or voiced any concern about the welfare of his children. Jeremy Strong played the hell out of that scene with Rava though. "Woke up on the right side of the coffin, boy." Think the siblings are making a HUGE mistake deciding to override any decisions Marcia makes about the funeral. Tom sucks for making Greg fire all those people over via skype. All of a sudden Tom and Shiv having s much sex tells me that Shiv did indeed lose that baby during the fall but for some reason still wants to have a child with Tom. Loved the way Mattson's arrival at that party totally rattled the siblings. "I'm about to take a sh*t in your husband's mouth and he's going to tall me it tastes like coco vin." Mattson's staff is almost as creepy as he is. Tom seems to be in a genuine panic right now regarding his position at the company and I really like seeing him sweat. Nate burned Kendall when he inferred that Kendall is not Logan. Mattson is was above Greg's paygrade. "I thought you were backwash at the bottom of the gene pool, but you are something else." So glad that Shiv finally found a chink in Mattson's armor. Loved the Rome/Gerri scene. Great to see Kendall finally stand up to Mattson. Sarah Snook and Matthew MacFayden nailed that scene on the balcony. "I have given you endless approval and it doesn't full you up because you're broken." Does Waystar have the finances to make Kendall's plan a reality? Tom is toast.

The things Tom and Shiv said to each other on that balcony = cringe-worthy, for sure. And yet, played SO well by both actors that it was completely believable.

I still feel as if most of this last season is just being stretched out with lots of back-and-forth game-playing by everyone but no real progression of plot. I'm ready for this to just wrap up with something like finality already.

Marriage can turn two nice people into monsters. Rava & Kendall can’t even have a 5 minute conversation without both dropping eff bombs.

Again, marriage turning two nice people into monsters. They both fight dirty & hit below the belt. Shiv more so than Tom. When & if they divorce, they could be friends. Or not, like Kendall & Rava.

Three episodes to go & the finale will be 90 minutes long & will be like a movie, said someone behind the scenes. Can’t remember who.

I totally agree with you that the show is being artificially stretched out. The real sizzle behind the show died with the death of Logan Roy.

The female scorpion kills her mate after both fight each other to the death. Sound familiar?

Okay, makes sense now.