This article contains spoilers for the HBO follow-upSuccession is a unique show; one in which the characters are disgusting, yet fascinating. We can’t stop watching the show as it’s a true reflection of America’s relationship with capitalism, as well as a series about how bad it can be to work with your family. This is what the Succession characters so fascinating:
They are human
All of the show’s characters, and especially Roy’s siblings, have extreme wealth; gross wealth; let’s-go-work-in-a-helicopter-wealth, and yet none of them are happy. Their unhappiness is what makes them so interesting and human. They may be rich, but they still have all kinds of problems. They are insecure, sad, arrogant, vengeful, funny, mischievous, admired, and they want to be loved, showing that each character is many things at once, just like each of us, and that’s what makes the Roys- people with a lot more depth and realism that many shows would give them. Ranking the Roys from worst to best, there’s evidence that, like any real person, each of the characters has their own desires, hang-ups, and blind spots. Kendall Roy’s (Jeremy Strong) problems may be bigger than his sister Shiv’s (Sarah Snook), but that doesn’t mean her marriage is improving or she’s happy.
It’s always looked like the best rival for Logan Roy (Brian Cox) would be if all the siblings worked together, as they complement each other much more than meets the eye, and by the end of season three, especially the famous scene in the parking lot in the third season finale, could indicate we’re headed that way, and it would be a very interesting dramatic place to work for the new seasons. About that incredible scene, creator Jesse Armstrong told The Guardian: “I was very present when I saw how that scene was filmed. I was like a fan of Succession watching it.
Being rich doesn’t buy a loving family
Combining business with pleasure is never a good idea, but combining business with family might be even worse. The Roy family has many problems, but in the end most of them stem from the fact that all the Roy children; Kendall, Shiv, Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Connor (Alan Ruck) want to make their father proud. That’s one of the many reasons why the characters are so fascinating. Although their circumstances are very different from most of us, they really want the same thing: love and affection from their family. In their world, a family member’s worth is measured by equity participation, and that is no way to love.
Succession works as an addictive view of the rich as we get to see how billionaires live, have their own boats on the Mediterranean coast or eat in restaurants where the bill is thousands of dollars. What the series also shows is that, even with all that money and power, the characters are not happy, as money cannot buy them a loving home, and most of their personality problems, addictions, problems, and intimacy issues stem from that. simple fact.
Cousin Greg is perhaps the perfect example. He was not raised with a silver spoon and had to work for something in his life, but once he sees this life, he wants it and becomes a worse person in the process. Of the character, Armstrong told IndieWire, “Once he gets a little bit of capital this season, he might not handle it brilliantly, but he didn’t grow up that way with how people wield power. I think we’ve seen that Greg isn’t uninterested in wielding power and accumulating capital. Only he has had quite small amounts of it in the past.”
Great actors play them
Jesse Armstrong and his writing team are geniuses. They know how to make dialogue sharper than swords, create characters that take one step forward and three steps back in their progress as human beings, and keep us coming back to see more adventures from this mind-boggling family. Anyway, Succession‘s popularity can’t be explained without its incredible cast, because those are the ones who make the characters human, even in their worst moments.
Jeremy Strong has been praised since he started the show. His role as Kendall is always on the verge of self-destruction in a genius yet sad performance. He and Brian Cox had some of the best TV performances of 2021, as the story led them to raise their game, and both responded accordingly. Even if Strong has received most of the accolades, the entire cast is incredible: Roman wouldn’t be so toxic yet such a scared little boy if Culkin didn’t interpret him, and with each season, Tom (Mathew Macfadyen) and the characters and relationship of Greg (Nicholas Braun) have become the not-so-secret perfect pairing, as both are outsiders, who like to be in power, even if that power is crumbly compared to the rest of the family.
There are many iconic moments from the third season, but what they all have in common is the incredible work of the actors, after the sharp writing. Even the actors who appeared as supporting characters, the likes of Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), Stewy (Arian Moayed) or Frank (Peter Friedman), knocked it out of the park in each of their appearances, making this world and its people rounder and more credible. Giving those smaller roles complexity and personality, with their own wants and needs, is always a good sign for a show. These are the reasons why the Succession characters are so fascinating, and we can’t wait for the new season, to see what’s next for Wayco, Roy’s siblings and every other character in this fascinating, strange, scary world of family troubles for those born with a silver spoon. We can’t wait for the next season.