We have reached the end of the third season of Succession’s first period and cutting right to the point, so far, so good. Picking right up where the second season left off, the show came into this season with the tension already dialed up to eleven and has yet to ease up on the throttles at all. There’s no run-up or preamble. Screw the small talk, chit-chat, and finger foods because it’s all about sitting down to dive into the main course.

You could be forgiven for thinking that after the intense conclusion of the show’s excellent second season, the show would take a moment to regroup but that has not been the case and the decision made by the show’s creator Jesse Armstrong to keep his foot on the gas has paid off. Because of COVID, there had been a longer break than was planned between seasons 2 and 3 but because they jumped back into the action moments after the final scene of the season two finale, it doesn’t feel like there was a break at all. We’re back in it, kid, frequent eff bombs and action stations included.

And now we’re done with the first period and headed into the second. Looking at the scoreboard, it’s a little murky right now. Kendall is all over the place, Logan seems more vulnerable than ever, Shiv is still frustrating and I don’t know, maybe Roman is the smart one. Oh and Greg. Poor Cousin Greg. He’s so tall but still finding ways to get in over his head. It’s impressive.

Let’s fire off some questions about this season so far and where things might be headed.

Would you wear a watch that costs 40K?

Ha! No way dude. Thanks for asking though.

So these documents Greg has, do you think he’s actually read them and if so, how much of it does he understand?

I think he’s skimmed them and knows that they’re bad. To the extent to which they’re bad, I think he might be a little in the dark there. But he’s definitely read them. Sorry. Skimmed them. Like me when you ask if I know what’s in this Biden infrastructure bill, I got the gist. Greg has the gist of what he’s in possession of.

How much time has passed since Greg was fired from the amusement park to where things are now?

I DON’T KNOW! It feels like its been a long time but it also feels like its been about a year or so, which isn’t really that long. But I don’t know and at some point, I wish a character would just straight up say something along the lines of man Greg, and to think it’s only been (insert duration of time here) since you showed up at our dad’s door looking for a job. Although when you think about it, that was Logan’s birthday and we haven’t heard any mention of another birthday so are we to assume that it’s only been a year? If that’s the case, damn Greg. Talk about being on the fast track. One minute you’re taking hits out of a one-hitter in your car and the next you’re hoping you don’t get called to testify in Washington again.

So what exactly is Kendall’s plan?

Uh, well, sometimes it sounds like Charlie trying to explain the role of Pepe Silvia, and other times it sounds like a computer spitting out a word cloud of buzz words culled from TEDtalks, Silicon Valley start-ups, and Forbes. But as far as I can tell, Kendall is hoping his Dad gets maybe arrested and possibly thrown in jail or at the very least, removed as CEO of the company so he can slide in and change the direction of Waystar Royco so that it is better suited for the days that lie ahead although it remains to be seen what kind of damage this plan of Kendall’s is doing to the company and how much would be left if Logan does go down.

So in closing, I do believe Kendall is trying to have his cake and eat it too. Or something like that. Either way, the devil is in the details and the devil is probably as confused as you and I are.

Did Jess set up the speakers used during the “Rape Me” scene? 

You’ll have to excuse me here and indulge me some because you know, logistics. So much attention has been paid to the choice of the song and various characters’ reactions during the scene in which Shiv’s speech is interrupted by speakers blasting “Rape Me” by Nirvana that I think we’re ignoring the simple question of who went around and placed all those speakers. And how did no one notice someone, presumably Jess, setting those speakers up and who then got them all hooked up wirelessly (which is tough mind you) so that they would work? And then was Jess in a closet somewhere with her phone, Spotify at the ready, controlling the music? Was there any concern that she might not have premium and the moment could have been upended by an ad for Geico? It happened to me once. It’s super awkward. And finally, did Kendall pick the song or someone else? I’m sorry. I just want some back story of this and would appreciate a HBO featurette or something along those lines talking about it. Thanks.

What’s the deal with Naomi’s character this season?

I don’t know if it’s because we didn’t really get a lot of her last season or there’s a shoe to drop, but the Naomi we met last season was slightly broken and principled; flawed but still good in her own way. She didn’t really seem like the enabling type but that’s how she’s come across this season. She hasn’t spoken very much but when she does, it’s usually encouraging Kendall to make a decision or egging him on. (Or telling Greg to open a bottle of wine he definitely shouldn’t.) I’m keeping an eye on Naomi though, and I think you should too.

Does Shiv have any friends?

Well, I think Lisa Arthur, Kendall’s lawyer, was something of a friend although I don’t know how close they were. I bet Shiv has one or two close friends she’s known since either high school or college and after that, varying levels of acquaintances.

Doesn’t Shiv seem like more of a cat person?

I ask because she and Tom have a dog and I don’t know, I feel Shiv would have a cat that she can stroke gently while scheming. You can do that with a dog too but I just can’t see it.

Is Tom going to jail?

Uh, maybe? Would they have even entertained the idea like they did in episode 3, where Tom offered to take the fall if it wasn’t a possibility? If Tom does go to jail, can Greg go too, and can we get a spin-off series of the two of them in white-collar jail together? Please. No wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. I think there’s a 67% chance Tom goes to jail which would result in a 100% chance of me being bummed about it because that would effectively remove him from the action.

Of the three kids (Kendall, Shiv, Roman,) which one would you like to learn more about? 

I was thinking about this one because we don’t know a whole lot about the three of them and what they were doing prior to the events of the show kicking off. I mean, we know Kendall was married, had drug problems, and worked at the company and Shiv was a political consultant. But what about Roman? I think he was on the west coast, maybe. But beyond that, I’m interested and while I’m not saying I want some kind of bottle episode that sheds light on say, the last ten years of Roman’s life, I’d be okay with a storyline or a few scenes that shed some light on the subject.

Is Connor keeping up with his podcast?

Wasn’t my man Connor doing a podcast about Napolean? I think so. Are we in between seasons? I’d like an update, please.

How do they all keep their phones charged?

Special cases probably. Or they all have four or five phones and cycle through them throughout the day. Because come on, have you ever seen them charging a phone? Has there ever been a moment where a phone runs out of juice? No! But there are roughly 8 scenes per episode where a character is using a phone. It’s suspicious.

If Kendall wore a hat with a logo on it, what logo would it be?

Kendall loves himself a logo-less, non-descript black baseball hat.

It’s his hat of choice for when he’s uh, going casual or goes revolutionary I guess. His dad also rocks one and so does Roman. I don’t live in New York. Is this a thing? More specifically, is it a rich guy thing? I don’t get it. It’s weird.

If Kendall elected to switch it up and sport a hat with a logo, which one would it be? Unsurprisingly, I’ve thought about this and I’m ruling out the Yankees, Mets, and Knicks. Baseball is out because I bet Kendall fashions himself a basketball guy. Knicks would be the logical choice but I don’t think a blue or orange hat goes with Kendall’s overall look. Oh, and forget Giants and Jets too. And hockey? I don’t think Kendall knows what hockey is and perhaps that’s one of the reasons why his Canadian uncle despises him so much.

I’m thinking Nets. A black Nets hat seems like Kendall’s move. The only hurdle is that Kendall probably claims to be a lifelong Knicks fan, meaning he can’t switch sides, right? Ha. You’re mistaking Kendall for a loyal person.

And finally, Ryan, are you regretting ranking Kendall so high on your list of the best ‘Succession’ characters to drink with?

Yes. Yes, I am.

Categories: Television

Tags: HBO, Succession