After the second season of "Succession" hit, I didn't think that we were going to get a third season that would be able to overtake it as the show's best. I don't know how much longer it will go as they've said that it's not likely to run for that many more seasons, which I like. I don't think it's wise to keep milking a show, even one that's as good as this one is. I'd much rather have a tight show that I can always go back and rewatch and not feel like it had a not-so-good season attached. Luckily, the third season has not yet disappointed and keeps bringing us immersive storylines that keep the family apart just long enough for everything to seem like it will come tumbling down. Jesse Armstrong has such a nice grip on this entire show and seems to know exactly what he wants to do with every single character in his arsenal. The latest episode delved more into the political aspect of the show, and it took everything in a whole new direction that I didn't know I wanted. Jesse Armstrong has always known how to write politic, and the writers he has assembled for this show knows it as well, because this was an absolute blast of an episode. It's all a part of getting the family's power back and as long as the writing keeps supplement the things that the family needs to succeed, then the show is great, and this was all about that.
As per usual, the episode is phenomenally well-written. The dialogue is sharp, and all the characters work their part to an extremely satisfying nature in the episode. My favorites have always been the episodes that were surrounded around the family making decisions, and this is this season's version of that episode, and it might have been the most engaging to date. I'm a big fan of exploring politics and when a show that's this invested in its political aspect finally tackles it as a plot point, it felt like something coming full circle after a long time where we've been waiting.
And the episode's exploration of politics was very interesting. I don't think that this is actually how a candidate is decided upon, but the climate of today seems like it would definitely offer something like this. There's always a level of corruption in everything, and this episode definitely took that and ran with it. They never made it Bond-level but kept it at a point where it seems realistic enough. It's about deconstructing politics and how decisions are made behind closed doors, which this episode achieved with flying colors. Hopefully, they'll hold on to this for future episodes too.
Kendall took a bit of a backseat this week, which was a little weird to begin with. However, as the episode went along, I started to realize that it was to showcase the dwindling importance of Kendall's crusade as its slowly falling apart. This show has always been about its drama, and with everything that's going on right now, we can sometimes forget that these characters are just regular people despite their status. Kendall is once again in a position of power, but he's slowly losing that power because he's so obsessed with revenge, which feels very familiar right here.
The episode had one of the strongest performances I've seen from Matthew Macfadyen to date, and the entire episode provided a good deal of development for Tom. It really showcased Tom as a loyal servant to the Roy empire, and as he's slowly finding his place in the family, Macfadyen is also finding his place among a large ensemble. He navigates this episode with flying colors, easily becoming the MVP of the week. I also think that Justin Kirk's guest performance as radical political Jeryd Mencken was a highlight. He's comedic timing was priceless and I hope he comes back.
"What It Takes" was an episode that really heightened the tension and shows the cracks starting to form on both fronts which will have consequences. The political focus of the episode was a highlight for me, and I start to see something forming that will definitely take our characters down a dark path to come.
29 out of 37 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
