Tag: succession

Week in Review (Dec 19 – 25, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Succession (2018) – Season 3 Ep 9

After a busy week out in the wilderness, I’ve finally returned to see the season finale of Succession; and what an episode it was! After several long months of being poked, prodded, goaded and generally mistreated by Logan (Brian Cox), the Roy siblings finally put up a united front and stood up against him.

In what was my favorite scene this season, Kendall (Jeremy Strong) has a breakdown after his near drowning (which he insists wasn’t an attempt at suicide) and admits to what happened at Shiv’s (Sarah Snook) wedding with the waiter. His siblings comfort him in whatever way they know how, Shiv saying it isn’t his fault and Roman (Kieran Culkin) resorting to his usual dark humor. The framing, the writing and the performances – especially Strong’s – were flawlessly executed, and this moment felt like a long time coming.

It’s unfortunate that they hardly have any time to process before they have to gather their wits for their most difficult challenge yet: stopping Logan from letting GoJo take over Waystar. They make every effort they can think of from trying to get information from Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) on Logan to finding the ideal company structure in a post-Logan era, with Shiv pushing for Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) front and center.

The one thing that really bothered me is how much they exclude Connor (Alan Ruck) from their group. He finally expressed his opinion on how ignored he feels by his younger siblings, the first real interest or emotion he’s shown in family affairs.While he ultimately has the be the bigger person and let it go, I was glad to see him take a stand. Despite this, they still don’t consult with him in the slightest with regard to the takeover.

However, in the end it probably wouldn’t have made any difference. The dark horse turned out to be Tom, who tipped Logan off, and even recruited his favourite lackey Greg (Nicholas Braun) in the process. Though it is unsurprising that Tom would turn against Shiv, since he has been becoming more and more disillusioned by her over the course of the season, it still hurt to see him side with Logan of all people.

The repercussions of this promise to be severe, and Season 4 should be rife territory for the Roy clan’s civil war to continue, albeit with a few of the players moved around and loyalties changed. The show continues to be as strong as ever, in the writing, performances and directing and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them to come.

Movies

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is back, however it seems that the world is rather divided on whether he’s friend or foe in this third installment of the series. After Quentin Beck’s “confession” at the end of the last film, and Peter’s (Tom Holland) identity being revealed, he and his inner circle have been having a tough time living their lives normally.

Rather than deal with things within the confines of his reality, he turns instead to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and magic to fix his problems. Except that magic is very complicated and Peter wants a bunch of caveats added in, and somehow he even manages to fracture the spell that Strange is casting.

This results in a number of villains from other universes to bleed through to Peter’s world, these universes of course being those of the previous two Spider-Man film franchises. Peter encounters the likes of Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Electro (Jamie Foxx). However, rather than fight them as instinct initially tells him to, he follows his Aunt May’s (Marisa Tomei) advice to instead help them be better. Through technology, they find ways to to stop whatever causes their mental imbalances, but that also largely means removing their abilities for a number of them, which doesn’t sit well with Electro especially.

Eventually Peter gets overpowered by the multitude of villains, which results in the unfortunate death of his aunt, and sends him spiraling into grief and murderous rage. Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) are at a loss on how to even find him let alone help him, but with his newfound magic and Strange’s ring Ned manages to find two people who might be able to help them out: the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Spider-Men.

After a lot of meta jokes and banter, the team work together to help the villains out, and send them back home, but in order for it to happen, Peter tells Doctor Strange to cast a spell that will make the world forget who he is, or that he’s Spider-Man. Naturally, this does not sit well with Ned and MJ, but they agree, telling him to find them when this is all over.

He does, but at the last minute, decides not to introduce himself when he realizes that they may be better off without him. The film end with Peter adjusting to life after visiting May’s grave, the world having forgotten him and with no one to really lean on for support.

I absolutely loved the film, the cameos (especially Charlie Cox‘s Daredevil) and the nostalgia that the film drew on to give us a larger universe. However, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of sadness for Peter, seeing him alone in the world, his friends moving on to bigger and better, while he takes the brunt of the punishment. I do hope we revisit Peter in a future film where he is thriving and living life much more happily than how we left him here.

Week in Review (Dec 12 – 18, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Succession (2018) – Season 3 Ep 3-8

With only one episode remaining to watch this season, the journey so far has been a fascinating and intense one.

Kendall (Jeremy Strong) has been the most intriguing person this season, adding layers of nuance to his character that only Strong can infuse into the former heir apparent. For a man who was so dependent on his father to be separated from Logan (Brian Cox), and then going up against the Goliath in an effort to protect the morals he believes in has been a massive struggle for him.

However, Logan brought up the one point that has been bothering me all season: does Kendall really believe that he has the moral high ground after he killed a man? Sadly, I don’t think he’s allowed himself the time to process all his misdeeds since Logan has always swept them under the rug for him, but he’s really been pushed to his breaking point time and time again this season, which will hopefully help him realise what he wants to do with his life when he’s outside his father’s shadow, and more importantly get the help he needs. 

There are several other threads of the storyline that have been of various degrees of interest to me. Kendall’s departure means a massive hole in the company that everyone is hoping they can fill. Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Keiran Culkin) have been competing nonstop to be daddy’s favourite while a bunch of outsiders try to oust the Roy family or are vying for a chunk of Waystar Royco.

On a more personal front, Tom (Matthew McFadyen) is really starting to notice a strain on his relationship with Shiv, and he seems to be even more insecure than ever. Her complete disinterest in him potentially going to jail upsets him, and his baby fever doesn’t seem to align with her interests until she’s goaded into it by her mother. Him being largely ignored by her is also a large part of why he relies so heavily on Greg (Nicholas Braun), who, just like him, despite being family isn’t part of the inner circle. It also gave me some of my favourite scenes of the season where Tom passive-aggressively threatens and bullies Greg while also showing him how much he cares for him (which,  of course creeps Greg out to no end). 

The final episode promises to pack a few punches, and will hopefully tie up some loose ends. I’m so invested in these characters that I just want them to make better choices, despite the fact that it’s those poor choices that makes the show so interesting to watch. Let’s see how things pan out for the Roys in this final episode of the season. 

Week in Review (Oct 31 – Nov 6, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 1 Comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Just Between Lovers (2017)

In anticipation of his newest series The Red Sleeve Cuff (which was pushed back a week to accommodate for baseball), I started a bit of a Lee Jun-ho binge. He’d caught my eye back when I watched Good Manager, and I was very curious about his other acting credits. Just Between Lovers kept showing up as the project to look out for in his repertoire, so that’s what I decided to begin with.

The plot of the show is very ripe for drama: a tragic accident at a mall leaves Kang-doo and Moon-soo (Won Jin-ah) as survivors where both lost family members. Kang-doo is left an orphan with a leg injury that prevents him from pursuing his dreams of becoming a football player, and is forced to work odd jobs to make ends meet and get his sister through school. Moon-soo lost her sister and her memories from the trauma, and her parents split up not long after, leaving her with her mother who drowns herself in drink rather than face her grief. 20 years later, the two meet again, on a construction project taking place at the site of the original accident, but only Kang-doo recognizes Moon-soo. The two are taken with each other, but both have scars that keep them from opening up to others.

While the story is very intense, the tone of the show is actually rather subdued. The colour palette mirrors the gloom of our pairs’ equally gloomy lives. The soundtrack is slow and thoughtful adding a fullness that lends hope to characters that desperately need it. And finally the cast deliver raw performances that make you empathize with their situations. I was blown away by Won, who has a quiet strength to the way she portrayed Moon-soo. The character is so weighed down by responsibilities, but she doesn’t feel like she has a right to speak up because she feels largely responsible for the situation their family is in.

Additionally, I also liked that the styling of both Won and Lee is very down-to-earth. There is an abundance of dramas that show people who live on the fringes of society but they always seem to have perfect hair, an inexplicably large wardrobe, and the latest phones for the sake of their sponsors. JBL doesn’t glamorize their lives in any way, showing characters with scruffy hair, reusing clothes, and in general living within their means.

While not perfect, the show is a strong contender for my Top 10 k-dramas. It wasn’t the easiest show to watch. but it was emotionally impactful and technically well-produced. The ending was a  little over-the-top and rushed, but it leaves you with a sense of happiness that these characters may finally get to live a better life than they have been allowed so far.

Succession (2018) – Season 3 Ep 1-2

The Roy family is back! And they’re just as dysfunctional as ever. I’ve only gotten to watch the first 2 episodes so far, but the season has gotten off to an incredible start and is just as good as I remember. The dialogue is whip-smart and the family dynamics are just as fun to watch.

The season premiere picks up where the last season left off, with Logan (Brian Cox) trying to do damage control after Kendall (Jeremy Strong) dropped a bomb in the middle of Waystar RoyCo. As everyone starts planning and choosing allegiances, the Roys deal with the shitshow that is slowly unfolding before them. As everyone try to throw their hat in the ring for the CEO position and vie for Logan’s favour, he plans strategy for how to protect himself and the company and uses all those around him to their maximum capacity.

The level of confidence that Kendall has is unparalleled, and I was shocked that he practically admitted to murder in the first episode with a smile on his face. However, we see that facade start to crack when faced with his siblings in the second episode. In a way that only siblings can, Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) get on his nerves with their snark and the final nail in the coffin was his ever-supportive brother Connor (Alan Ruck) not backing his cause.

The one relationship I wish I could see more of is that of Greg (Nicholas Braun) and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen). They are my favorite duo by far, but Greg has lost a lot of his credibility with the Roys, and will no doubt be shunned from here on out by them. He’s still clearly inept at navigating the family politics, but luckily he has his grandfather on his side, so he may survive this yet. Tom on the other hand has become Shiv’s eyes and ear to Logan, and has made himself very useful, even if he is still looked down on by the rest of the family.

I’m looking forward to see how things progress now that the Roy family has been divided into two factions and how loyalties will change as everyone starts looking out for themselves.