The word succession is a sequence– the right order of who inherits from the previous position. While emperors throughout history took pride in the coronation of their successor, Greek mythology taps into the greed, pride, ego, and envy that the crown represents.
The Titan leader, Cronus, castrated his father, Uranus (personification of Heaven), so that he could rule over his creation. But this greed soon turned into envy when Cronus ate all his children so no one could overthrow him. However, his last son Zeus escaped with the trickery of Cronus’s wife, Rhea. Zeus later rebelled against his father and imprisoned him.
Succession- the original series by HBO Max has similar themes of Father-children-conflict with a unique take on satirical-black-comedy- drama.
Succession: Quick Recap Of Previous Seasons
SEASON 1
Logan Roy is the CEO of conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, which has tapped into every industry under the sun. With his deteriorating health, he is on a mission to throne the fitting successor among his 4 children.
Kendall Roy, the true maverick, is the most prominent choice for the successor. His father has personally trained him for years. But when pronouncing him as the next CEO, Logan puts Marcia, his third wife’s name, instead. This angers Kendall as he plans a coup against his father.
Shiv Roy – The girl-boss political consultant for another candidate, has her ambitions. She also wants to secure the throne, but the father-daughter relationship is more complex than meets the eye. Her husband, Tom Wambsgans, has secured a pivotal position in his father-in-law’s empire. But the dynamic is extremely toxic as he becomes the punching bag for the family.
Roman Roy, The flamboyant carefree youngest son, is ambitious but lacks any moral compass to navigate his career. His efforts are lackluster, but his privilege has got him so far. Kendall takes objection to his father appointing Roman for an important position.
Roman is also mentored by Logan’s close associate Gerri. Roman forms a romantic relationship with much-older Gerri in a seemingly edgy ‘mommy complex.’
Connor Roy, The eldest son of Logan’s first wife has no interest in the family business but has an inflated sense of self-worth. He also wants to run for the USA presidential election. His wife, Willa, is a former escort.
Greg, the cousin. He seems like the POV of the audience as he witnesses the dysfunctional family. He becomes the punching bag for Tom, who is the punching bag of the Roys– so it’s a funny kind of Succession. But they eventually become best buds as Tom attains a high position and brings Greg along. (they have their own plan against Logan).
Season 1 ends with Kendall’s plan to overthrow his father in a road crash (quite literally). Without giving out any spoilers: Kendall has to seek his father’s help to cover up his crime. And this quid-pro-quo resulted in Kendall losing his dignity and submitting to his father’s wishes.
SEASON 2
This season made space for Shiv’s possibility to take the position. Logan hints to her that she has the capability to take responsibility. She leaves her political job and starts assessing her opportunity.
However, the acquisition of another company, PGM, makes Logan reevaluate his decision. In a dramatic turn of events, Logan decides to name Rhea, the CEO of PGM, as the next CEO of Waystar Roy Co.
This season taps into the themes of matriarchy and the daughter’s fight for her father’s validation. Meanwhile, all the shady business in the company needs a scapegoat to take the blame. Kendall, deep into submission, decides to go by his father’s will to take full responsibility for the crimes. However, when put at the podium, the camera flashes from the media seem to dehypnotize him from the submission. And that is when he exposes his father, Logan, for all the shady business.
SEASON 3
This season seems more like the battle between the father and his children. Roman has been making huge progress, but one small mistake costs him his position. Shiv is tired of always being sidelined. Tom tries hard to prove his loyalty to his father-in-law.
Loyalty forms a major theme of this season. And the betrayal by their father unites the three children to take over.
And now, the season finale begins as we anticipate the next successor.
Overview: Throughout the series, you will notice that although he wants his offspring to be the next CEO, Logan has diabolical fun controlling his children like puppets. He wants them to be as brutal as him, and if any of them shows a softer side, he shuns them.
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How Many Episodes Are in Succession?
So far, three seasons of Succession have aired.
- Season 1 has 10 episodes- from 3 June 2018 to 5 August 2018
- Season 2 has 10 episodes.- from 11 August 2019 to 13 October 2019
- Season 3 has 9 episodes.- from 17 October 2021 to 12 December 2021.
- And Season 4 will have 10 episodes in total. – from 26 March 2023 to 28 May 2023. Up until now, a total of 7 episodes have been released.
Related
Where to Watch the Succession Series?
You can access the series via an HBO Max subscription.
You can also buy/ rent the series on
- Amazon
- Google Play
- iTunes
- Vudu.
Air-timings of Succession
Each episode of Succession Season 4 will air at 9:00 PM EST on Sunday nights on HBO, and you can stream them simultaneously on HBO Max.
What are your thoughts on the Succession series? How do you analyze the themes of this series?
Do you find the drama funny or triggering? Let us discuss more on the show in the comments section below.
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