“It’s worse than a crime: it’s a mistake,” said Joseph Fouché. And the protagonists of the eighth episode of the final season of Succession, available on Sky. An episode entirely focused on the electoral elections. ATN, the Roy family network, is preparing for the night marathon. America must decide who will be the next president. But the truth is that maybe it’s not just the votes that count the voters. So much so that in a dialogue the famous aphorism is quoted: “Who will guard the guardians? pop version of Juvenal’s well-known locution “Quis custodiaet ipsos custodes?, made famous in the States by the Graphic Novel Watchmen. Because the future of the USA, imagined by Jesse Armstrong, could have some resemblance to the dark masterpiece signed by Alan Moore.
America decides, between fiction and reality
The great television fiction often anticipates reality and foresees the future. So in this episode, titled in the original America Decides, there are similarities to the lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News over claims it rigged the 2020 election in favor of Joel Biden. And Armstrong himself cited the American elections of 1960, 2000 and 2016 as sources of inspiration for the episodes. Thanks to the advice of Eric Schultz, the former deputy press secretary of the White House, the likelihood is assured. But the strength of Succession it is transfiguring a political confrontation into a journey at the end of the night in which King Lear, Macbeth, Hamlet and their eternal tragedies are revealed.
Information is like a good bottle of wine
Director Andrij Parekh (who happened to direct an episode of the Watchmen series) signs an episode in which chaos reigns, but nothing is elusive. In an anthology of exit poll charts, sushi, data, numbers, votes, cell phone calls, the last act of an election that could change the country forever is consummated. And the electoral marathon in the last 15 minutes turns into a hundred meters flat. But the viewer never loses his bearings, despite the many points of view. The only fixed point is that maybe Logan was right: his children don’t have the qualities to lead the waystar Royco, Tom has to coordinate the first election live broadcast without Logan’s supervision. And so tense that he thinks he doesn’t have time to go to the bathroom. He even speculates that some ATN employees wear adult diapers for the occasion. But Darwin the network analyst (played by British actor Adam Godley in his Succession debut) reassures him. However, the marathon will prove insidious and full of surprises. Starting with Greg, the Shakespearean fool of Succession. Back shocked from the evening with Lukas, where he danced with an old man and drank unusual things, he reveals to his buddy the secret alliance between Shiv and Mattson. And Tom replies with an anthology joke. “Information is like a good bottle of wine. You put it on, put it away, age it, save it for a special occasion and then smash it in someone’s face.” Knowledge is power. But this strange couple who are entrusted with the most grotesque and over the top part (it is no coincidence that they shoot cocaine to stay awake) is the litmus test of a world that entrusts unlimited powers to naive egotists. And it will be the unveiling of Siobhan’s double game that will determine which side the Roy family will take. The World’s End bomb button, to quote metaphorically Doctor Strangelove will be pressed by the dullest character in the series.
If the city burned down
Roman supports Jeryd Mencken (first appeared in episode 6 of the third season of Succession), a far-right Republican with fascist sympathies. The Ultraconservative has assured him that he will cancel the agreement with GoJo and above all because he has promised him a prestigious position under his presidency, Kendall swings like a pendulum between the two candidates, Shiv, on the other hand, supports the Democrat Daniel Jiménez, worried by the ideas and morals of Daniel Jiménez, but also out of personal interest, given that it would not hinder the acquisition. The challenge is decided by an electoral center in Milwaukee set on fire, with thousands of ballots in smoke. Votes likely to have gone to Jimenez given the county’s majority liberal electorate. Shiv reminds her brothers that the votes of absentees must be counted for Wisconsin’s vote to be valid, Roman, on the other hand, would like to confirm Mencken’s victory in advance of the other networks. Ken, undecided about what to do, asks his sister to call ex-boyfriend Nate to ask if Jiménez is willing to block the sale of GoJo. But when he realizes that he faked the phone call and above all discovers that the agreement between Shiv and Mattson, Kendall formalizes his support for him to the Republicans. Meanwhile PGN, the TV close to the democratic party begins to broadcast services in which Tom is accused of prematurely calling the vote. Election day is over. The next day there will be Logan’s funeral and perhaps the death of democracy will also be celebrated.
Wasabi in the eyes
Zero connecting shots. No superfluous scenes, while the faults of the fathers (it was Logan who sponsored Mecken) fall on the children, but the children also put their own into it. Only Succession manages to captivate the viewer with an episode in which the characters basically often limit themselves to talking continuously on their cell phones. 65 minutes are transfigured into a ruthless analysis of the world of information and politics. An unforgettable episode that burns like wasabi in an eye, with the addition of lemon flavored sparkling water. And as usual, one detail is enough to understand the genius of the series as a Swede who mixes his drink. Or a joke by Roman, very vulgar but very effective. “The country is a beautiful pussy waiting to be f ****** and we are eunuchs in the city of sex“. And between the American dream turned into a nightmare and the paradoxor of Schrödinger’s cat, we are very sorry that there are only two installments to go until the end of the Roy family saga.
Source-tg24.sky.it