Change Your Image
hunterjm918
Reviews
Barry: yikes (2023)
PTSD's contagious loneliness
Trauma breeds trauma, and when we find ourselves without comforts in a harsh, indifferent world, there is nothing we crave more than human connection; For someone to show us we can be okay, and the cycle can be broken. When life is a negative feedback loop of crap, we need someone to help us remember the piss.
Barry's drive for self punishment is rooted in the same flawed core beliefs which morally excuses his paid mercenary work; life is meaningless, and stress leads to growth. When the friendly officer tries comforting Barry during his psychotic episode (punching the wall and personally punishing himself), he is wholly rejected and threatened. He is personally enraged into lashing out physically; manipulated by Barry into beating him bloody. Barry achieves a twisted interpersonal harmony, and is again rewarded for his self-punishment - this time by Fuches - with an outstretched, sympathetic hand.
Succession: Chiantishire (2021)
Pets in cages
"He never saw anything he loved that he didn't want to kick, just to see if it would still come back." Logan treats those who trust him as pets in cages to be used at his convenience, and his power over others is so absolute that most of the other major characters (with the exception of Roman somehow) learned to treat people the same way out of survival. With the finale in hindsight it's clear this season is very much about that cycle of trauma and abuse. Reclaiming some control in your own life to these people means having power over others, and we see: Caroline make Shiv second guess herself into the biggest life decision you can make; Connor pressure Willa into giving up her life for him; Logan casually crush Kendall's spirit into dust; Shiv taunt Tom to his face about being trapped in a loveless marriage. All these people are trapped in Logan's web and have to choose between subservience or war, but Logan's the only one with an army.
Succession: All the Bells Say (2021)
Perfection
Tied up every emotional arc in the most satisfying way possible. The siblings unite for real. Kendall is reborn. Roman gets a grip. Shiv gets what she deserves and has to live with the consequences of her actions ruining her brothers too. TOM AND GREG ASCEND. Connor continues finding himself in very Connor situations and just rolling with it. The most satisfying television finale I've ever seen maybe.
Succession: Return (2019)
Emotional terrorism
IMO this episode above all others demonstrates the depths of evil that Logan's capable of and pushes his character yet further into "irredeemable monster" territory albeit in more subtle ways than usual. The Roy children have their trauma weaponized against them and oh my god how is Kendall not in a psych ward after this.
Succession: What It Takes (2021)
Succession's first stinker
It's like this one had a whole different writing staff who all spend too much time on Twitter. Boring, melodramatic, shallow, redundant episode. Hopefully an isolated incident rather than the beginning of a decline.