#roman and gerri? done. kendall and everyone? also pretty much done

[ripclaudia]

it's the season of death and dying

[loverboyromanroy]

love ur blog! i just wanted to ask what ur take is on the scene from argestes after logan hits roman and gerri says “it’s okay it played well okay.” bc i always interpreted that scene as her trying to help roman, by showing logan that he doesn’t have to be upset and trying to get him to calm down so he doesn’t lash out again. but i’ve seen some people say that she’s actually comforting logan and trying to make him feel better, so i’m interested to see where u fall on this

hi hi! thank you for the kindness and for this q!

for me, personally, i think her primary focus is diffusing the situation – kendall immediately (and rightly) becomes aggressively defensive in a way that could theoretically escalate things to more violence and marcia's response is pretty passive, not doing much to stop either of them. i think gerri steps in (literally, physically steps forward) to pull logan's focus, says it played well to appeal to his business sensibility/bring him back to reality, and to keep him from lashing out again, at roman or kendall.

i don't think the intention is to comfort logan, but rather to deescalate and keep him from doing any more damage. i also don't think her intention is solely to help roman, because it feels she would've done it regardless of which kid he hit...BUT a tiny tiny thing i love (because j is just a brilliant actor and lives in a scene so well) is that when you watch her make her move, there is a split second, before logan has given her his full attention, where she does look over at roman. once she confirms that he's okay/being attended to, that's when she really digs her heels in to calm logan down. maybe it seems like a reach, but i think THAT half a second is gerri showing her very real concern for roman, while still realizing that the most important thing for everyone in the moment is to move logan out of that situation entirely.

[shutterbug-12]

Succession S2E1 Thoughts

Some thoughts under the cut. 

Overall impression: 

Everyone was despicable, with a few exceptions (Greg, Marcia, Gerry, Willa, Kendall, that might be it?). I continue to be amazed at how fucked up all those kids are. My sympathies definitely lie primarily with Kendall, at least for now. The rest of the Roys are terrible, disgusting people--and they hardly deserve to be called people, they just lack so much humanity. Even Tom's blatant self-interest, perhaps even more obvious than ever, made my sympathies for him fall a bit. Don't get me wrong--it's an incredibly written, gorgeously shot, beautifully directed, and well-acted show. Speaking of those technical elements, it's probably the best show being made right now. But...you know, if it weren't for my sympathies for Kendall and general love of Greg and the fact that Matthew Macfadyen's gorgeous, talented self appears in it, I probably wouldn't watch it. It's so hard to watch sometimes, and I can't bring myself to root for a good 98% of the characters. I hope they get to experience some highly unpleasant consequences at some point in the series. That's probably the only thing that would make the content--the story itself--worth it for me. It's also very difficult to watch as an American, knowing what has been happening in my country and how this show portrays at least parts of that. But, hey, that being said, I'll continue to watch and wait for the Tom & Greg scenes. *grin* 

Moment by moment thoughts as I watched: 

Yeah, I like Kendall. He is, for me, the only truly sympathetic Roy. He's just the only one I actually like. I want to wrap him up in a hug. 

Great cinematography, as usual. These directors and camera-people are so fantastic.

Ah, MM you look pretty, also as usual.

First thing my son's done right in his life. OH FUCK OFF, LOGAN. Just fuck right off, you douche canoe.

Shiv wants to cut their honeymoon short? Really? *sigh*

Aw, poor Kendall riding backseat on a motorcycle.

Jesus, he just looks so uncertain.

If I didn't think Brian Cox was so amazing, I'd truly want Logan to die a slow, terrible death. Equal to all the agony he's ever caused other people.Although even if it was just the agony and misery he's caused Kendall over the years, that would probably suck enough.

IS THAT A GOLD FUCKING PLATE?!

Ha, that "I'm not a rocket scientist" line from Roman was probably the most charming he's ever been. lol

HEY GREG, BUDDY, YOU'RE HERE! Dear lord, Greg is his drug runner, lol 

At least Roman saw through Shiv's bare-faced attempt at manipulating him. "You're fucking with me." Yes, yes, Roman, for once you're right. These locations are amazing/obscene. lol

Roman and Shiv's cruelty toward Kendall is, on the one hand, astonishing, but on the other, not surprising? Whew, projecting much, Shiv? "He's a pathetic little fucking narcissist who repeatedly puts his own self-interest above everything else." Because that sounds a hell of a lot more like her and Roman, for that matter, than Kendall. Jesus. 

I...did Logan just say they'll have pizza? LOL. Good one, Logan. 

Oooh, Tom, it's kind of sad how desperately you want in. Asking a million questions all the time.

OMG they're actually having pizza. PLEASE TELL ME THEY EAT IT WITH A FORK AND KNIFE. 

It's so sad that, at the idea of "speaking freely" Shiv immediately finds open communication suspect. It's not her fault--this is the environment she's lived in her whole life. But the way Logan has warped his kids and how they perceive, well, everything, is so fucking awful. He's made them such shitty, distrustful people. 

Again, Kendall is by far the best Roy. He can sometimes be...you know, a human being. Of course, he immediately gets blasted for it, but at least it's there.  

Memory lane is illuminating and I hope we get to take more walks on it. 

Oh god. Tom is talking. Tom is weighing in. This is not going to go well. Ugh, Tom, please kiss more ass. So painful. Oof. 

Stop the press! Roman spoke a genuine statement to Logan. "I'm really scared of you." 

Dear wardrobe designers, please stop putting Tom in tan/beige. Good lord, that is such an awful sweater. 

Is Tom...did he just suggest HE could be a possibility for CEO. THAT was the funniest joke in the episode so far. Woooooow. 

I sometimes can't quite get over how toxic this whole family is. 

Damn, seriously, Logan fucked up his kids so much. Shiv’s inability to believe her own father is speaking openly and not fucking with her is...really quite sad. It’s also sad that the behavior is ingrained in her so much that she does the same thing as naturally to other people as breathing, but ugh, sad that she ended up so fucked up. 

Oh, Tom. My sympathy for you is dropping. He really can't ask about anything but himself as soon as Shiv is out of that pow wow with Dad. 

If you're disgusted by how Logan treated the contractor...that's basically what Trump did to contractors. Except without...the raccoons. 

Well, the fight begin I guess.