Emmy Episodes: Succession

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the fourth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Succession: Season 1, Episode 7 “Austerlitz” (B)

It’s possible this show is growing on me, against my expectations. I still find most of the characters completely detestable, but there is something undeniably rewarding about watching the explosion of tension in this family when they’re confined to small spaces together. I didn’t remember seeing much of Connor, the oldest son who doesn’t appear to be actively involved in the business, and he possesses many of the same traits as his father and siblings, susceptible to the same hang-ups about how his father can’t even stop working for five minutes during a therapy session. I thought I recognized Griffin Dunne as the therapist, a role that he also memorably played a few years ago in “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll,” though he survived that much better with all his teeth intact. Shiv seemed not to care if Tom was speaking to Logan, and he barely even reacted to Logan chewing her out and saying in front of him that she was marrying fathoms beneath her. Working with Eric Bogosian’s candidate should be an interesting direction for the rejected daughter. Marcy sitting out with Tom and Willa was intriguing, and it’s hard to know what she possibly hoped to accomplish with her story of the prostitute who died. Without knowing much of his backstory, I could gather that Kendall shouldn’t be drinking, and he dove headfirst into as many drugs as possible, with the seemingly less responsible Roman showing up to be the adult and drive him to the ranch for one final intense confrontation in this contentious hour.