The year is 2017. The New York Times has just released a piece regarding film industry mogul Harvey Weinstein, detailing dozens upon dozens of sexual harassment and assault cases in which women working directly under or vying for a position in Weinstein’s company were coerced or forced into sexual acts in order to keep or gain their place. Promptly imprisoned and dismissed from his production company, Weinstein’s case ushered in a new era of not only Hollywood but the American workplace. One where those in power were not obliged to keep it on the basis of historical dominance, and one that was sure to make corporations globally check for, or throw out the century-old skeletons in their closet. Corruption can’t hide forever, so it seems.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Mixing Work with Family
Warner Bros.HBO
Fast-forward a year, to the premiere of the HBO drama Succession. The series skewers extreme wealth as it follows the Roy family, resident oligarchs presiding over WayStar Co., one of the biggest media conglomerates in the world (the evil fictional corporation equivalent of the Murdoch family). When Logan, the patriarch and CEO, surprises his familial and professional colleagues with the announcement that he will not be stepping down at his 80th birthday celebration, all hell breaks loose as we see a fight for power amongst blood-relatives test and break filial bonds.
Logan’s son Kendall then attempts a vote of no confidence in order to enact his removal, which is not seen through. Things later spiral after a relapse from Kendall, witnessed by his own father, which leads to looming blackmail over the murder of a waiter due to an intoxicated Kendall behind the wheel. Lies and corruption pollute a transfer of power all headed by sexual assault scandals pertaining to Logan, making their way into the light and leaving investors and those with the reins unsure of where to lead the horse.
Succession and the Corruption of Capitalism
Logan’s case, and subsequently Weinstein’s, are indicative of intrinsic flaws highlighted by the way Americans view their relationship with the holders of the national narrative. Much like Weinstein’s scandal and the following Me Too movement, the Roys seem to indicate a dilapidated and untrustworthy view of those who spearhead large corporations such as these. The new decade has probably seen the greatest turnover in the Forbes directory, more often than not for less than naturalistic reasons. Scandals, rumors of assault in varying degrees, and overall corruption headline what can only be described as a decade of disarray in the current economic landscape.
So then, how do the perpetrators of such brokenness respond to allegations of their own wrongdoing? For the Roy family, the response may be more understanding, albeit equally selfish. When Logan’s scandals and past transgressions begin to see the light of day, his children all seem to garner a different viewpoint on what the reaction should be. For Kendall, the answer is found in further attempting to remove his father from the company and taking an apologetic stance on the matter to begin what he sees as the new golden age of entertainment, or rather what could be. Kendall’s on-screen psyche visualizes the unbridled contempt for those stuck in the past, and a bloodthirst for progress and validation. Essentially shooing away the old guard with a broom handle, Kendall represents an archetype of extremism in ethics, regardless of one’s own sins.
Roman Roy: Seeking Comfort in Hell
Logan’s middle child, Roman (hilariously played by Kieran Culkin), has a less pronounced stance on scandal than he does in his own temperament. Roman acts as an eternal loose cannon throughout the series, with responsibilities often wavered in favor of the vice of the week. As evidenced throughout the series, Roman’s main goal is the acceptance from his father he sees his siblings so easily garner. Hints are dropped throughout, and we’re led to believe that the brunt of Logan’s outbursts toward his family were put on Roman. Behind a veil of deviance and drugs, Roman Roy is simply a young man vying for his fathers’ attention, reflecting the fact that many elites in the corporate environment are simply men with serious Daddy issues.
When Kendall proposes the idea of filing suit against their father, effectively seeing his leave from WayStar, Roman is the first to express opposition. Regardless of treatment, Roman chooses to run home to Daddy time after time, simply due to the sense of comfort it no doubt gives. For Roman, the biggest victim and smallest benefactor of his father’s transgressions, being static is more optimal than turning the tables on everything previously known.
Shiv Roy: A Snake in the Grass
Shiv, Logan’s daughter, presents an interesting angle on capitalistic nature in a late capitalist world. The epitome of the word ‘girlboss,’ Shiv is shown to have her head much more securely attached to her shoulders than her brothers. Her entire narrative existence in the first two seasons is there to display an ambition due to neglect. When her father refuses to see her qualities utilized in his company, she chooses to pursue a career in politics, hopefully combating economic corruption. As the show inches on, Logan’s CEO seat becomes more unstable, and suddenly Shiv does not seem all that interested in climbing that ladder by the book. She tries to oust her competitors in the name of feminism, a bulletproof guise smeared in the name of power.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It’s a statement that’s rung true for millennia and yet somehow hasn’t managed to ring loud enough in the last decade. Late capitalist America has seen the turnover of leaders corrupted by said power unseen in American history, and the internet shows no sign of slowing down on its witch hunt of executives and board members.
For the Roy family, absolute power hits a lot closer to home when the ones you’re supposed to love show the same lack of remorse toward their own blood as so many executives have for the supposed dregs in their way. Family makes everything stickier, even the death of the American Dream. The Roy children seem to each highlight a different facet of response to these notions, and their character highlights a different flaw in the mindset this scale of power entails. Never mix work and family, right?
