[Pilot] Succession
So there's this new HBO show called Succession. I just watched the first episode and thought I might write down some thoughts and see what others think.
It's the story of a rich family that controls a big media conglomerate. The father and head of the company is planning to retire soon and the children want to know what's in it for them.
It is definitely up to HBO standards, beautifully shot and nice score. I really liked the zoom bursts.
There's a lot of shade, bottled up anger and potential double crossing. In a superficially calm ocean of relationships there's constant tension between the characters. It's a family feud about power grabbing and power abusing, touching on privilege and values, with some awkwardness mixed. Characters don't leave you indifferent and after just one episode you already have a pretty good idea of what kind of persons they are, and whether you like them or not.
I'd give the pilot a 8/10 and I'll definitely keep watching. Recommended.
Anyone else watched it? Impressions?
Full disclosure: I'm not a huge fan of Adam McKay's films and I don't care for his style. Also, unlike you, I especially dislike the zoom bursts.
That being said, I didn't hate this pilot. I thought they did a great job establishing all the characters and letting you know the stakes and the engine that will drive the series forward... I'm just not sure how much I really care about these particular characters. If Brian Cox remains a central character (no spoilers here) with a fair amount of screen time then I'll probably make it through the first season. If not, meh... not so sure.
Seems like HBO wanted their own Billions or something in the rich-white-people genre.
Not quite up to the level I expect from HBO, but way better than their most recent debacle with Alan Ball's Here and Now.
And I will say that if you're someone who enjoys McKay's films (especially The Big Short) I think you'll really like this show.
Fair enough. And thanks for the comment, I wanted to get someone else's perspective.
To be honest, I didn't even check who McKay was or who did what in the show. I don't even know any of the actors I think (but I guess some of them are know to Americans at least).
I agree, but I'd argue that, at least for me, the pilot doesn't necessary need to make you care about the characters, but just lay down the general landscape and chearlte enough momentum. I might lose interest as well, but as pilots go, I think it was pretty good.
I enjoy Billions, but I don't like Sorking that much. I watch it, and I enjoy it, but I kind of hate it as well. I watched The Newsroom and The West Wing and while I appreciate them in a lot of ways, I also can't stand the smartassness of most of the characters and the cleverer-than-thou dialogue. So this is more in my line in that respect.
Here and Now... I had so many expectations. I was hoping it would take off, but it seems the moral high horse overtone killed it...