"Succession": Final Thoughts

"Succession" pointed the way toward its own conclusion; it has been pointing for a few seasons.

The show seemed to suggest that Roman was headed toward some kind of death; we saw him throwing himself in front of an angry crowd, and we saw him amping up his nihilistic language ("Dad, you're a monster," "nothing matters," "forcing the election of a fascist is just an act of producing good TV"). Roman didn't literally die, but his final scripted moments--"we're bullshit, we're clowns"--seemed like a kind of *spiritual* self-annihilation.

The relentless backstabbing between Shiv and Kendall ("you're dirt," "you're unwell") seemed to be building toward a final betrayal. The actual betrayal was a delight; it led to one of the best lines this season ("I love you, but I can't stomach you"). Also, this scene had the most startling moment in a long while, I think; it's the moment when Kendall tries to pretend his story about the dead waiter was just a work of fiction. This is clearly a reference to Logan's own monstrousness; Logan famously said that a cater-waiter is essentially a "non-person."

I felt strongly that Jesse Armstrong would not answer the surface-level "who will win Waystar" question, or that he wouldn't dwell on the answer (because the question didn't matter all that much). We do get an answer of sorts: Tom gets the power. However, we're told that Tom will simply be a mouthpiece--and, in fact, it isn't clear how decisions will occur. Maybe Tom will make a few? Maybe Lukas will be dictatorial? Maybe both Tom and Lukas will bow to Shiv? I don't really care, and I suspect that Jesse Armstrong doesn't really care.

I do have a nagging feeling that something was left unfinished. I think that great fiction can show people changing over time. They don't need to change *for the better*--but a little change is an interesting feature. This is what an artist can illuminate: How does Momma Rose go from tyrant to weakling? How does Lady Macbeth gain and then lose everything (including her own life)? By contrast, Kendall's loss seems so very, very small. It's a bit of a letdown.

Although "Breaking Bad" ran out of steam in its last hour, it did have the courage, over several seasons, to show a loving family in real decline. It's a long way from the birth of Holly to the knife fight in "Ozymandias." I think "Breaking Bad" is my gold standard for TV writing.

All that said, I had so much fun with the Roy family, and I'll "miss" these actors (even if they have success in other roles).

How to Host a Baby

-You have assumed responsibility for a mewling, puking ball of life, a yellow-lab pup. He will spit his half-digested kibble all over your shoes, all over your hard-cover edition of Jennifer Haigh's novel Faith . He will eat your tables, your chairs, your "I {Heart] Montessori" magnet, placed too low on the fridge. When you try to watch Bette Davis in Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte , on your TV, your dog will bark through the murder-prologue, for no apparent reason. He will whimper through Lena Dunham's Girls , such that you have to rewind several times to catch every nuance of Andrew Rannells's ad-libbing--and, still, you'll have a nagging suspicion you've missed something. Your dog will poop on the kitchen floor, in the hallway, between the tiny bars of his crate. He'll announce his wakefulness at 5 AM, 2 AM, or while you and another human are mid-coitus. All this, and you get outside, and it's: "Don't let him pee on my tulips!" When...

The Death of Bergoglio

It's frustrating for me to hear Bergoglio described as "the less awful pope"--because awful is still awful. I think I get fixated on ideas of purity, which can be juvenile, but putting that aside, here are some things that Bergoglio could have done and did not. (I'm quoting from a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of the Church.) He could levy the harshest penalty, excommunication, against a dozen or more of the most egregious abuse enabling church officials. (He's done this to no enablers, or predators for that matter.) He could insist that every diocese and religious order turn over every record they have about suspected and known abusers to law enforcement. Francis could order every prelate on the planet to post on his diocesan website the names of every proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting cleric. (Imagine how much safer children would be if police, prosecutors, parents and the public knew the identities of these potentially dangerous me...

Raymond Carver: "What's in Alaska?"

Outside, Mary held Jack's arm and walked with her head down. They moved slowly on the sidewalk. He listened to the scuffing sounds her shoes made. He heard the sharp and separate sound of a dog barking and above that a murmuring of very distant traffic. She raised her head. "When we get home, Jack, I want to be fucked, talked to, diverted. Divert me, Jack. I need to be diverted tonight." She tightened her hold on his arm. He could feel the dampness in that shoe. He unlocked the door and flipped the light. "Come to bed," she said. "I'm coming," he said. He went to the kitchen and drank two glasses of water. He turned off the living-room light and felt his way along the wall into the bedroom. "Jack!" she yelled. "Jack!" "Jesus Christ, it's me!" he said. "I'm trying to get the light on." He found the lamp, and she sat up in bed. Her eyes were bright. He pulled the stem on the alarm and b...

Liars and Saints

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