Liars and Saints

  The newest episode of "Succession" plays with ideas about journalism. For Roman, news should be about pretty talking heads; CNN won't suffice because the news anchors are paunchy and balding. For Kerry, CNN cameras are just a fun, shiny toy; having never shown an interest in journalism, Kerry suddenly decides that "the desk" may be a ticket to stardom. (Kerry's shallowness is on display when she giggles during coverage of a hurricane. Greg--wonderfully--dismisses Kerry when he says, "The focus group thinks you have some work to do. Nothing major. Just some practice....over a course of...a few...years....What did the group object to? It's small. It's fixable. It's....for example....your arms.") Logan understands what news actually is. Logan screams the truth at his troops: "You are failing. Revenues are up 15 percent. Expenditures are up by 40. Does 15 equal 40? Who can let me know? ....You must be pirates. Find the open secrets--...

 I'm watching TV that makes me feel very little; "UnPrisoned" is too much like a sitcom, and "Lucky Hank" doesn't have a plot. So it's a relief to reacquaint myself with "Succession." Like the writer Elizabeth McCracken, I am deeply suspicious of anything called "heartwarming." You couldn't pay me to watch "Ted Lasso," and the recent "Shrinking" interview on "Fresh Air" sort of left me cold. And so I think that the bleakness and raunchiness of "Succession" is exhilarating. Just to recap: *A father wants his estranged children ("the rats") to make a "happy birthday" call. So he has his preteen "assistant and friend" make a lobbying effort. The rats say, "He needs to place the call." The friend says: "I think a text could be arranged." One rat says, "No deal. Thanks for taking his cock out of your mouth so you could chat with us...." ...

A new study of domestic violence, "No Visible Bruises," proves, beyond doubt, that one of the most dangerous spots in America (for a woman) is a woman's own home. Edward St. Aubyn--born into enormous privilege--was raped by his father and abandoned by his mother, and he became an addict before he could drive. In "The Crown," we see, again and again, brutality among the Windsors: parents silencing their children, siblings throwing one another to the wolves. It's in this tradition that "Succession," on HBO, seems to operate. People say it's unwatchable because the characters are so despicable--but I think despicable characters are fine. What's unacceptable is a *boring* character. Also, I think it's important for a writer to have compassion for his characters--awful though they may be--and it seems that someone running "Succession" *does* feel something for these lizard-people. We can sort of understand why the g...