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Welcome to the 23rd TV Tuesday!
Perry Mason has picked up a lot. I’ll be writing about that later, don’t you worry.
In addition, I’m watching Season 4 of Succession. I also started Love & Death, which seems to be HBO’s version of Hulu’s Candy. Maybe it’s the bumpkin in me, but I liked Candy way more. Then again, it’s not really fair to compare the two since I extra already know the story going in. Hell, even the title Candy is so much more interesting than Love & Death, which makes it sound like a particularly trite true crime series.
I also found Jessica Biel in Candy way more compelling than Elizabeth Olsen in Love & Death. Biel’s Candy is the kind of girl who’s extravagantly likable yet who I hate but I can’t decide if it’s more that she’s a bit of a psychopath or because I’m jealous. Olsen in similarly gorgeous, but plays it more “bored pampered housewife in search of adventure.” Neither are particularly relatable, but the former is far more interesting.
Also, Hulu’s sets and costumes do a much better job representing the aesthetic crimes against nature regularly committed in the 1980s.
Anyway, back to Succession.
I’m going to watch it, if for no other reason than 1. I’ve come this far and 2. People in my social milieu watch it and it’s nice to be able to discuss it with them.
Here are my main gripes with Season 4:
1. Where is the sex? I’m not saying it was ever a particularly sexy show. It never led with leg, shall we say (we probs shouldn’t but here we are). But it had its moments. Shiv and the guy working for the campaign in the car??? Hell, at least the Gerri/Roman situation had a titillating taboo. Season 4 is dry as hell and I, for one, am not particularly here for it.
2. The business stuff is boring and hard-to-follow. Is it hard-to-follow because it’s boring? Or is it boring because I have no idea what the fuck is going on? Hard to say, but it’s probably a vicious cycle. No one watches Succession for realistic M&A. In fact, very few people watch anything for realistic M&A (with the notable exception of an ex of mine). There’s no excuse for it taking up this much screen time.
3. Perhaps because we’re wasting so much screen time on boring, confusing M&A, there’s not enough time for jokes. And the few they get in are only so-so.
4. There’s not enough Gerri.
5. There’s very little Logan. I get that the show is called Succession and we’re in the final season. Logan had to go at some point, and that’s where we are. But it still sucks. Brian Cox absolutely ate. Without him, I’m hungry.
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