WhenGame of Thronesconcluded in 2019, many prestige TV fans were not aware that the next legendary, must-watch HBO series was already one season in.Successionbegan airing in 2018 and had a quiet but critically acclaimed first season. While it took some time for the series to catch on among a wider audience, Season 1 started strong and quickly drew in new viewers, many of whom had gone back to the beginning to catch up before the release of the third season in 2021.
The Season 1 episode that crystallized how major this show would be, the one that cemented its status as must-watch TV for those who were already on board and ensured that later viewers would stay hooked, was “Which Side Are You On?“The sixth episode of the show’s freshman season follows Kendall Roy (portrayed in all his intensely moody glory byJeremy Strong) making a move to potentially oust his father, Logan, the dismissive and intimidating patriarch played byBrian Cox, from their family-owned media company.The episode remains one of the series' best and a real linchpin moment for the showthat would consistently prove to be one of the most riveting dramas of the 21st century.
Succession
The Roy family is known for controlling the biggest media and entertainment company in the world. However, their world changes when their father steps down from the company.
Kendall’s Failed Vote of No Confidence Is a Major Turning Point in ‘Succession’
While Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) moves toward backing a political rival of her father’s in a forthcoming presidential campaign, and the favorite duoTom (Matthew Macfadyen) and Greg (Nicholas Braun)celebrate their cover-up of the disturbing cruise misconduct scandal,the bulk of “Which Side Are You On?” is devoted to the battle between Logan and Kendall for control of Waystar Royco. Logan has regained control after a series of significant and worrying health issues, which led to a rapid physical and mental decline, so Kendall, in an effort to prove himself to his father while also taking a shot at him, organizes an effort to replace him.
After flying, driving, and calling around to get as many board members on his side as possible,Kendall races toward the climactic meeting where a vote of no confidence is sprung on Logan. In other words, the board must decide whether they feel Logan is fit to continue running the company. In reality, a meeting of this kind would not be able to happen with Logan present, and he certainly would not be able to intervene, as is mentioned numerous times by Frank, the Chief Operating Officer of Waystar (Peter Friedman).
This episode marks a major turning point for the show, as Logan swiftly, and with questionable legality, wrangleshis other son Roman (Kieran Culkin)into voting in his favor, rejects the motion, and fires the half of the board that went against him, including Kendall. The season mounts slowly toward this plot point, andin a matter of minutes, Logan brutally takes back any semblance of control Kendall thinks he has over the situation. From here on out, it is clear thatSuccessionwill be nothing short of riveting.
The true success of this show is thatit manages to turn something that seems inherently uncinematic into heart-pounding drama. Credit is due to the writers and directors for crafting such a rich and compelling story from the confines of boardrooms full of suits. In this case,Susan Soon He Stanton, who penned the script, andAndrij Parekh, who directed, combined with the gravitas of the performers on-screen, make this episode one of the show’s best even afterthe major heights of the final season. Kendall’s sobering reaction to his loss is one of Strong’s best-acted moments, and Logan’s furious response, delivered by Cox, is terrifying. The closing sequence sees Kendall dejected and depressed, at the first of one of his many low, low points, standing isolated in the streets of NYC after seemingly having lost everything.
“Which Side Are You On?” Sets the Stage for the Tragic Tailspin of the Roy Family
The best elevator pitch forSuccessionis that it is a Shakespearean tragedy transposed to the NYC high rises instead of the castles of Europe. The series is about a lot of things, but ultimately,the painstaking, surgical examination of the abuses and trauma that underline every relationship in the Roy familyis central. Logan is framed as a monstrous figure, both in his professional life and in how he has chosen to raise his kids. One of the most important questions echoing throughout the show is simply whether he truly loves the Roy children.Cox believes the answer is yes, and that reading certainly emphasizes just how broken all of these people are. Their ideas of how to express and receive love are warped by their complicated family dynamic, both past and present.
Kendall’s confusion about the love and the fear he feels for his father leads him down a self-destructive path thatslowly unravels throughout the entire series. This tragic path really began the day Kendall was born, but it crystallizes forSuccessionviewers in this episode, whenhe takes his first major loss at the hand of his own father, after a misguided but earnest attempt to both defeat and impress Logan. This constant striving to prove himself to Logan, a person who fundamentally cannot take his own children seriously, makes for one of the most interesting dynamics, not only in this show but in any series over the last several years.
The climactic board meeting in “Which Side Are You On?” clears all the game pieces off the board, revealing thatSuccessionwas never going to be a chess match, but a knife fight.Kendall and Logan are destined to be at each other’s throats from here on out, andthe stakes are fully established after this brilliant episode. The series was already starting strong, but this was the moment that lockedSuccessionin as the titanic work of fiction that would become an obsession for so many of us over the coming years.
