![]() ![]() Primarily, vibe-based memes are all about trying to place a finger on the pulse or making fun of those who are. Memes have dealt extensively in vibes for the past few years, getting them down to a fine yet inconsistent art. It’s no surprise then that when the internet caught wind of the media’s latest signal of cultural change – the now-immortal Vibe Shift – it knew exactly how to react. While they might not always be a form of propaganda, they can be all but guaranteed to set the mood. Memes are one of the mediums that tend to disavow this. Love and belief hold the least amount of value, the least amount of capital, and, after this week’s episode there is no way to unsee that big picture that now.The ability to separate fact and feeling in communication is a skill that some forms of communication are better at than others. Kendall loves his daughter, Roman loves his siblings and Shiv cares about democracy - so what? In the Roys’ world where wealth and influence speak for power. Their capacity for love, empathy, or progressive beliefs is trumped by their desire to keep places of power in an institution that stands for none of those things. There is no abuse from Logan to distract from what the Roys have chosen to do. What the Roy siblings have personally suffered or even believe as individuals is irrelevant to the harm brought by the institution they have fought to rule. With ‘America Decides,’ Jesse Armstrong presents this context with ruthless efficiency and harrowing accuracy. More likely, he meant that ‘America Decides’ would be the ultimate mask off moment for the Roy siblings. Was it a misdirection to avoid spoiling Logan’s death in Episode 3? Perhaps. Despite being touted as the sibling with the most empathy by Time magazine, Roman’s privilege and lust for power sees him abandon it altogether when it does not suit his interests.įans are questioning why creator Jesse Armstrong teased ‘America Decides’ as the most “shocking,” episode of the series. ![]() For Roman, illegally electing a president is “a good night of television,” securing a business interest and making a powerful friend. Turns Out 'Succession' Was A Documentary This Whole Time For all Shiv’s political posturing against her father and now her brother’s choices, she still chooses to stay in the room and fight for a seat at the table. Each of these reasons boils down to them wishing to maintain their personal wealth and influence, despite each of them being aware of the legal and social ramifications for both them and the country with a fascist in the top job.įor Shiv, even misogyny from her brothers and the threat of a patriarchal fascist state is not enough to make her forgo her chance of power at Waystar. Roman, Shiv and Kendall each have their own reasons for backing Mencken by the episode’s end. Through the Roy-owned conservative news network, Fox News - I mean, Sky News - I mean, ATN, the siblings conspire to call the election result early despite a substantial number of votes being lost in a fire. In the most recent episode, Shiv, Kendall and Roman become complicit in unlawfully influencing the process of a federal election to install fascist candidate and Waystar ally Jeryd Mencken as president. The reality of who the Roys are, not in relativity to their father but as people, is what remains. Their father’s ruthless apathy allowed the siblings to position themselves as “better” than their father. Out from under Logan’s influence, the Roy siblings are finally without an antagonist and the audience is without a focal point for Waystar’s wrongdoings. With Logan’s death in Season 4, however, the source of much of our sympathy for the Roy siblings died with him. Their status as perpetrators of abuse was often complicated by their overwhelming personal reality as victims of their father. ![]() Even when Kendall’s recklessness leads to the death of a waiter at Shiv’s wedding, its Logan blackmailing Kendall over it that focuses the tragedy.īut small insights into the siblings’ true natures have always been part of the series – from Shiv’s adultery to Roman’s bullying and serial sexual harassment, and Kendall’s relentless, self-serving scheming. However, it’s framed carefully inside the sibling’s thankless battle for their father’s approval, cushioned by the sympathy we feel for that plight. Our view is of the ladder, not what lies at the top.Įpisodes like Season 3’s ‘What It Takes’, in which Roman and Shiv compete over who can choose the best presidential candidate for their father and Waystar to back, offer glimpses at the extent of the Roys’ malign influence on the world. It remains one of the greatest betrayals in television, but it is also, strategically, a very myopic series of events. Now, I am not about to lie and tell you I was not devastated to witness the siblings manage fleeting unity only for Logan to find another way to break them. ![]()
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