Cinepals - SUCCESSION 4x7 "Tailgate Party" Reaction & Review!

Episode Date: March 8, 2024

Jaby Koay and Achara Kirk watch Season 4 episode 7 of HBO Max 'Succession.' Stunning performances all around from Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong, Matthew Macfadyen and Nicholas Braun.    You can see our cutdown reaction on https://www.YouTube.com/@Cinepals or join our Patreon for access to the uncut reaction https://www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay   Social Media ~JABY KOAY~ Instagram: @TheCinepals, @JabyKoay   ~ACHARA KIRK~ Twitter & Instagram: @AcharaKirk 

Sinha. Pals. What's going on, everybody? I am Jabby Kauai, joined by Achara Kirk. What's up? And we are continuing forward with this expletive show. Succession, we are watching Episode 7, Tailgate Party. That's what we're watching. Here we go. I like to think that God does this on purpose. Men and women just communicate differently. Why, God, why? I like to think it's deliberate because if it was easy, it would get boring. You need these hurdles. down so that you can appreciate the good. You have to have the bed to appreciate the good. If you and I have a conflict, right, and then you go and talk to your gal pals, it seems easy to get

you. Bing, bang, boom, done. What a dick. If I go and talk to my guy friends, usually I understand what I'm saying, right? And so with the interaction in the heteronormative situation, like, how is there a conflict sometimes? It's just, you would think that two mature individuals who have lived on the planet long enough are able to communicate their thoughts and feelings in such a way that is clear and both people will receive and deliver. Why is it so hard? There's a reason why Friends was able to sustain this dynamic of tension between Ross and Rachel for six years. I know it was 10 season, but there was like six years before they got back together.

So what I'm trying to say is, like, that's real. It's difficult to talk sometimes. And why? Why is it so hard? Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you persist? It's so frustrating. It's like triggering because it's so real.

I've seen that in real life in here. and out there a lot. And I'm like, why? Why is it so hard? Because there's so much that, like, is underneath the surface, right? There's so much that hasn't properly been addressed. And maybe even if it has been addressed, it hasn't been resolved in here.

When they're laying their cards on the table like that, when they're bringing all their grievances. And it's like, oh, okay, you said this thing? Yeah, well, you betrayed me. Well, maybe you shouldn't have married me anyway. and this, that, and the other, and everything comes out, and it's just, like, ugly and messy and gross and uncomfortable, and then it's like, well, where do we go from here?

Is there reconciliation, or are we like, now we're done? The other day, the guy who played Gallum, what is, Andy Circus? He was in an interview with Tom Holland on one of those things where they take off the sticker to reveal the question. Andy Circus said he'd been married 20-some plus years and never had a fight with his wife. I'm like, well, that seems odd. Is she, like, a mute? Like, how is it possible?

The only thing I didn't like about that scene work was the distance they kept the entire time They were on opposite sides of the balcony The entire time That's the only thing I didn't like Why would they want to come close to each other In that moment? Because even in real life

I'd get into bitch's face I don't know If you're coming at me If I'm feeling that way towards you I don't want to stand next to you I don't want to be close to you Let me see that Like stay the F away from me

Let me see that Otherwise I might push you off the balcony Okay. I think men tend to gorilla it up. You ever see the freak out behind the scenes of IHeart Huckabees with the directors like going around the set, just yelling expletives repeatedly, repetitiously? Yeah. You know what I'm saying? He's just like throwing things. It's like what a guy has to do because he's a gorilla inside. It's like it's part of our DNA, right? Maybe it's just not in Tom's DNA. That's what I'm thinking. Fine. Then she should be doing it. One of them's got to be the masculine. And one of them has to be like, yo, back off. You know what I mean? I don't think so. I'm going to- disagreeing with me, I'm going to disagree with you on this one.

I don't think it's necessary. It was just boring. It was boring in terms of the- Really? In terms of the blocking. Oh, okay. The dialogue, let me finish. The dialogue was interesting.

The fact that it was happening outside of the party was interesting. The fact that all this stuff was coming to the surface was interesting. I liked all of that the ideas and the execution and the acting for the most part. I just didn't like the blocking. I thought the blocking was boring. There's such so much space you can do stuff with. then you just did nothing with it. It was just boring to watch.

Especially considering all the things we've seen up to this point, I was like, yo, you could have done way more with that. I think that everything else that was happening in the scene made it feel dynamic with all of the dialogue and everything that was coming to light and the jabs that they were taking at each other verbally and emotionally that, like, I didn't really need to then also have it reflected physically as well. If you look at it in terms of like a scale of one to ten, right?

Yeah. It starts out like at a, let's say, three. And he's like, I'm tired, I'm tired. And she's got this thing. She's just, she's worried. And what she's looking for is a fucking hug. And he's not giving it to her because he's in his own feelings. They're both quite selfish in that moment.

Exactly. And it's exactly what he, well, he said that she's selfish. I'm not done. And so what happens is very quickly it goes up to a nine, ten. And it just stays there for like the whole scene. It's just there the whole time, which granted is realistic. But because it lacks Hills and Valley is because, because it's not this, like, slope, you know, to get to there.

Most of this scene is just reverse, reverse of them at a 10 at each other. And maybe that's what we needed. I mean, I thought it kind of gradually crescendoed up to a 10. It crescendoed from a fucking 9.2 to a 10. I mean, it was basically up there the whole time. In my humble, unexperienced opinion with this kind of stuff, right? I mean, my experience is quite limited. The acting was still strong.

I mean, it sounds like I'm totally taking your shit on this incredible scene work, this incredible acting, right? Yeah, acting was brilliant. I, 100%, but I just wish they did more with the blocking. Okay, that's it. I hear you, I hear you. I feel strongly about this guy. Okay, I'm also passionately frustrated with the situation

because it's like a Ross and Rachel kind of thing. Like, y'all just worked it out. And now he's like yelling at her 18 pages front and back. Like, come on. Like, he just worked it out. I mean, it's realistic, though. He's tired. The load up, if you want to use acting terminology, right, the moment before.

He's at this party, which he's at this party, which he's. is hosting and basically everyone is shit-talking him and he's tired like wouldn't you feel grumpy i i don't know if i'd be able to handle it although i i don't think i would have kicked everyone out i probably you're asking me the question as if i wouldn't as if i disagree with you i agree with you 100% well yeah so it makes sense the way he reacted like like because they there's so much stuff going on that they they just come out there and they maybe they both just want to vent or in Shiv's case, she really wants to vent. And it's like, no, okay, as my wife, you're not being supportive towards me.

And then she's like, wait, as my husband or a friend or anyone, you're not being supportive towards me. And so they just kind of butt heads because they want something different in the situation. And then all of the underlying stuff just comes out and it escalates and explodes and makes this explosive scene that we just watched. It's like two actors dating. You know, it's like, because the highs are, or high, and the lows are low. And the parts where they don't get each other is really bad.

Yeah. The parts where they do get each other is amazing. That's crazy. It's crazy town. The reason why they're angry at each other is for the same exact reason. And only us with the omnipotent viewpoint as the audience, can we see that? Right. But, like, they're both angry at each other for being selfish and not hearing the other person.

She thinks highly of herself, so you don't deserve me. That's like, that's a good thing. I don't know, you know. Like, maybe it's nice to have some high self-esteem. I was half expecting her to just come out and say, you know, by the way, I'm pregnant. I know. Me too. Like, what's going on with that one?

Maybe it is just one of those things that you said several episodes ago where you're like, maybe this will never come back. Maybe. No, I will. In the last episode. You think so? I think that's how you end it. She was genuinely, like, really hurt.

Good. If any time, if a man says that to a woman. I feel like that's probably one of the worst things that you could say. You'd be a terrible mother. Is that you'd be a terrible mother? Some people need to hear it. Some people need to hear you'd be a terrible pops. You'd be a terrible mom.

It hurts though. Even if it's true, you know, it hurts, especially if... Well, the question is, like, why do you feel that way? What makes you say such awful things? Well, here's why. I mean, the first thing to do is ask a question. I understand you can't do that in the heat of the moment. Yeah.

Like, long term... I mean, he was like, here's my... ace card, boom, you'd be a terrible mom. And she's like, you don't even know I'm carrying your child. The only reason, the only reason that hurts her as much as it does is because she's pregnant. Probably. And she's dealing with something that must be akin to whatever her mother experienced. Yeah.

You know, having children and all that. And so the moment where they're all saying, you know, screw Tom as he's going to bed, it felt familiar, like kind of had that sort of vibe earlier somewhere in the show. It might have been around the time that Kendall was going to supposedly go to jail. Like, I forget where, well, Tom at some point was going to go to jail. Like, that was a real fear for him. Between the two of them, I'm on Tom's side. I know you are.

Yeah, between the two of them. With the bedroom scene in the last episode where he's like, look, you know, I like my watch. I like my clothes. And that is a factor, but I love you. These things are not mutually exclusive. They're both true at the same time. And I'm like, okay, he's being honest. Like, that's the most honest I've seen him.

The show reminds you that these people are awful because, like, there was the scene where they were firing all these underlings, for lack of a better word, these employees. And he's on the side doing the boo-hoo thing. And I'm like, this is exactly why, fuck all of you, you know, because you're all awful. Yeah. This is exactly why it's so hard to have empathy for you people because of that behavior right there. And at this point, even Greg, you know, like he has become influenced by hanging out with these people. No. You know?

No. He's always been this person. He's always been that guy. But, like, he's so much worse now, I feel. Oh, yeah, that's true. But he's always been that guy, though. Okay, fine. Maybe I'm wrong.

But, um, yeah, you're right. You're not wrong. I'd say that we're both right. Like, he, he's always been that guy and he's gotten worse. He has gotten worse. He's gotten a lot worse. He's like a, he's like a, he's a mini Tom now. You know, he's sucking up to everyone and he's just kind of insufferable.

But I, I mean, I like him still because he's fun, do you know what I mean? Like, he's fun to watch. Yeah. He's entertaining with his just awkwardness. So, like, I always enjoy when Greg pops up on the screen, even though I'm like, Greg, go away. Do you know what I mean? Because he's like that annoying younger brother that secretly you love.

Sure. The revelation of the numbers being fake, it was fascinating to hear that information about India. Yeah. Because I'm like, oh, that makes so much more sense of the previous. episode now like why is you so desperate to acquire this company he's trying to clean himself up exactly he's trying to get himself out of a precarious situation yeah everything is just kind of precarious right now like it's scary for for everyone and then now you know shiv is freaking out because she's like oh dang did i choose the wrong side again there is no loyalty like for a second we thought that oh

here was some unity between the siblings and then at the end of the episode Kendall's like So we're having this like private conversation and also I'm not sure about my siblings now and I don't think I want them to be a part of this. His brother messed up when his brother Naysay to him. The interesting thing here is, you know, going back to just the philosophy that all these characters share, everyone's just trying to survive, right? Or thrive in their own selfish way. But the more fascinating thing, I suppose, is that especially between these two companies, one of them has a burning ship and they see another thing they think is safety. But really, they both have burning ships. Yeah.

You know what I mean? Exactly. They both have planes that are set to crash. That's the fascinating thing. It's like, if we just throw enough money at this, if we just buy this, we can just, you know. Well, Waystar has an absurd level of debt. And the Swedish company has fake numbers. They're both bad.

Why would you even want to buy that company at that point? I don't understand business. The cool thing about the show is that even though there's a lot of stuff going on that maybe goes over my head, because, you know, I didn't study business in school. I didn't study economics. This isn't something that I'm, like, generally very interested in. They've written it in such a way that you can kind of wrap your head around it and get into it. There are instances where it goes over my head.

I mean, it has a got a very, I mean, it's funny talking about him earlier, but it's got a very, I guess, Aaron Sorkin kind of vibe where a lot of words and stuff are being thrown. I'm like, okay, it's a good 20% of this that I'm not fully understanding, but I understand that the characters understand it, and I have to make that good enough for me so I can keep moving forward here. That definitely happens.

It's that the only thing is, and it's not necessarily a criticism against the show, but I will say that when I'm watching Aaron Sorkin, I feel less confused, even though I don't know what's being said sometimes. There's jargon being thrown back in full. in an errant sorkan story and i'm like still on board somehow even though i don't know what that means um whereas here there are instances where they're throwing dragon back and forth i'm like well i'm just going to accept the fact that i don't know what's happening for this minute and then

it'll connect eventually i'm sure yeah like talking about connections though it was fun to have nate back as well after having him be gone for a while it's like you know like they just bring stuff back and it's like oh yeah remember that guy and there's like so much history there, like as soon as he steps in the room and then watching the effect that that has on Tom where he's trying to be okay, he's like, yeah, yeah, I'm cool, I'm fine, I'm fine with it, yeah, it's fine, you've got to do what you got to do. Nate shows up and he's immediately just like trying to alpha him and like give him the crappy wine that he's been trying to pedal for the whole night and then like he's just so visibly distraught and upset that he's there,

but there's nothing he can do about it. Well, I mean, well, the thing with Tom is he wears his heart on his sleeve. He can't. Yeah, he's not good at. He doesn't have a poker face. Yeah. Shib's got a pretty good poker face, though, because all things considered, like, her brothers don't seem to know that she's playing for the opposite team right now, but I guess it's only a matter of time. She's not playing for the opposite team.

She's playing both teams. Sure. She's always straddling the fence. Yeah, that's very shiv. But that's what a lot of people are doing in this show. Like everyone doing the same move. That's the crazy part. The only one who doesn't seem to be straddling the fence is Roman.

He seems to be in one direction. And everyone else is like, yeah, got their hand on every pot kind of thing, you know? Yeah, because even though Roman might be the one that, you know, at least in the beginning, people might have been a little bit concerned about him and just like how he speaks and stuff because he... Seems immature. He seems immature and he's very non-PC. But actually, he's a straight. shooter well he's become that yeah I mean the thing is he was straddling the line I mean

right before his father passed away he was that's true like but now he's very much on board and he says what he feels you know he goes up against freaking Lucas and tells him exactly how he feels and then he does the same and fires people willy-nilly I feel like you have to be slightly sociopathic you know perhaps yeah and and not only that you have to like not be emotional And so when you have cultivated that as your just way of breathing is detaching yourself from being emotional, you know, you act pretty fucking cold and do shitty things. Well, I think also it might be because I was just thinking about what I said and I was like, well, actually, Shiv has been in and around politics as her job for a while, whereas like her brothers haven't because like Roman's not really like that, but you know, he's kind of special in his own way. But she can navigate these kind of situations quite well because she's used to being around people in the political sphere where you kind of have to play by those rules, you know, where you like smile and stab someone in the back. Yeah, smile as you're murdering them.

Yeah, yeah. It is, even though I don't have empathy for the characters, like you kind of said a moment ago, it is a little bit frustrating or disheartening to see that they have no unity. They've never had unity, and the one instance that we saw it, it was quite fleeting, you know? Yeah. It almost feels like that five-minute moment at the end of season one of Game of House of the Dragon when the King was like, please, you know, y'all could just get along. And everyone got along for all of 30 seconds. And it's like, that's what it felt like.

Yeah. You know. But anyway, moving on, you guys, thanks so much for hanging. Hopefully you enjoyed that. I'm Jabby Kau. This is. Achara Kirk. Peace out.