During a recent interview with Hannah Gadsby, I happened to ask the acclaimed New Zealand comedian what they were watching on TV lately. Like most people these days, they replied, “Succession, of course.” However, they also went on to admit that while they enjoy the show, “I don’t know why I’m watching it half the time and I don’t know what’s going on.”
As Gadsby says, in the video above, “What is this deal? I don’t understand business. Why are you sad? Is this a good thing? I think that’s the point, but I think a lot of Succession is going over my head.”
This might feel like a bold declaration for a Succession fan… and it also might be an achingly relatable statement for Succession fans around the world. For the blunt truth of the matter is that most of us do not have business degrees, or read the financial news daily — and so for the last four seasons, we’ve been swimming in a fog of business terms uttered with the most grave significance, witnessed negotiations for power where minute contract details determine the ultimate outcome.
SEC violations, regulatory concerns, deal points: These are all phrases that we’ve gotten used to hearing in the context of this complicated family finding new ways to betray each other on a weekly basis, essential flavor that adds to the believability of these people being acquaintances of Gordon Gekko, Masters of the Universe. Take this line from the Season 3 finale, in which Logan (Brian Cox) explains why he wants to sell Waystar Royco:
“Okay. So. The market capitalizations of our firms have been on the move… We are a declining business and there are a wave of consolidations happening that mean this is the optimal moment, in my opinion, to make a deal with a serious tech operation like Gojo.”
This writer humbly confesses that while most of that is pretty clear on first reading, my personal understanding of what “market capitalization” means isn’t what it could be. I could, of course, look it up on the fine world wide web which is also allowing you to read this article — however, it’s only one of many phrases threaded throughout the show’s dialogue that adds authenticity to the action, but perhaps leaves the audience a bit in the dark.
Succession (HBO)
