8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Power, politics, money...it's all in the family in Season 1 of this provocative, bitingly funny drama series about a highly dysfunctional dynasty. When aging, uber-wealthy patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), CEO of one of the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerates, decides to retire, each of his four grown children follows a personal agenda that doesn't always sync with those of their siblings--or of their father. After Logan changes his mind about stepping down, he endures the often-childish bickering of his heirs while others in their orbit position themselves for a post-Logan world that seems imminent, though not predestined. Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Alan Ruck co-star as Logan's children; also with Hiam Abbass, Nicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen.
Starring: Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Nicholas BraunDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 2.0
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Anyone remember Empire? Once arguably the hottest thing on television, that music industry family drama seems to have cooled rather precariously, to the point that I was actually surprised to see it’s still eking out a broadcast life on Fox. 20th Century Fox hasn’t supported Blu-ray releases of the series after its first season, and it had frankly completely fallen off of my personal radar as a result, but I couldn’t help but think of it, at least in passing, as I got acquainted with another fabulously wealthy and ubiquitously scheming family that has a rather substantial media presence (within the context of the show). Succession deals with Logan Roy (Brian Cox), an aging titan who has built something akin to Rupert Murdoch’s, yep, empire, with vast holdings in various media, including print, film and television. Logan’s at the point where at least his family is thinking about what comes after Logan’s demise, and that sets up most of the internecine friction in the series. Interestingly, then, the series actually starts with a “succession plan” ostensibly firmly in place, with Logan’s second son Kendall (Jeremy Strong) slated to take over his father’s sprawling kingdom. Also kind of interestingly, at least within the confines of shows like this that feature children of incredibly successful characters, Kendall seems reasonably well prepared for the transition and as is documented in the opening few episodes, has considerable business acumen himself, even if it’s colored by some brushes with supposedly previous substance abuse (guess how that one plays out). But of course there wouldn’t be a television series without conflict, and so when Logan first announces that he’s not going to step aside, instead firing a longtime aide and offering promotions to several of his other children, and then promptly experiences a major stroke which leaves him incapacitated, the real scheming begins.
Succession is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of HBO with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. In what is often fairly unusual for many contemporarily set series, Succession was shot on 35mm. There's some really fascinating and informative information on the shoot which I found here while doing background research on the show, and I highly recommend those interested in the look of the series to read it. As is discussed in the article, there's a dark, gritty atmosphere to a lot of this first season that keeps the palette on the tamped down, almost wintry, side a lot of the time. That, combined with many naturally (and frankly dimly) lit interior scenes can also tend to keep fine detail levels at bay, at least at times, but overall this is a really interesting and quite arresting looking series, one that doesn't necessarily rely on any kind of visual "wow" factor, but which provides a nicely authentic looking presentation that captures some of the unabashed opulence of the Roy lifestyle. Compression is fine and there are no signs of any overly aggressive digital tweaking. Stylistically, I was not always a fan of some of the choices made here, which include things like lots of handheld sequences, and cutting between various "takes" of the same scene with slightly altered framings. There's also a prevalence of things like quick zooms into faces which I personally found more distracting than anything, but which others may find supportive of the general emotional unrest experienced by some of these characters.
Somewhat similarly to the video element, Succession's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is completely competent but rarely really "showy" in any meaningful way. There's excellent use of the surround channels in helping to establish elements like some of the urban locations, with several sequences which feature a lot of characters in the frame bristling with quite a bit of activity. That said, this is a show that has a lot of scenes of people talking to each other either in person or on the phone, and as such surround activity can tend to come and go in spurts. Fidelity is fine throughout the first season, and there are no problems of any kind to report.
This release's sole supplement is found on Disc Three of the three disc set:
There's a perhaps debatable plot point toward the end of the first season which is kind of unashamedly reminiscent of some aspects of Chappaquiddick, but as contrived as it may strike some viewers, it did at least propel the series into an absolutely devastating final scene (for the season) between Logan and Kendall. The series actually repeatedly is almost ridiculously hyperbolic in some of its story elements, but there's a really riveting performance acumen from many of the featured players that keeps the show consistently entertaining. Technical merits are solid, and Succession: The Complete First Season comes Recommended.
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