Caught in Scandal: ‘Succession’ Season 2 Review (1/2)

A SUPER EDITOR’S CHOICE

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After its premiere on HBO in 2018, the first season of Succession continued the platform's tradition of high quality and garnered countless praises. In 2019, the show's second season elevated it to god-like status.

Succession Season 2 took home top honors at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Drama Series and Best Television Actor - Drama Series. It also scored big at the Emmys, snagging 4 awards for Best Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor (Jeremy Strong), Outstanding Guest Actress (Cherry Jones), Outstanding Directing (Andrij Parekh), and Outstanding Writing (Jesse Armstrong). The show has also racked up numerous other industry accolades and continues to receive widespread praise from viewers.

One could say that Succession Season 2 has outdone itself.

With the conclusion of the second season of Succession, viewers were treated to a plethora of mind-bending twists and turns, all of which were based on events that had occurred in the real world. As is often the case, reality proved to be more fascinating, dramatic, and brutal than any fictional storyline could ever hope to be, particularly within the world of the wealthy elite where gossip and scandal reign supreme.

It's worth noting that many years ago, the writer of "Succession", Jesse Armstrong, had intended to base the show on the power struggle within the Murdoch family. However, at the time, the family was embroiled in a phone hacking scandal that had made them deeply unpopular across the country. Given Murdoch's reputation as a formidable figure, he was not keen on having anyone write a drama about his family during such a sensitive period. As a result, the script languished for a long time without anyone daring to touch it. Eventually, after many revisions and the incorporation of events related to both the Murdoch and the Redstone families, the show we see today as Succession emerged 8 years later.

Which is more fantastical, reality or the story in the series? And what subtle references can we find? Today, let's explore a few Easter eggs from Succession for those who want to indulge in a bit of gossip while they binge-watch.

1. The cruise department scandal in Succession that constantly threatens the reputation and future of the Roy family like a ticking time bomb is likely a reference to the sexual harassment scandal that rocked Fox News Channel, the most precious asset of the Murdoch family's media empire, in 2016.

In 1985, as the American 21st Century Fox company was increasingly in decline, Murdoch seized the opportunity to acquire its shares and also bought seven television stations from the urban media company, thus forming the Fox Broadcasting Company. On October 9, 1986, Fox went on to become the most successful attempt at a fourth television network.

Since the 1990s, Roger Ailes and media tycoon Murdoch have jointly transformed Fox News into a highly influential and profitable media outlet in the US political scene. It is one of the highest-rated cable news networks in the US and a key asset of its parent company, 21st Century Fox. Therefore, Ailes is a veteran and hero, and a trusted executive of Murdoch.

Roger Ailes (May 15, 1940 – May 18, 2017)

In 2016, Gretchen Carlson, a female anchor who had worked for Fox News for 11 years, filed a lawsuit against then-CEO of Fox News, Roger Ailes, alleging that he had sexually harassed her and that she was fired after she refused his advances. Carlson's lawyer revealed that more than 20 women had claimed that they or someone they knew had been sexually harassed by Ailes, with two coming forward publicly.

Less than a year later, several women filed similar lawsuits against 67-year-old Bill O'Reilly, the popular commentator and host of the flagship program "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News, with five former employees accusing O'Reilly of using his power and influence at Fox to pressure them and attempt sexual harassment. O'Reilly was host of the program until 2017.

Photo credit: Fox News Network

Soon after, another woman named Wendy Walsh came forward to accuse O'Reilly. She held a press conference where she claimed that O'Reilly had promised to help her obtain a job at Fox, but turned hostile towards her when she rejected his sexual advances.

However, Walsh did not sue O'Reilly. Instead, her attorney Lisa Bloom accused Fox of mishandling sexual harassment complaints and demanded that local and state law enforcement agencies conduct an independent investigation into the ongoing sexual harassment incidents at the network. Bloom also stated that Walsh would assist with the investigation.

At the press conference, the attorney questioned, "How many women have to come forward? How much money does Fox News have to pay out before they take sexual harassment seriously?"

As the scandal escalated and received widespread media coverage, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai-Kia Motors all suspended their advertising on O'Reilly's program.

The sexual harassment scandal seemed to come to a temporary end with Roger Ailes being forced to resign, but the succession struggle it triggered continued to intensify. After the News International Phone Hacking Scandal, Murdoch had already begun to groom one of his two sons, Lachlan and James, to take over the company, but following the FOX sexual harassment scandal, Murdoch personally took charge of Ailes' position and became increasingly involved in the management of Fox, while his son became more of a figurehead. This also sparked a father-son feud within the family.

In reality, it was the departure of Ailes, the head of Fox News, that calmed public anger. But in the Succession, the sexual scandal in the cruise department required the Roy family to sacrifice someone as a scapegoat, since the former major figure had already passed away. The father Logan Roy chose his second son Kendall, who then turned against Roy and became the "killer" in his father's eyes.

2. In the show, the Roy family had to attend a hearing because of the sexual scandal in the cruise department, while in reality, the reason for the Murdoch family's appearance at a hearing was the phone hacking scandal.

3. In the show, the youngest son Roman is entrusted by his father to seek capital support in Turkey to privatize the entire company and bypass the proxy fight. However, an unexpected incident occurred during negotiations with local consortiums, and they were suddenly driven to a five-star hotel along with many businessmen. Their personal freedom was controlled by the military and they were under house arrest in the hotel. After many rounds of coordination, Roman was safely released, and eventually a certain Central Asian consortium agreed to their demands and agreed to invest to assist them in privatization, with a commitment to exit within six years.

Roman's intuition judged that the deal was very risky, and if anyone found out that the Roy Family was dealing with people with such backgrounds, their entire political reputation would be ruined. Logan completely agreed with his youngest son's point of view this time.

In reality, there is an event that is almost identical to the show. If you're wondering what event transpired, stay tuned for the second season review of Succession (2/2). Please feel free to leave a comment sharing your thoughts on this HBO classic series.