RoyCast

In “Connor’s Wedding”, Logan disrupts yet another blessed family event by unexpectedly passing away on his flight to Stockholm. Critic and programmer Maddie Whittle joins the RoyCast to break down the shocking yet mundane execution of this endgame development for the series, TV deaths, siblings bonding through crisis, the episode’s intricate direction by Mark Mylod, parallels to the demise of another real-world publishing tycoon, the drowning motif, Tom’s bedside manner, the C-suite jockeying, Connor and Willa’s happily ever after, the return of Dark Kendall, and more.

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RoyCast is a passion project and we incur minor ongoing expenses related to producing and hosting this independent podcast. The show will never be paywalled, but for those who would like to support you can do so here: roycast.square.site/

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Maddie Whittle is a critic and programmer for Film at Lincoln Center. Twitter: @maddiewhittle

In “Rehearsal”, Succession’s final season begins to take shape as old habits die hard. John Semley joins the RoyCast to discuss the episode’s theme of regression, insularity versus circularity, the cable news landscape, new wrinkles in the Gojo deal, Connor’s blues, family lore, karaoke confrontations, desperadoes, the season’s use of NYC locations, Logan’s ATN visit, business bona fides, Ken’s addictive drives, Mencken’s electoral prospects, and Kerri’s TV ambitions.

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RoyCast is a passion project and we incur minor ongoing expenses related to producing and hosting this independent podcast. The show will never be paywalled, but for those who would like to support you can do so here: roycast.square.site/

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John Semley is a freelance writer for The Baffler, The New Republic, Wired, and elsewhere. Twitter: @johnsemley3000

In Succession's final season premiere, a merger-of-the-week plays out in sunny California with dark clouds on the horizon. Marie Bertonneau returns to the RoyCast to discuss Logan's troubling state of mind, Catholic perspectives on sin and redemption, the world's dullest birthday party, a rare glimpse into Colin's backstory, the show's relationship with the modern American right wing, the Comedy Central Roast of Logan Roy, new developments in Shiv and Tom's fractured marriage, sympathy for Shiv, the Disgusting Brothers, Architectural Digest tours, hypermarche vin ordinaire, and getting the facts about The Hundred.

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RoyCast is a passion project and we incur minor ongoing expenses related to producing and hosting this independent podcast. The show will never be paywalled, but for those who would like to support you can do so here: roycast.square.site/

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Marie Bertonneau tweets from @marieberd.

Filmmaker and film production professor Alex Sherman joins Brendan for a discussion of the 2022 film Armageddon Time, starring Jeremy Strong, Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Chastain, John Diehl, Banks Repeta, and Jaylin Webb. Before getting to the film itself, Brendan and Alex dive deep into the career of writer-director James Gray, whose films address themes of family, legacy, inheritance, immigration, Judaism, assimilation, and transfers of power.

Inspired by Gray's childhood experiences, the story follows a young Jewish-American boy who befriends an African-American classmate and begins to struggle with expectations from his family and growing up in a world of privilege, inequality and prejudice.

This bonus episode was recorded a few days before Jesse Armstrong announced that Succession's fourth season would be its last, so the preamble features some outdated speculation about the future of the show.

Collin Brinkmann's blog The 15:17 to Cinema, featuring his critical biography of James Gray and Jordan Mintzer's report from the set of Armageddon Time: https://the1517tocinema.blogspot.com/

The RoyCast reacts to Jesse Armstrong's unexpected announcement that Succession will end with its upcoming fourth season. Topics include: the five stages of grief, the dashed hopes for a fifth season, creative decisions, what we'll miss most, spinoffs, holiday specials, ill-advised predictions, what to expect from a final season, what NOT to expect, and the future of the podcast.

Brendan and Gabi reunite to discuss Succession at the 2022 Emmys, speculation about the upcoming season, a recent trend in commentary about the show and other media that depict the super-wealthy, as well as our favorite films and television of the year.

Financial Times: The ‘Succession’ effect: how TV dramas got angrier about the rich https://www.ft.com/content/b3a10aeb-184d-46b8-9d64-9f5ea8a0d659

Vanity Fair: Hollywood’s Eat-the-Rich Satires Need Sharper Teeth https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/12/hollywoods-eat-the-rich-satires-need-sharper-teeth

Patrick Preziosi on Crimes of the Future: https://triplefeature.substack.com/p/body-words-cronenberg-kavan-delany

The Film Comment Podcast: TÁR WÁRS https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/the-film-comment-podcast-tar-wars-with-jessica-kiang-and-nathan-lee-todd-fields-cate-blanchett/

RoyCast is a passion project and we incur minor ongoing expenses related to producing and hosting the podcast. However, we have no intention of paywalling the show. For those who would like to support you can do so here: roycast.square.site/

In the second half of an epic recording, Brendan, Gabi, and guest Marie Bertonneau take a long view of the doctrinal, social, and political contexts surrounding The Righteous Gemstones, whether it represents a softening of its creators' earlier satirical projects, and the musical, historical, and literary influences that make up its deep-fried vision of the South.

Marie Bertonneau tweets from @marieberd.

For the first installment of a two-part episode covering HBO's The Righteous Gemstones, Brendan, Gabi, and guest Marie Bertonneau take a deep dive into the history of collaboration between multihyphenate creators Danny McBride, Jody Hill, and David Gordon Green. The discussion starts with their time at the North Carolina School of the Arts and goes on to consider McBride's first screen appearance in Green's 2003 romantic drama All the Real Girls, Hill's first two features The Foot Fist Way and Observe and Report, and the HBO series Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals.

Marie Bertonneau tweets from @marieberd.

For the first installment in a series exploring works that make up the creative DNA of Succession, critic and author Adam Nayman joins Brendan to discuss The Game, the 1997 conspiracy thriller directed by David Fincher starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, and Deborah Kara Unger. The discussion kicks off with an analysis of the title sequence, which inspired Succession's own opening credits, and branches off from there to explore other interesting connections between film and series. Towards the end, Adam and Brendan also discuss Succession executive producer Adam McKay's recent film Don't Look Up. This episode was recorded before the Oscar nominations, so listeners will once again be privy to some laughably outdated awards speculation.

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Community's spoof of The Game's ending, from "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de4KwN6CjZ8

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Critic Gina Telaroli on The Game, for Criterion: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7135-the-meaning-of-money-in-the-game

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Adam Nayman (Twitter: @brofromanother) writes about film for The Ringer and Cinema Scope magazine. His latest book is David Fincher: Mind Games. https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/david-fincher-mind-games_9781419753411/

From a chat recorded on March 7th, Brendan and Gabi reunite for a loose, hangout style episode to share some news about the podcast, discuss season 3 with the benefit of a few months’ hindsight, and share wildly outdated thoughts about the awards race. Topics include: Euphoria, The Righteous Gemstones, Golden Globes, SAGs, Emmys, Succession season 2 versus season 3, episode rankings, fantasy casting, and favorite films of 2021.

Apologies for Brendan’s squeaky chair in the background of this ep.