RoyCast

The first season's tragic structure comes into focus in the finale, "Nobody Is Ever Missing". For this pivotal episode, Gabi and Brendan are joined by expert guest Isaac Butler, who speaks on the show's relationship to Shakespeare. live theatre, and the poetry of John Berryman.

Isaac Butler is a writer, director, and the host of Slate's Lend Me Your Ears podcast. He is a co-author of The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America, and is currently at work on a book about method acting. Follow him on Twitter at @parabasis.

Wedding bells are ringing, but the death pit looms ever darker and nearer as the Roys gather overseas for the Roy-Wambsgans (Wambsgans-Roy?) nuptials. We're joined by Chris Person (@papapishu) to discuss the episode's satirical edge, the various agendas at play behind the scenes of this wedding, its depiction of women, Gil, Marcia, Greg, and much more.

It's haters in the building as mutual friend Cam shares his more critical perspective on the first season. Fortunately, the group reaches a consensus on "Prague" as one of Succession's finest hours and dives into its deliberate visual style, the script's mix of comedy and symbolism, and manage to bring Game of Thrones and Hell's Kitchen in the mix as well.

Cam is a journalist and Twitter funnyman who you can follow at @cam_oflage.

The three hosts fly solo for an extended discussion of trauma as the show's central theme, how the Roys' "family therapy" compares to other TV depictions of therapy, Ken's relapse, and the question of what makes a Logan Roy. This episode comes with a content warning for discussion of trauma, substance abuse, and sexual abuse.

With its sixth episode, Succession upsets the game board for the second half of the season and kicks into high gear. Joining Gabi, Kate, and Brendan for this episode is actor, writer, and erstwhile podcaster Danny Bowes, for a talk about the geography of New York state, television production, revolutionary language, and the various delusions of the Roy children.

Danny Bowes is an erstwhile podcaster on the show Minor Bowes and a writer who can be found on Twitter at @bybowes.

It's a holiday episode as the Roys come together for Thanksgiving, so we invited one of our nearest and dearest, writer Jordan Freiman, to chat about what exactly the deal is with Roman and Grace, Uncle Ewan's politics, and Greg's Watergate scenario.

Follow Jordan on Twitter @JordanFreiman.

The Roys get dressed for the RECNY ball, and we venture into "the death pit" with our friend Kate H., who speaks on her experience with nonprofit fundraising and on the toxic culture of WayStar/RoyCo.

Follow Kate on Twitter at @Katehascats. The Age of Napoleon is available on iTunes and Spotify and is on Twitter at @AgeofNapoleon.

Film and TV critic Vikram Murthi joins the podcast to discuss "Lifeboats", the internal culture of WayStar/RoyCo, the evolution of Succession's critical reception, the TV recap economy, and more.

Vikram Murthi is a frequent contributor to The AV Club, Vulture, The Film Stage, and RogerEbert.com. He is on Twitter at @fauxbeatpoet.

The three hosts return to discuss the second episode of Succession.

Brendan, Kate, and Gabi are joined by special guest Brendan James to discuss Succession's pilot episode, the work of series creator Jesse Armstrong, the politics of the show, Cousin Greg, and much more.

Brendan James is a co-author of The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts, and Reason. He is occasionally on Twitter at @deep_beige