A deceptively quiet episode that sets the stage for the looming shareholder meet, "Lion in the Meadow" reunites Kendall and Logan for a critical encounter at the island estate of major shareholder Josh Aaronson (Adrien Brody). Film and television critic Vikram Murthi returns to the RoyCast to talk the loaded silences and emotional violence of Ken and Logan's reunion, the parallels between father and son, Josh Aaronson's motives, the episode's mix of dramatic narrative and sitcom plotting, Terminal Tom, simmering online backlash, and more.

Vikram Murthi (Twitter: @fauxbeatpoet) is a freelance critic whose writing about film and television regularly appears in the AV Club, The Nation, and Reverse Shot. 

Vikram's piece on the production of Succession for Filmmaker Magazine: https://filmmakermagazine.com/109903-location-truth/#.YYytr55KhfV

David Davis on Roman and Gerri's relationship: https://itsdavid.substack.com/p/david-davis-d61

Succession 3.4, "Lion in the Meadow" with Vikram Murthi

The original and still independent Succession podcast. All seasons available widely.

TV & Film

We're at the movies again as Gabi and Brendan discuss each of the nominees for Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards, whether any of these films are any good, and what they say about the particular present anxieties of the American movie industry. We also recap the last hurrah of Succession's awards tour.

The 2024 RoyCast Oscars Special

Brendan, Gabi, and producer Dan reunite for a retrospective look at the complete run of Succession by attempting to rank every episode of the series. Discussion also covers the cast and crew's final tour of the awards circuit, the publication of the full shooting scripts, and unreconciled feelings about the series finale. 
~~~
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/
We thank everyone who has listened and supported us over the years.

Succession, Ranked

In the Succession series finale, "With Open Eyes", the closed-loop system begins another revolution as the Roys lose Waystar for good. Critic and author Adam Nayman returns to the RoyCast to discuss the anxieties and potential pitfalls of this final season, the insular quality of the ending, frustrated expectations, the uncertain fate of Mencken's Presidential bid, corporeal themes, eruptions of physical violence, hearty fare, meager rations, and the fates of the many lead and supporting characters we bid farewell to in this episode. We also offer some thoughts on Succession's legacy and the future of the podcast.
~~~
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/ 
We thank everyone who has listened and supported us over the years. 
~~~
Adam Nayman is a critic, lecturer and author whose writing has appeared in The Ringer, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. He is a contributing editor to Cinema Scope magazine and the author of several books, most recently David Fincher: Mind Games. Twitter: @brofromanother

Succession 4.10, "With Open Eyes" (Series Finale) with Adam Nayman

At Logan’s funeral mass, Kendall and Shiv eulogize their father while rallying their forces, and Roman goes to pieces. Number one boy Vikram Murthi returns to the RoyCast to talk about “Church and State” as a classic penultimate episode, the show’s signature blend of dry humor and pathos, the direction and staging of Logan's funeral, the decline and fall of Roman, Kendall's bitter goodbyes to Rava and Jess, the pending Shiv W, Mencken maneuvers, Ewan’s good hard take, a curious scene with Colin, the women in Logan's life, CEO odds, some light series finale speculation, and more. 
~~~
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/
~~~
Vikram Murthi is a freelance writer and critic based in Brooklyn, NY. He's a contributing writer for The Nation, the editor of Downtime Magazine, and has contributed to publications such as The New Republic, Filmmaker Magazine, Criterion, Vulture, Vanity Fair, the old A.V. Club, among others. He tweets at @fauxbeatpoet.

Succession 4.9, "Church and State" with Vikram Murthi

It's election night in "America Decides", where the Roy family tragedy spills over into a national catastrophe of their own making. Brendan and Gabi sit down for a solo discussion that dives deep into the road to this inevitable outcome, the episode's atypical structure, the details of the show's electoral reality, lost votes in Milwaukee, Kendall's swing vote, Shiv's final humiliation, Roman's demonic energy, real life parallels for Mencken and Jimenez, Tom's election night diet, Greg's payback moment, a rare sign of agency from Jess, the ATN culture, director Andrij Parekh and his history with the series, ethical walls, bodega sushi, and more.
~~~
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/

Succession 3.4, "Lion in the Meadow" with Vikram Murthi

Download our free app to listen on your phone