S01.E04: Sad Sack Wasp Trap

[scrb]

Quote

The company's annual foundation gala fund-raiser is approaching, so Kendall polishes up his speech while enlisting an on-air personality from the Waystar's ATV Networks to accompany him. Meanwhile, Shiv tries to minimize damage from a sordid photo that threatens a client's political future; Tom inherits a "virus" from his predecessor in the parks and cruises division, and shares a disturbing file with Greg; and Logan makes a mark on his return to the office.

[TimWil]

Because I’m sure you’re all dying to know, the RECNY Ball was shot at Cipriani in downtown Manhattan in the financial district.

[scrb]

Inside the Episode explains that Conor is from Logan's first marriage and has never been given responsibility like the other Roy kids.

Only reason he's running the ball is because Marcia has her hands full tending to Logan.

But he doesn't seem comfortable wielding his privilege, delving into trivial issues like the forks and the butter that nobody noticed.  He has to take back the bitching out of the kitchen staff.

Kendall also feels uncomfortable that his date was told to show him a really good time.

And even Shiv can't easily bully the news chief of the channel her family owns into giving her candidate positive coverage.

Of course the only one who's completely at ease in throwing his privilege around is Roman.  Maybe he's the most like the old man -- they both swing their dicks in the office.

Greg with the puppy eyes as Tom derisively called them seems to use tools instead of bodily appendages.  In this case, the knife he plunged in Tom's back.

[Panda Bear]

I don't know why Kendall is still bothering. Time to get out of the family business and let them all drown under the company's debt and criminal actions. 

[sadie]

I want to like this show, I thought it would fill my Billions gap during summer but something about it just isn’t working. I can’t tell if it’s the writing, the actors? They all just seem like caricatures. Other than the old mans wife who doesn’t act like a lunatic but I can’t figure out why she’s pushing an obviously ailing man back to work when he should be recovery? Is she power hungry? Does she love him so much she is trying to protect his empire? Is she trying to kill him? Ugh, I’ll give it one more ep and then I might be out. 

[PRgal]

19 hours ago, sadie said:

I want to like this show, I thought it would fill my Billions gap during summer but something about it just isn’t working. I can’t tell if it’s the writing, the actors? They all just seem like caricatures. Other than the old mans wife who doesn’t act like a lunatic but I can’t figure out why she’s pushing an obviously ailing man back to work when he should be recovery? Is she power hungry? Does she love him so much she is trying to protect his empire? Is she trying to kill him? Ugh, I’ll give it one more ep and then I might be out. 

THIS...everyone seems annoying and I feel like I have to watch each episode in parts.  Apparently it's been renewed for another season?

[Caseysgirl]

I like to his show in spite of the fact that I usually have to watch it more than once to figure out what’s going on. No one is very likable but  they are imminently watchable. I’m sticking with it.

[Moxie Cat]

On June 25, 2018 at 1:41 AM, scrb said:

Only reason he's running the ball is because Marcia has her hands full tending to Logan.

Didn't they also explain that Connor's mom started the ball in the first place, that she was the dance fan?

Who stuck the retirement bit into Kendall's speech? Unless I misinterpreted, that was sabotage - i didn't get the impression he planned to say that, but maybe I am wrong.

30 minutes ago, Caseysgirl said:

 

I like to his show in spite of the fact that I usually have to watch it more than once to figure out what’s going on. No one is very likable but  they are imminently watchable. I’m sticking with it.

 

I am the same way. I have to rewatch for the money/corporate bits that pass me by the first time. But I also caught Newsroom episodes multiple times, so I may not be your average viewer. (One pass of each Westworld is enough, though.)

[tennisgurl]

Its kind of funny that almost all the kids seem to be trying their hands at doing actual work, and making actual connections with people, but they mostly kind of suck at it. Except for Roman, who has clearly embraced being a bored, rich asshole. 

Really, Kendall should just try to strike out on his own at this point. Better that then dealing with a father who has no respect for him, and his clusterfuck of a family.

[izabella]

This show is not the least bit fun.  This is s sad, joyless family.  Marcia is the only one who is interesting, and that's only because we have no insight into her motivations or thoughts.  That is all that's keeping me watching at this point.

[northboundtrain]

13 hours ago, Moxie Cat said:

Who stuck the retirement bit into Kendall's speech? Unless I misinterpreted, that was sabotage - i didn't get the impression he planned to say that, but maybe I am wrong.

My take, also, was that it was sabotage, because I don't think that Kendall is that good of a liar. I expected it to come up in the "after the episode" feature and was surprised when it didn't, so I went back and looked for any clues I may have missed one way or the other. All I can make out of Kendall's speech on his notes (that he's studying during the dancers' performance) are some bits about being honored to be giving a speech, reflecting on being dragged to the event when he was a kid, and then something on the last page about his father being a legend and like an atomic particle or something, which looks like it could be the lead-in to the joke he told his dad he was going to tell.

I also re-watched the scene where Connor sees the retirement announcement on the monitor, and the tech with him says that that added bit came through late and "he" (Kendall) said he was going to "wing it," which may have been another clue indicating sabotage, because I can't really see Kendall looking at this increasingly fraught situation and thinking it's a good idea to get up on stage and wing a speech announcing his father's retirement, especially since he's already worried about Logan doing or saying something to tank the stock prices.

Now, I'll admit that I do like Kendall, so I may be biased in assuming (wanting to assume) sabotage. However, going with this line of thought, I guess the prime candidate would be Roman, right?

 

Other thoughts...I was stunned to find myself feeling some sympathy for Tom, who mostly just repulsed me the last few episodes.

I also felt enormous sympathy for Kendall (but then, I usually do...) when he realized that his dream date for the ball was only there because she felt pressured to say yes.

Greg being the one to tell Gerri rang a little false to me, but I'm open to other takes. (I thought that Shiv being the one to tell would have been a nice twist mostly because it would have indicated that even while she seemed disinterested/distracted on the surface during her talk with Tom, she was filing the information away to use later.)

The Marcia subplot is fascinating, as is the ambiguity in this episode about why, exactly, she was pushing Logan to attend the ball.

Regarding Connor, my impression from the first episode was that he was going to be the odd man out among the siblings due to being more laidback and not as interested in the power plays/family business. Now, after not being a terribly visible presence the last couple of episodes, he's back in a major way and seeming high-strung, awkward, and anxious to gain more power in the family. The "after the episode" bit explained that now that he's had a taste of the power, he wants more, but it still feels like a jarring change. Am I alone on this?

But that was a pretty funny gag where he ran to a couple of different tables to apologize about the butter.

Finally, I'm really enjoying the show. I actually, finally registered here so I could have a place to post about it. And now I'm really hoping that the S2 renewal is real and not something HBO will take back later.

Edited June 27, 2018 by northboundtrain
added some detail about possible sabotage

[clb1016]

3 hours ago, northboundtrain said:

I also re-watched the scene where Connor sees the retirement announcement on the monitor, and the tech with him says that that added bit came through late and "he" (Kendall) said he was going to "wing it," which may have been another clue indicating sabotage, because I can't really see Kendall looking at this increasingly fraught situation and thinking it's a good idea to get up on stage and wing a speech announcing his father's retirement, especially since he's already worried about Logan doing or saying something to tank the stock prices.

Now, I'll admit that I do like Kendall, so I may be biased in assuming (wanting to assume) sabotage. However, going with this line of thought, I guess the prime candidate would be Roman, right?

 

My take on this was entirely different.  My impression was that Logan himself had added the bit about making a last minute announcement re: his retirement but with no specifics (e.g., "I'll just say a few words"), not wanting to give anyone a heads-up that he was planning on staying on.  Of course I could be wrong.

I hope that before this season ends we learn why Logan has such animus toward Kendall.  Kendall's the one who appears (at least to me) to have actually been involved in the day-to-day operation of the business while the other 3 kids seem only to be interested to the extent that it keeps them enjoying the lifestyle(s) to which they've become accustomed.  And yet Logan shows affection--or at least a resigned indulgence-- to them while he shows nothing but contempt for Kendall, to the point of actually marking his territory in the office (I don't for one minute think that he was "confused"; he knew exactly what he was doing, and why).

Again, I could be reading this all wrong.

[northboundtrain]

20 hours ago, clb1016 said:

My take on this was entirely different.  My impression was that Logan himself had added the bit about making a last minute announcement re: his retirement but with no specifics (e.g., "I'll just say a few words"), not wanting to give anyone a heads-up that he was planning on staying on.  Of course I could be wrong.

Oh, it didn't even occur to me that Logan was the one who put that in, but hearing you explain it, it does sound plausible. But then what would be the reason for the way he reacted to Connor and Kendall? That Logan was playing them for his own purposes, or that Logan misunderstood what Connor was saying and thought that Kendall actually was planning to force him out?

 

Quote

I hope that before this season ends we learn why Logan has such animus toward Kendall.  Kendall's the one who appears (at least to me) to have actually been involved in the day-to-day operation of the business while the other 3 kids seem only to be interested to the extent that it keeps them enjoying the lifestyle(s) to which they've become accustomed.  And yet Logan shows affection--or at least a resigned indulgence-- to them while he shows nothing but contempt for Kendall, to the point of actually marking his territory in the office (I don't for one minute think that he was "confused"; he knew exactly what he was doing, and why).

Again, I could be reading this all wrong.

No, I think that you're right and that Logan resents Kendall and, if asked to rank his children in order from favorite to least favorite, would absolutely rank Kendall at the bottom and relish doing so. My take is that Logan is turned off by the fact that Kendall so obviously wants his love and respect and is chasing it in the way the other three children aren't. As you pointed out, Shiv and Roman and Connor are in this game for the power it affords them to do the things they want (and Greg and Tom are the same). Not that Kendall's totally disinterested in some of the perks that come with power, but that's not his primary motivation (and it's not even something he's entirely comfortable with). To the point where I really believe right now that, if given a choice between the position of CEO and the knowledge that Logan loves him and respects him, he would choose the latter. And Logan knows it and sees that as weakness.

Edited June 28, 2018 by northboundtrain

[sugarbaker design]

On 6/26/2018 at 7:45 PM, Caseysgirl said:

No one is very likable

That's why I like it, it's a brutal comedy.

Quote

but  they are imminently watchable. I’m sticking with it.

Same here.  4 kids, the first one is angry the father doesn't have him in the family biz so he yells at waiters and kitchen staff.  The second son is ineptness personified, the third son is laziness personified.  The daughter is only slightly tolerable (at this moment) but even she is married to the awful Tom Wamsgans.  Don't get me started on Greg.

I'm also watching Claws so it's a delight seeing Judy Reyes twice a week!

[Misstify]

Just caught up to this point.  I'm not bothered by the fact that I don't like anybody; I'm interested to see how the pieces fit together, how each of them goes about manipulating the others, and wondering who will come out on top.  

On 6/27/2018 at 9:49 AM, northboundtrain said:

I was stunned to find myself feeling some sympathy for Tom, who mostly just repulsed me the last few episodes.

Yes, he's been horrible (and I'm sure still is), but I felt a glimmer of sympathy because of his instinct to bring the crimes out in the open via a press conference.  Of course he also saddled Greg with the knowledge, thus infecting him with the virus.  Not that I think Greg is some doe-eyed innocent.  He's an idiot who lost the first (?) family-connected position he had and is apparently unable to get a job on his own or make any move without calling his mom.  I find him the most fun to watch; although in this episode, Connor's butter-fueled frenzy was the best.

Any scene where Brian Cox is semi-conscious makes me think of his coma scenes in Rushmore.

At this point I'm wondering why Logan ever planned to allow Kendall to step up?  And I'm halfway thinking that it was always a scheme to pull the rug out from under Kendall after getting his hopes up.  The stroke was an unexpected complication that allowed the Kendall thing to proceed a bit farther than it should have.  Logan seems like he could be that cruel.  No idea why he went along with making Roman C.O.O., unless it's that he doesn't see Roman as a threat.

[teddysmom]

On 7/9/2018 at 12:01 PM, Misstify said:

Of course he also saddled Greg with the knowledge, thus infecting him with the virus.  Not that I think Greg is some doe-eyed innocent. 

The first episode with Greg at the amusement park and he throws up reminds me of Will Ferrell throwing up in his costume in Blades of Glory. Then I see he & Adam McKay are producers and wondered who wrote that into the script. 

[Hanahope]

I’m late to this show and am not spoiled.  I think Marcia added the retirement bit in Ken’s speech.  She knew Connor was running around looking at all these details.  She mentioned to Logan he had to come to the gala to throw it in the kids’ face.  She’s still mad that Shiv didn’t agree to the Tryst change.  
 

guess I’ll eventually see if I’m right.

 

[PurpleTentacle]

I'm so booored. I was told there was going to be all that intrigue, all that wheeling and dealing. So far it's just rich people bickering without any discernible plan or strategy behind it.

If it's top secret and all is going to be revealed in the season finale it will likely be too little too late. I mean come on writers, you've got to give me something. So far it's just unlikeable people being unlikeable. Why would I want to watch this?

[kassandra8286]

On 6/10/2022 at 4:09 PM, PurpleTentacle said:

If it's top secret and all is going to be revealed in the season finale it will likely be too little too late. I mean come on writers, you've got to give me something. So far it's just unlikeable people being unlikeable. Why would I want to watch this?

It's not. There isn't an "all will be revealed at the finale" situation, although the finale is very eventful.

I had a hard time getting into this show initially but after three seasons I rank it among my all time favorite series. It was episode 6 of season 1 that sealed the deal for me. If you can make it through two more episodes and are still bored, then this show clearly isn't your cup of tea. No shame in that and you're certainly not alone, lol.

I think everyone would agree with you that the characters are unlikeable, more so in season 1, IMO. Nevertheless I find them and their twisted family dysfunction compelling. 

Edited August 26, 2022 by kassandra8286

[SlovakPrincess]

Is the entire point of this show to be grateful not to be born into one of these billionaire dynasties?  'Cause it's really working for me LOL.  Rarely am I rooting for TV characters to gang up on and murder an old man, but I might make an exception for Logan.  

Run away Willa!  And Rava!  And Greg!  Get away from these people!

If Tom wasn't such a toxic opportunistic weirdo, I might feel badly for him in this situation.  But also ... why isn't this situation being handled entirely by legal?  Why does he have to do anything?  

(I actually once worked with someone like Tom, so his scenes are deeply uncomfortable for me.  Ah, memories of walking on eggshells around a needy, insecure narcissist ...)

Edited December 17, 2022 by SlovakPrincess