tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50162530771547565642024-03-13T15:22:41.517-04:00The Scary Lawyer Guy Blog"Just his mind ... poured out on paper." William Somersetscarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.comBlogger1259125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-48854919488792756302024-03-07T14:58:00.003-05:002024-03-07T14:58:28.076-05:00So THAT Is What It Is Called<p style="text-align: justify;">Just add on constant anxiety, and this has pretty much been my life for as long as I can remember, or at least the past several years but getting people to understand what it is like to live like this is almost impossible. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOySRnE7bFNaECzMvp-17bNxnjwY4YIFQzOoZcKS4aFCK3JjzHPyK7mFghf53wJnSaYHZf9_y9Gc9ZSrzitU3IkKvwIPkLzx0idiLfuWbqrbxSHatyGNlIPR6ziXWi2LOWV44ZHjTp7pVMP5Ix5mJlZlRWrXk2suFRieWUzPuZsoylS151HNijP7e7Kp7/s1372/Screenshot%202024-03-06%20at%204.57.50%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1372" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOySRnE7bFNaECzMvp-17bNxnjwY4YIFQzOoZcKS4aFCK3JjzHPyK7mFghf53wJnSaYHZf9_y9Gc9ZSrzitU3IkKvwIPkLzx0idiLfuWbqrbxSHatyGNlIPR6ziXWi2LOWV44ZHjTp7pVMP5Ix5mJlZlRWrXk2suFRieWUzPuZsoylS151HNijP7e7Kp7/w400-h335/Screenshot%202024-03-06%20at%204.57.50%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-5660013989647045802024-02-05T12:47:00.003-05:002024-02-05T12:47:58.743-05:00Why I Hated The Succession Finale<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;">It
may be crude (although I think Roman would approve) but when I think of the <i>Succession</i> finale, my mind immediately
goes to something called a “ruined *rga*m.” For the unaware, a ruined *rga*m is
when a woman manipulates a man right to the edge of climax and then withdraws
the source of stimulation, thereby denying him the pleasure of a happy ending. And,
much like the frustration I imagine one feels when this is done in the bedroom,
so too did Jesse Armstrong tease Kendall Roy’s ascension to the throne only to
pull his hand away at the last second, depriving us of the release we so
desperately craved.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
show’s ending was particularly frustrating because the rest of the show’s
fourth season was outstanding. There were no wasted episodes, much less wasted
scenes and the storytelling moved at an often frenetic pace. From Logan’s shocking
death to a disputed presidential election, and the tug of war over GoJo’s
attempted acquisition of Waystar, it was exceptional entertainment, and Kendall
was at the center of it all. The tragic figure we had watched try, over and over,
to reach the top rung of the ladder finally found his mojo. Whether it was his
powerful eulogy at Logan’s funeral or his charismatic performance when pitching
Living+, it appeared our number one boy would finally “win,” giving us the
satisfying ending viewers (or at least *this* viewer) long sought.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Instead,
Armstrong pulled a last second switcheroo by having Shiv, who had agreed to
back Kendall and block the company’s sale, switch sides in a moment of
boardroom skullduggery that landed her husband, Tom Wamgsgans, in the big
chair.</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
There were two problems with this. One is superficial. The ending was lazy
insofar as it recycled a plot line from Season One when Kendall attempted to
remove Logan from power and was stymied by a single vote, except there it was Roman,
not Shiv, who double crossed him. The other, and the focus of this essay, is
more substantive. Simply put, the ending did not make sense within the universe
Armstrong created.</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
show was called “Succession” not “Three Kids Don’t Know How To Share One Toy”
which is basically how it ended. From the very first episode, the audience was
conditioned to believe that one of Logan Roy’s children would, um, </span><i style="font-size: 13pt;">succeed</i><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> him as head of Waystar – a point
reinforced time and again. Most of that season (and season three) focused on
Kendall’s attempt to force his way into leadership, the season two premiere
included scenes where both Shiv and Roman pitched their vision of the company’s
future hoping to be named their father’s successor</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">,
and the codicil to Logan’s will reflected his wish that Kendall take over upon
his passing.</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> That
one of the kids was in line to lead the company after Logan’s passing finds
further support in the fact that when two non-family members – Rhea Jarrell and
Gerri Kellman – held the CEO title, their reigns were incredibly short, with
one leaving in disgust (Rhea) and the other dismissed as a mere place holder
(Gerri).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Moreover,
the show’s ethos emphasized the cutthroat environment Logan created. We were
told, in various ways, that Logan gauged the mettle of his children either by how
much abuse they could take</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
or which one could assert dominance over the other.</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
His leadership included sadistic games like “boar on the floor” and he
explained to Kendall that business is like a knife fight in the mud. In other
words, Ken, Shiv, and Roman were all raised to believe in a Darwinian worldview
where the only objective is winning, regardless of what needs to be done to
achieve that goal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">And
Season Four (until the board room) affirmed that philosophy. While the kids
were working together on a project after being expelled from Logan’s kingdom,
once he died, the knives came out – as Logan had raised them to do. After Ken
and Roman were named co-CEOs, Shiv immediately started plotting against them,
looking for her own way to run the company by partnering behind their backs
with Lukas. When Roman tapped out of the competition, incapable of processing
the havoc he helped create with Mencken’s tainted victory, a final battle
between Ken and Shiv was teed up, except when Greg’s handy intel confirmed that
Lukas had no intention of appointing Shiv as Waystar CEO, her reaction was not
to line up behind Kendall (and concede his win) but rather, to stab him in the
back and support her husband, who she despised,</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
never mind the fact that at Logan’s memorial service, the kids agreed one of
them should run the company. In other words, not only did Armstrong go against
the show’s moral philosophy (winner take all), he did so in a way that was not
even consistent with his own storyline!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">This
is particularly true because Kendall’s arc in season four so clearly reflected
his growth into Logan’s logical successor. Prior to Logan’s death, there was
always an air of insecurity around Kendall. He could get rattled easily in
meetings and always seemed to be either second guessing his own decisions or
thinking about how Logan would react to them. But after his father’s death, all
that washed away. The old Kendall, who melted under the lights, was replaced by
a new Kendall, self-assured in front of crowds whether he was pitching a
retirement community, praising his father from the pulpit, or standing up to
Lukas’s schoolyard taunts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">In
addition to his public facing glow up, Kendall was also deft at working angles
behind the scenes. When the company snoops learned that Lukas’s subscriber
numbers were made up, it is Kendall who sweet talks Ebba into revealing other
unsavory things about him. On the PR front, Kendall leveraged embarrassing
information on Hugo to get him to dirty up Logan (post-mortem and
off-the-record) with reporters, simultaneously giving Kendall a more positive
public image. He also recruited Colin to join his inner circle, knowing it is
invaluable to have an enforcer who can also keep his mouth shut. Time and again
we got confirmation that Kendall embodied Logan’s dark energy and people took
notice, be it the Waystar brain trust or the President-elect of these United
States. In short, Kendall did all the things </span><i style="font-size: 13pt;">within the universe Jesse Armstrong created</i><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> to “win” but instead of
giving him that victory, the writers decided that Shiv would deny him the job
because she could not have it.</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
Huh?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Defenders
of the finale might argue that Logan was dismissive of his children and none
was qualified to take his seat. Indeed, the last time he saw them face to face,
he ridiculed them as not being serious people, to which I would respond in two
ways. First, ok, but if Logan thought so little of his children, why did he
keep handing them high level positions within his company?! But more seriously,
his analysis was both ungenerous and inaccurate and also ignored his own
failings as a leader. To be sure, as business executives, the three had their
failings. Kendall overpaid for Vaulter, the satellite launch Roman led literally
went kablooey, and Shiv sat by quietly when her father decided to cut Ken loose
and make him take the fall for the cruise line debacle knowing it was her
husband who was at least partly to blame.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">But
for all the ink that was spilled writing about </span><i style="font-size: 13pt;">Succession</i><span style="font-size: 13pt;">, you would be hard pressed to find anything with the
title </span><i style="font-size: 13pt;">“Are We Sure Logan Roy Is Good At
His Job?”</i><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> It was a question that was never grappled with because of the
force of his personality and ability to best his rivals (not to mention the
narrative requirement that everyone else have a ring to chase), but if you get past
the gruff insults and bullying behavior, you realize that Logan Roy was not that
good at his job and it was his kids (the ones he claimed were not serious
people) who bailed him out over and over again, all in service of showing they
were capable of succeeding him!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Consider
that almost every crisis at Waystar is triggered by some dumb decision Logan makes,
starting at the beginning of Season One with Logan not telling Kendall (his
supposed heir apparent) about a clause in the company’s debt agreement allowing
its lenders to call in their notes if the company’s stock drops below a certain
level. When Logan fell ill and the stock price tumbled, Ken solved this problem
by bringing in Sandy and Stewy in exchange for board seats and the purchase of
a minority stake in the company. Logan may have been unhappy with Ken’s
decision, but was he really in a position to question it?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">In
Season Two, Logan’s deal for PGM is scuttled because the cruise line scandal is
exposed. We learn that the person responsible for preying on cruise line
employees sexually was a guy named Lester McLintock, one of Logan’s “wolf pack”
cronies who the kids knew as “Mo” (“mo-lester”) and whose conduct was an open
secret within the company.</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
It is left to the kids to clean up the mess. Roman is sent to Turkey in search
of a sovereign wealth fund deal that would take the company private while
Kendall and Shiv do damage control in Washington, D.C.; the former, by giving a
full-throated defense of his father in front of a Senate Committee hearing and
the latter by talking a female whistleblower out of testifying. Their efforts
stop the bleeding, but the thanks Ken is given for protecting his father is
Logan’s demand he take the blame for a problem not of his doing.</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
Of course, none of this would have been needed had Logan fired Mo long ago
instead of sweeping his crimes under the rug. That fact notwithstanding, Logan
also had the option of stepping down as Chair and CEO of the company in the
wake of the scandal but threw Ken under the bus instead.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Logan’s
penchant for secrecy involving his health would also come back to bite him in
Season Three when Sandy and Stewy’s takeover bid</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
came up for a vote before the shareholders. During the meeting, Logan forgets
to take medication for his urinary tract infection, causing him to become
delirious. Shiv again steps into the breach to hammer out a settlement with Sandi
Furness when it looks like the shareholder vote will not go the family’s way,
yet Logan criticizes his daughter’s actions like an arsonist complaining that
the fire fighter did not douse the flames correctly. In short, when the company
was in trouble because of one of Logan’s bad decisions, it was his supposedly
inept children who cleaned up the mess.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">These
defensive moves are in addition to the affirmative ones the kids made at
various points to further their father’s objectives. For example, when things
looked iffy with Nan Pierce, Kendall got the deal over the finish line by
befriending Naomi Pierce and convincing her to vote for it. He is also the
first one to see the benefit of Waystar’s acquisition of GoJo and Roman is the
one who connects with Lukas at Ken’s birthday party to build a relationship
with the enigmatic Swede. Long story short, the idea that the kids were
failures while their father was some master of the universe is belied by the events
in series itself. Logan’s screw ups were as bad (if not worse) than anything
the kids did and the kids constantly swooped in to save the day when he did
screw up, yet the idea they were ill-equipped to succeed him somehow become
show canon.</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Another
defense of the show’s ending might be that Logan viewed his kids as privileged
and not having had to work for their success. “Make your own pile” he spits at
them at the end of Season Three when he casts them out into the wilderness. Contrast
the Roy children with Lukas, who we are led to believe built GoJo from scratch
(and perhaps someone in whom Logan saw a little of his younger self), and Tom,
a Midwesterner who does not come from money. Aren’t those two more simpatico
with Logan’s view that success is earned not inherited? Perhaps, but do either
of these men hold up to closer scrutiny?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Start
with Tom. He may come from humble beginnings, but a middle class upbringing is
not the sole qualification to take over as CEO. Regardless, Tom did not “earn”
his pile any more than the Roy kids. He benefitted from a similar form of
nepotism by dint of his dating and then marrying Shiv because he literally had
zero executive skill! Among his failings? He orchestrated a ham-handed attempt
to destroy evidence of the cruise line scandal, gave such poor testimony in
front of the Senate he was referred to as a “smirking block of feta cheese</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">,”
used his own underling as a human foot stool, outsourced the firing of hundreds
of ATN employees to Greg, and could not even meet the low bar of getting a
proper slogan for the channel. If there was a “failson” in the group, it was
him! Even more, while he would have been the logical person to take the fall
for the cruise line scandal, Shiv saved him from the chopping block. In fact,
Tom’s defining trait was loyalty (not necessarily a bad thing) to Logan, not a
high level of business acumen and yet, in the dog-eat-dog world Jesse Armstrong
created, we are supposed to believe that the actual qualities most valuable in
getting to the top are blind subservience and mediocre job performance?</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Sorry, not buying it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">As
for Lukas, you will never convince me Waystar was better off in his hands. For
one thing, as Kendall noted, Lukas did not understand Waystar’s business. Lukas
wanted to convert one of the company’s primary sources of revenue – ATN – into
a “Bloomberg grey” channel that would presumably just barf out news about Wall
Street (hardly a ratings generator!) Such a decision would have been
particularly stupid considering GoJo was going to need all the money it could
get to service the debt it surely took out to buy Waystar, not to mention the
company’s stock was going to take a hit over its inflated subscriber numbers.</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
Speaking of subscriber numbers, do we really think a guy who did that is going
to be a good steward of an even bigger company? And, like Kendall, Lukas is (at
a minimum) a recreational drug user who gets high with his employees, but
unlike Kendall, Lukas also sexually harasses his underlings, opening him (and
the company) up to significant liability (not to mention lots and lots of bad
PR). Finally, much of his public image is built on a lie that he is some genius
computer coder, which, if exposed, might also damage his company’s brand. Put
differently, Lukas engages in wonky business practices, treats his employees
terribly, and is not the tech genius his minions portray him to be, and yet, </span><i style="font-size: 13pt;">this guy</i><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> is somehow more worthy of
“winning” in the end? Again, not buying it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
final argument in support of the ending is the most basic and the one Shiv
relied on: Ken was responsible for the death of another human being and that </span><i style="font-size: 13pt;">ipso facto</i><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> disqualified him from leading
the company. Now I will admit, there is something to be said for this, although
I think we can all agree Ken did feel remorse for his actions. But within the </span><i style="font-size: 13pt;">Succession</i><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> universe, there are a couple
of other problems with this argument.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">First,
Shiv was every bit as amoral as everyone else on the show. She knew about the
Dodds incident all the way back at Chiantishire and it did not stop her from
teaming up with Ken and Roman, first to try and block the sale of Waystar and
then, when that failed, working together to buy Pierce. If she was so offended
by Ken’s actions, why did she suddenly get religion at the eleventh hour? It is
not like Shiv had some shiny moral compass guiding her. To take one example,
the first time Shiv talks one-on-one with Lukas, he’s snorting cocaine and
telling her about how he sent frozen blood bricks to his communications
director after their relationship ended. Shiv’s reaction was to provide crisis
consulting on how to make the problem go away, not concern over Lukas’s
abhorrent behavior.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Second,
Shiv understood the value of blackmail. To go back to the cruise line scandal,
Shiv used information about it </span><i style="font-size: 13pt;">not once
but twice</i><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> during the series to her advantage. The first time, she was
working for Gil Eavis and threatened to use it against Waystar if ATN did not
stop attacking Eavis on air. The second time was when she convinced Kara not to
testify in front of the Senate by offering her money to stay silent. In neither
case did Shiv care one bit about the women Mo assaulted or the Waystar
employees whose deaths were never investigated.</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[15]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
No, she just cared about using incriminating information to her advantage.
Since it is clear she 1) knew how to blackmail people and 2) was not afraid to
do so, why would she back her estranged husband and a guy who snubbed her twice
instead of her brother, who she had enormous leverage over? The chances that
Shiv would have any meaningful role in a GoJo-led Waystar were zero, but all
she needed to do was threaten to go public with what she knew about Kendall’s
role in Andrew Dodds’s death and he would have had no choice but to put her in
a senior role in the company. In other words, why bother spending 39 episodes
drilling into our heads that these are the rules by which your universe
operates only to decide in the second-to-last-scene of the entire series that
they no longer apply? It just does not make sense.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">In
the end, maybe none of this matters and maybe that was the point. GoJo’s
acquisition of Waystar would likely make Kendall, Shiv, and Roman billionaires</span><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" style="font-size: 13pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[16]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
who would never want for anything (at least financially) for the rest of their
lives. Instead, each is left staring into the middle distance, wrestling with
the same questions as the rest of us – </span><i style="font-size: 13pt;">Who
Am I and What Do I Want To Do With My Life</i><span style="font-size: 13pt;">? In other words, all the time we
spend with these characters was supposed to tell us that money can’t buy
happiness. No kidding. </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;">If
you’re interested in what an alternate, post-finale ending might look like,
check out:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/06/succession-six-months-later.html">Succession– Six Months Later (Kendall’s Revenge)</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;">If
you want to read my episode-by-episode recaps, they can be found <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/05/succession-power-rankings-church-and_23.html">here</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">While Tom did become head of
Waystar, he would lead a subsidiary of GoJo with little actual power. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> The closest analogy I can
think of is when Greg Daniels toyed with having Pam and Jim divorce in the
final season of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Office</i> only to
back down mid-season in the face of massive fan backlash to the increasing
tension in the Halpert marriage and introduction of the dreaded character
“Brian the Boom Guy.” Instead, Armstrong went for an ending akin to making Bran
– an important, but not central character – king at the end of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Game of Thrones</i> instead of one of the
two logical choices, Jon or Dani. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> Indeed, the whole premise
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Summer Palace</i> was Logan’s
desire to name a successor, which he did (sort of) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– Siobhan.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> Yes, I know, the ambiguous
pen mark could be read as an underline or a strike through, but the point, confirmed
by Frank Vernon, was that sometime in the not too distant past, Logan memorialized
his wish that Kendall succeed him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chiantishire</i>, Caroline commented to Shiv that Logan liked treating
his children like dogs and seeing how many times he could kick them and have
them come running back to him. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prague</i>, Connor observed that Logan’s parenting philosophy was akin
to pitting two dogs (again with the dogs!) against one another and then sending
the weaker one off.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> This decision might have
made sense if Shiv and Tom were happily married, but they were separated and
had, less than a week before, the kind of empty-the-tank fight that couples
have on the way to divorce. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> We will get into why Shiv’s
decision making did not make sense within the show universe in more depth later,
but suffice to say, her choice was particularly inexplicable considering the
fact that Lukas snubbed her not once but twice (while also hiding the fact GoJo
had lied about its subscriber numbers) and she and Tom were estranged. And if
you</span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">claim Shiv could have been resentful
about Kendall’s decision to side with Roman and call the election for Mencken,
consider that 1) Tom was in on the decision too; and 2) when she met Mencken at
Logan’s wake, she made clear she was willing to put aside her personal
political views now that he was going to be President to allay any concerns
about her leading the company.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> In addition to Mo’s
conduct, there is a separate thread of the scandal involving mysterious deaths
of cruise line employees that were never investigated because “no real person”
was involved. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> Not only was this move
incredibly selfish, it belied the fact that Ken had, per whistleblower James
Weisel, cleaned up the cruise line while he was running the company. Talk about
no good deed going unpunished!</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn11" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> Another outgrowth of
Logan’s poor choices. His decision to go back on his word and wrest control of
the company back from Kendall in Season One resulted in Ken teaming up with
Sandy and Stewy and making an unsolicited offer to buy it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn12" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It is
also worth noting that the kids sniff out Logan’s plan to make another run at
PGM and outbid him for the company.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn13" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> Due in part to the
revelation that Tom sent Greg the same email (“you can’t make a tomelet without
cracking a few Gregs”) *sixty seven* times in one day. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn14" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> While I understand TV is
not real life, that the writers introduced this land mine into the story and
then, in the very next episode, were like “never mind, no one thinks this is a
big deal” did not sit well with me. Any company caught doing such a thing would
not only see an immediate, and negative hit to its stock price (which would be
particularly concerning here where a deal was on the precipice of being
finalized) but an SEC investigation as well. Moreover, because the kids’ wealth
was tied up in Waystar stock, depending on how the acquisition was structured, they
could have taken a significant financial hit if, for example, those shares were
going to be converted into shares of GoJo just as all this bad news breaks. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn15" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This also reinforces
the first point. Shiv is not some beacon of virtue, and excused and defended
all manner of sleazy behavior by other people if it meant it helped her get
ahead. That she was some beacon of virtue who could not stomach the idea of
Kendall taking over based solely on the Dodds incident rings particularly
hollow. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn16" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Ruin.docx#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I base this off the
value (roughly $2 billion) Logan placed on Kendall’s shares of the family trust
and am assuming Shiv and Roman had the same amount. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Too Much Birthday</i>; but see fn. 14 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">supra</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-49011192284682539142024-01-22T12:01:00.001-05:002024-01-22T12:18:58.658-05:00Important Office Episodes: Secretary's Day S6E22<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Introducing a
new character to a long-running, well-established sitcom can be challenging. An
ensemble cast with 80+ episodes under its belt is like a stable atom and the
appearance of a new cast member can ruin that chemistry or come across as a
sign of desperation<a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>, which is what makes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Secretary’s Day</i>, the twenty-second
episode of the sixth season of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Office</i>,
so important. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When we first
met Erin Hannon</span><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> toward the end of season
five, it was as Pam’s replacement as the office receptionist after Pam left to
go work for the Michael Scott Paper Company. When Pam returned to Dunder
Mifflin as a saleswoman, Erin kept her job but the writers did not do much with
her for the next twenty episodes other than to establish 1) that Michael saw
her as lesser version of Pam, who Michael saw as a sort of emotional woobie but
was busy getting married, being pregnant, and learning her new job and 2) as a
potential love interest for Andy (and the two do in fact start dating just
prior to this episode). In other words, she was a bit of a cipher, not
well-defined, and adding little to the show overall.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But that all
changed in an episode that gave Erin a chance to shine. There is a B plot
involving a parody video transposing Kevin’s voice onto Cookie Monster, but the
episode’s main focus is on Erin, who is taken out to lunch by Michael to
celebrate secretary’s day. She is, as Michael notes during a talking head, weird,
and that energy manifests itself in a variety of random non-sequiturs: Erin
takes a picture of Michael asking her to lunch (weird). In the car on the way
to lunch, she asks him in what decade he would have wanted to be a teenager
(very weird) and then tells him she would have picked the 1490s because that
was when Columbus discovered America (even weirder, and also not factually accurate).
The bit goes on at lunch, where we learn Erin’s prior job was at a Taco Bell
Express but she quit when it became a full-blown Taco Bell because she could
not keep up (?) and, out of nowhere, asks Michael how many pillows he sleeps on
(??). Part of what makes these lines so funny is Kemper’s wide-eyed innocence.
To her, these are completely normal questions to ask as casual chit chat with a
co-worker whereas Michael recoils at the bizarreness of it all, looking at her
like she has three heads when she asks him if he has a favorite age or month.</span><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Naturally, when
the two do engage in what most of us consider normal conversation, things go
completely off the rails. Michael asks her how things are going with Andy
(normal) and when she asks Michael to tell her about him before they met (also
normal) the reveal about Andy’s prior engagement to Angela sends Erin
spiraling. Her line reading of a simple phrase - “uh oh” - should be studied by
actors. Four little letters but delivered as a warning sign that this character
knows when she is about to melt down – which she does – before dropping what
might be the oddest line in the show’s history: “in the foster home my hair was
my room.” Like, WHAT? Kills me every time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When Michael and
Erin return to the office</span><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
for cake with the rest of their co-workers, Andy singles out Angela for
planning a great party as Erin seethes in the background before absolutely
nailing him in the face with a huge piece of cake and confronting him about why
he never told her about his relationship with Angela. Here again, Kemper really
delivers, accusing Andy of sleeping with other members of the office (possibly
together?) before storming out as the camera pans to the cake with her smiling
face on it. She then gets some great one-on-one moments, first with Angela, who
attempts to upbraid Erin for embarrassing her in front of everyone, to which
Erin replies “take it up with the chief of police” (another odd, but hilarious
comment) and then with Pam, who attempts to console Erin by sharing her own
experience of having been engaged to someone else before she and Jim got
together. At first, Erin assumes it was Andy (?) and then, after Pam tells Erin
that sometimes the heart does not know what it wants, she misreads the comment
entirely, assuming Pam is talking about herself and wishes Pam well in finding
what she (Pam) is looking for.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is a lot to
cram into a single episode (much less one plot line within it) but in these
brief scenes, Erin delivers an all-time comedic heater capped off when she and
Andy have a private conversation in which she questions whether his real name
is Andy Bernard or Lionel Frankenstein. It is just so … </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">weird</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, but the timing, the mannerisms, the line delivery are all
spot on, showing (not simply telling, as Michael did early in the episode) that
this character is vibrating at a different frequency than the rest of the gang.</span><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The only
critique I have is that the writers failed to capitalize on this bravura
performance. After this brief moment in the sun, Erin mostly reverted to being
a background player involved in a revolving door of office romances (Gabe, Andy
(again), Pete) where the writers never seemed sure whether or not to turn her and
Andy into a will they/won’t they Pam and Jim 2.0</span><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
and an effort to make Michael into a quasi-father figure to her (which never
really landed). The series finale did offer a nice grace note – the pitch
perfect casting of Joan Cusack and Ed Begley, Jr. as her birth parents, with a
heartfelt reunion and some synchronized dancing at Dwight and Angela’s wedding
that confirmed her parents were just as odd as she was.</span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Indeed, more than a
few “jump the shark” moments are attributed to such a decision (e.g., cousin
Oliver in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Brady Bunch</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> Real name Kelly, but due to
the other Kelly’s attempt to get Charles Minor to notice her, changed to her
middle name, Erin, so as to avoid confusion. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> While Michael has no
answer, hers is April when she was seven (also weird!)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> Shout out to Steve Carrell
for giving an ALL TIME eye roll you miss if you are not paying attention.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">With the possible
exception of Creed, who is, as Ryan would say, on the freaking moon. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="file:///H:/Erin.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> Her Season Nine
relationship with Pete had the most chemistry, but was treated like it never
happened in the series finale. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-84332226763363820162023-12-24T12:13:00.000-05:002023-12-24T12:13:20.575-05:00Ten Years Later, True Detective Hits Different<p style="text-align: justify;">When <i>True Detective</i> premiered in January 2014, it was a simpler time. Obama was President, Trump had not yet infected the body politic, and we were still in the so-called Golden Age of television, filled with thought-provoking prestige dramas. True D would get added to that list quickly. Its story telling, across multiple timelines, with two charismatic lead actors (Woody Harrelson as Martin Hart and Matthew McConaughey as Rustin Cole), and a mysterious whodunit (What was Carcosa? Who was the Yellow King?) was the kind of cultural catnip that launched a thousand think pieces (and more than a few memes). Ultimately, the show collected a boat load of awards and spawned two sequels (neither of which reached the narrative level or became part of the cultural zeitgeist of the original) with a third on the way.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At the time, I was in my early-40s, recently divorced and doing some of the best work of my professional life. In other words, it still felt like I had the world by the balls and better days were ahead. As the season unfolded, I found the later episodes the least interesting, thought they dragged a little, and was "meh" about the ending. The eye candy of the early episodes - Rust's interrogation room monologues on the meaning of life, the famous eight-minute tracking scene, the representation of Bayou culture, and the lush cinematography - drew me in. What I missed, like Rust and Marty ignoring the landscaper on the riding mower who turned out to be the killer, was a show telling a much different story.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday, I stumbled across a True D Season One marathon on HBO, and my experience was completely different than it had been 10 years ago. Obviously, the biggest difference was knowing "whodunit" but more than that, those later episodes, in the "present" timeline of 2012, felt much more relatable as a lonely man in his mid-50s whose career is in a <i>cul de sac</i> he cannot escape. During Marty's interview with Detectives Gilbough and Papania, he recounts the detective's curse, "the solution was right under my nose, but I was focused on the wrong clues." Initially, he points it out as a reason why the case was not solved faster, but later on, he applies it to his personal life too. Marty realized - too late - that having a wife and family was what he should have focused on, but instead, he was too busy carousing, boozing, and having affairs. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">It was a moment of introspection that I probably missed the first time around, but at this stage in my life, it resonated. Not because I wish I was still married, but more so about the emotion that dominates so much of my daily life: regret. Marty and Rust had everything going for them: they cracked a major case, each brought his own talents to their partnership, and they were both thriving. And yet, happiness eluded each of them. Their obsessive natures were their undoing. Rust refused to bend to authority (relatable) and Marty could only stay faithful for so long before he strayed (again). And so, Rust spends his days tending bar and getting drunk, completely isolated from anyone or anything. Marty eats frozen dinners after coming home from his dreary job as a private investigator. Neither man has any friends to speak of or healthy relationships. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Even the primary critique of the first season - its treatment of women - carried less resonance for me. Far from being a celebration of men, Marty and Rust stand as cautionary tales of "focusing on the wrong clues" in life. In comparison, the female characters exercise far greater agency and independence than it might have seemed on first viewing. Marty's wife Maggie (Michelle Monaghan) is a no-BS partner who eventually kicks Marty to the curb but not before exacting a deep level of revenge against him by sleeping with Rust, blowing up their partnership to boot. Maggie only learns of Marty's initial infidelity because Lisa, (Alexandra Daddario) the woman Marty was having an affair with, tells her about it. And Lisa only does this because Marty reveals himself to be a jealous, unstable, jerk and instead of tolerating him, she takes back possession of her own life by ceasing to allow Marty to control it. In other words, these women are not doormats who allow men to walk all over them. Ultimately, Maggie remarries, lives in a beautifully-appointed home, and maintains a good relationship with her two daughters, whereas Marty lives alone, eats dinner by himself in front of the TV, and has not talked to his kids in years.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And so, when watching the show yesterday, the things that I had found so addictive when it first aired seemed much less interesting. Rust's musings about time being a flat circle felt more like college dorm room claptrap and the narrative seams were more obvious. Instead, I watched it through the eyes of someone who knows what it is for life not to turn out the way they had hoped. To live with regrets of decisions I have made, the authority figures who I did not bend to, and the consequences of those decisions. </p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-86716964867724696862023-12-20T11:26:00.002-05:002023-12-20T11:26:36.026-05:00A Fool Proof Way To Get Someone To Stop DMing You<p style="text-align: justify;">Just suggest you meet in person. Works like a charm every time. And while this is generally true on the dating apps, it works just as well in other contexts. To wit, after my ex-wife died, one of her nieces (<a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/12/ding-dong-wicked-witch-is-dead.html">the one my ex accused me of sleeping with</a>!) reached out on Facebook to check in. After a little DM back and forth she was like "would love to catch up sometime" and, well, reader, I was admittedly ambivalent about the idea (one of my least favorite conversations is "remember when?") and figured it was just polite social contract chit chat, but just to prove the point, I was like "here's my number if you want to grab coffee or lunch sometime." And then ... crickets. Makes life so much easier when you realize people don't actually want to see you in person, they just want the illusion of it. </p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-24915393273098875862023-12-15T11:57:00.005-05:002023-12-16T08:34:23.136-05:00Important Office Episodes: Business School (S3E17)<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When Michael
leaves Scranton for Colorado, the last person he says goodbye to is Pam. Theirs
is a tearful embrace packed with the kind of emotional punch that only comes
about when two people are closely bonded. Of course, it was not always so. In
the show’s very first episode, Michael “fake fires” Pam, a particularly cruel
prank that leaves her in tears. In those early days, Pam was meek and a bit of
a wallflower; Michael was an obnoxious bully who often made derogatory (and
sometimes sexist) comments toward Pam while she rolled her eyes behind his back
and engaged in subtle forms of retaliation like pilfering his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Threat Level Midnight</i> script. That the
two would become close friends seemed unlikely at best.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And yet, as the
show unfolded and the characters developed, that is precisely what happened. A
nice example of their nascent friendship occurred in Season Three’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grief Counseling</i>. Michael, despondent
over the death of Ed Truck, his predecessor as regional manager, gets no
comfort from his subordinates. But when a bird dies and an impromptu funeral is
held for it, Pam gives a eulogy clearly directed at Michael and the sadness he
feels. That season is one of evolution for both Michael and Pam. The branch
narrowly avoids the chopping block and gives Michael the chance to prove he can
manage a larger group of people while he starts a public relationship with Jan.
Pam, having called off her wedding to Roy, is starting to come out of her shell
(a bit), most particularly by signing up for a painting class (something Roy
had dissuaded her from doing when they were engaged). While each was making
halting steps toward a better, and more confident future, their path was still
wet cement – three of the Stamford transfers left having seen Michael’s version
of management and Pam, in a moment of weakness at Phyllis and Bob’s wedding,
rekindled her relationship with Roy. A lot hung in the balance, which is why
the season’s seventeenth episode, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Business
School</i>, stands out as a critical one in the development of each character
and their relationship to one another.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The set-up is
straight-forward. Michael thinks he is being honored in one of Ryan’s business
school classes when in fact Ryan invited him solely because doing so bumped him
up a letter grade. Pam has invited the office to an art show featuring her and
her classmates’ work. They each expect support and admiration, and instead, get
the opposite. The students in Ryan’s class look puzzled at first by Michael’s
off-the-wall presentation and then turn openly hostile when he gives what they
think are non-sensical answers to their questions about the paper business. At the art exhibit Pam stands quietly by her display, her lone visitor being a little
old lady who quickly wanders off. When Roy shows up (with his brother in tow, of course) and Pam could use a confidence boost, it is nowhere to be found. Instead, Roy is focused on himself and wants credit for being the only </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">person from the office who showed up. When he and his brother leave after giving her paintings a cursory look, he again fails to read the situation, limply calling Pam’s art “the prettiest art of all the art” but being more concerned with whether she will stop by his place after the exhibit ends.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Meanwhile,
Michael learns that Ryan has told his classmates that Dunder Mifflin is not
competitive and will likely go out of business in the next 5 to 10 years.
Instead of being discouraged like Pam, Michael lashes out, dissing the students
as young and ignorant as he storms out of the lecture hall. Ryan’s observation
cuts Michael in several ways. First, it comes from Ryan, who Michael views as a
mentee and whose approval he desperately craves. Second, it plays into
Michael’s insecurity over having never gone to college and being lectured to by
a bunch of students. Finally, it calls into question Dunder Mifflin’s business
strategy, which is an indirect insult to Michael.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Pam is faring no
better. With Roy gone, she is excited to see Oscar and Gil (who do not notice she is behind them as they look at her work). While she </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">expects them to say nice things, instead they dismiss her paintings as “motel art” and agree that she lacks the courage and honesty to be a great artist. She sags visibly, her self-confidence deflated. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Had the episode
ended on these dual notes, each character might have gone in a different – and darker
– direction. Michael would have had to accept that Dunder Mifflin might not be
able to compete with the big chain paper stores and he would not only lose his
job, but people he considered a surrogate family. Pam could have easily decided
that she was a failure and stopped painting. But that did not happen. Michael
showed up to Pam’s exhibit just as she was taking down her work. Instead of
dismissing her lack of talent as Oscar did or barely looking at her work like
Roy, Michael takes a genuine interest in her paintings. He quickly zeroes in on
Pam’s representation of the Scranton Office Park building, noticing the fine
details like the cars parked in the lot and the location of his office window.
When he asks her how much it would cost to buy it, she is surprised, but to
Michael, the building represents who he is, it defines him as a person – “that
is our building, and we sell paper” – he reminds her, so of course he needs to
put it in the office. But more importantly, Michael tells Pam that he is proud
of her. Her eyes well up with tears and she give Michael a big hug. It is in
that moment (I’m ignoring the clumsy “Chunky” joke that kills the mood) that their
friendship was fully cemented. Michael stayed true to his belief in his
employees, that his job as their manager was to inspire them, that business is about people, and people will never go out of
business. For Pam, receiving validation from Michael meant the world to her and
confirmed that she was on the right track.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The ripple
effect from that one scene was significant. With Ryan elevated to Jan’s job in
Season Four, he attempted to implement many of the changes he thought Dunder
Mifflin needed, in particular, the launch of a website so customers could buy
paper online as opposed to working with a salesperson. Michael stood firm in
his belief that customer service was the way to maintain the company’s
viability against bigger competitors. In the end, Michael was proven right.
Ryan’s website was a flop while the Scranton branch went from being at risk of
closing to the most profitable office within the company. David Wallace would ask
Michael to do a lecture circuit of the other branches to discuss his business
tactics and when the company went bankrupt and was acquired by Sabre, the
Scranton branch was singled out as one of the few bright spots.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">For Pam,
Michael’s support helped her be more open with people and stand up for herself.
When Roy freaked out after she told him that she and Jim had kissed at casino
night, Pam ended things with him once and for all. At the office’s beach day,
she did a fire walk, called out her co-workers for skipping her exhibit, and
told Jim she canceled her wedding to Roy because of him. Instead of giving up painting,
she continued working at her craft, ultimately receiving commissions to paint
two murals – one from the city of Scranton and the other from Nellie for the
office warehouse.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Business School</i> gave each character a
shot in the arm individually, it also solidified their friendship. As the show
unfolded, each would be there for the other time and again. Whether it was Pam
joining the Michael Scott Paper Company or Michael choosing Pam to take the one
new sales job when they both returned, the two of them touring the other
branches in Season Five and being there for one another when each sought
closure, or staying up all night to work on Michael’s alternative advertisement
for Dunder Mifflin, their connection deepened, culminating in their emotional
farewell. And that painting Michael swooned over? It would hang in a place of
honor until the series ended and Pam plucked it off the wall to take with her
to Austin, a reminder of who she could be and for Michael, a reminder of who he
was. <o:p></o:p></span></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-90913996344399218772023-12-15T09:25:00.002-05:002023-12-15T09:25:18.002-05:002023 Year In Books<p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">1. Writing of the Gods, Edward
Dolnick<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">2. American Midnight, Adam Hoschild<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">3. Yours Truly, James Hagerty<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">4. Sweet Land of Liberty, Rossi Anastopoulo <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">5. Mudlark, Laura Maiklem<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">6. Oscar Wars, Michael Schulman <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">7. Trust the Plan, Will Sommer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">8. When Shea Was Home, Brett Toppel<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">9. Banned Books, DK Publishing <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">10. Black Death at the Golden Gate, David Randall<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">11. The Wager, David Grann<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">12. Saying It Loud, Mark Whitaker <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">13. STFU, The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in an Endlessly
Noisy World, Dan Lyons<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">14. The Peacemaker, William Inboden<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">15. When The News Broke, Heather Hendershot<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">16. The Sewing Girl’s Tale, John Wood Sweet<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">17. Why We Did It, Tim Miller<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">18. Ringmaster, Abraham Riesman<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">20. Homegrown, Jeffrey Toobin<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">21. The Book of the Dead, John Lloyd<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">22. The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">23. Opposable Thumbs, Mike Singer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">24. The Big Time, Michael MacCambridge<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-62735604320131081932023-12-11T08:31:00.001-05:002023-12-11T08:31:16.899-05:00The Cruel Tease of Being a Jets Fan <div style="text-align: justify;">When the Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers, it is fair to say Jets fans expected games like yesterday's 30-6 win over the Houston Texans. The quarterback threw for 300 yards, the running game was good enough to keep the aggressive Texans defense off balance, and the Jets defense smothered first-year quarterback (and expected rookie of the year) C.J. Stroud, harassing him into barely more than 100 yards passing before knocking him out of the game in the fourth quarter. It was as complete a victory as the Jets have had this year and yet it was a perfect example of what makes this team uniquely frustrating because it was back-up Zach Wilson who was under center, not Rodgers, and the win itself just served to keep the faintest glimmer of playoff hopes alive for a team that has been historically inept on offense all year as the possibility (no matter how remote) of Rodgers's return dangles in front of a fan base who has had their hopes dashed more than Charlie Brown when Lucy pulls away the football at the last second. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, this cruel tease may be short-lived. The Jets fly to Miami to play the Dolphins next weekend, a team they lost to on Black Friday by three touchdowns but what if they somehow find a way to win? After all, the defense has held quarterbacks to an average of just 170 yards a game and that loss occurred with Tim Boyle (since cut) at quarterback and a fluke play (a pick six to end the first half). It would be very on brand for the Jets to tease its fan base in this way, claw their way to 6-8 and then let sports talk radio go all in on SHOULD AARON RODGERS COME BACK THIS SEASON and if he does, immediately get injured again. This is the Jets, after all. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-81594916868856169242023-12-09T16:13:00.000-05:002023-12-09T16:13:05.566-05:00The Dodgers Overpaid For Ohtani <p style="text-align: justify;">Shohei Ohtani announced he is signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the top line number may be eye popping, considering Ohtani's unique ability to pitch, hit, and field, if you squint you can justify it. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">A top of the rotation pitcher costs between $30 million and $43 million a year and a .300 hitter who can hit with power can get paid about that much too. Effectively, Ohtani is two All-Star level talents in one player, but the problem with signing him to a deal of this length (and cost) is that he's now had two major elbow surgeries (in case you were wondering, a functioning elbow is important in hitting but REALLY important in pitching). If Ohtani can't pitch or is not the pitcher he once was because of his previous injuries, this starts looking like a not-so-great contract. Moreover, it pays him $70 million a year until he is 39 years old, an age where player performance notably declines (just ask the Angels how their contract with Albert Pujols worked out). Finally, the Dodgers don't lack for hitting, it's pitching that they need but the money they just gave Ohtani further hamstrings their ability to bolster their starting rotation.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, it's a splashy signing and yes if you are going to pay someone this kind of money, a guy who has Cy Young level pitching talent and Triple Crown level hitting talent is the logical choice. But given Ohtani's injury history, baseball's luxury taxes, the Dodgers' other needs, and the vagaries of the post-season, this looks like a classic case of overpaying. </p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-65768947959618137062023-12-08T15:37:00.001-05:002023-12-08T15:37:26.326-05:00Ding Dong The Wicked Witch Is DEAD<p style="text-align: justify;">A few days ago, I was at work and an email popped up in my inbox. It was from the priest who co-officiated my wedding long ago and who I had not spoken to in some time. It was one of those vague "call me" messages without any context. I assumed he wanted something (the only reason this guy ever got in touch previously) so I, reluctantly, called, figuring I would just get it over with. Instead, and to my surprise, he gave me the best news I had heard in a very long time: my ex-wife died. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Now I know, it may seem like poor form to celebrate someone's death, but allow me to play a few of the greatest hits from my marriage to a true "see you next Tuesday"</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>She was an alcoholic who spent most (all?) of our marriage in a drunken stupor. This made socializing with other people almost impossible because my ex-wife was a mean drunk who literally could not behave in public when she was bombed (which was almost all the time). </li><li>Her alcoholism also made any long-term financial planning almost impossible because she routinely drove drunk, went to work drunk, and one never knew when she might injure herself or others while behind the wheel, not just creating medical risk, but financial risk too. And lest you think I am being hyperbolic, she was drunk driving alone one night, hit another car, fled the scene, and when I got home from work, there was a police cruiser in my driveway. Of course, by the time the police got the call from the motorist she hit, ran my ex's plate and got to our house, she got the smell of booze off her and being middle class white people in the suburbs, the cop did not even think to ask if she had been drinking. </li><li>But, you might ask, did you ever ask her to get help? Of course. Many times. Her reaction was either to deny she had a problem or, more typically, blame me for her drinking. See, *I* was the reason she drank, she had no responsibility whatsoever (that's sarcasm).</li><li>She accused me of sleeping with her then 19-year-old niece because her niece committed the unpardonable sin of <checks notes> asking me for advice with a problem she was having instead of asking my then-wife. </li><li>She was unemployed for more than three years. Why, you ask? She didn't feel like working even though I lost my job at one point while she was not working so we were both unemployed. She didn't even bother applying for unemployment. When I would ask her to look for work, she responded that because I had gone to law school and didn't work (except for summers) while I was in school, this was like being in law school for her. Yes, gentle reader, she compared getting a law degree to sitting on a couch watching TV for three years while being half in the bag.</li><li>She constantly belittled me in front of her own family and mine because she was mad I did not want to work at a big law firm. And while she constantly complained I didn't make enough money, when we divorced, she unsurprisingly was happy to take all that money. </li><li>When we were 'trying' (half-heartedly) to conceive a child, she claimed her inability to get pregnant was due to - wait for it - my having smoked pot when I was a teenager, not her being overweight, an alcoholic, or a smoker. Of course, when I had my semen analyzed, the OB-GYN told her my sample was one of the most fertile (and motile) she had ever processed. Talk of children ended shortly thereafter.</li><li>She dragged out our divorce for months, refusing to move out of the house (which I decided to stay in and refinance the mortgage) and making life miserable for almost six months.</li><li>She badmouthed me to her family and mine after we split up while I kept my mouth shut. Reader, being the bigger person was not an easy thing to do, but I did it, even though I could have aired all of the above (and more). </li></ul><div>I could go on, but I have no guilt about celebrating her death. I am THRILLED she is dead. She was an emotionally abusive person who made my life miserable for almost 20 years. The psychological damage she inflicted will never heal and the financial hit I took paying her out in the divorce cost me almost $200,000. She is one of the meanest, ugliest (in the personality sense) people I have ever known and I was SO HAPPY to hear her last years were difficult - that she had health problems, that she died alone and no one even knew she was dead for two days, that she never got help for her drinking - all of the things I *knew* would happen, that her life would be a pathetic little jumble, came true. Her obituary is depressing in how little could be said about her time on Earth. Yes, there is satisfaction in being vindicated in your assessment of another person's awfulness, especially one who was so classless, so lacking in any redeeming qualities, and took ZERO responsibility for her actions. I am happy you are dead, you miserable, evil woman. </div><p></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-55685454851277952862023-12-02T06:07:00.005-05:002023-12-20T11:28:16.201-05:00Important Office Episodes: The Client (S2E7)<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">It is well-known that one of, if not the most important reason The Office survived for nine seasons and 200 episodes was Greg Daniels’s realization after Season One that Michael Scott needed a personality overhaul. In the truncated first season, Michael was a petty, mean bully, insecure, incompetent, and also seemed a little racist and a bit of a pervert. In other words, not the kind of lead character an audience would watch year after year. The makeover started subtly in Season Two. The employees rallying to Michael’s defense when a patron mocked him during <i>The Dundies</i>, his panic attack at signing the closing papers that will make him a homeowner in <i>Office Olympics</i> followed by Jim’s awarding of a gold medal to him for going through with the deal were modest tweaks showing Michael’s relationship with his co-workers was friendlier than initially shown and also revealed Michael’s vulnerability.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">But <i>The Client</i> is when things kicked into overdrive. The premise is straight forward. Michael and Jan have a meeting with a representative from Lackawanna County named Christian. As Jim explains in a talking head, if Michael and Jan can get Christian to agree to make Dunder Mifflin the county’s paper supplier, it will decrease the chances the Scranton branch will be shut down. While the objective is simple, it is clear Jan and Michael view the meeting much differently. Jan wants it to be rigid and formal, held at a hotel, taking no longer than an hour, and with her doing all the talking. Michael wants the meeting to be informal, so he changes the meeting location from a hotel to a restaurant (Chilis), expects it to take a few hours, and wants equal time in the conversation, even suggesting the duo choose a signal in case the other gets in trouble (which Jan balks at).</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Once Michael and Jan arrive at Chilis and the three are seated, Jan gets right down to business, barely wasting time on pleasantries before blurting out “what’s the bottom line” when asking Christian how to win his business. Michael, seeing that Jan has no feel for how sales are done and fearing the meeting will be both short and unsuccessful, interjects, bringing the business discussion to a halt by ordering an appetizer and telling an off-color joke that Christian laughs at. From there, Michael takes over fully. Jan sees him as foolish and performative, but Michael is playing a deeper game. As the evening unfolds, we see that Michael reads people well and the jokes and sing alongs are not an act of buffoonery, but of bonding.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">While Jan looks on in revulsion as Michael and Christian gnaw at baby back ribs and is ready to write off the meeting as a boozy failure, Michael’s plan comes into focus. Having kept the meeting loose and friendly, Christian does not even notice the sales pitch Michael gives him. Michael knows Christian must get a good deal and that is more likely to come from a large company that can offer lower prices, so he flips the script and points out that large companies use their leverage to undercut smaller competitors, drive them out of the market, and then raise their prices. When Christian agrees with Michael’s assessment, Michael closes perfectly, casually mentioning that he grew up in Scranton and knows its people and their needs as a way of appealing to Christian’s sense of community. After all, Christian represents the county and is likely a son of Scranton himself. Christian offers his business but needs to show that he saved the county some money. By now, Jan sees what Michael has done and her role is simply to grease the wheels in corporate to make the numbers work, which she does with a broad smile, cementing the deal.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">It is a compelling pitch that would have failed had Michael not spent those hours getting to know Christian and doing everything <i>but</i> talk business. By closing, we, the audience, internalize an important point – Michael is very good at his job. This is critical because without that base line of competence, all of the other subsequent character polishing would be irrelevant. We would always wonder, “Why is this guy the regional manager?” A question that was asked over and over again in Season One, whether it was when Michael’s behavior triggered the need for sensitivity training or putting Dwight in charge of selecting a health plan. He always seemed to be in over his head and generally disliked by his employees. Now, having watched him win this important new client, we see that he actually knows what he is doing.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">And if that was not enough, the post-closing celebration where Jan and Michael kiss in the parking lot is equally important. While the two go back to Jan’s hotel room, we learn the next morning that they did not have sex, but rather, did some PG-rated making out followed by Jan unburdening herself to Michael for five hours about her divorce. This is a huge departure for him. In the Season One finale <i>Hot Girl</i> he aggressively hits on Katie, a pocketbook saleswoman, and she is visibly uncomfortable with his advances. Now, with his boss a little tipsy, vulnerable because of her recent separation, and buzzing from the high of closing a big sale, he is sensitive and nurturing, not lecherous and gross. It is an important pivot point in the writers’ rebranding of Michael. Going forward, his primary motivation in his intimate relationships is understood as desiring emotional connection leading to marriage and children, not casual flings, further humanizing him as someone who might act a little goofy and inappropriate sometimes, but whose heart is in the right place.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">By the end of the episode, Michael’s transformation from an incompetent boss who is creepy with women to a competent boss who treats women respectfully is fully underway; no small feat to accomplish in twenty-two minutes.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Follow me on Twitter: @scarylawyerguy</p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-65615579659274106222023-07-03T18:42:00.002-04:002023-07-03T18:42:54.890-04:00Why Is Donald Trump So Interested In Bill Clinton's Sock Drawer?<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">If you live on Earth 1, you are vaguely aware of something called the “Clinton Socks Case” only because Donald Trump references it as one of his shifting excuses for why the DOJ’s indictment against him is improper. If you live on Earth 2, the case is an article of faith – the trump card (sorry) if you will that will help Dear Leader avoid the hoosegow.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">As a lawyer, I was like, “hmm, wonder what that case is about” because I had never heard of it. So I did some digging and here is what I found. I know, it is a fool’s errand to debunk Trump’s lies and part of his genius is throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what will stick, but if nothing else, you can use this to argue with your crazy uncle at Thanksgiving dinner.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">So, first thing’s first. The formal caption for the case is Judicial Watch v. National Archives and Records Administration. It is reported at 845 F. Supp. 2d 288, but if you do not have Lexis/Nexis or Westlaw you can read it <a href="https://casetext.com/case/judicial-watch-inc-v-natl-archives-records-admin">here</a>.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><i>What was the case about?</i></b> During his time in office, Bill Clinton spoke with the author Taylor Branch from time to time to create an “oral history” of his presidency. The conversations were recorded on a total of seventy-nine tapes, excerpts of which were released in 2009 by Branch in a book called The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President. Branch claimed Clinton kept the tapes in a sock drawer, hence the shorthand name for the case.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">After the book came out, Judicial Watch, which is basically a right wing advocacy group and is now run by a guy named Tom Fitton (not a lawyer) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Clinton Presidential Library for the tapes, arguing the tapes were records subject to the Presidential Records Act (PRA). The library denied the request, citing an exception in the PRA designating “diaries, journals or other personal notes serving as the functional equivalent of a diary or journal” as personal records that do not fall within the PRA (or FOIA). 44 U.S.C. 2201(3)(A). Judicial Watch then appealed that decision to the National Archives, which is responsible for all presidential records after a president’s term in office. The Archives noted it did not have possession of the tapes and regardless, also concluded that based on the information presented to it, the tapes “created by Taylor Branch are personal records of President Clinton as defined by the PRA.” Judicial Watch, 845 F. Supp. 2d at 293. Judicial Watch then filed a lawsuit and asked a federal judge to order the Archives to assume control of the tapes and deposit them in the Clinton Library because, according to Judicial Watch, the tapes were in fact official presidential records. The court rejected Judicial Watch’s claim and dismissed the case.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><i>Why does Trump think this case helps him?</i></b> You will be shocked to learn Trump is employing a standard trick he (and, in fairness, lawyers) uses routinely – he takes words out of context in an effort to make a point. Trump has argued that this case says that the President has total authority to declassify documents and that is what he (Trump) did, ergo, no crime was committed. And there is a kernel of truth in this statement that is entirely beside the point. Yes, in footnote 2, Judge Berman Jackson says “Under the statutory scheme established by the PRA, the decision to segregate personal materials from Presidential records is made by the President, during the President’s term and in his sole discretion.” Judicial Watch, 845 F. Supp. 2d at 295 n.2. Seems pretty persuasive except for three things. First, simply declassifying a document does not ipso facto make it a personal document. It simply means that a document that could only be handled by someone with clearance to do so can now be handled by people who do not. Second, the Clinton tapes (arguably) fell within a specific exception in the PRA, to wit, “diaries, journals or other personal notes serving as the functional equivalent of a diary or journal.” 44 U.S.C. §2201(3)(A). There is no suggestion that the documents DOJ ultimately recovered from Mar-a- Lago were of this nature and indeed, the charges against Trump refer to national defense information, another reason the classified/declassified argument is a red herring. Third, the court noted that a President cannot “designate any material he wishes as personal records” as a way of avoiding judicial review. In other words, even if Trump had declassified and designated all the documents he took as personal (which there is no indication he did, but stay with me) and the Archives sought to retrieve them, a court would have still been the final arbiter of whether the records were subject to the PRA or not. Of course, all of this is beside the point because Jack Smith charged Trump with violating the Espionage Act by improperly possessing national defense information and did not charge him with violating the PRA.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">But there are still other reasons why this case does not help Trump. Most significantly, the arguments put forward by Judicial Watch itself cut against his position, not in support of it. What do I mean? Well, when it filed its complaint, Judicial Watch sought specific relief from the court. To wit, it asked the Court to issue an order directing the Archives to “assume custody and control” of the Clinton tapes. At oral argument, Judicial Watch’s attorney was asked about that. Specifically, Judge Berman Jackson asked how the Archives could collect the tapes. Judicial Watch’s attorney suggested the Archives could either “make a phone call, they could write a letter,” or, failing that, “maybe use one of these enforcement mechanisms.” Judicial Watch, 845 F. Supp. 2d at 303. Of course, the “enforcement mechanism” the attorney spoke of is one we are now all familiar with – “initiating action through the Attorney General for the recovery of records wrongfully removed …” 44 U.S.C. §2905(a).</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">In other words, the exact things the Archives did with Trump – sending him multiple letters and then, when he blew them off, contacting the Department of Justice to help the Archives recover the documents Trump took – are the things Judicial Watch suggested the Archives should have done in regards to the Clinton tapes! But the reason Judicial Watch did not get the relief it sought was for a basic reason any 1L would recognize (and one of the other things that make the case unhelpful for Trump): the use of the word “may” instead of “shall” in discussing the Archivist’s ability to assume custody of presidential records in the PRA. See 44 U.S.C. §2112(c)(“When the Archivist considers it to be in the public interest, he <i>may </i>exercise … all the functions and responsibilities otherwise vested in him pertaining to Federal records or other documentary materials in his custody or under his control.”)(emphasis added).</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">In the Clinton case, the Court found it was without authority to force the Archivist to do anything because “the only enforcement tools provided to the defendant under the PRA are committed to the agency’s sole discretion.” Judicial Watch, 845 F. Supp. 2d at 302. In the Trump case, the Archivist did exercise her discretion as was her right to do. Ironically, the one way Judicial Watch might have bolstered its case would have been to name Clinton as a defendant as well and claim he violated the PRA. At that point, a court might have ordered in camera review of the tapes, but this was the one time in its long history the group did not sue a person with the last name Clinton. But again, none of that is helpful to Trump because 1) there is no suggestion he designated these documents as personal; 2) the Archivist was within her rights to seek the documents he kept; and 3) DOJ got a search warrant to collect the documents after a judge agreed there was probable cause to believe several federal statutes had been violated.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><i>TL;DR</i></b> – Clinton’s tapes fell within a specific exception to the PRA deeming journals, diaries, and similar such things as personal records. The Court found that the Archivist had sole discretion to seek their retrieval and having opted not to, the Court could not force him to do so. In the Trump case, there is no indication the documents in question are personal (if anything, the public reporting shows the exact opposite), the Archivist did exercise her authority to retrieve the documents and in the Clinton case, Judicial Watch – whose boss is now counseling Trump – argued in favor of exactly the actions the Archives took in the Trump case (sending him letters seeking the return of the documents and then referring the matter to DOJ for enforcement). If Trump cites Judicial Watch in a court pleading in support of his theory that war plans, nuclear secrets, and whatever else he pilfered are somehow “his” personal records, it will not be successful. <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-9885231056264253402023-06-24T08:35:00.007-04:002023-09-01T12:54:12.100-04:00Succession - Six Months Later (Kendall's Revenge)<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The <i>Bose</i> music system came on as it always did at precisely 4:45 A.M. with the sound of calming Caribbean waves to rouse Tom Wamgsgans from his slumber. Of course, Tom had not been sleeping much lately. In fact, he had been awake for close to an hour, staring a hole in the ceiling as his mind churned over the mess his life had become and what the day ahead would bring. It had not been an easy six months for the newly-minted CEO of Waystar Royco, which was (for now) a subsidiary of the Swedish technology company GoJo, but all that was coming to an end.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">While everyone was all smiles when the deal was consummated in the Waystar boardroom, fissures began to form almost immediately. Tom knew going in that GoJo’s CEO Lukas Matsson saw Tom as a mere figurehead, a front man who would smooth whatever regulatory concerns might exist but was expected to carry out Lukas’s vision for Waystar’s five divisions without complaint. And Tom, ever the good soldier, had tried to do so, but the Waystar ship had a leaky hull and Matsson’s inexperience in the U.S. market immediately made things worse. </p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The deal dazzle that accompanied the signing of the agreement barely lasted a day. The Raisin, still fuming that ATN had helped nudge him out of the White House, took one last bit of revenge, directing the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice to investigate GoJo based on its inflated subscriber numbers. Moreover, Gil Eavis, who would return to the Senate when the protracted legal battle over the election was narrowly resolved in Mencken’s favor, teed up his own investigation. Between the two, GoJo was being bombarded with subpoena requests it was ill-prepared to handle as it figured out how to replace Gerri Kellman, who had secured that eye-watering sum of money and retired to an Italian villa.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Of course, Tom’s promotion did not help. As head of ATN, his decision to call the election for Mencken put a target on his back and Matsson’s decision to elevate him in spite of that action only added to the company’s political headaches. When the Supreme Court effectively handed the presidency to Mencken when it rejected a request by the Wisconsin Secretary of State to conduct a revote due to the loss of nearly 100,000 votes in a fire whose cause was never determined, Wamgsgans was burned in effigy outside ATN’s headquarters. Weeks of nationwide protests only made things worse, and Mencken’s inaugural took place with a level of security unseen in Washington, D.C. since the Civil War. The chaos would continue as Mencken attempted all forms of executive power grabs that launched litigation in courts throughout the country amid continued unrest in the streets.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">While the company was being buried in document requests, public ire was aroused further when Ebba Karlsson, GoJo’s communications director, filed a sexual harassment and workplace discrimination lawsuit against Matsson and GoJo, itemizing, in excruciating detail, Lukas’s aggressive, bizarre, and improper behavior toward her and the frat house environment he cultivated among his senior staff. She became the star witness at Eavis’s public hearing and her tale of sex, drugs, and an out-of-control CEO who was exposed as a not just a creepy stalker, but worse (in the eyes of the tech community) a wannabe who was not even a real coder, captured the public’s imagination. It was the kind of story that hit the sweet spot for news coverage, tapping into #MeToo, the public’s distrust of social media companies, and its insatiable appetite for tabloid journalism. Matsson’s complete unfamiliarity with the U.S. media landscape only added to his misery as he fired off (and then deleted) ill-advised tweets and made rambling pronouncements in interviews, before finally going radio silent behind a phalanx of high powered attorneys and an increasingly fed up Karolina, who began to wonder whether she could stomach working for another erratic leader.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The wonky crisis management response led Matsson to make another fateful choice. Seeing the blowback from ATN’s central role on election night, he followed through on his decision to change its editorial direction. The revenue-generating echo chamber that kept conservatives angry and engaged was flipped, as Lukas promised, into something more Bloomberg gray. Tom outsourced the mass firings that Lukas ordered to Greg, newly promoted to Senior Advisor to the CEO, who dutifully carried out his instructions. Viewership followed the mass migration of ATN talent to Vera News and Freedom Voice America, resulting in a ratings free fall that made ATN look like a local public access cable channel and an advertising exodus that left the news channel mortally wounded. The election night call for Mencken had turned into a poisoned chalice. Waystar could not reap the financial benefits of having been first to call the election for Mencken and Mencken, doing what he could to stanch the bleeding of his tainted presidency, distanced himself and his administration from all things GoJo, allowing the SEC and DOJ investigations to continue.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">If that was not enough, after sinking tens of millions of dollars into reshoots, advertising, and CGI, <i>Kalispatron: Hibernation</i> premiered to widespread ridicule, little box office, and would ultimately be nominated for a dozen Razzies as the worst movie of the year. The studio was hemorrhaging money, adrift in its C-suite following Joy Palmer’s firing, and was having difficulty attracting scripts or actors because of the parent company’s support for Mencken on election night. Still more, the cruise line division continued to struggle and when Lukas pulled the plug on Waystar’s Living+ experiment, another potential source of revenue disappeared.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The final nail in the coffin happened when GoJo reported its first post-acquisition quarterly earnings. The India numbers failed to rebound and the stain from Waystar’s role in Mencken’s election caused a significant drop in U.S. subscribers. Lukas no longer had to worry about forum monkeys on Reddit, institutional investors had soured on him too. The company’s stock plunged by more than 75 percent as analysts came to realize it was suddenly dangling by a thread. GoJo had borrowed billions to acquire Waystar but the profit centers it relied on were shriveling on the vine. The company was bleeding out and some Wall Street analysts whispered about bankruptcy since no clear path existed for GoJo to pull out of its death spiral.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Laying in bed, Tom could only cringe and quietly stew over the fact that the one person who might have been able to navigate the political firestorm – his wife – had taken herself out of the public eye, spending the remaining months of her pregnancy holed up in the couple’s triplex or taking long weekends at the summer palace in the Hamptons, where the winter chill invigorated her as she prepared for motherhood. The arrival of Matthew Logan Roy Wamgsgans on Valentine’s Day was bitter irony. There was no love in Tom and Shiv’s marriage anymore, just a cold, calculated arrangement to keep up public appearances. And while Tom loved his son, the demands of his job made it impossible for him to spend meaningful time with his newborn and Shiv’s iciness just made things worse. Their marriage, such that it was, only existed on paper.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Tom arose, going through his morning routine with little energy. After nibbling on some breakfast, showering, and putting on his suit, Tom gave Mondale a quick rub on the head and walked out the door. As he made his way to the chauffeured Land Rover that toted him around Manhattan, Tom barely noticed a slight man in coveralls glide past him. And just as Tom was about to get in the car, a second man approached. “Tom Wamgsgans?” The man asked. “Yes,” Tom replied. Without missing a beat, the man reached into his jacket pocket, handed Tom an envelope and said, “you’ve just been served.” Tom was still a few hours away from being fired but Shiv was already filing for divorce. By the time Tom had processed the information, the locksmith he had brushed past was already changing the locks on the front door to the couple’s triplex. Shiv peered down from one of their floor-to-ceiling windows with a grim expression on her face.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Across Central Park, a much different morning was unfolding. Kendall Roy started his day as he had for the last six months – with ten minutes of meditation to ground him for the day ahead. While Roman had teased him as a Buddhist in Tom Ford, Kendall found comfort in eastern philosophy. It helped maintain his sobriety, which was intact save for the occasional evening Scotch, but more importantly, it helped him move past the crushing defeat he suffered at the hands of his younger sister and Waystar’s board of directors. Gone was the haunted man who had spent that fateful day staring blankly into the Hudson River.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">After a day of moping, Kendall pivoted to his next plan of action. It began with a call from Stewy Houssani. His long-time friend had backed him before the board and sensed a business opportunity in all this electoral confusion. What if, Stewy asked, he could find investors to step in and support Kendall’s acquisition of Pierce? While Stewy relished a good fight, Nan Pierce had no stomach for all of the uncertainty Mencken’s election created and was looking to get out – quick. Kendall needed little convincing. Sticking to his gut instinct that Matsson would screw up the company, Ken dumped all the stock that made up half of his payout from the acquisition, walking away with just north of a billion dollars when the cash portion he also collected was added in. Thanks in no small part to his bravura public appearance at Waystar’s investors conference and the impromptu eulogy he delivered at his father’s funeral, investors were eager to back Kendall’s next venture. That, plus Stewy’s connections among hedge fund managers and the work Tellis had already done lining up investors, allowed Kendall to close on PGM just three short weeks after his ignominious departure from Waystar HQ. For good measure, he agreed to Nan’s request that Naomi stay on, albeit in a figurehead role, so the family’s name stayed on the masthead.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">But keeping a Pierce name attached to his new toy would only get Kendall so far. In a political culture that monetized conflict, he needed someone steeped in the ways of Washington to be in charge of the day-to-day operations. Fortunately, Ken’s old pal Nate Soffreli was available and as keen on settling scores (for different reasons) as he was. Nate took the Jimenez/Eavis loss to Mencken particularly hard and after more than fifteen years scratching his way up the ladder as an aide in Washington, he had watched his dream of making it to the White House go up in smoke along with those Wisconsin ballots. He was looking for an exit strategy, a way to get back at the people he believed had stolen the election, and a salary orders of magnitude better than what he earned as a Capitol Hill grunt; when Ken offered to put him in charge of PGN, Nate jumped at the chance.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Kendall understood intuitively that Mencken’s contested victory was an opportunity for a news operation to be the tip of the spear in fighting back against his agenda. What would be referred to as “the resistance” became a rallying cry, and with Nate sharpening the tone of its on-air talent, PGN’s ratings skyrocketed. Its commitment to truth telling at a time of disinformation and its investigative work exposing the damage being done within the federal government earned the media empire plaudits and Pulitzer nominations – the type of cache Kendall longed for and his father had never achieved.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">As Kendall, Nate, and their team went about reorienting Pierce, Ken kept one eye on the happenings at GoJo. He had not lost his desire to go “reverse Viking” and the myriad of challenges GoJo faced after it acquired Waystar provided the opening Kendall was looking for. It did not hurt that Ken had a mole deep inside the company. From his perch at Tom’s side, Greg saw which way the wind was starting to blow. He had not advanced this far without being a good reader of the room and as GoJo’s fortunes faded and Ken’s rose, Greg saw an opportunity to hedge his bet. It was not much, just the occasional check in text, but the intel Greg provided gave Ken a better sense of whether he would need to engage in trench warfare or be greeted as a liberator.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">With Greg confirming much of what was causing GoJo’s precipitous fall, Kendall decided to go for it – a full blown acquisition of the company that had swiped his birthright and doing it on the cheap for good measure. He knew money would not be a problem. Not only was GoJo’s value sinking by the day, but Kendall’s star was burning brightly, and the idea of a prodigal son reclaiming his family’s company would be an irresistible lure. But in order to achieve his goal, Kendall knew he had to deploy a strategy that took advantage of the current moment but also covered his tracks. At Chiantishire, Logan had lectured Ken that business is a knife fight in the mud and Ken had finally absorbed that lesson. If he wanted to flip the script on Matsson, he would need to employ a clever PR strategy and a team of pit bulls to do it.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">For that he deputized Hugo Baker, who was part of the kill list that swept out other senior Waystar managers the day Lukas took over and came over to work for Ken immediately thereafter. Hugo’s job was two-fold: leveraging the good publicity Kendall was getting to further burnish his credentials while kneecapping everything and everyone else from that brief, but erratic, interregnum around Logan’s death and the presidential election. In the retelling of this story, it was Kendall who would be framed as the one who saw through Lukas’s shadiness only to be betrayed by his siblings.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Hugo’s task was made easier by the series of bad decisions Lukas made post-acquisition, but he added important color for reporters writing about the Roy family. He did this by primarily pointing the finger at Roman. It was Roman, Hugo told reporters from New York magazine, who was to blame for Joy Palmer’s firing (a fact she confirmed on the record), Gerri Kellman’s resignation, and, Hugo strongly implied, forcing ATN to call the election for Mencken (a claim given more credence when Darwin Perry, furious over having been used by Roman on election night, also agreed to an on-the-record interview which downplayed Ken’s role and emphasized Roman’s strong arm tactics). When this spin was added to Roman’s public meltdown at Logan’s funeral and a few juicy tidbits about his unsteady negotiating tactics in Norway, the public perception that Kendall was the adult in the room while Roman was in over his head came into sharper focus.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">But tossing Roman under the bus was only half the job. Hugo also needed to sling mud at Shiv and Kendall gave him plenty of ammunition to do so. In Hugo’s telling, Shiv was resentful over her father’s decision to name Kendall as his successor and to get back at him, turned on her brother. Nate helpfully supported this narrative, confirming Shiv’s perfidy via the calls she made to him while the deal hung in the balance and Kendall offered the coup de grace, an exclusive about the siblings’ huddle in the Caribbean wherein Roman and Shiv “crowned” him only to have her double cross him twelve hours later. Neither Roman nor Shiv was in any position to push back. Roman was stumbling out of various and sundry bars and nightclubs in a drunken state, post-grieving, if you will, not just his father’s death, but all the carnage he created in its wake. Shiv, resigned to never attaining the power she thought she deserved, opted to focus her attention on her child and little else.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The rest of the story wrote itself. Kendall’s Living+ presentation, the gravitas he displayed at his father’s funeral, Logan’s succession side letter, and the good will he engendered as he refreshed Pierce all fed into the narrative he had long craved but always been denied – that he was a business leader worthy of his father’s name. Besides, even if Roman or Shiv had wanted to push back, trying to muster an argument that Ken was guilty of the great sin of wanting to keep the “Roy” in Waystar Royco would not have garnered much traction. The pieces were falling into place. Pierce’s market cap was on a rocket ride while GoJo’s was sinking like a stone. But if Kendall was going to swoop in and pillage the Nordic village, he needed to tie up one final loose end – Andrew Dodds.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Kendall could have left well enough alone. The Scottish police had closed out the Dodds case long ago, writing it off as “death by misadventure.” There were only three people who knew about the story in real time – one was dead (Logan), one was now on an endless shopping spree in Italy (Marcia) and the other now worked for him (Colin). But Kendall had shared a version of the story with his siblings and while each was quiet for now, removing this potential source of blackmail was the wise thing to do.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Kendall reached out to Lisa Arthur, who devised a plan with manageable legal exposure, but if executed properly, would get his story out in a way that would minimize Kendall’s liability, could not be challenged, and deflect blame for the whole affair to people no longer alive to dispute it. In short, Ken signed an affidavit telling an embellished version of the truth. Ken was driving and in an impaired state but it was Andrew who caused the accident by reaching for the steering wheel and causing the car to go over the bridge and into the water. Kendall stated that he attempted – several times – to rescue Andrew but was unable to do so. As importantly, as Ken did with Living+, he used Logan as a foil to bolster his story without Logan being alive to contradict it. Kendall pinned the blame for the cover up on Logan, who, according to Kendall, wanted to avoid any embarrassment for his daughter on her wedding day whereas Ken wanted to come clean but agreed to keep quiet. The story had the added benefit of exonerating Colin, who also elided responsibility by claiming he was just following Logan’s orders.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Lisa coordinated with local counsel and Scottish authorities to wire the whole thing in a way that made Ken look sympathetic. Ken flew over, ostensibly for a ceremony in Dundee commemorating his father’s life, and while he was there, surrendered to authorities and pled guilty to driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. In his public statement of contrition, told with the patina of guilt Ken legitimately felt about what happened that night, he took responsibility for his actions, apologized to the Dodds family, and announced a generous donation toward drug and alcohol treatment programs. Later that day, he visited the Dodds in their home and, along with a private apology, handed them a check for $10 million. Afterwards, the group made a joint appearance outside the home where Andrew’s parents thanked Kendall for coming forward and offering them closure for a loss they continued to suffer.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">With that landmine defused, Kendall turned his attention to his business plan for the GoJo takeover. It was not a heavy lift. After all, he had been the one who initially pitched the idea of acquiring the Swedish streaming service back at Josh Aronson’s estate. GoJo had followed the path of many other tech start-ups. Its initial, massive burst of growth made it a Wall Street darling, allowing it to borrow large sums of money as its valuation increased so that it could scoop up other services to maintain growth, but the house of cards had collapsed when its subscriber numbers were exposed as bogus, its revenue dried up, and its cash on hand dwindled to service the debt it carried. Kendall brought in Ebba to give him a better sense of how the company operated internally, and her download confirmed what he suspected – the streaming app was useful but the rest of the parts shop was not providing much benefit. Instead of having a multi-national news, entertainment, and recreation conglomerate acquire a streaming service to expand its reach, the opposite had happened – a business version of the tail wagging the dog, a mistake Kendall intended to undo.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">For Waystar, Ken would finally get the chance to correct the mistakes he thought his father had made. The parks and cruises division would have an all-female leadership team that would also be charged with building out the Living+ concept. Kendall tracked down Comfry Pellits to run comms for the division and convinced Jess Jordan to return to work under her. ATN would revert back to its pre-GoJo form led by Cyd Peach. Having both PGN and ATN would fulfill Kendall’s observation to Rhea back in the Waystar safe room that the former gave viewers what they needed (objective news reporting) while the latter gave viewers what they wanted (verbal combat). It would also monetize both sides of the political divide - a true win/win. While the folks at Waystar’s movie studio would not be thrilled, Ken also knew that having PGM in the fold gave the company balance that would smooth whatever concerns talent had about working with (or for) Waystar 2.0.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Ken filled out important spots on his team with familiar faces. He enticed Lisa away from her law firm partnership with a generous compensation package and the title of General Counsel. She would be across all the issues that arose within the company, liaise with the politicians and regulators whose palms would need greasing to move things along, and trouble shoot problems as they popped up. Frank, impressed with the work Kendall had done in such short order, agreed to come back as Vice Chairman and since Karl had retired to his Greek Island, Ken asked Tellis to come in as CFO. Ebba was hired as Hugo’s second in command with a focus on integrating what would remain of GoJo into the new and expanded Waystar Royco empire. Finally, Greg the Egg would stick around in a similar role as he had under Tom – sussing out office vibes, being charged with taking care of miscellaneous tasks, and, when needed, being a hype man to boost his boss’s mood.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">With his financing in place and his leadership team lined up, Ken submitted his proposal to Lukas, who took a screenshot of the executive summary and tweeted it out below a poop emoji. GoJo’s board was of a different opinion. With their fiduciary duty to the shareholders, the board saw Kendall’s offer as a needed lifeline for a company teetering on the brink of failure. While Matsson pitched the board hard to reject the offer, promising he was capable of turning things around, the facts said otherwise. The company’s legal problems were not getting any better and GoJo’s lifeblood – its subscribers – was leaking away. After a little back and forth between the board and Ken’s team, a deal was struck. PGM would acquire GoJo at a valuation roughly a third of what it was six short months previously. GoJo would write a large check to Ebba to settle her claims, leaving Ken and his brain trust to resolve the company’s issues with the U.S. government. For that, Kendall would lean on his new team. Lisa and Nate made for a formidable duo. The former would work with the SEC and DOJ to resolve their investigations and the latter would rely on his deep ties to Senator Eavis to assure him that Kendall would clean up Lukas’s mess while providing Gil with more opportunities to appear on both PGN and ATN.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">And so, Ken slipped on what was now his standard CEO uniform – a dark blue suit and a crisp white dress shirt opened at the collar. His phone pinged as he headed out the door, a text from his older brother. “Congrats, Kenny” it read over a selfie of Connor and Willa at the U.S. embassy in Dubrovnik. Ken chuckled to himself – Conner, a freaking ambassador. Fikret and Colin were waiting curbside as Ken left his building. “To the Death Star!” Ken exclaimed, as Fikret navigated the Mercedes SUV into Manhattan traffic heading toward Waystar’s headquarters. When the trio arrived, Frank, Tellis, Lisa, Nate, Stewy, Greg, Hugo, and Ebba greeted him with big smiles and pats on the back. “I told you Frank, one head, one crown, bigger than dad ever was,” Ken said as the two men shared a hug. The group headed to the elevator bank that would take them up to Waystar’s boardroom where the rest of the team was waiting.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Tom’s trip to the office occurred in stony silence. That Shiv was filing for divorce was not entirely unexpected. After all, they both knew Tom would soon be out of a job. Worse, the bad press Tom received – from the cruise line scandal to Mencken’s election – effectively made him unemployable in any of the Fortune 500 companies based in New York. But the abruptness of her decision still stung. She was moving to enforce their pre-nuptial agreement and, more painfully, suing for sole custody of little Matty. Tom may have gummed up Shiv’s legal options by conflicting out some of the city’s top tier matrimonial attorneys, but she had an equity stake in GoJo’s acquisition that still netted her hundreds of millions of dollars and enough sense to trust her financial advisors as she slowly sold off her GoJo shares into a declining market. Tom was not so fortunate. The stock options he received when he became CEO of Waystar were now almost worthless and aside from his salary and the agreed upon payout he would receive under the terms of the pre-nup, he did not have the kind of money he would need for a protracted court fight. Ordinarily, Tom would confide in (or take his frustrations out on) Greg, but the two men were no longer on speaking terms. When Ken’s team sent over its kill list, Tom was not surprised to see his name on it, but he noticed Greg’s name was conspicuously absent. He quickly put two and two together. While Tom could have fired Greg, it would have been pointless because Kendall would have just hired him right back.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The logistics of the signing ceremony had been worked out in advance. Matsson refused to travel to the States because he was dodging a Congressional subpoena and did not want to risk being picked up by the U.S. Marshals. Instead, he designated Tom to sign the documents on GoJo’s behalf. When Ken’s team entered the boardroom Tom and a few soon-to-be unemployed GoJo executives were already there. The two men had not spoken or seen each other in six months. While it was a long shot, Tom made one last attempt to avoid losing his job. “Kendall,” he said with faux sincerity, “you really have done it. If there is anything I can do to help with the transition – ” before Ken cut him off. “I’m good, Tom. You’re out.” Deflated, Tom retreated to his chair and scribbled his name in each place his assistant had marked. Ken did the same and with those strokes of the pen, the deal was done.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">With the paperwork complete, Ken walked down to his dad’s old office. It, along with Waystar, were now his. There would be good days ahead as well as challenges, but for now, he gazed out the window at New York’s skyline with a contented look on his face. He pulled out his phone and called his son. Things had improved slightly with Iverson and Sophie. Rava kept them upstate for a week or so after the election and as Ken’s life stabilized he did his best to mend fences. Although Rava took note of what Pierce was doing under Ken’s leadership, there was too much peanut butter between them. They now communicated solely through their lawyers; however, Rava also knew that it was important for their two children to have some sort of relationship with their father and she encouraged them – at their own pace – to reengage with him. Ken wanted not just to right the wrongs of his own parenting but be a better role model to his son than Logan was to him. “Hey buddy,” he said when Iverson picked up. “Dad’s calling you from grandpa’s old office.” “Listen,” he continued, “I’m going to have Fikret pick you up tomorrow morning so you can come into work with me.” “Ok, dad.” “Can’t wait, pal. I love you,” Ken replied. As Ken hung up the phone, new Jess (whose real name was Lauren) popped her head in at the door. “Kendall, I have the White House on Line 1.” “Thanks,” he replied. Ken picked up his desk line. “Hello, Mr. President.”</p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>THE END</b></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-43629782617706678172023-05-23T08:21:00.000-04:002023-05-23T08:21:07.386-04:00Succession Power Rankings - Church and State<p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">This week on <i>Succession</i> … Roman trips, Mencken flips, and Jess splits. And now, the Power Rankings:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">1. Logan Roy (last week: NR): When you appeared in front of Congress, <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/10/succession-power-rankings-dc.html">Senator Gil Eavis quoted Emerson</a> and noted that every institution is the shadow of a single man. That was certainly true of Waystar Royco under your leadership and your funeral confirmed it was true of your entire life. Your mistresses sat side-by-side with your wives, your flunkies recorded your youngest son breaking down in tears to create a viral internet meme poking fun at his weakness, and the rich and powerful paid their respects while jockeying to fill the void you left behind. This was the world you believed in – one consumed with ambition, desire, of <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/12/succession-power-rankings-chiantishire.html">converting black bile into silver dollars</a> - that helped you turn a buck and become one of the most powerful people on Earth. It is only fitting that you are now entombed in a mausoleum you picked up on the cheap, can be used as a tax write-off, and which none of your kids, save Connor, have any interest in joining you in after they pass away.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">2. Shiv Roy (last week: 9): When you told Mencken you were flexible, you were not lying. On election night, you were warning that his elevation to the presidency spelled the end of democracy in America. Less than twenty-four hours later, you were assuring that same man that if you were in charge of ATN you would respect its audience’s support of him. And in order to secure that job, you told Matsson you will barely pause to deliver your child (much less raise it) to allay any concerns he had about putting you in charge, but telegraphed the same grim childhood for your offspring that your own mother put you through. These are the kinds of <i>realpolitik</i> maneuvers Logan would have appreciated, but can we put to rest once and for all the idea your moral compass is not as broken as Kendall and Roman’s?</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">3. Jeryd Mencken (last week: 2): Far be it for us to question the political instincts of a man just (sort of) elected President of these United States, but switching horses in mid-stream is usually a recipe for disaster. You are shorting your Roman stock because he could not keep it together at his dad’s funeral and were put off by Ken’s clumsy attempt to confirm your deal with the brothers was still operative. Instead, you are taking a flyer on a woman who literally worked for one of your opponents but promises she will not change ATN’s coverage of you. It is one thing to be a nativist who is skeptical about foreign ownership of American companies, it is another to assume that the cleanliness and purity you crave will manifest in someone who hates you.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">4. Kendall Roy (last week: 3): You swung in for Roman when he could not go on and delivered a eulogy that served as a counter point to your uncle’s bitter screed. You nodded to Logan having been a tough brute with a dark energy, but justified it because of the geysers of money he made – for himself and those around him – while giving the people what they wanted. It was a cynical, if honest appraisal of your dad’s life work. Of course, words and deeds are two different things, a fact you came to realize quickly after your bravura performance. It is easy enough to marshal additional troops by dangling money in front of Hugo and a sense of purpose in front of Colin to secure their allegiance, but Mencken got wobbly after seeing Roman melt down and you could not reel him back in. Now, there will be a final battle between you and Shiv in front of the board of directors and we are going to find out if you are in fact your dad’s number one boy or just another Icarus who flew too close to the sun.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">5. Lukas Matsson (last week: 6): American politics must seem strange to you. You assumed Mr. Scary was going to put the kibosh on your Waystar acquisition, but when you got the chance to meet him, all you needed to do was muse on the cultural influence you could provide and promise to appoint an American as CEO of Waystar in order to turn his head. Perhaps he is also aware you two share a willingness <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/11/succession-power-rankings-what-it-takes.html">to cite “H” casually</a> and it did not hurt that assorted Roy members were falling over each other thirsty for Mencken’s attention. With his promise to not stand in the way of the deal and barely a ripple from the market after dumping news of your funky India numbers, you are that much closer to obtaining your new bauble.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">6. Hugo Baker (last week: NR): You can brief reporters on background in your sleep, but Kendall is offering you a trip to a world where he rules, not as your collaborator, but your master, holding you on a leash while you do his grubby work. In exchange for your fealty, the table scraps he offers will make you a millionaire. Naturally, you bark in agreement and prepare to eat out of the dog bowl.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">7. Ewan Roy (last week: NR): The Power Rankings find it poor form to air dirty laundry in public but like your deceased brother, you are a crusty old man who does what he wants. Whatever humanizing strokes of Logan you painted by discussing your tough upbringing were washed away with your predictable rant painting him as an evil force in the world. But your criticism of him as a miser who hoarded his wealth was a bridge too far considering your entire livelihood was built on the money he earned while you shot spitballs at him from the bleachers.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">8. Tom Wamgsgans (last week: 7): The thing about being a middle man is you are handed all of the responsibility and none of the authority. When things go south, the finger gets pointed at you even though you were not the one who made the big decisions. So we understand why you are exhausted. The last few weeks would test the fortitude of far stronger men. You were on the doomed flight with Logan playing go between him and his children as he lay dying. Your marriage, dangling by a thread for so long, appeared to have bounced back only to snap in a series of brutally honest arguments with your wife, who casually mentioned you are going to be a father. You spent election night in a cocaine haze being pulled in opposite directions and are now left holding the bag while violence erupts in the streets and you are the one being blamed for it all. You are not thinking clearly, so it is impossible for you to know whether Shiv’s offer of a brief respite at the triplex was done out of genuine concern or simply a pull of your string so she can use you to her advantage before cutting you loose.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">9. Roman Roy (last week: 1): The Power Rankings sympathize with you, Roman. We too were asked to give a eulogy at our father’s funeral and know the pressure it places on someone, particularly when their relationship with their deceased parent was so fraught. But we live in a world where that type of challenge is not met with sneers, derision and social media ridicule, but support and love, you do not. And so, with Mencken mocking you as the Grim Weeper and Ken big brother-ing you while your head is still swimming, it is no surprise that you lashed out by crowd surfing against the tide of humanity protesting the chaos you helped unleash.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">10. Jess Jordan (last week: 10): Right move, wrong timing, Jess. We hope Ken has a scrap of humanity left inside him so you can leave with a generous severance package. Otherwise, we fear your labors will not just go unrewarded, but punished.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Not Ranked: Cousin Greg. Marcia Roy. Connor Roy. Willa Roy. Rava Roy. Sophie Roy. Shakespeare Frank Vernon. Karl Muller. Gerri Kellman. Kerry Castellabatte. Caroline Collingwood. Peter Munion. Sally Ann. Colin Stiles. Karolina Novotny. A Pan-Hapsburg American-Led EU Alternative. Cat Food Ozymandias. Queasy Gonzalez.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Not Ranked:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/05/succession-power-rankings-america.html">America Decides</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/05/succession-power-rankings-tailgate-party.html">Tailgate Party</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/05/succession-power-rankings-living.html">Living+</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-kill-list.html">Kill List</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-honeymoon.html">Honeymoon States</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-connors.html">Connor’s Wedding</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-rehearsal.html">Rehearsal</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/03/succession-power-rankings-munsters_28.html">The Munsters</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-complete-season-2-and-season-3.html">Seasons 2 and 3 Power Rankings</a></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-67740504221455309382023-05-15T15:45:00.003-04:002023-05-20T07:22:34.495-04:00Succession Power Rankings - America Decides<p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">This week on <i>Succession </i>… Roman plays a trick, Greg avoids getting sick, and America (sort of) makes a pick. and now, the Power Rankings:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">1. Roman Roy (last week: 7): The Raisin would not play ball with your dad so ATN chased him out of the White House with a whisper campaign about his diminished capacity. You found a <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/11/succession-power-rankings-what-it-takes.html">T. Rex in Virginia</a> who keeps you on speed dial and is far more amenable to blurring ethical lines. So, as you saw the tide turning in Mencken’s direction, you were not above a little puppet mastering to make sure he got over the finish line. You slipped Mark Ravenhead some talking points to firm up the right wing narrative and leaned on the data crunchers to call Wisconsin for Mencken even with 100,000 absentee votes literally up in smoke. By the wee hours of the morning you were over the road and into the bar with a guy who cites Hitler casually, but you see as someone who will play ball while you motorboat democracy for kicks.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">2. Jeryd Mencken (last week: NR): You were realistic enough to think about shaping a post-defeat narrative as a victory for your insurgent campaign but you over performed in the right places and with a little help from your friends, “won” a narrow, contested victory that catapulted you from obscure congressman to the most powerful man in the world.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">3. Kendall Roy (last week: 1): In your heart you know Mencken’s ascension to the presidency threatens your ideal of an America where all different people live together in (relative) harmony or else you would not have a stealth security detail following around your daughter. You were willing to deny Roman the steak he craved provided Shiv could get some assurance from Nate that the Jimenez team would scuttle the Go Jo deal if ATN pumped the brakes on declaring Mencken the winner. You were even willing to be honest enough with her to admit you wanted the kingdom for yourself and worried about whether you were a good person and father. But the reward you got for showing vulnerability was learning Shiv cut her own deal with Matsson. Suddenly, you came around to the idea there is value in having a guy in the Oval Office who will return your calls and give your company privileged access to the West Wing even if he tears the country apart.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">4. Cousin Greg (last week: 8): Sometimes being a toady works to your advantage. You are willing to visit some unseemly venues, consume drinks that are not typically drinks, and even cut a rug with a confused old man if it hands you actionable intel you can flip for your benefit. A night out carousing with Lukas and his crew led to your finding out about Shiv’s double game. When the Mencken wind started blowing across the land, Shiv’s threat to pull your insides out of your backside if you spilled the tea felt much less threatening. So you squealed to Kendall, and just for good measure, gave the order to press the button that set off the nuke called President-Elect Jeryd Mencken. Do you feel guilty about any of this? We doubt it. After all, as you told Lukas in a haze of vape smoke, you gotta do what you gotta do.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">5. Connor Roy (last week: 9): You fancy yourself a clever political operator when in fact you lit one hundred million U.S. dollars on fire just so you could give a delusional, grievance laden concession speech that confirmed what we all knew – you are a joke, but at least you are flexible. You no longer need to worry about what your wo-man thinks of O-man because you went from “no on the Slos” to “good morning, Dubrovnik!” Enjoy Europe, Con.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">6. Lukas Matsson (last week: 2): You may be able to bigfoot people on a mountaintop in Norway and RSVP your acceptance to an exclusive pre-election party four minutes before you show up, but we think the sledding will be a wee bit tougher now that the Roy boys have the incoming leader of the free world in their back pocket while you fend off the inevitable short squeeze that will come after you admit your India subscriber numbers are funky.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">7. Tom Wamgsgans (last week: 10): Your head has been on the chopping block ever since Logan keeled over in that airplane bathroom and yet you find a way to avoid the axe. Perhaps it is those solid, Midwestern arches that allow you to dance away from danger or maybe it is the surge of energy you get off that bump of coke, but we know it is because you are, as your estranged wife said, servile. Sure, you paid lip service to Logan’s rules against the bigwigs muscling in on news coverage, but you could not get Greg to wrangle the kids off the electoral battlefield any more than you could fix the glitchy touch screen computers at the decision desk. So you did what you always do, you analyzed the situation and figured out who was most likely to come out on top and acted accordingly. It appears your marriage is finally over, but Roman may give you a stay of execution as a reward for calling the election for his candidate. We shall see.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">8. Darwin Perry (last week: NR): Election nights sometimes hold intrigue, but you were not prepared for the literal (or metaphorical) wasabi-in-the-eye experience of Mencken vs. Jimenez. You only agreed to call Wisconsin if it was characterized as “pending” but when the time came for the caveats, the powers that be stuffed you in a locker.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">9. Shiv Roy: (last week: 3): You did not need to worry about the bomb in Matsson’s numbers because you were more than capable of having your own decisions blow up in your face. For someone who cut her teeth in the grimy world of politics, you could not have played your hand more poorly. You gambled on your brothers never finding out about your betrayal and napalmed your marriage without realizing when a national election was on a razor’s edge, it might be beneficial if your husband was on your side instead of having him question whether revealing that you are pregnant is a lie or the truth. With no allies left, it looks like you are going to go scorched earth. Color us skeptical.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">10. Jess Jordan: (last week: NR): By now, we thought you would have come to terms with the bargain you made. You work for horrible people and they pay you money to look past that fact. If you do not want to do it, Kendall will replace you faster than you can say “no real person involved.”</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Not Ranked: Willa Roy. Rava Roy. Sophie Roy. Shakespeare Frank Vernon. Hugo Baker. Gerri Kellman. Mark Ravenhead. Cyd Peach. Karl Muller. Nate Sofrelli. Lemon-flavored La Criox Seltzer Water. Freedom Voice America. VeraNews. Shrodinger's Cat. Microwave Milk and Ginger Shots. Spaghetti and Olive Oil. American Bottled Water. Pontius Pilate. Bodega Sushi.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/05/succession-power-rankings-tailgate-party.html">Tailgate Party</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/05/succession-power-rankings-living.html">Living+</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-kill-list.html">Kill List</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-honeymoon.html">Honeymoon States</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-connors.html">Connor’s Wedding</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-rehearsal.html">Rehearsal</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/03/succession-power-rankings-munsters_28.html">The Munsters</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-complete-season-2-and-season-3.html">Seasons 2 and 3 Power Rankings</a></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-32197909981796016572023-05-08T15:39:00.005-04:002023-05-14T12:16:00.365-04:00Succession Power Rankings - Tailgate Party <p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">This week on <i>Succession </i>… Ken gets a tip, Tom gives a gift, and Lukas takes a hit. And now, the Power Rankings:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">1. Kendall Roy (last week: 1): It turns out you were right. Matsson is a card trick. All you needed was for one of your in house snoops to do some digging and turn up the deets on Lukas’s frozen blood brick obsession with Ebba to learn he is unstable and a little cozying up to her in a moment of pique to confirm he is cooking the company books. You have seen this movie before. Lawrence pulled the same trick and you overpaid for Vaulter; this time, you want to flip the script with a reverse Viking and counterattack so that Waystar acquires a GoJo weakened by revelations of wonky business practices. Could it work? Perhaps. But if you fancy yourself a general fighting battles on six continents, we need to admit that a couple of the front lines do not look great. For one, you could not get Nate to bite on your offer to give Jimenez favorable coverage on ATN in exchange for using federal agencies to make the deal go away. For another, you do not realize your sister has switched teams. And, not for anything, you just pulled the same sleight of hand at the company investor conference by using meaty projections and some artful sound editing to convince the audience that Living+ will be a revenue generating machine. You envision a future with a single crown on a single head, but we are a little concerned your eyes are getting too big for your stomach.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">2. Lukas Matsson (last week: 3): The thing about a charm offensive is you need to be, you know, <i>charming</i>. And while you were able to play the good boy for a little while, not inserting any body parts into the guacamole, telling Nate he need not fear the bleep bloop algo guys data mining the nation to death, and offering to send Tom off on an iceberg once you acquire ATN, the façade did not hold. Once you and Oskar fired up the vape pen, things went south. You lashed out at Ebba, called Ken’s Living+ numbers “gay,” and insulted the greatest city on Earth from a view of it most of us will never experience. When Shiv expressed legitimate concern about the deal (not to mention the loss she would eat if GoJo’s stock cratered when you revealed the company’s India subscriber numbers were half what the company said they were) the man behind the curtain was finally exposed – all you have is the hope that a quick deal with Waystar will paper over the bad news until the subscriber numbers tick up, probably. In other words, another card trick to keep the short sellers at bay before anyone realizes your company’s foundation is built on wet cement.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">3. Shiv Roy (last week: 2): The problem with keeping your options open is that you risk being left with none. You betrayed your brothers in the hopes of taking over a post-acquisition Waystar, but when you floated the idea to Lukas, punctuated with not one, not, two but three “verys” modifying your request for a significant role going forward, he gave you the old corporate brush off of “let’s circle back.” That alone should have sent up a red flag, but you were undeterred. When your brothers, who are still not clued into the fact you are actively working against them, told you that Matsson has been fudging his numbers and you confronted him, he gave you a song and dance routine that hardly left you reassured. And so, realizing belatedly that you may have nailed yourself to the wrong cross, you tried to get some comfort from Tom only for the two of you to air all of your grievances with one another in the ugliest way possible. You have painted yourself into a corner and now your best play is hoping dumb and dumber never realize you were a double agent.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">4. Ebba (last week: NR): Publicly, you have been burnishing Lukas’s reputation as a tech genius when in private you know he cannot even write basic code. In comms, this type of lily gilding is de rigueur and you might have just kept it to yourself or put it in that book you threatened to write if your nest was not feathered properly, but Lukas embarrassed you in public one time too many. Roman was naïve enough to think you are going to walk because of the fallout from your break up, but you spilled the real tea – that GoJo’s subscriber numbers in India are half what the company says they are – and may have handed the CE-Bros the silver bullet they need to put down Lukas once and for all.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">5. Gerri Kellman (last week: 9): Back at <a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-argestes.html">Argestes</a>, Roman pitched you on a tandem leadership team – Tarzan and Mole Woman. He would be the dashing public face of Waystar, taking big swings and making big deals while you were back at HQ sorting out the details. The reward for being, as he described you, a competent filing cabinet, would be a pile of money so high you could buy your own private island. It turns out two of those things are coming true. Roman is running the company and taking a bunch of big swings, but you are not going to be around to fill in the blanks because one of those decisions was showing you the door. You are getting a massive pay out, some of which you will use to pay those personal reputation managers to polish your image, and the rest, well, you can figure out later.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">6. Nate Sofrelli (last week: NR): When the polling vibes are good you can moonwalk from D.C. to New York City and never feel the ground beneath your feet. You may be a humble public servant, but you are being wooed by a tech billionaire and the scion of one of the most influential media companies in the world to leverage your power in their favor. But you find this kind of horse trading almost as unsavory as Tom trying to bigfoot you with his endless supply of biodynamic, light and fruity red wines. You ditched the tailgate party early, no doubt hoping you did not miss the last Acela train back to the nation’s capital.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">7. Roman Roy (last week: 5): We are starting to think you may be in over your head. Anything beyond deploying a minion to sniff out Lukas’s dirty laundry seems beyond your reach. You could not get Connor to quit his campaign and endorse Mencken. It took Ken asking Ebba for a smoke to get her talking about India. And when you attempted to make peace with Gerri, she was having none of it. Your impulsivity caught up to you. Not only are you losing a valuable ally who might have helped you navigate the top job, all that institutional knowledge you flushed down the toilet may end up being more costly than the check Waystar is going to write so Gerri keeps her file folder of your NSFW pics to herself.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">8. Cousin Gary (err Greg)(last week: 6): Your tolerance for humiliation is only surpassed by your capacity for self-preservation, two skills we are not unimpressed with. Lukas may have dismissed you as the backwash at the bottom of the gene pool, but he took notice when you humble bragged your firing of 100 ATN international employees. It turns out appearing to care about people when you do not in fact care about people is the true skill Matsson values, but your moves are all tactic and no strategy. Ingratiating yourself with whoever you think has the upper hand at any given time is a recipe for staying on the bottom rungs of the corporate ladder.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">9. Connor Roy (last week: NR): We get it, Connor. You had a lot on your plate, what with trying to parlay your meager support into a suitably prestigious ambassadorship, keeping your dad’s funeral to a tight 90, and convincing Willa to give up living in a posh Manhattan townhouse for the thrill of tooling around a middle eastern country in a car with diplomatic license plates so the cops can’t touch her. But instead of eating the carrot being dangled by the Mencken campaign, you are going to stay in the race on the off chance a better-than-expected performance might lead to a book deal and a lecture circuit tour. Seems thin.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">10. Tom Wamgsgans (last week: 7): The Power Rankings were also in a toxic marriage borne out of a roller coaster courtship and engagement, so we are not unsympathetic to the beats a relationship of this sort entail. The fights are punctuated with the kind of passionate reconnection that leaves you weak in the knees but the underlying problems never disappear and quickly bubble back up to the surface. You mistook the radical honesty previously unseen in your marriage as an opportunity to show her (via an ill-advised scorpion encased in lucite) and tell her (in a series of escalating insults) what you really think. Big mistake. It may have been the late hour, the energy sapped out of you by a house full of guests critiquing ATN, or the murmurs that your job was at risk, but your fight on the balcony is the kind of thing we do not see you coming back from. In a marriage, there is a mutually assured destruction aspect to things. You each possess knowledge about the other that can nuke everything, and because of that, it is not in either party’s interest to launch their missiles unless they are prepared to destroy the earth. So, when you are accused of taking away the last few months a mourning daughter could have had with her dad and you respond by telling her she is incapable of love, question whether she should ever be a parent, and dismiss her as broken, the emotional blast radius is big enough to send you back to whatever Midwest town you came from because your career and marriage both appear to be over.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Not Ranked: Willa Roy. Rava Roy. Sophie Roy. Hugo Baker. Karolina Novotny. Shakespeare Frank Vernon. Maxim Pierce. Daniel Jimenez. Jeryd Mencken. Karl Muller. Oskar. Len. Carly Flight, The Pod Goddess. Coop. Kettle Corn. The Logan Roy Funeral Management Committee. Biodynamic German Red Wines. The Phoenix Thing. South Asian Packing Peanuts. Slim Reaper. Slovenia. Slovakia. Somalia. </p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/05/succession-power-rankings-living.html">Living+</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-kill-list.html">Kill List</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-honeymoon.html">Honeymoon States</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-connors.html">Connor’s Wedding</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-rehearsal.html">Rehearsal</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/03/succession-power-rankings-munsters_28.html">The Munsters</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-complete-season-2-and-season-3.html">Seasons 2 and 3 Power Rankings</a></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-8939204986601821572023-05-01T12:11:00.006-04:002023-05-01T15:59:59.925-04:00Succession Power Rankings - Living+ <p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">This week on <i>Succession</i> … Ken makes a pitch, Lukas sends a tweet, and Roman takes some heat. And now, the Power Rankings:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">1. Kendall Roy (last week: T-3): All the ingredients were there for one of your patented flameouts. The vibes that screamed “three day coke binge.” The elaborate stagecraft. The minions nervously agreeing with your requests. The costuming. The siblings’ skeptical looks. Hell, you even got dressed down by <i>Karl</i> right before you went onstage. And yet, when the lights shined brightest, you finally came through. You wisely decided against the eleventh-hour Potemkin village with faux clouds and went with a more conventional pitch. Sure, the flight jacket looked ridiculous, but your hokey patter with video Logan struck just the right tone. And when Mattson tried to rattle you by live tweeting your presentation, you rose above it, walking off stage to applause from the company’s deep pocket investors and the grudging admiration of the Waystar leadership team. One problem. You are taking that proverbial tightrope walk on a straight razor. You browbeat poor Pete into accepting your wildly unrealistic growth expectations so that he could make a colorable argument to investors about this new venture’s potential all while knowing the numbers are hinky and being made up for the sole purpose of making Waystar’s acquisition price higher than Mattson can afford. A bill will come due one day, but for now, go ahead and carve that number one in the sand, you have earned your spot atop the board.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">2. Shiv Roy (last week: 1): You were right to be skeptical when your brothers promised your partnership would remain equal even though they were taking the title of co-CEOs. While Mattson might be an unreliable narrator, when he told you that Ken and Roman melted down during their negotiation with him, that added to your own suspicion that they wanted to tank the deal, cut you out, and run the whole company themselves. So you called them out when they tried to sell the management team on a story about Mattson being erratic and got them to admit the whole thing was a lie. You have seen this movie before. Whether it was getting blamed for spilling chocolate milk in the Range Rover or mud on your confirmation dress, your siblings always seem to gang up on you. Now, with the power dynamics shifting, you are moving beyond keeping your options open and getting sucked into Lukas’s gravitational orbit. You know the idea of getting out clean and buying Pierce will only happen if Waystar is sold, so you got Roman to bail on Ken, kibitzed with Lukas about slipping a stick in the spokes of Ken’s bike, and hoped he would fall on his face. When your scheme went south, you told Lukas to stand down, fuming quietly while everyone patted Ken on the back, and chose to fight another day. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">3. Lukas Mattson (last week: 2): You made it clear to Shiv you did not want any part of running senior living facilities and even floated an idea or two about how she could torpedo the whole idea, but when she balked, you took the bait and fired off an ill-advised tweet that ended up blowing up in your face. First rule of Nazis - only compare Nazis to other Nazis, don’t compare a company’s idea for a retirement community to Nazis. In doing so, you validated one of Kendall’s critiques about your leadership style, with the added indignity of having to take down the message when he deflected your rant with humor and a shrug.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">4. Karl Muller (last week: T-9): You have been a CFO for major companies for more than two decades and so, you know a thing or two about a thing or two. When Pete no doubt came running to you with concerns about Kendall’s ideas for valuing Living+, the red light came on and you took the opportunity to remind Ken that while he may hold the top job, you could eviscerate him if he said anything you did not agree with. It was a completely rational response to what you expected to be a dumpster fire of a presentation that you were not going to be left defending. And yet, when Ken came through in the clutch, got the room on his side, and name dropped you as “legendary,” you reverted right back to being a supportive company man, praising Kendall and calling him "special," all while the dream of retirement on that Greek island remains as elusive as ever.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">5. Roman Roy (last week: T-3): Since you just fired the person you used to work out your kinks with, it is not surprising (although a little creepy) that you have a very special humiliation clip from your dad on a loop so you can marinate in all the bad decisions you made while out in La La Land. You misread every situation and overreacted at the slightest challenges to your authority. And yet, your brother had your back. He shrugged off your impulsive firings of Joy and Gerri, speculating that you could spin the whole thing as a couple of young turks shaking up the leadership team to turn things around. The thanks you gave him was letting Shiv convince you to distance yourself from the Living+ presentation, assuming Ken would go down in flames. When he not only made it through in one piece, but had the audience in the palm of his hand, you were left alone to second guess yourself with your dead father’s manufactured words about how you always get things wrong ringing in your ears.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">6. Cousin Greg (last week: 8): You may have set a new world record for letting the least amount of power go to someone’s head. Then again, when you have shredded highly damaging company files, made a fool of yourself in front of Congress, and narrowly avoided jail time, browbeating some random sound engineer into doing a bit of light corporate fraud so you get into the good books is not a big deal.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">7. Tom Wamgsgans (last week: 4): Perhaps you see it all slipping away or maybe you do legitimately want to mend things with your estranged wife, but instead of scoping out the leggy blondes and tall models Greg had lined up, you finally opened up to Shiv and admitted that the things you love - your career and your money - were at risk and betraying her was a way to ensure you got to keep both. You may be a phony, but that might have been the most honest thing you ever said to her.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">8. Logan Roy (last week: NR): You haunt your children from the grave. As if they needed further confirmation of your dim view of their abilities, outtakes from your intro for Living+ left no doubt they were your favorite punching bags. But Ken flipped the script and with a little Hollywood magic, turned you into his co-conspirator in selling a prison camp for grannies as a dynamic experience so exciting they won’t even notice they are being kept drunk on content while Waystar drains every last dollar out of their bank accounts.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">9. Gerri Kellman (last week: 5): For a seasoned lawyer who has made a living out of avoiding the ax, you woefully misjudged this situation. You thought you could give Roman a stern lecture about handling human resources, dismiss him as a weak monarch temporarily wearing a crown until the kingdom is taken over by a new ruler, and explain that tech is going to swallow everything in its wake, when what he wanted in that moment was a crumb of validation you refused to give him. He has the pretext of the cruise line scandal to show you the door; for your sake, we hope you kept a file folder of his pervy text messages if he decides to follow through on his threat.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">10. Joy Palmer (last week: NR): Just a pro tip, when the latest installment in the <i>Kalispatron </i>franchise is over budget and your new boss sweeps into town offering you a pile of money to fix it, instead of taking that opportunity to editorialize about ATN’s right-wing bent, just say “thank you” and get the franchise pump pump pumping again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Not Ranked: Connor Roy. Willa Roy. Marcia Roy. Karolina Novotny. Hugo Baker. Shakespeare Frank Vernon. Pete. Denny. Raj. Lana. Dr. Sarcasm. Meme Stock Frothing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Doderick and Friends. The Big Eye. Dad Goggles. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-kill-list.html">Kill List</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-honeymoon.html">Honeymoon States</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-connors.html">Connor’s Wedding</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-rehearsal.html">Rehearsal</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/03/succession-power-rankings-munsters_28.html">The Munsters</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-complete-season-2-and-season-3.html">Seasons 2 and 3 Power Rankings</a></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-20078721789970248542023-04-24T16:08:00.007-04:002023-05-07T19:37:06.201-04:00Succession Power Rankings - Kill List <p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">This week on <i>Succession </i>…<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>the kids take a trip, Lukas makes a pitch, and Connor has a glitch. And now, the Power Rankings:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">1. Shiv Roy (last week: 4): Mattson may have invoked the name of that famed crime fighter Scooby Doo, but you were the one who unraveled the mystery of what was happening among your brothers and him. You have been in enough rooms with enough politicians and powerful men to see the bigger picture. While Ken and Roman were keeping you in the loop nominally, when it came time to talk turkey, you were frozen out. On the PR front, you suspected (correctly) that the anonymous leaks to the press criticizing your dad were coming from inside the company. You also sized up Lukas perfectly, sharing just enough about the wobbly state of your own personal life to open the spigot that let him riff in a cocaine haze about sending frozen bricks of blood to his ex-girlfriend. And in that moment, you pounced. First, by clinically dissecting how he needed to handle Ebba; second, by flagging Gerri and Karolina as people he could rely on to navigate that and other issues that may pop up; and third, by suggesting increasing his offer for the whole company would seal the deal. As the brain trust flew back to the States, Mattson goosed his offer by five bucks a share, you accumulated a few allies who were not even aware they are now in your debt, and you were not above a little gloating, sending Mattson a discreet photo of your brothers’ dour expressions as they saw their plans to scuttle the deal go up in smoke.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">2. Lukas Mattson (last week: NR): After slow rolling the deal while Logan was still alive, you suddenly speeded things up once he was gone because it turns out you wanted the whole kingdom, something he never would have agreed to. So you pulled out every trick from the negotiating playbook. You dragged the Roy kids to Norway on short notice (and with the late request of additional Waystar personnel) while they were still in mourning. You seemingly mocked them to their faces by joking around with your team in Swedish. You pulled a bait and switch by putting ATN back in the deal. You made them ride not just a golf cart but a <i>gondola</i> up to the top of a mountain to negotiate with you. And your NASDAQ master race Fulbright scholars had you well briefed to prey on Ken and Roman’s insecurities. You referred to them as a Logan tribute band. You referenced Ken’s disastrous acquisition of Vaulter. You insulted Logan to Roman’s face. You may trip on mushrooms for breakfast, but when it comes to business, you just want someone to say a number. So, when Ken and Roman refused to give you one, you threatened to go over their heads and deal directly with the board, and got enough of a rise out of Roman that he finally admitted that he hates you and will try to kill your takeover attempt. Will it matter now that you have fattened the offer and made Shiv your ally? We shall see, but when the (co) CEO threatens to toss sand in the gears and drag things out until you get bored and move on to your next flirtation, you should probably take him seriously no matter how little you think of him.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">3. Kendall and Roman Roy (last week: 1 and 2): We understand you enjoy the trappings of power. The additional support staff, sorry, “condolence assistants,” at your beck and call. The ovation you receive by literally just walking into a room. Being the sun around which everything orbits. But the learning curve of actually running the company is steep. You think reviewing briefing books is wrestling with ogres, shrug off a presidential campaign sitting in on editorial meetings with ATN personnel as a mutual back scratch and not a risk to journalistic integrity, and that does not even get into all the drama with the movie studio. So it is no surprise that your recon on Mattson did not make it much past a victory by his kicky ball team whose name you did not even bother learning. Of course, it was not all bad. Ken was not wrong in his assessment that GoJo would be a poor fit for ATN. Mattson may have dismissed it as a damaged brand of small men with large veins, but he has little understanding of American politics and the reliable source of money that comes from indulging angry, old people. And that matters when half the value of the deal will come from GoJo stock, which would suffer if ATN was converted into a sterile, IKEA-d Bloomberg knock off. The vibes from Mattson just added to Ken’s view that having struggled for so long to make it to the top, torpedoing the deal instead of closing it made more sense. And so, you pulled out a few tricks of your own to gum up the works - giving the GoJo staff a private viewing of the bloated, three-hour cut of Kalispatron: Hibernation, slow rolling things with the bankers, and leaking to the press about the bad deal mojo - but in the end, Mattson saw through it and did the thing your sister told him to do, juice the offer just enough to get the board behind it and hand you two the most Pyrrhic of victories.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">4. Tom Wamgsgans (last week: 8): You had resigned yourself to being a field guide for GoJo staff who wanted to understand the taxonomy of the mighty oaks and deadwood in the Waystar forest. When you mustered the courage to perch while Lukas and his crew mulled the future of the French Republic, everyone could see you are well out of your depth, which is concerning considering you are one of the people running ATN. But all was not lost. Sure, you had to take a bit of a verbal beatdown from Shiv, but no matter how white your shoes might be, you are not above being a doormat others can wipe their feet on so long as it keeps you in the game. Did it feel good to be compared unfavorably with a more conventionally attractive (not to mention broader shouldered) man? Probably not. But you got a dinner invitation from your estranged wife, who saved you from the firing squad and dumped Cyd instead. Considering how things could have turned out, you did not do too badly for yourself.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">5. Gerri Kellman (last week: NR): A week ago, Roman gave you your walking papers. Now, not only are you still in the inner circle, your particular set of skills in making problems go away are about to be tested. You have been tossed a few curveballs in your time, but having to clean up the mess of a boss who sent an employee liters of his blood is a whole new level of crazy. That Shiv told Mattson you were just the person to handle such a delicate task suggests the inoculation you received by working for a pathogen named Logan Roy is going to come in handy.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">6. Karolina Novotny (last week: NR): You are solid, but the only reason you will have a job if the merger goes through is that Mattson dipped his quill in the company ink, a fact Shiv is sure to remind you of when she needs to call in a favor.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">7. Connor Roy (last week: 5): While your siblings are halfway around the world deciding the future of your family’s company, you are stuck in a funeral home in Manhattan fuming over a campaign rally with white working class voters in Cleveland that you had to cancel because you needed to stop Marcia from making Logan look like a Bay City Roller.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">8. Cousin Greg (last week: NR): You came to Norway expecting it to be an international stop on the Disgusting Brothers World Tour, you know, maybe bed an Arctic fox or two while the grown-ups hashed out the finer points of a deal you had every expectation was going to happen. Instead, you got handed the typical scut work of leaking deets anonymously to a reporter about the sour vibes and being set up as Tom’s foil when he got in over his head discussing world affairs. You may think of yourself as one corner of the Quad Squad, but the rest of the family sees you as a disposable pawn to be sacrificed when needed.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">9. Shakespeare Frank Vernon and Karl Muller (last week: 6 and 9 (nice)): The $192/share strike price means you could care less whether you are on the kill list. You have both strapped on your compression socks, have one foot out the Gulfstream door, and are ready to pull the rip cords on your golden parachutes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">10. Hugo Baker (last week: 10): Gluing yourself to Ken like a barnacle, handing him a coterie of new helpers, and leading the applause when he entered the C-suite were all good ways to stay in his good graces, but your ham-handed attempt to psych out your counterpart across the Waystar-GoJo divide by dissing his choke job in the Olympics was ill-advised. Your future with the company (not to mention your spot in the Power Rankings) does not look promising.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Not Ranked: Willa Roy. Marcia Roy. Ebba. Oskar. Ray. Andreas Bloc. Jess Jordan. Stewy Houssani. Chairman Mattson’s Reeducation Camp. Cyd Peach. Ski Jumping. Frozen Blood Bricks. Sundar's Cargo Shorts. Hanna-Barbera Business School. Old Lady France. The Great Escape.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Saunas. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-honeymoon.html">Honeymoon States</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-connors.html">Connor’s Wedding</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-rehearsal.html">Rehearsal</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/03/succession-power-rankings-munsters_28.html">The Munsters</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-complete-season-2-and-season-3.html">Seasons 2 and 3 Power Rankings</a></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-70452294173006875572023-04-17T16:03:00.007-04:002023-04-23T17:22:55.805-04:00Succession Power Rankings - Honeymoon States<p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">This week on <i>Succession</i> … Connor buys a house, Shiv is going to be a mom, and Ken gets a promotion. And now, the Power Rankings:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">1. Kendall Roy (last week: T-3): Your dad can haunt you from the grave with an errant pencil mark. Publicly, you wave around Logan’s side letter as irrefutable evidence of his wish that you take over in the event of his demise. Privately, that ambiguous black line looks far more like a strikethrough than an underline. You what he thought of you - that you were incapable of running things because you were not a “<a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/10/succession-power-rankings-this-is-not.html">killer.</a>” That he spent his life <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/12/succession-power-rankings-chiantishire.html">cleaning up every mess you made</a>. That you are an <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-rehearsal.html">unserious person</a>. Added to that, senior management thinks you and your siblings are screw ups, sorry, “not constitutionally well-equipped” to fly the plane and yet, by dint of your name being on that piece of paper combined with a little arm twisting and ego massaging, you have inherited the kingdom. Is there an upside? Sure. You are still paying lip service to a three-way partnership of equals and tell anyone who will listen your goal is to get the GoJo deal done and then move on with a merged media empire that combines ATN and Pierce. However, your first steps in the (shared) big chair give us pause. Operation Embalm Lenin was right out of corporate succession planning 101 - a seamless generational transition supported by nostalgic photos of you and your dad and the golden ticket of a document confirming you as his successor. With the public good will engendered by your dad’s passing and the natural inclination to rally-around-the-flag in an uncertain time, you probably could have shepherded Waystar’s sale to GoJo without much ado. Instead, you opted for the post-Stalinist model of erasure. Was it driven by your own insecurity or a desire to get back at the old man even though he is no longer around? We think so, and allowing emotion to get the better of you by green lighting a whisper campaign that will portray your father as out-of-touch, erratic, and not in control in his final days is a risky gambit. Karolina and Hugo might try to spin this as a fresh start narrative, but you also know it is unlikely to sing in the court of public opinion (plus, Roman hates it).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">2. Roman Roy (last week: T-3): Even though you have been MIA from the company for months while you, Ken, and Shiv were putting together <i>The Hundred</i> (before bidding on Pierce), you are still technically the COO. Being listed on the emergency draft plan was just enough to give you a modest glow up to co-CEO since names on a piece of paper are coin of the realm when the king dies.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">3. Stewy Houssani (last week: NR): You have known Kendall long enough to be deeply skeptical of his ability to bring home a deal that is effectively at the one yard line no matter how much he tells you that he’s twin track, dead inside but ready to dive into the work needed to make it happen. And yet, what are your options when your old pal asks you to do him a solid the day after his father dies? Your pubes have been singed before and you know all of Ken’s faults, but at this point, you just need to hope he can keep it together long enough for you to cash out your stake and move on to the next takeover target.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">4. Shiv Roy (last week: T-3): Roman has “pre-grieved” your father’s passing and Ken is catatonic behind closed doors, but you are wearing your heartbreak on your sleeve. It is bad enough you feel responsible for Logan’s death, but you are also expecting a baby, a fact you seem, at best, ambivalent about (perhaps owing to the fact <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/12/succession-power-rankings-chiantishire.html">your mother called into question whether you should be one</a> when you two chatted in Italy). And when it came time to play musical chairs to decide who should take over, you are the one left without a seat. We understand the emotional trauma you are going through has you off your game, and we are not unmindful of the selflessness you displayed by not putting up more of a fight, but your contributions to the company extended well beyond the strategic review Kendall dismissed as “daddy make work.” <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/10/succession-power-rankings-dc.html">You talked Kira off the ledge</a> when she was ready to blow open the cruise line scandal. You <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/11/succession-power-rankings-retired.html">locked down a settlement</a> with Sandi just before the shareholder vote. And your left-leaning politics helped grease the skids with Nan Pierce. What you got for all this was a pinky swear from your brothers that the three of you are equal partners. Of course, Logan gave you a similar commitment back <a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/04/succession-power-rankings-summer-palace.html">at the summer palace</a> when he promised you would succeed him and look where that got you.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">5. Connor and Willa Roy (last week: 7 and 9): A honeymoon spent in swing states was probably not the original plan, but you are not above taking advantage of Logan’s passing if it means you might get a modest bump in the polls. While we remain dubious of your chances of moving into the White House, redecorating your newly-bought townhouse so can cosplay being the First Couple of Manhattan is not a bad consolation prize.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">6. Shakespeare Frank Vernon (last week: 6): This is your moment to shine, Frank. Do you have it in you to be the <i>eminence grise </i>Kendall needs now that he is in charge or are you eyeing the exit, ready to pull the cord on your own golden parachute?</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">7. Marcia Roy (last week: NR): We prefer not thinking about you and Logan engaging in intimate phone chats, but interrupting your never-ending shopping spree in Milan to flip the Park Avenue townhouse you no longer want for a cool $63 million is not a bad day’s work. That you got a chance to humiliate Kerry was just icing on the cake.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">8. Tom Wamgsgans (last week: 2): If you are going to attempt to ride your bicycle across Niagara Falls, you need more than “I am here to serve” if you plan on making it to the other side. You are caught between two worlds. When you tossed your hat in the ring for interim CEO, Karl (as a friend) politely presented the negative case against you - an interloper whose patron is dead and whose wife does not even like him. Having been shot down so cleanly, you tried to make amends with the kids, but Kendall saw through your limp attempt to bury the hatchet, Shiv literally recoiled when you tried to touch her, and Roman blew you off as “Tightrope Tommy” when you tried to convince him to challenge Ken’s claim to the top spot. In the end, you were back in a familiar place, at the metaphorical kid’s table whispering gossip to Greg.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">9. Karl Muller (last week: NR): Having failed to convince Frank to violate his duty as the executor of Logan’s estate by making that side letter disappear, and having precisely zero chance of serving as interim CEO, you are left to take pot shots at Tom and question whether any of the kids has what it takes to run things. Your assessment of the group was not inaccurate, but as you also know, irrelevant. The stuff you did with cable is in the 1990s rearview mirror. Now, you have your escape plan at the ready, you just need to collect your severance so you can spend your golden years on a Greek island.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">10. Hugo Baker (last week: NR): You broke the first rule of working for the Roys. You handed someone actionable intel that could be leveraged against you. Of course, you have no one to blame but yourself. Had you not blurted out insider information to your daughter so she could dump her Waystar stock just before the bottom fell out, you would not be doing covert ops for Kendall as he looks to cement his position atop the org chart.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Not Ranked: Cousin Greg. Gerri Kellman. Karolina. Lukas Mattson. Kerry Castellabate. Colin Stiles. Ron Petkus. Strap Ons. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Oskar. Peter Munion. Wonder Bread and Steak Frites. Compression Socks. Frank E. Campbell’s Funeral Home. Fish Tacos. Laphroaig. Three Gauguins. Sudoku.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-connors.html">Connor’s Wedding</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-rehearsal.html">Rehearsal</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/03/succession-power-rankings-munsters_28.html">The Munsters</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-complete-season-2-and-season-3.html">Seasons 2 and 3 Power Rankings</a></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-41663707151552677962023-04-10T15:59:00.004-04:002023-04-12T07:24:18.503-04:00Succession Power Rankings - Connor's Wedding <p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">This week on <i>Succession</i> … Logan slips, Roman flips, and Connor gets hitched. And now, the Power Rankings:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">1. Logan Roy (posthumous)(last week: 1): Your demise was not so much untimely as it was poorly timed. Everything hung in the balance. The GoJo deal, the strategic refocus, the fate of two of your top lieutenants, but when you are in your 80s and still negotiating multi-billion dollar deals while playing puppet master to your coterie of family members and advisors, it should come as no surprise that your ticker might stop running at any time. It turned out <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/10/succession-power-rankings-dc.html">Gil Eavis’s observation</a> about you was spot on. The institution you leave behind is a reflection of you. In the aftermath of your passing, the same paranoia, insecurity, and scheming that defined your leadership continued apace. We can debate the butterfly effect of your decision making; if you had not asked <a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/10/succession-power-rankings-this-is-not.html">Ken to take the fall</a> for the cruise line fiasco or <a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/12/succession-power-rankings-all-bells-say.html">cut the kids off at the knees in Italy</a>, perhaps you would not be taking your final breaths 35,000 feet up in the air while a flight attendant tries to keep your heart pumping until you reach <i>terra firma</i>. But does it matter? To paraphrase the Power Rankings’ favorite band, you’re gone, and nothing is going to bring you back.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">2. Tom Wamgsgans (last week: 4): We continue to be impressed with your dexterity, Tom. While Logan was still ambulatory, you were nestled inside the inner circle with some fresh Greggies you roped in from the pigpen, ready to help finalize the deal with Mattson. Your underlying Midwestern humanity shone through when you were put in the impossible position of being the virtual lifeline between the kids and their dad as he lay dying on the floor of his private jet. Then you pivoted right back to sharp-elbowed infighter, directing Greg to delete the “logistics” folder from your computer while recognizing that the loss of your protector, combined with your pending divorce from Shiv, might leave you out in the cold. So, when the plane landed and you had the chance, you did what you could to console your soon-to-be ex-wife who rebuffed your clumsy attempt to comfort her but wanted you riding in the car when she left the airport. A master class of balancing the personal and professional we frankly did not think you had in you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">3. The Rebel Alliance (last week: 3): The Power Rankings sympathize with you. We too lost our father during a period of estrangement and understand the gumbo of emotion that comes with not being able to say good-bye properly. Of course, we never described him as a human gaslight or left a message asking if he was in fact a “c” word. But we do know from emotional scars and so it was unsurprising you were at a loss as Logan’s life leaked out of him. The idea you might both lash out and tell him you loved him was completely on brand. Roman, the neediest and easiest to manipulate, refused to accept his father’s passing. Ken, barking out orders for conference calls with doctors, simply highlighted the powerlessness we all have - no matter our wealth - when a loved one dies. Shiv, whose affection for her dad curdled into a poisonous desire for revenge, was hoping the bad news was about their mom, not Logan. It was a grim tableau, but we also saw the mutual support. Ken’s level-headed thinking about next steps. Shiv’s ability to slap together a sober, but stabilizing statement for the press. Roman being deputized to call Mattson. A group hug before going their separate ways. Can it all hold together now that the chessboard has been flipped over and the one thing they each wanted since they were old enough to want things (h/t Tyrion Lannister) is there for the taking? We are about to find out.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">4. Gerri Kellman (last week: NR): You have worked for Logan long enough to know that loyalty is a one-way street. No matter how many fires you put out, if you make the old man look foolish by say, snickering at his girlfriend’s audition tape, you are going to be shown the door (albeit with your mouth stuffed with gold). But with Logan out of the picture and a muddle atop Waystar’s org chart, you may have received a stay of execution. After all, who better to provide stability than a former interim CEO with the unique ability to dance the company through rainstorms without getting anyone wet?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">5. Lukas Mattson (last week: 2): For all your bluster and grumbling about the ATN carve-out, you were still ready to make a deal. Now that Logan is dead, all bets are off. You could walk away and go back to <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/12/succession-power-rankings-chiantishire.html">testing mattresses </a>(perhaps helping you sleep better) and <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-rehearsal.html">shoveling junk food down your gullet</a> or engage with the Roy kids knowing they are going to try to squeeze a few more <i>krona</i> out of you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">6. Shakespeare Frank Vernon (last week: NR): You have known Logan Roy for 40 years, which means you also know that when it comes time to issue the press release announcing his death, it is important for you to be mentioned by name. You know, for “market confidence.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">7. Connor Roy (last week: 7): When your dad decides to blow off your wedding day because a deal might disappear, it is no wonder you are so warped you believe that your name and wealth entitle you to be President of the United States and you can purchase a wife like most of us grab off-the-rack suits at a department store. Instead of sinking all that money into a campaign that garnered one whole percent in the polls, you should have invested it in a good therapist.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">8. Cousin Greg (last week: 6): The kids hate you, Tom now has a phalanx of mini Gregs to service him, and even before he passed away, Logan found you visually aggravating due to the clumsy way you handled the Kerry situation. You flushed a <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-dundee.html">$250 million inheritance</a> down the toilet for the opportunity to be a deck hand on the Good Ship Fuck Off. Sound decision-making is not your strong suit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">9. Willa Ferreyra (last week: 9): They say you always remember your wedding day. When the Power Rankings got married, our (now ex) wife hurled a shoe at her mother like she was an Iraqi reporter at a George W. Bush press conference. You got married as your father-in-law was dying and the wealth you assumed Connor would one day inherit was suddenly up in the air. Memorable? Sure, but probably not for the reasons you were hoping for.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">10. Kerry Castellabate (last week: 8): You are not the first young woman to hitch her wagon to an octogenarian assuming there would be a payout for putting out. Now that Logan is gone, you can forget about being an ATN anchor and we expect you, like he, will disappear from the Power Rankings forever.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Not Ranked: Hugo Baker. Karolina. Karl Muller. Jess Jordan. Colin Stiles. Teterboro Airport. Reagan’s Funeral (with tweaks). Catching A Foul Ball At Yankee Stadium. Loony Cake.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/04/succession-power-rankings-rehearsal.html">Rehearsal</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/03/succession-power-rankings-munsters_28.html">The Munsters</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-complete-season-2-and-season-3.html">Seasons 2 and 3 Power Rankings</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-39886542713589475462023-04-04T13:41:00.006-04:002023-04-09T11:43:18.838-04:00Succession Power Rankings - Rehearsal <p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">This week on <i>Succession</i> … Willa bails, Connor fails, and Kerry flails. And now, the Power Rankings:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">1. Logan Roy (last week: 2): You don’t do apologies. Divide and conquer is more your jam.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Sure, over your 50 year business career you have learned more than a few tricks. You know how to play the little head games like denying access to the company chopper or floating a list of pit bull lawyers to your son-in-law so your daughter is denied top shelf legal representation, but you do not get to the top of the heap by being a glorified prankster. No, you see the world in three dimensions and you understand people. That birthday text from Roman gave you the faintest glimmer of a crack in the kids’ united front and that was all you needed to start driving a wedge between them. You played along with their impromptu therapy session and even coughed out the word “sorry,” but you quickly tired of their well-worn list of grievances. Were you attempting some of your own negotiating 101 in claiming the GoJo deal is a good one and sealing it will allow everyone to start a new chapter? Of course you were. You know that Ken, Shiv, and Roman can tank the deal by siding with Sandi and Stewy, so you dismissed your own children as unserious people while cracking open that back channel to Roman, playing to his vanity, and offering him a welcome mat back into your orbit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">2. Lukas Mattson (last week: NR): We still don’t have a great read on you. Are you a <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/12/succession-power-rankings-chiantishire.html">social media panty flasher</a> or a serious businessman? Lounging around in your undershirt while you shovel potato chips and soda in your mouth suggests all the <i>sturm und drang</i> around your acquisition is starting to bore you. We know you are afflicted with that unique form of Nordic ennui, but you also show a casual disregard for rules. Whether you are tweeting out non-public information and risking an SEC slap on the wrist or leaning on a Waystar board member to support the deal, your behavior certainly codes as aggressive but we don’t know if you are bluffing or ready to launch your nukes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">3. The Rebel Alliance (last week: 1): That did not take long. It is easy enough to hang out in one of your many homes hate-watching PGN, bemoaning the lack of on-air eye candy, calling its shows dookie and fantasizing about the programming you are going to replace their current watching-paint-dry debates about NATO membership with, but to borrow from Tyrion Lannister, you’re in the big game now. The Next Gen Roys may think they have a song to sing, but you’re being moved around a chess board you do not fully understand by actual grandmasters. Tom pulled a move Shiv should have seen coming a mile away since, you know, Logan did the same thing to her mother in their divorce and Ken’s head is turned by a one-sheet comp document from Stewy. It is no wonder Roman is reconsidering his options. After all, he pitched a new version of ATN to Jeryd Mecken in Virginia that would be light on actual news and heavy on <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/11/succession-power-rankings-what-it-takes.html">e-girls vaping and spinning conspiracy theories</a> while Ken is throwing out ideas for a foreign report melatonin news hour and shows about sub-saharan Africa. If the GoJo merger goes kablooey so does your chance at Pierce, but unless you agree on a strategy and stick together, your father’s assessment of you will again be proven right.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">4. Tom Wamgsgans (last week: 5): We like what we see Tom. Sure, your hype man skills leave a bit to be desired, but your ability to play the inside game at Waystar is much improved from when we first met you. When Logan complained about the size of the new election center and the air conditioning bill for it, you saw it as an opportunity to toss Cyd under the bus, casually mentioning how much she likes it and slipping in a comment about her less-than-stellar work ethic (“she doesn’t tend to stay late”). When Logan asked for your assessment of Kerry’s on camera abilities, you politely, but clearly messaged that she was not ready for prime time. And when Logan tasked you with breaking the bad news to her, you avoided getting your hands dirty by outsourcing the job to Greg. Depriving your soon-to-be ex-wife of quality representation was just the cherry on the sundae.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">5. Sandi (with an eye) Furness and Stewy Houssani (last week: NR): When you tried telling Logan about your concerns with the GoJo deal, he pawned you off on Karl, so you were resigned to a symbolic protest vote against selling Waystar until Shiv ran into money trouble and Stewy convinced Ken the offer price was a little light. Now, you may have the ability to scuttle the deal, but what is the end game? You are corporate raiders, not media moguls. Are a few extra zeroes going to make that much of a difference when you cash in your chips?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">6. Cousin Greg (last week: 6): Your diplomatic skills leave a lot to be desired. Of course, when handed a task that is harder and more important than the one between Israelis and Palestinians, it is no surprise you wound up screwing the pooch. Naive twenty-somethings may be susceptible to your unique brand of awkwardness, but if you try to BS your way through a meeting with Logan’s current paramour who expects to parlay her position beside him into an on-air anchor gig, you cannot be surprised when she sees right through your sham focus group lie and threatens to pull you apart like string cheese.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">7. Connor Roy (last week: NR): You were not wrong about your siblings. They are needy love sponges who want dad’s approval, but painting yourself as a plant that grows on rocks and lives off insects is a bit much. You are every bit as desirous of his approval as they are, which is why you gave him your location and the deets on their 180 on the GoJo deal so he could try and talk them off the ledge. But doing your dad a solid cannot mask the odor of desperation that surrounds you. Warbling out <i>Famous Blue Raincoat</i> while you cyberstalk your runaway bride suggests your superpower is a bottomless ability to be humiliated, not living without love. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">8. Kerry Castellabate (last week: 4): We get it, Kerry. When the Power Rankings were doing grunt work for ~ very important people ~ in Washington, D.C. we too expected a glow up in the form of a well-earned promotion. Your mistake appears to have been trusting Logan to honor your request, which is surprising considering how many times you have been in a room when he has gone back on his word. But hey, congratulations on getting your betrayal cherry popped.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">9. Willa Ferreyera (last week: NR): This all must have seemed much simpler when you and Connor met. The Power Rankings are not the morality police and so we never judged your sugar baby hustle. The City is full of starving artists looking for a deep pocket to help make their dreams come true. But when <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-dundee.html">your play tanked</a> and Connor decided to drop nine figures on a quixotic quest for the White House that required the imprimatur of marriage to obscure the more sordid details of how you met, this whole thing became a bit too real. Fortunately for you, Connor does not actually care whether you love him or not, but is this the way you want to spend the rest of your life?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">10. Jess Jordan (last week: NR): Yours is one of the more thankless jobs out there and this week was no different. Limited screen time focused exclusively on cleaning up messes and massaging egos cannot be worth whatever Ken is paying you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Not Ranked: Gerri Kellman. Shakespeare Frank Vernon. Hugo Baker. Karolina. Cyd Peach. Karl Muller. Colin Stiles. Cyrus Tellis. Eyeballs Emoji. Homework, The Show. Desperado. Billy Ray Cyrus’s Kentucky Fried Sh*t Shack. Jaws, If Everyone In Jaws Worked For Jaws. The Maghreb.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/03/succession-power-rankings-munsters_28.html">The Munsters</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-complete-season-2-and-season-3.html">Seasons 2 and 3 Power Rankings<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></a></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-90671668625244599632023-03-28T09:38:00.014-04:002023-04-03T09:56:38.749-04:00Succession Power Rankings - The Munsters <p> </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">This week on <i>Succession</i> … Logan celebrates a birthday, Ken, Shiv, and Roman make a play, and Greg gets a little kinky. And now, the Power Rankings:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">1. The Rebel Alliance (final Season 3 ranking: T-8): Team work makes the dream work and if you had spent this episode honing your pitch, locking down graphic design, and securing more high end talent for <i>The Hundred</i> instead of pilfering PGM from Logan, your dad might have (grudgingly) acknowledged how nice it was to see the three of you all fist bumps and hugs and kisses working together. Was it all peaches and cream? No. The subtle digs, eye rolls, and skepticism borne of a lifetime in competition with one another were all still there, but … less so. Every argument did not lead to someone storming out or screaming profanities. Consensus, or at least what passes for it, was the name of the game and when Tom inadvertently dropped some intel you could monetize, you saw the appeal of a turnkey operation that has fallen on hard times as a better (albeit more expensive) bet than a start up that may or may not be the revolutionary news media concern of the 21st century. To be sure, the flaws are still there - Roman’s dismissive treatment of the staff, Ken’s overinflated view of his business acumen (like his buyout of Vaulter, he is paying more than he should), Shiv’s inexperience - but you knew Nan likes Shiv, hates your dad, and for all her kvelling that money is a construct, wants to get paid. So, you made a conversation ending offer that has the added benefit of denying your dad an acquisition he desperately wants. We shall see if this united front remains intact when the bill comes due for the asset you wildly overvalued.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">2. Logan Roy (final Season 3 ranking: 1): Instead of asking why everyone is so happy, pause for a minute and ask why you are so <i>unhappy</i>. Oh right, maybe it is because you treat every relationship in your life as transactional, which explains why the only people celebrating your birthday are the sycophants, hangers on, and, in your words, pygmies, who rely on your largesse for their livelihood and are naturally reluctant to take you up on your offer of an impromptu roasting while you await word on the deal for PGM. Your family (aside from Connor, who needs *another* <a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/10/succession-power-rankings-this-is-not.html">$100 million bridge loan</a>) is nowhere to be found. That you need to enlist your security guard for a philosophical discussion of the afterlife and cold call Cyd to complain about the ball sack in a toupee you see on your TV screen as you watch ATN’s late night programming says something about your isolation and your head space. It is natural for a man to ponder his mortality as he ages, but perhaps you also realize the legacy you have assiduously worked to create is crumbling. While you unleashed venom at your kids, dismissing them for just saying the highest number, you ignored the fact they absorbed your business philosophy - "<a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-tern-haven.html">money wins</a>." <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">3. Nan Pierce (final Season 3 ranking: NR): Yes Nan, numbers <i>are</i> confusing, and we get that you are at sea. The man who offered you $25 billion back at <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-tern-haven.html">Tern Haven</a> is now treating your family business like its in the bargain bin at 75 percent off. But not to worry, his overeager children have swooped in with a face-saving bid at the eleventh hour. Is there still a red dot on the price tag? Sure, but when you want to sell and begin a comfortable retirement, is it really your job to worry that some fourth-generation-from-now Pierce heir might have to <gasp> do actual work instead of living off the interest on the deal you are about to make?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">4. Kerry Castellbate (final Season 3 ranking: 5): With Marcia off in Milan on an indefinite shopping trip, you have done a nice bit of rebranding. While the more puritanical might tsk tsk your arrangement with Logan, you have become a “friend, assistant, and advisor.” A hostess who intercepts non-vetted party guests. An intermediary who tries to bridge the gap between your boss and his now estranged children who openly ridicule you. And a confidante who has been brought into the fold for counsel when deals hang in the balance. It’s a grey area, but you are showing your elbows are as sharp as the cut on your bangs. The Power Rankings are taking note.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">5. Tom Wamgsgans (final Season 3 ranking: 3): Betraying your wife has paid dividends. You no longer have to look over your shoulder worrying she might cock block you as she did at <a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-argestes.html">Argestes</a>. Logan has entrusted you with landing the plane on his post-GoJo plan to acquire Pierce and focus exclusively on his media empire. But is this really <i>you</i> Tom? Another rich guy in New York City putting notches on his bed post uncertain whether Logan will even keep you around once you and Shiv divorce? You have been around the Roy family long enough to know that there is a clear division of labor in Logan’s world. Family is never truly exiled while the hired help are always on tenterhooks wondering if the axe will fall on them. Attempting to straddle that line so your future is secure requires a level of deftness and tact you may not possess, especially when the Pierce deal blew up because you told Shiv about your dinner with Naomi. If there is a silver lining, that heart-to-heart with Shiv was a good reminder why your marriage did not work. While you tried to be earnest, she was gas lighting your entire relationship, pretending she did not treat you like a disposable meat puppet.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">6. Cousin Greg (final Season 3 ranking: 4): We get it, Greg. Once upon a time, the Power Rankings were up and coming in the world of politics, seduced by the sudden presence of women who showed us interest. Your confidence is sky high and you have no qualms about pulling out the family card when Kerry questions your plus one at the birthday party or engaging in some below-the-equator rummaging with Bridget in one of the many guest bedrooms in Uncle Loge’s townhouse. But you need to bring more to the table than newfound swagger if you want to advance in this game.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">7. Colin Stiles (final Season 3 ranking: NR): When it comes to security, you do it well. You are discreet, keep your mouth shut, and do not ask a lot of questions. When the job description drifts into the existential realm of the meaning of life, you are not quite as sure footed. Thankfully, Logan does not actually care about what you have to say as much as he values your mere presence while he ruminates. But not to worry, as soon as you get back to his mansion, Kerry has a cell phone for you to go through to scrub any record of a party Logan barely bothered attending.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">8. Cyrus Tellis (final Season 3 ranking: NR): The blinding insight you learned at Harvard Business School was that a company is worth what the highest bidder is willing to pay for it. Perfect. Thank you, Captain Obvious. In the real world, you will quickly learn that working for the Roy kids is not so different than working for the Roy dad. They are demanding, mercurial, and will toss you overboard faster than you can say “no real person involved” if things go south even if it’s not your fault. If you don’t quit, your only other option is to grin and bear it while the math on your multi-million dollar deal fee dances in your head.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">9. Connor Roy (final Season 3 ranking: 7): You are nothing if not consistent. Time after time you have shown yourself to be the world heavyweight champion of losing your fortune. Whether it was blowing a quick $10 million on <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/08/succession-power-rankings-hunting.html">political consultants</a>, millions more on tons of <a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-dundee.html">mite-infested sand</a> for your faux girlfriend’s failed play, or the nine figures you have burned through for one whole percent in your quixotic, third-party quest for the White House, you are like a one-man economic stimulus package for people who know how to take advantage of you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">10. Bridget (final Season 3 ranking: NR): Are you a hostile corporate asset or just a social<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>climber gutsy enough to click a selfie with Logan to goose your social media presence? Either way, getting frisky in the home of one of the most powerful business leaders in the world is the kind of thing to check off your bucket list on what we expect to be you and your capaciously large handbag's one-and-done appearance on the Power Rankings.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Not Ranked: Marcia Roy. Willa Ferreyra. Gerri Kellman. Shakespeare Frank Vernon. Karl Muller. Naomi Pierce. Bun Pierce. Cyd Peach. Lukas Mattson. Mondale the Dog. The Disgusting Brothers.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Brass Bands, Confetti Canons, Jet Packs, and Bum Fights. Crunchy Peanut Butter. The Old Wacky Tabacky. 1933.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-complete-season-2-and-season-3.html">Seasons 2 and 3 Power Rankings</a> </span></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-14271358820987453482023-01-27T10:42:00.001-05:002023-01-27T10:42:45.918-05:00The Complete Season 2 and Season 3 Succession Power Rankings <p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">SUCCESSION
POWER RANKINGS - SEASONS 2 & 3</span></u></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/12/succession-power-rankings-all-bells-say.html"><span style="color: #0070c0;">All The Bells Say</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/12/succession-power-rankings-chiantishire.html"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Chiantishire</span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/12/succession-power-rankings-too-much.html"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Too Much Birthday</span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/11/succession-power-rankings-what-it-takes.html"><span style="color: #0070c0;">What It Takes</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/11/succession-power-rankings-retired.html"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Retired Janitors of Idaho</span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/11/succession-power-rankings-lion-in-meadow.html"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Lion In The Meadow</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/11/succession-power-rankings-disruption.html"><span style="color: #0070c0;">The Disruption</span></a></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/10/succession-power-rankings-mass-in-time.html"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Mass In Time Of War</span></a></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/10/succession-power-rankings-secession.html"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Secession</span></a></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/10/succession-power-rankings-this-is-not.html" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">This Is Not For Tears</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/10/succession-power-rankings-dc.html" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">DC</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-dundee.html" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Dundee</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-return.html" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Return</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-argestes.html" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Argestes</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/succession-power-rankings-tern-haven.html" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Tern Haven</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/08/succession-power-rankings-safe-room.html" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Safe Room</span></a></span><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="text-align: start;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/08/succession-power-rankings-hunting.html" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Hunting</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2019/08/succession-power-rankings-vaulter.html" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">The Vaulter</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; 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</p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2021/04/succession-power-rankings-summer-palace.html"><span style="color: #0070c0;">The Summer Palace</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="background: white; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Follow me on Twitter - @scarylawyerguy </p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-44848834706311392332023-01-03T13:08:00.002-05:002023-01-03T13:08:24.787-05:00Thirteen Days Of Fitness<p style="text-align: justify;">One of the biggest changes COVID wrought for me was losing access to my gym. It was closed for about six months and even after it reopened, I made the difficult decision to cancel my membership. This was not a small thing for me as I had been a regular (3-4 times per week) gym-goer for about 20 years. While my gym was closed, I started doing at-home classes through LES MILLS, whose branded classes were ones I had done at various gyms and was familiar with. I soon realized (with the benefit of working from home for more than a year) that working out at home was both more convenient (working out when I wanted to) and cheaper (a LES MILLS subscription is $13 a month, my gym was $70) that what I had been doing. Yes, I did miss the camaraderie of group fitness and the competitiveness of working out with people younger than me, HOWEVER, I was not prepared to risk my health for whatever benefit those things offered.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So how did I do it? For about $100 I bought an array of hand weights and I cleared out a roughly 15x15 area in my basement to work out. In other words, if I could figure out how to jerry rig a part of my house to work out and for not much money, so can you. I also came to realize that the convenience of working out at home resulted in my working out more. I now work out six days on, one day off (most of the time) and just finished thirteen days in a row while I was off from work for the holidays. Here is what I did:</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dec. 22 - Grit Athletic 37</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dec. 23 - Grit Strength 34</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dec. 24 - Grit Athletic 28</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dec. 25 - Body Combat 80</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dec. 26 - Grit Strength 36</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dec. 27 - Body Combat 88</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dec. 28 - Grit Strength 38</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dec. 29 - Body Attack 116 (30 min.)</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dec. 30 - Grit Strength 28</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dec. 31 - Body Attack 114 (30 min.)</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jan. 1 - Grit Cardio 36</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jan. 2 - Grit Strength 39</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jan. 3 - Body Combat 80</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of the things I like about LES MILLS is the variety of classes. The "grit" programs are high intensity interval training (HIIT) classes in three varieties - cardio, strength (weight training), and athletic (which usually has a combo of cardio and strength), body combat is basically kick boxing, and body attack, is HIIT-adjacent and mostly cardio focused. In other words, you can mix things up and always feel like you are getting a good workout. I am sure there are other companies offering similar types of workouts, but LES MILLS is the one I use. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Best of luck to all trying to reach their fitness goals!</p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-70073299409158660172022-12-30T18:21:00.001-05:002022-12-30T18:21:14.305-05:002022 Year in Books <p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's my list. Books 1, 3, 9, and 19 were probably the best of the bunch. I read a lot about baseball too, I think I just needed some easy reading to pass the time. Three years of a pandemic and it's like, eh, I don't want to keep reading heavy books about our screwed up world. Anyway, happy reading in 2023! </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Master of the Game, Martin Indyk<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management For Mortals, Oliver Burkeman<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Shooting Midnight Cowboy, Glenn Frankel</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">4. Half Empty, David Rakoff</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">5. Hitler’s American Gamble, Brendan Simmis</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">6. The Nineties, Chuck Klosterman<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">7. The Power of Regret, Daniel Pink</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">8. 100 Things We Have Lost To The Internet, Pamela Paul<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">9. Watergate, A New History, Garrett Graff</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">10. The Year That Broke America, Eric Rice</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">11. Ten Days In Physics That Shook The World, Brian Klegg</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">12. How To Be Perfect, Michael Schur<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">13. A Block In Time, Christiane Bird<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">14. The Magnificent Masters, Gil Capps</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">15. Tracy Flick Can’t Win, Tom Perrotta</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">16. Our Team, Luke Epplin</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">17. Meet Me By The Fountain, Alexandra Lange</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">18. The Secret Life of Groceries, Benjamin Lorr</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">19. Picasso’s War, Hugh Eakin</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">20. The Last Days of Roger Federer, Geoff Dyer<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">21. 1972, The Series That Changed Hockey Forever, Scott Morrison</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">22. The Greatest Game, Richard Bradley<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">23. Down and Out in Paradise, Charles Leerhsen<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">24. Electric October, Kevin Cook</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">25. Miracle at Fenway, Saul Wisnia<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">26. Adrift, Scott Galloway</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">27. Democracy’s Data, Dan Bouk<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>scarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.com3