I don't want to make my uncle mad
because he could be well he can be scary
vindictive paranoid and violent
conductive wait sorry no no none of this
I'm not actually saying that yet would
you like this meeting to be on
background you can't say I said anything
I did
so I rewatched both seasons of
succession with the intention of doing a
video on the hilariously weird poetry in
the show's dialogue you know stuff like
what up Rick licks it's me doctor [ __ ]
omote ding-dong Doodlebug [ __ ] with a
titmouse BIC and my dad hates all you
[ __ ] eagle bye bye how is that is that
good and while there is plenty of
majestically profane wordplay to
celebrate watching the show all in one
sitting like that I couldn't help but
recognize some deeper themes also to do
with language and speech that kept
popping up again and again there was
words weren't or just what nothing
complicated air flow what I found was
that succession is an extended
exploration of this statement but in the
form of a question
the show wants to know are words just
nothing gusts of complicated air flow
that you can't really use to understand
who someone is or what they mean well in
a lot of cases yes succession is packed
with examples of words that have
absolutely no meaning at all I don't at
this time recall anything that at that
time would have caused me any real
concern Lester was a man and when a man
dies it is sad all of us will die one
day in this case it is Lester who has
done so these are words designed to be
empty so that they can fulfill the act
of communicating when saying something
is required without making the speaker
responsible for content you hear this
kind of stuff a lot in politics and
business sometimes it's necessary to be
kg since statements from powerful people
can affect the world
other times jargon is just rapping on
[ __ ] family ownership and corporate
newah t in the digital age whatever the
[ __ ] that means all these nothing words
are a form of insincerity and in this
show this world this family in sincerity
is the rule not the exception that
doesn't mean all words are empty only
that for the most part words have a very
flimsy relationship to their literal
meaning I'm thankful for all the love
Roman has shown to me and for never
being selfish or self-centered or
egocentric or neurotic or unfaithful for
Logan Roy and his family words are just
the thinnest top layer of communication
concealing an ocean of feelings motives
and other things that can't be said
aloud sarcasm at Thanksgiving is par for
the course and that's only one of many
ways people can mean the opposite of
what they say you want to abandon no I
mean no I don't want to you do you I
just came to say how sorry I was to hear
about your dad well it's so kind of you
to do it in person when you could have
just called this undercurrent is
something the characters especially
Logan's three children have learned to
be hypersensitive to sincerity is always
suspicious if it's not sarcasm
it must be disguising hidden mode I
think you're a super talented super star
and I I love you
oh you're such a [ __ ] [ __ ] it makes
sense that Kendall Roman and Shiv are so
guarded the biggest presence in their
lives their father is lying to them all
the time another form of noting words
when you say the thing that's not that's
a lie
Logan lies with abandon and as a result
has created an atmosphere of stifling
paranoia please I want you to speak
freely dad I think it is possible that
you have sometimes somewhat chilled the
atmosphere of free-flowing debate words
to him are just tools to gain advantage
and they can be discarded as easily as
they're said take away this cold utility
and words become meaningless and
confusing to him a child sees the others
no I mean just done you know just to
tell them oh this profoundly cynical
outlook is the result of living in a
world in which words have only temporary
meanings promises made today are void
tomorrow words are here than gone it's
kind of a my superpower is rich if you
can lie to someone like that to their
face I mean I know you're lying but I
still find you varied laws will help you
me the most extreme form of this is
gaslighting giving words meaning than
violently ripping that meaning away but
the thing about me is that I'm a
terrible terrible prick all right I've
got you again I just got you [ __ ] we
read your face pals yes yeah did you
kiss me why don't you kiss yeah if I
asked you to come on
I'm joking I'm joking in this way words
can be meaningless while simultaneously
having incredible power they can have no
link to the truth but influence people's
actions the world's actions if you say
them forcefully enough words can become
the truth or at least that's what Logan
believes both in his business life and
his personal one we're gonna be the
number one media conglomerate in the
world did I even make contact because
that's not something I do the rest of
the characters aren't as shameless and
ruthless as Logan is at times they seem
genuinely scared of the power words can
have look I'm saying this but I don't
believe it I'm just I'm saying it
because this is the time for all the
same thing if you don't want to hear
okay well I saw what I saw you don't
know I just said shut up shut the [ __ ]
up all right but I think you should know
what's up shut the [ __ ] up Greg okay
ultimately Logan's willingness to lie
and manipulate has done great harm to
his children's ability to communicate
honestly and to form relationships based
on trust on saying what you mean it's to
the point that when someone does manage
to genuinely express themselves it cuts
like a knife I wonder if the sad I'd be
without you would be less than the sad I
get being with you
you know I was astonished re watching
this show how thoroughly the creator's
scrutinized language its power and its
content or lack thereof I think the
attention to this theme actually makes
for the unique and uniquely funny
cadence the show has which drew me to
look closer in the first place
succession is about a lot of things but
what it may be interested in above all
is [ __ ] it was [ __ ] watch everybody
thank you so much for watching this
episode was brought to you by
Squarespace if you don't know you can
use Squarespace to make beautiful
websites for anything that you might
need a personal site a wedding website a
site for your business portfolio
whatever and in just a few clicks you
can have that website up and running
their design team has crafted amazing
templates that work on computer browsers
and on mobile and switch perfectly
between the two you can integrate your
own photos and videos with just a few
clicks and you can even link your social
accounts so that you can Auto post to
Twitter and Facebook all from within
Squarespace head over to squarespace.com
for a free trial and when you're ready
to launch go to squarespace.com slash
nerdwriter
for 10% off your first purchase thanks
guys I'll see you next time