Slate Money: "Succession: Snake Linguini" (Season 3, Episode 2)

Original air date: October 25, 2021
Host: Felix Salmon (with Emily Peck & guest Kurt Andersen)

Overview

In this episode, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and guest Kurt Andersen (novelist and media veteran) provide an incisive, witty, and detail-driven discussion of Succession Season 3, Episode 2 (“Mass in Time of War”, here called "Snake Linguini”). The panel delves into the show's portrayal of dysfunctional media families, sibling dynamics, wealth, power, and the show's blended tone of drama and dark comedy, drawing on their real-life proximity to media mogul culture and business.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Verisimilitude and Dysfunction in Wealthy Families

• Expertise: Felix introduces Kurt Andersen as the perfect guest, given his experience with and writing about media moguls.
• Succession’s Realism: Kurt raves about the show's accuracy:

  “I've never seen it done better, frankly, in television or film, but it does the business really well.” (01:44)

• Family Dysfunction: The Roys' inability to unite is likened to a “prisoner’s dilemma”:

  “It's the prisoner's dilemma kind of thing with four of them instead of two. ... I came away from that ... thinking like, yeah, I wouldn't give any of these little pipsqueaks control of my company.” (03:55)

2. Sibling Dynamics and Logan’s Machinations

• The siblings gather, revealing that if they could trust and coordinate, they could overpower their father—but they can't escape their destructive dynamic.
• Jerry’s role as CEO is dissected:

  “Making Jerry the temporary CEO ... is the brilliant move for the dad to do because it maximizes the chances the other three are going to stick by his side.” (05:30)

• Logan’s manipulation of Connor (“You're number one, kiddo”) is called both “pathetic” and effective, revealing the power parental validation still holds over adult children (07:47).

3. Writing, Tone, and Style

• The episode’s dialogue is praised as “understated,” with punchlines delivered so naturally they can be easily missed.
• Roman’s and Kendall’s lines are highlighted as examples of snark that lands more subtly than in shows like Veep:

  “In this show, you barely notice them. ... Sometimes you need to watch it a second time.” (09:36)

• Debate arises over the show’s genre:

  “It is a drama. … But its creator Jesse Armstrong ... wrote television comedy.” (09:51 / 10:31)

4. Kendall’s Unhinged Pitch and Sibling Rejection

• Kendall delivers an overwrought, jargon-heavy speech to convince the others to side with him, but instead comes across like a “coked-up” Jared Kushner, oblivious to how he alienates them:

  “He launches into this tidal wave of jargon and bullshit ... he doesn't have the human ability to understand this is exactly the wrong thing to say…” (15:24 / 16:18)

• His siblings roll their eyes, confirming that, while his pitch isn’t stupid on its face, Kendall is deeply out of touch with both business and personal dynamics.

5. Lies, Secrecy, and ‘Snake Linguini’

• The “snake linguini” metaphor underscores the atmosphere of casual, reflexive lying among the Roys. Lying is described as a default exercise of power and control:

  “If you're playing a game all the time, you're playing liar’s poker all the time, you're going to lie…” (19:14)

• The use of secrets to feel powerful, even in small ways—like Kendall’s childish “fuck you” note to Shiv—is highlighted (20:25).

6. Privilege and the Bubble of the Super-Rich

• The panel observes that Succession doesn’t indulge in “wealth porn” but showcases the cage of privilege:

  "To me, their life is not very enviable. Nothing about it except private jets." (21:48)

• A shared laugh about Logan’s sad hotel salad becomes a symbol of listless billionaire unhappiness (22:25).

7. Marcia’s Return and Calculated Leverage

• Marcia returns at Logan’s lowest point, extracting concessions with surgical precision:

  “She is being incredibly nice to him and, you know, is extracting God knows how many billions of dollars ... in this incredibly mercenary way.” (23:10)

• Favorite line:

  “And it's not my problem if she wouldn't finish him.” (Marcia, 24:14)

• Marcia is held up as the episode’s actual “master of the universe,” with a plan and the will to execute it (24:36).

8. Greg’s Lawyer Dilemma and Ewan’s Agenda

• Greg’s comic subplot—seeking an unbiased lawyer—shows his accidental wit and the universal self-interest of the Roy orbit.
• Ewan, the self-declared moral compass, is outed as “despicable” or at least self-serving when helping Greg, underlining the show’s “no heroes” universe (27:43).
• The possibility is raised that Ewan’s shifting alliances may become pivotal.

9. Quiet Power: Access and Influence in Politics

• The low-key calls between Logan/Jerry and the President underscore the realistic, insidious reach of media barons—not omnipotent, but always within earshot of power (28:53).
• Parallels are drawn with real-life moguls (Murdoch, Ailes), emphasizing the subtlety with which the show handles its “plutocracy” theme (29:47/30:44).

10. Gender, Optics, and #MeToo Underpinnings

• Succession is commended for referencing but never overplaying the specifics of the Roys’ sexual harassment scandal.
• Kendall’s “Girls count double” (36:39) line dismantles his faux-progressive posture, exposing his cynical calculation:

  “It’s only your teats that give you any value, so, you know, it’s only your teats.” (36:44)

• The show never lets any character fully stand for virtue—including purported “heroes.”

11. Setups, Alliances, and Best Lines

• Alliances remain unresolved:

  “Right now, there are no alliances. Right now, everything, all the balls are in the air.” (12:18)

• Emily notes this is a “setup episode” laying the groundwork for future power shifts (40:12).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the siblings’ inability to team up:

  “It is the prisoner's dilemma kind of thing with four of them instead of two ... and their fucked upness is so beautifully apparent.” —Kurt (03:55)

• On Logan’s manipulations:

  “The need for your father's love is so powerful, even when you see the manipulation happening, you still are so desperate for it. You'll take it anyway.” —Emily (07:49)

• On Kendall’s pitch:

  “Big picture, we're at the end of the long American century. Our company is a declining empire inside a declining empire.” —Kendall (14:30)

  “He comes out ... like he's coked up ... launches into this tidal wave of jargon and bullshit...” —Felix (15:24)

• On Marcia’s return:

  “She ... has come in with maximum leverage. She is being incredibly nice and, you know, is extracting God knows how many billions of dollars...” —Felix (23:10) “It’s not my problem if she wouldn’t finish him.” —Marcia (24:14)

• On the show’s moral universe:

  “If they don’t have it pasted on the wall of their writer’s room ... nobody is good in this show. No character is totally virtuous ... or even partially virtuous, really.” —Kurt (27:43)

• Best lines segment (40:32+):

  • “Oh, you mean us, this multi fucking ethnic transgender alliance of 20 something dreamers we got right here.” —Roman
  • “I'm just going to put my dick in your mad, scheming scissorhands here.” —Roman

• On repeated viewing:

  “As someone who’s watched it twice, it’s better the second time...” —Felix (41:55)

• Greg, ever the comic relief:

  “You know, I don’t really want to go to Congress again. I’m kind of too young to be in Congress so much, you know.” —Greg (42:54)

Timestamps by Segment

• [01:44]: Kurt on why Succession is the most realistic TV drama about the rich
• [03:55]: The Roy siblings’ “prisoner's dilemma” and why Logan would never hand them the reins
• [06:13-06:59]: How Logan keeps the siblings divided; arrival of the donuts
• [07:47-08:16]: The power of paternal approval, even when transparently manipulative
• [09:23-09:51]: Understated punchlines and comedic writing
• [14:30-15:24]: Kendall's cringeworthy business pitch
• [19:14-20:25]: ‘Snake linguini’ and the show’s web of lies
• [22:25-22:39]: Logan’s sad hotel salad, symbolism of wealthy malaise
• [23:10-24:36]: Marcia’s return, negotiation, and strategic brilliance
• [27:43-28:03]: Ewan’s diminished moral standing
• [28:53-31:22]: Depiction of media barons’ real-life access to power
• [36:39-36:49]: The crass “your teats give you value” gender comment
• [40:32-41:11]: Favorite lines and episode rating
• [42:54]: Greg’s concern about appearing before Congress again

Overall Tone & Takeaways

The episode’s discussion gleefully mirrors Succession’s own irreverence and critical distance—wry, thoughtful, and unsparing. The show is lauded for its realistic portrayal of moneyed dysfunction, its refusal to indulge in fantasy, and its capacity to wring both comedy and tragedy from the same familial disasters. As Felix sums up, this “setup episode” bodes well for the season, with alliances left tantalizingly unresolved and the war for power—and affection—only intensifying.

For fans and newcomers alike, this recap offers a rich snapshot of both the episode and the podcast's lively, insightful approach to dissecting HBO’s searing drama about dynastic wealth and woe.