This Is Not for Tears

"This Is Not For Tears" is the tenth and final episode of the second season of the HBO satirical comedy-drama television series Succession, and the 20th overall. It was written by series creator Jesse Armstrong and directed by Mark Mylod, and aired on October 13, 2019.

"This Is Not For Tears"
Succession episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 10
Directed byMark Mylod
Written byJesse Armstrong
Original air dateOctober 13, 2019 (2019-10-13)
Running time74 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

Plot

Greg is called to testify before the Senate regarding the sexual misconduct on Brightstar Cruises. He fumbles his way through questioning from Senator Gil Eavis. Logan watches the testimony in a car with Hugo as they debate who should be the company's public scapegoat for the scandal. Logan receives a call from a powerful shareholder on Waystar's board, who suggests that Logan take responsibility for the crimes.

After the testimony, the Roys spend a holiday on a large yacht in the Mediterranean. Connor and Willa are the first to arrive, and Willa is upset to hear that her recently opened play has been panned by critics. Shiv tells Tom she wants to have a threesome with he and a yacht employee on one of the nearby islands, though Tom is clearly apprehensive. The two get into an argument while scouting islands, and Tom confesses to Shiv that he is unhappy with their marriage.

Roman, Karl and Laird return from Turkey, having been released by the anti-corruption militia on account of being foreigners. Laird claims to Logan that the deal to secure financing from Eduard Asgarov's family was successful and will allow Waystar to go private, but Roman admits the agreement is likely spurious. Laird, realizing that there will be legal consequences if Waystar remains public, decides to leave the yacht for the others to resolve the dispute amongst themselves. Connor asks Logan for money to continue funding Willa's play as well as numerous other expenses; Logan agrees so long as Connor suspend his presidential campaign. Logan asks Kendall to have Naomi leave the yacht; before departing, she tells Kendall that Logan only favors him in his broken state.

At breakfast the next day, Logan announces that someone must be placed responsible for the cruises incident. Tom's name is suggested by several members including Shiv, as he oversaw the handling of the relevant documents, though the discussion is inconclusive amidst arguments. Logan and Kendall travel to a Greek island in an attempt to enlist aid from Stewy, but he turns them down. Shiv and Logan have a private conversation where she implores him not to sacrifice Tom.

Logan approaches Kendall during a workout and persuades him to take the fall for the crimes. Kendall, despondent, suggests that he deserves the punishment for the death of Andrew Dodds, though Logan dismisses that incident as a "No Real Person Involved" case. Kendall asks Logan if he ever saw him fit to run the company, but Logan tells his son that he doesn't see him as a "killer." Logan announces his choice at dinner, which shocks the other family members.

The following morning, Kendall and Greg are flown back to New York to give a press conference, which Logan and Shiv watch on TV while on the yacht. Kendall begins by saying he has been chosen to accept blame for the company's handling of the cruises incidents, but suddenly deviates from his prepared remarks by blaming Logan, calling his father a "malignant presence, a bully and a liar" and stating that he was personally responsible for approving the legal settlements covering up the misconduct. Additionally, he informs the reporters that he has brought documents proving his father's guilt, which Greg has on hand. The speech shocks the reporters and the rest of the Roy family except for Logan, who begins to smile.

Production

"This Is Not For Tears" was written by Succession showrunner Jesse Armstrong and directed by Mark Mylod in his eighth episode for the series. According to Noel Murray of The New York Times, the title of the episode derives from a poem in John Berryman's The Dream Songs.[1]

Armstrong stated in an interview that the decision to film the episode on a yacht mirrored the real-life history of media moguls like Robert Maxwell conducting important meetings on family yachts. The yacht scenes were filmed in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Croatia.[2]

According to series star Brian Cox, the ending of the episode is meant to serve as a culmination of Logan's relationship with his children, particularly Kendall. In an interview with Deadline Hollywood, Cox said, "these are entitled children who've had everything done for them, and they need to be schooled on the harsh realities of business... [Logan]'s testing his children to see if they have the mettle in them, and for a lot of the episodes, the mettle is not clear. Logan does love his children, but at the same time, it’s all about their worth in terms of the company."[3] Armstrong has stated that he left the ending open to interpretation.[2]

Reception

Ratings

Upon airing, the episode was watched by 0.66 million American viewers, with an 18-49 rating of 0.17.[4]

Critical reception

"This Is Not For Tears" was universally acclaimed by critics, who praised Armstrong's writing, Mylod's direction, Jeremy Strong's performance and the twist ending. On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has a rating of 100% based on 15 reviews, with the critics' consensus stating, "Guided by Jeremy Strong's brilliant performance, series creator Jesse Armstrong reverses course and delivers a seriously satisfying season finale in "This Is Not for Tears.""[5]

Sophie Gilbert of The Atlantic felt the episode was the series "most gorgeous episode to date" due to the location choices, describing Mylod's direction as having the "visual poetry and psychosexual familial tension of a late Bertolucci movie, or one by Luca Guadagnino."[6] Randall Colburn of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A-, praising Strong and Cox's performances and the satisfying payoff of the arc between Logan and Kendall. However, Colburn was less positive about Tom's resolution, calling it the episode's "only sketchy moment."[7] Noel Murray of The New York Times wrote, "this jaw-dropper ending works because the writer Jesse Armstrong sets it up superbly, beginning with that long scene when everybody debates — with hilariously exaggerated politeness — the matter of whose body might best fit under a bus." Murray compared the family negotiation scene to an episode of Survivor, calling it a "a fascinating study of human nature as these people try to save their jobs — and their senses of self — with a combination of strategic shade-throwing and personal appeals."[1] David Stubbs of The Guardian felt that with the finale, Armstrong has "shown that a series can not only survive but thrive without likeable, moral and sympathetic characters. And even find a way of making us care for them." [8]

Accolades

At the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, "This Is Not for Tears" received multiple nominations. Mark Mylod was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Jesse Armstrong was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. Additionally, Jeremy Strong, Matthew Macfadyen and Nicholas Braun selected the episode to support their nominations in the categories of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series respectively. Furthermore, at the 72nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, "This Is Not for Tears" received nominations for Stephen H. Carter, Carmen Cardenas, George DeTitta, and Ana Buljan in the category Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More); Bill Henry and Venya Bruk in the category Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series; and Nicholas Britell in the category Outstanding Music Composition for a Series.[9][10][11][12][13][14]

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gollark: Yes, it did complete eventually.
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gollark: Anyway, I got it to update using `ignorepkg`.

References
  1. Murray, Noel (October 14, 2019). "'Succession' Season 2 Finale Recap: Sails Out, Nails Out". NYTimes.com.
  2. "'Succession' Showrunner Talks Season 2 Finale Twist: "Different Interpretations Are Valid"". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 14, 2019). "'Succession' Season 2 Finale Postmortem: Brian Cox & Creator Jesse Armstrong On Making A "Blood Sacrifice" & What's Next".
  4. Metcalf, Mitch (October 15, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.13.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  5. "Succession - Season 2 Episode 10". Rotten Tomatoes.
  6. Gilbert, Sophie (October 14, 2019). "Why Season 2 of 'Succession' Was So Extraordinary". The Atlantic.
  7. "Succession's "blood sacrifice" defies the gods in a stunning season finale". TV Club.
  8. Stubbs, David (October 14, 2019). "Succession recap: season two finale – it's a killer all right". The Guardian.
  9. Hipes, Patrick (July 28, 2020). "Emmy Awards Nominations: The Complete List". Deadline. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  10. Beachum, Chris (August 4, 2020). "Nicholas Braun ('Succession'): Emmys 2020 episode submission revealed". Gold Derby. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  11. Beachum, Chris (August 3, 2020). "Jeremy Strong ('Succession'): Emmys 2020 episode submission revealed". Gold Derby. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  12. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  13. "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  14. "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
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