‘Succession’ Season 1, Episode 6 ‘Which Side Are You On?’ Recap: A Platter Full of Hope [SPOILERS]

This evening’s episode of HBO’s Succession started and ended with much drama and despair. “Which Side Are You On?” highlighted the ongoing battle of Kendall (Jeremy Strong) to get his Dad, Logan (Brian Cox) out of their family business, media conglomerate Waystar/Royco. With all hopes of winning over Logan’s premier seat at the head of the table, Kendall remained determined despite losing his shot as CEO and losing his dad’s trust.

Over a Piece of Pie

HBO

Most of this episode’s scenes concentrated in one setting—over a meal. During the previous chapters, Kendall plotted a vote of no confidence against Logan to try to bring the company to its knees (at least, according to Kendall’s assumptions). Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), Frank (Peter Friedman), Kendall, and Roman (Kieran Culkin), had their discussion of getting Lawrence’s (Rob Yang) vote in a cafe, blocks away from the Waystar/Royco. In another table, Shiv (Sarah Snook) met up with her old boyfriend to (in the end) get her feet rubbed. Later, Roman tried to convince Lawrence to go with Kendall’s team. It’s odd how the entire episode took place in one setting and in between meals, but it’s apparent that its a distinct way of platting against Logan ala “Last Supper” style.

Tom’s Ass-Whooping

HBO

“Which Side Are You On?” also shed some light on Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) and Shiv’s not-so-romantic relationship. With Shiv concentrating on work, Tom was always left hanging. When Shiv went to meet up with her old boyfriend, Tom spent the night with Greg having dinner and spinning off cash on liquor tables, expressing to Greg that “this is the rich life.” During dinner, Greg opened up about what was going on with Kendall’s plan to overthrow the Waystar/Royco CEO. Tom then called Kendall to confirm whether if it was true, to which Kendall confirmed.

That night, Shiv arrived home as if nothing happened, seeing Tom looking wasted in the bedroom. Despite a beautiful morning, rain was bound to pour. Kendall called Shiv to tell her that he lost his job and half of the company’s board. In a drunken stupor, Tom told Shiv that he knew about it all along.

Brotherly Love?

HBO

Logan’s rival brother, Ewan (James Cromwell), came back to town. But actually, Ewan never left after getting the news that Kendall was about to get Logan thrown off the boat. With Ewan’s disappointment towards Kendall, he decided to stay in the city to “cooperate” with Kendall’s plans. However, Ewan had an ulterior motive. During the board meeting for the CEO votes,  Ewan took a stand and shockingly voted for Logan’s to stay as the CEO.

‘Succession: Which Side Are You On?’ Overall Verdict

This episode of Succession was significantly better than the last episodes. “Which Side Are You On?” took the family dispute sky high when Cox took his character in full aggressive mode, telling us “not to mess with the guy on top.” This episode definitely packed a lot of thrills with it. Mixing up anticipation, suspense, and drama, HBO’s Succession has done it again.

Succession continues next Sunday, July 15th, with “Austerlitz” at 10/9c on HBO.