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Dear-Attempt-2182 t1_j6gy6zi wrote

Succession actually changes a decent amount over the first season, as they hone in on a show about the adult children vying for a kiss from daddy. Some of it is just downplayed until eventually written out, like the old media vs new media angle of Kendall going all-in on a blog.

But they also eliminate like half of the family, with varying levels of abruptness. Greg's mom, played by Reno 911's Mary Birdsong, disappears after the pilot. Roman's first girlfriend was originally credited in the pilot as his wife, and there was a daughter never seen again; they break up a few eps later. I think Connor's also implied to be married? Marcia's son gets a promotion to Europe in a dramatic reveal, then is never heard from again. Kendall's kids become only talked about, and then essentially forgotten. (Interestingly, most of these result in the generation of the Roy family younger than the main characters basically being eliminated.)

Edit: Also, they bring it back for the 'cat under the chair' episode, but it does feel like the show became uninterested in Logan's dementia after season 1, as the story demanded the character be more consistently cunning and ruthless.

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HenroTee t1_j6i3upz wrote

Been a while since I have seen the first two seasons, but some points I don't agree. Like Kendall's children do come back as a story point as he really wants to find their gift at his birthday. They don't appear on screen most probably due to aging.

As for Logan's "dementia". The story makes it unclear whether he is mentally declining or not. The entire setup of the show leans on the old man getting too old. And the inconsistent signs makes it a tougher argument for the family to lean on.

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PerfectZeong t1_j6iee35 wrote

Yeah part of the entire thrust of the show is the kids thinking they can take the old man down while he's weak and then oops Logan ain't that down.

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Dear-Attempt-2182 t1_j6jb0fd wrote

I also have totally believed ageing was the reason Kendall's kids aren't on screen, but they're still mostly invoked in the most recent season in a "you never see them and don't care about them" way. It's not really a retcon but I thought it was interesting that they were kinda lumped into the show phasing out anyone younger than the main characters (some of them definitely as retcons). You'd think there'd be something to explore about the adult kids, constantly questioning their loyalty to Logan, having their own heirs to worry about or fear.

Generally I don't think what I said about Logan's dementia was wrong. It's the catalyst for the start of the series, and the first season plays with to what degree it's a real concern, but once he announces he's staying on and the show shifts to merger storylines, or Shiv and Roman getting moments in the sun, (outside the 'cat under the chair' episode) Logan's not pissing on carpets anymore or making business moves that seem less than calculated.

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