Succession's Most Awkward Moment Makes Watching It Almost Unbearable
Vicarious awkwardness is usually exploited in sitcoms to make the audience laugh, and it's also used in some dramas, especially satirical ones — although in a different way and to very different ends.
HBO's Succession offers a great example. Focusing on the billionaire family of the Roys, the show is brimming with cringe-evoking scenes, and there is one particular moment that has caused viewers to shrug and wish they could unsee it.
This culmination of embarrassment is presented in the series' episode eight of season three, as Roman sends his father Logan a picture of his genitals by mistake right before a meeting.
The show's fans are still discussing this episode, unable to get over just how awkward it was for everyone. Let's recap what exactly happened in the scene.
As the board is gathering for a meeting, Roman sends Logan the picture of his private parts intended for Gerri. Logan storms out and, after inquiring his daughter Siobhan about it, calls out Roman for his action.
"Are you a sicko?" the family patriarch asks. "She's a million years old!" Logan goes on and finishes the awkward father-and-son talk with the iconic "It's f---ing disgusting." The last line, delivered artfully by Brian Cox who portrays Logan, still haunts many viewers to this day.
"I think my chest caved in from the cringe. What a brilliantly acted scene," wrote YouTuber Neeson Naidoo.
And this is certainly not the only cringey moment in Succession. Just recall the scene where the banker calls in about a $3.25 billion repayment, and Kendall asks them to, well, get lost — and then there is the most awkward silence on the other end of the line. Other embarrassing moments include Kendall's visit to the Pierce estate or the scene where Roman tears a million-dollar check in a kid's face.
Also comparable to Roman's penis moment in awkwardness is the Boar on the Floor game that Logan made the other characters play.
These are just a few of the hugely awkward moments on Succession — and somehow, these scenes seem to add to the series' popularity, making viewers want to experience more of this weird, secondhand embarrassment.