In the story Sin tÃtulo by Rodrigo Fresán, the protagonist repeatedly exclaims: “BenjamÃn Federov has died”. In a similar way, today I proclaim “Succession has ended”. And I do it out of joy.
If you’re wondering who Benjamin Federov is, maybe it’s best to read Fresán’s story. If there is any doubt about Succession, perhaps I can say that it is an HBO television series, which aired the final episode of its fourth and final season on Sunday evening in the United States, the our morning
In fact, I submit this column (which I send every two weeks to La Vanguardia sometime on Monday morning) without having seen the last episode. I’m saving it for tonight, which is Monday, although readers will receive this text on Wednesday. So that no one suffers, you can read calmly, whether you have not yet seen the episode or if you have never heard of Succession, because the treacherous beast and a ridiculous hair of the spoiler are not hidden between these lines.
The yellow-eyed monster that tells you what you don’t want to know and teaches you what you don’t want to see, but that, no matter how treacherous and imprecise it may eventually be, is relatively unscary. At least I think that there is an intrinsic and deep enjoyment in the act of reading a good book or watching a good film or series, that nothing can take away from you. And this is a clear case. Succession is a serial lady. And although it may seem like a contradiction, I happily celebrate the end.
I watched as a relic, years and years after they were first broadcast, The Sopranos or The wire, considered almost unanimously as two of the best series in the history of television, and I absolutely agree with the verdict . But rechecking with Succession the evidence that good creative artifacts do not come to us only from the past, that a series of quality and artistic gesture, risky, demanding and coherent, capable of explaining and exploring what he wanted can be made from today to explain and explore, and then wrap up, without stretching incongruously like a little butter on too much bread, has been exhilarating. And to have been able to follow her in real time, to have been part of her arrival in the world, has definitely been a pleasure.
