The Watercooler: Who Watches the Watchmen?

On Succession, "America Decides," or do they? Alao the walls close in on YJ's Shauna.

It’s Election Night in Waystar Royco’s America, and I must tell you, I hated watching every single second of it. Not because this is a poorly made episode; quite the opposite. It’s strong, it’s taut, it’s tense… and it feels like we are about a year and a half away from life imitating art, and ending up in an even shittier dystopia of our own, so every minute spent in this alternate universe squeezed the air out my lungs just a little bit more. I wish it had come with a Political Dread Warning, although in its own way, it did: Right off the top, polling predicted Jimenez, the Dem candidate, would win a squeaker, with Shiv promising Campaign Manager Nate that she would “watch the watchmen” from her spot at ATN’s HQ to make sure everything was fair and level. Which is exactly how you knew this would end badly. “You’ve made a night of good TV,” Roman tells Kendall, after their unethical choices tilt the election toward Jeryd Mencken. To him, that’s all it is, because to him “nothing happ…