The shared qualities ofKanye Westand Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), one might suggest, are innumerous: both boast huge Twitter followings, and obsess over their stats; both are incredibly wealthy; and both, apparently, have a penchant for thebig. In the latest episode ofSuccession, titled “Too Much Birthday,” we join Kendall on his fortieth, which begins as a lavish, celebrity-filled, ultra-exclusive mega-party but soon descends into a tragic affair of familial grievances. The venue boasts some ridiculous accouterments, including an inflated version of Kendall’s mom’s vagina, but the worst of them didn’t make it to screen, according to an interview inEntertainment Weekly.
Originally, the episode was set to feature a miniWu-Tang Clan, formed of a bunch of kids - but Kendall, realizing that such a party trick is decidedly uncool (and, you know, ethically dubious) turns them away. According toLorene Scafaria, who directed “Too Much Birthday”:
“We began the casting process. […] I remember looking at kids. I was very excited to realize that, and then the great [Successioncreator] Jesse Armstrong [said] it was one of those things to pull back from, to realize that just saying it and alluding to them was probably funnier.”
And it’s true: just the idea that Kendall would want to bring in such a ridiculous performance, speaking to his worst, most pose-y traits, is way funnier than anything we could’ve actually seen. Isn’t it best kept to the imagination, anyway, like all great horror? As for Kanye, the other great hip-hop connection in the episode, Scafaria says:
“Lighting was an area we had a lot of fun designing, kind of taking inspiration from Kanye’s Saint Pablo Tour, which felt like something that Kendall would have done himself. [We] got to make all these sort of outlandish requests based on requests that he would have made himself, so the party was extraordinary, throwing the party was so fun, so wild and outlandish and ridiculous. Yeah, just so much fun.”
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Come to think of it, it’s a tad surprising that Kendall didn’t himself come kitted out in adiamond-encrusted mask. The cast was similarly appreciative of the episode’s elaborate sets, withKieran Culkinsaying this of the inflatable vagina: “I look up and go, holy s—, someone built this! I forgot that somebody has to go through the process of actually making this thing happen.” Well, it was time well spent, that’s for sure. Kudos to the art department.
Successionairs on Sunday nights on HBO, and is available to stream at HBO Max.
