Yeah I've been starting to get anxious about the show ending a little. The shows become so good and hit another level this season that I hate we have to see it end now.

But at the same time - look what happened to the Wire going a 5th season. Sometimes it is good just to cut it off right at the height of its powers. Not sure they will be able to match this season anyway - not without Logan anyway. Like I said I think they need to go the spin-off route now.

Still feels like Shiv is gonna turn on Matsson at some point and go back to working with her brothers. This is a show about family above all and I can't see the show ending with the siblings on opposite sides.

It's obvious Matsson is using Shiv to get what he wants. At some point I think the fact that he is a psychotic sociopath and raging misogynist will cause Shiv to ally herself with her brothers in trying to take down Matsson. I just can't see the writers choosing to make Shiv go full villain at the end.

Thought that was a poor episode, probably the worst since S1.

The Nordic characters are all terrible and about as far from Nordic people as they could possibly be. Feels like they asked ChatGPT for "Swedish stereotypes", took them all to heart, and wrote nonsensical caricature characters.

I have no idea what Skårsgard is trying to do but he's overacting in every scene and his character doesn't seem consistent with last season.

It's been a great season so far but this one was a total dud.

Mattsen is a complete sociopath who is isolated not only due to his wealth but also from any semblance of human emotion, except when he mimics it to get what he wants from people. Probably the only way he’s able to feel anything at all is by taking something that someone says he can’t have (ATN) and also perhaps having the subsequent influence over a U.S. president that comes with it. Skarsgard is doing an amazing job.

Thought the scene w/Greg at the table was absolutely hilarious. Apparently they said something along the lines of “two meters of Neopotism” along with the “Hapsburg” comment while he was just standing there looking dopey and one of the others in the Roy group laughed along. Also someone said that they were not discussing anything related to France when Tom sat down, so probably trying to embarrass him, but I actually liked his response of “We don’t really give a **** about what happens over there.”

Disagree on Skarsgard, he's fantastic.

Do agree that Matsson's underlings were pretty cartoonish and not given much to do other than look at the Americans with disdain.

Thought it was a very good episode overall, Roman's monologue to Matsson at the end was the highlight for me.

This scene felt almost cathartic for the audience as it probably was for him and I liked it a lot too, even though it was basically Maatsen getting the best of him (Logan obviously never would have let his emotions get the better of him) I like seeing the human side of Roman this season…they could have gone a lot of different ways with him.

This was my favorite episode of the season, to each his own

Agree with this.

Also feel that everyone enjoyed the not so subtle True Blood reference with the whole giving bags of his blood to one of his executives to weirdly try to lure her

If you haven't done so already, go on YouTube and watch the scene where Matsson and gang talk briefly in their foreign language with closed captioning. Great stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx5YL6Gac4c

dunno that maatsen got the better of him when it upped the offer to $197 and doesn't really know for sure what roman actually wants. dunno.

either way I loved it and I'm loving the new and improved tom.

I mean I guess none of us ever knows FOR SURE what anyone else is ever thinking, but Matsson seemed to read Roman correctly and to do so with a really high degree of confidence. Didn't feel like there was much question that he won the exchange, since he doesn't seem to mind being an indecent lout. He rattled Roman and got him to fully show his hand.

One thing I wasn't sure about was when Matsson said to Roman, "you just f***ed yourself." Then Roman quickly said he would claim it was all a negotiating tactic. Was Matsson referring to Roman saying he would try to sabotage the deal even if the board approved it? I guess that could be an SEC violation? I am wondering if that aspect will play into the plot going forward.

I am also not clear on the role Shiv had. She seemed to be teamed up with Matsson vs. Kendall and Roman, and the impression was that she had given him some sort of insider info to help him win the deal (which I assume is why Matsson was asking her to send a photo of Kendall and Roman looking sad, and why the final shot of the ep was Shiv looking self-satisfied).

But in the end, all Matsson really did was up the price. So what part would Shiv play in that, and why would he need her at all if his strategy was to simply offer a price the board could not refuse?

yeah was wondering about that


yeah he was even mocking shiv for that oh i should offer more money?! gee thanks

I took it as roman being a real human being and admitting the truth thats its all personal and not business whether the deal comes together or not.
Explains why his counter is that its just a negotiatian-tactic and lucas trying to drive a split between them/getting a witness by asking kendell whether he heard what he just said.

If he can somehow prove the (co)ceo acted on emotion and against the interest of the shareholders there is nothing that can save his position, he literarily ****ed himself.

Shivs role and whether he took her serious remains to be seen. All we know for now is that he took her advice; make an offer they cant refuse and keep on the guys (carolina jerry and tom) she said are ok. Could be a ruse to divide and conquer the family (there was a bunch of incest/habsburg jokes before), could be for real and he trusts her revelaing his bloodsecret.
Show is written to keep ppl guessing/purposfully being vague along the ride and eventually reveal outcomes.

Personally, i believe overpaying by such a large margin (144 vs 192 i think), even if you count in atn, is too much of paralell to elon buying twitter.
Its a doublebluff and not a misdirection. Lucas is a conman in trouble (50/50 cash,stock and not all cash as was agreed upon with logan) and will selfdestruct by the end of the season along most siblings^^

So many references to True Blood in this episode - not only the blood bags but the way Mattson got up off the chair and the shot that had him just standing there. Very Eric Northman like and the way he just demolished Roman at one of his weaker points.

Roman wants to run the company. so does Ken. and Shiv. the 197 means that Mattson will run the company. so he wins.

I mean Ken even says it at some point, "it doesnt matter bc Im already rich".

so like, thats the point of the show. its about who wins and loses. the ultimate win is about sitting on the iron thrown and people will give up everything for it.

Yeah, I’ve been thinking about this more. We tend to be kind of conditioned to regard all these guys as brilliant masterminds, but Maatsen for all of his money and sharp tongue and ability to write code is clearly a really ****ed up person. He’s certainly not an expert in the world of business deals.

There’s that one scene earlier where he says something along the lines of “I don’t like being judged,” so while he very well could have gotten the better of the interaction and just brushed off Roman without a care, maybe Roman showed him a bit how horrible he is with his speech and it got to him a bit.

Of course he gets the company and ATN, but also did he basically just up his offer to $197 for a picture of the two brothers looking sad?

This was enjoyable. There’s a good one on Shiv as well.

That dude makes really good vids. He’s done damn near half the characters in this lol

I don't get this mindset...if I had a $100m or whatever, I wouldn't be working or worrying about all this other bullsh*t.

It's a status thing. They want to keep getting invited to all the right political and business junkets. The money doesn't give them identity. The title/position does.

Yeah I think most would feel that way but it illustrates how miserable these people are, even though they are fabulously wealthy and can do/buy anything they want. They are pretty empty, the only thing that really fulfills them is impressing their father (or now that he's dead, carrying on his legacy).

Matsson is similar in that he is incredibly wealthy but miserable. He seems to get no joy out of his success the only thing he seems to like is effing with his competitors. It's all a game of egos, the money is beside the point.

Funny to see one go Kendall's way finally after the entire series he's been or caused one massive **** up after another.

Greg was instrumental to Kendall in this episode. I thought maybe he might be with Tom in some plan with Shiv but Shiv is now entirely with Tom and this sort of weird triangle love with Mattson. Really portraying what she said to Tom on their wedding night. And he knowingly seems to be for it to sure up his own future. Also very fascinating to see the arc that Kendall presentation took and whether Karl had really ripped all the confidence out of Kendall with their pre-presenation chat (which was also a highlight of the episode),