At the core of this show, there has been a big question lurking. There's always people asking "does Logan love his children?" And that is a complicated question that many involved with the show have tried to give their answer to, including Brian Cox who has said on many occasions that he thinks he does. I've rarely heard the question about whether or not his children actually love him. It seems like this season is really starting to break away that fortress that all of his children have been trying to hide behind since the show began, and is starting to show us that they are desperately seeking the love of their father, and in this part of the show, they're doing it through their insubordination. A lot have seen this show as being about the succession of power, but in many ways, it seems like it's also a succession of love. The children were constantly trying to gain favor with their father, and now, it seems like all of it was actually about getting his attention, rather than getting the company. In this episode, it's all coming out, and it's coming out very quickly, which can only mean that this season will continue its bombastic streak. This episode did exactly what it needed to as it manages to be above the quality of the premiere and bring the story along with a great pace. The development is coming at the audience quickly, and it feels like we're in for quite the ride going forward.
Going into this episode, it was very interesting to see how Logan would react to what happened in the previous episode. And as usual, he comes into this composed, yet with a lot of anger under the surface, which comes out in a great speech he gives to his company. He has always been the person behind it all, controlling what was happening, and that grip is slightly slipping here, which is probably why he feels such a draw towards getting back in favor with his children. His character continues to be such a great exploration of regret and anger.
In this episode, we also find him in an unusual situation. The power that he has over his children is slowly vanishing because of the deal that unfolded in the last episode, so they are on a more even level here, which makes the final confrontation so much more satisfying to watch. It presents the power struggle in a different way, despite it essentially being the same as it always has. It's great to see Logan on the defensive a little bit, as it feels like in hindsight that he has always been on the attack in their previous interactions.
It's the constant political plays that is constantly elevating this show to a higher level. The powers at play are entertaining enough, but the situations are what causes the immense joy that we get out of watching this show. It's also the subverting of expectations, which is something that Jesse Armstrong and his writers do brilliantly over and over again, and this has a lot of that. I would find it difficult to believe that anyone would have thought that Connor would be the emotional pull of this episode and deliver that heartbreaking speech that pretty much made the episode.
And that brings us into the acting, which is always great, but here we have an unexpected standout. Alan Ruck has always been great in this role, but he has been the joke for a while. However, here we finally get under his skin a little bit, and it's done through great writing and a heartbreaking monologue that Ruck delivers beautifully at the end. He's a much deeper person that anyone has ever given him credit for and it seems like Ruck may turn out to be the real standout of this season once it's all said and done.
"Rehearsal" is a great showcase of the powers that are facing each other, and it finally brings Logan into a more vulnerable and beatable state. It's setting up a lot of great things to come, but the big reveal is really that this show has been about love more than power throughout the entire thing.
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