Why HBO's Succession Will Make Series History
Table of Contents
The plot of families is a formula already known in several works. In Brazil, we had a very remarkable experience, both in terms of humor and drama, with The big family e Empire, both produced and exhibited by TV Globo. When we stop to think only about the theme, both Succession (HBO) when Brazilian productions have this domestic aspect in common. However, the boundary that separates the productions is the fact that the series is about a war between father and sons (something that may, perhaps, come a little closer to what we saw in the soap opera starring Chay Suede e alexander nero), targeting the fictitious company that controls everything from canals to amusement parks, Waystar RoyCo.
The conflict that drives the series happens for a simple reason. The father, Logan Roy (interpreted by Brian Cox), starts to get older and older. Sick, his power could be threatened if he doesn't make a choice soon about who will be in charge of the company he founded.
In several episodes, her four children are consulted about the possibility of becoming chief executive officer (CEO) Of the waystar: Connor (Alan ruck), Kendall (Jeremy strong), Novel (Kieran Culkin) to Siobhan/'Shiv' (Sarah snook) are the four that pass through the patriarch's sieve throughout the plot. Some employees without the powerful last name, such as Gerri kellman (J. Smith Camaron), are also probed to occupy the highest position in the firm, but not as much as the protagonists.
The crisis that erupts during the first season shows a shaken family, which unites with the support of very dubious ties, despite a more pleasant past with the father and mother, Lady Caroline Collingwood (Harriet walter), who is the first wife of Logan.
From the presentation of the tycoon's second wife, Marcia Roy (hiam abbass), Kendall takes steps to propose new investors in the company, while his brothers, Shiv e Novel, try to suggest other directions. Based on this, we see negotiations with large technology companies, luxurious dinners, family crises, hectic parties, psychological abuse and a lot of drugs to deal with so much frustration with the waystar and the lives of Roy.
Now, let's go deeper into how these and other elements are part of the four seasons of the series: you'll know a little about each character and, soon after, an overview of the first three Seasons, reviewed here with the best of each. Afterwards, you can even check out more about the creation of the series and, at the end, a review of the fourth season of Succession. Let's go to the plot:
This review addresses the series in its entirety, that is, with observations about all seasons. So, stay tuned: spoilers to follow!
Who created Succession? Know the origin of the series
Jesse Armstrong is responsible for creating the entire dramatic plot involving the family Roy. As a screenwriter, the producer was nominated for the Oscar by Truncated Conversation (In the loop, 2010), this being the only time he managed to compete for the statuette. Armstrong is known for having scripted humorous productions, such as Peep Show (2003-2015), which features two adult protagonists dealing with everyday issues, more or less in the style of the sitcom seinfield (1989-1998).
After achieving notoriety in the 2000s, Armstrong decided to venture into more dramatic works. In the meantime, the creation of Succession, which goes back to a time well before its premiere, in 2018. Ten years earlier, the screenwriter sought to learn more about Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp, the company that controls the Fox News (so we see a Logan Roy insistent on maintaining its legacy and leadership in the media market).
Another rescue that the producer made was to bring the work King Lear, by Shakespeare, for the series. The narrative bears a very strong resemblance to what happens in Succession, especially in the fourth season. Drinking from the source of classic productions and analyzing the media industry, Armstrong and his team had a dense repertoire, building complex characters.
Like all creative people, you deal with a surprising range of relationships that you've experienced in your own life.
Jesse Armstrong
These works inspired him, but the complement of abusive relationships and mistrust was what guided the actions of the characters throughout the series. “We think of several famous media families, like the Hearsts [family with shares in Vice, ESPN], the modern Redstone [Viacom, CBS], John Malone [Discovery], Murdoch,” Armstrong told HBO. The group of scriptwriters, then, observed the trajectories involved and added to the series attitudes they knew from relationships in companies, which went beyond the professional level.
The moment of production Succession took into account very heavy interpretations and techniques. Asked byThe Globe about Strong's immersion, the main screenwriter of the series just said that he has no reservations about it: “support everyone in whatever they need to interpret".
Succession Cast
The family of Logan Roy he often gets mixed up with the very routine of the company he controls. At various times, we see characters as mere employees of the structure of the Waystar Royco, sometimes as personal and even emotional support CEO from the company. The children are also in this game, assuming important roles, depending on the father's will and on parallel situations that occur, such as launching new investments — which end up taking up a considerable part of the series' script — or internal crises. Now, let's go to a summary about the most important roles of Succession.
Logan Roy's children: know details about the family
As for the children, initially we see that one of them has a gigantic desire to be as powerful as the elderly tycoon. we are talking about kendall roy: eldest son of marriage to Caroline and father of two children, he studied at prestigious institutions such as Harvard University e Columbia, and sought to be aware of all the power of the firm headed by his father. At the beginning of the series, Kendall wants to prove in every way that he can assume the role of CEO, but his chemical dependence ends up curbing his reputation for such a mission.
The youngest son of the marriage with Collingwood, Roman Roy he is the one who most resembles his father, except for his sarcastic demeanor and not taking himself too seriously. At first, he takes the position of chief operating officer (COO) in one of the subsidiaries of his father's firm, waystar studios, but ends up not doing so well in office. The middle sister, Shiv Roy, is the character who, before the dispute for the position of leadership of the Waystar Royco, was trying to establish itself as a left-wing policy. That's why she stays close to the Democratic senator Joyce Miller (Elsa Davis).
Connor Roy is the eldest child of four siblings. Son of Logan Roy with his first wife (in a psychiatric clinic), he aspires to an air of leadership as strong as Kendall, but in another direction. His greatest wish for most of the series is to become President of the United States. While we see this happen throughout the series, we notice how distanced he is from decisions and even family gatherings. His closeness is more intimate with his love, William Ferreyra (Justin Lupe). Got lost? Below, we have an image showing the family tree of the Roy:
Waystar Royco employees
One of the most notable employees in the series is Tom Wambsgans (Mathew Macfadyen), which operates in the amusement parks and cruises subsidiary of the Logan Roy. Your involvement with Royco it happens through manipulation and greedy relationships, always disguised with a personal commitment to wanting to please the tycoon and, in this way, manage to rise to ever higher positions. He has a relationship with Shiv, involving precisely this type of strategy, while manipulating Greg Hirsch (Nicholas Brown) to get credits within the company.
Logan's brother's grandson, Ewan Roy (James cromwell), Greg is one of the characters that suffers most from the exploitation of Royco. This causes a transformation in his personality throughout the series, but he always remains someone naive, who ends up following orders and admitting to being cursed and humiliated to stay in the family business. He gets to work in one of the parks controlled by the media company, but is soon called to work with Tom in a higher position.
Speaking of high office, Gerri Kellman (J. Smith-Cameron) is the most trusted right arm of Logan. During the series, she is responsible for mitigating crises and leading the tycoon to more balanced decisions for the company. Waystar Royco. Having been with the company for over 20 years, kellman is godmother of Shiv and maintains a very fetishistic relationship with Novel.
She operates alongside two other high-ranking employees who have been with the firm for decades: the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Karl Müller (David rasche) And Chief Operating Officer (COO) Frank Vernon (Peter friedman). While Muller makes the move to negotiate the Royco with various media companies, Vernon makes all the strategies to take care of crises involving investments and other economic problems that arise with the company.
Just as important as them is the head of the company's public relations sector, Karolina Novotney (Dagmara Domińczyk), responsible for directing the communication of the Royco in conflicting moments, such as delicate health situations of Logan or during investigations against the media company. Alongside her as a subordinate is the senior communications executive Hugo Baker (Fisher Stevens): he assumes a good position in the company, thanks to the work with the cruises that Waystar Royco command. Baker, still, wants to assume a bigger position and does not fail to take any opportunity to blame Carolina of a problem in his area, to try to move up within the firm.
The best of each season
Displayed by HBO and for your streaming, Max, the series includes several phases of Waystar Royco. The children's meeting to decide what to do with Logan's company is followed by a war between his "children", with moments of jealousy and intervention by other people outside the family (such as Tom , Lukas e Nancy Pierce).
Now, you stay on top of what happens in the plot, with an overview of what happens in the first three seasons of Succession: each one highlights the actions that will show how each character is shaped during the series, but without directly exposing what happens at the end of each one (I don't want to spoil the experience of seeing this work, in each final episode) . Follow below:
1 Season
The scene that opens the series has a very peculiar moment: we see the father of the family Roy in a weakened state. Right off the bat, we know that the situation of the CEO da Waystar Royco it is not ideal for your power to continue working. Then the children are introduced: the scene that most calls attention is that of Kendall, who appears in a car, singing a song he hears with his headphones, while being taken to the building where the tycoon's office is located.
We already see in the first episodes who is most looking to continue the firm's legacy, mainly because of their enthusiasm in wanting to get involved with the most important discussions at the company. Soon, he is put to the test: together with his brother Novel, they assume the positions that Frank e Karl take care after Logan go to the hospital. Already Shiv, when trying to approach her father, seems to be dealing with a person who, in addition to not caring about her, tries to harass her.
In the fourth episode, Sad Sack Wasp Trap (Miserable Wasp Trap, in free translation), the father has already recovered, but is starting to show signs that he does not want to commit to promises with his children — so much so that he even urinates in the room where Kendall works.
In the next episode (I Went to Market, I Went to the Market), Ewan Roy have a conversation with your grandson, Greg, where it says “This whole family is a hornet's nest“, when he realizes that his probable heir is getting involved with somewhat problematic people: a very visible example of this happens in the same chapter, when the eldest of the sons of the Caroline try to convince everyone that Logan can no longer lead the company.
Away from discussions, Shiv focuses on entering into a prenuptial agreement with Tom , While Novel — of the three children from his second marriage, the closest to his father during the first phase of the series — tries to advise Logan against mediatically analogical decisions for the digital age. At that time, Shiv is not entirely agreeing with Kendall, because she feels that she can open some negotiation space with her father.
The final three episodes of the first season have festive moments, but with a lot of movement at the same time. Shiv, for example, tries to promote the candidate Gil Eavis (Eric Bogosian) during an interview at America Television Network (ATN), but the management of the channel of his father's company ends up leaving the program with the politician somewhat negative for him: in response, he mentions that, instead of supporting his father, she prefers to work on behalf of a Democratic senator .
While the daughter of Logan tries to draw his plans beyond the Waystar Royco, Tom enjoys his single moment doing some stunts with his friend/assistant Greg. Later, Tom and Shiv get married in a landmark event. In another core, Kendall is divided into scenes in which he tries to present himself as an investor, looking for new business in the media business, and in others as an addict to cocaine and other drugs: the end of the first season shows how his addiction manages to put other people at risk, showing how character manages to be so devious with unexpected situations.
2 Season
Now the plot enters more delicate directions within the family. Roy. In this case, Tom he already knows what he has to do after the consummated union with the tycoon's daughter. In a position less brilliant than his, Kendall tries to rebuild his image in front of his father: what hinders, unfortunately, is his addiction to drug use, which gets worse after the accident at the end of the 1st season. Already Novel is the only one of the brothers to maintain stability with Logan.
A Vault, one of the companies Waystar Royco, is one of the initial targets in this 2nd season, as it has a strong presence in news publishing (more or less as an equivalent to the BuzzFeed). Keeping an eye on it, Kendall takes over, at the behest of his father, who ordered him to make a major change: dismiss several employees. Logan's company is now interested in acquiring others with great potential, such as Pierce Media Group (PMG): "I will win“, he says, reinforcing that he doesn't want to hesitate.
One of the most apprehensive moments of the series happens in the 2nd season: while the acquisitions are planned, some people are not dealing well with the pressure of Waystar Royco. This leads to an internal crisis, mistaken for a terrorist attack, in one of the episodes. Out of the dramatic scene, Rhea Jarrell (Holly hunter), CEO of PGM, configures the steps for the transition, like a game of chess. Negotiations continue, like the seasoning in a boiling soup (read: the Roy family), with the risk of a problem taking shape. The difference is that, this time, the situation involves Tom.
Both he and Kendall face attitudes from the past that they want to forget. However, we perceive a distance between how each one deals with the serious mistakes they committed: the tycoon's son tries to make peace with the people affected in his past, in a search for honesty. This quality, in turn, is something lacking in Tom's character, who tries to erase any traces linked to problems in his management with cruises. All this happens in silence, given the children's race to become more authoritatively involved in dealings with Rhea.
The end of the season marks Shiv as a character who knows how to play the role of an articulator, as well as (or perhaps better) than a COO of the company. She moves to resolve a legal issue of the waystar, but out of court. Instead of her, facing court in Washington DC is her fiancé, Tom. Gil Eavis, which is questioning the Waystar Royco in the process, reads a sentence, said by Shiv's husband, in a conversation to deal with a scandal on cruises: “You Can't Make a 'Tomelette' Without Breaking Some Greggs".
Thus, the last episodes show the family and members of the top group gathered in a more casual moment (all are on a yacht, with light clothes, ready for a moment of leisure), but that demands attention. The reason: the US Attorney's Office (there called Department of Justice) is condemning the company for the scandal involving Tom. However, in order not to involve him directly, Logan tries to create an exit that does not end up undermining the company's image. For this, he turns to Kendall, who surprises him by not acting according to the script that her father prepared for the situation, giving a shocking statement to the press.
3 Season
As a way of trying to hurt her father's power, Kendall tries to expose even more the criminal situation that occurred on the cruises that Waystar Royco controls. In part, we can see this considering that her father knows of a serious mistake that Kendall made in the past. On the other hand, we also have to take into account that there is a dispute to undermine Logan Roy to the point where his reputation is affected.
It is in this context that the consultant Gerri appears. Your work to lead Logan to better decisions is fundamental, even more so when it comes to the US Department of Justice, which, starting this season, will be watching every step the company takes. Logan's son also seeks allies: the brothers are consulted and even investors in the Royco brought by him are probed to be at his side.
Greg, on the other hand, is worried about the future (as the series progresses, he becomes more and more aware of what he can do within the media company, it is worth remembering): he is torn between inheriting what his grandfather has to offer and what can get inside Logan's company; Kendall's brothers are also worried about what they will achieve in the media company and try to discuss what would be the best strategy for that.
Conquest plans can get a little complicated, as the Justice Department decides to take a step forward in investigations against the Waystar Royco. The path decided by Logan in the middle of all this is to accept the proposal of one of the company's shareholders, Josh Aaronson (Adrien Brody), from having a conversation with Kendall to hit some investment points, especially in relation to technology. Thus, the two decide to leave for Aaronson's private island and begin to weave what could start a new truce. The question that remains, however, is: how long will this last?
Trying to strengthen ties with dad, with an important nod from his friend Stewy Hosseni (Arian Moayed), Kendall is excited about the annual shareholder event. What he didn't expect was a very peculiar event during the occasion: Logan ends up having strong hallucinations, due to a medicine he starts taking. While the scenes show chaos happening during this health crisis, we see how the children of the Roy family “pass by” to see how the staff goes after resolving these troubled moments.
Another scenario that becomes part of the agenda discussed between the characters is the presidential elections (which will take place in the 4th season). Logan, for maintaining great control over the media agenda with his news channel, has a strong relationship with political disputes and, therefore, already makes nods to the republican candidate. Also part of the constant meetings of the 3rd season are Kendall's meetings with her lawyer, Lisa Arthur (Sanaa Lathan). In one of the episodes, she even asks: “Is there other illegal conduct that you are aware of?“, trying to devise a strategy to reinforce the defense of his client.
In the last episodes of the 3rd season, Kendall becomes distant from the brothers: Roman and Shiv follow the path of bringing more investment in technology to the company, while Connor seeks to inflate his candidacy for the presidency (in a race in which he finds himself the favorite of the dispute, even if they are unable to articulate politically). Attentive, Roman and Shiv try to find out who is the newest investor that is inspiring new directions in their father's company: it is the arrival of Luke Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard), the owner of the technology company GoJo — he pairs the looks of a blond Rodrigo Santoro with an Elon Musk-esque persona, acting the slacker whenever he can.
The penultimate episode takes the Roy family to an elegant event in the Tuscany region of Italy. Carol, the mother of Kendall, Roman and Shiv, comes out and has a deep discussion about motherhood with her daughter. From a distance, Roman's interest is focused on how Matsson will operate with the company, trying to do what he can to keep up with his father.
Faced with an increasingly unfavorable scenario for him and his brothers, Roman decides to go against Logan's decision to embrace the ideals of the owner of the house. GoJo and meets to try to dissuade the father from this union. Rather, Kendall seeks to encourage his brothers to make this front of opposition. Until she manages to convince them that they need to put a limit on Logan's desire to throw money at technology, Kendall has a harrowing moment (the line "That shit is very lonely. I'm torn apart” is his), in which he is faced with the weight of all personal and professional conflicts on his head.
Season 4 (critic)
When the fourth season of Succession begins, we are witnessing the biggest family crisis ever seen so far during the series. If you enjoy narratives with this type of theme, there will be no shortage of emotions to enjoy. Following this rhythm, Novel, Kendall e Shiv they start to unite, after the older brother moves away from the family to try to start his own business in politics.
The end of Season 3 opens up a frontier so big as to Shiv start to hate her father: we see her feeling apart from her own family, given a history of negligence among her brothers, which is added to a disregard for her (let's remember that Siobhan had political relations somewhat antagonistic to the interests of the Waystar Royco).
In the second episode, we understand how the game is being set up: while the father articulates himself to favor the company GoJo de Lukas Mattinson, the three seek to promote other investors to the disputed firm. Kendall e Novel monitor other opponents Lukas and, acting subtly on its own, Shiv try to get closer to the owner of the GoJo. Increasingly, she presents herself as someone who wants to have an original vision, as a new “vanguard” for her father's media company. He, by the way, tries to cheer up the ATN, even climbing on top of one of the boxes in the newsroom to deliver a motivational speech. Little did we know what would happen next.
We then see a sequence of moments that are quite common to the series: Novel talks with the father to re-plan the situation at the company, another party takes place (this time, the wedding of the older brother, Connor), while Kendall e Shiv are focusing on contacts that have already been operating. An unexpected moment, however, arises: Logan Roy dies in mid-flight. The scene is full of moments of disillusionment, in which the three brothers collapse in a sadness that practically breaks with the picture we are witnessing. It was like seeing a castle collapsing on each of their heads, with the weight of a feeling of loss, which was mixed with despair about the future.
Of all the interpretations at the beginning of this season, there is no forgetting the reactions embodied by Sarah snook. Shiv there is a sadness that seems to be the greatest of all — an episode earlier, Logan tries to apologize, but she is the first to curse him directly at this point — and which, unfortunately, she feels she must “stop the bleeding”. Kendall and Roman show sadness, each in their own way: while Logan's son and main rival tries to fight his father's death, his brother is completely devastated, unable to articulate words about the situation (something very unusual for such a verbose character ).
After the moment of sadness with the recent loss, now the four brothers are reunited to define what will happen next. Roman pretends he has no feelings for the loss, while Shiv tries to move forward with his plans with Lukas and Kendall is the one who wants to know most about what his father has planned for the moment he leaves. Connor just appears as a family member who must fulfill his role of being present, even in the honeymoon mood. Of all of them, the one who most intrigues those who watch is Kendall.
The more combative brother (at times, practically Logan's adversary) is excited to see that he is mentioned in a letter that his father left. The problem that arises when the document is revealed is the way it was revised: there is a scratch that it is not known for sure if it is an underline or an overhead scratch. This conundrum only heightens the division that was sublimated between the three. After all the arguing, Shiv relents and lets Roman and Kendall take over leadership of Waystar Royco. To make this arrangement possible, the sister was told that she would gain an advantage in the future.
When the decision storm is suspended with this agreement, the first challenge appears: dealing with Lukas. For this mission, the new leaders, Kendall and Roman, are summoned, who even meet with the investor, with the support of the employees who were longa manus from Logan (Gerri, Frank e Karl). Even if they had support, Roman's anger at the CEO of GoJo is shown in its meanest face and this almost nullifies the agreements with the Waystar Royco. When they meet with him, Kendall seems to be more focused, even though he doesn't accept Lukas' proposals.
The complicated scenario only tends to change when Shiv, operating on his own - once again - decides to go after the man who can save the firm. She regains confidence in the company and becomes a mitigating agent within the personal conflict imposed by her brothers. Not satisfied with the path Royco will follow, Kendall needs to show that she has a project. On that path, it was time for him to arrive with the Living+, a strategy in the testing phase, which would integrate home devices with media created by Waystar Royco, at the same time that it would monitor users' health indicators — with this, the promise was to make users live longer.
The technologies are presented at an exclusive event, carefully organized by the company's public relations sector, with the aim of showing that even with the tycoon dead, the company was in a new phase, more technological and attuned to people's needs.
Seeing all this preparation, Tom also observes that it is necessary to show that the channel ATN News (which he takes over, thanks to cuddling with his father-in-law) is evolving. So, he speaks on the same occasion, with the support of the motto “We Hear For You” (in English, the translation of the phrase is “We listen to you”, but the pronunciation of the slogan is also similar to “We're here for you”, indirectly indicating that the members of the channel “are here for you” ).
With the projects in place, we see a moment of euphoria among the brothers. Kendall, Roman and Shiv celebrate the new face of Waystar Royco, while some plans are drawn up to guarantee a presidential election favorable to the company — the election becomes a concern due to the constant surveillance of the Department of Justice; if a more “friendly” president takes over, the media company may suffer less from legal issues. In the field of feelings, the climate between Shiv and Tom gets even worse.
Since the beginning of the season, Tom and Logan's daughter's relationship has been strained. The negotiation that led the husband to assume a high position in the news channel raises suspicions, increasing intrigue and fueling strong fights. When election day arrives, the two are on opposite sides, inciting even more emotional instability. This is important to note because the conflict was instrumental in Kendall finding out that Shiv was playing what might be called a “double game,” given her involvement with Lukas. She, wrapped in strong feelings (father's death, tension with her husband, dispute within the company, etc.), loses her balance in an instant.
So, the vacillation contributes to the division continuing to stand. What helps to keep everything stable (fragile, but sustainable) is the episode in which the mass in honor of Logan Roy takes place. All of the family are present and what we see is how much the feelings for the loss, covered by the emotions of the disputes within the media conglomerate, are latent: Roman's emotion is blatant, which is not fit to describe here — the character becomes a “child” ” in a matter of seconds.
That was the last farewell to arrive at the final definition of what would be done with the company. Roman and Kendall assumed the leadership position, but there is an internal dispute to close the deal with GoJo. Lukas proposes that the command of the conglomerate be defined by him. Obviously, Shiv's brothers don't accept it. Therefore, the path would be to establish a vote with the top to define once and for all what would become of the future of Logan's company.
Shiv showed he had power and says no. So she seized what was left of her control over the company. The end, she is no longer powerful, nor does she have power. After she cast the final vote on what would take Kendall out of power over the Waystar Royco, a new destination opens up. And it has important angles: the performance of Jeremy Strong and Matthew Macfadyen let the viewer swallow dry the sadness of seeing a cycle being born, equally or worse than the previous one.
Conclusion
See scenes of harassment, aggression between family members, sequences of burnout, complemented with elegant parties and lavish banquets guarantees many points with Succession. First, because uniting and scripting all of this with all the input that the team had was essential to conquer a production that has so many funny and, at the same time, distressing cores. With that effort, the team has won five Emmy Awards, with dozens of nominations since 2020.
Second: the performance of each of the characters is very well calculated: the spoiled archetypes of each of the brothers, the cold and serene performance of the helpers, the intrusion of people outside the family guaranteeing a bit of humor, all this is put to give. Willingness to follow what will happen. Read: what will be the new sick joke that Roman will make? What is Kendall's new strategy for confronting her father? Will Shiv leave Tom? Will Gerri leave the conglomerate and get a better job? (She deserves it, by the way).
Third, the connection of Succession with reality greatly enhances the series. We see a media conglomerate wither for technology, something that happens with other companies, like Disney. Still, we have an immersion in abuse techniques that show several expedients: from screaming, physical aggression to sexual harassment, the script headed by Armstrong shows what we are most used to seeing in the news, but without seeing the intricacies happening in front of us.
It's a heavy series, as you can see. Maybe light, for those who enjoy a more acidic humor, perhaps incredible for those who like to see power struggles. In this sense, we can see a parallel with Breaking Bad. or same Game of Thrones. However, the differential of showing an intense family conflict for the power of a media market made viewers face the brutal environment of billionaire disputes.
Where to watch
The series is only available on the streaming from HBO, the HBO Max.
Do you want to be CEO? Do you have an opinion about the series that you would like to share with us? Remember not to be rude to us, like the Logan Roy, right? Just talk about it in the comments here, showmetech.
See also:
Source: Indie Wire (character quotes) | Wikiwand | IMDb | HBO | Variety | The Globe
Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim (15 / 08 / 23)
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