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Elsbeth Recap: He Wants Sweet Revenge

Succession fans who have always wanted to watch Arian Moayed commit a murder, this episode is for you.

So seriously, in fact, that his overzealous belief that he, personally, can impose justice on bad people combines with his intense crush on Ivy, leading him to break into Gemma’s gorgeous loft apartment and strangling her to death in her own bed. Even when Elsbeth, Kaya, and Detective Smullen (Danny Mastrogiorgio) pay her a call at her company Tykoon’s flagship store, she’s nasty from start to finish and points their investigation toward Ivy, citing a threatening Facebook comment as very suspicious. Unlike the flashes of fun in Keegan-Michael Key’s portrayal of the perfectionist dad/evil accountant in “ Something Blue ” and the zest for one-upmanship in Stephen Moyer’s turn as the caddish theater professor in the series pilot, Moayed’s Joe starts out just a hair too protective and reveals increasingly disturbing soul rot with each moment.

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