Succession, Prison Breakfast, and the Hunger Games of Reality

MoodyEater Makes…Prison Breakfast (from Succession)

Let’s talk about Succession—a show where food wasn’t just food. It was a weapon, a status symbol, and sometimes, a punchline. The Roy family didn’t just devour deals and power plays; they weaponized their disdain for food as a subtle flex of their dominance. In their world, to eat is to admit you’re human, and who needs humanity when you’ve got billions?

One of the most telling moments in this culinary chaos comes when Tom Wambsgans refers to a classic breakfast—eggs, bacon, hashbrowns—as “Prison Breakfast.” A meal millions of people cherish is reduced to a sad metaphor for impending doom, highlighting just how far removed these characters are from reality. It’s peak Succession: over-the-top wealth mocking the staples of everyday life.

And let’s not forget the larger pattern. While the Roys dined in Michelin-starred restaurants and feasted on extravagant spreads, their true comfort foods were unpretentious “peasant meals” like pizza, diner fare, or Taco Bell. The disconnect is almost laughable: they revered luxury but craved simplicity, all while mocking the very people who lived that reality. Food wasn’t nourishment or pleasure—it was disdain served on a silver platter.

But here’s the kicker: Succession isn’t fiction anymore. The oligarchy it portrayed feels disturbingly close to home. We’re living in a world where a tiny elite wields immense power, flaunting it in ways that feel eerily familiar to the Roy family. The question is: How does this all end?

Do we face the dystopia of the Hunger Games, where the divide between haves and have-nots becomes grotesque entertainment? Are we on the verge of a modern-day French Revolution, where the guillotine is metaphorical but the consequences are just as sharp? Or, does this tension explode into the unthinkable—World War III, fueled by inequality and desperation?

Tom’s “Prison Breakfast” quip is more than just a funny line; it’s a mirror held up to a society teetering on the edge. What happens when the divide becomes too wide, when the wealthy stop pretending they share any commonality with the rest of us? The food choices in Succession—mocked, minimized, or outright disdained—reflect a deeper truth about power: those who have it rarely understand those who don’t.

So, as we sit here in our own dystopian meal planning, ask yourself: Are we headed for a feast, a famine, or a reckoning? And what will be on the table when the chips fall? Whether it’s prison breakfast, Taco Bell, or something altogether unimaginable, one thing’s for sure—food will still say more about who we are than we’d like to admit.

✰✰✰✰✰ stars we love a simple breakfast.