Succession fans celebrate Tom and Greg with Pride and Prejudice memes

Succession’s third season is in full swing, and it’s as intense and convoluted as ever. The Roy family and its numerous factions are once again at each other’s throats. Kendall still wants to be in control of Logan’s company. Everyone is preparing for a criminal investigation into the family. But Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) has maneuvered himself to the middle of the fray — and a high-strung Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) has attempted to court Greg’s favor.

It’s a dynamic that stood out to viewers, with the fancamsTikToks is proof. But one particular cinematic parallel has caught fans’ eyes. It’s a parallel between Tom’s declaration towards Greg in the fourth episode — namely, “I’d castrate you and marry you in a heartbeat” — and a similar declaration from another iconic character Macfadyen has played. And though this isn’t the first time fans have noticed this specific casting, season 3 has provided unique fodder for new memes.

In the 2005 adaptation, Macfadyen is the rain-soaked gentleman. Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley. This scene is where Darcy confesses his love for Elizabeth Bennet and promptly proposes marriage.

If you haven’t watched Pride and Prejudice — or if you’ve somehow never encountered the plot of one of the most famous romances in the Western canon — here’s a refresher. Two of the oldest Bennet siblings are marriedable and their mother has a plan to pair them up with suitable men. Elizabeth Bennet, the younger of the two and the main character played by Knightley, has an unfavorable first interaction with the rakish Mr. Darcy, who makes unflattering comments about the Bennet family’s social standing and Elizabeth’s eccentric, unbecoming (read: independent) behavior.

After a few hours of gorgeous pastoral scenes, drawing room chatter, and increasingly sexually tense misunderstandings between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy — largely fueled by archaic social norms and Darcy’s inability to communicate — he FinallyAdmits to his feelings. Of course, it’s in this iconic, rain-soaked scene, and Elizabeth turns him down, leaving him in the downpour.

However Succession’s Tom has literally none of the sex appeal of Macfadyen’s former role, it nonetheless showcases his penchant for playing men who have a certain way with words. By “certain,” I mean very out-of-pocket, or more specifically, the tendency to say sweet nothings after spending a significant amount of time playing odd power games with the recipient. Tom and Mr. Darcy have a real zeal for bizarre proclamations of affection — or at least a zest for delivering love lines that drip with dramatic irony.

Also cheers to Tom and GregIt is. Even if they don’t find a match as fortuitous as Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, may their affection — and these excellent crossover memes — live on.

In the meantime, I will patiently wait for memes that take advantage of Emmy-winner Braun’s own storied back catalogue of acting roles I’d recommend starting with Sky High.