WeCrashed Review: Fortitude (Seson 1 Episode 6)
The road to the IPO is paved with plenty of issues and hard truths brought forth on another interesting (if slightly too long) WeCrashed Season 1 Episode 6, “Fortitude.”
The episode gets increasingly manic as the cracks start to show in the company, the central “love story,” and the partnerships surrounding Adam.
Bruce and Benchmark Capital begin to toughen up on their stance against WeWork by bringing in Cameron Lautner (played by the terrific O-T Fagbenle), a no-nonsense numbers man prepping the company for the IPO (to make the company publicly traded).
Honestly, after having Bruce around up to this point, playing the yes man Adam so desperately does not need, Cameron confronting Adam and Miguel with the harsh truths about the company’s profitability was refreshing.
After going over the numbers a second time, two scenes genuinely stand out for Cameron, the introductory board scene, and the final meeting. These two juxtapose each other perfectly and do an excellent job drawing a clear line through the hour as Adam gets to his breaking point by the end of “Fortitude.”
He goes from the cocky, snobbish CEO to a man who realizes that this very delicate house of cards he built will come down hard on him. The cinematography and direction of each shot as we go through the episode effectively convey that kind of mania and subsequent spiral that Adam goes through.
The shot of Adam Neumann hopping out of the barber’s chair in that white salon bib comes off as a not-so-subtle nod to this messianic image Adam’s cultivated at WeWork and the one he projects in public.
WeCrashed may be a dramatized telling of the story, but even from the interviews and documentaries seen, that aspect of Adam Neumann’s persona rings stunningly true.
The shimmering façade is finally slipping away from his interactions with Bruce and Masa, though it comes off after endless handwringing from the people surrounding the pair of investors.
And at that moment, the tension breaks, and Adam begins to spiral. It’s a solid redeeming moment for Bruce as he takes a stand against the WeWork Co-founder.
The post-board meeting scene is ridiculous as it is creepy as the staff gets roused from their work by a gong to be served liquor from the bottle and chant “WeWork.”
At that moment, the cult-like environment of the company shines in a garish light as we see what’s coming their way, and it’s nothing good.
Bruce: You’re not the golden goose. You’re just the fortitude
What lingers in the post-board scene and throughout the party montage are the thoughts he made clear about his co-founder, Miguel. Paired with the outburst at Rebekah, it seems like the crumbling is happening in his personal life, which plays off very well to give the audience an almost claustrophobic feel for what’s happening.
It’s interesting to see how quickly some of those around him will be to forgive him for his actions and how many will be getting off the WeWork rollercoaster.
What did you think of this episode of WeCrashed? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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WeCrashed streams Fridays on AppleTV+.
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Brianna Martinez
Brianna spends her time away from briefs, legal research, and pleadings, watching TV and writing about it. She generally has a lot of feelings about TV, which you can read about here and on Twitter.