The ultimate season of Succession is just simply getting began, however Logan Roy (Brian Cox) wastes no time heating issues up. We’re simply two episodes in, and the Waystar Royco dictator (we’d say CEO, however he feels extra like a world chief) could have simply chosen his successor to the throne.
(Warning: Spoilers forward for Season 4, Episode 2 of Succession, “Rehearsal.”)
Firstly of this week’s episode, it was laborious to imagine that Logan would choose any of his rebellious youngsters to be the following CEO of Waystar Royco. Lo and behold, it solely takes a birthday textual content and a confrontation at Connor’s (Alan Ruck) dismal marriage ceremony rehearsal dinner to vary his thoughts. A handful of affords are made on this episode—let’s unpack all of them, from Kerry’s (Zoe Winters) new anchor gig to the lead place going to Roman (Kieran Culkin).
Logan’s full consideration is on ATN initially of the episode strolling across the workplace as if “Santa Claus was a hitman,” per Greg (Nicholas Braun). In an effort to revamp the information division—and presumably obtain a gift within the bed room as a thanks, yuck—Logan suggests Kerry as a brand new anchor for the present. Head of ATN Tom (Matthew MacFadyen) has no selection however to agree (although she has no expertise), although Logan recuses himself from commenting on the matter. Form of.
Kerry fails terribly. Bear in mind within the early 2010’s when information gaffes went viral on-line, as an alternative of TikToks and superstar authorized drama? The great outdated days. Succession reminisces on that point, making a rapid-fire clip of Kerry’s blunders. She laughs when asserting deaths. She waves her arms round as if she had been a 3rd grade trainer pointing to numbers on a graph. It’s a ache and a pleasure to observe, and everybody from Kendall (Jeremy Sturdy) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) to Hugo (Fisher Stevens) and Gerri (J. Smith Cameron) watch on repeat.
Nobody thinks she will be able to deal with the gig. Then once more, who has the balls to inform Logan he’s fallacious, and his girlfriend/assistant shouldn’t be on the information with no coaching by any means? Apparently the reply is Greg. For what already feels just like the umpteenth time this season, poor little Cousin Greg is compelled to go in opposition to Uncle Logan. Tom forces the youthful member of the family to offer Kerry the dangerous information. She doesn’t take it properly. Greg tells her there was a “confidential focus group” to reduce the blow. (There was, actually, no focus group.)
So, maybe Logan’s decide for the brand new lead ATN anchor was slightly off beam. No massive deal. A bit hilarious comedy of errors by no means harm anybody—particularly not in Succession. However it seems that, in that very same vein of poor decisions, Logan has made his name for the Waystar Royco CEO. Perhaps?
Although the youngsters have appeared united of their entrance in opposition to Logan, it appears that evidently Roman is a traitor. On his father’s birthday, Roman texted Logan to ship good needs and apologize for not showing at his celebration. Roman performs it off like nothing—it’s just a few texts!—however Shiv and Kendall accuse him of nothing in need of blasphemy.
When Logan arrives at Connor’s rehearsal dinner, he apologizes for…properly, all the pieces, it appears, as a result of the person can’t pinpoint a particular factor that harm his youngsters. There are a lot! Nonetheless, it’s actually wild to see Logan apologize for something in any respect. One would possibly say pigs have flown, however I’d argue the entire barn is within the sky, when Logan says he regrets among the actions he made on the subject of his youngsters’s involvement in Waystar.
The children blow Logan off instantly, although Connor is fast to defend him. Logan says he missed seeing them on his birthday. They giggle in his face. Logan’s uninterested in the video games, so he affords them the deal of a lifetime: To separate enterprise and private lives. The three of them run Pierce, he runs Waystar, they usually stick with it with their private lives collectively, as a household. Fats probability! Logan has molded his youngsters to be so business-brained that they’ve little interest in really being his children. It’s a harrowing second, seeing these youngsters reject the love and safety they so crave from their father.
However considered one of them is definitely within the thought of reconnecting—however in a extra enterprise sense. Close to the tip of the episode, Roman breaks the belief of his siblings once more. Clearly, if anybody’s going to flip, it’s going to be Roman. Each Shiv and Kendall are attempting to utterly screw their dad over with the GoJo sale, however Rome is the one one who sides each so barely with Daddio.
Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Sarah Snook and Jeremy Sturdy.
Macall Polay/HBO
Roman does the stroll of disgrace over to Logan’s, the place his father makes him a suggestion he can’t refuse.
“I’m reinventing ATN. I want a firebreather—a ruthless fuck who will do no matter it takes,” Logan says. “You’re not Pierce. Good individuals know what they’re.”
“You actually need me at ATN?” Roman fires again.
“Extra, Romulus,” Logan counters. “Extra. I want you.”
Feels like that’s the massive CEO title to me! Logan has provided up the place to each Shiv and Kendall in seasons previous, so this pitch to Roman doesn’t actually stand, for my part. Roman’s betrayal of his two siblings is the larger twist right here, since
Logan appears to be providing the job to a brand new child every season. (Sorry, Conn.) However seeing as that is the final season of Succession, and there are solely eight episodes left, this might be Logan’s closing provide.
Conserving Up With the Roys
Regardless that they might not be in the principle plot, we nonetheless need to spotlight essentially the most blazing burns and spiciest moments of Succession. Right here they’re from this episode:
-Kendall begins uttering quotes from no matter Buddhist bullshit he discovered on-line. (I’m not saying Buddhism is B.S., I’m saying no matter Kendall believes Buddhism to be is B.S.) “Good Tom Fords, Buddha,” Roman says, shutting his brother down instantly.
-After Willa (Justine Lupe) leaves Connor at their rehearsal dinner (slightly higher than the altar), Connor thinks he can do higher than her. “You’re not doing higher than Willa, dude,” Kendall says. “Yeah, don’t do away with her,” Roman agrees. The tough realization…
-As Kerry faces an ungainly confrontation from Greg about being fired from ATN, he tells her that the “focus group” (uh huh) is totally confidential—even to Logan, the CEO of the corporate. Kerry fires again: “If this focus group isn’t actual, I’m going to take you aside like a human string cheese.”
-“That is Guantanamo degree shit.” This might be about nearly something on this episode—Tom’s therapy of Shiv amidst their divorce, Kerry’s anchor job, your entire rehearsal dinner—however no, it’s particularly about Connor doing karaoke. He selects “Well-known Blue Raincoat” by Leonard Cohen. Maybe I’ll be including this tune to my karaoke rotation for pure camp worth.
-We noticed a part of this within the trailer, however Logan actually goes after his children earlier than parting methods with them: “You’re such fucking dopes. You’re not severe figures,” he says. “I like you, however you aren’t severe individuals.”
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