Every Friday, Ringer employees gather to answer a key question ahead of Sunday’s episode “Succession.” This week’s topic: ulterior motives.
It’s Friday, which means the latest installment of Succession is upon us. What can we expect from episode 2? Read along as we examine a burning question heading into the next chapter of Succession’s final season.
The burning question in episode 2: After the season premiere, the successor Which character do you suspect most likely to have ulterior motives, and what might they be?
Katie Baker: Naomi Pierce. “Fuck your people and your peace pipe,” Naomi said to Kendall during my favorite episode of Succession Season 2 “Tern Haven.” During the low point of her life, she explained, it was the Waystar Royco tabloid that harassed her and published photos of her after a car crash. What better way to get revenge on the Roys (while enriching yourself) than driving another wedge between family members in the form of a multi-billion dollar bidding war over what may prove to be an overvalued asset? Such a plot fits well with Naomi’s post-breakup (?) cut hair: thin and vinegary, just the way the whole piercefam likes it.
Austin Gayle: The obvious answer here is Kerry, Logan’s self-proclaimed “friend, assistant, and advisor.” She turned down Rhea Jarrell’s music, but the children can hear it now. They find out in the Season 3 finale that Dad is “working on his baby dough” and immediately identify Kerry as a stepmother-in-waiting. Fast forward to the season 4 premiere and Kerry calls Logan “Loge” and wades through serious insults at the kids to convince them to wish their dad a happy birthday.
Kerry fills an often-rewarded role in Logan’s kingdom. The crux of the show’s pilot episode is Logan’s efforts to convince the kids to give Marcia a bigger seat at the table. Jarrell jumped from CEO of Pierce to CEO of Waystar Royco by climbing the Logan tree in Season 2. Now Jarrell is out of the picture and Marcia is “in Milan, shopping forever”. Kerry fills in the blanks hoping she gets something more than just Logan’s “potent gloop” before the world spits her out too.
Julianna Ress: History leads us to believe that the alliance between Kendall, Roman and Shiv will not last long. As for who goes first, my money’s on Roman. I don’t know if he has a clear plan yet, but his reluctance to apply for PGM vs. Logan made it clear that he’s not entirely free from his dad issues. Also, Roman still has Gerri in Waystar’s inner circle (although their relationship may have been marred by the repercussions of his dick pic faux pas at the end of Season 3) and he hasn’t been burned by Logan as often as Shiv or Kendall. Roman was basically Logan’s attack dog last season and is still the one most obviously intimidated by the Roy patriarch’s looming presence. Logan also appears to want to bring his children back into the Waystar family in some way, and he may see Roman as a weak link in the siblings’ partnership. And if Roman doesn’t completely freak out, I could see him relay Shiv and Kendall’s future plans to the Waystar crew to try and play both sides.
Alan Siegel: It’s hard to say, especially since almost everyone of importance on the show has ulterior motives. (Probably even Mondale.) But if I have to pick one character, it’s Shiv. Even though the Roy kids apparently managed to beat their dad last week — we’ll see if the $10 billion deal actually holds — it still seems to me like she wasn’t fully committed to her Joint venture established. I’m admittedly lukewarm about this choice. Shiv can’t be the only one with something very sharp up his sleeve. It wouldn’t be Succession if multiple people cheated on each other all the time.
Ben Lindbergh: This is the sequel, so I suspect each character has ulterior motives (that is, on the rare occasions they don’t have an obvious lust for money and power). I hope this doesn’t sound too conspiratorial, but are we sure Nan Pierce really finds being the subject of a multi-billion dollar bidding war so disgusting? I have my doubts!
My main question after Episode 1 is when did everyone decide to call Logan “Loge” – maybe it was at the same meeting that Disgusting Brothers was born? — but my question about the characters’ motivations specifically concerns Tom’s call to Shiv. which alerted the Junior Roys to Loge’s proposed PGM acquisition. (Though the other Grossy Brother indirectly let it slide as well – which just goes to show how similar the two are, much as Tom wants it to be sees himself as superior.) Unlike Greg, Tom clearly intended to give the game away without Logan knowing he’s a rat too, but to what end? Because he wanted to throw a match and watch the family’s billions burn for overpaying legacy media? Because he didn’t want PGM to jeopardize his ATN fiefdom? Because he knows he’s more valuable to Loge when the old man is at war with his children (whom he won’t admit they miss)? Because no matter how “hearty” Tom is, he knows that Loge will dump him when he’s no longer a husband and he wants to maintain ties with Shiv to preserve his position? Because he’s still a sad pup who pines for his wife and wanted to apologize for shitting on her last season by using the language of love to prank her dad?
The answer is most likely a messy stew of some or all of the above. On Succession, self-worth and wealth are so intertwined that personal desires are inseparable from business ambitions — and the show’s withdrawn characters are too wounded and hurt to want to know what drives them.
Kai Grady: I have to agree with Austin: Kerry is the obvious choice here. While she hasn’t done anything truly sneaky or manipulative, her rise to the top has been as deft as she is swift, and it’s no coincidence that she reached her current position of influence in such a short amount of time. Kerry began as a low-level assistant at the end of Season 2 and thanks to an expertly crafted character arc in Season 3 has now gained Logan’s full trust and has become his closest confidante. All without raising too much suspicion or coming across as a major threat to the family — something few, if any, characters have been able to accomplish over the show’s four seasons. The “New-Gen Roys” seem pretty convinced that Kerry is little more than their father’s assistant, with whom he sleeps on the side. While I’m not sure what her endgame is, I can confidently say that she has her sights set on a lot more than just calling Logan’s kids to wish him a happy birthday. Kerry is my absolute favorite when it comes to making a big move and I think he’ll come sooner rather than later.
Jomi Adeniran: Roman. In the Season 3 finale, he is the last sibling to board the coup ship, and in the Season 4 premiere, he is also the last to stick with The Hundred. All Roman wants is for his siblings and father to stop getting in each other’s way, which is probably the healthiest motive anyone in this family has ever had.
“But how can you say that when Roman and his siblings just bought Pierce?” you might ask. Well, if Logan changes his mind at the last minute and decides not to sell Waystar to GoJo, the siblings’ 5 percent interest in Waystar wouldn’t be paid out, and therefore they wouldn’t have the capital to complete the Pierce deal. If that were to happen, could Roman also have a change of heart and switch sides back to Logan? I can imagine it. Who knows: Roman might even agree to buy Pierce in hopes of convincing Kendall and Shiv to keep Logan’s “decade-long obsession” under the control of the entire Roy family — including Logan. The company ends up in Logan’s wheelhouse as he is the CEO of ATN, another legacy media organization. Just look Roman in the eye: we can all see that he will do anything to fight for his father, even if it’s in secret.