Eyes High

But can they do about it, exactly? The church requires womanly forbearance and forgiveness if a man who strays claims he's real sorry about the hookers and blow, regardless of whatever amends he actually makes or the damage he has done. Also, these women are all financially dependent housewives as far as I can tell, not surprisingly so given that they're attached to evangelical Christianity, which stresses (and is largely built on) female subservience. They'll tell themselves whatever nonsense they need to, ultimately--it was a one-off, it will never happen again, their husbands are super regretful, it's up to God to judge them, it's all the fault of the devil women who seduced them, this was all part of God's plan, etc. etc.--and move on. It's about revenge on his father for his shitty parenting. The money is secondary.

Goggins is amazing as Baby Billy. Throw Emmys at that man. And Jennifer Nettles was no slouch as Aimee-Leigh, either. "Misbehavin'" was infernally catchy.

As pointed out by @sistermagpie, the parallel was that Iverson and Roman bluntly pointed out the obvious (in Iverson's case that Logan lost, in Roman's case that Shiv roasted the "dinosaur" Logan publicly), and Logan couldn't deny that the statements in question were truthful, so he lashed out angrily instead. It seems clear now that Roman's snark in addition to being a natural tendency is how he deals with the threat of his father's anger. If he hides his feelings and plays everything off as a joke, then he can get away with saying things that he would otherwise never dare say. And the benefit of saying outrageous, unserious things all the time is that you can slip in outrageous truths (like Roman casually talking about his bathroom episode with Gerri) and not be believed. I remember Kendall selling Naomi on the deal by telling her that she could be free, with the implied subtext that it was too late for him. I'll be interested to see if Kendall reaches a breaking point and decides to fess up and face the consequences so that he can be free, too.

I think it's entirely possible that Roman was the only one of the siblings who was physically abused, and that, even worse, as in this episode he was used as a whipping boy for the other siblings: Logan wouldn't hit his baby girl or his heir apparent, but he would take out his anger with them on Roman. As a reviewer for this episode pointed out, Logan striking Kendall's son Iverson in S1 seemed at the time like it could be explained a result of the stroke, but it's now very clear it was part of a pattern.

I’m beginning to wonder if Roman’s talk about all the drugs he has done is about as trustworthy as his talk about all the sex he has had. It would be an interesting reversal: the “serious” brother is the drug addict while the unserious party boy brother talks a big game but abstains. I don’t know what was more depressing, Logan hitting Roman or Greg (who recoiled when Kendall demanded he snort cocaine in S1) begging Roman for a bump. I think we all suspected Logan physically abused his kids—someone on Reddit pointed out that someone made a comment earlier in S2 about Logan hitting Roman with a shoe, and of course Logan has scars on his back hinting that he was horribly abused himself—but the Roy siblings’ lack of shock when Logan slapped Roman was depressing confirmation. Kendall was outraged, but he was not surprised. Roman’s proposal of (business) marriage to Gerri was weirdly sweet, even if he preceded it with a bunch of dehumanizing insults (which is apparently Roman and Gerri’s love language). Gerri’s too smart to throw her lot in with Roman unless there are no other serious contenders, though. I did notice her trying to distract Logan and soothe him after he hit Roman by telling Logan that it played well, like a rodeo clown trying to distract a bull. It was satisfying to watch Logan screwed over by a woman and powerless to stop it after all his misogynistic bullshit. The “We’re listening” thing was hilarious and perfect. Tom calling syphilis “the MySpace of STDs” is the funniest line in S2 and maybe the entire show. So good! I know that real world Ronan Farrow works for the New Yorker and not New York magazine (the magazine that released the Waystar expose), and I know the show doesn't do one-to-one alternate universe versions of real life people, but are we going to meet Succession's version of Ronan Farrow as the journalist behind the scoop? Because that would be great fun. Looks like Cherry Jones may go back to back for the Guest Actress Emmy! I loved her as Nan (assuming this is the last we'll see of her in S2).

I'm curious when or even if Logan is going to die during the course of the series. He's sort of the emotional centre of the show, at this point, and he's more intelligent, charismatic and dramatically compelling than all four of his ridiculous, feckless children put together. He's the beating, brutal heart of the show, the Malcolm Tucker (from The Thick of It) of Succession, and Malcolm's downfall didn't occur until the very end of the show. With all that said, I don't know if the real character arcs of Kendall, Shiv and Roman can really truly begin until he actually dies. As long as Logan is alive, they'll forever be stuck in his orbit in the same cycle: seeking his approval, getting angry when he denies it, lashing out or doubling down on their efforts to please him, being shattered when they inevitably disappoint him, and then trying to redeem themselves in his eyes by again seeking his approval. None of the children seem to have the wherewithal to mature--even Shiv, who at least tried to forge a career for herself outside the family--until Logan dies. It seems to be too late for Connor either way, but I think there's still hope for Shiv, Kendall and Roman. And to watch Shiv, Kendall and Roman go through the same cycle over and over again provides thin gruel in a dramatic sense. If they can't evolve or change and just keeping doing the same thing--and indeed Shiv's S2 arc so far seems to be echoing Kendall's in S1--then where's the story? Where's the narrative interest? The only way it works in my opinion is if either Logan dies or one of the children truly breaks free, not "separate career" free (which is a very tenuous thing as we saw with Shiv and Gil) or "coup attempt" free (also very tenuous), but "irrevocably severs all ties to the family and Waystar" free. I don't think any of the Roy children are capable of such drastic action, though.

Sure, but the Pierces were practically licking their chops at the opportunity to attack the "white nationalist elephant" in the room. Was anyone wondering whether Kendall's seduction of Naomi was a purely calculated attempt to get her to change her vote from "No" to "Yes"? Because I was certainly wondering that; Kendall feigned warm feelings with the Vaulter people as part of a strategy, after all. I don't know how much contrast there is to be had there between the Pierces and the Roys in the religion department: the only gods the Roys worship are money and power. I agree that the Pierces were supposed to be old money WASP stereotypes, and the aggressively frugal aesthetic was dead on. New money's display of wealth is the newest, most expensive and most luxurious cars, clothing, bedding, etc. Old money's display of wealth is using the same cheap sheets for 30 years, driving the same Volvo for 30 years, and wearing the same sweater your grandfather wore, holes and all. I particularly appreciated Nan Pierce's Katharine Hepburn vibe. One of the issues I have with this show is that they can't seem to decide whether certain characters are frighteningly shrewd or incredibly dumb. Tom has moments where he's genuinely stupid (apparently believing he had a shot at running the Roy empire) and other moments where he shows startling insight (presciently warning Shiv that her father could just be using her and would do to her what he did to Kendall). Greg was canny enough to preserve copies of incriminating documents but enough of a fool to think it was a good idea to meet with a journalist doing a biography on Logan Roy. Roman and the other Roy siblings are sufficiently witty and have enough good ideas between them to suggest they have some intellectual capacity, but they've all done sufficiently boneheaded things that one tends to agree with Logan when he calls them morons. Another issue I have is that with Logan, the writers have hinted that he's an anti-intellectual who revels in his literary ignorance (Frank feeling the need to explain his Coriolanus reference, PGM mocking his belief that Plato was a Marx brother, etc.), but in S2 he gives Frank a watch with a line from a Tennyson poem inscribed. Is his ignorance for show, a display for his ATN anti-elite audience? Or is it inconsistency on the part of the writers? Second-last big question: what happened in London? At the beginning of the episode, Shiv was returning from a trip to London, and we never learned what she doing there. Corporate training at Logan's behest? Was Caroline (the non-Connor Roy siblings' mom) in London? Is "London" some sort of euphemistic code, like on Veep when Selina said she was at a "spa" when she was staying in a psychiatric facility? There was that close shot of Shiv before she greeted Tom, and she looked awfully rattled. (And let me just say, Sarah Snook's acting in this episode is excellent.) Last big question: what are Logan's true intentions towards Shiv succeeding him? The writers have kept it ambiguous. There are a few possibilities: 1. He genuinely wanted Shiv to succeed him in 2x01 and still wants her to succeed him, but is just playing it close to the vest. 2. He genuinely wanted Shiv to succeed him in 2x01, but he has changed his mind and no longer wants that for whatever reason (Shiv bungling the Rhea negotiation, Shiv trying to force his hand). 3. He never genuinely wanted Shiv to succeed him, but he dangled the carrot to ensure that she left her political career and came back into the fold. 4. He never genuinely wanted Shiv to succeed him and is doing all this as elaborate punishment for her "treason" with Gil Eavis in S1. I do think that the fact that not even Marcia knew about his planning with Shiv--a snippet of the actual episode script which was posted on Vulture showed had Marcia whispering to Logan "Is it true?" after Shiv drops her bombshell--suggests that Logan was genuine. Is all this jerking Shiv around a power move designed to take her down a peg, though, or is he truly indifferent to her succeeding him?

Eh. Suggesting that there's no reason to get a PhD because Wikipedia exists is so ignorant as to be a pretty spectacular self-own. Not the first glibly idiotic thing Shiv has said in this show, of course. I'd give the Pierces the edge, frankly, since the Roys' celebration of their own ignorance is that appalling. If I have to choose between the people who value knowledge over the people who profess not to care about it (although Logan seems to care a lot when people point out how ignorant he is), I'll take the knowledge seekers every time. I half-expected that scene to turn into the Pierces forcing everyone to recite their favourite Shakespeare passage by passing the ladle around, which would have been a wonderfully cruel, Logan-worthy exercise. Personally, I doubt whether the Shakespeare grace wasn't just a one-off thing done to mock the Roys more, particularly since the passage Naomi chose also seems like a choice jab at the Roys and everything they stand for: "The purest treasure mortal times afford is spotless reputation; that away. Men are gilded loam or painted clay. Mine honor is my life; both grow in one. Take honor from me, and my life is done.” And while we're talking about the Pierces, how absolutely perfect were their names? "Pierce," of course, for the verb (and the Pierces sure skewered the Roys, although of course the Roys--where "Roy" comes from "roi," the French word for "king"--came out on top). "Nan" for the matriarch (a charming, folksy, motherly nickname). "Maxim" (another word for a statement expressing a rule of conduct) for the self-righteous Brookings Institution guy lecturing Connor. I think of "Marnie" and "Naomi" as glamorous rich girl names. "Mark" and "Peter" who round out the clan have more common names.

I think the Pierces knew exactly what sort of people the Roys were. I have to think part or maybe all of the motivation behind the weekend invite was to take gratuitous potshots at the family they despised under a veneer of politeness, in a context where the Roys were courting their approval and unable to fight back. Nan sneered at Logan being a "greedyguts" ("Teasing!") and preened about the Pierces' superior values and noble media empire. ATN and Tom were skewered at the dinner table. Naomi ranted at Kendall over the Roys' tabloids' coverage of her. Maxim snarked on Connor being the "Don Quixote of Iowa." And of course Mark and Marnie called out Roman over his lack of reading. I suspect that Nan and the other Pierces (apart from Naomi) had already made up her mind about accepting the Roys' money, but that they wanted a chance to make them suffer a certain amount of humiliation (if not "Boar on the Floor"-level humiliation) for it.

It's really interesting to see these otherwise confident, self-assured Roy children, accustomed to being given whatever they want and accustomed to getting things with a minimum of effort, absolutely melt down when there is something they desperately want that they can't have the exact instant that they want it. They're all toddlers, and Shiv is no different. She was thrilled to be asked to be the heir, but she insists on being named as soon as possible (even trying to force Logan's hand when she gets impatient), she doesn't want to put in any actual work to be worthy of the gig, despite having no business experience whatsoever, and she wants to succeed immediately (balking at Logan's three year training schedule). I think the idea is that part of the Roys' expression of power is that they don't have to care about being charming, polite, being kind, being well-read, or being cultured. Their gleeful crudeness, rudeness and ignorance (of literature, art, languages, etc.) are their own kind of power move. The point of "fuck you money" is to be able to say "Fuck you" to standards of common decency and knowledge. And when you've spent your whole life not needing to care about being polite or about knowing literature and art, you can't exactly switch gears after a single Logan rant. And of course Logan seems to be an anti-intellectual type (didn't he think that Plato was one of the Marx brothers?), so it's not as if the Roys ever had a father who modeled the correct behaviours, either. Logan generally takes pride in his ignorance, since he succeeded in spite of not being up on his Plato or his Shakespeare (and since all the Pierces' learning yielded to Logan's cold, hard cash), but it does seem like he hates to be reminded that he's lacking in that area (his angry response when Frank attempted to explain a Coriolanus reference to him, for example). With the Pierces, they have a different expression of power. Their power move involves shaming others for their ignorance and flaunting their superior knowledge and refinement: literary references thrown in, translating Latin, Shakespeare quotes, casually asking someone you strongly suspect hasn't picked up a book in years what they like to read, etc. And really, while being less openly distasteful, making someone squirm about not reading books is in its way just as rude and nasty as making fun of someone pursuing impractical PhDs.

Yup. Logan has Shiv insecure, grasping for his approval, desperate for his acknowledgment, painfully aware of the precariousness of her position, and completely under his thumb. In other words, right where he wants her. Shiv knows very well that there’s a good chance that Logan is toying with her, but she can’t walk away because she does want the company and she doesn’t want to blow the opportunity because she secondguessed Logan. It would be horribly sad and tragic if Shiv weren’t an awful person. The saddest line in the episode was when Connor, hearing Logan magnanimously talk to the Pierces, mournfully said "I like this dad. Why couldn't this dad be Dad?" Ouch.

Hee, Aaron Sorkin Syndrome. I don't get the sense that she relies on the relationship the way Tom and Willa rely on their respective partners and the influence their partners provide them. Tabitha coolly shrugged off Roman's marriage proposal in S1, not something she would have done if she was at all reliant on him or addicted to the perks their relationship affords. Tom, Greg and Willa are all anxious to please the Roys, to the point of obsequiousness. I don’t get the sense that Tabitha needs the Roys’ good will in the way that they do. Shiv's problem is that she wants the job too much. She knows that it makes her look desperate and insecure, but she can't help herself. She looked cunning and savvy when she was tossing off suggestions in 2x01 about the company. It's only now that she's truly invested that she is making mistakes left and right (the negotiation with Rhea, the flatfooted jokes and attempts to force Logan's hand in 2x05). To be fair, Kendall had the same problem in S1: his insecurity and desperation led him to trip up. Look at how ruthlessly effective Kendall is in S2 now that he has given up all hope of inheriting the family business. Doesn't it seem likely that Tabitha had those connections and relationships independent of Roman and the Roys, though? She was the one who knew Naomi, not Roman. She certainly doesn't act as if Roman is providing her anything in the way of material comforts she couldn't get elsewhere, as opposed to Willa (her plays) or Tom (the perks Tom crows about to Greg). I think it's because she's desperate to succeed and insecure about getting the job. She can feel it slipping away every time Logan says something dismissive or refuses to acknowledge her, so it makes her hold on tighter (and paradoxically makes her position that much more precarious). If she didn't care about the deal or her success, I'm sure she'd be as coolly confident as she has been for most of the show. Wanting the job too much is her downfall, as it was Kendall's, I think. Kendall, too, was sick of being jerked around by Logan and was impatient about the lack of acknowledgment. I assume Greg insisting on being called "Gregory" is Greg's attempt to be taken more seriously. It's hard for me to see any outcome other than Tom and the others doubling down on "Greg" to be dicks, though. Don't ever let people who bully you know that you care deeply about anything.

I've met at least one wealthy person who collected graduate degrees the way other people collect art, but it's not at all rare for working professionals to have three or more degrees, such as lawyers (BA, MA/MSc/MBA, JD, etc.) and doctors (BSc, MSc, MD, PhD), etc, and it takes quite a lot of time to get three degrees, even if you fast-track. And while I wouldn't say that education equals intelligence, successfully completing multiple graduate degrees says something about your discipline, motivation and work ethic. PhDs are not for the faint of heart. Honestly, while all the superficial aspects seemed to be spot on (the house, the decor, the WASP-perfect clothes), the Pierces seemed like a lazy caricature of the sort of monsters the ATN types of the world imagine "elite liberals" to be. There's the Shakespeare quoting and gratuitous shaming over intellectual shortcomings. There's the clueless white guy with a PhD in African studies from Brown. There's the drug-addled, promiscuous, and deeply troubled party girl. There's the hypocritical matriarch chiding the chef she employs who's currently preparing an enormous meal for not taking a break and treating herself. ...And in the end, despite all their supposed principles and morals, the Pierces were for sale. Connor bought Maxim's good will with an offer of the State Department in his (hopefully theoretical) government. Naomi got over her anger at the Pierces when Kendall pointed out that the money from the sale would free her. And Logan pointed out that the Pierces' virtue had a price. Tabitha to me is such an interesting character, second only to Marcia. It seems as if she has a job (she mentions having a big meeting on Monday in this episode), but I don't know if it was ever stated what that job is. She's friendly with both the old money Pierces and the new money Roys and can navigate effortlessly in both circles, suggesting that she's from money herself. She has slept with a lot of guys (as she told Roman) and at least one woman (Naomi). She coolly tolerates all of Roman's bullshit and even seems amused at his damage. What is her story?

I don’t know if Gerri enjoyed that phone call in a sexual sense, but she definitely enjoyed it. She more or less dared Roman to masturbate while keeping her on the phone and seemed very pleased, even admiring, rather than appalled when he took her up on it. At least now we definitively know what Roman’s deal is (a humiliation kink), although in retrospect there were signs (Connor saying that Roman liked being put in the dog cage when they were kids). And “slime puppy” in addition to being a fantastic insult is a great summation of Roman’s character in general. Matthew Macfadyen is such a great actor that I actually felt bad for human furniture-using Tom as his eyes welled up with tears before he started pelting Greg with water bottles. And he was legitimately terrifying when he screamed “GOOD?! WE ARE NOT FUCKING GOOD GREG!”

In a way, the fact that Tom does have a soul makes Tom's awful behaviour that much worse, because he does know enough to know that what he's doing is wrong, but he ignores his better angels in service of his own ambition. He has firsthand knowledge of how horrible Logan is but still desperately seeks his approval and dreams of succeeding him as CEO. He knows that Greg is a vulnerable and naive outsider in need of protection but bullies him relentlessly as a pressure valve for the bullying he himself gets from everyone else. He's rightfully contemptuous of ATN and everything it stands for, but he's still giddy at getting to run the place because it means he's moving up. He hates Shiv's adultery and her humiliating treatment of him but goes along with it because keeping Shiv happy is key to maintaining his position. The ortolan scene from S1 really sums up Tom as a character. Eating ortolan, where the bird is usually drowned in armagnac before being consumed (bones and all), is supposed to be the height of luxury, but it's pretty disgusting (eating the bones?) and even cruel. Tom, however, acts as if it's the greatest thing ever because it is so exquisitely decadent and expensive, while Greg is politely revolted. I think that everything Tom does in Succession is a repeat of that ortolan scene: doing or submitting to horrible and even cruel things in the name of a luxurious lifestyle and trying to convince himself that it's the greatest thing ever, while Greg, who's really the younger version of Tom and Tom's conscience, is quietly horrified. The nightmarish bachelor party coopted by Roman and Kendall, Shiv cheating on Tom and then bringing her flirty side piece to the wedding, the open marriage, running ATN, humiliating himself for the Roys' benefit...it's just one big ortolan. And Greg's reaction to all this awfulness--being appalled by Shiv cheating on Tom, being appalled by the horrible bachelor party, being appalled by ATN, etc.--is probably the same as how Tom feels deep down, but Tom will never ever admit it.

The only time in this show I've ever seen Shiv truly, deeply upset over anything was when Marcia called her a spoiled slut...which is honestly pretty tame as far as these people go. Shiv called Gerri her "fairy godmother" in S1.

Yes, that's pretty telling. Has Shiv ever truly felt bad about how she has treated Tom, ever? Not only did Roman film it, he knew all along that he was the one who talked! So utterly beyond. The "Hungarian" castle they used is Oheka Castle in New York, for the curious. I wouldn't judge anyone just for showing enthusiasm, given that they were trapped in a scenario when they were all drunk and terrified and trying to avoid being picked on. Roman, on the other hand... Cyd chanting would make sense, because she despises Tom and would relish his humiliation.

Me before 2x03: Hahaha, Tom's an asshole who deserves everything he gets. Me after 2x03: I would die for Tom. That a character only showing a glimmer of kindness and being motivated (momentarily) by something other than naked self-interest suddenly appears to such greater moral advantage relative to the others shows how low the bar has been lowered for decency on this show. I'm beginning to wonder if Tom used to be like Greg--naive, unsophisticated, and at least somewhat principled--before proximity to the Roys corrupted him so thoroughly. I'm here for any and all Roman/Gerri Oedipal weirdness.

"That's where heroes are born, Tom. On the battlefield." "It's also commonly where they're killed, Gerri."

Yeah, God forbid Jason actually parent his child.

I've often heard it said that the true test of character is not how you treat your equals, but how you treat your (social) inferiors, and boy is that telling when it comes to Tom (and the Roys in general).

I agree. Generally in relationships, like attracts like. When it comes down to it, setting her damage and her wealth, beauty, etc. aside for the sake of argument, Shiv is a pretty terrible human being. It makes sense that she would marry someone as awful as she is. Even if she had the security and confidence a loving parental relationship would have given her, she'd probably still end up with someone just as awful as Tom, just someone less dependent on her, more accomplished, and more intelligent.

I think you're forgetting that Shiv is just as completely and as thoroughly broken as the other kids. I mean, sure, a secure, healthy, well-adjusted woman with everything Shiv has going for her would probably choose a more intelligent and more charming sort, but that's not what we're dealing with here. She never had real love or affection from her father (or from her mother, judging from what we've seen of Lady Caroline), and it has damaged her forever. She is terrified of being betrayed or abandoned, so marrying down is her protection against that. Choosing a weak man who is beneath her, who is dependent on her and who is slavishly devoted to her is how she has chosen to cope with her damage, just as Connor renting a girl (as Marcia put it) and Kendall turning to drugs is how they have chosen to cope with it. ...And let's face it, no matter how morally repulsive Tom is, he's still tall and handsome, and that counts for a lot. I thought he was charming in the scene where he was urging Shiv to keep her options open, maybe because he was showing something close to a functioning brain. He also played the lovely, gentle and charming Arthur Clennam in the Little Dorrit adaptation from a while back. It's definitely the acting and the writing.

It seemed like a reference to the Midwich Cuckoos (or, as the X-Men comics later riffed on, the Stepford Cuckoos), right down to the white-blonde hair. Hive mind has been done before, but hive mind as the main love interest? That's new. Not only the limited use of powers (Farrier uses her powers once, Conrad barely uses his powers, Gestalt mostly just acts creepy), but these people don't seem to do very much, powers or no powers. Myfanwy spent most of her time at the office investigating the mystery of her memory being wiped (and using Checquy resources to do so, which is kind of weird given how paranoid she otherwise seems to be). Gestalt sits around pouting over Myfanwy. Conrad has his relationship drama. Does anyone at the agency do any actual work? Yeah, the show suffered from the same ill as a lot of fiction: having a mediocre central character that all the other characters are inexplicably obsessed with. Even before she got her memory wiped, there was nothing really compelling about Myfanwy as someone to root for. She's not particularly interesting, particularly altruistic, particularly intelligent, particularly caring, particularly anything. She's just sort of...there. The most interesting character is Gestalt, and even Gestalt didn't have much of a personality, oddly enough.

If Tom really wanted Shiv's undying adoration, all he would need to do is treat her like Logan treats her. He deserves it. He cannot conceive of Shiv as a possible rival, and he's a truly repulsive character even by this show's standards. I'm increasingly doubtful Logan intends to hand over to anyone. It's kind of refreshing to have a character who's exceedingly knowledgeable and well read while also being a complete idiot. History nerd moron representation on screen, at last! That was probably the smartest thing Tom has ever said, and it's not a good sign that Shiv agreed this was good advice and then immediately threw her lot in with Logan by picking a fight with Gil. Kendall's actually a pretty good businessman with his soul out of the way.