S03.E03: The Disruption

[TexasGal]

Quote

With the DOJ at the door, Logan summons his arsenal, while Tom makes a potentially life changing offer. Kendall becomes obsessed with his own takedown.

Airdate: 10.31.2021

[Jordan Baker]

This show. Just when you think, wow, the acting is superb, the writing bowls you over. And just when you think it can't get any better, that theme song kicks in. 

Fantastic episode. 

[DoubleUTeeEff]

Shit just got real, folks. FBI is in the house.

I really can't tell what Logan is thinking. I mean, ever. But still, in this particular situation refusing to cooperate until he had to let them in or it turns into a show of force? They had a search warrant and he's still telling people to tell them to fuck off. He really thinks he's untouchable. Even when the President is trying to distance himself.

I loved the whole bit where they were just throwing the town hall questions out. It really illustrates how people like Logan become so insulated and end up in a bubble where everyone is shielding them from criticism. I guess that's part of why Logan thinks he's untouchable.

That town hall was pretty funny. I enjoyed watching that particular "hullaboo."

Shiv turned so nasty even Conner and Roman wouldn't get on board. And when Logan was expecting them to which is even more surprising! This whole ordeal has really turned into vindictiveness amongst the family with Shiv getting her revenge on Kendall and Kendall showing up at the office against his lawyer's advice.

When Kendall was talking to the producer about backing out of the show after Shiv's open letter, I thought, there is no way he is going on and I was right! I wonder if the news that the FBI has raided Waystar's headquarters will overshadow Shiv's letter. Good timing for Kendall.

Roman couldn't even come up with one happy memory with Logan so he had to substitute Conner. I'm glad he at least had a big brother who cared a little bit about him.

Greg and the $40,000 watch that doesn't work or is it self-winding? was some good comedic relief.

Plus Tom having to explain that the FBI was there at that dinner where he's trying to put a good spin on things. So funny.

One thing I don't remember being mentioned that I wondered about is the Tom-Shiv connection. It doesn't look good for Shiv if her own husband is head of cruises and actually could be facing prison time does it? They keep talking about her being "clean" but she's not really if she's married to Tom. Especially if Tom offers himself up as a scapegoat.

[Jordan Baker]

23 minutes ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

Greg and the $40,000 watch that doesn't work or is it self-winding? was some good comedic relief.

"I've always been self-conscious about my wrists."

Greg kills me.

[RealReality]

The entire family is so ruthless that I assume Shiv would claim she knew nothing and divorce Tom without a second thought.  I think Tom knows it too.  She would fight for him, but at the end of the day, she would find a justification for hanging him out to dry.

So, did they focus so much security on Kendall that they failed to watch his guy go and buy a bunch of speakers and set them up in the meeting area?  I honestly think thats as much emotion as I've ever seen from Shiv.  

Is Sophie Odewayo (sp) a real person?  She seemed like someone doing a poor mans impression of John Oliver or Jon Stewart back in the day.  

Also, why didn't Kendall just buy Greg the stupid watch?  Rich people save pennies and lose dollars sometimes.  He could have bought Greg's undying loyalty for 40k, he has millions and millions.  

[sistermagpie]

It struck me in this ep how it seems like all the other Roys have some little piece inside that's something like solid except for Kendall, who's just fragile and empty and reckless. 

Little moments also really struck me in this ep. Like on one hand the watch story was funny, but otoh, of course Kendall starts getting arrogant and he does something petty and dickish to Greg, who's still a free agent. He just proved himself unreliable yet again. And Greg's not part of this necessarily!

Also it really hit me that when asked for a happy childhood memory Roman came up with a time he spent with Connor, who's the anti-Logan in so many ways. He's ridiculous, but he's the wamest. Made me remember how Connor went after Roman last week when Shiv insulted him.

[Evie]

Jeremy Strong is so good. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

46 minutes ago, RealReality said:

Is Sophie Odewayo (sp) a real person?  She seemed like someone doing a poor mans impression of John Oliver or Jon Stewart back in the day.  

That is Ziwe, and she has her own show.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziwe_Fumudoh

[Blue Castle]

This episode really made me think that not only are none of the kids going to "win" the top spot - at this rate I don't think there's going to be a company left at all.  

Kendall was so hard to watch in this episode - he makes the wrong choice like 95% of the time.  It's also interesting how the kids think their dad is a dinosaur in some ways, but they only know how to emulate him.  So they lash out and never trust anyone else and are always trying to prove how "tough" they are and it's destroying them.  I wonder if they did finally see their dad fail (lose the company and/or go to jail) if it would actually cause them to re-evaulate their own behavior and go into intense therapy?

 

[Mr. R0b0t]

1 hour ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

Shiv turned so nasty even Conner and Roman wouldn't get on board. And when Logan was expecting them to which is even more surprising!

I'm glad we finally did get to hear what the letter said, but to be fair Shiv said no lies.  Kendall was comparing himself to Alexander the Great (pretty sure that was it) just last week.  

[txhorns79]

1 hour ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

 

One thing I don't remember being mentioned that I wondered about is the Tom-Shiv connection. It doesn't look good for Shiv if her own husband is head of cruises and actually could be facing prison time does it? They keep talking about her being "clean" but she's not really if she's married to Tom. Especially if Tom offers himself up as a scapegoat.

I think this is a good point.  Sure, Shiv can argue that she was not working for the company at the time all this went down, but I don't see how people would believe her that she did not know if her husband was taking the fall. 

[aghst]

I'll have to watch again but Kendall decided on the spur of the moment to go into the office.  Forget exactly what he was doing.  He said something about he has to find out what Shiv was doing.

He apologized to Shiv for some "bad rocks" the insulting things he said about how her teats were her best assets because they insulate her against the cruises scandal.

Then Logan tells her that Gerri is for optics, implying that he didn't make her president because of optics. Even though she is his daughter, does Shiv really trust her father -- she did say yes she trusted him -- not to use her the same way he's admitting he's using Gerri? 

Because he told Roman that he didn't figure him for a faggot.

Father of the year we're talking about.

The kids know this.  In fact, they probably learned how to be vicious to each other from the old man.  First Kendall humiliates her first moment in front of the Waystar employees.  Then she hits him back even harder.

Logan is all bluster and thought he got Michelle Anne to get the DOJ to back off but apparently WH meddling backfired and the DOJ got more aggressive.  He turned his back to his people before he surrendered, told them that they are cooperating with the DOJ.  Probably didn't want them to see the fear in his face.

Last week he wanted Marcia back but now he's saying the "hen house" is draining him of money.

Yeah I think the FBI raid on a major corporation is going to grab all the headlines.  Though they can't completely forget Shiv's little announcement either.  Kendall won't be doing any TV appearances for awhile.

 

[Blakeston]

Shiv telling Logan she trusted him was obvious lying on the level of Tom telling Congress that he had no idea why Mo was called Lester.

[thuganomics85]

When it comes to this show, nothing is really off the table and Shiv was honestly 100% right about everything she said/typed, and yet I still have to admit I briefly went "Damn, I can't believe she went there!" over her airing Kendall's personal dirty laundry out to the world.  Sure, I'm imagine most everyone close to the Roys know all about Kendall and his demons, but that clearly landed in a way that most of their insults, fights, and attacks hadn't in the past.  It's just nuts to see something that had fucking Roman of all people being all "This might be a bit much, sis!"  And the ironic thing is that I can easily see it falling by the wayside due to the FBI's raid literally happening minutes (?) after, so it will probably get lost in the news/social media cycle.  But Kendall will remember.  And I wonder if he'll take it personally....

Of course, Kendall in general continues to think he is on the top of his game, but doesn't realize he is spiraling in ways he's not prepared for.  I wonder what was the deal with his obsession with reading bad tweets about himself or wanting to get slammed by that late night host.  Was it just a case of his ego loving anything mentioning him?  Or does he just enjoy getting put down like that?  Or does he think he is untouchable and laughs at the insults assuming nothing will stop him?

Logan really doesn't like it whenever someone dares to get a fraction of power or anything over him, even if it is probably only a drop in an ocean.  Gerri is the CEO and actually tries to do her job, and he gets pissy about it.  He was all hugs and smiles to Marcia last week, but now quietly complains to his daughter about her for daring to get compensated for going back (even though I'm sure whatever amount he's paying is barely making a dent in his wealth.)  He really is a vindictive asshole and; blood-related or not; not against using anyone to benefit him and him alone.

A lot going on with that Tom/Shiv scene.  I don't see this not ending with both of them being on the opposite side of things.

Greg having to pay $40,000 for a watch that he doesn't know how to use (or doesn't work) is pretty much par for the course for Cousin Greg!

Roman admitting that his "story" about Logan taking him fishing was actually Connor ended up actually being kind of heartbreaking.  The Roy siblings probably never really had a chance at being functional human beings.

I was not expecting the town hall to go the way it ended up going!

Things are probably going to get even crazier now, which is something since we're already probably at a level nine out of ten already!

[aghst]

On the one hand Kendall felt good enough to play the good tweet/bad tweet game, as well as be in on the Oedipussy put downs.

Certain amount of self-awareness yet Shiv’s announcement made him curl back into fetal position like most of season 2.

Notice that Logan’s security guy reminded him not so subtly that he covered up the death of the guy in England.

Wonder how Shiv would feel if she learned what Kendall went through.  It’s like she didn’t even notice he was morose, even suicidal after they returned from England.

[cardigirl]

9 hours ago, Jordan Baker said:

This show. Just when you think, wow, the acting is superb, the writing bowls you over. And just when you think it can't get any better, that theme song kicks in. 

Fantastic episode. 

Now we're talking! This episode had me glued to my seat!  Like Jordan Baker said  FANTASTIC EPISODE! 

8 hours ago, RealReality said:

The entire family is so ruthless that I assume Shiv would claim she knew nothing and divorce Tom without a second thought.  I think Tom knows it too.  She would fight for him, but at the end of the day, she would find a justification for hanging him out to dry.

She did fight for him, at the end of season 2, she begged her father not to make Tom the fall guy, so he sent Kendall instead.

[cardigirl]

User error. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by cardigirl

[Pestilentia]

 

8 hours ago, Evie said:

Jeremy Strong is so good. 

I never thought I'd see anyone win an Emmy for simply walking down a hallway, but that long walk Kendall took leaving the TV studio was a master class on acting. We could follow his thoughts flip back and forth between his facade of confidence and his very real terror about the position he finds himself in.  He's such a swirling mass of insecurity and bluster.  

Edited November 1, 2021 by Pestilentia

[RedDelicious]

7 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I wonder what was the deal with his obsession with reading bad tweets about himself or wanting to get slammed by that late night host.

He was trying *so hard to be too cool for school.  So much cringing going on around him.

On another note, I loved Shiv's gown. The color was absolutely gorgeous. One thing that would have made it flawless is if they could have hoiked up the bodice just an inch so the fold of her underarms didn't show. It's a major pet peeve of mine - it makes you look heavier than you actually are. I love that Shiv isn't stick thin but she's not heavy either. Her suit game is on point.

[TimWil]

I was obsessed with how lovely her hair was styled, too. And I usually don’t notice that shit.

Glad Michelle-Ann didn’t turn out to be a batshit crazy Kellyanne stereotype. She seems reasonable. For a Republican.

My two favorite lines-

“I always come”-Shiv’s double barrelled response to her former political fuck buddy.

“I know you”-Logan’s henchman Colin reminding Kendall that he’s the one who did the “clean up” after the drowning death of that waiter in England.

[Jordan Baker]

8 minutes ago, TimWil said:

My two favorite lines-

“I always come”-Shiv’s double barrelled response to her former political fuck buddy.

“I know you”-Logan’s henchman Colin reminding Kendall that he’s the one who did the “clean up” after the drowning death of that waiter in England.

Another good one, as Tom was leaving Greg's new office (said in the tone you would speak to your dog):

"Stay!"

[dmc]

8 hours ago, cardigirl said:

Now we're talking! This episode had me glued to my seat!  Like Jordan Baker said  FANTASTIC EPISODE! 

She did fight for him, at the end of season 2, she begged her father not to make Tom the fall guy, so he sent Kendall instead.

this was all before she said I love you twice and he said thank you.

I fully expect her to let him go under if it serves her purpose.  

[cardigirl]

1 hour ago, dmc said:

this was all before she said I love you twice and he said thank you.

I fully expect her to let him go under if it serves her purpose.  

Oh probably, but at one point, she felt strongly enough about him to beg her father for his safety.  Not sure what the timeline here is anyway. Weeks?  Months?  

Edited November 1, 2021 by cardigirl

[laprin]

15 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

When it comes to this show, nothing is really off the table and Shiv was honestly 100% right about everything she said/typed, and yet I still have to admit I briefly went "Damn, I can't believe she went there!" over her airing Kendall's personal dirty laundry out to the world.  Sure, I'm imagine most everyone close to the Roys know all about Kendall and his demons, but that clearly landed in a way that most of their insults, fights, and attacks hadn't in the past.  It's just nuts to see something that had fucking Roman of all people being all "This might be a bit much, sis!"  And the ironic thing is that I can easily see it falling by the wayside due to the FBI's raid literally happening minutes (?) after, so it will probably get lost in the news/social media cycle.  But Kendall will remember.  And I wonder if he'll take it personally....

Of course, Kendall in general continues to think he is on the top of his game, but doesn't realize he is spiraling in ways he's not prepared for.  I wonder what was the deal with his obsession with reading bad tweets about himself or wanting to get slammed by that late night host.  Was it just a case of his ego loving anything mentioning him?  Or does he just enjoy getting put down like that?  Or does he think he is untouchable and laughs at the insults assuming nothing will stop him?

Being able to laugh off the bad things being said about him is Kendall’s way of controlling the narrative. If he is the first to laugh then it dilutes the power of the insult. It is a coping mechanism that has likely employed a lot growing up in such a toxic family. 
 

Someone on Twitter said Kendall makes you want to punch him and hug him at the same time. That is so true. Interestingly, I don’t get nearly as irritated by Shiv or Roman who are equally awful. It speaks to the depth of the character development that my feelings for each Roy is complicated. 

[Ellaria]

I have watched this episode twice and I am still collecting my thoughts. It was absolutely fantastic.

Kendall: so many bad choices in this episode. He seems totally incapable of normal interactions with others, particularly those that can influence his success. And I still don't like Naomi.

Shiv: She is in over her head and, at the first sign of weakness, she will be tossed aside by Logan. While she looked poised at the start of the town hall, I don't think that she a plan on how to succeed in her new role. 

Logan: Yes, he is being forced to cooperate with the FBI but I wouldn't underestimate him.

Where do we go from here? The wolves are at the doorstep. Shiv and Kendall have just exchanged brutal public take-downs of one another. Hard to imagine that the shareholders will show confidence in any of the Roys. At some point, I suspect that they will (temporarily?) lose control of the company. They need to stay out of prison first.

[Msample]

8 hours ago, Jordan Baker said:

Another good one, as Tom was leaving Greg's new office (said in the tone you would speak to your dog):

"Stay!"

Tom “ Just hit me on the head, pit me in your pouch, I won’t even wiggle”

[BC4ME]

Why did Tom decide to take the fall? Was it because Shiv acted slightly nice to him and he repaid her with this loyalty? I understand he might think he'll get something out of it like loyalty from the Roys, but he's wrong. 

[RealReality]

2 hours ago, laprin said:

Being able to laugh off the bad things being said about him is Kendall’s way of controlling the narrative. If he is the first to laugh then it dilutes the power of the insult. It is a coping mechanism that has likely employed a lot growing up in such a toxic family. 
 

Someone on Twitter said Kendall makes you want to punch him and hug him at the same time. That is so true. Interestingly, I don’t get nearly as irritated by Shiv or Roman who are equally awful. It speaks to the depth of the character development that my feelings for each Roy is complicated. 

Funky Dineva, poet laureate of our time once said "no one can spray you with your own tea" which, in kiki talk means the same thing as what you said, get out ahead of things, embrace and own the narrative and then you suck all the power out of it.  

I actually find Shiv the most annoying and irritating.  That smug smile and the superficial morals.  How quick was she to throw those cruise victims under the bus.  

Kendall said something to the effect of "I'm who you want to be Shiv" and for as shitty as Kendall is, I think that is true.  SHE is supposed to be the edgy one, the progressive one making big moves, effecting change.  Instead, she is still playing the game, the same tired game where she follows her dad around hoping to be handed the keys to the kingdom, half smirks when she talks about how awful those women had it and is perfectly willing to let another woman who has been loyal to Logan take the bullets for her because she somehow imagines that Logan values her more.  Shiv talks a good game, but its just talk.  The only one who has really DONE anything, to me, is Kendall.  

At the end of the day, Logan could possibly hand it all to Kendall just because he was the only one with the balls to actually TAKE the throne.  You saw how quick Logan was to dismiss Roman when Roman took himself out of the running and suggested Gerri.  If you're not going to fight for the empire Logan may not feel that you deserve it.  

He barely cares a blip, but there seems to be something like the remnants of a conscience under Kendall's cringey bro personality.  

[dmc]

4 hours ago, cardigirl said:

Oh probably, but at one point, she felt strongly enough about him to beg her father for his safety.  Not sure what the timeline here is anyway. Weeks?  Months?  

Absolutely at one point but even then I think it was out of guilt.  He told her he's been miserable with her and she felt bad. So she advocated for him with her father.  He's checked out though and she knows it.  Their relationship has always been based on him being enamored with her and her needing that.  Tom now sees the deal with her and isn't giving her the reverence she needs.  

Edited November 2, 2021 by dmc

[Kel Varnsen]

The music on this show is so good. Logan's sad hallway walk could have easily been a bad Charlie Brown walk imitation but the music (and the acting) made it so much better. Plus I can't believe I heard that Nirvana song on a TV show.

22 hours ago, RealReality said:

Is Sophie Odewayo (sp) a real person?  She seemed like someone doing a poor mans impression of John Oliver or Jon Stewart back in the day.  

That was the only weak part for me. It was like a bad Samantha Bee knock off, minus actual jokes.

18 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Greg having to pay $40,000 for a watch that he doesn't know how to use (or doesn't work) is pretty much par for the course for Cousin Greg

I wonder how much of a hit that watch purchase would be for Greg. Tom said that Greg was his chief of staff now, so I wonder how much a job like that pays.

19 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

When it comes to this show, nothing is really off the table and Shiv was honestly 100% right about everything she said/typed, and yet I still have to admit I briefly went "Damn, I can't believe she went there!" over her airing Kendall's personal dirty laundry out to the world

That was pretty brutal, especially the part about him being an absentee father. I mean it is true of course, but at the same time Kendall's kids are old enough to probably hear about it. So it was basically Aunt Siobhan saying hey kids your dad sucks. It was interesting that Logan thought it was smart of Roman not to sign.

[Marley]

I love this show.

It’s so good and I’m somehow rooting for multiple ppl on different sides.

Kendall is acting really amped is he on something again? There hasn’t been any indication of it that I know of this season but I wouldn’t be surprised.

My brain has forgotten a lot of season 1 and 2 tho so I think I need a rewatch.

[RedDelicious]

Naomi has been rubbing her nose here and there and has that whole bleary eye thing going on ⛷ 

[Hera]

2 hours ago, RealReality said:

I actually find Shiv the most annoying and irritating.  That smug smile and the superficial morals.  How quick was she to throw those cruise victims under the bus.  

Same. Shiv reminds me of what some Game of Thrones character (I don't remember which one—maybe Tyrion) had to say about Cersei Lannister: she wants power for its own sake; once she has it, she has no idea what to do with it. Shiv is really cutting and dismissive about other people and their ideas, but she rarely proposes anything concrete herself. The consequence of this is that she's the one dishing out the criticism, but rarely has to take any, so despite not having that many actual achievements to her name, she ends up looking (and feeling) like the smartest person in the room. I think this is probably why Logan likes her so much. She doesn't have an agenda of her own for the company, so she'll be more amenable to going along with his plans once she's cross-examined them (a process that allows both Logan and Shiv to feel clever). Kendall and Roman might have ideas of their own; Shiv does not.

On 10/31/2021 at 10:56 PM, sistermagpie said:

Also it really hit me that when asked for a happy childhood memory Roman came up with a time he spent with Connor, who's the anti-Logan in so many ways. He's ridiculous, but he's the wamest. Made me remember how Connor went after Roman last week when Shiv insulted him.

I would love to know what insights Connor has about his dad that his siblings don't. I'm unclear on the exact ages of the Roy siblings, but Connor is at least a decade older than Kendall (and probably closer to 15 or even 20 years). I get the sense that he was born before the company really took off, so I'm betting he's seen shit that his siblings (who seem like they were all born after Logan had made it) haven't—be it the extent of Logan's ruthlessness in getting ahead, or some now-hidden vulnerability, or both. I hope we learn more about his backstory at some point.

ETA: (from @DoubleUTeeEff's post that I can't get the attributed quote from)

Quote

One thing I don't remember being mentioned that I wondered about is the Tom-Shiv connection. It doesn't look good for Shiv if her own husband is head of cruises and actually could be facing prison time does it? They keep talking about her being "clean" but she's not really if she's married to Tom. Especially if Tom offers himself up as a scapegoat.

Totally agree. It's pretty clear that Tom and Shiv are headed for a divorce, and it's probably going to be a very contentious one, regardless of their personal feelings for one another. The question for me is which one of them will initiate it? Shiv will want to for the optics, but Tom might beat her to it to punish her for letting him be the fall guy for the family. I got the sense that he floated the idea of being the scapegoat in the hope that she would shut it down and offer to put her family's resources at his disposal to save his skin. But in the end, she didn't.

Edited November 2, 2021 by Hera
Adding another comment.

[Diapason Untuned]

The town hall was almost seemed to me like a vision of Shiv's future, she's gonna give it the old college try, but the noise will just get in the way despite her best efforts. Her reaction to the whole thing at the end was telling too, she started it this episode, but I don't doubt we'll see Shiv plumb some truly nasty depths this season.

And Kendall, the way he was obsessing over those tweets and that host who was insulting him...This guy needs help. He's an emotional black hole that's just latching on to anything that gives him any stimulation, only to crash at the end. This too, will likely be a recurring pattern with him.

 

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

It was interesting that Logan thought it was smart of Roman not to sign.

Logan in his own super shitty way, puts some value on family loyalty (not that he can reciprocate in any healthy fashion). You can tell that he's actually looking down his nose at Shiv for what she did.

[Blakeston]

I thought that even before the Nirvana song started playing, Shiv was doing a lousy job speaking. She didn't project much authority, and she seemed kind of flippant - which is not how you want to sound when you're talking about your company's stance on rape.

[nilyank]

3 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

I thought that even before the Nirvana song started playing, Shiv was doing a lousy job speaking. She didn't project much authority, and she seemed kind of flippant - which is not how you want to sound when you're talking about your company's stance on rape.

She kept flipping her hair as she was giving her speech. Not granted her hair is lovely, but it shouldn't have been the main thing that I remember from her speech.

[Marley]

Shiv wasn’t doing a great job at the town hall, but unless I’m remembering wrong she had a career as some political fixer previously and I think she was supposed to be good at it. So I don’t think she’s incapable of the job she’s been given. 

[RealReality]

55 minutes ago, Diapason Untuned said:

The town hall was almost seemed to me like a vision of Shiv's future, she's gonna give it the old college try, but the noise will just get in the way despite her best efforts. Her reaction to the whole thing at the end was telling too, she started it this episode, but I don't doubt we'll see Shiv plumb some truly nasty depths this season.

And Kendall, the way he was obsessing over those tweets and that host who was insulting him...This guy needs help. He's an emotional black hole that's just latching on to anything that gives him any stimulation, only to crash at the end. This too, will likely be a recurring pattern with him.

 

Logan in his own super shitty way, puts some value on family loyalty (not that he can reciprocate in any healthy fashion). You can tell that he's actually looking down his nose at Shiv for what she did.

Its just occurred to me that Logan may consider himself doubly insulated from any gunfire. 

He now has Gerri and Shiv.  Seems like he put himself in a good position to say that he certainly isn't a misogynist and obviously knew nothing about any of this because....well, look, he put two women in charge.  And if they steered the ship wrong in a time of scandal, well, its just because they didn't have his magic touch, he wasn't in charge of anything at the time.  So why can't the board just put him back in charge?

He was willing to throw Kendall to the wolves and I'm sure he could justify doing the same to Shiv no matter how much he likes, loves or appreciates her.  The same way, at the end of the day, Shiv could justify throwing Tom to the wolves if it furthers her ends.  

[Pestilentia]

Quote

Logan could possibly hand it all to Kendall just because he was the only one with the balls to actually TAKE the throne.

I don't know that Kendall does have the balls though.

I think he tries to appear as though he has the courage and he even tries to convince himself with his little bathroom pep talks.

But I think that his actual reality is all about fear- fear he's not good enough, fear of disappointing Dad, fear of failure all around. He's so deep up his own ass in insecurity that his entire life is a facade. Every time he stalls out while speaking to someone- those enormous gaps where he just goes blank staring at the floor- I think he is wracking his brain for "OK, what would a secure, high powered mogul do?"   

He's not reacting as that mogul, but in the manner he thinks that mogul should react. He's a poster boy for the "Put up a good front and your ass will take care of itself"  mindset. He's so concerned with image- cramming as many buzzwords into each sentence as possible while rendering the meaning itself indecipherable. "So we'll incentivize the hyperlocal quota retargeting our touchpoint and drill down the optics of the deep dive into the synergy of the customer journey by amplifying the core competency and logistics while keeping content king." is Kendall being  a strong leader- sound and fury signifying nothing.  

Everything about him is begging for validation.  

 

[Kel Varnsen]

13 hours ago, BC4ME said:

Why did Tom decide to take the fall? Was it because Shiv acted slightly nice to him and he repaid her with this loyalty? I understand he might think he'll get something out of it like loyalty from the Roys, but he's wrong. 

I think after his meeting with his own personal lawyer he knows he is going to do prison time no matter what (which he kind of should do). The only real play after that is to get Logan/Waystar's help making that easier (like a shorter sentence or a lower security prison). You can't directly ask Logan for something like that so a fake selfless loyalty pledge is kind of the only move I think. The only other option is to flip, and if he did that (after seeing what is happening to Kendall) he knows Logan would probably burn him and make sure he does all the jail time.

Edited November 2, 2021 by Kel Varnsen

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, Pestilentia said:

He's so deep up his own ass in insecurity that his entire life is a facade.

So true.  When Kendall and his posse were in the limo reciting good and bad tweets, one of the young women quoted a tweet, something like 'KR has mental health issues and addiction problems", which hit the nail squarely on the head, but it didn't get any likes from the limo posse, nor Kendall.  The truth hurts.

[laprin]

12 hours ago, Marley said:

I love this show.

It’s so good and I’m somehow rooting for multiple ppl on different sides.

Kendall is acting really amped is he on something again? There hasn’t been any indication of it that I know of this season but I wouldn’t be surprised.

My brain has forgotten a lot of season 1 and 2 tho so I think I need a rewatch.

I definitely think Kendall is using again. Naomi has already proven to be a bad influence.

I have given up rooting for anyone, which is quite freeing. 

[aghst]

13 minutes ago, laprin said:

I definitely think Kendall is using again. Naomi has already proven to be a bad influence.

I have given up rooting for anyone, which is quite freeing. 

One of the podcasters pointed out that Naomi being part of this posse, going around in limousines, is off brand for what we learned about her.

Certainly she would be enabling Kendall's addiction but the whole limo scene seems off.

[sistermagpie]

11 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I thought that even before the Nirvana song started playing, Shiv was doing a lousy job speaking. She didn't project much authority, and she seemed kind of flippant - which is not how you want to sound when you're talking about your company's stance on rape.

I don't think they put her in that position to project authority. People associate authority with men and are just as likely to be turned off by a woman showing it. I don't think they'd be asking her to do it if they wanted that image. They want a woman who seems more connected to the victims and isn't swaggering in looking like she's trying to throw her weight around.

3 hours ago, Pestilentia said:

I don't know that Kendall does have the balls though.

I think he tries to appear as though he has the courage and he even tries to convince himself with his little bathroom pep talks.

But I think that his actual reality is all about fear- fear he's not good enough, fear of disappointing Dad, fear of failure all around. He's so deep up his own ass in insecurity that his entire life is a facade. Every time he stalls out while speaking to someone- those enormous gaps where he just goes blank staring at the floor- I think he is wracking his brain for "OK, what would a secure, high powered mogul do?"   

He's not reacting as that mogul, but in the manner he thinks that mogul should react. He's a poster boy for the "Put up a good front and your ass will take care of itself"  mindset. He's so concerned with image- cramming as many buzzwords into each sentence as possible while rendering the meaning itself indecipherable. "So we'll incentivize the hyperlocal quota retargeting our touchpoint and drill down the optics of the deep dive into the synergy of the customer journey by amplifying the core competency and logistics while keeping content king." is Kendall being  a strong leader- sound and fury signifying nothing.  

Everything about him is begging for validation.  

 

Absolutely. His attempts to do something or take power always just highlight the lack of it. In a pinch nobody wants to stand with him because he always reeks of flop sweat or is a second away from self-sabotage. It's just so clear he's got nothing to back up his mouth and isn't even connected to his own motivations for doing things in the way that even his siblings sometimes are. And it seems like when he's got a little power it just makes him worse instead of making him a bit more confident. Like that stunt with Greg and the watch, which he did after Tom laid out to him that it wasn't worth much and, iirc, offered outright to buy him a watch. People know that following Kendall means you might find yourself having walked off the cliff like Wile E. Coyote.

[smartymarty]

Quote

And Kendall, the way he was obsessing over those tweets and that host who was insulting him...This guy needs help. He's an emotional black hole that's just latching on to anything that gives him any stimulation, only to crash at the end. This too, will likely be a recurring pattern with him.

Going on the TV show was exciting to him only for him to make jokes, too. Once it got real, he ran away and hid.

[txhorns79]

11 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I thought that even before the Nirvana song started playing, Shiv was doing a lousy job speaking. She didn't project much authority, and she seemed kind of flippant - which is not how you want to sound when you're talking about your company's stance on rape.

I was a little surprised by how she was acting.  I thought she had been a relatively high level political consultant prior to this, and, even if she wasn't in the public eye, would still know how to at least give the impression of authority.  She just seemed kind of out of her depth, which she is, but more so than it seems she should be. 

[Evie]

3 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

I think after his meeting with his own personal lawyer he knows he is going to do prison time no matter what (which he kind of should do). The only real play after that is to get Logan/Waystar's help making that easier (like a shorter sentence or a lower security prison). You can't directly ask Logan for something like that so a fake selfless loyalty pledge is kind of the only move I think. The only other option is to flip, and if he did that (after seeing what is happening to Kendall) he knows Logan would probably burn him and make sure he does all the jail time.

I'm not so sure he won't flip. Tom's furtive call to the law firm immediately after talking to Logan has me questioning whether his offer was genuine or if he has a plan. 

Edited November 2, 2021 by Evie

[laurakaye]

14 hours ago, Marley said:

My brain has forgotten a lot of season 1 and 2 tho so I think I need a rewatch.

When this season ends, I plan on a nice, slow rewatch until season 4 starts.  It's just so good.  Not since Mad Men has a show captivated me like this.

My heart constantly breaks for Tom, or maybe Matthew MacFadyen is just that good, I don't know...but poor Tom finally gets a chance to relax and throw a party for his staff, be the good guy and the fun boss, and BAM - the FBI is here.  He's willing to throw himself in front of a train for Logan, not knowing that Logan would gleefully drive it back and forth over him.  I don't think Shiv would do anything about it, either.  But would Tom implicate Greg the Egg if he goes down?  What about Shiv?  It's so messy and complicated.

I cannot wait until Kendall and Shiv are in the same room together after the smackdown they just served each other.

 

[RedDelicious]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

One of the podcasters pointed out that Naomi being part of this posse, going around in limousines, is off brand for what we learned about her.

I'm not sure about the assessment by the podcasters. She's that edgy prep school girl persona who (like Kendall) tries to be too cool, but she's still the girl who qualifies her statements with nods to her affluence.  One of the examples I am thinking of is she didn't say she wrapped her car around a tree, she said she wrapped her Audi around a tree and couldn't make it home from wherever she was living abroad. I think Nan is the pretentious "we're just like you! (except we have more money than God)" type. I thought Naomi and Nan were perfectly cast. I love Cherry Jones and Annabelle Dexter Jones is the perfect fit.

4 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

When this season ends, I plan on a nice, slow rewatch until season 4 starts.  It's just so good.  Not since Mad Men has a show captivated me like this.

My heart constantly breaks for Tom, or maybe Matthew MacFadyen is just that good, I don't know...but poor Tom finally gets a chance to relax and throw a party for his staff, be the good guy and the fun boss, and BAM - the FBI is here.  He's willing to throw himself in front of a train for Logan, not knowing that Logan would gleefully drive it back and forth over him.  I don't think Shiv would do anything about it, either.  But would Tom implicate Greg the Egg if he goes down?  What about Shiv?  It's so messy and complicated.

I cannot wait until Kendall and Shiv are in the same room together after the smackdown they just served each other.

 

I feel exactly the same way!!!!

[smartymarty]

Quote

but poor Tom finally gets a chance to relax and throw a party for his staff,

I think he was wooing the few advertisers the news channel has left.