S02.E06: Argestes

[BlackberryJam]

Nan was humiliated at the idea of PMG falling under the Roy umbrella where they would just be comedian fodder. PMG is all about "we dine on Pulitzer" not "we are constantly covering up what idiots we truly are." 

For Logan to have agreed to let Shiv do that he would need to have faith and belief in Shiv. He doesn't. Right now, he only has faith in Kendall in that Kendall is too much of an empty shell to do anything except what Logan commands. Logan ain't right. 

[RealReality]

3 hours ago, Carolina Girl said:

So did I.  Also, I have another question - as someone pointed out, she seemed relatively assuaged by Shiv's response on the panel.  Was it the comedian's monologue that ignited her fury?  

Also, I would have thought that Shiv would have had the most DIRECT experience in the spinning of negative media stories.  Logan should have put his foot down and told the two boys it would be SHIV that started the panel and the boys come out after.  She could even have prefaced it with "My brothers will be out in a moment, but first I'm here to address the issue that's on everyone's mind."  That would have put the issue out front at the outset and kept the two idiots off the stage.

I don't know, it kinda felt like Goldilocks.....shiv was too cold, roman was too hot and Kendall was in the middle.

Shiv maybe made the biggest misstep with Logan.  BUT, I think he wants and NEEDS PGM (for rhe proxy battle) amd I think Nan and fam want money.  But as @BlackberryJam said the Pierce's are people who place a high value on prestige and intellectual superiority.  They don't want to be the butt of jokes or connected to the butt of jokes. 

 So it's possible....maybe...that nan comes back to the table of shiv is publicly announced as Logan's successor.  Shiv objectively, should placate the Pierce's.  Shiv is a public image boost....a woman, smart, worked for not Bernie Sanders, hasn't ever held a position in the company.....she is like an inside outsider.  

[Eyes High]

50 minutes ago, RealReality said:

I don't know, it kinda felt like Goldilocks.....shiv was too cold, roman was too hot and Kendall was in the middle.

Shiv maybe made the biggest misstep with Logan.  BUT, I think he wants and NEEDS PGM (for rhe proxy battle) amd I think Nan and fam want money.  But as @BlackberryJam said the Pierce's are people who place a high value on prestige and intellectual superiority.  They don't want to be the butt of jokes or connected to the butt of jokes. 

 So it's possible....maybe...that nan comes back to the table of shiv is publicly announced as Logan's successor.  Shiv objectively, should placate the Pierce's.  Shiv is a public image boost....a woman, smart, worked for not Bernie Sanders, hasn't ever held a position in the company.....she is like an inside outsider.  

Maybe I’m misreading it, but Nan’s kiss-off to Rhea and Logan felt very final. And Nan wouldn’t dare humiliate Logan like that unless she was absolutely certain both that there was no prospect of ever needing to sell to Waystar and that she would never be dealing with him again.

[CouchTater]

Not trying to get political, at all, but Tom's "We hear/here for you" reminds of Melania Trump's "Be Best" campaign.  Very similar verbal feel to them.  Both are also a bit inane.

[RealReality]

2 hours ago, Eyes High said:

Maybe I’m misreading it, but Nan’s kiss-off to Rhea and Logan felt very final. And Nan wouldn’t dare humiliate Logan like that unless she was absolutely certain both that there was no prospect of ever needing to sell to Waystar and that she would never be dealing with him again.

Could be......and while the cousins left it in her hands that is a LOT of money to walk away from once you've started to spend it in your head.  And PGM has been losing money for 2 years now, every quarter they lose more money the less the company is worth.

  I'm not obscenely wealthy, but it's gotta be hard to walk away from 25 billion knowing that if the company continues to lose money the Pierce's may not have as much control over the terms of the sale as they do with a desperate Logan.  

I could see a situation where nan....walking away at argeus.....truly believes that she will NEVER sell to Logan and she is super pissed at being played by Rhea.  But a few more losing quarters.....she is in a position to have to sell some properties.....some of tbe cousins start pressuring her....she might be willing to come back.  

[NurseGiGi]

I'm mad at Logan for making me feel sympathy for Roman. Good for Kendall stepping up as protector. 

[Lemons]

On 9/17/2019 at 3:07 PM, sistermagpie said:

Oh yeah, I wouldn't trust Nan's integrity to hold out under too much pressure. But I can believe she would act on it in some instances, especially if she didn't like the other guy!

It’s kind of stupid because I’m sure they can hold out for a buyer that would love to keep PGM pretty much the same.  The family is made up of a lot of old people, what do they need to sell out for ?  How many billions do they need?  

[CouchTater]

I just re-watched this ep and realized I really don't like Rhea.  She's a smug little thing who seemingly had more intent than just getting the best outcome for the company for which she's CEO (money, legacy, some retained control...), i.e. her own financial gain. 

I also don't like Holly Hunter in the role.  I understand the actor has a challenge with her hearing, but her voice grates on my nerves, which might have soured me on the character.  I'd be ok if we were done with her in the storyline, but I'd like to see all of the Pierces again.

[Drumpf1737]

2 hours ago, CouchTater said:

realized I really don't like Rhea.  She's a smug little thing

but  wouldn't anyone with a moral compass feel superior to Logan Roy? I'd be smug around him because despite his money he's a piece of shit whose kids would happily push him under a train.

Edited September 19, 2019 by Drumpf1737

[TimWil]

On 9/18/2019 at 9:21 PM, CouchTater said:

I also don't like Holly Hunter in the role.  I understand the actor has a challenge with her hearing, but her voice grates on my nerves, which might have soured me on the character.  I'd be ok if we were done with her in the storyline, but I'd like to see all of the Pierces again.

From what I gather Hunter doesn’t have hearing issues. Are you confusing her with the character she played in The Piano?

[CouchTater]

7 minutes ago, TimWil said:

From what I gather Hunter doesn’t have hearing issues. Are you confusing her with the character she played in The Piano?

I know Wikipedia should not be considered the ultimate source for info, but I've read this on multiple sites.  Could be wrong, I guess:

"Personal life

Hunter is unable to hear with her left ear due to a childhood case of the mumps. The condition sometimes leads to complications at work. Some scenes have to be altered from the script for her to use her right ear."

[TimWil]

3 hours ago, CouchTater said:

I know Wikipedia should not be considered the ultimate source for info, but I've read this on multiple sites.  Could be wrong, I guess:

"Personal life

Hunter is unable to hear with her left ear due to a childhood case of the mumps. The condition sometimes leads to complications at work. Some scenes have to be altered from the script for her to use her right ear."

Ah, OK! I remember British actress Stephanie Beacham (The Colbys, among other things)  was totally deaf in one ear.

[CouchTater]

3 minutes ago, TimWil said:

Ah, OK! I remember British actress Stephanie Beacham (The Colbys, among other things)  was totally deaf in one ear.

I didn't know that!  LOL

[northboundtrain]

I only just got caught up on the last two episodes, but this is just a quick post to say that, to me, Kendall's defense of Roman felt/looked practiced and so, by now, instinctive. And I do, also, think it comes from a place of genuine care between the brothers -- I've said this before, but theirs is the only Roy sibling relationship that I feel some emotional investment in, and that's because of the little glimmers we've gotten of some kind of genuine care/bond beneath the rivalry.

Even in this episode, when they talked about what they were going to wear to the panel, they bantered easily and Kendall actually lightened up a little for a change when Roman teased him about not wearing socks.

Also on the subject of Roman, I'm really digging what the show's doing with him and Gerri, and I'm glad that Roman finally voiced the obvious, that he thinks that they'd make a good team.

[CouchTater]

23 minutes ago, northboundtrain said:

Also on the subject of Roman, I'm really digging what the show's doing with him and Gerri, and I'm glad that Roman finally voiced the obvious, that he thinks that they'd make a good team.

I've been thinking about this all season (I probably think about this show too much).  The one thing that doesn't ring true to me is Roman's continued presence in the higher echelon of Waystar.  He's shown himself to be such a fuck-up so many times, I really expected him to be put "out to pasture" on a ranch in New Mexico by now.

He's had a few good ideas, but as we know, a broken clock is right twice a day, too.  I can't believe that Logan would continue to see Roman as a succession contender, and to put him in prominent situations for the company, such as the presentation with Shiv and Kendall.

[northboundtrain]

19 hours ago, CouchTater said:

I've been thinking about this all season (I probably think about this show too much).  The one thing that doesn't ring true to me is Roman's continued presence in the higher echelon of Waystar.  He's shown himself to be such a fuck-up so many times, I really expected him to be put "out to pasture" on a ranch in New Mexico by now.

He's had a few good ideas, but as we know, a broken clock is right twice a day, too.  I can't believe that Logan would continue to see Roman as a succession contender, and to put him in prominent situations for the company, such as the presentation with Shiv and Kendall.

Putting him on the panel, yeah, I wasn't sure why that was a good idea (or bringing him along to the Pierce meeting, for that matter -- that could have easily gone so, so much worse than it did).

But as to the larger point about why he's still around...Logan clearly doesn't see him as a genuine contender right now (or perhaps ever), and I think Roman's also figured out that it's not going to be him. So I'd put his continued presence at Waystar down to a combination of other factors, such as Logan's desire to play the children off of each other/watch them fight each other, and also the fact that Roman, unlike Connor and, until recently, Shiv, actually does have some interest in doing something with Waystar (even though he's not good at it), and so therefore has something that keeps him hanging around. Maybe Logan sees that and doesn't mind encouraging it, though, again, putting him in these high-pressure situations makes less and less sense as we go forward.

[smartymarty]

I was quite annoyed with Shiv suggesting that Tom wanted to have sex with the woman he was talking with, and then getting all possessive over him. Tom was so happy to see Shiv there, his wife!! He had no interest in the other woman. And Shiv's pretend jealousy made it clear that she only wants the "arrangement" for herself, not him. Tom would really not like an open marriage at all.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 9/16/2019 at 4:01 PM, sheetmoss said:

Greg err Gregory(Nicholas Braun) is 6'5". Tom(Matther Macfayden) is 6'3" and Logan(Brian Cox) is 5'9"

It's CRAZY that Greg/Nicholas actually makes Tom/Matthew look short.

[sheetmoss]

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

It's CRAZY that Greg/Nicholas actually makes Tom/Matthew look short.

Actually, since my adding my  comment, I read that Nicolas B is 6'7"

Edited January 19, 2020 by sheetmoss

[Milburn Stone]

On 9/16/2019 at 11:27 AM, terrymct said:

I was really struck by the difference in height between Logan, Greg, and Tom in the scene where Logan sees his archenemy in that mingling area of the resort.  Brian Cox isn't tall, but those two looked like giants beside him.

I am certain the framing of the shot was intended to make us understand Logan's weakness in this moment. We have never seen a composition that shows us just how short Brian Cox is, until now. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the visual puny-ness of Logan Roy really put across his vulnerability to destruction. (I have no idea what happens next, so don't tell me.)

[Jordan Baker]

On 9/16/2019 at 12:27 PM, terrymct said:

I was really struck by the difference in height between Logan, Greg, and Tom in the scene where Logan sees his archenemy in that mingling area of the resort.  Brian Cox isn't tall, but those two looked like giants beside him.

One of my favorite moments from the previous episode was when Logan referred to Greg(ory) as Ichabod Crane.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 9/16/2019 at 2:37 PM, BlackberryJam said:

I'm not sure Rhea's angle. She could be getting pressure from the rest of the family who wants the cash, or she could know that PGM needs a cash infusion to stay solvent or that if they don't get cash, they may need to dial back.

Rhea is the CEO right. Based on that I imagine that she probably owns a a good amount of PGM stock. So a big buyout would be something that would make her money, while if PGM keeps losing cash and potentially folds it would like a double whammy loss for her, since her stock would lose value and if the company tanks on her watch it also would look bad on her resume. Plus if she just wanted to sell her stock, I think there would be some difficulty with her being CEO.

Although after the cruise ship scandal, I am surprised anyone would want to take over Waystae/Royco.