'Succession' season 2 episode 4 sheds light on the insecurities that fuel the Roy children
Spoilers ahead for 'Succession' season 2 episode 4
The Roy children - Connor (Alan Ruck), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) - have always been boxed in when it comes to their expectations and ambitions. For instance, Connor was never interested in Waystar and preferred farming, Kendall enjoyed the position of being the heir of Waystar for the longest time while Shiv continued in the ambitious path she had set for herself in the field of politics.
We then have Roman who didn't fit anywhere, especially considering how absurd his business plans were and how illogical they were to even set up. In the second season, all of this is being unwinded and the characters are rewritten. Especially in episode 4, we see the four of them explore new territory and this sheds light on the insecurities these characters have held within themselves since the beginning.
For instance, one of the reasons an ambitious individual such as Shiv did not consider competing with Ken to become the heir of Waystar was because she understood her father would never be satisfied with her or trust her enough to run the company as deemed fit. This was one of the reasons she tried to pave a way for herself in politics, but in season 2, she is offered the position that she had always wanted but thought could never have. The fact that she doesn't trust her father completely to hand over the company just as he promised comes up in conversations with her husband Tom, but besides all of that, her ambitions are now stoked. The one big hurdle in her way is her brother Kendall and the resulting deep-seated insecurities. She is so attuned to her father's attitude towards Ken she is suspicious of her father even more. In episode 4, she sees Ken not only succeed in being useful to his father but he also actively tries to stay on his father's side on any big decision that has to be made at Waystar. All of this brings to fore, Shiv's insecurities.
Then we have Ken, who failed to successfully overthrow his father in season 1 and instead is now being controlled by his father because he was caught causing an accident that he escaped from, while his driver was left to die. This incident has changed Ken so much he has become a slave to his father's commands. From a confident heir who wanted to direct Waystar in a different direction in season 1, Ken has changed a lot. He is timid, suspicious of everything and everyone and all of that pressure is only building within him. He has started shoplifting, which is clearly an outlet for all the pressure that is building within him and he also snorts cocaine as much as he can.
In episode 4 especially, the moment that he breaks down in the presence of his sister Shiv we see him face his insecurities; of not being a part of his father's grand schemes, of not being useful and as a result being abandoned by his father with nothing to do. While Shiv might continue to stay suspicious of Ken, he is convinced the dream of becoming the next heir is not for him.
Then we have Roman who was chucked out of the main Waystar office to learn the basics and he is expected to gain knowledge about management from scratch. He has to face the reality of how little he knows about what people want, or what is expected of him as a Roy. Roman has to also face the fact that his grand ideas are not only not everyone's cup of tea, but they are also illogical and absurd to be considered a valid suggestion. While this has always been his problem, how Roman has begun reacting to moments of failure has changed manifold.
From starting off as a man-child who would throw a tantrum when things didn't go his way to try and compete against Ken, Roman's character has come a long way. What bogs him down, especially as seen in episode 4 is the disconnect he has with people when it comes to effective communication. Wasn't that how he ended up squandering his father's plan of acquisition in the previous episode?
This is wonderfully alluded to when he finds it difficult to even communicate with his girlfriend about what kind of phone sex he wants. On a side note, we have to see how his relationship with Gerri pans out after their phone call.
Finally, we have Connor. When Connor confessed he wanted to contest the U.S. presidential elections, his father and siblings ignored him. When was the last time we saw a rich man align himself with the conservative party and make unfounded statements about why rich people shouldn't have to pay the amount of tax they do? Or make politically incorrect statements about sexual molestation and/or assault and joke about the same? Sounds familiar? If Connor wins, we all would know who was the inspiration behind this character. However, Connor was always posed as someone we shouldn't be taking seriously. With this season, especially in the fourth episode, we see him make a conscious decision to be at his best because he really believes he will be the next president.
He is insecure about his relationship with a dead man, who was possibly involved in committing a number of illegal activities. So when the time comes for his eulogy, Connor without a second thought abandons his relationship with the dead man to deliver a "safe" eulogy that wouldn't hinder his political ambitions.
And last, we have the father - Logan Roy (Brian Cox) - doing his best to wheel and deal his way into acquiring the media corporation PGM owned by another family. On the surface, it looks like Logan has no insecurities. Then, we see him freak out about Ken's safety. There is an incident at the ATN building where an employee shoots himself and it is a chaotic situation. So, the top executives are shown their way into the panic room. The building has some very important people including Logan's next supposed heir Shiv, however, all his concerns are for Ken. He repeatedly asks for Ken and then when we later see Ken successfully help his father find an ally, we see pride written all over Logan's face and that's when we realize his weakness is Ken.
Episode 5 of 'Succession' season 2 will air Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO.