Finally someone said it! Logan isn't mastermind, he makes a lot of mistakes, but system built in his favor and that's why he wins. There are no rules to be master of. And those people are all over the world now - old, rich, benefiting from the system and willing to destroy and manipulate their successors. They hate that their time is over - with all power in the world you can't do anything with death, she will come for you. And they hate it and hate younger people because it is their turn to shape the world
Thing is you can’t build a company worth $85B without good business strategy or decision making no matter how ruthless/lucky you are. We can question his current level of these things but not all the way back I think
I think Greg is more evil. He's like a sort of innocent seeming amorality. I can imagine Greg doing far worse and getting away with it more. Greg invites people to abuse him and to act terribly, but in a way that leads to Greg winning. Like a sort of tempting djinn. I think this notion is used by the showwriters in the "What am I going to do with a soul anyways?" scene. Greg is the one with the eyebrows like demon horns, surrounded by fire, with that creepy smile and dressed in black. It's him who's tempting Tom. Greg lacks the sense of shame, is more cunning in that he intentionally looks bumbling.
i have a question. Logan called Shiv in the day he had a meeting with Pierce CEO, then there was a shooting in the building, due to which he gets Shiv and Kendell in the same room with her. did he have anything to do with the shooting etc?
I dont think evil is accurate but overall i agree. Ever since he moved to manhattan hes been in “survival mode”, doing whatever he needs to secure his position. He had no problem asking logan for an important position on his 80th birthday. In the beginning it was understandable because he was really living off scraps, but quickly it caused him to abandon his convictions and morals like the cruises coverup and working for ATN. And hes been inclined to climb the hierarchy because obviously a higher position is a safer one, but he still feels like hes a good person because hes “just doing what needs to be done” and he doesnt want to lose his job. I think people believe hes evil because hes more relatable and human, but it just shows how proximity to immense power and wealth can warp a regular person
Great video, really hit the nail on the head. I always viewed Logan as the embodiment of Waystar Royco. He is outdated, unwise, psychopathic, and on the brink of death. Logan's stroke is the first sign of death for Waystar and it comes after pushing Kendall aside for himself. Kendall could have saved the company but Logans ego killed it. Every bad turn the company takes directly ties into who Logan is as a character. My only hope is that the company dissolves through Stewy at the end of the show, or Kendall and Greg team up to run it. Greggory the great.
This is such a great way of putting it-- Logan and Waystar are linked in life and death. I love a Kenstar Gregco team-up, but I'm also hoping they manage to get out and leave everything behind. When Kendall urges Naomi to do that, but can't seem to see it as a possibility for himself :/ Thanks for watching and for the thoughtful comment!
this is so clear in season 3, when logan almost loses the company during the shareholder meeting, shiv saves it, and then he shits on her for doing so even though she objectively did a good thing
What I like about the show is that there isn’t really any theories, there’s no camera tricks, what we see happens and what we’re told is what we’re told
Totally agree with your thesis. The show depicts how an evil system (corporation, capitalism, etc) is the sum of interactions between flawed, emotional people. The higher up on the food chain a person is within that system, the greater influence their actions have and the more exacerbated the fallout of their flaws becomes.
I wouldn't go capitalism = evil system, though I'm distressed about the failings of capitalism, but...I keep hearing "capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other economic system" and I wouldn't recommend that anyone exchange being economically desperate under capitalism for being functionally enslaved by a Soviet or old East German, or God forbid Chinese communist style system. (Love Chinese people and culture, despise any regime that harvests the organs of whoever they don't like. Exports Fentonal, etc.) But, I'm saying, that aside, I liked this. So I liked it. But I'm qualiting it. Despite my instinctive dis-ease with the world capitalism creates. Seems we have an evil or evil set of choices. I guess free market evil seems less evil and more reformable than an intended Utopia turned to totalitarianism evil. But I'm not very happy about either...
Great video and I completely agree. We see it again at the end of S3E5 (latest episode as of this comment), when Logan's first thought after the deal with Stewie and Sandy is that they need to try for an acquisition. Real genius businessman, the solution is always more acquisitions. This despite the fact that (if I recall), the debt which Kendall solved in S1E3 by bringing in Stewie was taken on in the first place for an acquisition to build the parks division, and thus acquisitions are the cause of every problem that Logan tries to solve with additional acquisitions.
In S3, Peter Munion makes a cryptic request to Logan to “talk to your friends in Downing St.” Logan instantly understands that Munion wants a seat in the House of Lords, and goes on to call him Seatsniffer. In the s3 finale, Tom tips Logan that the kids are coming to challenge him on the sale of Waystar. Instantly, Logan understands that the kids have a super majority. He gets on the phone and changes the divorce agreement to take away their power over him. Logan deserves a lot of credit for seeing all the pieces on the chess board. He remembered Munion, a truly insignificant personality, and used it to leverage a deal. And most of all, Logan sees the truth in people. He knows their weaknesses and delusions and exploits that. He has self-awareness that few others have. (Gerri is probably the next more smartest, self-assured character.) So in my opinion Logan is not just an abusive bully, as you say at the end. He’s that AND a excellent strategic thinker. What he says to Kendall in ‘Chiantishire’ about creating his own reality was really interesting and not simply egotistical drivel. Unlike nearly every other human, he does shape a world based on his vision. In s3 he got rid of a president! It would be more comforting to think of Logan as a brute and a chancer who uses luck and violence to succeed but he does have a perception few others have -possibly because empathy doesn’t allow us to entertain such notions!
Great video. It really shifted my perspective of Logan as a character and you delved into things that were hidden in plain sight! I think this new season has actually proved your point (so far) on how emotionally driven Logan is rather than being an astute business man. Can’t wait for more video essays in the future you’re really good at these!
The scene where Kendal calls up Lawrence, he knows vaulter will leak the information on Logan's health if he spoke like that. For all his flaws, Kendal is really smart which comes out gradually. It's mostly his emotional instability and the resulting lack in self awareness that often fucks up his plans. But i can understand how Logan contributes to all that. But very often he stands in his own way. Like a type self sabotage before his plans can culminate into anything.
Fantastic! Please continue to present essays. I like the conversations about Season 3, but your essays are so insightful and thoughtful. You’re really good at this. Much appreciated.
I wouldn’t say Logan is particularly competent at business either. Totally agree with the video. Logan does get “things done” but most often it’s just thru sheer luck. As he says in Season 3, trusting him “just works”. I find this grey area to ring true because I’ve met some successful businessmen in my life who can be profoundly misguided at times but ultimately a combination of charm, luck, and pure desire get them to their goals.
This is the best analysis of my fave TV show I've yet heard. I was especially impressed by your statement ".... he is "… working within a system that benefits people who are not bound by morality, compassion, or decency." That's a trenchant characterization of American capitalism in the Early Twenty-first Century. You've just earned a fan and a subscriber.
You hit it on the head. Logan isn’t a mastermind who has every moved maped out ahead of time, he’s a bully who’s only impressed with someone who can throw a blow as hard as he can. That’s why he smiled at the end of season 2. He was actually impressed/proud that Kendall was gutsy enough to take that swing
okay finally ty! i've read a lot of fanboy posts which idolize him, which always seemed a little off. the 'siblings will never defeat logan because he always wins and never gets fucked' take is self-perpetuating- the more people believe in his projection of power, the more they will act in ways that reinforce it. i hope we start seeing him unravel in the later seasons. and i've never believed the siblings to be as hopelessly incompetent and incapable as logan constantly convinces them and us. terrible and flawed, especially individually, but not morons.
You're so right about that theory you mentioned being bunk. Totally agree with your reasoning. Plus, I really don't think Succession is the type of show that's asking its viewers to theorize and analyze the plot as much as its asking us to analyze the subtext and characterizations. This isn't Stranger Things, ya'll.
The thing that confuses me is the end of season 2 with the smirk and then the whole of season 3 where Logan fights tooth and nail to stay top dog. (take the season finale for example) Does he want to have Kendall be a killer (in his own words) or does he want to continue running it until the day he dies? I've come to think he's a confused old man who hasn't got the sharpness he once had.
YES.YES.YES. I've always felt that same way about Walter White and Tony Soprano. People put them up on a pedestal and I just didn't get it. From the very first episode, I was disgusted and unimpressed with their characters and recognized how masterful Bryan Cranston and James Gandolfini were in portraying them. I remember reading an interview with Vince Gilligan, the showrunner for Breaking Bad, and he said he was dumbfounded that people were idolizing Walter White! He was like that character is a bad guy, don't they get it?!?
You don't have enough subs. There are so many Succession podcasts, but I like yours the most. Looking forward to season 4 with you, I've been considering putting myself into an induced coma until it arrives.
Loved your video and wholeheartedly agree with your analysis of Logan Roy's mastermind abilities as well as how he is being falsely perceived as one, both in and out of the show. I hope to see more in-depth video essays :-)
Great take spot on...I loved the smile at the end of series two, but I read it as simply proud that the boy stood up to him. The writers have been clear that what you see it what you get. There is no mystery box.
you are completely right, so much so that the show actually confirmed it in the third season lol. The shareholder meeting proves all of your points here!! great analysis
Ok, so I have not watched all of Season Three yet BUT after reviewing Season One it kind of hit me. This may seem obvious, but Logan Roy's primary objective is to keep the business controlled by the family. To this end he added the Three Billion dollars of debt to the company to prevent a hostile takeover. So when Kendell informs Logan he has taken Private Equity money to pay off the debt Logan responds "You fucking Idiot" because he knows Kendall has put Waystar in play. So the first two seasons are about keeping the company under family control but he is also testing his children to see which would be capable of taking over. When he decides that none of them are worthy it looks like he may try to produce another child which kind of reminds me of Henry the second in Lion in Winter. I know this series has been compared to the Godfather by a lot of people, but I would venture the creators were looking more towards the Peter O'tool film. I think I am going to rewatch the Lion in Winter over the weekend before getting into season three.
Great video! It surprises me that people can watch the show and come to the conclusion that Logan is a genius business man. Time after time he lets emotion cloud his judgement and makes the worst decisions possible
very good and interresting video. imo, s3 did however show that logan was on one hand still driven by emotions but on the other hand, he is in the end a good business man, mainly because he has the ability to get what people want and use it to his advantage, something his children haven't mastered yet. if you feel like it, i'd love an updated version of this video after s3!
What's even better is that Logan seems to know it's nothing to do with business. It's about keeping the people circling the throne hungry enough to keep it afloat.
Look, it isn't so complicated. Right from the first scene we are shown that Logan is probably feeling the most vunerable in his life, and everyone around him are knives out ready to strike him in the back and deliver the killing plunge. Also, however questionable his business acumen he has or the lack of to build a multi-billion dollar company from scratch, I'd rather think he is less a business god than non apologetically evil and ruthless tyrant who pays actual business savvy people for him to bully and work for him for thei entire life
I’m torn. I think Logan has lost touch with age, and his mental deterioration is clearly shown in his bad decisions. But I also agree that the system rewards bad bullying type behavior. Look at Steve Jobs-people make similar arguments and say he isn’t a business genius, but I think he is, I just think being a business genius of that magnitude often means being an asshole, leaning on the innovation of others and taking credit for it, and brutally stamping out the competition. So I think some of the people you’re arguing with are right, but you are also right. Logan does have an intuitive sense for business, but he’s not more clever than the average person, just, as you say, more ruthless. And he is self-aware of this ruthlessness and wants to instill it on his kids. So it really comes down to your definition of a business genius at the end of the day-is a business genius someone that creates an algorithm that saves a company millions? If so that’s very rarely the CEO and very few of those people are well-known outside of their own circles. When people talk about being a business genius, it’s usually like how great conquerors would be referred to as genius, people who take and take with their charisma and natural sense of singular purpose. There is a terrible sort of genius in that from my perspective. None of this is to justify the absolutely horrible theory that Logan wanted his son to kill his career though. The theory is built on the 1 ambiguous smile Logan has, succession is too good of a show to not foreshadow more than that. People just like the idea of cheap twists until they actually see how they make a story bland. Edit: great video by the way, I’m glad I’ve discovered your channel. And just bc it might not be clear I’m on Team Not Logan. I just think Logan is somewhere in between mastermind puppet master and bungling bully (another edit: not your position but the other extreme) and that mental deterioration is a factor. I think the system doesn’t always reward conventional intelligence but there is an evil and more intuitive interpersonal intelligence it does often reward.
Thank you for this really thoughtful comment, I appreciate it a lot! There are things I wish I had stated more clearly in this video, in retrospect, that would respond to a lot of what you said here. Succession shows the limits of this type of bullying behavior, because sometimes people just won't put up with it, and that's when Logan realizes that he doesn't have as much power as he thinks -- the conversation Kendall has with the banker in 103 when he says he doesn't appreciate how Logan has treated their relationship, could be part of why he doesn't want to play ball anymore, and of course the storyline with the Pierces, especially the final conversation with Rhea in 209. He thinks it's all negotiations, but she's actually had enough and is walking away. I think we agree more than anything! It's a really amazing show because nothing is black and white :)
On 6:44 , Logan does knows. Because he is the one who asks Kendall to come to the house and he's watching TV while Kendall arrives. So he knows about the private equity deal and who it came from. We often ignore the small details, like his body guard, or his wife Marcia, how deeply aware of what's happening in their surrounding, in the previous scene Shiv tries to do a background check on Marcia, when the two met the next time Marcia asks to be direct with her and ask if she wants to know anything about her, this shows how much they are aware about their surroundings.
i have a question. Logan called Shiv in the day he had a meeting with Pierce CEO, then there was a shooting in the building, due to which he gets Shiv and Kendell in the same room with her. did he have anything to do with the shooting etc? or just a coincidence.
I disagree with your assessment of Logan. I think Logan is competent because he realizes that individual power dynamics are everything. “The rules” - in fact the very idea of rules and laws, are social constructs, written and enforced by other people. If he can dominate those people - the rules don’t apply. He called Kendall an idiot for giving control to Stewie and Sandy because Kendall didn’t see what was obvious to Logan - that the debt was simply a contract with other individuals. That debt could be renegotiated with all the weight of a massive company like Waystar Royco behind it. Kendall saw a problem and could only think to solve the problem within the constraints of the rules of the contract. Logan sees no constraints - he sees self interested parties, and he reacts and adapts quickly to get what he wants by serving the people he needs’ self interests. If he doesn’t need you, he will do nothing for you. Logans genius is not in planning. His genius is in his ability to react, adapt and do whatever it takes to get his way while others are still scrambling to figure out that the game has changed. Logan smiles at the end of Season 2 because he saw the ruthlessness, unpredictability and adaptability in Kendall for once, and he believes those are the traits needed to survive.
I feel like Logan's smile wasn't because he was expecting kendall to betray him r anything like that, actually I believe is the opposite of that. Logan wants his children to be killers, sharks, just like he is and... well, none of them are. All of them let feelings and emotions get in the way. Kendall when he went to Logan's birthday. Shiv when she asked him to throw Tom under the bus and Roman when he asked Logan to make Gerri the CEO instead of him. (And Connor, obviously, because he was into politics from very young age) So, at that moment he was expecting Kendall to cower and do as he was told, when Kendall didn't and tried to kill him instead, it showed Logan that he could actually be a killer, just like his old man. And I think that was the first time he was actually proud of any of his children tbh (Spoiler S03 here // but it's also why he was so disappointed/angry when Kendall decided to quit the game, sell his part of the company and get lost, I mean, besides the whole "There's nothing Logan loves that he won't beat down, just to see them crawling back begging for his attention" thing)
It wasn't one of your main points necessarily but something I really appreciated hearing is that *anger is an emotion and therefore men who cannot control their anger are NOT emotionless, they're emotional*. We get such a bullshit pass because people seem to just forget that anger is as much an emotion as sadness or joy. If you have frequent outbursts of anger, you're emotional - you're not cold, reasoned, logical or any of the things we like to ascribe to men, you can't control your emotion any more than someone who cries. As for the 'business genius' fallacy, oh it's a common one. The most obvious example would be Donald Trump, whose track record with actually running businesses shows anything but brilliance (the only brilliance would be gaming the system through bankruptcy and using his name as a perpetual source of revenue - this is without factoring in the presidency), but there are others out there who've become such celebrities with a cultish aura that people simplistically assume that fame, prestige, and riches must equal high competence - how could they possible be successful otherwise? As you say, that's viewing it as a complete meritocracy, which if anyone's been paying attention - it isn't! You have to be shrewd at *some* things but the game on that level is not the same game as upper management at any given company. These people (unlike the fictitious Logan) also tend to have inherited their wealth if not the business they now run. At these very high levels, it's more akin to marketing in that you're selling the belief in yourself and your brand as untouchable rather than being required to make the most masterful business decisions lest you be replaced by someone who will.
Exactly, Logan is not brilliant just narcissistic. Especially obvious when in season 3 Shiv saves the company by negotiating with Sandy by offering a 4th seat, avoiding the impending shareholder vote and Logan is pissed. She asks "well what would you have done?" and all he can say is "not that" because he knows there's nothing better he could have done but his ego won't allow her to think that.
This is great. The first Succession annalysis I0ve seen by a woman. So good, keep going! There's one thing I think u missed and we should talk about: Connor Roy was interested in politics at a very young age
Really love this video, currently rewatching after season 3 came out and with the insight i have now it's easier to see past Logan and realize that the company really is fucked. But doesn't capitalism view being a killer as a smart and sound business strategy? No multi billon company has achieved that level of success by being ethical. Under capitalism that just isn't possible. And what is a successful and smart business man really? I think we have this abstract idea of what a brilliant businessman is, but does it really reflect reality? Because the reality is if you are as rich as Logan, you are a brilliant businessman. Yes Logan is very emotional and ruthless, which has started to really hurt the company. But in the end he really hasn't changed (which is kinda the problem lol). Bring ruthless, being a killer. It works. That is the business strategy, it might not be sustainable forever, but with the wealth and power him and his family have accumulated it doesn't have to be. No matter what happens, he's set. He's unbelievably rich and will never have to struggle financially. If ur Logan u probably won't be very happy about that but to everyone else in the world, Logan wins and can never really lose.
This is a brilliant analysis. It always annoys me when people talk about Logan as if he's especially smart - he isn't. He's a bully. He thrives in a system ideal to people like him.
YOU SAID IT!!! I've seen other posts on sns about this but none as articulate as yours. Mad chops!! Also also there's the fact that the reason he wins so many times even with his kids is cause people often put their individual interests above collective ones, specially with respect to the finale of s3. Logan was entirely fucked if Tom hadn't decided to switch over but because Tom chose to secure himself over loyalty to his wife (which I'm not condemning it's been built up all season, all 3 seasons even, and I'm an apologist, baby) but that it's kind of poetic that daddy capitalism gets stronger the more people are willing to backstab and step all over each other or smth.
Each of Logan's children is a manifestation of an aspect of his evil nature. It answers the question, what if Hannibal Lector had kids? :) . . . Appropriate question given the actor :)
2 years later and your rejection of the Kendall-Logan collusion theory has been validated. But yeah, even at the time of airing, it was clear that this was not the case, and the theory was always bad. Logan smiles because he's amused and proud of his son's ballsy and ruthless decision. He wishes Kendall were more like this in general. At the same time he knows that real consequences are unlikely.
I totally agree. Logan is a classic narcissist who thinks he's WAY smarter than he is, but because he's so arrogant and powerful and intimidating, it's always people AROUND him who are far smarter, more competent and business-savvy that clean up his messes time and time again. Also totally agree Kendall is way smarter than his dad gives him credit for, as all the kids are, but they're bullied and gaslit into thinking they're totally useless. I think he does have some good instincts and savvy, but he is definitely NOT the genius everyone says either, and the show hits that nail on the head over and over.
New subscriber. Excellent points! I'm not sure if an unspoken part of your analysis is that "fixing things" means becoming a much more socialist country or if a reformed, much less corrupt version of capitalism, with a smart and compassionate safety net, could be what fixing things means. Either way, Great video! I haven't been very focused on whether Logan is great at his career or not, but your argument is completely consistent with what we see on the screen and what's in the script. Logan's company is in serious trouble, he ignores the changing world, he doesn't always succeed, and he Absolutely uses ruthlessness and a sort of predatory beasts ability to intuit how to find and exploit weakness. Too bad his ability to read human nature didn't include realizing that his own malevolent parenting methods would turn his children into traumatized, emotionally cut off or chaotic rich kids. He got the recipe quite wrong. (Had he given them love while teaching them that the family money is not to be played with and that whether for him around the home or for others, his kids at a young age should have been encouraged to work, in a way acceptable for youngsters, praised for any sincere effort they show, and groomed to take pride in dedication, effort, and competance. He got it wrong on both ends: Far too much abuse, and too much easy privilege and automatic access to a lavish life style. I guess intimidation, manipulation, and ruthless betrayal of others and human decency in general are what he's best at. So...not a Demon, but... A human who lives by a rather demonic code of kill, conquer, and exploit. Then abuse your kids. Like--really bad. He's not Hitler but he is an evil doer. Actually the best thing I can say about Logan as he actually seems to have created a network where on screen talent, the network's commentators, have come to expect to be allowed some autonomy. I think there's less of a "This is like Fox news and Fox news is great evil" vibe than a disgusting cruise line practices and personal heinousness vibe. Or something...🤔~🤨~*
4:43 Precisely. Most of the audience thinks Logan worked to attain wealth. If that's true why does his brother Ewan have 250 mil to give to Greenpeace?
