Succession Season 4 Offers Us A Side Of Logan Roy We Haven't Seen Before
This post contains spoilers for season 4, episode 2 of "Succession."
Logan Roy (Brian Cox) is a shark. In the latest episode of "Succession," after losing on a ten billion dollar deal that could've filled the void in his heart – to his own spoiled kids, no less – the tyrannical business tycoon takes to the office floor of the Fox News-esque network ATN. As Greg (Nicholas Braun) puts it in an anxious phone call to Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), the old man is prowling around "like Jaws, if Jaws was everyone's boss."
Logan's hovering intimidation tactic isn't the most unnerving thing he does in this episode, though. That would be his speech to the ATN staff, which feels unsettling for a pretty hilarious reason: it's a lot less mean than we've come to expect from the series' longtime villain. In a brief message that leaves the network crew applauding, Logan cheers them on as "f***ing pirates." He leaves the staff not pants-peeingly-afraid, as is his norm, but potentially ingratiated to him, and definitely genuinely motivated. It's all pretty surreal, and the question must be asked: what's gotten into Logan?
Is it just us, or was that 'pirates' speech abnormally ... nice?
As with every psychological chess move in "Succession," the reasons for Logan's pirates speech are probably at least three-fold. First and foremost, the businessman's decision to play nice with the ATN staff is a deeply practical one. Without Pierce, and without the kids set to take over Waystar, Logan doesn't have an empire to speak of. ATN, the fear-mongering, fact-spinning network that's known for pulling strings when it comes to major elections, is his last remaining shot at a legacy. Logan clearly comes from the "he who dies with the most toys wins" school of economics, and he seems to feel uncomfortable without a major, world-shaping brand at his fingertips.
Of course, Logan also desperately needs the image rehab that might come from being lauded as the acting head of ATN. Lest we forget, it wasn't that long ago that his company was entangled in an abuse and cover-up scandal that landed them in front of a senate committee. Logan might not care how the public perceives him for his own sake, but good press about the man will surely make a difference when it comes to future deals — and, perhaps most importantly, could destabilize the kids as they continue to wage war against him. We've seen how quickly he got under their skin with the Pierce deal, and a pivot to potentially keeping ATN close will be just as disorienting for the family.
Public-facing Logan is a rare sight to behold
Logan's speech to ATN isn't all sunshine and roses; he does a humiliating call-and-response with an audience member, and tells anyone who thinks he's leaving to "shove the bunting up [their] a**." But he also walks back his fiercer moments in what appears to be a successful attempt to seem more charming than scary. Hilariously, his goading of the onlooker turns into shouted praise as he yells, "GOOD! Good head for numbers!" after the man tells him 15 isn't equal to 40. "You're good folks!" he continues on. "You're the best or you wouldn't be here!"
This speech feels extra dissonant because, as viewers, it's been a very long time since we've seen Logan acting as the public face of his company. It's a sign of how far the king has fallen that he has to show his face here, when in past seasons, he would've sent any number of kids or hangers-on to go represent him. Logan seems to feel powerful as he's showered with applause, but by coming down from his ivory tower, it's clear that he's actually weaker than ever.
The cycle of abuse continues on a public stage
"Succession" might seem like a show about business, but by this point, it's clear that it's actually a show about family. More specifically, the series explores familial abuse and the ways in which family members shatter in every direction when faced with traumas like the ones the kids endured growing up with Logan. Every major move is a mind game, and shows of power are the family's love language. To this end, Logan's surprisingly less-than-caustic rallying cry serves one more purpose: it fulfills a part of the cycle of abuse.
In relationships that are built around violence, verbal and emotional abuse, and manipulation, as the Roy family's is, there are often four steps that form a recurring cycle. The psychologist and founder of the Domestic Violence Institute, Lenore E. Walker, first documented the cycle of abuse, which includes a rising tension, an incident of abuse, an attempt at reconciliation, and a period of calm. The Roy family has been through this before, but since Logan has four different kids to manipulate, he often tries to make up for his actions towards one child by becoming friendlier and more doting to another.
Now that there are no kids left on Logan's side, all he can do is show off his ability to love as publicly as he can, demonstrating calm and collectedness in a way that he knows will get back to the kids. If even one of the Roy siblings can hear about Logan's decision to stick with ATN, and the confidence he's inspiring as a leader, it could crack their resolve as they attempt to break free from him. The public niceties also demonstrate calm for the people in Logan's inner circle, a group of people who are still clearly rattled by the uncharted territory they've found themselves in.
ATN gets Logan's love now
"Succession" is the type of deftly crafted series that will probably never tell us whether or not Logan's consciously aware of the motivating factors behind his own weirdly nice heel turn. The series does hint that he knows exactly how he'll be perceived though, as before he calls the staff meeting he tells Tom he wants to give "a little speech, somewhere down here in the middle," before declaring, "Man of the people!" Logan isn't even close to a man of the people, but by turning his venom into a more palatable big boss gruffness, he convinces the ATN crew that he just might be.
As weird as it is to see Logan in motivational mode, it makes sense for him to pour his dysfunctional love into the only plaything he has left without his kids around to torture; it's just a shame for the future of the country that the toy in question is ATN.
"Succession" airs new episodes on HBO and HBO Max every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.
If you or someone you know is dealing with abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.