The brothers (played by Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong, respectively) are scrutinizing the offices of Vaulter, the digital media property that their father’s company, Waystar Royco, acquired during the series’ first season. He plays the “good cop” throughout his and Roman’s meetings with the Vaulter management, but his brother is so distracted by this that he successfully steals what he needs and guts the rest, earning him a place back at Logan’s table.“You know they have, like, a beehive upstairs?” Roman Roy mutters to Kendall early in the second episode in Succession ’s second season. Both her and her brother find themselves back on the lower rungs of the company ladder at the end of the episode, for Kendall’s mostly morose approach to life ultimately works in his favor. The problem is, by the time “Vaulter” grinds to a halt, Shiv has spent her supposed trump cards and realizes she’s standing on about as much sturdy ground as her siblings. She’s also working for the presidential hopeful Gil Eavis (Eric Bogosian), the Bernie Sanders-like politician whose public face hides plenty of Succession-worthy duplicities. Shiv seems to think that her initial acceptance of her father’s succession offer is a “play,” and one of many at her disposal.

When it comes to the head of Waystar Royco, nothing is guaranteed - except for expletive-filled tirades directed at just about everyone within earshot.

Though this is Logan Roy we’re talking about. Which sucks for Roman, because Logan already asked Shiv to take over the family business at the end of the season 2 premiere. Read more: Why Succession Deserves More Attention Sure, his words are about as humble as a presidential tweetstorm, but at least he’s being honest. “It’s f*cking insane but I am the best he’s got.” Roman seems to think that Logan will pick him instead of Kendall, whose season 1 attempt to launch a hostile takeover exploded in his face, or Tom, Shiv’s overly eager husband. There’s no other option,” he says with his characteristic sense of humility. “If dad announces tomorrow, he announces me. Like when the higher pitched version of Logan confides in his sister that he thinks he’s going to be named their father’s successor at Waystar Royco. It’s “classic Roman” in the purest sense, but it’s also not. Of course, all of this transpires in the first five minutes of “Vaulter,” before the show’s practically iconic opening credits music begins to play. Yet in the face of his father’s continuously soulless stare and his brother’s unrepentant pestering, the most broken of the Roy children manages to pull at the viewers’ heartstrings and make them feel something for his soullessness. Yes, the Roys are largely a despicable group. It’s moments - nay, entire sequences - like these that not only feature bits and pieces of what critics and audiences love about Succession, but also expertly combine them all into something as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. Succession: Rating The Sibling Rivalries in Episode 1 It also primes him for yet another sadistic layup by his younger brother Roman. It’s a brief moment of emotional existence between Kendall and Logan, but the latter’s attempts to quickly brush it off send his son right back to where he started. “Thank you for closing down the park for us,” he tells his father.

She even tries to thank him for the trip with a big, loving embrace, but the recovering rebel turned manslaughterer can’t even reciprocate the hug with any discernible emotions. On the other hand, the trip serves as a birthday celebration for Kendall’s daughter Sophie. On the one hand, it looks like a big publicity ploy for Connor Roy (Alan Ruck), Logan’s oldest son whose disinterest in the family business has been replaced by his political ambitions. Before the digital media shenanigans are fully underway, the episode begins with many of the Roys enjoying a crowd-free tour of one of their company-owned theme parks.

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