We didn’t have “Logan and the Roy kids visit a karaoke bar together” on our Succession Season 4 bingo card, but here we are.
Perhaps more surprising than the frivolous location of the little family reunion that took place in episode 2, though, was the content of that reunion — specifically, renowned bully Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) conciliatory tone and apparent “apology”.
But was it something real or just an act? A key scene from back in Season 3 may shed some more light on Logan’s motive to go anywhere near the word “sorry”.
What happens in Succession Season 4, episode 2?
The night before Conner’s wedding (Alan Ruck), fellow Roy siblings Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) follow him around town as he laments the fact his soon-to-be wife Willa (Justine Lupe) definitely doesn’t love him. Having made the decision to screw over their dad by trying to squeeze more money out of the sale of Waystar Royco to GoJo’s Lukas Mattson (Alexander Skarsgård), the kids end up in a booth in a random karaoke bar — but soon, their recently estranged father shows up too.
“Look, I don’t do apologies,” Logan says. “But if it means so much to you, then sorry.”
As far as apologies go, it’s not the best. But the scene is very unlike Logan in general. Rather than being combative as his kids round on him, he pretty much just absorbs their criticisms and tries to explain his actions, keeping his tone relatively calm and telling them he just wants to get everyone together.
Shiv and Kendall in particular don’t buy it, but are they right to be suspicious? Is Logan actually trying to make amends?
Well, if we look back at a key scene in Season 3, the answer seems pretty clear.
What happens in Season 3?
Remember Season 3, episode 4, where Logan and Kendall (sort of) put aside their differences to meet with key Waystar Royco shareholder Josh Aaronson (Adrien Brody) for an ill-fated hike? In what was one of last season’s most diabolical moments, Logan makes a passionate speech about his love for Kendall during their tense lunch on the cliffs, in order to convince the billionaire investor that father and son are united, despite their extremely public feud, so that Josh sticks with the Roys instead of joining Sandy and Stewy’s takeover bid.
Credit: Macall B. Polay/HBO
“It’ll be OK because he’s a good kid,” says Logan. “He did what he thought was best, I think he went too far, but he’s a good kid. He’s a good kid and I love him.”
Shortly after, though, when they’re in private again on the long hike back, Logan responds to Kendall’s “nice speech” with the following, brutal line to his son: “Yeah, well, you’ll say anything to get fucked on a date, won’t you?”
What does this mean for Logan’s Season 4 apology?
Logan’s previously cold behaviour and his instantly venomous statement to Kendall means his apology in Season 4, episode 2 probably wasn’t genuine, right? In the episode itself this is initially unclear because of how Logan reacts after he’s left the karaoke club. Rather than his usual composed self he seems genuinely rattled by how the meeting with his kids went, which had me thinking he might be genuinely upset Shiv and Kendall didn’t take his apology seriously.
The more likely reality, though? Logan was just pulling the same “say anything” trick he pulled back in Season 3 with Josh, and the only reason he’s rattled is because he didn’t immediately get the business outcome he was hoping for. Despite his conciliatory tone, Logan said it himself, he doesn’t “do apologies,” so it’s likely it was all just an act.
Succession Season 4 is streaming now on HBO Max, with new episodes airing weekly on Sundays at 9 p.m.
