Succession Recap: Season 3, Episode Three – ‘Paranoid Kendroid’ Makes War | Succession

Spoiler alert: This roundup is for people watching Season 3 of Succession, which airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK. Don’t read on unless you’ve seen episode three.

A large plate of snake linguine with a sibling treachery secondary order? It doesn’t matter if we do. Here’s your guide to the eventful third episode, titled The Disruption …

‘I am happy in my mental space’

We rejoin the game of risky billionaire with rogue son Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) by having lunch with a journalist and reveling in the “shit show” at Waystar Royco. Advertisers were spoiling. Acting boss Gerri Kellman (J Smith-Cameron) was “a time server out of his league.” Ken was closing an immunity deal with the Justice Department and decided to “plant a flag” within the family business.

Over a shaved fennel salad, Kendall pretended to be amused by the recent monologue about him from television satirist Sophie Iwobi (guest star and real-life comedian Ziwe). Regarding the irritating question from his brothers, he insisted: “I am really happy in my mental space. And I hope they are happy in theirs. “Always with the unconvincing quackery.

Iwobi had become Ken’s obsession. She had a room full of partygoers watch her next takedown of him, insisting that it was great to be “part of the conversation.” I was still rewatching the clip the next day. Along with his name’s vanity quest on Twitter, he was half ego, half masochism. Worst of all, he was determined to appear on Iwobi’s show, The Disruption, just to prove he was involved in the prank. His public relations seemed nervous. Justly.

Waystar were on the defensive

“How is your headspace?” That was Sarky Roman’s (Kieran Culkin) new catchphrase when the top team met to strategize. Back from Sarajevo and installed at Waystar’s Manhattan headquarters, Patriarch Logan (Brian Cox) was criticizing Gerri and reversing his decisions, concerned that “our acting CEO is getting too fucking acting.” If Kendall dared plant his supposed flag, Logan would punch him in the nose. Reasonable.

The new “The President” Shiv (Sarah Snook) promised to discuss the plans of the older brothers at the journalism dinner that night and would lead an event at the city hall to reassure the staff. Communications chief Hugo (Fisher Stevens) had produced print ads in response to the allegations. Motto: “We get it”. “Does she look a bit like those cruise ship ladies?” Roman scoffed. Shiv agreed: “It’s a bit like, yeah yeah, we get it, stop complaining about the rapes.” Back to the drawing board.

The next phase of the propaganda campaign consisted of the brothers conducting stage-led interviews, “sharing memories and feelings about their father.” Good luck with that. Meanwhile, the FBI wanted to turn over the subpoena documents, but Logan told them to “fuck off.” Gerri advised him to cooperate before the next shareholder vote. No, still “fuck you”. Well, it has a catchphrase, doesn’t it?

Greg was being bullied on both sides

Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) was trying to fit in on both sides of the enemy family, but he wasn’t exactly pleasing anyone. Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), always happy to hit, pranked him with fake cyanide pills, before showing off “the leggy prince of ATN” in his new office, a glorified store closet.

Despite being self-conscious about his “little wrists,” Greg couldn’t contain his excitement that Kendall was gifting him a high-quality watch. Except there were crossed cables. He was simply “hooking Greg” and the watch would cost him $ 40,000. Greg went ahead with the purchase to save face, which became even more irritating when the Swiss watch stopped working. What time is it? Cringe o’clock.

Kendall v Shiv: round 1

After a sarcastic exchange with old man Nate Sofrelli (Ashley Zukerman), are there still sparks of chemistry in there? – Shiv confronted Kendall at the journalism party. She asked him not to scare the horses before next week’s shareholder vote, assuring him they had the same goal: fixing the company from the inside.

Still in her messy mess, Kendall smiled, “Did he make you dress up for this? I feel sorry for you, Siobhan. “Now she was the one doing Dad’s orders. As he gloated, she frowned.

When she reported, Logan wanted his only daughter to help rehabilitate his image by declaring that he is “not a dirty old man.” Point out a cautious exchange in which Shiv gave a deeply unconvincing response to “Do you trust me?” He knew about the crime in the cruise ship division from Tom, but Logan brushed it off, promising he could handle it. Did your political influence extend to the law?

Wambsgans the sacrificial lamb

Drunk and corny after a meeting with a lawyer, Tom seemed certain he was in jail for his part in the cruise cover-up. Always ambitious, he hatched a plan with Shiv to “find some benefit” in his situation by going to Logan and offering himself as a sacrifice. With all his heart, Shiv objected for 10 seconds before admitting that the idea was “kind of a genius” because “either way, you accumulate gold with my father.”

In a whispered conversation on ATN, Tom offered to be the scapegoat. “I’ll go up and down,” he promised. Logan seemed puzzled by the fact that his son-in-law wanted nothing in return. Oh, Tom. He can’t even play the hero properly.

Kendall v Shiv: round 2

Against advice, Kendall headed to the office to “send shockwaves” and not let “dad rule the battle space.” Stations of panic followed, with staff struggling as Kendall, with her key card revoked, attempted to gain access to the building.

Kendall’s tense progress through the office included greeting a mailroom worker with “Wassup bro, doing the heavy lifting?” and a forced chat with Tom, telling him “Another life is possible”. When Kendall sent her partner with a shopping list, we knew something was going on.

At the city hall, Shiv addressed employees about “corporate responsibility.” “We get it,” he said (cut Hugo proudly). However, his soft speech was soon drowned out by Rape Me by Nirvana blasting over the speakers placed on the balconies around the atrium. As security struggled to turn off the music, Shiv was forced to abandon her speech. Even more embarrassing, the disaster was being broadcast live to Waystar offices around the world.

Incandescent with icy fury, Shiv entered Kendall’s office, saw the empty speaker boxes, and proceeded to spit viciously into his brother’s notebook. Maybe a trick from his school days. Now it meant war.

Kendall v Shiv: round 3

Backstage at The Disruption, Kendall was going over the jokes he’d written to her. In an egregious scene, he stormed into the writers’ room and told them, “Hurt me, I can take it.” Can you, though, Ken?

Minutes before it aired, Shiv delivered his killing blow. In a falsely concerned open letter, she questioned Kendall’s mental health, calling him “a drug addict, serial liar and absent father with a history of troubled relationships with women.” It was so brutal that brothers Roman and Connor (Alan Ruck) had refused to sign it as a co-signer.

In a quietly devastating 90-second sequence, Kendall walked away down the hallway of the television studio, her face going from a fake smile to tormented despair, still clutching those cards as she collapsed on the floor in a server room and stared at Iwobi “empty chair” He on screen. A gutsy performance by Jeremy Strong, beautifully set to the soundtrack by Nicholas Britell.

‘To open. Let them in. We are cooperating ‘

Roman could barely hide his boredom during his ATN Business interview, but he got lyrical about a fly-fishing trip to Montana with his father. Heartbreakingly, this turned out to be a repurposed “happy childhood memory” – Connor had actually taken it. What’s more, the old man rubbed Roman’s nose on it, teasing cruelly: “Aww, I want my dad. I never thought you were a fag. “

This dysfunctional family picture was interrupted by 20 FBI agents who stormed the building. Logan issued his usual reply, only to be told by Gerri, “These are the ones who don’t fuck around. This is a search warrant. ”Not only had the deputy attorney general been spooked by Logan’s grim pow-wow with White House senior aide Michelle-Anne Vanderhoven (Linda Emond), but Kendall told his attorney to launch a raid to show that “the government has not become timid.”

With the cameras out, it wasn’t wise to resist. Looking defeated and suddenly old, just like in Sarajevo, Logan finally relented. Across town, Kendall saw the images of the raid on her phone with the gleam of a smile.

The heir apparent

Still Shiv, but only narrowly. Logan put Gerri in her place for the “optics” and wanted to keep Shiv clean because she was the long-term successor. But with the feds knocking down the door and hostile investors hanging around, how long will Logan’s decision be?

Line of the week

Sophie Iwobi’s string of nicknames for Kendall: “Oedipussy, Wokestar Royco, Paranoid Kendroid, Benedickhead Arnold, Snitchie Rich, a mayonnaise jar in a Prada suit…” Oof.

Notes and remarks

• This episode was directed by Cathy Yan, whose credits include the DC movie Harley Quinn Birds of Prey, making her the first Asian woman (and only the second woman full stop) to direct a superhero movie.

• In that limo with champagne on tap, naturally Kendall and his crew were listening to Money All the Time by Balance.

• Shiv and Tom’s pantyhose-eating pet dog was named Mondale, after Democratic politician Walter Mondale, who died in April. Perhaps this was the way Succession paid tribute.

Join us next Monday to see who’s the happiest headspace. In the meantime, please leave your thoughts and theories below.