On Succession Season 3 Episode 3, “The Disruption”, what seems like a fairly slow episode actually becomes lots of puzzle pieces of this season falling into place.
It’s not a crazy dramatic episode — nothing like Kendall holding a press conference to decimate his father or Gerri being made Interim CEO — but it still packs its own punch where it matters.
Roman Roy remains the best, even if not the favorite, Roy child. For multiple reasons but especially because he so obviously cares.
About the public. About his siblings. His father. Gerri. Roman won’t join Kendall because it’s going against their father, and he also won’t sign Shiv’s letter because it’s going against Kendall.
Roman wants to be neutral, whether really for business or because of his personal feelings, and he doesn’t do anything to risk this. He goes to Gerri with almost everything, because he sure as hell can’t go to his father.
Roman jokes about his family, especially his siblings. The jokes are sometimes inappropriate, toeing the line of too far, but when asked about a memory with his father, he speaks of a memory he has with Connor.
Because despite Roman being (almost literally) tortured as a child, his siblings are the people he grew up with. They all dealt with their father and their mother. They've all had to learn what it was like to be Logan Roy's kids. They’ve seen what this family does and what it can do.
He doesn’t have that connection with anyone else, no matter how in Gerri seems.
Tom’s idea to self-sabotage is smart, so smart even Shiv admits it, but now that Kendall has brought everything to the surface, there’s a chance Logan won’t even think about sending Tom to the wolves.
He could, he really could, and use it as payback for Shiv not standing by him when he really needs it, but I don’t see it happening. Logan wants someone huge and important to take that fall. Sorry, Tom. I’m a little bit scared it will be Gerri.
Logan makes a good effort to tell the FBI to F off multiple times, and he doubles down on his choice of Shiv for President of the company.
He goes on and on about how he needs her to trust him, love him, not believe any of the things people are saying. He emphasizes that his own daughter, his only daughter, has made it clear that she won’t step up and stand for him outwardly.
He says this, though, and it’s very clear that he’s only saying “the women who need to stand next to me aren’t” and not “it hurts that you, my daughter, aren’t standing up for me.”
Shiv takes a hard beating in this episode, from Logan calling her out, and Kendall sabotaging her, to Roman and Connor refusing to sign the letter she’s written in an attempt to show everyone who Kendall really is.
Shiv really, truly, almost joined Kendall in “Mass in Time of War”, so for her to turn to this as quickly is a big deal.
When Kendall hijacked the press conference that Shiv was speaking at, the press conference where Shiv is introduced as president, Shiv took that deeply personally.
Kendall, in his fit to try and make something happen out of nothing since he was having a hard time even getting into the building, was going after the company. His father.
Shiv saw it as Kendall coming directly for her. Embarrassing her. Stealing her spotlight. Just when she finally had it.
So Shiv fires back. In the only way she knows how. She goes directly for the jugular and hits Kendall in the places she knows it will hurt most.
And only minutes later does Sophie Iwobi, played by the impeccable Ziwe Fumudoh, tear Kendall apart limb from limb on her show.
And my goodness does Jeremy Strong deliver.
He perfects one of his most important, most incredible moments as Kendall. His world is falling apart all around him. He’s broken beyond words, but still, seeing that Waystar is being raided, he manages to smirk.
That’s all it takes. A slight tick in his lips, a raise in his head, and Kendall is no longer the little boy hiding in the production closet, trying to zone his sister’s words out. He’s a man getting what he wants.
As per usual, the script from this week is absolutely incredible. Here are some of my favorite quotes:
- Kendall: “I’m not your f---ing sugar daddy.”
- Shiv: “Everyone is doing somersaults for him right now.” I loved this one because Shiv is also doing Olympic-level gymnastics for him, she’ll just never admit it.
- Kendall: “They’ve hacked my AC.”
- Roman: “This will make him s--t his pop-tarts.”
What did you think of "The Disruption"? Do you agree with Shiv releasing that letter? Are you glad that Connor is being brought into the fold more often? Do you think Gerri is being set up? Let me know in the comments below!
