After a long and reasonable hiatus, Succession has returned, and it’s as though they haven’t missed a beat. The Roy family is still beset by problems, but in unexpected ways. Kendall (Jeremy Strong) assassinated his father, Logan (Brian Cox), to his proud amusement at the finale of Season 2. However, we’ve learned that he wasn’t so much Machiavellian as making it up as he goes along in the five episodes that make up Season 3, including the latest one about a genuinely tumultuous shareholders meeting. While the new season is proving to be a hit with audiences, Logan is clearly disappointed.
Cox spoke with IndieWire about the first few episodes of the new season, and he revealed Logan’s conflicted emotions. Of course, he wears his emotions close to his chest, and it’s unclear how much of what he says is genuine, even when he appears to compliment Kendall, as he did at a trick pow-wow in episode four. Cox describes Logan’s thoughts as “paradoxical and contradictory,” using Kendall’s behavior in the Season 2 finale mic drop as an example.
“It does feel good. The boy is finally standing up for himself,” Cox says. But, he adds, “he’s also feeling, well, he’s only standing up for himself because two hours before I told him he had to be a killer. And what does he do? He goes out and kills me. You go, well, that’s funny. And then you go, it’s a bit obvious as well.”
Logan’s “paradoxical and conflicted” thoughts, however, aren’t limited to Kendall. It’s for Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and even Connor (Alan Ruck), the older.
At the same time, there’s the never-ending disappointment that he experiences, which he tries to overcome because he wants to keep his love — which isn’t tough for him since he loves his children — the never-ending disappointment is devastating to Logan’s character. The fact that neither the males nor the girls can witness the game. It’s a game, but like all games, it’s still a game, even when it’s a matter of life and death. And they are oblivious to it.
Cox claims that while Logan is more quiet, the Roy kids are too wrapped up in their “egos,” and that while he understands how to maneuver around their antics, “deep, deep, down there is the impression he’s weary of this continual betrayal and treachery that he’s living with.”
Logan is also “very loyal,” according to Cox, who cites his close relationships with his children as well as veteran colleagues like Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), Karl (David Rasche), and Frank (Peter Friedman), despite the fact that he’s “fired and rehired and fired and rehired” them over the years.
Then there’s that pow-wow in Episode 4 where he compliments Kendall briefly in front of Adrien Brody’s Josh Aaronson, only to give Kendall the silent treatment as he goes away. “Well, he also says that you’ll say anything to get f*cked on a date, so that’s a giveaway,” Cox explains before going into detail about his tactics:
But he’s attuned to that. Of fact, he is more aware of Kendall’s abilities than Kendall is. Even though he sees Kendall’s potential and has this aspiration for his son, his son does not understand it. You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink, and that’s exactly what he’s doing all the time. He routinely drags his children to the pool, where they refuse to eat. That’s natural given their lack of trust. They have no idea who this man is. The actual stumbling block is that they have no idea who their father is. They don’t comprehend what their father is saying. They believe they do, but they are mistaken. And I believe it is the source of the mystery. And the tale is what makes Logan who he is.
Yes, but how good would Logan be on the basketball court? Perhaps better than you’d think.
Succession airs Sundays on HBO and HBO Max starting at 9pm.
