Summary: Kendall is taken out of rehab to make a media statement on why he sided with his father again, and he does a good job. However, this doesn't change things for Logan. Logan meets with Laird, his banker, and is given advice to sell. He sets up a meeting with all of his children to discuss. Roman makes a pitch, but Logan is unimpressed by it. Shiv is skeptical, but Logan wants her to be CEO. After some negotiating, she agrees and they decide to tell nobody. Logan decides not to sell. Logan takes Kendall with him to meet with Stewy and Sandy. Logan doesn't go in and instead Kendall goes in to tell them that there will be no deal and that Logan will fight with everything he's got.
The Good: After all that happened last season, Kendall is exactly where he should be: struggling to recover and return to who he was before. Saddled with the knowledge of wat he's done and being forced to keep this secret forever, Kendall is suitably jumpy. Jeremy Strong portrays him so well, showing him scared and nervous in absolutely every situation, the anxiety of never knowing if this will come back to haunt him eating away at him from the inside. This is gripping to see, and Kendall is terrific in every scene. His shellshocked media appearance is pretty bad, but he keeps his calm and says exactly what needs to be said (to Logan's hilarious comment of "that's the first fucking thing he's done right in his life"). After that, Kendall goes back to being a husk, and it's amusing to see him sticking to the fake media story to hide the truth from everyone he interacts with ("Dad's plan was better"). I'm curious to see what more there is for Kendall this season, and if there is a way for him to get some agency back. It's fun to catch up with the other Roys, and their disdain for Kendall is what you would expect to see. They don't forgive the betrayal easily at all, and are infuriated by the fact that Logan doesn't seem to be punishing Kendall, blissfully unaware of the horrors he is going through. I enjoy the central role that Shiv and Roman play in this episode, and seeing them each going to talk to Logan about his decision to sell is engaging. It becomes clear in retrospect that Logan never intended to sell and looked to weigh his options with Shiv and Roman, but during the episode there is some genuine suspense and intrigue for what comes next. Logan's meeting with Roman is first, and it's another glorious reminder of how dumb he is. Roman comes up with some ideas, but always misses the bigger picture, and Logan's disappointment is made clear through him appointing Kendall as co-COO to prevent Roman from doing anything else stupid like blowing up another rocket. Logan's conversation with Shiv forms the centerpiece of this episode. Throughout the series Shiv has been completely disillusioned. She sees through Logan's plans, and we can tell from her conversation here that it's because she learned that Logan never had any real plans for her, and got disappointed by expecting more. But this time, it's different. Logan breaks through her many layers of skepticism, dismissal, and nihilism to get to the heart of what she wants. Shiv has wanted the CEO position more than anything, and her resentment for Logan has been because he cut her off from this position. But when faced with the possibility of her father actually opening his arms for her, she breaks down just like Kendall in the final scene of "Nobody is Ever Missing". It's clear that the desire to be recognized by her father has plagued Shiv for many, many years, and now we get to see Logan using this weakness to get what he wants from Shiv so that he can name her as his successor. This scene is layered and brilliantly acted by Brian Cox and Sarah Snook, who are both so good at feigned emotion and real emotion in their characters respectively. In all of this, there is still a fun background story as the Roys find three dead raccoons stuffed in the chimney (a nice metaphor for the 3 Roy kids fighting to climb the ranks?), and we get reminded of the disillusionment of the wealthy. Logan underpaid the catering service already, and now after getting suitably poor service, he underpays them further. We don't need a reminder that Logan is awful, but of course that's not going to stop him from doing terrible things to lower class people regardless. The Bad: Nothing bad. The Unknown: Will Kendall's secret get out? Will people find out from a loose end somewhere, or is he going to confide in somebody when he really shouldn't? What is Logan's long-term plan for Kendall? Does he intend to keep using him for his own gain, or will he cut him off eventually? How are Stewy and Sandy going to respond to Logan essentially declaring war on them? What's their next move? How did Logan's conversation with Roman end off? I can't imagine Logan had any big plans for Roman. Is Logan's deal for Shiv real? Does he intend to go through with it? Or is this another twisted scheme that he is manipulating her for? Will Shiv cooperate with him? Will she tell Tom what happened? Did Shiv actually get Tom a promotion, or was that a lie? Best Moment: Logan and Shiv's negotiations definitely stole the show. Such brilliant acting, and such fascinating layers underneath this relationship. Character of the Episode: Shiv. Conclusion: This was a rock solid premier for season 2, introducing interesting new storylines and being consistently entertaining throughout. Score: 66
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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