Succession is characterized in many ways by its relationship dynamics, with Jesse Armstrong’s
living and breathing world here being such a natural foundation for organic character work
to blossom, thrive and then decay. It is such a joy to see how and why these characters end
up in the places they end up, defined in many ways by those very relationships that got them
here in the first place - Logan and Kendall, Logan and Shiv, Logan and Roman, Greg and Tom,
Tom and Shiv, et cetera. These are the bread and butter of this story, and as a result,
these are what people tend to take away most from it. But as much as this narrative is
defined by a lot of its broad strokes dynamics, it is the brush strokes that help to enrich the
canvas of its story. The little details go such a long way, and today we’re going
to be discussing what is in my opinion one of the best and most subtle relationships
in the entire show - not to mention one that ultimately ends up being one of the saddest.
It goes without saying that Roman Roy is damaged and broken as a person. He is withdrawn behind
layers and layers of sarcasm, odd humor, snark and awkwardness in bizarre compensation,
but behind this all and what it comes down to in the end is that he is extremely starved of
love. And of course, his siblings are just as much so, but their coping methods involve
reaching out for varying things - approval, reputation, glory, being worthy of their name,
in order to obtain what they never had from Logan. And yet Roman is the one who most directly,
so desperately craves affection. While all three are damaged because of the way in which
their father expressed his love, Roman is the one who most directly fixates on being emotionally
nurtured. He reaches out for that intimacy and cares more about the idea of love than anyone.
Now as I discussed in my video on him, Connor was starved of love as well, never finding much except
an obligatory, cold, quote unquote fatherly pat on the back and lived his life dismissed,
forgotten and unloved. And yet he reaches out for and loves his siblings in spite of that,
and maybe partly because of that. And that is clear throughout the timespan
of the entire show. In the middle of this interfamilial feud, right before his wedding,
he just wants to have a regular, mundane, fun family night out with them drinking and singing
karaoke. But even that turns into a farce almost immediately as they pay pretty much no attention
to him and seem to consider this night something they must tolerate. They speak about business,
leave their brother out, complain, deride, and then fight with Logan as
Connor resigns himself to his lot in life. As he says, he can live without their love.
But while Connor ultimately concluded that he can live without this love,
its not like he didn’t try, and there are several implications throughout the story that,
perhaps due to Logan’s absense but undoubtedly in his absense, he tried his best to care for
his siblings. As Sebastion Carver pointed out in my last Succession video, Roman recalls this
extremely fond memory of a camping trip when they were all kids. He stated originally that he went
with his dad, but when Logan said he didn’t remember doing that, Roman realizes that it
was actually Connor that took them. It really does seem like Connor made an extra effort to try to be
there for his siblings to compensate for Logan’s mistreatment, but also simply because he loved
them and wanted to. He wanted to have a normal, loving bond with his brothers and sister. One of
the hardest hitting lines in the series for me is when Connor says that when they were all young,
he was still old enough to remember how bad things were. And so in response, he knew exactly what it
meant for both him and them for him to make an effort to be there. Again, just like a said in
my Connor video, he isn’t this perfect great guy, and he has plenty of notable flaws as a
person. But there is quite a contrast between the warmth he seemed to exude as a kid towards
those who needed it most, and a lot of the rest of the relationships in the story.
The idea for this camping trip was for it to be a genuine, loving,
connecting experience to allow the kids to be kids and bond, and that is something Logan
never would have done. But Connor went on it with them, to try to be that older brother,
that figure in their life to look up to for guidance and affection. They were
being deprived of that, and he knew all to well the pain of that deprivation. However,
it unfortunately seems to have gone unappreciated on a conscious level.
Because Kendall, blind to a wider perspective, self-interested and tunnel-visioned, recalls this
as an event he can use to beat up on Connor to feel cool, at a party where Connor showed
up simply to show support for Kendall, without needing to be there for business reasons or for
Gojo. As he’s done throughout his life, Connor simply wanted to express his love and support,
because he cares for his family. Yet what happens when he gets there? He’s harassed
for his silly coat, generally treated like the afterthought he is, and worst of all, he is made
the butt of a dark and over the line joke for the accident in his sleeping bag by the brother he
tried to comfort during that trip. There is no professional recourse for bullying Connor, and
with him at the bottom of the totem pole, its easy to bully Connor, and so everyone bullies Connor.
And yet, there is subtle implication throughout that Connor’s kindness and care for his siblings
did not go COMPLETELY unappreciated, and it is extremely fitting that the appreciator was the one
most starved of that love. All of the siblings are love-starved puppies as Connor puts it,
but Roman is the one who MOST needs genuine connection, nourishment and affection. Which
is why I think he appreciated Connor’s kindness a significant amount. In the earlier stages of
the series, while things are peppered with digs and cuts and cynicism, Roman actually
displays quite a care for Connor. He’s the nicest to him in his Bachelor party episode,
trying to ensure he has a good time, and generally hanging out with him and seeming kinda happy to do
so. And it’s a little detail, but it goes a long way for me. There are also little lines here and
there that make it clear that Roman likes Connor and that Connor’s care was not left unappreciated,
futile and unreciprocated. But to me the scene that hits the hardest in this regard
is during Connor’s Wedding, when all four siblings finally learn with finality that
Logan has died. There are genuinely touching interactions all over the place in this episode,
but to me one of the most beautiful was this reach out from Roman to Connor. It’s awkward,
honest and raw, just this broken boy who has been bereft of love his entire life reaching out for
the person who has maybe shown him the most of the type of affection he craved. Connor cared for and
loved his siblings, and Roman appreciated that as the one who needed it the most,
and I think that is encapsulated by this one small gesture in this storm of confusion and grief.
But.. these interactions are far to sparse to leave an impact and define their relationship
as positive overall, and the saddest thing to me is the contrast between them and the other
ones between the two. Roman provoking Connor by telling him that he molested him as a kid. Roman
joining in with the Connor disillusionment many a time. And just as the defining moment
of the beauty of their relationship was in season 4, so too is the defining moment of the
ugliness of their relationship, as Roman, still reeling from his fathers death and finding his
business and personal ventures crumbling around him, lashes out on the one thing that he’s been
able to lash out on his entire life - the one man who’s consistently tried to care for him.
The most prominent thing to take away from this scene is how Connor has learnt to be happy with
the only relationship in his life that has true meaning and affection, and how interestingly
empowering that is. But a more underlying and sad element to this is that it is the last straw
and end of any possibility of Roman finding the love he needs through Connor. I feel like he’s
burnt that bridge, and it’s sad for the both of them, but moreso for the one who needs it more.
Connor is present, available, supportive and ready to throw all the love he can at his siblings,
but for so many unfortunate reasons, none of them are interested in reciprocating.
Yet the one that hurts the most is Roman. Because due to his personal situation,
a loving brotherly relationship could’ve ended up being his saving grace and the impetus to
turn his life around. And I think on some level he realizes it. But he is too broken to act on it and
allow his heart and affection to shine through his cynicism, self-interest and pain. To me,
one of the biggest tragedies of Succession is that this family has all the right people
to fulfill all the right needs, but due to their upbringing and experiences, they are incapable of
acting on it. And so, Shiv will continue to find it difficult to love anyone, Kendall will continue
to set ablaze his life in pursuit of being number one. Connor will likely be the closest one to fine
out of the kids, but Roman may never find the love he desires because of the walls he has put
up due to that void - and as a result, a beautiful relationship that could have bloomed between him
and his brother may very well go unexplored and unfulfilled.. forever. Many thanks for watching.