SuccessionLogan Roy (Brian Cox) has passed away. Waystar founder and CEO Royco dies on a flight to meet with GoJo CEO Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård), whom he chooses to take priority over his eldest son Connor’s (Alan Ruck) wedding.
A Rupert Murdoch-meets-King Lear type, Logan was a media titan, fierce businessman, and creator of the beloved game Boar on the Floor.(Opens in a new tab). But while he died a billionaire, he’ll be the first to remind you that he came from humble beginnings.
Born in 1938 in Dundee, Scotland – “Northbank” as son Kendall (Jeremy Strong) described in the infamous rapper, “L2OG”(Opens in a new tab) – Logan Roy built media conglomerate Waystar Royco from the ground up. The company is known for its flagship network, ATN, which in turn is famous for hiring controversial anchors like Mark Ravenhead (Zack Robidas), who may or may not be Nazis. (Signs like reading My struggle Several times he refers to “probably a Nazi.”) Waystar’s cruise division was also a topic Succession scandal, as allegations of sexual abuse came to light that caused Waystar Royco employees to testify before Congress.
Logan Roy is dead. Here’s how the Caliphate deals with it.
A friend of many notable people, including presidents, Logan has survived many such scandals throughout his tenure as CEO. He has also survived several attempts to take over Waystar, including one by number one boy, Kendall.
To say that Kendall and Logan’s relationship was “complicated” would be an understatement. Logan blackmailed Kendall for his manslaughter, then tried to use Kendall as a sacrificial man due to Waystar’s mistakes. In turn, Kendall revealed his father at the subsequent press conference, calling him “a malicious presence, a bully, and a liar.” (Not long after the aforementioned rap, in which Kendall says, “Since I’ve been a dad, I’ve been alive and well.”)
Brian Cox in “Succession”.
Credit: Peter Kramer/HBO
Their father-son relationship was just one of Logan’s many turbulent personal relationships, such as his strained separation from his older brother Ewan (James Cromwell) and his three failed marriages. The first two ended in divorce, while the third, for Marcia (Hiyam Abbas), was badly broken at the time of Logan’s death. Your wife’s infidelity with former PGM CEO Rhea Jarrell (Holly Hunter) and current self-described “friend, assistant, and advisor” Kerry Castellabate (Zoe Winters) would!
But these relationships are only small spills compared to the Great Pacific Dumpster that was the way Logan treated his kids Connor, Kendall, Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin). Logan’s many confrontations with Kendall made this relationship more public, but he would withhold and abuse all of his children. He pitted them against each other for control of Waystar, neglected them when they weren’t interested in him, and could always be relied upon to call them “psycho” or some pick of a homophobic slur. At the Argestes retreat, even Logan slapped Roman. Logan himself was a victim of abuse at the hands of his Uncle Noah, and he continued that vicious cycle for the rest of his life.
Whatever love Logan failed to show his children, he showed for his business. Even when he sold Waystar to GoJo, he demanded to remain in control of ATN. In the days leading up to the deal closing, he barked horrifically around the ATN newsroom like a hitman Santa Claus before giving a rousing speech about destroying the competition. “This is not the end,” he told his excited staff as they chanted his name. But the world had other plans for him.
The loss of Logan Roy – and Brian Cox’s incredible performance – will no doubt leave a huge hole in our Sunday night viewing, just as it will leave a hole in the hearts of his children and a vacancy at the top of the Waystar ladder. But before we move on to wondering who will succeed the late Logan, join me in wishing OG himself farewell with two favorite words. you know exactly What am I talking about.
Succession Streaming now on HBO Max(Opens in a new tab)with new episodes airing at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.