Episode Grade: (8.6/10)
As the sale edges closer, Logan’s plans for the future start to take shape. However, a late push by Stewy, Sandi, and the Roy children jeopardizes everything.
Plot (42/50)
Waystar’s Sale
Dissent was the underlying theme of this episode as internal issues plagued Logan’s attempts to get to the deal hassle-free. Sandi and Stewy believe that they’re leaving money on the table, but they lack the support to force Logan to reconsider. However, a series of personal developments motivates the “Rebel Alliance” to side with Sandi and Stewy. This forces Logan to take the motion seriously.
Logan legitimately thinks that Matsson could abandon the deal if they push him for more money, especially given how close they are to the deal’s completion. Nonetheless, he tries, but fails, to get his children to see reason. It’s not all in vain though, as Roman predictably falls for his father’s mind games. By the end of the episode, it seems as if the Rebel Alliance is no more.
Other Developments
Before this whole fiasco, Logan’s focus was firmly on the future. He visits ATN and gives a defiant, impassioned speech about his vision for the news broadcast. Of course, this comes a barrage of changes including promoting Kerry to anchor and getting rid of Cyd completely. Tom and Greg seem secure in their ever-obedient minion positions, for now.
There were a couple other developments in the family. Connor’s wedding to Willa is progressing despite some pre-wedding drama. And where one marriage is beginning, one is ending as we edge closer to Shiv and Tom’s divorce. Tom has the upper hand as he leans on Logan for advice. He’s already tied up the top divorce attorneys in the city, much to Shiv’s chagrin. More on Shiv’s response in the next section.
This was a very condensed episode that set things up well if nothing else. The drama was built up excellently as to add to the pre-existing tension among the characters. There’s intrigue with regards to how the deal progresses as well as how the new ATN will look. I liked that the apology scene didn’t turn into one of those unrealistic, typical feel-good family moments. The imminent showdown with Matsson will be critical.
Character Development (15/15)
Logan
This episode was heavy on the character development side, with almost everyone involved seeing some advancement. We saw a more reflective side to Logan in the previous episode, but for the majority of the episode, Logan was back to his vicious best. Logan craves control above all else, so naturally, he gravitates towards ATN because it’s the one place where he can still exert absolute control. He immediately makes himself known to the employees with a fiery rallying call. He’s already decided to get rid of Cyd, as she’s probably the only person willing to oppose him in any way. In short, he’s actively consolidating his power.
Therein lies the difference between Logan and the others: he’s active where they’re reactive. Take Shiv for example. When she learns that Tom, on Logan’s advice, has beat her to the top divorce attorneys in the city, she’s livid. She lets her rage consume her to the point that she teams up with Sandi and Stewy to sabotage a deal that she needs. I was somewhat surprised with Shiv’s recklessness here, but then again, she’s playing against the king of mind games.
The Children
Speaking of mind games, Kendall and Roman both displayed their mental fragility here. Kendall’s fairly rational until he gets put under pressure. He dodges Logan, Shiv, and Stewy’s pressure, but then Matsson calls and he cracks. I suppose sabotaging the deal is his way of exerting his agency over the situation. He feels like he’s being bullied and this is his way of fighting back.
Roman, on the other hand, just has an inferiority complex when it comes to his father. Time and time again, we’ve seen Roman fall for the mind games because deep down, he just wants to have a good relationship with his dad. Roman believed that Logan was being genuine because he wants to believe that his dad cares about him. Besides, it’s not like Shiv and Kendall treat him with much more respect. This is an experience he shares with Connor.
Connor arguably had his biggest episode to date. We’ve seen Connor have outbursts in the past, but this time it was different. He was subdued and scathing in his assessment of his life. This is a man that’s been starved of love for so long that he no longer seeks it, or so he says. He’s conditioned himself not to expect love, but ultimately, he would still like to have it. He knows Willa’s with him for the money, but there’s still a part of him that hopes she might come to love him.
Side Characters
Before I circle back to Logan, let me touch on the other characters. Tom’s subservient relationship with Logan is mirrored between him and Greg. They’re buddies, but Tom still projects his superiority as needed. Willa has a nervous breakdown as she comes to terms with her future as Connor’s wife. It’s interesting that she’s developed a sense of loyalty towards Connor. Kerry finds herself on an island having seemingly been hung out by Logan. She too tries to project her frustration onto those below her in the chain, namely Greg. Gerri, ever the opportunist, has already allied herself with Gojo it seems. Logan immediately reads it, but there’s not much he can do.
Wrap-up
Finally, there’s the topic of Logan’s apology. His ulterior motive is clearly to convince his kids to back off lest they ruin his deal to sell Waystar, but is that it? It felt to me like the same reflective tone from the diner scene in the previous episode was on display again. The key lies in what he says when he finally loses his cool. He tells his kids that they “aren’t serious people.” This has been his core issue from the very first episode. He wants to pass his empire on to his kids, but they’re not ready.
No serious business person bids up a purchase by billions of dollars or actively sabotages a multi-billion dollar deal out of spite. No serious business person makes a deal then proceeds to jeopardize the financing needed to secure said deal. Such behavior indicates that they don’t understand the value of money. At every step of the way, each of them has proven that they aren’t ready to run the company. No matter how much Logan wants them to be ready, he simply can’t ignore the facts because he is a serious person. It pains him to have to sell Waystar, but he’d rather regret not producing a worthy successor than see his empire destroyed.
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- Trauma continues to manifest itself until it’s resolved, if at all possible.
- You can’t make any requests, reasonable or not, if you’ve expired your good faith.
- “Smart people know what they are.”
Acting (14/15)
Brian Cox (Logan) was electric all episode long. Alan Ruck (Connor) was given more screen time than usual, and he shone. Jeremy Strong (Kendall), Kieran Culkin (Roman), and Matthew Macfadyen (Tom) are so good at capturing the emotions of their characters.
Cinematography (11/15)
- Nothing of note.