How Logan Roy Manipulated Everyone (Succession)
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- This video essay analyzes how Logan Roy psychologically manipulates all the characters in Succession (owned by HBO), using coercion, social pressure, making everyone competing rivals, and gaslighting them by creating a false reality.
FAIR USE NOTICE:
This video may contain copyright material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This material is made available under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made "fair use" for the purposes such as criticism, comment, review, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that otherwise might be infringing. All rights belong to its owners.
Music used:
Bach Cello Suite No 1, G Major, Prelude by Cooper Cannell (CZcams Audio Library)
'Filaments' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky (CZcams Audio Library)
Falling Rain by Myuu (CZcams Audio Library)
'In Search of Solitude' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
Timestamps:
0:00 Logan the Manipulator
1:08 Coercion
5:08 Social Pressure
8:37 Competing Rivals
13:10 Creating a False Reality
#'succession # loganroy #briancox - Zábava
No one else could have made Logan Roy as detestable yet simultaneously irresistible as Brian Cox. Bravo Brian
Perfect description
*Bravo Vince
Its crazy how the makeup changed vince so much. Truly masterful.@@jnub3544
@@jnub3544 glad someone caught that 😎
Logan wasn't irresistible.
He was charismatic and his few moments of "humanity" only made his monstrous nature more horrifying.
He could've been a good parent, he simply was too selfish.
Same with fricking Caroline.
Even after Logan died, you can still feel his huge shadow presence surrounding the other characters especially his children
Logan pulling Kendall out of rehab is one of the most despicable things he does in the entire series and that is saying something
in an "objective" way, yeah, but it's also part of a phase where he sees kendall as somewhat of an equal, so from kendalls and logans perspective, it's easily the most respect he ever shown him
@@Toxodosnah
@@andrewstephens5885 deal with it.
@@andrewstephens5885 if you wanna be serious, name any other moment where he showed more respect
@@ToxodosI'm sure Logan telss himself that when he's feeling what passes to himself as emotional to feel better about himself
Never heard a charecter say “Fuck Off” better than Logan
I mean Ricky LaFleur easily has the best “fxck off” in tv history
Malcom tucker
@@jessbelen Malcom was so much more layered than just a simple Fuck Off 😉 but I have to say it’s a close one
A lot of tactics Logan used is very present in the business world. The show really made me realize how accountability is like a hot potato amongst the executives. No one ever speaks upfront about what they want and are always ready to dodge the bullet.
He is one of the best villains of our current time, alongside Homelander.
His presence alone pressurises everyone around him.
To add to this it's actually staggering cause even when he's gone he almost has as much of a presence then still.
Def agree the scariest part about Logan is that you can imagine someone like this irl homelander is a damn superhero lol Logan is just a fucking normal billionaire it’s crazy to imagine how people with that much money & power can get away with
Except Homelander is a child who trapped in adult's body while Logan is a fully grown man
@@margarethmichelina5146 No one's comparing their personalities.
Even after Logan's death, you can still feel some sort of his shadow surrounding every other characters. When Kendall wanting the role at the very last minute, Logan would've laughed hard because he knew, none of his kids deserved it. None of his kids are serious people
My father grew up in an environment of scarcity, with a dad who was emotionally and physically abusive. He ended up in a white collar career and ultimately passed away more materially wealthy than anyone in his family. Watching Succession helped me grieve his death in ways I can’t begin to describe for anyone whose parents didn’t come from similar circumstances. Logan’s funeral and the collection of eulogies given are so much more grounded in reality than you could possibly know if you haven’t lived those dynamics. For all its humor and classical affectations, it was frequently uncanny and profoundly cathartic.
Did you have a wee cry?
@@indigohammer5732 you suck dude
Only a show with writing depth like succession can be so rewarding to watch repeatedly. And you sir, beautifully read between the lines, exactly the nuances the writers wanted to portray. Bravo!
Not to mention , Brian cox totally beasting this role
One detail in the show that always struck me as strange was how Logan willingly exchanged some shares in his company to his ex wife in order to obtain full custody of his kids. You have to think his plan was eventually giving them high positions in his company because he knew his kids were the easiest people to control.
He also hates losing (like, at anything), so if the divorce and custody battle was another game for him to win, keeping the kids (their admiration, closeness, and future successor status) was probably part of that. Also, between Connor's mom (mental health care and death) and Connor himself (first pancake, no good), Logan probably knew the pr damage that him losing the kids would be. I can imagine him setting up photoshoots and press junkets around the Golden Trio, since they were born, to position himself as a family man, All American. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone thinking there was something wrong with him, that he couldn't get family right. And we don't know much about how him and Caroline ended things, but they clearly still hated each other almost 2 decades after their marriage ended - he'd never allow her to keep the kids and let her put her spin on how things went. He was obsessed with genealogy, genetic empire, bloodline monarchy. No way was he going to surrender them - even if he had zero intention of loving them, only possessing them.
Does anyone else feel dumb when watching some of these videos? I consider myself a reasonably intelligent and educated person but some of the nuance this channel picks up is astounding...and impressive.
They go to college for this stuff, it's not that you're unintelligent or anything. But this is one of the best channels on CZcams still.
To add to what @andylymbo said, the person behind the channel also does a lot of rewatches to pick on these nuances. Most of us watch the show once and then have a cheeky rewatch quite a few years down the line. So you could do the same if you would dedicate time and effort to a particular piece of media.
I think its because there are two types of consumers - people who watch for entertainment. And people who consume for artistic interpretation. They are very different.
I feel the same way
The reason why Logan sold his company to Mattson was because when he met Mattson the first time in person on Season 3 finale, he saw an already succesful young man who already enjoy his life despite on young age. Mattson stated that his life is "boring" because he already accomplished everything. Logan sees the image of himself on Mattson, a succesful businessman who's starting the company from Day One and from scratch and enjoy his business earlier. Also, Mattson is straightforward, blunt, bold and no filter. He immediately asking Logan right in his face "When will you die?" In the most polite way. Logan didn't see any of that criteria on his kids as Kendall is insecure drug addict and is temperamental, Roman is mostly joking around and likes to jerk off, Shiv likes to gaslight but she is the definition of "Talk to talk and not walk to walk" and then there's Connor who's not involved on the company from the beginning. Better sell the company to someone else who is way capable than letting his spoiled kids who never know about real world take control on the company.
It's helped massively with Cox's performance and presence. In any scene I'm always watching him look for the angle or play that works for him and its so gripping.
I think his real-life personality helps him as well, if you watch interviews of him about the show he frequently expresses how he doesn't think Logan was doing much wrong and was 'helping his kids' lol
@@katandra8819 agree.
One of the best things about Logans character(or worse) is literally every action and every word he speaks is a play in the bigger game. Numerous times throughout this series I found myself think “Finally Logan shows some compassion” but nope! It is and was always a ruse to feed his hidden motives. Thats the sign of high level writing and high level acting synergizing to elevate the final result. Perfect collaboration.
Also, HBO has a very deep history of mesmerizing villains
Logan Roy was a serious person.
Touché 🎉
He dangled a carrot in front of them all, starved them, then snatched it away every time.
We need one of these on Fuches from Barry.
You are so fucking correct.
Would love to see a video about "Poor Things" & "Anatomy of a fall"
Poor things coming next week
@@JustanObservation can't wait ☺
@@JustanObservationgreat!
@@JustanObservation I'm seconding the request for Anatomy of a Fall
@@JustanObservation You should analyse the characters of Scandal
Sending this to my grandma.
Is she...Logan Roy?
LMAO
Thank you for more Succession videos!!! Love your commentary
I found your channel because of your Succession videos! Thanks for another great one!
He told Kendall in the first episode: “You build your own reality”
Your videos are so elegantly made thank you 🙏🏻 I think I have to rewatch succession now 😅
i love all your analyses of succession but this one I found especially amazing!! keep doing what you do!!
13:55 - adoro a transição da agressão do filho do kendall para o Roman, é exatamente assim que a série conta como era o passado, usando o futuro.
Great video. It's amazing how much analysis this series brings.
You are so, so, so very good at these! Thank you for another superb essay.
Magnificent video as always
Love your breakdowns!!
Love your succession vids!
As always, love you video 👏
The only thing about this video is that it implies that logan knows who he wants to be CEO but personally I think he doesn't.
In fact, maybe thats why the show happens in the first place. For once, logan hasnt settled on his opinion and uses that as bait to trick people. He really doesn't know and for that reason this is the closest he ever gets to not being king of the world.
I like the way you talk about this show, makes me want to watch it again
To me, one of the worst things he did was tell Kendall to ask Naomi to leave the yacht (because he saw Kendall was happy with her and because Marcia had left him), then when she did leave, went to Kendall pretending he was disappointed that she left and that he tried to make her feel welcome. Kendall was his punching bag.
great analysis as usual
Excellent as always.
Watching Succession and checking in with essays like these are and have been immensely cathartic coming from a childhood defined by emotional abuse, intimidation, and inconsistent affection, acceptance and appreciation.
Such great observations, dope ass analysis.
Anyone recognise these dynamics from their own childhood? At some point most parents will threaten the child with ostracisation from the family long enough to set up that fear for life. Even putting them in the corner or giving them a "time out" for non compliance with the family rules.The fear of abandonment is deep rooted in childhood for many people and keeps them stuck in bad relationships and jobs they hate.
Another excellent video
I need the same type of video for Thomas Shelby
more succession videos these are fire
how hello kitty manipulated everyone (Kids tv)
Your videos are magnificent
I see the “it’s just a joke” tactic a lot in real life now, I didn’t connect that Logan was doing it too!
He is such a magnetic character. This is a great vid ❤
12:50
It also helped that Tom is *just here to serve* and without an agenda like 3 children when it comes to face-to-face with Logan
Logan Roy is capitalism personified
Great video about a great series. Thank you!
succesion videos are the best videos
I’m not saying I want to be like Logan but…. Some of his tactics would come in handy i.e. numerous unnecessary work meetings 👏🏻
The minute you start.. it won't stop at
Be ethically right
Be vocal straightforward
Be smart
You'll live happy and you'll end up building strong teams around you (unlike logan)
My favourite show oat the attention to detail is brilliant
Amazing!
Great vídeo!!!, can you do a Thomas Shelby one?
Logan firmly believes "reliance equals compliance"
EXCELLENT
Logan doesn't love his children.
For me, love is defined by sacrifice.
Logan would NEVER sacrifice his company for his kids.
They're just tools. It's incredibly twisted, they're just followers to him.
He criticises them for being weak and malleable (Connor or Roman). But when they accomplish anything outside of him and they become their own people, he shuts them down again.
Like when he insults Kendall in season 1 when he could barely speak when he struck that deal that saved the company, when he screams to Siobhan in public for yet again striking a deal that saves the company, when he feels jealous of his own son for being published in the cover of that famous magazine, when he tortured Siobhan for trying to build her own political career, etc.
That's the horrible thing about Logan. You'll never know when he'll strike, you'll never know what sets him off.
He is appalled by weakness, like when Connor or Siobhan refuse to compete because they're cowards, in his own words. But when they actually get close to reaching him or surpassing him in terms of social standing, he destroys them, because he can't stand to be replaced by people he sees as simple spoons.
Nothing will ever satisfy him.
Even Gerri, the goddess of making them remain wet amidst a thunderstorm, gets fired thanks to reasons outside of her control. Even though she was the only one who kept her head clear when the FBI raided Waystar.
He's a monster.
You're wrong about Kendall being manipulated out of the bear hug: he saw his dads's plan, and his dad's plan was better
I'm actually surprised at how no one in Succession is "good".
Everyone is awful.
The only neutral character I can think of is Rava, and even then, she doesn't get much screen-time. Willa... well, she sucks up to Connor and drains him of his money. Can't say she's good, but at least she was pleasant.
Connor was the only one who won.
He bought Logan's house, got his trophies, remains close to all his siblings, has a wife that's dependant on him and he got to spend time with Logan in the end.
He has no one who really loves or respects him in his life. Willa is literally trying to get as far away from him as possible. hardly a win
@@erm492 Compared to his siblings, he's the one who's better off.
Kendall, Roman and Siobhan also have 0 people to care for them.
Kendall blew up his opportunities to have a family with Rava, Sophie and Iverson. Roman literally has no one who truly cares for him. Siobhan is in a loveless marriage with Tom.
It's true Willa wants to be away from him, but Connor likely knows this.
He said in season 4 he doesn't need love and that's his superpower.
He talked to Willa about it before getting married.
They seem to be stuck in a cycle (like every other character) in which Connor is annoying, Willa feels pressured, but she needs the lifestyle, so she comes back to him and reassures him emotionally.
We see it when she accepts to marry him, comes back after she escapes from the wedding rehearsal or whatnot.
Superb
Histrionic and meretricious
It was easier than that. Every one of them was depended on him - careers, personal lives, money etc. They were easy to be manipulated, all he needed to do is show he can get very low in using any weapon against.
What a masterpiece
Can u do analysis about johan libert pls😢❤
Can you be my therapist?
Your insights are so deep
Can you do Lukas Mattson next please! That character was soooooooo damn interesting in the way he would manipulate everyone
I binged Succession after watching this
I often talk about how tense succession feels, all the time. I realized at some point that it’s about 90% Brian Cox. Even when he is piss mad or coddling the pierces, even when he is quiet, you fear him. You fear the moment when he’ll slip and he starts screaming and devastating with his words.
That is his power and it oozes over the entire show. He can be quiet for 3 episodes but you never relax, you just wait for the moment he explodes again.
Great edit 13:55
So many moves that my dad uses lol
On paper this character is a mustache twirling corrupt business man. On picture, he’s a larger than life monument of a bygone age where the only way to get on top was to ‘big dick’ and manipulate your way until no one not even a president or you know, your KIDS can ever get one up on you. End of the day love or hate him, one thing you can’t deny about Logan is that he is bloody consistent with how he approached life and relationships so if you choose to dance then you get what you came for.
Logan is such a perfect depiction of an unhealthy ENTJ type
Logan's kinda like Stalin, only without power to kill people, or not?
He should do a video on tony soprano next
Im not sure you can call what happened with Kendall a manipulation. Kendall is trying to snatch his kingdom away, killed a boy and ran. They are fighting and Ken lost.When fighting for your life everything is on the table. Its war.
“kendall is trying to snatch his kingdom away”. is that really accurate when from kendall’s point of view, he’s been promised the company since age 10 until right before the pilot, with even a succession plan in place. like that’s his father dude, at the end of the day all he wants is from him to be proud of him, he’s emotionally stunted from a life time of abuse. then, using all these weaknesses logan put in him, he judges him for it, not giving him the keys to the kingdom, literally telling him he has to be a killer. so, he tries to be a killer and what happens, his father blackmails him for murder. sure, logan played a card to keep his company, but it’s not black and white: “kendall is trying to attack”, he’s trying to earn his father’s lov.
Was that promise in writing? Like Roman said "Read the fine print" LOL - I dont care what he was promised at 10 years old. That is before he became a drug addict and adopted children. The idea that everything Logan Roy built would be handed down to his drug addict son, and adopted children is totally unacceptable. Peope change from the time they are 10 years old to their 40's. And lets not forget. Kendal was given every pathway to create success on his own. HE DIDNT. Logan is oldschool. He loves his children. But at the end of the day, he could'nt respect them. Because they didnt have the same grit and ambition. They merely grew up rich. They were given BILLIONS of dollars and will inherit BILLIONS more. Talking about this man like he is a wounded bird, falling from the sky into the deep blue abyss, is laughable.
Kendals true character showed when he left that kids in the pond. How many other examples, of his personal weaknesses over a lifetime did Logan see? Promised at 10years old - You must be kidding.... @@michellejaxon5245
And Yes - Im sure it was a huge let down. But, once he was told that his father - THE CREATOR OF THE COMPANY AND HIS ENTIRE LIFE- was going to stay on. He had a chance to find out why his father changed his mind, and take that as a chance to IMPROVE. Why wasnt self improvement and option and "killing" your father is??? That is such a warped mindset that points to nothing but a psychotic level of narcissism and greed.
At the point of sale to the Swed. He told his children that they will be judged and now is their time to prove that they deserve it. PROVE IT TO EVERYONE. And if you remember Logan loved ancient Roman history. Im sure the stories of Marcus Aurilias and Commodus came to his mind. What happens when an Emperor gives a Kingdom to his idiot son.... Commodus was the beginning of the end of the Roamn Empire. @@michellejaxon5245
Both of you are a little silly, here. Kendall wasn't entitled to heading Waystar, 100%, but Logan did intentionally give him a massive complex about it since birth. You don't get to have contempt for people exhibiting the damage you've inflicted on them, the complexes you've nurtured.
Logan himself, isn't this God-king who was all powerful and filled with grit BTW. He grew up in ww2 conflict, but not in poverty, he inherited the initial investment to start building Royco out of an existing billboard business. He wasn't this self-made genius out of the mud - he curated that myth. His kids were spoiled, yes, but by him - and abused by him. He was successful, in canon, as a result of ruthlessness (untold bribery, govt interference, crimes, intimidating workers at scale and in his team), refusal to give an inch for anyone (consequence of his own childhood horrors, and meant he was pathetically lonely and sad and violent to people he loved all his life) and luck, frankly. A lot of Succession goes through how many poor decisions he made, and how much luck played a part - if Kendall hadn't killed the kid, if Tom hadn't snaked Shiv, if there wasn't a traffic jam on the way to a vote. He almost lost it a thousand times. He incurred billions in debt, protected evil men in his company, and refused to retire out of spite - even after pissing on floors, incoherent ramblings about dead cats, a stroke. He had zero emotional control, so his disdain for Kendall is laughable. At least Ken just ignored his kids, didn't hit a child across the face with a tin of cranberry sauce bc he lost a kid game.
Also, and I know maybe you're trying to write from Logan's POV here, but the scorn with which you're talking about adopted kids is a bit gross, my dude. Drug addiction too. Put the Logan kool aid down.
You started off, super insulting. And I have no need to even read your comment past the first sentence. Have a nice day Emma. Go play in some other comment box. Im sure there are many others that will enjoy your condescension and superior input.@@emmaatkinson7379
Watching this made me feel extremely uncomfortable because I know in the end Logan "won", in the worst way possible, and that's a testament to the show's top notch writing
🔥🔥🔥🔥
I think he also knew they were all greedy horrible people, and didn't really like any of them.
MOREEEEE
I feel like you didn’t go that deep into how you manipulated shiv, ofc it’s kind obvious how he’s manipulating her but she in her own realizes that and thinks she can do the same, hence why he went so hard her for working with Gil
To be honest, I didn't like the character. It felt really one-dimensional and flat: Logan is always (always!!!) grumpy, shouting and in a really terrible mood. I missed some extra nuances, some seductive side of him. Instead, he was shouting "f**k off!" all the time, and acting annoyed all the freaking time.
Money
On a serious note, I find it quite insidious and lowkey harmful to the audience that many prestige shows or movies have the moral message that
“The abuser is right to treat his subject this way and everything he’d done is validated in the end.”
Succession - Logan Roy is right
Better Call Saul - Chuck McGill is right
Whiplash - Terence Fletcher is right
I think you’ve misread all three… the fact that you recognise this is a bad moral message means the message was more subtle and complex. I’m always glad when creatives trust their audience to look deeper like you did. Give ‘the audience’ some credit 😊
@@TurbulentShrew What about those Terence Fletcher motivational videos?
that is not at all the message of those stories. sure, they succeed in their goals with abusive strategies, but that’s maybe a fifth of what the whole story’s about. do you think terrence fletcher will ever be happy? ever establish any emotional connection with anyone that lasts? i doubt it. and we already know what happened to chuck and logan. sure they “won”, but that’s the whole point, in winning, we realize what they truly lost, what’s truly important. some people, like roman, for instance, are lucky they lost, as they can now be on a truer path to happiness than the one that’s been brainwashed into him by logan. essentially, winning in business, winning in having created a star pupil, winning in being correct about your brother after your suicide (which he wasn’t correct btw, jimmy did the right thing in the end, he changed). these aren’t actually examples of winning when you take into account their actual lives, not just their goals.
Right and wrong is a false duality.
literally nobody with an ounce of media literacy would watch succession and take away the message that logan roy was right
How do I comment
I think my favorite part was when Taigen got h@rd when he wrestle mizu 🤣. Just showing everyone is a little gay.
First!!
PS. Next two weeks: Poor Things and Saltburn
Great, I'm have my popcorn ready. We watched poor things on the plane and it needs detailed analysis lol
@@JustanObservationsaltburn is below your level of analysis, what about anatomy of a fall?
@@michellejaxon5245 Saltburn will be a different type of analysis. I have yet to see Anatomy of a Fall yet, it is on my list asap though
@@JustanObservation wow thank you for responding, looking forward to it
This is way too harsh on Logan
I hate that I like this guy, i.e. Logan Roy.
That you Hermann?
He was the only likable character.
I feel like older viewers tend to relate better to Logan, while younger viewers tend to relate better to the “kids.” Although the kids’ lives are not exactly representative of the average millennial’s life experience & struggles lol.
Everyone is saying logan roy is a villain, but is he a villain? I wouldn't call him a villain. Sure, he is harsh and a bit evil. But everything logan did is just playing the alpha male. A big bad wolf who is keeping his pack intact. For me logan roy is abusive father but a great teacher. If you rule with kindness the people will see you as weak and betray you. If you rule with fear and force they will see you as ruthless and are scared to betray you. That's the tragedy of power. In order to keep the power you have to sell your soul.
Logan is the protagonist and the antagonist.
@@JoJoJoker Correct
What a binary vision of power you're describing. Did Vito Corleone sell his soul to keep the power he amassed? Not in the least, even he had his red lines. So much of power is about knowing when NOT to use it, or for that matter, not let it degrade to the point of abuse which Vito was a master at. As a result, he maintained a loving family, loyal partners, and respect from the other Don's for whom he SHARED power with in the five boroughs. Michael Corleone (and Logan Roy for that matter) is a much better portrayal of the version of power that you're describing - ruthless, nihilistic, and merciless. So let us be sure, both Logan Roy and Michael Corleone are not "a bit evil" - they ARE evil!
Fear lasts longer than love.
@avocadoaficiando logan roy and michael corleone are very different from each other. Michael corleone is evil. He killed his opponents and his brother to keep his power. Logan roy wants his children to take the power from him. For that, he challenges them to teach them how to crush an opponent.
make a video on homelander please i beg of you
One of the best characters ever right there
Superb