Succession - Why Kendall Isn't A Killer

Kendall can’t lie to himself like the rest of them so he is prone to breakdowns and relapses when looking at his actions for what they are and what they say about him.

One thing I've noticed after rewatching the show is that the only time Logan is genuine is when he's berating, smacking or firing someone. Every word or action throughout the entire show is done with ulterior motives. His children don't trust him and they don't trust each other. I'm often puzzled reading through comments about the show where people are constantly criticizing the Roy kids and barely a word about their parents. In my opinion, Connor has the right idea, just stay away and don't get involved.

Kendall was sort of onto something when he said he was a better person than his father. He has remorse and empathy and he has a piece of his humanity left. He craves genuine connection and love and would never be able to substitute that with money and power like Logan does. But he is not a good person, and that notion destroyed him because at this point he doesn't have anything else. And he doesn't have anyONE else either, it's incredibly sad.

Succession really is Kendall’s show more than anyone else’s imo

I had to stop the video and say this. Abuse doesn’t make you strong, abuse lives a scar in your soul that can be very hard to get rid of, if you knew much about it, you’d know that. Sure looking at Logan Roy you might think he’s strong but actually he’s pretty pathetic. He doesn’t see the value in any relationship that isn’t competition. Like he said “I fucking win”. I can’t even imagine what kinda damage that mindset does to a person. Logan is bitter, like he said he’s always bored, he can’t even step down from the company at 80 years old because he’s afraid he’d die without having that competition in his life. Logan is only strong in that he’ll do whatever it takes to win but he’s never considered the fact that winning has never brought him any real happiness or at least not for a very long time. Logan is literally just in autopilot, the things he does, don’t really benefit him but he does them anyway because that’s all he knows and he’s never had to learn any new lessons since he got his empire.

abuse doesn’t make people “strong”

He can definitely be cringy but I can kind of see myself in him. He’s trying to shine and he’s broken inside. He’s constantly striving for success and it’s just out of reach.

The witty dialogue sometimes distracts of the intergenerational abuse. And the fact that all the kids have insecure attachment, which causes a void they fill up with ambition and defense mechanisms, like sarcasm, open relationships (in this case), addiction, sexual obsession... Kendall...I feel for. You can see the vulnerable child shining through. After all he just wants his dad's love and approval...so much he cannot be there for his own kids.

what’s most horrible (read: impressive) is how the writers are able to establish him, and the other roy siblings, as their “own worst enemies” in such a way that all of their self-destructive actions, and the consequent fallout that ends up leaving others in pseudo-murder-suicide crossfire, reveals itself as their parents influence. it’s like all their abuse has embedded parasites in their brains who continue to feed on them even though they are grown. it’s so heartbreaking, seeing how much violence their parents are able to inflict on them even when they aren’t there. we just keep waiting for them to cure themselves of it even though we are constantly reminded that they’re too far gone to be saved. i think that’s why we see the “kid versions” of them in the credits each episode, it reminds us that what we are really watching is what can happen to a child when love is only ever offered conditionally. because while they /do/, they don’t know /how / to feel any kind of emotion or experience any person/thing in and for itself. everything has a price, everything is a game, everything is to an end, they were never allowed to just let something exist purely or simply, and it has made their experience of the world deeply, deeply fractured.

After watching Succession, I kinda understand why people at the top are total Narcissist. And Kendall suffers because he was not a Narcissist.

I’m fucking obsessed with this show

and like a Shakespearean tragedy, kendall becomes a killer, cycle of abuse continues

Succession has been my favorite show to stream this year. Glad to see video essays on it.

LOVE this analysis! 100% agree with all of your points because they all exhibit exactly why I love the show so much.

THIS AGED WELL 😭 Its a new day!!

Amazing vid. So many good points and i loved the attachment-authenticity fragile balance, good job!

Excellent video 💗 love a good succession video essay! Kendall is so tragic.

Your new videos are really nice. I like the essay-review format!

Amazing analysis, so much better than other Ken videos I've seen. Like another commenter said, a Shiv video would be lovely. I think there is a lot to be discussed and analyzed with respect to her gender while competing in arguably a "man's" world. Like Logan says, something along the lines of how he thinks she could do it but the rest of the world doesn't. Shiv is perceptive and knows that possibly she isn't actually the best candidate for the head role, which causes her a lot of cognitive dissonance.

I love this show so much and thank you for the breakdown!