The only TV show ever is finally back, thank God. Many predictions have been made as to what might happen after we left the Roys in season two, but now our dreaming has come to an end. How apt to kick off this episode with a breathing exercise class by Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong). Honestly, if laying in an empty tub helps him calm down after metaphorically stabbing his father, I might just start doing it myself when I realize I forgot to buy Oatmilk at the store.
It feels so good to see our innocent sharpie hair baby boy again. Jeremy is a flawless actor, and anyone who thinks otherwise should stay far away from me. Kendall’s call to take their action stations gets the momentum going. Jess (Juliana Canfield) is astonishingly cute under stress, and Karolina’s (Dagmara Domińczyk) irritation towards Greg (Nicholas Braun) suits her. As this rag-tag bunch leave, Karolina’s exit from the car is an extremely rare occurrence wherein the camera follows a non-Roy. We’ll surely be seeing more of her after this pivotal moment, the importance of which should not be understated. Greg’s slow and stilted dialogue can be grating in how much it lags a conversation. On the other hand, it is nice to have some breaks in such a fast-paced episode. And I have to be honest, some of his lines are pretty funny. Comparing Kendall to O.J. and opening him up to jokingly say, “Who says I never killed anyone?” was an extreme whiplash of emotions. Does anyone know what “run-up off the fucking beanstalk” means by the way? So his father is the giant at the top? Okay, I guess.
Back in Europe, Logan (Brian Cox) is calling his gang to action stations to deal with a “full Baskin-Robbins 31 flavors of fuck” (thank you, Karl). Both him and Kendall are trying to hire the same lawyer who Gerri says “repped the trafficked sex workers” or, as Logan put it, “did the hookers." Frank confirms that Logan “never hurt anyone and he never touched anyone personally”, and we see Roman gesturing that yes, it’s obvious, even though we literally saw his father slap him and we are inclined to believe that was not the first time. He and Shiv are once again riding the line of wanting to support their father while also worrying about how to advance themselves.
Roman (Kieran Culkin) is still a coward, but he is especially cutting towards Kendall here (“Kendall's mentally ill, he's insane” is both hilarious and brutal). The plan he lays out to take him down is vicious but for some reason when he calls his father to pitch himself for CEO, he pulls back. All we can hope for in life is to have someone who looks at us the way Roman looks at Gerri (J. Smith Cameron). “I’d lay you badly but I’d lay you gladly” is somehow the most insane thing he has ever said. Gerri being completely unphased by it is exquisite as well. In the infamous season two episode three scene, Roman points out to Gerri that technically he’s her boss, and now, the season three premiere gave us the revelation that since being appointed to CEO, Gerri is the boss of him. I’m sure Roman is going to revel in that fact despite the irony of this occurring during a sexual assault investigation. While their relationship continues to be unrefined, and frankly, hot, Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) are still suffering in a fail-marriage. They are going to be amazing to watch this season. His unwillingness to go all-in supporting Shiv for CEO is telling. Only time will tell what game he starts to play. As the siblings position themselves, the dinosaurs are strategizing. The use of the word “kids” to describe them illuminates once again how they are viewed by their father and his circle.
Meanwhile, holed up in his ex-wife Rava’s (Natalie Gold) apartment, Kendall is parading around his “I did this for you” mantra to anyone who will hear it. While it may be him trying to suck up and make allies and friends, part of me thinks he actually believes this. He wants to be good so badly, to be altruistic and sacrificial. Not only does he want to embody those traits though, but he also wants to be recognized as such. He needs the “cool tweets” and good memes online but more importantly, he needs the real-life version of cool tweets and memes - love. Fittingly, he invites Naomi Pierce over, who parades around her carelessness and entitlement by unthinkingly asking Greg to open up a bottle of wine with immense sentimental value to Rava. Truly the most unlikeable she has ever been. The highlight of this episode for me obviously is the introduction of Comfry (Dasha Nekrasova). Her bashful smile and subdued mannerisms are instantly charming. Greg certainly thinks so! It was quite endearing to see him try so hard to make small talk. When Comfry said “Okay. Nice.” something in the universe shifted - it single-handedly ended Mercury Retrograde. Dasha’s performance is palpably awkward and I can’t wait to see more of her.
Other editions to the show, lawyer Lisa Arthur (Sanaa Lathan) and her… curious history with Shiv, and Kendall’s new PR consultant and Comfry’s boss Berry Schneider (Jihae) are more fantastically cast additions. This episode was even better than I could have asked for. Kendall is being manic, Shiv is sharpening her knives, Roman and Gerri are sticking together, Comfry is here. So much to celebrate! Now we are in Gerri Time. Say goodbye to the Gregorian calendar and the social construct of time as we know it. From now on there is no 8:00. There is no Eastern Time or Pacific Time. There is no AM and PM. There is only Gerri Time. Succession season three episode two airs next Gerri Time (Sunday at 8 PM Central). Cheers!
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