“Betrayal Cherry”
Is it all coming apart? Or is it all coming together? But for whom?
As usual, these are the sorts of questions our friends the Roys leave us with. At the top of “Rehearsal”, Kerry and Loge (because that’s what everyone is calling him now) are paying ATN a visit while the kids watch PGN Mystery Science Theater-style boast of their plans to burn it all down.
Kendall, ever the idea man, wants to show “hardcore international news” with a focus on “what’s happening in Africa”. Shiv steps out to continue her hunt for a divorce lawyer, but finds that all the heavy hitters somehow have conflicts when it comes to the case. Tom, meanwhile, gets a call from Greg, who informs him that Logan is “terrifyingly moseying” around the newsroom. In response to this, Tom jumps out of his car and runs like a chicken back to the office. Greg gives a panting Tom a status update, that Logan gave “one big shout” before grumbling about the new font.
Kerry is angling for an anchor spot, having recorded an unbearably awkward audition tape that is going around the inner circle faster than a 2007 chain letter. Tom, who has to make all the decisions for ATN now, is not a fan of Kerry’s performance, but he has no way of making this clear to Logan. Shiv is intrigued by Sandi Furness and Stewy’s offer of voting against the Waystar/GoJo sale, which the other siblings are absolutely opposed to.
Kendall shoots it down, of course, scared of running into his crush again.
Logan makes a scary speech on a stage made of reams of paper, essentially goading his ATN cronies to make up fake news for him. He is going to be around more often, of course, once the GoJo sale goes through, so he can more directly force them to make shit up for his own benefit.
The kids head to a helipad to fly into Manhattan for Connor’s rehearsal dinner but are not cleared to board the Waystar-owned helicopter. They are sooooo confused since they have never been able to not take helicopters, so they drive down to New York and show up late to the rehearsal.
After a meeting in the street with Sandi and Stewy which stirs no interest from Kendall and Roman, they head into the rehearsal to find Willa, all shook up, leaving the dinner. She tells her soon-to-be in-laws that “everything feels very vivid today” and disappears. Connor sits alone, drinking red wine, and forces his siblings to go with him to “a real bar with chicks and men with grease in their hands”.
The whole time, he tracks Willa on her phone while the siblings live out an episode of Rich Dicks, thoroughly confused by the functions of a dive bar. Kendall gets a call from Matsson, who tells him not to push it and let the sale go through. Ever the addict, Kendall decides to go double-or-nothing, texting Stewy for the figures that indicate that Logan is underselling WayStar
Tom and Greg, meanwhile, are locked down at ATN, trying to figure out an approach to breaking the news to Kerry that she has no juice. Tom’s big idea is for Greg to break the news, blame it on a focus group, and leave it to Big Tommy to clean up the mess. Naturally, it doesn’t work, as Tom bungles his “heads up on the down low”. Something about the arms, he says. “If this focus group isn’t real,” Kerry says through her teeth, “I’m gonna take you apart like a human string cheese”. She goes back to Logan lightly dejected. “I did the job,” Greg reassures himself.
Back at the dive bar, it comes to light that Roman has been texting with Logan, and the bitter recriminations start coming out. Shiv reveals that Logan pulled a similar “conflicted out” move on Caroline when they got divorced, and Roman insists that he’s the only one genuine about the siblings going into business together. Kendall is all the way in on teaming up with Sandi and Stewy, and Connor breaks in, informing his siblings that they will now go sing karaoke, as no one ever wants to go with him.
Pathos award goes to Connor Roy!
We soon learn that Connor passed on to Dad that the siblings want to vote no on the GoJo deal to push for more money, and invited Logan to join them at the karaoke bar. After a brutally depressing (this is coming from a guy who enjoys Elliott Smith and Songs:Ohia) rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat” from Connor, Logan is on the scene, asking to meet outside. They stand their ground, forcing their billionaire father to meet with them in a private room at a karaoke bar.
Kerry refuses to leave, despite the kids’ requests, and the recriminations reach a new level. Logan is sad that the kids didn’t come to his birthday and jumps down their throats about their siding with Stewy and Sandi. Shiv insists that it’s just business, but Logan attempts to school them on the deal, insisting that Matsson won’t move and magically offer them more money.
The kids essentially back Logan into a corner, forcing him to apologize for fucking them over at the end of last season when he bought Caroline’s shares from her. He attempts to apologize for that, and a multitude of things, as the kids lob a bunch more accusations his way. These include hitting Roman as a kid, putting Connor’s mother in a mental institution, and meddling in Tom and Shiv’s divorce.
On the last one, Logan posits that he might have helped Shiv with the divorce. But, she’s never around, soooo…
When Shiv calls Logan out on going back on every promise he’s ever made (remember season 2????), Logan’s attempts at apologizing end. He calls them “dopes”, informing them that they’re “not serious figures”, and storms out with Kerry. Out on the street, he gets existential once more and calls off the board meeting, calling a meeting with his entire inner circle except Gerri.
Is Gerri getting kicked to the curb!? Not on my damn watch.
Connor accuses the siblings of being too soft and obsessed with receiving love. He’s built different, though, “a plant that lives on rocks,” prepared to live the rest of his life without love. Having lost track of Willa, he heads home.
The siblings fan out for the evening. Kendall has a dumb smile on his face in the car, and Shiv is almost tempted to call Tom, the man she called her dad’s “little bitch boy” earlier that day. Connor comes home to a sleeping Willa, and he climbs into bed with his suit on (gross). All’s well that ends well? I think?
And just when we’re getting ready to say goodbye for the week, Roman shows up at Logan’s for a further chat about the evening’s events. Logan sends Tom (aka “Twin Cities Tessie”) out of the room and gently offers Roman a drink. He invites him to visit Matsson with him tomorrow, the day of Connor’s wedding, to do some damage control on the deal.
Logan shows Roman his soft white belly, acting kinder to him than he ever has, all a play to get under his skin. He plans to gut ATN when the GoJo sale goes through and offers Roman Cyd’s job at the tippy-top of ATN. He needs him, he says, and Roman basks in the glow of his dad’s kindness.
The stakes keep rising, and the idea of who may win in this protracted battle keeps slipping back and forth. For the first time, the siblings are a fully united front, but Roman’s desperation for his father’s approval is the perfect thread to pull to break the opposition.
And pull Logan will!
In Season 1, success was as good as Kendall’s, and in Season 2, it was going to Shiv. Roman has never been a serious candidate to run the company, and Logan is prepared to take advantage of that just so he can remain on tim.
Highlights from the episode include Logan’s anti-office pizza tirade, Greg’s “sog factor” theorem, and Sarah Snook’s performance in the karaoke bar!!
Emmy for Snook! Emmy for Snook! In the breakup scene last week, she gave us beautiful, dramatic, showy acting, and this week, we had some gorgeous, dropped-in FEELING. Versatility.
I was also a fan of Kendall’s various pseudo-Buddhist truisms. But, then again, chipper Ken freaks me out.
Favorite line? “I could give you a kiss from here,” from Tom to Logan. Poor Tom, so horny he forgets to just direct it all at Greg.
My esteemed colleague Eli, who I watched this episode with, pointed out that we never saw Shiv drinking this week. As a matter of fact, we saw her order club soda! Hmmmmmm…
The big question is, of course, are the walls closing in on Logan? Or can he continue to maneuver? Maybe this play for Roman is his last chance at destabilizing the “new-gen Roys” once and for all.
Next week, the wedding. Good and normal things always happen at Roy family weddings!
See you next time!!!!!!
