‘Succession’ Season 2, Episode 7 ‘Return’ Review: Investors

Waystar-Royco recently lost its only way out of the bearhug. Also, a potential Succession seems unlikely, too. Now, the men of the Roy Family decide to secure their investors. With the opposing side adamant on continuing their acquisition, Waystar-Royco takes to England. However, it becomes too late when they realize that they are blindly walking into a trap.

On Sunday’s episode of Succession, Logan Roy (Brian Cox), Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) travel to England. Lady Caroline Collingwood’s (Harriet Walter) threatens to withdraw her investment share. Meanwhile, Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) chases after Logan in search of answers. Back at New York, Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) threatens Greg Hirsch (Nicholas Braun) as an internal investigation about the cruise scandal begins.

Mother

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Nothing pleases Caroline more than knowing that she pisses Logan off. While the Roys did know that Caroline does not indeed intend to withdraw her shares of stock, potentially losing her share would undoubtedly hurt Waystar-Royco. With that said, Logan is determined to keep his ex-wife’s money in the company pocket. Offering to reopen their divorce settlement, Logan allocates up to $50 Million to Caroline. Caroline, on the other hand, has different plans. It was either $10 Million, and the Summer Place or $20 Million and the Family has to spend Christmas with her. As expected, Logan chose the $20 Million Deal, given how fond he is of the Summer Place.

Sending their children to broker the agreement may be the best move that Logan thought of by far. A reunion between Mother and Children is long overdue. Also, such a gesture surely softened Caroline’s heart, especially since they do not see each other often. Caroline’s simple demands worked for Waystar-Royco. Had she decided to join their game of corporate economics, a new set of problems inevitably transpires.

Insurance Policy

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The Internal Affairs investigation spooked Tom. Since the Cruise Scandal blew up at the Argestes Retreat, Tom and Greg’s involvement in the issue poses a threat against them. Specifically, Greg’s decision to keep some of the documents Tom had him shred. Knowing this, Tom decided to confront Greg and push him to get rid of the last set of documents. At the last minute, Greg manages to keep around three papers before he and Tom set the rest of it on fire over beers.

Greg’s Roy instincts kicked in at the moment he decided to keep some of the documents. Albeit risky, his actions prove how smart he is despite his goofy way of carrying himself. Tom, on the other hand, is straight-up vicious. Initially, he likely brought Greg into the company out of pity. Now, however, with Greg getting comfortable with his identity and his workplace, Tom has to keep Greg in check since he has loose canon potential.

Inexpressable Guilt

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There is nothing certain when it comes to Logan. The moment a scandal shows up, he throws in whoever he can to save himself. In this case, however, it is different. As soon as they arrive in England, a news website releases an article pinning Logan responsible for the death of Andrew Dodds, the waiter who died the night of Shiv’s wedding. Eventually, it narrowed down to Logan and Kendall heading to the Dodd Family home to apologize for Andrew’s death. However, as Logan did all the talking, Kendall sat at the kitchen adorned with Andrew’s photos.

Revisiting the events that happened on season one’s finale brought Kendall to a tight spot. He could not risk saying a word about the truth of what happened to Andrew. Despite how badly Kendall wanted to say something, he could do nothing but wallow in guilt he cannot express. Watching him sit silently is just as bad as seeing him break down to Shiv, wondering about his fate. Indeed, Kendall went from being the next ruthless Waystar-Royco CEO to Logan’s pet son; exasperated for Logan’s amusement.

Fooled

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Following the Pierce fallout during Argestes, Shiv is not quite sure about her bid as the next Waystar-Royco CEO anymore. Her shocking revelation during the negotiations made it look even worse for her. Despite the Pierces wanting her to be the next CEO, Shiv remains technically uninvolved in company matters. All of that is because of Rhea Jarell’s (Holly Hunter) string-pulling. Presumably wanting another shot at a full paycheck, Rhea ‘advises’ Logan. She probably would fuck him, too. It is too late when Shiv realizes Rhea’s motives. Nonetheless, she gives her siblings a heads-up, both of which equally suspicious of Rhea’s sudden involvement.

Rhea does not know who she decided to bully. Shiv will undoubtedly fire returning shots at this jobless former media company CEO. At most, this trouble worsens the situation for Shiv. Her problem with Logan is a given, but Rhea’s uninvited eavesdropping makes Shiv furious. Rhea is adding fuel to Shiv’s determination to become the next Waystar-Royco CEO. This new player has to watch out for the former political analyst’s strategic bombardment.

‘Succession’ Season 2, Episode 7 ‘Return’ Final Verdict

Waystar-Royco continues to wallow in its dwindling funds in Succession. Everyone seems to be at the point of desperation, too. Tom and Greg’s bickering lightens the mood of this profoundly emotional episode. Kendall’s arc, on the other hand, makes it depressing to watch as it implores silence and the tiniest of details to its dark tone. A war between Shiv and Rhea seems to be the next major conflict in the series. With all these elements involved, it is hard to expect what happens next in the brilliantly dramatic show.

Succession continues Sunday, September 29th with ‘Dundee’ at 9/8c on HBO.