In a nutshell, Succession is all about power: who has it, who wants it, and who’s at risk of losing it. A thirst for power is the main motivator behind nearly all of the terrible actions we enjoy watching these terrible people do. The premiere of the newest season this past Sunday picked up straight from where season 2 left off; in the aftermath of Kendall epically flipping on his father and placing responsibility for the cruise scandal squarely on his shoulders. Here’s a recap of where, in my opinion, the power rankings stand following the first episode of season 3. Can’t wait to circle back on this topic 9 weeks from now and seeing how much this list has shifted after another season of the Roy family’s escapades.
- Kendall. For now, Kendall is on top, but whether his actions throughout the premiere were drug fueled or adrenaline fueled, he seems to be in the midst of a full blown manic episode. As Roman pointed out in the premiere, Kendall self-destructing is his favorite activity. He’s on top for now, with his actions sending Team Logan into crisis mode and forcing them to camp out in a country where there’s no U.S. extradition. However, I predict a meltdown of epic proportion from poor Ken in the episodes to come (not to mention, the “who says I haven’t killed anyone” joke heavily foreshadows that the waiter’s death from season 1 is bound to come back and bite him).
- Logan. Logan may be camping out overseas and unable to get a direct line to the President, but I wouldn’t count the old man out just yet. There’s little doubt that he has every intention on fulfilling his promise to go “full f*cking beast” on Kendall. As of now, no one from Team Logan has flipped to Team Kendall just yet, so he has the full Waystar team and support on his side as of the premiere, whereas Kendall has only managed to recruit “social media manager” Greg and low-on-the-communications-team-totem-pole Jess.
- Gerri. Logan may be adamant he’s still pulling the strings, but Gerri being named the one to take over the CEO mantle matters, nonetheless. With the company under a microscope for sexual assault allegations, handing the reigns to a woman was crucial, and Shiv yet again dropped the ball on winning Logan’s confidence (more to come there).
- Roman. Does the Gerri-Roman love affair give me the heebie jeebies just a bit? Absolutely. But just because the relationship is borderline deranged doesn’t mean it’s not going to be a valuable power play for Roman. There’s no doubt that being tied to the now-acting CEO of Waystar is going to be something Roman can and will leverage.
- Tom. Tom spent most of this episode playing neutral territory, but make no mistake; he and Shiv’s cold exchange as they departed on separate planes shows that the division between them (as showcased during their conversations on the beach during the season 2 finale) are still as present as ever. Tom may not necessarily have a lot of power, but it’s evident to me that he’s distancing himself from Shiv, and given her poor standing as of the premiere, that may end up being a good thing for his personal ambitions.
- Shiv. During season 2, Holly Hunter guest starred as a character named Rhea who remarked that Shiv is not as smart as she thinks she is, and unfortunately her actions during the premiere seemingly reinforce that. Logan may have at one time promised her the seat at the throne, but his confidence in her is long gone. She totally dropped the ball in recruiting renowned attorney Lisa, and once Roman leaks to her that CEO is going to Gerri, she ends the premiere on the outs with Team Logan and leaves us with a big TBD on where she’s heading next. That said, I wouldn’t count Shiv out just yet.
- Greg. There’s no doubt that this entire ranking will shift countless times throughout season 3, but one thing is for sure: Greg will always remain the most powerless of the bunch. As a social media manager who can’t differentiate “The Pope” from “A Pope,” Cousin Greg has a long way to go before he’s ready for a real Roy family battlefield. Still rooting for him.
