Every Season, ‘Succession’ Blows Up the Roys — But Are There Consequences?

Succession is nothing if not a biting yet subtle parody of the 1%, and it proves time and time again that no matter how sordid your actions, enough money can get you out of the consequences. From fumbling a satellite launch and causing an explosion to asking your husband for an open marriage on your wedding night to letting a man drown right in front of you, the Roy kids have made their fair share of mistakes that would have landed anyone else in serious trouble. As long as the Roys are in cahoots with Logan (Brian Cox), though, consequences don’t apply. Ultimately, a connection to Logan means money, and money means no repercussions, but this series’ unique criticism of the rich goes further than that.

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The Roy Children Grew Up Knowing That Money Would Solve Their Problems

While what we actually of the Roy kids’ childhood doesn’t stretch beyond the opening sequence, their actions in adulthood make it clear that Logan Roy’s children grew up knowing that everything would be okay no matter what. While this may seem like an aspirational feeling for a parent to instill in their child, this did not result in Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Siobhan (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) feeling safe and confident in who they really are. Instead, it made them mostly directionless and with no expectation of real consequences for their actions. This is a criticism that’s often pointed at folks who grew up with particularly privileged childhoods. In the case of the Roys, however, the concrete domino effect is particularly clear.

Regardless of where Logan stands with his children at any given time, the notion that he can get them out of any negative repercussions of their behavior stands, since Logan still has money-fueled power, and he still wants to keep his children out of trouble for publicity purposes. Even so, Logan has proven in his roller-coaster relationship with Kendall that he can sell his kids out if they truly turn on him. Consequently, in order to ensure that you evade taking real responsibility for your downfalls, you do truly have to be in cahoots with the money source.

The Roy Children Have Never Faced Real Accountability for Their Actions

When Roman was responsible for a massive explosion after pushing the date of a satellite launch for a trivial, silly reason, it’s clear that he’s somewhat concerned, but he mostly blows the entire thing off, despite the fact that he could have killed people. It’s fairly obvious even when he’s discussing potential charges that he might face that he isn’t actually too worried he might face them. In fact, while he still didn’t reach the level of concern most people likely would upon finding themselves in this situation, Roman was more distraught over the potential repercussions of accidentally sending his dad a naked photo of himself during a business meeting than the possibility of both the emotional and physical repercussions of having perpetrated corporate manslaughter. This is likely because angering his dad scares him far more than any other situation that he could be bought out of.

Siobhan has her own unique areas in which she’s out of touch and, by the same token, moments in which she manages to miss reaping the repercussions of what she says and does entirely. On their wedding night, Shiv tells Tom (Matthew McFadyen) that she may not be fit for monogamy, and this barely comes up in conversation again, despite the fact that it clearly hurts Tom. She continues to push the narrative that she’s too good for him, even telling him to his face that she doesn’t love him, fully expecting it to be glossed over, which of course, it is.

As Shiv continues to take full advantage of her lack of accountability, Tom finds himself facing the repercussions of things that others should take responsibility for. When Tom is facing potential prison time, he’s panic-stricken over the thought but takes responsibility anyway. Not only does Shiv have no interest in helping her husband through this tough time, but it seems as though she doesn’t understand it, at all. Shiv doesn’t know what it’s like to be face to face with actual real-world consequences, and she doesn’t even want to be bothered with thinking about it. After a long battle with potential prison time, Tom no longer wants to be an available scapegoat or the one who takes responsibility. Consequently, by the end of Season 3, he’s learned that siding with Logan will keep him out of harm’s way, regardless of what he does.

Kendall Learns That Money Can’t Absolve You of Guilt

As for Kendall, his character arc is proof that growing up in a consequence-free environment doesn’t necessarily absolve you of guilt. Despite getting off scot-free in a situation that should have earned him manslaughter charges, Kendall is the shining example that if you actually have a conscience, money can’t buy you freedom from it. There are moments where Kendall Roy feels like the Scrooge of A WayStar-Royco Carol, but the ghosts never stop visiting him and leave the others almost entirely alone. During the trajectory of the series, Kendall is the first of Logan’s kids to really strike out against him. As he consequently loses favor with his dad, he spirals back into his struggles with addiction. When he lets a man die as a result of his own drug use, he faces the potential of having to take real responsibility for something immensely serious. Logan lures him back in with a kind of unspoken deal; the problem will go away if Kendall gets back on his good side.

For someone like Logan or even Siobhan, making the problem go away would likely be enough to take it off their plate. For Kendall, though, this only resolved one piece of the responsibility puzzle. Kendall’s conscience keeps him from fully getting away with his crime, and this shows that while money can buy you a way out of most things, it can’t buy you an escape from your own mind, and growing up privileged doesn’t give you an excuse not to hold yourself accountable. Besides the examples the Roys show of what getting away with it really looks like for the rich, the series itself makes some choices that give viewers a look at this unique perspective. In fact, this is why COVID-19 was left out of the series entirely, despite it taking place in real-time. Sarah Snook told Vulture, “These are really wealthy people. And unfortunately, none of the world’s really wealthy people were going to be affected by the pandemic.”

With Season 4 fast approaching, we were left with the question of what will come of Kendall, Roman, and Siobhan now that they have betrayed Logan and cut themselves off from the ultimate safety net. Whether the kids will reap what they’ve sown will likely depend entirely on whether Logan thinks there’s a need to forgive them. As Tom observed, Logan doesn’t lose, so if you’re looking to get out of taking responsibility entirely, it’s best to position yourself right where Tom did: as close to the money as possible.