Succession Review: DC (Season 2 Episode 9)

The conflict of self-preservation and damage control versus doing the right thing comes into clear focus on Succession Season 2 Episode 9, “DC,” as some find they do not have the stomach to get dirty for the Roy family.

Rhea’s slow realization she’s not made for this shadier line of work makes her the moral compass of the episode, despite how little she appears. It’s in these small pockets of walking in on things she should not be hearing, where the dirt and cover-up tactics go from water to oil in quick pauses from her presence in the doorway, as though she can’t escape fast enough.

But the larger moment of clarity comes in the car, refusing to manipulate a sexual assault victim for the betterment of the company. It’s in that moment where it becomes crystal clear that despite the kindness that Shiv is offering in taking down anyone responsible for what happened, there’s the implicit move of silencing a victim.

This scene is the most important of the episode, as it all comes down to how someone interprets it, and what they bring into it themselves. Shiv promises to give the victim power, but by doing so she’s benefiting from someone’s silence. Will Shiv come through, or will she toss the victim aside now that the opportunity for damage is lessened?

It’s an effective way of seeing how far some of these characters are willing to sell a part of their soul for potential greater opportunities down the line, when they have every sign there’s no guarantee to those opportunities. Rhea knows better to stick around, escaping while she still can. Shiv, though, is only digging deeper.

The hearings leave a sense of Tom and Greg being more involved than they expected, a paper trail and document request leaving them exposed. When Logan says at the end of the episode that they will need a scapegoat, it’s hard not to imagine it being one of them. Logan reacts to both in different ways, roaring at Greg to leave the room during his panic, and sending a deathly glare Tom’s way.

But there is a tinier clue, when Logan tosses the entertainment sector blame on Kendall in the middle of the hearing. Kendall’s brief shock at the grenade toss leaves this small feeling that perhaps this is Logan’s revenge on Kendall, that Kendall will be the fall guy for the debacle. He’s even unimpressed by Kendall’s defense of the company, showing that he finds Kendall’s words mean nothing to him.

The episode sharply creates a sense of the real world starting to take hold. Roman’s adventure in Turkey with the sudden appearance of armed guards and the nervousness slowly creeping through the whole situation makes the mind jump to the worst possible outcome. Has Logan sent Roman into a worrying power shift where some may not walk away from this?

But in true Succession fashion, it becomes a matter of creating humor in the darkness. Not only does it flesh out David Rasche’s Karl and Danny Huston’s Laird a little bit (Karl’s calm panic attack is one of the funnier quirks of the episode), but it shows how Roman is so used to the Roy’s being in control that the moment the control shifts, he is completely out of his element.

Succession Season 2 Episode 9, “DC,” shows the lengths some are willing to go to protect what they don’t have yet. There’s this sense that there’s a tightrope walk at play where Logan’s holding the other end and waiting for the right person to walk across before letting go. The family are doing all they can to fix his problems, but he sees everyone else as the problem.

Now that a scapegoat will be under his decision, it’s all down to who he sees as expendable in a sea of uncertainty. No matter how hard they may try, there’s the realization that no one else is powerful, really. It’s about what you can do in the moment where you really matter in Logan Roy’s world. Perhaps the need of a new CEO will help some, but for others it may prove their downfall.

 

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Succession airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.

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