It's finally here. After months of waiting, Succession returns for Season 2 tonight on HBO. If you haven't had time for a Season 1 re-watch because you've had better things to do than watch Succession on repeat (there are no better things), we’ve provided a recap of all the first season’s major events and developments, so you’re all caught up before tonight.
In case you forgot, the show follows the immorally wealthy Roy family, which owns media and lifestyle conglomerate Waystar Royco—comprised of communications platforms including a Fox News-style television station and a film production company, and various miscellany including cruise lines and theme parks. Logan Roy (Brian Cox) is CEO and a terrible father to his four terrible children: eccentric Connor (Alan Ruck), the only child from Logan's first marriage; heir apparent Kendall (Jeremy Strong); icy Shiv (Sarah Snook), the only daughter and a political strategist for one of Logan's many nemeses; and Roman (Kieran Culkin), a spoiled, wisecracking slacker longing (maybe) for more control.
The first season opens with the arrival of Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) seeking a cut of the family pie as Logan's health deteriorates, and ends with a traumatic car wreck in the midst of Shiv's wedding to ambitious buffoon Tom (Matthew Macfadyen). Here's what else you need to remember from Succession, which, frankly, you should've already watched three times by now.
Logan's health is in decline.
This is the linchpin of the whole series—who will be in charge once Logan kicks the bucket for good? In the first scene of the series, the patriarch stumbles into the hallway of his new penthouse and pees on the floor. At the end of the episode, he has a stroke in the family helicopter and spends the next episode in a coma. Kendall, who was supposed to be named successor in the premiere, takes it upon himself to take control of the company. But despite a grim prognosis, Logan awakens and slowly regains some strength—ultimately deciding not to retire, much to Kendall's fury. Throughout the season, Logan’s decisions, interactions, and strange behavior (including peeing in Kendall’s office and spilling coffee all over himself without realizing) indicate he’s not getting any better, and he might need to pick his successor sooner than he planned—or wants. Meanwhile, Kendall spends most of the season attempting coup after failed coup (more on that below) in an attempt to obtain control once and for all.
Cousin Greg comes to town.
In the pilot, a sweet, beautiful angel by the name of Cousin Greg makes his stunning introduction. He’s a mascot at one of Waystar's amusement parks, and he throws up inside his costume because he’s high on some reefer. Given that his own weed makes him sick, this establishes that Greg is very bad at purchasing drugs. Shortly after, he talks to his mom, who encourages him to go to his very important uncle Logan Roy’s birthday party in New York City and try to get a job. He obliges, instantly lets everyone know it’s okay if they mistakenly call him Craig, and forms a bond with his cousin Shiv’s boyfriend, Tom Wamsgans.
Kendall stages coup #1 and struggles with addiction.
Kendall notices early on that his dad is not exactly himself—Logan did pee in his office, after all, and now he's trying to buy a bunch of TV stations in Indonesia. Kendall is all about digital content, pivoting to video, etc., because he’s a millennial who went to business school!!! Ultimately, he decides to team up with Roman and Waystar executives Frank (Peter Friedman) and Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) to call for a vote of no confidence in Logan as CEO at a board meeting. Though they have the votes, an ill-timed terrorist threat and traffic prevent Kendall from being in the office when the vote happens, and Logan steamrolls it, intimidating Kendall's shoe-ins—including Roman, the coward—against voting in Kendall's favor. Alas, Kendall doesn't quite have the brains to outwit his father.
Tom brings Greg into the death pit.
When Tom gets promoted to head of theme parks and cruises, his successor tells him about a conspiracy Tom immediately renames the death pit. What is the death pit, you ask? Waystar Royco buried a conspiracy of sexual assault and murder in the cruises division. Tom inherits documentation of the cover-ups and considers making them public, but ultimately decides to make Greg get rid of them. Smarter than he looks, Greg saves some of the papers to use as collateral in case his position in the family comes under threat.
The Roys attempt family therapy at Connor's New Mexico ranch.
After the vote of no confidence goes terribly wrong, Kendall goes into hiding as the rest of the family jets to Connor's home base, Austerlitz, for a publicity stunt. Kendall ultimately shows up after consuming alcohol and meth, and a family blow-out ensues. Logan insults everyone, and Shiv becomes hell-bent on destroying her father.
Shiv works for Logan's political arch nemesis, liberal senator and presidential hopeful Gil Eavis.
Unlike Kendall and Roman, Shiv doesn't work for the family business in any capacity. Instead, she consults for various liberal politicians. She starts the season working for a female candidate until her former flame, Nate (Ashley Zukerman), convinces her to start working for Gil Eavis (Eric Bogosian), a Bernie Sanders type running for president. After her father pisses her off at Austerlitz, Shiv wants to use the death pit to bring her father down for good. Ultimately, she orchestrates a truce between Gil and Logan that leaves her free to continue playing both sides.
Additionally, Shiv and Nate rekindle their romance despite Shiv's impending wedding, and on her wedding night, Shiv asks Tom for an open marriage, much to his chagrin. He plays it off like he's okay with it.
Kendall plans coup #2.
After the vote of no confidence fails spectacularly, Kendall plans a "bear hug" acquisition with his friend and Waystar board member, Stewy (Arian Moayed), and rival media big shot Sandy Furness (Larry Pine). They plan to announce after the wedding, but after Kendall tells Frank about the plan, it leaks to the media. Kendall is forced to tell Logan at the wedding. When Shiv, Roman, and Connor find out, they're furious.
Roman has intimacy issues and his rocket explodes.
It's not Roman's figurative rocket that explodes—although that does, once, on a window in his office at Waystar, offering the first glimpse into Roman’s intimacy issues. Roman, for all his bluffing, can't seem to engage in sex with any of the women he dates, as his new partner, Tabitha, points out at Tom and Shiv's wedding. (Side note: Tabitha gave Tom a blow-job at his bachelor party, so Wamsgans isn't super thrilled about this turn of events).
Now, for the rocket launch: Roman wants more responsibility at the company, so Logan puts him in charge of, yes, a rocket launch that goes horribly wrong. This leaves Roman in some legal trouble, though no one dies, thankfully. Just a couple lost thumbs.
Connor announces he’d like to run for president, please.
Connor is clearly Logan's least favorite child. An exceedingly odd wannabe intellectual with a passion for Napoleon and cryogenic freezing, Connor doesn't actually do anything, which his escort/playwright/partner, Willa (Justine Lupe), points out to him at Shiv's wedding. Perhaps to prove her wrong, Connor announces his intention to run for president.
Kendall (sort of) kills a person.
While all the guests dance to Billy Joel at Shiv and Tom’s reception, Kendall is on a mission to get cocaine. He hits up a young waiter for a connection, but the man takes him to get ketamine instead. Kendall only partakes in some weed-smoking, and the two drive back to the reception with the waiter at the wheel. When a deer appears in the middle of the dark road, the waiter veers and the car crashes into a lake. Kendall makes it out, but the waiter does not; the next morning, Logan already knows the waiter is dead and that Kendall is involved. Logan tells Kendall he can make this scandal go away if Kendall makes the acquisition go away. Kendall agrees, and the season ends with Kendall in tears in Logan's arms.
