In the final crushing scene of an eventful Season 3 of HBO series Succession, the Roy siblings, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Shiv (Sarah Snook), try to stop their father, patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox), from selling the family company to outsider and tech entrepreneur, Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). Logan is once again one step ahead of his children and pulls the rug out from underneath them with the foresight provided to him by Shiv’s partner, Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen). It’s a betrayal many have analyzed as being foretold earlier on in the season.

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This is not a first for Succession. Throughout Seasons 1 and 2, there are some more subtle actions by the Roys, namely, Kendall and Logan, as well as by those around them, in earlier episodes that suggest future behavior. Here are some examples fans may have missed.

Kendall Bathroom Scene (From Season 1, Episode 1: “Celebration”)

Kendall Bathroom HBO
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Reeling from the shock announcement that Logan will not be stepping down as CEO of Waystar Royco and handing the reins over to him, Kendall enters a bathroom in his father’s townhouse, pauses, then proceeds to destroy everything in his reach. This is the first example of Kendall’s cool and calculated exterior crumbling. After collecting himself and acknowledging his destruction, he starts to clean the mess off of the floor and into a trash can, trying to make the room presentable once again.

This scene signifies the imbalance of power between Logan and Kendall and what the outcome will be of their continued conflict throughout the series. Kendall rebels and is angered at his father for not keeping his word or knowing when to step down and will challenge him at every chance he gets, but at the end of the day, all Kendall truly wants is for his dad to approve of him and accept him. He would rather there was no bitter battle between them in his reaching for the top job. Kendall also enters the bathroom before having dinner with his father in Episode 6 and the lead up to the vote of no confidence in Logan’s leadership. He is having doubts and second-guessing himself despite the supposed “support” from others on the board.

The Roy Kids Bid Logan Adieu in Hospital (From Season 1, Episode 2: “Shit Show At The Fuck Factory”)

Roy Kids Hospital HBO
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After Logan has a brain hemorrhage midair and is rushed to the hospital, all the Roy siblings not-so-patiently wait for his recovery or possible demise. Although they all care deeply for their father, pressures from the board of Waystar to have a contingency in place should Logan pass pull Kendall in one direction and his siblings in another.

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This is made all the more glaringly obvious in the manner in which the Roy children leave the hospital for the night and say goodbye to him. While Connor (Alan Ruck), Roman, and Shiv all affectionately bid him adieu, Kendall remains stony in appearance as he watches his siblings. He keeps his distance and stands at the end of Logan’s bed ominously in a foreshadowing of their upcoming turmoil.

There’s Something About Gerri (From Season 1, Episode 4: “Sad Sack Wasp Trap”)

Gerri HBO
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At the RECNY (Roy Endowment Creative New York) Ball, some pivotal and telling moments occur that reveal a lot about where Logan’s children's and employees’ loyalties lie. Connor self-aggrandizes his importance in the running of the event and while reviewing the teleprompter, notices that the screen says “Surprise Logan Retirement Announcement”. Believing it to be a conniving plan by Kendall, Connor informs his father immediately and is told that Logan will be making a speech contrary to what was previously agreed upon. Kendall is made aware of this and pleads to Waystar general counsel, Gerri Kellman (J. Smith-Cameron), to stop Logan from getting on stage.

Despite assuring Kendall she will stop his father; Gerri remains loyal to Logan and simply says to him, “Good luck tonight. You’re gonna knock it out the park”. It’s the first time of many that Gerri will stay in Logan’s good graces at odds with her promises to his children. In Episode 5 she lies to Kendall as well: “I work for Waystar, not Logan Roy”, and then, of course, in that final scene of Season 3 where she lets the kids flounder.

Logan The Puppet Master (From Season 1, Episode 10: “Nobody Is Ever Missing”)

Logan and Kendall HBO
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You will no doubt see how Logan Roy plays his children against each other throughout the entire duration of the series but within the last 30 minutes of Season 1, you can trace how quickly he deceives main adversary, Kendall. One night he’s saying, “You’re nothing” to him, the next morning he tells him, “You’re my number one boy”. When it comes to his children, his words hold no weight.

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Logan will bestow the “number one” title on them individually in the following seasons every time he uses them as pawns in his own game of corporate chess.

Kendall’s Backbone (From Season 2, Episode 6: “Argestes”)

Kendall's Backbone HBO
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At a media conference known as Argestes, Shiv, Kendall, and Roman address the Waystar cruise line scandal (a history of sexual assault, murder, and coverups rampant on Waystar’s cruise line). During the siblings’ panel discussion, Shiv labels Waystar as a “dinosaur” that will have to change in response to the scandal. This certainly does not sit well with Logan. After the discussion, he loses his temper and backhand hits Roman. Kendall berates Logan and consoles Roman.

This scenario directly echoes Logan hitting Kendall’s son, Iverson, in Episode 5 of Season 1: “I Went to Market". Following both hits, Kendall decides to rise against his father and swipe the company leadership position away from him. Kendall, speaking out against Logan at a press conference back home after Logan tries to make him a sacrificial lamb, is also hinted at in Season 2, Episode 5: “Tern Haven” when Kendall convinces Naomi Pierce (Annabelle Dexter-Jones) to get her cousin Nan (Cherry Jones) to sell their news company: PGM. In a discerning warning to her, he pleads, “Don’t block your own escape”, hinting at his own desperation to get out from under his dad’s clutches.

Opening Titles (From Season 1 and Season 2)

Succession Titles HBO
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Titles of a series are an introduction to a show and encompass what is to be expected as you watch on. Sometimes clues in titles slip by and are more straightforward than you realize after being called to your attention.

Of course, this could be open to interpretation but in the second-last shots, before the show begins in Season 1, the patriarch of the family stands next to one of his sons only and then walks away. It makes sense that this is emblematic of Kendall and Logan’s feud being front and center in the first season. However, in Seasons 2 and 3, the other children appear beside their father, and then he walks away, indicative of the other Roy children becoming more involved in the family empire and also taking on their father to retain control.

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