I think that's one key to it's cult-like following and success. There's something almost all of us can see in our own messed-up relationships with our parents, siblings, etc. It was fascinating and at times, cathartic
As someone who has worked and interacted a lot with the NYC cultural elite, I'll tell you another aspect of the show that's genius is how well it portrays the entitlement and lack of self-awareness of these people. Roman included. One of the first things you see Roman do is the first few episodes is tell the doctors "is this the best part of the hospital" along with Shiv's idiotic interrogation of the hospital staff before knowing what's going on. They think they're royalty and have no idea that regardless of money, things are accomplished via work and knowledge. You also see this during Shiv's stint as President. Knows nothing about the company in terms of day-to-day and sticks to personal meddling and pressing others for progress with no care was to what work actually goes into it.
@@thomaswschaller I guess that's why this show didn't 'click' with me... I found it interesting, but also too dully tragic and melodramatic. My own parents and sister are amazing, but I saw parental abuse in my extended family - it's too saddening a factor for me to see accurately portrayed in fiction. I'd rather read/see content based on healthy families (especially as it seems to be a rarity, that of portraying a realistically loving household, without it turning into a fake brand of Brady Bunch bullshit).
They are very emotionally stunted, I can relate to that. I love Roman, he is my favorite character, I love that he just says whatever without any boundaries, I have a really hard time knowing other peoples boundaries because I basically doesn't have any myself, nothing really bothers me if someone says anything to me, well actually I do not like people saying nice things to me it makes me very uncomfortable. Anyway, I think Roman is really sweet lol, and he is adorable (but that's being affected by how he looks, so it makes how I see him a bit clouded). I love his deviant side too, I think it makes him interesting and I love when people have that kind of side to them. I wish I could take him out of the TV and make him spend time with me lol. The two characters on the show that I really hate are Logan and Kendall, they make me so irritated, and Kendall makes me kind of disgusted by how he acts, his voice and face and just yeah, it just annoys me so much. I guess this maybe didn't have that much to do with what you wrote, but I felt like saying it.
"Romulus, when you laugh, please do it at the same volume as everyone else. We didn't get you from a hyena farm." was always my favourite line regarding Roman.
my favorite explanation for Roman’s degradation kink is that by having a sexual partner verbally abuse him, he’s taking control of his trauma-he’s morphing it into something he can enjoy and shut down whenever he pleases. when he asks to be abused, he’s no longer a victim.
I think he also has an issue relinquishing power to people he sees as “beneath” him. He can’t just hire a dominatrix, he needs it to be someone he knows and respects. Someone who can get the upper hand on him. Which is why Gerry is the perfect choice.
Definitely. It's not uncommon for sexual kinks/intimacy to be established from upbringing. Roman has a hard shell but the deviancy and need to be talked down to/oedipal issues stems from how his parents treat him, and being "the weak one," or runt. All the children show damaged psychological forms of relationships. Shiv's inability to love an otherwise good partner and her infidelity, Connor's insistence on "buying" love, and Kendall having issues balancing being a good dad/distant dad on top of his own personal shit. Kendall's 1 of 2? sex scenes was arguing with his wife about their divorce deal. All power based things.
The depth with which the writers of Succession have portrayed and presented each of the main characters is exceptional. Not just their background story but going so deep into their psyche. The depth makes this show so fascinating.
its amazing how much they portray just through dialogue and mannerisms alone. without flashbacks or thought monologues. ive never seen this much character depth without scenes spelling it out for you.
"The child not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth". The shot of roman walking up the stairs past kendal was truly a culmination of what happens when a child is kept away from any true love and care
And yet Roman seemed genuinely upset to see Carrie humiliated by Marcia in his dad's hallway, and was the only one to help her with her bag - he has moments of genuine humanity that underscore how damaged he is at heart
No, Roman was lusting over Carrie. That’s why he kept asking for her phone number. He lusts over his fathers old flames. Such as Jherri and his own mother (to a lesser extent). Marcia was just too close for comfort.
It seemed a bit off to me, maybe he was trying to piss off Marcia. Or maybe in this case he wanted to do the opposite to what everyone else were doing.
He knows Marcia was cut throat. She is that black widow type. Kerry doesn't have anything without Logan and where she may have seen things as a real relationship, everyone just saw her as a leech or toy.
I loved this essay. I like to think that Roman did not actually desire the things that his siblings remember him wanting to do. Even far back in the past, like you said, he would rather put up barriers than allow people to realize that he is capable of being hurt. Roman remembers being locked in a dog cage, his siblings remember him loving it. He acted like he enjoyed playing dog pound so that he didn't look weak in front of his siblings, he probably wanted to make his siblings feel like they were having fun so that they'd at least act like they enjoyed having him around (classic "class clown" behavior). But the passage of time has stripped the facade away in Roman's mind and now all he remembers is the truth - he didn't like it - and all his siblings remember is the facade - that he liked it. The result is that Roman is still the butt of the joke, and his siblings don't have to feel like they hurt him, when they actually did. Same with the military school thing. Roman probably thought that going to military school would make him look tough, or make him out to be a capable outcast wise in the ways of the world, kind of like the archetypal "bastard prince" character in many Shakespeare plays, and would cover the embarrassment of him wetting the bed and feeling like a helpless child. But he didn't actually WANT to go. He probably DID ask Logan to go just to make a point and cover his weakness, but on the inside, he probably feels like Logan was relieved to be rid of him.
I have a different opinion about the dog cage he really did like it he liked being abused and Kendall liked to be the abuser because thats how Logan wanted their rolls to be because in my opinion he always wanted Kendall to be the one and he used Roman to make Kendall the killer and Roman liked it because he was so used to being abused that he slowly started to think being abused is the most normal way of living
Sound far-fetched for the kind of reminds me of what people love to say about Prince Harry. They say that Prince Harry loves his Royal life love being the third fiddle with his brother and Kate. And that all the sudden Megan came along and now he hates everything. But really I think it was a facade and he got a chance to be with someone where he can express these things that he did not like and try to go a different way. Where he went wrong was he had too much unresolved issues before he started talking about it so it's almost like he's lashing out. I don't think the things he's upset about our allies and I don't think they're wrong but you can't really get a point across if you are in a rage. I think they would have been better off to maybe stay in California for about 3 years or so before they started talking about these things. It's a big adjustment to leave being a working Royal come to United States and start his whole life. It wasn't such an adjustment for Megan but it was an adjustment for him. And I also think she's getting a lot of blame but I really believe all of this obsession with the paparazzi and all these things it's coming from him and not her. But if she were to speak up and say that she doesn't necessarily agree with some of these things or that she's okay with some of the things you complain about people are just going to blame her even more and say that she doesn't support him
Yes. As to the last it bit, Logan could have told everyone he wanted to go to military school and made Roman go along with it. He has that power over Roman. That's what's great about the writing- it allows for these possibilities in our minds as we watch
His biggest mistake was threatening Gerri and firing her. She would have gotten him the company and made him the winner. Logan threated people like crap but he knew that he needed them and could not do it on his own.
what if he understood, that with Gerri he would get the company, but he was too afraid to fail at being the successor, that he'd rather destroy that chance?
I think the truly devastating thing about his character is that he realizes jerri put the business over him and felt that he had to stand up for himself but even when he does he's always told to shut up and do what's best for the business, was jerri looking out for him by siding with waystar royco? Maybe if she framed it that way they would still be together
He's by far the most self-actualised and internally consistent sibling, and the least deluded. He recognises the pain and absurdity of their circumstances, and acts accordingly. He also shows the most genuine and unencumbered love to his family.
Disagree. He is likeable, but I don't think you can measure them in terms of mental health as they're so varied. Roman is jealous of Kendall and Shiv in many ways.
@@bededd39 Thanks for response. I don't think I was commenting on 'mental health ' at all - jealousy and delusion are not mental health conditions (as I see it).
@@inthebasement No worries, I think I find Kendall to be more self actualised - albeit pretty misguided. Roman constantly deflects everything but he's more likeable as a character.
I think he’s by far the most deluded! He acts like he doesn’t care and that he can hang with the edglords and alt right and then breaks down (understandably) during the funeral and shows himself to be ‘weak’ in a way that the persona he wears loves to mock. I guess deluded is a relatively vague term but I think his vision of himself, the world and his father is the most far from the reality. And that’s why he’s crashing and burning
@@wephilips6651 well, you are basing on an episode just passed, Roman has a wider arch like all characters and the last episode hadn't happened when I posted my thoughts. But in any case, sons breakdown at their fathers funerals every day, it's life and only a dig deal because of the stakes and audience. Roman presents himself, openly and consistently, as a cruel shallow brat and a pervert. Kendal tells his ex-wife he is 'out there every day, fighting for a better world' (or whatever). You are absolutely sure Roman is the most deluded?
another interesting thing to point out i think is roman’s numerous jokes about him being SA’d as a child, by a camp counselor and a babysitter. roman has revealed shocking things before, playing those things off as a joke so it wouldn’t surprise me if those were true as well. that would also further explain his need to make his sex life “taboo”, as SA victims often do not feel comfortable having “normal” sex and need it to be wrong for them to tolerate or even enjoy the act.
I’ve always found that interesting and concerning! Also when Kendall tells him “he isn’t real” it reminded me of all the “No Real Person Involved” cruise scandal with all the SA happening there…
bed wetting, over the top sexual jokes, and his whole attitude towards sex could all be interpreted as signs of exactly that, actually. and do we really think that he would have a nice and safe time in military school? a small flamboyant boy like him?
This is my thought! He jokes around a lot but if people actually listen to him he’s telling the truth p much all the time. He just has to hide it as jokes bc no one will listen to him otherwise. I always remember the episode in s1 where they have the fake therapy session and he makes a few jokes about Connor SAing him which is very obviously not true but I always took that as a sign he was. He just said Connor to be outlandish and again make it come off as a joke of his “pretend” trauma before the fake therapy session
Doesn't he also "joke" that Connor diddled him as a kid? I thought it was a joke but then the dog cage thing and jerking on Gerris bathroom door turned out to be true lol, I feel like he said real stuff as jokes
Roman amazes me with the whiplash I experience with his character - in episode 3 his softness with all his siblings just made my eyes water, but I was ready to strangle his ass in episode 8
He is sick with grief, he is trying to be his father, he is sucking up to his new Logan in Mencken. The world LITERALLY burning down around him is an afterthought. His world has already ended with Logan's death and he is so isolated from the real world that he either can't see what the consequences will be, or worse, don't CARE.
@@realone7488yes but the show does such a good job of helping us realize why this family is toxic so we empathize and want to watch every week. Great writing.
His funeral speech is about to be the culmination of everything about his character arc. Since Logan's death, he is the only one we haven't seen truly grieve and considering his 'relationship' with his father, he was the one most affected physically and emotionally by Logan's 'parenting' style. With Geri out of his corner, he has spiraled into the worst bits of himself, emulating Logan's devil may care tactics without the capital or the mindset to back him up. He's become unhinged, more than usual anyway, snippy and has a nothing matters attitude. But his father mattered to him and the funeral would force him to confront how much Logan mattered, for good or for worse. I am both terrified and intrigued what he will say/do or uncover within himself. Either at the speech or at the end of the episode as a monologue or confiding in a person, either Gerri or Kendal. Edit: "Is he in there? Can we get him out" comment absolutely shattered me
People with unhealthy relationships with their parents tend to have a harder time when a parent dies because the relationship can never heal, so grief digs up all that baggage without any closure. I think all the kids are dealing with this, but Roman's is definitely the worst by far.
Roman is definitely the worst morally when it comes to the greater good, but due to Kieran's magnetic performance, you just want to smack him for all the mess he has done. Then comforts him with a hug because all he just wanted was for his family to be together, in their dysfunction form.
This made me view the “You’re not a real person” quote in a different light. I originally thought that quote was just some classic Kendall cringe, but in reality he was really calling Roman out on the fact that he has never been authentic to anyone including himself💀
Yes, Kendall is pretentious. But his remorse for the waiter's death was profound and authentic. That makes Kendall real. Logan's death is giving Kendall space to self-actualize. Roman doesn't exhibit a conscience. --Burn down the country because he wants to "be the man." 🙀
@@edithkennedy1297 Kendall is a real person in the sense that he desperately wants himself to be one. And he does have some authentic convictions and beliefs, they're just too fickle and he's not able to back them with his actions. He constantly aspires to inhabit an authentic persona and constantly fails to do so when his ideals collide with his actual interests. Roman is much more open about his opportunism and disregard for most other people, which makes him in a way more authentic but also means he's not able to actually care about anything, perhaps save for his family.
With such fine writing of the character, Kieran Culkin has surpassed himself by bringing forth every nuance of Roman Roy. Even the constant fidgeting is a master stroke in understanding the character. A truly gifted actor!!!
This is amazingly insightful, but the glaring differences in their recollection of Roman's childhood isnt due to him wanting to do stuff. It's classic for abuse victims, especially children of narcissistic parents. The parents will turn other siblings into helper by triangulating the child in question so they cant turn to anyone else for help
Thank you, was looking for this comment. I also think the truth is much closer to Roman’s memories than of his siblings. For the exact reasons you mentioned.
Roman is a great foil for Connor. Roman is not the youngest, but he acts the youngest. Connor is the oldest, but everyone treats Ken as the firstborn. Connor was neglected and grew up to be fairly secure in himself without receiving any love from his family. Roman's been under his father's watchful eye & controlling hand his whole life, and grew up to have his entire sense of identity based in being the kicked dog that always comes back, who always has reverence for his father no matter what he gets put through. Whatever happened in the family or the company didn't matter as long as Logan still let Rome sit at his heel. Roman always wanted more than anything to believe his unyielding love was worth something to his father, that his loyalty despite the abuse would have counted for something between them, whereas Connor knows his love means nothing to Logan (since Connor's not useful) and thus he never let himself expect a reimbursement of love from him... and consequently, from anyone else. Connor's "You're needy love sponges and I'm a plant that grows on rocks and lives off insects that die inside of me." vs Roman's "What have you got in your hand?"/"I don't know, fucking love?"
@@mmmuuuuuuuuiiiiiiiiirrrrr this is what I find so interesting about the writing though. You’re completely right, but I think he’s written and acted incredibly well, because while he is a total piece of shit, seeing why he is the way he is, and seeing small slivers of a better person in there (like earlier in the season) to me makes him very interesting, same as the rest of the cast. His dependence on Logan, and how losing him has completely unravelled that potential has been top tier
honestly the reason i love roman despite the fact that he’s a horrible human being, is that we so often see him being abused or degraded by the people around him; it paints him in a sympathetic light. he’s always the butt of a joke, under logan’s thumb, etc. but for example in the last episode, roman was in charge, he answered to no one and while yes, he’s still very much terrified of logan’s shadow, his father is no longer there to actively hurt roman, to make him look sympathetic or small, so we see roman for who he is: a viciously cruel and uncaring person.
Roman reminds me a lot of Tyrion Lannister. Quick witted. A bully who is also bullied. And I think most telling, is that both of them are BY FAR the most like their fathers, in comparison to their siblings. I think there's something compelling about the smallest, most shameless child being the best reflection of the fathers' personalities.
That's debatable. Different people have very different ideas on who is "the most" like Logan of them.... but the fact is that they all reflect some of his traits and not others, so it just depends on what you mean by 'like Logan'. Which aspects of him? Which Logan, him as a child, him as a young man, the old man who has already built up an empire, the Logan-myth he presented to them?
@@ivanacvetanovic7611 I think Roman is the closest to Logan's ruthlessness and emotional distance (Roman uses crude humour, Logan uses anger and violence), which I think are the latter's defining qualities in the context of the narrative. Also, they both have qualities of sexual degeneracy. The Election episode was great because it showed Roman is ready to do the unthinkable (unlike Shiv and Kendall's maybe pseudo-sincere moral hangups). Also, for whatever is in a name, Logan and Roman are similar (I know Kendall's first name is Logan but no one calls him that). Romans nickname (Romulus), which only Logan really calls him, is also an allusion to the leader of a great Western empire. Might count for something.
Really good video, I wish the show had more seasons because there's one particular relationship I wish was explored a little further. It's Connor and Roman, remember that episode when Rome is asked to pick out his favourite father/son memory and it happens to be a memory of him and Connor. Connor also seems to be very tender with him as compared to everyone else, he also only calls him when making funeral arrangements and then the night before Cons wedding Roman (and Ken) sees that his brother is down and instead of plotting and planning he decides have a drink with him and put an arm round his shoulder. I wish they had more stuff together because I think it might be the only relationship in his life that's got unconditional love (maybe that and him and Ken)
This analysis coming out after episode eight is so well timed. We saw the absolute worst version of Roman and it sucks to know that Mencken will play him like a fiddle.
Dude you absolutely kill it with these “observations”. Slowly becoming obsessed with Succession in a way I never was partly due to these videos. And may I suggest an updated video of Greg when you get the chance, selfishly because he’s my favorite character. Keep killing it man. 👍
Roman is such a great character, he has the ability to steal every scene he's in - probably written like that completely on purpose, to show how he tries to bring attention to himself as the youngest brother. One episode redeems him and the next I'm back to despising him 😄 and have to mention Kieran Culkin's performance, I genuinely see him as Roman Roy, it'll be really hard to shake off this role after the show ends
Great analysis. Roman's is exactly the type of personality that turns to fascism as part of the never ending, desperate search for protection from coming face-to-face with his deep shame and emptiness.
Yes. This. I keep seeing people referencing the flashes of humanity he demonstrates (which is, I get, confusing). But he has in no way grown in authentic empathy from the guy who treated a child as he did in S1E1. And when he turned on Kendall at his 40th, it was beyond unempathetic...I think it was the ugliest I've seen one of the three primary siblings treat each other in the series (remember, they all think of business betrayals as 'what Logan would do' and therefore commendable and inevitable on some level). Roman also unapologetically condones abuse of Greg at all times, the other underdog boy in the family, and has from the start.
With all the hysterical screeching on the subreddit (that place has become insufferable) it amazes me that people think he has any political ideology at all. Every decision he makes is to self-destruct, nothing more.
I relate to roman so much. I was that kid. My dad may not have beaten me as much as he got beat but My mom was very hysterical and would go on long verbal abuses for just me doing what a kid does. His mannerisms, the way he moves and sits, the way he jokes to mask emotion. My house caught on fire and the way i announced it to my friends and classmates was in a joking manner. Even when my dad saw roman, he said it reminded him of me lmao. My take on why he said he was abused on the dog kennel but his siblings said that he loved it, i think its just to impress others. Being a joker like "hey look at me im a dog". I was bullied when i was in elementary and the way i dealt with it is acting like i enjoyed the punches the kids were giving me, thinking "hey, if i could make them laugh, maybe they won't hurt me any further." Also i started masturbating at a very young age, and my sexual deviancy is really not natural. But i still have sex, compared to sexless roman lmao. I could go on further about being feeling unloved and craving for love but this comment is already long. I don't want this to be a therapy session.
Roman describes himself as “dumb but smart.” That means he’s at least self-aware of his severe limitations and has decided to make them work in his favor to achieve mixed results. The mixed results prevent full accountability something the Roys routinely avoid.
Something went well, that means I'm smart, something went bad, well... I told you I was dumb didn't I? Is it self-aware or is it a vague phrase that he can then use in his favor when it suits him?
Roman has also made several comments regarding abuse/sexual abuse in his childhood. I do think something happened, when he "joked" with Connor about "Connor touching him". When that happened Connor was very clearly concerned whilst being offended by Roman's accusation
im very confused on why this is never mentioned in videos like this. there is multiple moments in the show that strongly suggest that he is a CSA survivor. its weird.
I've always thought he was and would explain his character perfectly. He was shipped off to Boarding school at a young age and his weird interactions with older men/love of older women does seem to hint towards it.
Keiran Culkins performance throughout this whole saga has been one of the best I've ever seen. He's flippant, loathsome, pitiable, vulnerable and charming all at the same time - just a constant, walking contradiction of a human being.
Incredible synopsis! I admit, I don't pay as close attention to these things as I should and I have a whole new respect for the show, writers and even more respect for Kieran's acting after watching this!
What’s surprised me most is how Logans death allowed me to suddenly SEE ALL THE FAULTS he saw within the kids & ACTUALLY AGREE with him 😲….they each have @ least one crippling issues that makes them unsuited to lead Royco! Once the villain left the picture it took away the desire to be defensive & instead begin to judge their shortcomings.
I’m used to shows where characters like Roman have their ‘this is what happened to them as a kid’ story be revealed over time but we didn’t get that. We’re given tidbits about his abuse that are brushed off or joked about or entirely ignored by the others. It’s up to the audience to decide whether he’s telling the truth, lying or just being weird.
Something I hadn't thought of before watching this video: Roman seemed content having his father as an authoritarian figure. That could help explain why he's not repulsed by the idea of a crypto-fascist president.
Ive watched many analysis videos of shows and characters from many channels, and I must say, you have such an exceptional way of breaking these things down and explaining them, its really something, your insight and psychoanalysis seems to be spot on every time and conveyed very clearly and softly, you truly have a gift. Do you just immediately see all these threads while watching or do you have some sort of system to methodically expose those underlying psychological connections for each characters? Also, is it more filmmaking or psychology knowledge that informs your analyses?
Thank you, screenwriting background, although always interested in psychology. I rarely see the thread while watching first, like everyone I just enjoy, but I research each video by watching every scene the character is in for each episode and make notes, and I start seeing patterns or making sense of it from there. Usually I know the title of the video then research then write it
1:31 it's either my poor lack of attention to conversation details, or the quality of the acting , that I always viewed Roman as the actual youngest sibling.
An excellent summation of Roman’s self-fulfilling prophecy of failure. There is an interesting wrinkle that happened in Season 4 Ep. 8. He is actually hugely successful in creating what is on a national scale a disaster, the (supposed) election of Mencken as President. Throughout, he’s actually quite skilled. Making deals, exposing betrayals, waving off attacks. But his short term success will likely lead to complete catastrophe soon enough. I suspect in Ep. 9 he will face a crashing fall. But he will no doubt behave as though he suspected it all along.
Roman is one of the best written characters in the show. It’s so easy to like/pity him, and then hate him completely. Such a damaged soul, but it’s the polarity that gets you. You sort of know what to expect with Shiv and Kendall- but Roman is such a wild card.
I never ever hated Roman, I only wanted to hug him, and also hook up with him, I mean I'd demean him as much as he'd like, I'd play dead lol, I don't care, sounds fun.
Roman is the kid who never felt love as a child and as an adult still seeks it to from anyone he can but hides that he needs it so he can appear normal.
he seeks approval and love from his dad, but I don't see it with other people, I see it somewhat with Gerri, but that's it. You know when you have been emotionally neglected as a child, receiving love as an adult can feel incredibly uncomfortable.
i like that they explored roman's sexuality as a significant part of his character that ties into his experiences and inception. I feel that it's not often characters' odd sexual proclivities are explored in relation to who they psychologically are despite the fact it's a virtually ubiquitous facet of our being.
I think Logan had the most emotional investment in Roman becoming CEO. Maybe he saw something in Kendall he didn't like, way back, before Roman was born, or maybe he wanted to root for the younger brother, because he himself is a younger brother. I think there might be more weight in the latter theory, because Logan's children with Caroline have the same format as his own siblings, two brothers, one younger sister. There's also something in the name. Roman rhymes with Logan. And Logan's nickname for Roman is Romulus. Everyone else calls him Rome, but Logan, never, he only calls him Roman or Romulus, which I initially thought was a generational thing, like he is just resistant to shortening the name. But he calls Siobhan "Shiv" and "Pinkie", he calls Kendall "Ken", he doesn't have a problem with shortening the names of his children. So, Romulus obviously refers to the founding myth of ancient Rome, which centered around fratricide, almost as if Logan is prophesying that Roman will defeat Kendall and take on the company. He obviously also sees all the faults in Roman that would easily make him a bad choice, as well as clinging to quirks of his that are not impactful to the job, but, as far as a spiritual favorite goes, I think it's Roman
Roman was genuinely the most capable of the three - Kendall was too volatile and Shiv couldn’t read the play. But his traumatic upbringing as the youngest Roy sibling (evidenced by being struck and belitted by Logan multiple times) turned him into a tortured soul who came off like he was playing pretend.
Thanks for mentioning Roman's sexuality as kink/fetish. Every time I watch the show, I keep thinking, "lots of people have humiliation/degradation fetishes. If he was more versed in BDSM, he could probably find a reasonably healthy and sexually satisfying relationship."
Absolutely. Some of the most emotionally aware and psychologically healthy people I have ever known have been well-versed in kink/BDSM. Lots of kink practices about consent, safe words, and aftercare should be more well known and used by everyone, even if they're vanilla!! If Roman had leaned more into that world, there would have been a plethora of people that understood him and taught him safe sexual practices. But he has always had to keep people an arms length away
could you please make a video that analyzes Culkin's performance as you did with the others, your way of analyzing them always feels very thorough and relevant and i think a lot of us as subscribers would want to see you do as many ones as possible, especially for a show like succession
I would argue his rare moments of genuine kindness, or at least empathy (pleading/mourning Logan, helping Kerri pack) are all motivated by the same nihilistic drive that makes him do horrible shit like rip up that kid's check or promote Mencken. He hates opening himself up, but he feels comfortable helping Kerry out because in the end, she's irrelevant, so he can afford to be vulerable and not lose any personal status. However, things like electing a fascist like Mencken do have consequences, and naturally Roman, as a nihilist, hates the idea of adversity or doing anything (plus foisting his still fresh trauma onto the world) so he figures it might as well just burn (I wager that's also why he reacted so spitefully against that working class kid, to in a sort of way project that hopelessness). It's all two sides of the same coin. I'm interested to see what will happen during the funeral, when all of those feelings in the form of Logan's corpse and Gerri coming back are dredged up to the surface again, making him (or not!) finally confront himself.
Very good analysis. I've always thought that Roman was a traumatised little boy living under the protection of his father. You can see the reality of it all crashing in at Logan's funeral.
i love your videos so much so in depth and insightful and makes notices things about my fav characters I've never before, the minutes I spend watching your videos are definitely the best part of the day thank you!!!
It's amazing the the writers have such a handle on the traits of this and all the other personalities in the show that they are able to write all the various facets into the character's dialogue and actions. Amazing. Great analysis too, thank you.
Great video! I just want to add one thing to the sex life section. It seems pretty clear to me that Roman is gay, or at least bi. He gratifies his sexual kinks with women because it’s the most acceptable thing to do, but he has really never shown sexual attraction to women’s bodies. He definitely has shown attraction to men though, and his relationship with Menkin seems clearly at least partially driven by this. It doesn’t really change any of the analysis, but it does add another interesting layer to his character - he is hiding or refusing to recognize this part of himself because he sees it as something that would weaken him (and truthfully, it probably would in that family).
I did not catch that, especially in the 'party' episode that he immediately went over to humiliate Connor when Geri didn't fall for his foolishness. Still.... I do love his character, even though he is piece if crap, lol! So well-written and acted.
As usual, terrific analysis, especially considering that Roman's personnality could easily Come off as a caricature on so many levels - but you managed to masterfully show the subtleties! A few add-ons your video reminded me of : - unless i'm mistaken i believe Gerri is Roman's Godmother (i think Kendall Says it in 4x06) - Roman's belief in Logan's superhuman strength is particularly showcased in 4x03 when he's in complete denial over the entire situation. Furthermore he acts as if his job now is to honor his father's legacy, walking in his very shoes, protecting his public image and presumably doing what he believed he would have done. - could it be that, on a subconscious level, like him wanting to go to military school, he actually wanted to send his junk pic to his father and be exposed? - of all the siblings he seems to embody the impostor syndrome the most and It's really been fascinating seeing him grapple with all this new power he's been given and not really having a clue on how to use it for. Now that he's close to the president elect, having reached so high, i believe he too IS going to explode in air (because, his New status took his used to be "jokes" into something far more damaging, firing people, rigging elections...).
It's a defense mechanism. I've worked with high-salary tech nerds that are JUST like Roman and everyone of them is a broken chlid inside. One of the hallmarks of that personality type is the way Roman always folds when someone shoots back or gets in his face. Not ONCE do you see him get as loud, aggressive and explosive as you see literally every other Roy family member get at least once in the series. In the tech world whenever you encounter someone like Roman, right after they make one of their jokes, get in their face or shoot back a joke of equal spice. They always back down and crumple just like Roman does.
the part where you treat everything like a joke because you were always told you're told you're wrong i can 100% feel him, i was there and am still trying to get out of it
I had no clue what to make of Roman when I started watching this show. I thought he was a sick asshole. But now I see it goes far deeper than that. This channel has now done amazing analysis of each character in this show. They're all really multi layered characters.
The entire show is a giant case study on the consequences of traumatic, psychologically abusive parenting. So fascinating.
I think that's one key to it's cult-like following and success. There's something almost all of us can see in our own messed-up relationships with our parents, siblings, etc. It was fascinating and at times, cathartic
As someone who has worked and interacted a lot with the NYC cultural elite, I'll tell you another aspect of the show that's genius is how well it portrays the entitlement and lack of self-awareness of these people. Roman included. One of the first things you see Roman do is the first few episodes is tell the doctors "is this the best part of the hospital" along with Shiv's idiotic interrogation of the hospital staff before knowing what's going on. They think they're royalty and have no idea that regardless of money, things are accomplished via work and knowledge.
You also see this during Shiv's stint as President. Knows nothing about the company in terms of day-to-day and sticks to personal meddling and pressing others for progress with no care was to what work actually goes into it.
+ immense privilege
@@thomaswschaller I guess that's why this show didn't 'click' with me... I found it interesting, but also too dully tragic and melodramatic. My own parents and sister are amazing, but I saw parental abuse in my extended family - it's too saddening a factor for me to see accurately portrayed in fiction. I'd rather read/see content based on healthy families (especially as it seems to be a rarity, that of portraying a realistically loving household, without it turning into a fake brand of Brady Bunch bullshit).
They are very emotionally stunted, I can relate to that. I love Roman, he is my favorite character, I love that he just says whatever without any boundaries, I have a really hard time knowing other peoples boundaries because I basically doesn't have any myself, nothing really bothers me if someone says anything to me, well actually I do not like people saying nice things to me it makes me very uncomfortable. Anyway, I think Roman is really sweet lol, and he is adorable (but that's being affected by how he looks, so it makes how I see him a bit clouded). I love his deviant side too, I think it makes him interesting and I love when people have that kind of side to them. I wish I could take him out of the TV and make him spend time with me lol. The two characters on the show that I really hate are Logan and Kendall, they make me so irritated, and Kendall makes me kind of disgusted by how he acts, his voice and face and just yeah, it just annoys me so much. I guess this maybe didn't have that much to do with what you wrote, but I felt like saying it.
"Romulus, when you laugh, please do it at the same volume as everyone else. We didn't get you from a hyena farm." was always my favourite line regarding Roman.
"You better be sniffing your fucking armpit, Romulus". Or something like that
“thanks pop”
““I love my daddy.” I never took you for a fag*ot.”
Are you a sicko clears
So perfect, haha
my favorite explanation for Roman’s degradation kink is that by having a sexual partner verbally abuse him, he’s taking control of his trauma-he’s morphing it into something he can enjoy and shut down whenever he pleases. when he asks to be abused, he’s no longer a victim.
Fuckin hell
More good insight.
Great insight holy shit
I think he also has an issue relinquishing power to people he sees as “beneath” him. He can’t just hire a dominatrix, he needs it to be someone he knows and respects. Someone who can get the upper hand on him. Which is why Gerry is the perfect choice.
Definitely. It's not uncommon for sexual kinks/intimacy to be established from upbringing. Roman has a hard shell but the deviancy and need to be talked down to/oedipal issues stems from how his parents treat him, and being "the weak one," or runt. All the children show damaged psychological forms of relationships. Shiv's inability to love an otherwise good partner and her infidelity, Connor's insistence on "buying" love, and Kendall having issues balancing being a good dad/distant dad on top of his own personal shit. Kendall's 1 of 2? sex scenes was arguing with his wife about their divorce deal. All power based things.
The depth with which the writers of Succession have portrayed and presented each of the main characters is exceptional. Not just their background story but going so deep into their psyche. The depth makes this show so fascinating.
Speaking of background story, Succession managed to do it without flashbacks. The only time we see any flashback is the opening credit.
its amazing how much they portray just through dialogue and mannerisms alone. without flashbacks or thought monologues. ive never seen this much character depth without scenes spelling it out for you.
@@nont18411von 😊ül
"The child not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth". The shot of roman walking up the stairs past kendal was truly a culmination of what happens when a child is kept away from any true love and care
If it goes on long enough, the children will burn ALL of it down to feel anything
And then you have to ask how the village dynamic came to reject the child in the first place.
Great quote.
What scene are you talking about?
@@PSL7216 a lot of humans have a tendency to be assholes, even to kids
And yet Roman seemed genuinely upset to see Carrie humiliated by Marcia in his dad's hallway, and was the only one to help her with her bag - he has moments of genuine humanity that underscore how damaged he is at heart
No, Roman was lusting over Carrie. That’s why he kept asking for her phone number. He lusts over his fathers old flames. Such as Jherri and his own mother (to a lesser extent). Marcia was just too close for comfort.
It seemed a bit off to me, maybe he was trying to piss off Marcia. Or maybe in this case he wanted to do the opposite to what everyone else were doing.
I think he wanted her phone number to know if Logan listened to his VM and saw an opportunity and probably felt a bit sorry for her
At that time, Roman used his arm to dump Kerry's bag to the ground and “help” her only to know if she had something important there or to say.
He knows Marcia was cut throat. She is that black widow type. Kerry doesn't have anything without Logan and where she may have seen things as a real relationship, everyone just saw her as a leech or toy.
I hope Kieran Culkin wins an Emmy for this season. He has been outstanding in every episode.
Me too
Agree!!
He already won
He won at the Golden Globe!
AND AN EMMYYYYY
I loved this essay. I like to think that Roman did not actually desire the things that his siblings remember him wanting to do. Even far back in the past, like you said, he would rather put up barriers than allow people to realize that he is capable of being hurt.
Roman remembers being locked in a dog cage, his siblings remember him loving it. He acted like he enjoyed playing dog pound so that he didn't look weak in front of his siblings, he probably wanted to make his siblings feel like they were having fun so that they'd at least act like they enjoyed having him around (classic "class clown" behavior). But the passage of time has stripped the facade away in Roman's mind and now all he remembers is the truth - he didn't like it - and all his siblings remember is the facade - that he liked it. The result is that Roman is still the butt of the joke, and his siblings don't have to feel like they hurt him, when they actually did.
Same with the military school thing. Roman probably thought that going to military school would make him look tough, or make him out to be a capable outcast wise in the ways of the world, kind of like the archetypal "bastard prince" character in many Shakespeare plays, and would cover the embarrassment of him wetting the bed and feeling like a helpless child. But he didn't actually WANT to go. He probably DID ask Logan to go just to make a point and cover his weakness, but on the inside, he probably feels like Logan was relieved to be rid of him.
best explanation of that childhood dog cage story i've seen so far, that makes so much sense!
I have a different opinion about the dog cage he really did like it he liked being abused and Kendall liked to be the abuser because thats how Logan wanted their rolls to be because in my opinion he always wanted Kendall to be the one and he used Roman to make Kendall the killer and Roman liked it because he was so used to being abused that he slowly started to think being abused is the most normal way of living
Sound far-fetched for the kind of reminds me of what people love to say about Prince Harry. They say that Prince Harry loves his Royal life love being the third fiddle with his brother and Kate. And that all the sudden Megan came along and now he hates everything. But really I think it was a facade and he got a chance to be with someone where he can express these things that he did not like and try to go a different way. Where he went wrong was he had too much unresolved issues before he started talking about it so it's almost like he's lashing out. I don't think the things he's upset about our allies and I don't think they're wrong but you can't really get a point across if you are in a rage. I think they would have been better off to maybe stay in California for about 3 years or so before they started talking about these things. It's a big adjustment to leave being a working Royal come to United States and start his whole life. It wasn't such an adjustment for Megan but it was an adjustment for him. And I also think she's getting a lot of blame but I really believe all of this obsession with the paparazzi and all these things it's coming from him and not her. But if she were to speak up and say that she doesn't necessarily agree with some of these things or that she's okay with some of the things you complain about people are just going to blame her even more and say that she doesn't support him
Yes. As to the last it bit, Logan could have told everyone he wanted to go to military school and made Roman go along with it. He has that power over Roman. That's what's great about the writing- it allows for these possibilities in our minds as we watch
@@NRQ-zv5bpagreed! A lot of repressed hurt and ressentiment.
His biggest mistake was threatening Gerri and firing her. She would have gotten him the company and made him the winner. Logan threated people like crap but he knew that he needed them and could not do it on his own.
That and it also creates a meetoo scenario for him whereas if he didn’t piss her off she would never expose him.
@e-w-4174Literally no one is feeling sorry for him here for that but keep going off I guess?
what if he understood, that with Gerri he would get the company, but he was too afraid to fail at being the successor, that he'd rather destroy that chance?
I think the truly devastating thing about his character is that he realizes jerri put the business over him and felt that he had to stand up for himself but even when he does he's always told to shut up and do what's best for the business, was jerri looking out for him by siding with waystar royco? Maybe if she framed it that way they would still be together
NPC comment of the chronically online
He's by far the most self-actualised and internally consistent sibling, and the least deluded. He recognises the pain and absurdity of their circumstances, and acts accordingly. He also shows the most genuine and unencumbered love to his family.
Disagree. He is likeable, but I don't think you can measure them in terms of mental health as they're so varied. Roman is jealous of Kendall and Shiv in many ways.
@@bededd39 Thanks for response. I don't think I was commenting on 'mental health ' at all - jealousy and delusion are not mental health conditions (as I see it).
@@inthebasement No worries, I think I find Kendall to be more self actualised - albeit pretty misguided. Roman constantly deflects everything but he's more likeable as a character.
I think he’s by far the most deluded! He acts like he doesn’t care and that he can hang with the edglords and alt right and then breaks down (understandably) during the funeral and shows himself to be ‘weak’ in a way that the persona he wears loves to mock. I guess deluded is a relatively vague term but I think his vision of himself, the world and his father is the most far from the reality. And that’s why he’s crashing and burning
@@wephilips6651 well, you are basing on an episode just passed, Roman has a wider arch like all characters and the last episode hadn't happened when I posted my thoughts. But in any case, sons breakdown at their fathers funerals every day, it's life and only a dig deal because of the stakes and audience. Roman presents himself, openly and consistently, as a cruel shallow brat and a pervert. Kendal tells his ex-wife he is 'out there every day, fighting for a better world' (or whatever). You are absolutely sure Roman is the most deluded?
another interesting thing to point out i think is roman’s numerous jokes about him being SA’d as a child, by a camp counselor and a babysitter. roman has revealed shocking things before, playing those things off as a joke so it wouldn’t surprise me if those were true as well.
that would also further explain his need to make his sex life “taboo”, as SA victims often do not feel comfortable having “normal” sex and need it to be wrong for them to tolerate or even enjoy the act.
I’ve always found that interesting and concerning! Also when Kendall tells him “he isn’t real” it reminded me of all the “No Real Person Involved” cruise scandal with all the SA happening there…
@e-w-4174he’s a fake person, you can theorize all you want
bed wetting, over the top sexual jokes, and his whole attitude towards sex could all be interpreted as signs of exactly that, actually.
and do we really think that he would have a nice and safe time in military school? a small flamboyant boy like him?
This is my thought! He jokes around a lot but if people actually listen to him he’s telling the truth p much all the time. He just has to hide it as jokes bc no one will listen to him otherwise. I always remember the episode in s1 where they have the fake therapy session and he makes a few jokes about Connor SAing him which is very obviously not true but I always took that as a sign he was. He just said Connor to be outlandish and again make it come off as a joke of his “pretend” trauma before the fake therapy session
Doesn't he also "joke" that Connor diddled him as a kid? I thought it was a joke but then the dog cage thing and jerking on Gerris bathroom door turned out to be true lol, I feel like he said real stuff as jokes
Culkin better win an Emmy… he is astounding in this role. He manages to break your heart deeply while despising him in the very same breath.
Roman amazes me with the whiplash I experience with his character - in episode 3 his softness with all his siblings just made my eyes water, but I was ready to strangle his ass in episode 8
right right?!!! he is my fav sibiling from around season 3 but in episode 8 he was so annoying
I really think he’s the worst character I’ve ever seen on television. He’s truly an impossible person. So obnoxious.
He is sick with grief, he is trying to be his father, he is sucking up to his new Logan in Mencken. The world LITERALLY burning down around him is an afterthought. His world has already ended with Logan's death and he is so isolated from the real world that he either can't see what the consequences will be, or worse, don't CARE.
@@realone7488yes but the show does such a good job of helping us realize why this family is toxic so we empathize and want to watch every week. Great writing.
@@anne-zh2kd he was fascinated with Mencken before his dad ever died. He just likes fascists.
we are so blessed that Kieran was Roman and not Greg.
Was this almost a thing?!
@@qotsashfifty4 yeah! i believe kieran actually auditioned for the role of greg
he is PERFECT as Roman. AMAZING 🙏
@@qotsashfifty4 Yes, he initially was called in to audition for Greg.
Wow, I can't even imagine Kieran playing Greg and vice versa. I have the biggest heterosexual bro-crush on Roman Roy, it's ridiculous. 🤭
His funeral speech is about to be the culmination of everything about his character arc. Since Logan's death, he is the only one we haven't seen truly grieve and considering his 'relationship' with his father, he was the one most affected physically and emotionally by Logan's 'parenting' style. With Geri out of his corner, he has spiraled into the worst bits of himself, emulating Logan's devil may care tactics without the capital or the mindset to back him up. He's become unhinged, more than usual anyway, snippy and has a nothing matters attitude. But his father mattered to him and the funeral would force him to confront how much Logan mattered, for good or for worse. I am both terrified and intrigued what he will say/do or uncover within himself. Either at the speech or at the end of the episode as a monologue or confiding in a person, either Gerri or Kendal.
Edit: "Is he in there? Can we get him out" comment absolutely shattered me
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
And his siblings are just letting it happen
People with unhealthy relationships with their parents tend to have a harder time when a parent dies because the relationship can never heal, so grief digs up all that baggage without any closure. I think all the kids are dealing with this, but Roman's is definitely the worst by far.
I think it'll be another living plus moment
He (Roman) said a lot by not saying a lot
Roman is definitely the worst morally when it comes to the greater good, but due to Kieran's magnetic performance, you just want to smack him for all the mess he has done. Then comforts him with a hug because all he just wanted was for his family to be together, in their dysfunction form.
That's probably what he would want anyway. Punishment and affection because he can't separate the two. I think he'd like that result lol.
This made me view the “You’re not a real person” quote in a different light. I originally thought that quote was just some classic Kendall cringe, but in reality he was really calling Roman out on the fact that he has never been authentic to anyone including himself💀
Same! But Kendall is the least real person, so for him to project his own pseudo persona onto Roman is next level depth.
Yes, Kendall is pretentious. But his remorse for the waiter's death was profound and authentic. That makes Kendall real.
Logan's death is giving Kendall space to self-actualize.
Roman doesn't exhibit a conscience. --Burn down the country because he wants to "be the man." 🙀
@@edithkennedy1297 Kendall is a real person in the sense that he desperately wants himself to be one. And he does have some authentic convictions and beliefs, they're just too fickle and he's not able to back them with his actions. He constantly aspires to inhabit an authentic persona and constantly fails to do so when his ideals collide with his actual interests. Roman is much more open about his opportunism and disregard for most other people, which makes him in a way more authentic but also means he's not able to actually care about anything, perhaps save for his family.
It's also a referenfe to NRPI.
@@EdNortyNo real person involved… good observation.
With such fine writing of the character, Kieran Culkin has surpassed himself by bringing forth every nuance of Roman Roy. Even the constant fidgeting is a master stroke in understanding the character. A truly gifted actor!!!
This is amazingly insightful, but the glaring differences in their recollection of Roman's childhood isnt due to him wanting to do stuff. It's classic for abuse victims, especially children of narcissistic parents. The parents will turn other siblings into helper by triangulating the child in question so they cant turn to anyone else for help
Thank you, was looking for this comment. I also think the truth is much closer to Roman’s memories than of his siblings. For the exact reasons you mentioned.
I never knew that, but I can see how much the three of them (Shiv, Ken, and Roman) competed with each other.
Roman is a great foil for Connor. Roman is not the youngest, but he acts the youngest. Connor is the oldest, but everyone treats Ken as the firstborn. Connor was neglected and grew up to be fairly secure in himself without receiving any love from his family. Roman's been under his father's watchful eye & controlling hand his whole life, and grew up to have his entire sense of identity based in being the kicked dog that always comes back, who always has reverence for his father no matter what he gets put through. Whatever happened in the family or the company didn't matter as long as Logan still let Rome sit at his heel. Roman always wanted more than anything to believe his unyielding love was worth something to his father, that his loyalty despite the abuse would have counted for something between them, whereas Connor knows his love means nothing to Logan (since Connor's not useful) and thus he never let himself expect a reimbursement of love from him... and consequently, from anyone else. Connor's "You're needy love sponges and I'm a plant that grows on rocks and lives off insects that die inside of me." vs Roman's "What have you got in your hand?"/"I don't know, fucking love?"
Roman is that character where you love him, but you also despise him
Yeah, because he genuinely hurts people and doesn't feel bad about it, but he's funny...
That’s literally every character
@@mmmuuuuuuuuiiiiiiiiirrrrr this is what I find so interesting about the writing though. You’re completely right, but I think he’s written and acted incredibly well, because while he is a total piece of shit, seeing why he is the way he is, and seeing small slivers of a better person in there (like earlier in the season) to me makes him very interesting, same as the rest of the cast. His dependence on Logan, and how losing him has completely unravelled that potential has been top tier
honestly the reason i love roman despite the fact that he’s a horrible human being, is that we so often see him being abused or degraded by the people around him; it paints him in a sympathetic light. he’s always the butt of a joke, under logan’s thumb, etc.
but for example in the last episode, roman was in charge, he answered to no one and while yes, he’s still very much terrified of logan’s shadow, his father is no longer there to actively hurt roman, to make him look sympathetic or small, so we see roman for who he is: a viciously cruel and uncaring person.
he did disappear his wife and kid
Roman reminds me a lot of Tyrion Lannister. Quick witted. A bully who is also bullied. And I think most telling, is that both of them are BY FAR the most like their fathers, in comparison to their siblings. I think there's something compelling about the smallest, most shameless child being the best reflection of the fathers' personalities.
You’ve articulated my attachment to Roman. He is my favourite character.
That's debatable. Different people have very different ideas on who is "the most" like Logan of them.... but the fact is that they all reflect some of his traits and not others, so it just depends on what you mean by 'like Logan'. Which aspects of him? Which Logan, him as a child, him as a young man, the old man who has already built up an empire, the Logan-myth he presented to them?
@@ivanacvetanovic7611 I think Roman is the closest to Logan's ruthlessness and emotional distance (Roman uses crude humour, Logan uses anger and violence), which I think are the latter's defining qualities in the context of the narrative. Also, they both have qualities of sexual degeneracy.
The Election episode was great because it showed Roman is ready to do the unthinkable (unlike Shiv and Kendall's maybe pseudo-sincere moral hangups). Also, for whatever is in a name, Logan and Roman are similar (I know Kendall's first name is Logan but no one calls him that). Romans nickname (Romulus), which only Logan really calls him, is also an allusion to the leader of a great Western empire. Might count for something.
Really good video, I wish the show had more seasons because there's one particular relationship I wish was explored a little further. It's Connor and Roman, remember that episode when Rome is asked to pick out his favourite father/son memory and it happens to be a memory of him and Connor. Connor also seems to be very tender with him as compared to everyone else, he also only calls him when making funeral arrangements and then the night before Cons wedding Roman (and Ken) sees that his brother is down and instead of plotting and planning he decides have a drink with him and put an arm round his shoulder.
I wish they had more stuff together because I think it might be the only relationship in his life that's got unconditional love (maybe that and him and Ken)
That's an incredibly solid theory for the backstory and motivations of the most elusive character in the show. Thank you!
This analysis coming out after episode eight is so well timed. We saw the absolute worst version of Roman and it sucks to know that Mencken will play him like a fiddle.
I do get a very strong sense that Mencken is his new "daddy" and it scares the fuck outta me.
Someone on the subreddit said that Matsson is the tall, blonde Aryan that Mencken dreams about. Knowing that, Roman is fucked.
@@elia479 Menken literally agreed to block the deal for positive coverage. And he got positive coverage from ATN
@@catcontent agree mean nothing tbh, and he doesn't get to be president for atleast a few more month
Changed your mind@@catcontent
Dude you absolutely kill it with these “observations”. Slowly becoming obsessed with Succession in a way I never was partly due to these videos. And may I suggest an updated video of Greg when you get the chance, selfishly because he’s my favorite character. Keep killing it man. 👍
Roman is such a great character, he has the ability to steal every scene he's in - probably written like that completely on purpose, to show how he tries to bring attention to himself as the youngest brother. One episode redeems him and the next I'm back to despising him 😄 and have to mention Kieran Culkin's performance, I genuinely see him as Roman Roy, it'll be really hard to shake off this role after the show ends
Roman the showman, and all that
He is not the youngest
..... Which episode redeems him exactly?
Can’t wait to see what insane shenanigans unfold during Roman’s speech next episode
See Shivy cry, see Kenny lie, see Roman the Showman light up the sky!
@@V45hTh3Stamp3d3 Roman the Showman
@@TwobitRules ooo yeah
Knowing this show the speech probably won't appear, we'll just see the aftermath.
@@MadGeorgeProductions looks like the speech didn’t happen after all ;)
Legit the best character ever… I hope we get a video on the series finale too please. Love your work!
Great analysis. Roman's is exactly the type of personality that turns to fascism as part of the never ending, desperate search for protection from coming face-to-face with his deep shame and emptiness.
Yes. This. I keep seeing people referencing the flashes of humanity he demonstrates (which is, I get, confusing). But he has in no way grown in authentic empathy from the guy who treated a child as he did in S1E1. And when he turned on Kendall at his 40th, it was beyond unempathetic...I think it was the ugliest I've seen one of the three primary siblings treat each other in the series (remember, they all think of business betrayals as 'what Logan would do' and therefore commendable and inevitable on some level). Roman also unapologetically condones abuse of Greg at all times, the other underdog boy in the family, and has from the start.
With all the hysterical screeching on the subreddit (that place has become insufferable) it amazes me that people think he has any political ideology at all. Every decision he makes is to self-destruct, nothing more.
"fascism" empty word at this point, like communism.
@@futuropasado No, even though a lot of people misuse them, they are still words with specific meanings.
@@futuropasadouff how embarrassing to say something like that. Just because you don’t understand these words doesn’t mean they don’t have meaning.
I relate to roman so much. I was that kid. My dad may not have beaten me as much as he got beat but My mom was very hysterical and would go on long verbal abuses for just me doing what a kid does. His mannerisms, the way he moves and sits, the way he jokes to mask emotion. My house caught on fire and the way i announced it to my friends and classmates was in a joking manner. Even when my dad saw roman, he said it reminded him of me lmao.
My take on why he said he was abused on the dog kennel but his siblings said that he loved it, i think its just to impress others. Being a joker like "hey look at me im a dog". I was bullied when i was in elementary and the way i dealt with it is acting like i enjoyed the punches the kids were giving me, thinking "hey, if i could make them laugh, maybe they won't hurt me any further."
Also i started masturbating at a very young age, and my sexual deviancy is really not natural. But i still have sex, compared to sexless roman lmao. I could go on further about being feeling unloved and craving for love but this comment is already long. I don't want this to be a therapy session.
Unwanted child here, similar story! ❤
Gerri and Roman dynamic is insane the way you've explained!!!
Roman describes himself as “dumb but smart.”
That means he’s at least self-aware of his severe limitations and has decided to make them work in his favor to achieve mixed results. The mixed results prevent full accountability something the Roys routinely avoid.
cunning, deceptive, aggressive, and realistic about had nasty people can be, but also zero business or legal understanding
Something went well, that means I'm smart, something went bad, well... I told you I was dumb didn't I?
Is it self-aware or is it a vague phrase that he can then use in his favor when it suits him?
well he can recognize other people like himself and that can be an asset, he can recognize people that are like his family as well.
Roman has also made several comments regarding abuse/sexual abuse in his childhood. I do think something happened, when he "joked" with Connor about "Connor touching him". When that happened Connor was very clearly concerned whilst being offended by Roman's accusation
im very confused on why this is never mentioned in videos like this. there is multiple moments in the show that strongly suggest that he is a CSA survivor. its weird.
Do you happen to remember which episode this "joke" was in?
@@WetRatGaming S1 EP7
I've always thought he was and would explain his character perfectly. He was shipped off to Boarding school at a young age and his weird interactions with older men/love of older women does seem to hint towards it.
He also jokes about his camp counselor molesting him
Keiran Culkins performance throughout this whole saga has been one of the best I've ever seen. He's flippant, loathsome, pitiable, vulnerable and charming all at the same time - just a constant, walking contradiction of a human being.
Incredible synopsis! I admit, I don't pay as close attention to these things as I should and I have a whole new respect for the show, writers and even more respect for Kieran's acting after watching this!
What’s surprised me most is how Logans death allowed me to suddenly SEE ALL THE FAULTS he saw within the kids & ACTUALLY AGREE with him 😲….they each have @ least one crippling issues that makes them unsuited to lead Royco!
Once the villain left the picture it took away the desire to be defensive & instead begin to judge their shortcomings.
a new sucession vid from you is almost like a new sucession ep for me
great fucking analysis
And after 4 seasons this is the first time I’ve heard he wasn’t the youngest sibling it just made too much sense
Thank you! These videos help me understand the characters, the series and myself much better
I’m used to shows where characters like Roman have their ‘this is what happened to them as a kid’ story be revealed over time but we didn’t get that. We’re given tidbits about his abuse that are brushed off or joked about or entirely ignored by the others. It’s up to the audience to decide whether he’s telling the truth, lying or just being weird.
Something I hadn't thought of before watching this video: Roman seemed content having his father as an authoritarian figure. That could help explain why he's not repulsed by the idea of a crypto-fascist president.
Ive watched many analysis videos of shows and characters from many channels, and I must say, you have such an exceptional way of breaking these things down and explaining them, its really something, your insight and psychoanalysis seems to be spot on every time and conveyed very clearly and softly, you truly have a gift. Do you just immediately see all these threads while watching or do you have some sort of system to methodically expose those underlying psychological connections for each characters? Also, is it more filmmaking or psychology knowledge that informs your analyses?
Thank you, screenwriting background, although always interested in psychology. I rarely see the thread while watching first, like everyone I just enjoy, but I research each video by watching every scene the character is in for each episode and make notes, and I start seeing patterns or making sense of it from there. Usually I know the title of the video then research then write it
What a depth
@@JustanObservation Thanks, I appreciate your reply, and thanks for the videos, they are truly a delight.
Your character analyses of the Roys are always on point! Keep up the amazing content 💖
Roman at the funeral was the real Roman. Just a scared little boy who misses his dad. Kieran better win that Emmy!!!
1:31 it's either my poor lack of attention to conversation details, or the quality of the acting , that I always viewed Roman as the actual youngest sibling.
I think the majority of people thought he was the youngest
As long as no-one forgets that Kendall is the eldest son.
@@dielaughing73 lol
@@sebastianventura4964
I thought he was Shiv's twin.
There's a bond between them.
Your old channel was about break ups! You saved my bacon a few years ago. So glad you’ve kept creating and with a lovely pivot!
An excellent summation of Roman’s self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.
There is an interesting wrinkle that happened in Season 4 Ep. 8. He is actually hugely successful in creating what is on a national scale a disaster, the (supposed) election of Mencken as President. Throughout, he’s actually quite skilled. Making deals, exposing betrayals, waving off attacks.
But his short term success will likely lead to complete catastrophe soon enough. I suspect in Ep. 9 he will face a crashing fall. But he will no doubt behave as though he suspected it all along.
You're absolutely right
And it'll be even worse of Mencken were to lose because ATN will lose all credibility and lawsuits.
This is the best analysis I've seen for Roman.
Hey man you've really found your market, you have great analytical skills and can't wait for you to analyze other things! Great video like always!
Roman is one of the best written characters in the show. It’s so easy to like/pity him, and then hate him completely. Such a damaged soul, but it’s the polarity that gets you. You sort of know what to expect with Shiv and Kendall- but Roman is such a wild card.
I never ever hated Roman, I only wanted to hug him, and also hook up with him, I mean I'd demean him as much as he'd like, I'd play dead lol, I don't care, sounds fun.
excellent, thought-provoking analysis. roman is an incredible character and kireran is incredible as roman. best actor emmy, please.
A very perceptive line.
"Failing at something impossible is expected. But failing at something expected is exposing."
Roman is the kid who never felt love as a child and as an adult still seeks it to from anyone he can but hides that he needs it so he can appear normal.
he seeks approval and love from his dad, but I don't see it with other people, I see it somewhat with Gerri, but that's it. You know when you have been emotionally neglected as a child, receiving love as an adult can feel incredibly uncomfortable.
i like that they explored roman's sexuality as a significant part of his character that ties into his experiences and inception. I feel that it's not often characters' odd sexual proclivities are explored in relation to who they psychologically are despite the fact it's a virtually ubiquitous facet of our being.
Probably the most profound show I've seen, and your observation was spot on, in my opinion.
Brilliant analysis and reveals just how psychologically fascinating and credible the writers made these characters.
Perfect build up to who I consider to be the most interesting character in the show.
I think we're going to see the "fall of Rome" in the Funeral episode.
This was a brilliant video essay, I was hooked from the beginning. I can’t wait to watch more of your content.
Really great analysis, love looking back on the many excellently written lines to try see the backstory of these characters.
The fact that this is ONE character in a huge cast of complex characters…Bravo Mr Armstrong and all the writers of this great fucking show
I think Logan had the most emotional investment in Roman becoming CEO. Maybe he saw something in Kendall he didn't like, way back, before Roman was born, or maybe he wanted to root for the younger brother, because he himself is a younger brother. I think there might be more weight in the latter theory, because Logan's children with Caroline have the same format as his own siblings, two brothers, one younger sister. There's also something in the name. Roman rhymes with Logan. And Logan's nickname for Roman is Romulus. Everyone else calls him Rome, but Logan, never, he only calls him Roman or Romulus, which I initially thought was a generational thing, like he is just resistant to shortening the name. But he calls Siobhan "Shiv" and "Pinkie", he calls Kendall "Ken", he doesn't have a problem with shortening the names of his children. So, Romulus obviously refers to the founding myth of ancient Rome, which centered around fratricide, almost as if Logan is prophesying that Roman will defeat Kendall and take on the company. He obviously also sees all the faults in Roman that would easily make him a bad choice, as well as clinging to quirks of his that are not impactful to the job, but, as far as a spiritual favorite goes, I think it's Roman
8:00 Wow, only now realize Kieran looks A LOT like a young De Niro
I love how stewy saw right through him and verbally put him in his place every chance he got . Calling him a joke was the best.
At this point you have no choice but to release a Succession video after each episode
Perfect analysis
My man, you are pretty good at this. thank for the video
Roman was genuinely the most capable of the three - Kendall was too volatile and Shiv couldn’t read the play. But his traumatic upbringing as the youngest Roy sibling (evidenced by being struck and belitted by Logan multiple times) turned him into a tortured soul who came off like he was playing pretend.
Roman has become my favorite of the siblings despite all his weirdness. With only two (ugh 😭) episodes left, I'm rooting for him.
Great guide for any future parents on "What not to do"
Thanks for mentioning Roman's sexuality as kink/fetish. Every time I watch the show, I keep thinking, "lots of people have humiliation/degradation fetishes. If he was more versed in BDSM, he could probably find a reasonably healthy and sexually satisfying relationship."
Absolutely. Some of the most emotionally aware and psychologically healthy people I have ever known have been well-versed in kink/BDSM. Lots of kink practices about consent, safe words, and aftercare should be more well known and used by everyone, even if they're vanilla!! If Roman had leaned more into that world, there would have been a plethora of people that understood him and taught him safe sexual practices. But he has always had to keep people an arms length away
What an immense psychological breakdown. 👍🏼
could you please make a video that analyzes Culkin's performance as you did with the others, your way of analyzing them always feels very thorough and relevant and i think a lot of us as subscribers would want to see you do as many ones as possible, especially for a show like succession
I would argue his rare moments of genuine kindness, or at least empathy (pleading/mourning Logan, helping Kerri pack) are all motivated by the same nihilistic drive that makes him do horrible shit like rip up that kid's check or promote Mencken. He hates opening himself up, but he feels comfortable helping Kerry out because in the end, she's irrelevant, so he can afford to be vulerable and not lose any personal status. However, things like electing a fascist like Mencken do have consequences, and naturally Roman, as a nihilist, hates the idea of adversity or doing anything (plus foisting his still fresh trauma onto the world) so he figures it might as well just burn (I wager that's also why he reacted so spitefully against that working class kid, to in a sort of way project that hopelessness). It's all two sides of the same coin. I'm interested to see what will happen during the funeral, when all of those feelings in the form of Logan's corpse and Gerri coming back are dredged up to the surface again, making him (or not!) finally confront himself.
I kinda also think that the kid having loving parents made him jealous, but that may just me giving him too much credit, I dunno.
I've been waiting for you to do a Roman Roy video since I started watching your channel. This exceeded my expectation, absolutely stellar content!! 😊
His face/reaction during the rocket exploding was one of the best moments in the show
The way he dropped the ball at the funeral was classic Roman.
Fear of being publicly shamed again rather than of failure. Roman is very very angry
Man. I really want more Tabitha.
She is so damn funny and witty. And lets be real, attractive as hell
Very good analysis. I've always thought that Roman was a traumatised little boy living under the protection of his father. You can see the reality of it all crashing in at Logan's funeral.
i love your videos so much so in depth and insightful and makes notices things about my fav characters I've never before, the minutes I spend watching your videos are definitely the best part of the day thank you!!!
a bit of work went into this ... Kieran Calkin excellent actor , full marks to him everyone involved in the show !!
Love these videos. Gonna be so sad after the show ends
I though this was a brilliant psychoanalysis of Roman's character. Well done.
It's amazing the the writers have such a handle on the traits of this and all the other personalities in the show that they are able to write all the various facets into the character's dialogue and actions. Amazing. Great analysis too, thank you.
Great video! I just want to add one thing to the sex life section. It seems pretty clear to me that Roman is gay, or at least bi. He gratifies his sexual kinks with women because it’s the most acceptable thing to do, but he has really never shown sexual attraction to women’s bodies. He definitely has shown attraction to men though, and his relationship with Menkin seems clearly at least partially driven by this. It doesn’t really change any of the analysis, but it does add another interesting layer to his character - he is hiding or refusing to recognize this part of himself because he sees it as something that would weaken him (and truthfully, it probably would in that family).
Not me getting the “I can fix him” feeling 😭
don't fix him too much though. I love his deviancy.
I did not catch that, especially in the 'party' episode that he immediately went over to humiliate Connor when Geri didn't fall for his foolishness. Still.... I do love his character, even though he is piece if crap, lol! So well-written and acted.
As usual, terrific analysis, especially considering that Roman's personnality could easily Come off as a caricature on so many levels - but you managed to masterfully show the subtleties!
A few add-ons your video reminded me of :
- unless i'm mistaken i believe Gerri is Roman's Godmother (i think Kendall Says it in 4x06)
- Roman's belief in Logan's superhuman strength is particularly showcased in 4x03 when he's in complete denial over the entire situation. Furthermore he acts as if his job now is to honor his father's legacy, walking in his very shoes, protecting his public image and presumably doing what he believed he would have done.
- could it be that, on a subconscious level, like him wanting to go to military school, he actually wanted to send his junk pic to his father and be exposed?
- of all the siblings he seems to embody the impostor syndrome the most and It's really been fascinating seeing him grapple with all this new power he's been given and not really having a clue on how to use it for. Now that he's close to the president elect, having reached so high, i believe he too IS going to explode in air (because, his New status took his used to be "jokes" into something far more damaging, firing people, rigging elections...).
no, it's shiv's.
Now I know why I love Roman so much. He and I had the same childhood and are so much alike.
It's a defense mechanism. I've worked with high-salary tech nerds that are JUST like Roman and everyone of them is a broken chlid inside. One of the hallmarks of that personality type is the way Roman always folds when someone shoots back or gets in his face. Not ONCE do you see him get as loud, aggressive and explosive as you see literally every other Roy family member get at least once in the series.
In the tech world whenever you encounter someone like Roman, right after they make one of their jokes, get in their face or shoot back a joke of equal spice. They always back down and crumple just like Roman does.
I don't think Roman is like Joffrey. Joffrey didnt hurt (also kill) people as a defense mechanism; he did it because he is evil.
Your best character analysis so far !
I think the last scene of Roman with a liquor glass, alludes to the impending lifelong struggle with alcoholism
I’ve been waiting for you to make something like this
the part where you treat everything like a joke because you were always told you're told you're wrong i can 100% feel him, i was there and am still trying to get out of it
When he is kind to Kerry at Marcia’s house I think it shows a little bit of the real Roman. Everything else is just his armor.
His occasional acts of genuine kindness are the most surprising things he does.
I had no clue what to make of Roman when I started watching this show. I thought he was a sick asshole. But now I see it goes far deeper than that. This channel has now done amazing analysis of each character in this show. They're all really multi layered characters.
Nice analysis, I enjoyed it.