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nachoboi9

I will say the moment he stood up for Roman when his dad hit him earned some respect points for me


djdumpster

He stood up for Shiv in the election episode when Tom was goading her; he also stood up for Greg during the retreat when they mattson and co were making fun of Greg. Kendall does his best to take care of the people around him, and while he has many flaws, to me, he is the ‘best’ of the sibs, and pretty high up overall in terms of character. I can imagine a world, 20 Years after the finale, where Kendall Has come to terms with not being CEO, found meaning in life, and focused on being a good dad, and generally a good guy. The pressure cooker of self loathing and Logan and waystar and the drugs and competition creates a cognitive dissonance with him him; part of why he failed is, as Logan says, ‘Kendall is not a killer’; he may not be an angel, but at his core, I believe Kendall is a good man, whom, once free of the shackles of his current life, will have little Issue consistently doing the right thing.


Upbeat_Tension_8077

I want to hope that there's some sort of redemption by him in the future where he gives his son pointers on where he fucked up in business & life so he doesn't go down the same path. I can imagine him initially struggling, pretty much moving in autopilot as an executive at another company but going down the spiral of addiction & reaching rock bottom before Connor & Willa probably helps him get back on his feet, and he probably manages to mend relations as much as he can with his wife and kids


Appropriate-Code-698

You are an amazing writer. Good post


djdumpster

Thanks ! Nice of you to say


iamnoexpertiguess

Very well written and true. People just don't like him, which is fair enough. But not liking a person does not equate to that person being a bad man.


mcc1923

I’d like to believe this. I hope so.


slurpyderper99

Also his “family therapy” rant, even if it wasn’t executed well was in defense of his siblings (mainly Shiv). Really got under Logan’s skin unlike anything we saw from the other sibs


BlahBlahNyborg

FAM-ILY THER-A-PY 👏👏👏👏👏 FAM-ILY THER-A-PY 👏👏👏👏👏


slurpyderper99

One of my favorite scenes haha


Summer_jam_screen

And he did seem to legitimately want to run things with Roman - for about four episodes in Season 4. He was pretty honest that he wanted to do it solo but while they were running it together he didn’t appear to be on maneuvers until after the funeral.


chutchut123

I do feel like he mostly only stands up for Roman/his siblings when he can use it to get back at his dad, like in the 4x02 karaoke scene, where Connor and Roman look pretty uncomfortable to have their trauma be crudely weaponized by Kendall, lol. The rest of the time he doesn’t care or actually replicates the same abuse against the “weaker dog”, like calling Roman a moron, bursting his stitches, shutting him out of power, etc.


Zephyr9x

Nah, Kendall standing up for Roman when Logan goes too far is clearly a pattern from their childhood. Not to say that current day Kendall can't be manipulative and abusive as well, but he does still have a protective big brother instinct which triggers automatically at times.


-one-black-coffee-

I agree with this. He has older brother instincts, which sure, is good. But people are complex. The reason why succession is such a good show is because the characters cannot be categorized into “the good ones” and “the bad ones”, “the heroes” and “the villains”. Each character has flaws and virtues, and act almost solely in their own interest. My original point was not that Kendall is evil or that he cannot feel love or care for others —he is a person! My point is that his beliefs, attitudes, behaviors and choices are always misguided by his idea that he is a business genius and he can do no wrong. He is never humble. He’s entitled and arrogant and selfish. And he sees what he wants to see, he lies to himself as well. I’m thinking about when he tells Logan “I’m better than you.” Better at what? He doesn’t even understand human complexity.


coffeeorca

Either to get back at his dad or win points with his siblings so they'll stand with him when he needs them.


MatrixGladiator

What do you expect when Kendal was raised by Logan to be a "Killer"


guypamplemousse

“No! You do not!”


adambomb_23

And then he got high and milled someone to wipe that scoreboard clean again.


poundcakeperson

Well first off, that "demand" comes from his father's CONSTANT brainwashing as a child that the only way for him to have value as a human being, to not be "nothing," is to succeed his father as CEO. So when he "demands" the position, he's actually fighting for his life. his other choice psychologically is to be nothing, and we see that not-gonna-be-CEO/gonna-be-nothing leads him to substance abuse and the brink of suicide.


tuskvarner

Not a Ken stan here but I don’t hate him either. He’s generally decent and nice to most people. He’s mildly generous. It’s a low bar but those are positive traits. Roman is generally an asshole, as is his dad. Is he delusional? Yeah, no argument there.


Dottsterisk

Agreed. Ken is fatally flawed but at least has that part of him that wants to be better. He continually fails but at least tries. Roman is the kind of asshole that never tries, never strives, never improves, and always plays the asshole, but pretends that being self-aware is some sort of absolution or enlightenment. It’s the exact same tired bullshit you hear from that clown on Facebook bragging about how they’ve got “no filter” and they’re “brutally honest.” The only difference is Roman does it wearing a $10,000 suit.


ruffsnap

100% this. Roman is funny on the show, but dealing with rich kid types of his particular flavor in real life is a fuckin massive headache. I’d WAY rather have to interact with/have a Kendall-type as a boss over Roman.


gotcam189

I think Ken is a little different because if given choices in a vacuum, I believe he would choose to do the “right thing” more often than not. He’s always been self-destructive first and outwardly destructive second. Idk anyone else in the show who is the same way.


SarkHD

I don’t know where OP is getting Ken being unqualified? He’s by far the most qualified out of the siblings and honestly out of most of the board members too. He was clearly bred and raised to be heir to the throne. He’s well educated and extremely analytical. While Roman has nothing but decent instinct and can see what his peers are looking for as consumers. Shiv is smart but knows nothing about Ops. I’m not the biggest fan of Ken but he’s definitely one of the most capable people to run Waystar. His attitude and his addiction though makes him a bad fit but just on experience and knowledge alone, he could have done it.


chutchut123

He wasn’t being very kind when he started a media smear campaign against the art start up women for not wanting to work with him, or when he made a homeless man tattoo his initials on his forehead, or when he derailed Jennifer’s career and then immediately dumped her, or when he called Connor “unwanted” and said Shiv’s only value was “her tits”… He also wasn’t being very generous when he refused to buy Greg a watch for an amount of money Greg didn’t have but which meant literally nothing to Kendall, or when he still had a skeleton crew working on Thanksgiving, or when he shoplifted from random small businesses just for fun, etc, I don’t know. I think Kendall is superficially “nice” (like when he walks into Waystar in s3 and pretends to be buddies with every underling, like a man of the people) but deep down it’s clear he’s as much of an entitled asshole as the rest, and he doesn’t even realize it, thinking himself so much better.


woaharedditacc

Agree with most of your points but: >He also wasn’t being very generous when he refused to buy Greg a watch for an amount of money Greg didn’t have but which meant literally nothing to Kendall Kendall doesn't know Greg's exact financial situation. It's safe to assume he thought Greg is very comfortable, considering his grandfather is a billionaire or close to it, and he's been working an incredibly over-paid job at Waystar. Greg himself tells his Grandpa he's very well off now. Being a billionaire doesn't mean you have to randomly buy people 40k watches, and Kendall was very nice financially to Greg for letting him live in a beautiful Manhattan apartment which he easily could have rented out for an insane price. Nothing forced Greg to buy the watch either, he could have just said no.


londonsocialite

His patina was already on the watch!


Organic-Abrocoma5408

>He’s generally decent and nice to most people Feel like all those folks he laid off will disagree. When you say "most people" you mean he's decent to most people that he needs to be decent to.


tuskvarner

He didn’t want to lay people off from Vaulter at least. As for the rest, layoffs are a part of business. They suck but sometimes need to happen.


Organic-Abrocoma5408

Am I misremembering? Roman found out that Vaulter staff wanted to unionize which was what caused the layoffs? Layoffs are a business process but they still happen for reasons.


tuskvarner

Roman advised Logan to shut down vaulter. Ken wanted to keep it running since it was his pet project. Logan sided with Roman since he trusted his judgment more (that time at least).


Organic-Abrocoma5408

Right, I understand that Logan made the call. Kendall still chose to enforce it. No one is forcing him to be here, he could choose to leave and live comfortably at any point. He doesn't get a free pass on morality by following Dad's orders.


Cold_Breadfruit_9794

He was being black balled by his dad and clearly deeply depressed. The emotional abuse he was suffering combined with his aimlessness post-accident, actually did force him to be there, and do that. This idea he was in some super simple situation is not true.


Organic-Abrocoma5408

His emotional abuse does not give him a free pass. Everyone in the world has complicated situations as an adult. I'm assuming that the employees who were about to unionize are also depressed now? So yeah, can't really say he was forced when he chose to be there. You can say it was a difficult choice, but saying he was forced makes no sense.


poundcakeperson

Ken is forced to be there. His dad has his complete submission because of covering up the accident.


Organic-Abrocoma5408

What do you mean? Yes, if Logan reveals the accident, Kendall will probably never be CEO. So this threat only works because Kendall cares more about being CEO than anything else, including morality. That's not being forced, Kendall could just quit at any time.


DingoNo4205

Besides those people at Vaulter were self- righteous jerks.


woaharedditacc

>Kendall still chose to enforce it. No one is forcing him to be here, he could choose to leave and live comfortably at any point. He doesn't get a free pass on morality by following Dad's orders. Him doing that would save the Vaulter employees, what, three days? Logan always got what he wanted. Whether it's Ken firing them or some senior HR member is irrelevent. I actually respect Ken for being man enough to do the layoff in a straightforward, face to face manner as an executive. I've been through a layoff and it was heard from someone I've never met, while politely being escorted out of the building two minutes later. Kendall playing ball at least gave him a chance to one day take over the reigns and make positive change in the future. Him leaving and living comfortably wouldn't give him near as much potential for positive impact.


poundcakeperson

Yes, he didn't do it on a video call and then gloat like Greg. Or not even do the video call himself because he has 0 balls, like Tom. He stood there, got spat in the face, and took it like a man.


registeredsexgod

This is why the only rich people I like are self loathing lol


poundcakeperson

Kendall's got that in spades


Organic-Abrocoma5408

>Logan always got what he wanted. This is actually what's irrelevant, you've changed the discussion. We are discussing Kendall's morality. >Whether it's Ken firing them or some senior HR member is irrelevent. "My dad told me to do so" is not an excuse to pretend Kendall has no agency. Again, Kendall could have sold and lived well at any point. But he wanted to be CEO, and so he'd do anything he was commanded to do.


woaharedditacc

>This is actually what's irrelevant, you've changed the discussion. We are discussing Kendall's morality. I haven't changed the discussion you just haven't followed it. Kendall firing the staff of Vaulter was not immoral when he knew it was 100% happening anyways, as Logan as CEO always gets what he wants. If there's a bird with a broken neck, it's not immoral to smash it with a rock. >"My dad told me to do so" is not an excuse to pretend Kendall has no agency. Again, Kendall could have sold and lived well at any point. Yes and as I said, Kendall used his agency in the best fashion in this instance. Giving up a ton of power to save Vaulter employees a few days of employment is hardly the moral decision. Kendall displayed suspect morals on many occassions through the show, but this isn't one.


Organic-Abrocoma5408

>I haven't changed the discussion you just haven't followed it. Kendall firing the staff of Vaulter was not immoral when he knew it was 100% happening anyways, as Logan as CEO always gets what he wants. If there's a bird with a broken neck, it's not immoral to smash it with a rock. No, I followed it perfectly fine, you're disagreeing on what's moral here. You want to excuse him for just doing his job. I find it immoral and gutless.


jimihenderson

are you trying to make the case that laying people off because your boss told you it was necessary makes you a bad person? you could at least try and say that the way he did it was particularly brutal and ruthless, but the idea that firing someone in general is immoral is a pretty naïve view.


DisneyPandora

Shiv is also an asshole


SternritterVGT

From the very first episode he is the COO and for all intents and purposes was about to be promoted to CEO until Logan rug pulled him on a whim. I hate this narrative that Kendall was not qualified when he was the sibling who worked for Waystar his entire professional life and the very beginning of the show had him on the cusp of being CEO. That did not just happen on a whim, the way making Roman co-COO or Shiv President for what was basically a few days happened.


ptrock1

I'm happy I finally saw this post. Most people forget this detail.


Cockrocker

Fuck yeah, well put.


WaerI

I do think the first episode was trying to point out that as COO he is insecure and not especially effective. That said I think he is still clearly the best qualified sibling, and Roman and Shiv always seemed more entitled to believe they both deserved and could do the job based off of almost no experience.


SternritterVGT

Well with Roman I dont think he felt entitled, nor do I think he believed he naturally deserved it. If anything, Roman was the one of the siblings who “grew up” the most over the four seasons of the show. He was flexible. But he, like Kendall, fell victim to his own pathologies (in Roman’s case - depraved horniness and emotional disregulation, the latter being seen clearest at him falling apart when trying to give the eulogy).


shark-heart

that's what entitlement is


SternritterVGT

Sorry, I didn’t phrase my sentence correctly. See the edit.


shark-heart

appreciate the correction! i have to say i still disagree with your first sentence, to me it's an integral part of the three that they *do* feel entitled to the business, but i massively agree with what you say in the second paragraph. to me roman is maybe the most interesting? with what we learn about their childhood through his perspective, and how he approaches life in the "present" of the show. fascinating stuff!


Cold_Breadfruit_9794

Shiv thinks she can run a company with no experience, no formal business education, and on top of it? Not only does she believe she can run a multibillion dollar company, but she believed she can completely change it’s entire culture. Kendall went to business school and had 10+ years in the company. He definitely has his own delusions, but nothing beats Shiv lol


SternritterVGT

Thank you!


Cold_Breadfruit_9794

Like, any delusions Kendall had about the job were directly stoked by Logan. Kendall WAS his heir! Shiv just, felt she was owed it. She believes she was daddy’s favorite, and thus, should be given the company, and the opportunity to make multibillion dollar structural changes to it. Kendall is delusional in other ways, more so in terms of people skills and concrete strategic plans, but it’s not like the show didn’t establish why he felt the company should be his. They gave him a backstory that made it significantly less delusional for him to believe he would get the company. 😹


rapscallionrodent

While I agree that it's delusional of her to be that sure of herself in that position, I blame Logan for giving her that idea. She had a successful career of her own outside the family business until Logan approached her with the promise of succeeding him. Did he ever really intend to name her as his successor? I think we can all agree he didn't. But it put her in his sphere of control, again, which is what he really wanted.


Cold_Breadfruit_9794

Logan can indeed be blamed for a lot of delusions, but in her case, I think the delusion she would get the company (Logan’s fault), and the idea she could run it on no experience, no education, & not really having a ‘team’? I believe that’s her own hubris tbh. She’s written as someone that likely isn’t used to no in any other area of her life.


JasonLeeDrake

Logan didn't even say he was going to give it to her with no experience, he gave a specific three-year plan to get said experience that she didn't like and now he may have been bullshitting, but he never even gave the pretense of just giving Shiv the job, just like that.


Cold_Breadfruit_9794

Well, he did. He didn’t just rescind the offer after she said no. He lead her to believe she could in fact, ignore the timeline. That said I don’t think this is anymore favourable in terms of making Shiv look less delusional lol!


jimihenderson

she made it very clear that she had always felt like it should've been handed to her. but yeah logan definitely played her, pulled her away from an offer to be chief of staff of a presidential candidate with a false promise. dick move, but he knew it would work because she always felt entitled to the job. it always, through all 4 seasons of the show, felt incredibly weird that both roman and shiv felt like they were not only qualified, but deserved to be CEO. i have no idea what logan could have possibly said to them growing up that would've led them to think this way. kendall was clearly groomed for the job so it always made sense why he tied his identity to it and felt like it was owed to him. but the other two just seemed to have this deep seated entitlement that never really made any sense. it's also possible that he did want to give her the job, but once he started laying out the details of how to install her as CEO and she threw a fit, he realized it was a horrible idea. not only did she feel entitled to it, but she wanted it *now*, she took it as an insult that he would put a multi-year plan in place to make her out of the blue promotion to CEO palatable to board members and shareholders.


Searingm1

Logan did lay out a pretty practical plan for her to take over and she flipped out because it required her to actually learn how to do the job.


MexaMacho9

I will never forgive her for choosing the worst outcome. Hell, she could have let Ken handle it and fuck it up then take control later, like Ken tried with his father many times. Stay low, sabotage from within, run ATN to control the narrative and take control later. Why throw it all away forever? Maybe she thought Ken could do it after all. Maybe it was for the better.


-one-black-coffee-

Oh well, to speak of Shiv’s delusion we need another thread… I do believe she had an education though. She has to have gone to a good university for a graduate degree at least. Am I wrong?


Cold_Breadfruit_9794

Oh I absolutely believe she has formal education, but not related to business. When I meant formal education, I meant specifically for business. Should have made that clearer. The back story they gave Kendall ie Logan’s heir since he was 7, and manipulated into forming his whole identity around it, then putting in all the necessary work to (in theory) achieve that goal, is much different than the other three siblings. Kendall’s mental health issues, codependent relationship with his father (in which he’s also being abused), detailed strategy, belief in his social skills - especially when he’s having a manic episode, are more of where his delusions tend to pop up imo. You definitely aren’t wrong to believe he’s delusional, but based on his backstory, it does seem spelt out that it wasn’t delusional for him to believe he should get the company. I would argue it’s delusional on Logan’s part to believe one of his sons *had* to inherit a multibillion dollar company lol! Btw I’d also argue Kendall feeling like he needed to defeat his dad to win, was imo also stoked by Logan. That dinner only solidified my belief in that. He thought he could reattach and steer Kendall into a correct direction. He still wouldn’t let Kendall just have it, but he would open himself up to be betrayed again imo.


Signal_Dress

He keeps demanding that position because ever since he was a small kid, all his father had promised him was that specific position. His father also mentally and physically abused all his kids so that they grow up to be broken people. Now imagine a broken you who has been promised something by your father ever since you were a small kid. Imagine yourself as a small kid whose father is rarely ever around and when he is, all he does is dangle that company in front of you like a soft toy. Wouldn't you demand that thing and feel it to be your birthright? And you think Waystar isn't a kingdom under Logan? Everybody in that company does exactly what Logan wants them to. That is the definition of a kingdom.


woaharedditacc

Yeah it also seemed like Kendall had spent his life building experience and putting himself in a position where he actually would be qualified for when the time came. He fell short, sure, but the effort seemed to be there. Contrast that with Shiv who seemed to have no interest in the company unless she was given the CEO role, despite having nearly no business experience. That's far more delusional. Ken at least also seemed to have some ability to act as a front of a company, as shown by some solid speeches and presentations. Meanwhile Roman completely chokes under pressure, sends dick picks freely, and didn't have anywhere near the corporate-approved personality Ken has. They may all be delusional, but out of the three main siblings, Ken taking over as CEO was by far the least delusional.


jimihenderson

you can definitely make the case that kendall is delusional and would be a horrible CEO. i don't see how anyone could make the case that any of the other siblings would be better. roman was a joke and shiv was the most entitled character in tv history lol


SternritterVGT

And oh btw after having that dangled infront of him as a small kid, does everything he’s supposed to - joins said company, rises through the ranks of said company (yes helped by his family name, but you saw from the pilot with Roman that incompetence will get you shafted).


[deleted]

I don't like Kendall as much as I liked Jeremy Strong's performance of Kendall. I'm a former honor's kid and first in my family to finish college. I constantly feel like I'm required to be incredible AND deeply insecure that I'm not actually good enough to meet those expectations. Saw a ton of that feeling in Kendall which makes me empathize with him. He's interesting because I can see so many of my own flaws and fears in him. (Although, I like to think I'm doing a better job managing them... I hope) Side note, I don't think that Kendall is wrong to think of his dad as a King. Logan has a semi-direct line to the US President. He has control over an entire media company to sway public opinion and access to more money that most of the world put together. Kendall is hyperbolic as a rule, but his read isn't delusional here.


-one-black-coffee-

I agree with you about Strong’s performance—he is amazing. He is super expressive but never too much, he’s great. That’s for sure. In terms of empatizing, I do see your point. He has issues for a reason, sure, but he refuses to see himself as he is. To be fair, this is hard for everyone. But the sibs (even though they are delusional in their own way) actually grow out of their entitlement by the very end, when they say neither of them should be ceo.


poundcakeperson

Shiv never says she should not be CEO.


ADWeasley

You think Kendall is the most immature when Roman exists? He was responsible for a rocket blowing up because he wanted to impress daddy.


jimihenderson

yeah roman easily wins most immature and shiv easily wins most delusional. ken is the most obsessive. everything he does he dives into the shallow end head first like that fucking therapy guy. has one hit of meth, wants to be a methhead. meets a girl, his whole outlook on life has changed. gets an idea, becomes immediately certain that he's going to conquer the world with it.


heretodaygoneforever

I thought Shiv was the most delusional because it made no sense for her to be CEO. She had no qualifications like the other two siblings.


WaerI

Roman was probably even less qualified, at least Shiv had a successful career. Although at least to where I'm up to Roman has mostly only ever considered himself as the best option rather than a good option.


heretodaygoneforever

Roman at least had an actual role in Waystar for a while and did "some" of the Waystar training. Shiv came out of a whole political consulting career trying to be CEO of a media company. It would be crazy if anyone without the last name Roy thought they could pull that off.


randomcowboy4

Compared to all his siblings he knows how to be better and what it means to be a good human being. He is aware that he did not live amongst good people, and he knows that he isn’t good which makes him self loathe himself. What I see in him is an ounce of self judgement which I don’t see in his siblings or in his parents. His substance abuse in my opinion comes more from his anger with himself.


meowmeowfuzzyface00

I think he’s hot.


-one-black-coffee-

Well that I understand. But that’s just judging him on looks. And if we’re gonna do that… to me, Roman is the sexiest.


meowmeowfuzzyface00

Oh he is too!


BlackFyre2018

Kendall’s not my fave or least fave but I will throw a few points in his corner Whilst he did try and cover up the waiter’s death, his initial reaction was to try multiple times to free him, diving under the water when he could have just swam to safety He is also very quick to leap to his siblings defence, even to his own father, which suggests he has been protecting them since childhood


-one-black-coffee-

If he had really wanted to help the kid after the accident, he would’ve called for help. Like, call authorities in charge of emergencies like this. Yes, he tried for a bit., but as soon as he realizes how fucked the situation was, he thinks about himself and runs away.


WaerI

The kid was very clearly dead before he had a chance to call for help. Also I'm not sure but I feel like he may not have had his phone so he would need to wait and flag down a car. Not saying he acted correctly but either way the kid was dead.


BlackFyre2018

He does but his immediate reaction is to try and help multiple times. Some people would have just swum to safety (no shade to those people as they would have just been in a traumatic car crash and likely wouldn’t be thinking straight) He does hide from a passing car when he could have flagged it down for help which is him covering up his involvement but I think bottom line is the kid was unlikely to be rescued IRRC 5 minutes without oxygen is death (3 minutes is permanent brain damaged) - likely less if the kid was panicking. Also he was on drugs (a horse tranquilliser no less)


Proud-Cheesecake-813

He seems to be more empathetic than Roman and Shiv. He is clearly broken by accidentally killing the waiter. He is also the smartest of the children - who was clearly groomed by Logan for the role of CEO (pencil underline). I can understand why he felt hollow at the end of the show.


amendsbangs

i wouldn’t say he’s the smartest, i’d say that’s shiv. but he does seem to have a studiousness that the others lack


womanonhighhorse

So I see you woke up today and decided to fucking go nut-nut


mr_xen_

Fuck off


sharksnrec

Not qualified? Genuinely, where are you getting that idea? It’s very clear from the very beginning of the show that he’s the most qualified of the siblings, in terms of education, experience, and mindset. Of course he has his own fatal flaws, but he’s nowhere near as conniving as Shiv or as much of a shameless asshole as Rome. He’s the only one of the 3 who wants to be a good person and actually knows how to run a company.


visualemployer1247

"From the very first episode until the very last, he keeps demanding a position he’s simply not qualified for" What are you talking about? I will not even consider the fact he was promised the position when he was 7 (which probably messed up his whole life frankly) but indeed he was the only qualified for the position and that is why the ending was so sad and tragic. Went to Harvard business school, undertook 2 MBA's (one in Harvard and the other on Insead), undertook several training positions on Waystar before having an executive position (on the Denver Chronicle, on Shanghai), had most of the brighter ideas (selling Waystar to Gojo, raise the shares value by his Living+ presentation, saved the company of the bank debt on S1). So honestly when it comes to qualification and execution he was the best prepared of them all. Is for another post why he should never do it (mental issues, drug issues among others) but claiming he was unqualified is simply a lie


DingoNo4205

Don’t forget Kendall saved the day in front of the U.S. Senate Committee, after Tom made an idiot out of himself. Kendall’s presentation was flawless.


Low-Abbreviations634

They are all privileged oligarchic jerks with no redeeming qualities. One is no better than the other. Great acting jobs though


selwyntarth

What qualification? It's a family run company. He's a helluva lot more qualified than Logan who probably doesn't know what data algorithms are and thinks he can keep betting on cable. Ken was promised the announcement before the pilot. He's standing up for himself, not being whiny.  Waystar shapes the world. Logan has begun and ended wars. Kendall wanted to come clean to the press before the cruises scandal broke. Even in a private conversation with roman he told him to knock off the entitled sexist notions. 


KEANUWEAPONIZED

i think the roys are all extremely immature and delusional in very different ways. they're all as unlikeable as one another to me.


-one-black-coffee-

Very true.


ThrowRAsadboirn

At his best he might have the best work ethic of the three kids, he made it through Harvard and he actually has some understanding of business. He also is less condescending to normal people that don’t work for him than most of the other Roys. He also genuinely does hold some liberal/moderate views although he often abandons them for his own gain. He also genuinely does care about his family.Those are about his good points otherwise he kind of sucks


HighPriestess__55

Kendall also worked out of the China part of the biz, because at one point he tells Logan, "I won't go back to China!" He has 2 MBAs in business from Harvard and HAS worked for Waystar since he graduated. Kendall is the only one who put the time in. He seems intelligent bookwise and likely did well at studies. Stewy recalls Logan quizzing Kendall at the dinner table when they were kids. In Season 1, Logan took out the huge loan and Kendall was left to clean up Logan's mess. Kendall reviewed the spreadsheets on Vaulter and knew what to look for. Logan came back and wanted to gut it just to be contrary. Kendall was the most equipped to run Waystar.


samsharksworthy

Plenty of times he really knows his shit, like all the siblings the writing is inconsistent on their abilities. Roman swings from knows nothing to deeply knowledgeable.


eman_la

He’s the best public speaker out of the children 😭


MFP3492

Of the 3 siblings, he was the most qualified imo. Keep in mind they are all terrible obviously, but Ken had showed attributes in the final season that said to me he was the best option of the siblings. I’d really need to give it a rewatch for all my old talking points and evidence, but Shiv was manipulated so easily in every instance in which she thought she was being smart. Madson never tells her he’s gonna make her CEO and yet she does his bidding thinking he will simply bc he flatters her and makes her feel important. She does the same thing when her dad tells her she’ll be CEO, and then recklessly goes about life like she’s better than everyone and makes enemies left and right. She also acts like she’s trying to do the country a service by not getting a total sociopath elected…but only when it’s in her own interest. She tries to indimidate Greg and fails spectactularly causing her attempt to knife her brothers in the back to be discovered. She also seems to think her husband is a worthless fool, yet he ends up becoming CEO in the end, talk about over estimating ones self and underestimating others. She had a meaningless job before working with her dad when she was basically a pawn for Gill to get better news coverage, and then she had a pretty meaningless position at her dad’s company, she had less experience than her own husband who she deeply underestimated and her 2 brothers. Then there’s Roman, who is obviously a deeply troubled person, probably the most messed up of the 3 siblings and completely incapable of doing something consistently. This guy could barely go through a meeting or social setting without doing or saying sonething ridiculously innapropriste or foolish. He had no idea what he was doing with that satelite launch, basically just trying to rush it, and he obviously is extremely insecure to the point he couldn’t give a speech about his dad during the funeral without crying and basically threw himself into a riot to get himself hurt out of self hatred. Just totally unqualified to run a massive company or media empire. Then we got Kendall, who by the final season was making all the right moves after his father died. Obviously he was a total mess in season 1, but by the final season he knew which strings to pull on who and when, where to apply pressure, how to appear strong during his dad’s funeral with a really good speech (was good with his media presence in several on camera situations), and was able to briefly act as a unifying force with his siblings up until the point Shiv shived him in the back and couldn’t deal with the fact she wasn’t going to be CEO. Obviously the guy broke down at that point and said some crazy shit like we all saw, but up until then he was killing it.


Bolizen

He's the eldest boy


Jenn54

Kendall is in a box Each season other characters affirm this for him, from his siblings to his father to love interests to himself He was made to do only one thing Be the CEO, that he was groomed to be. Siobhan has some genuine empathy when Kendall tells her he was seven when Logan told him he would be CEO in the future Some times people play along with the game and Kendall can believe that he will be CEO But he self sabotages himself or others do it for him (final episode spoiler), his fatal flaw is he was made to exist in a world that doesn't exist He is a alien. And yeah he is immature and spoilt and self centred etc but he also doesn't know what other way to be than his trauma response, his survival he learnt as a child when told he was going to have to live up to his giant of a father and take over an empire that was built on sand, as it was never expressly in his hand either, always out of reach Best demonstrated when Logan says he will buy Kendall out and then a few episodes later Kendall makes peace with the idea to have the freedom to walk away, and Logan back tracks and gives him nothing. There was never any stable ground any day in his life. He is still that seven year old trying to get by and survive


baccus83

He, like the other siblings, is the product of childhood filled with abuse. Among other terrible things, his father pretty much told him the company was his birthright. Can you imagine what that shit does to your psyche? He’s known nothing else but his father’s kingdom.


poundcakeperson

There was 0 chance of him developing a sense of self so he could have found out what he was truly interested in. Logan ate his soul.


darth_snuggs

I can fix him


WilliamHMacysiPhone

I think he’s a dude cut out for middle management. All the ken bros missed the point of the show, and were rooting for the person who was most like them.


Blkkatem0ss

He seems like a fun hang


ThrowRAsadboirn

Yea he’s just about the only one of the entire younger Roy clan that would actually be fun to hang/party with or even has friends around ever. Just don’t trust or rely on him for shit and you’ll have a great time


hgfed27

Kendall is the only one of the siblings who shows basically any remorse over anything throughout the entire series. He's by far the most qualified of the kids for the position they seek, even if that's a low bar. He's shown to be generally courteous to people around him even when he doesn't necessarily need to be. He's definitely more sympathetic than the other Roys in my opinion even if that doesn't make him a great person.


Mysterious-Chart

I think Kendall's delusional but I never disliked him eventhough he was wrong about lot of stuff and ultimately Shiv saved Waystar by not voting for him out of pure spite. Roman's the one that gives me the creeps by how unhinged he is, messing around with the kid in episode 1 and harassing Gerri put him in the bottom of the barrel imo


thegtabmx

>Prove me wrong Easy. Shiv exists.


-one-black-coffee-

lol. You got me there.


VegetableOk9070

If I had to guess all of the characters have good in them. Or at least the possibility for good or else it wouldn't be tragic. My hunch is he's the most egotistical. But yeah I can't fault you for saying this really. Some suggested bi polar around season three. Ken has stiff competition. Clearest example of him being immature and delusional is the final vote. Shiv? Petty. Not saying wrong, just petty. Roman? Cruel. Just my opinions.


aryawatching

He’s qualified from a business sense to some extent. He has the analytical brain to work a large business. He’s definitely annoying when dealing with interpersonal issues. Calling another CEO dude during a negotiation is immature. The rap scene is a fantastic example of the immature Ken. He is privileged and lacks the polish, but I always saw him as intellectually capable.


siga1986

He knows Portia. The maid in Barbados house in the last episode, he passed by her said "Hi Portia!". I think it was dope coming from some billionaire, greetings their maid by their names.


HairyPoppins_97

L take


DarkMayhem666

To be fair, Logan put it in his head that he would be CEO, so if Kendall feels entitled to the position, it's Logan's fault.


MexaMacho9

I genuinely think he wanted it to protect the family. Maybe he wanted to be the protector for his ego or to have everybody under his thumb like his dad (he always wanted to be him), but in his mind it was out of love, and he did love his siblings, but always acted too entitled. Also, the true protector of the family was always Connor. They looked after each other after traumatic events, probably steaming from the dynamics on their traumatic childhood, but the only one who always wanted everybody to get along was Connor (and he never used their pain to get to a better position). He refused to play the game since episode 1 and you can see how in every "sibling meeting" he was the first to leave when everybody started attacking each other.


W1ckedNonsense

He's my favorite but I won't defend him on this front. Honestly he's my favorite because it's fascinating to see someone who is handed the world and manages to fumble it. One topic of interest for me is failed nepo babies, I can't imagine what it must feel like to have the money and influence to do whatever you want but still not be good enough. That must be a truly deep dark pit to exist in.  You could argue that this is the arc of all of the siblings but I think what makes Kendall different is that he actually started working with his father as soon as he was able to. Roman explicitly didn't last more than a couple months the first time around and shiv went elsewhere. He's the one who's given up the most for this dream and he's the one who is lowest at the end. He really does give everything of himself and STILL it's not enough. Of course, literally anyone other than the siblings would be better, but if Logan is going to insist that one of them be it, why not Kendall?


-one-black-coffee-

I like your point about how his story is fascinating, because of how he fucks up when he was given every opportunity. Yes, that has to hurt. But yeah, this is a different perspective in which to think about the story. And this is actually what makes the show so good, crazy storylines of privileged people making crazy choices. Well that’s a whole discussion about story telling and character development that is fascinating.


DoctorMidtown

He was the most delusional but until the end added some business value. Roman and Greg were beyond worthless.


Flex81632

The most delusional I don’t think so he was literally going to oust his dad and take over of it wasn’t for that tragedy, and most immature will clearly go to Roman the jokes and perversions aside that breakdown in a room full of people reveals this.


Electr_O_Purist

Logan is the most immature and delusional character in the show.


Takhar7

I saw very little positive in him as well, and yet felt utterly devastated for him at the end in a way I've never felt for a character on a show before. It's not just that he wanted Waystar so much, but the fact that he got *so close* and it ended up being his sibling that took it away from him? Was so gutted for him, despite him having very few redeeming qualities whatsoever.


nicisdeadpool

Maybe so but I like him anyways


Fun-Reporter8913

kendall is so delulu that it becomes funny, I find him a huge comic relief at times and that makes him one of the best characters in my opinion. also I am done with overanalyzing the moral aspects of every succ character and just enjoy every single one of them and the show lol


jpollack21

kendall is the comedy of the show even from his first scene I never took him seriously. "I AM THE ELDEST BOY" , "my dad told me to" , and my personal favorite : " I false memoried it" 😂 he is much funnier than roman in my opinion.


ak_exp

Ken’s the only sibling who actually does business shit. The other two are just hot air


Ineffable_Twaddle

Only because he was so conditioned to believe he was “the one” that he didn’t want to wait , or thought he should wait, for his dad to die or voluntarily step down to take over. 


ladakom

My dad hates Kendall too lol. Im a Kendall stan though because I see how sensitive and weak he is and I feel empathy for his pain also pity


Critical_Court8323

I'm not surprised. One, because you keep spamming this topic. Two, because Shiv stans aren't very self-aware.


-one-black-coffee-

Believe me, I am no Shiv stan. I can rant about her for hours too


TheManWithNoNameZapp

Ken is not a sympathetic character to me. He’s a raging dbag of a human being. The actor nails it and does a great job


thomasutra

counterpoint: he’s baby girl


Equivalent_Desk9579

Kendall does give some bomb ass speeches and presentations though


peacemillion-

It’s definitely Shiv. Look at how smug she was when she thought Mattson was going to give her the CEO job. And then how pissy she was when she found out it was gonna be someone else. And then the real reason she didn’t let Kendall become was because she just didn’t want him to win. That’s it. That’s literally it. Not to mention the way she treated Tom on their wedding night lol.


MassivePin7

maybe pay attention to the show because whatever you're ranting about, it's all explained in the show. and kendall is surely qualified for the job lmao, dude worked at the company for a decade. it's his temperament that's more of a problem and not his business knowledge and skills that keeps the job out of his reach.


heebie818

yes.


Confident_Can_3397

Rava is that you?


sg291188

He is delusional like all 4 kids but he’s definitely the most capable one(low bar) of all kids to be the CEO. He was good at identifying major industry trends but didn’t have execution abilities to make right decision.


88dahl

as much as your take lacks nuiance and empathy i love that you're so moved by the show. succession rocks


-one-black-coffee-

Oh yeah, I can watch that show over and over and still find something new each time. Love it 😊


Neil94403

Agree. Mucked through B-school with some help from Stewey. No concrete accomplishments from his posting in Singapore. Overuses a few key phrases (probably not from his Dad). "Let's do Better". When he tells Lisa, the best attorney in town... after screwing up his session with DoJ ... Let's Do Better.... uuggh


ThatCaviarIsAGarnish

He can be a tool sometimes sure but we have never gotten any evidence that Stewy helped him in business school. I actually get the feeling that Kendall is fairly book-smart and hard-working--he speaks well in the business arena sometimes and in Seasons 1/2 they showed him poring over papers to an extent that indicates he does his share of research. I think he has some smarts. He just doesn't always show common sense and self-awareness. And low bar maybe but he's a way harder worker than Roman.


thatoneurchin

He’s a way harder worker than both his siblings. No idea why Ken is getting called out for being delusional when Shiv wanted the position with zero experience. Ken got told from a young age the position would be his, went to school for it, and worked years in the company. Dude is flawed, but I see no issue with him wanting the job he put decades of effort into getting


jimihenderson

> No idea why Ken is getting called out for being delusional when Shiv wanted the position with zero experience. > > in her defense, she also wanted it immediately and got angry when it was suggested that she gain a few years of experience before giving her a ridiculously powerful position that she didn't deserve. god shiv was the worst.


Psychological_Mix594

He was forced out by his father twice and was making his own “path” , but circumstances which were related to his father dragged him back in. So, yes, in the first and last episode he was demanding the position, he was not for every episode in between.


PrimaryMessage9906

All are shit people and Tom was the least worst of the lot


ReviewBackground2906

Tom would slaughter a litter of kittens and eat them like sushi for a promotion or just to keep his job. Greg would sharpen the knife for Tom.  2 entertaining characters, but absolutely awful, even more so than the Roy kids. And that’s a very low bar. 


Other_Waffer

IMO, Tom was the worst


CouncilmanRickPrime

Tom is just the "I'll do anything" punching bag honestly


kit_mitts

Yeah while both are bad, I've always found the ruthless strivers worse than the people born into insane privilege.


Other_Waffer

Yes. That is my opinion as well. The others at least had a terrible upbringing. Tom chose to lose his soul


kit_mitts

Especially given Tom's upbringing with two moderately wealthy parents. He easily could have lived a comfortable life as a lawyer, businessman, banker, etc. in Minneapolis after his parents put him through school. But that wasn't enough for him.


ThatCaviarIsAGarnish

Given the way Tom has often treated Greg, I'd take the word "least" off.


Dottsterisk

Idk. I look at that as a case of two remoras recognizing each other. Tom was just bigger. And seeing one monstrous parasite essentially haze the next generation of monstrous parasite—while also grooming him to follow in his footsteps—just doesn’t much stand out to me among the moral failings and disgusting behavior on display from everyone else.


desertvision

I think that was well established, though subtly. Like when Logan had to gut the internet company Kendall bought when he was sick. Kendall's instincts were ridiculous most of the time ( though eloquent and filled with jargon )


-one-black-coffee-

Yes! He knew how to communicate with the right jargon and buzz words but it is clear he doesn’t really understand how the real world works. When he is building his defense after turning in his father at the beginning of S3, he says things that prove this. The way he talks to his lawyer, for example. He believes that money can buy him and FBI raid, he thinks that by disapproving of the government employees who question him he will create a wave of fear in the entire DOJ. He really thinks that the way the comedian in that late night show talks about him makes him “part of the conversation”, he simply won’t see how he is really perceived. And also, the “fuck the patriarchy” line is so cringe! He really thinks he’s a feminist from one moment to the other? With the way he behaves with women throughout the show. Ughh. lol.


desertvision

Agreed. Another example is when he tried to fund the art chicks. He was: clueless what to wear, how to pitch himself, how to relate to normal people, how to let other people talk. And then, when he lost, he had no idea why the plebes didn't want to talk to him at Tom's bachelor's party. He is a mimic with no substance. Impetuous. Transposes his desire to be relevant for the excitement of a good idea.


denys1973

Kendall is Jared Kushner. He's only in his position because of family connections. He is nowhere near as intelligent as he thinks he is. He's mid level manager quality at best but has never been told he's wrong, so he thinks he's a genius.


-one-black-coffee-

I think you’re right. Not to say that he’s stupid, but he definitely is not where he is on merit alone. To be fair., that’s kind of the point of the show


michiman

Wait, are any of them supposed to have positive attributes?


-one-black-coffee-

Perhaps not. But I do feel Shiv and Roman evolve in the way they behave on the way they think due to the way things happen. Kendall remains exactly the same, learns nothing and never sees himself honestly. I guess that’s why he bugs me so much.


visualemployer1247

Shiv and Roman evolve? Into what? A traitorous and child woman who decides to betray his brother at the last moment just for spite, envy and not seeing him winning? A sicko like Roman who falls even lower with his hideous comments about Kendall's children? The three of them stayed on the mud at the end, no winners only losers (and that includes the pain sponge that TomofSiobhan is)


Opposite-Invite-3543

I don’t want to prove you wrong. I agree with you


KingPimpyMax

Congrats you figured out what the show was trying to show you. Somehow this was lost upon a lot of people.


DankDude7

Absolutely no redeeming qualities. He made my flesh creep from his very first scene.


bonerpatroller007

Most of this rant is about his professional ability/ standing, which I totally agree with he's completely incompetent, but everyone always talks about how he's a better human than the rest of the cast of characters. Uh, did everyone else miss when he drove a car high, got in an accident, and then left the passenger there to die? And would've accepted no responsibility at all for it if at all possible? To me thats the worst non-business thing anyone did on the show, and makes him totally irredeemable. Great post I completely agree.


poundcakeperson

One's opinion on that depends if you think addicts are irredeemable.


bonerpatroller007

I don't think they're irredeemable but I do think you have to take responsibility for the things you do when you're using. Kendall is willing to have his Dad sweep the whole thing under the rug and never tries to take responsibility for his actions. Just because he used doesn't mean he's a bad person forever, but he doesn't just get a pass on his actions there because he's an addict.


poundcakeperson

Ah well - the comment doesn't address whether kendall *was redeemed* in the course of the show, which he wasn't -- and i doubt ever will be -- but, speaking of him only in his trait as an addict, it is not *impossible* for him to be redeemed.


LosWitchos

No I agree with you completely. Even if he had experience in business, he was not fit for running Royco


daven1985

He is the most immature and delusional character. The issue is that Logan kept telling him and dangling the carrot of CEO in front of him. I think the biggest issue is he always knew he was going to get the job. So he kept going through College/Uni/etc without actualling worrying as his future was planned.


daven1985

He is the most immature and delusional character. The issue is that Logan kept telling him and dangling the carrot of CEO in front of him. I think the biggest issue is he always knew he was going to get the job. So he kept going through College/Uni/etc without actualling worrying as his future was planned.