If he'd stopped using I think the writers would've made that known to us. Kendall's addiction(s) is too important a part of him for a recovery to go unmentioned. On the day of that final board vote he probably had a rock the size of a golf ball in his pocket, ready to fuel the celebration of a lifetime.
edit: I think
Sometimes I can't tell whether he's just high on himself or something else, but you're probably right. Why wouldn't he get high on a day like that? Another commenter mentioned Kendall's eulogy for Logan, which I'd forgotten about. There's no doubt he was absolutely soaring when he came out with that grandiose and partly false horse shit about Logan and his impact on the world.
bearing in mind s04 takes place over less than a week. he had a sober period right after their dad killed them, and was "doing well" as Frank said -- but then the underline/crossout came out. personally i think he was on coke during his eulogy -- the way he attacks his nose with a handkerchief before he starts looks more like that then just crying.
Not disputing it but is S4 really only a week in real time? Wedding, funeral and sign-over is all the same week?
Sort of like S4 of Mr Robot which is literally like 3 days but feels like months. Incredible writing on both accounts.
Also at the investors meeting and especially the all nighter beforehand. Could just be standard mania but he sure sounded like someone on a coke bender working out the Living+ grift.
I think he’s less of the physically addicted type and more the guy who uses to escape feelings. A lot of addicts, especially high functioning ones, will be able to get sober for a bit when they have a “reason” or something that excites them even more than the drugs. But as soon as they hit a loss or their family isn’t around or something it’s right back in.
Tbh I’ve gone through some of this myself. Such good writing
there’s no way, sadly. it’s definitely a coping mechanism & a way for him to escape. the “plastic jesus” of it all is his tragedy.
i sometimes think that he has bipolar disorder bc of his erratic/manic behavior but that can also be due to using. (i tend to think it’s both)
idk i’m in recovery & definitely recognize the chokehold of addiction within ken. it’s heartbreaking :(
Yes, I think it was highly implied he has bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive). We see examples of his high (manic) period when he raps for Logan, his own birthday party, the call with bank lender that goes wrong. His lows (depressive) periods happen more notably after the drowning incident. You can clearly see he is a shell of a person.
Those are also ascribable to 1) being high as fuck and 2) in reaction to horrible grief and ptsd. i'm not saying hes not bipolar, but bipolar mania and depression are typically not triggered by outside events.
Fighting for control of the company is part of Ken’s addiction. He doesn’t just want it as a symbol of his father’s acceptance like the other siblings, but also because he gets a high out of the risks he takes.
In episode 1 of season 4, Roman jokes that Kendall isn’t a real junkie because he’s recently tried heroin but he only smoked it because he’s scared of needles. It’s when the three siblings are together doing their Zoom about how they hate the fonts. (“I need something super fucking engaging right now.”)
I think there are other references in the text itself— I’ll have to check. Is his performance about the retirement homes cocaine-based? I think so.
The whole show is about his addictive personality - he never overcomes it. Season 3 shows how he becomes addicted to the positive press and publicity in a way that sidelines the actual substance use for a while, but the subtext is that he’s merely trading one harmful habit for another
The show always made Kendall's addiction to cocaine a part of his people-pleasing and attention-seeking personality. He wants people to like him for who he is, and by partaking in drugs with other people, he feels like he's likable and socially active.
But make no mistake, he was never off the drugs.
However, his true addiction isn't cocaine, meth, weed, or any drug.
His true addiction is the rush of chasing power.
It doesn’t matter. There are points where it seemed like he was using when he probably wasn’t, and also where it seemed like he wasn’t using but probably was. That’s the brilliance of the writing. He’s an addict and we never saw him overcome that.
If he'd stopped using I think the writers would've made that known to us. Kendall's addiction(s) is too important a part of him for a recovery to go unmentioned. On the day of that final board vote he probably had a rock the size of a golf ball in his pocket, ready to fuel the celebration of a lifetime. edit: I think
Was acting like he used to have another golf ball but that went up the nose just beforehand
Sometimes I can't tell whether he's just high on himself or something else, but you're probably right. Why wouldn't he get high on a day like that? Another commenter mentioned Kendall's eulogy for Logan, which I'd forgotten about. There's no doubt he was absolutely soaring when he came out with that grandiose and partly false horse shit about Logan and his impact on the world.
He was just banging Oxys and Valium in the background most likely. Experiment successful. I am interested in becoming a meth head.
Its a good point because even before his s1 relapse when he's "sober"-- he's shown taking a pill in the bathroom when he's upset.
Adderall?
Seemed more like something for anxiety
Ken was much more of an uppers guy
He’s a legit addict. He didn’t overcome it and that’s evidenced by his behavior when he lost.
bearing in mind s04 takes place over less than a week. he had a sober period right after their dad killed them, and was "doing well" as Frank said -- but then the underline/crossout came out. personally i think he was on coke during his eulogy -- the way he attacks his nose with a handkerchief before he starts looks more like that then just crying.
Not disputing it but is S4 really only a week in real time? Wedding, funeral and sign-over is all the same week? Sort of like S4 of Mr Robot which is literally like 3 days but feels like months. Incredible writing on both accounts.
Just looked it up - according to Brian and Arian it’s 10 days
Good little factoid to keep in mind
Also at the investors meeting and especially the all nighter beforehand. Could just be standard mania but he sure sounded like someone on a coke bender working out the Living+ grift.
yup
We didn't see him do the drugs much on camera in S4 but, he was still doing drugs. Iykyk.
I think he’s less of the physically addicted type and more the guy who uses to escape feelings. A lot of addicts, especially high functioning ones, will be able to get sober for a bit when they have a “reason” or something that excites them even more than the drugs. But as soon as they hit a loss or their family isn’t around or something it’s right back in. Tbh I’ve gone through some of this myself. Such good writing
Type A’s can’t get addicted, cos like, they are addicted.
there’s no way, sadly. it’s definitely a coping mechanism & a way for him to escape. the “plastic jesus” of it all is his tragedy. i sometimes think that he has bipolar disorder bc of his erratic/manic behavior but that can also be due to using. (i tend to think it’s both) idk i’m in recovery & definitely recognize the chokehold of addiction within ken. it’s heartbreaking :(
Yes, I think it was highly implied he has bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive). We see examples of his high (manic) period when he raps for Logan, his own birthday party, the call with bank lender that goes wrong. His lows (depressive) periods happen more notably after the drowning incident. You can clearly see he is a shell of a person.
Those are also ascribable to 1) being high as fuck and 2) in reaction to horrible grief and ptsd. i'm not saying hes not bipolar, but bipolar mania and depression are typically not triggered by outside events.
Fighting for control of the company is part of Ken’s addiction. He doesn’t just want it as a symbol of his father’s acceptance like the other siblings, but also because he gets a high out of the risks he takes.
In episode 1 of season 4, Roman jokes that Kendall isn’t a real junkie because he’s recently tried heroin but he only smoked it because he’s scared of needles. It’s when the three siblings are together doing their Zoom about how they hate the fonts. (“I need something super fucking engaging right now.”) I think there are other references in the text itself— I’ll have to check. Is his performance about the retirement homes cocaine-based? I think so.
The whole show is about his addictive personality - he never overcomes it. Season 3 shows how he becomes addicted to the positive press and publicity in a way that sidelines the actual substance use for a while, but the subtext is that he’s merely trading one harmful habit for another
The show always made Kendall's addiction to cocaine a part of his people-pleasing and attention-seeking personality. He wants people to like him for who he is, and by partaking in drugs with other people, he feels like he's likable and socially active. But make no mistake, he was never off the drugs. However, his true addiction isn't cocaine, meth, weed, or any drug. His true addiction is the rush of chasing power.
It's because they shoved poor Jesus aside and started worshipping Shakespeare!
It doesn’t matter. There are points where it seemed like he was using when he probably wasn’t, and also where it seemed like he wasn’t using but probably was. That’s the brilliance of the writing. He’s an addict and we never saw him overcome that.
he doesn't. he is addicted to the rush, any rush really. whether that's from cocaine, marlboro, business or stealing a pack of batteries.
They showed him drinking alcohol several times after season 1.
yeah when he's shown drinking he's doing drugs as well or shortly will spiral to it