The tension between Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and his father Logan (Brian Cox) reaches the pinnacle when Kendall arranges his vote of no confidence for the board meeting. The pressure continues to build throughout the episode as you wonder if Kendall and Roman’s (Kiernan Culkin) plan will work. Some people are clearly for the new order. And some are clearly for the old. And there are several people who could be swing votes. Each needs to be carefully handled.
Ewan (James Cromwell), Logan’s brother, is one. From Thanksgiving and their previous conversation, Ewan told Kendall that even though the brothers can’t stand each other, they’re still blood. Ewan won’t go against his brother. It is something Logan would certainly never expect, though Kendall believes once in the room Ewan could be persuaded. But that’s if he comes at all, which he never does because he hates them all and lives in Canada. There’s a woman Ilona, someone from the older generation who is currently dealing with health issues. A wildcard but again, Kendall is hoping for persuasion. New additions to the board include Stewey, an old friend of Kendall’s and Lawrence (Rob Yang,) who despises Kendall. Since Stewey and Kendall go way back, Kendall is pretty sure he can get his vote, as long as he remembers that Stewey is always out for his own self-interest. Roman goes to work on Lawrence, mostly by discussing what he wants for the future of the organization once books become obsolete. But will that be enough for Kendall to flip the board?
Marcia (Hiam Abbass) asks Kendall to go eat dinner with Logan because she’s out for a function. While waiting for his father to finish a call, Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) gives Kendall a ring to let him know Ewan is in fact in town for the board meeting after Greg (Nicholas Braun) tells him. Tom says, “I can’t give you my sources…” loud enough for Greg to hear. And “…but it’s Greg” right after. Yep, sounds about right. Kendall goes to eat with his father, and can’t help starting to become paranoid. His father seems so relaxed and chill, until he utters, “You’ve got your game going on. I’ve got mine.” Well, f*ck. Could he possibly know what Kendall is doing? Cue the paranoia.
The vote finally comes and Kendall isn’t there. After rushing out to check on Ilona, he can’t take the helicopter back because of a national security threat. Without Kendall there to be persuasive and Logan’s presence in the room because he refuses to leave, Stewey and Lawrence chicken out. A couple still stick their necks out, including Frank (Peter Friedman) who gets immediately fired. But talk about turncoat, Roman is the biggest coward in front of his father. Without Kendall there to hold him up, Roman cowers under his father’s glance. Sad stuff. Kendall’s out. Everyone who voted against him is out. What could Logan possibly do with the company now?
Also going on during this is our girl Shiv (Sarah Snook) going to D.C. to see if she can find a better candidate to back. She meets up with her ex Nate (Ashley Zukerman) and it is clear these two have chemistry. They are both engaged to other people and can’t seem to keep from flirting with each other. Or cuddling. It certainly fits now why Shiv didn’t include an infidelity clause in her prenup. Though they do manage to resist, I have a feeling Nate could be around again. She wasn’t pleased that Tom hadn’t told her about Kendall’s plans since he knew. Slipped Tom’s mind while he was out partying with Greg, who is enjoying having money in his bank account.
With a family divided and everyone already for themselves, we can expect entertaining television as father and son go head to head in the weeks to come. With four episodes left of the first season, I await eagerly to see how much drama can be packed in a month. Lawsuits, therapy, and a wedding have all been present in promo footage. I gotta make sure to stock up on popcorn!
