‘Succession’: Ziwe Explained Why Kendall Sucks and I Couldn’t Be Happier

In the first moments of “The Disruption”, Succession clarifies an aspect of Kendall (Jeremy Strong) that’s always been lurking in the background but has rarely been fully explored. While sitting down with a reporter, a clearly anxious Kendall asks if she’s seen the monologue late night host Sophie Iwobi (Ziwe) recently did about him.

“She did a bit, Oedipussy. It’s funny, right? But, you know, it doesn’t hurt now because I am who I am,” Kendall says through a pained smile.

It’s a point Kendall returns to time and time again. In Kendall’s mind, this comedian’s mockery of him isn’t actually a cruel yet insightful takedown of his own daddy issues and spinelessness. It’s a compliment from someone who loves him and is on his side. Through Sophie’s pointed bards and Kendall’s insistence that he’s not the butt of the joke, Succession is finally exploring Kendall’s self-absorbed hypocrisy. In effect, it has devoted an episode to all the reasons why I, Kayla Cobb, hate Kendall Roy.

I’m sure appeasing me personally was never director Cathy Yan or writers Ted Cohen and Georgia Pritchett’s intention. But it’s about time Kendall was taken down a few pegs. As the series has progressed, Kendall’s relationship with fans has mirrored where he is at the beginning of “The Disruption”. Most people see him as this show’s struggling hero, a man plagued by his own demons who is ultimately trying his best. Jeremy Strong’s expertise at making Kendall perpetually appear like a small boy trying on his father’s ties has gone a long way in making this characterization seem believable. But ultimately, that characterization has always been a lie. The truth of Succession is that everyone in this family is bad, bordering on evil. Kendall is just better at believing his own hype.

Enter Sophie Iwobi, a figure that seems to be part John Oliver and part Samantha Bee but has enough of Ziwe’s signature snark to really pack a punch. As her monologues are sprinkled throughout the episode, it’s clear that Sophie truly does not like or respect Kendall in any way. After Kendall tweets about how society needs to stop silencing women, Sophie fires back, saying, “The fuck is he talking about? That’s like your dog saying, ‘Hey guys, guys, guys. We’ve got to punish whoever ate coffee grounds out of the trash and then shit on the sofa.'” Later, she accuses him of having a diagnosed case of “Caucasian rich brain.” He thinks he’s woke, but really he’s just “a total fucking jackass” who shields himself from criticism with progressive ideas. And she has a point.

From Episode 1, that’s been true about Kendall. He was Vaulter’s biggest champion, a left-leaning media startup that was half Vice, half Gawker in its desire to speak truth to power. At least that was the case until Daddy Logan (Brian Cox) told him to strip it for parts. What followed was one of the most abrupt and brutal mass firings captured on TV, as well as a scene that should give anyone in digital media PTSD. He talks a big game about freedom of the press until there was a chance that he could take Waystar from his dad. Then it was all secret meetings with his buddy Stewy (Arian Moayed), who implied that if they’re going to do business, he and his people should have a say in what stories ATN broadcasts. Hell, the entire reason why Kendall is on his current pedestal is drenched in hypocrisy.

To the public, Kendall emerged from Waystar’s Senate hearing as the only member of the family that took a stand and alleged that Logan actually knew about the murders, bribes, and other crimes. That noble characterization was never why Kendall flipped on his dad. When Kendall started the press conference that ended Season 2, he was supposed to take responsibility for the cruise scandal, a move that would have landed him in jail. That’s when he chose to sell out his father. He pretended that he cared about these innocent women who died on Waystar’s watch, crimes that Kendall admitted in “Mass in Time of War” that he suspected for years. If he ever really cared about these victims, why didn’t he look into cruises sooner? Why did it take him so long to raise his hand? It’s because he never really cared. This has always been a play for Kendall to save himself.

That’s the hypocrisy Sophie gleefully highlights. During one of her monologues, she points out that mere weeks before blaming his dad for the cruises, Kendall Roy went before the Senate and said that Logan Roy knew nothing. Her cruel jokes are accurate. We know that as the audience, and Kendall knows that as he forces out laugh after laugh.

Yet he’s so obsessed with being the good guy, so incapable of actually taking anything resembling an honest look at himself, that he tries to convince himself and his friends Sophie is on Team Kendall. If Sophie Iwobi, this socially-progressive idol, hates him, then how woke can he really be? He becomes so obsessed with being in on the joke that he asks to be on her show, an obligation he abandons the second things get challenging.

No one is morally good in Succession. Logan is greed embodied. Roman (Kieran Culkin) is a walking sexual harassment case. Shiv (Sarah Snook) turns manipulation into high art. Conner (Alan Ruck) is a self-absorbed joke. Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) is complicit in the downfall of society. Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) is a cartoon villain. Greg (Nicholas Braun) is the best example of incompetence failing upwards brought to screen. But for all of their many, many, MANY faults, the rest of the Roy clan never claim to be good people. Whether that’s due to self-obsession or disinterest, most of them don’t ever seem to think about their obligations to society. The only member who comes close to grappling with her moral failings is Shiv, a woman who theoretically wants to do the right thing but also believes you have to get your hands dirty and feign innocence to achieve those goals. Shiv knows and has accepted that she’s part of the problem, albeit a cog that’s trying to fix this broken machine.

Kendall isn’t like that. In spite of all evidence to the contrary, he truly believes that he’s a good person. Every time he’s been challenged in that belief by facts, he has never taken a moment for self-reflection or improvement. Instead, he lashes out and hides. That’s what this takeover is. It’s not a calculated grab at power, and it’s certainly not a call for justice. It’s a scared, spoiled little boy whining about his actions have consequences. The fact that this temper tantrum is being built on the backs of dead women is what makes Kendall the worst. It’s only fitting that Ziwe was the one to call him out.

New episodes of Succession premiere on HBO and HBO Max Sundays at 9/8 p.m.

Watch Succession on HBO and HBO Max