The “Relevant” Donuts in Succession
What the sweet pastries tell us about each Roy sibling
It’s been a while since I wrote an original blog post here. So I thought why not kickstart it by writing about something I love.
Succession is probably the best darn TV show on air at the moment.
I remember chancing upon it in 2019 and devouring the deliciously dark nihilistic dramedy only to become that annoying person who turns every water cooler conversation into “You’ve got to watch this!!”.
I’m usually the kind who likes to binge-watch shows. With the memory of a goldfish and an attention span of a potato, my brain can focus only on one show at a time.
While I binge-watched Seasons 1 and 2 in a roller coaster ride, I’m savouring season 3 one weekly episode at a time. This gives me ample time to digest, analyse, and discuss the goings-on in each episode. It also helps that the show is replete with relentless witty quips, a million mirco-expressions, wicked family dynamics, and rich details that deserve to be dissected like a Shakespearean drama. To add to it, the break allows me to catch up on podcasts that offer unique perspectives. HBO’s official Succession podcast with Kara Swisher, and Chris and Andy’s show on The Ringer YouTube channel are some favourites.
So…coming to the topic of this piece. THE DONUTS!!!!!
I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve been thinking about the donuts from the second episode for an unhealthy amount of time since it aired. This article is an attempt to organise my scattered thoughts into a coherent piece. So let me cut to the chase and jump right in.
The writers of Succession are masterful at building tension in a scene only to diffuse it in the most unexpected of ways. Such was the effect the donuts had in an all important scene that would tell us (and Kendall) whose side the Roy siblings are on.
Here’s what I think the donuts stood for in relation to each Roy offspring :
- Kendall. The donuts epitomise Kendall’s dual personality perfectly. Sugar coated and dreamy on the outside, but completely hollow at the centre. That is exactly how Kendall came across in this episode. His grand vision of making the company stand for “noble” and morally “right” causes ring insincere. Everyone sees through his self-aggrandising hogwash. His psychobabble is a painful crossbreed of words from WeWork’s prospectus and dialogues from the Goop documentary. However, it must be said that the writing is so good that I still find myself rooting for him. His grand spiel comes completely undone at the end when he ends up abusing and bullying his siblings in an eerily similar fashion to his dad — the very man he’s trying to set him self apart from.
2. Roman. The donuts in this episode are not just frivolous tea party pastries. In Roman’s words, they are relevant donuts..donuts that matter. I view Roman in a similar light. He is wiser and deeper than his court jester exterior suggests. Always quick to shift his position according to where the wind blows, he’s hedging his bets on Team Logan and Gerri (via also a liaison he’s managed to keep a secret) at the moment. The donuts send a message that Logan is still strong in the power and manipulation game, and Roman is staying put.
3. Connor. The donuts also symbolise how easy, and frivolous a carrot stick is needed for Logan to keep Connor on his side. While the rest discuss the fate of their dad and the billion dollar mammoth company that could have ripple effects (to quote Kendall from S1E1 “The socio-economic health of multiple continents is dependent on his well-being!”), Connor appears to be struggling with keeping his eyes off the…donuts!! He is a simpleton with straightforward ambitions. He just wants his dad to pump in money into his pet projects — be it the theatre project with Willa or Presidential campaigns— and he is a happy guy. It actually took much less in this episode. A call from Logan reminding him that he is his “Number One” probably did the trick.
4. Shioban. Shiv to me is the most interesting of the lot. With a bruised ego after failing to become the interim CEO, she discretely considers shifting her allegiance towards Kendall. However, the donuts from her dad are a potent reminder that he’s watching her moves closely, and that he still wields power over her. The donuts represent a weird dichotomy of her relationship with her dad — she doesn’t trust him (Shiv stops Connor from eating the donuts suggesting that they might be poisoned, and in a non-metaphorical way she’s had enough of being passed over for the CEO position and refuses to to hug him for the cameras at the end of the episode), but she’s still in awe of how Logan is on top of everything and might be the better bet than her delusional brother.
The four Roy siblings aside, the donuts ultimately signify how Logan still knows how to keep most of his children on his side while Kendall is still struggling to get any support. It was frustrating to see that he was wooing them on moral grounds when it’s amply clear that that’s NOT what motivates the power hungry siblings.
That’s all the donut talk for today! It’ll be interesting to see how the drama unfolds from here. Excuse me while I actually go and chomp on my innocent mochi donut!
