Psychiatrist Breaks Down Succession's Family Dynamics | GQ

[@annaheff7332]

One of the things I noticed was how, even though Connor is delusional, he was the one who had that moment of clarity at the karaoke bar, where he expressed to the siblings that their entire motivation was looking for their father’s validation, and kind of decided he was over it. I think something about growing up knowing that Logan loved him less than the other kids makes him see Logan just a little more clearly than the others.

[@BrandonTmusic]

Absolutely. Conor is definitely still delusional and lacks real world touch, but has more hints of true emotion and feelings at times, likely because he's over all the BS of not being loved by his dad.

[@rejectionisprotection4448]

Did Logan love him less though? He certainly saw a different side to him, one which his siblings weren’t really party to.

[@iamsheep]

Was Logan super successful when Connor was a child or did he witness his father's rise? I can't remember the details now

[@aiesha5210]

@@iamsheepim pretty sure connor has a 5-10 year age difference to kendall so i'd say he probably still had some millions

[@iamsheep]

@@aiesha5210 yeah it's interesting because Logan treats him differently to the others.

[@olivierkepo]

I think Kendall has a mix of high confidence and insecurity. He was brought up to believe that he’s better than everyone else, but that he’ll never be good enough.

[@jacquelinebell5584]

Totally!

[@kennethromo8302]

It be like that

[@shoozyq5316]

For sure! It's the insecure narcissist in him

[@williammullinax6130]

I feel like he doesn't have the confidence, so he fakes it. He gives the appearance of confidence. And at one point in the series, his birthday party, he let himself believe it. Only to have that reality shattered the same night. It's also what causes him to have such awkward interactions with people. People can sense something is off about Kendall, and Kendall feels it and can't seem to figure out how to fix it.

[@neobahamut6751]

I agree. I think Siobhan Roy is also a mix of confidence and insecurity. But in her case it depends who she's talking with. She will stutter and exude insucurity when she faces strong men or men she needs to prove herself to. Then when she is with other, she is confident and posed.

[@mads6412]

I think its important to remember tho, Connor Roy was interested in politics at a very young age!

[@juandenis4294]

And that he is the eldest son of their father

[@dead_ones]

@@juandenis4294 HE IS THE ELDEST SON!

[@juandenis4294]

@@dead_ones AND HE MUST BE CONSIDERED

[@LuisSierra42]

Very important indeed

[@coffeebean86]

He’s an intellectual. He reads all kinds of books.

[@hellogoditsmesara3569]

What I find interesting in the way people often characterize the Roy kids is Roman as the youngest when Shiv is actually the youngest and I think there’s this lack of introspection as to why Shiv is the only daughter and by default the eldest daughter

[@sidneyrosey]

In many ways as the only female child, she has to emotionally carry all the males in her life be that her brothers, her father, her coworkers, or her fiance/husband

[@DeeDee-ye5qe]

real

[@philipgodsworth4764]

@@sidneyrosey No wonder Shiv looks so “heavy”.

[@_solange]

Word

[@Rose-hh7mk]

It's interesting cause a lot of websites talking about Succession say that Roman is the youngest, but he's not.

[@nicolasburroughs2823]

One thing about Greg is that we started the show with him, so him oftentimes being the audience perspective makes sense. We came into the world of Succession through Greg’s eyes.

[@LuisSierra42]

Greg should inherit the company tho

[@nicolasburroughs2823]

@@LuisSierra42 I like the idea of him basically becoming the new Frank for Roman/Kendall. The show hasn’t given us any indication that Greg has those serious decision making skills so I think he’d be an odd choice.

[@h33-q8w]

Just like the puke! 😂

[@reluctantly_anthony]

lmao pun intended?

[@TheSaladin777]

@@LuisSierra42 why

[@GavPenTemp]

Greg is a "vaseline" person. He aims to please, but he accomodates his morals and ideas to his interests. Some people act like he's the best out of all of them but he's just another Karl and Tom as shown perfectly in the "boar on the floor" scene. He's a dance monkey who will dance to just about any rhythm to get his treat.

[@Armaan8014]

Yes. The analysis in this video was pretty shallow.

[@cbushin]

Greg could not sacrifice short term satisfaction for a delayed long term reward. He could have won by doing nothing. If he quit Waystar and remained a vomiting mascot, he would have gotten $250 million just for outliving Ewen.

[@kath1626]

My grandma is actually a narcissist and it took me decades to figure that out. What she did to my mom (and to a lesser extent her two younger brothers) shapes the family to this day. I'm so glad my mom is a loving and empathetic woman because that could have been very different, all things considered. There are people who are fit to be parents and there are a lot of people who aren't.

[@wy4553]

I really love that the psychiatrist actually watched the show and isn't just reacting to a few scenes. You really need to watch all of it to see all facets of the characters as well as their relationships with one another because it's all incredibly complex.

[@eljefe308]

My dad (and grandpa) have very similar mannerisms to Logan Roy, I am pretty convinced that he actually believes himself when he denies that he said something terrible merely hours prior to the denial. It’s a sort of self defense mechanism.

[@Quzga]

My grandpa is quite similar too but he is actually nice it's just he doesn't know how to express it. He yells, slams the desk and overall has a short fuse over things but he tries to give compliments and ask about my life but every time it sounds like he is just judging me. He always scared me my whole childhood and as an adult he still scares me a bit, but he has become more open and more calm with age. But his mannerisms is so similar to Logan roy, he is just loud and his this presence that takes up a whole room. He used to be CEO of a big European company, now he is like 80 i think

[@dwaynekeenum1916]

But without the billions

[@Toxodos]

but it's not like they're "lying" it's just that the truth doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is that flimsy external validation. Being "right" in the moment, not even in the long term. It's sad and pathetic, narcissism is an all-consuming disease, made worse by the often successful blinding they do

[@Fidozo15]

So, which one of the siblings do you look like the most? Say Roman and I'll take you out to parties

[@LloydWaldo]

I see you. Same thing. I’ll never know what was really going on in his mind, but I’ve done my best to go forward knowing that it doesn’t matter anymore.

[@ghalikabbaj8861]

GQ’s content guy deserves a raise. Such a golden initiative for this show… psychiatric analysis is needed for sure

[@thomaswschaller]

The genius of this show is in the psychological underpinnings of the characters - so well expressed in the superb writing and acting. These fictional, larger-than-life creatures somehow manage to also resonate with most of us in very personal ways

[@thomaswschaller]

@@nickb220 That's the point. They are written as exaggerated characters, but still seem very human and in many ways relatable

[@thomaswschaller]

@@nickb220 Oh sure, billionaire children of a multi-billionaire media mogul - all saddled with serious emotional problems while drunk on power, money, and control are perfectly average, middle-of-the-road types we all meet every day.

[@bowtoyoursensei554]

I think you meant "characters." ;)

[@sonat786]

I wish the psychologist had spent more time covering shiv. There's more to her character than her relationship with her sibs

[@samanthacristinaburgosmera4160]

Yeah sometimes I wish there’s a video just focusing on her psychology

[@madremorelos1573]

You just know Logan would have a field day on the therapy chair if his Psychiatrist was called Dr. Bender…

[@zerere_]

yaya

[@vegaobscurax23]

ROFLMAO

[@vegaobscurax23]

Well played sir 🤣😂🤣

[@uglybetty8747]

Lmaooooooooooo rip to his tooth in advance

[@denissewoo]

We need a part 2, there's so much to analyze and say about the Succession's characters. I love how Dr. Eric explain things, I learn a lot.

[@BassmeantProductions]

Roman is actually the most human. He shows on multiple occasions the inclination towards communication and feeling. The obnoxious behavior is an act he uses to fit in because the rest of them view emotions as weakness. So he overcompensates by being sexually obnoxious and socially crude. But if you pay close attention you'll see his caring slip out.

[@bookstoliveby732]

Spoiler Alert! reminds me of how concerned he was for Kerry when Marsha kicked her out in s4 ep5, that really surprised me, I don't know if he actually helped Kerry after but, he showed more emotion and care than I expected.

[@BassmeantProductions]

@@bookstoliveby732 that's exactly one of the moments I'm talking about. He was actually human about stuff but over time because everyone is so horrible the guy had to hide it. Brutal.

[@Rubiecat]

@@bookstoliveby732 I think it's because at this point he's bottling up his grief by pretending that he's fine (that he has "pre-grieved") so when he sees Kerry openly weeping (she's literally the only one who does that day) he instantly feels close to her like "oh finally someone who explicitly feels how I feel on the inside" and that's why he suddenly shows compassion for her when he was the first one to harass her in previous episodes

[@TrapNCoffee]

@@bookstoliveby732 There has been a lot of episodes where he does that. He just shows glimps of humanity, but then he comes back to be Roman, the broken boy.

[@rare9242]

he has his moments of empathy but also the biggest lack of boundary with how he treats others. IMO highest highs lowest lows out of all the Roys

[@johnnyw525]

Would love to have heard more about Shiv. Two sentences is not enough

[@Profile_2222]

I expected this would be a bit deeper analysis. Anyone who watched the show knows these things already, guy just gave us the basic description of every character.

[@passiveaggressive6175]

He’s a psychiatrist essentially articulating / writing a magazine column. What did you expect?lol😅😅😅😅

[@genny8136]

Not very deep and meaningfull. As watcher we already know and observe all that stuff. Basic level. DR. Ramani is more precise.

[@redacted000]

literally lmao

[@Maniqeng]

nothing new here. moving on

[@kimberquirky]

Yeah, I prefer Dr. Ramani’s episode breakdowns. But I love all things succession!

[@chipmunkpark8826]

Shiv being the youngest also explains why Logan understimates her, he always calls her "Pinky" (You know the smallest finger) She is the youngest sibling and the only girl in the family...Logan NEVER includes her in important meetings even though he told her "she was the one", or even considered her for the CEO role while growing up. So Shiv always thinks that she is being left out due to her gender...even though it isn't always the case, but because growing up she was always excluded due to it...of course she is going to be paranoid about it. And now in the new season, her brothers are leaving her behind again

[@passiveaggressive6175]

I didn’t know she was the youngest

[@jbo4547]

Im pretty sure they've stated that Roman is the youngest

[@rueg3876]

I think he calls her pinky cause she’s a red head, not cause she’s the youngest. Roman is

[@Joel-ik3sz]

she's not the youngest.

[@nr48890]

@@jbo4547 Shiv is the youngest. It's even stated in HBO's website

[@TheBrainFlow]

I’m not even gonna comment on the force of nature that was Jeremy Strong (Kendall Roy) and Brian Cox (Logan Roy) performances in this series. I just want to praise the wonderfully crafted performance that Matthew Macfadyen (Tom Wambsgans) gave in this series after all that we’ve known him for. His acting choices were so smart. He created such an interesting, tragic, comedic and philosophical character in Tom. It was a delight to watch him in this series. What a tighrope to walk on acting-wise.

[@elcidabiera9751]

Tom is one of the characters i love watching and secretly rooting. Hes written most of the seasons as an outsider to the roy family and just want to fit in. Always looking like a lost puppy whenever hes with the roy family making big decisions. The dynamic changes when he is with Greg, all tough and bossy 😂. What a character.

[@BadPenny3]

I haven't watched a single episode of Succession yet, but I will happily watch Dr. Bender break down anything or anyone.

[@slayerduval1]

You should really watch Succession. This video is factually inaccurate (Shiv is the youngest, not Roman) and it's kind of a surprisingly shallow look into their psychology.

[@anthonyfrederick3214]

Watch it. It’s amazing.

[@Armaan8014]

@@slayerduval1 Yeah I was disappointed at how basic the breakown in the video was.

[@account_nameonline6420]

We’re all in trouble if Greg is the most relatable 😂

[@bowtoyoursensei554]

According to several podcasters, Shiv is actually the youngest; Roman is the middle child. He just seems like the youngest because of the way he acts.

[@Fendeguard]

This isn't really psychiatry but more so a well spoken analysis of what happened in the show.

[@chipmunkpark8826]

Shiv is actually the youngest but Roman acts like the youngest😂

[@cleanshirt0]

Already left a comment but not gonna delete it lol, we need to spread the word

[@TylerWardhaha]

Shiv acts like the middle, jealous of the oldest for being first in line, and annoyed with how easy the youngest gets it.

[@goleer6694]

@@TylerWardhaha Roman acts like that as well.

[@TylerWardhaha]

@@goleer6694 He's Logans favorite I think.

[@Spaced92]

@@TylerWardhaha Nah I'm the youngest and I get Shiv. When you get put down as the youngest, the special one and the favourite when it isn't really true, people are actually excluding you and putting you on a pedestal to fail so you don't want to put yourself in a position where you can fail, every family is different but the youngest doesn't always act the youngest. Just look at Connor. The eldest in our family is to an extent also the delusional immature one, obviously in a very different way.

[@bopyranks]

One of my favorite shows, and I appreciate this excellent psychological analysis. As much as I love the show Logan reminds me of my father, which is tough sometimes. He even sounds like him, which is weird.

[@ecaldwell9]

All of what he is saying about narcissistic parents is so true.

[@LWOliver]

we watch Succession because it might be the best thing on television everytime it's on. anyway, great video as always.

[@gabujita4088]

i was expecting this to be more in depth lol i already knew everything he said

[@Actinopterygiiguy]

the way even the psychiatrist assumes Roman is the youngest based on the dynamics but it's actually Shiv

[@michaels2502]

Kendall is the best character on the show. Love the arc with that start up CEO that dissed him in the pilot.

[@futuropasado]

the script and writers are so great that this felt very short... Each character has much more complexity he could elaborate like for an entire hour.

[@angiietineocardenas]

Succession is one of the best series out there now.

[@alonzomosley7]

I started watching Succession a few years ago .I felt uncomfortable watching it ,I realised Logan was a caricature of my father .He was a bully ,I watched Greg trying to deal with the bully Logan in season 4 I chimed with him .I was terrified of him what he would say always a criticism ,just like Logan.The whole series probably will send me to a therapist 😂

[@tangodaze]

That’s why I had to stop watching it. Why torture myself?

[@MrDoctorBryce]

Never seen this show in my life but this guy is so interesting to hear talk about anything

[@denissewoo]

This was so good it felt so short, I need more.

[@mash4brains]

I like the fact that he spoke on the intro scene as well. I found it so eerie. The kids are so clean, clothes ironed to perfection, no dirt. Even when playing sport or doing "fun" activities, there is no enthusiasm or passion. They don't really express happiness as normal kids would. Even when Rome "smiles" its closed almost like a grimace of pain, his chin is up. Its like a facade of confidence. They behave like little adults and the staring...so creepy

[@supafishftw]

When you've already watched this on Dr.Bender's KZbin channel but it was so good you're here for round 2

[@jaandra95]

the way logan gaslit me bc i wholeheartedly believed he hadn’t chosen shiv as ceo when he so explicitly did

[@AlanaNichole1989]

This guy is a true fan, just calling out specific moments off the dome lol

[@jasmineluvsice]

More on Shiv, please

[@specteramber]

I thought covering that whole show, psychologically speaking, would take at least 4 years. To do it in 15 minutes seems like the warm-up

[@johnnyw525]

Cousin Greg is the worst of them. Everyone else is the victim of a brutal childhood. Even Tom is in love. Greg is just callously on the make. His incompetence is the only reason he’s allowed to stay around: They don’t see him as a threat. He has no scruples and is solely driven by shallow greed. (Rewatch the first episode again.)

[@lamisk5479]

Totally agree. He doesn’t have to be there, he wants to be there.

[@amarbyrd2520]

​@@lamisk5479He gave up millions in his grandfather Ewan's inheritance to be there

[@sprycmg]

How could you say that he’s the worst I mean of all the moral boundaries these characters cross shallow greed is the absolute minimum

[@amarbyrd2520]

@@sprycmg Because he had several chances to be decent but instead declined them and got worse

[@liam1318]

@@amarbyrd2520to be fair Logan said he would take care of him and I think if Logan was around for longer he probably would have gave Greg the money anyway

[@joaquinbaume1291]

i relate to Kendall so much, even his addiction (minus the money obviously, i'm dirt poor)

[@passiveaggressive6175]

Cousin Greg is our audience to all the weird Roy shenanigans

[@TheKh65]

He really isn't lol! He is too much of a snivelling coward to be that

[@rivalal]

I think Greg is a weaselsnake deep inside. It's hinted at all throughout the show.

[@brianr6651]

He didn't intially. He was taught to be like that by the Roys/Tom throughout the Show

[@elkpapa]

​@@brianr6651 Starting with his own mother!

[@daisyflower40]

I have just started watching this show but in the dinner scene where they are talking about Shiv taking over the look on Connor’s face shows that he know Logan will screw Shiv over.

[@mbelle221]

Yeah even though Connor behaves like he's delusional, it doesn't seem like he really is. He's not interested in being a "killer", and his wacky antics seem to be his way of trying to get Logan's attention.

[@American_Boy]

Greg being the most relatable character is a WILD take

[@livinthefilm]

Their mother was way worse than the father. Textbook narcissist. Kendall tried to talk about his problems to her, and she simply denied. As his problems would disrupt her "mental wellbeing."

[@possiblymaybe6711]

Ur crazy if u think her being neglectful is worse than Logan’s malice and Machiavellian nature towards his own kids. He sent his first wife to a psychiatric hospital what do u think he did to her? She’s like that bc she’s traumatized by him

[@jszn1]

That scene was rly heartbreaking. I just wanted to hug kendall but i gotta say they're both miserable parents. The mom never was there for her children and Logan took up so much space he didn't allow his kids to become someone who would'nt cater his needs and feed his ego. Two narcistic people hurting their children to the max.

[@marlareneespidol]

Dr. Eric Bender needs to have his own show really or his own KZbin channel so we can all learn and have the therapy we all needed 😊

[@bananatiergod]

He has one now!

[@Alex-hm7nt]

I didn't know I needed this examination lol. Dr. Bender is awesome in this series!

[@barbaraschweer862]

When you have parents like logan Roy and his former wife, ran as fast as you can. Borh of them are only interested as long as they can use their kids. They have no personal interest and feel no love for any of them.

[@ericw1340]

Kendall 100% has some sort of emotional regulation disorder, and the fact that this psychiatrist didn’t mention it kinda undermines the video for me.

[@KD-ou2np]

I know you can see it in his eyes when he's manic and he starts spewing business buzzwords left and right.

[@noneofthiseverhappened]

He comes across as autistic to me cause of that, plus his son being on the spectrum just adds to it.

[@nosipho3599]

Its going to be a ton of fun to see what happens to Kendall now that Logan is gone because like he says Logan took up a huge part of his life. My bet is that he's really going to live up to the "same-old but with a vibe-y new banner"

[@GhostlyFilms136]

I remember telling my mom, after watching Succession, that people usually characterized Roman as the youngest, and she replied that she couldn't see it at all. According to her, Roman was the nexus between Kendall, the oldest, and Shiv, the youngest. Just like all middcle child. And that the reason why Shiv would acted the way she acted was just because she was the only woman, force to be more mature.

[@brentcronin3296]

I had to watch the whole video to determine if he's in fact pulling off those glasses and ya know what, well done Dr. Bender

[@AA-qb7ni]

I'm here for anything Succession related.

[@h33-q8w]

Roman is NOT the youngest! Shiv is the baby .. 😂

[@nickb220]

And Connor is the eldest son

[@KipArmadillo]

"What do you make of a vomiting, walking muppet?" Perhaps the perfect way to encapsulate Greg. 😂😂😂

[@willmcclinton2667]

this dude's glasses are insane

[@edwinnnnnn881]

Plsssss keep inviting Dr Eric Bender

[@arkadiuszsmorag6145]

There's Eric Singer /DING/ a dialect coach who participated in videos on WIRED as an accent coach, who is incredibly knowledgeable and insightful .....and.... theres this guy

[@bluemask6361]

I had to sit down because I was laughing so hard, after he says, very seriously: “The invitation to the death pit is one Greg does not want.” Thank you for explaining that part to me.

[@jens2049]

Nice to see him calling Logan straight up a narcissist. Facts.

[@RafaAkd]

Very insightful. And since Caroline was also a narcissist, so are all the kids. All of them different types of narcissist

[@n3ffo]

Coming soon to GQ: Master eyeglass maker breaks down the meaning of Dr Eric Benders glasses.

[@Heidi123]

😂

[@mrb4761]

I wish we could have spent more time on Shiv's relationship with her mother

[@aralisji]

Ooooof I would love to see him dissect whatever's going on in the Berzatto family in The Bear 👀

[@mvyadhukrishnan5709]

I was busy admiring the guy's glasses and didn't listen to anything he said

[@minc8772]

I was waiting for someone to explain the opening credits lol

[@seanwilks7712]

The show runners have said multiple times that the people in the opening credits is NOT the Roy family and doesn’t represent them.

[@mahzsom1]

7:11 what a great insight, the moment I saw the glasses i knew this guy was a great psychiatrist

[@observer1137]

i know, once i saw them i could not concentrate on what he was saying...all i could think about is...are your glasses broken or something?😕

[@sunshyneshirley5829]

i’ve missed Dr. Eric Bender!!!!! so glad he’s back

[@michaelmontalto]

It's so hard to take this guy seriously with his choice in eyewear.... That said, he does a great job.

[@genny8136]

Dr. Ramani has a deeper and more meaningfull way of explaining the dynamics on her channel.

[@raymeester7883]

Yeah, But that's like comparing an MMA champion to a college black belt.

[@genny8136]

@@raymeester7883 Good point...without being shading i think its a great metaphor. ;)

[@sadeinsummer12]

Shiv is my favorite character (Roman is a close second). I was very happy to find a Shiv Funko POP at a local comic book store.

[@Lily-ed2sc]

Buying an island with someone you are not in a real relationship with is wild 😂 the Dr is spot on

[@kiwikat9406]

the video we’ve all been waiting for 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@posthocprior]

My family is similar to this. This was painful to watch.

[@tangodaze]

Yep. Had to stop in season 2.

[@mbelle221]

My family's worse than this family. I would rather be a Roy, at least I'd be rich no matter what, lol.

[@DemocracyFirst2025]

This is excellent. Both my p’s are raging narcies, need therapy stat.

[@hazy_lacy]

Kendall’s just never got a chance to grow up. He reverts to being a little kid every something goes wrong or when his dad yells at him.

[@mirrojas]

I saw someone describe him as “the boy who wanted to be a king” Thought that was accurate.

[@nimiew1004]

The breakdown of Roman's character 🙃

[@anthonyfrederick3214]

I think Greg is on his way to being Machiavelli’s The Prince.

[@bobjohnson7020]

This is such an intelligent and thoroughly good analysis I'm actually tempted to not post a snarky comment, and instead just ignore those horrifying Sally Jessy Raphael-on-bad-LSD eye glasses.

[@AliFareedMC]

Psychologically analyze tv show characters is my dream job

[@goddanbriggs]

Those glasses are intense!

[@mmmghool]

Tru, and theyre working for me

[@mynewenglandcape]

I thought Roman was the baby too, but it turns out Shiv is the baby. I heard it on another podcast and had to look it up... It's true.

[@AraceliAbbott]

We’re all in trouble if Greg is the most relatable . Shiv is actually the youngest but Roman acts like the youngest.

[@passiveaggressive6175]

0:54 Here’s Rupert Murdoch ahem I mean Logan Roy😅😅😅

[@marissacyrus9888]

Our boy is back!!!!!!

[@TorieLJones]

this was absolutely amazing!

[@spinobusted]

By far my favorite Bender since Futurama.

[@patriciagordon1203]

This has been debated but the cast has confirmed that Shiv is actually the youngest.

[@whebshow6610]

"roman's relationship with gerri is pretty interesting" oh yeah it is

[@sugaplum019]

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO!!!!!!

[@buffienguyen]

i have never watched this show but i love watching dr bender haha

[@melissaw3020]

Follow up question - why do I love Kendall so much?

[@spellegren]

Would have liked to have seen "boar on the floor" mentioned.

[@maverickmegastar]

I was watching this for fun but this is actually really on point.😂

[@pranoy_tez]

7:10: Psychiatrist: Entire show summed up in one sentence. :D

[@ravenswood118]

If you loved someone and asked them to marry you, wouldn't you too be hurt that they didn't have an answer for you? I don't understand why that specifically is a "narcissistic trait"

[@ravenswood118]

@anasofiatorres4357 That's not the point. Don't show up blabbing in my mentions about things that are not the point of what I said.

[@krolltheknight]

The man, the myth, the legend Good vid