When Succession returned for its second season in August 2019, it did so with the weight of a perfect first season finale hanging over its head. Season 1 ended with the ultimate betrayal: Kendall Roy, having accidentally caused the death of a waiter, stood up at a press conference and betrayed his father, Logan Roy, by blaming him for the company’s crippling debt.
The premiere of , titled "The Summer Palace," masterfully resets the power dynamics of the Roy family while dealing with the immediate fallout of the Season 1 finale. Picking up just 48 hours after the events in England, the episode focuses on Kendall’s total submission to his father and Logan’s strategic manipulation of his other children to protect Waystar Royco from a hostile takeover. Kendall Roy: The Broken Son Succession - Season 2- Episode 1
Director Mark Mylod opens the episode with a sense of visual suffocation. In Season 1, the Roy family jets were glossy, the New York penthouses were glass and chrome. Here, the palette is muted—greys, navy blues, and the beige of Logan’s tactical vest. When Succession returned for its second season in
But then, the twist within the twist. When Logan hands Kendall the speech that will destroy his reputation (admitting he knew about the cover-up), Kendall steps to the mic. The world holds its breath. Picking up just 48 hours after the events
If you are rewatching Succession or starting Season 2 for the first time, do not skip Episode 1. It contains the DNA of everything that follows:
: After his failed coup and the fatal accident at the wedding, Kendall is pulled from a rehab retreat in Iceland to defend Logan on television. He is described as a "shell of a human being," acting as a loyal "hitman" for his father to help fend off the hostile takeover bid from Sandy and Stewy.
If Season 1 was about Logan’s physical decline, Season 2 begins his psychological dominance. In "The Summer Palace," Logan is at his most terrifying. He is no longer the ailing patriarch unsure of his footing; he is a war general. He recognizes that Kendall is broken, and like a predator, he exploits the weakness.