What It Takes

"**What It Takes**" is the sixth episode of the third season of *Succession* and twenty-sixth of the series overall. It premiered on November 21, 2021 on HBO and HBO Max. It was written by Will Tracy and directed by Andrij Parekh.

## Premise

Logan and team head to Virginia for a conservative political conference, where Roman finds out surprising news about his mother.

## Plot synopsis

Kendall has retrieved some documents regarding the cruise-line scandals, and prepares to submit them to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Lisa warns him that the documents may not be sufficient in building a winning case against Waystar, but Kendall refuses to listen.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Roy family attend the Future Freedom Summit, a conservative political donor event in Richmond, Virginia, in search of a viable candidate to back in the upcoming election. Logan is primarily seeking someone who will temper the DOJ investigation and help Waystar survive against Big Tech. He eventually leans toward Dave Boyer, the incumbent Vice President. At the convention, Roman is surprised to learn that his mother Caroline is getting married to British CEO Peter Munion, and that the family has been invited to their wedding in Tuscany. He and Shiv call Kendall to inform him of the news. Connor uses the convention as an opportunity to advance his own campaign, though he will likely be unsuccessful. Roman is approached by Jeryd Mencken, a controversial, right-wing online provocateur.

Late in the night, Tom takes Greg to a nearby diner, where the two confide in each other over their shared legal peril. Tom agrees to assume responsibility for Greg's role in the cruise-line scandal cover-up.

Kendall is becoming increasingly frustrated with having to cooperate with authority, when he would rather take an aggressive approach against Waystar. Lisa, losing patience with Kendall, admits that he performed poorly at the DOJ testimony just before, and that his case appears to be weakening. Kendall, offended, decides to fire Lisa and seek new legal representation.

Back at the convention, Shiv is approached by conservative Senator Rick Salgado, who assures her that as President, he would have Logan sent to jail and her promoted to CEO. Shiv likes the idea, but it seems that no one else is interested in Salgado. Mencken, who Shiv detests for his fascist leanings, mocks Logan and refers to ATN as politically irrelevant. Logan has his family migrate to his suite and asks their opinions on the candidates. Shiv of course backs Salgado and Roman expresses interest in Mencken, ignoring Shiv's concern for his beliefs. Connor advocates for himself, though his family dismisses him. Boyer is ruled out after Logan deems him weak and ineffectual.

Tom sneaks away to meet with Kendall, who has just landed in Virginia, at a nearby dinner. Kendall suggests that Tom testify against Logan to avoid incarceration, but Tom refuses. Tom tells him that he believes Kendall will fail against his father, as he's seen it happen many times before, yet has never seen Logan fail. Kendall, upset but not defeated, takes a photo of Tom as he leaves to use as potential blackmail.

Roman bumps into Mencken, acting as if by coincidence, in the bathroom and sparks conversation. He questions Mencken on his views, wishing to understand them better, and realizes that they align with those of ATN's viewers and Mencken could boost viewership. Mencken agrees to side with Waystar and accepts their support. Roman then suggests to Logan that traction brought in by Mencken could earn ATN the revenue needed to fend off Big Tech and acquire GoJo. Logan is convinced and decides to back him, despite Shiv's consistent protests against it.

### Notes

1. ↑ "Big Tech", also known as the Tech Giants or the Big Five, refers to the five largest American tech companies: Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta (Facebook), and Microsoft.

## Cast

* Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch
* Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy
* Dagmara Domińczyk as Karolina Novotney (credit only)
* Peter Friedman as Frank Vernon (credit only)
* Justine Lupe as Willa Ferreyra
* Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans
* David Rasche as Karl (credit only)
* Alan Ruck as Connor Roy
* J. Smith-Cameron as Gerri Kellman (credit only)
* Fisher Stevens as Hugo Baker
* Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy
* Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy
* Linda Emond as Michelle-Anne Vanderhoven
* Scott Nicholson as Colin
* Zoë Winters as Kerry
* Zack Robidas as Mark Ravenhead
* Juliana Canfield as Jess Jordan
* Dasha Nekrasova as Comfry
* Mark Linn-Baker as Maxim Pierce
* Jordan Lage as Keith
* Pip Torrens (photograph) as Peter Munion

Guest* Justin Kirk as Jeryd Mencken
* Reed Birney as Vice President Dave Boyer
* Yul Vazquez as Sen. Rick Salgado
* Stephen Root as Ron Petkus

## Quotes

* **Greg Hirsch:** Yeah, I, uh... I'm worried about prison... \*stutters\* I just feel because of my physical length, I could be a target for all kinds of misadventures.
* **Tom Wambsgans [to Greg]:** I saw you… flying on the wings of white power. Did it feel good as the fascists hoisted you aloft, like the Stanley Cup?
* **Tom [to Kendall Roy]:** My hunch is that you are going to get fucked. Because I've seen you get fucked a lot. And I've never seen Logan get fucked once.

## Trivia

* The episode was nominated at the Directors Guild of America Awards for its direction.
* Sanaa Lathan was nominated at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for her guest appearance.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Succession Ep 6: What It Takes | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
2. ↑ Shows A-Z - succession on hbo | TheFutonCritic.com
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Succession*: Season 3, Episode 6: "**What It Takes**"
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Succession | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
5. ↑ Shows A-Z - succession on hbo | TheFutonCritic.com
6. ↑ DGA Awards 2022 Winners List: Jane Campion Gets Top Prize For ‘Power of The Dog’ – Deadline
7. ↑ Sanaa Lathan - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins | Television Academy (emmys.com)