Return

"**Return**" is the seventh episode of the second season of *Succession* and seventeenth of the series overall. It premiered on September 22, 2019 on HBO. It was written by Jonathan Glatzer and directed by Becky Martin.

## Premise

When Kendall and Roman are sent to the UK to negotiate with their mother, Caroline, an uninvited Shiv shows up to get answers from her father. Rhea's continued presence raises eyebrows amongst the Roy kids, as Logan seeks her counsel. Later, Kendall is forced to confront what happened last time he was in the UK. Back in New York, Tom encounters unexpected pressure.

## Plot synopsis

Amid the cruise-line's sexual misconduct allegations, Logan Roy has decided to throw a big party. Kendall sneaks away to the bathroom to talk to Naomi Pierce on the phone. She suggests he send her a dick-pic, to which he awkwardly complies. Outside, Gerri wants to confirm with Roman if he was serious about their working relationship, and he says he is. Logan is stood with Marcia overlooking his party, glad to see that the negative press perpetuated by Sandy Furness and Stewy Hosseini has done nothing to damper his reputation.

Upstairs, Frank and Gerri call for a private meeting with Logan, Ken, and Roman to discuss their strategies and ensure that all shareholders are on their side. Logan then decides to, while in London, send his children to make arrangements with his ex-wife, Caroline, who has 3%. Shiv is downstairs talking with Tom when Roman comes to confirm she has been left out in the cold.

The next day at work, Tom prepares to be interviewed about the cruise-line incidents. He's then surprised to receive hard-hitting questions, as he was led to believe that this was all just a formality. He then leaves to speak with Shiv, who reassures him that her father would not throw Tom under the bus. Shiv decides to go to London to confront her father. Meanwhile, Tom confronts Greg Hirsch about the papers he saved for himself, now demanding they also be destroyed.

Logan and Roman share a car to the airport where Logan "apologizes" for striking Roman at the conference days earlier. Once onboard, they find Kendall and Rhea Jarrell. While Rhea was already headed to London to see theater, Logan invited her as well, thinking he could use her strategic mind.

While in London and arranging meetings with shareholders, an article about Andrew Dodds is released in the paper. Obvious propaganda created by Stewy and Sandy, it alleges that Logan bullied the kid to death. Logan immediately sets up a meeting with the kid's family and informs Kendall that he'll be joining him, while Roman is to be sent to negotiate with his mother.

Tom finds Greg at his apartment and demands the papers, threatening him with violence. Greg confirms that the papers are still at Waystar Royco, and Tom informs him he will be staying the night and they will arrive at work together. The next day, Greg finally gives him the papers and Tom suggests they destroy them together. Later, Greg records himself in the bathroom, making sure his phone can pick up the conversation around him. While Tom is gone to retrieve matches, Gregory grabs a couple of papers and stuff them in his back pocket. Tom returns and lights the rest of them on fire.

Shiv finally arrives in London only to find her father is not at his place. She then has dinner with Rhea, who offers her her old job with the Pierce family, a trap set for Shiv with the permission of Logan. Shiv weighs her options.

Logan and Kendall arrive at the Dodds family home. They are greeted by a single photographer, as well as Andrew's uncle, while his parents wait inside. Logan insists Kendall come in the house with him but allows him to wait outside the room. Logan wraps up matters with the family, apologizing that his political rivals have dragged their son's name through the mud. They confirmed he was always an addict drug user and say they don't place any blame on Logan himself. Logan and Kendal then leave together in silence. Later that night, Kendall returns to drop cash into the mail-slot.

Shiv and Roman go to a convenience store to buy some junk food before visiting their mom. They arrive together and hug their mom, but she is quick with her passive-aggressive behavior. She cuts to the reason they are there and asks how much money Logan is offering. Roman reveals that he was previously informed by his father he could go between 10 and 50 million dollars. Caroline is immediately confident that was a lie. She demands the Summer Home, worth $150 million, or a simple 20 million but she gets the kids every Christmas. She says she wishes for the decision to be left up to Logan.

Kendall arrives at his mother's place and confirms that she'll be seeing them again for Christmas. Kendall attempts to open up to his mother about his situation, telling here there's a heavy topic weighing on him. She asks if they can discuss it in the morning over breakfast, and he agrees although a bit disappointed. The next morning, Caroline had woken up even earlier than Kendall and left a note, apologizing she had to leave to run errands. Both her sons are left alone in the house.

Shiv finally tracked down her father to ask where she stands in the company. Though he doesn't give her a clear answer, he demands to know why she was even considering working with the Pierce family. The rest of them leave for New York without her.

## Cast

* Hiam Abbass as Marcia Roy
* Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch
* Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy
* Dagmara Dominczyk as Karolina Novotney
* Peter Friedman as Frank Vernon
* Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans
* Arian Moayed as Stewy Hosseini (credit only)
* Alan Ruck as Connor Roy (credit only)
* J. Smith-Cameron as Gerri Kellman
* Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy
* Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy
* Rob Yang as Lawrence Yee (credit only)
* Justine Lupe as Willa Ferreyra (credit only)
* Harriett Walter as Caroline Collingwood
* Fisher Stevens as Hugo Baker
* Annabelle Dexter-Jones as Naomi Pierce
* Scott Nicholson as Colin

## Quotes

* **Roman Roy:** I hope we can *swing it* with Mom.
**Logan Roy:** Yeah, I... I was gonna say, you know, that thing up at Argestes...
**Roman:** Oh. No, yeah. Mm-mm. It's not...
**Logan:** I... I didn't even know you were there. I mean, if I did, I wouldn't... Y'know?
**Roman:** Oh, I know. Yeah, I know. Sure.
**Logan:** Did I even make contact?
**Roman:** Um... I don't... think so... Yeah, I'm not quite sure what we're talking about, to be honest.
**Logan:** Because... that's not something I'd do. Y'know?
**Roman:** Yeah, I know. I know that. I know. I know.
* **Roman:** Yeah, well, just following orders.
**Caroline Collingwood:** Like a Nazi.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Succession Ep 7: Return | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
2. ↑ Shows A-Z - succession on hbo | TheFutonCritic.com
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Succession*: Season 2, Episode 7: "**Return**"
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