The Disruption

"**The Disruption**" is the third episode of the third season of *Succession* and twenty-third of the series overall. It premiered on October 31, 2021 on HBO and HBO Max. It was written by Ted Cohen and Georgia Pritchett, and directed by Cathy Yan.

## Premise

With the DOJ at the door, Logan summons his arsenal, while Tom makes a potentially life changing offer. Kendall becomes obsessed with his own takedown.

## Plot synopsis

Kendall has become increasingly self-conscious about his public image, giving interview after interview and obsessively monitoring his social media presence. Logan and others at Waystar are combating, with Roman even publicly praising Logan's parenting. Logan refuses to cooperate with the Department of Justice's ongoing investigation into the company, despite Gerri insisting that this will likely further damage Waystar's image.

Kendall then gives a speech at a charity dinner for the Committee for the Protection and Welfare of Journalists, which Shiv attends on Logan's behalf. Kendall apologizes for his outburst at Rava's apartment, but still refuses to back down from his media campaign. At an after-party, Kendall and his team watch late-night talk show "The Disruption", where the host continuously belittles him. He then decides to make an appearance on the show.

After the dinner, Shiv meets Logan at his apartment. He claims that nothing in the stolen cruse documents incriminate him for any serious wrongdoing, but Shiv informs him that he may still be held accountable for taking part in the cover-up. She returns home and finds Tom, drunk, worried that his legal counselors believe he may be sent to prison. Tom suggests that he sacrifice himself and do time for both he and Logan, and Shiv supports the idea. Tom makes his proposition to Logan the next day, who assures him that that won't be necessary, but that he appreciates the gesture. Tom then privately contacts a lawyer.

Logan catches Michelle-Anne after the interview and asks to be reassured that his non-cooperation with the DOJ will not have any political consequences, but she warns him that it may. She agrees to negotiate with the President if Logan moderates ATN's White House coverage. Meanwhile, Kendall decides to barge into Waystar's offices, despite being advised not to by Lisa. Logan asks that Kendall be fired and orders his security to keep Kendall away from him. Gerri warns Logan that firing Kendall would negatively affect the company. Kendall runs into Tom on the executive floor, who greets him, and Kendall gives him an offer to join his side.

Logan, Shiv, Roman, and the others decide to attend Waystar's town hall event, Shiv as the host, without Kendall. In attempt to sabotage the event, Kendall decides to have his assistants purchase speakers and blast Nirvana's "R\*pe Me" at full volume during Shiv's speech. Shiv, enraged, drafts an open letter attacking Kendall, including mention of his personal struggles such as with substance abuse. Shiv asks her brothers Roman and Connor to sign it but they both decline, as they feel Shiv oversteps several boundaries in the letter. Shiv decides to publish the letter anyway.

Kendall prepares for his appearance on "The Disruption", but is informed of Shiv's letter backstage. Deeply shaken by its contents, he abandons the interview 15 minutes before airtime, and isolates himself backstage. Meanwhile, Gerri informs Logan that the FBI have arrived to raid Waystar's office and Logan is forced to cooperate. His efforts to cooperate with the President through Michelle-Anne have seemingly been unsuccessful, and tipped off the DOJ. Shiv and Kendall separately watch live broadcasts breaking news of the raid.

## Cast

* Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch
* Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy
* Dagmara Domińczyk as Karolina Novotney
* Peter Friedman as Frank Vernon
* Justine Lupe as Willa Ferreyra (credit only)
* Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans
* David Rasche as Karl
* Alan Ruck as Connor Roy
* J. Smith-Cameron as Gerri Kellman
* Fisher Stevens as Hugo Baker
* Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy
* Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy
* Linda Emond as Michelle-Anne Vanderhoven
* Sanaa Lathan (voice) as Lisa Arthur
* Scott Nicholson as Colin
* Juliana Canfield as Jess Jordan
* Annabelle Dexter-Jones as Naomi Pierce
* Zoë Winters as Kerry
* Ashley Zukerman as Nate Sofrelli
* Zack Robidas as Mark Ravenhead
* Jihae as Berry Schneider
* Dasha Nekrasova as Comfry
* KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Remi

Guest* Patch Darragh as Ray
* Ziwe as Sophie Iwobi
* Will Tracy as Dylan

## Trivia

* The episode was nominated at the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards for its direction.
* The episode was nominated at the Art Directors Guild Awards for its production design.
* J. Smith-Cameron submitted the episode to support her nomination at the Primetime Emmy Awards.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Succession Ep 3: The Disruption | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
2. ↑ Shows A-Z - succession on hbo | TheFutonCritic.com
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 *Succession*: Season 3, Episode 3: "**The Disruption**"
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. ↑ ‘This Is Us,’ ‘Succession’ lead 2nd HCA TV Awards nominations for Broadcast Network and Cable - AwardsWatch
7. ↑ Succession - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins | Television Academy (emmys.com)
8. ↑ Art Directors Guild Nominations 2022: Full List - Variety
9. ↑ J. Smith-Cameron (‘Succession’): Emmys 2022 episode submission - GoldDerby