Psychiatrist Breaks Down Succession's Family Dynamics

Psychiatrist Breaks Down Succession's Family Dynamics | GQ

День тому

"We tune into Succession each week because it gives us a chance to say 'Well, our family's not quite that messed up' or 'Hey I know that! That's my family.'" Psychiatrist Dr. Eric Bender is back to explore the mental health and family dynamics of Succession's Roy family.
Director: Graham Corrigan
Director of Photography: Scott Stonebeck
Editor: Eric Bigman
Host: Dr. Eric Bender
Executive Producer: Traci Oshiro
Producer: Kristen Rakes
Associate Producer: Sam Dennis
Production Manager: James Pipitone
Production Coordinator: Jamal Colvin
Camera Operator: Shreyans Zaveri
Audio: Andy Snyder
Production Assistants: George Anderson
Post Production Supervisor: Rachael Knight
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Rob Lombardi
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
00:00 Dr. Eric Bender on Succession
00:31 Logan Roy
03:21 Kendall Roy
05:53 Siobhan Roy
07:18 Roman Roy
09:10 Connor Roy
11:12 Tom Wambsgans
13:17 Cousin Greg
14:36 Conclusion
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КОМЕНТАРІ: 502

@mads6412 Рік тому

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

@juandenis4294 Рік тому

And that he is the eldest son of their father

@dead_ones Рік тому

@@juandenis4294 HE IS THE ELDEST SON!

@juandenis4294 Рік тому

@@dead_ones AND HE MUST BE CONSIDERED

@LuisSierra42 Рік тому

Very important indeed

@coffeebean86 Рік тому

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

@annaheff7332 Рік тому

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 11 місяців тому

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 11 місяців тому

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

@iamsheep 11 місяців тому

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 9 місяців тому

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

@iamsheep 9 місяців тому

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

@hellogoditsmesara3569 Рік тому

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 Рік тому

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 Рік тому

real

@philipgodsworth4764 Рік тому

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

@_solange Рік тому

Word

@Rose-hh7mk Рік тому

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

@olivierkepo Рік тому

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 Рік тому

Totally!

@kennethromo8302 Рік тому

It be like that

@shoozyq5316 Рік тому

For sure! It's the insecure narcissist in him

@williammullinax6130 11 місяців тому

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 11 місяців тому

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.

@nicolasburroughs2823 Рік тому

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 Рік тому

Greg should inherit the company tho

@nicolasburroughs2823 Рік тому

@@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.

@user-bh2fz5sf5e Рік тому

Just like the puke! 😂

@reluctantly_anthony Рік тому

lmao pun intended?

@TheSaladin777 Рік тому

@@LuisSierra42 why

@madremorelos1573 Рік тому

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

@zerere_ Рік тому

yaya

@vegaobscurax23 Рік тому

ROFLMAO

@vegaobscurax23 Рік тому

Well played sir 🤣😂🤣

@uglybetty8747 Рік тому

Lmaooooooooooo rip to his tooth in advance

@GavPenTemp Рік тому

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 11 місяців тому

Yes. The analysis in this video was pretty shallow.

@cbushin Місяць тому

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.

@eljefe308 Рік тому

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 Рік тому

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 Рік тому

But without the billions

@Toxodos Рік тому

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 Рік тому

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

@LloydWaldo Рік тому

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.

@thomaswschaller Рік тому

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 Рік тому

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

@thomaswschaller Рік тому

@@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 Рік тому

I think you meant "characters." ;)

@kath1626 Рік тому

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 11 місяців тому

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.

@chipmunkpark8826 Рік тому

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

@cleanshirt0 Рік тому

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

@TylerWardhaha Рік тому

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

@goleer6694 Рік тому

@@TylerWardhaha Roman acts like that as well.

@TylerWardhaha Рік тому

@@goleer6694 He's Logans favorite I think.

@Spaced92 Рік тому

@@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.

@chipmunkpark8826 Рік тому

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 Рік тому

I didn’t know she was the youngest

@jbo4547 Рік тому

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

@rueg3876 Рік тому

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

@Joel-ik3sz Рік тому

she's not the youngest.

@nr48890 Рік тому

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

@ghalikabbaj8861 3 місяці тому

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

@Kloppenheimer Рік тому

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 Рік тому

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

@genny8136 Рік тому

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

@redacted000 Рік тому

literally lmao

@Maniqeng Рік тому

nothing new here. moving on

@kimberquirky Рік тому

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

@sonat786 Рік тому

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

@samanthacristinaburgosmera4160 2 місяці тому

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

@denissewoo Рік тому

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.

@account_nameonline6420 Рік тому

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

@BassmeantProductions Рік тому

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 Рік тому

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 Рік тому

@@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 Рік тому

@@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 Рік тому

@@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 11 місяців тому

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 Рік тому

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

@bowtoyoursensei554 Рік тому

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.

@gabujita4088 Рік тому

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

@miltmoise7917 Рік тому

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.

@supafishftw Рік тому

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

@denissewoo Рік тому

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

@LWOliver Рік тому

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

@TheBrainFlow 10 місяців тому

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 3 місяці тому

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.

@passiveaggressive6175 Рік тому

Cousin Greg is our audience to all the weird Roy shenanigans

@TheKh65 Рік тому

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

@Actinopterygiiguy Рік тому

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

@Alex-hm7nt Рік тому

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

@jasmineluvsice 7 місяців тому

More on Shiv, please

@kiwikat9406 Рік тому

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

@TorieLJones Рік тому

this was absolutely amazing!

@BadPenny3 Рік тому

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

@slayerduval1 Рік тому

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 Рік тому

Watch it. It’s amazing.

@Armaan8014 11 місяців тому

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

@sunshyneshirley5829 Рік тому

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

@MrDoctorBryce 10 місяців тому

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

@futuropasado Рік тому

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.

@KipArmadillo 11 місяців тому

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

@sugaplum019 Рік тому

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

@michaels2502 Рік тому

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

@AlanaNichole1989 Рік тому

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

@ecaldwell9 11 місяців тому

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

@jaandra95 Рік тому

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

@angiietineocardenas Рік тому

Succession is one of the best series out there now.

@howardron543 Рік тому

Amazing vid as always

@alonzomosley7 Рік тому

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 Рік тому

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

@lolajuliet2662 Рік тому

I NEEDED THIS

@maverickmegastar Рік тому

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

@spinobusted Рік тому

By far my favorite Bender since Futurama.

@krolltheknight Рік тому

The man, the myth, the legend Good vid

@specteramber 7 місяців тому

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

@mahzsom1 Рік тому

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

@observer1137 Рік тому

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?😕

@willmcclinton2667 Рік тому

this dude's glasses are insane

@user-bh2fz5sf5e Рік тому

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

@nickb220 Рік тому

And Connor is the eldest son

@cadillacdeville5828 Рік тому

ALWAYS a pleasure when he does a review.

@edwinnnnnn881 Рік тому

Plsssss keep inviting Dr Eric Bender

@AA-qb7ni Рік тому

I'm here for anything Succession related.

@nimiew1004 Рік тому

Perfect vid combo

@American_Boy Рік тому

Greg being the most relatable character is a WILD take

@persuasivebarrier2419 Рік тому

You make some good points about "moving back to reality" after enjoying a dysfunctional family/show like that. So while ultimately things like memes surface and can be funny, like with Patrick Bateman, I fear it's being normalized in some fashion. American Psycho was complete satire and you see modern younger minds feeding off that entertainment as the norm or something to model after.

@mbelle221 11 місяців тому

Yes, the character who says or does the nastiest thing is the one that people root for on social media, as long as the character is winning on the show. Very bizarre and completely baffles me. They should be disgusted by the character's actions, but instead they regard the character as a hero, as long as the character is winning.

@n3ffo Рік тому

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

@Heidi123 Рік тому

😂

@rivalal Рік тому

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

@brianr6651 11 місяців тому

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

@joaquinbaume1291 Рік тому

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

@almajiang09 Рік тому

This is what I’m waiting for

@marissacyrus9888 Рік тому

Our boy is back!!!!!!

@alannahfayemagick461 Рік тому

Dr Bender is the BEST ❤❤

@brentcronin3296 8 місяців тому

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

@nerd26373 Рік тому

This is an interesting analysis overall. We look forward to seeing more of these.

@JohnHausser Рік тому

⬆️ bot

@RedDogRanch13 Рік тому

He’s back!!!

@nosipho3599 Рік тому

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"

@kdizzle901 Рік тому

This is awesome

@chuchi28 11 місяців тому

Great analysis

@minc8772 Рік тому

I was waiting for someone to explain the opening credits lol

@seanwilks7712 Рік тому

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

@Lily-ed2sc 7 місяців тому

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

@marlareneespidol Рік тому

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

@bananatiergod 11 місяців тому

He has one now!

@mikeschmidt8256 Рік тому

So cheerful

@ericw1340 Рік тому

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 Рік тому

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

@inessant1559 Рік тому

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

@daisyflower40 Рік тому

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 11 місяців тому

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.

@treasureharvey8346 Рік тому

the king is back at at again 🥹

@michaelmontalto 5 місяців тому

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

@TheGirlInSneakers 11 місяців тому

That opening line 😂 i felt that

@arkadiuszsmorag6145 4 місяці тому

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

@user-ko2xu2sh7t Рік тому

Just great!

@deathbastardable 4 місяці тому

I don't think I would label either Kendall or Roman as people with low confidence. Insecurities for sure, with some self doubt, but I don't see low-confidence people willing to jump on stage and deliver high-stakes presentations at the drop of a hat.

@pranoy_tez Рік тому

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

@nimiew1004 Рік тому

The breakdown of Roman's character 🙃

@magicknight13 8 місяців тому

This was such a great video. What a brilliant show

@aralisji 3 місяці тому

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

@AlexZenigata Рік тому

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES I WANTED THIS I WANTED THIS!

@buffienguyen День тому

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

@bobjohnson7020 Рік тому

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.