Psychiatrist Breaks Down Succession's Family Dynamics | GQ

"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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[olivierkepo]

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.

[annaheff]

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.

[mads]

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

[hellogoditsmesara]

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

[nicolasburroughs]

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.

[GavPenTemp]

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.

[eljefe]

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.

[madremorelos]

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

[kath]

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.

[wy]

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.

[chipmunkpark]

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

[sonat]

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

[thomaswschaller]

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

[chipmunkpark]

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

[ghalikabbaj]

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

[BassmeantProductions]

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.

[Profile_]

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.

[account_nameonline]

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

[denissewoo]

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.

[johnnyw]

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