Slate Money: Succession S2E4 – "Nazis. Terrible, Right?"

Date: September 2, 2019
Hosts: Felix Salmon (Nicholas), Emma, and special guest Alison Benedict

Episode Overview

This Slate Money episode is a deep-dive panel discussion of Succession Season 2, Episode 4, “Safe Room,” which the hosts affectionately dub the “Nazis. Terrible, Right?” episode—after Tom’s awkward line and the uncomfortable neo-Nazi allusions in the show. The conversation travels between the Roman–Gerri dynamic, Shiv's power struggle, media business parallels, and the episode’s sharpest lines and setpieces.

Key Discussion Points

1. Roman and Gerri: Power, Sex, and Weirdness

• The Evolving Dynamic
  • Roman’s relationship with Gerri comes to the fore, culminating in his asking her to degrade him over the phone in a quasi-maternal, definitely kinky power dynamic.
  • “From the moment he arrives at management training, he's calling her, he's checking with mom, she's pumping him up to, obviously, the end.” – Emma [01:06]
  • The hosts note how Succession’s rare sex scenes are always about power, not romance—linking Roman’s scene with his previous public masturbation. Emma observes: "There's no sex on the show at all… it's all about power.” [02:39]
• Dialogue Highlight
  • “You little slime puppy”—Gerri’s line to Roman [04:15], which causes much amusement among the hosts.
  • Alison calls out, “He needs to feel like shit to be able to get off… that's about power.” [03:59]

2. The Tom and Greg Breakup

• Faux Open Relationship
  • Greg tries to wriggle out from under Tom’s thumb, sparking a scene reminiscent of a breakup, triggering Tom’s insecurities.
  • “It was a breakup scene… it was very triggering when cousin Greg said to him, it'll be like an open relationship. That's when Tom really snapped because obviously he has that with Shiv and he does not want any more open relationships.” – Emma [29:06]
• Physical Comedy
  • Tom pelting Greg with water bottles—classic Succession slapstick. [29:23–30:17]
  • Emma: “It was definitely one of those performatively over the top scenes where Tom just starts throwing water bottles at Greg.”

3. Shiv’s Place in the Succession

• The Ambiguity of Power
  • The hosts dissect Shiv’s frustration, isolation, and how Logan dangles the CEO carrot without ever committing.
  • “She then complains later on in the episode to Jerry about, I'm sitting here with my coloring book…” – Nicholas [07:45]
  • Emma acutely summarizes, “Logan doesn't ever want anyone else to be in charge... He just wants someone who will do so he can keep all the power.” [09:14]
• Gender Dynamics
  • Discussion on whether Logan’s sexism is playing into denying Shiv.
  • “He's so sexist, too, that, like, he really doesn't want it to be Shiv, a woman.” – Emma [08:33]

4. Kendall: Ruin, Redemption, and the Roof

• Theories About Logan's Motives
  • Hosts analyze Logan’s seemingly genuine concern for Kendall.
  • “After going through the first three episodes, incapable of hugging anyone…he finally has, like, a genuine hug with his sister who hates him.” – Nicholas [11:06]
• Architectural Digression
  • Nicholas nerds out on Succession’s building filming locations, sleuthing (with timestamps): [11:31–13:11]
  • “I’m pretty sure they filmed the roof scenes on… 3 World Trade Center…” – Nicholas [13:11]
• Logan's Protection
  • Suicide-proofing (“suicide panels”) on the roof may be specifically for Kendall—a discussion generating differing theories [13:21–14:06].

5. Parallels to Real-World Media Business

• Logan vs. Rupert Murdoch
  • Hosts lean into Succession’s allegory to Murdoch’s acquisition of the Wall Street Journal, discussing speeches about “trust” and “editorial independence,” and how the money always wins out.
  • “That trust speech was a speech that could only have been given by someone who knew about the history of the Murdoch…” – Nicholas [17:26–18:23]
• Price Tag for Pearce/CNN
  • Debate over whether $24 billion for a “family-owned CNN” is plausible, and how Pearce is TV (not print) money [19:03–20:12].

6. ATN, Culture, and the Safe Room

• Ravenhead As Tucker Carlson

  • The group identifies “Ravenhead” as a parody of cable news personalities, calling out his affinity for Nazi references.
  • Emma: “He’s Nazi adjacent.” [20:46]
  • Tom’s grilling of Ravenhead about reading Mein Kampf (“Are there Easter eggs you didn’t get the first time?”) is called out as a darkly comic highlight [21:25].

• ATN’s Toxic Culture

  • Discussion of bullying, “human furniture,” and a contrived shooting subplot, with hosts divided on whether it fits the show’s style [14:57–16:07].

7. Funeral Fiasco and Comic Relief

• Connor’s Awkward Eulogy
  • Host consensus: Connor’s robotic, infantilizing speech (“When a man dies, it is sad. All of us will die someday. In this case, it is Lester who has done so.”) is an all-time comedic highlight. [37:05]
  • “If Willa wrote that, I mean she's just gone straight up in my estimation.” – Nicholas [28:21]

8. Management Training: Normies and Amusement Parks

• Roman Among the Normies
  • The hosts relish the “management training” subplot, from Roman’s fake name (“Ron Rockstone”) to the cringe of brainstorming amusements.
  • Standout quote: Brian: “I work hard, but I do not play hard. I play easy. Why would you play hard?” [34:18]
  • Jerry’s withering line: “You're not building a ride that you came up with on the first day of management training.”

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Tom: “Nazis. Terrible. Right?” [00:27]
• Gerri to Roman: “You little slime puppy.” [04:15]
• On Succession’s sex/power link: Emma: “It's all about power… Sex, when it happens in this show, is always about power dynamics.” [02:39]
• On Shiv's isolation: Nicholas: “I'm sitting here with my coloring book.” [07:45]
• Tom mocking Ravenhead: “Are there Easter eggs in Mein Kampf you didn’t get the first time?” [21:25]
• Connor at the funeral: “When a man dies, it is sad. All of us will die one day. In this case, it is Lester who has done so.” [37:05]
• Brian at management training: “I work hard, but I do not play hard. I play easy. Why would you play hard?” [34:18]
• Jerry to Roman: “You’re not building a ride that you came up with on the first day of management training.” [34:55]
• Rhea to Shiv: “Your most positive spin still sounds a bit rapey.” [38:34]
• Roman on America: “No amount of antibacterial gel is going to be able to wipe the America off me.” [38:52]

Additional Insights & Themes

• Empathy for the Characters

  • Debate over whether the “monstrous” Roys are sympathetic.
  • “This is the most sympathetic reading of Succession I think I’m ever gonna find.” – Nicholas [42:26]

• Role of Female Characters

  • The hosts praise the show for rich older women’s roles: Gerri, Marcia, Sid, Rhea, and the soon-to-debut Pierce matriarch. [45:47]

• On Shiv’s Place

  • Emma: “Shiv is like, an elite liberal. Like, she doesn’t really care about these things, but she’s, like, on that side for some reason...” [32:57]

Section Timestamps

• Roman & Gerri discussion: [00:49–06:49]
• Tom & Greg’s relationship: [28:38–31:14]
• Shiv’s frustrations: [07:45–09:50]
• Logan/Kendall power moves: [10:35–13:27]
• ATN/Ravenhead/Tucker Carlson riff: [20:30–22:05]
• Funeral/Connor’s eulogy: [25:59–28:21]
• Management training & Brian: [33:37–35:41]
• Gender roles & matriarchy: [45:47–46:00]

Outlook: What's Next?

• The Pierce acquisition arc is heating up.
• Anticipation of more scenes with Rhea and new Pierce matriarchs.
• Ongoing speculation about the Roy children’s maneuvering and Logan’s true intentions.

Wrap Up

Overall Tone:
Engaged, insightful, irreverent, and affectionate toward the show’s mix of pitch-black comedy and family psychodrama.
Key Takeaway:
This episode of Slate Money is both a pointed breakdown of Succession’s most perverse power plays and a gleeful catalog of its funniest lines, with special praise for the show’s mastery at combining deep business satire with emotional bleakness and sharp humor.

For listeners wanting a primer on “Safe Room,” this summary lays out every major development, character arc, and micro-reference debated by Slate’s sharpest hosts, replete with all the best lines (and the timestamps to prove it).