Slate Money: Succession, S2E9 - “You Can’t Make a Tomlette Without Breaking Some Gregs”

Date: October 7, 2019
Host: Felix Salmon (Axios)
Co-Hosts/Panel: Emily Peck (HuffPost); Lizzie O’Leary (Slate, ex-Marketplace/Bloomberg); John Collins (Elevator Repair Service, theatre director)
Theme: Deep-dive recap and analysis of Succession Season 2, Episode 9 (“DC” hearings, blood sacrifice brewing, family and company in crisis)

Episode Overview

The panel recaps an explosive penultimate episode packed with real-world corporate scandal parallels, high-stakes congressional hearings, and shifting power dynamics within the Roy family. They dissect each character’s arc—especially Roman’s rise, Shiv’s morality, Kendall’s vulnerability, and Tom and Greg’s potential fall. The conversation is rich in behind-the-scenes references and business analogies, with sharp, memorable dialogue from the show and witty panel banter.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Who’s Who & Personality Quiz Fun (00:00–02:28)

• The hosts and guests share the results of their “Which Succession character are you?” Buzzfeed quizzes, sparking jokes about roles and real-life resemblance.
  • Lizzie: “I don't know whether to be insulted or flattered.” (01:49)
• Sets a playful tone but quickly transitions into deep episode dissection.

2. Roman’s Big Moment: From Screw-up to Savior (02:28–05:58; 37:31–38:38)

• Situation: Roman is being held hostage in Turkey/Azerbaijan as he maneuvers the company’s critical deal.
  • Emily: “Roman may be dying. We don’t know. He’s being held hostage.” (02:28)
• The panel’s surprise at Roman’s new competence—and how it may be the result of rare encouragement from Logan.
  • Felix: “Underneath his … toddler-with-a-hard-on exterior, [Roman] knows what he’s doing.” (03:55)
  • Lizzie: “He had just a little bit of love and support from his father … That's all these kids need.” (03:55)
  • John: “Logan keeps teasing that … ‘No, you’re really smart. You can do this.’” (04:42)
• Parallels to Real Events: The “hostage” subplot draws clear inspiration from the 2017 Saudi anti-corruption crackdown at the Ritz-Carlton (05:58–06:32).
  • Lizzie: “This was the parallel. Yes. We're locked up in the Ritz Carlton.” (06:10)
  • The deal’s outcome is left uncertain, raising tension for the finale.

3. Congressional Hearings: Anatomy of the Blood Sacrifice (08:24–11:41; 14:10–16:22; 17:11–17:59)

• Procedural Drama: Unlike Succession’s usual “psychological chess game,” this episode is described as “more Law & Order.”
  • John: “This was more Law and Order than the usual psychodrama.” (09:25)
• Tom’s disastrous testimony becomes a highlight (10:15–11:14; 12:29–12:38):
  • Mocked as “the man with two assholes,” Tom flounders under hostile questioning.
  • Felix: “Do you know what is special about the hours between 3am and 5am on March 12? … That was the only two-hour period you did not send [Greg] an email with the title ‘You can't make a Tomlet without breaking some Gregs.’” (12:47)
  • Greg’s role as document hoarder is flagged as potentially plot-critical.
  • Felix: “My theory: the blood sacrifice is Tom and Greg … after being sacrificed … Greg squeals to the feds.” (13:38)
• Blood Sacrifice Theories (14:10–15:44):
  • Debate on who the titular “blood sacrifice” will be: Tom, Greg, or Kendall. Most panelists see Kendall as the likely target.
  • Emily: “The whole arc of the season has kind of been Kendall—at the beginning… disastrous appearance on TV … he takes himself out of it and I feel like we’ve set up Kendall for a fall.” (15:09)

4. Show’s Real-Life Parallels: MeToo, NDAs, and News Corp (16:22–24:26)

• Showrunners connect the Royco scandal to real-life events:
  • Saudi power plays, the News Corp phone hacking scandal, Roger Ailes at Fox, Harvey Weinstein, and waves of NDAs.
  • Felix: “There’s a Murdoch parallel here, of course … the Roger Ailes investigation.” (21:42)
• Lizzie: “NDAs start dominoing … How many secret settlements are there in the Roy world?” (18:28)
• Emily: “I thought about Ailes, too, but this is kinda a more company-behaving-badly rather than man-behaving-badly.” (24:26)
• Succession’s hearings are compared to both the Kavanaugh and Murdoch/News of the World inquiries for their structure, impact, and media circus.

5. Shiv: Manipulation and Morality (17:34–19:19; 27:20–28:52; 41:44–42:14)

• Shiv’s role is examined as she flips a key witness with emotional honesty, unlike Rhea’s hollow pep talks.
  • Felix: “The way to persuade someone is … to tell the truth. You’re much more likely to do that.” (27:09)
  • Lizzie: “That’s all you’ll ever be [a victim]. It’s both accurate and cruel.” (19:12)
• Shiv’s walk-and-talks, wardrobe, and increasingly purposeful stride are discussed as visual motifs.
  • Lizzie: “The scenes this season with Shiv walking places… a thing, right?” (41:44)
• Shiv’s ethical ambiguity and conscience are weighed against the backdrop of gender, MeToo, and family loyalty.

6. Logan’s Vulnerability: Real or Tactical? (24:30–26:56)

• When Logan appears weak or confused during the hearing, the panel debates if it’s genuine aging or strategic doddering.
  • Emily: “He switched from being sharp and with it to doddering, possibly on purpose.” (26:04)
  • John: “I’m afraid to not always suspect that he's up to something.” (26:50)

7. Secondary Characters and Plot Threads (30:53–33:13)

• Discussion of underused characters (Marcia, Connor, Naomi) and potential plot payoffs.
  • Felix: “An episode without Marcia is always going to be a suboptimal episode.” (30:13)
  • Emily: “I really want them to make those [Kendall's guilt and deaths at sea] collide.” (33:13)

8. Business & Dealings: Proxy Fights, Going Private, and Shareholder Pressure (33:39–36:57)

• Speculation about who’s really backing the “weasel” proxy fighter (Sandy or Ewan?).
• The prospect of taking Waystar private, Middle Eastern buyouts, and real-world analogues.

9. Memorable Quotes & Standout Lines (with timestamps)

• “You can’t make a Tomlet without breaking some Gregs.” – Title and recurring joke (12:38)
• “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the cruise dirty sex fuck party?” – Frank, mocking congressional theater (43:02)
• “What’s it like to be married to a man with two assholes?” – (43:17)
• Frank: “If I was to give Tom a letter grade, I’d give him a B for bad plus terrible.” (43:55)
• “You’re angsting me.” – Jerry to Tom (43:55)
• “When a team is a team, they can’t actually physically, physically be beaten.” – Motivational Roman (37:20)
• “It’s just not fun to think you might find a corpse in the freezer. Bluebeard.” – Rhea (44:55)

10. Realism & Production: Congressional Backdrops and Visuals (39:03–41:44)

• The set design and accuracy of congressional hearing scenes are praised, although lighting is noted as “theatrical” vs. real-world fluorescent.
  • Lizzie: “As someone who covered Congress for six years, they [the show] actually did a pretty good job.” (39:03)
  • John: “I took issue with the lighting … very theatrical.” (39:55)

11. Predictions & Looking Forward to the Finale (51:08–55:15)

• Blood Sacrifice remains the big question: Will it be Kendall? Tom? Greg? Roman? (53:05–53:12)
• Mixed predictions on who (if anyone) will go to jail.
• Panelists agree Episode 10 is poised to be “absolutely packed” and hope it lives up to season 1’s jaw-dropping finish.
  • John: “Next episode is going to be absolutely packed.” (52:04)
  • Felix: “All I want for Christmas is for season two, episode 10, to be half as good as season one [finale].” (51:56)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–02:28 – Introductions, quiz jokes
• 02:28–05:58 – Roman’s rise, hostage subplot
• 08:24–15:44 – Congressional hearings, Tom & Greg’s fall, blood sacrifice theories
• 16:22–24:26 – Real-world media/MeToo parallels, NDAs
• 24:30–26:56 – Logan’s “doddering”: real or fake?
• 27:20–28:52 – Shiv’s manipulation, honesty vs. lying
• 30:53–33:13 – Underused characters (Marcia, Connor, Naomi)
• 33:39–36:57 – Proxy battles, going private
• 37:31–38:38 – Roman’s team pep talk
• 39:03–41:44 – Congressional production, visuals, Shiv’s power striding
• 43:02–45:17 – Best/worst lines from the episode
• 51:08–55:15 – Finale predictions

Notable Moments & Banter

• Playful trash talk: “A dipshit, a sex pest, and a grand old Duke of Dork on a Central Asian vacation.” (37:47)
• Lingering jokes: “Can you give him a chocolate suppository?” (24:52), “Human footstool is a target oriented incentive.” (44:43)
• Deep dives into references: Bluebeard, Chekhov’s gun, real-world company collapses

Final Thoughts

The panel expertly ties Succession’s fictional drama to the realities of boardroom politics, media scandal, and power, keeping the tone lively and irreverent throughout. The debate over who the “blood sacrifice” will be propels anticipation for the finale, while the episode’s dense layering of real-world resonances gives panelists ample material for sharp, insightful commentary.