Lukas Matsson Was Absolutely Screwed Over in 'Succession'
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From episode to episode of HBO’s Succession, it’s tough to pinpoint which member of the Roy family is having the worst time at any given moment. Really, you could make an argument for any of them. But the Roy family members don't just keep the bad vibes to themselves. Their volatility is an infection—and one character is about to find out just how idiotic they really are. As Otter says in Animal House: "You fucked up. You trusted us." That said, since there are no winners in Succession, we figured we'd name the biggest loser of his week's episode.
And the Loser Is...
Lukas Matsson! There’s a moment in Episode Two of Succession's fourth and final season when you can tell that Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgaard), realizes that he’s been completely screwed over. It comes during an awkward phone call with Kendall (Jeremy Strong) that he takes while standing halfway through the entrance to the subway (one of the most awful places to stand still, by the way). A quick reminder: Matsson is a kind of Daniel Ek/Elon Musk stand-in who owns a tech company called GoJo. He wants to buy Waystar Royco, but Royco is as volatile as a company can get. The Roy children discover that they may be able to screw over their dad by also screwing over Matsson if the board decides to delay the buyout and press Matsson for more cash. It’s a double-screwing, so to speak—one that only exceptionally awful people can even conceive of pulling off.
Chances of the Loser Second-Guessing Their Life: 51.5 Percent
The big what if? scenario that the Roy children are failing to consider is that Matsson may walk. He probably won’t, because that would lead to one of the show’s most important players (at least of late) falling off the board entirely. But Matsson did threaten to walk away! If not, that means he would be coughing up more cash and starting their business relationship off on the wrong foot. "Don't push me," Matsson warns Kendall. "If [Logan] pushes me again, it won't be to me. Back off, or I'm going to walk." Naturally, Kendall pushes.
Honorable Mention: Kerry
Kerry (Zoe Winter) has a pretty rough episode, too. Her sexual favors in exchange for a promotion backfire when she isn’t named a news anchor—like Logan (Brian Cox) had promised. The failed quid pro quo is supposed to be comedic B-plot of this week’s episode, with everyone at the network making fun of her awful on-air test video. This would probably hurt any other company in the real world—but not the fictional Waystar, which probably does this to someone at least once a week. Reader, I pine for the days when slipping on a banana peel and falling smack on your ass was peak comedy.
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