“Snake Linguini”: Succession Season 3, Episode 2
Georges Clemenceau once said “War is too important to be left to the generals.” It’s a good quote that describes the ever-changing nature of the battlefield and the problems with strategizing too much beforehand. However, the only reason I know it is because General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) says it while justifying his declaration of war over the protection of our precious bodily fluids in Dr. Strangelove. And compared to Kendall Roy, Jack D. Ripper is like Alexander the Great.
Still flailing for a strategy to usurp Waystar Royco away from his father while ignoring the legal jeopardy he’s put himself in over the revelation of the papers that prove his father’s, and his, guilt in decades of Waystar scandals, Kendall brings Shiv, Roman and Connor together for a war council at his ex-wife’s apartment, where he’s still holed up from last week’s episode. He still can’t listen to his lawyer’s advice for more than five minutes — when Lisa tells him she needs 8–10 hours of his time, he blows her off — but he’ll drop everything for his siblings.
In a show that’s made its reputation on loving to hate almost every single character, Kendall is one of the few with any redeeming qualities. This may sound surprising given that he’s a coke fiend, an absentee father, and guilty of manslaughter. But what sets Kendall apart from his siblings is…
