Logan Roy (Brian Cox) finally caved and let the Department of Justice and FBI into WayStar RoyCo's offices at the end of Succession season 3, episode 3, while the relationships between his children deteriorated – here's why Logan caved and everything else that happened in the explosive episode. Things finally start to heat up in Succession season 3, as the Roy family civil war continues to play out. With Logan back in New York and reunited with Marcia and the rest of his children, the embattled CEO is now plotting his next move, which seemingly involves doing a whole lot of nothing.
So far, Logan has refused to cooperate with the DOJ in their investigation into the wrongdoings of WayStar RoyCo, something that Kendall's lawyer, Lisa Arthur (Sanaa Lathan) thinks is a bad move for the Roy family patriarch and a good one for Ken's chances in taking his father down. Throughout Succession season 3, episode 3, though, Kendall has other things on his mind – mainly his own image in the eyes of the public.
This leads him to go into the WayStar RoyCo offices and disrupt a public town hall where his sister, Succession's Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) is trying to save face for the company. Kendall places a speaker in the lobby and plays music, embarrassing his sister just as she takes on the role of president at the media conglomerate. This all culminates in tense sequence where Shiv releases a letter that puts Kendall's dirty laundry out to dry, a letter so brutal that both Roman and Connor refuse to sign it. The letter is released just moments before Kendall is set to appear on a talk show while the Department of Justice finally comes knocking at the offices of WayStar RoyCo.
Why Logan Lets The FBI & DOJ Into WayStar RoyCo
To put it simply, Logan has no choice. Throughout the first three episodes of Succession season 3, the bullish patriarch has refused to cooperate with the DOJ's investigation into the wrongdoings of WayStar RoyCo, primarily in its cruise division. Despite just about everyone advising him against this (sans Kieran Culkin's Roman Roy), Logan even goes so far as to tell the DOJ to "f**k off" when they try to serve him with a subpoena earlier in the episode.
Logan's time for stubbornness has run out, though, and WayStar RoyCo's new CEO Gerri Kellman finally convinces him that he must cooperate with DOJ. They simply have too much leverage over the company, and it would look bad for everyone involved if they tried to prevent the search warrant from going forward. What they're looking for remains to be seen, but it seems likely that they will be looking for evidence that will corroborate Kendall's claims about his father's involvement with WayStar RoyCo's crimes.
Whether or not they'll find anything remains to be seen. By not cooperating, Logan has created plenty of time to clean up any potential messes at the office. This could have been his reason for remaining stubborn all along, even if he's not made that clear. While Logan had no choice but to let the DOJ in, he also likely let them in because he knew that, at this point, there would be nothing for them to find anyway.
Shiv's Letter About Kendall
The Roy family's most complicated sibling dynamic explodes in epic fashion in Succession season 3, episode 3. After drafting an open letter that details Kendall's struggles with addiction and claims that he is in the midst of a bender that has prompted him to go against his family. Ultimately, this move shows just how much Shiv has changed since Succession season 1 and that Kendall isn't as formidable as he would like to think he is.
In the beginning of Succession, Shiv is something of a wunderkind, choosing not to work at WayStar RoyCo and pursuing a career in politics with an ideological bent that is the complete opposite of her father's company's right-wing views. Now, though, Shiv is fully entrenched in WayStar RoyCo and her latest move shows just how much power has corrupted the Roy sibling.
While Kendall and the rest of his siblings haven't always gotten along, they've maintained a level of decorum with each other even in the toughest times. Connor and Roman choose to preserve that in refusing to sign Shiv's letter, but the Roy sister is clearly full in with her father. In fact, it seems increasingly unlikely that Shiv or Roman would ever betray Logan.
What Does Shiv's Letter Mean For Kendall?
Kendall ends Succession season 3, episode 3 in arguably the lowest point he has been in all season. Shiv's letter clearly rattles him, as he falls to the floor crying at talk show host Sophie's (Ziwe Fumudoh) studio after ghosting her for his scheduled appearance. Sophie proceeds to read the letter live on television, as Kendall listens on, and it's as brutal as one would expect from the sharp-tongued Shiv. Ken has yet to let his mask slip in the season so far and his breakdown in the server room is the first time since the premiere he has shown real emotion. This development seems in line with the hints that Kendall is heading towards tragedy in Succession season 3.
At this point, Kendall seems poised to fall back into bad habits and the groundwork has already been laid for his downfall. Throughout the first three episodes of Succession season 3, Kendall has been partying and seemingly ignoring the very real consequences of his infamous press conference from the season 2 finale. He may end up proving Shiv right, if he continues ignoring his lawyer's advice and prefers showmanship over strategy.
All the pieces are in place for an epic confrontation between Kendall and the rest of his family. At the end of Succession season 3, episode 3, Kendall is more alone than ever despite being surrounded by a slew of employees who seemingly support his every decision and are afraid to tell him no. This enabling will only lead to more turmoil for the Roy family's problem child as Kendall decides what his next move will be.
