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Every relationship in Succession is transactional to a degree. Even within the context of romance or family, the characters always seem to be acting based on what they can potentially gain or lose.
Case in point: In the election eve party Shiv Roy threw, she introduced Lukas Matsson to many influential guests. After pointing out that she’s been “heaving him around like a great lump of pine,” she didn’t hesitate to ask the GoJo CEO, “What have you done for me lately?” It’s Succession’s way of reminding us that everyone has an agenda they’re pushing, at least for wealthy people like the Roys.
Transactional relationships are those that are based on giving and taking. There’s some sort of benefit for two people when they get involved in a relationship, like business relationships. We’re all part of transactional relationships whether we’re aware of it or not.
But what’s interesting about the transactional relationships in Succession is how they overlap with other kinds of personal relationships. A lot of marriages form on a quid pro quo foundation, and Logan’s ties with each of his children are in many ways transactional and not unconditional. No one has ever acted out of selflessness or love because power has more value in the rich man’s world, as Succession keenly portrays.
Some of these transactional relationships work and are even healthy — at least by Succession standards — but a lot have also become too toxic to be sustainable. Here’s our roundup of those that work and those that are doomed to end, and rightfully so.
Logan and Marcia: Worked
All we know about Marcia is that she’s lived an interesting life as an international socialite. Succession kept her background a big mystery for the sole reason of validating the distrust the children felt toward their father’s third wife. But Marcia was actually a devoted partner up until Logan’s death, even amidst her husband’s heavily implied (but never confirmed) affairs with other women. She took good care of him when he fell ill in Season 1 and stayed by his side as much as he wanted.
And while she may have genuinely loved Logan, she wasn’t doing it to be a martyr. She felt humiliated by Logan’s relationship with Rhea Jarrell, whom he eventually named his successor in Season 2. To keep Logan’s reputation safe and, in effect, Waystar’s stock steady, she maintained their relationship for PR reasons and negotiated more money out of him. It may have seemed like a loveless marriage, but they were never not honest with each other about what they wanted out of the transactional relationship.
Roman and Gerri: Didn’t Work
Roman Roy and his relationship with Waystar Royco’s chief legal counsel Gerri Kellman is weird, to say the least. At its best, it’s an inappropriate verbal sex play that started in Succession Season 2, as the sexually repressed Roman started to get aroused by Gerri’s scolding. They never even so much as touch or kiss, but Roman sends her pictures of his genitalia. Yikes.
At its worst, it’s an explosive and expensive lawsuit waiting to happen. It’s exactly how Kendall described his brother way back in Season 1. It seems we no longer have to wait, as Gerri recently informed Roman, Waystar’s current co-CEO, that she will be pursuing legal action for her termination by Roman.
Though they never explicitly communicated what they wanted from each other, it was clear that Gerri was shaping Roman into becoming the CEO. Logan was never going to name her as his successor, but having Roman on the seat could secure her future. As for Roman, all he really wanted was to get off because he was never aroused by his past girlfriends.
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Tom and Greg: Works
“You can’t make a tomlette without breaking some greggs,” is the official slogan for the platonic and extremely transactional relationship of Tom Wambsgans and Greg Hirsch. The pair have been in a solid alliance since Season 1 of Succession, with both doing each other’s bidding from time to time.
Tom and Greg, or The Disgusting Brothers as Greg once tried to rebrand them, have always looked out for each other even when they were on opposite sides of the family’s many battles amidst the Succession war. What works for their relationship is that they’re always open with each other about how the manipulative or slimy things they do ultimately further their gain, so the other can act accordingly.
Shiv and Tom: Doesn’t Work
Tom’s marriage to Shiv Roy has always been a bit of a sham. You could always sense from the pilot of Succession that Tom was with Shiv for the opportunities, but he does love Shiv in his own way. On the other hand, Shiv is a person who needed a shield from her father’s manipulation. She may have never admitted it, but Tom is that comfort zone of a person.
Among the many terrible things they’ve done to each other, their betrayals are the most painful. Shiv cheated on Tom repeatedly, and Tom sold her out to Logan. Their relationship is failing because they’re not honest about their needs with each other.
Connor and Willa: Works
If there’s actually a functioning relationship in Succession that may not have to end in a tragic meltdown is the marriage of Connor Roy and Willa Ferreyra. The eldest Roy has always been painted as an out-of-touch elitist nobody took seriously, not even his family. And Willa was an aspiring playwright sidelining as an escort.
Their relationship couldn’t get more transactional than that. Willa needed the money, and Connor needed the company. Eventually, he convinced Willa to commit to him in a relationship if he paid to stage her plays. Nobody expected their transactional relationship would evolve into a companionship between two people who genuinely cared about each other’s wellbeing. Of course, it’s hard to say if they would feel the same if you took away the money from the equation. But in Succession, this is the happiest and most honest romantic relationship you could get.
