"Dundee"
Logan: I do, I do. It's just there’s so much of it. And the future is real.
The Roys take a trip to Dundee, Scotland, where Waystar Royco's 50th anniversary celebration is being held. Rhea has taken it upon herself to turn it into a surprise party. Shiv is bitter about how Rhea screwed her over in the previous episode and is determined to bring her down, but her brothers, while amenable to messing with her, are not opposed to her stepping in as CEO. Uncle Ewan is also on hand to condemn the celebrations and threatens to write Greg out of his inheritance if he does not stop working for Waystar.
Without Logan knowing specifics, the top brass is dealing with a whistleblower threatening to blow the cruises scandal wide open. At the gala, Shiv realizes that whoever becomes CEO faces a ton of bad press from this announcement, and seemingly gives her father the go-ahead to appoint Rhea, which he does.
Also, as a sort of anniversary present, Roman and his new friend Eduard buy up Logan's favorite soccer team — except it's the wrong one.
Tropes:
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Toyed with. When trying to defame Rhea to Logan, Roman suggests to Shiv "Just say Rhea beats her dog or boyfriend or I don't know." Shiv responds with "Uh...Dad would love that."
- Country Matters: A single protester shows up to Logan's childhood home with a sign "Roy Cunt". The characters discuss that it's a less severe insult in Scotland and UK... probably.
- Cringe Comedy: Kendall's rap on multiple levels; how sincere he is, the fact that he's doing this while being a subservient lapdog to his abusive father, Roman sets up the gross vibe with a joke about incestuous stripteases and masturbation, and the sheer fact that he's a white man in his late thirties. Still, Jennifer, Tabitha and even Jaime Laird find it delightful.
- Death Glare: Marcia is not amused by Logan referring to his several wives and it gets even worse after he announces his retirement and the designation of Rhea as the next CEO.
- Gift-Giving Gaffe: Roman buys the wrong team for Logan.
- Minor Flaw, Major Breakup: Kendall breaks it off with a new girlfriend because she said "awesome" too much when meeting Logan. Though in classic Kendall fashion, he's too much of a coward to say it to her face and has an employee fly her back to New York.
- Piss-Take Rap: In one of the most memorable scenes of the show, Kendall performs a rap in his father's honor. He does actually have decent flow, but the corny lyrics and the fact that he's an insanely privileged white kid push the performance in cringe territory.Roman: Oh, no. Jesus. No. Ken.W.A.
Tabitha: Oh my god! I mean it's burning my eyes but I cannot look away! - Rags to Riches: To his children and the public, Logan is a Self-Made Man who, as Connor put it, "had to shit in a bucket" as a child. When they arrive at his childhood home, however, it is a perfectly normal house, to their surprise. The end result is that it's downplayed, as he may have grown up in a normal house (vs. the poverty "rags" might imply) but still amassed an astronomical fortune.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Marcia leaves the party after the fight with Logan, not bothering to stay for the unveilment of the plaque in Logan's honor.
- Shout-Out: The single protestor mentioned in the Country Matters entry above is inspired by Janey Godley’s one-woman
◊ protest of Donald Trump during the latter’s 2016 visit to Turnberry. The bare-bones nature of Godley’s protest is taken a step further in the episode as the protestor doesn’t even bother with the “IS A” on his “ROY CUNT” sign. - Stealth Insult: Marcia asks Rhea if she is regularly tested for STDs, which subtly implies that Rhea sleeps around a lot with suspicious types.
- Surprise Party: Rhea turns the gala into a big surprise affair, which Logan hates.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Ewan delivers a massive one directly to Logan following his fight with Marcia.
- Tranquil Fury: Marcia vents her anger and lingering resentment towards Logan, but never raises her voice above a whisper.
