Warning: Spoilers ahead for Succession season 4, episode 1.
For Succession fans who saw Greg winning it all, the season 4 premiere was an unfortunate step in the wrong direction. Since season 1, Greg has quietly shown that he’s willing to act against his family members for his own self-interest. Logan certainly sees something in his young nephew, as he’s one of the few characters willing to do anything to climb a step higher, which Logan resonates with. This has caused a number of viewers to suspect that maybe Greg is the one to end up on top, letting the series as a whole be his origin story, seeing as his first scenes show him at one of his lowest points.
The season 4 premiere of Succession saw Greg bring a date to Logan’s birthday party and spend much of the episode embarrassing himself. In some of the most cringe-worthy moments of the episode, Greg excitedly reveals his and Tom’s new duo nickname, “The Disgusting Brothers.” Greg also gets dirty with his date in one of Logan’s guest rooms. Tom, of course, tricks him into thinking it might have been seen on camera and convinces him that Greg needs to come clean to Logan, offering a perfect balance of humor to the tense bidding war in the episode’s climax. All things considered, Greg isn’t looking like a mastermind just yet.
Succession’s S4 Opening Makes The “Greg Wins” Theory Basically Impossible
While Greg may have changed greatly since his arrival in Succession season 1, he still doesn’t understand the game on the same level as others in the family. While he may have the basic instincts to make slimy betrayals and act out of self-interest, he still lacks the composure to seriously pull the strings and formulate a plan to come out on top. Greg could continue to do well in the show’s climate as an opportunist, but using the fact that no one takes him seriously to his advantage, but to make moves to end up winning the whole show would require much more poise than he displayed in the premiere.
Cousin Greg has made significant moves in the past and has been willing to swap sides seamlessly whenever it benefited him. Logan certainly has a level of respect for Greg that may differ from his respect for his own kids. Like Logan, Greg comes from a considerably less wealthy upbringing and shows a sense of ambition and killer instinct to get it that his kids rarely demonstrate. Greg is conniving and sneaky and has it in him to make powerful moves when given the opportunity, but the season 4 premiere makes it seem that he hasn’t come far enough from his season 1 self to end up winning.
How Succession’s S4 Greg Plot Mirrors His Show Introduction
After Greg’s mess in season 4, episode 1 had a similar resolution to his first meeting with Logan, when he claims he got fired due to the actions of a hitchhiker. This time, Greg blames having sex in the guest bedroom on his date being on “the wacky tobacky.” The similarities in his defense mechanisms show that, in certain ways, Greg hasn’t grown and hasn’t matured. He is the youngest member of the Roy family, after all. Greg’s understanding of the power dynamics in the family are still only an emulation, and it’s very unlikely he’ll change much throughout the final season. Although, this still leaves room for good Cousin Greg to cause some chaos in Succession’s final season.