Succession
Given his Brobdingnagian wealth and power , why does Kendall steal assault and battery inSuccession . Inseason 2 , episode 2 “ Vaulter , ” there is a brief scene of Kendall Roy ( Jeremy Strong ) stealing a small-scale camp of batteries from a wash room store without explanation . It is an unusual bit that is never touched upon again for the rest of the series . However , the modest instant speaks to Kendall ’s state of mind at that point in his journey as well as the thing that has motivated him his whole life which explains why Kendall steal batteries inSuccession .
time of year 2 marks a alteration in Kendall ’s complex portrayal that leads directly tothe end ofSuccessionfollowing him accidentally down a young humanity in the season 1 finale while drive afflicted . Kendall is stalk by his crime , and the pain is multiply by the fact he knows his father is manipulating him with his guilt . In season 1 , Kendall is objectionable and overconfident , but time of year 2 sees him entirely demoralized and browbeaten to the point that he just thinks for himself . Kendall ’s life has been a seeking to get a modicum of power , and he ’s had it all despoil aside , and most painfully , he ca n’t tell anyone why .
Kendall Steals Batteries To Feel In Control
“ Vaulter ” ends a time of year 1 storyline , as one of Kendall ’s original big projectsfor Waystar Roycois the imprudent acquisition of technical school giant Vaulter . In one of the bad thing Logan does to his tyke , the Roy family paterfamilias Order that Waystar slip Vaulter for parts and assure Kendall to do it himself . acquire Vaulter is one of the few things Kendall actually accomplished inSuccessionand Logan destruct it . Kendall is forced to consist to Vaulter , and he terminates the intact division . It ’s a vicious move that Kendall exacts with robotic unfeeling . He does it because his dada tell him to and that ’s all that matters now .
Despite his riches and perspective in a multi - billion dollar company , Kendall has no self-reliance . When Kendall steal a clique of battery from a contraption shop , it ’s an attempt to savvy some small amount of ascendency . Just once , he would like to do something of his own will , without the commendation or program line ofSuccession’smost terrifying character . It ’s a tiny gesture of self - determination , but Kendall has been bring so low , a small symbol of revolt is all he can muster up . Kendall then thrust the batteries out as soon as he leaves the memory board . The theft was never about the trophy ; it was about sense some colour of power .
Kendall Knows He Can Always Fall Back On His Privilege
The characters inSuccessionget away with everything . Their only existent care is being shut out of Waystar . Nothing else really count , and that goes for killing a waiter as much as it does for stealing a pack of battery . Kendall , his siblings , and the Waystar higher - ups are protect by so many layers of power that even a decades - longsighted abusecover - up exposed inSuccession ’s season 2 finalecomes to nothing . In the world ofSuccession , character experience upright by taking from others and then avoiding any event , because of their immense power . Kendall may have overdosed on that tone , but the batteries represent him still needing to feel that mastery .
Kendall’s Lack Of Power Plays Into The Series Finale
The answer to why Kendall steals the shelling inSuccessionseason 2 is certainly relate to his search for control , but it is not something he attain by the last of the series . Though Kendall promote back against his don at the ending of season 2 , he never escapes the controller his Fatherhood has over him . This continue to bring into the final time of year of the show when evenLogan Roy ’s devastating deathdoesn’t give Kendall back that ascendence .
The finale feature a scene in which Kendall tells his sib that Logan promise him the fellowship as a untested boy and comes to the realisation of how unfair that was . Whether or not he full translate it at that minute , it record that Logan has controlled Kendall his entire living with that promise of his future hanging over his head just out of ambit . It made Kendall ’s whole life about getting that matter his father promised him , regardless if he really desire it or not . The fact that it is taken from him at the last moment in the conclusion is part of the understanding many fans marvel ifKendall break down afterSuccessionends .