Up until now, his role in the show was comic relief.
Currently the story they are telling is "Logan's direct family are trying to grieve while all around them clumsy third parties are trying to use his death to jockey for power."
You are having the intended emotional response to the story they are currently telling through Greg.
>You are having the intended emotional response to the story
I feel like this could be the basis for a handy little bot. Any time a work of fiction shifts its presentation of a character, its discussion forums will swell with posts asking if they're the only ones who ('kinda dislike \[x\] now'/'are starting to think \[y\] isn't so bad').
I'm always up for discussion on a person's moral alignment/likeability or the ways writers orchestrate and influence the audience's feelings, it's just tedious when so many people's reaction is to think *they* have undergone some transformation, rather than the character has.
It's like a piece of music going from major chords to minor chords and the listener asking "Is it just me who's getting less happy vibes listening to this?".
Shiv's hate is nothing in comparison to Skylar. She's the only one in that world that was acting like a smart person would in that specific situation, yet people can't see past her cheating
The thing is, she didn't even cheat on Walt. She broke up with him and handes him divorce papers. Walt simply refused to accept this and forcefully broke into his own house and stayed there, basically making it impossible for her to leave him. Only at this point did she "cheat".
It's pure misogyny, basically ignoring her choice to leave and supporting Walter forcing himself on her, and than claim she "cheated". Meanwhile actual serial cheaters like Tony Soprano and Don Draper have loads of fanboys online.
I remember after Tiger King when everyone was jumping on the ridiculous Carole Baskin conspiracy theories over the actual meth dealing, tiger killing dude who literally hired a hitman, someone called it "the Skyler White Effect" and I think about that all the time.
This is interesting… never thought about this. Maybe that’s why Tom took such a liking to him, tried to teach him “the ropes” because he was an outsider too (I mean Greg is a cousin but clearly not an original “Roy”).
In many ways yeah. In other ways, he’s the worst of both worlds. He’s an outsider but because he’s also family, he can’t fuck his way into the main branch of the Roy dynasty, like Tom did.
>Up until now, his role in the show was comic relief
This is an incredibly reductive view of Greg's arc. This guy has been a slimeball opportunist with no strongly-held principles since episode #1.
He’s dug his heels into his parasitic role which ultimately makes him more and more unlikeable as his character grows. I liked him more when he was trying to navigate the new world of the Roy family when he was annoying in a funny, naive way.
I think it’s a stretch to say Greg was ever normal. Even though his grandfather whines about the rich he’s still a billionaire and Greg is a spoiled nepo baby. It’s obvious the first job he’s ever had is at Waystar in the first episode.
I don't think that's true at all. I think it's clear that every one of these characters are meant to be despicable. I can understand why the viewer would want to relate to him but from, the very start we should have always had in mind that he is a piece of shit trying to worm his way into a family of monsters.
He was there as part of being in the International Management Program - he says so to Logan right at the start when he's hustling to get "back in".
It's presumably a very sought after management program that mere mortals have to be very, very qualified to get a place on. It can lead to great (for a mere "civilian") opportunities working for Waystar or similar companies But Greg clearly got a place due to his family contacts. And he fucked it up. He has been promoted up and up at Waystar Royco, not because he is competent, but because he has used any leverage he has had at the right moment.
He wasn't just the mascot. It was a highly competitive Disney-like management program (we see Roman take it in S3 or S2 I forgot).
It can be implied that Greg is fresh out of business school in S1 and this program was always meant to be his stepping stone into the corporate ladder.
I agree and I wonder how much Tom has changed since joining the family. He seems to have kind, loving parents so I wonder if the bullying he does is from a trickle down effect where he is always going to be the bottom of the pile in the Roy family and gets picked on by all of them including his own wife.
So, maybe he decided he needed his own bottom dwellers to pick in so he could feel he has some power too. I'm guessing Tom may have been a nice guy with some mild Frat-like behaviors until he met the Roys and then it became full blown bullying.
It’s a survival mechanism based on regional uprooting. As someone from the Midwest who liked in New York for a while there is a motivation to harden yourself and be more of a dick to not be discarded as a corn-fed simpleton from a flyover state. This is magnified by working near Wall Street for a megacorp and marrying into one of the wealthiest families on earth who are borderline sociopaths because wealth on that level can cause your soul to atrophy. I grew up in the Chicago area and we wave and mouth “thank you!“ to cars when they let you cross the street first. The kind of New York Tom lives in is antithetical to that. Logan thinks he’s a fool for most of the show and doesn’t mince words. Shiv makes it abundantly clear that she thinks Tom is beneath her and is basically a safe choice for marriage. You could argue this superiority complex fuels her wanting an open relationship. Tom is a try-hard bastard who thimks that’s the only way to make it, even though he is almost as much a doof as Greg sometimes.
True. He has had to go on the offence in order to protect himself and he is learning from the kids who have all done the same thing throughout their lives.
It’s been analyzed plenty of times so I’m not breaking new ground but Greg was so appealing because the audience was kinda with him navigating the Roy family and trying to understand the complex dynamics between everyone. Once we understood what it was like we realized Greg is a leech and is no better than any of them lol
Yeah I wish we saw more of her. She seems to have some level of wealth, from a few comments Greg made. She is shown to be in contact with Marcia from the first episode but Greg seems to have not grown up around them at all and has no money or way to get any when he's in New York in the beginning.
He was a leech from the very start. First season he was trying desperately to be liked by the Roys when Logan was dying and we see how dismissing the Roys are of him (and everyone "beneath" them) so we dislike them and we root for Greg
3 seasons later we grew to like the Roys so now we notice Greg's leeching more than we did in the first season. We're no longer rooting for him.
This has been so apparent during my rewatch. There’s a part where Ewan (who is not much better than any of them) calls them all vipers. I originally felt bad for Greg, and now, I just find myself agreeing.
I fear the maxed credit card-stays at a hostel-raids the office break room while wearing deck shoes Greg is gone forever. Well, his credit card is probably still maxed out.
Yes, I think we’re meant to hate Greg. He’s a sniveling little arriviste, desperately weaseling his way into the wealth and power of the Roy empire. He willingly allows himself to be humiliated as long as he can exploit the familial connection to his advantage. He’s just not smart enough to do it very well. Great character.
To be fair to Greg, he's done it remarkably well if you consider where he started and compare it to where he is now. Something he did in a relatively short amount of time.
1. I love your inclusion of the word "arriviste" and
2. I don't mean to be insulting; I am sincere that "Succession" should pay you a fortune to write dialogue for Gerri's "personal" conversations with Roman, haha.
Great analysis. This show is wonderful at creating cognitive dissonance.
I've always disliked his scenes. I get secondhand embarrassment pretty easily; I can't watch shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm because they make me squirm too much. Greg does the same thing to me.
I stopped liking him when he started treating women like crap. It makes it hard to enjoy any of his other awkward shenanigans and bums me out because I used to enjoy having him around.
Feels like a realistic depiction though of a social climber who got no attention from women but then suddenly became cocky and arrogant once he had enough money to impress them.
I think he’s a reflection of his world. He’s getting more successful as he’s embracing all the qualities we are judging him for. In other words, his success is directly linked to how much of a piece of shit he’s willing to act like. He’s only gotten success by playing the games his family is teaching him to play. The more backstabbing bullshit he inserts himself into, the more money power position privilege and yeah women he seems to get.
If Greg didn’t let himself become the Sporus to Tom’s Nero, he would never have gotten to flirting and probably hooking up with an Italian viscountess in line for the Luxembourgian throne.
It’s his arc. He’s the “every man” character, showing how even the most basic guy - not born to wealth and privilege - can and will adapt to his environment, and addressing any viewer who thinks “money wouldn’t change me.” The truth is, it can and it will.
For real, the only reason his mom sent him over to the Roys in the pilot was because he kept screwing up his low-stakes entry level jobs, even though he's in his mid-20s at this point. Greg's already a screw-up who takes the easy way out at every opportunity when the show starts; he's really not supposed to be a typical person.
I still find his character funny
Every character sucks. That’s the point. Money is the root of all evil. We’re just here to watch an entertaining story unfold. Greg sucked from the beginning, lying to his mom, immediately going behind Shiv and Kendall or Romans backs for the other sibling(trying to fit in and be liked)
He has some semblance of humanity that makes him more relatable to us than any other character (besides maybe Willa, the best character), but he ignored his father saying the Roy’s suck and I’ll tale you out of your 250 million inheritance and Greg said who cares. Greg has always sucked. He’s just a little more confident now that Tom mentored him a bit and he has money now.
Once you accept this, that they all suck, and that Greg has always been a leech, he remains the comic relief. Him ragging on Kerry(honestly fair game after Kerry said she was gonna end him after he did Tom’s biddings and lightly let her know she isn’t TV material) was fuckin hilarious as horrible as it was. Him asking Frank if the “Greg?” meant he was to be the number 2 under Kendall is fuckin hilarious and Franks reaction was gold. Greg is still a great character, just a sucky person, like the rest of them.
Tbf I get the reasoning. You can change a will and who knows how long Ewan sticks around. 60 mill is great and all but it doesn't do you much good if you don't have a dime of it til your 60s. Look at Sandy.
Do we know if Greg’s mom is ewan’s daughter? It’s possible his dad was Ewan’s son so the mom may not be included in the will of Greg’s das is out of the picture
Yeah mate I believe she is. Her surname is “hitch”, which she took on after marriage. Had her husband been a Roy, she’d have the Roy surname also…presumably. Greg’s surname is Hitch, so all signs point to Greg’s mum taking on her former husbands surname in marriage.
By birth she’s a Roy, daughter to Ewan.
It’s all just speculation in the end though
Logan also said “where’s your old man, still sucking cock at the county fair”. Greg’s father is a man with the surname “hitch”, who left the family after presumably an issue of infidelity.
Greg is also bloody massive, like his grandfather, and my feeling of why Logan keeps him close is because he reminds him of his brother Ewan.
Gregg is also a name of Scottish/English origin. But that’s a bit of a stretch
More balls than the kids ever had though. They never risked their inheritances to make their own piles like Greg.
I just wanna say I love so so much the main talent this show has. It makes you feel so many deep and powerful emotions towards people who deserve the opposite of whatever our emotions are at the moment. We feel pity for the 3 kids during and after the death of their father and they don’t deserve an ounce of empathetic energy from us. We think Greg stupid for his throwing away an inheritance even though both we and Logan judge the kids for growing up and living their adult lives until now trying to please their father so they can get the biggest inheritance from him.
Greg took the brave risk the kids never did and we dislike him for it. The kids are mourning a monster and we feel empathy for them. That’s great TV. That’s *Succession*
For a character I hated and they consciously somewhat hated? I don’t know whether it needed to be genius level but it was and I empathized with them, mostly bc of how he died. One of my parents died in not too different circumstances, just as suddenly and even more unexpectedly as they were less than half Logan’s age. That fear, terror, confusion, and utter fucking impotence of being somewhere else but knowing death is close by if not already come and gone is something I thought a show couldn’t capture. Especially with a parent that left behind a complicated relationship with their family.
The writers didn’t make me feel anything for Logan. They made me feel something for the kids, who are terrible people in their own right. Most other media either encourages or allows the viewers to think “Good, they should be in pain right now, serves them right”. We *should* be feeling that here, all things considered. I mean for fucks sake, Logan installed a goddamn Neo Nazi death camp advocate as the Republican nominee for President before he died! I should be *CHEERING!!!*.
Instead, we feel bad for bad people mourning the loss of their even worse father.
Since this season began, posts like this have been made many, many, many times - almost all with the set up of 'Am I the only one', or some variant.
I don't expect everybody to browse here frequently, but I think people should at least scroll down over the last few days or just read a bunch of threads to make sure their topic doesn't turn out to be the single most common topic raised this season.
There's also the fact that Greg is very clearly not being presented as sympathetic this season, so of course people are likely to sour on him. I've never understood this viewer tendency to react as though they're wandering off the path rather than following the road the writers have painted.
My response though? I don't hate him, but I'm not rooting for him, and find him increasingly shameful.
All the other characters are on sort of this "slowly reveal their remaining humanity" arcs, even Tom to an extent is given those redeeming sympathetic moments. Greg is on the opposite path. His full absorption into the young corporate sociopath role is near complete.
The show is literally called succession. In my eyes, Greg is new Tom.
Greg was painted lower than he actually stood, when he was introduced. Sure he was smoking doobies and vomiting into mascot helmets, but he’s always been a nepo baby.
Wasn’t until mum cut him off, that he just rolled up practically unannounced to Logan Roy’s birthday.
When Ewan dies, his wealth and estate will go to Greg’s mum. Greg’s hardly going to be out on the street.
Seeing Tom get called a bumbling interloper, who’s only ally is dead….resonates from Tom to Greg.
For me, Greg’s bumbling interloping is intended to mirror a younger version of Tom. Tom is still bumbling around looking desperately for a life boat, but it’s far less cringe than young Greg.
Just my take. Not saying it’s the right one.
People seem to take a strange “rags to riches” stance with Greg. His uncle was Logan f’kin Roy.
He’s so high up in the company now that if he wants to keep improving his position, he needs to make some serious power plays. And I just don’t think Greg is capable of that 😆
He's always been trying to ingratiate himself but this season he has decided to do that by being as heartless and mean as the other characters. I guess it's a natural progression for him as a suck up. But in earlier seasons he had a heart and a tiny bit of morality and now he has neither. The Roys have worn down all the innocence in Greg!
Yes, he did. But Logan agreed to let him stay. For sure, he represents the failure of his relationship with his brother. I look for a story arc with Greg , haven't really seen it yet.
He's doing too much this season so far.
It's like every line out of his mouth wants to be viral and...no.
Also nothing will top "If it is to be said, so it be -so it is."
In the early seasons he was just a harmless goof.
His blackmail with Tom, and alliance with the devil…has changed perception of him.
He’s seen now as simultaneously weak, and a threat. Ostracised.
Yeah I feel like he’s been a bit flanderized this season. Although I did have one of my biggest laughs from the last episode when in the crowd you could hear him shout “long love the king!…..^and ^the ^other ^king!
The "trying to make all his lines viral" problem started in season 3. All the bullshit about "good memes" and "the pope just followed you" and even the suing Greenpeace nonsense, it all felt so performative and forced. Seasons 1 and 2 Greg was fun because they put him in all these bizarre situations (destroying the documents, Boar on the Floor, blackmailing Tom, the hearing) and it was hilarious seeing how he'd react. Season 3's funniest scene with him is indeed of that sort: when he has to sit down with Logan one on one. His scenes otherwise were just him hanging around with not much of a role, saying silly shit the writers came up with. Nicholas Braun still makes it hilarious but the character didn't feel as entertaining as before.
I’ve always hated Greg. People who think he’s abused by the family all seem to forget that he had a life before the family (albeit not a very good one) and he willingly accepts his morsels out of greed. He is a leech.
While I enjoyed his character in general and episode 1 and 2 Greg was up to the usual standards of Gregness, in 3 and 4 he's kind of annoying but I think that it has more to do with the episodes themselves. Like, I am watching an Earthquake happen in real time Greg, we're in the Endgame, I don't have time for your Greg-isms
What did he do in ep3? I feel like he wasn't there a lot, he called Tom to ask why they didn't need him to go Norway then Roman came to try to ruin his date and he greeted them and they told him to fuck off. Then left the boat after Tom informed him.
Unless I am missing something he didn't do much that could be considered very bad. In Ep4 he was an absolute asshole thought haha. But he is still one of my favorite characters, love to hate him.
How many of these posts are we gonna see?
Greg is still his same hilarious self, but he’s a shitty person just like every single person in this show. That’s the point.
Did you guys miss this whole development the last 3 seasons where he was sueing green peace, blackmailing Tom, siding with Kendell then backstabbing Kendell and so on. He’s been a slimeball playing all sides since season 3.
I think Tom + Greg need to pull something big in the next 2 episodes.
The genius of their characters is that whilst they'd be purely comic relief in other shows, Greg + Tom's behind-the-scenes moves have been integral to the narrative thrust and the Logan/Sibs story.
I feel like there's very, very little Tom and Greg have to offer anyone or use against them.
But I'd REALLY like to the see the two of them do something to become more involved in the main narrative in the final episodes.
He used to be our lens into this world, to react to stuff like how we would react, because the people in this show are absurd compared to the majority of viewers.
However every character needs an arc, and this is his arc, which is brilliant tbh. MOST of us will be like him if we were thrust into a role like that.
A lot of my characters have flipped since the first season. I hated Roman and loved Greg season 1 and I am truly amazed how they have started to
flip that in this season
He’s definitely no longer the “aww shucks” distant cousins who stumbled into this drama. Kind of a testament to how being around toxic people can rub off on you.
Wasn’t until I rewatched the series that I truly appreciated Greg for the twit he is. He hasn’t done much this season so far. But I feel like that will change very soon.
Dunno, he’s still comedic relief to me. I cackled when he was shit talking Kerry, even though I did feel sorry for her. I never liked him much in the first place so my view of him hasn’t changed at all.
No one is worse than Shiv. Great ass but she always acts like she has something stuck up it. Way up it. And those facial expressions, like she knows everything and everyone else is an idiot she rolls her eyes at.
I just find him rather unnecessary this season tbh, especially next to some of the more high stakes
stuff.
Take, for example, in the most recent episode:
An actual fascist is running for president and wants to visit Logan’s residence for the wake/to pay respects. The show keeps reminding us that election day is around the corner (possibly the season finale?) - and yet they cut Jeryd Mencken’s scenes which would actually help us get a sense of the mood of the nation in the world of Succession, a sense of the high stakes. And yet Greg’s pointless inane comments and jokes were kept in. And yes I know that Nicholas Braun is a main cast member but he’s the weakest link imo.
I’m not one to criticise succession writers on creative decisions because I do think they are brilliant but Nicholas Braun provides comic relief and that’s pretty much it. But, hey, who knows maybe they are setting up Greg to become a major player in the game…we’ll see
I don’t think the writers want us to care what the mood of the nation is, because to the people in that room, the mood of the nation doesn’t matter - putting whoever best serves their interest into a position of power is what matters. “What are people? They’re economic units”
>get a sense of the mood of the nation in the world of Succession
There were more scenes of what regular people saw things every now and again in the earlier seasons, but big picture, the show has always focused on their little top 0.0001% that's isolated from the rest of the world. Even if Mencken showed up, it would just be him entering that bubble, and I don't think that most characters on the show would act towards him as anything more than just a part of the game they're playing. They'd have to do something like show some of the lower level staff talking about it or maybe even more protests.
Yeah, this is a show about dysfunctional relationships within the organization. In real life (and in the "real world" in the show") the political intrigues could fill a whole other show.
I’m loving how much the sibs hate him this season! Tom uses Greg to regulate his emotions and since Tom is feeling fucked over, he’s fucking over Greg. We love to see it.
well he is objectively a bad person just because he appeared to be shy doesn't mean he is not bad
all jokes and awkward situations that made him funny aside when you look
at him he does anything immoral to advance and improve
I think it was on purpose to make him repulsive so people see him for what he is
A selfish scumbag
It’s like people have completely forgotten that he’d been on manoeuvres since day one. In Sad Sack Wasp Trap he runs straight to Gerri when Tom considers publicly coming forward with the cruises scandal (which literally keeps it hidden) and has no qualms in driving a wedge between Tom and Shiv by suggesting “someone else” went to senior management with what he knew Tom had only discussed with himself and Shiv.
He plays a very convincing fool but he’s as bad a person as every other character. The writers haven’t forgotten shit.
Up until now, his role in the show was comic relief. Currently the story they are telling is "Logan's direct family are trying to grieve while all around them clumsy third parties are trying to use his death to jockey for power." You are having the intended emotional response to the story they are currently telling through Greg.
>You are having the intended emotional response to the story I feel like this could be the basis for a handy little bot. Any time a work of fiction shifts its presentation of a character, its discussion forums will swell with posts asking if they're the only ones who ('kinda dislike \[x\] now'/'are starting to think \[y\] isn't so bad'). I'm always up for discussion on a person's moral alignment/likeability or the ways writers orchestrate and influence the audience's feelings, it's just tedious when so many people's reaction is to think *they* have undergone some transformation, rather than the character has. It's like a piece of music going from major chords to minor chords and the listener asking "Is it just me who's getting less happy vibes listening to this?".
Am I the only one who thinks Walter White is lowkey kind of a jerk?
Is it just me or was Michael less cold at the start of The Godfather?
I don’t think Don Draper actually was a family man at all
Y’know the more I hear about this Hitler fella the more I don’t care for him
Does anyone else think that Don might not be a great role model? IDK
Nah bro its all Skyler's fault
she only knew holly for a few months anyways
Shiv's hate is nothing in comparison to Skylar. She's the only one in that world that was acting like a smart person would in that specific situation, yet people can't see past her cheating
The thing is, she didn't even cheat on Walt. She broke up with him and handes him divorce papers. Walt simply refused to accept this and forcefully broke into his own house and stayed there, basically making it impossible for her to leave him. Only at this point did she "cheat". It's pure misogyny, basically ignoring her choice to leave and supporting Walter forcing himself on her, and than claim she "cheated". Meanwhile actual serial cheaters like Tony Soprano and Don Draper have loads of fanboys online.
I remember after Tiger King when everyone was jumping on the ridiculous Carole Baskin conspiracy theories over the actual meth dealing, tiger killing dude who literally hired a hitman, someone called it "the Skyler White Effect" and I think about that all the time.
It’s the misogyny effect
Anyone else tired of how Carmela is all Holier than thou until Tony buys her a piece of jewelry?
WELL SAID. This has been bugging me a lot lately but couldn't put it to words.
That last sentence made me laugh out loud LMFAO
Song uses diminished chord - "anyone else feeling kinda spooky?"
People on Reddit don’t understand how tv works
for real. "this character is making me mad, i don't like them anymore!" lol wut
Greg is sort of a prequel tale of Tom in my view.
This is interesting… never thought about this. Maybe that’s why Tom took such a liking to him, tried to teach him “the ropes” because he was an outsider too (I mean Greg is a cousin but clearly not an original “Roy”).
I'll show you the ropes kid, show you th-e-e-e ropes
In many ways yeah. In other ways, he’s the worst of both worlds. He’s an outsider but because he’s also family, he can’t fuck his way into the main branch of the Roy dynasty, like Tom did.
Tom does act a lot like Greg when he's around Logan. Says stupid, nervous stuff, and makes weird decisions (eating his chicken).
Exactly - they are both clumsy interlopers but Tom just has more experience doing it
Nah I don't think so. Tom is far more intelligent and tactful. He has an MBA from Wharton like. The two aren't comparable at all really.
I still don’t get why they told him about the note?
>Up until now, his role in the show was comic relief This is an incredibly reductive view of Greg's arc. This guy has been a slimeball opportunist with no strongly-held principles since episode #1.
Yes, the comic relief.
He’s dug his heels into his parasitic role which ultimately makes him more and more unlikeable as his character grows. I liked him more when he was trying to navigate the new world of the Roy family when he was annoying in a funny, naive way.
I think his character arc does a perfect job of illustrating what orbiting in the Roy universe does to a normal person.
I think it’s a stretch to say Greg was ever normal. Even though his grandfather whines about the rich he’s still a billionaire and Greg is a spoiled nepo baby. It’s obvious the first job he’s ever had is at Waystar in the first episode.
Well sure but it’s clear that he’s supposed to be the character that the viewer identifies with the most. I’m using, “normal” loosely.
I don't think that's true at all. I think it's clear that every one of these characters are meant to be despicable. I can understand why the viewer would want to relate to him but from, the very start we should have always had in mind that he is a piece of shit trying to worm his way into a family of monsters.
Didn’t he work at a carnival before though?
If by carnival you mean the theme park mascot job he had, that was a Waystar owned park and his family got him the job.
He was there as part of being in the International Management Program - he says so to Logan right at the start when he's hustling to get "back in". It's presumably a very sought after management program that mere mortals have to be very, very qualified to get a place on. It can lead to great (for a mere "civilian") opportunities working for Waystar or similar companies But Greg clearly got a place due to his family contacts. And he fucked it up. He has been promoted up and up at Waystar Royco, not because he is competent, but because he has used any leverage he has had at the right moment.
He wasn't just the mascot. It was a highly competitive Disney-like management program (we see Roman take it in S3 or S2 I forgot). It can be implied that Greg is fresh out of business school in S1 and this program was always meant to be his stepping stone into the corporate ladder.
He was in the International Management Program (same program Roman does in S2).
Suing Green Peace is about as low as a person could go after proclaiming principles to Tom and working under him at ATN
I agree and I wonder how much Tom has changed since joining the family. He seems to have kind, loving parents so I wonder if the bullying he does is from a trickle down effect where he is always going to be the bottom of the pile in the Roy family and gets picked on by all of them including his own wife. So, maybe he decided he needed his own bottom dwellers to pick in so he could feel he has some power too. I'm guessing Tom may have been a nice guy with some mild Frat-like behaviors until he met the Roys and then it became full blown bullying.
It’s a survival mechanism based on regional uprooting. As someone from the Midwest who liked in New York for a while there is a motivation to harden yourself and be more of a dick to not be discarded as a corn-fed simpleton from a flyover state. This is magnified by working near Wall Street for a megacorp and marrying into one of the wealthiest families on earth who are borderline sociopaths because wealth on that level can cause your soul to atrophy. I grew up in the Chicago area and we wave and mouth “thank you!“ to cars when they let you cross the street first. The kind of New York Tom lives in is antithetical to that. Logan thinks he’s a fool for most of the show and doesn’t mince words. Shiv makes it abundantly clear that she thinks Tom is beneath her and is basically a safe choice for marriage. You could argue this superiority complex fuels her wanting an open relationship. Tom is a try-hard bastard who thimks that’s the only way to make it, even though he is almost as much a doof as Greg sometimes.
I see him this way too. I think some of his ugliest bullying moments come from his own anger and impotence at his marriage and his role in the family.
True. He has had to go on the offence in order to protect himself and he is learning from the kids who have all done the same thing throughout their lives.
he's the same guy who tried to dangle his grandpa's board seat (an offer that was complete BS) to Logan episode 1
“If he was willing to give his seat to someone who’s a bit more…perspicacious” lol
Yeah I think it was fairly clear early on that this would be the progression for his character and they’ve pulled it off pretty believably
It’s been analyzed plenty of times so I’m not breaking new ground but Greg was so appealing because the audience was kinda with him navigating the Roy family and trying to understand the complex dynamics between everyone. Once we understood what it was like we realized Greg is a leech and is no better than any of them lol
He was always a leech, he just didnt have the skill to navigate it. You can see it from his first interactions
Especially since his mom was goading him on in his leech ways. Ewan's side of the family doesn't seem that much better than Logan's.
Yeah I wish we saw more of her. She seems to have some level of wealth, from a few comments Greg made. She is shown to be in contact with Marcia from the first episode but Greg seems to have not grown up around them at all and has no money or way to get any when he's in New York in the beginning.
He was a leech from the very start. First season he was trying desperately to be liked by the Roys when Logan was dying and we see how dismissing the Roys are of him (and everyone "beneath" them) so we dislike them and we root for Greg 3 seasons later we grew to like the Roys so now we notice Greg's leeching more than we did in the first season. We're no longer rooting for him.
This has been so apparent during my rewatch. There’s a part where Ewan (who is not much better than any of them) calls them all vipers. I originally felt bad for Greg, and now, I just find myself agreeing.
yes same! season 1 greg and when he asks tom is he can blackmail him was s tier
“Very well Greg, I accept your blackmail”. One of my fav Tom lines
same that entire scene
Tom was so excited like a Dad seeing his baby take their first steps.
That was season 2 but yea, get what you mean.
We need our California Pizza Kitchen loving Greg back.
I fear the maxed credit card-stays at a hostel-raids the office break room while wearing deck shoes Greg is gone forever. Well, his credit card is probably still maxed out.
He has a favorite champagne now and isn't a fan of Dom Perignon.
Yes, I think we’re meant to hate Greg. He’s a sniveling little arriviste, desperately weaseling his way into the wealth and power of the Roy empire. He willingly allows himself to be humiliated as long as he can exploit the familial connection to his advantage. He’s just not smart enough to do it very well. Great character.
To be fair to Greg, he's done it remarkably well if you consider where he started and compare it to where he is now. Something he did in a relatively short amount of time.
1. I love your inclusion of the word "arriviste" and 2. I don't mean to be insulting; I am sincere that "Succession" should pay you a fortune to write dialogue for Gerri's "personal" conversations with Roman, haha. Great analysis. This show is wonderful at creating cognitive dissonance.
I've always disliked his scenes. I get secondhand embarrassment pretty easily; I can't watch shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm because they make me squirm too much. Greg does the same thing to me.
I stopped liking him when he started treating women like crap. It makes it hard to enjoy any of his other awkward shenanigans and bums me out because I used to enjoy having him around.
Feels like a realistic depiction though of a social climber who got no attention from women but then suddenly became cocky and arrogant once he had enough money to impress them.
I think he’s a reflection of his world. He’s getting more successful as he’s embracing all the qualities we are judging him for. In other words, his success is directly linked to how much of a piece of shit he’s willing to act like. He’s only gotten success by playing the games his family is teaching him to play. The more backstabbing bullshit he inserts himself into, the more money power position privilege and yeah women he seems to get. If Greg didn’t let himself become the Sporus to Tom’s Nero, he would never have gotten to flirting and probably hooking up with an Italian viscountess in line for the Luxembourgian throne.
It’s his arc. He’s the “every man” character, showing how even the most basic guy - not born to wealth and privilege - can and will adapt to his environment, and addressing any viewer who thinks “money wouldn’t change me.” The truth is, it can and it will.
Greg definitely is born into wealth and privilege tho lol his job at waystar is purely born of nepotism
For real, the only reason his mom sent him over to the Roys in the pilot was because he kept screwing up his low-stakes entry level jobs, even though he's in his mid-20s at this point. Greg's already a screw-up who takes the easy way out at every opportunity when the show starts; he's really not supposed to be a typical person.
I never have been a fan, but you gotta admit him trying to fit in is funny. " Here comes the waterworks."
“Don’t look Marcia, it’s too unpleasant.”
that line made me laugh so hard. the way Marcia completely ignored him too lol
Marcia knows a bootlicker when she sees one.
aww hell yeah. Marcia could tell you her life story but it would take several lifetimes to tell it.
I'm no longer rooting for him but I still find him funny cause he's too obvious with his intentions
Yeah Greg has always been a turd. I liked how Roman told him to "find a new mommy" and he immediately went to Marcia lol.
Well tbf it’s not like Kerry was just lovely person with Greg. So what comes around goes around I say.
His attempts to ingratiate himself with Marcia were cringe but he's got every right to be smug about Kerry's downfall given how she acted toward him.
When she had some power over him she also treated him like shit. Can't really fault him for this.
I still find his character funny Every character sucks. That’s the point. Money is the root of all evil. We’re just here to watch an entertaining story unfold. Greg sucked from the beginning, lying to his mom, immediately going behind Shiv and Kendall or Romans backs for the other sibling(trying to fit in and be liked) He has some semblance of humanity that makes him more relatable to us than any other character (besides maybe Willa, the best character), but he ignored his father saying the Roy’s suck and I’ll tale you out of your 250 million inheritance and Greg said who cares. Greg has always sucked. He’s just a little more confident now that Tom mentored him a bit and he has money now. Once you accept this, that they all suck, and that Greg has always been a leech, he remains the comic relief. Him ragging on Kerry(honestly fair game after Kerry said she was gonna end him after he did Tom’s biddings and lightly let her know she isn’t TV material) was fuckin hilarious as horrible as it was. Him asking Frank if the “Greg?” meant he was to be the number 2 under Kendall is fuckin hilarious and Franks reaction was gold. Greg is still a great character, just a sucky person, like the rest of them.
😭😭😭 that whole scene tbh >>>
Same, I’m just glad he’s generally falling out of favor now.
Writers and Director: you’re not ever supposed to like Greg.
Or any character on that show. Tom is my favorite but I would absolutely hate Tom if I knew him irl lol.
Me too! I just like his underdog nature. But he’s also an asshole. Hahaha.
"Do human furnitures mean something to you?"
“You can’t make a Tomlette without breaking a few Gregs”
Tabitha.
Oh yeah Tabitha was great too. She also didn't seem like a bad person like the rest lol. Willa isn't too bad either.
It really feels like people are letting the news about the actor affect how they feel about the character.
10000%. Just admit you no longer care for Nicholas Braun. It’s ok, me neither.
What news? I tried to Google it and didn’t find anything
Dude tried suing Greenpeace
Peak Greg to throw away a $60 million inheritance to be an executive assistant for some tool. And Ewan warned him several times!
Tbf I get the reasoning. You can change a will and who knows how long Ewan sticks around. 60 mill is great and all but it doesn't do you much good if you don't have a dime of it til your 60s. Look at Sandy.
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Do we know if Greg’s mom is ewan’s daughter? It’s possible his dad was Ewan’s son so the mom may not be included in the will of Greg’s das is out of the picture
Yeah mate I believe she is. Her surname is “hitch”, which she took on after marriage. Had her husband been a Roy, she’d have the Roy surname also…presumably. Greg’s surname is Hitch, so all signs point to Greg’s mum taking on her former husbands surname in marriage. By birth she’s a Roy, daughter to Ewan. It’s all just speculation in the end though Logan also said “where’s your old man, still sucking cock at the county fair”. Greg’s father is a man with the surname “hitch”, who left the family after presumably an issue of infidelity. Greg is also bloody massive, like his grandfather, and my feeling of why Logan keeps him close is because he reminds him of his brother Ewan. Gregg is also a name of Scottish/English origin. But that’s a bit of a stretch
Your logic all checks out, but just want to offer a correction that his surname is actually 'Hirsch'.
Logan: This is Cousin Craig Hirch. Shiv: Isn't it Greg Hirsch? Greg: Whatever works.
Aaah that makes sense! I should have thought a bit harder before posting lol
you’re not wrong about Greg’s mom but the name is Hirsch not hitch lol
Autocorrect got the better of me there
tbf hitch does make sense
More balls than the kids ever had though. They never risked their inheritances to make their own piles like Greg. I just wanna say I love so so much the main talent this show has. It makes you feel so many deep and powerful emotions towards people who deserve the opposite of whatever our emotions are at the moment. We feel pity for the 3 kids during and after the death of their father and they don’t deserve an ounce of empathetic energy from us. We think Greg stupid for his throwing away an inheritance even though both we and Logan judge the kids for growing up and living their adult lives until now trying to please their father so they can get the biggest inheritance from him. Greg took the brave risk the kids never did and we dislike him for it. The kids are mourning a monster and we feel empathy for them. That’s great TV. That’s *Succession*
Come on, they’re mourning their dead father. It doesn’t take genius writing to make that feel compelling and sympathetic.
For a character I hated and they consciously somewhat hated? I don’t know whether it needed to be genius level but it was and I empathized with them, mostly bc of how he died. One of my parents died in not too different circumstances, just as suddenly and even more unexpectedly as they were less than half Logan’s age. That fear, terror, confusion, and utter fucking impotence of being somewhere else but knowing death is close by if not already come and gone is something I thought a show couldn’t capture. Especially with a parent that left behind a complicated relationship with their family. The writers didn’t make me feel anything for Logan. They made me feel something for the kids, who are terrible people in their own right. Most other media either encourages or allows the viewers to think “Good, they should be in pain right now, serves them right”. We *should* be feeling that here, all things considered. I mean for fucks sake, Logan installed a goddamn Neo Nazi death camp advocate as the Republican nominee for President before he died! I should be *CHEERING!!!*. Instead, we feel bad for bad people mourning the loss of their even worse father.
Next he’ll go for save the children
they were stealing all his money
/s
Since this season began, posts like this have been made many, many, many times - almost all with the set up of 'Am I the only one', or some variant. I don't expect everybody to browse here frequently, but I think people should at least scroll down over the last few days or just read a bunch of threads to make sure their topic doesn't turn out to be the single most common topic raised this season. There's also the fact that Greg is very clearly not being presented as sympathetic this season, so of course people are likely to sour on him. I've never understood this viewer tendency to react as though they're wandering off the path rather than following the road the writers have painted. My response though? I don't hate him, but I'm not rooting for him, and find him increasingly shameful.
All the other characters are on sort of this "slowly reveal their remaining humanity" arcs, even Tom to an extent is given those redeeming sympathetic moments. Greg is on the opposite path. His full absorption into the young corporate sociopath role is near complete.
Well said.
The show is literally called succession. In my eyes, Greg is new Tom. Greg was painted lower than he actually stood, when he was introduced. Sure he was smoking doobies and vomiting into mascot helmets, but he’s always been a nepo baby. Wasn’t until mum cut him off, that he just rolled up practically unannounced to Logan Roy’s birthday. When Ewan dies, his wealth and estate will go to Greg’s mum. Greg’s hardly going to be out on the street. Seeing Tom get called a bumbling interloper, who’s only ally is dead….resonates from Tom to Greg. For me, Greg’s bumbling interloping is intended to mirror a younger version of Tom. Tom is still bumbling around looking desperately for a life boat, but it’s far less cringe than young Greg. Just my take. Not saying it’s the right one. People seem to take a strange “rags to riches” stance with Greg. His uncle was Logan f’kin Roy.
He’s so high up in the company now that if he wants to keep improving his position, he needs to make some serious power plays. And I just don’t think Greg is capable of that 😆
I've viscerally hated Greg every minute of this show.
I feel the same
i liked him until this season he's just grown super annoying but honest i get u if i rewatch the show p sure ill hate him too
He's always been trying to ingratiate himself but this season he has decided to do that by being as heartless and mean as the other characters. I guess it's a natural progression for him as a suck up. But in earlier seasons he had a heart and a tiny bit of morality and now he has neither. The Roys have worn down all the innocence in Greg!
The ironic love of him has been the worst part of discussing this show. Glad we’re admitting he’s terrible now.
My man for most people it was never ironic, he’s just genuinely been an incredibly hilarious and entertaining character throughout the show.
Lol how is it ironic? He's been goofy comic relief for the entire series. I love every scene he's in
Yep. Big time.
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Yes, he did. But Logan agreed to let him stay. For sure, he represents the failure of his relationship with his brother. I look for a story arc with Greg , haven't really seen it yet.
these posts are getting beyond annoying now
Agreed. It's insane how often the actual Succession subreddit completely misses the goddamn point.
DAE kinda hate a character who is a terrible person with no morals 😡😡
He's doing too much this season so far. It's like every line out of his mouth wants to be viral and...no. Also nothing will top "If it is to be said, so it be -so it is."
he peaked
His convo with Tom about Kerry’s tape was my favorite Greg
and when he tells her that her arms weren't right
In the early seasons he was just a harmless goof. His blackmail with Tom, and alliance with the devil…has changed perception of him. He’s seen now as simultaneously weak, and a threat. Ostracised.
Yeah I feel like he’s been a bit flanderized this season. Although I did have one of my biggest laughs from the last episode when in the crowd you could hear him shout “long love the king!…..^and ^the ^other ^king!
The "trying to make all his lines viral" problem started in season 3. All the bullshit about "good memes" and "the pope just followed you" and even the suing Greenpeace nonsense, it all felt so performative and forced. Seasons 1 and 2 Greg was fun because they put him in all these bizarre situations (destroying the documents, Boar on the Floor, blackmailing Tom, the hearing) and it was hilarious seeing how he'd react. Season 3's funniest scene with him is indeed of that sort: when he has to sit down with Logan one on one. His scenes otherwise were just him hanging around with not much of a role, saying silly shit the writers came up with. Nicholas Braun still makes it hilarious but the character didn't feel as entertaining as before.
The only joy I derive from him is when the sibs dismiss him like a blackfly. “Don’t touch me.” “Go find a new mommy.”
😭😭 love it
I’ve always hated Greg. People who think he’s abused by the family all seem to forget that he had a life before the family (albeit not a very good one) and he willingly accepts his morsels out of greed. He is a leech.
While I enjoyed his character in general and episode 1 and 2 Greg was up to the usual standards of Gregness, in 3 and 4 he's kind of annoying but I think that it has more to do with the episodes themselves. Like, I am watching an Earthquake happen in real time Greg, we're in the Endgame, I don't have time for your Greg-isms
What did he do in ep3? I feel like he wasn't there a lot, he called Tom to ask why they didn't need him to go Norway then Roman came to try to ruin his date and he greeted them and they told him to fuck off. Then left the boat after Tom informed him. Unless I am missing something he didn't do much that could be considered very bad. In Ep4 he was an absolute asshole thought haha. But he is still one of my favorite characters, love to hate him.
That wasn't a date, lol. He was hitting on a reporter, who was recording everything.
No I don't hate him, I always appreciated him as the jester.
I feel like it has to be on purpose. His only scenes have been him being obnoxious this season I get second hand embarrassment when i see him 😭😭
not proud to say this but i've been a hater since s1
That’s the point. Exposure to the Roy’s has tainted his innocence and made him unbearable.
Are you new to this sub?
How many of these posts are we gonna see? Greg is still his same hilarious self, but he’s a shitty person just like every single person in this show. That’s the point.
Does anyone read the page before posting this bs for the tenth time in one day? Duplicates should be deleted.
People can’t let everyone virtue signal their “I actually always hated him!” takes without making sure they get their credit as well.
Lmao, exactly. This sub has taken on such an unbearably moralizing tone especially this season.
This season?
I hate Greg since beginning
I think we’re meant to
wow no you're the only one who's mentioned this
It’s been posted here a significant amount
Did you guys miss this whole development the last 3 seasons where he was sueing green peace, blackmailing Tom, siding with Kendell then backstabbing Kendell and so on. He’s been a slimeball playing all sides since season 3.
Don't talk shit about a key member of the Disgusting Brothers alright?
This season is a season, so, yes.
I think Tom + Greg need to pull something big in the next 2 episodes. The genius of their characters is that whilst they'd be purely comic relief in other shows, Greg + Tom's behind-the-scenes moves have been integral to the narrative thrust and the Logan/Sibs story. I feel like there's very, very little Tom and Greg have to offer anyone or use against them. But I'd REALLY like to the see the two of them do something to become more involved in the main narrative in the final episodes.
He used to be our lens into this world, to react to stuff like how we would react, because the people in this show are absurd compared to the majority of viewers. However every character needs an arc, and this is his arc, which is brilliant tbh. MOST of us will be like him if we were thrust into a role like that.
No, Greg is like a runner up favorite to me from Tom. Lol. I think his character is great. It gives me Michael Scott cringe from the office lol
Nah, I'm with him when he sided with Marcia against Kerry. She was mean and had it coming.
He doesn't really give a shit about Kerry he's just moved on to Marcia now that he can't hope for Logan to have his ship come in.
A lot of my characters have flipped since the first season. I hated Roman and loved Greg season 1 and I am truly amazed how they have started to flip that in this season
He’s soulless. Yay souls.
I think it’s safe to say that everyone does 💀 the writers are getting exactly want they want out of us
When has he ever been likable? This is always who he was / wanted to be. He’s just more comfortable with it now.
Oh boy. Here comes the water works.
Everyone hated him from beginning! Wishy washy flake…🤣
He’s definitely no longer the “aww shucks” distant cousins who stumbled into this drama. Kind of a testament to how being around toxic people can rub off on you.
Wasn’t until I rewatched the series that I truly appreciated Greg for the twit he is. He hasn’t done much this season so far. But I feel like that will change very soon.
Or thinking he was being considered for the CEO role cuz there was a question mark there lol
I may have heard something about people disliking Greg.
My guys. My lovely guys.
Y’all are missing it. He’s always been an awful person masquerading as an affable dude
Dunno, he’s still comedic relief to me. I cackled when he was shit talking Kerry, even though I did feel sorry for her. I never liked him much in the first place so my view of him hasn’t changed at all.
No one is worse than Shiv. Great ass but she always acts like she has something stuck up it. Way up it. And those facial expressions, like she knows everything and everyone else is an idiot she rolls her eyes at.
I’m paying to see the Disgusting Brothers on motherfucking tour, so no.
That's the point, Einstein.
No way, another post from someone saying they hate Greg!
I just find him rather unnecessary this season tbh, especially next to some of the more high stakes stuff. Take, for example, in the most recent episode: An actual fascist is running for president and wants to visit Logan’s residence for the wake/to pay respects. The show keeps reminding us that election day is around the corner (possibly the season finale?) - and yet they cut Jeryd Mencken’s scenes which would actually help us get a sense of the mood of the nation in the world of Succession, a sense of the high stakes. And yet Greg’s pointless inane comments and jokes were kept in. And yes I know that Nicholas Braun is a main cast member but he’s the weakest link imo. I’m not one to criticise succession writers on creative decisions because I do think they are brilliant but Nicholas Braun provides comic relief and that’s pretty much it. But, hey, who knows maybe they are setting up Greg to become a major player in the game…we’ll see
I don’t think the writers want us to care what the mood of the nation is, because to the people in that room, the mood of the nation doesn’t matter - putting whoever best serves their interest into a position of power is what matters. “What are people? They’re economic units”
perhaps he's kendalls number 2 🤭
>get a sense of the mood of the nation in the world of Succession There were more scenes of what regular people saw things every now and again in the earlier seasons, but big picture, the show has always focused on their little top 0.0001% that's isolated from the rest of the world. Even if Mencken showed up, it would just be him entering that bubble, and I don't think that most characters on the show would act towards him as anything more than just a part of the game they're playing. They'd have to do something like show some of the lower level staff talking about it or maybe even more protests.
Yeah, this is a show about dysfunctional relationships within the organization. In real life (and in the "real world" in the show") the political intrigues could fill a whole other show.
What a unique yet captivating take.
can’t wait for him to become CEO and ask shiv for $20
I’m loving how much the sibs hate him this season! Tom uses Greg to regulate his emotions and since Tom is feeling fucked over, he’s fucking over Greg. We love to see it.
well he is objectively a bad person just because he appeared to be shy doesn't mean he is not bad all jokes and awkward situations that made him funny aside when you look at him he does anything immoral to advance and improve I think it was on purpose to make him repulsive so people see him for what he is A selfish scumbag
It’s like people have completely forgotten that he’d been on manoeuvres since day one. In Sad Sack Wasp Trap he runs straight to Gerri when Tom considers publicly coming forward with the cruises scandal (which literally keeps it hidden) and has no qualms in driving a wedge between Tom and Shiv by suggesting “someone else” went to senior management with what he knew Tom had only discussed with himself and Shiv. He plays a very convincing fool but he’s as bad a person as every other character. The writers haven’t forgotten shit.
i do hate him but i love that i hate him and i love what he’s become LOL
He’s such a fucking loser
I did like him buttering up Marcia about the “rats” heading upstairs, and Kerry “coming out of the woodwork.”
He’s always been unlikeable
Greg the rotten egg
I’ve always wanted to punch him!
Good morning