Succession: What Gerri’s CEO Position Means For Her Roman Relationship
In Succession season 3, episode 2, "Mass in Time of War," things end while Gerri is in line for the temporary CEO position at Waystar Royco, but here's what that means for her secret pseudo-relationship with Roman. HBO's family and business-related drama unfolds with swift pacing, razor-sharp wit, and constant metaphorical chess moves while it follows ultra-wealthy conglomerate head Logan Roy and his family - who are also heavily intertwined with his company and business dealings. Despite his toxicity and constant, flagrant manipulation tactics, all of Roy's adult children harbor a deep, childlike need to gain their father's approval, blessing, and confidence.
Roman (Kieran Culkin) is one of the more intriguing examples of this within Succession's cast of characters. Like the show's other main players, Roman's shortcomings, blind spots, and personal difficulties are showcased in great detail. One of the areas of his life that he really struggles with is how he deals with romance and sexuality. Despite his difficulties with that kind of intimacy, he still occasionally pursues women. He's had a sort of confusing, undefined, and semi-secretive (Shiv clearly knows about it in episode 2) relationship with his father's right-hand woman and general counsel, Gerri Kellman (J. Smith-Cameron). But, so far, she's keeping her distance this season - seemingly attempting to keep things professional.
Now that she's been named temporary CEO of Waystar Royco while Logan steps back, Gerri appears to be doubling down on that course of action. The future was never promising for the pair's pseudo-relationship. From its very beginning in Succession season 2, it's been built on a sort of mischievous secrecy, with Gerri being far less engaged and their chemistry and sexual "exchanges" often being treated as semi-unacknowledged later on. Now, with Logan and Waystar Royco's futures in jeopardy, the pressure and need for professionalism within the company's top tier have only intensified. This development certainly doesn't make a positive outcome for Gerri and Roman's "relationship" seem like it's in the cards.
As much as Roman seems to want a relationship - or, at least, some type of affair - to exist between them, it's a much healthier and less professionally precarious option to avoid such connection. However, like many components within the incredibly intricate and thought-out show, the way Succession season 3, episode 2 depicts Gerri and Roman's relationship is emblematic of a larger trend amongst characters. They exist within the ranks of a brutally cutthroat business world, and even their personal dealings with each other (despite being related or, at least, seemingly bound by some kind of loyalty) are similarly toxic, non-communicative, and, time after time, all about plays and endgames above anything else.
Via Gerri, Roman is halfheartedly chasing after another unavailable woman with whom he doesn't actually have to get close. Gerri has some sort of mutual interest, but now that she's locked into a temporary position of even more power, prefers to half-feign being unaware of the ongoing sexual tension between them. This, of course, is only the case until she wants something from Roman (for him to stay loyal to Logan) toward the end of "Mass in Time of War." When she knows that she needs this from him, she manipulatively plays right into what he wants to hear from her: "We have something going." Of course, Gerri's referring to their professional alliance that they set up within Succession season 3, episode 2, where they decided Roman will have an "apprenticeship" under Gerri. However, the line is layered with far more meaning than that. It echoes a sentiment that the past two seasons of Succession have relentlessly driven home: when characters need something from someone, they'll tell them whatever they want to hear - regardless of intended backstabbing or complete disingenuousness. Everything is a sort of capitalistic, profit/outcome-driven means to an end.