Don't sleep on Cousin Greg the egg. You should watch Succession Season 2 for Greg (Nicholas Braun) alone. He will rule the Roys someday. I have foreseen it.
Succession Season 1 was appallingly under-watched, perhaps because most of the characters are unlikable, although I've still developed a fondness for them. At least HBO renewed the show for Season 2 anyway, so we can see more of the one character we can all agree is worth rooting for -- Greg Hirsch, grandson of James Cromwell's Ewan Roy, and grandnephew of Brian Cox's all-powerful Logan Roy.
Succession Season 1 introduced Greg as the poor cousin hoping to find a job with the rich Roys, and he was taken under the wing of sadistic bully/occasional bromance buddy Tom Wamsgans (Matthew Macfadyen). Greg reminded me a bit of Succession's own Sansa Stark -- heading to King's Landing, where she's totally out of her depth, but learns at the feet of manipulators like Petyr Baelish and Cersei Lannister.
Succession Season 2 should be worth watching for Greg and Tom scenes alone. But Greg is also a "little Machiavellian fuck," as Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) so memorably put it in the Season 1 finale. Greg covered his own ass by copying documents, and he's making sure he survives whatever transitions are ahead.
Succession fans may hope to see Greg take over the entire empire someday, but what does actor Nicholas Braun think? Vulture asked him about the theory that Greg will someday take over Logan Roy's throne.
I have no clue. If it ends up that I get all the marbles or something, that’s great, but I just want to keep having scenes that feel full of stuff, you know? Full of dynamics and fear and taking opportunities and running with them.
Nicholas Braun is leaving it to others -- viewers or maybe also the show's writers and producers -- to try and analyze all of the Succession characters, including Greg.
I still don’t know exactly what Greg is. Everybody in the show lives in this weird middle ground. [Tom] might be a complete dummy from Minnesota, but he also might be evil. Logan might be this terrible, patriarchal, greedy man but then there are moments where you see he loves his children. Is Greg secretly cunning? Or does he think he’s cunning and he’s really not? I don’t know. It’s maybe for other people to determine.
I'm excited to see what happens next for Greg in Succession Season 2. Romance appears to be out, based on what Nicholas Braun told Vulture about Season 2:
The first season, I felt like Greg was asexual, in a way. Like he was all about being good, doing the right things. And honestly, the second season’s not much different.
I don't know how long HBO plans to continue Succession. It does seem like the kind of show critics appreciate more than viewers, at least so far. I do hope the story continues for at least another season, since the 10 episodes of Season 2 will likely not be enough to finish telling the sprawling saga of the Roys.
Succession Season 2 premieres this Sunday, August 11 at 9 p.m. on HBO. Keep up with all of summer 2019's premieres with our handy guide.
