MovieChat Forums > Succession (2018) Discussion > Didn't understand a comment Roman made i...

Didn't understand a comment Roman made in final episode

posted a year ago by CalvinJarrett (262)
3 replies | jump to latest

Toward the end of the episode when Shiv held back her deciding vote, Shiv, Kendall, and Roman argued in one of their offices. Roman made an insulting comment to Kendall about bloodline. He said, "One is a buy-in, and the other is half Rava and half filing cabinet installer." Kendall then flips out and squeezes Roman's face (I think) where he was wounded in the previous episode.

Was Roman stating that Kendall was not the biological father of his two kids, and was the the first time we were being told of this? Or was this mentioned at some point in the past, but Roman was now abusing that knowledge to say it in the most hurtful way he could?

I don't remember learning about any questionable parentage with regard to Kendall's kids before this point.

[–] ExTechOp (2758) a year ago

From what I’ve read (I don’t have perfect recall of the entire series), this was the first actual mention of Kendall’s kids’ parentage. Obviously, the characters all know the truth, but this is the first time the audience has been made aware of it.

That said, it’s clear his daughter’s adopted; she looks Indian or part black. But I think “filing cabinet” means they used a sperm donor.

It was an incredibly cruel thing to say, which explains Kendall’s violent reaction, which itself was especially shocking given Kendall’s reaction when Logan hit Roman in the face.

Roman’s mimicking their father’s judgmental cruelty and Kendall’s responding with their father’s physical abusiveness.

[–] CalvinJarrett (262) a year ago

Thank you, ExTechOp (2465). I always thought his ex-wife, Rava, was Indian and that was why Sophie, their daughter, had that look. But thank you especially for confirming that that was the first time that was disclosed to us, the audience.

[–] roxi1st (34) 3 months ago

If the boy was the product of Rava and a donor from a filing cabinet and the girl was adopted then what Roman was saying was that they are not the rightful 'successors' according to Logan, hinting that the child Shiv will have will be the true bloodline.