#Logan is hard to parse! he's a complicated guy!

[flippy-floppy]

ok thanks! 💕 the whole “iverson is kendall’s biological son” confuses me because it’s right there in the text that he actually isn’t. even accounting for roman’s provocation and w/e theory of reproduction logan might have postulated, the filing-cabinet guy bit and the randos comment are pretty straightforward. i don’t see the ambiguity at all tbh. now moving on to more personal interpretations, yessssss! Good Person doing a Good Thing and Feeling Good, i agree that kendall’s love for sophie is uncomplicated, but imho the same is true with iverson. not much self-reflection other than kendall asking himself if he’s Good or Bad and not wanting to be the father his father was. and if iverson is “half rava” but not kendall’s, can you imagine the implications? this child is rava’s, she carried him for 40 weeks, she’s known him for longer than kendall has. but sophie!!! “bianca won’t let me feed megathump a piece of my bagel” because sophie Knows she’ll get what she wants / “soph! open up!” when kendall demands that sophie open the car door in church and state, because she’s his daughter! he’s manipulative, he’s insane, he thinks his girl has his back. i think that logan, paradoxically, interacts with iverson because he’s the one that needs fixing, the one that needs to be consoled after kendall almost drowns. kendall is so out of touch with his authority as a father, his mere physicality as a man, that he doesn’t even realize that, together with logan, he’s the one forcing his son to partecipate in the food-tasting mindfuck. i think that he simply doesn’t know what to do with a boy lol, it doesn’t come naturally to him, just like every other single thing he’s supposed to do and be

[referencing this post 🙂]

the OP isn't saying he thinks that's what the text is intending, he's just talking about how he enjoys the narrative situation it would create and the character implications that come from that haha

it's more like, Well, what if xyz? What happens then? which is fun!! its fun to think about all the little possible variations of character and how they would impact the narrative in different ways!

all that to say: I do also think Iverson not being Kendall's is interesting too! like. Logan is very obsessed with the idea of modern dynasty and legacy and Kendall spending his whole life the heir apparent is Very Aware of that fact and how much it would hurt his position to not be a father. so for Kendall, the struggle to have kids and seeking out alternate methods of parenthood feels like an enormous personal failure and is obviously a great source of shame for him -- Like. it is so upsetting to him that he physically assaults Roman for bringing it up as a mark against him lol

imo Kendall's relationship to fatherhood is very. emblematic of the way he views his relationship to Logan: Kendall wants to Be Logan, wants to be what's expected of him and follow in his footsteps, and when he's unable to do so he seeks out alternate paths and convinces himself that it's not the result of a failure of expectations but because he's actually Better Than Logan.

So-- he wants to have kids and create a hereditary dynasty because that is what his dad wants. He is unable to do so. He seeks out adoption and IVF and convinces himself that this is what Modern Parenting looks like and he is doing a Good Thing by parenting this way and Logan just doesn't get it because he is the past and Kendall is the future. But in his heart, he knows. He's ashamed.

I think that disconnect creates a mental barrier for Kendall and keeps him distant from his kids, so there's no real emotional connection between them beyond a superficial level: they are his kids so he loves them. You're supposed to love family, so he loves them.

and i think you're right that Kendall is closer to Sophie, but i feel that has more to do with Iverson's autism than anything else really. i think Sophie's the more "accessible" kid for Kendall to talk to bc of that, so she's easier to connect with in kendall's mind, which could be why he reaches out to her after being rejected by rava in church and state

With Iverson I think Kendall sees him as like. a Kid With a Disability and so is focused on ensuring his material needs are met, that he's ok, that he's not under duress, etc, that he never really thinks to like. connect with him as an individual. which I think is true with Sophie too to some extent. like I think he genuinely believes that because he gets the kids whatever they want (ex. a rabbit) he is being a Good Dad

and yes with Logan I pretty much agree. like I think he just ignores them for the most part because he doesn't really view them as "his" but occasionally Iverson will stick out to him in a way where he's like, "I know how to fix this situation and Kendall and Rava are just unable/unwilling to do it the way I see is the Right Way." i have more thoughts on logan but they're all a bit incoherent so I will leave it at that I think

ty anon!!

#hi anon. did not mean to take like a week to respond LOL hope you see this...! #also i lied i will share one thought re: logan #the moment between him and Sophie+Iverson in all the bells say is sooo interesting but also really puzzling to me #like narratively I understand the underlying motivation of the scene and why it's there #but character-wise #what it says about him and his relationship with his grandchildren? I'm not really sure! would love to hear anyone else's thoughts #Logan is hard to parse! he's a complicated guy! #succession #kendall roy #iverson roy #sophie roy