Cousin Greg. Greg the Egg. That beautiful Ichabod Crane. However you know Gregory S. Hirsch on Succession, there’s no way you can miss his trajectory from a relative on the outskirts of Waystar Royco who can barely hold a job into a cunning strategist with the keys to the kingdom’s downfall. As he says in the Season 2 finale, “I’m more than just a sprinkle.”
The avid Succession fan that I am, I went back through all 20 episodes of HBO’s Emmy-winning drama in order to chart Greg’s journey into a true cunning and ambitious Roy, episode-by-episode. Read below to witness his evolution and how that translates to where we may find him in Season 3, and what may come back to bite him in his quest for power (and/or morality).
Season 1, Episode 1
“Celebration”
When we first meet the unmotivated Cousin Greg, he is smoking a joint in his car before work. Clearly eager to make a sterling impression before his training course to be the jolly mascot Doderick at one of Waystar’s premier theme parks. He hasn’t told anyone who he is because he “didn’t want to be an asshole and, like, get into it all,” according to what he tells his mom on the phone.
While on the job, a couple of kids taunt dear old Greg and pull on his plush tail. Nauseous from all the weed, he vomits through his costume and is swiftly dismissed. He’s at rock bottom, so he calls Mommie Dearest for some harsh advice that sets everything into motion: “You’re gonna go to [Logan's party]. You’re gonna get him a nice gift and you’re gonna look nice in a grown-up shirt and a grown-up blazer.” A complete 180 from where we find him suited up by the end of Season 2, he woefully bemoans, “A blazer?”
At the party, in a blazer, Greg fumbles over asking Logan for his job back while being introduced to the entire family as Cousin Craig. Craig. Obsequious to a fault, Greg acknowledges that “people sometimes mistakenly call me Craig, too. So I’ll answer to both.”
Roy Level: It is here our phoenix begins to (clumsily) rise from the vomit-covered blunt ashes. But as he's bumbling to a fault, he's got a rocky climb up the steep steps to the penthouse floor of Waystar Royco.
Season 1, Episode 2
“Sh*t Show at the F**k Factory”
After Logan has a stroke and is hospitalized, Greg receives his first lesson in manipulation. On errand to fetch Logan’s slippers and bedclothes from the apartment, Roman asks “Fuckin' Long Legs” for a favor — to also pick up contract papers from the house. Seems easy enough, though it marks the beginning of Greg's role as the family lackey. But it's gravy for now because he’s just happy to be there getting his first taste of the lavish lifestyle of the 1 percent.
At the apartment, Shiv gives Greg a call and asks him to not find the papers Roman has asked for. Confused about the “chain of command,” Greg calls his No. 1: Mom. She lets him know he has to decide which one of them — Roman or Shiv — is more important.
But that's not even his biggest concern: He can’t figure out which checkered slippers Marcia specifically wanted him to bring back for Logan! “Fuck the slippers, Greg. You have to strategize.” He is trying to strategize with you, Mom, “but you won’t strategize!” A fair level of immaturity on Greg’s part at the start of the series, but he is very out of his depth.
Greg gets back to the hospital, slippers, bedclothes, but no papers in hand — he’s siding with Shiv on this one, a potentially detrimental decision come Season 2.
While in the waiting room with Tom, Greg asks if Tom knows whether or not he has a spot at Waystar. Of course he doesn't, Greg. "Why would I know?” But Tom tells Greg that when he does figure all this out, to come and see him. “I’ll look after you,” he says. Well, to a degree. Greg is still homeless, as we learn at the end of the episode, sleeping in a church pew.
Roy Level: Rock bottom, my friends. Greg's got no home, no job (allegedly), and no mind of his own yet.
Season 1, Episode 3
“Lifeboats”
It’s here! The first day of the new gig. Greg has his hair slicked back and is having an identity crisis. The front desk clerk calls him "Greg Roy," which he's not, he says, but kinda is. “I’m actually a Hirsch. My mom’s a Roy, but uh... I’m basically a Roy in all — all but my name.”
As one does on the first day of their shiny new job, Greg eagerly grabs snacks from the office kitchen. At this point, he is truly scraping from the bottom of the Waystar pie, just grateful for the crumbs he manages to get. (He maxed out his credit card and he’s staying in a youth hostel on, like, $80 a day.)
Disgusted, Tom comes by and remarks, “Dude, are you carrying dog shit?” as he sees Greg fill up little to-go doggie bags with food. Tom can’t help but leap at the chance to make fun of Greg’s form of tupperware, not to mention his deck shoes. “They’re just bags really,” Greg says defensively. “It’s just a mental barrier.”
But despite Tom’s penchant for kicking Greg when he’s down, he gives him some advice (he needs to get himself a pair of cap-toe Oxfords, Crockett & Jones, stat) and asks his co-worker Lucinda, “Can we figure out where we might put the talented Mr. Greg?” If anything, this episode shows the cementing of Tom relishing any attempt to domineer over Greg as his own personal lapdog — doggie bags included.
Roy Level: A bouncy dog looking for his bone in the office kitchen. He's picking up the scraps, reaching out his paw for Tom to take and in the same breath, slap away.
Season 1, Episode 4
“Sad Sack Wasp Trap”
With an upgrade in his wardrobe, Greg is now one half of the Tom/Greg duo in the Parks and Cruises department of Waystar Royco. But with great threads, comes great responsibility, something these two learn the hard way.
You see, Tom has a virus. "It's a deadly virus," he tells Greg after learning of the misconduct within Cruises. He tosses Greg a folder, the death pit, as it were, containing the details of what has gone on within the department.
Greg doesn’t feel like he’ll like it in the death pit, already knowing this isn’t a spot he wants to be in from the start. But if Tom is going down, he wants company. “You’re family,” he tells Greg, a stamp of approval he’s been craving from the Roy’s, even if Tom is a Wambsgans.
Obtuse but gaining wisdom, Greg realizes he has signed a death wish. “I have the virus, don’t I?” For better and most definitely for worse, he and Tom are in this together now.
Later in the episode at the Roy charity gala, we see Greg starting to get his sea legs after Tom accuses him of ratting on him (as well as exposing his plan for a press conference) to Gerri. Greg denies it, but by the time the party is being cleaned up, it is clear that Greg cracked. “Good kid, smart move. Keep talking,” Gerri says to Greg. He’s making these big boy moves all on his own now.
Roy Level: Guess Greg deleted his mom from speed dial after reaching out to Gerri on his own. Greg doesn't want to be the one left holding the bag for Cruises, and he does whatever he can to make that happen — even if it means betraying a "so-called" friend.
Season 1, Episode 5
“Went to Market”
It’s Thanksgiving and one thing Tom is thankful for is Greg, who is tasked with doing Tom’s dirty work by destroying any evidence of wrongdoings in the cruise department. It’s “no big deal,” Tom says. A “little chimpanzee” could do it.
At the “Archives North” office, Greg shreds oodles of papers, but makes a pivotal decision, one that Episode 1 Greg would never think of and one that will chart his course the rest of the series — he keeps copies of sensitive documents in a folder and stashes them in his monogrammed G.S.H. backpack. (Still wondering what the “S” stands for). He greets the trash collectors outside, noting “that’s a bunch of corporate materials... headin’ for extra shreddin.’” His culpability terrifies him.
Roy Level: Hopeful that he actually matters to the company and the family, Greg acquiesces and does Tom's bidding. But he is smart enough to realize he has to keep some form of contingency plan for himself, realizing that even though it would be a lovely idea to blindly place his faith in this nest of vipers, it's wiser that he shouldn't.
Season 1, Episode 6
“Which Side Are You On?”
Knowing that Greg is unhappy with Tom after being told to destroy company documents, Tom invites Greg to a five-star dinner. Greg, who also enjoys the finer things in life, shares that he was planning on using his paycheck for a meal at his favorite spot — California Pizza Kitchen — since “they make a Cajun chicken linguini just how I like it.”
Absolutely horrified, Tom wants to teach him how to cultivate a more sophisticated palate — a tentpole in grooming Greg to become a Roy. “I’ll show you how to be rich, OK? It’ll be fun.” Famous last words.
Before that dinner, Greg gets dinner with Grandpa Ewan — yes, Greg, the people pleaser, double books himself for meals — and learns that Kendall plans on calling for a vote of no confidence against his own father at the next board meeting. It’s a bomb drop of information, and yet Greg understands the enormity of it and is left with the following advice from his grandpa that will follow him into the Season 2 finale: “Paddle your own canoe.”
Immediately after his first dinner, Greg goes to his inordinate meal with Tom, who has ordered them the full tasting menu, so he’d better eat up. The wine list shockingly has no prices because they’re obscene. While Greg gleaned some wisdom in morality from Ewan, he learns the perks of the uber elite from Tom.
“Look, here’s the thing about being rich, OK? It’s fucking great, OK? It’s like being a superhero, only better. You get to do what you want, the authorities can’t really touch you. You get to wear a costume, but it’s designed by Armani and it doesn’t make you look like a prick.”
Over deep fried songbirds, Tom tells him that “all the things we’ve seen, all the things we’ve done, we’re in this together, man.” Tom was an outsider once, too, perhaps still is. Feeling like they’re really creating a bond here, Greg lets him in on the vote of no confidence, and Tom, still yearning for the Roy’s approval, calls Kendall immediately to report that Ewan came down especially to vote. Tom can’t reveal his sources, “but it’s Greg,” he says. Despite the show of trust, they can never really trust each other at all.
Roy Level: Greg has become a sponge, absorbing what he can from two of his mentors to make his tail rattle all the more. But the temptation of power and "superhero elitism" from Tom seems to sway Greg away from the call to morality, at least at this stage in the game.
Season 1, Episode 8
“Prague”
Absent from Episode 7, “Austerlitz,” Greg returns in Episode 8, assisting Logan with (what else?) IT issues. It's then that Logan levels with him and asks Greg to do him a favor. If you haven't gathered, Greg is always doing favors for the Roys.
Logan wants him to watch over Kendall at Tom’s upcoming bachelor party, since he’s heard Kendall has been “wetting his beak.” Seizing his opportunity, Greg asks for a “lateral shift in terms of [his] position at the company.” (He wants to be as far away from the mess of Cruises as possible.)
It’s a big moment for Greg, who now knows to take advantage of when he’s been asked a favor. Rather than just completing it, he’s learned to play the game of thrones and ask for something in return.
As asked of him, Greg watches over Kendall, suggesting he has one wine, one water as “an informal rule” and that he eat some risotto balls. (“They’re super soakers.”) Kendall catches on, thinking his ex-wife, Rava, put him up to this. Unable to lie, Greg admits Logan is worried about Kendall and asked him to spy.
This is the first real interaction we see between Kendall and Greg, planting the seeds of a blossoming friendship. And so when Kendall tells his pal Greg that if he wants to stop him from doing four lines of cocaine, Greg has to do them for him. Because he’s so committed to pleasing Logan and moving up, Greg does what he’s told. The price he pays to stay “in” with the Roy boys.
Roy Level: Greg is now at the point where he'll do whatever it takes to hop on a ship taking him as far away from Cruises as possible, even if it means he has to "buckle up, Fucklehead" and do coke in a nightclub. But even here we see Greg isn't really a fan of the "do what you've gotta do" Roy mentality, recapping the whole night as "nightmarish" to Tom.
Season 1, Episode 9
“Pre-Nuptial”
Shiv and Tom are about to walk down the aisle, and the wedding party is there to celebrate for pre-nuptial revels. Greg introduces himself to Caroline Collingwood — the mother of Shiv, Roman, and Ken — as Gregory, trying to seem grown-up to new faces. But she amusedly teases him, recognizing him as “Greg the Egg,” since when he was born, he looked like a misshapen egg. One step forward, two steps back.
Loyalty looms over the festivities when Greg sees Shiv canoodling with her old boyfriend, Nate, and frets over whether he should tell Tom, who is back inside the party, looking ever so merry.
Looking for a confidant, Greg talks through the situation with an ill-fated waiter (come the next episode), wondering if he should tell Tom that doubt is indeed afoot. He’s between a rock and a hard place, but seeing that he still has a semblance of morality and a sort-of friendship with Tom, Greg tells him the next morning on his run.
Roy Level: Where is the promotion that was discussed between Greg and Logan, or "his lateral shift in terms of position?" Come the pre-nuptials, that's all but down the drain and he's back to just "Greg the Egg" again. But whichever way you slice it, Greg's inner conscience shines through even on his quest for Roy approbation. He wants to do the right thing by Tom and not let him walk down the aisle blindly.
Season 1, Episode 10
“Nobody Is Ever Missing”
After Tom and Shiv’s nuptials, Greg wishes Kendall good luck on the corporate takeover of Waystar. Leaning whichever way the wind blows, he throws Kendall a bone of loyalty, telling him “This place has gotta change, I feel. Like the old shit, nasty politics, like the… stuff at the cruise lines? You know about that? Because I helped clean it up, you know?”
Ken asks him if he knows where he can find a little “sumpin' sumpin',” i.e., drugs. He doesn’t (he’s not cool like that), but Greg does go on to tell Kendall about his insurance policy, the copies he made that document the Cruises nightmare. It’s a critical moment for the two and will come back into play in the Season 2 finale.
The morning following the accident that kills the waiter who did drugs with Kendall, Greg remarks on the weird vibe with the service folks, “like the Hobbit-y people.” Only 10 episodes in, Greg is beginning to show just how far he’s come from a humble Hirsch shoving office snacks into doggie bags to a Roy asking if the scrambled eggs have "congealed."
Roy Level: We see you, Greg, and Kendall does, too. What a "little Machiavellian fuck" he's become. By the end of Season 1, Greg is paddling his own canoe indeed, staking his claim in Team Kendall. An air of snobbery has also "congealed" within Greg, in a Tom-like effort to find someone to look down on when he's been on the bottom rung of the Roy ladder for so long.
Season 2, Episode 1
“The Summer Palace”
By Season 2, Greg is the captain of Team Kendall, as he now fetches drugs for his new pal, even though Kendall is unimpressed with the “park coke.”
Eager to impress, Greg calls it the “good shit,” but Kendall says it’s the worst coke he’s ever had. Greg says his “park connection” promised him it was good, and he can take it back. “Yeah, take it back for a refund, Greg.”
Roy Level: Greg is still not a total power player yet at the start of Season 2, but he does have cards to play with an exciting new ally — even if he has to make runs to the park to snag some coke.
Season 2, Episode 2
“Vaulter”
In a true full-circle moment, Greg is back at the theme park where he once vomited through a mascot character’s eye holes. Except this time, he’s not in a costume, he’s being pampered as a member of the Roy entourage by the people he once worked alongside.
As for the people he is currently working alongside, Greg has a new job — as Tom’s executive assistant at the news division, ATN. It’s the last place Greg wanted to work, something he voices to Tom (a huge step for the once entirely submissive character), who, in so few words, tells Greg to “man the fuck up.”
We also see Greg moving on up in other aspects of his life. Thanks to Kendall, Greg has scored a new, spacious apartment. (Greg, used to taking “a lot in terms of psychological pain,” doesn’t even believe Kendall when he first offers it to him.) But Kendall tosses him the keys, so long as he can hang there and have a little party when he so desires.
After Kendall guts Vaulter, he takes Greg up on that point and hosts a rager. Greg wants to call it a night, but Ken says, “I don’t think so, Greg.” So even though he took Ken’s apple, he still got some leftover poison from the bite.
Roy Level: Stiffening up with a bit of a backbone now, Greg is not partial to the "lateral shift" move to ATN and actually voices his opinion. The wide-eyed innocence facade just grateful for the opportunity is gone, at least as far as work is concerned. And even though he does have a hefty benefactor in Kendall, he realizes taking from the hand that feeds you isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Season 2, Episode 3
“Hunting”
Greg takes a “pre-meeting” with Michelle Panstil, an author writing a biography on Logan Roy that he does not want to come out. Very specific in his concerns, Greg wants to be clear that this isn’t a meeting. “This is a precursor to see if I might be willing to meet.” Since actually meeting her would be a big step and he’s a “time-pressed executive,” he has to see if he can even eke out time in his calendar.
However, Greg isn’t quite the savant he thinks he is and gets a little big for his britches. He slips up in the meeting and gives too much away, demanding everything be anonymous. Michelle informs him that’s not how it works, patronizing him that “I’m sure you’ve been to a bunch of meetings and done a bunch of things” after he says that’s unfair.
When the senior team all heads off to Hungary to do some hunting, head of PR for the company Karolina informs Logan that someone close to him, someone inside, spoke to the biographer. He’s furious. But “Rat-fucker Sam” is on the case to comb through emails, company phone logs, whatever it takes to track down the rat from the sewer. As Kendall talks to a very nervous Greg, Tom looks on, jealous that Greg has become friendly with a new mentor, and perhaps, gaining a growing pull in the family.
While out hunting, Greg confesses to Tom (who admits to being jealous of Greg spending time with Kendall) that it was him who talked to the biographer and is wondering “how likely it is that Sam will find out the person emailed from a private email.”
Tom cautions him that he needs to “put that info in a locker and not tell anyone. And pray that you can trust me, because you just handed me a valuable piece of capital.” He gives Greg some wise words, in the vein of Ewan’s “paddle your own boat” aphorism: “Buddy, trust no one. Ever.”
At the memorable “Boar on the Floor” dinner, Greg asks Tom to “please” cover for him, and surprisingly, he does. The next morning, Greg sincerely thanks Tom for not snitching.
While Greg is becoming more graceful in maneuvering Roy relations, he still relies on his co-outsider to support him in times of need. Whether they trust each other or not.
Roy Level: Greg learns he's got to keep his ego in check when his meeting with Michelle Pantsil goes awry, even making himself vulnerable to Tom when he needs an ally the most. "Boar on the Floor" marks one of the less erudite plays on Greg's part.
Season 2, Episode 4
“Safe Room”
Greg is being noticed at work by News head Cyd Peach, and Tom, in turn, looks on enviously. While learning to play the game, Greg still has a true moral compass, which causes him to be repulsed by Tom using a coworker as a piece of “human furniture,” resting his feet on his back after losing a bet.
Later (during a shooter scare), Greg asks Tom if he could work in a new department of the company. But the way he chooses to reveal his cards shows just how much he understands the complexities of working for this family. He butters Tom up, saying he’s “in the shadow of a giant here, a.k.a. you,” trying to lessen the blow, and get what he wants.
Tom is heartbroken, but Greg is firm on his beliefs. He can’t stomach ATN, human furniture, “verbal assaults, physical humiliations, Nazi stuff, shooters... I just don’t love it.” However, Tom doesn’t want Greg to go shine on his own.
With the two most insecure, vulnerable members of the Roy family disagreeing, Tom unleashes his sadness by pelting water bottles at his successor who wants to move on. “It doesn’t feel fucking good, Greg! I will NOT let you do this to me. I will NOT let go of what is mine!” Greg cries out for security, but Tom intercedes and claims this is executive-level business. Greg considers Tom one of his best friends, which is precarious in this family, but Tom’s pride and feelings are hurt.
After they get the safety all clear, Tom apologizes. “I know that wasn’t cool. The bottles, the attack.” But he sees that Greg is smart, ambitious, and loyal, which is why he gets intimidated that Greg possibly wants to level up. And lest we forget, loyalty is frivolous in this family, as Greg did rat Tom out to Gerri when he wanted to hold his press conference. “Why would I let you go?” Tom rhetorically asks.
But Greg doesn’t submit and “reluctantly” brings up the Cruises documents he saved. Like a new fawn learning to stand, Greg stumbles about and even asks permission to blackmail Tom, saying, “would it be bad for me to, like, mention those [documents] to you now?”
Impressed, Tom accepts his blackmail, and in fact, accelerates Greg. New title. Ton more money. Nice new office. Seat at the big table. He asks where the papers are, but Greg will never tell… at least not yet. Papa is proud of his conniving boy.
Roy Level: Like a little birdie finally learning how to fly, Greg delicately (and cleverly) voices what he wants, and in turn, gets a promotion. Not exactly what he was after, but a massive step-up from when he was happy to just deliver lattes to the suits at the big table. Now he's sitting at the big table.
Season 2, Episode 5
“Tern Haven”
After the whole Pierce dinner debacle at Tern Haven, Greg comes to Logan’s apartment to congratulate the family on the acquisition news. Marcia says hello to Greg, but he says he’s “actually going by Gregory now.” Much like how he introduced himself to Caroline, he’s trying to be more adult, more senior, more savvy. But he’s still Cousin Greg, and Tom looks at him like he’s a buffoon.
Greg smartly praises Logan, who welcomes Greg to have a drink, “you beautiful Ichabod Crane.” It’s noticeable that with each exchange Greg has with a family member, Tom often watches carefully, as if he’s trying to determine his own fragile level of power versus Greg’s.
Roy Level: With every sly move, Gregory is always knocked back down a peg. Even as he's toasting to the Roy's success, he'll never not be "Greg the Egg" to them.
Season 2, Episode 6
“Argestes”
While on a hike at Argestes, the conference for execs and tech giants, Greg informs Tom that ATN’s soon-to-be-announced slogan, “We’re listening,” is a little too on the nose with the actual listening ATN is doing to customers. Tom and Greg are left to brainstorm new ideas, and land on: “We hear you.”
Outside a club that night, Tom and Greg bounce ideas off each other, having truly become a tag team. Tom wonders if “we hear you” is really just the same problem, even though Greg thinks it’s “less active.” He comes up with “we hear for you,” which works because “it’s not clear exactly what the hell it means so lots of wiggle-room.”
While inside the club, he asks Roman for a hit in the bathroom as he’s overwhelmed by the “power party” of tech titans and supermodels out there. But he is completely dismissed and Roman just uses Greg’s suit jacket as a towel, still disrespected even though he’s up in Argestes with them.
Roy Level: Greg is contributing to the Roy brand, actually having a say in ATN's new strategy. But Roman's rudeness leaves an indelible mark on Greg, one he won't soon forget.
Season 2, Episode 7
“Return”
Greg debuts a spiffy new haircut (albeit he didn’t need one, it was just nerves) when Tom comes to his apartment to snuff out Greg’s copies of the Cruises document papers once and for all now that an article has come out about the misconduct in Waystar’s Cruises division.
Greg is fearful of giving over the papers, because, crafty as he is, he knows they are his insurance policy, in case things were to turn nasty. And he is exactly right to think so, considering the upcoming Senate hearings in the final two episodes. Tom invokes a little blackmail intimidation of his own, warning that “we need to end this now. Or I tell Logan that you took copies of sensitive documents.”
The next day, they fetch the papers from the office and Tom makes fun of Greg for keeping them in a pouch named “Secret” and an inside folder named “Receipts.” Surprisingly, Greg snaps at Tom to “shut up.” Not used to Greg talking back, he tells him, “Easy,” and Greg quickly apologizes. He still doesn’t want to lose his position at the company or with Tom right now, no matter how icky it feels.
Later that night, Greg earns back his insurance policy by stashing papers in his pants while Tom steps inside to get a lighter to burn the evidence. It may be unconventional and a little juvenile, but Greg is learning that he must protect himself. This canoe can only fit one person.
Roy Level: Greg's guilt is getting to him, as he even practices recording himself in a bathroom in anticipation of Tom burning the only shred of evidence left that could protect him. But he has the wherewithal to know that grabbing the papers from the fire pit is the defining moment and he captures it. He doesn't let it slip.
Season 2, Episode 8
“Dundee”
As they all head to Dundee to honor Logan, Ewan insists Greg stop working for Logan, even though he has moved up significantly. “If you refuse, I think it’s well within my rights to remove your name from amongst the beneficiaries of my last will and testament.” And that’s a pretty penny of $250 million.
This is a fateful bargain that may come into play in Season 3 as well, as Greg initially puts his “Greggs” in the wrong Roy basket by choosing to remain gainfully employed by Logan, and forgoing a “Gregxit.”
Roy Level: Clinging onto the hope that Logan might see a Waystar in him, Greg follows the potential for growth rather than sticking with the monetary safe bet. Uncle Fun over Grandpa Grumps.
Season 2, Episode 9
“DC”
All the men in the senior cadre watch as names from the Waystar executive board are called out on the news, indicating which heads are going to roll in the Cruises fiasco. While left out of the strategy meeting amongst the family, Greg announces he’s turned down his $250 million inheritance from Ewan. “‘Cause Logan promised he’ll look after me.”
Connor balks that he’s trusting his dad, since that is a foolhardy risk to take. “My grandpa changes his mind a lot so it’s not final,” Greg says, and shares that his mom said he’d still get $5 million. This is the first we’ve ever heard of him talking to his mom since early Season 1. Greg the Egg is all grown up, though not necessarily making the best decisions.
As the Senate has called a hearing in Washington, D.C. to investigate the wrongdoing at Waystar, Tom is put up as a representative and is asked to answer for the documents he enlisted Greg to destroy on that fateful Thanksgiving Day.
Senator Gil Eavis cites that “in Document 16 of the blue tab packet, it suggests over 40,000 electronic records and paper documents from the period in which we’re interested were not available to us.” He wonders if there was a targeted coverup because “they were full back in August. But when they were subpoenaed, they were apparently unavailable, and, in the interim, they were signed out.” Most importantly, he notes they were checked out by none other than Gregory Hirsch.
Eavis goes on to ask a befuddled Tom if he knows Gregory Hirsch, to which he at first says he doesn’t. “Do you know what is special about the hours between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. on the night of March 12th?” Eavis asks.
“That was the only two-hour period in which you did not send an email to Mr. Hirsch with the title ‘You Can’t Make a Tomlette Without Breaking Some Greggs.’” Referring to the contents of Tom’s abhorrent (and iconically titled) emails to Greg, Eavis further wonders if he’s ever used another human being as a footstool. Signing his own death warrant, Tom says he uses “a variety of target-oriented incentives to enhance optimal performance.”
Understandably distraught (and frustrated with himself), Greg busts into the Waystar strategy war room furious that “I just turned down a quarter of a billion and now I’m going to jail forever ‘cause of this fucking guy, man!” Logan kicks him out, which makes Greg wonder if Logan will really look after him after all…
Roy Level: Big mistake. Huge. Gregg drops the money and sides with Logan, all while he's cited by Senator Eavis and Tom fumbles the bag. Fearful for his own tail on the line, Greg is now taking stock of Ewan's advice all along: paddling his own canoe is the only way to go.
Season 2, Episode 10,
“This Is Not for Tears”
Ah, we made it. In the Season 2 finale, Greg is now being put on the witness stand after being cited in the hearing with Tom. Nervous out of his mind, he responds to the question of if he’s Tom’s executive assistant with, “If it is to be said, so it be — so it is.” Under immense pressure, Greg can no longer fake emulating the titans in the war room the best he can. Instead he ends up looking like an oversized toddler wearing his dad’s suit.
Awaiting the decision of the blood sacrifice, the Roys jet off to their behemoth yacht. We see Greg unimpressed with the boat, brushing off how nice it is, and fully ascending into his wealthy circumstances.
Later, playing on the yacht’s slide, Greg cools off with a glass of rosé, although he admits to Tom that it’s not his favorite. From CPK’s Cajun chicken linguini to having a favorite rosé, Greg has grown leaps and bounds in terms of refining his palate.
At the dinner where the blood sacrifice is being decided, we are introduced to “Greg sprinkles,” the topping du jour that sweetens the deal when offering Tom up as the guilty party. It acts as the final straw for Greg, who is noticeably offended by Roman’s suggestion, and may be the catalyst to what happens next.
After Logan calls upon Kendall to be the head on the spike, Greg ends up flying back with him to announce the decision at a press conference. One thing we don’t know as fans is why Greg was the one on that flight with Kendall. Did he offer? Did Kendall ask him to come? It behooves them both, as while they’re on the flight, Greg gives Kendall the final piece of the puzzle in dethroning Logan once and for all.
When they land, Kendall makes his grand pronouncement at the press conference that this is the day Logan Roy’s reign ends and he has the documents to prove it — looking right at Greg with the papers in hand. The copies of records show Logan’s personal sign-off on the misconduct at Cruises, and Kendall says he’ll be providing the documents in the coming days.
Finally understanding Ewan’s lesson (that he needs to paddle his own boat) and Tom’s (that he should not to trust anyone but himself), Gregory S. Hirsch takes charge of his own destiny and firmly sides with an early ally.
Roy Level: No more Greggs are gonna be cracked for the sake of Tomlettes. Gregory S. Hirsch has left the building and took the incriminating papers with him.
This colossal move leads to a few questions going into Season 3: Will Tom bring up that Greg talked to Logan’s biographer and be crushed by Greg’s betrayal since he’d always viewed Greg as his loyal underling? And will the biography secret even matter now since the Cruises documents pretty much dwarf everything else? Will Ewan change his mind about the $250 million inheritance now that Greg chose morality over Logan Roy’s power and influence? And how will Team Kendall thwart what will surely be a battle with Waystar?
Much is up in the air, but what we can be sure of is this Machiavellian duo can command their own majestic schooner into messy waters, because they’re the ones who’ve got the insurance policy. Greg the Egg finally cracked, and Waystar had better watch out.