Pratik Handore
HBO’s ‘Succession‘ revolves around the affluent Roy family, especially the conflict between Logan Roy and his children. While we have seen Logan miscommunicate and mistreat his family members, implying he doesn’t care about them, Logan does seem to have high regard and unresolved feelings about his deceased sister. As the epic family saga draws close, the series finally reveals what happened to Logan’s sister and why it affected him for years. Hence, fans must be looking for details about Logan’s sister and her death in ‘Succession.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
Logan Roy Had a Sister
Logan Roy is the son of Helen Roy and hails from Dundee, Scotland. In the first season, viewers meet Logan Roy, who is clearly past his prime but continues to serve as the CEO of Waystar RoyCo, a global media conglomerate. As the narrative progresses, viewers learn more about Logan’s past and life before he became the all-powerful business mogul we know. An essential part of understanding Logan’s backstory is learning about his relationship with his sister, Rose Roy. She is first mentioned in the second season’s eighth episode, titled ‘Dundee.’ In the episode, the Roys travel to Logan’s hometown to celebrate Logan’s fifty years in the business.
During the dinner, Logan’s son, Kendall Roy, tells Rhea Jarrell to pay tribute to Rose during her toast. However, the toast causes friction between Logan, who sees Rhea as his replacement for the CEO role. Later in the episode, we learn from Logan’s brother, Ewan Roy, that Rose is a sensitive topic for Logan. Rose passed away years ago, and Logan has blamed himself for her death. As a result, he does not appreciate anyone bringing up Rose’s name as it reminds Logan of the emotional wounds that are still fresh. However, Rose does not appear across the show’s four seasons. Moreover, Logan dies in the third episode of season 4, leaving the mystery around Rose’s death unanswered.
How Did Rose Roy Die?
Although we never learn how Rose Roy died, it is evident through Logan’s expression that he was deeply affected and fundamentally changed by it. As a result, it makes perfect sense for us to learn the truth about Rose’s death during Logan’s funeral in the show’s penultimate episode. In season 4, episode 9, titled ‘Church and State,’ the Roy family gathers for Logan’s funeral. During the funeral, Ewan Roy wishes to address the crowd and shares a few words about his brother. Ewan’s speech is scathingly honest and borderline critical of how Logan viewed his family and loved ones. Ewan also touches upon Rose’s death and finally reveals how she died.
As viewers might already know, Logan and Ewan were sent to live with their uncle, Noah Roy, in Canada before the start of the Second World War. Sometime later, Logan’s younger sister, Rose, who was still a baby, also came to live with them. Meanwhile, Logan was sent away to study at a prestigious school, only for him to revolt against his uncle and return to the family. However, Logan believed that he brought polio along with him, and it caused Rose’s death.
Although Ewan refuses to believe Logan was responsible for Rose’s death, Logan has blamed himself for it throughout his life. The revelation does not directly accuse Logan of causing Rose’s demise but seemingly confirms that Rose died from uncured polio. Since it is known that Rose died between the ages of two and ten, it is safe to say that the poliovirus infection caused her death. As a result, the series finally wraps up the tragic brother-sister plot thread while giving a unique insight to viewers about Logan Roy even after his passing.
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