Safe Room (Succession)

The episode charts several character threads: Logan and Kendall work to secure the acquisition of a rival media giant; Shiv is brought in to observe the daily operations of the company; Roman enters Waystar's management training program; Tom faces an internal controversy while overseeing the company's news channel, ATN; Connor and Willa attend the funeral of a board member with a problematic past; Kendall struggles with his mental health.

The episode introduces Holly Hunter in a recurring role as Rhea Jarrell, the CEO of Waystar's rival news conglomerate Pierce Global Media (PGM).

Meanwhile, Tom sits down with Ravenhead and receives strong indications that he is indeed a Nazi sympathizer; however, their meeting is cut short when a gunshot is heard in the building and everyone is ushered into safe rooms.

Actor Jeremy Strong said he used Crime and Punishment and The Manchurian Candidate as inspirations for his performance as Kendall in season 2, describing the character as an "almost somnambulistic, just dead-eyed soldier who's been weaponized, who's been made to cross further and further his own moral and ethical lines.

[3] "Safe Room" received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its ability to balance humor and timely political themes, and many calling it one of the series' best episodes.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 94% based on 16 reviews, with the critics' consensus stating, "Emotions run high as the Roy family hides from a suspected active shooter in the positively riveting, wickedly funny, and unfortunately relevant 'Safe Room.

Club gave "Safe Room" an A−, saying the episode "matched the darkness of its subject material with pitch-black humor that routinely tapped into many of our country’s own anxieties."

[6] Scott Tobias of Vulture gave the episode a full five stars, remarking that the series got the apparent active-shooter crisis "exactly right" in its parallels to real-world anxieties surrounding politically charged events.

[2] Emily VanDerWerff of Vox also named the episode her favorite of the season yet, praising the comedic confrontation between Tom and Greg, and found Kendall's subplot to be a "potent" summary of the series' ethos towards its commentary on the effects of wealth.