In Succession, Sandy Furness was once a formidable foe to the Roy family only to be sidelined by an illness. Season 3 reintroduced Sandy Furness and showed him to be in poor health amidst a tense shareholders meeting, but despite rumors of syphilis, the actual medical condition of Logan Roy’s arch-rival is still a mystery. It’s possible that Sandy did, in fact, contract the sexually transmitted disease, but that seems like just the type of disparaging gossip that the catty Roys would stir up to create ill will towards one of their enemies. Suffice it to say that Sandy is suffering in his old age, but his symptoms are vague.
Audiences first got word of Sandy’s condition back in Succession season 2, episode 6 “Argestes”. That was when Sandy was looking weak, but still able to converse and walk around, plotting his carnivorous takeover plans with his younger collaborator Stewy Hosseini. A whole season later, Sandy is in a wheelchair and inaudible to everyone except his identically-named daughter Sandi, though he still harbors the same red-hot malice towards Logan. The Succession finale ending shows Sandy once more as he attends the board meeting and votes to sell Waystar to Gojo, and his condition is still seen to be severe.
Tertiary Syphilis – Sandy’s Succession Illness Explained
With Sandy’s Succession return in season 3, Roman seems genuinely taken aback by Sandy’s state, wondering if his father’s adversary does actually have syphilis. He also wonders if Sandy is covered in genital sores, the most recognizable symptom of syphilis. If Sandy is suffering from this bacterial infection, though, he probably contracted it years ago when he was still virile. The condition is most likely not the typical sore-and-rash-ridden manifestation that Roman is thinking of, but the dreaded tertiary syphilis that corrupts the organs and brain.
This particularly nasty form of the disease occurs years after the initial stage, mostly if the infection is left completely untreated and allowed to spread to other parts of the body. That would explain Sandy’s dementia-like symptoms as well as his sudden loss of coordination that ruined his mobility and speech.
Then again, the man is older, and his unidentified condition serves to parallel Logan’s own bout of psychosis due to a urinary tract infection. Logan’s secretary Kerry explains that the Roy patriarch didn’t want anyone to know about his health issues, which explains why Waystar Royco tried to sully Sandy’s reputation with rumors of an STD. It seems as if stigmatized medical diagnoses can bruise the egos of both these ruthless rival kings.
Of course, Sandy and Logan are still formidable forces even as they age, ordering their minions around while not even definitively cognizant of their surroundings. That’s the real takeaway from Succession season 3, episode 5 “Retired Janitors from Idaho,” which demonstrates just how shackled the show’s heirs are to their parents’ whims. Syphilis or not, Sandy is still a threat to the Roys. If anything, public news of his condition has made him more vindictive towards his enemies and he’s fueling his final years with pure hate.
Why Sandy’s Illness Was Crucial For Succession Season 4
Given that Sandy’s Succession role once seemed to be so vital, it is a bit surprising to have the character sidelined with this illness. However, Sandy’s illness is really just a narrative device in order to introduce his daughter Sandi. She is shown to be a shrewd and calculating operator who outmatches her father’s ability to contend with the Roys. She also represents an interesting mirror to the Roy children in her relationship with her father.
When meeting with Shiv and Roman about ending their attempts at a hostile takeover in exchange for seats on the board of Waystar Royco, it is suggested that Sandi could just be using her father to voice her own desires and achieve her own plans. Sandi cooly shuts this accusation down by saying “I just do what my dad tells me, like you guys.” Not only is it a clever take-down of Logan Roy’s children, but it also seems pretty obvious that she is the one in control.
This becomes an especially interesting reflection in Succession season 4 with the death of Logan Roy. Even with him gone, he still holds immense power over his children, showing that they can never fully escape him. In contrast, Sandi’s father is alive and she is ready to step into his role and use his position to get what she wants, including voting for the Gojo deal in the Succession finale.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
