mariah is skinny. fuck blue lives.

And most importantly. Tom understands the game perfectly well and yet is still operating under the delusion that the game is in any way fair. Which gets to a really key thing about Tom, which is that Tom has fully bought into the idea that capitalism is a meritocracy. If you're successful it's because you've worked harder and played the game better than everyone else. That's why he tags the kid out in episode 1 - you can't have a million dollars you didn't earn by getting a real home run. It's why handing off the work of shredding the documents is "giving someone an opportunity to shine". It's why he assumes everyone else at ATN is just parroting values they think are lucrative, much like he is, and that they don't actually believe what they're saying. It's why Tom insists that it's someone else's fault he fucked up the congressional hearings. It's why he offers to go to prison instead of going to the DOJ. Because capitalism is a game and if you play the game right you pass go and get your $200 and then eventually you win. As he rises through the ranks the game gets dirtier and dirtier than he expected, but it's still a game and the rule is that if you get Logan's approval you win.

Shut up. Easy. Sorry.