Chris Connor reviews the eighth episode of the fourth and final season of Succession…
While Succession’s final season has been built around the passing of Logan Roy and the deal with Gojo, one of the major background events hanging over it has been the impending election and how the candidates will affect Waystar Royco’s future and facilitate or block the deal.
‘America Decides’ is set on election night, almost entirely from ATN HQ, in the trenches of the fight for who will become President. This comes just one night after the previous episode’s events with loyalties torn and debate on who support from the Roy siblings should go to with Roman incredibly pro-Jeryd Mencken who has pledged to block the deal.
Shiv meanwhile is throwing her support behind Daniel Jiménez, reluctant to support Mencken’s far-right leanings. It seems likely that this episode was inspired by the 2020 Presidential race with controversy around calling the election result too soon and fears of legal actions and re-counts. While this may be the case it is subtly handled by the writers and doesn’t detract from what is another stunning hour of television.
We see the full ebbs and flows of election night pan out over the course of 60 breathless minutes full of tension and a sense of what is at stake for all three siblings with Kendall perhaps the least committed and questioning his moral compass. The three leads feed off each other wonderfully while there is also a sizable role for Greg and Tom at ATN HQ, fighting to do what is right for the American people and the Roy siblings.
The election coverage feels painstakingly accurate with all clearly having done their research and while we’ve not spent a huge amount of time with the presidential candidates’ bar Connor, their political leanings feel true to reality and the state of American politics. While a reflection of the conflict between left and right, it is also a metaphor for the Roy siblings’ internal battles.
As this is Succession things don’t go according to plan for any party as loyalties are frayed and betrayals come to the surface, leaving a huge question mark over where the last two episodes are headed with Logan’s funeral seemingly our next stop on the Roy’s final journey.
Succession’s final season once again proves that it is willing to go in unexpected directions but is nonetheless a constantly gripping affair that you can’t pull your eyes from. It feels like a real election night in so many ways, with a real sense of realism and tangibility to it that few other shows have captured. The parallels to the real world are there to be seen but never overshadow the drama taking place and are never to on the nose.
The season has been building to this election with clear importance for many of our main parties and it doesn’t disappoint, what its initial result will be for the final two episodes and how it affects the Gojo deal remain to be seen but we are in for a hell of a ride.
Chris Connor
