Chris Connor reviews the third episode of Succession’s fourth and final season….
After the trials and tribulations of the Roy family coming to face to face at Connor’s wedding rehearsal, episode three – set in the run-up to the wedding itself – turns expectations for the whole season on their head. With Roman still torn between his siblings and father Logan, much of the attention shifts towards wedding preparations although with this being an HBO show and post-Game of Thrones, we should never expect a wedding to go smoothly.
This episode is one of the strongest in the show to date, completely shifting the balance of power within the show and with seven episodes left in this final season, it almost at times feels like a finale in and of itself, so much is the status quo shifted by the events laid out here. The Roy’s grapple with what life might look like post-Logan and we get a glimpse at what the remainder of this season will look like both are plagued by uncertainty, adding further grey to what has already been a deeply unpredictable season.
With this only being the third episode and with so much still to come, it is safe to say there is a lot for Jesse Armstrong and co to live up to but the way the season has unfolded to date, one can assume they are up to the challenge.
This episode perfectly encapsulates what makes Succession stand out from everything else on TV and has earned it legions of fans over the past five years, the writing and acting are phenomenal with all the major players given a moment in the light, feeding off each other in an extraordinary fashion. Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin and Matthew MacFadyen especially deliver some of their strongest work in the show to date and will surely be in the awards conversation for their performances here, grappling with grief and confusion over what the future might hold. It’s a whirlwind hour of television that goes by in the blink of an eye.
For an episode full of discussions and mostly set in two locations, there is an unbelievable amount of tension and full credit to all involved for stretching it into such a tight and gripping hour of television that will surely go down at the end of the show’s run as one of its strongest.
‘Connor’s Wedding’ synthesises everything that makes Succession special into one episode, once again upending expectations in a delightful fashion and frankly leaving a host of questions for the show to answer in its next episode and across the remainder of its final run. The balance may have shifted but it’s safe to say the quality hasn’t abated, and the show is going out on the highest possible highs, delivering a stellar final run for the Roys. It remains to be seen how all involved can one-up a remarkable feat like this, but rest assured they’ll give it a shot and audiences will lap up every moment spent with the despicable yet lovable family.
Chris Connor
