Chris Connor reviews the seventh episode of the fourth and final season of Succession…
We’re rapidly moving towards Succession’s endpoint and we remain no clearer about where we will ultimately end up. So often this season the goalposts have shifted and so have a few expected and unexpected alliances from Roman’s initial swing towards his father to Shiv’s partnership with Matsson. To Jesse Armstrong’s credit, the shifts in the narrative have worked so well and kept the audience in line, never damaging the momentum (so far).
This episode retains the structure of the past few, taking place over the course of one evening at Tom and Shiv’s flat at a pre-election “tailgate party”. Tom and Shiv’s relationship has had moments in the spotlight this season but is put through the wringer in this episode with superb acting from both Matthew Macfadyen and Sarah Snook, erupting at one another yet most haunting are the moments of silence and drawn-out shots of facial expressions.
The machinations of the family are as fascinating as ever; Conor, now actually enjoying some success in his presidential campaign, is offered to drop out for an ambassadorial position, will he take the post and risk wasting the momentum he’s passionately built in the previous weeks?
There are so many moving parts, with the loss of Logan still clearly hanging over proceedings and again questions of how the siblings compare to their father, and who will speak at the funeral, which seems a power play of sorts among the trio as they jostle for approval.
There is also the question of the deal with GoJo and Matsson making an unexpected arrival at the party, altering the dynamic of both the party and the episode itself, and unsettling Kendall especially. We are treated to backroom conversations and pacts aplenty with seeming desperation from all involved either to keep the deal on track or derail it entirely.
The culmination of this episode once again is a highlight reel in itself, delivering a series of devastating moments and others that again have us questioning the show’s trajectory and will probably be pulled from under the Roy’s feet in the next episode.
There are three episodes to go and there has not been a misstep in this final season to date with all elements working in perfect sync to deliver a masterclass season of TV. Of course where this season positions in the show’s canon and wider finales remain to be seen but on the evidence so far, it will surely be in the conversation. Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin continue to astound as the three leads, equal parts lovable and despicable for different reasons, more vulnerable than ever but also more conniving and desperate to come out on top.
Chris Connor
