Chris Connor reviews the ninth episode of Succession’s fourth and final season…
With the end now hurtling into sight, Succession continues to hold its cards close to its chest, with twists and turns aplenty even one episode out from its end. The penultimate episode dually functions as Logan Roy’s funeral and the aftermath of the election, with the likelihood of a Jeryd Mencken victory. The streets of New York are full of unrest and turmoil as the Roy family and co prepare to say farewell to Logan.
This tense backdrop adds a level of unease and discomfort to proceedings in what should be a calm occasion, it also shows the ramifications of ATN’s actions and the Roy family themselves. Again, this mirrors real-world events in the aftermath of Trump’s election and the storming of the Capital in 2021.
We see plot threads from across the season come to ahead here with each of the four Roy siblings finding their own ways to grieve and attempt to honour their father’s legacy, while trying to carve out business deals and destroy or save the deal with GoJo.
There is a substantial amount of movement in what is an extended episode, bringing new and returning players into the fold. James Cromwell’s Ewan Roy gets a standout moment at Logan’s funeral while Harriet Walter remains a scene stealer as Kendall, Roman and Shiv’s mother Caroline.
One of the best aspects of the show and this episode as a whole is not making clear who is the real villain of the piece, it could easily be Mencken with his politics while Matsson is of course despicable in his own way. How the characters flit between whom they can trust and the moral dilemma of whom to support or receive support from is one of its under looked values.
This episode gets to the heart of what makes Succession work so well, showing us both the more vulnerable and human side of the characters during the funeral and the more scheming and backstabbing sides in the immediate aftermath, they suck us in for a moment to devastate the next and it is this sense of unpredictability and shapeshifting that’s helped earn the show a legion of fans.
The writing is as sharp as ever and while the tone is heavier, dealing with grief and the show’s politics, moments of levity and humour can still be found and the interactions between these characters are as exhilarating as ever as we prepare to say farewell. Nicholas Britell’s score, so often an overlooked but vital ingredient in the show’s success is a constant, haunting presence, its shifts mirroring what is happening to the characters and building a sense of unquiet.
With just an episode to go the battle for the support of Mencken and whether the Roy’s retain control of Waystar is set to go down to the wire with several groups jostling for momentum over the course of the episode. Who ultimately comes out victorious remains to be seen but it is almost irrelevant, the thrill is seeing the development and at times lack thereof of these characters and Jesse Armstrong’s brilliant writing with the performances of all involved rising to the challenge. Church and State is another standout episode in a season that has been full of them, never feeling like filler and shifting the framework of the show close to its final bow.
Chris Connor
