Episode 3 of Succession dropped a massive bombshell on fans with the death of Roy patriarch Logan Roy. Fans hailed “Connor’s Wedding” not only as one of the best episodes in the series, but of television in general. Fans were waiting with bated breath to see what the fallout and how the rest of the season would be affected.
It goes without saying, but if you haven’t watched Season 4 Episode 4 of Succession, “Honeymoon States,” you should stop reading here because this recap is going to contain LOTS of spoilers.
In the aftermath of Logan Roy’s death in the previous episode, the Roy family and the Waystar Royco team struggle to determine who is going to take his place at the head of the company. To make things worse, all of this is happening at the reception for Logan’s funeral, where everyone is supposed to be convening to mourn and celebrate his life.
The big reveal in this episode is that, at some point before his passing, Logan had left Kendall (Jeremy Strong) in his will as the desired heir to the Waystar Royco empire. However, the document on which this was written was unofficial and not legally binding, and the conflict of this episode comes from the Roy kids debating if this was actually their dad’s wishes. However, for the remainder of the season, this could be pivotal — as this could inflate his ego thinking his dad chose him.
Also Read: Succession Season 4 Review – An Acting Masterclass Gets Even Better
Of course, this does not sit too well with Shiv (Sarah Snook), who still thinks she is the best fit to be at the helm of Waystar Royco. Of course, she spends much of the episode trying to plead her case and delegitimize the role of her father’s written wishes. Over the course of the remaining episodes, we’re likely to see more of a split between her and Kendall, rather than the uneasy alliance that they had previously shared.
Roman (Kieran Culkin) is also in a unique spot, as right before Logan’s death, it seemed that he was in the favor of the patriarch. Of course, there seems to be nothing on paper to legitimize this claim, and everyone in the organization seems to be against him. He even lost his most powerful ally in Gerri, because he was instructed to fire her in the last episode.
On the other hand, Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) is scrambling to stay relevant. The reason he was able to achieve such a high level in the company was because he was in the favor of Logan. Now that Logan is gone, he has to find someone else to align himself with. Things between him and Shiv are already somewhat unsteady, so he attempts to cozy up with Kendall. As one would expect, that doesn’t go over well.
Greg (Nicholas Braun) finds himself in a similar situation. Since his biggest ally in Tom is on uncertain ground, he must find another powerful ally to ensure his future. There’s also the matter of Greg’s role in the company being somewhat uncertain, as he and Logan were not on particularly good terms before his death.
One of the biggest surprises of this episode is that Marcia (Hiam Abbas) is back. Although they had experienced a bit of a falling out, she and Logan had supposedly remained in touch and — most importantly — remained married. It will be interesting to see the role she plays in who ends up at the lead of Waystar Royco, because as we all know, the relationship between her and the kids wasn’t the best.
Also Read: Succession S4 E3 SPOILER Breakdown: “Connor’s Wedding”
Perhaps the most striking example of what Marcia might do is evident in the transaction she makes with Connor, who expresses interest in getting the house. Marcia very bluntly states a price range that she is looking for, and when Connor makes a very unsteady offer, she quickly accepts. It seems clear that she is trying to get as much money out of the situation as possible, and it will be interesting to see how that comes to affect the business.
This episode also shows the future that the members of the Waystar Royco board are hoping for: one where the company is not even run by a member of the Roy family at all. This would be an interesting way for the series to end. After four seasons of fighting over which family member would have control, it could conclude with none of them being in charge, and that would be hilarious.
Episode 4 of Succession Season 4 plays out almost exactly how you would expect given what happened in the last episode. That being said, the conclusion of the episode leaves the door wide open for the power dynamics in the Roy family to go in any number of directions.
New episodes of Succession drop on HBO and HBO Max every Sunday at 9pm ET/PT.
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