Episode Grade: (9.8/10)
Connor’s wedding is disrupted by news of Logan’s death. Members of the board and the Roy children scramble to put together a response.
Plot (50/50)
Wow, what a turn of events! What started out as a typical wedding episode with Logan plotting and planning on his way to see Mattson in Sweden descended into utter chaos upon his completely unexpected death. On face value, the only two developments were Logan’s death and Connor’s marriage to Willa. The fact that this took up the better part of an hour-long episode without causing the slightest drop in intensity is incredible. Let me wrap up the impact on the storyline before really diving into the writing clinic that we witnessed here. Logan’s death is, by all accounts, a seismic development that changes the dynamic of ongoing developments. Furthermore, it expedites the show’s overarching, titular main plot.
Logan’s Death
Now, with regards to the execution of Logan’s death, this was the closest thing to perfection. Tom breaking the news to Roman added uncertainty to the news that only that combination of characters could add. My initial thought was that Logan had ordered Tom to mess with Roman as some sort of test. The only character sadistic enough to play this sort of mind game is Logan. There’s no one as subservient and capable of pulling off pranks as Tom. Finally, Roman’s the most prone to Logan’s mind games, and he was the only child that was currently in direct contact with Logan. Once again, any other combination of characters would not have yielded the same initial conclusion.
Next, there was the denial that was drawn out by the continued CPR administration as well as the decision not to show Logan’s body for much of the sequence. Much like the characters in the show, namely Roman, I was in denial for a good chunk of the episode. Extending this denial for so long without ever showing Logan’s actual death struck a brilliant balance that both elevated and humbled Logan. He dies an unceremonious death in the most inopportune place, like any other human, but the amount of time that was spent on this gave weight to the death of an enormous personality.
Furthermore, the dynamic by which this was accomplished was nothing short of fascinating. Logan, who’s on a plane, is literally as isolated as possible from his children, who are on a boat, at the time of his death. Tom is acting as the de facto messenger as his fellow self-serving executives feast on the corpse of their fallen leader. What’s more, the Roy children are virtually powerless for much of this ordeal. Consequently, the suspense was palpable.
Looking Forwards
Killing off Logan so early in the season is a ballsy decision. It certainly turns up the excitement levels to the max as the battle for succession immediately heats up. Logan’s always operated on a level that was far superior to that of anyone around him. He also occupied so much space. Now that he’s gone, the playing field is, more or less, level. He’s left a considerable void, and it must be filled. It’s anyone’s game really. There’s a lot to like heading into the final episodes of the show. Regardless of who ends up on top, the fight for power promises to be cutthroat and full of drama.
Character Development (15/15)
In what is a definite sign of things to come, Logan’s on-screen absence meant that the screen time was more evenly distributed among the other characters. A combination of excellent writing and inspired performances meant that nearly every character had at least one impactful moment. But before I get into all that, I need to talk about the man himself. Even in absence, his presence is felt. Such is the power he held over those around him. He was the sun by which everything orbited around, and now that he’s gone, those who gravitated towards him need to find something (or someone) else to tether themselves to.
Logan
Irrespective of the way he died, it’s telling that Logan was still fighting for his company until the very end. In truth, death was probably his only avenue for retirement, as is the case with such titans. These are men (and women) that are obsessed with building bigger. It’s a blessing and a curse, as outstanding success is never met with satisfaction. It’s never enough, and by extension, the people around such individuals are never enough. Logan built his empire by betting on himself. He was never capable of having enough faith in one of his children to prepare them for success. He wanted to, no doubt, but his inability to do so will go down as his biggest failure.
It’s fitting that Logan dies so close, yet so far away from his children. With that said, their last interaction, in hindsight, is quite tragic. His final words to Kendall and Shiv being that they aren’t “serious people” will leave a devastating impression on them, especially since his tone was apologetic and regretful in a way we’ve never seen. I thought he was being somewhat genuine, and his death here all but confirms this. Even if he wasn’t genuine, this will play on the kids’ minds. It will forever be etched in their minds that in his final moments, their father was trying to reconcile with them, yet their final words and actions towards him were as hostile as ever.
The Children
The reactions of both Kendall and Shiv are strongly consistent with what we’ve seen in their relationships with Logan over the course of the show. Kendall is shell-shocked by the prospect of his father’s death, but he still can’t bring himself to forgive Logan. Shiv is in a similar situation, but there’s one key difference. Whereas Kendall regrets the fact that his relationship with Logan is broken beyond repair, Shiv’s reaction seems to suggest that she regrets not having enough time to mend her relationship with her father. Shiv also crucially ignores Tom’s calls when he’s trying to break the news initially.
Having somewhat reconciled with Logan before his death, Roman’s in a slightly different position. It’s clear that he loved his father more than the others did, but that love was almost never reciprocated. The ensuing inferiority complex made for a toxic relationship and instilled a sense of insecurity that Roman was never able to overcome. Logan’s vicious willingness to take advantage of Roman when he had a use for him made it impossible for Roman to distinguish when Logan was being genuine, if ever.
Despite their complicated relationships, all three had similar last words for their father. They told him that they loved him and that he would be OK. The ensuing denial came from the assumption that Logan would get through this obstacle like he always does. The man was virtually undefeated, and they were so far removed from the action that you could forgive their line of thinking. Unfortunately, despite Tom’s best efforts to try and give the kids some sort of closure, it was simply too late.
Connor
While Kendall, Shiv, and Roman were afforded some chance of closure by Tom, Connor got no such benefit from his siblings in what is another impressive bit of consistency. Connor’s been left out by his father and step-siblings for forever, and this was no different. There’s a strong argument to be made that, outside of Logan, he had the worst time this episode. The news of his father’s death on his wedding day came with the realization that Logan never intended on attending the wedding and that his siblings didn’t bother to loop him in at such a critical time. Simply devastating.
The silver lining for Connor is that he actually does end up marrying Willa later in the day. The ceremony ends up including a small group of people, with Connor’s siblings notably (but understandably) absent. Unlike his siblings, Connor processes Logan’s death with a striking sense of clarity. Instead of going to his siblings for comfort, he goes to Willa. He voices his insecurities to her with sheer honesty, and she returns the favor. She acknowledges the importance of money in their relationship, but she also reassures Connor that she’s committed to the relationship beyond that, and that she won’t be abandoning him just yet. It’s actually an oddly sweet moment in what was an intensely grim episode.
Tom
Connor may have had the worst episode, but Tom had the grimmest. He found himself stuck in the middle of a traumatic experience having to console perennially traumatized individuals. He was in an unenviable position but boy did he manage it well. His effort to give the Roy children some closure was commendable, especially given the strained nature of his relationship with them. Under his sadistic faults and his widely inappropriate comments, Tom might be the closest thing this show has to a “good guy.” Of course, he can’t show a hint of that humanity because he’s surrounded by sharks who wouldn’t hesitate to exploit this as a weakness. Fortunately for Tom, he has a friend in Greg.
Greg offers Tom a much-needed outlet at a time when the pressure was starting to get to him. Tom is completely honest about how he feels during his brief chat with Greg, much like Connor was with Willa. He’s sad and afraid in what is another excellent bit of continuity. Tom basically bet all his chips on Logan; now that Logan’s dead, Tom’s position is dangerously precarious. Aside from Greg, he basically has no allies. Even his own wife isn’t on his side. Logan hasn’t even officially been pronounced dead, yet members of the board are already looking to consolidate their power.
Others
Speaking of the board, there were varying levels of sorrow across different members, but they were all quite ready to move on. They can call it professionalism or a “responsibility to the shareholders,” but what it really was is self-preservation. Frank and Gerri seemed legitimately upset, even if it was for a brief moment. Karl, Karolina, and Hugo were not as upset. All five of them were fairly unfazed when it came to planning a response, after all, they are seasoned professionals. This becomes especially clear when you compare them to the less-experienced folks.
Kendall is experienced enough to know that him and his siblings can’t afford to let their emotions take hold. He does enough to steer Shiv and Roman back into the picture, but he’s still a couple levels below the boards members. Tom sits between Kendall and the board members. Kerry’s newbie status showed as she visibly broke down. She was the closest to Logan in proximity, so that certainly added to the trauma. They showed Colin for a few seconds looking completely dejected and lonely. The writers deserve a lot of credit for managing to squeeze in just about everybody’s reactions without compromising consistency. Really good stuff all round.
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- Death comes for us all, it seldom waits for a convenient time or offer a poetic ending, and it certainly doesn’t care about who we are.
- If you have something to say to a loved one, say it… you never know if you’ll ever get the opportunity to do so again.
Acting (15/15)
This was, across the board, a magnificently acted episode. The performances of Jeremy Strong (Kendall), Kieran Culkin (Roman), Sarah Snook (Shiv), and Matthew Macfadyen (Tom) took the quality of the episode to the next level. But there was more to this episode, as side characters were also given a chance to show out, which they did! Alan Ruck (Connor) and Justine Lupe (Willa) were great in their scenes together. The like of Zoe Winters (Kerry), Nicholas Braun (Greg), Dagmara Dominczyk (Karolina), Scott Nicholson (Colin), J. Smith-Cameron (Gerri), and others were fantastic despite usually being on the fringe. What a talented cast.
Cinematography (14/15)
- Almost everyone being dressed in black and the gloomy skies above were great bits of foreshadowing
- Closeup shot of Kendall in distress as he processes the news that his dad might be dying (18:42)
- Great shot of Shiv, Roman, and Kendall in distress, wearing black with the sea in the view behind them (22:45)
- Powerful shot of Logan getting chest compressions with the phone next to his ear (23:47)
- Kendall’s reaction to Frank’s confirmation of Logan’s death was fantastic (27:50 onwards)
- Shot of Kendall and Shiv holding hands as they go to tell Connor the news (30:28)
- Shot of the kids walking away as the paramedics attend to Logan’s body (55:15)
- Sequence of what everyone is doing after Logan’s plane lands: Hugo trying to deal with logistics in council with Frank and Karl, Kerry and Colin isolated, cast aside, and looking legitimately sad, Tom completely on his own (56:13 onwards)