‘Succession’ S4E4: You Have To Be A Killer

Episode Grade: (8.8/10)

Plot (45/50)

To no one’s surprise, there was very little time spent mourning Logan at his wake. Instead, most of the time was spent resetting the board to show who’s got leverage and who’s hanging by a thread. Marcia’s reintroduction adds a wrinkle to just about everything. When present, she has always been a force to be reckoned with. And despite the internal politicking and scheming being the focus for most of the episode, the deal with Matsson looms large for all involved.

Logan’s Final Wishes

Logan’s list of final wishes isn’t revealed in its entirety, but enough is revealed to cause a stir. The ambiguity surrounding Logan’s final wish of succession was a brilliant touch that, in a way, pays homage to the show’s largest character. Even in death, he continues to destabilize and mentally harass those closest to him. Initially, there was the question of whether Frank would even reveal the contents of the paper. Surely, he accurately predicted that the paper would add more chaos to the situation. Nonetheless, he ends up sharing it with the Roy children. That’s when the real fun starts.

At some point in the last 18 months, Logan had amended an undated typed list of final wishes that was never shared with his lawyer. The initial list stated that Kendall was to be Logan’s successor, but at some point thereafter, Logan underlined or crossed out Kendall’s name. We got to see the page at some point in the episode, and it really isn’t clear if the line is meant to underline or strike through Kendall’s name. Kendall takes this to heart, and while the others -led by Shiv- cast doubt over the validity of the document, Frank reassures Kendall that this was likely his father’s true wish.

The Succession

Bolstered by this revelation, Kendall starts drumming up support for his case. He’s already got the support of Frank, and with him the rest of the old guard. He manages to convince Stewy to back him as well, which means he now also has the support of Sandi and co. This leaves his biggest hurdle: his siblings. Roman wants the top job but understands his limitations, so he’s more than happy to share the responsibility with Kendall as co-COOs. Shiv, on the other hand, is far more reluctant to support her older brother given his history. Eventually, she backs Kendall on the promise that she’s to be unofficially included in all decision-making per the siblings’ current agreement.

With all this support, the board officially votes Kendall and Roman in as Logan’s successors on an interim basis at least until the sale of the company is complete. The first order of business comes from Karolina and Hugo, who give the brothers two options to embellish their reputations. One option is to play to the brothers’ accomplishments while the other involves tarnishing Logan’s reputation by pushing the narrative that he wasn’t making the decisions towards the end of his life. The brothers (mainly Roman), are appalled by the suggestion that they might use such dirty tactics, so they go with the cleaner approach.

This is where it gets interesting. After some contemplation, Kendall blackmails Hugo into unofficially utilizing the dirtier option. This way, the slander can’t be traced back to him, so he doesn’t get in trouble with his siblings. This was a ruthless, morally-corrupt move by Kendall on all accounts, but it was the right one given the circumstances. With that said, knowing Kendall, this will come back to bite him. For now though, it’s a win.

GoJo

In between all the in-fighting, a meeting with Matsson was arranged to discuss the closing of Waystar’s sale to GoJo. Matsson knows that he has even more leverage than before, and he has absolutely no problem using it. He hardballs the Roy siblings into a meeting in Sweden in the next 24 hours which they have to agree to. The one thing everyone at Waystar can agree on is that the deal must go through. Logan’s death adds a sense of urgency that makes the imminent meeting with Matsson absolutely critical.

Character Development (13/15)

Logan was a husband, father, uncle, and life-long friend/co-worker to the characters of the show. It might seem cruel to move on from his death so quickly, but the reality is that he brought this onto himself. Besides, there’s really no time to waste. Logan’s death detonated a blast that was felt by those around him. As a result, everyone is now primarily concerned with landing on their feet before anyone else steals the ground beneath them.

Kendall

Kendall arguably had the most complicated relationship with his father. At the time of Logan’s death, their relationship was so fraught. As a result, Kendall was able to get a hold of his grief fairly quickly. This reality was instantly disrupted with the revelation of the Logan’s wish for Kendall to succeed him. Whether Logan meant to underline or cross out Kendall’s name is inconsequential. What matters to Kendall is that at some point in the not-so-distant past, Logan thought Kendall worthy enough of succeeding him that he had it typed up.

Credit to Frank for honoring Logan’s wishes and for standing by Kendall when he’s needed it the most. Without that vote of confidence from Frank, Kendall wouldn’t have had it in him to collect the support needed to vote him in as CEO. For the first time in what seems like forever, he was able to generate momentum. He convinces Stewy by leaning on their friendship and by admitting to his past mistakes. He utilizes a less emotional, more assertive tone to successfully get his siblings on board. Finally, he bullies Hugo into helping him secure his position once he’s got it.

Logan’s single-most valuable piece of advice to Kendall was that he had to be a killer. Those words rung truer as the episode progressed. A couple other moments stood out. When Tom tries to reconcile with Kendall, Kendall dismisses him in a very Logan-esque way. He doesn’t let Tom in, but he doesn’t quite shut him out either. When the siblings were getting steamrolled by Matsson’s associate, Kendall absorbs the pressure until he’s able to put his foot down in a way that doesn’t offend Matsson. This is the strongest we’ve seen Kendall in a long time, let’s see if he can keep it up.

Others

Marcia’s cold-blooded nature was on full display as she slotted back into the fold without skipping a beat. She casts Kerry away so ruthlessly that Roman, of all people, shows her some empathy. Kerry, while legitimately devastated by Logan’s death, is grasping for some sense of security. In that sense, she’s in the same boat as Tom and Greg. Logan was their protector, and now that he’s gone, they’re easy targets. All three shamelessly pander to more-established individuals in the hopes that someone might throw them a bone.

Greg tries his luck with the kids but is immediately shunned. Marcia doesn’t completely dismiss him, but she isn’t oblivious to his intentions either. He gets some relief when it’s revealed that Logan wrote his name down on his list of final wishes. Tom, on the other hand, goes through a more humiliating sequence and has nothing to show for it. Kendall dismisses him with a simple “I like you, good luck,” but others are not as graceful. Shiv basically tells him that she doesn’t feel anything for him anymore and refuses his touch. Roman explicitly calls him out in graphic detail. Even crusty Karl tears into him. As Shiv pointed out so crudely, he picked the dead horse.

Speaking of Shiv, she gives us the biggest surprise of the episode when it’s revealed that she’s been pregnant for ~5 months now. It’s not cool that she hasn’t told Tom, but given the state of their relationship, it’s not surprising. She feels a sense of guilt towards Logan’s death that’s amplified by the knowledge that her child won’t get to meet their grandfather. Things get even worse for her when she gets pushed out of the company, at least officially. Coin toss for who had the worst episode between her and Tom?

Theme/Messages (4/5)

• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
• Don’t burn bridges.

Acting (14/15)

The strong performances continue from the usual lot including Jeremy Strong (Kendall), Kieran Culkin (Roman), Matthew Macfadyen (Tom), and Sarah Snook (Shiv). Zoe Winters (Kerry) put in a great performance in what might be her last of the series. Hiam Abbass (Marcia), much like her character, made her comeback as if she was never gone.

Cinematography (12/15)

• The opening montage was a great way of showing the mental state of the Roy children a day after their father’s death.
• The hand-drawn line on the letter was done so well, you really can’t tell if it’s underlining or crossing out.

Check out the Power Rankings for Season 4 Episode 4 here

Watch the promo for Season 4 Episode 5 here