The death of the patriarch, Logan Roy, sent shockwaves through the whole cast of Succession, leaving his grown children and subordinates vying for the power vacuum he left behind. The fourth episode of the fourth season, “Honeymoon States,” tackled life after Logan and hilariously put the show’s title in full display. Yet, it wasn’t just laughs that ensued, but also moments of human weakness and corporate maneuvering that playfully underscored the show’s fragility beyond just succession but also a corporate legacy.
The episode featured every character scrambling to fill the void left by Logan, all while mourning the larger-than-life figure they lost. His wife, Marcia, makes a surprise return, further cementing her character arc this season as “Marcia Strikes Back”. Meanwhile, Logan’s much younger girlfriend, Kerri, was unceremoniously booted out of the show, making way for a different chapter initiated by Logan’s death.
Succession’s trademark humor was on full display, with Shiv reading her father’s obituary while wryly pontificating about how “amazing” of a father Logan must have been, making her wish that she had actually met him. Furthermore, Roman and Kendall equally showcased their hilarious sibling dynamics, with both bridging humor in their attempts to translate Logan’s eulogy. The brothers’ explanation of “a man of his time” equaling “racist” had audiences in stitches.
Succession also portrayed the thin line between trust and betrayal. When the children huddled to plan who would fill the huge shoes Logan left behind, a plan emerged, which left Shiv as the odd one out. Under the guise of filling the CEO seat just long enough to close the sale to GoJo, the show revealed how trust and loyalty are seldom constants in the cut-throat world of business.
On a deeper level, the episode also revealed how “smart and ruthless” moves might be required to keep Waystar’s stock price up, a move that Kendall surreptitiously approved only to realize that it was something his father would have executed. It was these profound insights that Succession continued to offer, reflecting and magnifying the sheer complexity and uncertainty of corporate succession.
Ultimately, the fourth episode succeeded in turning the page from grieving to the next order of business. It showcased yet again how ruthless, funny, and dark Succession can be, with each episode evincing a new facet of what Jesse Armstrong set out to show: that family, legacy, trust, and business do not always align.
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