HBO Succession Season 4 Episode 1: Logan Roy is on their lonesome

Word: This text incorporates spoilers for a number of Succession episodes, significantly season 4, episode one, “The Munsters.”

The primary episode of the fourth and last season of HBO’s Succession finds us — not for the primary time — on the birthday celebration of Logan Roy (Brian Cox). This 12 months, it’s not clear who organized it. Not his spouse, Marcia (Hiam Abbass), who left him in season two and is now “in Milan buying, perpetually.” Possibly it’s Kerry (Zoe Winters) — the brand new girlfriend who introduces herself as Logan’s “buddy, assistant, and advisor.” Or maybe Connor (Alan Ruck), the one one in all his kids that he’s presently on talking phrases with, deliberate it. The occasion appears extra like a piece operate or a political fundraiser than a birthday celebration — grownup children Kendall (Jeremy Robust), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Shiv (Sarah Snook) are conspicuously absent, and we don’t acknowledge most people in attendance. And Logan is depressing. “Munsters,” he grumbles, eyeballing the friends. “Meet the fucking Munsters.”

It’s a not-so-subtle callback to the very first episode, which started at Logan’s eightieth birthday. Marcia has deliberate a “shock” occasion for him. He’s surrounded by his household. Even Kendall, who’s making an attempt to shut a media acquisition deal that he hopes will please his father, takes a breather from the touch-and-go negotiations to affix the festivities. After all, it’s not all sunshine and cake — when is it ever the place Logan’s concerned? On the occasion, Logan tries to steamroll his children into accepting a change to the belief that may give his spouse Marcia extra energy — however there’s little question that the billionaire CEO of Waystar Royco is enveloped by individuals who care about him and know him intimately.

If Logan is having a nasty birthday within the season 4 premiere, nonetheless, that’s of his personal making. In final season’s finale, Kendall, Shiv, and Roman tried to cease him from promoting Waystar to the streaming video firm GoJo. First, they tried to power his hand. When that didn’t work, Roman pleaded with him, invoking love as a cause why a father or mother who has all the facility on the earth may nonetheless stand down, present compassion, and never crush his kids. “You come for me with love?” Logan scoffed ferociously. “You bust in right here, weapons in hand, and now you discovered they’ve turned to fucking sausages. You discuss love?”

In denying the potential of his children ever taking on the household enterprise, Logan crossed the Rubicon. This time, the Roy kids don’t even deign to indicate up for his or her beloved father’s birthday. On what appears like the alternative aspect of the nation, Kendall and his siblings are strategizing for the launch of their very own enterprise, a brand-spanking new digital media outlet known as The Hundred that guarantees to be “Substack meets MasterClass meets The Economist meets The New Yorker.” Lots has modified since Italy and the top of season three, the place the youngsters have been left sick to their stomachs on the thought that their very own father would lock up Waystar perpetually and throw away the important thing. They’ve all written resignation letters for Waystar and appear (considerably) enthusiastic about beginning their very own firm as they put together to fulfill with potential traders.

Macall B. Polay/HBO

Succession has at all times been largely concerning the ruthless competitors between the Roy siblings — scions of a strong media mogul impressed by real-life media households such because the Murdochs — to inherit the highest place at Waystar from their growing older father. Kendall, Shiv, and Roman have every suffered a litany of betrayals, manipulations, and cruelties from Logan; trauma that may be value it in the long run, the kids instructed themselves, if Logan selected one in all them to observe in his footsteps. That every one appears to have modified, maybe irrevocably, in season 4. (For a extra full backstory on the Roys, try Vox’s pre-season preview.)

The trio, who’re normally at one another’s throats, are suspiciously in sync. All through the episode they’re affectionate; they nonetheless rib one another, however it doesn’t have fairly the identical chew. They really take heed to what the others must say, as a substitute of ready for the right second to inject a devastating insult. “Let a thousand sunflowers bloom, Romie,” Kendall says early on — that means, let’s throw all our concepts on the wall. It’s not clear if he acknowledges that this phrase (attributed to Mao Zedong) is an echo of one thing his father mentioned in season three, egging on his terrified advisors to counsel somebody to switch him briefly: “Let 100 flowers bloom,” Logan tells them, although it underscores how little Logan really listens to different individuals. The children, alternatively, may earnestly be equals on this new partnership and already look lighter now that they’re not underneath Logan’s thumb. It’s jarring to see and in addition slightly unhappy — a glimpse of who these individuals may need been in the event that they hadn’t grown up the way in which they’d.

The children bag a minor victory in opposition to their father

Then Shiv will get a name from Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) that units off the drama of episode one. He offers his estranged spouse a heads-up that he’s simply had a drink with Naomi Pierce (Annabelle Dexter-Jones), who shouldn’t be solely a cousin of Pierce World Media proprietor Nan Pierce (Cherry Jones) — the Roys tried to purchase PGM in season two — but in addition Kendall’s ex. Tom makes it sound prefer it was a date, all whereas claiming it was not a date. He’s toying together with her a bit, which is comprehensible contemplating how a lot of a head begin Shiv has had within the “play thoughts video games with my partner” division. It really works, momentarily, till Shiv realizes what “a drink” really means: Logan is making an attempt to purchase PGM once more.

As a reminder, right here’s the most recent on the enterprise aspect of issues in Succession-world: Logan is, pending a shareholder vote, promoting Waystar to tech firm GoJo, however retaining management of ATN, their broadcast information community. In season two, the Roys spent plenty of vitality making an attempt to purchase PGM, a rival, however it fell by way of because the Pierces realized the Roys (and particularly Logan) have been poisonous and about to be embroiled in scandal.

Again on the birthday celebration, Tom and Logan affirm that they’re as soon as once more near a cope with PGM. This time round, issues aren’t going nicely at PGM, apparently. Nan appears to have misplaced curiosity in working the enterprise, in response to whispers from her family members. “Savages,” Logan says with out a trace of irony. “They eat their very own.”

Logan, ever the doting father, asks after his kids. “Have you ever heard from the rats?” he asks Tom. Tom lies that he hasn’t, after which in his typical unsubtle means probes Logan about whether or not their relationship may change if he and Shiv divorce. “No matter occurs, we’ll at all times be good, proper?” he asks, making the error of so many Roy kids in looking for reassurance from a household patriarch who purposely ensures they’re by no means on positive footing.

Only a whisper of what their father is as much as, and the youngsters are again in his orbit, able to abandon The Hundred to make a rival bid for PGM. They’re all addicts of the household feud and may’t appear to withstand scoring on their dad. Roman worries about his siblings’ vengeful motivations: Kendall desires to get again at Logan. Shiv desires to get again at Tom. Roman, as common, is the one one who “doesn’t need to fuck anybody.”

Kendall leans on Roman’s penchant for mischief. “Simply take into consideration how fucking humorous it could be if we screwed Dad over his decadeslong obsession,” he factors out. Unbeknownst to them, they really do have the higher hand for as soon as. Logan is downright despondent over his absentee kids and in addition offended that he misses their presence.

Again on the occasion, Kerry calls Roman, and the youngsters are completely vicious to her, however she suffers the humiliation of asking them to offer their father a name. They need their father to name them, however that’s unlikely. Kerry says she might possibly get him to textual content a request for a name. It’s only one extra business-like negotiation to the Roys, yet one more recreation of one-upmanship.

Claudette Barius/HBO

After Logan is knowledgeable there’s a rival bid for PGM, a few of his verve returns — there’s work to do. Logan’s battle council — Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), Karl (David Rasche), and Frank (Peter Friedman) — quickly suss out that it’s the youngsters, however how did they discover out concerning the PGM bid? Tom tries to solid off any suspicion, however his tip to Shiv might be going to come back again and chew him within the ass.

Kendall, Shiv, and Roman journey to Nan Pierce’s house. Naomi, who’s now rocking a wolf lower, tells them Nan wants 5 minutes as a result of she has a headache. In different phrases, she’s noticed that the Roys pays any worth to destroy each other and plans on milking each cent out of it. Nan additionally worries that one of many new house owners of PGM is perhaps married to Tom, who heads its rival, ATN. With out lacking a beat, Shiv says, “I’m getting a divorce.” It doesn’t seem to be she’s introduced it to anybody else. Kendall appears shocked.

The bidding battle for PGM begins, with all sides making an attempt to determine how excessive the opposite has gone. Logan low-balls. The children go a lot increased, providing a conversation-ending quantity: $10 billion. (“Eight, 9,” Nan hints earlier within the episode, “who is aware of what somebody will say subsequent?” “9b?” Roman guesses.) Logan is instructed that Nan shouldn’t be accepting any extra bids. “Inform them I’ll go up,” Logan says. “She says they’re content material,” replies Tom. Logan can’t fathom how somebody may very well be content material when there’s a suggestion for an even bigger quantity.

Logan lastly will get on the telephone along with his children. “Congratulations on saying the largest quantity, you fucking morons,” he tells them. The children know that it is a concession, of types. Shiv and Kendall really do a fist bump, whereas Roman appears relieved.

Shiv and Tom name it quits

At night time, Shiv returns to a darkish New York house. Her canine barely acknowledges her. We be taught that Shiv and Tom aren’t dwelling collectively anymore. Shiv is stuffed with rancor, needling Tom with crass questions relating to his love life. She’s jealous, and has been all day, of the opposite ladies Tom could or might not be sleeping with. She might also be on a mission to push ahead the divorce she guarantees Nan earlier, which Tom doesn’t learn about. However Tom is in a uncommon second of blunt honesty. “Do you actually need to get right into a full accounting of all of the ache in our marriage?” he asks gently. Shiv has no comeback to that.

Tom has principally been a buffoon on Succession; he’s a social climber who has weaseled his means into some of the highly effective households in America, and his common obsequiousness is commonly performed off as comedian reduction. However his damage right here is palpable, and his sincerity is evident. Nobody can doubt that Tom actually loves Shiv, even when a part of what he loves is her energy and standing — and possibly Shiv realizes now, when it may very well be too late, that what she feels is love, too. Why else would his betrayal nonetheless damage a lot that she will be able to’t even discuss it? Tom desires to debate issues, however she shuts it down. She doesn’t need to probe by way of her emotions. “I feel it is perhaps time for you and I to maneuver on,” she says, holding again tears. Tom doesn’t beg and plead. They each lie to one another, claiming they gave it their greatest attempt.

Logan doesn’t discover life humorous anymore

On the finish of a really lengthy, unusual day, Logan remains to be up watching TV. He calls Cyd Peach (Jeannie Berlin), an government at ATN, to complain concerning the channel’s late-night protection. “Are you shedding it, Cyd?” he asks.

It’s a query Logan can be higher off posing to himself. Throughout his occasion, he escapes the house for a lonely night stroll within the park, his bodyguard Colin (Scott Nicholson) trailing behind him. At a diner, Logan tells Colin that he’s his greatest pal. He’s instantly an outdated man bitter concerning the turning of seasons. “Every part I attempt to do, individuals flip in opposition to me,” he says. “Nothing tastes prefer it used to, does it? Nothing’s the identical because it was.”

It’s his birthday, and the person usually allergic to existential waxing asks his worker, “You assume there’s something in any case this?”

“I don’t know,” replies Colin.

“We don’t know. We are able to’t know,” says Logan. “However I’ve bought my suspicions.” It’s the primary time we’ve seen Logan meditate on the fact of nearing the top of his life, and what his legacy is perhaps. He’s proven earlier than that he doesn’t like to consider the previous, however on this episode, he’s filled with nostalgia for the way in which issues have been earlier than. In an interlude through the PGM bidding battle, Logan abruptly says to the room, “No one tells jokes anymore, do they?” Karl, Frank, Tom, Gerri — a room filled with sycophants — take a look at him like deer caught in headlights.

“Come on, roast me!” he orders. The king desires a jester. He turns to Greg.

“You’re imply,” Greg gives feebly. “You’re a imply outdated man, you’re a imply outdated bastard. And also you scare the life out of oldsters, that’s your factor — you’re scaring me proper now, and that’s why I don’t even know what to do.” Logan mocks Greg, pushing him to go additional.

“The place are your children?” Greg asks. “The place’s all of your children, Uncle Logan, in your massive birthday?”

It’s a direct hit, however Logan is aware of learn how to hit tougher. He throws Greg’s absent father proper at his grand-nephew’s face. It’s simply too simple. Nobody can wound Logan the way in which he can wound his peons, nobody can beat him at a recreation he invented: After they go low, he goes to the ninth circle of hell. It’s a spot reserved for only a few individuals — and he wonders why he feels so alone.