Succession – Church and State

By: Kelly Kearney

Hold on to those tissues, after last week’s traumatic revisit of an election nobody wanted to be reminded of, this week we say goodbye to the titan of media, Logan Roy. That’s right, less than 24-hours after Tom, Greg, Kendall, and Roman, disenfranchised the voters of Milwaulkee by early calling the election for Mencken, they’re forced to face the angry throngs of citizens while also burying their not-so-beloved patriarch. It’s a jam-packed hour of tears, tyrants and tragic downfalls in “Succession”’s penultimate episode.

Riots in the Streets, Fascism at the Funeral

We open on the fallout from ATN crowning Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk) the deal killer and new fascist ruler of America. By being the first to announce it, the trouble with those torched votes in Wisconsin is quickly becoming a legal nightmare for Waystar’s news division. Jeryd is the President of the ATN audience, but when it comes to the nation, the courts will decide his fate. This unsteady and terrifying outcome has rocked the Democratic Republic and the national unrest is painting a dark and chaotic backdrop for Logan’s funeral. We see Shiv (Sarah Snook) watching the news as reports of Injuries, fires across the nation, and riots outside of ATN add to the rumors of protesters marching their way toward Logan’s funeral.  Much of this chaos can be attributed to those who have been influenced by Mencken’s call for support, and because of his loyalists and their haters, the streets of New York are dangerous. Even the NYPD issued a warning to stay inside because they expect it to get worse as the day turns to night. It is the nightmare scenario Shiv warned her brothers about when they ignored the threats in their quest for power. “Things do happen,” she foreshadowed when Roman laughed in the face of a nation that is paying the price for his ignorance and desire to win at all costs. While the law will decide the country’s fate, Shiv is in a powerful position to help decide Matsson’s (Alexander Skarsgard). The Swede is still relying on her advice and with the country laser-focused on their post-election turmoil, and everyone else concentrating on her father’s funeral, Shiv thinks now would be the perfect time for Lukas to come clean about those overinflated subscriber numbers. Bury the lead under her dad, and the outrage will last a news cycle. There is no better time for the truth. Matsson agrees to get Ebba to leak the story to the press but that still doesn’t fix their Mencken problem. Numbers fluffing or not, if he ends up becoming President, he will kill the deal and go after big tech–but more importantly, foreign-owned tech. Mencken is all about America First– much like his 1930s German counterparts, so a Swede in the lead means the deal is dead in the water for the man who ran on isolationist politics and is completely composed of red flags and racist dog whistles. Shiv isn’t too concerned about Jeryd, but that could be because her mind is on her father’s funeral. Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) are focused on their dad, too. When we check on the youngest brother, Roman seems on top of the world– literally. He is primping and moisturizing in his penthouse as he practices his eulogy and pats himself on the back for his stoic grace. He has pre-grieved, so today should be a piece of cake. It’s also a nice audition for Mencken and the board to see just what an amateur Logan is made of. Roman thinks he will be victorious as the more stable of the two CE-Bros, and considering Kendall is making moves behind his back, the only person who has Roman’s back is Roman.

Unlike his jovial and bravado-filled brother, Kendall is struggling with his role in the nation’s upheaval. We find him making his way to his siblings for their dad’s send-off when he spots an angry mob outside his window and some of them are carrying gas cans. It’s a sign that the NYPD was not lying when they said the streets are not meant for the weak, and certainly not for the family who helped shake things up with that early election call. This is why Rava (Natalie Gold) decides to skip the funeral and get the kids out of the city and to the safety of Upstate. Kendall does not handle that news well and orders his driver to head to Rava’s. Outside her apartment she and Kendall argue about what’s best for the kids, and he is both unhinged and unreasonable. His daughter was already struggling with that altercation she had in the streets and Rava, her primary parent, is putting the safety of her children ahead of the funeral optics. By all reports it’s a dangerous situation brewing in the streets of Manhattan for the average person near that church with Jared in attendance, and it seems even more dangerous for any Roy or Roy adjacent who helped install that nightmare into the White House.  Her decision is final, no matter how many times Kendall threatens her. He can bang on her windows and lie down in traffic but she will not allow that Roy poison to drip through.

When a disappointed Kendall meets up with his siblings all three climb into his car on the way to the funeral. Shiv notices right away that their older brother is in a mood and when she asks him if he’s ok, Ken tells them about Rava’s choice to keep the kids away from the funeral. Both of his siblings agree that’s pretty messed up, but Shiv seems to understand why a mother wouldn’t drag her young children through the riotous streets just to say goodbye to a man who smacked his grandkids around more than he hugged them. She keeps her thoughts to herself but it is written all over her face. This is her cue to come clean and maybe lighten the moment by telling both brothers something she planned on telling their mother that day: she’s pregnant! Roman cracks a joke and asks if it’s his and then proceeds to ramble off some disgusting incestuous jokes about breastfeeding and his inappropriate sexual desires for Mommy types. Kendall can’t stomach their Flowers in the Attic banter and shuts them up; it’s their father’s funeral, have some respect! It’s not long before the car pulls up a few blocks away from the church where Jess (Juliana Canfield) is waiting for Kendall with the news of the day.  He tells her to get a hold of his lawyers because he’s taking Rava to court for full custody and when he looks on his calendar for an open date, he notices she’s penciled in for a talk the following week. He asks her what it’s about and she tries to deflect his questions, but he’s like a dog with a bone and won’t let up. We know the hate Jeryd Mencken is inspiring and it has no place for people of color, like Jess. With her self-respect in the forefront of her mind, she thanks him for all he’s done for her but tells Kendall she’s moving on. At first he seems supportive but all that changes when she hesitates to admit this has to do with Mencken. He calls her stupid and claims she will regret this and then lumps her in with Rava for making his day harder. Luckily, Hugo (Fisher Stevens) has a treat for Kendall the minute he walks into the church. Rumors of the GoJo numbers story are leaking, and for now, he should stand by for GoJo’s dominoes to fall.

Polio and the Pew of Mistresses

Inside the church we find all of the usual suspects: the Old Guard, Mencken, Matsson, both daughter and father Furnace (Hope Davis and Larry Pine) and the rest of the minds and wallets of the elite ruling class. Caroline (Harriet Walter) spots Kerry (Zoe Winters) sitting in the cheap seats and summons her to the front with the rest of Logan’s wives and paramours. She even introduces Sally Anne (played by Brian Cox’s wife Nicole Ansari Cox) as her Kerry and Marcia (Hiam Abbass) can’t help but smirk and offer her up some kindness. Logan is dead and the competition for his favor and inheritance died with him. These ladies might as well bury their hatchets and grieve the man they all loved, besides, Logan would’ve hated his lovers unionizing in their widow-wear.

Speaking of managing grief, Roman is determined to avoid any feelings that might pop up and instead, turn the whole day into a networking event. It’s a great day to play the sad orphans and get the board wrapped around their fingers for the GoJo vote. He goes to Frank with an offer to back him as CEO if Ken crumbles and Frank (Peter Friedman) can barely contain his eye-rolling response. That’s one “no” down and a few more to go. He interrupts Caroline catching up with Kendall and Shiv and right away, a mother’s intuition picks up on her daughter’s pregnancy. In a scene that highlights the beautiful marriage between brilliant writers and talented actors, the women never say anything but between their head nods and facial expressions, Shiv confirms she’s carrying Caroline’s grandchild. With that awkward moment out of the way, Shiv excuses herself to talk to Matsson where she learns the subscriber story is out. So far, the response has been positive– no blowback from social media, so it looks like she was right and today was the best day for bad news. Mencken is still an issue but Shiv thinks the answer to that problem is simple: give him plausible deniability with the immigrant-hating base and hand him a U.S. CEO. Choose someone Matsson can puppeteer from Sweden and everyone wins. He likes this idea and assumes she is talking about herself but wonders how this new baby fits in.  She blows the kid off because if her mothering style is anything like Caroline’s, an army of nannies will take over once the labor pains cease.

When the casket arrives, everyone takes their seats to watch the Roy kids join the funeral procession. Roman seemed fine until his father was carried in by the pallbearers–one of whom is Greg (Nicholas Braun) who is standing in for Tom as he is stuck at ATN. Roman can’t look at the casket but at the same time, his eyes are drawn to it. We start to see the first cracks in his pre-grieving facade and they couldn’t come at a worse time. He volunteered to do the eulogy, and no matter how many ways he says he’s fine and ready, it’s obvious he is neither. Things get worse when Greg fails to stop his grandfather from stealing Roman’s thunder as Uncle Ewan (James Cromwell) heads up to the altar to say goodbye to his brother. In typical Ewan Roy fashion, he doesn’t pull back any punches. In fact, the speech is riddled with knocks against the evils Logan unleashed into this world. He does manage to honor their shared past, as we learn about two young children escaping the war by boat with nothing but fear keeping them afloat. He also talks about their sister Rose–a name that once turned Logan’s birthday into a disaster. As a child, Logan caught polio at boarding school and when he came home he passed it to baby Rose. He always blamed himself for her death and from the pews, Roman looks like he might vomit. Ewan blames Logan’s darkness on that loss and the youngest Roy son is grappling with a similar thought about killing his father over a voicemail. Ewan ends the speech on a respectful note and then it’s Roman’s turn, but he cannot gather his thoughts. He tries, but in front of a jam-packed church and millions watching on television, he chokes and crumbles, squeaking out the most heartbreaking question any child could ask: “Is he [Logan] in there [casket]? Can we get him out?” It’s a spectacle of pain for the Roy son who often covered his feelings with jokes and outrageous insults. Now all his soft spots are visible to everyone and it just might cost him everything he’s ever wanted. Both Matsson and Mencken are unimpressed with Roman’s grief but the siblings do their best to comfort him. Even Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) looks like she could jump out of her seat and save her ex-Slime Puppy from his public breakdown, but not in front of everyone and not after their last brutal encounter. It’s up to Kendall to step in and clean up the mess Ewan and now Roman made of Logan’s eulogy and surprisingly, he nails it. It starts off slow but he manages to masterfully paint a picture of a tyrant of industry–a man who didn’t just build things–that’s easy, he pushed through the muck when the rest of the world was spinning its wheels to create. He made uncomfortable choices but he still made things. Ken never shies away from the torment his father inflicted on all who knew him, but in that pain, hid a love for his country and the people in it. He ends his speech hoping whatever that force–as terrible as it was, he hopes exists inside of him. The crowd applauds and Shiv knows he is winning this succession game unless she follows his speech with her own. It is both an attempt to upstage her brother’s performance and offer up the female perspective of Logan Roy. He could never “fit the idea of a whole woman inside his head,” she says, and that truth is like a blueprint for Shiv’s life experience. She has always been on the outside begging to be let in, and most likely had to work twice as hard for half the recognition Kendall and Roman got. Poor Connor (Alan Ruck) is never even in the running here, but he does join his brothers as they all watch a crying Pinkie glance at the casket and say her goodbyes to her “dear, dear, world of a father.”

Cat Food Ozymandias and the Top Bunk

With the eulogies over, the kids walk out with Logan’s casket with many–Mencken included, offering their praise and sympathies to Kendall. Meanwhile, Roman looks like he wants to crawl under a rock, and his ex-mommy girlfriend might join him because even though they are on the outs, every shot of Roman is framed with her worried face behind him. She knows–maybe better than anyone, how deep his pain goes and what happens when he’s panicked from disappointment.

Before they head to the gravesite, Hugo tells Kendall he heard a rumor that Shiv is floating a U.S. CEO to get Mencken to back Matsson. At that moment we see what’s left of his tattered heart harden into stone. He stays quiet as all four kids head to the mausoleum for the burial, but his anger at Shiv is palpable, yet hidden behind an unyielding stare. Things lighten up once they get a look at the grave in all of its lavish and gaudy glory. Connor says Logan acquired it from some rich pet supplies guy calling it a bargain, but all Shiv can see is an ode to “cat food Ozymandias.” They all–except for Roman, go inside the marble structure to take a look around and right away they notice slots for other family members. A discussion breaks out about whether or not they could spend an eternity bunking with Dad. Connor instantly calls the top bunk, but the others aren’t so sure they want that tense afterlife.

After the service and his siblings have dried their tears, Kendall stops Hugo to tell him to leak the news that unnamed family members are shifting away from Matsson over those inflated numbers. He wants it to sound like Lukas is trying to steal the company and even the board is questioning his moves. He doesn’t want the story traced back to him, but it’s time he fights his siblings for control of their father’s company. He asks Hugo to be his well-paid lap dog and the response is a resounding, “woof woof.” He isn’t the only one of Logan’s trusted right-hand men Kendall ropes into his scheme. After the burial, everyone meets up at the St. Regis for the traditional post-funeral party and that’s where he approaches Colin with an offer his Father’s bodyguard can’t refuse.  First Hugo, now the trusted Colin has agreed to come work for him; Ken is rounding up all of his father’s people to end Mattson and cut his siblings out for good. “What could you possibly kill that you love so much it would make the sun rise again,” is what Logan once asked him, and today he’s decided that it’s Shiv and Roman, and anyone else who gets in his way. Next, he congratulates Mencken on his big win and then reminds him that the only reason why he might be going to the White House is because Kendall made that call. Now he expects something in return and questions when Jeryd might announce his plans to deregulate Big Tech. The possible POTUS’s response is vague and it can only mean his support is wavering. Whether it was the breakdown from Roman at the funeral or just the fact fascists can’t be trusted at their word, killing the deal is anything but a sure thing now. His response is concerning but Kendall doesn’t get a chance to ask him to explain because Greg interrupts their conversation to introduce himself as the man who pushed the lever and made him king. He’s also been instructed by Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) to make sure the new president knows the head of ATN is working diligently to make sure he goes to the White House. Enter Roman, who tries and instantly fails to make an impression on Mencken. That hope died on the altar of his father’s funeral. In fact, his flirty- fascist pal mocks him for his tears and he is quickly shamed into silence. Connor is next to interrupt, as he has a Slovenian paycheck on his mind. Everyone is crowding around Mencken so Shiv steps in to pull him away but towards Matsson. Their pitch seems to entice Jeryd thanks to Matsson agreeing to install a U.S. CEO. It appeals to his white nationalist side–the same side Shiv hates. He questions her about this but she tries to put his mind at ease by admitting her focus is on making money and that comes from ATN’s viewers, and they love Jeryd. Her personal feelings do not outrank her ability to do what’s best for the Waystar/GoJo brand, and that seems to appeal to Mencken. He never comes right out and says he’s switching to their team but he is keeping his options open.

A Kiss With A Fist

A while later, both Matsson and Mencken leave the party just as Tom shows up. He is exhausted and still hurt over the fact Shiv never told him she was pregnant. He also hasn’t slept since the tailgate party since the chaos of election night melted into a nightmare scenario for the country and for ATN. Now, all he wants–besides a nap, is answers about this baby. Shiv makes the excuse that there was never really a good time to tell him, not between their reunion and that brutal argument at the tailgate party. After a brief and typically biting interruption from Caroline, where she masterfully weaves together congratulations to Tom while simultaneously insulting Shiv over what sort of mother she’ll be, the baby-daddy can’t hide his exhaustion–with her and with everything. When he starts up the banter with his wife his heart just isn’t in it and Shiv can tell Tom is moments from falling apart. Maybe it’s because she’s pregnant with his child,  or maybe it’s because she can barely rile him up when she downs a glass of champagne hoping to get a rise out of him, but she knows Tom is at the end of his rope. He starts rambling on about how he was the last person to see Logan, and while he said his goodbyes on the plane, he’s pretty upset that he wasn’t able to attend the funeral. She understands that pain, and in a moment of kindness, tells him to go back to the apartment and get some rest. He is grateful because everyone at the hotel he’s staying at knows him and thanks to Mencken, hates him. Just as he leaves, her cell phone rings and it’s Matsson with good news: Mencken has taken their offer for a U.S. CEO! Shiv can hardly contain her shock and excitement and as she hangs up the phone she looks over her shoulder at Kendall and smiles like the cat that ate the canary. He knows that look and whatever news she’s sitting on must be juicy. So, he goes over to Roman to knock him around a bit about his funeral performance and how he thinks it cost them, Mencken. He knows Roman is struggling with the death of their father and he mercilessly kicks him while he’s down with, “You f**ked the deal.” Now it’s his duty to fix it. Abusing Roman is about as Logan as Ken can get. In fact, abuse is that guy’s love language; he craves it as a form of punishment and acceptance. It’s typical for the mindset of someone who is raised with a fist and not with a kiss, and in every season we’ve seen which of his children Logan uses as a punching bag. He is dead and no longer there to unleash his disappointments on Roman so his youngest son finds another way to add to his pain. With one last glance at Gerri–who, unbeknownst to him, is defending him from Karl (David Rasche) as he laughs over the viral video of Roman’s funeral breakdown, cringes in regret and runs out of the hotel and directly into the crowds forming in the streets. He screams at the protesters marching through the streets and dives into the thick of the violence almost as a way to blow off steam. He pushes his way against the flow of human traffic until one of them takes a swing, knocking him to the ground. The violence doesn’t end there, as Roman continues to drag himself up, only to eat asphalt again. He’s left in the fetal position as he’s trampled by the rioters in Midtown Manhattan and he seems to be enjoying the physical manifestation of his emotional pain. The man who started off the episode at the top of the world, could not have ended it at a lower point–with his face full of gravel and his future shot to Hell. There is only one episode left, and with the board ready to vote on the Gojo deal, and all the players in their opposing corners ready to fight for the crown, only one name will rise above the rest, and as Ewan would probably predict, there is no mercy left for that person’s soul.