“A Selection of Musings”
At this point, we can speak freely that Logan Roy is dead.
Like REALLY dead. So dead, that even Marcia came back. We’ll get to that in a second.
At the top of Succession 4.4, “Honeymoon States”, we see the three main kids (sorry, Con!) digesting grief in different ways. Kendall stares forlornly out his window. Roman brushes his teeth jauntily. Shiv is still in bed, alone. Suddenly, she gets a call from her doctor, referring to a smattering of tests and 20-week check-ups.
SHIV IS PREGNANT!?
For the record, I called it. But this shifts the whole dynamic of the show. She’s at least 5 months pregnant at this point, a long time keep a pregnancy that close to the vest. In any case, she’ll have to have a conversation with Tom that’s longer than ten seconds.
After the credits (which are unchanged from when Logan was still alive), Kendall arrives at Logan’s Fifth Avenue townhouse to paparazzi and a furious Hugo on the phone in the lobby. Some woman has fucked him “with a strap-on” in his words. I hope, for his sake, that it’s literal!
Kendall gets off the elevator to find Marcia, sporting a black veil, front and center, greeting mourners. She’s back! She tells Kendall that she and Logan remained close until the very end, having “intimate” phone calls that were absolutely phone sex. Marcia acts like she never left New York and continues playing the part of the widow. Oh, Marcia. You need to have some sort of color-coded system to indicate if you’re saying a true thing or a false thing, because God knows I can’t tell.
The kids gather in Logan’s den, where the action of the day becomes apparent. The board will vote on interim CEO imminently, and there are several moves at play. Logan’s toadies all want it for themselves, but quickly fall behind Gerri (thank god), but not before Tom is absolutely torn a new one by Karl, who indicates that his only advantage is being married to Shiv, who “doesn’t even like” him anyway! Tom, eating a fish taco, is sick with grief. He didn’t need all that!
Frank and Karl were absolutely killing it in this episode, and I love when my guys take center stage.
Greg pops in to offer his condolences to his cousins. Since he’s Greg, though, it comes off weird. I thought it was earnest, but the kids aren’t even trying anymore with Greg. If only he had stayed in Connecticut, getting high in the car before getting in his mascot costume. Those were the days, weren’t they, Greggy? You could have gone into real estate!
Roman dismisses Greg, as he’s getting a call from Matsson. The siblings hold off on actually picking up, so they can firm up a strategy for their conversation. When they do call him back, however, one of the Swede’s goons picks up and says that Matsson is no longer available. The kids insist it wasn’t a power play, but Matsson won’t come to the phone. He wants someone in Sweden in 24 hours, funeral be damned. Maybe one of the old guys!
Connor and Willa come on the scene, and Marcia and Willa have a little stand-off. “Look how far you’ve come,” Marcia purrs. “Look at us both,” Willa bites back. The battle of the wives! I hope we can see them play tennis some day.
As Willa heads off, Connor mentions to Marcia that he’s interested in the apartment when it’s sold. Marcia foists a handshake deal on him, and it’s good as gold! That’s exactly how I got on my last lease, you know.
Frank and Karl meet up in Logan’s office, where Frank has found a “worrying piece of paper” that indicates Logan’s wishes. Sneakily, the audience isn’t let in just yet on whose name is on the paper, but an eagle-eyed viewer (my fiancée Margo) noticed that the name Greg was scrawled on. Gerri sees the paper, and the game is afoot.
After the kids review Logan’s obits (“Dad sounds great”) and Tom begs for a clean slate, the “grey-hairs” bring the kids in to look at the paper, which indicates that he wanted Kendall to take over upon his death. While the paper is not an official will, rather an outdated “selection of musings”, the kids (well, really just Kendall) insist that word is bond on Kendall taking over.
A line near Kendall’s name leads to a question whether he was “underlined or crossed out”, dancing in the grey area of this very important business dealings. A fracture starts to form among the siblings, as “it sure as fucking shit doesn’t say Shiv” and Roman isn’t on there either. Now, folks, they are going to rip each other to shreds!!! Just as expected!
Greg mentions that he’s on there “in pencil with a question mark”, which to him means he’s a contender. Others think he was on the chopping block. Everyone has a classic dunk on Greg and then peter out, leaving Frank and Kendall.
In a very sweet moment, Frank comforts a despondent Kendall, convinced of his father’s dislike of him. However, Frank’s counsel takes a savvy turn, as he tells Ken that he seems happier doing his own thing with the siblings, and that maybe he shouldn’t walk away to run Waystar. Is this legitimate, or does Frank want to make room for his girl Gerri?
Shiv and Tom have a horrible moment where she expresses her complex guilt about her father’s death and Tom hornily recounts the first time he and Shiv “knew each other”. You know, in the carnal sense. Come on, man, talk like a normal person. He’s trying to lure her back, and she can’t stand the feeling of his touch. Again, she may or may not have a Tomlette inside of her, but I imagine she’ll try to keep that covered up as long as possible.
Colin and his family show up, the kids are incredibly condescending about it, and then word comes down that everyone’s favorite fascist Jaryd Mencken is on his way. Roman wants him there for business reasons, and Shiv (understandably) is freaked out.
This is never quite answered, but we do get to see Ron Petkus (remember? the guy who blew his son’s archery instructor?), played by Stephen Root once more, doing HBO Sunday night double duty on Succession and Barry. Petkus hails Logan as a hero of the conservative movement while Connor grouses that his Pop wasn’t a neocon, but a paleolibertarian. Maybe even an anarcho-capitalist! All of the above options are gross and shouldn’t ever be uttered in my presence.
Stewy and the Sandies show up, and then Kerry finally arrives. Marcia mentions that she told her not to show up, and all of her shit is in a bag which breaks on her way out. Marcia refuses to let her go upstairs, a power move for the ages. Roman decides to help, and a taxi is called “to take her to the subway”, a brazen attempt to keep the New Girl out of her way.
SO much happens from here on out, so I’ll be speedy. Kendall cries in Stewy’s arms, Roman gets some great nicknames in on Tom in a speed round, and even old Peter Munion gets a mention! Kendall, full steam ahead on taking over, begs Stewy to vouch for him on emotional terms, as he needs to work.
The siblings have a closed-door chat (Connor wisely steps out), and they come to the agreement that Kendall and Roman should both take over, with Shiv being let in on all the business dealings. While they are screwing her over by taking her out of official contention, it is interim, she is (hopefully) being given soft power, and she doesn’t have any real experience anyway. Roman doesn’t either REALLY, but at least it’s on his resume.
They plan on taking this opportunity to spin off ATN to GoJo, merge Waystar with Pierce, and walk away from the whole thing. I think. I’m never quite sure. But we’ll see if that even ends up happening. Not if Logan’s ghost can help it.
Stewy crashes the “lovely gang of pals having a talk”, vouches for Kendall, and the vote goes through. It ends up being Gerri versus the kids, and the kids triumph. For now. Just for now, they swear.
Shiv, embarrassed, leaves, tripping on the way out. Tom runs to her aid, which she pushes aside, snapping at the guests, “why are you all smiling?” We all grieve in different ways.
In the aftermath of the board vote, Karolina and Hugo give Kendall and Roman communications counsel in a side office, haunted by Logan’s sweater draped over a chair. The comms team give them two options, “Operation Embalm Lenin” or “a more complex, fresh start”. The latter will junk Logan’s reputation, effectively telling the public that he was a mere puppet at the end of his life. Which absolutely wasn’t true. Remember his big shout?
Hugo floats/threatens making Kerry and Connor’s mom public information, which indicates that everyone on board is so quick to destroy Logan’s legacy. The kids say to keep it simple for the time being, a soft embalming of Lenin.
We see Kendall on his phone in the bathroom, zooming in on his name on a photo of The Paper. He comes out and tells Hugo to set up the “bad dad stuff… down low”, just in case. After all, he knows that Hugo’s daughter sold off Waystar stock before Logan’s death was public. Hugo wisely avoids the strap-on and gets to work.
And now we enter a new paradigm! Nicholas Britell has provided us with a new variation on the ending theme, which, according to esteemed writer Christiane Swenson, “feels like mario kart where you’re on the last lap and the music speeds up”.
Which is absolutely where we’re at! Next week, everyone goes to Sweden and plays hardball with Lukas Matsson a.k.a. Swedish Elon Musk.
The kids are tearing each other apart, they’re beating up on Logan’s c-suite team, and Marcia’s back on board. I hope she gives them all Turkish Delight laced with cyanide and she runs the company with Willa and Kerry.
Hopefully, Shiv starts telling people about the pregnancy soon. Or not, that would be interesting!
Roman made a point I found so fascinating, which is that the people deciding the fate of the company, Gerri, Karl, Hugo, et al, were all about to be fired when Logan died. Was it a lapse of judgment on Logan’s part to confide so much in Tom and Greg at the end? Or did he know something?
The conversation continues! What was your favorite part of the episode? Any big predictions?
See you in Sweden!
