The Roys are back and the stakes are higher than ever as we dive into the final season. It’s been a few months since the cataclysmic events of Tuscany and plenty is up in the air. Following a massive betrayal by Logan (Brian Cox) and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) are left in the dust. Read on to see everything that happened during the season 4 premiere of Succession.
Kendall, Shiv and Roman have retreated to Los Angeles. Since we last saw the Roys in Italy, the sibling trio have banded together to launch a new media startup. Called The Hundred— a one-stop-media shop for everything from politics to entertainment to Michelin-starred restaurants— they are on the verge of pitching the new venture to investors. Until a new opportunity steals their eye.
At the end of season 3, Logan kicked off negotiations with GoJo CEO Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard) for GoJo to acquire Waystar, which will set up Matsson as heir to the throne and leaves the Roy kids completely out of the business. Upon the season return, we learn the deal is just days away from being complete.
Tom and Greg (Nicholas Braun) have picked up a new nickname. Well, one they decided on now that Tom and Shiv are separated. The duo are among the city’s top bachelors with their money and power (or at least association with it) and they want everyone to know.
Polling at one percent can mean a lot for an independent candidate in the U.S. presidential election. Case in point: Connor Roy. He doesn’t want to become a laughing stock by dropping below one percent. So instead of dumping more money into paid-for campaign buzz, he begs fiancé Willa to indulge his plan of creating a media stunt out of their wedding. She responds with a head shake no, but with a smile.
What’s half a billion more dollars? For business deals, it’s “definitive” according to Kendall. And Roman reminds us just how massive the amount is ($500 million dollars; “500 times a thousand $1,000 of actual money,” lots of sushi and snowmobiles, etc.). But ultimately, it's what allows Kendall, Shiv and Roman to get Nan (Cherry Jones) to agree to sell them Waystar rival Pierce Global Media, instead of to Logan.
Shiv heads back to her New York home to pick up some clothes and runs into Tom, who tries to persuade her to have a conversation about their marriage. “I don’t want to bring up a whole lot of bull**** for no profit, Tom,” Shiv concludes. The scene ends with the soon-to-be-former couple lying perpendicular to one another on their bed, holding hands and accepting the end.
With a Shiv, Roman and Kendall one-up on Logan, the GoJo acquisition of Waystar imminent and a presidential election looming, the final season of Succession may be its most chaotic yet.
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Photography by: Claudette Barius/HBO; Macall B. Polay/HBO; Courtesy of HBO
