Summary: Roman is told by Logan that he is not going to make it to Connor's wedding and he tells Roman to fire Gerri. Roman tells Gerri and she is angered. Roman calls Logan back and leaves an angry voicemail. Shiv goes to tell Connor that Logan isn't coming. Tom calls Roman and tells him that Logan is unwell. After a panicked conversation, Kendall and Roman learn that Logan is receiving CPR. After saying potential final words to him, Kendall goes to get Shiv and tells her what happened. Roman tells them that Logan's heart has stopped and he isn't breathing and the siblings begin to grieve. Eventually they tell Connor what happened. Tom calls Greg to tell him what happened. Karolina begins to work on a statement following Logan's death, but the siblings call in and decide to do it themselves. Connor talks to Willa and they decide to get married in front of a small crowd. Logan is taken off the plane and the siblings share a hug.
The Good: Well of all the things that could have happened during Connor's wedding, this was not at all what I was expecting. Logan dying was always an inevitability in a TV show called "Succession", and the question was always when and how he would die instead of if. Because of this, Logan's death shouldn't have any right to be surprising, shocking, and completely out of left field. And yet I was completely stunned and caught off guard when we learned that Logan was dying, and full credit must go to the amazing team behind this show for coming up with such a creative, impactful, and memorable way to remove Logan from the show. There is no grand final moment for Logan, no last words, no intense final scene, and no emotional goodbye. All we get is a sudden phone call at a time when Logan is supposed to be fulfilling an extremely important story role by meeting Matsson. A genius decision to make this feel so much more realistic. This brilliantly encapsulated the shock, confusion, and horror of learning that a loved one has suddenly passed away, and the episode's ability to also shock us with this death went a long way towards making us connect with the Roy children as they are thrust out of their lives to learn what happened. There are very few episodes I have seen that have disarmed me and emotionally drained me in the way that this one did. I'll say it again, well done to everyone working on this episode because it was executed perfectly. Anyone who has suddenly lost someone can connect to what the Roy children are going through in this episode, and I have to say that "Succession" nailed everything about these scenes. The confusion, contrasting reactions, the shock, and the raw emotion is done incredibly well. The episode went from 0 to 100 once Tom calls Roman, and it's hard to process what even happened. The directing is sublime as we don't get confirmation that Logan is indeed unconscious for what feels like an eternity, making you doubt if Tom's phone call is even real or just a sick manipulation, connecting us to the emotions that Roman and Kendall are feeling as they listen to him. Once we realize what is actually happening, things take an impactful turn and we suddenly get to see all of the Roy children express their grief in painfully different ways. Every actor delivers a mesmerizing performance in this episode, bringing the emotions of the characters to life in a brutally realistic way. I love that every character shows their grief in different ways, all painfully realistic. Kendall, who feels a responsibility as the eldest sibling, has to try to keep his cool and do what's right, but you can see that this affects him. He doesn't forgive Logan, but clearly still loved him and is devastated by his death. It's Kendall who puts in the work to learn from Frank if Logan is really gone. He's the first to accept, and he takes responsibility to try to move past his grief and look at reality, understanding that he and the other kids have a responsibility to handle this situation effectively or their public images will forever be ruined. On the other hand, Shiv and Roman are not at all thinking about this and struggle much more with their grief than Kendall does. Roman is in pure denial and can't seem to accept that his father is really gone. Kieran Culkin is probably the stand-out performer of the episode (stiff competition, to be sure), and it's sad to see his constant assertions that they don't really know if Logan's dead despite all of the evidence pointing towards it. Having him get angry and upset with Shiv for suggesting Logan's death because it upsets him was a powerful and realistic scene, and I love that they included it. It's also fitting that Roman, the one in denial, is the only one who has to go see his father's body just to confirm that he really is gone. Sad stuff. Then there's Shiv, who is also struggling to process what has happened and just wants to stall and give herself more time to accept reality. She's constantly trying to stop things from happening so that she doesn't have to address this pain, and goes as far as to suggest that they keep Logan's dead body in the air until their ready. This aversion to tragedy has been a defining feature of Shiv, who always tends to leave when things get bad, and I found it to be a heartbreakingly real reaction from her. Then we have Connor who has such a brutal and detached reaction to his father's death, saying "he never even liked me". Connor's reaction is so painfully sad and what you would expect from a neglected child who is mostly just pained at the fact that he will now never have a chance to ever impress his father. Connor is also so loving towards his siblings, and I really appreciated that he immediately changed the tune of his grief to blend in with the others when he realized how his words were upsetting his siblings. Brilliant writing. All four of these characters offer different explorations into grief without ever sacrificing the immersive reality of the characters or the situation. The success of all of this is indicative of how well written this show has been and how rich the characters are. Events on the plane are enticing to watch as well. Tom is impressive on the phone as he manages to keep his cool in such a difficult situation, showing us his maturity. As ever, he calls Greg when he needs to let out his emotions, and seeing Tom go from making horrific jokes to sobbing was a phenomenal piece of acting that fits such a weird guy like Tom. Everyone else was fittingly sad. Frank is simply processing the loss of a close friend in silence, Karolina is keeping herself busy by doing what's next, Karl is being as hilariously awkward as ever, and Kerry is in a darkly hilarious shock after witnessing Logan's death. These moments were all superb and added a lot to the episode. With all of the chaos that happened after Tom's phone call, it's easy to forget that there was some good stuff at the start of the episode too. Tom and Greg have some fun interactions with Tom getting his "Greglets", Connor's loony cake is a sad yet funny concept that I really enjoyed, and poor Roman had a really good story as he was forced to fire Gerri. You can tell Roman did not want to do it and tried to put it off. But Gerri being as smart as she is immediately saw through him and realized what was going on, which was terrific. This hurt Roman badly, and I was honestly proud to see him finally lash out as his father for his mistreatment over that voicemail. It's the first time we've ever seen Roman stand up to his father for abuse, and Kieran Culkin beautifully portrays the nerves he would feel doing it. It's a damn tragedy that right when Roman finally stands up for himself, his father dies. Another painful reality for Roman to deal with. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: What happens now that Logan died? Will the GoJo deal still happen? How will Matsson react? What is next for the show? Who is going to succeed Logan? How are things going to be decided at the board meeting? How will they choose the successor? Will Gerri and Cyd still be fired even after Logan died? Will they manage to stay in the company since nothing was finalized? Best Moment: The pure shock from that phone call, slowly realizing what has happened, and seeing the devastating reactions from all of the children was easily one of the most powerful sequences of television I've ever seen. It's a bit cheap to call it a single "moment" since it's something like 10 minutes of the episode, but the entire sequence had me glued to the screen in stunned silence for that entire time. Character of the Episode: Roman. Conclusion: I would be surprised if "Succession" can top this episode. This was a shocker that came right out of nowhere, giving us the most powerful and evocative demonstration of familial grief that I have ever seen on television. This will go down as one of the all-time great episodes. Score: 87
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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