Summary: Shiv learns she is pregnant. The Roys attend Logan's wake and band together. Tom tries to suck up to everyone to secure his future, but has no success. Roman is called by Matsson and the siblings don't pick up, discuss, and call back. They reach his assistant Oskar who tells them they have to fly to Norway to meet him in the next day. The board discuss who to name as interim CEO. Frank finds an undated piece of paper naming Kendall as CEO with it being unclear if Kendall's name was underlined or crossed out. Kendall wants to take over but his siblings aren't happy about it. Stewy arrives and Kendall is able to get his support. Kerry also appears but Marcia kicks her out. Kendall talks with Roman and Shiv and they agree that Kendall and Roman take over together, but they will keep Shiv in the loop. The board discuss things and ultimately agree with this. Hugo proposes spreading news that Logan's health was failing and many of his later decisions were overseen by Kendall and Roman. The siblings are appalled and refuse, but Kendall later blackmails Hugo into secretly doing this. Marcia sells Logan's house to Connor and Willa.
The Good: Finally, after almost four seasons, we finally arrive at a legitimate succession issue. With Logan finally dead, it's time to name his successor and the episode does a good job of showing this decisions. The negotiations between the board are a lot of fun, and it's amusing to see them all be so much more free to say what they want without Logan around. It's like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders, and I delighted in seeing them all make their plays. Karl had to be the most enjoyable, especially as he trashes Tom and suggests that the problematic "piece of paper" gets flushed down the toilet. I enjoyed seeing this changed dynamic and I think the episode handled it well. What was also handled well is how the board still failed to take enough power and were bested by the Roy kids. The Roys have learned how to handle these people over the course of the show, and so they are well prepared to not get walked over. Kendall, Roman, and Shiv have a pretty significant victory here as they prevent one of the board members from taking over and are able to latch onto the piece of paper to secure their own ascents. This storyline is fun and has some very good moments. It was nice to see Stewy return and get to play a role in the story for a change. His presence adds to the negotiations and I really have missed seeing his dynamic with Kendall. Even Greg gets involved for a pretty funny scene where he tries to sneak in to being second-in-command, even making Frank of all people laugh. But of course the big talking point is that conspicuous underline/strikethrough that Logan added to Kendall's name. This was such a brilliant idea because it powerfully shows us that even in his grave Logan is still going to drive Kendall mad with the question of if he loved him or not. Kendall was clearly happy to imagine it as an underline to cement his position and confirm his father's affections, but a jealous Shiv immediately questions it, and just like that Kendall's illusion shatters. You can hear him repeating that it was an underline throughout the episode, but a beautiful alone moment as he examines the paper reveals to us that Kendall will likely be tortured by this for the rest of his life. This was a brilliant piece of storytelling, and a fantastic idea to explore. The sibling negotiations were enjoyable to watch in this episode. After their alliance was going so well, you can see that there is a lot of discomfort when Roman and Shiv realize that Kendall is still willing to be CEO for Waystar. But for once, Kendall is actually able to reach them and secure a deal that leaves everyone (mostly) happy. Roman and Shiv had various reasons to be upset, and Kendall appeals to them effectively. Roman is upset because he was the closest with Logan when he died, and yet he has received nothing in the aftermath of Logan's death to reward him for this. But luckily he is able to secure himself a co-CEO position, and so he is temporarily pacified. Meanwhile Shiv is upset with how Logan has left nothing for her and never given her a chance, and she is still left as a lone fighter pushing for her own talents. She doesn't taste as much success, but promises from her two brothers allows her to feel comfortable enough to allow them to take over. But Shiv is not happy about this. Her following anger against Mencken and her dramatic slip and fall in the main room highlight how uncomfortable she is with all of this. She knows her brothers promised, but you get the sense that they are going to cut her off at the first available chance, and poor Shiv knows it. She got the worst out of this deal, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see her making some moves soon. I like how this episode handles Tom. He is stuck in limbo without Logan anymore and he's desperately trying to cling on to whatever person he can. It's sad to see him going from person to person saying "I'm here to serve" only to get absolutely nothing. At the start of the episode we see him choosing the board over the Roy siblings, but after Karl rips him apart, it's clear that there is no security for him here. Then he goes to each Roy sibling, one after the other, and each attempt is a failure. Kendall hits him with his usual passive-aggressive "I like you", Roman sees through his attempts with ease, and even Shiv throws his love back in his face right when it seems like Tom may have genuinely reconnected with her. It's sad to see Tom in this state, and it makes me wonder about his future. Is he going to go downhill, or can he pull himself back up like he did in season 3? This will be an exciting question to explore for the rest of the season. There are some other nice moments in the episode. Hugo's scheme with selling shares is hilarious and I continue to really enjoy this character. Marcia had a good episode as she spreads lies to justify her appearance at the funeral and her inheritance of the house and more. She had a very good scene with Kerry as she goes full-on stonehearted by refusing to let her stay and grieve. Greg is also very funny as he offers completely unnecessary commentary. The Bad: I can't say that there's anything outright wrong with this episode, but it does feel a bit too safe for the show. Because of this, I don't love this episode like many other well-written and focused episodes. Nothing in this episode surprised me and I felt that Kendall being placed as interim CEO was the obvious answer and it did not surprise me much. Due to this, and the pushing back of the extremely interesting Matsson storyline, "Honeymoon States" didn't engage me as much as the very best "Succession" episodes did. The Unknown: So Shiv is pregnant! That was a surprising reveal early in the episode. Is she going to keep the baby? Why? Does she have some sort of plan? Why hasn't she told anyone? Will Hugo face consequences for his market escapades? I remain disappointed with how small of a role Marcia ended up having in the show, but I wonder if she will have a larger role here. Is she only going to be involved with selling the house, or will she have more to offer to the story? Will the Roys agree to meet with Matsson? Who will they send? Will Matsson blow up the deal if things don't go well? How will Kendall and Roman do as co-CEOs? Will they actually keep Shiv in the loop or is that just something they said to pacify her? Did Logan cross out Kendall's name, or underline it? My heart tells me that he crossed it out. I don't see any reason why he would bother with underlining. Why did Logan scribble Greg's name on the paper? Was he considering giving everything to Greg at some point in the story? Is Tom going to survive the fallout of Logan's death? Will he get a protective connection somewhere, or will he be let go? Best Moment: Shiv and Tom's scene suggesting their backstory was fascinating, and I really like that Shiv didn't fall for Tom's blatant attempt at reconnection. Character of the Episode: Kendall. Conclusion: A clever, funny, and entertaining episode that dives straight into the aftermath of Logan's death. Most of this episode played the aftermath safe with only the brilliant dual meanings of Logan's paper standing out as special. But even still it was another well-written and entertaining hour that sets up the rest of the season effectively. Score: 68
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|