Our Verdict
A most monumental chapter in the Succession journey delivers shocks of the highest order. Nothing will ever be the same again.
Every once in a while, an episode of a TV series comes along that is quite simply monumental. The latest instalment of Succession is just that. The reverberations of what creator Jesse Armstrong has just done in Succession season 4 episode 3 will not only be felt within the show, but in the real world, too.
Across four seasons of the drama series, we’ve witnessed incredible scenes in pretty much every Succession episode. The entirety of the Succession cast have been praised to high heaven by now, and rightly so. If there were ever any doubts as to the credentials of Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, and Kieran Culkin, this hour of television has firmly put that to bed.
We always strive to keep our reviews spoiler-free, but honestly, if you haven’t seen the latest episode of Succession yet… get off the internet, and just watch it, please. Here’s how to watch Succession season 4 if you need help.
Where the fuck do we begin in trying to dismantle the plot for Succession season 4 episode 3? The episode is simply titled ‘Connor’s Wedding,’ which seems odd considering the creative and poetic titles many of the previous chapters of this crazy story have been given.
To be fair, Connor Roy’s impending nuptials do play a big part in the episode, and by the end, we do find out whether Willa Ferrerya marries into the Roy family or not, so the title isn’t a complete misdirection. But let’s just say there are far more pressing matters to deal with.
The Roy siblings spend the majority of the episode aboard a luxury ship, the setting for Connor’s big day. As the groom-to-be bemoans the state of the cake, Roman is given a cruel task by his father, while Kendall and Shiv soak up the atmosphere at the party.
When you run a media empire like Logan Roy, not even your eldest son’s wedding can get in the way of business. The patriarch is flying out to Sweden to meet with Lukas Matsson and put the finishing touches on the GoJo deal, accompanied by Tom, Kerry, Frank, Karl, and Karolina.
Logan takes a backseat this week to a degree, yet his presence is still felt throughout, which is testament to the fine work of Brian Cox to date. The actor has imbued the role of Logan with such a formidable gravitas that it’s impossible to escape the looming shadow of the Succession character.
Nevertheless, this is an episode where the talents of the aforementioned siblings are given unprecedented freedom to flourish. Without giving anything away there is a truly cataclysmic event that we will simply refer to as ‘the incident’ for now. The way Roman, Kendall, and Shiv deal with said incident is just exquisite television.
Culkin is typically frantic and unable to properly process the things unfolding, but there is a very relatable and painful emotional edge to seeing the usually comical Roman crumble before our eyes. Laughs are few and far between this week as the comedy series takes a decidedly different direction, yet Culkin rolls with the punches beautifully.
Strong, who has so often been the broken man, brings a degree of strength (pardon the pun) and sensibility to Kendall this week. It’s been so endearing to see the relationship between the siblings evolve into something more… normal this season, and Kendall’s role as the big brother comes into play wonderfully here.
As for Snook, she finally lets all that bottled up emotion, anger, and turmoil out as Shiv deals with the incident. The cold, indefatigable façade we so often see from Logan’s daughter is well and truly broken down. And that’s where Tom Wambsgans comes in.
The pair looked set for a messy divorce last week, but they end the episode this week potentially on the brink of reconciliation. How genuine that reunion could be, and how long it could last, remains to be seen. But we do see Matthew Macfadyen doing exemplary work yet again, even when he’s merely on speakerphone.
In terms of storytelling and pacing, this episode is unfathomable. How the showrunners have balanced such a huge event, with the minutiae of human emotion, the business world, and the dynamics of all the characters is frankly ludicrous in its perfection.
The most amazing thing is the incident feels like one big practical joke being played on the audience, until it becomes sobering in its reality by the culmination of the episode. How the rest of this season will actually clean up the fallout from this is anyone’s guess, but the audacity to do what they just did, so early in the final season, has to be applauded. There’s no point trying to predict Succession anymore, Jesse Armstrong has already won.
Until we see how this all plays out, check out our guides to the best movies of all time or all the new movies on the way this year. Or, learn more about Succession with our guide to how rich Logan Roy is, and check out our theory on who will win Succession.