The final season of ‘Succession’ arrived this Sunday, March 26 on HBO Max and the anticipation to know the fate of the Roy’s is enormous.
We never thought it would arrive, but season 4 of ‘Succession’ – the final season – has finally premiered on HBO Max. As we bid farewell to the Roys with a bitter taste in our mouths, we know they won’t go quietly and plan to continue their ongoing battles.
One of the best series of today (and perhaps of the last two decades) is back with a vengeance, and this is clearly demonstrated in the first episode of this new season. Because the Roys can’t stop being the Roys.
Created by Jesse Armstrong, responsible for ‘Babylon’ or screenwriter of ‘Veep’, it also has as executive producers Adam McKay (‘Don’t Look Up’) and Will Ferrel (‘Alf’, ‘The History of Fire Saga’). And during the four seasons, it has kept its main cast, being nominated several times for major industry awards: Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Alan Rick, Matthew McFayden and Nicholas Braun.
What’s ‘Succession’ season 4 all about?
The sale of media conglomerate Waystar Royco to tech visionary Lukas Matsson draws ever closer. The prospect of this negotiation causes existential angst and family division among the Roycos as they anticipate what their lives will be like once the deal is completed. In addition, a power struggle ensues as the dynasty weighs a future in which their cultural and political clout is severely reduced.
A fierce comeback
Season 3 of ‘Succession’ left us with a totally different picture, one that we fans of the series were not used to: the three youngest sons of Logan Roy, united at last against their own father. After “overcoming” (very much in quotation marks) their differences, Kendall, Siobhan and Roman want to go their own way, and that means confronting their father figure in all his aspects. Logan Roy is one of those figures that proliferate so much in the American business scene.
His shadow is very long, and Brian Cox is frightening, imposing. With a single glance, he dismantles anyone. With a couple of words, he makes you apologize and makes you join his team without a second thought. Because, after three seasons, we still see him as a true god, and his children as mere pawns on his game board.
And that doesn’t change in season 4. Kendall, Siobhan and Roman are still trying to defeat him. The family business is going to culminate its sale and they want to know where they stand in the world after that business transaction.
The Roy’s have a name in the United States. It is a family that has shaped the country in recent decades. Their patriarch could scare even the President himself with a simple phone call. And that fear is still intact thanks to the brilliant performance of Brian Cox, who has masterfully mimicked the character of Logan Roy. The role of a lifetime.
Two not so different sides
In the first episode of season 4 of ‘Succession’, which we have been able to see to prepare this review, the mordacity of the series is still intact. Logan Roy’s three main sons are still in top form, with Kendall, the one played by Jeremy Strong, being the most evolved.
The actor is totally into the character (something that has brought him the animosity of his father in fiction) and, in each season, he has been getting better and better. His sorrowful and hurt look gives an incredible touch to his Kendall. Not for nothing did she win both the Emmy and the Golden Globe for her performance.
But if we must speak of evolution, that is that of Tom, Siobhan’s husband, played brilliantly by Matthew McFayden. Their relationship the first Greg give the most interesting points of humor of the series, which continues to have a perfect balance between black humor and business thriller. Tom has gone from being a zero to the left, a fiance (and then husband), to be on what looks like the winning team, winning the sympathy, finally, of the patriarch of the Roy.
Character machinations continue to be the order of the day. Everyone seems to have their own map to get what they want. And the fly behind the ear, always waiting for a betrayal, a stab that can come at any time. Literally. Although Connor, Logan’s eldest son, still has no protagonist, we dare to venture that he will be a key piece in this final season.
Why yes, because season 4 of ‘Succession’ is the last one, and there are still many loose ends to close. Who will emerge victorious from the brutal family fight they are waging among all? Will Kendall manage to defeat his father, and show him that he is someone, that he can stand up for himself? Will Roman return to Logan’s shelter, being a kind of double agent? What will happen with Greg?
In short, ‘Succession’ is back with its batteries charged, with its usual ferocity, and its sharp and very current dialogues. During this last season, a lot can still happen. And it’s clearly going to be one of the key series in next year’s awards season. Brian Cox has stated that he’s glad to get to the end. The question is: will that finale live up to the legacy of ‘Succession’?
Trish Taylor is a renowned name in the world of entertainment. She covers all the major movements in the movies and anime world. She is the editor-in-chief at Global Web Wire.