'Succession' Sets Up the Beginning of the End as the Roy Family Goes to War in Season 4 Premiere, "The Munsters"

by Darian Scalamoni

    For some, we never thought we'd see the end of the Roy family drama set forth by Succession series creator Jesse Armstrong. However, as indicated in our report back in February, the award-winning series is ending with its fourth season. 

    The final season kicked off last night on HBO with something that is always a central point of emphasis within the Roy family, as patriarch and resident "mean guy" Logan Roy (Brian Cox) was celebrating his birthday. For resident fans of the series, birthday episodes serve a greater purpose within the world of the global media family known as the Roy's. Logan, though seemingly on the precipice of a major acquisition, wanders around his birthday party looking despondent, which on the onset is jarring as a viewer. Despite him aging throughout time, Logan is usually so full with energy. He's bullish, no-nonsense and lacks empathy, however, he does in a very strange way, have love for his children. That's why it's unfortunate for as long as he can remember, his three children Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) aren't there to celebrate alongside him. However, his oldest child, the absurdist "Presidential candidate" Connor (Alan Ruck) is in attendance. 

    On the other hand, the three absent children are in the middle of a venture of their own. They're currently trying to start their own revolutionary media company to rival their father's. They have settled on The Hundred as a name for their outlet and are looking to make a serious play to give them creditability to do battle against their father. Though Roman just wants to go out and make a name for himself (alongside his more accomplished older siblings), there's a bit of a revenge game being played by Kendall and Shiv. Kendall wants to get back at his father for a constant back-and-forth back peddling on handing the prestigious Waystar Royco off to him. While Shiv was screwed over by her husband Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) to better himself in a position by helping Logan in the selling of his company to tech billionaire Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard). Not only are they positioning themselves to compete against their father in the media market, but this episode poses a direct challenge as they are in a direct bidding war to acquire left wing media network, and longtime rival company, Pierce Global Media owned by Nancy "Nan" Pierce (Cherry Jones).

    Though Logan thinks it's almost a done deal, the kids swoop in and fly to Pierce's residence to propose a counteroffer of $10 billion. But before this leads to a very angry reaction from Logan, there are moments throughout the episode where he begins to become a lot more questioning towards things in life he's never focused on. He leaves his birthday party to get a small, intimate dinner with one of his workers, before asking him his opinion of the afterlife. He even coins him as his "best pal," which is ironic and laughable as a viewer, due to it being the first time we see the character on screen. In acquiring the rival company, Kendall, Shiv and Roman exploit something that they all know Logan would be upset about losing. After all, Kendal openly admits that the New York Times-esque company is a "decades-long obsession" for his father. However, could this play eventually backfire on the children?

    At the conclusion of the episode, Logan tells the children on speaker phone, "Congratulations on saying the biggest number, you fucking morons." But is there a point of emphasis there? During the negotiations, Roman, of all people become the voice of reason for the two revenge-fueled plots of Kendall and Shiv. He emphasizes the scale of billions of dollars spent, while Logan has always seen the true value on companies' dollar for dollar. It is interesting to see the shoe on the other foot within the season's first episode; though the Roy children are usually more childish and focused on the result of their family name and what that gives them in terms of a recognition, they seem to be doing "actual work" for once while Logan is behind the 8-ball partaking in a celebration that he doesn't even desire. 

    Of course, within the first episode, we also get what we think is the actual conclusion of the marriage of Shiv and Tom. They both are just emotionally fed up with the back-and-forth as well as the sexual desires of both being nonexistent towards each other. So much so, that Tom's "right hand man" and now, "Disgusting Brother" Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) is partaking in nights out sexually galivanting the open market for partners alongside him. We also get Connor getting worried about wedding costs with his fiancé Willia (Justine Lupe), but the battle of the Roy family will continue to take center stage throughout this revelatory series in its final swan song. 

Overall Rating: 9.2