The following story contains extremely major spoilers for Succession, Season 4, Episode 3 “Connor’s Wedding.”
Well, they did it. They finally did it. From the very first episode of Succession the death of Waystar/Royco business titan and cruel psychologically abusive sociopath Logan Roy (Brian Cox) has always been a matter of when we’d see it happen—not if. Keep in mind that the series’ very first episode opened with Logan using the bathroom in a place where there is not a bathroom and closed with him suffering a brain aneurysm onboard a helicopter.
So as soon as it was revealed that Succession‘s fourth go-around would be its last, the inevitably of Logan’s death—and the chaos that will certainly follow—seemed like something that would surely come. So why, then, did the events of “Connor’s Wedding,” only the third episode in Succession‘s fourth season, seem so surprising?
An obvious explanation is the fact that we didn’t get to see Logan’s ultimate undoing. The last we saw of Connor, Kendall, Shiv, and Roman’s father in action, he was doing what he loves most—emotionally manipulating one of his kids into doing his dirty work (asking Roman to essentially fire Gerri) before boasting about just how much great business success he was about to have. We learn that something has gone south only through a phone call from Tom (Matthew Macfadyen).
That was by design. “We didn’t really have a death scene for Logan, and that was obviously intentional,” series creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong said in an HBO after-the-episode featurette. “We wanted to capture a feeling of death that people experience in the modern era of separation, of communication over phone and e-mail.”
Alan Ruck, who plays Connor, added another important point as to why Succession’s depiction of Logan’s death was so compelling and ultimately successful. “These things happen in all our lives, with our parents, or anyone you love in your life, where something happens, and they’re just gone,” he said. “I think it’s going to have an extraordinary impact.”
Based on early reactions to the episode, he seems to be onto something.
Did Logan Roy really die in Succession?
The idea of Logan Roy faking his own death—or, at least, using Tom to lie to his kids over the phone about his death as some sort of tactic—is not the most far-fetched thing in the world. And given that “Connor’s Wedding” is the third episode of the season—when major events like a lead character’s death are typically reserved for ends of seasons—it totally makes sense if, while watching, you initially thought it was just another piece of Logan’s twisted mind games.
But as the episode continues, it becomes clear to the Roy family, their closest associates, and the viewers at home, that this is no game. Logan really did die, on board the Waystar corporate jet.
“It’s going to be hard when the public see that he’s gone in Episode 3,” Brian Cox said in HBO’s after-the-episode featurette. “I think they’re going to find it tough, because they’ve lived with Logan for so long. So they’re going to miss him.”
Cox also spoke with Vulture about the end of his time on the show, revealing that he didn’t stick around for read-throughs for the remaining episodes after Logan’s death. “Once I’m gone, I’m gone,” he said. “It was hard to keep a secret all that time. It was a long time. When did I die? God, I think it was last July.”
What does this mean for the rest of Season 4 and the end of Succession?
As the preview for the seven more weeks to come in Succession‘s final season show, there’s lots to happen in the aftermath of Logan Roy’s death. First and foremost, there’s the human aspect; how will immediate family members like Kendall, Shiv, Roman, Connor, and even Tom react and respond to losing such a central (and, yes, evil) figure in their lives? And, since this is Succession, there won’t be much thinking that happens after that until they start thinking about the business angle of things too.
First and foremost on everyone’s mind will continue to be the sale of Waystar/Royco to GoJo and its eccentric billionaire owner Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). Will whoever steps up in the power vacuum created by Logan’s death even want to complete the deal anymore?
And, then, of course, there’s the question inherent in the title of the show: who will take over? If the sale to Matsson is completed, who will he appoint? If not, who steps up? One way or another, there’s going to be a big power struggle between those both inside the Roy family and out. And seeing how it all plays out is going to be some of the absolute best stuff on TV.
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
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