The Final Season Lives Up to the Hype

With each episode digging deeper into the dysfunctional Roy family, the fourth and final season of “Succession” proves what we assuredly already knew: this is one of the greatest shows currently on TV. The writing is sharp, the performances are breathtaking, and the direction is stunning. Everything is effective and precise, not a single aspect is out of step. And if you think you know where it’s going, just remember that the writers are always 10 steps ahead. Only the first four episodes of the final season were made available to critics and amongst them is one of the greatest episodes this show has ever produced. Tragic as it may be to bid “Succession” farewell, the season gives off the impression that it was destined to end here, like this. And for our troubles, no punches are pulled, no territory unexplored, not a single breath is wasted. If this show is going out, it’s with an unforgettable bang.

When the season begins, Kendall, Shiv, and Roman are more of a united force than ever before… which is to say, that although they are putting their heads together, making plans for the future, and trying to crawl out from beneath their dad’s shadow, they are still taking other calls. They are making backup plans, securing lifeboats, and considering what they might do if it all falls apart. They are their father’s children: scarred, untrustworthy, and deeply selfish. Speaking of Logan (Brian Cox), they are also under the delusion that they’ve already escaped his grasp. By enacting their plan in the first place, they have severed ties and given up all hope of being chosen as his successor — but even so, every maneuver they make is with him in mind. Every opportunity to screw him over is seized without a second thought.

Unbeknownst to the trio, they are so far from being free. So goes the cycle of abuse. Whatever else they are, they never stop being his children. Logan Roy may be a titan in their media landscape and a beast in every boardroom, but he is first and foremost the abrasive father who his children resent, cower before, and desperately seek the approval of. He is inescapable.