A Few Thoughts on "Connor's Wedding" (Succession S4 E3)

*Spoilers for the episode and the show*

I was planning to write about something else this week (some of my favorite reads so far this year, the incredible new Netflix show Beef) but everything changed after Sunday night’s episode of Succession.

*Spoilers from here on out.*

There are a few things that stand out to me from the episode, like how truly surprising Logan’s death was. Jeremy Strong, and several guys in my comments, insist that this was not surprising and that it made sense dramaturgically, and I half agree.

The best stories surprise us, while still playing fair, which Succession absolutely did. Yes, Logan’s death was always a possibility. He’s even had several health scares throughout the show, but the surprise came in when and how it happened. I felt like I was truly experiencing this news along with the kids. I did not see it coming, which allowed me to go on that same emotional journey with them in a way that felt like magic. I was also impressed by how funny the episode still was even in the midst of tragedy and a sea change for all of the characters (”Reagan’s with tweaks” or “chuckles the clown?”).

Which leads to my second point. The acting in this episode was transcendent.

Virtually everyone in the show gives their best performance of the series in this episode in a way that I found to be staggering. Whether it’s Roman’s physicality, Shiv finally breaking down in a way that no one has seen her do, Kendall staring off as the medics load up Logan’s body, Connor saying “he never even liked me,” or even several smaller moments, like Colin (Logan’s bodyguard), or Kerry, who both convey a sense of not only mourning Logan’s loss, but an impression of knowing how this will effect them personally.

Tom might be the most understated performance, but this episode does not work without him serving as the conduit between the two places of action in the story, and he walks a tightrope between empathy for Shiv and the kids, while also being aware of his own future (the call to Greg).

But I think the most exciting part of this for me, is how it opens up the rest of the season. They had set up a fairly traditional season of Succession, with various deals and dynamics on the table between Logan, the kids, and all of the outside players, and I was ready for that, because a traditional season of Succession is better than most of what’s out there. But the death of Logan changes everything. Logan was the sun, pulling everyone around his orbit, not just his kids, and with him gone, almost anything could happen. Every player, or character, where we thought we understood them or their motivations now has room to pivot. Alliances that felt sturdy will now be tested. Any number of combinations are possible now, and none are predictable, which is something I find incredibly exciting.

It suddenly makes more sense to me why this is the final season. It also becomes clear that they are intentionally shifting the landscape in order to build to a final payoff, while still using everything that has come before. You can count on one hand the shows that have successfully been able to pull that off.

I can’t wait to see them do it.