Succession Season 4, Episode 6 Recap: Very Un-Dad

If the Roy siblings are currently going through the stages of grief as they cope with their father’s death, “Living+” finds them in the bargaining phase. While for many people, that manifests itself in “what if” or “if only” statements, for Kendall and Roman, that means an attempt at literally beating death. In the days since Logan’s passing, the brothers have made a lot of excuses for their feelings. Kendall talked to his “grief guy,” Roman “pre-grieved,” but in the end, the sadness continued to seep out in unhealthy bursts. Finally, in “Living+,” they acknowledge their feelings for a moment (“I just didn’t see it coming,” Roman admits to his brother), but mere seconds later, they’re back to their Roy ways, cracking jokes and making poor business decisions based on their unwieldy emotions. The result is another 60 minutes of faulty leadership on the part of Waystar’s new CEOs, with Shiv picking up the pieces behind them. At this point, it seems she is in the position to take the Succession crown and “win” the series, but with four episodes left, a lot could change. So, we’re checking in on where our tragic trio stands following episode six, because with all of Succession’s fast dialogue, quick cuts, and business-heavy jargon, it has become easier than ever to fall behind.

Shiv

She may have gotten sidelined by her brothers, but Shiv is becoming the star of Succession season four. From her wheelings and dealings with Matsson to her never-ending games with Tom, Shiv is undoubtedly emerging from her father’s death the strongest out of her siblings (Connor, per usual, not included). In any other context, a scheduled cry would seem wholly unhealthy, but at least it’s more productive than firing two of your company’s executives in one day, or convincing yourself you can sell eternal life. Shiv has never been well-adjusted, but all things considered, she seems to be doing pretty well these days. Of course, that’s ignoring the fact she’s currently with child (something she clearly has no problem doing). But hey, at least she didn’t drink this episode.

Shiv starts off episode six with another tête-à-tête with Matsson in a scene I’m convinced was inspired by Kylie Jenner’s controversial “His and Hers” private jet Instagram post. Once the rich-people flirting is out of the way, Shiv proves that, while she’s willing to work with Matsson, she’s not giving in to his unhinged, billionaire whims. Her maneuvers in “Living+” demonstrate the importance of behind-the-scenes power brokers, because while she may have been glanced over for the CEO spot, Shiv has more influence than ever before. While her brothers continue to flail about, Shiv gets her cry in, moves on, and ends the episode with a net win. Plus, whatever she’s planning with Tom seems to be going well. (I mean, nothing says the return of a power couple like hosting an election party.) It seems she’s finally decided it’s better to have Tom on her side than against her, and she’ll put up with the bites (both literal and metaphorical) if it means getting ahead.

Roman

Congratulations are in order for Roman, who has officially replaced Kendall as the Roy family’s resident sad boy. While both he and Kendall have proven in the record time of 48 hours that they are not fit to run a multibillion-dollar company, at least Kendall is having a bit of fun with it. Roman, meanwhile, seems to be the one struggling the most with Logan’s passing. If you believe the fan theories, the co-CEO is becoming increasingly reliant on pills and wearing his dad’s old Ralph Lauren sweaters as part of his mourning process. But even if those deep cuts are fan-made, there’s enough actual evidence to prove Roman is truly struggling. Last week’s outburst at Matsson was just the beginning, and now he’s firing people left and right, getting oddly philosophical (He’s not wrong though, death does feel very one-size-fits-all)—and is it just me, or are his insults getting weaker and more crude? He also seems to be more malleable than ever before—like, the last person in his ear will get his vote. He was willing to tank the GoJo sale for Kendall, and then pump the Living+ data, but when Shiv comes around and questions the plan, he’s no longer interested in donning matching flight jackets with his CE-Bro. In fact, Roman is a relative non-factor during the last third of the episode. In the end, he runs off to torture himself with a poorly edited and even more poorly timed joke, comforted by his father’s voice throwing insults his way like it’s wrapping him in one of Logan’s old sweaters.

Kendall

That’s not to say Ken is doing well. Clearly, all of the kids are struggling, which does beg the question: why didn’t they postpone this product launch? They just got on Matsson for forcing them to jet to Norway days after their father died, but they aren’t willing to push an investor presentation back a few days? Surely the Waystar family would understand. At the very least, if they gave it a few weeks, the AI would have caught up and they could have edited that Logan video more convincingly. With the current tech available, they could put their late father in a hypebeast puffer, have him making out with Trump, or flashing the bird to the audience (to be fair, that last picture probably actually exists).

But alas, the show must go on—and when I say the show, I mean the spectacular. Forget simple keynotes: Kendall wants sets, special effects, and matching jackets for him and his brother—anything to distract from the fact that he has absolutely no clue what he’s doing. In the end, though, he does get lucky, managing to pull off a fairly decent presentation (I guess? I’m honestly not sure why everyone was so pleased with how it went), swerve a Holocaust joke from Matsson, and get some light manifestation in at the beach after a long day’s work. I would say things started looking up for Ken by the last scene, if he didn’t end the episode floating in the ocean. As we know, Kendall and water don’t mix well, and I couldn’t help but get a chill when the credits rolled on that shot.