Warning: major spoilers for Succession season four, episode three ahead.
When HBO announced that the fourth season of its hit family business drama Succession would be its last, the already high stakes of the show were immediately raised. Fans knew that the years-long dilemma of which Roy sibling would eventually take over patriarch Logan’s (Brian Cox) seat at the top of a media empire would finally be answered, and the third episode of the season (which aired on April 9th) took a major leap forward in terms of plot and character development with Logan’s surprising death.
The head of the Roy family was on a flight to Sweden when he had a sudden medical emergency in the bathroom. Tom (Matthew Macfayden) was with him, relaying the news to Logan’s children back on land (or sea, rather), who were on a yacht celebrating the wedding of Connor (Alan Ruck) and Willa (Justine Lupe). Each sibling had a different yet heartbreaking reaction, as they deal with the early denial and bargaining stages of grief by talking to their unconscious (and probably already deceased) father through crackling cell phone reception. As Roman, Kieran Culkin displays deep vulnerability telling his complicated father “You’re a good dad. You’re a very good dad. You did a good job.” Kendall (Jeremy Strong) is more conflicted, telling his dad, “I can’t forgive you. But it’s okay. And I love you.” Shiv (Sarah Snook) is devastated, speaking in a small voice and calling Logan “daddy” at one point. Connor, meanwhile, is the last to find out partly because he was busy demanding that the wedding ‘loony’ cake not be served but also because his siblings took their sweet time to notify him of the news. While his brothers and sister are plunged into emotional chaos, Connor manages to find his happy ending with Willa.
As each Succession character had their own unique reaction to Logan’s death, so too did fans on Twitter, who spent Sunday night sharing their thoughts on the major moment and the fate of the Roy kids’ control over their father’s empire:
