User Reviews

With one hour-and-a-half episode left, "Succession" is firmly on its way to becoming one of the best series of the 21st century so far, and perhaps one of the best of all time.

Heading into the final season, expectations were high, and they have (at least for me) been far exceeded by the incredible nine episodes so far. And going into the final two episodes, there have been many a domino set up, and the chain reaction is now beginning.

Shiv is on a high. After a brutal week last week, being found out by her brothers and finding herself on the losing side of the election and its ramifications, Shiv makes some smart moves and completely swings the Mencken pendulum in the opposite direction. Things look great, but with Mattson's fondness for Greg and smirk during Ken's eulogy, I'm unsure Shiv will ultimately get what she wants here. Still, Sarah Snook has been great all season, and her scenes with Tom and Mattson, on top of her eulogy, add to her great body of work this year.

Roman, on a power kick after falsely crowning a new president, tries to be the man, someone worthy of succeeding his father, by delivering a eulogy to cement his standing. Instead, his "pre-grieved" facade crumbles, and all the emotion he pushed away on the day his father died comes rushing back, and he crumbles. After this show of "weakness," Mencken distances himself from the Roy Boys, effectively getting rid of their leverage. The following scene of Roman emerging into the riotous protests that he caused, looking for a beating, is among the series' most disturbing and unnerving. It is also in line with last episode in taking a step back and looking at the wider social context of the havoc these kids have wrought. Where Ken emerged onto the streets of New York in season one, lost after losing the vote of no confidence, Roman here is lost in a different, more nihilistic way. And just like Ken was ultimately freed by that moment, I fear Roman has also been freed to do something insane. Kieran Culkin has been delivering series-best work all season, and his delivery of his failed eulogy just further cements his portrayal of Roman as one of the most complex and interesting drama characters in years.

And speaking of the most interesting drama characters in years, Kendall is in quite the position this week going into the finale. When Rome messes up, Ken cleans things up and delivers a eulogy that sounds like it's straight out of The Fountainhead and continues to become more and more like Logan by the second. From smaller things like his "bad dad" press strategy in episode four to his continuing "this is all for my kids" nonsense that his father always spouted. He made some good moves this week, hunkering down and getting some scragglers that could go against him (Hugo and Colin) on his side. Jeremy Strong's work as Kendall is gonna go down as one of the most compelling TV protagonists in years, and his performance as Ken's evolution (or devolution?) into becoming his father sets him up for a wild final episode. Will his transformation earn him the crown, at the expense of his humanity? Or will it ultimately spell his end? I have no earthly idea.

And for the supporting cast, this week was a little less eventful, but with a full cast plus some great guest appearances, this felt like a final hurrah for much of the cast. Caroline returns and delivers some great payoffs to her conversation with Shiv last season about motherhood, and her husband Peter delivered the biggest laughs of the episode for me, with "Daddy's here" being a particular highlight. Kerry got a delightful (presumably) final scene with Logan's women, who all sat in the second row, something he would have hated, and shared a moment that was really touching and beautiful. Jess finally managed to leave her job as Ken's assistant, and Ken responded just as Logan would have, by insulting her and being defensive.

But to me, the best guest appearance of the episode was had by James Cromwell, who delivers my favorite eulogy as Logan's brother Ewan. From the moment he gets up there, the viewer knows he is going to tear Logan's corpse a new one, and he does, but before he does, he tells a few small stories about Logan that do a great deal to color him and his past in a way that totally change the character for me. The story about being stranded in the ocean when trying to cross into America was harrowing, but it was the reveal of what really happened with Rose, Logan's deceased sister, that really had an impact on me. Ewan reveals that shortly after Logan returned home from boarding school, Rose caught and died from polio, and Logan blamed himself, as did his uncle and aunt. The way this fleshes out how Logan viewed Shiv, as his favorite and someone he was soft for, as well as how it mirrors the guilt Ken carried for the waiter's death in season one, is just outstanding writing, and it sends off Logan with one last great insight into his character.

This episode. Phenomenal stuff. And going into the finale, I genuinely cannot predict exactly how this is going to go down. But what I do know is that it will probably be phenomenal, and also utterly insane. Seven more days with "Succession."

I read a few weeks ago about Kieran Culkin's possible first named nomination to this years Emmy awards after the wrap of Successions final season. Now i can see why, he truly displayed a broken son under too much pressure at the funeral and of all his Roman "full of himself" comedies underneath is just a sweet boy who misses his dad. It brings out the under skin of what makes us human, and what makes us real.

Kendall's grab at the podium crumbling more hearing about Roman's invite to Mencken and among other things like with Rava, Ken's serious talk with Hugo trying to negotiate a chance at the crown again. His Ego seems to be the only thing that will help him belong, at least that's how i see it. He's losing everything else, even Mencken's lifting his eyes to Lukas now with help from Shiv.

Roman losing his mind at the end just sparks how much he cared about his dad despite his dad's sour personality. Kieran really is deserving this years Emmy.

I was simply stunned and had chills from opening to close.

It's been well close to a decade since a few shows have moved me like this one did, especially with the penultimate funeral episode.

Logan's death cut everyone in half and the true damage he has caused them all came pouring out in this hour. No more double speak and half truths, we are as raw as we can be here and everyone let's down their shield.

Chills ran up my body when his brother (Cromwell is a beast in this) reads off a brutal eulogy detailed the key moment that not only made Logan, but also began the path of destruction he led; he wanted to be the one to say it all finally when no one else dared go against him.

We follow up with Romans breakdown. Kieran has come so far, give him the Emmy!

I was shaking, it was harrowing seeing that.

I understand what's it like having a parent like that, narcissistic abuse does not spare anyone and leaves a trail of ruin to families.

Ken's speech is another testament to the powerhouse that is Jeremy Strong. He knew the words and how to balance the speech and try to give meaning to his fathers life and choices, despite what he's done to all of them. Deep down, they wanted a father, they wanted love and they didn't get it all it.

I cannot get enough of Sarah S. Her facial expressions are everything. Conveying so much conflict, pain, denial and need to grieve as everyone does in their own way.

When she asks Karl and Frank about him, it shows how disconnected they all were. She hopes that perhaps they saw something more than she did, as they were much more present with him in the workplace.

She gets the answer she already knows.

Alan R. (Connor) is the underdog as usual, but plays him so well! He is once more pushed to the side and not really welcome to participate much more than just a spectator.

His desperation to share his own thoughts is sideswiped like nothing.

Caroline returns with her icy cold heart.

We've all been on the end of a hug we didn't want to give.

Her conversation with Shiv..horrifying. It's so brief, yet cuts right into the core of who they are. She knows what she has created in each of them. I feel like she takes pleasure in this control.

The automated machine of neglect/emotional abuse continues as Caroline confirms what she already knows.

That Shiv will raise her the way she did, which was Not at all.

The Roy's will continue to be the Roy's. Why even bother trying to change or make things better?

Tom gets his little moment near the end, giving us some hope of a reconciliation. Doubtful; But it's certainly something that could be a good outcome in the finale.

Mattson and Mencken: two sides of the same coin, trying to solidify their deals and form an unholy alliance; Truly terrifying.

I find it fascinating and tragic to see how everyone in Logan's life dealt with his mistreatment. How they all want to find some way to see who he really is deep down. To find that love he could never give. Was it there? Was it ever there?

It's as if they created another side to him almost. Despite their blatant denial about it, everyone stood firm and believed deep down he was more than he was

But, I believe Ewan gave us the answer to all that...

I do not see a happy ending for anyone..

It all falls down next week, I guarantee it.

Succession is the king of being able to subvert expectations so smoothly and quickly in the blink of an eye. In episode 7 the crown was leading in Kendall's favor after hearing about Gojo's misleading numbers. In episode 8, Roman took control and even though the episode was titled 'America Decides' it might as well have been Roman Decides as he took the drivers seat and Mencken became president. Meanwhile Ken was conflicted because of his family and the dynamic of Rome and Jaryd, and Shiv had just been exposed for her lies and gutted by Gregory who she chose not to give a deal to. That leading to Kendall giving the final push with Rome which lead to Mencken winning.

So you'd think that Roman would be the clear favorite judging the events of last episode, but with the flip of a switch everything changes. Roman never thought of the scenario of Jaryd flipping the script which is now biting him in the back. Not only did Roman take the lead of ATN pushing for Mencken, but he's now possibly being left high and dry as Mencken might possibly be in with Mattson. I loved his show of humility in this episode showing that his fathers death does really impact him more than he shows, but sadly this won't be a good look for him going forward. It was great to see Gerri not laughing at the video of him crying though considering they've not been on good terms.

As we saw at the end of the episode Ken went to confront Rome about everything and he's fully aware of the situation they're in, and Kendall having the crown to himself has been in effect in his mindset as Rome has seemed to have blown his chances. I think Kendall is the best fit to be the lead of Waystar, because he's starting to resemble Logan the most. He's slowly losing his family despite him saying he does everything for his family, similar to what Logan said. He's able to handle the heat in the kitchen as we've seen many times with him in the series. DC, standing up to Logan on multiple occasions, and in this episode where he thought of a speech on the spot with the lights shining on him and he was able to endure it. He's shown he can be a killer, willing to cut out his family for the sake of the company. He's used people like Hugo and Greg to his advantage, like Logan was able to utilize his own children on many occasions and most importantly Tom in the end.

Things like this show why Kendall can go so far. And from Roman and Frank's small interaction, maybe Frank is still a believer in Kendall, leading to a possibility of Karl backing up Ken as well potentially? It's sad to see him lose Jess but there were signs of this last episode once Mencken won and Greg informed her. I'm glad Jess took a stand because she deserves better after all Ken put her through, but even Kendall's dialogue resembles Logan as he's just constantly been a douchebag to people like Jess and his own wife. Asking Jess why she told him about her possible resigning even though he initiated it? Trying to file a court order for his family to not leave the city and is now trying to get custody of his kids? Sounds similar to someone in this show. Nonetheless Kendall has shown to be the most fitting to take the crown in my opinion, but the wall he has in front of him is going to be hard to climb.

As I mentioned, episode 7 was Ken's lead and episode 8 was Roman's. But this episode showed that Shiv might be in the drivers seat out of all the siblings. She tried to jump off of the ship with her brothers to a ship that we thought might've been sinking, but now with Mencken possibly siding with Mattson that ship could be sailing to the finish line as Shiv could be in the ultimate position to win against her brothers.

I'd like to lastly touch on the scene between Tom and Shiv, knowing the tension has been so high with them in the last two episodes it's great to seem them have somewhat of a comforting moment. In episode 7 when Tom was tired Shiv was telling him to stay up just 45 more minutes, but now she wants him to get his rest as Tom's clearly had a lot on his plate. Hopefully by the end of this series they'll have a good relationship and can raise their kid together happily.

Also while it was very vague I loved the scene with the siblings in the car driving to the funeral. Putting asides Roman's weird sexual jokes it was great seeing Shiv asking Ken if he was ok, Shiv revealing her pregnancy, Ken saying congrats on the kid etc. Hopefully when the smoke clears in the end the bridges won't be burnt between any of them and they can all have a happy relationship with one another.

But with one episode to go, we're reaching the summit as we will soon find out who takes the crown. What side will Mencken choose? What revelations could possibly come out as many punches will be pulled to make it to the top of the hill. It could go anyway with this show, but it'll come down to Kendall and Shiv in my eyes. Or maybe it'll all just go in flames considering the state this show is in right now. This show has subverted expectations this whole season, hell during this whole series. So it's safe to say that anything's going to be on the table in the finale.

Just this morning while taking my usual shower I was thinking about different topics but most of all I was trying to get the answer to one fundamental question - who is gonna become the new Logan(c'mon, the title is Succession, it should be someone among the siblings, right?). My bets were that everything leads to Roman. Well, think again after you watch this episode. It definitely showed me how stupid I am and what geniuses are the writers. Once again they successfully caught me in their web and after that blowed my mind with another twist. By the end of the episode you see the 'pre-grieved' Roman totally emotionally devastated and drained, unable to continue with the big game and new front leaders in the race - the gaining power Logan-wannabe Kendal who is playing his moves like is a perfect chess game(which is the absolute opposite of his inadequate behavior at the beginning of the episode) and Shiv who is finally starting to gain some leverage from her relationship with Mattson. But this time I'll be smarter and won't make conclusions, I expect anything to happen in this epic(hopefully), like everybody is saying, finale.

Almost forgot. The speech of Ewan...oh, boy. Watched it couple of times in a row. It's really something to see. For me, this is the moment which set me in the right mood for this classical can't be better Succession episode.

This episode was easily one of the best in the entire show. The showing of loss and grief and how it affects people in many ways. Roman thought he was on top of the world and was over Logan's passing, but only learned that his grief hadn't come into full affect yet. Despite how terrible Logan was to his children, they loved him very much. Seeing Roman trying to process his father's death, and breaking down at the funeral was probably the best depiction of grief I've seen. Someone give Kieran his Emmy because his performance is just incredible. Roman is so angry and sad, he doesn't even know how to process it. The fact that their deal with the next president might be screwed is also a very hard hitting thing to realise. The world is crumbling around the Roy's, and as much as I hate to say it, them losing the company might be the best thing for them. I really don't know what will happen in this finale, but I'm sure it's full of twists and turns, and will surely be one of Successions greatest. This whole episode made me feel like I had just lost someone, and despite my hatred of Logan, hearing his brother and siblings talk about him made me a bit more sympathetic to Logan. We don't know much about him in terms of his past, apart from the fact that his father was abusive. But hearing that story from WW2, and him feeling responsible for his baby sister's demise was tough. I do not condone his actions of course, but I can understand how he became the horrible person he came to be.

Overall, just an incredible episode. I'm very excited for this finale, and how all the pieces will finally come together.

Now I know there's one more episode to this absolutely perfect television show, but I need to write this now, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire.... Move over Succession is here to topple you. I'd like to keep this series review short and sweet but there is so much to unpack not just in the shows entirety but in this episode specifically.

The culmination of everything prior to "Church & State" is all laid out in it. The writing is most important and I believe Succession the greatest written television show of all time... at least matched with breaking bad. The way the characters are written in this show should be studied. Every character is fleshed out to the point where you really believe they are real. Kendall Roy = Walter White. Honestly there hasn't been a better character since Heisenberg. Then Kendall Roy. I know Brian Cox gets all the love in this show and it's well deserved but Jeremy Strong is in the convo as one of the greatest characters ever written for television. The way the writers make you root for him but at the same time make you hate him is astonishing. One moment he's threatening to take his children from their mother (who obviously is the clear parent who should have custody, seeing that Kendall Roy is a complete psychopath or as his father would say, Not a serious person). To the next moment where you honestly believe he loves his father and was raised in a way where Logan's "tough love" was exactly what his children needed. Kendall Roy the character is the best character development I've ever seen in tv.

Next is the acting... also again I believe on par or if not better than The Sopranos cast and Breaking Bad cast. Every single actor make you feel... they feel real. In such a nuanced and honest way. All of the main cast is phenomenal and should have no issues finding leading work in any film or tv. Again, Brian Cox was the main draw and rightfully so but in his absence this cast has done him Justice and have given their A game to every scene.

Finally is the directing. As maybe the most important aspect. For how flawless the writing and acting is, you still need to put the paper to screen, and the filming of these incredible written scenes and dialogue is done in such a flat and cold way that just makes the words and acting so much more poetic.

Honestly we are lucky to have seen this program even with one more episode left, I am more than comfortable saying this is the greatest form of entertainment on television I have seen maybe ever. At least since that maniac in the New Mexico desert. I feel lucky to have watched this show and no matter how It ends I am lucky to say I witnessed it's greatness. I hope you all agree. It's been a blast!!!

This is probably the best episode of any show I've ever seen. Roman's arc throughout it is completely unexpected. Every single one of them panic at the funeral. Kendal finally picks up the gauntlet and I somehow believe he'll be the one to land the plane. Shiv yet again seems to be set up to fail. The history of this family repeats itself over and over again, and only the lucky ones happen to escape - will that be Ken?

I loved the little moments in this episode, like Greg carrying the coffin. This show will be forever remembered for perfecting a switch from comedic to dramatic so quickly you're both confused and amazed.

Oh my, what an episode, everything is coming to its natural conclusion and the next episode will be the final climax to this incredible TV show.

I think that after this episode we all have an idea on how the show will end, but let's clear the air: Kendall will ultimately be the one and only CEO and will defeat the last threat: his sister. Roman will have a brutal downfall and Shiv will lose everything, even Tom, but what about Greg? I have an idea: he will be the next ATN president and Kendall will make him fire Tom, that will lead Tom to physically attack him and go to jail.

Also I wanted to point out the title of the episode "Church and State", its like in the Roman Empire where those two were the highest and most powerful roles, well in this case Logan represent the State, he had the world in his hands with his incredibly vast realm and he was the king.

Perfect use of the entirety of the 1 hour and 14 minutes time.

Ewan's speech perfectly encapsulated the feelings he has for his brother that we were made sure to be aware of from his first appearance in the show, great performance as always. James Cromwell stuns whenever he appears.

Roman's breakdown for me was the epitome of emotion display, his character has always been very avoidant and cold towards everyone but his father especially, maybe it hit him a little too late and he knew it.

Also loved how Frank didn't even entertain the idea of Roman going solo CEO. Very excited for the finale.

All and all Emmy-worth performance. From Ewan's speech to Roman's tantrum at the protestors.

This week, we are greeted by the long awaited funeral of one Logan Roy. And, to nobody's surprise, poignant and brutal homages were given.

What an incredible episode. As we head towards the series finale, the characters has never felt more human and tangible. The more you see them act out of panic and emotions, the more their true colors show. Roman, Kendall, Shiv and Connor has never been more emotionally naked. And it is a sight to behold.

With one very special mention to Logan's brother. We learn about the trauma, the greed and "meagernesss" that he thought plagued his brother, and thus, the world. Honestly jaw dropping monologue that's Emmy worthy.

Kendall truly metamorphosed into his true future self. The game is clear, the stakes are enormous, and the betrayals may implode the family even further. Can we really blame him?

Roman was a gem this episode. This shell of vile defiant humor made to hide any ounce of humanity he has finally shattered, in front of everyone to see.

A father has been lost, its something that's brought me to tears really. The poor guy was still in denial.

Shiv was splendid. But I digress. This episode is probably the best of the series just for its sheer density of dramaturgy and brilliant writing. The successions are being paved. Everyone is living up to their pre-destinies. So far...

Also special mention to Kerry in this while she has been a mild annoyance to me her acting was absolutely incredible.