'Succession' has been the talk of television since its premiere. The latest episode has created even more buzz due to a big twist, leading to a lot of praise.

Claudette Barius / HBO

FILM & TV

The Latest Episode of Succession Is Being Called the Series’ Best Episode

'Succession' has been the talk of television since its premiere. The latest episode has created even more buzz due to a big twist, leading to a lot of praise.
Macall B. Polay / HBO

Succession has been the talk of television ever since its premiere in 2018. However, the latest episode has created even more buzz due to a shocking twist. Spoilers ahead.

'Succession' has been the talk of television since its premiere. The latest episode has created even more buzz due to a big twist, leading to a lot of praise.
Macall B. Polay / HBO

The drama series is currently in its fourth and final season. Episode three of season 4 came out on April 9 on HBO called “Connor’s Wedding.” However, the wedding is not even the tip of the drama, this episode is where Logan Roy (Brian Cox) dies. It happens in an airplane bathroom on a business trip, and the viewers do not see the death. Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) informs the family over the phone. Roy’s children Connor, Siobhan (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Kendall (Jeremy Strong) have a range of emotions. Siobhan, Roman, and Kendall take over the business and Connor gets married in a small ceremony without his siblings.

'Succession' has been the talk of television since its premiere. The latest episode has created even more buzz due to a big twist, leading to a lot of praise.
Claudette Barius / HBO

Viewers expected Logan to die eventually this season. However, fans expected this to happen at the end of the series. For Logan to die in episode three of a 10-episode season is quite a shock. Also, the fact that the character’s death is not on screen is an interesting artistic choice. Logan has had a complicated relationship with all his children, which comes to a head in this episode. Connor’s first reaction is, “He never even liked me,” demonstrating the interesting effect Logan’s death will have on everyone. With so much drama already happening, what happens from here? What happens to Waystar Royco?

'Succession' has been the talk of television since its premiere. The latest episode has created even more buzz due to a big twist, leading to a lot of praise.
HBO

As soon as this episode wrapped up, and even before that, fans were abuzz about what just happened. The twists and turns of this episode have impressed many viewers, who praised Succession’s creator Jesse Armstrong, who also wrote this episode, for his brilliant work. The episode had 2.5 million viewers, a peak for the series. This only builds up anticipation for future episodes if the viewers keep returning for more.

Critics have also universally been praising this episode. The series has had positive reviews since its debut. Much like the fans, the critics have been applauding the artistic direction of this episode and the excellent story choices.

Many publications have published a fake obituary for Logan Roy. While these articles may spoil the episode for people who didn’t watch it immediately, these articles and reviews demonstrate the stamp Succession is leaving on today’s culture.

Mark Mylod, executive producer and director of the episode stated, “We ended up with this extraordinary ballet between the cast and the camera crew, as the cast just kept going, kept going, kept going…There is an intensity to it. And a huge chunk of that take is what made the final cut.”

It was an emotional environment on set, both for the character’s death and the series’ upcoming finale. According to Mylod, “We all knew we were shooting the last season anyway, so there was such a closeness to all the cast that I really felt that throughout the process.”

Brian Cox, Logan’s portrayer, also had much to say about his character’s death. He understands how much this will affect the series. He explains, “The main protagonist is gone. And the kids are having to deal with it, or not. I think it’s going to be hard next week for a lot of the audience because they’re going to miss Logan… I think that’s actually quite a good thing.” Cox understands the intrigue of this final season commenting that, “The whole premise is really about entitlement and the rich and the fact that he’s plowed this particular furrow. And the consequences of that plowing are these kids and how [expletive] up they are, not necessarily because of him, but because of the wealth.”

There are now seven episodes left this season. Each episode premieres on Sunday, making the next episode, “Honeymoon States,” come out on April 16 and the final episode on May 28. A mid-season trailer is now online giving more hints on what is to come. The series has consistently had an Emmy nominee for Best Drama Series, garnering a win for all their seasons except their first. If Succession does more episodes like this, that streak may continue.