Hear that? That’s the sound of Logan Roy “playing the old fuck-trombone” and getting into people’s heads. But this time, the familiar tune has an elegiac quality.
Unlike Roy, Succession creator Jesse Armstrong knows when to call it a day. In January the showrunner announced that he was bringing his peerless family-business saga to a close after a fourth and final act, perhaps also drawing the curtain on “peak TV” in the process. “We could go on for ages,” he told the New Yorker, “or we could go out sort of strong.”
The opening episodes of the concluding series are better than sort of strong; they find the series reaching new dramatic heights and new depths of emotion. While the plotting is even punchier as it breaks from the cyclical narratives of previous seasons, the story also features some moments of sincere tenderness and (very precarious) unity. Be prepared for unexpectedly meaningful embraces, hand-holding and one particularly touching exchange of insults.
That said, scheming, self-interest and searing put-downs still abound. In fact, Logan (Brian Cox) vows to be “a bit more fucking aggressive”, which makes you wonder what he calls carving his children out of the business with the help of his son-in-law. Picking up after that third series finale — in which the toadying Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) betrayed his wife Shiv (Sarah Snook) and her brothers Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) to side with Logan — we now find the Roys on the brink of a full-blown battle royale.
Having won the latest showdown, Logan seems at a total loss. Feeling listless and ruminative at a joyless birthday party in New York, he asks the assembled sycophants to roast him. Trust the ever-artless Greg (Nicholas Braun) to take the bait. “Where’s all your kids, Uncle Logan, on your big birthday?” he asks — and he doesn’t mean eldest son Connor (Alan Ruck), who is bumbling around downstairs.
The other three are in Los Angeles collaborating on a “modern media” outlet. After years of sabotaging one another, the siblings initially appear energised by the prospect of being the “new-gen Roys”, independent of — and soon challenging — their father. The ever-melancholy Kendall is smiling and even inveterate screw-up Roman has, God help us, become sensible and focused.
To say more about how things play out (Armstrong has expressly forbidden it) would diminish the impact of the masterful, sometimes daring storytelling, which once again occupies a unique space between Shakespearean grandeur and crude, excruciating comedy. What shouldn’t go unsaid, despite being self-evident, is just how exquisite the performances are across the board. An entire review could be dedicated to how much Culkin conveys with one goofy look, Strong with one stutter, Snook with one thin smile, and Cox with one growled “fuck off”.
The Roys may be an odious clan, but they will be sorely missed.
★★★★★
Episode 1 airs on HBO in the US on March 26 and Sky Atlantic in the UK on March 27. New episodes weekly
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