Last week’s episode of Succession saw us largely take a detour from figuring out who will be taking over in the Waystar Royco empire for an intense election-centered episode. Of course, as one would expect, the political circumstances have a humongous impact on the Roys, and this week’s episode dives into that.
Of course, if you have not yet watched Episode 9 of Season 4 of Succession, “Church and State,” stop reading here because this discussion will contain MASSIVE SPOILERS.
Episode 9 of the season is one that we’ve all known is coming: the funeral of Logan Roy. Although the episode doesn’t quite reach the emotional highs — or lows — of “Connor’s Wedding,” there are still plenty of moments in “Church and State” that will leave viewers feeling rather forlorn. Meanwhile, outside of the church, the aftermath of the election the night before takes over the streets of New York City.
In this episode, we see things begin to unravel for Kendall (Jeremy Strong). He’s certainly been saddened by his father’s loss, but he’s managed to keep it mostly cool and collected in his business role, even if he’s personally starting to lose it. He’s pushed over the edge when his ex-wife wants to remove their kids from the city out of fear of the protests, which Kendall misreads as a personal attack on him by preventing them from attending their grandfather’s funeral.
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Roman (Kieran Culkin) also has a breakdown, although his is much more public. As he gets up to give his eulogy to honor his father, he is overcome by grief and begins to cry. We’ve not seen Roman grieve as heavily as his two siblings, so this was his breaking point. Unfortunately for him, someone records his outburst, and he becomes a laughing stock. Later, he runs into the streets in an attempt to confront people protesting the election of Mencken, and he is absolutely pummeled.
After having let Tom know in the previous episode, Shiv has now told her brothers that she is pregnant. And while this seemed like it was going to be a major bombshell that would completely shift the power dynamics at Waystar Royco, it really just became more ammunition for Roman to hurl insults at his sister. However, Shiv’s scheming has not slowed down one bit.
Shiv is still working hand-in-hand with Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) in her attempt to take over the Waystar Royco empire. In her bid for power, she convinces Matsson that having an American CO at the helm of the company is the best route forward for the acquisition, and of course, her suggestion is herself. It seems that the seeds she has been planting with the Swede are paying off, as he goes along with her plan.
Even more surprising is that, despite her political leanings, Shiv also attempts to form an alliance with the President Elect Mencken (Justin Kirk) at her father’s funeral. Mencken knows that Shiv does not like him, but she also has to form an uneasy alliance with him because she knows the viewership base of ATN. Thus, Shiv now has not just one, but two powerful allies on her side in the conflict against her brothers.
While Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) largely sits this one out, being caught up and prevented from attending the funeral by a busy news day at the ATN offices, Greg (Nicholas Braun) largely gets to reap the rewards. Greg gets to take Tom’s spot as a pallbearer at Logan’s funeral, and while there, he gets a moment — albeit a brief one — with Mencken, where he reaffirms his allegiance to the conservative candidate.
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The big development at the very end of this episode is that, having realized what Shiv is up to with Matsson, Kendall and Roman have decided to team up against their sister in a last-ditch effort to keep Waystar Royco in their own hands. With only one episode remaining, it will be interesting to see how desperate each party becomes to undermine the other in an attempt to end up on top.
“Church and State” was already longer than the average episode of Succession — at a little over 74 minutes. Even though the finale is slotted for a 90-minute period next week, it will be interesting to see how — if at all — things are resolved. After all, with Kendall and Roman now effectively at war against their sister Shiv, it truly is anyone’s game for the taking.
Succession is now streaming on HBO and HBO Max. New episodes premiere every Sunday.
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