Is Gerri fired? Was Kendall’s Investor Day speech a success or a failure?
After Succession Season 4 Episode 6, it’s hard to tell, but it doesn’t really matter, either.
Roman and Kendall went all in on their Co-CEO duties and still managed to support each other in their uniquely crazy Roy family way, and we couldn’t ask for much more.
Logan’s death took a bit of a backseat as Rome and Ken used Dad’s life as their roadmap to the annual Investor Day presentation in Los Angeles.
Logan was obviously not forgotten, as he loomed larger than life as an influence and with his virtual presence touching the kids and investors alike.
Kendall is in his element, as expected. But Investor Day prep work reunited him with Logan, as Logan was putting together a new venture called Living+ and had his marketing push for investors well underway before his death.
Good to see you, Dad.
Kendall
They’ve all been working very hard not to address the fact that they lost the most influential man in their lives, who they both loved unconditionally and despised equally.
The look on Kendall’s face said it all as he was once again in Logan’s presence, and the video he had created and shared with Roman after the Living+ launch reminded us of just how dysfunctional their relationships really were.
Only Shiv had been carving out time to grieve, which was better than her brothers, even if Tom found it a little bizarre.
You’re scheduling your grief?
Tom
There was work to be done, and they were all facing it head on, but Shiv got the delayed notification that things on the Scandanivan mountaintop didn’t go as planned or expected. She knows her brothers very well and knew immediately they were trying to tank the deal.
Roman was once the one pulling for their independent venture together, but with Shiv on the outside looking in, she was the last hope that maybe they could put Waystar behind them and move forward with something together that wasn’t tainted by Logan’s touch.
It’s no wonder she’s getting chatty with Matsson. She’s got to keep her options open because, as she said to Roman, Kendall is a loose cannon. He’s got great ideas and then fumbles the execution time and again.
If Kendall was on his own going half-cocked, that would be one thing, but Roman has a taste of life at the top, and he’s suddenly like Oprah with his arms wide open screaming, “You’re fired, and you’re fired, and you’re almost fired, too!”
The company isn’t in the best position financially. Logan knew that the tides were changing for traditional news outlets and media companies, and if he didn’t get out, he’d go under.
But he didn’t share those thoughts with his kids. He protected his legacy as he held it before their eyes, waving it around like it was the finish line before he yanked it away from all of them.
It’s incredible that sentiment was alive and kicking in “Living+” the week two well-known news media personalities lost their jobs. It’s a tough market and almost impossible to thrive in, especially if you’re into fudging numbers and dropping verbal bombs behind the scenes.
Roman and Kendall are ticking time bombs. Miraculously, they survived Investor Day, but Matsson, who is more than a little aggravated that they’re not standing down, dropped a bomb of his own after Kendall’s onstage performance.
Kendall handled that gaffe like a pro. Just days after his father’s death, with his family legacy on the chopping block, he deflected Matsson’s behavior with a cute, I’m not gonna fave it, and I wouldn’t have said it response. He was both sincere and humorous, which, more than anything else he said on stage, won over the crowd.
Living+. No, it’s land cruises. Hey, you know how shitty and heartbreaking it is being locked up on a cruise? How about that, but you also get to stay in the same fucking place the whole time. I’m not gonna pursue, so why would you announce?
Matsson
Living+ is a terrible idea, only made sweeter by creatively editing in Logan’s suggestion that the lamebrained idea would double their theme park profits (It’s really well-edited, Greg said of his work) and Kendall’s suggestion that while they can’t offer eternal life yet, they are thinking about it.
Roman: Well, something about this all does depress me.
Kendall: Oh yeah? And, uh, do you think it’s this speech written specifically for our late father or the fact we’re planning to warehouse the elderly and keep them drunk on content while we suck ’em dollar dry?
They all know it’s a bad idea, but they’re hanging onto it because it was Logan’s, and it may be the thing that finally drives Matsson away from the nearly $200 billion dollar deal.
Another thing that’s unclear is whether Shiv is working with Matsson or not. She’s doing the dance but hasn’t fully committed.
Shiv seems to be in her element. She loves the intrigue and the political machinations of it all. She’s not on the inside any more than she was a political candidate, but she comes alive nonetheless.
She seems to be reconsidering her place in the world, which isn’t surprising since she’s pregnant. She’s certainly reconsidering Tom, and the two characters were highly entertaining as they flirted with the possibility of being a couple again.
Playing the Bitey Game in the midst of an investor reception was pure gold and just enough to send the to bed together.
The writing for them is best when they’re unsure and vulnerable, and they were very much exhibiting that behavior. Shiv pushed Tom’s buttons, rubbing his nose in the fact he cheated on her, and he fought back by suggesting he did it all because she never fully committed to him in the first place.
They’re strategizing together, seemingly regarding how to leverage Matsson in some way, but the how of it all was lost on me.
“Living+” caught me off guard in its hilarity. There was one zinger after another, and at one point, I did a spit-take.
If I cringe any harder, I might become a fossil.
Roman
During and after Kendall’s presentation, the comments were outstanding. I was actively cringing, covering my eyes even, as Kendall verbally stumbled around on stage, so Roman’s sentiment was everything, and Kieran Culkin’s delivery swept me away.
How am I supposed to follow this? He just promised them eternal life.
Tom [whispering to Greg backstage]
Matthew McFayden and Nicholas Braun seemed like they were having the time of their lives, too. It’s the kind of episode I imagine filled with banter and dialogue begging to be included but left on the cutting room floor.
I don’t know about you, but I want Kendall and Roman to continue acting as the dynamic duo, either leading the company into unexpected success or driving it right into the ground.
The writing and the cast are alight with possibilities, and it’s a perfect place to remain through the middle of the season and into the final leg of this brilliant series.
If you’re of a mind to do so, drop your comments down below; if not, definitely check out the Succession quotes captured for this episode, as there are even more than what is used in the article.
Relish in Succession while we’ve still got it.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.
