Succession is gearing up for its latest wedding, an event that doesn’t usually yield great results for the Roy family. Whether it’s Kendall’s (Jeremy Strong) Season 1 accident or the sibling shut-out from Waystar at the end of Season 3, weddings are historically bad omens in this HBO series, so, should we anticipate something catastrophic in the upcoming third installment of the show’s final season?
Considering Willa’s (Justine Lupe) cold feet for much of the previous episode, there’s always the off-chance she can’t go through with her marriage to eldest Roy sibling, Connor (Alan Ruck), but the actor’s words suggest otherwise. “Well, there are some bumps in the road,” Ruck admits, “some ups and downs with Willa and I, so it’s not a straight path, but we do wind up getting there.”
One of those bumps has been Connor’s financial stability amid his run for President. As he attempts to retain the one percent he’s maintained, Willa expressed concern over his desire to spend more money or opt for a wild wedding to gain traction. “I think she’s conflicted and I don’t think Connor is entirely forthcoming about the family finances with Willa,” Ruck adds.
(Credit: HBO)
For all viewers know, the sale of Waystar to GoJo could always fall through as Kendall, Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) floated the idea of squeezing Lukas Mattson (Alexander Skarsgård) for more money despite his threat to walk under those circumstances. If that were the case, Connor’s marriage could get off to quite a rocky start.
“She’s got some aspirations in terms of writing plays and producing them,” Ruck reminds us of Willa’s own goals. “Connor has been her angel in the past, and I think she wants to continue doing that. So she’s a little worried about where’s all the money gonna go… It’s still definitely a consideration for her.”
As for Connor’s expectation that dad Logan (Brian Cox) will be present, he may have some challenges there as viewers saw in the previous episode that the patriarch planned to fly out and meet Mattson in person, effectively taking him away from the impending celebration. “Connor will always remain loyal to his father,” Ruck says. “He has been since the beginning of the story, even when Ken was coming up with the vote of no confidence.”
Ruck reveals that Connor’s allegiance to Logan stems from the fact that “I don’t think he trusts his siblings to be able to manage this empire. Not that Connor could, I mean, sometimes he thinks he can, but I think if he’s honest with himself, he knows it’s beyond him, but he doesn’t believe that his siblings can do it either.”
Despite the uncertainty of his bride-to-be and his family, Ruck credits Willa with making Connor a stronger character. “Willa’s presence has given him more confidence than he might have otherwise had.” While we may have to wait and see if that confidence shines through on the big day, Ruck’s costar J. Smith-Cameron, who plays Gerri, notes that this installment is “a big episode,” adding with a laugh, “that’s all I’ll say.”
As for Ruck’s onscreen sister, Snook gushes, “I love Connor’s storyline this whole season. And just the idea of him becoming president is so bananas.” She notes that “[he is a great] foil to the other three siblings’ cruelty to each other.” Will they put cruelty aside for celebration’s sake? We’re not holding our breath.
Tune in to see how Connor and Willa’s wedding unfolds in what’s sure to be a pivotal installment for the final season of Succession.
Succession, Season 4, Sundays, 9/8c, HBO and HBO Max
