‘Succession’ Season 4 Episode 9 Review: Logan Roy's funeral becomes a show of strength and weakness
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After putting her father to rest in a tomb, a tearful Shiv goes over to Frank and Karl, her father Logan Roy's trusted aides, and asks, “How bad was dad?” Frank chuckles and responds, “He was a salty dog, a tough egg,” which prompted Karl to say, "What you saw was what you got.” People who knew Logan Roy are aware that he was someone who did not keep his thoughts to himself. He let them be heard, loud and clear, no matter how brutal, cunning, mean or hurtful. Is it possible to grieve for someone that evil? This was probably on Shiv’s mind when she asked Frank and Karl that question. Maybe she wanted to know that if she tried to become like her father, how far could she go? Should she be as ruthless as the senior Roy was? Frank and Karl may have given her the answer: Go all the way and everyone else will fall in line.
‘Succession’ is at finish line, waiting for the final charge in May 29's episode. The battle for the Waystar throne is on its last leg with a firm Kendall and dishevelled Roman up against their sister, Shiv, who has Lukas Matsson by her side. Jeryd Mencken is the Presidential puppet who is slowly breaking free of Kendall and Roman. In Episode 9, the highlight was Logan’s funeral, and the people arriving to pay their last respects to the legacy of the great media tycoon. The protests on the streets against Mencken’s appointment as President do not stop the black cars of the elites from arriving at the funeral, but they are only present to kiss the ring for the last time. They do not grieve but are happy to see they are free of an impediment, and now they can easily control whoever takes over Waystar. Logan's children, Kendall, Roman, Shiv and Connor, are using his funeral to their own advantage. All of Logan's past lovers and ex-wives are sitting together but nobody sheds a tear or grieves
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Who will grieve for you, Logan Roy?
If someone had said that the penultimate episode would leave Roman in tatters, sobbing like a child who never got a chance to confront his emotions, that person would have been executed in the nearest park by fans. However, such is the brilliance of the show that it brought out the most humane and credible moment of raw honesty from a character that has immortalized mumble-talk in ‘Succession'. Roman is a man-child who continues to make sexual innuendos and jokes about anyone and everyone he meets. He was prepared to give a graceful eulogy at his father’s funeral sans any heart. However, after Uncle Ewan’s eulogy, when Roman got on the podium, he fumbled. He called his siblings, held them and asked while signaling towards the casket, “Is he (Logan) in there?” as he started bawling. It was supposed to be Roman’s moment to showcase his strength to the world but he did stand up for himself by embracing and confronting his repressed emotions that he had locked inside himself because of his father. At that moment, Roman grieved.
Kendall followed with his nuanced yet direct speech about his father’s deeds with a runny nose. He was certain of who and what his father was and gave an impactful eulogy that received thunderous applause from everyone present. He symbolized strength, as what is expected of any son at his father’s funeral, and gained the trust of everyone to lead. Shiv got up only to show that she had something to say but didn’t know how to move the audience like her brother did.
The ‘sisterhood’ of Logan’s women
Caroline, who was Logan’s second wife and is currently married to Peter Munion, arrives at the funeral, meets her children (Kendall, Roman, and Shiv), and spots Kerry, Logan’s recent fling who used to shadow Logan at work. Marcia, Logan's current wife, invites Kerry to join her in the front row with Sally Anne, Logan’s former lover. Caroline introduces Sally Anne as the one who was "Kerry" for her when she was married to Logan. The four women sit in the front row and Marcia embraces Kerry without any hostility for the first time. Instead, she holds Kerry’s hand and allows her to grieve, supporting her in the process. Among all the women in the front row, Kerry was the one who was visibly grieving while the other three women had all grieved enough in the past, courtesy of now-deceased Logan.
The series finale of 'Succession' will premiere on Sunday, May 28 at 9 pm ET on HBO and Max.
