The best show since Breaking Bad is finally back for its fourth and final season, and I’m here to break down every single episode of Succession as it draws to a close.

These recaps are something I started doing last season amongst my group of fellow Succession watchers via a very lengthy, crazy ex-gf type text. But now that I have a proper platform and the eyeballs of tens of adoring fans, I can do them properly.

I’ll be checking in every Monday with a fresh recap of the episode that was, taking you through the episode chronologically as I rewatch it, and highlighting key quotes and insights that I pick out.

Ideally, these recaps will be both entertaining and informative and prompt discussion amongst your own “Roys and Soy” group of Succession supporters.

I should note that my friends and I call our weekly watch party “Roys and Soy” because we watch the Roy family while eating Chinese food.

So without further delay, let’s dive into Succession Season 4, Episode 1: The Munsters.

Keeping it One Hundred

Alright we back back and holy shit does this theme song still slap.

Fresh off their recent enormous L to their Pops, the Roy children are branching out on their own starting The Hundred, aka Substack meets Masterclass meets The Economist meets the New Yorker.

Several things on this:

• Stop letting Kendall be involved in brand building. It always ends up sounding like something a Harvard Business School grad assistant would pitch while high on mescalin and the smell of his own farts

• If you reference substack ever, you’re an enormous douche

• They’re essentially inventing the Apple News app/an RSS feed right?

• “The ethos of a nonprofit but a path to crazy margins” essentially just describes Boston College

While all this is happening, Logan is “celebrating” his big bday.

Birthday Bummer

We cut to the most bourgeoisie birthday party of all time. Logan, not one for celebration or birthdays or joy in general, mopes around dressed in a sweater that looks like something a 12-year-old would get upon completing their sailing certification.

He’s got big things in motion with Waystar just days away from merging with weird Swedish guy’s even weirder company. AND he’s closing in on acquiring that CNN-esque rival company from a couple seasons back. (I thought that ship sailed when the cruise scandal broke, but turns out Nan’s moral compass breaks once her valuation starts to plummet).

Tom reveals in conversation with Logan that he and Shiv are going through a trial separation, which seems smart given that his wife told him point blank that she doesn’t love him last season. That nagging little detail has ended more than a few marriages.

Speaking of Tom…

The Disgusting Brothers

Ahh the Disgusting Brothers. Haven’t heard that name since my Mom yelled at my brother and I for peeing in water bottles when we were little. Put a bathroom in the basement if you don’t want makeshift piss jars lying around mother.

One of the highlights of the episodes, and certainly the most meme-able, is the weird nickname Tom and Greg gave themselves after pulling off a last-minute maneuver in Season 3 to outdo the Roy children.

Tom and Greg each have a certain sense of cockiness about them this season, albeit while still retaining their trademark awkward long-windedness. It will be interesting to see how long these inflated egos last and if something big comes along to knock them down.

Greg has brought along a very out-of-place date to the party, who is immediately outed for her lack of awareness and grace. The two decide to attend an under the pants rummage sale in Logan’s guest room, only for Greg to realize he was being recorded by Logan’s CCTV, which leads to a humorous exchange later on.

One interesting thing of note here: was this girl simply a means of showing off Greg’s developing confidence and boldness? Or a comic foil for a tense negotiation scene later on? It seems unlikely that someone so ditzy could be a corporate spy as Kerry suggests, but perhaps she inadvertently captured something of value on that phone of hers.

For my part, I think she demonstrates Greg’s growing recklessness now that he’s supposedly earned his place. He’s not thinking through his actions as well as the Greg who stole the documents several seasons back did. Will be something to watch going forward.

Logan’s…human side?

One of the more poignant scenes of the entire show comes when Logan is at dinner with his security man Colin.

Logan has seemed off for the entire episode to this point.

He’s clearly disinterested in his birthday bash full of sycophantic associates. Even his pending sale and acquisition don’t provide him with any sense of accomplishment or satisfaction as they normally would.

Though he’s obviously at odds with his children, it hurts him on some level he doesn’t want to admit that they aren’t there to celebrate his birthday. Perhaps for the first time, we’re seeing a side of Logan that we didn’t think existed: the Logan that values his family over business.

The conversation with Colin highlights this. He refers to Colin, a nothing character who is in his employ, as his best friend. And the sad thing is…he’s probably right.

Logan has sacrificed everything personally to get where he is in business. His children, multiple marriages, any friends he might have had. NO ONE was un-expendable in his eyes.

But now that he’s seemingly won, his company is selling, and he’s acquiring his chief competitor, Logan finally has no more business battles to fight. Couple that with the fact that he’s an elderly man and it’s his birthday, and you have the perfect storm for an existential crisis.

He doesn’t tell Colin he’s his best friend to make the other man feel good. He’s simply speaking aloud to himself in disbelief that it’s come to this. His best friend is a man he pays to be around him.

In fact, the whole conversation is him speaking to himself. Colin is merely a willing sounding board. As Logan begins to delve into his theories on the afterlife, or a lack thereof, you can hear the first real tinges of regret for the callous way he’s led his life.

He’s finally beginning to realize what most people learn much earlier in life: At the end of the day, we’re all meeting the same end.

All the money you made, all the deals you brokered, all the hours you put in at the office don’t mean anything when that final day comes. Work is just work. Family and friends are the only things that really matter in life. And Logan doesn’t have much of either.

This is a pivotal moment because we’re, as viewers, realizing at the same time that he is, that Logan is, in fact, human.

Is this emphasis on mortality foreshadowing? Who’s to say?

From the Hundred to zero

Tweedle-dee, tweedle-dumb, and tweedle-douche (Shiv, Roman, Kendall) catch wind of Logan’s planned acquisition of that company who’s name I will never remember, and decide to make a play of their own.

Backed by their soon to be billion dollar fortunes and some Saudi or equally shady investments, they plan to outbid their father for the legacy news outlet, putting them back in the game and aligning them as their father’s direct rivals.

Obviously The Hundred was never going to happen. It’s a nonsense idea that the writers of this show were never going to unpack any more than they unpacked Kendall’s brief stint as a Vans-wearing angel investor.

Plus let’s be honest: they were going to try to get back at Logan the first chance they got.

It’s only Roman who takes some convincing as he’s clearly still grappling with daddy issues and is uncomfortable being estranged from dear old dad.

The biggest number

So the dipshit triplets head to Nan’s estate only to be told her mind is made up and they’ve made the trip for nothing.

First off, Nan sucks.

As my roommate says, she’s this woman who acts all morally superior but is definitely wicked mean to waiters.

Her having a headache and seeming generally dazed was interesting. Was she posturing to seem less threatening as a negotiating tactic? Or is something medically wrong that could be a factor negating a potential deal?

Regardless, Logan’s camp gets wind of the rival bid and the bidding war is on!

Side note: “Butter my beanpole” is the most innocent-sounding dirty thing I’ve ever heard. Well done Karl, you weird brown noser.

An interesting moment happens when Karl goes to bring the opposing bid to Logan’s attention. Gerri advises that Karl “watch the blood sugar” and brings Logan a bowl of candies when he gives him the distressing news.

This is maybe yet another subtle hint at Logan’s health and mortality. Could be nothing, but after that Emperor Nero shit last year, I’m reading into everything.

As for the bidding war itself, you know how it ends. Logan, confident in his position, tries to lowball and takes out his frustration on his team with the meanest roast ever. The kids take the opposite tack however, and blow him out of the water with a $10B offer.

Logan, bested for the first time, ends the scene with a lovely concession speech to his children: “Congratulations on saying the biggest number, you fucking morons!”

Tom, Shiv, and Logan’s loss

The episode concludes with a much-needed Tom/Shiv interaction. Tom is apparently dating models, which is a huge win for us longtime Wambs-fans.

He appears earnest in wanting to talk and potentially work out his issues with Shiv. However, she’s still so devastated by his betrayal and her loss of control over her seemingly weak-willed, malleable pawn of a husband that she refuses to engage.

Shiv, for the first time in their relationship, is in the weaker position. And the only way for her to claim any semblance of power is to lord a divorce over Tom’s head.

However, as we see, their story isn’t quite done. There’s still some feeling left there, even if it’s not love.

Finally, the episode concludes with Logan, watching a “ballsack in a toupee” deliver the nightly news in a manner unsatisfactory to Logan, who reports it to the head of the news division.

Quote of the Episode:

Winner(s) of the Week: The Roy kids

For once, the Roy children got one over on the old man. I look forward to seeing how they squander it in the coming weeks.

Loser of the Week: Logan?!

Logan, for the first time ever, got fucked. Is this yet another sign of his age, his weakening position, and his lack of mental acuity? Or is this loss a minor setback for a major comeback?

I’m of the opinion that Logan got complacent, having seemingly snatched victory from his children. And in his vulnerable, sentimental state, he let one slip.

Final Analysis

Loved this episode — banger of a start to the season. Brilliant move to have the kids outflank Logan on the acquisition — they’ve immediately regained some of the position they lost last season and now have a chance to challenge Logan on equal ground. Finally, the loss, while a major blow to Logan, seems to have awoken a sleeping giant. His micro-managing of the nightly news at the end of the episode shows that he’s back at the helm and taking firm control over his company again. All questions of mortality cease now that Logan has a business rival, or rivals, to fight against again. Game on.