‘Succession’ leaves its fans in shock with the most surprising death of the HBO series (and also the most anticipated)

THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW FOR ‘SUCCESSION’ 4×03

In the tradition of series like ‘Game of Thrones’, episode 3 of season 4 of ‘Succession’ has used a wedding to drop one of the great bombings of the series. It has surprised, yes, and yet it was something that had to happen, something with which the series has been guessing since its very beginnings. An event that would finally put into motion the promise of its title —the succession— and consequently the beginning of the end for one of the most acclaimed and beloved HBO series on television today.

We talk, of course, about the death of Logan Roy, the patriarch of the Roy family and head of Waystar Royco. Both institutions—the family and the professional, often intertwined— are now orphaned by the fierce and cruel leadership that has set the pace for the Jesse Armstrong series since its inception. The character, played by Brian Cox, has said goodbye in episode 4×03 in the most shocking and mysterious way.

Who would have thought a week ago that the much talked about karaoke scene of ‘Succession’ 4×02 was going to be the last time that Logan Roy would be face to face with his children Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook). And, also, that his last words addressed to them would be “I love you, but you are not serious people.” We have no doubt that the Roy chicks will spend years analyzing this moment in their very expensive therapy sessions and that their actions prior to the death of their father will haunt them forever.. After all, although nature was going to take its course anyway, it was his ambition to get more money for the purchase of Waystar Royco that led his father to get on that plane to Sweden, where he ended up losing his life due to blamed for a heart attack.

We thought that the big event of episode 4×03 of ‘Succession’ was going to be the wedding of Connor (Alan Ruck) and Willa (Justine Lupe), but it seems that the eldest of Logan Roy’s children is doomed to always lose prominence. If we remember, the fourth season of the series has shown us an open war between Logan and his rebellious sons, not only with the aim of obtaining professional benefits, but also hungry for revenge after the treacherous movement that we live (and with which we vibrate ) in the ‘Succession’ season 3 finale.

When Shiv, Ken and Roman threaten to vote against the sale of their family business by GoJo, the company of Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård), Logan is forced to visit him to renegotiate the terms and ask for more money, a conversation it was not going to be easy. Fortunately or unfortunately, Logan never got it. Curiously, we do not see at any time the events that will later be related, via Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), to the Roy heirs.: Logan entered the plane’s bathroom and, seeing that he did not respond, his bodyguard broke down the door and found the tycoon in full cardiorespiratory arrest. After thirty minutes of RPC, his death was confirmed.

Why not show us that important moment? The episode’s director, Mark Mylod, explains it in the making of of the episode (via The Hollywood Reporter): “Big events don’t happen perfectly, do they? They happen in a monotonous way sometimes. And I thought this idea of ​​doing away with all the TV clichés about the perfect death on TV was really brilliant.” The director wanted audiences to feel “hijacked in exactly the same way the brothers do when they hear the news, so we immediately parachuted into their emotional experience”.

While it seems pretty clear that Logan Roy is dead, the way he’s been portrayed on the show leaves plenty of room for plenty of script twists. Was it really a natural death? Or could we be facing a murder masked as a heart attack? It is time for crazy theories to run around the internet, as usual, but we will only find the answers every Monday on HBO.

Of course, this death will change everything in ‘Succession’. There are seven episodes ahead of the fourth and final season of the series and many questions appear on the horizon.: Will the Roy brothers want to take over Waystar Royco? Will they be able to go ahead with the purchase by convincing Matsson not to back out? What does this mean for Logan’s loyal workers, from Frank to the highly controversial Kerry? What does it put in the patriarch’s will? The war is more open than ever now that the throne has been vacated. And we have no doubt that Jesse Armstrong has a mind-blowing ride in store until the end of the series.