Succession Season 4, Episode 4: Kendall and Roman Take the Crown, and Every Thread Gets Tangled

The episode opens with a phone call. Shiv's doctor tells her that her results look good, asks whether she has had any spotting, and mentions that Davina will be in touch about her 20-week scan. In a few lines, the audience learns that Shiv is pregnant, and well along. We are not told who the father is.

The call is the first of close to a dozen storylines that Succession's fourth episode of the season sets off in quick succession. Episode three had lingered over the aftermath of Logan's death. Episode four does the opposite, and by the end Waystar Royco has an interim CEO, or rather two, though the path ahead is murkier than before.

The setting is Logan's apartment, one day after his death, where his cronies have gathered for the wake along with Gerri, Stewy, Sandi and Sandy, and Colin the bodyguard, who has turned up in jeans. Kendall is surprised to see Marcia, who says she and Logan spoke intimately every evening. A calendar later suggests she had not seen him for seven weeks. Kerry is nowhere to be found. During the speeches praising Logan, Tom whispers to Greg that the great man died fishing his iPhone out of a clogged toilet. Halfway through, the Secret Service arrive for a sweep ahead of far-right Congressman Jeryd Mencken.

The insiders and Tom slip off to the china storeroom to settle who will run the company when markets open on Monday. They worry about the children's commitment to the GoJo deal. Karolina proposes Gerri; Karl proposes himself and says Logan had been souring on her. Gerri replies that Logan is no longer around. Tom puts himself forward and Karl dismisses him cruelly. Meanwhile, the siblings cannot reach Lukas Matsson, whose representative, on speakerphone, shows little sympathy and asks them to come to Sweden. Matsson says he cannot come to the UK because of an annual retreat. They agree to talk later in the week, but the mood is cold.

Smaller deals pile up. Marcia tells Connor she wants $60 to $70 million for Logan's apartment; Connor suggests $63 million, she accepts, they shake hands, and he has bought it. Hugo confesses to Kendall that after learning of Logan's death, before it was announced, he may have told his daughter Juliet, who then sold her Waystar shares ahead of the price drop. That is technically insider trading. Kendall keeps the secret for now.

The biggest development is a paper Frank finds in Logan's safe, a list of instructions for the event of his death. Frank, Karl and Gerri half-joke about dropping it down the toilet, then share it with the inner circle and the Roys. Believed to be about four years old, it names Kendall as successor. Gerri notes that the family no longer holds majority control, so it matters less than it seems. Later pencil marks, either an underline or a cross-out of Kendall's name, are ambiguous: Kendall reads an underline, Shiv a cross-out. Greg's name also appears in pencil, with a question mark, which gives him a footing that Tom lacks. Kendall asks Frank for his support, and Frank asks whether he really wants back in.

Tom, looking for a new protector, apologises to Kendall for what he said before and says he is here to serve. Kendall answers, "I like you Tom, good luck," and walks off. Roman rebuffs him outright. Kerry finally arrives, but Marcia has told her to stay away and has her security escort Kerry out the back. Kerry says Logan was arranging for them to marry. Marcia has already packed her belongings into a bag that breaks. Roman helps her gather them, and Kerry asks him to check on the marriage arrangements.

The siblings meet privately, each arguing for the top job. Kendall cites the paper, Shiv says it must be her, and Roman points out that as COO he would normally step up. They settle on Roman and Kendall as joint CEOs, a holding position of six to eight months. Shiv agrees only if they promise "on yesterday" not to screw her. Stewy backs Kendall, the board agrees after an awkward exchange, and Shiv nearly runs from the room.

Karolina and Hugo then pitch a communications strategy: present the young Roys as continuing Logan's legacy, or paint him as incompetent in his last years while they ran things. Roman is appalled and tells them never to bring such a proposal again. Afterward, Kendall privately tells Hugo to go ahead with the smear quietly, and when Hugo balks, he mentions the insider trading.

The open questions include Shiv's pregnancy, Marcia's coming legal fight, whether Kerry has a financial claim, the authenticity of the paper, Matsson's silence, Hugo's exposure, and the $63 million apartment.