Succession Season 4 Episode 7 Review: Tailgate Party
Carissa Pavlica
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It's impressive how quickly the Roy sibs can pull things together.
Succession Season 4 is supposedly taking place during a two-week span, with each successive episode directly following day from the previous one.
Logan hasn't even been buried yet, but these kids, who at their best have often seemed like over-privileged dimwits, are working miracles.
Succession Season 4 Episode 7 found Shiv and Tom hosting the pre-election party Logan had already planned. Seems easy enough, but they had to round up all of those people to redirect the party.
Sure, they've got teams of people at their disposal, but we've also seen most sibs getting their hands dirty in the wake of Logan's death, so they deserve a little celebration in that respect.
Before the party, Tom got down to business at ATN, setting bulldog Greg on the task of firing a huge swath of employees.
I’m seeing some confusion in the chat. Um, but yes, uh, if I have been too wordy, yes, we are letting all of you go. Obviously, I can’t take questions on this call, but this is a very sad day, and I thank you for your time today and your service to Waystar Royco. Goodbye.
Greg
Greg has been a real wild card, and it feels like a bad call on Tom's part to delegate so much of the dirty work to him. At some point, people are going to notice that he's not cut out to be a leader.
Greg: HR says I’m the right guy for the job ‘cause it looks like I care, but I don’t.
Matsson: Not a good person.
Greg: No, I am. I am. It’s just, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Matsson: Do you, though?
That time could be coming sooner than he thinks, especially if his wife continues throwing him under the bus for her advancement.
With Shiv and Tom only just reconnecting after a period of months apart, the party seemed like a good time to share with everyone that they're back in business.
I'm not sure how Shiv thought backing Matsson would work when it came to her marriage, but she was working the room from all angles.
She was simultaneously throwing her husband under the bus and working with Matsson to secure a place in his empire by also tossing her brothers under another bus.
Kendall and Roman got Nate involved so they could work an angle that would include him getting regulatory bodies interested in the disaster Matsson has turned out to be.
Sticking with the bus theme, Kendall and Roman found one that Matsson would fit under very well. He landed there when the brothers learned what Shiv already knew -- Matsson is a skeevy operator. Their feigned interest in Eba led to her leaking that the numbers in India were bunk.
Roman was also working by text with one of the presidential candidates to toss Connor under the bus by asking him to stand down and accept an ambassadorship to a nation with little to no political value.
Roman: Con, they’re not going to put you anywhere that has nukes.
Connor: Well, that’s insulting. I don’t think I want to go anywhere that doesn’t have nukes.
And, finally, Kendall got to bus hurling on his own when he suggested to Frank that they turn the tables on Matsson entirely, buying GoJo out from under him and leaving all of his siblings in the dust.
There was so much scheming going on at that party that it's impossible to know which scheme will stick the landing, but Kendall's is the most interesting and suggests he's just a chip off the ol' block after all.
GoJo is in trouble. Matsson thinks that buying Waystar Royco will pull the heat away from his mistakes, and by the time anybody is looking again, the fudged numbers will be correct when you add in the new business.
It's probably how Kendall's looking at it too. He's got no love for the truth, and he did plenty of fudging during the shareholders' presentation on Succession Season 4 Episode 6.
In recent interviews, it's been mentioned that Kendall and Frank have a special bond beyond business that often works in Kendall's favor.
Frank will want to secure his place in the Waystar legacy, and siding with Kendall could do that. Kendall would flounder without Frank at his side. Frank wasn't as all in on retirement as Karl was, so it could work.
Roman has a lot to offer, and it would be stupid of Kendall to kick his brother to the curb without considering what it might mean. But he's thinking more about himself than anything else, so who knows where Roman could end up.
Shiv has probably nailed her own coffin closed. How long can it be before they realize she's been working with Matsson against them?
But now that she knows just what the horse she's been backing has been up to, she may try to clear the air and make a play for the family business over Matsson's.
There was a lot more than just scheming during "Tailgate Party," of course, but most of it paled in comparison.
Except what was likely the last stand between Tom and Shiv.
They have such a realistic relationship between two damaged people. They're so fearful of losing each other that they fail to communicate what means the most to them.
They hold in what they love about each other just as much as what hurts. That's a recipe for disaster. How many times can they pull it back together after it all comes crashing down?
Their pain-fueled words on the balcony were hard to watch, but the only time they're honest with each other is when their hurt drives the conversation. Tom spat that she never thinks of him, never loved him, and shouldn't have married him.
Shiv responded by admitting she only married him because her father was dying, and what the hell else was she supposed to do? She blames Tom for snuggling up to Logan in his last months, denying her precious time with her father.
The lethal blow came when Tom said Shiv isn't a good person to have kids because she's incapable of love. Can Shiv, pregnant, really see beyond that?
It's going to be awkward enough to share a child under the circumstances, but it seems very unlikely this is a rift they can mend. And geez, do they even have the time to do that?
Of course, Logan's funeral is right around the corner, and just like his death brought everyone together, it's possible being a part of that will swish around and clean off some of the bad mojo that's circling this group.
Because yes, the kids are getting a lot done after Logan's death, but none of it would make Logan proud. And isn't that all they ever wanted?
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
