Succession Season 4 Review : A fitting finale that delivers high-voltage drama, sharpened intrigues, and top-notch comedy

Story: As the deal between tech maverick billionaire Lukas Matsson and Waystar Royco draws closer, Logan Roy deals with estrangement with his children Kendall, Roman, and Shiv. The siblings join up in an uneasy alliance to start their own media company while dealing with familial division, personal insecurities, and a lack of trust. A shocking tragedy compels the three to reunite to hold forth while carving out their share of control over the company's future.

Review: “Succession” has kept its promise of wrapping up one of television’s best shows with a sharp, rational, and engrossing final season. In season four, the high-stakes game and silver-tongued inter-politicking of the siblings Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Shiv (Sarah Snook) makes way for a determined follow-up to the joint effort in season three to take on their father’s minimising succession decision and sell plan. The siblings set out to build their own traditional, broadcast-centric media empire by acquiring a much-coveted asset that their legendary media mogul father Logan Roy (Brian Cox) could never buy. Beating their father at his specialty of acquiring prized companies and remoulding them in Royco form, Kendall, Shiv, and Roman unite forces to launch a new company. While all three carry the baggage of past behaviours and incidents, especially Shiv’s hurt over her husband Tom’s betrayal, neither trusts the other completely.

In fact, trust is hard found between all three given their past tendencies to push the other down the staircase in the battle for one-upmanship for the media conglomerate Waystar Royco. Logan Roy is nursing grudges and estrangement on a ditzy birthday gathering at his plush apartment while contemplating a way to reach out to his kids and yet, not having the ability to make amends or apologize. Shiv’s complicated marriage to her husband, Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) is not going well, as both exchange truckloads of unaddressed hurt over their past actions. Tom’s actions of betraying his wife to his father-in-law has triggered a pre-divorce cold war whereby he is the fast and loose man about town with his perennial ally and lackey, cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun). There’s also the complicated relationship between Roman and Gerri (J Smith-Cameron), the interim CEO, who did too good a job for her own good.

As the first three episodes set up tension and sharp-tongued conflict between the father and angry children, Succession artfully plays up its biggest strength; the petty, unaddressed slights and grudges from decades of past experiences. The kids won’t let up when the father makes space for a conciliatory conversation in a low-cost karaoke bar, and the father will not acknowledge his agency in shaping their anxieties and insecurities. As events rev up mid-season, a shocker is served whereby a situation demands immediate involvement and decision-making by Roy’s three children about the future of their global company. Mixing things up is the internet billionaire entrepreneur Mattson (Alexander Skarsgard) who is set to acquire Waystar Royco despite a personal tragedy for the family on his terms. The episode about his mind games in a typical European wildlife adventure setting, where his team of fit and sporting younger European employees take on the ageing, unfit American executives of Waystar, serves as a metaphor for the digital age constantly grappling with a legacy of the broadcast media era. It is both hilarious and a fascinating tunnel into the complex siblings’ relationship with intrigue and backchanneling over phone calls and texts kicking off yet again.

As most of the action in this show of the morally unburdened and self-centered, insensitive One Percent happens over talk (phone calls, video conferences, video calls), rivalry and insecurities of each sibling impacts proceedings in this mega business deal. It also highlights the role that a powerful media house continues to yield over popular perception and the common folk when a national election comes upon them. Even as Kendall obsesses over unviable tech spinoffs of the Waystar brand and Roman power trips awkwardly through impulsive decisions, Shiv continues to liaise and play the silent strategist. Their personal lives also evolve as the season proceeds, with the caustic presence of Mattson bringing their complicated lives to stark relief.

“Succession” has stayed true to its core material - of who wins the coveted crown for - Waystar Royco - while navigating dramatic and unexpected plot twists. Its performances remain steadily superb, with sarcasm-laced dialogue being its strong suit as ever. It is also hilarious in the way it tackles the bland vacuousness of corporate manipulation and deal-making. Its finest achievement, one that creator Jesse Armstrong and his sizeable writing team can take credit for, remains in highlighting deep set discomfort of the blindingly wealthy, high-pressure life that children of a global media scion can have. Being rich doesn’t mean being happy. It just means you can get away with murder and more. This season is an absolute must-watch and a terrific immersive viewing experience for all.