HBO: Succession
- Thread starter SamSneed
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This show. 
Connor might as well have been married at the justice of the peace or Vegas
Connor might as well have been married at the justice of the peace or Vegas
We haven't seen the last of that 'Succession' character
The final season of 'Succession' still has plenty more story to tell.
Man they have no idea what love is
it’s odd to watch cause I saw this happen with my wife’s people
I wish Greg would man up and punch Tom in his shit!!!
I think they’ve just been trained and brought up to put money first, so it’s tough for them and almost unnatural at times, and that’s what made these performances in this episode so solid.
No matter what Logan does to them, no matter how many times he’s fucked then over and stripped them of everything, they’re still his kids and they still have that connection with him. When Kendall said, “I can’t forgive you and that’s ok..”, that hit like a ton of bricks and showed that there’s some humanity left in the tank for their expiring father. Watching Roman struggle to speak when Tom had the phone at Logan’s ear was another.
Many times we don’t acknowledge people til it’s too late.
This is what i see every day with her family
'Succession' director Mark Mylod teared up shooting that major death
'Succession' director Mark Mylod details what it was like to shoot that major character death.
Succession director Mark Mylod teared up while shooting Sunday's shocking episode
The filmmaker says he felt "really quite emotional through the whole thing."
By Clark CollisApril 10, 2023 at 05:00 PM EDT
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for season 4, episode 3 of Succession.
Mark Mylod has directed more than a dozen episodes of Succession but the Brit tells EW that overseeing Sunday's show, "Connor's Wedding," was an experience like no other.
"I remember shooting it and feeling really quite emotional through the whole thing," says Mylod, who also directed last year's horror-comedy The Menu. "There was an incredible intensity throughout the whole shooting period."
Justine Lupe and Alan Ruck on 'Succession'
| CREDIT: DAVID M. RUSSELL/HBO
Most of that intensity derived from the mid-air death of Brian Cox's Logan Roy, a demise which came as a shock to both viewers and Logan's children, Roman (Kieran Culkin), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Connor (Alan Ruck), and Shiv (Sarah Snook), who had gathered on a boat transporting them to the wedding of Connor and Willa (Justine Lupe).
"When Sarah Snook took her phone call to speak to Brian's character, ah, I started tearing up at the point," says Mylod. "I knew the script backwards, but what Sarah did to it on that first take, which I think is the one we used in the cut, was just amazing to me."
Below, Mylod talks more about the episode, the death of Logan Roy, and Cox's suggestion that maybe his character is still alive.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: At what point did you find out that this was going to be the episode that said goodbye to Logan Roy? Or were you part of the brain trust that came up with that?
MARK MYLOD: I'd love to say it was all my idea, that would be a lie. [Succession creator] Jesse [Armstrong] had the idea quite a long time ago, I think possibly way back when we were planning season 3. There was this idea that it would happen early in the season, in a very unexpected way. We obviously had this misdirect, the smoke grenade of setting the episode at Connor and Willa's wedding, to hopefully throw people off the scent even more. It was Jesse's idea from quite a way back and we were working our way towards it. It's one of those lovely things where, if you look back at the writing over previous episodes, you'll see those little hints. I think when the show is at its best, things are so shocking and so surprising, and yet when you step back there's a part of them that also seems inevitable also.
Yes. I've been thinking about the diner sequence from episode 1 of this season with Logan and his security guy Colin (played by Scott Nicholson), which in retrospect seems to presage the events of episode 3.
Yes, very much so. That's exactly what it was. You see an elderly gentleman who's so lonely that he's seeking camaraderie from his employee. There's an underlying sadness to that that's quite bleak.
Were you at the read-through for the episode?
Yeah, the read-through was intense. The writers' room obviously are working for months, and then the draft emerges, and there are subsequent rewrites but, a week or so before we start shooting, we'll all sit around with the cast and read the episode aloud in kind of real time. And this one was a doozy! It really was. It was, without doubt, our most emotional table read. We were losing Brian, and he's number one on the call sheet, the leader of the cast, very much the leader of our production, and that was incredibly sad. [We were] losing a colleague as well as losing a character. It was a tough day at the office, but lovely also.
Jeremy Strong and Sarah Snook on 'Succession'
| CREDIT: MACALL B. POLAY/HBO
What was it like shooting the scenes with the trio of younger siblings?
Massively intense and oddly beautiful. It felt like on some level everything had been leading up to this moment, all our work together over the past few years. We've grown very close, and we have a tremendous kind of mutual trust and respect, and I don't just mean the actors, myself and Jesse, but really the whole team, and our whole cast and crew. There was a real sense of unity and purpose going into this. We knew we had a couple of weeks to really try to [capture] the intensity and the chaos and the tension of this beautiful writing.
It was complex shooting it, because that one section, really from the moment that the siblings come upstairs until Kendall goes outside to call Frank [Peter Friedman], that felt like it should be one take. But we shoot on film, so you can only shoot 10 minutes at a time before the camera runs out of a film, and then you've got to reload. After shooting it for a couple of days in sections, it seemed like we really would benefit from just trying to shoot a half-hour take of just that whole section. So that's what we did. We gave the actors a couple of hours to prepare, and me and the camera team worked out a way of basically hiding camera magazines around the set, and having an extra camera already hidden around a corner, so that there could always be at least one camera running, and the other camera team would do a very fast reload. And that's what we did. We ended up doing this long take, a huge proportion of which ended up in the final cut, because there was something about the intensity of that one-act half-hour play that was completely unbroken, that just felt incredibly intense and everything that we wanted it to be.
There was a moment, while watching that sequence, when I thought, oh it's a shame its not the four kids. Then Alan Ruck got involved and, while I don't want to say he stole the show, he certainly made his presence felt.
He took my legs out, figuratively, shooting that. I didn't expect to be so moved. It's beautiful writing for a start, obviously, but, man, he chomped into that in the best way, he really did, both in that extraordinary, almost blankness of the reaction, which felt incredibly emotionally honest, and then of course in that lovely scene with him and Justine, him and Willa, where the tragedy kind of peeled back some curtain back into a real honest look at their relationship. I thought they were both exquisite in that, I really did.
I've got to tell you, I'm rooting for those two crazy kids!
[Laughs] Me too! It's odd, isn't it? I remember the first season, shooting in the U.K. for Tom [Matthew Macfadyen] and Shiv's wedding, and there was an odd scene where Alan's character kind of asked Justine to go steady, be exclusive in her business dealings with him, and being oddly moved by it. [It's] some weird f---ed manifestation of a modern relationship and there's something really lovely about it.
What was it like shooting the scenes on the plane?
Equally intense. It ended up being a beautiful dilemma for Jesse and I in the edit. The thought was that 90 percent of Tom's words would be heard through the speaker, through the phone, and we would stay almost exclusively with the siblings in the boat. But Matthew (Macfadyen)'s performance, and all the cast on the airplane, which we shot after we'd shot the boat, was so incredibly strong that we actually ended up including a lot more of it than we originally intended. There was an intensity to it that I didn't expect.
Brian Cox and Matthew Macfadyen in 'Succession'
| CREDIT: DAVID M. RUSSELL/HBO
What was the thinking behind Logan almost not being onscreen for his own demise? Brian Cox is a Shakespearean actor, I'm sure he could have handled a death scene speech by Logan like nobody's business.
Yeah, absolutely no doubt about that. This is slightly speaking for Jesse, but I think I can represent him accurately, the idea was to really try to represent a modern life, a modern death, as accurately as possible, as well as obviously to a certain extent to create the biggest surprise as we could. We're not above that certainly. But there was that idea that in modern life, unless it's cancer or something where it's more expected, if it's a sudden death then the reality is, it's a phone call, it's an email, it's a text. It's messy. And this just seemed right to us as well as dramatically surprising.
There were key decisions to make of how much we would see or not of Brian's character. Whenever I put the camera on him, lying on the floor, it felt oddly disrespectful, so I didn't, except for one very deliberate moment where the camera specifically sees that it is Logan there. It felt intense and it still does remembering it.
I don't know if you read this, but Brian gave an interview to Vulture in which he teased the possibility that Logan might not be dead.
[Laughs] He's going to pop out the coffin at some point!
Well, he said, you see the body bag, but you don't see who's in it.
It's a very good point. I refuse to comment further.
The episode did screen over Easter weekend as well. But I'm not going to ask you to comment on that.
[Laughs] Yeah, I'm not going to do a John Lennon and compare us to Jesus.
My theory is that someone killed Logan and Succession has been a slow burn whodunnit.
[Laughs] That's another way to go!
Feel free to use these ideas.
They're all logged!
As you mentioned, Brian Cox was number one on the call sheet. Who was number one after he left?
[Laughs] The lovely think about this season really is, I can't remember another time when we had such unity with the siblings, particularly the start of the season, and united in their grief obviously in this episode we've just had. I'm sure we'll do our damndest to mess that up over the next few weeks, but it has been really lovely to have the cast, the siblings, the four of them, operate with a closeness where we could get that flavor, that warmth, that side of the dynamic of their relationship, which we've really not been able to do so much in previous seasons.
'Succession' director Mark Mylod
| CREDIT: JEFF SPICER/GETTY IMAGES
Have you directed more episodes this season?
Yes, we've got all 10 episodes in the can now. I'm really proud of all of them. I directed the last two, 9 and 10, where we've really tried our damndest to give the series the right ending. It was obviously pretty intense and emotional doing that after five, six years together. But I'm really proud of them, I really am, I don't think we could have tried any harder.
Succession airs Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
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I felt absolutely no sympathy for these self absorbed selfish horrible people
but could NOT take my attention off them for one single solitary second.
I think it was Roman who got me finally.
I actually felt his grief the most because unlike the others?
In his own twisted way? He was ALWAYS trying to get the family to be something together.
I actually felt his grief the most because unlike the others?
In his own twisted way? He was ALWAYS trying to get the family to be something together.
Damn, man. First time seeing this. To have this shit drop after the most talked about episode of the entire series.
He better hope this just goes away. There's no show to be fired from because the shooting has likely wrapped and this is the final season.
There was a, dare I say, innocence in his denial throughout the entire episode.
He was not breathing with no heartbeat for well over 25 minutes and he's still holding on to hope because "they're still doing chest compressions"
Shiv just saying "okay" was just her letting him hold on to it.
Needless to say, my jaw was on the floor the entire episode. They hit this one out of the park.
Of the three, Roman’s the most family/firm oriented (if we even wanna say that). That’s why he’s always been Logan’s in against the kids, and the kids weakest link. Shiv and Kendall were too far gone and like their father in that regard.
The end scene was a great example, when Kendall kept his distance from Logan being carted off the plane and Shiv drove off with Tom, but Roman … Roman saw that body off the plane and into the ambulance. He was far more attached than the rest.
Of the three, Roman’s the most family/firm oriented (if we even wanna say that). That’s why he’s always been Logan’s in against the kids, and the kids weakest link. Shiv and Kendall were too far gone and like their father in that regard.
The end scene was a great example, when Kendall kept his distance from Logan being carted off the plane and Shiv drove off with Tom, but Roman … Roman saw that body off the plane and into the ambulance. He was far more attached than the rest.
The writing taking place is at such an insane level and I mean masterful level. And then combined with the acting. Plus the camera work.
Check this...
So it takes Ken awhile to finally get Shiv to the phone, so basically she missed an opportunity to talk to her father while he was "alive".
We as the audience and the other characters have no REAL idea if he was still alive to hear Roman and Ken.
Moments pass... and what we as the audience who feel like we intimately know these characters at this point, seeing feeling this tidal wave sweep over the entirety of the show, KNOW this THING is going to happen. We actually hope it doesn't because we hope these children finally become mature adult human beings right?
But nope.
Shiv just HAS to ask.
Why did it take you so long to get me?
Shiv sees both her brothers devastated literally crumbled heaps on the floor. But she just can't f*cking help herself.
Even though thankfully the brothers back up each other probably KNOWING Shiv would ask that at some point. It just hits the audience in the stomach.
These damn kids are hardwired to be petty self absorbed monsters.
For the writers to KNOW the audience expected that?
To KNOW that is exactly what the character as we know them would react despite everything?
To fight the urge to somehow redeem her or make her better or above it or just empathetic etc etc. NOPE.
Masterful.
The moment she asked “what took you so long..” reeled us all back to who she was. There’s a very delicate balance in the writers room of who they always are and the gravity of the situation unfolding in all front of all our eyes. She did the same at the press conference as well, looking beat to shit (understandably) by what happened, but also affirming that it’s business per usual and that the Roy kids, will be there in lock step.
This season better sweep these award ceremonies. They could win the lot off this episode 3 alone.
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Dad ...
Dad ..
Daddy
Dad ..
Daddy
Roman and Connor are the only ones I ride for.
Connor's speech about not needing love in episode 2
To him faltering down with the news of his pops passing
And Roman being tortured his entire life and still not wanting to let go
Saw his body off the plane
Hugged his sister and brother
Roman is who I'm rooting for
Connor's speech about not needing love in episode 2
To him faltering down with the news of his pops passing
And Roman being tortured his entire life and still not wanting to let go
Saw his body off the plane
Hugged his sister and brother
Roman is who I'm rooting for
Me after watching the latest episode: 
...... (deep sigh)... "Welp!"
...... (deep sigh)... "Welp!"I knew Logan was going to die during this final season as it made more sense. In previous seasons his health was always a factor. I just didn't think it would be this soon. At first I thought he would survive this but, like last time, be out of commission for a while. Then he would finally name his success towards the end of the season before passing.
But now.... OooWee. Now we get to see how the siblings react. We have two of them that definitely wants to be in charge, one of them that wants an important role where he can make powerful decisions even though he acts like he doesn't care, and the last one who wants as much money as he can get.
Not to mention the rest of the team. I think Gerri will shake things up especially since she was getting canned. Tom will definitely rally for himself to be at the helm and will do anything for it, including crawling back to Shiv and eating her dirty drawers.
The family is together now because of this tragedy, but I can see the dynamic turning real fast after Logan is buried and it is time to get back to business.
But now.... OooWee. Now we get to see how the siblings react. We have two of them that definitely wants to be in charge, one of them that wants an important role where he can make powerful decisions even though he acts like he doesn't care, and the last one who wants as much money as he can get.
Not to mention the rest of the team. I think Gerri will shake things up especially since she was getting canned. Tom will definitely rally for himself to be at the helm and will do anything for it, including crawling back to Shiv and eating her dirty drawers.
The family is together now because of this tragedy, but I can see the dynamic turning real fast after Logan is buried and it is time to get back to business.
Connor.
Damn.
He is the one that is the most VISIBLY scarred. Incredible acting throughout the series.
He is the oldest. The outsider from the trio.
The failure. But he is actually the most self aware.
That loonie cake story is gut wrenching
And to wait till THAT episode to tell it?
It informs him the most.
(And shows just how horrible Logan was and yet they all were obsessed with gaining his love and acceptance)
And for Connor to find more affection and honesty from a whore is just... damn.
Tom.
Yo.... Tom.
I feel I predicted this.
This has been the damn Tom story for awhile now.
Yo.... Tom.
I feel I predicted this.
This has been the damn Tom story for awhile now.
^^^^
You nailed it.
My jaw dropped
Whole episode I felt like I was physically there. Shout out to set design, locations and camera crew and editing.
And like a actual family function I was disappointed and shocked by the predictably horrible behavior of all involved.
"Where's the Grub!!! Tom's off his nut again!!!"
What's at the bottom of your Christmas stocking?
A dead old man
WTF TOM!!!!???
The thing about this is, you learned nobody really liked Logan. From Karl and his 40 years to Kerry.
That's why it was weird to see them on the plane. There was no emotion, it was more so shock. Nobody broken up or crying. It was about worry about themselves and their next steps.
It took me a while to get it and that it was real and not just a health scare, because of that.
and none of the kids know how to love, because of Logan.
That's why it was weird to see them on the plane. There was no emotion, it was more so shock. Nobody broken up or crying. It was about worry about themselves and their next steps.
It took me a while to get it and that it was real and not just a health scare, because of that.
and none of the kids know how to love, because of Logan.
Why?
He just as f*cked up if not more.
Logan basically told Greg his pops is gay!
Greg is a mess.
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