Warning: this article on episode 3 of the fourth season of Succession contains major spoilers.
Whether an hour, a night, or several days have passed since we watched it, the third episode of season 4 of
Succession
has not finished haunting us.
Like "The Red Wedding" or "The Lion and the Rose" from
Game Of Thrones
, which depicted the violent deaths of key characters, "Connor's Wedding", a title in the form of a Trojan horse, sees the disappearance of one sacred monsters of the universe of contemporary series: Logan Roy, media magnate, multi-billionaire ruling his empire with an iron fist, to the detriment of the well-being of his four children, successively humiliated, bullied, betrayed and disinherited over of the last three seasons.
Strictly speaking, we will not witness the death of the character: in an interview granted to the
Variety
magazine website on April 10, the director of the episode, Mark Mylod, confesses that he and the creator of the series, Jesse Armstrong , reportedly found it “strangely disrespectful” to film the patriarch’s lifeless body.
As if his interpreter, Brian Cox, had given him a real stature, going beyond fiction.
What we see, on the other hand, are the faces of all those whose lives will be turned upside down by this brutal, unexpected death (despite an alert in the very first episode of the series).
Starting with the billionaire's children, Shiv (Sarah Snook), Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin), who have been at odds with their father since he decided to sell the family firm.
The latter are reunited for the wedding of their older half-brother, Connor (Alan Ruck), on a yacht in Manhattan.
Logan was on a private jet, surrounded by his close guard, when the tragedy happened.
It is Tom, her son-in-law, (future ex) husband of Shiv, who tells the news to the children, by telephone.
Two behind closed doors, two confined spaces connected by a simple phone call: a choice of staging that multiplies the dramatic intensity of the
In video, the trailer for season 4 of
Succession
In real time
If we feel so immersed in "Connor's Marriage"
,
and in the emotional earthquake caused by the death of Logan Roy, it is because the camera places us, literally, at the level of his children: "He It appeared very quickly, even immediately after reading the script, that the camera had to be sadistic”, explains Mark Mylod.
“That it was necessary to flatten the objective on the faces of these poor people.
Like the worst paparazzi: find those who suffered the most, put the camera in their face.
Above all, don't let them go."
Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) and Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) in
Warner Bros.
Estate .
And so, not to miss any of their reactions: after having tried to manage the situation as their ultra-privileged status has accustomed them to (in a few phone calls and two or three threats), the trio realizes that death remains the one of the few things he won't be able to control.
And gives free rein to his sadness (Shiv), his pain (Kendall) or his disbelief (Roman).
A brilliant performance, captured, again, by an ambitious technical device: if it was edited afterwards, the scene where the Roys learn of the death of the father was shot in a single take, by three cameras, for 30 uninterrupted minutes.
Reinforcing the impression that the event is taking place in real time, before our eyes.
Tom is (almost) all alone
The last person to speak to Logan Roy may have been Tom Wambsgans, his son-in-law.
Remember: in the previous season, he betrayed his wife, Shiv (admittedly, often uncharitable towards him) to side with his powerful stepfather.
It is therefore to this spineless and obsequious being that falls the heavy burden of announcing to the Roy children that their father has become unwell.
Then to inform them, again in real time, of the inconclusive results of the cardiac massage that the latter undergoes.
A role that actor Matthew Macfadyen really held on the phone, while the cameras circled around Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin on the New York yacht: “At the time, Matthew was in London, and the poor sometimes stayed with us until two o'clock in the morning," says Mark Mylod to
Variety
(…).
Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) in
Warner Bros.
Estate
A courtesy that the other actors returned to him, during the filming of the plane scenes, where he appears.
If they weren't in the picture, all three were present, off camera, to give him the reply: "It's our credo - that they are always there to support each other", explained Mark Mylod.
And give one of the most masterful interpretations of the series.
The final embrace
Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) in
Warner Bros.
Estate .
Two years ago, an image marked the end of season 3: the Roy children briefly muted their tensions, rivalries and other murderous valves, after Kendall nearly drowned (perhaps intentionally) in a swimming pool .
This one, overwhelmed, received one of the few visible expressions of affection from his family: Roman putting his hands on his shoulders, and Shiv touching his head with the tips of his fingers.
This time, it's a real embrace, in front of the plane where their father's body lies, that the three of them surrender.
A moment improvised by the actors: "They just fell into each other's arms, it was magnificent," recalls Mark Mylod.
“Then the three characters separate (…), and I found that really poignant.
It was about
an incredibly busy day of filming.
But very, very emotional for all of us.”
For the spectators too.
Who stayed on the boat, the tarmac or the plane, long after the episode was over.
