Roundtable: Who gave the best performance in Succession this week?

Sunday night’s episode of Succession not only drastically changed the trajectory of the show’s final run, but delivered some of the best acting performances on the familial drama thus far. All four of the Roy children (played by Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, and Alan Ruck), were confronted with disbelief and grief upon hearing the news of their father’s death while on a boat for Connor’s wedding. In the fallout, each actor tapped into their character’s fragmented, emotionally wounded inner child, offering a range of astounding performances. In this roundtable, The A.V. Club writers break down exactly what made each performance tick and reflect on the standout moments of “Connor’s Wedding.”

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Gabrielle Sanchez: This was a Succession wedding episode for the ages. Taking stock of each of the Roy children in this episode, I want to ask: Who do you think gave the best performance this week?

Drew Gillis: I was pretty floored by Kieran Culkin’s performance throughout the episode. I think as William pointed out in his recap, we start the episode in his POV, so that certainly helps. But him being the child who picks up the phone and starts to say his goodbyes before ultimately getting too freaked out was an incredible acting moment.

Saloni Gajjar: It’s impossible to pick, and yet we will, but everyone gave their series-best performance, I think. I’m going with Sarah Snook, though. The way her hand shakes while she’s crying over the phone, telling Logan, “Don’t go yet”? That’s when my dam broke if I’m being honest. Everyone says Shiv and Logan are so alike, and in that moment Snook showed that her character really has no direction in life right now besides hating Logan. And that’s gone, too.

What also worked for me with Sarah Snook was knowing Shiv’s soon-to-be-ex-husband is literally handling all the communication. That’s its own brand of pain. He was with Logan; she wasn’t.

GS: I have to agree with Drew. It’s no surprise that I love Roman as a character, and I think Kieran has really dug into his idiosyncrasies while handling this grief. I’ve thought about how Roman reaches for Connor’s hand when delivering the news, hunched over and grabbing like a child.

SG: Yeah, Kieran was stunning in this episode from start to end. Him sitting on the floor the entire time like a child is such a specific and great acting choice, too.

GS: Roman’s interactions with Gerri in this episode were absolutely mesmerizing as well. Roman has been the one throughout the whole series who values his family the most and dreams of emotional connection with his family members. Logan’s death just shattered him.

SG: That’s such a good point. Ugh, remember when he said “love?” as a reason for not backstabbing his family in the season-three finale.

Snook and Culkin win, but Jeremy Strong pulled off a lot. Think about him breaking down on the phone when Frank says “He’s gone” and the exchange about wanting to talk to the pilot.

GS: Jeremy Strong! Everyone can talk their shit, but that man is an actor.

SG: Everyone, a.k.a. Brian Cox, can talk their shit.

GS: Kendall’s been a strange one to watch this season, as he’s mostly been orbiting the action. But this episode reminded everyone why he’s been such a central character. He’s the one to take lead as everyone else crumbles, putting his own feelings aside.

SG: Yeah, he allows himself a few moments of helplessness but then springs into action mode because everyone expects him to.

GS: He moved between turmoil and hyper-focused rage, like calling for the best airplane doctor available. His delivery of “Shivvy, honey,” I cried!

DG: Right before the episode began at my watch party, we were talking about how all of the kids have to constantly act and look busy because they don’t actually do anything—they talk fast and often to make it seem like they’re important. That was especially true in the moment when Kendall realizes the gravity of the situation and immediately demands for a plane doctor and demands to speak to the pilot—as per usual, the character is powerless, but he’s putting on a front of control.

GS: Absolutely, he’s always been the one to put on this veneer of control, and I think that’s especially important for him given his struggles with substance abuse.

SG: Drew, you are so right. He’s usually aimless and helpless even when he’s making big plans to take down Logan. But in this case, once Logan has been taken down by, uh, old age, he still resorts to running around and doing incredibly inane things to feel like he’s helping out.

I did think to myself after watching the promo: Is the man going to relapse? I mean it in the nicest way, but I was glad he didn’t go see Logan’s body in the plane with Roman.

GS: And of course, Roman was the only one to do it.

DG: Ultimately though, [Kendall] is the one with the correct business, if not human, instinct, which is that they do have a lot of eyes on them and they have to do the right thing. It felt like it could be some sort of growth, but I am also expecting a relapse.

GS: I am truly frightened for what’s to come with Kendall.

SG: I do want to point out Jeremy Strong’s incredible expression in the airport with the moon behind him. In the very final shot of “Connor’s Wedding,” when he’s standing there watching Logan being brought out, there’s a visible sigh of relief almost. Like he’s free. Not really, but in a way he is.

GS: It’s true. They kind of all are, in a way.

SG: That one scene says so much because he knows what’s coming next, but also this mammoth person in his life is gone and he can somewhat start over.

DG: His immediate reaction of “I can’t forgive you” says the same thing.

SG: Absolutely. All of their immediate reactions are so apt for who they are as people. I wrote about it in extreme detail, but even Shiv’s “I can’t have that yet” is so full of pain in ways I don’t think anyone realizes. Damn you, Succession. I am not here for tears, I just want to laugh at their miserable wealthy lives. But the performances won’t let you.

We’ve ignored Alan Ruck—much like the Roy siblings.

GS: Connor is next! But I have one more thing. As I mentioned before this chat, last night’s episode did not make me cry in reaction to Logan’s actual death—that’d be like crying over Rupert Murdoch—but it was spurred by the children’s reactions and ultimately the actors’ performances. Logan’s death, if anything, is interesting in terms of what will come next, but my sadness lies in these grieving, fucked-up adults.

SG: I agree 100 percent. I don’t really care about Logan dying—I’ll miss what Brian Cox brings to the show—but the way all the actors teamed up to deliver such an affecting performance is why we’re all processing.

GS: But yes, Connor Roy. I think it’s fitting for him to come into the discussion now because of how exactly the episode played out last night. Alan Ruck has been delivering excellence when it comes to Connor for a while now, but between this episode and the last, he’s just been a powerhouse. He’s worrying about his “loony cake” and then, when he learns Logan died, his first words are, “He didn’t even like me.”

SG: The loony cake thing deserves its own breakdown, so I won’t get into it here, but it’s so funny to me that he’s holding onto a memory from his mother’s tragedy so tightly when he learns about Logan’s death.

GS: I like Connor’s arc the rest of the episode, because I think with Logan’s death he’s able to face some of the realities of his life, like the nature of his relationship with Willa. The façade kind of drops. He’s no longer putting on a front in an effort to appease Logan.

SG: Yeah, was it the healthiest reaction of all in that sense? Not that any depiction of grief has to be “healthy,” per se.

DG: The thing about Connor is that I feel like he’s always known what time it is with his relationship to Logan. Logan doesn’t take him seriously, and Connor doesn’t see him as much more than an ATM, even if he wishes he could see him more. Connor knows that he’s been the parent figure to the younger siblings. They’ve been chasing something Connor has known for a while they’re never gonna get.

SG: I feel like that’s true to some extent. It’s evident if we compare how Alan Ruck reacts to Logan’s health scare in season one to now. But I think deep down, unfortunately, all of them do yearn for his approval, even if Connor does it the least at this point.

GS: That’s true. That’s why I particularly liked the exchange between Connor and Roman, because we know how much he was a surrogate parent for Rome. I think Connor will be finally able to walk away from it though. At least that’s my hope for him.

SG: Gabrielle, yes, great catch. Kieran’s arm hug was another incredible choice.

DG: Mind you, Logan died in the process of missing Connor’s wedding. I wouldn’t cry either!

GS: Yeah, Logan really gave Connor one last big “fuck off.”

SG: He shouldn’t! His siblings didn’t even invite him for a final goodbye.

GS: So sad. Even as much as Connor waxes on about not needing love, everyone needs it.

Meanwhile, everyone else was inciting so much chaos in this episode.

SG: Yeah, I was living for everything happening on the plane—except for Logan’s demise. Who was your favorite non-Roy, performance- or reaction-wise?

GS: Gerri? A queen. Kerry? I lost it. As someone who awkwardly laughs their way through pain, I related to Kerry. Like, that would be so me: “Isn’t this crazy?”

But, in terms of the greater Waystar-Royco posse, Hugo (Fisher Stevens) was cracking me up.

DG: I have to give it up for Justine Lupe. As Keiran Culkin pointed out, Willa has basically been kidnapped into a gilded cage, and her delivery of “I think … cancel” was so layered. Everyone else is in crisis mode and for a minute she was kind of having the best day of her life. And it had nothing to do with her wedding.

GS: Justine Lupe recently said Willa gives off intense Scorpio vibes, and I have to agree.

SG: As a fellow Scorpio, you know I do too.

GS: I think Willa does care for Connor, and he needs her in a lot of transactional ways as well. I think she maneuvers that space very well.

SG: I will say, David Rasche as Karl was the breather I needed. He was hilarious in his line deliveries. “Chuckles the Clown” is accurate as hell, but the way he said, “He’s heavily fucking delayed?” with that eyebrow raise. Yeah, I had to pause to process and laugh. He’s known and worked alongside this man for years and years. Succession really gives its supporting players a lot of leeway even with small appearances, and I think Rasche made the most of his as he witnesses the aftermath from the luxury of a private plane.

GS: Ugh, Karl. Nearly everyone on that plane knew Logan for longer than most of the kids have been alive.

SG: He’s Succession at its finest when it comes to snarky humor when it’s least applicable.

GS: I think the same goes for Hugo, who was just fluttering around the kids as they’re processing their father’s death. One of the funniest throwaway moments for me was when he walks up to the kids holding a bottle of San Pellegrino with the label out like a sommelier before quickly doing a roundabout because they don’t want him near them.

SG: A moment of silence and respect for Scott Nicholson, who stole the episode with mere seconds of screen time. He was just standing there all alone at the airport once the plane landed. Absolutely no one is ever going to check on him and how he’s feeling, when two episodes ago Logan called him his “best pal” over dinner. It might be the saddest moment for me, but Nicholson got no time and expressed everything in that one shot.

DG: Also goes without saying, but Matthew Macfadyen. His maneuvering during the phone calls was just so good. I will say: Tom is really in a pickle now!

GS: Tom is in the hot seat now, for sure. I think it was very telling when he said he lost his “protector.”

SG: Oh god, Matthew. The chuckle after he disses Greg again and then immediately pivots to crying and going “I’m not okay?” How dare he.

DG: Make sure this news does not leak, but make sure everyone knows I was here. That’s Tom’s whole M.O.

SG: I think what Matthew nailed was the tough balance of “Is he sad about Logan at all?” or just grieving his place in the company now? Where does he stand?

GS: Especially as he and Shiv remain on the ropes.

SG: He was so gentle and soft with the siblings, and Shiv asks him, “Are you being nice to me?” Matthew was playing Tom delicately, and it was brilliant because he then asks Greg to delete files and shit.

GS: Hearing your dad died from your estranged husband? Brutal.

SG: Correct.

DG: Well, because also the timeline of these episodes. I believe Shiv told Tom she wanted a divorce about two days ago? I’m not sold on that still happening.

SG: Yeah, they may stretch that out for a while now.

GS: I know, right? I will be very surprised, because I could totally see Tom coming to Shiv’s aid through all of this, even if it’s out of self-preservation. And Shiv ultimately needs that.

SG: Sorry, one last shoutout to J. Smith-Cameron, who went through a host of emotions (rage, sadness, disappointment) once Roman walks away after their initial talk about her firing. Gerri making the most of it! And then she rightfully does not comfort Roman. The slime-puppy hive got lots of depressing material in episode three.

GS: I want Gerri to have it all. What an amazing episode, this is what TV is all about, baby. I’m so scared for what’s next.

DG: Agreed. To be honest, I haven’t really been sold on Succession in a while—I’ve always thought it was fine, but not always capital-G Great—but this episode was Great.

SG: I’ll process the “it was fine” line later, but I’m glad you agree this was great. We’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t think so. The Emmys are going to be so much fun this year, and it’s all because Logan Roy died.