Succession Is Happening One Day At A Time, And That's Terrifying

This article contains spoilers for "Succession."

Just in case the death of the family patriarch didn't raise your suspicions, I'll go ahead and state the obvious: the stakes have never been higher than they are in the fourth and final season of "Succession." Even before the Roys got their world rocked by the evil, brilliant masterstroke that was Logan's death, it was clear that this season would mark a crucial tipping point in their lives. The multi-billion dollar media conglomerate they've spent years fighting over is on the verge of being sold to an Elon-esque tech billionaire (Alexander Skarsgård) who's likely to strip it for parts. Their father betrayed them to hand his legacy over to a stranger, leaving Kendall, Shiv, and Roman to figure out a new future for themselves.

And that's just where the season opened. Then, rather rapidly, a series of increasingly significant events transpired: the siblings abandoned their small-time media venture The Hundred, outbid their father for PGN, tried to sabotage his GoJo deal for more money, verbally sparred at a wayward karaoke session, and attended their brother's wedding where they tragically learned that their father had died. And if you've been paying close attention, then you know that all of it went down in the span of 72 hours. In a mere three days, their lives were irrevocably altered.

Next came episode four, the one with the wake: hours after his death, all of the people closest to Logan arrive to pick at the scraps and figure out what can be gained from his passing (like an apartment or an alliance, or maybe his entire life's work). The top prize went to CEO-bros Kendall and Roman. 24 hours after that momentous board meeting comes the latest episode, which confirms my suspicions: the final season of "Succession" is going by one day at a time. In other words, we should be very, very concerned about where this story will end.

In a prior season of "Succession," there would be skippable days. We'd get some breathing room between one big event and another by hopping forward a week to Logan's funeral or a few weeks to the next big Waystar event. But "Kill List" finds the Roy siblings on the third day of grieving their father: bags under their eyes, a heaviness in their steps, and a pause every time they're reminded of his absence. "I have a giant hole in my heart and a 24-hour migraine," Shiv tells her brothers. The final season is breaking form by ramping up the tensions and zooming in on the most emotional period of their lives: the aftermath of their father's death and the upheaval of the family company.

"Every episode is gonna be a day," actor Arian Moayed revealed during a podcast episode with The Ringer. "It's an immediate pressure cooker. There are three things prior to Logan's death that were happening at the same time: his son's wedding, the presidential election, and this huge board vote for Matsson. And all of that's colliding."

The flexibility in that statement is not lost on me. Each episode being a single day doesn't necessarily make them consecutive days: perhaps the grand finale is an epilogue, a jump into the future. It would be nice to see what becomes of the Wambsgans-Roy marriage, among other things. But so far, it feels like "Succession" is taking this one day at a time. Which puts major events like election day and Logan's funeral on the docket for the next five episodes.

Despite their various atrocities, it's hard to watch this show and not have a soft spot for the Roy siblings. In some form or another, we're all rooting for them to succeed. But however fond of them we are, the past three seasons have taught us one thing pretty damn clearly: these kids tend to crumble under pressure.

Pressure is what causes Kendall to become his own worst enemy and ultimately self-destruct, wrecking all his good plans before they can reach their full potential (see: the board vote, the bear hug, or the now deceased bunny rabbit he once poisoned with an impulsive bagel decision). Pressure is what made Shiv blow her chances at Waystar CEO, after embarrassing herself in front of the Pierces. Pressure pushes Roman to make dumb decisions that lead to metaphorical (and literal) explosions. And now that we're moving through this story day by day, the pressure is intensifying by the second.

We aren't just watching ten random days pass by — these might be the most defining two weeks of their entire lives. So far, it's already included the multi-billion dollar purchase of a news network, the wedding of their sibling, and the death of their father. If Logan dies on Day 3, then I pale to imagine what will go down on Day 7 or worse ... Day 10.

In previous seasons, "Succession" thrived in its time gaps. Episodes were weeks apart, showing the big moments where the family would come together for birthday parties, company events, and crucial days at work. If every single episode of this season is just another day in this two-week span, then that means every moment is crucial. So far, it's doing wonders for the experience of watching the show. With the pace slowed down, we get to endure crucial moments both big and small with the Roy siblings.

When they discover that their dad has collapsed on a plane, the world comes to a halt. Everything feels frantic and panicked, but we watch the phone call with Tom go down in real-time, as medics do chest compressions on Logan in the background. We share in the experience of disbelief and panic to painful acceptance. We watch them collect themselves in the aftermath.

One of the most quietly devastating moments of the fourth episode was far less seismic. It's a minute-long exchange between Roman and Kendall, when they're ushered into their dad's study after being crowned as the new leaders of Waystar. Glancing at his desk, they're both struck by his absence — not as CEO, but as their father. "Did you know he did sudoku?" Roman asked. Sounding unsure, Kendall mumbled, "I think I knew that." There are more of these small moments littered throughout the episodes — the siblings chatting on private jets, calling each other from hotel bathrooms, and joking through the pain. Each one speaks volumes about where they are emotionally, one of the most important things to track as the season progresses.

Logan's absence is loud. As we move away from it day by day, it's only getting louder. They're still in the process of accepting a world without him. The nights are sleepless, the days long, and every situation more dire than the last. Will Waystar be sold to Lukas Matsson? Will they need to rush out to LA to wrangle the sleepy robot movie? How significantly will the election rock their world? It was ten days out in the premiere, so it may even mark the conclusion of the series.

The fracture of their relationships is faster too. There isn't time for wounds to heal and betrayals to be forgiven. If Shiv gets caught trying to form an alliance with Matsson, her brothers' anger will be fresh throughout the rest of the season. Roman (like his siblings) is still raw from his father's loss and in the latest episode, the grief transforms into rage directed at the Swede. Everything carries extra weight now: a conversation, a lingering glance, an uttered sentiment, a bad decision.

I'm holding onto some hope that however bad things get, the trio of siblings will keep turning to each other with jokes and words of comfort. But the more time passes, the more distrust between them grows. They're getting further apart just as things are going terribly wrong. Five more days doesn't sound like a lot of time — weren't they hugging and making loyalty promises just 24 hours ago? — but so much has already happened in the season. With the Matsson deal, the PGN purchase, and the election still in play, there's more than enough time for chaos to erupt. Logan picked a terrible time to exit stage left — ten days might be all his kids need to utterly decimate his legacy. 

But never mind the company — I just hope their relationships manage to survive the inevitable fallout.

New episodes of "Succession" air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.