Succession season 4, episode 5 recap ‘Kill List’

The latest episode of Succession may not have killed off a lead character, but it’s contents are just as shocking.

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Warning: Spoilers ahead for Succession season four, episode five, “Kill List”

No seriously, we’re bringing Logan Roy back from the grave momentarily to tell you to f**k off if you haven’t watched it yet (it’s on Binge).

Get outta here if you haven't seen it.

I say this for every new episode of Succession’s final season, but I really mean it this time, this was the most enjoyable watch yet.

That may partly be because we, the viewers, hitch a ride on the Roys’ PJ (FYI that means private jet, not pyjamas), ditching the all-too-familiar surrounds of New York and arriving at a picturesque executive work retreat at the foot of the mountains in Norway.

Speaking of work retreats, having never been on one in my life, is this what happens?

How do I become CEO?

Hello yes I have no experience but am applying for the role of chief operating officer.

Sauna sessions aside, there’s serious business bubbling at the core of “Kill List”.

Waystar Royco’s interim co-CEOs, Kendall and Roman, as well as Shiv, are joined by the “emperor penguins” — as Roman unabashedly describes Frank, Geri and Karl — to meet Matsson and finalise the GoJo deal.

While it was a goer before Logan’s death in episode three, things have changed since the media mogul left the world. The company’s stock has tanked. Further stipulations need to be made. Matsson now wants ATN, too.

And the Swedish tech giant has the home-ground Scandi advantage, with the clash of corporate titans unfolding in Viking country – the setting ultimately playing a major role in making Kendall and Roman look like inexperienced, rich city boys who, despite what their titles suggest, are irrelevant to this operation.

Other Waystar lackeys who don’t belong? Cousin Greg, naturally, who can’t stop saying “quad squad”. And Tom, who attempts to weigh into the Swedes’ discussion about the social problems engulfing France by claiming the US “doesn’t care about the rest of the world”.

In a bid to save Tom from intellectual humiliation, Greg declares, “The baguette might be mightier than the bagel!”

It’s the kind of slapstick relief Succession is so damn good at creating to slice through all the savagery.

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The angle of this shot is exquisite.

Meanwhile, after a tense meeting between Kendall, Roman and Matsson, in which the latter hits the Roy siblings below the belt by calling them a “tribute band”, the brothers make an executive decision that is ultimately led by Kendall. He wants to kill the deal. He’s a strong, independent Roy and will not be bullied into submission. Roman, who has been steadfast in honouring his dad’s wishes, reluctantly agrees.

It’s interesting to note the sibling divide here, with Shiv having earlier in the episode made it clear she thinks Waystar should sell everything to GoJo despite the fact Logan had wanted to hold onto his “baby” – his right-wing broadcaster ATN.

Elsewhere, and while we already knew Matsson was a bit of a weird unit, his questionable behaviour really boils its way to the surface in episode five.

When he doesn’t feel d**k-swinging is necessary, he shows unseen vulnerability in Shiv’s more relaxed company (but don’t mistake her ease for naivety, Shiv knows exactly what she’s doing here).

Shiv is here for this.

After establishing an unexpected bond with the ousted sister during the campfire pork roasting, Matsson pulls Shiv aside for a more private chat, where he informs her he’s in somewhat of a “pickle”, having sent his ex-girlfriend, Ebba, GoJo’s head of comms, litres of his own frozen blood out of spite.

Shiv’s deadpan response to such cooked information exposes yet again how truly disillusioned rich people are – eyes always on the impact it’ll have when it comes to a company’s stock standing.

“If you’re the creepy stalker guy who sits in the dark writing code and dripping into an IV bag and harassing your direct reports, it’s going to have an economic impact,” she says.

When Matsson argues it’ll be easy just to plead ignorance if it becomes public, Shiv delivers the zinger of all Succession-level zingers: “Deniability is difficult given she has so much of your blood.”

I can buy myself ~litres of blood~ / I can hold my own hand.

After an hour of infighting and weird confessions, it all leads to an emotionally-driven joust atop the mountain. This is Roman as we’ve never, ever seen him, built from years of repressed emotions that, two days after his dad’s death, have finally made their way to the light.

Roman’s demand to keep ATN, which is clearly a plea to seek his dad’s approval from the grave, brings nothing but evil taunts and threats from Matsson.

Roman has cracked.

“You just drag us out here, you inhuman f***ing dog man. You f***ing killed him too. You drained the life out of him. You dragged this thing out for six months. and then you bring us out here now, you couldn’t wait for a few days. You couldn’t do that for us.

“We’re not selling to you. We are not doing that. It’s not happening, OK? Yeah, I f***ing hate you. And if you tell the board this, I’m just going to say it’s a negotiating tactic.”

Roman is pissed off and it’s not purely a negotiating tactic.

Matsson, knowing the outburst has absolutely zero weight on the deal going through, is smug. “You just f***ed yourself”, he says, smiling.

I know it’s been said, but give Kieran Culkin a goddamn Emmy. 11/10 performance, not a single note.

Incredible performances aside, Kendall and Roman’s ploy to blow up the deal is futile.

It goes through anyway, and via GoJo, Logan Roy has won again.

Line of the episode: “Your earlobes are thick and chewy, like barnacle meat,” Tom to Shiv after discovering she had spent time with Matsson.

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