Note: Contains spoilers for Season 4 of Succession.

The Winner

Winner of the Week: Sarah Snook

Show: Succession

Episode: Episode 4, "Honeymoon States"

Why Her?

HBO’s Succession has been one of the most highly recommended series since its premiere five years ago, and its juicy conclusion is finally being laid out to all those who have been biting their nails in anticipation. The strained dynamics among the members of the Roy family serve as Succession’s bread and butter, but as each new stress-inducing episode consistently adds another dish to the buffet of deceit, fans have often been left wondering what every little detail and bombshell alike have been leading to.

Luckily, Episode 4 of the fourth and final season, titled “Honeymoon States,” both answers some long standing questions and raises more. Finally, the chosen successor to media conglomerate Waystar Royco’s throne has finally been named: the son of the late Logan Roy (Brian Cox), Kendall (Jeremy Strong)–a reveal met with a generous variety of mixed reactions from other family members and stakeholders. Throughout multiple seasons of the one-percent’s unique brand of treachery, corporate coups, and infighting, the main matter of Succession has always been clear: the enigma of who will be taking on the succession of the family business. With this (seemingly) cleared up—at least for now—the focus of the show has shifted to the ensuing fallout and the various characters’ reactions, one of the most captivating coming from Sarah Snook’s Shiv Roy.

For better or for worse, every character in the show has demonstrated a great amount of personal and professional development, and Shiv’s has been nothing if not outstanding as of late. While the passing of the torch to Kendall was a hefty plot point, the beginning of this episode also hints at a potential (rather, highly likely) pregnancy for Shiv. Considering the pregnancy, the high-stakes of current business affairs, and numerous other factors, it’s not hard to say that the Roy family daughter has much on her plate.

“I bet you’re worried you picked the wrong horse… You might have picked the dead horse.”

Capturing such a huge amount of drama and intrigue for one character would likely be daunting for even the most seasoned of actors, but Sarah Snook makes it look effortless. As a series mainstay, audiences have been lucky with the amount of time they’ve spent with the increasingly complex Shiv, and the first four episodes of Succession’s final season have brought both the character and the performance to the forefront of millions of viewers’ lists of favorites.

Interested in watching Succession? Add it to your watchlist here!

Likewiser Reviews:

This is one of those shows where I went from "meh, the acting is good but I can't get into it" to "this is my favorite dramedy currently on TV" by around Season One, Episode 5. Give this one a chance if you aren't sold on the plot. If you like character-driven humor, once you get a few episodes on to get a handle on what everyone is about, you will be totally invested and laughing out loud. - @jessica_johnson_7555l

God, these people are so ****** up–I CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF IT! You watch them like a train wreck. Kieran Culkin is phenomenal as Roman–PHENOMENAL! Kendall is a strung-out, insecure narcissist & Strong plays the part like he was born for this role. The level of brokenness, arrogance, and false bravado in the show is staggering, BUUUUUT give yourself time to connect to these characters… and you will gobble it up. Unreal how quickly they turn on each other. Must watch! - @ambercoykendall

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