Kieran Culkin’s middle sibling is full of bravado going into episode 9 – but could it be his downfall?
Never in the history of Succession has Roman Roy felt so self-assured.
The middle child from Logan’s second marriage and perpetual jokester took on a darker edge in season 4 episode 8, pushing forcefully for ATN to call the election for the controversial Jeryd Mencken, despite thousands of ballots being lost in a fire in Milwaukee.
The episode ended with Roman bolstered by his support of Mencken, getting a call from him and saying “President calling”, with Mencken telling him the two of them will “go far”.
That confidence looks set to only raise further in episode 9, where he is preparing to give a eulogy on behalf of the family at Logan’s funeral. In the preview for the episode, Roman can be seen practising his speech in the mirror, saying that Logan was a “great man” and asking: “Don’t I perhaps remind you of him just a little?”
He concludes by saying: “See Shivy cry, see Kenny lie, see Roman the showman light up the sky! I am the man. I am the man.”
But all of this bravado has us wondering – what is it that pride is said to come before? A fall.
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We’re now only one episode away from the Succession finale, and the question of who will end up on top at Waystar RoyCo has never felt so uncertain.
Roman may feel like he is currently in the prime position to succeed his father, if not literally as CEO then spiritually as the powerful family figurehead. However, we can’t help but feel something big is coming for him in this week’s episode – for better or worse.
The synopsis for the episode says: “As the family girds themselves for an emotional funeral, Kendall finds himself at odds with Rava… and inopportune news from Jess. Later, Shiv tries to reposition herself within a new political landscape, as Kendall rallies supporters to his side.”
Notice there is no mention of Roman at all – perhaps because this episode will see some sort of catastrophic downfall for the Roy sibling too huge to even hint at for fear of spoilers? Perhaps it could be public humiliation at the funeral or legal troubles following his actions on election night? Even a shock death could be on the cards.
Of course, there is always the chance that Kieran Culkin’s character does end up exactly where he seemingly wants to be, and reigns over the Roy empire.
Jesse Armstrong and his team of writers are not averse to a bleak ending (see Peep Show) and perhaps the bleakest of all could be Roman becoming further morally corrupted by his alliance with Mencken and still winning out, proving that the rich and powerful are often averse to consequences.
But on some level it feels as though a fall is waiting for the middle Roy sibling – and episode 9 could be the moment at which it arrives.
Succession airs on Sky Atlantic and NOW with previous seasons available to watch on Sky and stream on NOW – sign up for Sky TV here.
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