The character’s fate was left ambiguous after the dramatic funeral.
As many fans predicted, the meteoric rise of Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) ended with a catastrophic thud as the supposed kingmaker crumbled under the pressure of delivering his father’s eulogy in Succession episode 9.
Church and State began with a suave and polished Roman practicing his speech in front of the mirror, emboldened by his role in elevating far-right candidate Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk) in the recent Presidential election.
However, that smug confidence evaporated when faced with a crowded church of mourners and the sight of his father’s coffin, which sent Roman into absolute hysteria.
The incident obliterated his status with Mencken, who now appears more interested in siblings Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Shiv (Sarah Snook), while also leaving him ashamed and humiliated that he couldn’t live up to his father’s legacy.
Kendall puts salt in the wound at the wake, making a series of insensitive comments in a callous attempt to bully Roman into uniting with him against their renegade sister.
Instead, Roman makes an abrupt exit and storms onto the streets of New York City, where an unstable protest is taking place against the disputed election of Mencken, caused to a large degree by the unethical coverage of Waystar’s ATN.
In what appears to be a deliberate attempt to acquire a beating, Roman begins berating the protestors and proclaiming his superiority, which inevitably leads to a punch in the nose.
After collapsing to the ground, Roman is then trampled on for several seconds before wandering off into the darkness, causing some fans to wonder if he would make it through the night.
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The official synopsis for Succession’s season 4 finale – a feature-length episode titled With Open Eyes – seems to suggest that he does.
It reads (via HBO): “Ahead of the final board vote on the Waystar-GoJo deal, Kendall and Shiv try to shore up their opposing interests… and get a fix on the whereabouts of a physically and emotionally bruised Roman.”
However, that description is still enough to cause concern about Roman’s role in the finale, which will reveal once and for all whether any members of the Succession cast will get what they want.
For more on that, check out our ongoing ranking of who will win Succession (updated weekly).
Succession concludes on Sky Atlantic on Monday 29th May – sign up for Sky TV here or stream on NOW. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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