For weeks, the hype surrounding Succession<\/a> season 4 has focused largely on its dramatic potential, following the surprising reveal that it would be the final entry<\/a> in Jesse Armstrong\u2019s satirical saga. And yet, this opening chapter is easily among the most overtly comedic episodes we\u2019ve seen to date, coming close to all-out farce as the Roy children desperately try to get one over on dear old dad. There\u2019s a palpable sense that the writers are having as much fun with these characters as they can before the toy chest is closed for good \u2013 and that makes for some electric television.<\/p>\n The episode picks up some time after the season 3 ending<\/a>, as Logan Roy (Brian Cox) celebrates an unspecified birthday with all the enthusiasm of someone stuck in line at the Post Office. Notable by their absence are his three youngest offspring \u2013 Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) \u2013 who are busy trying to streamline the idea that will finally bring them out from under their father\u2019s shadow. Armstrong and co don\u2019t hold back here, with the increasingly ridiculous descriptions of the siblings\u2019 disruptor news service and knowledge hub exposing them as little more than talentless frauds.<\/p> It should come as no surprise that the Succession cast<\/a> \u2013 all generously decorated with award nominations and wins \u2013 slip effortlessly back into their roles, with the excellent scripts propelling them to new heights. Cox explores an intriguingly playful side to Logan that we haven\u2019t seen much of between his recent business attacks and health scares. Culkin is manic as ever playing the depraved middle child, but there are glimmers of growth in moments where he somehow sounds like the most sensible person in the room.<\/p>\n Snook and co-star Matthew Macfadyen are dealt the most sincere material as Shiv and Tom\u2019s ailing marriage is placed under the microscope, but the latter also finds time to resume his role in the most beloved comedy double-act in prestige drama. That\u2019s right, Mr Wambsgans and cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) are mischievous as ever, gifting the episode with a surreal subplot that effectively breaks up the business discussion. Yes, after five years, the Roys are still fighting over potential mergers and acquisitions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an impressive feat of writing that these never-ending negotiations have gone virtually nowhere since the beginning of the show, and yet remain genuinely thrilling. I\u2019d be lying if I said I could remember all the back and forth, the counter-offers and the double-crossing that has led us to this point, but I\u2019ll still jump out of my seat when someone says a big number. That said, there\u2019s also a meta-acknowledgement that these corporate theatrics can\u2019t go on forever, which could be interpreted as Armstrong defending his controversial call to end the story here.<\/p>\n By the closing credits, any sceptics of that decision will likely be silenced. This is, after all, Succession at its most punchy, provocative and unpredictable. Rather than the rush job that some feared, this episode feels like the beginning of a natural conclusion, but where exactly it will go remains tantalisingly unclear.<\/p>\n What is certain is that, if it can maintain this level of quality \u2013 and all signs suggest as much \u2013 then we\u2019ll be witnessing one of the greatest television events of the decade.<\/p>\n Succession is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0sign up for Sky TV here<\/a>. Check out more of our Drama<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> and Streaming Guide<\/a> to find out what\u2019s on.<\/strong><\/p>\n Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only \u00a31 with delivery to your home \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>subscribe now<\/strong><\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0<\/strong>The Radio Times Podcast<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n The farewell tour gets off to a blistering start. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":31455,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/03\/succession-season-4-review-razor-sharp-satire-bowing-out-on-a-high.jpg",1800,1200,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/03\/succession-season-4-review-razor-sharp-satire-bowing-out-on-a-high-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/03\/succession-season-4-review-razor-sharp-satire-bowing-out-on-a-high-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/03\/succession-season-4-review-razor-sharp-satire-bowing-out-on-a-high-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/03\/succession-season-4-review-razor-sharp-satire-bowing-out-on-a-high-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/03\/succession-season-4-review-razor-sharp-satire-bowing-out-on-a-high-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/03\/succession-season-4-review-razor-sharp-satire-bowing-out-on-a-high.jpg",1800,1200,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The farewell tour gets off to a blistering start.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/31454"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/03\/brian-cox-1-e1163f2.jpg?quality=90&crop=10px%2C14px%2C1899px%2C1265px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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