REVIEW: ‘Succession,’ Season 4 Episode 5 – “Kill List”

Succession’s final season has been nothing short of foundation-breaking. Following the death of Logan Roy (Brian Cox) in Episode 3, the last episode saw the siblings being slingshotted back through seasons of guilt to be back at each other’s throats. With an uncertain future, the story continues with Succession Season 4 Episode 5, “Kill List.” And as the name of the episode entails, things get ugly.

With Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong) plotting together to take over the Waystar empire, Shiv (Sarah Snook) is left to struggle with her pregnancy and her future alone. Now that Shiv has been shoved to the side, Roman and Kendall circle each other and ultimately take their meeting in Norway with the explicit focus of maintaining control. Shiv, however, isn’t helping call the shots in the acquisition. Sure, she’s there with them, but there is a wall between her and her brothers. This is clear in how each shot is set up. The boys on one side, Shive on the other, separating the three even as they travel in the same plane or car. The best framing comes when Kendall and Roman are negotiating with Lukas at a table, standing up, as Shiv sits in the background, quietly reacting to Lukas and her brothers. She’s quiet on the sideline, but the camera doesn’t lose her.

While it’s easy to explain the choice to sideline Shiv as a misogynistic trope executed by the writing team, the truth is, are you really surprised her asshole brothers did this? If anything, a traumatic situation, not undoing bonds, would be less understandable from characters who continually prove themselves to be awful and self-centered. Even after growth, power pulls the worst of you, and for the Roy siblings, that has been the one north star regardless of how they empathize or work together. While the abrupt shift in cooperation last episode felt like a slight blindside, especially when Shiv deserved so much more, the world around her doesn’t treat her with the respect she deserves, and that’s been clear since day one.

One of the most interesting things about the episode is how much Logan is still at the center of the narrative. While the Roy kids are in Norway attempting to sell the company, their dad is being prepared for burial. But it’s not only that: while Shiv is ready to move forward, Roman and Kendall are debilitated by not knowing “what dad would do.” Keep ATN, or roll it into the deal? While the Roys wind up with a fairly steady focus in this episode, the fallout from Logan’s death remains steady as rumors of a kill list made by GoJo to fire executives at Waystar after the acquisition. Succession Season 4 Episode 5 also highlights Alexander Skarsgaard as Lukas, and he’s a joy to watch. As he talks with Kendall and Roman, the dynamic as they bounce back and forth is tense and frustratingly awkward.

Talking over each other and making offers that insult the other for laughs, there is a build-up in the dialogue that humiliates Roman and Kendall in a way that makes Shiv’s absence from negotiations even more noticeable. The “CE-bros” are capable, but simultaneously, they’re moving uphill with a ball and chain made of falling stock value around their feet. Even when they decide to tank the deal, the back and forth between Lukas and the Roy brothers is patronizing, disrespectful, and entertaining as all hell to watch. The Roys are out of their depth, and Lukas knows it, going to Shiv for reassurance.

In the latter half of Succession Season 4 Episode 5, Shiv takes center stage, and you truly appreciate that the camera never lost her in the first half. Lukas opens up to her, Shiv offers counseling to get him out of his own stalkery sexism, and the audience knows which of the Roys is the one with an actual commanding presence in the deal. While Lukas calls Kendall and Roman the tribute band, he directly compares Shiv to her father. While it’s an uncomfortable situation to watch, it solidifies how adept Shiv is at navigating the horrible world of megacorporations and their founders. She is at home drinking whisky and covering up company sins and even has brothers cling to their company.

As a whole, Succession Season 4 Episode 5 shows the power vacuum in the wake of Logan’s death and the uncertainty his sons are working in, and how Shiv maintains centrality despite her brothers’ attempt to push her to the side. That uncertainty is debilitating, and as they lean only on each other and ice out everyone else, they choose themselves over the deal in the guise of honoring their dad’s legacy. As trusts disintegrate, there is winding chaos around Waystar and the Roy children that won’t be settling any time soon, and GoJo is only stoking it all.

Succession Season 4 Episode 5 is streaming now on HBOMax, with new episodes on HBO every Sunday.