This week’s episode of Succession, aptly titled “America Decides,” features the chaos of election night in the US. What’s interesting is that it mainly takes place at ATN headquarters as the team figures out coverage.
The pacing of the episode was frenetic, just as you’d expect it to be in real life, so we’re going to focus the recap by character to make it a little easier to follow.
Tom amps up and buckles down
Knowing that his marriage is essentially over and everyone is gunning for his job, Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) is going all-out on election night. He takes a big hit of cocaine and then insists that Greg (Nicholas Braun) does the same.
As news reports start coming in about election fraud and issues at polling stations, Tom tries to get the biggest stories out while also ensuring that ATN is at the forefront of predicting winners in key states. When Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) arrive on the newsfloor, he goes into an even higher gear, trying to keep them from interfering with the news team while also showing that he’s got everything under control.
When Roman starts pushing for ATN to craft the news instead of reporting it, Tom tries to rein it in, knowing that Mencken (Justin Kirk) is a reckless candidate, but ultimately he’s a pawn in the machine.
Shiv toes two different lines
Shiv knows that Mencken would be a disaster candidate, not just because he’d kill the GoJo deal but because he’s a loose cannon with an eye on destroying democracy. She’s following the news and watching as attacks on polling stations are wreaking havoc on the Jimenez campaign.
When her brothers start calling for more of a spotlight on the attacks to help propel Mencken’s base, she calls them out for putting out misleading information. She’s stuck in the middle of needing to support her brothers while also trying to ensure that the GoJo deal works for Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard) because she’s on the inside track with both sides.
She and Tom steal away to have a discussion about their argument the night before. She apologizes and expects him to apologize as well, but he holds fast. When she reveals she’s pregnant, he questions whether it’s the truth or a tactic, sending her off in a fury.
As the election starts edging closer to a Mencken victory, Shiv becomes even more unsettled, knowing that the country and the deal are in peril. She and Kendall have a very intense discussion after watching Roman’s unhinged attempts to push for misleading stories in the headlines. When Kendall asks her to connect with Nate (Ashley Zukerman) to see if Jimenez will work with them to block the GoJo deal, she pretends to make a call and Ken catches her in her deceit.
Now she’s in uncertain territory, having been found out by her brothers, shunned by her husband and possibly out of luck with Matsson.
Roman goes all in
Like Shiv, Roman is in a tricky spot because he has his own reasons for wanting to ensure Mencken’s victory and the fall of the GoJo deal. After his blowup with Matsson, he hasn’t been too fond of letting go of their father’s company, so Kendall’s plan to stop the deal seemed like a good one for him.
He’s been the one trying to negotiate with Connor (Alan Ruck) on behalf of Mencken, who wants Connor’s votes. With Connor out of the way, Roman is ready to rock the boat and declare Mencken victories in Wisconsin and Arizona despite the attacks on the polls and tens of thousands of lost ballots. He wants to call the election for Mencken. It’s risky, but Roman thinks Logan would have done it, and they can’t afford to be last. They have to push the story.
It’s worth noting that his only moment of hesitation comes when Kendall mentions what happened to Sophie. After learning that she’s ok, he’s back on the rail pushing for them to call it.
Connor takes Serbia
Connor is ready to go on election night, but he realizes none of the footage from the ATN camera crew is showing up live on ATN. Willa (Justine Lupe) continues to support him, even after he loses key states like Kentucky.
At the last moment, after seeing that he’s not making a dent in the election, Connor calls Roman to see if Mencken’s ambassador deal is still on the table. With an ambassadorship to Serbia on the table, he cedes his nomination to Menken, but not before getting out a few parting remarks blasting his opponent and praising the so-called “Con Heads.”
Kendall has a crisis of conscience
Though killing the GoJo deal and taking over the company by himself was all his idea, Kendall is having serious issues with the idea of Mencken winning the election. He’s got security following Rava (Natalie Gold) and his kids.
He spends the night pushing for headlines, but when it looks like things are going to go in Menken’s direction his conscience starts getting the best of him. He has a heart to heart with Shiv and reveals that he doesn’t think he’s a good father. When he senses that Shiv is holding back information about her call with Nate, he goes to Greg, who reveals that Shiv has been working with Matsson. That’s why Shiv’s betrayal hits him so hard. They’d had a moment and then she lied to him.
It’s Shiv’s betrayal that pushes Ken to get on board with calling the election for Mencken.
The Election
After news comes out that they’re calling the election, Greg runs into Jess (Juliana Canfield) and they’re both shellshocked at the news.
Greg and Tom reach the braintrust of ATN and they run the ticker with Mencken’s name flashing across it. As Mencken gives a speech accepting the nomination, we see that no one is celebrating. The Roy siblings look exhausted, the Waystar executives look tired.
“He’s a guy we can do business with,” Kendall says.
“We just made a night of good TV,” Roman agrees. He pulls his phone out. “President calling.”
It’s not long before Tom’s face is being flashed around because he’s the one being credited with making the decision to call the race. There’s going to be a lengthy legal process to sort this out and he’ll be in the center of it.
Shiv calls Matsson and says she’s going to send him talking points. They need to get in front of all of this quickly. He’s not happy, and neither is she. But she’s all in on GoJo now.
Kendall calls Rava from his car and asks if he can see the kids. They’re sleeping, and he offers to wait for them to wake up. In the end, he says he’ll see them at Logan’s funeral the following day. He notes that sometimes you can’t make a deal.
Succession airs Sundays on HBO Max.
