Succession (Season 4), Episode 6: Recap and Ending Explained

Succession (Season 4), Episode 6 Recap and Ending Explained: Ken Roy is arguably modern-day television’s most rooted-for protagonist. He is such a likeable underdog that all his flaws and failures aside, we still want him to end up happy. Jeremy Strong has always had an authentic grasp over portraying the profound emotions of Kendall, but the sixth episode of Succession, “Living +,” has brought it to a new level. It was perhaps after season 1 we saw “the glint” in Ken’s eyes back. He is raring to go on the path he set for himself as the “successor” to Logan Roy.

It is fraught with challenges and emotions. The execs were seen desperately stepping beyond their bounds and almost threatening the brothers not to interfere with the GoJo deal. Succession is at a tipping point where either Matheson or Ken will come out on top. The beautiful world of Succession has adjusted miraculously in season 4. HBO has once again proved itself to be the King of television. Here is our recap and ending explainer for episode 6 of Succession.

Succession (Season 4), Episode 6 Recap:

Living +

For all the diehard fans of Succession, we see Logan Roy once again running his foul potty mouth in front of a green screen. He is seen pitching a new product to his shareholders and the public – Living Plus. it is targeted at the elderly who want a permanent home and the joy of community. Waystar plans to house them in a cruise and give them their ultimate dream. Kendall watches the clip, where Logan at one point calls his kids “stupid and useless.” He is actually amused and asks to watch the clip again. He has really settled into his own groove. Kendall’s zen mode looks unlikely to be breached by almost anything. If the new Succession episode 6 is starting with such an explosive dose of nostalgia, what lies ahead?

Why does Matheson not want the Living + product launch to go forward?

Matheson and Shiv have continued their “spark” from the last episode. They actually talk on the phone sitting across from each other in their private jets at a refuelling station. Shiv does not bite Matheson’s bait to “come say hello” and the erratic tech billionaire himself pops into Shiv’s jet. He is upset about Waystar going ahead with the launch of Living Plus. So, originally, Logan had plans to launch the product to boost their Parks and Curises business. This was before his heart stopped in a toilet while he tried to retrieve his phone from the clogged pot.

The kids want to go ahead with the launch so as to not appear inferior to Matheson. Even though he is taking over Waystar, the kids want to leave with the impression that they are doing the deal with purpose. He amusingly pitches to Shiv to become his “inside man” in the company. Shiv is reluctant; she is way too smart for Matheson’s rugged charms. But he does leave her with some food for thought.

Is the plan to “tank the deal” still on?

The siblings call for a meeting with the senior executives – Gerri, Karl, Frank, Karolina, and Tom, for some reason. They frame their meeting with Matheson in the finale of the last episode as a “meltdown” from the GoJo founder. It is an attempt to redeem themselves and further embolden the spirits that Waystar “won” in the end. The brothers also fish for some turbulence in the deal by suggesting they leave “themselves exposed” by having 50% of stock in the deal as consideration, given Matheson’s erratic idiosyncrasies. The execs see no reason to worry and the brothers agree with them.

After the execs leave, Shiv confronts the brothers about wanting to “tank the deal.” She sees right through their facade as she has since their childhood days. Kendall breaks and concedes to the incident. Shiv lambasts them for deviating from the original plan and the brothers apologize to Shiv with a “huggy.” They wanted to keep Shiv “clean from their mess.” In an interesting revelation, we see Shiv “booking” a room to “schedule her grief.” She actually has reserved a room in the Waystar building to cry alone, in peace.

Tom and Greg walk in not knowing that. Greg leaves them. Shiv asks Tom to “f off” in signature Logan style (she does a great impression of Logan’s iconic phrase). But Tom tries to console her. They have an intimate moment and kiss. The brothers are preparing for “Investor’s Day.” For some context, it is a significant day in the corporate matters of a company. It is the day when the company’s management addresses their shareholders and updates them about the developments in their business affairs. It usually involves the presentation of their earnings quarterly/annual and also the direction for the future.

Why is Roman suddenly acting oddly?

Succession (Season 4), Episode 6 — A photo from the production of episode 406 of “Succession”. Photo: David M. Russell/HBO ©2022 HBO. All Rights Reserved.

Living Plus is being launched on the Day for the Elderly. The brothers aren’t sure about it but go ahead with it for Logan’s legacy. Kendall’s advice to Roman before going to Hollywood is: “Sprinkle some sugar,” “up our velocity,” “break the logjam,” “get the franchise pump-pumpin’,” and “shoot it to the moon.” “New space cowboys in town!” Yes, very helpful Kendall. Roman meets Joy Palmer, the head of Waystar Studios, and discusses the Kalispitron troubles. He wants accountability but Joy is not sure. Roman says they want her back but she is concerned about ATN’s “right-leaning agenda”. Roman believes they cannot distance themselves from Mencken’s campaign but will throw a lot of money at Joey. When she makes a joke about Logan and Roman’s place in the company, he fires her.

Kendall is excited and charged up for Investor’s Day. He is directing the appearance of the stage and how it will proceed. At the Investor’s Reception party, Tom and Shiv have an intimate, teasing conversation with a hint of genuineness. Shiv is emotionally distant even as Tom tries to be sincere. Kendall is still hell-bent on vitiating the deal. If they can find a means to force the price up far above 192 – the number Matheson fixed the deal on – it is possible. He feels Living + can be pitched to analysts as a tech play and that can significantly drive its valuation.

Gerri pulls up Roman for firing Joy, who is now seeking legal action against Waystar. Gerri calls Roman “not his father”, which riles him. He confronts Gerri about it and asks Gerri to “believe” he is “as good as Logan.” Roman gets agitated and fires Gerri. She also gets a sense of Roman trying to vitiate the deal. The movie shakes him up and he asks Kendall to smooth things over. But Kendall gives Roman the courage to stick by his decisions. From the looks of it, Kendall seems delusional. And he is dragging Roman into his hedonism, which will not bode well for them if the business falls through. Gerri rightly said that Waystar is ripe to be acquired. They are old news.

Succession (Season 4), Episode 6 Ending Explained:

What is Ken’s big plan to “tank the GoJo deal?”

But Kendall is so attached to the vision of being the “Successor,” he does not want to let that dream go away. Tom and Shiv have sex at the party. They are not getting back together, though. She asks Tom about Matheson and he asks her to be careful. There is a hint of jealousy in his voice and says he “Wants her back.” Shiv calls him a “phony” and brings up Tom’s betrayal at the end of season 3. They have a gnarly moment of truth where they have a nab at “love.”

Greg goes to the sound technician and asks him to change “significant growth” to “double the earnings” in Logan’s speech. Greg gets awkwardly angry and snaps at the technician. Kendall pushes his analysts to drastically change the company’s revenue projections for the next five years to drive up the share price. He emboldens Pete to follow his plan. Shiv informs Matheson the next morning about Living + but he pushes her to drop the plan. Kendall is excited about the Day and checks in on the preparations.

What do Shiv and Roman think about Ken’s speech?

He is disappointed with the efforts. Ken wants the exact image in his head to manifest but it ain’t happening. Roman is a little apprehensive about the new numbers Ken has asked the analysts to crunch. Shiv seems stressed too. They both see the “glint” in Ken’s eyes and Shiv thinks he is being delusional. Roman sort of half agrees but also withholds fear. Shiv tries to convince Roman to get Ken to stop this show.

The Day has arrived and it is time for some hard decisions. Ken plans on wearing a pilot’s jacket and asks Roman to wear the same. Roman brings up the presentation and suggests they should not go ahead with their planned show. Ken is instantly downed and has a resigned look on his face. Roman tries to show Ken the reality of what he is trying to pitch to the shareholders to drive the price up. It is just like the moment in season 2’s finale when Ken was expected to do something at the press conference and did something else entirely.

What does Ken decide to do on stage against all odds?

He does not have Logan’s looming image over him anymore. But what will he do? Karl approaches him before he goes on to the stage. Ken keeps him at bay even though Karl is insistent. As the Chief Financial Officer, Karl feels it is his responsibility to keep the numbers real. Ken gets on his nerves and Karl lashes out. He levels with Ken about the reality of the situation and says Karl has more street credit than Ken. Also, he dare not fire the CFO a week before the biggest corporate deal in America is to conclude.

All eyes are on Ken now as the anticipation builds up for his speech. It is Ken’s moment of reckoning. This is the tipping point that will decide the rest of his life. Ken begins his “show” and it certainly qualifies as one. He has completely changed the script and a lot of “oos” and “aahs” can be heard from our central characters – Shiv, Roman and the others. Everyone calls it the “Amateur hour.” A bizarre sequence sees an image of Logan communicating with Kendall on stage, asking him to “get on with the show.”

As Kendall pitches Living +, Roman says the line of the show: “If I cringe any harder, I might become a fossil.” Ken’s grasp of the speech gets better as the show goes on. He actually impresses the execs, at least. It is a focused, corporate, and professional effort. He plays the altered Logan version with “double the earnings” next, evoking a surprising reaction from everyone. But Ken ends the speech with very few aberrations and even sincerity for his grief at losing Logan.

Karolina pulls up a nasty Twitter joke by Matheson on Living +. Ken might be walking into a PR disaster with the Q&A session about to begin. And the question about the tweet is the first one. Ken handles it like a champ and turns the dial back on Matheson. Shiv asks Matheson on the phone to back off and stay put for a while. The response to Ken’s speech is quite good. Even Matheson has deleted his tweets. The tone has suddenly changed and the room sings praises of Ken. Roman walks out unexpectedly and watches an altered clip of Logan spewing insults at Roman in the car. It is genuinely the saddest moment in his character arc this season. Tom and Shiv seem to be getting back on track.

Ken has a walk by the beach, convinced by his vision to take the company forward. The ball is certainly in his court for now. Can the underdog scrape together a rare historic victory after all? We are all rooting for you, Ken.

Succession (Season 4), Episode 6: Recap and Ending Explained – What is Ken’s big plan to “tank the GoJo deal?”