***Spoiler Alert. Do not read on if you haven’t watched episode 3 of the 4th and final season of Succession ***
Brian Cox is speaking out about that jaw-dropping twist in the most recent episode of Succession! His character Logan Roy, the volcanic media mogul and patriarch of the Roy family, died on an aeroplane (still recovering over here…) while his family attended Connor Roy’s wedding in New York City.
Speaking to the New York Times, Cox shared his thoughts on his characters’ sudden exist from the show: “Well, they had to end it somehow, and it was Jesse’s choice,” he says of the brilliant mind behind the show, creator Jesse Armstrong.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the problem with a lot of television, particularly American television, is it goes past its sell-by date. And the great thing about Jesse and the writers is they wouldn’t do that.”
Cox also tells the publication that since his character’s death took place in episode 3, it does “change the stakes” of the remainder of the show: “The main protagonist is gone. And the kids are having to deal with it, or not. I think it’s going to be hard next week for a lot of the audience because they’re going to miss Logan. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing – I think that’s actually quite a good thing.”
Courtesy HBO
Cox’s co-star Jeremy Strong who portrays Kendall Roy in the series, says in a post-episode clip on HBO that when he read the script, he “found it shocking and emotionally devastating.”
As did Kieran Culkin who plays Roman Roy: “To some extent, this is just my job and I’m trying to keep the emotional stakes up and put the character through that and then go home. But the problem with that is going home – yeah, that was was Roman going through that but physically, I actually had to go through that. It’s the weird disconnect of feeling physically like I’ve gone through some sort of emotional trauma but I haven’t.”
Sarah Snook who plays Shiv, also shared some thoughts with Rolling Stone – she says the move to kill off Logan was “a huge swing” and “amazing” from Jesse Armstrong.
“In some ways, it was a long time coming.”
The first three seasons of Succession have garnered 48 Emmy nominations and 13 wins, including Outstanding Drama Series, for the second and third seasons.
(Feature Image Credit: Macall B. Polay/HBO)