Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 4 Episode 9 of Succession.It came as a bitter disappointment to Conheads in Succession’s penultimate episode when Connor Roy (Alan Ruck) was deprived of the opportunity to deliver a eulogy speech at his father’s funeral. Apparently, his fun police of a sibling, Shiv (Sarah Snook) thinks it’s “long and hard to follow” and will leave the family open to lawsuits. And maybe she was right. It’s true that Connor’s speeches aren’t exactly known to be simple and uncontroversial — a la his concession speech — but then again, no great speech is ever simple and uncontroversial. In the end, it was Uncle Ewan's (James Cromwell) speech that won most hearts, and, sure, his speech was profound and unabashedly honest, but it’s not the best eulogy delivered on the show. Connor has snatched that title long ago. Though we will never truly learn what was inside Connor’s speech, perhaps the Conheads can rest assured knowing that he’s already delivered his swan song of a eulogy.
Why Connor Delivers Such A Weird Eulogy
Appearing in Season 2, Episode 4 of the show, the speech is delivered at the funeral of a Waystar Royco employee. The employee was popularly known as “Mo” amongst his inner circle, but we soon learn that his real name is actually Lester, and was given the monosyllabic moniker for his infamous predatory behavior. Since all the Roy family members are held up at the office due to an emergency, Connor has to step up and deliver a heart-rendering eulogy. And he really puts his heart into it. He even consults Willa (Justine Lupe) and wonders if “Lester touched all of us,” would be a good opening line. But Willa, knowing that that would open up a whole can of worms, suggests that perhaps singing praises for a known perpetrator might not seem very presidential of him and might even jeopardize his political career.
At the same time, Connor is being circled by Michelle Pantsil (Jessica Hecht), a biographer working on a book about Logan Roy (Brian Cox), trying to extract as many juicy quotes from the family as possible. But she’s not getting anything from Connor, except, of course, repeated statements about his fondness for politics from a very young age.
Thankfully Connor has his partner, Willa, an aspiring writer infamous for her critically-panned play Sands, beside him. So, Willa uses her literary prowess to neuter the speech, removing its claws and fangs to make sure it can’t harm Connor. In fact, she turns it into such a neutral speech that you could deliver it at the funerals of the most horrible people and still come out unscathed. The speech starts with, “Hello! I am here as a fellow human to acknowledge that Lester has passed on,” and consists of highlights such as “when a man dies, it is sad,” and, “All of us will die one day. In this case, it is Lester who has done so.”
Connor's Speech Was Actually Brilliant
The speech was utterly stupid, but also, it was absolutely genius. There’s a term called Zugzwang in the game of chess, which is a situation where you’re forced to make a move, but every move you make puts you in a losing position. Rich and powerful people often find themselves in such scenarios when they have to pick a side in a certain discourse, but don’t want to risk alienating the unchosen side. For all their power, they just can’t afford the luxury to be honest on a public platform. And if the only way out is to blurt out meaningless gibberish, if it is to be said, so it be – so it is.
It’s a common tactic observable in politics, business, and all the other industries that require deceiving, and with his eulogy, Connor has flawlessly demonstrated how it’s done. His speech is a masterclass in navigating this delicate balance. Connor was, initially, trapped in a scenario where he had to say something about Lester, but he couldn’t be seen having a soft spot for a known predator. So, he gets up on the stage and straight up spits Wikipedia facts. And by doing so, he has fulfilled his funerary obligations without incriminating himself. The speech was cleverly penned down by Willa, and though she may not be getting great reviews for her Broadway drama, she sure deserves a Tony for this speech. Connor’s earnest, yet deadpan, delivery of it is just priceless. He takes the clever speech and dances around the snake pit with it, establishing Connor and Willa as the true power couple of the show. And it’s a speech only Connor could pull off. One can’t imagine any of the other Roy siblings reading the speech without cracking a smile or straight-up laughing out loud. It had to be Connor.
The camera movement that switches between the speech and the audience’s reaction only adds the final brushstroke to the comedic masterpiece. After hearing the eulogy, Lester’s wife isn’t grieving or even mad, she is just confused and can’t make heads or tails out of what Connor just said. The biographer has a look that combines incredulity and a sore loser’s anger. She can’t believe how absurd it was, even for a Roy. Willa is just proud of her speech and her partner’s performance. She even gives the biographer a subtle look that screams, “We win!” And they did win. Connor’s and Willa’s combined rebuttal to the biographer was so powerful that it is the last time the audience ever sees her.
Humor Is Crucial To Success Of The Show
Connor’s eulogy is one of those scenes that remains funny even after a handful of rewatches. Succession has had its funny moments since its inception, but Connor’s eulogy was one of the first big laugh-out-loud moments, and such scenes are vital to the success of the show. Succession is a show about horrible people, and the more we get to know them, the harder it gets to root for any character. Granted, a few good jokes might not make you want to root for a snarky sociopath like Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin), but it does make the scenes he's in extremely enjoyable. It adds a dimension of absurdity that allows the audience to distance themselves from the cruelty of the characters. The show is about unhappy people, and this depressing story about them can’t be told without a good dose of levity. The show would be too serious, too self-important, and too emotionally draining without it. Connor's eulogy, and scenes like it, remind the audience that even in the cutthroat world of Succession, there's always room for a little levity.