Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Season 4 of Succession.Romance has never been something that’s been in Succession’s wheelhouse. In a show that constantly shows how miserable the lives of a media empire family actually are, there’s little time for spending intimate time with a romantic partner. The show’s romances continue to get more volatile as the public pressure on Waystar continues to grow. Roman Roy’s (Kieran Culkin) relationship with Gerri (J. Cameron Smith) continues to get more awkward, Kendall (Jeremy Strong) has been unable to serve as a father or husband, Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Tom (Matthew McFayden) have reached a point of no return, and Logan (Brian Cox) has never had an easy relationship with women. However, in Season 4, the family laughingstock Connor (Alan Ruck) and his young bride Willa Ferreyra (Justine Lupe) have the closest and most functional relationship. While this is a plotline that initially was hinted at as a joke, it’s oddly become the most sincere and successful romantic dynamic on the show.

Connor has always been somewhat of a mistreated character, and it’s great to see him play a more significant role in Succession’s final season. Despite being the oldest of the Roy siblings, Connor has always felt distinct from them, and doesn’t take part in nearly any of their plots and schemes. In fact, Connor’s run for President of the United States was at first just a funny off-hand reference; it’s now become a reality in the lead up to election night. Similarly, the fact that he was dating such a younger woman felt like satire. Leave it to Succession to take this relationship and show it in a more empathetic way; it’s somewhat ironic that the two characters that everyone saw as insignificant end up being the most content in the last act of the saga. What Connor and Willa have seems to be stable, and that’s far more than any of his family members can say.

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Connor and Willa Have a Developing Bond

Connor (Alan-Ruck) and Willa (Justine Lupe) decide to still get married on Succession
Image via HBO

While all the characters on Succession are based in some element of satire (although they’re surprisingly close to some of their real-life counterparts), Connor in particular always felt like he was even more exaggerated. Between being handed putting together a dinner party by his father and having a complete meltdown to having an extended conversation with Tom about the purchase of Napoleon's genitals, Connor personifies the idea of the wealthy being completely disconnected from any semblance of reality. This is reflected in the two storylines that have dominated his character arc thus far: his decision to run for President, and his romance with Willa. His bid for the Presidency seems to be just another one of his wildly concocted bids for relevance, and Willa becomes the subject of mockery as Connor’s siblings realize she is an escort.

While these story arcs mostly lingered in the background, Season 4 began to take them more seriously as the countdown to election night ramps up. Connor has addressed his siblings and called them out in the prior season, so it makes sense that he would increasingly rely on Willa for emotional support. They have now worked out a deal where they both are getting what they want; perhaps that’s not the idealized version of a relationship, but compared to the rest of the siblings, it's a major success. Kendall lashes out at his ex-wife in anger when she accuses him of being a bad father, Roman is desperately trying to avoid being blackmailed, and Shiv has been emotionally wounded by Tom when he referred to her being a potentially terrible mother. Connor and Willa have reached a few rough spots, but they’ve never been rude or cruel to one another.

Connor and Willa Have a Growing Affection

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Image via HBO

Connor wants to get married as an act of emotional and personal achievement and to have a counterpart in his political aspirations. It also becomes clear that he wants someone to share his wealth with; while he could never be described as generous, he does begin to feel more lonely as he ages. Willa is struggling with financial burdens, and she also wants to mount a serious career on stage. They both recognize the need for each other; Connor has to have a potential First Lady as he runs his campaign, and Willa is never going to find another donor that is willing to invest in her terrible Broadway show. Both characters are unhappy with their lives before, and while the situation isn’t perfect, it does provide them with a status quo. This reaches an ultimatum in Season 4 when, following Logan’s shocking death, Willa works through her initial anxieties about marriage and accepts her future with Connor.

The impact that this has on them both is immediate, as both characters seem to emerge from their formal union with a newfound agency. Connor is tired of being the butt of his siblings’ mockery, and no longer feels the need to be included in the plans that they’ve been developing without him. He also recognizes that he holds a position of power over them, as his decisions during the final days of the campaign actually have consequences. Willa is now at a place where she can stand up to Roman when he insults her, and in turn, calls him out for his continued public failures. This is best personified in “Tailgate Party,” where Willa defends Connor when he’s urged to drop out of the race.

Willa knows that any success that Connor earns during the election, even if it’s a cabinet position or some news coverage, is going to benefit her aspirations as well. She also finds it refreshing to defend him; perhaps she has sympathy for Connor after realizing the constant abuse he’s endured from those in the Roy family’s close circle of allies. She realizes that the misery she had been feeling is what they all subject themselves to, and that what she and Connor have is actually fairly unique. Connor has been sincere in his feelings for her, and she’s found aspects of his idiosyncratic personality that she finds charming. The affection between them might be why they end up being the winners at the end of Succession; maybe it’s not about temporary business success, and that true victory is just being happy.

New episodes of Succession Season 4 premiere every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.