Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Succession Season 4 Episode 7.While Jesse Armstrong’s surprise announcement that season 4 of Succession would be its final installment was initially shocking, it’s become apparent that the Roy family saga has reached its endgame. While Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Shiv (Sarah Snook) are all trying to save their empire’s future as they contemplate the death of their father Logan (Brian Cox), they also have a Presidential election to worry about. In the Succession universe, which often feels a little too close to recent headlines, the Democratic candidate Daniel Jiménez (Elliot Villar) will be facing off against the Republican Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk), with poor Connor Roy (Alan Ruck) hanging on to his 1% of the polls. Whoever wins will certainly impact the direction of Waystar, ATN, GoJo, and the other major institutions in the Succession universe.
ATN is in a particularly sticky situation during this election cycle; the scheming Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) wants to essentially dismantle Logan’s most valuable asset, but Roman and Kendall refuse to let it go. ATN is a notoriously conservative station that bears a lot in common with the Fox News empire; the events of Succession are often compared to the rise of the Murdoch family. The election itself will be consequential in how it's covered by ATN, as the kids have never been through the process without their father before. The vastly different candidates in the field present many intriguing possibilities for ATN to either prove its relevance or feel more outdated than ever.
Mencken Shows How Succession Mirrors Reality
Logan’s last days were spent on the floor of ATN firing up the employees with an inspirational call to arms, and one of his last major decisions was in Season 3’s “Whatever It Takes,” where he decides to back Mencken as the Republican candidate that ATN will back. This immediately draws concerned backlash from Shiv, who believed that the more moderate Republican Rick Salgado (Yul Vazquez) would be a better choice, and a more helpful one amidst her quest to become CEO of Waystar. Even if Connor is in the Presidential field, Shiv is the only Roy with actual political experience, as in season 1 she was a Democratic supporter and campaign advisor to the Democratic hopeful Gil Eavis (Eric Bogosian). Shiv has shown that she’s willing to sacrifice some of her personal ethics for the sake of the business, with her attempts to convince a Waystar employee not to report her harassment allegations being particularly low. However, it’s clear that she’s both personally disgusted and professionally frightened of Mencken and his rise to power.
Shiv has described Mencken as a straight-up fascist with extremist beliefs on social rights, the economy, and American intervention. In “Tailgate Party,” it's revealed that his supporters bear a lot in common with Donald Trump’s voting base, particularly in their voter intimidation techniques and violent seizure of Washington D.C. on January 6th. Roman references that their intimidation techniques include firebombing polling stations, and it's clear that their harassment and racist beliefs have impacted members of the family. A prior conversation in the same episode included a moment where Kendall is informed that his daughter is being harassed by racist Mencken followers, and even the politically indifferent Willa (Justine Lupe) mentions that all of her family members despise him.
If the Roys are truly trying to reform ATN into a more modern news organization, supporting Mencken is not in their favor. A Mencken victory with the support of ATN would perhaps be a fitting finale for the series; the Roy kids have sadly become the same kind of monsters that their father was, and are forced to back a candidate who disgusts them all. It’s confirmed from the teaser that next week’s episode “America Decides” (which will presumably cover the night of the election) will include an appearance by Kirk, who has proven to be one of the most delightfully wicked co-stars on the show thus far. Kirk is a magnetic character actor who has also been delivering a great performance this year on HBO’s other prestigious spring drama, Perry Mason.
Jiménez Could Disrupt The Succession Finale
While Gil is no longer a candidate in the race, he is the running mate of the progressive candidate Daniel Jiménez, who appears to be in the frontrunner status. Jiménez’s campaign has essentially ruled out any negotiations with ATN, which is revealed to Shiv by her old boyfriend Nate Sofrelli (Ashley Zukerman). Nate’s appearance disrupts Shiv’s attention as she deals with her breakup from Tom (Matthew MacFayden) and her pregnancy, but he also provides some details about a potential deal. Nate mentions that the campaign leaders scolded him for suggesting a deal with ATN, where they would temporarily refrain from attacking Jiménez for three months in exchange for an antitrust organization into Matsson’s GoJo company.
If Gil seemed to bear a lot in common with Bernie Sanders, Jiménez seems to be modeled after younger progressive candidates like Barack Obama, Cory Booker, or even Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits) from The West Wing. Shiv had even mentioned that she might try to work for his campaign if their plans fall through. While a win for him would not benefit the Roys in any way, it could lead Succession to mirror reality in another way. Considering the violent nature of Mencken’s followers, Succession could parallel the January 6th violence with another fascist uprising in the wake of Jiménez’s inauguration.
However, the most surprising factor in the race has ended up being none other than Connor. Connor has no chance of winning, but he has apparently been making a decent enough dent in key voting bodies that he’s beginning to draw support from some of Mencken’s targets. While Roman makes a desperate attempt to convince him to drop out at the last minute in exchange for an ambassador position, Willa convinces him to stay committed to the race, as they will gain coverage either way. Could Connor be the one who ends up deciding the country’s future? Perhaps the most bumbling of Logan’s children that has been mocked forever could end up making the most important decision in the family’s future. (But... that probably won't happen.)