Logan Roy's funeral takes place the morning after Mencken claims the presidency, with New York in protest and the city gridlocked. Roman volunteers to deliver the eulogy but collapses at the podium; Kendall improvises in his place, defending Logan's ambition as a civilizing force. Shiv speaks last. Ewan Roy, Logan's estranged brother, precedes them all with a speech that reveals Logan spent his life believing he caused his baby sister's death from polio. At the reception, Shiv and Matsson pitch Mencken on an American CEO to neutralize the regulatory threat, and Mencken accepts. Kendall, watching, immediately recruits Roman to oppose Shiv at the board vote. Roman, told flatly he failed both at the funeral and with Mencken, walks into the protest crowd outside and is beaten.

The episode uses the funeral to crystallize what each Roy child wants from the inheritance — Kendall's eulogy is as much a declaration of intent as a tribute, Shiv's deal-making runs parallel to her grief, and Roman's breakdown exposes how little he has left to stand on. Ewan's testimony reframes Logan's entire character: a man warped by uncorrected childhood guilt, whose cruelty and drive share a common root. The three eulogies function as three competing theories of who Logan was and who gets to claim his legacy.

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Part of the Explained Podcasts network. More shows: https://explainedpodcasts.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/succession-s04e09-church-and-state/id1874406661?i=1000766401654

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6lYXzGX5dkhFH99HeAopdJ

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7660850/

TVDB: https://thetvdb.com/dereferrer/series/338186

TMDB: https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/76331