Forget controlling multi-billion dollar media empire Waystar Royco, Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong) have bigger fish to fry in season 4 episode 8.
The r is barely a spec on the horizon as the Roy siblings meddle and unlawfully orchestrate the presidential elections, securing dark candidate Mencken (Justin Kirk) the top job at the White House.
Mencken is about as far-right and extreme as they come. Put it this way, he wants to eradicate all welfare systems and essentially every basic human right. Grim.
But despite all the millions of ethical concerns and the very real chance of destroying America, Roman is lured in by the opportunity to go into business with the POTUS.
And that’s not the only fire blazing among the Roy clan. Shiv’s alliance with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) has been exposed by the spineless Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun), causing her siblings to turn on her.
She’s also been cruelly shafted by Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfayden) after finally revealing she’s.
Here’s a rundown of all the drama in Succession season 4 episode 8.
Tom cruelly reacts to Shiv’s pregnancy
As tensions in the newsroom flare amid the election, Shiv attempts to clear the air with Tom after their epic balcony fight.
A tearful Shiv apologises to Tom and it’s safe to say, absolutely does not get one in return.
Instead, Tom launches into a scathing attack, at one point telling Shiv she Ki**ed her father Logan Roy (Brian Cox).
In response, Shiv tells Tom she’s expecting his child, only for him to ask her ‘if it’s even true or is it a new position or tactic?’
Shiv is, understandably, wounded as Tom storms off. Ouch.
Greg does the dirty on Shiv
If you thought Shiv’s day couldn’t get worse, well, it’s about to.
Aware Greg is in the know about her feeding information to Lukas, she pulls him aside and threatens to kill him if he spills the beans.
But within mere minutes of the threat, Greg scuttles off and informs Kendall – with Shiv in full view – of her alliance with Lukas.
Which leads us on to…
Kendall and Roman turn their back on Shiv
Once Kendall gets word of Shiv’s betrayal, the torrent of abuse directed at her in this episode continues.
Not holding back, he starts firing shots at her, branding her a ‘piece of dirt’, while when she becomes upset Roman uses every misogynist’s favourite insult, ‘hysterical.’
Shiv threatens to go to the press and reveal all about how the called the election prematurely to secure Mencken’s presidency but it falls on deaf ears.
Leaving the ATN newsroom, she phones up Matsson and begins plotting to continue the merger and, of course, her sibling’s downfall.
Roman and Kendall fix the election
You know you’ve done a very, very bad thing when even Kendall (Kendall!) is having doubts.
Kendall and Roman decide to get ATN to call the election in favour of Mencken early, leaving Shiv and the rest of humanity in tatters.
When Mencken begins his victory speech – which is essentially goodbye welfare hello hell – Kendall looks horrified as it dawns on him the new dystopian nation he has ushered in for his children.
What next?
Succession continues on Sunday on HBO in the US and on Monday on Sky Atlantic and Now in the UK.
