America Decides

"**America Decides**" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of *Succession* and thirty-seventh of the series overall. It premiered on May 14, 2023 on HBO and Max. It was written by Jesse Armstrong and directed by Andrij Parekh.

## Premise

On election night, Tom tries to manage an increasingly chaotic newsroom, while Kendall, Shiv, and Roman spar over the consequences of the result – for themselves, the company, and the country.

## Plot synopsis

Tom braces himself to manage the ATN newsroom during the election, using cocaine to combat his sleep deprivation. Greg informs him of Shiv and Matsson's covert alliance.

Shiv and Roman disagree about their choice candidates: Roman continues to back right-wing Jeryd Mencken, whose ensured to advance Waystar's agenda, while Shiv backs left-wing Daniel Jiménez, who she believes will greenlight the GoJo deal. Kendall receives a call from Rava reiterating her and their daughter Sophie's fear about the consequences of Mencken winning. He then calls Nate and attempts to convince him and Jimenez to block the GoJo deal, but is unsuccessful. Roman is summoned to meet with Mencken, who asks that Roman frame the election as a victory for him regardless of whether or not he actually wins the vote. Mencken promises that he and Roman will be very successful together.

Thousands of ballots, that likely would've gone to Jimenez, are destroyed when a voting center in Milwaukee is set on fire. Shiv insists that the votes must be accounted for, while Roman suggests that they call the Wisconsin vote early in favor of Mencken. Shiv takes Tom aside to apologize for their fight the night before, but Tom remains apathetic. When she reveals that she's pregnant, Tom brushes it off as an attempt to manipulate him. Roman allows ATN anchor Mark Ravenhead to accuse Democrats of starting the fire. Shiv attempts to threaten Greg into silence about her alliance with Matsson.

Roman informs Kendall that Mencken has promised to block the GoJo deal in exchange for ATN's support. ATN poll analyst Darwin Perry informs Roman and Tom that ATN could use credibility if they were to call the Wisconsin vote prematurely. Roman ignores his concerns, but Tom suggests that they flag it as "pending" instead, with Darwin on air to report. However, chaos ensues when Darwin gets a bit of wasabi in his eye, preventing him from going on air. Tom then allows ATN to call the vote for Mencken. Connor arrives at the newsroom, having decided to drop out of the race, opting for an ambassadorship to Slovenia. He gives a nonsensical speech about his concession, which airs live on ATN.

Jiménez wins Michigan, placing both candidates at 262 electoral votes, with only Alaska (3) and Arizona (6) yet to be called. Darwin projects that will Mencken win Arizona. Kendall takes Roman aside to express his worries of endangering his family, but Roman disregards him and continues to tamper with the election for his own benefit. Kendall then confides in Shiv, who attempts to sway him away from supporting Mencken. He then asks Shiv to call Nate and inquire about Jimenez and blocking the GoJo deal. Shiv steps out and pretends to make the call, then vaguely reassures Kendall. He calls the team himself and learns that Shiv faked the call, and then learns from Greg that she's been working with Matsson.

Kendall confronts his sister and disregards her pleas, ordering Tom to call the election in favor of Mencken. Jess attempts to stop Greg from alerting the newsroom but is unsuccessful, and Mencken is announced as the next President. PGN then airs reports that name Tom as responsible for the premature vote. Shiv calls Matsson and promises to repair the damage and overthrow Waystar. Kendall calls Rava and asks to see his children, but she declines, and he then ponders his decision.

### Notes

1. ↑ As depicted in "Tailgate Party".
2. ↑ As previously discussed in "Tailgate Party".

## Cast

* Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch
* Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy
* Dagmara Domińczyk as Karolina Novotney (credit only)
* Peter Friedman as Frank Vernon
* Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans
* Alan Ruck as Connor Roy
* Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy
* Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy
* J. Smith-Cameron as Gerri Kellman (credit only)
* Justine Lupe as Willa Ferreyra
* David Rasche as Karl
* Fisher Stevens as Hugo Baker
* Ashley Zukerman as Nate Sofrelli
* Justin Kirk as Jeryd Mencken
* Juliana Canfield as Jess Jordan
* Mark Linn-Baker as Maxim Pierce
* Scott Nicholson as Colin Stiles
* Swayam Bhatia as Sophie Roy
* Patch Darragh as Ray Kennedy
* Brian Hotaling as Mark Rosenstock
* Zack Robidas as Mark Ravenhead
* Elliot Villar as Daniel Jiménez

Guest* Adam Godley as Darwin Perry
* Lori Wilner as Pam Thompson
* Tom Nichols as Ben Stove

## Trivia

* Armstrong named the 1960, 2000, and 2016 presidential elections as inspirations for the episode.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Succession Ep 8: America Decides | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
2. ↑ Shows A-Z - succession on hbo | TheFutonCritic.com
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Succession*: Season 4, Episode 8: "**America Decides**"
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Succession | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
5. ↑ Shows A-Z - succession on hbo | TheFutonCritic.com
6. ↑ Jeremy Strong Interview on ‘Succession’ Season 4, Episode 6 (vulture.com)