Tailgate Party

"**Tailgate Party**" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of *Succession* and thirty-sixth of the series overall. It premiered on May 7, 2023 on HBO and Max. It was written by Will Tracy, and directed by Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman.

## Premise

Hoping to work the angles on the GoJo deal, Kendall and Roman ask Shiv to invite a political insider to Logan's pre-election day party. Later, Connor considers whether to adjust his ambitions after receiving intel from the Mencken team, while Kendall and Roman catch wind of a potentially fortuitous scandal.

## Plot synopsis

Shiv and Tom are preparing to host the pre-election party for business and political insiders. Matsson has declined the invitation. Rava informs Kendall that their daughter Sophie felt intimidated by an ATN viewer on the street. Kendall gets angry and questions her parenting, and Rava walks away baffled. The Roy siblings meet for lunch regarding their father's funeral. None of them volunteer to give a speech. Kendall and Roman wish to invite Nate Sofrelli to the party, as he'd be a valuable asset in acquiring GoJo, but first ask for permission from Shiv. After her brothers leave, Shiv calls Matsson and asks that he come to the party to prevent her brothers sabotaging the deal.

Tom tasks Greg with firing hundreds of ATN employees. Roman asks Connor that he drop out of the race and redirect his supporters to Mencken, but Connor refuses. Kendall makes a toast in Logan's honor, but is interrupted when Matsson arrives at the party with Oskar and Ebba. Shiv has Matsson socialize with each quest to hopefully secure support of the acquisition. He implies to Nate that Tom will be fired from his position at ATN once the deal is finalized. Shiv does not dissuade the news, which rapidly spreads around the party.

Kendall asks Nate for his help in building a regulatory case against GoJo, offering that in return, ATN will be empathetic toward Jimenez in his first 100 days. Nate, however, is uncomfortable with Kendall's bribery and leaves. Meanwhile, Roman learns of Matsson's history with Ebba, which he and Kendall see as further ammunition against him. Shiv asks to be reassured that under Matsson's control she will retain a major role in the company, yet he remains unclear.

Kendall and Roman, while sharing a cigarette with her, interrogate Ebba after an argument between her and Matsson. She reveals that Matsson outsourced most of GoJo's code, though he claims to have written it himself. He also grossly inflated the company's subscriber count in India. He later admits the latter to Shiv but believes the scandal will dissipate after the acquisition. Kendall confronts Matsson in front of the rest of the party and the two argue. Lukas decides to leave with his team and Greg, whom they've grown fond of.

Roman apologizes to Gerri for firing her, admitting that he overreacted, and offers her her job back. Gerri, however, refuses to re-enter the company and reveals that she's already taken legal action to ensure that there will be no negative press surrounding her exit. She also threatens to sue Roman and leak lewd photographs of him if he at all disturbs her peace in the next five years.

Tom takes Shiv to the balcony to speak with her privately. There, he scolds her for allowing the rumors about him to circulate, which she insists was a move done only to please the shareholders. She confides in him about her fear that Matsson's many scandals may jeopardize her family, Tom rebuffs her by saying that she'll survive due to her opportunism, which prompts a vicious argument between them. Shiv accuses Tom of only marrying her for power and status, as well as stealing her father from her in the last few months of his life. Tom admits that he rebukes Shiv for her infidelity, her refusal to have his child, and for standing idle when he was near imprisonment. He insists that he does love Shiv, but believes that she's incapable of love and unfit to be a mother. Shiv, unable to say much, leaves without informing Tom of her pregnancy.

Meanwhile, Kendall suggests to Frank that Waystar buy GoJo with him as the primary CEO. Roman offers himself to deliver the eulogy at their father's funeral. Shiv and Tom spend the night in separate beds, both unable to sleep.

### Notes

1. ↑ As mentioned in a "Kill List", Matsson had been romantically involved with Ebba, but repeatedly sent her liters of his own blood after their seperation.
2. ↑ As depicted in "Chiantishire".

## Cast

* Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch
* Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy
* Dagmara Domińczyk as Karolina Novotney (credit only)
* Peter Friedman as Frank Vernon
* Justine Lupe as Willa Ferreyra
* Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans
* David Rasche as Karl Muller (credit only)
* Alan Ruck as Connor Roy
* Alexander Skarsgard as Lukas Matsson
* J. Smith-Cameron as Gerri Kellman
* Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy
* Fisher Stevens as Hugo Baker (credit only)
* Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy
* Ashley Zukerman as Nate Sofrelli
* Justin Kirk (photograph) as Jeryd Mencken
* Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Oskar Guðjohnsen
* Eili Harboe as Ebba
* Mark Linn-Baker as Maxim Pierce
* Scott Nicholson as Colin Stiles
* Elliot Villar (photograph) as Daniel Jiménez

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Succession Ep 7: Tailgate Party | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
2. ↑ Shows A-Z - succession on hbo | TheFutonCritic.com
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 *Succession*: Season 4, Episode 7: "**Tailgate Party**"
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