‘Succession’ Stars Weighs in on Season 4’s High-Stakes Presidential Election

Succession may be all about the Roys, but a pivotal election is up on the agenda for this week’s installment, “America Decides,” airing Sunday, May 14, and the stakes are high.

With the fate of Waystar Royco in the balance as Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) attempt to blow up the deal with Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård), Shiv (Sarah Snook) is seemingly working against them, keeping her best interests served to move forward with the acquisition. But could these opposing stances also have an impact on the siblings’ views of election night?

(Credit: David M. Russell/HBO)

It’s obvious that Shiv and Roman are on completely different sides with her vouching for the Democratic candidate and Roman vying for the Republican candidate, Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk), who viewers met last season and have since popped up on other occasions in Season 4. Meanwhile, it would seem that Kendall is torn between both sides as he toes the line of making the right moves in his new role.

“The election is present in this season,” Snook teases, “and because of that, Jeryd Mencken, Justin Kirk’s character, has a significant role.” With Matsson already in the Roy family mix this season, it’s unclear how Mencken’s role will unfold more as the remaining episodes of the season progress, but we do know that he’s running against the eldest Roy brother, Connor (Alan Ruck).

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“Willa’s (Justin Lupe) presence has given him more confidence than he might have otherwise,” Ruck shares, noting that it’s “emboldened him a bit to go ahead and run for political office. Maybe he might not have done that if it wasn’t for Willa.” Considering his penchant for wanting to impress, could Connor stand in the way of Mencken’s victory? It’s unlikely, considering Connor was polling in the single-digit percentages, but it could disrupt the red vote.

As Snook recalls, “the setup of that photograph [from Season 3, Episode 6], we know, Shiv does not like Mencken at all. And that sets up a bit of conflict for sure. She feels that he’s a dangerous candidate and not a good person to become president.”

Will Shiv be in a sour mood on election night or will Connor’s role in the race serve to benefit her interests?

Succession, Season 4, New Episodes, Sundays, 9/8c, HBO and Max