Normally, a death in the family serves as an acceptable excuse to postpone a wedding, but this is Succession, and presidential candidate Connor Roy isn’t going to let a tiny thing like the sudden passing of his estranged father interrupt his happy nuptials. He rented a brass band, for god’s sake.
In season four, episode three’s “Connor’s Wedding,” as the Roy siblings convene on the high seas for their eldest brother’s ostentatious celebration, family patriarch Logan Roy was fighting for life at cruising altitude. After skipping his son’s big day to iron out an acquisition deal with GoJo CEO Lukas Matsson, Logan was surrounded by the usual Waystar-Royco bottom-feeders when he suffered a massive heart attack and died onboard his private jet. While Shiv, Roman, and Kendall had the opportunity to say a final farewell via phone, Connor was told of his father’s passing after the fact, a cruel bit of treatment that hammers home just how low he sits in the family hierarchy. But, despite his siblings quickly slinking away to command press conferences and control the narrative surrounding their dad’s death, Connor decided to continue on his matrimonial voyage.
Why? Because he deserves a win, dammit.
Despite all of the chaos and emotional turmoil following Logan Roy’s death, a bright spot in the aftermath came when Connor and his fiance, Willa, finally had a heart-to-heart that clarified their relationship. What started out as a transactional arrangement has morphed into one of the healthiest romances on this show, and that fact was cemented when the pair’s sit-down led them to reveal some tough truths to one another. For Connor, the death of his father forced him to confront his own age, and the gap in years between himself and his bride. He admits to Willa that he’s worried if they don’t marry now, despite everything, that they never will. He fears she’ll leave him for someone younger, someone she actually loves. And, he questions whether she’s just with him for his money. For someone so purposefully ignorant about the world around him, facing these fears head on felt like a turning point for Connor.
In turn, Willa — who’s always been cagey about her desire to stay with someone so unlike herself — took Connor’s confession as an opportunity to admit some truths of her own. Yes, the money and safety that comes with their relationship is a driving factor behind their marriage, but she’s also happy, content with the life Connor is able to give her. It’s not some sweeping declaration, but for a man who delivered a depressing monologue about learning to live without familial love — likening himself to a plant that lives on rocks and feeds on insects — just one episode ago, it’s the closest Connor is likely to get.
The pair end up getting married after all, in a scaled-down ceremony that’s less impressive but somehow more meaningful than the grand celebration Connor originally planned. And in doing so, the show gives Connor a needed win. While his siblings continue to chase after their dad, hoping to impress him and earn his favor even in death, Connor is finding ways to be content without that toxic validation. It’s a rare moment of happiness that probably won’t last long, so let’s let him enjoy it, huh?