On ‘Succession,’ Marcia’s Back, Baby!

Spoilers for Succession ahead.

Marcia! Where the hell have you been, loca? 

Succession season four, episode four was packed with revelations: Shiv is 20 weeks pregnant. An old document is unearthed in which Logan named Kendall as his successor at Waystar Royco (then either underlined or crossed out his son’s name … who can say?). Kendall and Roman end up taking the reins of the company, and Shiv finds herself shut out once again. 

And, at last … Marcia Roy is back. 

This comes on the heels of “Connor’s Wedding,” an episode which we now know was less about Connor and Willa tying the knot and more about Logan Roy grumpily shuffling off this mortal coil. When Kendall arrives at Logan’s opulent apartment for his father’s wake, he ineloquently speaks for all of us when he stammers: “Oh, hello, Marcia. And where have you … when did you get in?” 

Marcia, played by the inimitable Hiam Abbass, has been notably absent this season. Kerry, Logan’s assistant and paramour, curtly explained this away by saying, “Marcia’s not here. She’s in Milan. Shopping. Forever.” But as Marcia revealed, she and Logan still spoke every evening. Intimately. 

My main gripe with Succession is that, after the first season, the show didn’t quite know what to do with Marcia. She got less and less screen time. Which is too bad! Because they often made her devastatingly funny. (Remember that season one exchange with Willa about her friend from Paris “who was your way?”) With her comeback, we’re reminded of something else: Marcia’s consistently been one of the most cunning and, consequently, most powerful characters on Succession. 

Logan’s third wife is an international woman of mystery. She’s charming and elegant and also clearly knows that all of her stepchildren are dumbasses. Her quiet contempt is kind of beautiful to behold. Shiv had a background check run on Marcia that revealed she moved to Paris when she was 31 and that her first husband was a Lebanese businessman. Other than that, there are allusions to a difficult past, which no doubt bonds her and Logan—remember, she’s the only person Logan allows to see the scars on his back that were inflicted during his abusive childhood. She also gave him some esteem in the eyes of others: perhaps the only time Nan Pierce expresses admiration for Logan is when she compliments him for marrying Marcia instead of some bimbo. And as Logan’s closest confidant, Marcia is one of the only people who’ve known all along that Kendall accidentally killed that cater waiter (which she subtly lets her stepson know, too).