Church and State (Succession)

"Church and State" is the ninth and penultimate episode of the fourth and final season of the American satirical comedy-drama television series Succession, and the 38th episode overall. It was written by series creator Jesse Armstrong and directed by Mark Mylod, and originally aired on HBO on May 21, 2023.

Succession centers on the Roy family, the owners of global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, and their fight for control of the company amidst uncertainty about the health of the family's patriarch Logan (Brian Cox), who has passed away by this point of the series. The episode follows Logan's funeral, amidst protests against the win of far-right Republican Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk) in the United States presidential election in the previous episode "America Decides". Over the course of the episode, both Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) continue their attempts to secure their respective positions in the ongoing struggle for power in the wake of Logan's death, while Roman (Kieran Culkin) struggles with grief for his father.

“Church and State" received critical acclaim, with praise for the script, direction, emotional weight and performances of the cast. For his performance in the episode, Kieran Culkin won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, winning over both Cox and Strong, also nominated for Succession. The episode was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards in totals, including for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Harriet Walter and James Cromwell's respective performances as Logan's ex-wife Caroline Collingwood and brother Ewan Roy. The episode marked the final appearance of main cast member Hiam Abbass as Logan's third and last wife Marcia Roy.