Succession director reveals pivotal episode 6 scene was almost cut
The episode's big callback to season 3 almost ended up on the cutting room floor.
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Succession season 4 episode 6.
This week's episode of Succession ended with an unmistakable call-back to a key season 3 moment, with Jeremy Strong's Kendall taking a swim at the beach after making a successful speech.
As he lies face up in the water, fans will be taken back to season 3 episode 8 when, at his rock bottom, Kendall ended up lying face down on an inflatable raft, intoxicated, and had to be taken to hospital.
However, it turns out the reflective scene in this week's episode almost didn't make the cut, as director Lorene Scafaria revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Scafaria said that she "couldn’t help but want to see Kendall at the beach, even though that was something that in the script came and went."
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When asked further about this, Scafaria said: "It wasn’t always in the script. It appeared in a draft and then it disappeared. I have to admit, I was just adamant about the beach scene. There were days where I think I was the only person who wanted to shoot it!
"But I’m just such a superfan of the show, I was excited to see Ken face up in the water even if there are dark clouds on the horizon. That was one of those scenes that felt like a very important final beat."
When the interview referenced the link with the season 3 moment, Sacafaria said: "He was face down on that raft, and that did feel like the lowest of lows for him.
"And here is an episode that subverts expectations, which the writers were always so brilliant at, that Kendall actually has a win, in spite of all the anxiety and tension that comes with just knowing he’s about to take the stage. And all of his manic ideas that went into it.
"That to see him victorious in the end, and to see how Roman gets taken down in the episode, they really do switch places from the beginning to the end."
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This week's episode saw the brief return of Brian Cox's Logan Roy, after the Roy family patriarch died earlier this season.
Cox didn't return in a supernatural twist, but instead by pre-recorded video, as the footage saw an irritated Logan filming a video announcing Living+.
Succession is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW – sign up for Sky TV here. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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