Succession viewers are debating ‘underlined or crossed out?’ after episode 4

Isobel Lewis
·2 min read
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Succession viewers have joked that a debate stemming from the show’s latest episode is the new version of “the dress”.

HBO’s hit drama is currently airing its fourth and final season, which has already seen plenty of explosive plot moments.

*Succession spoilers below – you have been warned*

After the shocking death of Logan Roy (Brian Cox) in episode three, episode four saw the family dealing with the aftermath and considering what happens to Waystar Royco next.

Only adding to the confusion, Frank (Peter Friedman) produces a document, partially written in pencil and never shown to Logan’s lawyers, suggesting that Kendall (Jeremy Strong) should succeed him.

Kendall’s name has been underlined, but his siblings Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) qucikly point out that the clumsily drawn line could have been Logan crossing it out.

In The Independent’s recap of episode four, Philippa Snow wrote that “this ambiguity – a vague and indecipherable gesture that could either mean that Logan loved his son, or hated him – is a perfect symbol for the relationship Kendall and his father shared in life, and it tips Kendall briefly back into a familiarly simpering, desperate mode.

“Once again, even after death, Logan has successfully driven a wedge between his children.”

The moment has sparked debate among fans, who have sounded off beneath a post from the official Succession account reading: “Underlined or crossed out?”

“IT IS UNDERLINED LOGAN ROY WOULD NOT HAVE JUST NOT RETYPED IT,” one fan argued, while another put forward: “Crossed out, there’s no reason to underline.”

“The piece of paper was clearly underlined…” another commenter wrote.

“IDK about you but i’m team he got crossed out... nothing underlined about that,” one viewer countered.

The split among viewers led fans to joke that the episode’s debate was the new version of “the dress”, a 2015 internet meme where an optical illusion meant some people saw a dress in a photo as blue and black, while others thought it was white and gold.

“Was it underlined or crossed out?” one commenter tweeted, next to a picture of the dress.

“The ‘underlined or crossed out’ debate is Succession’s ‘black and blue or white and gold’,” another echoed.

Succession airs Sundays on HBO Max in the US and on Mondays on Sky Atlantic and Now in the UK.