SUCCESSION Episode #401 (Season 4, Episode 1) "Players in the Game" Written by Jessica Gonzatto 2nd draft OCTOBER 2022 These events take place right after the end of season 3. jessicagonzatto@yahoo.com.br © TEKSTO 1 / 74 C EXT. ITALY'S COAST - DAY 1 Beautiful Italian landscapes - the clear sky, the sea, the mountains, the seaside roads. In one of these roads, a few black SUVs speed through. C INT. KENDALL & ROMAN'S CAR - DAY 2 KENDALL - neutral-looking, black sunglasses - is sitting with crossed arms right by ROMAN, who's staring and punching away at his phone. Kendall's energy is gone. His face's blank. C INT. SHIV & TOM'S CAR - DAY 3 SHIV, in a sober Armani suit, stares coldly at the window. She starts dialing on her phone. TOM is by her side. He's dressed in white cashmere and eats olives from a gift basket. He eats meticulously. He's calm, and a little scared of his wife. Shiv aggressively dials on her smartphone. SHIV Pick up, shithead. C INT. KENDALL & ROMAN'S CAR - DAY 4 Roman sighs loudly. He picks up the phone. Kendall stares. ROMAN Oh, hi, it's the poorest rich girl in America. C INT. SHIV & TOM'S CAR - DAY 5 SHIV Fuck off. INTERCUT SHIV'S/ROMAN'S CAR: ROMAN True, not yet. Dad didn't disown us. It's still early in the morning. SHIV Listen, I'm gonna go back to New York. I gotta gather my shit. Not gonna get into details here. ( peeks at Tom ) © TEKSTO 2 / 74 But what's the least-worse case scenario, you know? We get inheritance when Dad dies, buy a mansion on the Bahamas, then one day overdose on Valium? ROMAN Well... I say: let's use Matsson. His shareholders, peers, whoever. I'm ready to use my last Pokemon card. And Kendall... ( stares at Kendall ) He's- I mean, he's gonna do something else. SHIV Yeah. He'll find something to snort. Kendall hears, gets mildly offended, but has no energy. ROMAN Say hi, he's right here- Roman puts his phone on Kendall's face. KENDALL Hey, Shiv. SHIV Uh- hey, Ken. Hope you're okay. Kendall nods, unaware that Shiv can't see. Roman puts his phone back on his ear. ROMAN Yeah, he looks like he's on a life support machine, but he still got most of his hair. SHIV Good. See ya. Shiv hangs up. We stay with her. Stares out the window, sighs and rests the phone under her chin, thinking. Tom observes his wife, still eating olives. TOM You okay? SHIV Uh-huh. Peachy. Shiv looks out the window, clearly not ok. Shutting him out. © TEKSTO 3 / 74 Tom spits the olive pits on a handkerchief, takes out his Ray-Ban sunglasses from his pocket, cleans them briefly, and puts them on. TITLES. C EXT. PORT OF ALICANTE (SPAIN) - DAY 6 The incredible Mediterranean sea shore - palm trees, red spanish roofs, the Santa Barbara castle right by mountains: a million dollar view. On a wall or marquise, the words " Bienvenidos a Alicante ". Two or three huge cruise ships by the port, all from Regent Seven Seas. A row of black SUVs parked by the port. C INT. PORT OF ALICANTE: EXCLUSIVE ROOM - DAY 7 In a spacious boarding room, lots of PEOPLE sit or gather around the waiting chairs. In a more exclusive room - clear and big windows, modern furniture, comfy chairs -, LOGAN, GERRI, FRANK, KERRY and KARL are all dressed in business-summer attire. Logan (Panama hat on) and Karl are sitting down. Gerri and Kerry are discussing inaudibly holding phones and notepads. Logan quietly stares at his phone, frowning. LOGAN Where the fuck is he? I'm hot. Karl looks at the others, searching faces for an answer. Gerri comes around. GERRI Uh...' around the corner ', he said. They're coming. Logan impatiently speaks to himself. LOGAN Why do we even need... we'll be making deals over Margaritas, like a bunch'a corporate fairies. KARL © TEKSTO 4 / 74 I mean, it wasn't Matsson's idea. It was his CFO's idea. It... is awkward, though. I would never propose something like this. A business cruise. FRANK So weird. Drinking with coworkers. Logan waves them off. GERRI Well, technically, Logan, Matsson was supposed to have this meeting with Roman, so- LOGAN Roman's dead. Everyone stares at each other. Gerri looks down. CONNOR (O.S.) Hello! We're here. ( in a crooked accent ) Guapa y caliente Alicante! Logan turns around and sees CONNOR and WILLA, both dressed in bright Ralph Lauren summer clothes. LOGAN Ah, he's here! We can board. Finally. Let's fuckin' go. Connor goes straight to his dad and hugs him awkwardly - they both miss a beat and the embrace never actually happens. Logan stands up with Connor's help. Willa greets everyone sheepishly. Everyone's gathering their belongings and walking slowly towards the main boarding room. Connor isn't as happy as he should be, but tries to be pleasant. CONNOR A cruise, huh? Ironic. LOGAN Ah... Eh. This fella set up a meeting on a fucking Regent cruise, of all lines. KARL Oh, it's a nice smaller one, less people. Nice buffet. © TEKSTO 5 / 74 Frank comes along and speaks half jokingly. FRANK Maybe we can all get a few ideas for Waystar ships, send them to Hugo? WILLA ( low enough ) Maybe less sexual assaults is a good one. Logan hears this, turns around. LOGAN Huh?( to Connor ) Why is she here? Connor is visibly embarrassed. Everyone is. Gerri's eyes go down to her phone. CONNOR What, Willa? She's always...she's part of the family, dad. Now, I didn't want to do this here, but... We have big news. Logan's eyebrows go up. Connor smiles like a happy child. CONNOR (CONT'D) She said yes Well- not yes , but. Something to that effect. ( then ) We're getting married. But for real, this time, not like Lilly- Connor interrupts himself. Willa is uncomfortable. He puts his arms around her. Logan stops in his tracks. They're all in the main boarding room and lots of PEOPLE are walking through. LOGAN Married? Why the fuck for? Awkward looks all around. CONNOR Dad, are you... kidding? She's the woman of my life. Fire of my loins. My First Lady. Willa turns red - she hates this. Kerry snickers. Everyone's shifty. © TEKSTO 6 / 74 LOGAN Ah, yes. Yes, fine. Let's not do this right now, son. I'm tired. Congratulations. ( only to Connor ) Call Lewis for the prenup. The group moves on. Karl touches Connor's shoulder. KARL My best wishes. Connor and Willa smile, they're a little behind - and they're both abashed. C INT. PORT OF ALICANTE: MAIN GATE - DAY 8 Tall and lanky GREG, dressed in Polo shirt and white shorts, speaks with an ATTENDANT in the crowded boarding gate. He's exasperated, as usual. The Attendant speaks with an Spanish accent. GREG Well, it's a... it's a cruise... right? They said- they said specifically a white cruise ship? ATTENDANT Sir, there are at least 3 ships in the port today- GREG Ok, so the Roy ship? Not- not Waystar, this is a different, white ship? With the Logan Roy inside He looks at the big windows - two identical ships right outside. Greg puts his hands behind his head in exasperation. GREG (CONT'D) Uh... yeah, sure, I can see the ships there, but they're not... Could you call the- uh, someone..? ATTENDANT Sir, what's your reservation number? The Attendant behind the counter is losing her patience. Greg's eyes are wide. GREG © TEKSTO 7 / 74 Yeah, that's just the thing, they didn't tell me- they never tell me these things. I'm with Logan Roy. Or Tom. From Waystar? ATTENDANT There are no Waystar cruises on this port, señor I need you reserv- GREG Yeah, yeah, I see. I get it. I could call someone to help. I'll figure this out. You'll see. The Attendant stares blankly at him. Greg gets his phone and dials. GREG (CONT'D) So I'll just- I'll be back, okay? Don't let the ship sail without me, please. He goes over to the side. C INT. SHIV & TOM'S CAR - DAY 9 In Shiv and Tom's car, Tom's cell goes off. Shiv speaks to the driver up front. SHIV How much longer? The DRIVER looks at her through the mirror. DRIVER Almost there, missus. Tom picks up and shifts more to his side of the car. TOM What is it, Greg? C INT. PORT OF ALICANTE: MAIN GATE - DAY 10 Greg, near a wall, speaks to Tom on the phone. GREG Uh, hey, Tom? I need help. INTERCUT TOM'S CAR/GREG © TEKSTO 8 / 74 TOM What did you do now, Craggy Greggy? GREG I didn't- listen, I don't know the, uh, the name of the cruise? I'm supposed to go... Logan let me go on the business thing with you all, but I can't find the ship. TOM You can't find a ship, Greg? Are you stupid? GREG No, not like that, I don't know the exact name, is all. Can you please help? Be helpful to me in this situation? What's, like, the title ... of the ship? TOM Uh, I'm not your travel agent, but I'd try to ask for the 'Business' cruise or something. Regent Seven Seas. Or say it's for Logan and that's it. GREG Yeah, I tried that, I tried calling Gerri but she never picks up my calls, and I lost Karl's number on that thing with my iCloud, that I tried to change uh- passwords in case my phone ever gets stolen, but I got locked out of my contacts list, so now I can't- TOM Yeah, yeah, okay, okay. I'll text you their numbers and you can figure it out. GREG Yes, ok, thank you very much. TOM Alright, later, boobface. Shiv purses her lips and stares at her phone. TOM (CONT'D) ( to Shiv ) Just... Greg business. © TEKSTO 9 / 74 SHIV Uh-uh. Tom texts Greg. He looks at Shiv and tries to grab her hand, she brushes it off. SHIV (CONT'D) So, uh... I'm going to New York right now and I'm not sure when I'll be back. Have a nice vaycay. TOM It's not a vacation, Shiv. They asked for me to be there for the- SHIV I know. It's work. Shiv fixes her hair. SHIV (CONT'D) I get it. It's fine. Tom swallows. Then he stares at the impossibly quaint view. C EXT. ITALY'S COAST - DAY 11 More views of Italy's gold and green coast. The Mediterranean sparkles. C INT/EXT. KENDALL & ROMAN'S CAR/EXCLUSIVE JET RUNWAY - DAY 12 Kendall ignores a call from Comfrey on his phone. Roman's putting his coat on - the car's arriving at the private jet runway. Kendall's careful - doesn't have his hopes up. Roman's also pretty down, but fakes it better. ROMAN So, Ken, listen. This is the last resorts, now. We tried something, and it failed, went to shit, but perhaps now Papa Bear got his belly a little more exposed. We know who we're dealing with. KENDALL Uh-huh. ROMAN © TEKSTO 10 / 74 Matsson's a fuckin'... drug-and- boredom-fueled wildcard. He's too hip for Dad. If it was me- if it was any of us dealing with him, we'd already be the media tech la- la-land. But no. I should be on that meeting today. ( then ) We gotta push this generation clash up everyone's asses. Kendall's staring at the floor, kind of blank. KENDALL Ok. ROMAN So, Shiv's gonna try Marcia, and hope she doesn't die while at it. Definitely a no , but sure. Let her try it. It's not gonna do anything, but she needs to feel useful. Roman rolls his eyes. KENDALL Great. Ok. ( a beat ) So... If he loses this deal... Nothing's on the horizon, right? We're, what- back to normal? Still on the game for...? Roman gets his hair right, shrugs. He's unsure, but doesn't want to show it. ROMAN Uh, I don't know. He might be cookin' something he didn't tell us about. He always does that. But yeah, if this deal goes right, it's gonna fuck us. If it doesn't... well... It's best not to know, in this case. Right? Just jump in? KENDALL Yeah. I guess. How did he know, though? Roman shakes his head. KENDALL (CONT'D) Someone told him. Someone... told on us. © TEKSTO 11 / 74 ROMAN I guess. Kendall looks out the window, a little off. ROMAN (CONT'D) Look at that. The three Daddy- Issues-Musketeers working together again. Kendall scoffs. He hugs Roman, who awkwardly stays there. ROMAN (CONT'D) You okay, man? What's... Kendall hugs still. Roman hugs back a bit. ROMAN (CONT'D) Honestly, Ken... You want me to go with you? To wherever it is you're going? Are you gonna... I don't know, off yourself? They part. Kendall sniffs. KENDALL Nah, man, don't worry. I'll... figure it out. ROMAN You sure? KENDALL Yeah. Yeah. All good. See ya. ROMAN Alright. Don't turn up dead. Kendall smiles. They both leave the car. They both walk the tarmac and get into different jets. C INT. KENDALL'S JET: BATHROOM - DAY 13 Kendall's in the small, but nice bathroom on the jet. He's staring at his own saggy-looking face, glasses off. A sigh. He takes out a tiny bag of cocaine of his inside pocket, stares at it. Puts it down on the marble-like counter. Gets his phone and dials. KENDALL © TEKSTO 12 / 74 Hey, Ives? How are you? ( then ) Look, I, uh... I love you. You and Sophie ok? You guys are the best. Just... okay? ( then ) Ok. Bye. Kendall stares at himself again. Neutral expression. KENDALL (CONT'D) Jess? Has Ashton called back? Ah. And what's the name of the, uh... Ok. Yeah, I'll meet him there. He click off He looks at the cocaine, grimaces. Breathes deep. KENDALL (CONT'D) Ok. C'mon, c'mon. C INT. BUSINESS CRUISE: LOGAN'S ROOM - DAY 14 CRUISE STAFF in elegant dark uniforms change the bedding of a luxurious triple king sized bed. An incredible cruise ship suite - huge windows, the sea as its view. Clear sleek furtniture, STAFF refreshing the sofas with pillows, restocking the not-so-mini-fridge with expensive booze. An uniformed WOMAN oversees everything and checks her watch. C INT. BUSINESS CRUISE: MEETING ROOM - DAY 15 CRUISE STAFF vacuum the floors of a spacious and contemporary-looking meeting room. Big windows with seaview, big flatscreen TVs, lustruous meeting table, etc. STAFF replenishing the small bar with expensive-looking drinks, candy, and cookies. C EXT. BUSINESS CRUISE: SOLARIUM - DAY 16 A sunny solarium on the business cruise: an exuberant planned deck with plants, futons and chairs. There's also a bar with a BARMAN wearing a tuxedo. © TEKSTO 13 / 74 Gerri, Kerry, Frank and Logan are sitting down. Karl is at the bar, ordering a drink. Connor and Willa are taking selfies by some plants. Logan takes his hat off and fans himself with it, sweating - he's not very happy. LOGAN Kerry! Kerry scurries around. KERRY Yep. LOGAN Hand me the shake... and make sure you have some salt around. I don't wanna fall on the fuckin' floor from this heat, like a dumb sack of tatties. When's Matsson gonna call? KERRY Yeah. Ah, he's on the other port, Ibiza. A few... uhm, half an hour, perhaps. Do you wanna go inside? Logan waves her off. LOGAN I'll wait for the ketamine asshole right here, thank you. Gerri, with her smartphone in one hand and a Bloody Mary in the other, comes around and sits by Logan. GERRI So. Tom's getting on the ship later today, also in Ibiza, like Matsson. There are a few points that the GoJo team wants to go over, regarding majorly ATN. Maybe the, uh... editorial line. The culture LOGAN Uh-huh. Always the same yabbering with these folks. GERRI And, well. Jeremiah, the CFO, wants to meet us for dinner... that's a good sign, right? Getting to know your pals kinda thing? Gerri looks around, Karl (with his drink) and Frank nod eagerly. © TEKSTO 14 / 74 LOGAN Or enemies, perhaps. Maybe they wanna be difficult. Talk about the numbers I don't know anymore. ( then ) But couldn't we do that on a fucking building, like normal people? Gerri shrugs. Kerry puts Logan's green shake down on a table. KERRY Want me to call Roman? LOGAN What for? KERRY He's the one Matsson's waiting for- LOGAN No. Not until he demands him. Like a feudal lord. Kerry nods. FRANK So their CFO's name's also... Jerry? C INT. HOTEL ROOM (ITALY) - DAY 17 In a spacious and rustic hotel room, Tom's sitting on a big bed full of pillows and hugs one on his arms. Shiv's putting on some high heels, while speaking on the phone. SHIV Ok, will you e-mail me all this? Thanks. Oh! And, uh... Tell her not to be late. She's always late. Tom alternates between eyeing his wife and the window. She hangs up. SHIV (CONT'D) Really ironic that Logan's on a fucking cruise again, huh? After all that crap, you'd think he'd catch fire stepping on another ship. Tom smiles weakily. Shiv looks around - she's finished getting ready. She speaks as she types on her phone. © TEKSTO 15 / 74 SHIV (CONT'D) Okay, uh... I'm ready. So I'm gonna go. TOM Shiv... She looks at him - impatiently. Can't make eye contact. TOM (CONT'D) Are we... are we okay? Good? Still... partners in crime? SHIV Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't we be? ( then ) Unless you did something. Tom frets with the pillow. TOM Nah, no, I didn't... do anything. No. I'll... miss you, that's all. SHIV Yeah, me too. I'll call you. TOM Yeah. Be careful over there. Don't let this come back and bite you in the ass. SHIV Is that a threat? TOM What? Of course not. Shiv knows that, but she enjoys watching him squirm. She grabs her charger and whatnot. SHIV I'll be careful. ( then ) Uhm, your jet's here. Tom nods. Shiv gets her bag and walks straight to the door. She's not smiling. TOM I love you, Shiv. I truly do. Shiv opens the door. Manages a quick fake smile. © TEKSTO 16 / 74 SHIV Love you too. ( then ) Say hi to Logan. She smiles, slams the door. Tom stays there, silent. C INT. TOM'S JET - DAY 18 Tom drinks champagne inside the creamy beige jet. He snaps a selfie. On his iPhone screen, MESSAGES app is open - he's texting Greg. Underneath his selfie, it reads " coming! get me drinks ". Tom's thumb presses SEND. He smiles and looks out the window - a beautiful sky. C EXT. PORT OF IBIZA (SPAIN) - DAY 19 Bubbly, white hot port of Ibiza. PEOPLE all around. The same smaller Regent Seven Seas ship is anchored. Tom, wearing white shorts and sandals, is chatting with some CREW MEMBER. She puts a captain hat on him and they snap a photo together. Tom waves at Connor and Willa, a few floors right above him, who wave back. He starts going up the embarkation ladder. CONNOR Welcome, Thomas W.! Everybody's favorite man-wife! I'm coming for this prestigious title next. Connor kisses Willa. Tom looks around, embarrassed, wary of all the CREW MEMBERS who are accompanying him. He finally gets in. Close to the ladder, a black SUV is parked. Doors open - it's LUKAS MATSSON, wearing a casual t-shirt and flip flops. Then, JEREMIAH (30), a black, thick-glasses and formally dressed man - a hip Silicon Valley kinda guy. They walk towards the ladder, faces buried in their smartphones. They go right past the CREW MEMBERS and take no photos. C EXT. BUSINESS CRUISE: EXCLUSIVE SOLARIUM - DAY 20 © TEKSTO 17 / 74 Matsson and Jeremiah approach Logan and his team on the sunny solarium. Matsson's already looking bored. Jeremiah is sweaty, but still formal. He shakes hands with everyone, even Kerry. JEREMIAH Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to our business cruise, my name's Jeremiah Woods, I'm GoJo's CFO and I'm also very glad to meet all of you. Matsson shakes hands with Logan only, nodding to the rest. LOGAN Likewise. So, how was Ibiza? Matsson shrugs, looks around. MATSSON Crowded. I like Rio best, at this time of year. LOGAN Uh-huh. Logan gets up. LOGAN (CONT'D) So, business, then? Let's go do some, gentlemen. Jeremiah smiles and nods. Kerry helps Logan. JEREMIAH It's what we're here for. Also, I hope you guys like Bluefin Tuna? Got that flown in from Japan just this morning. Karl lights up, nods. KARL Oh. Nice. Fancy. Expensive. LOGAN ( at Kerry's ear ) Give us 40 minutes and text me something, so I can leave. I don't want this nonsense to be dragged out. C INT. BUSINESS CRUISE: GUEST INFORMATION CENTER - DAY 21 © TEKSTO 18 / 74 MARIA, a 20-something guest information attendant, is typing at a computer behind a desk. She wears an official cruise vest. The place is lively, full of business-like GUESTS, sober colors and fancy decor. Greg comes up to Maria and reads her ID tag. GREG Hello, Mrs.... Miss Maria. MARIA Good afternoon, sir. GREG I need to find a guest here, uh, Tom Wambsgans? He's not picking up his phone. He usually does that to get back at me, I dunno why. MARIA Oh, okay, let me find his reservation. Maria types. Greg looks around, searching. MARIA (CONT'D) He's onboard, sir. GREG So, uh, he's like a... normal guy. Short hair, a nose, uh... likes to use light colored clothes. Was he here? MARIA Uh, I don't know, but he's onboard. ( then ) Wait, I think I... Maria points to- -TOM, slurping on a vanilla cone, right on the deck by the sun. He's dressed in white. Connor and Willa are playing mini golf next to him. They chat inaudibly. GREG Oh, Tom! Hey! ( waves ) Tom doesn't see Greg, he's too far away. GREG (CONT'D) ( to Maria ) © TEKSTO 19 / 74 Thank you so much, Maria, ma'am. I'll see you around the ship? Yeah? Maria smiles and nods. Greg goes over the deck. From a distance, Maria sees that they hug and talk. She stops smiling and goes back to work. C EXT. BUSINESS CRUISE: DECK - DAY 22 Greg goes out in the sunny deck, almost bumping into a bunch of BUSINESS PEOPLE. The sea glimmers, and mountains can be seen in the horizon. GREG Tom! Hi! Found you. Tom hugs Greg briefly. TOM Hello, Florida Man. Huh? Wearing designer shorts for the first time ever? Dressing like an Earl ? Connor and Willa are nearby - Greg's aware of them, nods. Connor takes a swing on the mini golf. GREG N- no, I have worn shorts before- TOM ( points to his cone ) Did you know these are free? They got a machine over there. My tummy's gonna suffer. Although, I should stop eating... ( looks at watch ) ...by now. Saving space for dinner. Exciting dinner, tonight. CFOs and CEOs and founders and executives. Kings and queens. CONNOR Hey, how's married life, Tom? Tom's caught off guard. TOM Oh! It's very, uhm... uneventful. Peaceful. Very blissful. Lovely. A little tricky. Tiny arguments are present. Connor looks intrigued.