Lion in the Meadow (Succession)
The episode primarily follows Kendall and Logan reuniting to meet jointly with Josh Aaronson, a major Waystar shareholder concerned about their family feud.
At the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, Adrien Brody, who played Aaronson, was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in the episode.
Four days before the annual shareholder meeting, Kendall is informed by Waystar senior management that investor Josh Aaronson, who owns 4% of the company's shares, is losing trust in its leadership amid the family feud and DOJ investigation, and may join Sandy and Stewy.
Logan has Shiv direct ATN to be more critical in their coverage of the presidential administration, hoping it will pressure the White House into finally granting him legal and political favors.
Shiv then meets with Connor, who has decided to push his presidential campaign four years down the road, and is seeking a role at the company in the interim to improve his perceived credibility.
Shiv, afraid of being undermined, decides to personally confront ATN anchor Mark Ravenhead after he refuses Tom's request to shift his editorial position on the President, and strongarms him into complying with Logan's orders.
[1] Adrien Brody guest stars in the episode as Josh Aaronson, an activist shareholder at Waystar RoyCo who brings Logan and Kendall together for the first time in the season.
An owner-occupied mansion in Wainscott was used as Josh's residence; set decorator George DeTitta Jr. fitted the living spaces with a more desaturated color palette to visually foreground the actors and their costumes.
Production designer Stephen Carter added that the interiors were decorated to reflect the "hollowness" of the ultra-wealthy, remarking: "You want to feel that these people don't have the creative wherewithal to connect personally to the things in their lives.
"[4] As for the surrounding land, Carter admitted that the crew used "creative geography" to simulate the house's physical isolation, noting that the real property is situated alongside a public beach and several neighboring estates.
[10] "Lion in the Meadow" received highly positive reviews, with praise going towards the episode's direction, humor, and the performances of Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, and guest star Adrien Brody.
"[13] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone praised how the episode integrated Brody's character into the storytelling, writing: "Many comparable prestige dramas would build seasons at this stage around a new antagonist arriving to cause trouble for the Roys.
