Our Verdict
A somber but fitting end to one of the best TV series of all time.
Well, it is finally here, folks. After four seasons, plenty of betrayal, and years of Waystar shenanigans Succession is finally coming to an end. And staying true to its reputation as one of the best TV series of all time, the Succession finale lives up to our expectations and gives us the long-anticipated outcome of the GoJo deal. Warning major spoilers ahead!
That is right, after being in a state of limbo since season 3, GoJo’s deal to buy Waystar is coming to a head with the final board meeting fast approaching. In fact, the latest episode – titled With Open Eyes – starts with Kendall preparing the day before the board presentation for the GoJo deal, and it isn’t good news for the stand-in CEO.
Despite all of the political plays, double-crossing, and Living Plus mind games, it looks like Kendall doesn’t have the votes to stop the buyout. He is in danger of losing control of the company he’s been after since the Succession pilot. Roman is missing, Stewy may be flip-flopping on loyalties, and Shiv and Matsson are making their play for complete control too.
But as we all know, things can change at a drop of a hat for the Roy family, and there is tension on both sides of this Waystar war. On one side, Matsson isn’t too pleased on how the US press is portraying him and Shiv – depicting him as a puppet. And on the other, some votes are missing in action as Roman has turned up at their mom’s house instead of backing Kendall at Waystar HQ.
Speaking about Roman, let’s get into the mental state of the youngest Roy. After the events of Succession season 4 episode 9, when Roman broke down at his dad’s funeral, he was left with injuries and feeling disillusioned. Out of all the siblings, Roman is the most emotional, going through grief – but he doesn’t have a lot of time to process his feelings.
Despite all the family in-fighting, soon we are back to where we were in Succession season 4 episode 1, with Shiv, Kendall, and Roman working together as some massive revelations force the siblings to act as a united front once again. This finale is packed with whiplash turns, the biggest being that Matsson – wanting to “fuck” Shiv – decides it is better to keep her out of the CEO position.
So, Matsson abandons Shiv, and who would be her replacement? Well, none other than her baby daddy, Tom. Yep, you read right: Tom. Greg, being Tom’s partner in crime, finds out and tells Kendall – who jumps at the chance to let Shiv know Matsson betrayed her. As you can probably guess, the siblings decide to go up against Matsson together. But again, the issue of “who will be the leader” rears its head.
Kendall is the best bet, though; let’s face facts. Shiv can’t pull a 180 after being in Matsson’s pocket to convince the board she is against the deal, and Roman, as Kendall puts it, just isn’t the kind of person to be a “business psycho” and lead Waystar. Luckily, the siblings see sense, and Kendall is “anointed” as the CEO they will back for the upcoming meeting. All looks good, and everything seems to be in Kendall’s favor, especially once Tom and Shiv confront each other.
Tom tells Shiv Matsson offered him the CEO position, and let’s just say, all hell breaks loose. Shiv is out for blood; obviously, she isn’t going to let Tom take her prize quietly. Tensions continue to rise as Roman starts second-guessing whether he should back Kendall, and why he isn’t the CEO. He ends up breaking down in Kendall’s arms in an emotional outburst, breaking open his forehead stitches.
Now lets get into the final battle – the GoJo board meeting. Kendall opens things up with a direct putting down of both GoJo and the deal. The board hears Kendall’s words and they all move directly to a vote. Both Kendall and Roman voted against GoJo, however, Shiv choked and ran out of the meeting.
Shiv tells Kendall that she doesn’t think he will be good as the CEO – decided to shock us all, especially after her earlier scene of backing her brother. This also leads to the biggest blowout between the siblings that we’ve ever seen on Succession, period.
Kendall and Roman end up exchanging blows, secrets come to light, and Kendall loses his cool completely as Shiv votes against him, and the GoJo deal officially passes through. Yep, Kendall has lost Waystar. And in a twist that no one expected, Tom is now the head of the company. Who would of thunk it? (definitely not The Digital Fix team). So Succession ends with none of the Roys getting what they want.
Kendall’s whole world and sense of purpose is crushed, Roman is left grieving but accepting his new reality, and Shiv is in the position she never wanted to be in – first and foremost Tom’s wife instead of in power. It is a somber episode, packed with a sense of loss. However, it is also extremely fitting. Since the beginning, Succession has been a complex show and all the Succession characters have been complex individuals who’ve never managed to achieve all their goals.
The entire Succession cast gave us one hell of a final performance, and really as Kendall looked out into the sunset after losing it all, we can sympathize with his feelings of displacement as we say goodbye to Waystar for good (I’m not crying, you are).
For more on Succession here all the Succession episodes ranked, and how to run a media empire according to Logan Roy. You can also check out more top picks with our guide to all the new movies heading our way in 2023 and the best movies of all time.