Let’s start from the absolute beginning, shall we? Remember the title sequence?
Before getting in with the finale, let us first analyze this sequence. The last episode’s theme is the parallel between childhood and their decisions as adults.
Generational Trauma: Each Roy sibling is a fragment of their parents and a reflection of their upbringing. Childhood conditioning trains one’s subconscious to act like what you are conditioned to believe. And as we grow up, we develop our own beliefs, but the shadow of the trained subconscious leeches off our grown-up persona.
The trauma is inflicted on all siblings but has affected each differently.
KENDALL: The child that was integrated early to run the empire but never believed to have true potential, according to his father.
SHIV: The sidelined child who has the potential but is not the suitable heir, for she will be a woman– Perceived as weak for her family and would be too emotional to lead a business.
ROMAN: The youngest wild child, never to be taken seriously. No matter how hard he tries, he will never wear the crown.
A cyclical pattern can be observed throughout the four seasons. In the previous episode, Roman goes through a self-destruction tangent, leading to his ousting as a contender. His vulnerability stems from being never acknowledged by his father, and now it’s too late to get his validation. Hence, the self-sabotage.
The previous episode also establishes that Kendall has abandoned any ounce of morality and morphed into his father’s ego. He doesn’t even care that his support of a fascist presidential candidate will have direct ramifications on his daughter.
Shiv, at first, displays a concern for the country’s future and advocates for women in business. However, all these principles are shoved out the window when she gets her foot in the door to be the top contender. So far, she is winning at the cost of millions of lives. And hence we step into the season finale with the Machiavellian family and their fate.
Did Tom Betray Shiv on Succession Finale?
The three siblings assemble at their mom’s house. Both Kendall and Shiv are persuading Roman to his vote. Shiv is cocky about her win, Kendall is losing patience, and Roman is just ‘Romaning‘ after his downfall— This is the most relatable sibling bonding ever!
On the other hand, another man’s ego is shattered by a cartoon. Lukas Matsson acts like he doesn’t care about the illustration of him being a puppet to Shiv. But it has affected him to the point that he planned his own game. And just as he was hunting for a pawn, in walks Tom Wambsgans.
Tom’s personality can be summed up in one line– “loyal like a dog to the most powerful owner in the room.” In season 3, he proves his loyalty to Logan by volunteering to go to prison and betraying Shiv. Now, he is faced with yet another dilemma.
Lukas expresses his discontent with Shiv’s leadership (although his main issue is being deemed a woman’s puppet). He offers Tom the highest position, but not before one last test.
He tells Tom that he wants to get physical with his wife. Tom’s subtle consent testifies that he can be used as a pain sponge. And thus, Tom betrayed Shiv yet again.
The Three Roy Siblings Unite… One Last Time
Greg rats out Tom and Matsson’s plan to Kendall for a quid pro quo. After this devastating reveal, Shiv is out for vengeance. In the heat of the moment, she decides Kendall would be a better choice for the CEO, and the three decide to team up. The following sequence is the most heartwarming moment before the storm.
The now famous kitchen scene symbolizes the family as a safety net, no matter what awaits.
Why Did Shiv Change Her Mind? Why Did Shiv Vote Yes?
We are now brought to D-Day. Kendall’s entire life revolves around this one moment, the most important board meeting of his years of conditioning, training, and metamorphosis. He had the majority vote and support of his siblings; he was just one inch closer to his dream.
Kendall could visualize his future with each vote of confidence. With 6:6 votes, Shiv’s vote was the deciding factor.
Just then, the vibe completely shifts as Shiv storms out of the room. Both brothers follow her, and once again, the chaos ensues–
Shiv expresses her concerns over Kendall’s ability to lead Waystar RoyCo. But there are several underlying themes stemming from her childhood conditioning. Seeing Kendall this close to being the CEO triggered Shiv’s envy. Her father always ignored her, even though he validated her potential. She also knew that none of her brothers could be trusted; she would again be weeded out the moment he came into power. All these factored in, she finally voted YES for GoJo to take over and thus went against Kendall.
Why Did Kendall Hurt Roman?
One of the most powerful scenes in the entire series is the vulnerability between the two brothers–
Roman finally breaks down under his too-cool-to-care facade, asking why his father couldn’t even consider him worthy. And here, we see how he is the only sibling who acknowledges his trauma.
However, Kendall has gone too far to be saved. He has completely imbibed his dad’s ideologies, and we can see the same “painful love” he expresses to his brother. The way he tightly embraces Roman is an imitation of how Kendall was treated by his father. Because of this, Roman’s forehead stitches come off, and he bleeds.
Which of the three Roy Siblings Actually Win?
KENDALL:
Shiv’s rejection of Kendall as the CEO saves the world from a second Logan. And it saves Kendall more years of suffering, self-doubt, and potential substance abuse. Kendall is broken at this point, knowing he could never get the position he worked so hard for.
He does have the arrogance, ignorance, audacity, and cockiness of his father, but he always fails before the finish line. This pattern can be seen throughout the series, where Kendall doesn’t have it to achieve his father’s level of achievement.
SHIV:
Shiv might be closer to the throne than any other siblings. After Tom was announced as the US CEO of the merger, it was quite evident that Tom was just the face; Lukas Matsson controlled the strings. However, it favors Shiv as she can still control the firm via Tom, even if it means she has to endure a toxic marriage.
ROMAN:
I think Roman won…hear me out.
He accepts his father’s words by reiterating, “We are nothing!”
None of the siblings had what it takes to run the empire. They were all fighting for validation. Roman is smart in realizing this and finally lets go of the years of negative attachment. He is the only one at peace as he leisurely enjoys his drink in solitude.
Closure for Side Stories in Succession
It was kind of refreshing to see all of Logan’s wives and girlfriends bond because of how toxic Logan was.
Next, we have the best bromance ever in TV history– TOM and GREG
First, their fight scene was a long-awaited blow-up and probably the show’s highlight. The confrontation is nothing short of epic when Tom discovers that Greg ratted him out to Kendall.
Greg did not expect that his plan would go into reverse gear and Tom would become the CEO. Even then, Tom kept his promise of bringing Greg with him, although Greg did not get that much of an advancement.
Nevertheless, this scene is just winning the hearts of Greg-Tom shippers.
What did you think of the finale? Were you rooting for any of the Roy siblings?
What do you think of Shiv’s decision not to make Kendall the CEO?
Let us know your opinions in the comment section below.
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