‘Succession’ Series Finale Recap: The Dotted Line
Season 4, Episode 10: ‘With Open Eyes’
Five years ago — on June 3, 2018 — HBO aired the first episode of “Succession,” introducing the world to the 80-year-old Logan Roy: the cranky billionaire founder and chief executive of Waystar Royco, a media conglomerate controlling a movie studio, a cruise line, a theme park chain, multiple newspapers and magazines, and the influential right-wing cable news channel ATN. We also met Logan’s adult children: the troubled heir apparent Kendall, the lefty gadfly Shiv, the bratty Roman and the sweet but inconsequential eldest half brother Connor.
At the end of the series premiere, Logan suffered a debilitating stroke, setting in motion the plot that would go on to drive four “Succession” seasons. Heading into the series finale, most of the big questions raised by that first episode remained unsettled. Who — if anyone — will take over for Logan as C.E.O.? Do any of the scheming, self-absorbed Roy children really deserve the job?
We will have a full review of the final “Succession” episode soon. In the meantime, here is a quick summary of how some of those questions were answered by the finale.
Who ends up in charge?
In a stunning upset, Shiv’s husband, Tom Wambsgans, claims the prize. The Swedish tech bro Lukas Matsson — on the eve of completing his purchase of Waystar — has second thoughts about his plan to name Shiv as the C.E.O., to placate the America-first political leader Jeryd Mencken. Instead, Matsson becomes convinced that the sycophantic Tom will do whatever dirty deed the new bosses need done after the takeover. To secure that position, Tom is more than willing to betray Shiv, knowing that she would do the same to him.
Source: The New York Times
