The Big Picture
- Kendall Roy’s realization that he would never be CEO shattered his world, highlighting the internal struggle within the Roy family.
- The final shots of Succession were not in the original script, adding an intimate and contemplative moment for Kendall.
- The series finale broke the Roy family, with Shiv trapped in a powerful executive’s shadow, Roman indifferent to everything, and Kendall feeling utterly alone.
The final moments of Succession carried a lot of meaning for Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), as he struggled to accept that he would never be the Chief Executive Officer of Waystar Royco. After believing he would inherit the position throughout his entire life, his world crumbled around him when he was told that Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) would actually be the person who would take the position. In a recent article series creator Jesse Armstrong wrote for Vulture, he revealed that the final shots seen on screen weren’t in the script for the episode. He explained:
“The shape of the season may have been set from early, but getting there was 18 months of work — from the first writer meetings to the last day in the edit, playing with the sequence of the final shots. You won’t find the end of the show, as it went to air, written in the scripts. That we found on the day. I didn’t know when we started the day we’d end it looking out to the water and Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty beyond. In fact, I was worried, shooting into the bitter cold sundown, that the statue’s inclusion was too direct a symbol. Mark Mylod reassured me that on a TV screen it would be what it is — a little nub in the distance.”
The internal struggle within the company had always been present between the siblings in the series, but after Logan Roy (Brian Cox) unexpectedly died in Season 4 Episode 3, “Connor’s Wedding,” everything became real for Kendall, Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook). Waystar Royco needed a new leader, and the uncertainty surrounding the identity of the next person to get the job would ultimately the family apart.
After seeing his biggest dream fade away in front of his eyes, Kendall walked out of the Waystar building while thinking about what he had lost. His mindless trip would lead him to a bench overlooking one of the most iconic spots in New York City. The Statue of Liberty stared back at him in the distance, but without becoming CEO, Kendall had no idea of who he was, or what he was supposed to do next. The sequence doesn’t include any dialogue, with the character contemplating his entire life in a single moment. In this intimate moment of reflection, Succession ended.
The ‘Succession’ Series Finale Broke the Roy Family
The final season of Succession wanted to get everything out of the way when it came to the Roys. Their relationships had to be sorted, their feelings had to be dealt with, and while it was clear that the audience wouldn’t get to spend any more time with them, viewers could easily imagine what happened after the final credits rolled. Shiv is exactly like her mother now, trapped as the partner of a very powerful executive without a voice of her own. Roman never truly cared about the job, leaving him free of his father’s shadow but just as directionless as his siblings, and Kendall is more alone than he had ever been.
All four seasons of Succession are available to stream on Max.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
