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Will Roman die? Could cousin Greg be king? Our predictions for the fireworks of the Succession final | Succession
Jhe finale of Succession rushes towards us at high speed. But nothing that happened in this week’s episode or last week, for that matter, or the one before offered us any clue as to how the show will actually end. You know what might help? Some rampant speculation. Here are a handful of possible endings to look forward to.
Ending one: death of the main character
For one thing, it’s been strongly hinted that one of the Roy siblings will meet an awkward end. Look at Kendall, who spent most of season two teetering on the ledge of a skyscraper roof that everyone thought had drowned. Watch Roman, last seen being knocked to the ground by a group of angry protesters. They are by no means a satisfied family, and so the most natural thing in the world would be to expect one of them to meet an unhappy end. On the other hand, Logan Roy has just died. The death of a major character each season is good drama. Two is fundamentally burlesque.
Probability: minimal.
Ending 2: Matsson wins
By far the most boring choice of all. In this storyline, the plan plays out exactly as planned, with Lukas Matsson wresting control of Waystar from the clutches of the siblings. All of the Waystar old guard are admirably paid and cleared to sail into the sunset unscathed. Kendall and Roman face the challenge of surviving outside of the business for the first time. Shiv ends up being ostracized by her family and held up as a highly visible but essentially powerless puppet. It might work, the boys get a happy ending disguised as tragedy, and Shiv gets the opposite, but Jesse Armstrong is too smart to give us something as simple as that.
Probability: slim.
Ending three: Kendall wins
Season four is heading for a big showdown in the boardroom, where Kendall Roy will try to persuade Waystar chiefs to rescind Lukas Matssons’ takeover bid. Kendall has always had terrible luck at these things, remember the first season, where her dad bullied everyone with his offer of censorship? so it might be nice if the series ended with a moment of triumph for Kendall. He destroys Matsson’s offer, takes sole control of Waystar Royco, and discovers his father’s unchecked power. Obviously, it would be a moment of short-lived triumph, because being ensnared as the figurehead of a failed and toxic media organization that just helped install a fascist for the US presidency feels like hell. alive, but it still matters.
Likelihood: Moderate.
End four: Greg wins
Listen to me. Remember in this week’s episode, where Matsson is on the phone in his car telling Shiv he wants Waystar to have an American CEO? At the very end of the scene, just as he announces this, he watches out of the corner of his eye and smiles. One possibility is that he was just looking around the car like the self-absorbed berserk that he is. But the other one, listen to me, is that he was looking at Greg. After all, the conversation took place at the wake and Greg (who has been playing football with Matsson avidly all season) was nowhere to be found. So here’s what I think will happen. One: Matsson will announce that Greg is the new CEO of Waystar. Two: the media will discover Matsson’s habit of sending his solidified blood to women, and Matsson will be forced to resign in disgrace. Three: Greg will be solely responsible for Waystar Royco. Four: Greg will immediately run Waystar Royco into a brick wall.
Probability: strong.