‘Succession’ Series Finale Recap: [Spoiler] Comes Out On Top After Last-Second Sabotage

The Succession series finale begins with Kendall arriving at the Waystar office as he prepares for the board presentation where he’ll screw the Gojo deal. When he learns that he may not have Stewy’s vote, Kendall is a little caught off guard. His team doesn’t think he has the shareholders or the board numbers to stop the deal. Kendall is still convinced it’s possible, even with only 4 sure votes right now. Roman is still a wildcard and a sore spot for Kendall right now.

Meanwhile, Shiv is working with Matsson on the other side to try and make this deal go through. They talk about Tom, and she’s okay with him staying on at ATN. Caroline calls Shiv from Barbados and reveals that Roman is with her. Caroline sounds worried. Shiv tells Tom about Roman and where he’s at.

Shiv and Tom have a semi-candid conversation about their marriage. “I know that we’ve said the worst things, but I think I’ve always just been scared in relationships,” Shiv says. She asks Tom if he’s interested in a real relationship. “Honest to God, I don’t know,” Tom replies. Shiv doesn’t get the answer she wants so she hangs up quickly.

Kendall calls Caroline to ask about Roman. “He’s very fragile,” she says. Kendall tells Caroline that he’s coming. Shiv arrives at Caroline’s house, and we finally catch a glimpse of Roman. On his way to Caroline’s house, Kendall gets a hold of Stewy and thinks he’s got his vote.

When Kendall arrives at the house, he immediately accuses Shiv of doing a number on Roman. He is wasting no time. Roman storms off when Kendall keeps badgering him. The siblings circle back later in the day. “You grabbed the crown and pushed me out,” Shiv says to Kendall. She thinks she’s won by siding with Matsson. “I played it better so why don’t you take it like a man and just eat it?” she continues.

Tom is still convinced he’s getting fired, so he tries to spend some quality time with Matsson. Matsson opens up about working with Shiv. He thinks that Shiv has too many ideas, and he doesn’t want more. He also admits to Tom that he wants to literally “f**k” Shiv. “I can’t deal with the mess of that,” he says.

Tom doesn’t waste this opportunity. He’s more than willing to be Matsson’s puppet. Matsson explains that he’s “not looking for a partner.” He wants a “frontman” and a “pain sponge.” Tom is ready for that and then some. After this revealing conversation, Tom tells Greg that they’re going to be okay. At the bar, Greg thinks quickly on his feet and translates Matsson’s conversation about Shiv on his phone.

At dinner with Caroline, Kendall gets a call from Greg. He’s willing to give Kendall the information he has on Matsson in exchange for “something amazing.” Kendall agrees to give Greg what he wants. Kendall pulls Shiv and Roman from the dinner table to let them both know about what Matsson’s up to.

“He’s f**king you,” Kendall stresses to Shiv. She doesn’t believe it at first, but she soon realizes she’s been screwed over. Kendall wants to work with Shiv and Roman to screw the deal. “We have to go into battle with our own version of the future… with a king,” Kendall says. He wants to kill Matsson, and they have to be real about it. “I think it would be me,” Kendall continues. Apparently, all the kids heard the same thing from Logan over the years.

Kendall asks Roman, “Do you even want it?” Roman eventually walks off. “Obviously, I want it to be me,” Kendall says. If they want to keep the company, it has to be Kendall. They all go down to the water. Kendall goes swimming as Roman and Shiv talk alone.

Shiv asks Roman who he thinks Logan wanted to give the company to. “I don’t think he wanted to give it to any of us,” Roman says. They joke about murdering Kendall but agree to side with him. “We anoint you,” Shiv says. They have a bright and shining moment as just siblings and decide to head back united.

At Logan’s apartment, Shiv reveals to Tom that Greg’s been leaking information to Kendall. She soon figures out that Tom is the American CEO and storms off. Hell hath no fury like Shiv Roy scorned. Tom confronts Greg in the bathroom. They all head to the office to start the vote.

When Gerri walks into the office, Roman gets scared. He doesn’t want to see her. Kendall realizes something’s up. Roman begins obsessing over his stitches. Kendall hugs Roman and pulls him close to the point where he breaks Roman’s stitches. The cycle of abuse continues. Kendall is left alone in his father’s office.

Succession’s Ending Explained

The meeting starts and Kendall steps up to talk about how the Gojo deal shouldn’t go through. The votes are cast, and when it gets to Shiv, the mood shifts. She gets up and walks out of the room. Roman and Kendall follow Shiv to a separate room. She wants a moment to think. “I don’t think you’d be good at it,” Shiv confesses to Kendall about running the company.

Shiv pulls out her final trump card and brings up Kendall killing the waiter. Roman soon gangs up on Kendall, too. Kendall tells them that he made up that story to “bond” with them. They are floored. Kendall screams that he’s the “eldest,” even though they all know that’s not true. Kendall brings up continuing the family bloodline, and Roman says that Shiv’s the only one actually continuing it. A low blow. He brings up how Logan didn’t view Kendall’s kids as legitimate, and this enrages Kendall. He attacks Roman and tries to go after Shiv. Kendall walks back into the boardroom still thinking he can save this sinking ship, but the Gojo deal is going through.

Kendall walks out of the office and out the door. Tom rises from the ashes and steps onto the throne. While Greg thinks he’s a goner, Tom is going to keep him around. Roman goes to the bar for a drink. Tom gets in the car where Shiv is waiting for him. He holds out his hand and waits for hers, and she begrudgingly puts her hand on top of his. But she doesn’t interlock her fingers with his, a hint that these two are not quite united. She sold her soul and screwed over Kendall in the process, but at least she’s higher on the rung than he is right now.

Kendall takes a walk through the park alone, but Colin is following behind him. Kendall looks shattered. He walks up to the water, the fence being the only thing holding him back. He sees the waves moving swiftly. He takes a seat and looks out at the water as the sun sets. Everything he’s worked and schemed for just went down in flames. The future looks bleak for now, but the day is done. Kendall’s horizon is clear but uncertain. Could a new day be approaching? Or does he jump?

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