HBO’s blockbuster corporate tragicomedy Succession broke hearts all over the world a few Sundays ago. Fans have always assumed that the Roy family saga probably wouldn’t end with happy hugs and handshakes, but the grim reality of the series’ final scenes seems to have shocked even the most cynical of viewers.
Hardly anyone made it out of the finale unscathed, but of all our favorite uber-wealthy, snark-spewing corporate overlords in Succession’s cast of characters, no one got more of a raw deal than our number one boy, Kendall Roy. After four seasons of vying for the proverbial throne his father dangled over his head since he was a child, Kendall is left crownless and more alone than ever, staring out into the sunset over the wind-whipped Hudson.
To understand how and why Kendall got to this point, we must examine the reasoning behind Shiv’s pivotal choice in the climactic boardroom scene moments earlier. What motivated Shiv to choose Tom and Matsson over Kendall and continued family control? As her mother often told her and her siblings, did she believe that the kids were better off selling to GoJo and putting Logan’s legacy behind them? Did she genuinely think Kendall wouldn’t be good at the top job? Or did she simply believe Tom would be easier to manipulate than Kendall? Let’s break down a few of the most likely lines of reasoning to deduce what Shiv’s final chess move was all about.
Take the money and run?
It’s no secret that Caroline Collingwood, mother to Shiv, Kendall, and Roman, won’t be winning any awards for Mother of the Year any time soon. Where her children are concerned, she’s been just as emotionally unavailable as her media mogul ex-husband and frequently even more neglectful. But Caroline often shared one piece of advice with her children they probably should’ve been keener to consider: take the money and run. Caroline always believed her children’s unrelenting competition to succeed Logan at Waystar Royco to be a largely pointless exercise that hasn’t been good for their collective well-being.
In the series finale, Shiv and Kendall race to Caroline’s Barbados vacation home, each trying to convince a battered and broken Roman to vote for their side in the upcoming board meeting. Once the shouting match starts, Caroline attempts to shield Roman from the onslaught of demands from his siblings.
She tells them, once again, that each of them would be better off if they sold the company and moved on with their lives. Whether her protection is born out of genuine concern for her son or a desire to take Roman off the playing field so she and her husband Peter can reap the rewards of the GoJo sale is unclear. No matter Caroline’s true intentions, is it possible that Shiv could’ve taken her words to heart on some level?
No one who has been watching Succession closely over the last few years would claim that Shiv is a particularly altruistic person. The cutthroat corporate world of Succession doesn’t tend to reward characters that exhibit a penchant for selflessness. Still, that doesn’t mean Shiv has been entirely incapable of acting outside of her own self-interest. In the aftermath of Logan’s stroke in season one and Kendall’s emotional breakdown in season three, Shiv revealed an authentic desire to help her family members when they needed it the most.
Most recently, she proved that no amount of mud-slinging and bad blood could prevent her from being a shoulder to cry on for her almost ex-husband Tom at Logan’s funeral. However, these sporadic spurts of familial softness are few and far between for Shiv Roy. It seems likelier to me that she had other concerns on her mind while voting to unseat Kendall.
Unfit to rule?
Of all the verbal barbs Shiv slung at Kendall during their last scene together in the finale, none seem to sting more than this blunt proclamation: “I don’t think you’d be good at it.” Kendall’s entire life has led to this moment – this final opportunity to step into the role he’s been pining after and preparing himself for since he could read. When his sister tells him he’s unfit to do the one and only thing he believes himself able to do, he snaps as the siblings’ conversation devolves into petty violence and childish insults. But does Shiv truly believe her brother would be bad at her dad’s old job?
At a glance, Kendall seems the obvious choice to succeed his father as C.E.O. at Waystar Royco. Succession’s pilot introduces us to Kendall as the clear heir apparent – motivated, innovative, and ready to rule the roost. Despite his veneer of assuredness, there are plenty of cracks in Kendall’s facade from the beginning. It doesn’t take long for us to find out about Kendall’s addiction issues, his lack of confidence, and perhaps most importantly, the fact many allies and adversaries in his orbit think quite little of the would-be executive. In season one, Kendall’s inability to keep his drug addiction from sullying his business aspirations leads to the collapse of his plan to unseat Logan and the tragic death of a caterer at Shiv’s wedding.
Fans have long wondered when the vehicular manslaughter shoe would inevitably drop on Kendall. Shiv finally provided an answer for us in that final boardroom argument, sealing Kendall’s fate as he attempted to lie and manipulate his way out of taking responsibility for his actions.
Still, one can’t help but wonder the exact reason why Shiv trudged up this particularly nasty bit of Roy family history. Few would argue that Kendall has the innate business instincts and belligerently potent leadership qualities his father possessed in spades. But she can’t honestly believe he’d make a worse C.E.O. than Tom, who’s made a fool of himself in front of Congress, top Waystar shareholders, and every person in the Roy family on multiple occasions. Shiv may be looking for a successor with a different set of characteristics altogether.
Safer with Tom?
To say Shiv and Tom’s marriage has had its ups and downs would be the understatement of the century. Shiv found comfort in the woefully imbalanced power dynamics of her relationship. She frequently used Tom’s propensity toward social climbing and brown-nosing against him, resulting in Shiv almost always getting what she wanted from her husband. Admittedly, their dynamic underwent a turbulent shift in season four, but it may begin to tilt back in Shiv’s favor now that Tom understands the tenuous position he holds was gifted to him by his embittered wife. For Shiv, Tom has always been malleable, whereas Kendall has rarely shown any regard for her status at the company.
After Logan’s death, Kendall and Roman deny Shiv a seat at the table on numerous occasions, despite what their constant assurances of equality among the siblings might suggest. They plotted behind her back to kill the GoJo deal, backed the presidential candidate she despised, and denied her access to any real position of power.
After being blocked at every turn by her brothers, would it not make more sense for Shiv to try her luck with the man who, until very recently, seemed to live in her pocket? If she could swallow her pride and mend fences with Matsson, she could almost certainly snag an advantageous position at the company. And with C.E.O. Tom at her side and a baby on the way, she puts her family in a position to keep a hand on the reigns at Waystar Royco indefinitely.
But what makes Succession such a refreshing standout in the modern television landscape is that there’s very rarely just one reason anybody does anything. Each chess move is wrought with layers and intrigue, and each viewer’s job is to suss out the reasonings and motivations that make the puzzle fit together for themselves.