The Biggest Succession Storylines That Were Never Resolved
This article contains spoilers for the "Succession" series finale.
"Succession" has never been a show with tidy, open-and-shut conclusions, and the series finale — "With Open Eyes" — wasn't any different. The last scene features Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), having permanently lost his chance to run Waystar Royco, sitting in a park and unsure of what to do. The conclusions to these characters' journeys are as fitting as they are open-ended.
In the after-show featurette streaming on Max, series creator (and episode writer) Jesse Armstrong acknowledged these characters still have lives ahead of them. However, with no worries about spoilers, Armstrong was finally able to make his full case for why season 4 was the time to call it quits:
"I thought about all their stories. You know, they don't end. They will carry on, but it's sort of where this show loses interest in them because they've lost what they've wanted, which was to succeed [...] this prize that their father held out."
Armstrong first broke the news of "Succession" ending to the New Yorker in February 2023. He said that were the show to continue, it would have to evolve into "a more rangy, freewheeling kind of fun show." Now I understand what he meant; a "Succession" season 5 would lack the show's previous narrative drive or the same "promise" in the title.
However, this open ending means there are still stories left in limbo. Even Roman Roy himself, Kieran Culkin, recently told Vanity Fair that, "[the finale] feels like an ending, but it also feels like there could be more." Let's run down all the threads that a fifth season could've picked up, shall we?
Where do Shiv and Tom go?
Frankly, I'm satisfied with where the major character relationships in "Succession" end, though I can understand the allure of wanting to see more. First of all, there's Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen). In a shot echoing the ending of "The Graduate," they're last seen together in the back of a chauffeured car, barely touching hands and avoiding eye contact. They're together, but the spark isn't there. Armstrong commented, "It's going to be hard for [Tom and Shiv] to progress emotionally given the things they've said to each other." Tom got the CEO position Shiv wanted, but this still leaves her the sibling closest to corporate power. She has a chance to be Tom's Lady Macbeth. How effective will she be in that role?
There's also the tiny matter that Shiv is pregnant. What will Shiv's kid be like? Will she even keep it, or abort à la Kay Corleone? While Tom has expressed a desire for a kid before, it was implicitly to keep himself and Shiv shackled so he could climb the Waystar ladder. Does he still want a kid with Shiv now that he doesn't need her to stay in power? The one thing that's certain is a child raised in this marriage is a disaster in the making.
Is Kendall's family done with him?
Next up is Kendall (Jeremy Strong). He and his siblings have hurt one another plenty of times before and always come back to each other — the finale also emphasized their enduring childlike love. However, it's hard to see how his relationship with them can walk back this "betrayal" — and sure, enough, we won't be seeing it. Season 4 has been emphasizing Kendall's neglect of his ex-wife Rava (Natalie Gold) and their kids. Kendall chased the same prize as his father and now he doesn't even have that to excuse his bad parenting.
In the previous episode, "Church and State," Kendall swore he would sue for custody after Rava took the kids out of New York to escape post-election riots. Is Kendall going to follow through? Could he try to rebuild his connection to his family now that he's got nothing else? Alas, it's probably already too late.
Another relationship that may be cracking? Newlyweds Connor (Alan Ruck) and Willa (Justine Lupe), who have settled into Logan's old townhouse. Willa's getting back into playwriting as Connor prepares to be the Jeryd Mencken administration's ambassador to Slovenia. As Shiv notes, the election isn't 100% certified yet, so the relationship may not be going long distance after all. Willa's foreboding look at that news is a reminder that this isn't a marriage of true love — how long can it last? Probably until Connor's money runs out and, given his foolishness, that could be on the horizon.
How does the election go?
Connor and Willa's troubles lead us to the most recent, and significant, hanging thread: the U.S. presidential election. In "America Decides," the election was called for Neo-Nazi Republican nominee Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk) due to a firebombing at a Wisconsin polling office. It was acknowledged the election would be contested in the courts and, per Shiv in "With Open Eyes," those lawsuits are underway.
New York City was also half-occupied with civil unrest back in "Church and State," with protestors storming the streets to speak out against the theft of democracy. If Mencken does get in, will these protests escalate into revolt? To what ends will Mencken use his alliance with ATN?
The show leaving this particular thread unresolved might be a statement in and of itself. What matters is that it's in doubt at all, largely thanks to the Roys wielding power on a scale no one should have. Moreover, the answer just isn't all that important to the Roys themselves. No matter if Mecken pulls through or Daniel Jimenez (Elliot Villar) saves democracy, the lives of the ultra-rich won't materially change.
What does the future hold for Waystar GoJo?
The one bright side of "Succession" ending is that I don't have to see Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard) every week. The last we see of him is the signing of the deal to acquire Waystar Royco, but how effective will he be at running the merged Waystar and GoJo? He sent bricks of his frozen blood to his communications head Ebba (Eili Harboe), which sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen, but she stood by his side the whole finale. Matsson was also artificially inflating GoJo's subscriber base in India and, thus, the company's stock value — is that immaterial now that he has Waystar resources?
The U.S. CEO is Tom, but Matsson made it clear that Mr. Wambsgans will basically be his Mouth of Sauron. How will Tom function at the (relative) top? Is his partnership with Matsson sustainable? Ever since season 4, episode 5 — "Kill List" — it's been clear GoJo is planning to clean house. Who's on the chopping block? Hugo (Fisher Stevens) seems like a goner, especially with his boss Karolina (Dagmara Dominczyk) — who was not on the kill list — wanting him gone. Tom says he wants Frank (Peter Friedman) and Karl (David Rasche) fired, but now that they know he'll be in charge, they debate whether to take the "golden parachute" or stick around for "one last rodeo." Tom also expresses apparent interest in rehiring Gerri (J. Smith Cameron) — would she even accept?
What happened to the Roy kids buying Pierce?
Back in the season 4 premiere — "The Munsters" — the Roy children brokered a deal to buy Pierce, the media conglomerate owned by the eponymous family. The $10 billion bid was mostly about sticking it to Logan and in "Rehearsal" they were struggling with how to revitalize PGM, Pierce's TV network. This is why, after Logan died, the siblings pivoted from taking over Pierce to retaining Waystar.
Now that they've officially lost Waystar, what's the status of the deal? Matriarch Nan Pierce (Cherry Jones) and her family never showed up again after the premiere, so it's uncertain. The kids might have the resources to see the acquisition through thanks to their payday from GoJo's buyout, but they're no longer a united front. Since Matsson and GoJo now own ATN, the siblings' idea of merging that network with PGM is just as dead in the water.
Kendall could try to see the deal through in another vain attempt to be the media baron his father was, but if there's anything "With Open Eyes" proved once and for all, it's that things never go Kendall Roy's way.