The Succession Finale Was One Of The Cruelest Hours Of TV In Ages — And It Needed To Be
This article contains spoilers for the series finale of "Succession."
There was never going to be a happy ending. "Succession" is a true Shakespearean tragedy for the ages, where no one is a winner because every "hero" has some fatal flaw. It's no massive shock then that "With Open Eyes," the series finale, is one of the cruelest, most brutal episodes of television in a long time. Despite the fact that fans have grown attached to the various characters, they are all monsters deserving of their fates, and showrunner Jesse Armstrong and finale director Mark Mylod didn't pull any punches. There are a few less-miserable fates for a couple of the characters, but pretty much everyone loses. Even ole Tommy Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), who managed to secure the Waystar-Royco throne for himself, doesn't seem particularly happy when the final credits roll. Even if you're particularly attached to one of the Roy kids, Tommy Boy, or any of the other characters, they're all terrible people and a happy ending would contradict everything the series has been trying to tell us about the evils of wealth and power.
If, somehow, one of these characters had made a total turnaround and changed drastically in the final hours, there might have been a reason for one of them to win at all they wanted. Unfortunately, their fatal flaws were all too much for them to overcome.
Punishments befitting their sins
The "Succession" finale ended with Waystar-Royco under new ownership as GoJo founder Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) finally bought out the company from the Roy family. Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) were intent on stopping the buyout and taking back over the family business with Kendall in control, but sister Siobhan (Sarah Snook) realized that she couldn't live in a world where Kendall was king. She had been trying to undermine her brothers through a partnership with Matsson, but when he threw her under the bus as well, she decided to just burn it all down. Shiv's greatest flaw has always been her bitterness, as she allows her frustration with the sexist world around her to get under her skin. It's understandable (and relatable!) but that bitter rage led her to burn her bridges and undermine the few people in her life who might actually have helped her, especially Tom. For her to now be subservient to Tom and play the role of traditional wife and mother is the perfect punishment and a prison of her own making.
Meanwhile, self-proclaimed eldest Roy-boy Kendall has lost everything he has ever cared about, all because he was too proud and power-hungry to see what really mattered. He was told that he would be king of the family castle when he was seven years old and has never let that go, even when it meant losing his children and abusing his siblings. In the end, he is completely and utterly alone, looking out over the water, reliving all of his darkest moments without knowing what the future will bring. It's his hell.
Lesser, but still befitting tortures
What about the other two Roy siblings? Actual eldest Roy-boy Connor (Alan Ruck) gets to own the family home, but he's not going to be in it much as he tries to get in tight with presidential hopeful Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk), heading off to Slovakia and leaving new wife Willa (Justine Lupe) home with her new cow print couch. Connor and Willa seemed like they were doing well after their chaotic wedding, but things have chilled significantly since Connor stuck by his political ambitions. They've got the "two-week itch," already sick of one another when the honeymoon's barely even over. It's Connor's fault because he could just build a happy life with his new wife, but like Kendall, he's too hungry for power.
Roman is the only one who seems like he might have some semblance of happiness in his future, as he watches Kendall and Shiv totally melt down and goes to order ex-Gerri's favorite drink, a martini. As he sips his martini he smiles because he's free for the first time in his life. He can just be Roman and doesn't have to worry about the Roy part or the corporate world he was so tied to. While he still has plenty of demons to exorcise and needs years of therapy to ever fully heal, Roman might actually have a chance at being okay. His greatest "sin" has always been his indecisiveness, and his punishment for that was Ken crushing him in a hug and popping his stitches. Sure, he tore up that check in front of that kid, too, but time among the "normies" might soften ole' Rome.
The rest of the corporate flunkies
The folks who ended up sticking with the company didn't exactly win out, either. The only member of the Old Guard to make it through unscathed was Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), who new boss Tom wants on his team. Karl, Frank, and Hugo didn't fare so well and will be unemployed much sooner than they expect, and Matsson is a power-mad lunatic who sends blood to people, so Lord knows he can't really be happy either. He's also going to make things pretty miserable for his figurehead in America, ole Tommy Wamby. The St. Paul underdog might have "won" in taking over the throne from Logan Roy (Brian Cox), but he doesn't have an easy road ahead of him. He will have to continue to toe the line with Matsson, figure out how to handle Mencken, and contend with the fact that his pregnant wife pretty much hates his guts. I may have been rooting for Wambsgans to go into witness protection back in season 3 and find himself some real happiness, but like the Roy boys, he got a taste of power and liked it a little too much. Now he'll suffer the consequences, the same as the rest of these corrupt capitalists.
It's understandable for audiences to become attached to these characters because we've seen them at their most vulnerable and recognize that they are still people with hearts and feelings, even if they act like monsters. The problem when you act like a monster is that you get monstrous results, and the characters of "Succession" all reaped what they had sown.