** This article contains spoilers **
Before the final episode of Succession aired, one question was on the minds of every viewer - who will take over from Logan Roy?
Even before the fourth season of Succession aired its opening episode, series creator Jesse Armstrong confirmed that it would be the last season. There were numerous twists and shocks heading into the final episode, including the death of Logan Roy, the patriarch of the Roy family played by Brian Cox.
As the series progressed, the Roy children - Shiv, Kendall and Roman - manipulated plans to meet their respective interests.
In the end, Waystar Royco was sold to Gojo in a deal with Lukas Matsson, who had previously promised the role of CEO to Shiv.
In a shocking turn of events, Tom is named CEO at the end of the finale, leaving the three Roy kids with an uncertain future.
"I thought about all their stories. You know, they don't end," Armstrong said in an HBO special.
"They will carry on. But it's sort of where this show loses interest in them because they've lost what they wanted, which was to succeed — which, you know, was the prize their father held out."
"In a reductive, brutal way, Roman ends up exactly where he started. He is that guy still. And maybe he could've been a playboy jerk with some nasty instincts and some quite funny jokes," he continued.
"He could've stayed in that bar, being that guy, and this has been a bit of a detour in his life I would say. Shiv is still in play, I'd say, in a rather terrifying, frozen emotionally barren place. But she has got this kind of non-victory, non-defeat. I mean, there's gonna be some movement there. There's still a lot of that game to play out, but that's where we leave it. And it feels like it's going to be hard to progress for them, emotionally, given the things they've said about each other.
Succession (2018-2023)
The Roy family, made up of Logan and his four children, owns the largest media and entertainment company in the world. When Logan turns 80 and is expected to retire, he announces that he will continue as CEO of Waystar Royco. This causes a lot of unrest within the family and not everyone believes that Logan has pure motives. It remains to be seen how the family will deal with this, what consequences this will have for the future of the company and what this will do to the mutual relationships of the Roy family.
Developed by: Jesse Armstrong
Stars:
Brian Cox, Alan Ruck and Jeremy Strong
"For Kendall, this will never stop being the central event of his life, the central days of his life, the central years of his life. Maybe he could go on and start a company or do a thing. But the chances of him achieving the sort of corporate status that his dad achieved are very low. And I think that will mark his whole life."
Tom is Waystar Royco's new CEO
Armstrong explained his reasoning for Tom, Shiv's husband, ultimately coming out on top ahead of the Roy siblings.
"The idea of Tom being the eventual successor, that had been something that I thought was the right ending for a while now," he revealed.
."Even though he's not exactly the most powerful monarch you'll ever meet — his power comes from Matsson. Those figures that drift upwards and make themselves amenable to powerful people are around."
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