Succession, one of HBO’s flagship series, has come to a more or less conclusive finale. Read our thoughts on “With Open Eyes”. Warning, this article contains spoilers for Succession season 4 finale.
Succession, Jesse Armstrong’s searing show about politics, media and family, has come to a close. Ahead of the final episode of season 4, confirmed to be the last season of the hit show, actress Sarah Snook warned that the finale may not feel like a finale. The cast only found out at a table read that this was to be the final ever episode of Succession and Snook described it as “ambiguous”.
The episode, “With Open Eyes” aired last night / early this morning and brought Succession to a rather lyrical, almost tragic ending.
At the beginning of the episode, the Roy clan are somewhat divided following the explosive previous episode which saw the funeral of Logan Roy take place. Shiv is working for Lukas Mattson, pushing for GoJo to buy her late father’s company, Waystar Royco. Meanwhile, Kendall is fighting to stop the deal from happening, securing his and Roman’s future in the company.
Ahead of the GoJo board vote, Kendall and Shiv shore up their opposing interests and try to get a fix on Roman.
Roman, having been beaten up by some protestors in the previous episode, has escaped to his mother’s house in the Caribbean and Shiv and Kendall follow him there. Shiv is feeling particularly confident about the GoJo deal going through until Greg, the slimy little worm he is, lets Kendall know Tom is actually in line to become the new CEO.
The siblings decide to band together once more and take Waystar Royco back for good. They manage to even agree that Kendall should be the new CEO! It’s about as heartwarming as it gets in Succession, a series which relishes the opportunity to be as emotionally brutal as possible.
It’s sometimes hard to remember that Succession is a show about four siblings trying to live up to their father’s impossible expectations. Season 4 specifically has morphed into a season about grief; Roman’s breakdown at Logan’s funeral will be remembered as one of the most devastating moments Armstrong has crafted.
“With Open Eyes” includes plenty of political moves, for which Succession has become known for, but it also finds time for quiet, more emotional moments. Connor, the eldest sibling, has arranged for a strange auction with stickers to take place at their father’s old apartment and the Roy kids gather around a TV playing footage of their father. They all shed tears and hold hands. Season 4 will certainly be remembered as the most emotional season, but perhaps not the best.
While Succession has always excelled in the more technical aspects – the writing is painfully precise, the acting superb and the series consistently looks appropriately expensive – the plotlines have been going around in circles for some time now. The central theme has always been which of the Roy kids has what it takes to succeed Logan Roy and “With Open Eyes” finally answers that question.
Turns out, none of them. In a shocking move, Shiv changes course at the last minute. The board is voting on whether or not to sell to Mattson and it’s tied, Shiv’s vote being the decisive one. She walks out, overwhelmed, followed by her brothers. She can’t do it, she doesn’t think Kendall can do it.
She brings up the dead waiter and Kendall claims he lied about it, but it’s too late. Shiv votes against Kendall and just like that, it’s done. Mattson makes Tom the new CEO and the Roy kids all go their separate ways. Roman has a drink at a bar, seemingly relieved. Season 4 has proved to be Roman’s season with a special focus on his character and the ending feels fitting for him. Elsewhere, Shiv gets in a car with Tom, who offers his hand to her, signalling her complete, monstrous transformation into her mother. It would be cruel, if Shiv hadn’t brought it all on herself.
But this is, and always has been, Kendall’s story. He is devastated. After the vote, he simply walks out of the boardroom, gets into an elevator and walks along the river as the episode draws to a close. There is a real sense that he might jump to his demise; he has nothing left, his entire life has been defined by working for and succeeding his father. It’s really worth saying that the central trio – Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin – are all magnificent in this powerful, focused finale.
Credit: HBO
It’s a poetic ending for one of the defining TV shows of the 21st century. Sure, it leaves everything a little open and the cynic in me believes it’s because HBO might want to bring it back, but the uncertainty of it is also something that feels refreshing and surprising for Succession, a series that has only ever dealt with definitives. It’s beautiful, it’s brutal and it’s kind of perfect even.
Succession has always been a little overhyped, but there’s no denying that this finale is a masterclass in tension and power moves.
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great