Season 4, Episode 10: “With Open Eyes”
Five years ago, on June 3, 2018, HBO aired the first episode of “Succession,” introducing the world to 80-year-old Logan Roy. He’s a cranky billionaire, founder and CEO of the media conglomerate Waystar Loiko, which manages movies. studios, cruise lines, theme park chains, multiple newspapers and magazines, and the influential right-wing cable news channel ATN. We also met Logan’s adult children. Kendall, the likely troubled heir, Shiv the left-handed gadfly, Cheeky Roman, and Connor, the gentle but insignificant half-brother.
At the end of the series premiere, Logan suffered a debilitating stroke, after which the plot set in motion what would propel four “Succession” seasons. Heading into the series finale, most of the big questions raised in the first episode remained unanswered. Who will succeed Logan as his CEO, and are any of Roy’s conspiratorial and self-centered children really worthy of the job?
A full review of the final “Succession” episode will be coming soon. In the meantime, here’s a quick recap of how some of these questions were answered by the final installment.
Who is in charge after all?
In a surprising upset, Shiv’s husband, Tom Wambusgans, took home the award. Swedish tech buddy Lukas Matsson is rethinking his plan to appoint Shiv as CEO to appease America First political leader Jerryd Menken ahead of the Westar acquisition closing. Rather, Mattson becomes convinced that smug Tom will do whatever dirty work his new boss requires after the takeover. To secure her place, Tom willingly betrays her, knowing that Shiv will do the same to him.
Has the Waystar board approved the sale to GoJo?
After a tense 7-6 vote, the board finally approved the sale of Waystar in favor of Mattson’s company, GoJo. In the end, Shiv wins the deciding vote, not because of his loyalty to Tom, but because he realizes at the last moment that Kendall can’t stand the idea of running his family’s company. As she puts it, I honestly, and a little cruelly, don’t think Kendall will do well at that job.
Has Kendall’s biggest secret been revealed?
As tensions arose between the Roy brothers throughout the season, many viewers took advantage of what Roman and Shiv knew about Kendall’s role in the death of a catering waiter in a drunk driving incident against Kendall. I wondered if it was. Instead, Kendall uses it against himself in a roundabout way. When Shiv is explaining why she can’t vote for her brother, she brings up the incident and she lies to her and Roman that Kendall exaggerated everything to gain her sympathy. This seems to have made Shiv even more determined to vote against her.
Who will win the presidential election?
It turns out that the Daniel Jimenez team has appeared in court in Wisconsin, but the election remains unresolved in the end credits. Ultimately, whether a Republican or Democrat becomes the new president is irrelevant to the “succession” resolution. Perhaps Mattson and Tom could work with any administration.
Are brothers Roy still talking?
If there’s one thing that’s been made clear throughout the series, it’s that no matter how badly the Roy family treats each other, they’ll continue to unite again. By the end of this episode, Shiv and Roman are furious with Kendall, who doesn’t like them very much either. But if there were to be a “Succession” season 5, the trio would definitely reunite, perhaps burying axes in each other’s backs.
Will my cousin Greg be okay?
Greg ends up being a major player in this episode, providing Kendall with information about Mattson’s change of plans, and Kendall breaking the news to Shiv. When Tom finds out what Greg is up to, the two get into a short, awkward fistfight. However, when Tom officially gets a new job, he reclaims Greg as a highly paid squire.
Did Sib and Tom get back together?
This season started with Shiv and Tom holding hands despite their confrontation. It ends with the two driving off together and she helplessly placing her hand over him, palm up. They aren’t really holding onto each other anymore. However, they are still in physical contact.
did someone die?
Does spiritual death count? Kendall ends this episode with a blank stare at the water, expanding on the show’s ongoing visual motif of water swallowing him or making him float. We do neither here. Instead, it stubbornly stays aloof.
