Succession fans believe the answer to how the series ends lies in one cryptic scene from the latest episode.
The penultimate instalment of the HBO show aired on Sunday (21 May), and centred on the funeral of Logan Roy (Brian Cox).
*Spoilers for episode nine below – you have been warned*
Throughout the episode, the Roy children mourned their father while also trying to push their respective agendas in order to gain control of Waystar Royco.
This included cosying up to newly elected US president Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk), who will seemingly have the final say on the compay’s future.
Mencken had previously alluded to Roman (Kieran Culkin) that he would scrap the deal allowing tech start-up GoJo, owned by Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård), to take over WayStar, meaning Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong) would retain control.
However, he seemed to backtrack somewhat after Roman broke down in tears while trying to eulogise his father.
This paved the way for Shiv (Sarah Snook), who is in allegiance with Matsson, to swoop in, with the pair suggesting to Mencken that he pushes through the deal with a US CEO appointed to assuage any concerns over Matsson.
Near the end of the episode, Matsson calls Shiv from the backseat of his car, confirming to Shiv that Mencken has approved this idea, stating: “And I think I can make a US CEO work.”
Viewers notice, though, that Matsson’s eyes, during this scene repeatedly appear to look at an unseen figure off-camera.
While some believe the character could be Mencken, many are theorising that it’s someone else entirely – and that the identity of the person could be who ends up on top at Waystar Royco.
Tom appears to be ruled out, considering the phone call comes immediately after Shiv has a face-to-face conversation with him – but could Tom have got into the car at the tail-end of Matsson’s phone chat?
More likely characters in contention include Greg (Nicholas Braun), who Matsson has been seen warming to in recent weeks, and either Stewy (Arian Moayed) or Sandi (Hope Davis), who were seen from afar at the funeral.
It seems Mencken might have expressed disapproval of Shiv as the potential CEO. Earlier in the episode, he says to her: "I thought you hated me.”
Whoever is in the car with Matsson, it seems that Succession might end with all three Roy children on the outs, having worked themselves out of the company within a week of their dad’s death.
Succession concludes on HBO in the US on Sunday (28 May). The episode is simulcast live in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW, and repeats at 9pm the following day.
