The Succession finale is hurtling towards us at great speed. But nothing that happened in this week’s episode – or last week’s, for that matter, or the one before – has offered us even the slightest hint as to how the show will actually end. You know what might help? Some rampant speculation. Here are a handful of possible endings to look forward to.
Ending one: major character death
On one hand, it has been heavily signposted that one of the Roy siblings will meet a sticky end. Look at Kendall, who spent most of season two teetering on the ledge of a skyscraper roof and who everyone thought had drowned. Look at Roman, last seen being punched to the ground by a pack of angry protesters. This is not a content family by any means, and so the most natural thing in the world would be to expect one of them to meet an unhappy end. On the other hand, Logan Roy just died. One major character death each season is good drama. Two is basically slapstick.
Likelihood: minimal.
Ending two: Matsson wins
By far the dullest choice of them all. In this scenario, the plan plays out exactly as anticipated, with Lukas Matsson wresting control of Waystar from the clutches of the siblings. All the Waystar old guard are paid off admirably and allowed to sail off into the sunset unharmed. Kendall and Roman are confronted with the challenge of surviving outside the company business for the first time. Shiv ends up ostracised from her family and kept on as a highly visible but essentially powerless puppet. It might work – the boys get a happy ending disguised as a tragic one, and Shiv gets the opposite – but Jesse Armstrong is too smart to give us something as straightforward as this.
Likelihood: slim.
Ending three: Kendall wins
Season four has been meandering towards a big boardroom showdown, where Kendall Roy will try to persuade the Waystar brass to strike down Lukas Matsson’s takeover bid. Kendall has always had terrible luck at these things – remember in season one, where his father intimidated everyone out of his no confidence bid? – so it might be nice for the series to end on a moment of triumph for Kendall. He destroys the Matsson bid, takes sole control of Waystar Royco and gets to experience his father’s unchecked power. Obviously it would be a short-lived moment of triumph, because being trapped as the figurehead of a failing, toxic media organisation that just helped to install a fascist as American president sounds like a living hell, but it still counts.
Likelihood: moderate.
Ending four: Greg wins
Hear me out. Remember in this week’s episode, where Matsson is on the phone in his car telling Shiv that he wants Waystar to have an American CEO? Right at the very end of the scene, just as he’s announcing this, he looks out of the corner of his eye and grins. One possibility is that he was just glancing around the car like the berserk egomaniac he is. But the other – again, hear me out – is that he was looking at Greg. After all, the conversation took place at the wake, and Greg (who has been assiduously playing footsie with Matsson all season) was nowhere to be seen. So here’s what I think will happen. One: Matsson will announce that Greg is the new Waystar CEO. Two: the media will discover Matsson’s habit of sending his solidified blood to women, and Matsson will be forced to resign in disgrace. Three: Greg will be left in sole charge of Waystar Royco. Four: Greg will immediately steer Waystar Royco into a brick wall.
Likelihood: strong.
Ending five: Logan Roy comes back to life
He busts a fist through the wall of his tomb, regains control of Waystar Royco, tells everyone to fuck off and spends the final credits sitting on a cloud and chuckling.
The question isn’t: “Could this happen?” The question is: “Does Jesse Armstrong have the guts to give the world the ending it wants most of all?” Has anything that has happened in Succession even hinted at a Carrie ending? No. But would it make me happier than anything else? Yes, absolutely it would. Do the right thing, Jesse.
Likelihood: guaranteed (I hope).
