What Will Happen to the Roy Family? Predictions for the End of “Succession”

On Sunday, May 28, it will go down in history for putting an end to one of the best series of the 21st century. Fans are hoping that the 90-minute episode will provide a satisfying answer to the series' titular question: Who will get control of Waystar Royco? These are our predictions for the end of “Succession”.

What began as screenwriter Jesse Armstrong's idea for a film about the Murdoch family, the media moguls who have shaped America's far-right, morphed into a series about a billionaire family led by a tyrannical patriarch. He refuses to give up power and incites his descendants to engage in a fight to name a successor. The bizarre mix of drama with black humor, with a documentary-style camera, struck the ideal balance between the ridiculous and the plausible. All this evokes a feeling of authenticity in the representation of a privileged reality whose decisions transform the world.

Five years after it first aired, Armstrong has cemented his name in entertainment history as the creator of one of the most successful series of the 21st century. But, as "Game of Thrones" demonstrated, the legacy of a series is subject to its resolution. The higher the stakes, the harder the loss can be. “Succession” faces a similar dilemma, everything has focused on the fight for a throne represented by the initials of “CEO” and the promise that one of the Roy siblings will obtain the crown. It is a mystery that generates a lot of anxiety and questions, so we analyze the formulas and clues to predict the course of an ending that will surely subvert all expectations.

We warn you: there are spoilers for the episodes of the last season. Read on only if you are up-to-date with HBO broadcasts.

The Price of Success: a Lonely Peak

At the start of season four, the Roy siblings were closer than ever over an apparent motivation to compete with their father, who struck a deal to sell the company without their consent. However, it was clear that they still craved his approval. It was also clear that at the beginning there was closeness between the Roy siblings, the course of the season would be the decline and possible definitive rupture of that bond.

Initially, we thought that this distancing would be caused by Logan's interference and this happened, but not in the way that was expected. After the shock death of the terrifying tycoon in the third episode, the catalyst for a last moment of solidarity between the siblings, the next chapter marked the break. The characters and the audience remember that at the top there is only place for one.

Over the course of a week (each episode of the season is a day) the positions in the race change overnight, there is no time to savor the victories. After the controversial presidential election, it seemed that Roman was invincible in giving the presidency of the nation to a dangerous fascist. However, he himself broke down in tears during his father's funeral, a sublime moment in Kieran Culkin's performance. His impulsive behavior turned out to be his undoing, and now he must decide between supporting Shiv or Kendall.

Shara Snook has emerged as the heart of the season with Siobhan's struggle to navigate her husband's betrayal, an unexpected pregnancy, grieving her father, and being ostracized by her brothers. In a world dominated by men, Shiv bet on the purchase of Lukas Mattson, his father's last will. That decision represents a break with Kendall, so it can be expected that their relationship will mirror that of Logan and his brother Ewan.

Kendall is the best positioned. His arc since the end of the second season has focused on showing his father that he can be that "killer" that is required to take control. Jeremy Strong always surprises with the tones of his interpretation, and now he shows the cruelest side of his character, elated by so much power. The focus on Ken's children in the last two chapters seems to point to a simile with their father. Perhaps they are his last sacrifice on the way to being a worthy son of his father. His victory would provide a somewhat conventional, but satisfying and realistic end to the series, so if one of the “Roy kids” is crowned, the odds favor the firstborn (if we ignore, as they all always did, Connor). After all, the name of the series is "Succession" and the first male is usually the one who succeeds the father.

Also read: "Succession" in Latin America: Who Are the Roys of the Region?

With the Eyes Open

All season finale episodes were titled with lines from John Berryman's poem “Dream Song 29” and the title of the final episode of “Succession” is no exception. In the poem, a man reflects after believing that he has killed someone. Perhaps it is a reference to Kendall's crime at the end of the first season, a secret that can be used by Shiv to remove him from the succession race. The specific verse this time talks about being blinded despite having your eyes open and can be a very elaborate metaphor for how the Roys are so focused on their goal that they ignore what is going on around them. With this, their relationships deteriorate, and they are left alone.

That egocentrism may be the key to maintaining another tradition of the program: whoever thinks of winning is surprised or betrayed. It may be that Logan's children end up empty-handed, and that the secondary characters take advantage of their childhood struggles to leave them out. Logan's last decision was that no one deserved to be his successor, that they were not serious people and would have to face the world alone.

We'll get answers about Waystar's new leader soon, but there's an even bigger question: who really wins in this story? Logan died far from his family and without friends. All their relationships were marked by interest or mistreatment. It may be that the real victory goes to whoever manages to escape from the father's inheritance.