Season 4, Episode 10: ‘Open Eyes’
Whenever a program as talked about and admired as “Success” comes to an end, fans and critics alike begin to list the biggest questions that still “need to be answered” on the finale. conclude. Oftentimes, the finale answers some of those questions on its own but leaves others hanging, because the stories TV creators want to tell don’t always align with what’s going on. viewers expect. And that’s good. It is entertainment.
It’s a bit surprising, however, that this last episode of “Success” tackles so many things. The only major plot thread from the section that remains open at the end of the credits concerns the outcome of the presidential election. We are told that Democratic candidate Daniel Jiménez has filed legal challenges regarding ballots burned in Wisconsin; but ultimately the winner of that particular contest doesn’t matter to the “Succession” ending that creator Jesse Armstrong had in mind.
What matters is whether the Waystar board approves the deal with GoJo; and whom Lukas Matsson will appoint as the company’s new CEO. We’ll get back to both, but for those who want what Logan Roy calls “protein,” the answer is: Yes, the board votes for the sale; and in a daze of frustration, Tom Wambsgans stole the CEO job from his wife. (Wild, right?)
What makes this such a satisfying finale, however, is that Armstrong and his cast and crew also grapple with one of the series’ most divisive questions: After all All things considered, is there anything redeemable about the Roys?
Answer: Yes, sometimes. Kendall, Shiv, Roman and even Connor are at their best as they escape the pressures of business and politics and just exchange memories and jokes, while talking about their lives as weird as how. These riff sessions don’t compensate in any way for all the destructive selfish decisions they’ve made or the people they’ve hurt. But they show some real humanity.
Matsson and Tom – and, surprisingly, cousin Greg and Lady Caroline – have a lot of work to do in restoring that brotherhood, at least for a short time. When Shiv and Kendall discover their mother is sheltering the humiliated and bruised Roman at her island estate, two Waystar rivals run to talk to their brother, trying to win votes. his election at the upcoming board meeting.
Shiv, who thought she had secured Matsson the votes he needed (and herself top job), tried to soften the blow for Kendall and Roman, talking about how so the boys can revive their plans. personalized information center “Hundred.” Unbeknownst to Shiv, however, Kendall is being fed inside information by Greg, who is hanging around Matsson and using a translation app to find out what the Swedes are secretly saying. That’s how Greg learned Matsson was disgusted with Shiv.
Greg doesn’t get the full story, but we do. We know Matsson doesn’t think he needs Shiv’s political expertise and he certainly doesn’t want her ideas. (Also, although he insists it doesn’t bother him, Matsson may start to waver after watching an animated magazine where Shiv pulls his strings.)
Early in the episode, Shiv tells Matsson that when it comes to Tom’s future with the company, she considers him “an interchangeable, modular piece.” This ends up being a selling point. After an awkward visit to an art gallery (where Tom praises a painting by saying “the colors are beautiful”) and an equally bad dinner (where Tom says, “That cod cheek is a worthy opponent”), Matsson asked Tom to introduce himself.
The head of the ATN immediately changed his tune and began touting his willingness to cut off the head and harvest the eyeballs. He says he doesn’t want to give his ATN clients “dietary advice” about the kind of news they watch. He beats Matsson, who needs a “pain sponge” — someone who does what needs to be done and doesn’t mind being hated.
Kendall didn’t know Matsson had chosen Tom; but he knows Shiv is out. So he uses that information to convince her to vote no for GoJo. He tells the sweet sad story of Logan appointing him as his successor at Candy Kitchen in Bridgehampton when Kendall was 7 years old. Between that story and Roman’s honest assessment that no one with real power considers Shiv or himself the new Logan, she is satisfied.
That’s where this episode gets interesting. Finally uniting, these three become hilariously ironic, whether it’s Roman expressing his anxiety about swimming in the sea (which he calls the “giant underwater subway”). for things that want to eat me”) or Shiv giving her impression of Kendall’s monotone voice. sound if she ever tried to kill him. The good vibes continued as they headed back to New York to hear Connor explain their father’s plan to distribute his or her personal belongings to whoever had the most stickers on what they wanted, following the guidelines. strict about his “sticker moving circuit”.
Of course, things eventually started to fall apart. When Tom learns Shiv is going to vote against GoJo, he confesses to her that he is the CEO chosen by Matsson and she goes on a rampage, calling him hollow. (Tom reacts to this by having a silly-looking fight with Greg, while Greg is still clutching Connor’s scroll of inheritance.)
But no matter how much Shiv and Roman hate Matsson and Tom, when it comes time to vote for Kendall, they both hesitate. They simply weren’t pleased to see Kendall sitting in Logan’s chair, in an office filled with memorabilia of their father’s incredible accomplishments.
Roman started to wobble first, realizing that he didn’t want to add to his confusion his funeral by appearing with a bandaged head in front of the board (including Gerri) and conceding Kendall’s goal. Roman was brought back into the ranks as Kendall gave him a brotherly embrace and then pressed his wounded forehead against his shoulder. But Shiv? With a vote score of 6-6 and it’s her who decides “yes” or “no,” she flees the conference room, with Kendall and Roman following.
Kendall makes one final throw, asking Shiv to pity a man who is “like a cog made to fit only a machine”. But when she repeated his confession in Italy to the death of a valet in a drunken driving incident – a Unforgettable moment of reality and siblings’ compassion for all three of them – Kendall reacted wrongly, lying that he made up the whole story. Roman then makes some unforgiving comments about the fact that Kendall’s children aren’t really Roy’s “blood” like Shiv’s unborn; and Kendall turns violent. When things calm down, Shiv casts his vote.
And so we left our three broken Roys, one by one. Roman reassured Kendall that nothing Waystar produced (“broken shows,” “fake news”) really mattered, and then he reluctantly took part in the big public photo of Matsson signing the buyout. Shiv probably admits to herself that she’s willing to sell out Tom as much as he’s willing to betray her; and when he asked her to come with him to his post-signing celebration, she agreed, and even put her hand – very lightly – on his arm in the backseat of the car.
As for Kendall… Well, throughout this series we’ve also seen Kendall swallowed by water or excited by it, depending on whether he thrives or not. However, when “Succession” ended, he merely stared at the water, obstinately in the distance. He didn’t really lose, because he was still rich. But he certainly won’t win. If anything, he was kicked out of the game altogether.
Can these three be exchanged? Absolute. That is what makes them even more punished when they are never redeemed.
