Why ‘Succession’ Couldn’t Have Ended Any Other Way

There’s only one way Succession could have ended. For some fans, the final result comes as a shock, while others expected this ending ever since the pilot episode.

Whether you are in the surprised camp or not, Tom Wambsgans becoming WaystarRoyco’s CEO is the only way this show could have ended while maintaining its narrative to the very last moment.

After all, Succession has always been a commentary on the ridiculousness of rich, white, cis men in power within the corporate world. Allowing Tom to have that coveted role in the end just further proves Jesse Armstrong’s vision.

A Vision Brought to Life

Since the Succession Series finale aired, there have been many conversations being had about the message of Succession as a whole. Fans debate left and right about what was “deserved” by any one of these characters.

There are many discussions about why Tom of all characters ends up with the brass ring instead of Gerri, Frank, or even Karl. While everyone thinks they have the correct answer, it all boils down to who could be Matsson’s figurehead with the least amount of pushback at any given time.

The words of creator Jesse Armstrong — which come from the “Controlling the Narrative” featurette that aired with the finale — hold the most weight when it comes down to it.

Jesse Armstrong: The idea of Tom being the eventual successor, that had been something that I thought was the right ending for quite a while now. Even though he’s not exactly the most powerful monarch you’ll ever meet — his power comes from Matsson. Those figures that drift upwards and make themselves amenable to powerful people are around.

When everything is said and done, Armstrong wanted this series to always be a social commentary on what is disastrously wrong with Corporate America. None of the characters within this show are without sin, and none of them have truly earned the power, influence, and money they contain. 

This is especially true for Logan Roy, who feels he is important above all else in this world.

The only way this story could have ended for the Roy family was in tragedy. Season 1 begins with Logan at death’s door, so naturally, Succession Season 4 would center on the patriarch finally kicking the bucket.

In keeping with Armstrong’s vision for the show, none of the Roy children could have ended up as the CEO. It had to be someone who had followed the “American Dream” to power, but even then still remained a terrible person for the job.

Tom Wambsgans Public Puppet

The only reason Tom received his final position, within Matsson’s GoJo-owned WaystarRoyco, is because he told Matsson early on that he is willing to follow whatever orders necessary to get the job done. 

This is an attribute of Tom that has carried forward from Succession Season 1 Episode 1, “Celebration,” in which he hovers around Logan the whole time trying to get on the patriarch’s good side with the perfect gift. This man is a spineless puppet, who, while seemingly idiotic and naive, knows how to play the corporate game to his favor.

After all, Tom Wambsgans goes forward with his marriage to Shiv Roy despite knowing that she doesn’t know how to love him as he loves her. He does this because he knows being married to a Roy gets him one step closer to the golden ticket.

He gets his high-ranking position at ATN after his wedding is complete because Shiv convinces her father to give Tom a better job. He then spends the next couple of years using that position to push himself ever closer to Logan Roy and the coveted CEO position.

Even in the event of Logan’s death, none of Logan’s insiders believe Tom has a chance of succeeding them to the “throne.” What they aren’t banking on is Shiv making moves for Tom in the belief that she will be the CEO only to sabotage her own chances by selling Tom.

Tom knew even at the end of Season 3 that with Shiv threatening divorce his one chance of power was siding up to Logan and doing anything the man asked of him, which includes selling out Shiv, Kendall, and Roman’s plan to better himself.

The writing has been on the wall for some time now, even if fans of the Roy siblings didn’t want to see it.

The Tragedy of Succession

Aside from Jesse Armstrong’s vision to shed a spotlight on how baseless the CEOs of Corporate America are at earning their titles, he wanted to show the true tragedy of money.

The Roy siblings have all grown up in a world of immense wealth and therefore don’t know how to interact with common people. This is demonstrated many times throughout the series but especially so on two very big occasions.

On “Celebration,” Roman bets a child a large sum of money to win a game of baseball. Then he makes it so the child doesn’t actually win the check, which would be a huge deal to his lower-income family.

This shows viewers exactly who we are dealing with from the start, so there can be no doubt. We aren’t supposed to be rooting for these characters in the slightest.

Then, on Succession Season 4 Episode 9, “Church and State,” Kendall brings the ire of both his ex-wife Rava and his assistant, Jess when he selfishly dismisses their concerns about his actions regarding the election. With both women, Kendall tells them their concerns are exaggerated and based on unwarranted fear. 

Kendall proves once, and for all that, this show has always been about highlighting the removal from reality that this family lives within. He doesn’t see just how harmful Mencken is because to him everything is someone else’s fault and his influence can assuage his family and associates’ attackers.

No matter what this family tries to do to get ahead, their own demons and egos keep them from being successful. They just can’t help destroying their own chances at what they want, which is overwhelmingly tragic.

Roys Don’t Land On Top

The tragedy that is the Roy family is what largely contributes to their overall failures in the end, even Conner is not immune. From the final moments of Succession Season 3 Episode 9, “All The Bells Say,” fans knew that these siblings weren’t ever going to reach that mountaintop they’d been climbing toward their whole lives.

The betrayal of their mother and Tom to their father is the final nail in the coffin that sets their future in motion. While it’s nice to see them all banded together against a common enemy, their father, we know in our heart of hearts that they won’t be able to see it to the end without a bit of self-sabotage.

For Roman, that sabotage comes in the form of letting his father back in and convincing him to destroy any remanence of respect Gerri had left for him. Equally, Shiv doesn’t know how to get out of her own way so she uses her womanhood as a pawn against all these influential men she thinks will get her there.

However, the biggest tragedy of all is Kendall. He has been slowly spiraling toward becoming Logan 2.0 since Season 1 when he killed that kid.

Now, in Season 4 we see him lose all semblance of goodness when he attacks his own siblings in the quest for that final rung, that golden crown. It’s in that moment that both the viewers and the board see just how unstable and unkind Kendall is in the thirst for ultimate success.

Naturally, Connor seems separate from his siblings this whole series, but even he can’t get out of his own way and live a comfortable life quietly in the country. No, he has to throw his ridiculous hat into the ring for President and refuses to concede even when he has less than 1% of the vote.

The Roy family is a personification of what corporate America and the social elite are really like. They hide behind small acts of altruism to better their own interests in the hopes of having even more money than the millions, sometimes billions, they already have.

The Perfect Ending to a Masterful Series

As we look at the series finale itself, we are reminded that we were never supposed to see any of these characters come out on top. Yes, one of them does become CEO, but is that really a win?

The answer is a resounding, no.

Tom Wambsgans is a man who will do whatever a more powerful, more influential, foreign man tells him to do. He shows that even those who follow the “American Dream” to positions of power don’t get there without a little bit of nepotism and favoritism themselves. 

There is no real rags-to-riches story in America, especially in the corporate world. It’s all a matter of who you know or how much money you can throw around.

In the end, Shiv concedes who she is as a strong, independent woman in order to have a slice of the pie. She goes back to her husband because he now has the power and influence her father once had and she’s ultimately been trying to replace her father’s love this whole time.

Kendall not only loses the one thing he’s been vying for this whole time but his family and friends as well. His actions have alienated him from everyone he knows and loves.

Roman who has probably the most positive journey out of all of them — though it’s still an unsuccessful end — finds himself free of it all. He no longer has to worry about a company he had no interest in, his abuser is now dead and buried, and he has his money. So, he can sit in the bar sipping his martini in a moment of peace.

There is no other ending that Jesse Armstrong could have created for Succession because there is no better way to show the Roys experiencing a downfall of their own making.

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All seasons of Succession are now streaming on Max.

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