Poetic Injustice: The Starts and Ends of the Succession Main Characters
written by Andreas Babiolakis
Now that Jesse Armstrong’s acclaimed series, Succession, has concluded for good (with the magnificent finale “With Open Eyes”), I couldn’t help but want to look back to the start of this whole tragic tale. The ending forces you to do so with its suddenness, forcing you to cling on to any last glimpses of hope or meaning before we face rock bottom for eternity. By rewinding back to the start of Succession, it was instantly clear how much of this series was properly orchestrated from the get-go: if anything, Armstrong and company are as calculated and meticulous as the characters they created (perhaps not nearly as nefarious, mind you).
Each season’s finale is named after the poem Dream Song 29, written by John Berryman. The poem details a man, Henry, who feels the guilt of having killed someone despite the fact that this is not necessarily true: he possesses this shame nonetheless. The poem goes as follows:
There sat down, once, a thing on Henry's heart so heavy, if he had a hundred years & more, & weeping, sleepless, in all them time Henry could not make good. Starts again always in Henry's ears the little cough somewhere, an odour, a chime.
And there is another thing he has in mind like a grave Sienese face a thousand years would fail to blur the still profiled reproach of. Ghastly, with open eyes, he attends, blind. All the bells say: too late. This is not for tears; thinking.
But never did Henry, as he thought he did, end anyone and hacks her body up and hide the pieces, where they may be found. He knows: he went over everyone, & nobody's missing. Often he reckons, in the dawn, them up. Nobody is ever missing.
With this poem in mind, it is clear that almost every decision made in the writing process for the entirety of Succession’s existence had a clear motive. If we look at every finale, for starters, we can see one running storyline featuring Kendall Roy that is always in the backs of both his and our minds: this certain guilt and how it will forever fester and consume him. When removed from this character, I feel like Berryman’s poem applies to all of the main characters as they are driven by their monstrous ways: as if every decision is clouded by their insistence that they must be evil even if they actually are not. They foretell their guilt by ensuring that they are guilty of something. Not one single lead character is actually morally just, no matter who you look at.
Everyone starts off the series sinful, but not every character has a similar outcome by the series’ end. Comeuppance is a major theme, but so is vindication (whether or not a character’s definition of that word is the same as ours is up for you to decide). Ignoring the outright misdeeds of the Roys and their affiliates, each character also has their own version of what is important and what will make them feel whole as people. Consider that the majority of the characters aren’t even just rich: they are stupidly so (“billionaires” doesn’t even describe them on a surface level), so their drives aren’t the same as ours. Armstrong and Succession gawk at these members of the elite class, but they also — somewhat — humanize them and try to figure out what makes them tick. No one is just born greedy or amoral, so how did we get here? Only one character below actually starts the series as an “outsider” of sorts. We are plopped right into the middle of the majority of these brutes’ storylines, but picking up on their pasts (without the aids of flashbacks, as Succession solely lived in the moment) is crucial to unlocking the bigger picture.
As crude, twisted, and warped as Succession is, it’s also incredibly profound in a nearly poetic way in its own right. Many have likened the series to the works of Shakespeare, but I also think it aims for mythological prose as well: the rises and downfalls of these numerous players speak volumes about their world and themselves. Let us analyze the main characters of Succession by how they start the series, and how fate dictated they would end the story that we see (and what we can tell about their possible futures to come).
Warning: This entire article contains Succession spoilers from the entire series. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Logan Roy
How It Started
L-to-the O-G: dude be the O.G. Logan Roy spent six decades of his life raising Waystar Royco from the ground up, although the series isn’t explicit with these details. He has an older brother, Ewan, who discredits his younger sibling’s ways of life (although Ewan himself is wealthy as well: he doesn’t seem to be driven by greed in remotely the same way). Logan has four children: Connor (with first wife), Kendall, Siobhan, and Roman Roy (the three later children were conceived with his second wife, Lady Caroline Collingwood). I’ll go into their childhoods later. Estranged from his older brother and both his first wives, Logan starts off Succession with his latest wife, Marcia. He is in charge of the fifth largest media conglomerate in the world. He couldn’t be better off.
On the eve of his eightieth birthday (and virtually the first thing we see in the entire series), an out-of-it Logan urinating in the corner of the room. He is either unwell, not all-there, or some other concern is in place. While going on with birthday celebrations, Logan expresses interest in stepping down as CEO of Waystar Royco. While his family feuds over this decision (and Marcia’s legal ties to this procedure, particularly in the assigning of a successor in Logan’s death), he suffers a stroke during a helicopter ride (potentially encouraged by the high altitude, as well as the stress).
How It Ended
While starting the series off deliriously, Logan Roy departs Succession with perhaps the most clarity we’ve ever seen: that none of his children are “serious people”, or qualifiable candidates for CEO (in the episode “Rehearsal”). We get a few moments afterward, but Logan dies soon enough in the next episode, “Connor’s Wedding”. Logan dies while en route to Sweden to talk with Lukas Matsson about his company, GoJo, and their negotiations for the purchasing of Waystar Royco. Before this passing, we’ve seen a few clear episodes of Logan losing grip with reality (particularly during “Retired Janitors of Idaho”, where a UTI has Logan hallucinating to the point of imagining beings that are not there). Despite these mental and biological concerns, Logan was determined to keep going. It’s clear that Logan doesn’t actually trust any of his biological kids to succeed him and has been stringing them along for his own personal benefit. His final claim to two of his kids (Roman kept in touch via text with him) is that they aren’t fit to be CEOs because of their immaturities.
It’s as if he resigns as CEO by passing away, as if he knows by the end of his life what his kids didn’t possess (and he did). None of the monstrosities that Logan did are excusable by any stretch. They make sense in his mind, though (whether that’s a healthy mind or not). Instead of handing off his empire, he would rather work himself to death. He doesn’t just not trust anyone else: he cannot let go of his fortunes. At the same time, he died while traveling to a meeting and ditching his eldest son, Connor, and the most important day of his life: his wedding. He may know what it takes to be an untouchable CEO (missing major events, included), but he has no idea how to be a good father. Not that he ever cared about that, mind you. The rest of Succession’s duration is indebted to his memory, but you’re quickly reminded of what an awful person he is as well through his children.
Kendall Roy
How It Started
Kendall Roy, the self professed “eldest” child (the Conheads aren’t going to love this), was promised to be next in line as CEO since around the age of seven years old. You can sense that Kendall was the best treated child of the three (I’m excluding Connor because he’s too far removed from the other three in age, and his dynamic with any of the others isn’t nearly the same as they are with one another). The problem is that Kendall was primed but not parented, sculpted but not refined. He knows what it takes to be a good CEO but not how to actually be one. With this in mind, he does possess a business degree from Harvard; he also had a party side and an unhealthy addiction to cocaine during these years. When we are introduced to him, he is married to Rava, and they have two children: Iverson (who we learn may be conceived by a sperm donor, according to Roman), and Sophie (who is adopted). We first see him hyping himself up for a meeting to discuss Waystar Royco’s acquisition of startup company Vaulter. He blasts music and barks to himself. He’s got the ego the size of the Empire State Building.
It’s only natural that Kendall is upset with Logan’s decision, since it seems as though Kendall has allegedly been “promised” to be heir to the throne for most of his life. Additionally, Kendall was tricked by his father into signing over his succession rights over to Marcia. His temper is an early clue to the explosiveness that is Kendall Roy: someone that plays nice until he doesn’t get his way. It’s not that he gets angry: it’s how he gets angry. Everyone in this family toots their own horns, but no one does nearly as much as Kendall does. Right away when Logan is hospitalized for his stroke, Kendall cuts right back to the chase: that the CEO chair should be his. Even during the briefest stint of Kendall taking over as CEO (in “Shit Show at the Fuck Factory”), he is unsure of how to handle the elephants in the room over at the Waystar building (that three billion dollar debt, for starters, but who could handle that at the very first second anyway); he is quickly replaced by Logan again once the latter is healthy enough in “Sad Sack Wasp Trap”; Kendall doesn’t even get a chance.
How It Ended
Before Logan’s death, Kendall, Roman, and Siobhan were all fucked out of the company (thanks, Tom), the three siblings tried to venture forth with their own project. Post death, it appeared as though Kendall was reevaluating his relationship with his dad, and that all three kids should rejoin with Waystar Royco to save face. By the end of the series, it’s clear that this was a tactic by Kendall to just get to where he felt like he belonged this entire time: as CEO of the company. He goes from wanting to sabotage GoJo’s takeover deal to flat out demanding to purchase the latter company outright out of spite and a lust for power. He keeps worming his way into that CEO spot, but he has many demons chasing after him. He killed a waiter while driving under the influence during a rough time in his life (the first time Logan threw Kendall out of Waystar Royco, when the latter’s vote-of-no-confidence doesn’t dethrone Logan). He has lingering addiction issues that fester every day. He stares into the horizon either from high rooftops or on the shores of beaches: he wonders if he should even be alive if he isn’t what he was promised.
In the series finale (“With Open Eyes”), he convinces Siobhan and Roman to make him the next CEO of Waystar Royco once the boardroom vote nullifies the GoJo deal for good (so they hope). The siblings go for a swim, they make a gross smoothie that Kendall drinks, and they have a blast unlike any other time in the series. They’re children again. They’re family. With the biggest shit-eating smirk on his face the next day, Kendall waltzes into the very building he has angrily stormed into and violated many times before. He even pours Ewan Roy a glass of water (what a legend). Things turn when Roman questions why he couldn’t have been CEO and Kendall begins to hug-yet-smother his brother’s head, opening up his still-raw wounds suffered from days before. He exhibits the same manipulation tactics his father used on him many times before (so maybe he was aware this whole time). Siobhan has a change of heart mid vote (maybe she saw Roman’s bloody wound and his hesitation to obey Kendall). She storms out, and Kendall is swiftly after her.
After Siobhan admits that she is having second thoughts, Kendall begins his acts of desparation. By now, he has had brushes with that CEO title a few times, but he’s never actually fully been sole CEO for good. He’s in full on panic mode. He begins to lie and say that that big secret he relayed to his two siblings (about having killed the waiter) was actually a “move”: an effort to appear morally just and fit to lead in their eyes. If anything, this makes him monstrous. He loses control of his siblings’ votes and begins screaming at them. He even physically abuses Roman by choking him and gripping his face (open wounds and all). This is in retaliation when Roman states that Kendall can’t continue their father’s bloodline with children that aren’t his (a mightily insensitive comment). Siobhan darts out of the room to secure her vote against Kendall, and it’s all over. He pants, paces over, and begs for the meeting to be adjourned, but it is far too late. Waystar Royco is sold.
He is followed by his late father’s bodyguard to the ocean nearby, which is barred off on the edge of the dock. He sits and stares ahead with that same existential dread he has exhibited throughout the series. This time, he has virtually no one left. He was already estranged from Rava and his kids, but now they’re leaving the city because of the political climate Kendall is partially responsible for (the early, unofficial calling of Jeryd Mencken’s presidential victory which resulted in riotous chaos). His siblings despise him. He’s cast out of Waystar. His best friend, Stewy, is a board member for Waystar and they’ll likely never see each other again (or at least not nearly enough now). The final image of Kendall staring out into the ocean resembles a few things:
1) Water represents death to Kendall. It’s where the waiter drowned when Kendall crashed the car. He nearly passes out drunkenly in the pool in a later episode: a shot that had many viewers wondering if he was going to drown and die. Staring into the ocean is like staring his own death in the face, partially because…
2) Kendall has suicidal tendencies. We’ve seen him place himself in precarious positions on the brink of death, whether they’re high skyscrapers’ edges, or the cusp of the oscillating waves that nearly pounce on him and consume him. He considers death again here, but a personal bodyguard is nearby and won’t allow for that. He has to face his new life all alone. He cannot escape it (at least not right now).
3) Water earlier in the episode feels like freedom. As if he conquered his greatest fears. He swam freely with his siblings: a luxury that lasted for a glimpse of a moment. Now, he is barricaded from entering the ocean. This not only prevents his own death, but it shows that he’s on the outside looking in. He’s lost that power; that release; that joy. He will never be in that position of wealth and control ever again. He’s this close, but no cigar.
CEO life is the only life he ever knew, even if he never really got the hang of it. There’s nothing else for him. We’ll never find out how he tries to grapple with this harsh reality.
Siobhan ‘Shiv’ Roy
How It Started
Siobhan Roy, or “Shiv” for short, led a bit more of an independent life. Once Logan and Caroline divorced, Shiv moved out on her own and worked in politics, particularly for democratic presidential candidate Gil Eavis. She starts the series off dating Tom Wambsgans: the son of a major Minnesotan lawyer (although he hadn’t grown up nearly as fortunate as the Roy kids). On the day of her father’s birthday, Shiv tells Tom not to splurge on any expensive gifts for Logan, since he apparently doesn’t care for them. It’s clear that there is a history of neglect and emotional detachment between her and her father, perhaps because she left home. She also has the least amount of experience both as a CEO and in the Waystar Royco company, likely out of Logan’s spite. There’s potential sexism from Logan’s parenting as well (perhaps a major reason why Shiv tried to make it out on her own after her parents’ divorce).
This translates to the chip on her shoulder she bears, and we see it time and time again. However, it’s important to note that she leads a seemingly healthy relationship with Tom at this stage: they are in that honeymoon phase, all bubbly and warm. Her father’s birthday is an important occasion for their union because it will signify whether or not Tom will be approved. Shiv isn’t necessarily interested in all of that Waystar stuff. That is until Logan’s succeeder is brought into question. Suddenly, it appears as though there can be a bee-line right to the place she was always barred from: leadership. When Kendall offers himself as CEO, he claims that Shiv and Roman can be co-COO (but this title ultimately goes to Roman).
How It Ended
Kendall offered himself as CEO and both Roman and Shiv would be co-COO, but it would up being Rom-wait a minute, didn’t we just go over this? Well, history repeats itself in Succession. After Roman and Shiv get thrown out of Waystar when they finally side with Kendall and try to pry the company from Logan’s frigid grasp, the three siblings carry out their own project (the three kids even pry Pierce Global Media from their father, so they work well as a team, clearly). After Logan’s death, a lot is up in the air and that CEO vacancy is back. The three siblings (and the Waystar board) go to a retreat with Lukas Matsson and his GoJo team, where Kendall and Roman tell the Swedish mogul to take a hike with his deal to purchase their late father’s company. Meanwhile, Shiv wasn’t on board with this plan. Lukas contacts her privately, and she sees promise through his deal (particularly for herself).
It’s also important to know that her now-husband, Tom, is exactly the reason why Logan screwed his children out of Waystar Royco: he alerted Logan in advance about their moves. Now he is seen as a hotshot at Waystar Royco and their news station ATN; that is until Logan dies, and he has no one else at the conglomerate to vouch for him (and his wife hates him, too). After Logan’s passing, the initial plan to have all three kids run Waystar Royco became the opportunity for Kendall and Roman to be co-CEOs (and Shiv apparently working behind the scenes for them), with Kendall opting to be sole CEO come the end of the series. Shiv isn’t letting this happen again, especially not now that Tom has rank over her. Also, let’s not forget that, um, Shiv is now pregnant, and Tom Wambsgans is the father. I have to point out Tom being the baby daddy because both partners have had their own sexual escapades throughout the series (trouble was in paradise from the first season), and this is one reason for Shiv to stuck around with him (you’ll see).
She tries a little bit too hard to curry favour with Lukas, and by the series finale, “With Open Eyes”, he actually silently removes her from being the American CEO for the company he envisioned. Who does he opt for instead? Tom fucking Wambsgans. Irate, Shiv hastily teams up with her siblings to ensure that the GoJo deal doesn’t go through. Everything appears to be going according to plan until the very boardroom meeting that determines the fate of Waystar Royco: whether or not they get bought out by Lukas. Shiv has cold feet and decides on the spot that she has changed her mind: she is voting for GoJo. It’s not made clear exactly why, but we can conjure up a couple of reasons:
1) She saw Roman being muscled into his vote either by his reopened wounds or his hesitancy to voice his opinion: she notices that Kendall is becoming their abusive, inconsiderate father
2) She realizes that she is yet again not being considered for a leadership role and doesn’t want Kendall to get this satisfaction over her
3) She wants to break this never-ending cycle that the Roy family cannot get out of, and it is her final vote that can accomplish this. No more abuse, no more greed, no more deception. But that also potentially means no more Kendall. By his tantrum-fuelled end, maybe she prefers this outcome.
Tom gets chosen as the American CEO, as was proclaimed, and she is now precisely in his position from the start of the series: the outlier with a seat at the table only through someone else. She half heartedly holds his hand on the car ride home: the marriage is broken but glued together for both appearances and power. Tom officially has complete control over Shiv in nearly every single way, and she can stay involved because she is carrying his child. Otherwise, Tom feels no love for her anymore. Nonetheless, she will likely never have that leadership role, but she somehow — despite being locked in her own purgatory of hell — has the most profitable outcome of the three Roy kids (but her foreseeable future may be the worst, considering her lack of freedom).
Roman Roy
How It Started
Named after the empire (and nicknamed “Romulus” after Rome’s first king), Roman is the most juvenile of the Roy kids. Unlike his other two immediate siblings, Roman initially doesn’t care about being a leader in any way. He is actually quite an asshole (one of the first things we see him do is despicable: he offers a child playing baseball a cheque for a million dollars if he can hit a home run; the child and his poorer family can clearly use the money, but Roman rips up the cheque in front of him because he narrowly misses reaching home plate without being out). To go backwards a bit, it’s implied that Roman was the most poorly treated by Logan (and, as a result, everyone else), with Roman remembering being locked up in a dog cage and being fed pet food (he was under the impression that he was playing a childhood game). We see Logan actually strike Roman in the series, and his siblings instantly stand up for him (a frequent occurrence throughout their lives, I’m sure).
Maybe the tomfoolery is an act because he is broken on the inside. Nonetheless, he lets his bad side get the better of him far too often. He dabbles in many perversions, makes awful jokes at the expense of others, and shrugs off most responsibilities. When Logan has a stroke, Roman initially rejects having any sort of leadership but then sides with Kendall to do damage control. Then there’s that taste of power, and that’s all that Roman needed. His inability to contain himself turns into a wildcard approach at being the next in line; he even gets into a fight with Shiv (Roman accusing Shiv of causing Logan’s stroke didn’t help anything, nor does slapping her). Throughout the series, Roman is easily led: now that he’s getting this attention and is not treated solely as the runt of the family, his poisoned heart blossoms but is too naive.
Also, Roman is especially unfit to lead if his siblings aren’t capable, and we shall never forget this moment that caused the loss of numerous lives thanks to his cutting of corners (but at least he washes his hands to rid himself of responsibility):
How It Ended
Roman was the only of the three main Roy siblings to keep in contact with Logan before his death; he was heartbroken when he was screwed out of the company and was clearly trying to still be his father’s son (possibly for power, since Logan toyed with him so much). Roman tries to, once again, shrug off his father’s death and keep it together, and he actually seems to be okay (but we know he isn’t): he steps up to Lukas and tells him off for trying to pressure Waystar Royco into signing a deal right after Logan dies (he actually blames Lukas for Logan’s death, since the latter was on a flight over to the former in all haste to negotiate). He seems okay until the funeral itself, which he is meant to give a eulogy for. He begins to have anxiety at the lectern and asks his siblings — who rush to his aid — if Logan is actually in the casket before him. This is possibly the grief finally hitting Roman like a punch to the gut, the realization that all of this chasing of power only leads everyone to the same inevitability of death, or the looming fear of Logan Roman always had at the hands of his abuse. Nonetheless, he cannot continue the eulogy, and Kendall steps in to an uproar of applause (Shiv then follows suit with her own eulogy but to little response: same old story for Shiv, sadly).
Post death, Roman was co-CEO with Kendall, but the latter wants to be sole head of the company. Roman wouldn’t be too good either, with his impulsive firing that gets him in hot water with Gerri Kellman (the General Counsel of Waystar Royco that he has had a perverse relationship with, often against her wishes, who is now blackmailing him for trying to fire her after the sexual malfeasance she has had to endure from him). After the funeral, Roman actually just leaves and wanders off on his own, facing the riots of New York City alone. He actually gets beaten up by some of the protestors when he screams at them that they don’t know what they are talking about (he is only all too aware of the tribulations of vying to be in power, and the pressures leadership incurs). While the boardroom vote is to take place, Roman actually exiles himself at mother Caroline’s, and Kendall and Shiv go to find him (initially to try and procure his vote for their respective sides, but then to nurture him). He is battered, bruised, and full of healing wounds. He is won over all in the name of protecting their late father’s legacy, so he makes his way back to New York City to take part in the vote.
Roman notices his scars and wonders if he shouldn’t just phone in his vote: he doesn’t want to be seen this way. His image makes him realize that he would have never been CEO. He was never treated with respect. He was always the joke: the punching bag. Kendall appears to be consoling Roman, but he actually is abusing him in the same way the late Logan would: he reopens the gash on Roman’s forehead for the world to see, as a bullying tactic to get Roman not to waver on his vote. Roman doesn’t change his mind as a result: he barely states that he is against the GoJo takeover. Shiv doesn’t like this and flips. As she does, she brings up Kendall’s inability to lead due to his reckless behaviour, including the death of another. As Kendall panics and denies this event, Roman questions Kendall’s morality now. Either he is trying to cover up his murder all in the name of being CEO, or, more likely, he is lying about having killed someone just to make his siblings care for him again (we know the latter isn’t true, but it’s what Roman thinks).
Roman then brings up Kendall’s kids not being his own out of spite, and Kendall furiously begins choking and accosting Roman, just like Logan would. Shiv darts out of the room to finalize the vote against Kendall’s best wishes. It’s at this moment that Roman stalls Kendall with the reminder that none of this matters. He calls all of the Roys “bullshit” (either realizing that Logan was right that none of them were serious contenders to be CEO, or that having power is meaningless because we will all die someday and this pettiness isn’t worth it). With GoJo buying Waystar Royco, Roman is no longer co-CEO, nor will he ever be CEO. He goes to a bar and smiles with a martini in hand. Shiv helped break this cycle. He is finally free. He is no longer the runt of the billionaire family. He is no longer destroying — or having to defy — expectations. He isn’t being misled like a little puppy, or kicked to the curb like a stray. He is free.
Tom Wambsgans
How It Started
Tom Wambsgans was the wide-eyed dork that was dating Shiv Roy and was just happy to have a seat at the table. He wonders about splurging on a watch for Logan Roy’s eightieth birthday, as to make a great impression. He is often ignored in group settings, and he’s a bit of a try hard when it comes to pleasing both his partner (who he eventually approves an open relationship with, despite his own reservations) and her family (and their company). He’s also obsessed with money. His mom was a prolific lawyer, but they still weren’t stupidly wealthy like the Roys. He worked hard to graduate from Cornell, and has clearly continued that work ethic throughout his life.
This often leads to moments of desperation. He does whatever it takes to get into the Roys good books, including many acts of embarrassment (he seems to be getting tired of this neglect by season two, when he is forced to partake in a humiliating game of “boar on the floor”, where he has to oink for his sausage dinner). Once he gets his own personal assistant (the even-more awkward Greg Hirsch), he confides in him as a friend; this quickly becomes Tom’s own glance at what being a leader looks like. He can ask this schmuck to do anything? Great. He yearns to not only stay securely in a world of wealth, but to be the head honcho. And thus begins the manipulative era of Tom Wambsgans.
How It Ended
Tom betrays his now-wife, Shiv, and her siblings by getting to Logan first about the kids’ plan to overtake Waystar Royco. He does this to try his best to avoid prison time for taking the fall (and his own malfeasance), and it’s out of desperation (not that it matters to Shiv). Tom went from being unimportant to too involved. By season 2, Tom has become an integral member of the ATN family (and is actually quite high up in the company). He is Logan’s number one man, even right up until his death; Tom is the last person to be by Logan’s side while the latter is alive. Instantly, Tom is at the bottom again. None of the siblings, including his own wife, like him after his move. The only person keeping him afloat, Logan, is dead. He desperately tries to kiss the asses of all around him: the Roy kids, the board members, even fucking Connor Roy (who no one gives the light of day). The only slight edge he gets is with Lukas, and it seems as though it’s out of pity at first.
On the night of the presidential election, ATN is a shit show, and Tom knows this is his sole opportunity to make a Hail Mary and make a name for himself. He gives the go-ahead to the ATN team once Kendall and Roman make the decision to prematurely call the election for Jeryd Mencken: a controversial Republican candidate that would fare better for Waystar Royco’s operations (they can scratch each other’s backs, as was the agreement Mencken had with Logan before the latter’s death). Post election, a huge riot breaks out in the city out of protest, and Tom actually skips Logan’s funeral to try and clean up the mess over at ATN (especially since it is his face plastered all over the news as the one to blame for this decision to call the election before all the votes were counted). He takes solace in the fact that he was able to say his last goodbye to Logan while he was dying, but he still is sad that he missed the funeral; he felt the extra hours at ATN were important.
Before all of this election stuff went down, Tom and Shiv had their biggest fight yet, with Tom being accused of marrying her just so he can have a wealthy life. Tom had gifted Shiv a scorpion artifact which was clearly a disguised insult in the form of praise; he admits that he loves her but finds her threatening and unfaithful. Shiv, on the other hand, thinks Tom is the two-faced one because of how he betrayed her and her siblings. He claims that she refuses to have his child and he doesn’t even know if he wants kids with her anymore. It is only the next day that Tom is alerted to the fact that Shiv is pregnant, and even then he questions outright if he is the father; this doesn’t go well. Nonetheless, Tom shifts his focus towards ATN to at least try and save one thing in his life.
During the finale, Shiv begins to come around and ask if Tom wants to rekindle their relationship. He basically says “no”. Nonetheless, Shiv wants to make things right with Tom and actually tells Lukas to keep him around when GoJo takes over, as Tom will do whatever he is told. Lukas likes this: so much so that he offers Tom the American CEO title instead of Shiv (who he finds too controlling; he wants to be the puppeteer, not the puppet). Tom is upfront with Shiv and tells her that he’s going to be the CEO once she learns that it’s not her title anymore (thanks to a slip from Greg). Greg has been Tom’s lackey this entire time, mind you, but he has learned a bit of his own independence. During the days of the election, Tom forced Greg to be his assistant again. After talking with Shiv, Tom confronts Greg and feels hurt that he would be betrayed like this. He abuses Greg by slapping him: not something we haven’t seen before. What is news, however, is how Greg fights back, and the two get into a proper scuffle. Tom resigns from the fight and leaves. He’s got bigger fish to fry.
Once GoJo’s deal gets voted through, Tom is named CEO as was promised. Perhaps it was all of this dedication — from overspending on a gift for Logan’s birthday, to skipping out on the funeral (Logan would do the same: consider how he was going to miss Connor’s wedding for a deal) — that got Tom the spot. Maybe it was his final bit of harsh honesty (that he was going to replace Shiv as the CEO) that garnered respect from his wife (meanwhile, Kendall was outright lying out of desperation), enough so that she swung her vote. Tom not only has power over Waystar Royco (well, barely any: he’s going to do whatever Lukas tells him to), he finally has the upper hand in his marriage. Shiv has to stay in order to have any sort of relevancy, and they will be the continued bloodline to carry on the legacy of the conglomerate through her baby. As has been pointed out, Wambsgans’ name was a clue this whole time: an allusion to baseball legend Bill Wambsganss, who completed the only unassisted triple play in the history of the sport (Tom took down all three Roy kids alone, particularly after Logan died).
Greg ‘The Egg’ Hirsch
How It Started
Greg “The Egg” Hirsch is Roman without money: the runt of a family that is tossed around lovelessly and told what to do. He is the grandson of Logan’s brother, Ewan Roy. Ewan is estranged from Logan, so Greg is quite removed from all of the Roy family shenanigans and wealth (but his family has their own). He is shoved into a Waystar Royco-owned theme park as Doderick: the dog mascot. He irresponsibly goes to the first day of his job high as a kite and proceeds to vomit when children play too roughly with him. He gets instantly fired, and his mother, Marianne Hirsch (and daughter of Ewan Roy), tells him to go to Logan’s birthday to get weaselled into their fortuned in this way instead. He shows up a complete loner. He is awkward, unsure, gangly, and naive.
As a fellow outlier, Tom takes a likening to Greg instantly. Tom sees himself in this green kid, but he also likes having authority over him. They develop a fun-yet-unhealthy relationship. Greg’s not innocent in all of this: he accepts Tom’s behaviour likely to listen to his mom and stake his claim at Waystar Royco. As he sticks around and obeys Logan’s orders a little too often (he does begin to get noticed, after all), grandfather Ewan threatens to cut Greg out of his will and donate his promised 250 million dollars to Greenpeace. Greg feels forced to stay now: without Logan and Waystar Royco, he will amount to nothing. As he sticks around and is under Tom’s terrible influence, Greg goes from shy and stupid to being deceptive, slimy, and “Machiavellian”.
How It Ended
Many people thought Greg would become the CEO of Waystar Royco by the end of the series. I was under this impression as well. He did come awfully close, all things considered. He was always with the right key people at the right time (Kendall when he started the smear campaign against Logan, he was Sporus to Tom’s Nero when Logan backstabbed his own kids, and he blackmailed both sides right until the bitter end and still wound up in a favourable-enough position). Greg is actually remarkable because he is a rare character in television: not an underwritten one, but one whose arc never gets fully completed intentionally. By season 4, he is well on his way to being just as conniving as the rest of them. He even begins to get a little ruthless, demanding orders to employees, being given the hammer to fire employees (pathetically, but it’s a start), and more. He even finally stands up to Tom and hits back when he’s being abused. If anything, Greg striking back makes Tom maybe even respect him: enough to keep him around. Either that or Tom realized that Greg wasn’t telling Kendall about Shiv’s replacement to stifle Tom’s promotion (Greg didn’t even know that Shiv’s replacement was Tom).
Greg is careless, though. He went from wanting to fall in love to favouring one-night stands (and bringing a call girl to his great uncle’s birthday). He is starting to like being “disgusting”, and by the time he has this revelation, Tom is above this behaviour (it only took a few years and the eating of his own seed, but whatever, Tom). There’s also something that Logan sees in Greg, and this drives my point about the unfinished character arc from earlier. When Logan died, there’s a legally bound document that states who would replace Logan in the event of his death. Kendall’s name was seemingly underlined, but it’s hypothesized that it was actually crossed out. On the margin of the document, Greg’s name is written with a question mark. Logan died before we got to this realization, but it’s entirely possible that Greg would have gotten the position (even if just to spite Logan’s brother, Ewan). Because it’s Greg, nobody cares and the matter is dropped.
As Tom gets elected American CEO, he is called out as the Judas of the day by Lukas (jokingly, but still). Tom marches over to Greg and threatens to cut him loose, until he places a sticker of appreciation on his forehead: he will continue to be his Sporus. Greg won’t have the shares he was once promised, but he still will work for Tom at Waystar Royco. Greg smiles out of relief, but also because he knows that he has so much incriminating evidence on Tom (and the cruise line scandal Tom was linked to) and can continue to blackmail his way up. We won’t see this play out unless we get a “The Disgusting Brothers” spinoff show (yes. please.).
Then again, maybe Greg won’t achieve anything in this position. How did he start off the series? Dressed up like a dog. As season 4 progressed, I couldn’t help but notice so many similarities between Greg and Hugo Baker: a smarmy, gross individual that will do anything for dinner scraps (he even agrees to be Kendall’s [figurative] dog in the penultimate episode, indicating he will do anything for even a smidgen of money). Greg maybe was never going to reach greatness, but he seems to be content with being fed the remnants from the meals of the wealthy. Nonetheless, despite his dark side, Greg wound up being a good egg: the best egg.
Connor Roy
The Short Story
Connor Roy was interested in politics from a very young age.
Marcia Roy
The Short Story
Logan’s third wife, Marcia seems to be a prominent figure at first in Succession. She takes care of Logan during his episodes and seems to love him. However, we all can’t help but wonder if she was always eying his fortune, especially since Logan tricked Kendall into signing over his spot as upcoming CEO to Marcia. Logan’s children are especially weary of her, and they admonish her to back off quite frequently. During Waystar’s takeover of Pierce Media, Logan gets a little too close with Rhea Jarrell during these negotiations (both as an affair, and as a threat to her certainty as pending CEO). After this and Logan’s creepy connection with his assistant, Kerry Castellabate, Marcia is out for good. She returns for his funeral and to sell Logan’s house (which she does to Connor and Willa); she initially alienates Kerry, but then allows her to sit up front at the funeral out of respect and/or understanding. She knows what it’s like to win Logan’s heart, and the catches that come with this.
Connor Roy/Willa Ferreyra
The Short Story
Okay, I won’t ignore Connor. The lone child of Logan’s first wife, Connor is far removed from his other siblings in age and location (having exiled himself on a ranch). He is lonely and feels unaccomplished, so he tries way too hard when the opportunities rise. He finds solace in an escort named Willa Ferreyra and continues seeing her; he essentially conditions her into being his girlfriend and eventual wife. It’s a lot grosser than you may have initially realized. Nonetheless, once Logan’s reign is in question, Connor finally starts asking what’s in all of this for him. He eventually dips into politics while Willa aims to be a playwright (now that she doesn’t have to worry about money, I suppose; maybe that’s why she initially sticks around). While Willa has large-yet-obtainable ambitions with her career, Connor instantly wants to become president, and sinks hours of time and millions of dollars into a stupid campaign. Once given the ejection option (to become a company ambassador at a remote location, as to allow Mencken to win as the same people voting for Connor would likely be the extra few numbers Mencken needs to clinch a win), he finally withdraws.
Before this election, Willa and Connor get married, but mostly everyone misses this because it’s the day Logan dies. This is a sign that maybe Willa does love Connor after all and wants to be with him no matter what. They have a decently healthy relationship from that point on (despite her initial cold feet), and they even buy Logan’s house when Marcia puts it up for sale. While the other siblings squabble, Connor is tasked with taking charge of Logan’s funeral, and he seemingly does a great job at putting it together (he is forbidden from giving a eulogy though, which is a bit harsh given the care he put into the ceremony). It’s worth remembering that Connor was the sole child at Logan’s final birthday party. Connor even tried to repair his family by staging a karaoke session with Logan and his siblings; it doesn’t work out, and Logan dies the next day. Once the house is bought, Connor and Willa begin selling off some of Logan’s most prized artifacts. Connor will be an ambassador in another country while Willa sticks around in New York to continue with an upcoming stage gig. Connor will be alone once again. Time will tell if their marriage continues. It’s insanely sad that this is the healthiest relationship by the series’ end.
Lukas Matsson
The Short Story
Lukas Matsson is the anarchistic mogul behind GoJo. Initially, Waystar is meant to purchase GoJo, but Lukas flips the script by the end of season 3: GoJo will buy Waystar Royco instead. Lukas plays by his own rules and will do whatever it takes to secure what he wants (even posting Nazi memes to sour Waystar’s image when Kendall tries to steer the deal in his direction). Once Logan dies, he takes a likening to Shiv since he sees her father in her; we find out later that he may or may not actually lust for Shiv (he may just be toying with Tom). He is unpredictable and is known for strange antics like giving his own blood as gifts to girls he likes. Once he’s aware that Roman and Kendall want to sabotage his GoJo deal, he officially brings Shiv on board to take matters into his own hands. Eventually, he sides with Tom instead as he fears Shiv is too much like her father (in wanting to be in full control). He anoints Tom as American CEO once the deal goes through.
Lukas is an amalgamation of all of the Roys: cold yet properly strategic like Logan, self absorbed in an awkward way like Kendall, two-faced like Shiv, and insanely uncontrollable like Roman. He’s likely what Logan wanted out of his kids (a full package) and why he wanted to buy GoJo initially. Little did Logan know that, like Waystar’s three billion dollar debt, GoJo has its own secrets. We only find out one bombshell: fudged subscriber numbers over in India to inflate company valuation. It doesn’t matter as, like Logan, Lukas always gets his way.
Frank Vernon
The Short Story
Frank Vernon is arguably Logan’s best friend. Having given Logan legal advice decades before, Frank stuck around as the Vice-Chairman and COO of Waystar Royco. He is the godfather to Kendall. He has seen it all, from Logan’s initial stroke and Kendall’s proposed vote of no confidence, to many deals being secured or destroyed. By the series’ end, Frank seemingly acts on behalf of his late friend Logan. It’s a sign that Frank kicks off Kendall’s request to void GoJo’s deal with a “no” despite initially professing an agreement to Kendall’s ideas. Maybe Frank has seen this song and dance before. Maybe he knows it wasn’t what Logan would have wanted. Nonetheless, he stands by Logan’s best interests (or maybe he’s own: Frank isn’t exactly a saint either), and is canned as soon as Lukas and Tom are in charge. At least he had loyalty in the end.
Gerri Kellman/Karl Muller/Hugo Baker/Karolina Novotney
The Short Story
The other board members have their own stories, but I’m not too concerned with those: Karl being quiet yet stern, Gerri’s murky relationship with Roman, Hugo being pathetic, Karolina operating to the beat of her own drum, et cetera. What I’m more interested in, however, is how they all seem quite with-it (except for Hugo, but it’s Hugo) in general and yet they all resort to being puppies at the very end: trying to win over Lukas and Tom so they can be a part of the path forward (Karl and Hugo are removed, whereas Karolina and Gerri will be a part of Waystar Royco moving forward). It’s a reminder that even these people that call the shots are childish in their own ways, and this is just kind of the world that we’re in. It may not have seemed this way the entire journey, but the board members are no less pathetic than the Roy kids: they may just be better at playing the game (kind of).
To conclude, Succession has escalations, downward spirals, and everything in between. Most importantly, it is an infinite cycle of greed that mostly ends in tragedy. Tom, Greg, Lukas, Karolina, and Gerri seem to have the best endings, but their time will likely come soon. We just won’t see it happen. In a cutthroat world, you will live and die truly alone. All relationships are moves or fronts. Shiv realized this and decided to live a lie. Roman recognized this too and embraced the upcoming solitude so he can finally heal (physically and mentally). Kendall cannot accept this and will either die or hit rock bottom again. Life is but a series of revolving doors with new faces popping in and out of your fixed state in Succession. You can hang onto this guilt, create your own, or choose to ignore it and your actual loneliness. The backstabbing will never stop, but you can opt out of the game. The Roy boys are out. Shiv remains a husk of her former self. Tom and Greg are still in it, but at what cost? Logan died before he was finished, but that’s the thing: he was never going to be finished. The game never ends but its players do. That’s the story of Succession: a permanent chase that doesn’t care who lives or dies by its system. It’s only about what comes next, and then what comes after that. It doesn’t actually matter. None of it ever did. The series stops only at one precise moment, but we know it’ll continue forever. It was never about success: only about succession.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.