What happened at the end of Succession - What was the Succession twist?

Angry and full of intrigue, hypocrisy and lies: "Succession" has come to an end with the fourth season. But which of the children will succeed the ruthless media tycoon Logan Roy? What does the end mean in Succession? We explain. 

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For 39 episodes, we watched cold-blooded media mogul Logan Roy and his kids play their power games. Now Succession has come to an end after four seasons. The HBO series by author Jesse Armstrong premiered on HBO in 2018 and can be seen on Sky in Germany.

The entire series revolves around the question of who will inherit Roy and take over Waystar Royco. The man wants to abdicate and hand over his kingdom to one of the children. Kendall, Shiv and Roman Roy do whatever it takes to win their father's favor. And then there's her older stepbrother, Connor. But who takes over the empire at the end of Succession? Here comes the explanation.

Succession end: That's what the last episode is about

The final episode of Succession looks at what's happening with Waystar Royco and whether streaming giant GoJo can take over the company. The siblings disagreed on this, even after their father's death in the third episode of the season. Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) wants to prevent the deal and threads a plot to do so. He wants to make sure Waystar takes over GoJo and not the other way around.

Kendall's sister Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook), on the other hand, wants to push through the planned takeover with Gojo's founder Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). After all, he promised her the CEO position. However, the dazzling company boss betrayed them. Meanwhile, Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) struggles to get back on his feet after his emotional breakdown in the penultimate episode. But who wins now in the end?

The End of Succession: Which Sibling Wins?

The answer to the question of who will ultimately win the year-long battle for company succession is simple: nobody. At least none of Logan Roy's children. In fact, Shiv's husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) is the winner at the end: the GoJo deal goes through and Lukas Matsson takes over the company. Tom is appointed CEO of Waystar Royco.

On the other hand, Shiv still has the best cards of the three siblings: After all, Tom is her husband, so she still has a hand in the game. Also, she's pregnant. The legacy of the company is obviously secured.

Suceession ending: Why did Matsson choose Tom?

Actually, Matsson wanted to make Shiv CEO and promised her this. But he finds several reasons against it. The crucial one is probably a cartoon showing Shiv controlling him like a puppet. The GoJo boss realizes that he wants a person as boss who is weak and docile - someone like Tom Wambsgans. Shiv, on the other hand, would have challenged him again and again and possibly even betrayed him.

Matsson puts Tom to the test by telling him he wants to have sex with Shiv. When Tom says he's okay with that, Matsson knows the man is the perfect sub.

Succession Season 4 Explained: Why Did Kendall Roy End Up Losing?

After some back-and-forth, Kendall had convinced his siblings that he would be the best CEO for Waystar Royco. He, Roman and Shiv even have a relatively light-hearted and fun time in New York: they visit Logan's old apartment and watch a video of her father.

Back at Waystar, Kendall settles into his father's chair in victory. But when it comes to voting on the planned deal with GoJo, Shiv gets cold feet. Your vote matters in the end. But she suddenly has doubts about the joint decision of the siblings. She knows that Kendall actually wouldn't make a good boss.

Roman, Shiv and Kendall get into a fight when the eldest brother lies to the other two - again. They eventually withdraw their support from him. GoJo's takeover is done with Shiv's approval and Kendall is out. The last pictures show him walking along the river. Finally he sits down on a bench and looks into the distance, devastated.

Kendall has lost everything: his wife, his children, his confidence and now his father's business. However, he still has support: Colin, his father's bodyguard, can be seen in the background.

Succession ending: Why isn't Roman supporting Kendall after all?

Roman changes his mind several times in the final episode. At first he is opposed to the GoJo takeover, as discussed with his siblings. After Shiv's back down and Kendall's lies, he's had enough. At the end he says that none of the siblings are ready for the CEO post.

After Matsson's takeover of the family business is complete, Roman sits in a bar drinking a martini. After all, that's Gerris' favorite drink — his 30-year-old mentor and almost-lover who's disappeared from his life. But Roman grins at the end: He's finally free now and freed from Waystar Royco.

What is the meaning of the last Succession scene with Shiv in the car?

At the end of Succession we see Shiv in the car: she is in the back seat with her husband Tom, the new CEO. She had recently asked him to start a real relationship with her because their marriage was anything but good. But he wasn't sure. Now he holds out his hand to her.

She puts her hand in his, but doesn't entwine her fingers with his. They don't look at each other, they look straight ahead - and both look anything but happy.

No wonder: Shiv actually hates Tom, but she doesn't know how to live without him either. Also, she loves power. With him as CEO, she can at least participate indirectly. This is also the reason why she finally votes for the deal with Matsson, even though he betrayed her: Had Kendall become CEO, he would have pushed her out of the company for sure.

With Tom, on the other hand, she still has a hand in it - and in a way, still controls Waystar Royco. So your decision to stay with Tom is actually a kind of business deal.