Succession [HBO] *Spoilers*

lmahoney79

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662265#Comment_120662265

Yes I was thinking similarly about the video of Logan with Kerry, Conor, Karl, Frank and Gerry. He seemed at his most relaxed and happy, without his other kids being there.....interesting!

HalloweenJack

There were also times in the last season when Kendall was so pumped up about taking over that it seemed like he was using again.

Power was another addiction for him and would have wrecked him and the company.

ixoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662078#Comment_120662078

Exactly. Tom is one of the most self aware people on the show. He's under no illusion that he's going to be anything other than a Yes man for Mattson and he'll accept that for what he gets in return.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662289#Comment_120662289

He needs to be kept in a box of something like the 100 or a startup tech company.

Some small offshoot that can't do any damage or burn through his billions where he gets to play CEO.

A simulation of sorts :)

I think at one point that's what Logan was trying to do.

shrewdness

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662265#Comment_120662265

Yeah that scene of the dinner was great. I think it really hit home to the 3 siblings how they missed out on much of their father's last days - and gatherings like this - because they got caught up in this business feud which ultimately led to nothing anyway.

Although Connor had a bit of a fucked relationship with Logan - and even questioned if he was ever really loved by him - a scene like this shows how he was still able to spend plenty of quality time with him and knew all of these little stories that the other siblings didn't. The key thing is that he never bothered being involved in the business and getting grander notions of himself, which is what drove the others further away from Logan

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120661838#Comment_120661838

Why would they vote for him?

El Gato De Negocios

Alot of lads getting fierce hot under the collar over a tv show. 🤣

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120661083#Comment_120661083

What don't I have a clue about exactly?

Tom won because he is CEO of Waystar. Again, the premise of the show was "who will be CEO after Logan?", the answer to that question is Tom. Yes, he is Matssons puppet but he got exactly what he wanted in the end. I'd call that winning. He didn't have a grand plan but last time I checked, you don't need one to win. He took advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves to him and got lucky at times.

If you want to sh*t on the finale, go for it but I think you're in the minority.

lmahoney79

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662906#Comment_120662906

That's what I said! 😁

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662890#Comment_120662890

It would show a ruthlessness just like his brother. It would show yet again that Logan's children have no clue.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662931#Comment_120662931

When did he ever declare he wanted to be CEO?

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662966#Comment_120662966

You watched 4 seasons of the show and don't think Tom wanted to rise as high as possible i.e. be CEO? You don't think Tom was interested in the money and notoriety that goes with being CEO of Waystar? Do you need Tom to explicitly state "I want to be CEO" during the show?

Its seems blatantly obvious to me that Tom wanted to be CEO. He was willing to go to jail for Logan so that he could gain his trust and rise higher. He was willing to betray his wife, a woman he loved at the time, to rise higher in the company. You really need him to specifically declare "I want to be CEO" in the show? His actions speak enough that rising as high as he could is what he wanted.

But anyway, he does say it in Logans house after his death to the senior management group: "all I would say is that if there is a ring, my hat is in, respectfully" - that's a direct quote from Tom "declaring" he wants to be CEO.

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662965#Comment_120662965

That doesnt really answer the question I asked though. Why would the other board members vote for him and allow him to have control?

There were 13 board members including the 3 kids and Ewan. So assuming none of the kids vote for him and Ewan votes for himself, why would at least 6 other board members decide to vote an 86 year old who has never led a company, to be CEO of one of the largest corporations on earth? This is a man who took away his grandsons inheritance and donated it to Greenpeace cos he continued to work for Waystar. Why would he take it over?

Fair enough you didnt like the ending, thats grand. But to suggest a more suitable ending would be Ewan taking over?

You might as well suggest that in fact Logan didnt die and the last 7 episodes were all just a dream.

lmahoney79

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662966#Comment_120662966

I do wonder if you actually watched the show at all - you seemed to miss the most important points of it all 🙄

nc6000

Does very thread on here have to turn into an argument? 😟

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662965#Comment_120662965

From the Succession Wiki:

Ewan is the moral, political, and theological opposite of his brother Logan. He is staunchly anti-capitalist, anti-corporation, and pro-environment. He harbors a deep hatred of Logan's business and political practices, telling his grandson Greg that he believes Logan is "morally bankrupt" and is "more responsible for the death of this planet than any other single human being."

Again, some sort of twist that Ewan suddenly tries to seize control would be a twist for the sake of it and would ruin the conclusion of the show when it's the actions of the three core Roy children themselves that causes them to lose. It's the result of their own actions and the conclusion of their individual arcs which makes them lose the company.

Ewan seizing control of the company..... I mean he may as well have ripped his face off to reveal he was actually the waiter Kendall thought he killed in Season 1 while the theme from Saw starts playing.

pixelburp

Mod: a severe inability from some in debating with civility and respect. If you can't discuss the show without resorting to personal insults, don't post here. First and only warning.

A warning too to users thinking they can also engage with hostility; report infractions and do not reply, otherwise we cannot moderate effectively.

lmahoney79

What ever happened to the girl Roman was with in the previous season? She just seemed to disappear or did I miss something there??

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120663510#Comment_120663510

If Ewan is such a saint how is he so wealthy?

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120663087#Comment_120663087

So when did he declare he wanted to be the CEO?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120655894#Comment_120655894

Not quite. Greg didn't know Tom was being lined up for the top job. He told Kendall that it wouldn't be Shiv but had he known it was going to be Tom then who knows.

nachouser

Logan would be proud of this thread.

deisedude

Edit: can't delete

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120664099#Comment_120664099

He "threw his hat in the ring" after Logan's death in the apartment to the senior management group. Episode 4 I think.

That was one of the best TV shows I have ever watched and I've consumed an awful lot of them. The ending was a bit abrupt for me in how it just stopped. I would have liked a slow panning shot away from Kendall if you get me.

I felt really sad for them. I wanted it to work out for Kendall. It meant so much to him. He may well have been terrible at it and it could have destroyed him. Or not. It was gone in a flash. I don't know why Shiv did it.

Shiv didn't have to choose Tom. She is a billionaire with a powerful name. Why did she decide to get in the car and hold his hand? She looked utterly miserable and sort of trapped and regretful.

Those final scenes where Roman was in the bar did not look at all like contentment to me. He looked upset and tired. Kendall's walk out of the building was the way you walk when the rug has been pulled from under you and you're in shock and disbelief and yes you are alive but everything feels unreal.

I am probably in the minority for thinking that the Roy siblings are not despicable humans. Shiv can be monstrous, Roman says the most horrible things and Kendall can be so self absorbed and fail to see that other people's needs matter. I just see loads of layers in them which we all have and it does the characters a disservice to say they are bad people.

Even towards each other there was love and kindness. Not often but it was there. The three of them always found a way to come back to each other. For all their dreadful words and hurts they were close and had genuine moments of connection and lightness. The kitchen scene was a perfect example of that. Away from the madness of Waystar Royco what could they have been?

I imagine them all rebuilding themselves and their relationships in the magic land where TV characters reside. Shiv and Tom will finally separate. She will come to understand that Shiv the individual is enough. No need for titles and positions of power.

Kendall and Roy will join together to form a new company. Still struggling with their demons of course. Conor will go to Slovenia regardless of the election outcome and find real love. Lady Caroline will do something which will require the dispensing of 100 eye drops a day to another person's 'face eggs' as punishment.

I'll miss it.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120664095#Comment_120664095

He's a lifelong shareholder of Waystar in support of his brother. In Season 1 he even votes to keep Logan as CEO when Kendall tried to force him out purely out of loyalty to his brother. He hates what Logan and the family have become and hates the effect the business has on America, but has also stayed as a major shareholder with a board vote. As much as he hates what Logan became, he also has a deep loyalty to him due to their bond growing up.

I read he also owns thousands of acres of farmlands and that's what he spends most of his time doing. He puts his money and wealth into environmental practices rather than private jets and the like. He didn't even hire some top, expensive lawyer to handle his will, but rather a smaller practice more aligned with his values.

And as with cutting Greg out of his will, he'd rather see his money go to Greenpeace when he dies because of the person Greg became by chasing money and power.

Basically, nothing we've seen or know about Ewan would in any way suggest he would try some sort of power move to take over Waystar and put Greg in charge, nor would anyone else on the Board go along with that. In fact, we've clearly been shown the complete opposite.

El Gato De Negocios

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120663672#Comment_120663672

There was an interview with her in the Times last weekend. Apparently it was covid that caused her to be written out as she wasnt able to travel due to restrictions when season 3 was being filmed. She also said she had shot scenes for the final season but obviously they werent used. Link below.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/who-will-win-in-succession-i-feel-its-gonna-be-shiv-cwmdxpxk6

tesla_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120661150#Comment_120661150

Ewan is just a preachy liberal who got rich from owning shares in his brother’s company from the start, no one would dream of backing him

tesla_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120662965#Comment_120662965

Ewan was nothing without his brother, he had no self made credentials, a sanctimonious champagne socialist ( basically it was James Cromwell playing himself)

The White Wolf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120661083#Comment_120661083

Shiv is an emotional mess.

Her jabbing the family from afar working for the enemy.

Then discarding those values in exchange for being her father's successor.

Unable to figure out whether she loves or resents her siblings and proving it until the very last.

The cucking of her husband on their wedding night, then hating him for doing what she did first?

Never, ever did she come across as emotionally stable. What she did in the finale makes complete sense.