The Succession Finale is Perfectly Upsetting and Here's Why...
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- Опубликовано: 1 июн 2023
- Spoilers, obviously. The Succession finale was just so....yeah. Succession is an all-timer.
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Might start doing more essays in the future because they’re fun and sometimes things need to be said!
edit: Also I say the convo with Logan is in episode 2 of this season but it's actually the first episode of this season lol.
Yes please, maybe for other shows too, i dont know if you watched Barry that also ended and in my opinion got better in each season
@@Conk3r16 started Barry, haven't finished it but we'll see!
This is actually one of the better video essays I've listened to about Succession. I loved it. It was succinct, well-organized, and insightful. Great transitions between your narrations and the Succession clips. Please keep the background music the same volume as this; your voice sounded great and loud. It didn't aggravate me lol. I absolutely hate how some other video essays have the background music way too loud or has a hyper beat to it. It's grating to those of us who have misophonia and since I also have auditory processing disorder, it's hard to distinguish between the background music and voice. Algorithm recommended your video, and I actually went back in my history to subscribe. Great job!
@@berryreadable thanks! Yeah sound mixing is really important to us whenever we make these types of videos. We usually like to have fun and do commentaries but Succession deserved a proper video.
What's the name of this particular version of the shows score? It's among my favorites!
I've rewatched it twice and the most fascinating part of the finale IMO is the moment Kendall finally got to sit in his dad's chair and he instantly kicked his feet up on the desk. The vibe from the other two siblings changed immediately and I believe that's the exact moment you can pinpoint when Shiv changed her mind on how she was going to vote.
True, and also they sarcastically told him he could sit there too. Shiv and Roman even had a hard time anointing him when they were talking to themselves by the water. Good ass show lol
My thoughts exactly!
Yup. He felt too comfortable there and the siblings were repulsed. If they couldn't have it, why should he!?
Shiv is the most spiteful.
Kendall was supposed to be as desperate as them and externally feign modesty. Instead, he showed himself to be the germ of Logan 0.5.
They weren't going to help create the monster of their worst nightmares.
@@judithpriestess7781 lmao this weird ass takes need to stop cause the showrunner himself said there was no concern about "KeNdAlL BecOmIng LoGan" behind their decision, it was pure spite.
Nah shiv lost it when ken said thats godamn right at romans vote for him
That smile that Roman manages at the end is hiding deep, deep sorrow. Kieran needs an Emmy and everything else for this season.
100% the funeral episode is also helping his case
Yes, so does Shiv "Siobhan" Roy, who is born Australian, btw, she is not American. She speaks volumes with her eyes and every single movement, who all the actors have commented on, helped them react to her, including, Kieran, who yes, should get an Emmy for extraordinary acting. They were all good, great writing, great filming, pure magic. Doesn't happen often, this was magic.
But Jeremy devasted performance in final episode outshines other performance and deserved his 2nd emmy over keiren
@@FilmTheRightThing what do you think about Jeremy performance? I think his phenomenal devasted performance in final episode deserved his 2nd emmy
@@wrestlinginfodude2644 everyone on the show is fantastic, not a false note anywhere.
Reminds me of the quote “ some people are so poor all they have is money”
Good quote
Tom admitted to Shiv that his goal was the money, the nice clothes, the nice living. It may be shallow but I think of all of them Tom ends up the most satisfied, while being Mattson’s “pain sponge”.
It is shallow for sure, I do think that adds a lot to his character. Just considering how empty his life has to be for that to be the only thing he wants. Still don’t think that’s a fulfilling goal even though he sees as one….this show was so good
@@FilmTheRightThing also think it’s interesting how Logan denounced Kendall in the very first episode when he chose the family party over work, and Mattson realised it had to be Tom when he chose to stay at ATN instead of coming to the funeral. Haven’t seen that detail mentioned much but I think that parallel cemented Mattson choosing Tom over Shiv.
@@Backstreetsmusic that’s interesting
And eventually Mattson will discard Tom after the pain sponge has gutted the company for him (lol…making disgusting Greg do the firing). Point being Tom looses too. Only Mattson wins Logans Game.
Tom wanted to be them more than anything and he got that… as empty and meaningless as he found them to be, in the end.
I was shocked by the ending. I knew that Kendall wouldn’t get it in the end…. I really thought it would be Shiv - but that would have been too simple. The writers hit it out of the park - the most profound ending possible. This show deserves all of the awards.
Agreed 100% and it probably will
I mean it was kinda Shiv who won at the end. It was either her brother or her husband. She knew well that if it were Ken then she would be sidelined, so it was better for her to choose Tom at the end bcz that way she could at least control and manipulate him like she always did.
@@adityadas5820 I tend to disagree. When Shiv tried to apologize for her part in the Election tailgate party blowout, Tom was not having it. Instead, he let Shiv have it over the death of Logan, more or less, and her accusation of Tom of keeping her from Logan before his death was not going to wash. Tom accused Shiv's behavior of contributing to Logan's demise.
Last, her pregnancy announcement did not have impact that she hoped. Tom dismissed it as a tactical maneuver. It had its impact on him, but he did not want Shiv to see it. Shiv got that long, overdue spanking from Tom.
Logan won in the end. Like always. They were playing toy soldiers, while he beat them from the grave, and Mattson took the company, just as Logan wanted.
@@adityadas5820She didn’t. She’s now the loveless wife of the CEO, who’s not even the true boss, but subservient to the real boss, who can simply replace him on a whim. He now outranks her, after years of her severely outranking and abusing the hell out of him. She’s just as much of a loser as the rest.
The true winner, like always, was Logan. His deal went through, and the one he viewed as the most likely heir in the end was the one who took it.
She chose Tom out of spite, there was no calculation. Kendal put his feet up on the table and acted like an asshole, that was the end of him. She doesn't love Tom, but she can't live without him, during the entire fourth season they built a new dynamic, a dynamic where Tom hits back and Shiv returns for more pain, because the pain she experiences in that relationship seems to her to be the only real thing, a real emotion.
Good take, she still took the time to leave the room and explain herself to him though. IMO If it was all spite she would have voted first and explained herself later.
@@FilmTheRightThing Shiv will always explain, she will always try to articulate and maintain ethical supremacy. It's the mask she's been wearing since the beginning. It's spite, nothing more, it's not me, it won't be you either
@@mpan6102 So why did she agree to it initially?
I thought she was desperately clinging to Power. Tom still had it.
I read it as she chose the father of her unborn child over their uncle.
It's almost like the only way Logan's children "succeed" him are in somehow managing to become even more amplified versions of his own traits/personality. The disloyalty, the pride, the arrogance, the cruelty.... His children chased after him and all became worse for it.
100%
Yeah, but they don’t have his positive qualities that got him to where he was, only the negatives. Having the ruthlessness, mercilessness, and gritty arrogance doesn’t mean anything without the intelligence, the proper ambition, focused determination, relentless work ethic and dedication to success that Logan had in order to back up his viciousness.
@@alexman378 yes 100%!
Actually Tom’s success does show a kind of meritocracy. The Roy kids assume they will succeed by making clever plays, because they think that’s what Logan did. That’s their idealised free market meritocracy. But Tom assumes, more accurately, that he will succeed by making sacrifices - something the Roys are incapable of choosing to do because they’ve always had their cake and eaten it too. The Roy kids see their father’s ruthlessness but don’t understand what he sacrificed to live that way, but Tom does. In this sense he’s more like Logan than any of Logan’s kids.
Making sacrifices doesn’t equal merit. Tom got anywhere near that position only because he was in a relationship with Shiv. Kendall made sacrifices with Rava and his kids and he still lost everything. The only thing Tom brings to the table is his subservience
His servility as opposed to Shiv's immense ego and entitlement is the only reason Matsson chose him over her, it was 100% about that cartoon
@@FilmTheRightThing
Tbh Tom sacrificed his dignity to marry shiv and any chance at a real relationship with someone else. He also sacrifices his own thoughts, honour and opinions for people like Logan and Matteson.
So if that merits anything is debatable but he definitely worked for it
@@johnhenry4844 i guess there’s some truth to that, depends what you define as work though
@@FilmTheRightThing But Tom was already an executive before Shiv and he ultimately impressed Logan and Matsson more than Kendall or Shiv ever did, would Kendall have a glimmering resume if Logan didn't hand him everything? Would Shiv have her political career? Would Roman get any job with his attitude?
I think people get hung up on the idea of people deserving or earning something when it's not what the show was about, but Tom clearly put more on the line. Kendall did not value anything in his life, he did not sacrifice. Tom showed more demonstrable affection, hurt and pain for his relationships, but he abandoned them for his career and he nearly went to prison because he valued his career and money so much.
Not to mention that Tom groomed Greg and saw an opportunity to polish his oafishness to his advantage. Greg's relationship with Matsson wasn't going to make or break the CEO choice but he has been very helpful to Tom.
Grooming is the perfect word.
Great analysis, the only thing I didn't get the same idea about was that they were after the position for status. I think the siblings always wanted their father's approval because that would mean he loved them, becoming CEO would have meant they were good enough for Logan, and that was the real triumph.
That’s a part of it for sure but it doesn’t have to be just one thing, that’s why this show is so good. I was looking at the CEO position from a material world view besides the emotional subtext.
I think that this was like the internalized reason. But still they wanted the power and feel that they were at the same level to their father’s legacy, that they were not incapable or a disappointment.
@@MoRPho151 there’s some truth there too
Watching the show again after the final episode, you really see everything differently, you see how Tom was always calculated, he truly loved Greg he's the only family that treated him well. Connor definitely won. He did his own thing and failed but on his own terms. I think Roman and shiv ended up exactly where they started, Roman back to a playboy, shiv back begging for a powerful man's approval. The tragedy is even though Kendall was the only option the siblings would rather lose than let Kendall take logans place. Even in death Logan got what he wanted.
Yeah I’m watching it again with people and it feels different knowing everything
Anyone who successfully jumped multiple socioeconomic classes to have a real seat at the table won the whole damn lot in my book.
Considering all the sacrifices he made for that, I don’t think he gained that much!
Logan Roy was his children’s superpower. When he died, they became vulnerable. They never realized it.
Good take although idk if I would use the term superpower, maybe he was like an imaginary brass ring to reach for that gave them purpose
Shiv's distant behavior reminds me of a part of a poem by Daniel Beaty called Run Black Man run. "The sins of the father will visit the son. When life gets tough, the abandoned run."
Great vid! Idk about the Roman hypothesis though. I think the fact that he orders a martini at the end is a nod to Gerri who drinks martinis. He feels alone and longing for connection to the closest thing he had to family/a mother, which was Gerri. I think the end shows all three of the siblings just ending up alone in their own particular ways. I think you nailed the other two though. Kendall ending up like Logan, and Shiv ending up like her mom.
Longing for those things still makes him free because that longing doesn’t get satisfied in the Roy family
excellent analysis. thank you. exceptional run down on shiv. most commenters lazily say "she's a bitch because she double crosses people". which is ridiculous because every main character does this. i appreciate you going deeper. i do think shiv and tom love each other though. i think tom knew from the beginning that shiv was damaged and that loving her would be a world of pain. but that her complexity (as well as her wealth) was a central part of her allure. he is a pain sponge after all. and i think shiv loves tom. but she doesn't know how to cope with the feeling. so she fights it. because of this every time she hurts him. she hurts herself. she is a pain sponge too. they both are and always will be, each others big love. romantic love is not the same as common decency or kindness. but it is no less valuable for that. it's a passionate, powerful force. and even in the final scene, with it's reluctant hand hold, the intensity of their feelings for each other is present.
I think they loved each other at one point (more him than her) but that love is gone especially by the scene where they argue on the terrace
@@FilmTheRightThing you may be right. i guess only the writers know. maybe it's just my age but i feel that their love survived that instance of blazing honesty and cruelty. love does sometimes. it just goes on. their baby is growing. a massive future connection. they are joined by so much shared memory and experience. what they have is a deep, complex relationship. a big difficult love.
@@FilmTheRightThing How do you explain Tom choosing to be with Shiv at the end?
@@karinagomez774 people often are more afraid of being alone then leaving a dead relationship
9:25 "But, Tom. He ate sh*t and did he was told." When I tell you I laughed so freaking hard, I laughed. I was not expecting that line. 😂
you're welcome :)
It was never about the money it was about status, a great quote to sum up 'SUCCESSION" I have watched this show from the beginning because of the brilliant writing and acting . Seeing it come to an end is so soon is unforgotten, but what and perfect finale. Your review just the show is worthy of all the rewards I'm sure it will receive. Thanks,yours is the only review I need to summarize our show, Perfect !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! continued success and good health 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks!
…and “the world sucks even for rich people” is a great statement too 😂
"Your boss wants subservient workers" Thank you, my thoughts exactly
Kendall is in the middle of his life but he’s already at the end?!?! 👏🏼
It really be like that sometimes unfortunately
@@FilmTheRightThing Or he could just try to be a better dad and become a family man.
@@akashreddy2928 he could try but I don't think that's what he wants and considering how he grew up he'll be less inclined to accept something he can't control
@@FilmTheRightThing All we can do it try man. As for Shiv, she is just so stupid. You (Shiv) think you are smarter than Kendall and you have seen him self destruct, so why not wait for an opportunity to get the top job. As Logan said, "you are not serious". They are just children
Jeremy Strong says that Kendall wants to die so.... that.
Having grown up in Australia whose media is owned by a couple of families, the main one being The Murdochs. Much of the content in Succession was very familiar. The other media moguls are Kerry Stokes who actually owns a TV network called ATN. Kendall reminds me of the rise and fall of Jamie Packer whose dad Kerry Packer was very much a Logan Roy and the Packer Dynasty was a Murdoch rival who carved up the country's entire media. Murdoch still owns 70% of Australia's media even though he hasn't been a citizen for over 3 decades. They say Lachlan Murdoch is even worse than Rupert. James and Elizabeth Murdoch bowed out ages ago, Rupert Murdoch has had control of the conservative LNP party and makes sure until recently not many leftist politician gets into power unless they suck up to him. Recently divorced and just turned 92, even Dominion won't destroy him. As his mother lived to 101, he may be around for another decade at least to haunt his kids, They say mean people live longer.
Waiting for him and Henry Kissinger to not exist anymore and they still cling on to life it’s so annoying
Wow, such a true statement. Evil does prevail do they last longer.
@@FilmTheRightThingAnd the Clintons. When they no longer exist, life will be better.
@@FilmTheRightThing What’s up with Kissinger?
@@bensquires2819 He's responsible for millions of deaths across the world just look him up
No, Tom actually loved Shiv. He was the only one coming from two parents still married. He wanted her to have his babies if he died, and hoped she would want that too. He was ambitious, yes, but he did love her, until she broke it all.
*did* being the operative word. I was speaking about the state of their relationship in the present tense. They don’t love each other anymore and they both had a big role to play in that.
I might be alone in this but I don’t see true love in the entire series from anyone. Tom never loved Shiv; he just used her to get to the top. For me, it is that simple.
@@anasofiatorres4357Tom’s love was a convoluted one. He definitely loved Shiv, he also saw a potential path to the top through her. Shiv’s love is the one you should call fake. She’s incapable of loving others or being selfless. She was with Tom bc she had like 10 different kinds of superiority over Tom. I think love exists in this context but it’s a super fucked up love.
The three of them are like toddlers who want what they want, because they want it...and because they want it, they will not play nice and share. They are children in adult bodies, playing grown up.
Great synopsis!
I had a hard time with this show because the characters were so unlikeable and no amount of money could make their lives attractive to me. (I was witness to some of that crowd when I lived in NYC years ago). There was never a question for me that the writing, acting, directing, cast, settings, etc. were exceptional; but I found myself asking "who cares about these people?" quite often.
Your breakdown / analysis of the characters and their arcs throughout the story are really interesting and make me like the show so much more. The desire to see them cross over and become more compassionate or "human" was there for me, but like you said: it wasn't who they were. Thanks for putting this video together.
Thanks for the comment! Yeah, I even think of Greg failing to try court Kendall’s assistant during Kendall’s birthday party and failing. Great show
This is an exceptional overview of the Succession Finale. The impotent hand hold foreshadowed the hollow future. Sad. Poignant. Disturbing.
Thank you!
I'm so glad you got time to do this. Loved the analysis of Shiv
Thanks! Yeah we’re gonna do stuff like this more often
I do actually think that the show is making a case for meritocracy (albeit unintentionally). It's just that in today's corporate America, merit doesn't actually mean hard work and business savvy. It means being like Tom: the pain-sponge. The nepo babies couldn't take the seat, because they are children playing outside their dad's office, they aren't "serious people". Tom is the one willing to take all the shit thrown his way. It's a screwed-up version of merit, but it makes sense in the world of the show.
Idk if that’s actually merit though, and also he wouldn’t be near that position if he wasn’t fucking the boss’s daughter
@@FilmTheRightThingAgree wholeheartedly.
First time seeing this channel. Was looking for videos about the Succession finale and this is hands down the best one I’ve seen.
Thanks! appreciate it, we’ll try to make more like this in the future
@@FilmTheRightThing please do. Yours was the best analysis of this whole program of any I’ve ever seen. Bravo. Thank you..🙄👏🏼👏🏼
@@sunnydaze2359 thanks!
What a beautiful love letter. Thank you for making this video.
Thanks for watching!
People seem to keep forgetting that Shiv gets the hundreds of millions if not billion dollar payout (along with her siblings), which would have been at risk under Kendall, while also having significant influence over Tom... Meanwhile it's a harsh view that she and Tom don't love each other despite their evident dysfunction... So in no way is she in the same position as her mother
She has no influence over Tom anymore and the things they do to each other is not love in any universe
Great video, loved the analysis.
Many comments suggest that Ken’s behavior (feet on the table among others) before the last board meeting made Shiv change her mind. I want to argue against that. I believe she was going to fu** him regardless (she spit in his King’s meal for crying out loud). I first thought that Ken’s decision to support Rom during the election night was the last drop for her. You could see her face melt down. But she came back after that. You can even argue that had Ken been composed enough, he could have convinced her during the last ‘confrontation’ but definitely lost her (and Rom) when he lied about the murder. Ultimately, her position was that Ken was not equipped or worthy for the job. She has been saying that from Day 1 (even to his face). His only claim to throne stemmed from the fact that he was or rather behaved as the eldest boy, and she resented that. The gender dynamics of her never reaching the top because of her gender were implicitly or explicitly evoked throughout the entire series. That was the main social comment embedded in her story arc, I believed. She resented that, tried to combat it, but ultimately failed, as she ended up as the wife, the child bearer, just like her mother. Her blood and motherness were her sole value. Her choices led her there. In the end, she was just as incompetent and egotistical as Ken was.
Rom’s smile at the end reminded me of Logan’s at the end of season 2, a mixture of relief, pride, worry, deep anger.
Thank youuu, yes exactly.
pretty great analysis man, essentially parroting my own conclusions but its nice to see it laid out and to catch nice little touches. Like shivs mom regretting having kids, as shiv follows her down this loveless road. In fact they further parallel each other with their marriages, clearly her mom and Logan were together for convenience and not love.
I had forgotten that season 1 Kendall ousting was in the same room as the finale, what a fantastic touch. And I like the connection that Logan had only reached that point at the end of his life, while Kendall is like 40 and completely alone with nothing to his name (aside from billions of dollars of course)
And I agree with part of your sentiments on Roman, the final shot and his general finale attitude suggests he’s done with this world and wants to go elsewhere. But as we saw in the penultimate episode, he’s becominng even more politically radicalized to the point of getting physical with strangers. Theres no glimmer of “hope”, in my mind he is leaving the business world to become a radicalized billionaire who will spend his newfound free time probably joining stormfront and going to nazi rallys soon enough.
And of course shout out to Tom, my man, spent so much time worrying about prison only to end up in one of his own creation. Dudes completely trapped in a situation where he will forever be eating others sh*t. He did so incessantly to get there and as a reward he gets to do that for the rest of his career, maybe even life if it runs him down like it did Logan.
Good stuff man! What a great show. Glad I clicked on a random video with like two views like this lol.
Thanks! we normally don't do essays like this, we normally just like to have fun but we're thinking of doing this more often.
True about Roman, I'm just hoping he got bonked on the head hard enough to realize he's not fit to be a part of the world he wants to be a part of.
Tom is not in a prison. You are so confused and missed the mark about Tom
Great points. Only, I don't think Roman was politically radicalized. Roman believes he has just failed his daddy. Roman antagonizes the protestors to purposefully punish himself, to recreate the pain of his deepest connection, his trauma bond with his father.
With all the "kids," this is not the END of their lives, they're young people with money; they can get therapy, they can recommit to healthy goals, Logan's dead, they can get out from under his poison.
@@wandabrown508 yeah Roman’s radicalism is due to his father being a right wing capitalist nut job and they all are, even if Shiv is sometimes presents herself as a liberal
@@FilmTheRightThing Lefties believe in capitalism too lol, literally every country on earth is capitalist. And I think Logan was more of an entrepreneur than a right wing radical, he saw a glut within the news industry and saw the demand for an opposing viewpoint and provided it to them, Tom said it best, "Im not going to offer them dietary advice if they want to eat red meat" or something to that end.
Kendall lost the throne the moment he kicked his feet up the table. Man has ZERO humility. Cannot even pretend to be humble for 2 straight seconds.
Well remember when they anointed him in the water the night before, he tried to hold back his excitement and they told him that he could smile and then he said “Happy Ken” which started the subsequent scenes of them being open with each other. He thought he was scott-free
I liked how Shiv’s hand hovered over Tom’s like the scorpion on the frog crossing the water. We all know that parable.
Okay - I’ve been watching opinions of the finale all week, but I like this one the best by far. There is also a great analysis by Dr. Ramani who is a narcissism expert and looked at the show exclusively through that lense - I highly recommend it. Well done here as well!
Thanks!
She completely misreads Shiv's motivations in the finale, so it's not a great analysis.
The best analysis of any series I’ve ever come across.
I’ll give you a follow (even though l do not normally watch analysis… it’s only that Succession’s ending really had me wound up the wrong way and you just gave it a semblance of salvageability).
Thanks! Appreciate it!
I remember Logan said to Kendall in one of the earlier seasons that he cant be CEO because he is not "Killer".
Now I remember from the first episode at the baseball field, a kid was asked to play and Rome would give him money if he touched base. Tom didn't let the kid touch base. It was so simple. It wouldn't have mattered. The kid winning would be really sweet but Tom was the asshole not Rome if you watch closely. I guess we cant define "Killer" in the traditional sense but we see one in the very beginning And its not a Roy.
Nice catch!
I remember when that "killer" line set up the twist at the end of that same episode and repaid it, but some of the fans never figured that out and keep holding onto that. As if Kendall's problem is that he's just not ruthless enough, which Logan thought in season 2 before proven wrong. I'm pretty sure that's definitely not one of his problems.
Logan gave the kid the watch Tom gave him for his birthday. Consulation prize :)
Some things people seem to be missing or have a different opinion on than me:
Tom loves money and got money and finally has an upper hand in his relationship. He is also more ruthless and better a better worker than for example Kendall ever was. To me it seems he's really been the closest to a Logan in his own corner of the company.
Mencken lost the election. They hinted at it in the final episode. Conor is going to be unemployed and Willa's not going to be able to do her play.
Shiv's actions were totally justified. Kendall had every chance to run the business and he just can't do it on any level.
Greg doesn't have any documents or info any more. He gave it all to Kendall and it turned out to be nothing. Tom really keeps him around cause he cares about Greg. They're the disgusting brothers. I even think he respects him. Greg slapped him and he still kept him. Closest thing to a love story in this show.
I forgot he gave the documents to Kendall but he still knows about everything so there’s something to that.
Conor’ll find a new grift he’s a billionaire libertarian there’s always space for a moron!
I don't agree that Shiv did the right thing. I think for the story it was the right thing, but not for her character. Kendall has failed on multiple occasions, but he has also succeeded. There's no reason to believe he would be worse at running the company than the Swedish con artist that doesn't know what he's getting into. I think the video's assessment is correct that Shiv picked the option she thought she could control better, which is Tom.
@@akaranzoShiv picks what's best for her not what she can control. Tom betrayed Shiv several times and actually hit her. How can she really control him
@@hmmm2564 She can control him better than she could control Kendall. Through him she also still has an ''in'' with Mattson. She kept him in an open relationship which only benefitted her lol, this was the first time he succeeded in outmaneuvering her. She'll go above him, talk to Mattson, probably cheat on him again and their cycle will keep going.
I finally understand why I am broke. I have got billions (inherited) and just through recently selling shares and holdings etc. I am carrying the child of this man who, through my unwitting recommendation to the buyer, just got his dream job, which will allow him continual access to "nice" things; this same man, whom I have a prenup agreement that his own lawyer, his MaMa (an attorney) described as "barbaric" and he signed it anyway. Since I have now cashed out of the company as the check is coming in my name, how does this man (Tom Wambsgans) have power over me, asks Shiv Roy. Are you talking about emotional or what?
Hey man, in order to make a tommlet you have to break a few Greg’s.
True
The commentary youtbe video on succession finale that best matches the literacy of the show's script writing. Good job man. Enjoyed your video.
Thanks!
I've seen a couple of finale analysis videos and you seem to be the only who said that Logan won which I agree.
A lot of other people have said the same thing.
Thanks! Yeah it’s fine if other people have said the same thing that’s what’s fun about films and television any way, that we could watch something with this much moral ambiguity and come to similar conclusions.
I'm confused as to how people are not seeing this
@@jada9401 people see what they wanna see in what they’re watching
Except this time, with the sale of Waystar, he's definitely dead.
What a powerful conclusion to an incredible drama. Hoping the siblings make up and create something together like they would’ve early on in the season. If only they could realize that’s the most important thing above money and power, is family. 😢
The only series where that conclusion is realized is Fast and Furious I’m afraid lol
Best description of the show I’ve come across, I feel better now
Thanks for the compliment and you’re welcome! the show is also even more fun to watch now that we know everything
A little bit late to the party but as I finished this show, I just cannot function for a day. Fucking perfectly upsetting.
It really takes the wind out of your sails doesn’t it?
@@FilmTheRightThing it does! I was hearbroken but couldn’t have it in any other way.
This is brilliant. Deserves more views.
Thanks!
I loved and hated this finale. It was so good but I KNEW that Kendall wouldn’t win, which saddens me a little. You spend 4 seasons rooting for a guy and his ending is just..super sad
Such is a tragedy!
You rooted for Ken Doll??
@@DSPHistoricalSociety I was rooting for all of them for different reasons
@@DSPHistoricalSociety Shiv (knife), Romulus (the story). I couldn’t understand Kendall but the Oh… BRO. KEN. Indeed.
@@sophiasage1379 the neutered one
Awesome analysis, great video
Thanks!
I watched this show without any prior knowledge, without any trailers, without knowing the genre or the plot,but the very first episode gave me the idea that Kendall would need to be as ruthless or even more ruthless than Logan in the end to get what he wanted. And believed that's how the show would go. But no,it didn't. Even though I thought Logan constantly telling Ken that he isn't a killer and the season 02 finale was his answer that he indeed has what it takes to be the man. The show was setup mostly around Ken and Logan going back and forth and I had hoped to see Ken winning it all in the end for what he has went through. As for Rom,he fumbled,and he wasn't right for the job. As for Shiv,she always screwed her family being selfish, didn't matter with whom she was aligning herself,and probably the worst among all the siblings. She married Tom cause he was a submissive and talked about having an open relationship after marriage and cheated multiple times. Especially finale,after giving her approval of appointing Ken as the king,she still couldn't tolerate it,yet she tells him she loves him? I don't think she loves anyone. And that's why she'll never even be a good mother, which Tom knows it too. As for Tom,he didn't win anything, he's just a CEO on paper and would just be a puppet,like he always has been,and I don't mind cause he's happy about it. I feel for Kendall,from the very first scene of the series to the end of the finale,it was all about him getting his place as the main man. He's been working for it,for years,unlike the other two. So a bittersweet ending is what I would say. That being said,as someone who wanna pursue this line of filmmaking,I would have ended the finale too like this. Writers literally hit a 10/10.
In the final episode they agreed that Kindell will be the CEO but like they did always their agreement never Last, when Kindell sit on the Office and act so comfortable that triggered Shiv again and she said in her mind what they always say " that could've be me no way I will make him win ".
Great analysis 👍🏻
Thanks!
Tom was collecting skulls and harvesting eyeballs. Only one from the bunch. That''s why he was chosen. It was a business decision.
great analysis!
Thanks!
I haven't heard one essay mention that Shiv was pregnant with Tom's baby when she made the ultimate decision and if that's not "America" then nothing is.
True :)
Shiv was such a petty monster and loser
Great video mate gutted that it’s over
Don’t cry because it’s over be happy because it happened!
Yes... this is the best finale review i've seen so far. and ive watched 8 other top ones!!!
Wow, thanks!
I think it’s a bit limiting to say that Shiv and the others can’t love; the point of Succession isn’t that these people are incapable of loving others (we’ve repeatedly seen the opposite), but that this doesn’t stop them from inevitably doubling down on their worst traits and self sabotaging themselves away from progress.
And on special note to Shiv and Tom, they wouldn’t have been able to hurt each other to that degree if there was no love involved. Their love, and by larger extent love as Shiv can conceptualize it, is gritty, toxic, betrayal inducing and inextricably tied with power. I think that’s far more interesting than there being no love at ALL
To clarify I don’t think they’re born without love or anything but their environment stamps that love out. Those bad traits that they use to protect themselves end up being who they are, like Tom wasn’t born in that environment and by the time we got to the finale everyone’s loveless. There’s a scene in episode 2 when Conor leaves that colorful room where they had that last convo with Logan where Conor talks about being able to live without love feels like a precursor to the rest of their lives.
They’re narcissist; they’re incapable of not. He’s right.
there was such relief in the "we're bullshit" lines. like just let it GO.
@@berryreadable so I’m curious- do you think all of the instances of them clearly caring about one another in the show are some sort of mass hallucination on part of the viewers?
@@MariaSantos-uo3pb It’s the nuance of the word “love.” They’re nice to each other when they’re useful to each other or not in competition. But they then immediately backstab each other in order to pursue their own ambitions.
So no it isn’t a hallucination, but that isn’t love to me. If you think it is, that’s fine. Narcissists usually just use people on whether they can give them a narcissistic supply in order to feel superior (Logan), or if they can use them in order to get ahead.
That’s not love to me. That’s just toxicity since they had a loveless childhood by two narcissistic parents. The siblings are very trauma bonded to each other, too.
Love is through action. It’s not merely saying the words.
This’ll be my last response to it.
It's funny how a persons favorite sibling will tell you so much about them. Your favorite is obviously Shiv.
I don’t have a favorite
Tom did change throughout the series. He betrayed Shiv because he realized that he really meant nothing to her. In the end, Tom did exactly what Shiv would have done and deep down she respected him for that.
The quote: "You're not serious people" is such a powerful statement to the millennial generation.
I think it will stay with me for decades to come. Wonderful show
The thing is, in real life, taking the 💩 most often back fires. Tom was smart in that he positioned himself well (ex: married Shiv) while taking the 💩
Shiv and Tom kept their wedding rings all the season 4. Except Tom who doesn't have it at the start of e1 but has it at the end of it.
If Shiv had voted for Ken she would've definitely Tom and the possibility of a real relationship with him.
She also want a less dysfunctional mother thn her own.
It's like transaction. The position of CEO for him against a real relationship for her.
Besides, she must thought that Ken would put her behind his friend Stewy.
She made the best decision for everyone.
Now, they're free from their father's grip.
It's up to them to make their own way even if the loss of Waystar is painful, especially for Ken.
Wrong. Shiv didn't pick Tom because she thinks she can control him. She didn't pick Tom but Mattson because Shiv realized that Kendall would be a disaster and run Waystar to the ground in no time. Shiv chose the option in her mind most likely to be a succes and Tom is a part of that option.
That’s what she said but that’s not the entirety of her intention. No one in this show does something for only one reason. There’s a build up of things over time for each of the main characters. If you take what they’re saying at face value all the time, you’re missing out on a lot.
@Film The Right Thing Well, she only said the part about Kendall and although you are right that we shouldn't take what the characters says at face value I do believe what Shiv says when she's angry is the truth. Actually I think all of the characters are truthful when they are angry. It's the only time the don't manipulate
I think that after Shiv talked to Sandi (with Stewie) before the vote; Roman's hesitation at his vote; the way Sandi said that she and her father wanted out during their vote, Shiv started thinking about a total breakaway. Yes, Tom got the coveted position, but it is not like Logan anointed him (maybe he did from the grave). Just like Matsson said he did not want the Roy name, he will get some of the hands-on experience of someone who worked with Logan. Tom knows that he is a hired hand. Kendall should have given Shiv her thinking moment.
Shiv was the only real competitor to Kendall. It was either let Ken win and lose or let Ken lose and win something. She's spiteful of Kendall not because she cares about the company but only herself.
@@adityadas5820 If Shiv does not look out for Shiv, who will??? Certainly not her brothers. There is a real possibility that Tom Wambsgans will. Logan built the company and it should die with him, since he did not think enough of his children to designate any of them the heir apparent. The children would have undercut each other until the end.
Tom is just a figurehead at the end. He won’t be able to purchase a box of paper clips without Matsson’s authorization.
Exactly
this is amazing
Thanks!
Out of all the analysis videos i have watched, this is by far the most accurate.
Thanks!
Very sad ..i feel sorry for kendell . Ending was veey dusturbing and ciuldnt sleep that night . Love the brilliance of this series ..out of the world
Started the series on a Thursday, watched the entire thing by that next Tuesday lol
Oh wow that’s impressive
Well said brother I enjoyed this.
Thanks :)
Nahh you're off man.
This finale was much more than what you portrayed.
Especially Tom, he finally came out on top in his "relationship/marriage/competition". He's been a serious person throughout the series.
I started the video saying “I can’t possibly unpack all of this right now” and no, Tom winning doesn’t mean he actually won. He lost much more than whatever material gains he was awarded in the process of ruining every aspect of his life, just like every other character.
I'd hardly call the guy who used a subordinate as human furniture a "serious person". He's just the biggest boot-licker in the world, and Mattson wanted someone who he could control like a marionette
@@brendanpierce96 true
I think Roman smiles at the end , when he realises, what Shiv was at all along , she always intended shafting Kendall , also he's probably happy the game and fighting is over and he didn't loose.
Maybe I went to the dark side but I almost took as he was about to drown himself in alcohol as a way to deal with the grief and pain. The way he smiles at it made me think ahh yes something that makes the sadness go away.
Sucks to say that Roman… was right in the end.
I still feel bad for Kendall though, in spite of his heavy flaws.
At least Siobhan got what she deserved… mostly.
Tom is correct in that Shiv shouldn't have children. Tom would've been a bettee father than Shiv would've been a mother, that's for sure.
they would all be terrible at it in different ways
Tom from the beginning showed that he was a winner. He was a dick to greg, snobbish, and willing to get his hands dirty. He's a winner.
When Roman started firing everyone thinking he was a big boss I knew he was going to get his karma. 😮
It was hard for me to digest that one episode because he’d be so clumsy in the past that she him take decisive consequential action was kinda jarring in a good way
Great analysis! Roman being free, I am head-canoning a vision of him going out into the world to find himself after this and hiring an aging dominatrix to help him through his trauma
That would be hilarious
Potential plothole to me: When theyre on the phone with that guy at their moms house, they ask him if three leaders would work, and he says no, and they all agree. The only problem though is they have the votes, they dont have to worry about perception at that point, they can just announce their plan, put it to a vote, and game over, the Roys rule Waystar.
They could do a vote of no confidence later and also if the people who were going to vote for kendall found out they were going to split it 3 ways they could have switched the votes for Gojo
@@FilmTheRightThing They only needed Sid (or whatever that guys name was) and he wouldve backed Kendals decision if Ken had said it would be all three, Euwin was going to vote against it either way, so they wouldve won a vote of no confidence if it came to that too.
One of the first people I’ve see recognise that Tom didn’t win either
There is no winning!
Tom won what he wanted to win though, he didn’t want the live his parents had financially and with becoming ceo he never will
Great analysis but disagree with your Tom opinion partly. He started as a sidekick but ultimately became his own man through shrewd tactics. He now holds the cards and has power of Shiv. Tom is dumb like a fox but also Shiv causing him so much despair numbed his feelings. Tom showed he was willing to sacrifice just like Logan and be a killer especially when he stays at work instead of attending the funeral. Logan would have been proud of that decision.
He can’t be his own man if he’s Matsson’s puppet. Sure Logan had to answer to the board and share holders but Logan had a tight grip on the board and the share holders sold more often every time he had to differ power to his kids, either in sickness or in death.
@@FilmTheRightThing the puppet is overstated! Mattson still needs Tom as his bridge to American approval. Sure does Tom have to play second fiddle but he has that as leverage. I was hoping he was going to tell Shiv to kick rocks at the end but love how now she has to bend the knee to Tom.
@@HowieFeltersnatchMDHe is the puppet! Regardless of how much character development there was, Tom is still Tom and that is only reason Mattson chose him. Because he sensed Shiv had the power to fk him over so instead if there a guy like who also checks all the boxes while being like a slave to him he's golden.
@@adityadas5820 everyone in business isna puppet to a degree, even mattson and logans, they serve the share holders, tom is ceo in name and an asset to mattson, toms goal wasnt to be logan roy or mattson personality wise, he wanted to climb the corporate ladder, the status, the ceo position, the money and rich lifeatyle and he got just that, he made out well big picture, hes a puppet at his job but its a job not his outside life
Great video!Ig would be great to have subtitles though
Sorry! We’ll try better in the future
Shiv didn't not become her mother
Uhhhhhhhhh
The end scene with Kendall slightly reminded me of the final scene of Godfather Part 2 where Michael is sat looking old and alone and very remorseful!
The final scene of godfather 3 came to mind too
There are so many brilliant references to great works of literature in this show. One that stands out to me is a clever inversion. Roman is essentially found "guilty" of being an "outsider", not because of the horrible things he has done, but because he cried at his father's funeral. I wonder if the writers were intentionally referring to Meursault, in Camus', "The Outsider", who was convicted, not because he committed murder, but because he DIDN'T cry at his mother's funeral.
Interesting
i think Shiv made the right call in the end.
In terms of how functional their disfunction is going to be, probably not. But as far as what’s best for everyone individually, yes and no. Business wise, imo any closer we get to a monopoly is usually a bad thing. But again depends on how you choose to look at it!
The children always thought they deserved it because they grew up in that world.. Tom earned it because he "fought" his way in.. that was the one thing they could never understand
It was so perfect when Tom offered his hand to Shiv. Or more so subtly commanded her to take his hand. She loved all of those years of using her family's wealth and position to emasculate Tom. Then, like the Rolling Stones sang, "the change has come, she's under my thumb." Shiv had Tom by his balls then he had her by her....
She is still rich it will take tom 10 lifetimes to earn 3 billion dollars, he is just a ceo who doesn't have any equity in the company, I mean she still has upper hand on him she is still the superior one but now tom is also rich he won't need shiv to be rich anymore and outside waystar what matters is money not the position
If the story kept going, it probably ends with kendall dying early, and the other two blowing most of the money. tbh.
Probably true on the first part, I think they have way too much money to spend in one life time right now
Amazing analisis, Logan was the ultimate winner, even in death
Thanks!
Would disagree that every season surpassed the previous. The 2nd and 4th were the best IMO, followed by the 1st. Even though the third was the worst, it was still great.
to each their own!
Watched the entire series in a month
Nice
You know I really hated the ending but you've showed another perspective. I'm glad no one got a happy ending lol
Good! yeah none of them were going to get it, just wasn’t meant to be
Tom is the symbol of success : just follow the boss, just follow the best of them ... Don't say no, don't try to fuck him, just follow and say "yes". When he wanted to be sacrified, he got a point, because he followed the boss. When you don't have money, the CEO is just the dog of main shareholder...
depends on what you identify as success
@@FilmTheRightThing success in this kind of businesses. If you want to hike to the top of the budiling, you have to be the best dog ever ... If the main shareholder say "i want to fuck your wife", you answer "ok i understand, no point"
@@hectorgarcia3675 exactly, logan roy and mattson even have to do this becuase they serve the share holders, u see it briefly when that share holder who met with logan and ken talked to logan like he was a piece of shit, logan sat there and ate it, tom still has alot of power as puppet ceo and will cal alot of shots, but mattson over him and he has to get in line the same way the share holdwrs are over mattson and he has to get in line when it comes to them
Exactly, Tom didn't win nobody won
except for Logan depending on how you look at it
@@FilmTheRightThing Logan died on a plane, without anyone he loved. Instead he had Karl and Frank and Tom.
Shortly before his death Logan wandered alone and pathetically tried to console himself by calling his employee ‘my best pal’.
But Logan didn’t really love anyone. He loved wealth, and power, and business. So dying on the way to a big deal might be a win for that twisted old man
@@spewter again depending on how you look at it
Tom got exactly what he wanted.
Shiv ended up a Queen instead of sister to the King, she made her a pile of money from the sale of Waystar Royco. By staying with Tom she is still privy to the Private Jets, Helicopters, Yachts, and other Benefits. I would say Shiv won.
HI, with all due respect, I don't fully agree w/your view re Shiv; I think She was really the most Ruthless of the 3 main siblings, & what she did to Kendall at the series end so soon after the heartwarming scene btwn the 3 of em you referred to in Barbados, was a Heartless & selfish total betrayal of Kendall, I think due to petty jealousy or resentment of him & maybe thinking she could manipulate her way Bk into GojoWaystar w/ Tom being president, Or at least have some influence. However I think Kendall is a far better & more Moral man than you seem to think, & that If CEO He would've given Shiv a vice president or COO position as he said he would, IF she had voted NO to GoJo taking over as she had promised to the nite before; so I think Shiv shot herself in the foot by voting for GoJo to take over.
I felt devastated for Kendall who BTW was my Favorite character thru the series, as I believe Kendall had the Best heart & moral or ethical convictions , but as his Vicious abusive dad Logan constantly put him Down & near the end of Seas 2 was willing to let Kendall go to Jail for crimes Logan knew about on the cruise lines, Kendall was compelled to speak out Against his dad at end of seas & was Morally right to do so! I also think of the 3 of them he was the Most qualified to take over as CEO near end of seas 4. So, I Don't feel sorry for Shiv at all, as she dug her own grave & likely destroyed the relationship btwn her & Kendall by Betraying him so heartlessly at the end of the series.😥💔 BTW in season 4 episode 1 The 3 siblings committed to buy Pierce broadcasting, so what the Hell happened with that? They were each going to have billions of dollars After GoJo bought Way Star, so IF she'd stayed on good terms w/Kendall the 3 of them could've run Pierce broadcasting. So what the Hell, did the writers drop the ball? Not mentioning Pierce broadcasting & the fact that they committed to Nan to buy it for 10 Million in last half of Seas 4 Annoyed me & seems to be an Unanswered plot hole.🤔☹️
It’s okay to disagree, I just think they’re all heartless and terrible in their own way, there’s definitely a way in for the audience to empathize with most of the characters but the decisions they make in the final episodes determines how you feel about them. I found them all pathetic in the best way possible
Its basically just a very realistic take on life. World of difference between childhood fantasies of success and the actual hard, soul and mind crushing work you have to do to get there. It really isnt for everyone and Roy kids couldnt bridge that gap
Stupid analysis with Shiv and Tom tbh. Shiv didn't not become her mother and she actually loves Tom. There are so many instances she's proven this and Tom the sympathetic one also loved her but the two of them can't help but put themselves first. Shiv meant it in s1 and was actually offered ceo earlier but rejected it. If you've read the scripts you'll realize that Shiv actually loved Tom because her character is not vocal and expresses much through her facial expressions and subtle hints.
Why would I read the scripts when I can watch the show
@@FilmTheRightThing With the scripts you can actually understand the characters better especially Shiv and know what they're actually thinking and motives. Sarah tries her best to portray what Shivs character is actually thinking with facial expressions with the scripts you can get more in depth. If you really want to make character Analysis you have to understand the Show and characters more in depth and know why they are doing what they are doing because not everything is left bare on the show. I might just be a hater
Armstrong confirmed that Shiv made her decision purely out of jealousy. Yes it is open to interpretation, as art is and should be, but I fucking hate how people are comparing this as ONE OF THE WORST ENDINGS LIKE GOT. Like, how? Did we watch the same thing?
People are brain dead and think Succession is a show where good things are supposed to happen just because they like the characters. Also a lot of people online complaining are usually para social teenagers so take it with a grain of salt
Armstrong would know! But even if he hadn't said that... the stuff about killing the waiter and securing the bloodline doesn't ring true. Both of those points were old news, pre-Barbados news. Yes, like the video says, she envies the brothers. I do think she loved/s Tom on some level, but she is unhealthy. Also, I'm glad the video brings up the Tom CEO original plan, as well, as many commenters seem to have forgotten.
I have yet to see anyone hate this ending tbh
@@rwh1818It was plan Shiv's, too !
Couldn't wait to see the open business marriage would have now that he has the upper hand and not Shiv. Would he be a loyal husband or would he repay SHiv's promiscuity
Knowing his emotional attachment to her, even after everything they’ve said and done to each other, he would wait to see if their relationship heals which it probably won’t
9:44
This part was the most confusing usage of mixed up metaphorage here
I was genuinely confused as to wether madson wanted to screw shiv over OR have sexy times with her??? And after watching the whole show im still not 100% clear tbh 🤷🏻♂️
He can want to screw her and still want to have sex with her, that’s misogyny 101