I Know What Will Happen At The End Of ‘Succession’

HBO just dropped a new, full length trailer for the fourth and last season of Succession, prompting me to wonder just how on earth creator Jesse Armstrong plans to wrap things up.

I have many complicated thoughts and feelings about the possibilities which I’ve organised neatly into a set of ironclad predictions on how Succession will end. 

Kendall Roy Dies or Goes To Jail

I’ve long believed, and even written about, the parallels between Kendall Roy and BoJack Horseman. They’re both haunted by water motifs, they both have substance abuse issues and horrible abusive parents, and they’ve spent a great majority of their time on TV covering up their involvement in an accidental death.

In the series finale of BoJack Horseman, BoJack is finally forced to reckon with the legal, ethical, and emotional consequences of the harm he’s caused. It’s a reckoning that sees him ostracised, on death’s door and incarcerated. It’s easy to see Kendall arriving at a similar fate, especially since BoJack Horseman has been referenced within Succession.

Lest we forget, Kendall has (inadvertently) killed someone and never experienced any sort of retribution for it beyond his father’s torment. Kendall’s suicide has also been teased throughout the seasons, with one of Season 3’s cliff-hangers being his attempt to drown himself. Will Kendall succeed in his personal death-wish or finally reap the consequences of his actions?

Connor Roy, The Great Successor

In discussions about which Roy sibling could inherit the empire, eldest son Connor is almost always left out. Even when it came to the sibling team-up against Logan in the Season 3 finale, Connor was nowhere to be found.

But perhaps this invisibility and disregard will finally see him win Logan’s favour. As the only one of Logan’s children who hasn’t attempted an insurgence, Connor is now uniquely placed as the most trustworthy Roy offspring — at least to Logan.

If his failed run for president is an indicator, Connor is the only one of his siblings who aligns with the conservative values espoused by the company. Couple that with the fact he expresses a genuine interest in leadership that isn’t motivated by petty sibling rivalry, and Connor’s ominous comments to Kendall that he will learn who is truly the first born — and suddenly Connor’s ascension doesn’t seem so far fetched.

An Illegitimate Heir

Now, most of us hopefully remember the reveal at the end of Season 3 that Logan was possibly dieting to increase his fertility as he continues his relationship with Kerry. But, hear me out, what if there already is another heir to the Waystar Royco throne?

This is probably the most outlandish of my theories, but I do think it’s possible that Logan has another adult child out there somewhere that the Roy siblings don’t know about. After all, a man that hides everything from mass corporate cover-ups, to billions of dollars of debt, to plots to oust his own flesh and blood would surely not be above hiding another child from his kids.

That said, I don’t think HBO wants another repeat of a Bran Stark-style unexpected ending to a series. Still, I can’t quite bring myself to put the theory to bed.

Logan Roy Will Die… On His Birthday

There is nothing, and I mean nothing, quite as satisfying as a show bringing us back to how it all started. Creator Jesse Armstrong strikes me as someone who relishes in a little dramatic irony, especially if his Black Mirror episode ‘The Entire History of You’ or the ending of his other Emmy award-winning series Veep are anything to go by.

Succession began with the dramatic possibility of Logan Roy dying from a stroke on his 80th birthday. It’s been Logan’s denial of his own mortality that fuels much of the show’s drama.

What a finale it would be for Logan Roy to die. After all, it’s his death that’ll make the succession of any of his children possible.

Shiv Will Divorce Tom And Leave The Company

Unlike Roman and Kendall — who Logan torments with the prospect of leadership by placing them in positions just below him — Shiv isn’t even granted an illusion of power. Her father frequently dangles the prospect in front of her to keep her close. But if Logan’s betrayal in the Season 3 finale is indicative of anything, it’s that Logan will never give power to any of his kids, least of all Shiv. And he’ll even use her own husband to rob her of what little power she has.

This is why that final shot of Season 3, a close-up of Shiv’s furious face as she realises the extent of the betrayal she’s suffered, is so powerful. It’s the moment she knows the truth — that the people with the ability to give her what she wants will do anything to make sure she doesn’t get it.

Personally, I think ‘betrayed your hostile takeover to your dad for a promotion’ is legitimate grounds for a divorce and Shiv will find better employment elsewhere. Maybe running Connor’s presidential campaign..?

Roman Will Have Sex With… [Drumroll]

And finally, the least possible yet not entirely implausible Season 4 theory is: Roman Roy will fuck Alexander Skarsgard’s Lukas Matsson. Theories of Roman Roy’s *ahem* deal when it comes to sex have revolved around the possibility that he’s gay. Everything about Roman, from his flirtatiously crude conversations with men to his unwillingness to have sex with women, to the way he sits, has been labelled as queer-coding.

Is he gay? Who can say, but the sexual tension between Roman and Lukas has been palpable. As Kendall once said in the show’s first season, “business is my fucking” and considering that the biggest business to be dealt with in Season 4 is the acquisition and merger of Waystar with Matsson’s company GoJo — negotiations of which have mostly gone down between Matsson and Roman — give me one good reason why them smashing isn’t plausible. I’ll wait.

The fourth and final season of Succession kicks off on  March 27th on Foxtel and BINGE.