Similar to a series like Game of Thrones, one of the many intriguing elements of Succession was wondering which character would ultimately “win” the prize of running Waystar-Royco, with the events of the series kicking off when Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) was shocked to learn Logan Roy (Brian Cox) wouldn’t be retiring when he said he would. With the series now having concluded and a new CEO of Waystar-Royco being announced, the figure who takes on the position within the media conglomerate revealed that they had known for years that creator Jesse Armstrong aimed to make their character the new CEO, even if it took two seasons for that plan to come to fruition.
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WARNING: Spoilers below for the series finale of Succession
In the final episode of Succession, rather than the Roy children managing to secure enough votes to keep the company in the family name, the company was acquired by GoJo and Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) was named the CEO of the empire. The actor confirmed how long he knew that this would be the endgame of the narrative.
When asked by Variety when he knew how the story would end up, Mcfadyen shared, “Maybe halfway through? Jesse was very open with us all on set, and said, ‘If you want to know, come and see me.’ Sometimes you don’t want to know — the other two seasons, I’d hadn’t known. But I sort of knew it was coming to an end. And so I thought, let’s find out.”
Unlike a series like Game of Thrones, the backstabbings and betrayals in Succession are much more subtle and nuanced, which arguably makes them more powerful. In the final episode specifically, Sarah Snook’s Shiv Roy starts the episode supporting the GoJo takeover of Waystar-Royco, as she is led to believe she will be named CEO, and when she realizes she’s only one possibility, she then decides to support her siblings, namely Kendall, becoming the CEO. In the final minutes of the series, Shiv has a change of heart, and while this seals her own fate of leaving the company, her marriage to Tom does allow her to profit from the situation and potentially even prosper from it.
Of the series’ complicated trajectory, Mcfadyen expressed, “Well, complicated in the sense that because this was only Episode 4, I hadn’t seen the scripts for those episodes. So it was lots to digest — the whole thing of Shiv being in cahoots with Matsson, and then him betraying her. All the endless iterations of their alliances, the siblings, and all that. So that was a lot to follow. And also, you as an actor — I’ve said this a lot, and it’s true — but you sort of forget the details. Because it’s quite useful to forget them in case you get over-attached to them — because they may change.”
The Succession series finale is now streaming on Max.
What did you think of the ending? Let us know in the comments!
