‘Succession’ Finale: The Game of Thrones Has Ended
A photo from the production of episode 410 of “Succession”. Photo: David M. Russell/HBO ©2023 HBO. All Rights Reserved.
In any story, a good twist is not one that has the biggest shock value, but instead one that has a deep understanding of the story and as such, is able to reframe the entire narrative up until that point. In fact, the best twists in film history have been simply reveals about something the viewer could have easily spotted on their own had they paid close attention. The Succession finale holds a twist for the ages, not because it was surprising, but because it was foreseen by those who could read between the lines, and also because it recontextualizes the entire story of the show for those who didn’t see it coming.
Spoilers ahead for all of Succession.
The twist of the finale is not that Lukas came out on top, or that Tom was annointed CEO of Waystar. It’s that, at its very core, this was always a fight over the remote between the three siblings. We can pretty much look back at the entire series and easily rewrite any conflict between the main characters as teenagers arguing and their dad looming in the background. Sometimes he’ll get pulled in, sometimes he just watches. But in the end, this was all a second chance at the childhood they never had, and the fight between Roman and Kendall in that room at the very end of the episode emphasized as much.
None of them had ever any chance at the throne; Kendall never realized this as he desperately tried to cling on to the promise his dad made him when he was 7, to live up to what he thought he’d been raised to do. But Roman is the first one to notice it — it is all bullshit. Shiv may have been the one to hault the plans, but that’s only because by that point Roman was completely defeated and left feeling with the middle-son syndrome. He was the one to come to the realization first, was later dragged back into the fight by his two siblings, all of it paid off with one simple truth: he just wanted his dad to notice him and the only time he was happy was when he felt acknowledged by him.
The finale, titled “With Open Eyes”, was at its finest when it focused on the three siblings. The scene in the kitchen room was both delightful to watch and a preview of what was coming — these are just kids hanging out while their parents are away. The scene where they watch their dad have some genuine moments with his lifelong friends, and not arguing about corporate strategies, was quite poignant. And all of that leads into the mid-meeting fight, where it’s all laid out in front of our eyes by Kendall: “I am the eldest boy”. That was the twist.
Let’s talk about Tom winning the Succession
As we’ve been arguing here, there are many sides to see Succession from. It’s corporate America drama, it’s a semi-fictional exposé on Fox News, a family drama about children who grew up with a distant father, and many more. But here’s one more — you can really look at Succession as modern-day Game of Thrones. Take out the fantasy element and realize that both shows kick off with one simple premise — the King doesn’t have much time left on his throne and the kingdom needs to pick the next in line. The most striking similarity is that in neither show any of the candidates have any real idea what to do once they get to the throne; they just want to sit on it because of what it represents. In the end, it was Bran.
Tom winning the entire corporate Game of Thrones can definitely be considered a twist, but unlike the shock value that Bran’s reveal held, in the case of Tom, it made actual sense. None of the siblings were ever going to make it there, because the story was actually about how they were not fit to be CEOs. (Logan wanted to sell the company, despite whatever fantasy scenarios they came up with.) But it made narrative sense for one of our main characters to end up on top, and Tom was really the perfect candidate. Matsson wanted a puppet, and that’s ultimately all that Tom has been for the entire series. A power-hungry suit with not many ideas of his own other than wanting money and respect among his colleagues and wife. Slow and steady won the race here, and as it turned out, he had (somehow) earned the respect of his colleagues, and his final power move got him close to his wife, though probably not for the reason he really wanted.
There are layers upon layers of character drama to unpack here, which is what made Succession one of the best television series ever.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
