Chris Connor reviews the series finale of Succession…
As Succession finally draws to a close after four seasons of the highest quality, just how would the Roy story pan out? Will the siblings retain control of Waystar Royco or will GoJo and Lukas Matsson get their deal over the line? This season has been building to the showdown between the Roys and board members to decide the company’s fate and somewhat the fate of Logan’s children themselves. Many theories were circulating in the run-up to this episode: was Logan secretly alive, would Greg pull the ultimate underdog story and get control or some other unforeseen outcome?
A show’s legacy can ultimately be forged by its finale and whether it stuck the landing; for every Game of Thrones that sank horribly there is a Mad Men or Fleabag that managed to go out on a high, alternatively on the more controversial end we have The Sopranos, the ending of which remains a talking point 16 years on from its conclusion. Succession appears to be joining the pantheon of great TV finales, rounding off a phenomenal final season of television that upended expectations numerous times but never felt like it was a cheap trick or belittling its audience.
Jesse Armstrong was involved in the finales of Peep Show and The Thick of It, which felt like they perfectly rounded off their character’s arcs and plotlines with a sense of finality and here feels no different. This feels like a natural endpoint for all involved and the work of all involved, helps it go out on the highest possible note with numerous twists and turns, keeping the Roys firmly at the centre of proceedings and cleverly keeping Matsson more on the fringes.
An extended run time works well, ensuring the company’s fate isn’t rushed and having some more meditative moments that focus on Kendall, Roman and Shiv and their mother Caroline, as they ponder possible outcomes and how they can manoeuvre the vote to their side. Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook have been unbelievable throughout this final season, trying to ensure the future of the company while dealing with grief for their father’s death and all their work across the show’s four seasons comes to a head here with moments that are as excruciating as one might expect and showing exquisite chemistry.
Would it be Succession if it went to script or had a happy ending? The trials and tribulations of the deal with GoJo gave this season it’s narrative thrust and made us appreciate what we’ve come to love and hate about the Roys over the course of the show’s run, for every breakdown there is an immediate betrayal.
Jesse Armstrong and co. deserve full credit for the way the show has ended and knowing when to end it, rather than four seasons of incredibly strong TV then dragging it out to a point where it is a shadow of its former self. We will likely be looking to Succession and its final season as a template for how and when shows should end, going out in the best possible fashion, befitting the show’s legacy.
Chris Connor
