At long last, the “Succession” series finale aired. Spoiler alert: The future of Waystar Royco came down to an explosive showdown between Shiv, Roman, and Kendall. All season long, the Roy siblings fought for control of their family’s company against — and sometimes for — acquisition by a Swedish tech giant. KCRW breaks down the show’s finale and final season with “Succession” writer and co-executive producer Georgia Pritchett.
“We obviously in the writers’ room, we talked long and hard about it, and felt that the sort of correct ending was that really no one can win.”
She compares the situation to a “poison pill” — a defense mechanism employed by company directors to prevent a hostile takeover — and says the kids themselves were doomed from the start.
“We talked about whether Logan would have employed that kind of strategy. And I felt that he didn't need to because he had essentially inserted a poison pill into the DNA of his children, and that if only they could stick together, they would win. But his true legacy is that they cannot stick together and they cannot trust each other. And so they lose.”
Core to the finale is Shiv’s betrayal at the hand of Lukas Mattson, the billionaire CEO of GoJo and the man behind the acquisition of Waystar Royco. He names Tom Wambsgans — Shiv’s husband — as the company’s new head.
But at the 11th hour, instead of backing her brothers Roman and Kendall, she sides with Tom, and votes for the company’s acquisition.
The move, as Pritchett describes it, shows just how much Shiv couldn’t handle the decision.
“That moment where Kendall sits in Logan's chair, and then within seconds, has his feet on the desk — I think that is very hard for Shiv to stomach. It was so nearly her, wasn't it? I mean, how often do people choose an empty suit over a talented woman? It's depressing.”
She adds, “The siblings are just too dysfunctional to be able to work together and be a team. So she would rather it was nobody than Kendall.”
But despite Tom’s ascension to CEO, Pritchett points out that Shiv and her husband’s ending is chilling.
“They didn't look happy, did they? Our thinking was with such a toxic company and toxic family … it would feel wrong if there were winners. Even though Tom wins in theory, it feels a little bit of a hollow victory, doesn't it? It doesn't feel like it's gonna make him a happy person.”
Ultimately, she argues that Tom might’ve been the best choice.
“The joy of writing for these characters over four seasons is seeing them change and develop, often in a horrible, disturbing way. But Tom is the perfect man for that job. He is a pain sponge. He was willing to go to prison for Logan. He's kind of a scapegoat sacrificial lamb. He will just soak up any amount of horribleness. And it's kind of terrifying, really, that he is willing to do that in the name of money and power.”