The Succession Finale Resurrected The Show's Most Devastating Subplot In A Perfect Way
This post contains spoilers for the series finale of "Succession."
Part of the fun (and frustration) of "Succession" is that there are never any real consequences for the characters' actions. Yes, they might not get to have the CEO role they've always wanted, but are they ever risking jail time for the unethical, legally questionable things they do? Not really, no. The only characters who ever had to worry about prison were Tom and Greg, and even that possibility turned out to be overblown.
Really, the worst case scenario for the Roy siblings has always been that their relationships with their families might suffer. In the season 3 finale, Kendall tells Shiv and Roman about the waiter situation — how he drunkenly caused a car accident that killed a waiter at Shiv's wedding, and got away with it — and the stakes of the scene are not "oh no, will Shiv and Roman turn him in to the police?" The stakes are merely "will Shiv and Roman still like him?"
This scene created that contradictory mix of emotions that "Succession" is so great at invoking: it's sweet to see the Roy siblings finally get along again, but it's infuriating to see how the waiter's death (not to mention the emotional devastation his death unleashed upon his family) is so easily brushed aside. Yes, Kendall's not a full-on murderer, but he should have to deal with these consequences as much as a regular person would.
The new worst moment of Kendall's life
That's why the resolution to the series finale feels so fitting. Kendall's still got a chance of bringing a hesitating Shiv back to his side, but when she brings up the waiter again, he blows it. In a desperate attempt to reassure her, Kendall lies and claims the emotional moment was a tactical move. It turns out to be a terrible move; Kendall's confession back in season 3 was a watershed moment for the siblings, the scene that helped them get back on good terms after three seasons of their dad turning them against each other. To Shiv and Roman, the idea that Kendall told them all this as a calculated act is far, far more unforgivable than the crime itself.
It's understandable why Kendall fumbled the moment so badly. The waiter's death is the only thing he's never been able to successfully bulls*** his way out of. Kendall has always seemed to understand that what he did in the season 1 finale was unforgivable, which is part of why it meant so much to him when Roman and Shiv were willing to look past it. The sudden revelation that Shiv hadn't looked past it, that she does in fact look down at him for it, basically killed any chance Kendall had of handling the moment smoothly. Even if you assume Shiv's objection was disingenuous, the mere fact that she's willing to use this against him still shakes Kendall to his core.
A plot point four seasons in the making
Beyond what this means for Kendall, this final development is as thematically fitting as an ending to "Succession" could ever be. After all, the Roy siblings have taken the 99% for granted throughout the whole series. One of Roman's first scenes in the show features him taunting a kid from a working class family with a million dollar check. In season 2, Kendall casually shoplifts small items from bodegas just to maintain some sense of control over his life. Shiv makes jokes about needing hand sanitizer after shaking hands with a working class voter.
Most recently, the Roy siblings helped turn an election over to a fascist candidate, ignoring the wants of the American people in favor of their own constantly-changing whims. Hundreds of millions of people may have voted, but in the end of "America Decides," the outcome is apparently decided by a handful of selfish billionaires.
A lot of fans hoped that "Succession" would feature some sort of uprising as a result of Mencken's win. Maybe they'd find themselves at the center of a massive legal investigation that would send them all to prison, or maybe they'd be attacked by protestors in a way that was genuinely scary and painful, leading to more than just a little scar on the forehead. But "Succession" was never going to do anything so dramatic. The Roy siblings are always going to be billionaires, always unbothered by any of the changes they've caused in the material world. The millions of people the Roy family have harmed throughout the show are likely never going to get their justice, but hey, at least the waiter sort of did.
A cruel, fitting end
They say that for a tragic story, the main character's outcome shouldn't be the worst thing that can ever happen to a person; it just needs to be what the character thinks is the worst thing that can happen to them. For Shiv, being screwed over by Matsson on behalf of her gender (and subsequently, no longer being the most powerful person in her marriage) is a nightmare scenario. Roman reached his nightmare scenario last week, when he broke down at the funeral and killed his CEO chances.
And yet, the episode's final moments feature Roman smiling at a bar, and Shiv and Tom holding (well, touching) hands in the limo. As tough as this season was for Roman and Shiv, their final scenes indicate that losing this bid might actually be the best thing to ever happen to them. But for Kendall? It's harder to say. Both Roman and Shiv only spent a year or two max where they actually believed they had a shot at this, but Kendall's believed he'd be CEO since he was a kid.
In those final moments where Kendall looks at the water in the Hudson River alone, it's hard to imagine a future where he'll ever be happy. His wife and kids hate him, his relationship with his siblings is possibly broken forever, and for what? He sold his soul in pursuit of that CEO title, and he's got nothing to show for it.
Of course, materially Ken will be fine. He's got enough money to do nearly everything he wants, and he'll never go to prison. Still, it's nice to see that the poor waiter from season 1 was somewhat, sort of, avenged. Kendall still got off easy, but at least he didn't get off completely scot-free.