One backstory in “Succession” is an inhumane game Roman and Kendall played as children, where Kendall locked Roman in a dog cage and forced him to eat dog food before freeing him.

The game laid the foundation for Kendall and Roman’s dysfunctional dynamic as siblings, which played out when Kendall awkwardly bear hugged Roman in the show’s final episode.

Mark Mylod, who directed the “Succession” finale, opined to Variety how the touching, yet frightening, embrace between Kendall and Roman spoke to their twisted brotherly love.

He said, “The hug is a relief. [...] A brutal and self-serving loving gesture [...] It is a gift that Kendall is giving to Roman to give him the out that he unconsciously craves.”

Mylod is right because Roman looked completely relieved to be welcomed into Kendall's arms. However, the hug turned more sinister when Roman realized he was back in the cage again.

Mylod added, “The awful sadomasochism of the moment is that what starts as a hug is a trap, once Roman realizes [...] that this hug is actually to tear those stitches apart.”

The injuries Roman suffered after he recklessly confronted a crowd of ATN protestors earlier in the series became different once Kendall's grip tightened as he hugged Roman.

The gash on Roman’s forehead became a symbol for the wound Kendall reopened constantly. It was a damning moment for Kendall, but a cathartic one for Roman that set him free.