Prosperdick said:

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Brian Earl Spilner said:

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TCTTS said:

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Definitely a bit of a stretch, but I also kind of love it…

This theory about Tom in Succession is wild. 👀 pic.twitter.com/xoOXJV90iF

— Christina Garnett (@ThatChristinaG) May 25, 2023

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Would not hate this. My ideal ending is Tom winning, bringing Gerri with him, and making Shiv think she's got a secure spot, only to screw her at the last second. Maybe at the same time is actually screwing her, for good measure.

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Tom was the most loyal soldier and was absolutely willing to go to prison for years in order to prove it. I think him "winning" feels the most authentic and although he's despicable like the rest of them I kind of have a soft spot for Mr. Wambsgans.

Shiv treated him like absolute dog poop, especially their wedding night, and although he has tormented Greg since day 1 (just watch the pilot episode again, man he was brutal) Greg has proven he's just as much of a **** if not more, so hard to feel sorry for him.

I also think Mencken wants a yes man he can control and be loyal to him and Tom has already proven it with his early call of the presidency.

At this point I'll be mildly surprised if it's not Tom.

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Also, surprised it hasn't been said but to me the biggest winner tonight was Shiv's cans. I'm shocked Roman didn't mention it, although I'm sure he was thinking about it, the sick ****.

Oh and what a great Roman line of repeating "creamy margins." This show, I'm going to miss it.

"Tom will suck the biggest d in the room."

That's what Mattson wanted. Slit her own throat.

210 said:

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I thought it was a great final episode. While it was predictable, I was still on the edge of my seat.

Final shot was interesting though, his dad's driver/security over his shoulder. Guessing they were implying Kendall could never get out of the shadow of his father.

Loved the power shot from the low angle of Tom in the car with his hand out.

Also, was Roman implying Ken's kids weren't his? I couldn't really understand what he said there but didn't rewind.

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Yes. "One is an Indian and one is half Rava and half the cabinet maker"

He was saying Shiv is the only one furthering the bloodline

And the more I think about the episode, the most heartbreaking scene was maybe them watching the video of Logan at dinner with Kerry, Con, and the old guard. Saw that he could be open and gentler and treat them like family.

When Roman called the kids "two randos" I actually gasped out loud. Ranks very high up there in some of the worst things he ever said. As an adoptive mom, I think I might literally murder one of my siblings if they said that about my daughter.

I wish we'd had some insight into why Shiv turned. Because she couldn't let Kendall win? Or did she do it for Tom? Frustrating that we'll never know.

The Milkman said:

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And the more I think about the episode, the most heartbreaking scene was maybe them watching the video of Logan at dinner with Kerry, Con, and the old guard. Saw that he could be open and gentler and treat them like family.

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Ghost of Bisbee said:

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Damn. Sad to see this show over.

Really dislike Shiv. What an ass.

Really wish Roman got the bag, but oh well

Excellent finale. Again, sad to see this come to and end

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Roman does get the bag though. He's even more filthy rich than before and now he's free of the burden. He never actually wanted it for himself. He only acted like/thought he wanted it because Logan dangled it out there for him as part of his cycle of abuse. He's completely free of that now and has tons of money.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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HBO i can’t believe you did this to me TWICE #Succession #SuccessionHBO pic.twitter.com/CFS427ys42

— maria olivia (@mariaxolivia) May 29, 2023

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I don't think these two are even remotely comparable. What we saw tonight is who Kendall has always been and was totally in character. He's a child who believes being CEO was his birthright, regardless of his actual ability. The Kendall in the final 15 minutes of the show was not some curve ball, he was the ****ty man-child that he's always been.

Denarys going scorched earth on innocents in GOT was completely out of character for who she was for 7 seasons.

Meh. 6/10 finale. Shiv ****ing the vote last minute doesn't check out. The three kids literally fighting each other within earshot of the rest of the board was too on the nose. Could've landed all the narrative arcs better. Execution was surprisingly bad. Did not like it at all.

How doesn't it check out? I'm annoyed that she flip flopped, but it wasn't out of character in the least.

Of course it doesn't check out. Why would she flip IRL? Because Kendall might suck at the job? What's the alternative? Voting away her share of a birthright so that Matsson (who just screwed her over more than her brothers or dad ever did) and Tom (the "let's get back together" phone call convo in the very last episode literally made me laugh) get it? What did she gain from that. Shiv sucks but she's not dumb. The whole thing made zero sense.

You know what, the more I think of it, the worse the episode gets. 4/10. Jesse Armstrong fumbled the bag here.

The kitchen scene with them was great. Them getting along and laughing in their Roy way. When they work together they are a force but as we have seen in the past that never lasts long.

I felt the change of vote for Shiv was abrupt but with Tom informing her he would be the American CEO played a part. She will still be tied to the company being the wife, she may have some influences on Tom, and they will stay together to have a child. Like other posts have mentioned, Shiv would rather see Tom as CEO than Ken. Shiv ultimately won out of Ken and Rome in a way. In the end when Tom put out his hand and Shiv touches it and not it grab shows how their marriage is. They will be together but will they truly want to be together.

Also, I think it's funny how they are sad and have mix feelings but they are going to make BILLIONS of more dollars from the sell. Even more filthy rich. I'm glad there was no death in this episode and who is to say Mencken wins the presidency.

We saw Shiv's downfall in episode 8, Roman's downfall in episode 9 and Ken with the last downfall in the finale.

Overall, I loved it.

Some absolutely incredible moments throughout - many of them surprisingly endearing, if not utterly brutal and heartbreaking - and I think the pieces fell exactly where they should in the end.

My only two quibbles would be...

- I agree that Shiv turned too abruptly in the vote. It was a great fake out, in that I totally expected Roman to be the one to backtrack. But while Shiv definitely *should* have turned, and it was the right decision (both on her part and that of the filmmakers), it felt like we missed seeing the thing that *made* her turn. Unless I missed something myself, it felt like one minute she was totally cool with the decision - the siblings were united and on a mission - then all the sudden, as if it happened off screen, it cut to Shiv and she had cold feet, almost out of no where. Again, cold feet/her decision = good, I just needed more of a bridge to that moment, I guess?

- I also wish we had, like, say, three more minutes in the end. Just something to wrap up Kendall's story a bit more. But even as I type this, I'm realizing that part of the point was that we're *supposed* to feel as lost/aimless as Kendall in that moment, so maybe anything more would have ruined that. I do love the metaphor of him being cut off from the water with the railing, and that his father's bodyguard now "haunts" him. Otherwise, Shiv and Tom's final moment was pitch perfect, and Roman's half smirk to himself at the bar tells me he's finally "free" now/that he'll probably be okay (or as "okay" as someone like him can possibly be).

As mentioned earlier in the thread tonight, and as I've heard speculated on a couple podcast recently, this show really does feel ripe for a movie in three or four years, and it doesn't at all seem out of the realm of possibility. As sad as I am that it's finally over, my gut says we're not quite done with these characters just yet (or at least that's what I'm telling myself as a coping mechanism).

Head Ninja In Charge said:

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Would've made more sense of Roman rolled over on the vote. That's all they had to do to make it plausible. He clearly wasn't in the right headspace (granted, not that Shiv was either) - but Roman ****ing it up would've been at least thematically consistent with the last episode and this one. He was literally in stitches, and on watch at his mom's house. Could've still nailed all the rest of the plot points without whatever the opposite of that deus ex machine that was Shiv's uncharacteristic freak out when the spotlight was on. She's too smart for her own good and not as smart as she thinks she is.

But she doesn't fold when the spotlight is on. She loses deals behind closed doors and/or when she assumes too much. Roman melts down. Kendall melts down. Not Shiv.

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In that moment, Shiv was choosing between her family of birth and her family of choice. She was choosing between her siblings, who had f/cked her over time and again - or - she could have her version of "love," and give her child a father to whom she could stay married. She was at a fork in the road, where the next 50 years of her life was going to be decided with that vote, seeing as a no vote would have screwed Tom and she'd have the upper hand over him once again. She clearly still had feelings for him, though, and knew that the only way the relationship would work is if Tom was finally the one in the dominant position/driver seat. Again, the choice itself made PERFECT sense. I just wish they had telegraphed it a tiny bit more.

Head Ninja In Charge said:

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Would've made more sense of Roman rolled over on the vote. That's all they had to do to make it plausible. He clearly wasn't in the right headspace (granted, not that Shiv was either) - but Roman ****ing it up would've been at least thematically consistent with the last episode and this one. He was literally in stitches, and on watch at his mom's house. Could've still nailed all the rest of the plot points without whatever the opposite of that deus ex machine that was Shiv's uncharacteristic freak out when the spotlight was on. She's too smart for her own good and not as smart as she thinks she is.

But she doesn't fold when the spotlight is on. She loses deals behind closed doors and/or when she assumes too much. Roman melts down. Kendall melts down. Not Shiv.

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She didn't melt down or freak out. She walked out because she was about to f*** Kendall and Roman and need to take second. Pretty much everything has always indicated that "winning" would be a pyrrhic victory. Her child's dad is the head of the family company.

Also, she didn't fold when the spotlight was on. She made the move. Logan said that life is a fight for a knife in the mud. Her name is Shiv.

I do believe Mattson wanted to fuck Shiv but I think he was testing Tom in that scene. He wanted to make sure Tom was fully compliant, a man with no sense of honor, no moral code. Needless to say, Tom passed.

— Max Weiss (@maxthegirl) May 29, 2023

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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The Kendall/Roman hug had me confused. Was that a kind of confirmation that Kendall was the one who was always abusive to him as kids and ****ed him up? Or both him and Logan?

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Definitely think it was that Kendall abused him as a kid, but Logan did plenty as well. We got the dog kennel story earlier in the season, but also its just the fake love out of the selfishness and desire to be CEO and not any actual desire to comfort his brother. These people don't know how else to "love" because their father never loved them any other way.

Pretty crazy to have the hug one minute and the altercation the next but so ****ing fitting.

🎥 | The Succession cast singing together 🥹 pic.twitter.com/u9JBf6qPDB

— best of sarah snook (@bestofsnook) May 29, 2023