This article contains spoilers for season 4 of Succession.
The HBO drama Succession has finally drawn to a close and the fate of Waystar Royco has been decided. Since its premiere in 2018, the series has been the subject of vast critical acclaim, earning 45 Primetime Emmy nominations in its four-season run. The series follows a group of siblings and their father, who brutally compete for leadership of their family company Waystar Royco. Season 4 marked the end of the series and answered the longstanding question of who ends up on top. Now that the ending has been revealed, did any of the Roys actually win?
Since its premiere, Succession has revolved around the abusive, eccentric patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), and his relationship with his children Connor (Alan Ruck), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Shiv (Sarah Snook). Throughout the series, the four children have pitched themselves as Logan's successor, though some fought harder than others. To the surprise of some, Succession's finale revealed that none of the Roy children would lead the new company. Without leadership, did any of them emerge victoriously?
Connor Roy
Connor is easily the most optimistic of the Roys. His outlandish ideas provide Connor with the warmth most of the other Succession characters lack. His campaign to become President of the United States did not pan out as he hoped, but he did work out a deal that gave him some international power. Succession's finale placed Connor's plan in jeopardy as Shiv recounted Jeryd Mencken's (Justin Kirk) trouble in Wisconsin, which would muddle Connor's agreement with him. Should Connor's deal fall through, his previous seclusion has proven that he is one of the most accepting and adaptable Roys.
Prior to his wedding earlier in the season, Connor delivered one of the most memorable lines of the series, about his ability to live without love. He, unlike his siblings, is not reliant on approval from others in order to be happy, and his relationship and eventually marriage to Willa (Justine Lupe) is an example of this. Connor may find himself taken advantage of often, but when compared to the other Roys, he has always been in the best place.
Kendall Roy
Kendall had one of the roughest developments in Succession. Since his first scene in season 1, his desire to run Waystar Royco was clear. Kendall often devised plans to remove his father from power and find himself seated there instead. At the start of season 4, Kendall worked with Roman and Shiv on a business venture that was independent of their father. Following Logan's death, Kendall's objectives regressed back to what he'd always been taught to fight for.
Succession ended with Kendall once again losing a board vote that would have seated him at the helm of the company. This time, the gut punch was delivered by his youngest sister who refused to back him. Succession's final shot is Kendall gazing out at the water. After helping to elect Mencken and critically harming his relationship with his ex-wife and their children, Kendall is now left without them. With the detriment caused by himself and his sibilngs in his final attempt to acquire leadership of Waystar Royco, Kendall finds himself as isolated and alone as his father once was, but does not have the company he's been taught to yearn for and conquer his entire life.
Roman Roy
Roman is arguably the most sinister Roy. Where his siblings appear to have some compassion and awareness of others, Roman fails to concern himself with such. At the start of season 4, Roman appears content with the business venture he and his siblings have created without their father. For one of the first times, Roman seems clear-headed and demonstrates himself as a strong leader. After the death of his father, Roman's psyche takes a horrendous hit that he never recovers from for the remainder of the season.
Among the company of Kendall and Shiv, who both resorted to backhanded tactics to try and inherit the seat of power, Roman often did so by trying to appeal to emotion. Desperate for approval from his father and any other adult he came into contact with, Roman thought the power of leadership would grant him just that. Yet, Roman also proved himself to be a capable businessman who connects well with others, and at the start of the season, he seemed content to rid himself of Waystar and start fresh. In the end, Roman was freed from the shackles of Waystar, those he cared for ended up in favorable positions, and those he disliked were ousted.
Shiv Roy
Shiv is undoubtedly the most driven Roy. From politics to business, Shiv has routinely proven herself to function well in these quick-paced, cut-throat environments. At the start of season 4, Shiv is still reeling from Tom's (Matthew Macfadyen) betrayal as their relationship teeters on the brink of divorce. Resentment toward her brothers, especially after the death of their father, leads her to forge an alliance with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård), who hopes to acquire their company. In Succession's finale, Shiv is crossed by Matsson, rejoins her brothers' fight to keep Waystar within the family, and then betrays them.
Shiv's act in the finale does keep her close to the seat of power as Tom will be the face of the new company, and she will keep the Roy bloodline alive within the company with the birth of their child. Yet, this isn't her only function. Shiv has now found herself living as what she always swore she'd never become: her mother. Shiv is now locked into an unhappy marriage, soon to give birth to a child she has been told she does not seem to have the capacity to care for.
In the End, Who Won?
None of the Roys fully capture everything they had hoped, but of all of Logan's children, Roman came closest to achieving his goal. Connor had nothing to lose and little to gain, while Kendall and Shiv gambled and lost. Kendall and Shiv have both been handed a gift without the shadow of Waystar looming directly over their shoulders, though neither of them actually views their predicament as a win. Throughout Succession, Roman was the chameleon of the four. Where Connor would be outright forgotten, Roman could both command the presence of a room and cling to the wall and absorb whatever he could. With GoJo acquiring Waystar, Roman is free of the business that caused detriment to his family and relationship with his father and did not lose out to any of his siblings. Without any of his siblings in charge of the company, Roman no longer has a reason to feel inferior to them or live in the shadow of his father. At the end of "With Open Eyes," Roman is the only Roy sibling who appears at ease with what has taken place.
Succession is now streaming on Max.