As I write this, it’s been four days since The New Yorker published Michael Schulman’s stunning opus on Jeremy Strong—and for the fourth day in a row, the Succession actor is trending on Twitter. As jaw-dropping as the anecdotes about Strong’s intensity certainly are, the real genius of the piece is its timing; the profile dropped just after this season’s penultimate episode, which left all of us wondering whether Kendall Roy is literally drowning in his pool or figuratively drowning like he has for three seasons.
The fate of Logan Roy’s most tortured son is probably at the top of most Succession fans’ list of questions ahead of Sunday’s Season 3 finale. (This season runs for nine episodes instead of the usual 10.) But Kendall’s ominous moment in the infinity pool is merely the tip of the tragicomic iceberg of questions hanging over the Roy clan. Which will this finale answer—and which linger on to shape next season? Read on for some thoughts and theories about TV’s most dysfunctional family.
Is Kendall Dead?
ADVERTISEMENT
Kendall has been something of a shambling zombie for most of Succession’s run. Logan’s second son and most obvious successor, Little Lord Fuckleroy has long been his father’s favorite whipping boy. One gets the sense that Logan himself has groomed Kendall for the top job for much of his life, only to beat him down as the possibility of his actually taking over draws nearer. Kendall can’t decide whether he wants to destroy or replace his father, any more than Logan can decide whether he wants his children to carry on his legacy or if he’d rather they fall to ruin than replace him.
Which brings us to Kendall on that pool float. After multiple failed takeover attempts and, most recently, a DOJ investigation that appears to be dying out before it even begins, The Notorious Ken has once again found himself in limbo. As several critics have pointed out since last week’s episode aired, treating Kendall’s death as a cliffhanger does something of a disservice; in many ways, he’s been living in the liminal space between life and death for a long time, at least emotionally.
With all of that said, let’s get into it anyway. A splashy New Yorker interview sure looks like a big send-off for the show’s most captivating character—but then again, is Succession really bold enough to kill off its knottiest creation? Would that even be a good idea? One argument for killing Kendall could be that his death would introduce actual stakes for a family that often seems to be made of Teflon. Given how much Kendall has already survived and gotten away with, it seems inevitable that another shoe must drop sometime. Still, it’s hard to imagine that “sometime” has arrived just yet.
Is Shiv Coming for Gerri After Roman’s Dick Pic Fiasco?
Despite starting out as the most independent of all the Roy kids, Shiv’s transformation into a run-of-the-mill corporate brown-noser feels pretty much complete. After years forging her own path, Pinkie is now desperate for Daddy’s crown—and seems willing to throw pretty much anyone under the bus to get it. Her most likely target at the moment? Gerri, Waystar’s interim CEO whom Logan once called Shiv’s “chemical and biological suit” as the company’s president.
Logan already wanted to fire Gerri last week, after Roman accidentally sent him a phallic portrait intended for his corporate-mommy-slash-would-be lover. Shiv’s relationship with her less-than-encouraging mother and upbringing as the lone daughter in a sea of misogyny has made her especially ruthless with women she sees as threats. (Read: most of them.) So it’s little surprise that as soon as she spotted a chink in Gerri’s armor, Shiv pounced.
As one of Succession’s few competent characters, Gerri should not be easy to unseat—but if past seasons have shown us anything, it’s that anyone who underestimates Shiv’s brutality does so at their own peril. And it doesn’t help that Logan has long made clear that anyone not in the family is expendable. In short, I don’t think we’ve heard the last about this dick pic—and Roman could soon find himself in a very complicated position.
Will Waystar Royco Land the GoJo Deal?
Perhaps the least juicy question on the surface, the Roy family’s fate—and that of their company—all seems to hinge on this one dangling story thread. Waystar Royco has been floundering since Succession began, and if the company can’t expand and update soon it risks extinction. Striking a deal with GoJo, the latest in a series of Hail Marys, would allow the company to move into the future—and the Roys to hang on to their big, comfy seats at the table of global power.
But what if it falls through? There’s certainly no love lost between Logan and eccentric tech mogul Lukas Mattson, who has already stipulated that he’s only in if someone keeps Logan off his back. As we’ve seen time and again, that doesn’t necessarily preclude a deal; the Roys will get into bed with anyone that could help them hold onto their power. Losing out on GoJo would, in some ways, feel redundant—how many deals can we watch fall through before the gambit gets boring? But it could also ramp up the family’s desperation—which could lead to an even fiercer Season 4.
When Will Tom and Greg Kiss?
Ever since our floppy-eared Cousin Greg showed up for Logan’s birthday, he’s shared a particularly fascinating relationship with Shiv’s husband. For a while, Tom’s hazing and extravagant meals felt like desperate attempts from a Roy outsider to exercise power over something, someone, after eating shit all day for everyone else. In the past two seasons, however, Tom and Greg’s relationship has grown more complicated, more ambiguous, and—you know what, I’m just gonna say it. LET THESE TWO KISS ALREADY!
Many of Succession’s most successful story turns come from re-examining previously established dynamics, digging beneath the surface to reveal the motivations and neuroses that contextualize everyone’s ridiculous behavior. Kendall’s would-be righteousness has given way to the reality of his narcissism; Shiv’s independence was actually not a personal choice, but the result of sexist exclusion—which now makes her even more desperate to succeed at Waystar. And Tom’s frat-boy behavior toward Greg? It’s starting to look like there’s more than a homoerotic power struggle.
Some choice lines:
- “Would you kiss me? If I asked you to? If I told you to?” - Tom
- “Are you trying to seduce me?” - Greg, as he prepares to eat an entire bird in one bite
- “I would castrate and marry you any day.” - Tom, after introducing Greg to some I.P. he’s not familiar with, AKA Nero and his whole deal with Sporus
Greg has mostly been too busy chasing Kendall’s publicist slash de facto personal assistant, Comfry, to notice Tom’s fixation on him. Or maybe he’s just smart enough not to acknowledge it. Eventually, however, the powder keg of pent-up emotion that is Tom Wambsgans feels bound to explode in the finale or perhaps next season. Either way, you can’t make a Tomlette without breaking some Gregs.
Is Greg the Egg Actually Plotting to Hatch into a CEO?
Somewhere between a shitpost and a popular fan theory, the prospect of Cousin Greg taking it all home in the end has become increasingly prevalent among Succession fans. Is Greg a plant? Is he the little old man performing behind Logan’s big green Wizard of Oz face? Is he about to become everyone’s boss and ride off into the sunset in a helicopter, Comfry on one arm and $40,000 watch on the other?
I don’t buy any theories that cast Greg as yet another master manipulator. That would undermine his already compelling arc—the doofy outsider slowly transforming into a monstrous corporate stooge. Unlike Shiv, whose sinister girlboss metamorphosis highlights how growing up right next to power while constantly being excluded from it can make a person even more cruel once they finally get it, Greg represents a loss of innocence.
But there could be, as the Roys love to say, “another shape to this.” Consider Bighead, a dimwitted outsider from HBO’s Silicon Valley who constantly stumbled into unbelievable successes. It would take some intricate plot work to land Greg at the top of the heap by accident when the house of cards the Roys have built come crashing down. But it would also be a hell of an ending—and pretty fitting, honestly—to watch the guy who used to stash office cookies in dog poop bags win this corporate game of thrones.
How Long Can Willa Avoid Marrying Connor?
Oh, Willa, how we adore thee. But are you ready to be first lady?
Chances are slim Connor will ever get elected president. (He’s polling just under one percent at the moment.) Still, Con thought it important to keep his image clean as the press closes in—so last week, he popped the question to Willa at his mother’s wedding. Her response? Pretending to say yes for the audience while murmuring to him through a clenched jaw that she needed some time to think about it.
Connor, perhaps the most under-explored of the Roy children, lives in self-imposed exile in New Mexico—where he shares a ranch with his girlfriend, former escort Willa. As we’ve observed this season, Conman seems to have had a hand in raising his siblings; at least, he took them on a fly-fishing trip when Logan couldn’t be bothered. But his father never takes him seriously, which has molded Connor into a quietly sensitive but still deluded jackass.
Willa has always treated Connor with a kind of patience; she seems to know, at least intuitively, where his dysfunctions come from, and she’s always patient with his shitty relatives. (Remember the time Marcia called her a prostitute to her face after the Roys all crashed the ranch for a little PR hug?) But it’s hard to tell just how thin that patience might have worn over the years, especially after their play flopped. For viewers’ sake, though, let’s hope she sticks around a little while longer. A comedic talent like actress Justine Lupe is a terrible thing to waste.
Are We Ever Gonna See Marcia Again?
Yes, I know that Logan’s estranged wife was, in fact, at last week’s wedding. And yes, I know that she’s popped up a couple times throughout the season. Still, it’s hard to fathom why Marcia has all but disappeared—especially considering how much dirt she’s clearly collected on Logan. We’ve heard allusions to the couple’s ongoing negotiations, but we have yet to see Marcia’s side.
Marcia has been something of a mystery since the series began. But while earlier chapters used Hiam Abbass’ scant appearances to build mystique around her character, this season she’s just been mostly MIA. Could she return with a bigger role next season? Je ne sais pas. But if anyone could play a major role in Logan’s downfall, it seems inevitable that she’s sitting on a treasure trove of secrets.
