There is only one episode of HBO's comedy drama Succession left in the pipeline. The penultimate episode centred around Logan's funeral, so what could possibly happen in the final episode? Btw, it's an hour and a half long.
After four incredible and emotionally gruelling seasons, it's nearly time to bid farewell to our favourite toxic media family. The whole show has been written and constructed with such precision – from episode titles to season timelines – that we'd be surprised if there were any loose ends after the final episode.
But as of episode nine, a lot of things are still left up in the air. Will Shiv take over in a sly side deal with Matsson? Will Kendall successfully botch her plans? Will Roman have a mental breakdown? And why is Colin the bodyguard being roped in in the eleventh hour? We can't quite work it out...
With that in mind, here are some fan theories about how Succession might end.
Kendall Roy will die
This is probably (and sadly) the strongest theory of the pack. There's been a great deal of foreshadowing that Kendall might drown throughout the show – most likely by suicide. In season one, he nearly drowned when he drink-drove a car into a lake near his sister's wedding and ended up killing one of the waiters. This secret is something that has weighed on him to varying extents ever since.
Season three ends with Kendall confronting his past, arguing with Logan and telling his siblings about the waiter - but before this he's found almost catatonic floating in the swimming pool. And in season four episode six, after surprising the board and succeeding in his Living+ presentation, he runs into the sea on an empty beach and looks up at the sky smiling. It certainly feels like a bad omen.
All this is all before we tuck into 'Dreamsong 29' the John Berryman poem that's threaded throughout the entire show. It's supposedly about one man's reckoning with a dark secret he can't entirely remember, and it ends with his suicide. Kendall's mental health and drug and alcohol abuse have haunted him on and off throughout Succession. And ever since Logan died, he seems a lot more spaced out and manic than he has when he's at his best. The final episode of season one, where he kills the waiter, is called 'Nobody is ever missing', the final episode of season two is called 'This is Not for Tears' and the final episode of season three is called 'All the Bells Say'.
While we don't know the title for the final episode yet, it's not looking good for Ken.
Colin the bodyguard reveals all
In episode nine, we saw Kendall approach Colin at the reception after the funeral and ask how he's doing. Kendall seems to have heard from his sources that Colin, who acted as Logan Roy's private bodyguard for years, is speaking to a therapist (or 'head shrinker' as Kendall puts it).
Kendall then warns the former staffer that 'people talk' before asking him to come and work for him. So, it seems like Kendall may be trying to slowly recruit the old guard in his plot to destroy Shiv and Matsson's alliance and take over the company himself. But what exactly does Colin know? And how much is he willing to say? Is he going to join forces with Kendall? We have to wait until the final episode to find out...
Roman's ATN election night call destroys the company
In episode eight, we saw the kings of ATN News essentially rig the US election, which is illegal (can you believe it?). We saw members of the production team warn top table that if they called the election result before the votes had been counted they'd face months of scrutiny and legal interrogations, but they did it anyway. The law doesn't really apply to the rich and powerful, or so the Roys think.
It's quite possible that this episode, referred to by Jesse Armstrong as the most shocking of the season, could mark the ultimate demise of Waystar Royco. It could result in their news channel being suspended or even members of the family being arrested. If this happened, there would be no need for a successor anyway. And it would all be Roman's fault.
President Mencken blocks the GoJo deal
Now that the Roy boys have rigged the election and all-but sworn in President Mencken (a far-right populist figure who is apparently not based on anyone in particular but seems to represent emerging mainstream threats to democracy), the country's new leader and Roman have gotten particularly cosy. If they kill the GoJo deal and relaunch WayStar Royco and ATN as a duo, then Kendall and Shiv will both get pushed out. This looks less likely by the end of episode 9, with Shiv engineering a meeting between Mencken and Mattson, who seem far more closely aligned than we imagined they might be.
Mencken waves the GoJo deal through, with an 'American CEO' at the helm
This was Shiv's pitch to Mencken and Mattson - to put her in charge of Waystar Royco in the US to allay any fears of foreign interference. Both the Ms seem to be going for it. At the end of episode 9, Mattson called Shiv to say that her backroom deal seemed to be a goer - although if you're listening clearly, you'll notice that he only says he'll appoint an American CEO - not who it will be. Could he be planning to do the dirty on Shiv in favour of her brother Kendall? Or will all three get kicked to the curb in favour of an outside (our money is on Stewy or Gerri). That would certainly be a poetic ending to the show, with all the Roy children out of the business for good.
Something happens with Logan's will
At the end of episode eight, Kendall is on the phone to his ex-wife and says 'see you tomorrow at the funeral'. We know the final season unfolds over ten consecutive days, so we therefore know the next episode will be set at Logan's funeral. It's likely to be a large-scale, public affair and things are bound to go wrong.
Will a secret fifth child turn up? Will something in his will affect the sibling's inheritance? Will their mother fly over from England and screw them over again? There's no doubt that the events surrounding the funeral are bound to be significant and could carve out what happens in the finale.
Greg fails upwards and somehow comes out on top
Greg and Tom, 'the disgusting brothers', are perhaps the bleakest characters on the show. They entered the dog-eat-dog world by choice and have slowly lost all sense of decency in the process. Both characters have slowly climbed the greasy pole and desperately cling onto power and relevancy where possible.
But Cousin Greg has been Gregging more than usual in the most recent season. He seems a lot nastier than he has done in the past and repeatedly tries to align himself with the four siblings as the 'A Team' and Logan's blood relatives to secure his future. He has even tried to worm his way into the Matsson deal and seems willing to betray anyone for a position of power. And in episode eight, after Shiv confronted him about getting close to Matsson, Greg was the one who told the brothers that she was planning to stab them in the backs.
We saw him whisper something to Kendall after he had just had a heart to heart with his sister, who then marches into the board room and confronts Shiv about her secret alliance with the enemy. If Greg usurps Shiv in the eleventh hour and joins Kendall and Roman, who's to say he'll stop before he reaches the top? It's hard to imagine when you think of season one Greg, but stranger things have happened...
Nothing changes
One of the most depressing predictions for the final episode is that the GoJo deal is ruined, they give up on trying to buy PGN, and everything stays pretty much the same as it always has been. Logan's legacy of cruelty and his insatiable appetite for power is successfully passed down to all three (sorry Connor) of his children and they just keep on keeping on.