Fans have been anticipating the series finale of Succession even as they grieve the end of their favorite Sunday night HBO drama. The episode “With Open Eyes” concluded the story of the Roy family, at least what we’re allowed to see of them. It’s heavily implied, however, that they’re almost certain to be living out the same lives as their parents did, which means as the worst versions of themselves. If you haven’t watched yet, warning that there are spoilers ahead.
Who became CEO in the end? Tom Wambsgans, a nobody from Minnesota, put in place by Logan Roy’s daughter Shiv, who realized she’d never get to have the power herself. While some people saw this as a betrayal of Shiv’s Girlboss persona, many viewers interpreted it as a pretty accurate portrayal of how wealthy white women act when in proximity to power. Shiv votes yes for the sale of Waystar, leaving her brother Kendall destroyed and ready to beat up everyone in a conference room.
Some people saw this as a surprise, while other’s guessed the surprise twist, like in a viral Tiktok video that suspected Tom was winkingly named after baseball player Bill Wambsganss, famous for an unassisted triple play during the 1920 World Series. He took out three players at once. Get it?
Brian Cox, who played Logan Roy told the Hollywood Reporter in 2019 what the show was about.
“It’s saying human beings are basically ludicrous,” she said. “They’re ludicrous in their desires, they’re ludicrous in what they get and don’t get and, in the end, they never even know what they want.”
And none of them got it.
The reactions online were a mix of impressed, despairing, and delighted. Here are some of the best:
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Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
