The show's first, opening scene and final scene are Kendall. Every season finale is about Kendall (killing the waiter, the backstabbing speech, revealing the waiter storyline, losing the CEO seat). Every major storyline is about Kendall. This is absolutely Kendall's show, with the others being very important characters but in no way his equals.
@@trevorgerardfrederick Even then, I'd disagree. When I watched the show (I binged it in 13 days) his dynamics with all of his children were different and interesting. His energy towards Connor felt like a tundra. Cold and indifferent. His energy towards Kendall felt like a volcano. It seemed they were the ones that clashed the most or had the most rivalry. His dynamic with Roman felt like a dog owner and his chihuahua. He had complete control over him and kept him on a tight leash. Yet his dynamic with Siobhan seemed to be the most "loving". I don't think Logan is capable of love at all, but I always felt his relationship with Siobhan felt like a father, brushing his daughter's hair as she sits on his knee. It always seemed they shared the most moments of understanding together. Or it always felt like he was at his most vulnerable (or as close to vulnerability as he could get) with her. Kendall didn't feel like the favourite child at all. He felt like the biggest threat, the biggest contender. So Logan dedicated the most time and attention to him, but to keep him under his arm, controlled and subservient. I really didn't notice any of the closeness he seemed to have with Siobhan when he interacted with Kendall.
@@Δ-Δ-Δ-ΔFor him because Siobhan is his only daughter after all. But, ironically, Siobhan/ Shiv is mostly confronting him the most like how in Season 1, she and Gil, the politician whom she consulted confronted him in a day before her weddig, in Season 2, she immediately comparing him with Dinosaur Cull on the interview but she's scared or even apologize to her vile comment, she even begged him to not putting Tom in prison for cruise scandal, in Season 3, she and her brothers together confronted him for stop the Gojo Deal and in Season 4, she confronted him again on karaoke.
Personally, I think Kendall has the biggest potential to reform as a better person or at least different person. Because he has nothing to go back to. Especially in times of crisis, people are most likely to completely change their ways and seek out something new. History has shown that Humans can survive far better and more than one might think. In the final shot he is shown in the dawn and I personally interpret it as the dawn before the next morning. Shiv is probably the worst off in my opinion, as she will probably end up just like her mother...
Before Thorfinn, from Vinland Saga, had to be reborn, he had to start out hollow. Like Kendall, Thorfinn had his life's purpose taken from him and he was left empty, and thanks to the people around him, Thorfinn was reborn and became a better and happier person. In the end, whether Kendall follows a similar path or remains a broken and empty person is up to him.
This is a hypothetical and theoretical that has no basis in the reality of the character. Sure, someone with nothing to go back to could potentially start anew. But they could also crumble and implode. And Kendall is far likelier to do the latter.
@@seemonuzumaki723Kendall would only crumble because he was chasing something he was not I.e being like Logan. Logan is dead now and the company has gone with him, that pressure on Kendall is gone. That’s what the staring at the river symbolises
I wouldn't be surprised to see him further collapse, now that he has... you know, nothing. His children don't even seem to like him, Rava is so over him. He lost the company and everyone's respect.
@@cornpopisabaddudeI interpreted it as him, staring into the fact he has nothing now. Nothing of importance. It wasn't a happy ending. He's looking at the water as if he wanted to throw himself there, but there's a bannister keeping him from it. Collins was also by his side, like a dark figure, reminding him of his sins. Kendall looked as if he had nothing inside. He told his siblings himself he would die if he didn't get to be Chief Executive Officer. I don't know what this hopefulness you're talking about is. There was 0 hope there.
I love Kendall. He's the most relatable and most human character on the show to me. I believe that Kendall is talented, and I think that others around think so too, but the problem is that everyone seems to recognize that Kendall has serious shortcomings, but Kendall does not. He has incredibly poor self awareness, and that is a trait that I think a lot of people struggle with. Self examination and the willingness/ability to face them is difficult. He's such a broken person, due to his abusive upbringing and personal demons that he is unable to conquer...and Logan is able to manipulate him at will, as a result.
Have you seen Vikings? There is a scene were MC loses his daughter and he says “a man can be jealous of his sons but never of her daughter” something like that, I think he has a picture of her because he never saw her as more than a girl in a mens world
@@mariocastro8253 No I have never seen Vikings. The viking stuff just never interest me hahah. That's a great quote. But I don't think Logan is jealous of Kendall or any of his children. He just despise them probably because they are entitled and think too highly of themselves although most of it is ofc Logan's fault. But Logan has been shown to also be very soft to Shiv until the end of S3.
@@manumaster1990 we can assume all we want and depending on each others perspective and experience in life what you see as absurd and ridicoulous could be the very thing that damages and destroys others
Of course he has pictures of Shiv in his office. She is a girl, and he has pictures of her looking as girly as she has ever looked and smiling. A pretty, smiling daughter is the perfect decoration for her dad's office, next to the photos of himself with various presidents and politicians and so on. That's what a daughter is supposed to do, for him. He could never fit a whole woman in his head. And he would never keep a picture of a grown man - who's not there just as a part of a photo showing his own achievement (him meeting presidents etc.) not even one of his sons, in his office. It is his territory, he would feel threatened (remember how annoyed he looked with Kendall being on the cover of Forbes?) or it would even be kinda "gay" ("I wuw my daddy... I never took you for a fag*ot" as he joked' to Roman). `
Jeremy has also said that he always knew Kenda'lls ending would be tragic because it was going to be tragtic either way, whether he got the 'throne' or didn't. And that's exactly how I saw it coming into the finale. Many people also expected him to gain the CEO position but be ulfilled and empty, and that's how it would have been if he had. He had thrown away everything, love, relationships, morality, his earlier belief he was or could be a good person, for this one thing... and let's be real, being CEO of Waystar Royco isn't really such a great thing objectively - for someone who has billions and could technically go and do whatever he wanted, becoming CEO of a failing infamous media conglomerate marred with scansals doesn't seem like the life's bigest prize. Objectively. For the kids however, and Kendall especially, it's not really about Waysar Royco, it's about love and approval and self-worth. The one thing I disagree with you is your view of Shiv and Roman's futures. I don't see much hope in Shiv's ending. That final scene is so bleak, so emotionally frozen, and her agreeing to take his hand in that half arsed way while they're not even looking at each other feels so defeated. She's basically become her mother. She's living Caroline's life, with her marriage like the worst of both worlds of Caroline's marriages to Logan and Peter (a guy who even she knows is mostly interested in her because of his fascination with Logan, not that different from Tom really).Rom isn't happy either, but he's currently enjoying having some power relative to her. They're like "two pieces of porcelain" as Jesse described them, The happier and optimistic outcome would be the hope that she and Tom finally get that divorce and that Shiv tries to build some kind of career for herself again outside of Waystar (her throwing away her buddiing career outside of the company to come back was IMO one of the worst decisions any of the siblings made when manipulated by their dad), but the ending scene doesn't look hopeful for her future with Tom. And Roman... A lot of people like to focus on the shot of him smiling - and ignore the fact that his smile then falls off. Jesse's view of his future is somewhat optimistic, but Kieran disagreed with him and made a good point that Roman basically has no one. And really, outside of his family, who does he have? He is even more alone than Kendall or Shiv. (Also, Jesse's view of Kenda'll' s future is also more optomistic than Jeremy's , since he thinks Kendall may go on to have a career and some success but on the other, more pessimistic hand, will never stop thinking about this time of his life and will always regret not getting his father's throne and feeling bad that he will never achieve the same level of susceess as his father did.)
I’ve seen others interpret Shiv’s ending that way and I get it. For me personally it doesn’t quite fit thematically (for reasons touched on in this video), nor does it really fit with Tom, but it’s definitely valid even if I disagree. And with Roman, I go back and forth but since Jesse is the showrunner, I think that’s important. A distinction that I think I need to emphasize to you is that I think you’ve slightly misinterpreted my point about these endings. My point isn’t that they aren’t depressing or pessimistic, it’s that they at least have some element of flexibility to them and some sort of substance for a new life. Whereas Kendall doesn’t have that.
I'm not sure what you mean by "doesn't fit thematically". Shiv ending up just like Caroline absolutely fits with the themes of the show. Or what you mean that it doesn't fit with Tom. More importantly, the reading of their last scene is hopeful is completely contrary to what's on screen. They could have made this scene look hopeful and emotional - based on what we had seen from Tom and Shiv's relationship earlier in season 4 - but they definitely did not. The last scene of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an emotional and hopeful scene between wife and husband who had put each other through gell. This one is not that at all. There is no emotion, no connection, not even any eye contact. They both look tired, indifferent and emotionally empty. He puts out his hand demanding hers, and she reluctantly puts her on it without even really holding his hand properly, like she's just going along with it because she has nothing else going on, so what else is there to do.
I meant that it doesn’t fit with Tom, nor the contrast and trajectories of the siblings given their respective personalities. I don’t agree with your interpretation of what was on screen. I don’t agree that it’s contrary at all. I think there’s an exhaustion, a resignation, and ultimately an acceptance that they are intertwined with one another. It doesn’t need to parallel Virginia Woolf and frontload hope to bluntly illustrate that Shiv has more than nothing in her life.
It doesn’t fit with Tom because it’s literally not him, it’s not in his nature and it’s strange to me that anyone needs an explanation as to why he would do something so out of character. He’s never been the kind of character to even mildly desire to readily dismiss Shiv’s independence and overpower her. He’s been self-serving and petty in response and he has resented her for doing so to him but never wanted to wield that himself.
@@ivanacvetanovic7611I've watched some videos of this guy and he generally misses the point way hard. We're all free to interpret things as we want, but I don't think I'd be able to watch the show with someone who pulls stuff out of thin air. Just An Observation made WAY better insights into this wonderful show.
Watching Shiv change her mind in the last scene was just cruel in my opinion, regardless of if he was suited to the task or not. She can't accept actually letting Kendal win and just like her Father did with her she promises him the thing he wants the most just to shiv him in the back a few seconds before he gets it. It felt cruel on a personal level, it was the worst thing she could have done to him
Morally, she was the worst. She was given a lot of changes by a lot of people,only to spit on each of their faces. She is amoral and cruel and forever lonely.
I believe Siobhan has felt sidelined her entire life, which we even see in the 4th season, when Kendall and Roman abandon her and make her take a backseat. I imagine she simply couldn't let him become the thing he was promised, since she would feel sidelined yet again. She had power over her brother in this instance and she chose to use it to hurt him where it hit the hardest. Now she'll have a loveless marriage with Tom, and she's gonna be an awful mother, much like her own. I even doubt she's gonna divorce Tom, because being the wife of the CEO is best than being a divorced, discarded spinster. And as Siobhan told Tom in a scene in the 4th season, she feels safe with him, because they've said the worst things to each other, so Tom can't ever surprise her anymore. She already knows their "underneaths", as she called them.
@@Δ-Δ-Δ-ΔI also think that her changing her mind and also vote yes to Gojo as her final revenge to her brothers. Roman and Kendall are mostly threatening her as "The Token Girl" and they mostly always doing something on her back and so she's scheming behind their back too. Also, in some cases, you notice that Kendall and Roman can be sexists towards women because they usually treat Shiv like a crap so they have to treat other women like crap too. Shiv who is feeling isolated at the time doesn't know about how to love someone hence why she doesn't know how to love Tom as a person. Because remember that those 3 are raised by a workaholic father who barely spend his time with his kids and a mother who doesn't know how to be a mother. Connor is also being abandoned but he never gives up and always being Optimistic. Why? Because Connor learns from his past and he's also the only one who gets out of his comfort zone. He doesn't want to work at company, he has his ranch business. He hired an escort to be his girlfriend but his girlfriend is a writer with bad writing and he wants to support her with her crappy play as much as he can. He wants to be the next President but he failed with only 1% vote but he wants to expanse his business on Slovenia. Meanwhile, the other 3 are spoiled, delusional and pretentious but when there's a problem, they always throw other people under the bus. They don't want to take risk or work their ass off to solve the problem. They're mostly in love with themselves and then when they don't get the CEO position as Logan promised them one by one, they are totally hopeless like they have no future plan for themselves. Kendall carved to be CEO since he was a kid for nothing, Roman tried to be a good boy for his dad for nothing, Shiv quits being Political Consultant for nothing.
While there is certainly personal damage done to these children (especially Kendall); the damage these broken people can do to the wider population, is arguably much worse. And, as Jung said, 'Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there, love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.'
There was nothing he could say to change either Roman or Shivs mind tbh. The way they keep Logan immortal is by rehearsing the same toxic cycles he taught them
@@720pchannelWell, Roman was on board. One could argue he was submissive until Kendall imploded, but he was on board never the less. What I was sad was they could have gone down without tearing apart their relationship even more. I'm sure in a year they'll all be together making fun of Connor, but will that be unconditional familial love? I have my doubts
@@UseTheLess00 Roman backed down to keep the cycle going. As lonh as thet each keep behaving like competitors for no good reason, both Shiv and Roman feel like their father is still alive. Roman was as on board with Kendall as he was on the first season. Ultimately he betrays him to obey hia father. I dont see any other way or approach that Kendall could have chosen that would brinh different results. Roman and Shiv behave like this because they havent truly accepted Logan's death and moved past it
@@720pchannel But Kendall's way of dealing with Logan's death was to try to be Logan 2.0 and treat them pretty much just like Logan did. Manipulating them and finding ways to dominate Roman and exclude Shiv.
Kendal''s downfall was always his father and his desperate need for recognition and affection from his family. Even before the last season, his breakdown always happens when the people he believed to stand by him failed to do so. When he thought that if he were to be Logan, he would be able to control the siblings and everyone else and whenever that fails, he falls along with it. Ironically, Kendall is better at winning when, for brief moments in the series, he steps out of Logan's shadow. He did have a better part to him that makes him a sharp businessman and is able to see past the bullshit and actually grow from it and when he is being him, he actually gets his fair share of respect from people. Because unlike his father, he was still someone that had his own hesitation on sacrificing his own morality and beliefs just to win. E.g: he could have "won" if he actually didn't pull a Logan and resort to power, control and threat but instead of genuine love and respect which he has proved to be capable of. But instead, he relied on what he thought(and was hammered into his soul) would give him the win, which was resorting to Logan's tactics. He was also the only one out of the 3 that truly believes that he could take down Logan, but you can never out-Logan Logan, instead the only way to win against him was to be someone else. But the shadow of his father is too big and the poison has dripped through, to the point that the curse of the crown has reached him without him even obtaining it. Even if he understood the curse of the crown (seen in season 3), he still has to have it. Despite the fact that there is so many other things that he may be capable of, that he can stand on top of, he still seeks that one throne because of what it represents. That if he can't obtain what he was promised, that if he can't live up to the mold that his father wants him to be, he is nothing. And that has shaped him and permanently become who he is and that the growth and pain that he experienced during the series was ultimately meaningless in the face of that cruel fate. He could have been a happier person but he gave that all away because he was never able to break free from the curse of his fate.
For me, Kendall's biggest sin was being a sh¡t parent, to the point I wouldn't even consider him one. He treated his children as toys, honestly. He was interested in them only to feel like he had people that would unconditionally love him. But he never really cared about them. Nor did he know them. Watching Succession from the point of view of Sophie or Iverson would be very interesting. I'm pretty sure they see Kendall very much like Kendall saw Logan. A distant figure, always more concerned with work and ambition than actual family.
Kendall roy is one of the greatest and tragic characters of television of all time, Jeremy strong gives one of the greatest television performance of all time, deserved his 2 emmy this year
such a concise explanation and examination of kendall. truly such a tragic character that by all means we knew from the start but still were shocked to see him pull up short by the end. really loved the 14 music added in.
I don't think the show was ever about "who would win" and even less so "who was good/capable enough to succeed Logan'. That would mean we'd have to assume that Logan was someone admirable that people should emulate, and the only viewers who believe that are those who missed the entire point of the show. Some viewers really do drink Logan's Koolaid and believe that, but it was very clear from the beginning that, for starters, Logan didn't want to give up power to anyone because he was pathologically in need of control and terrified of giving it up. The pilot episode makes that very clear. The real issue was, whether any of the kids would be able to free themselves from Logan's toxic influence, and the real "succession" was always about how they ended up reflecting his toxic traits. The poison drips through.
Not to mention the entirety of bridges he burned on his path to crowning himself. He Literally put his daughter in danger of discrimination and hate crimes by promoting the campaign of a fascist who had no intention of repaying that favor so he did it for Nothing. His final scene with Roman and Shiv likely wrecked their relationships for years to come. His dastardly schemes and attempts to emulate his father’s machinations once he died made a lot of people see him for what he was. He may have come into a lot of money but he lost so much power and it will take a lot to try and rebuild anything with the slimy reputation he started earning. Kendall is left isolated on the beach of his own decimation.
Kendall is like a video game character who mostly doing the "pointless" side quests like : -Getting Married -Partying -Doing Drugs -Hanging Out with his siblings -Going to work And his main objective quest is being the CEO. However, he mostly avoiding the other quest or objective like taking responsibility, taking criticism, doing any works or even spending time with his family. The final boss is his dad but turns out not really because he didn't prepare for the real final boss: Himself. He never finish to fight the mini boss which is his PTSD, Insecurity and also Trauma. He thinks he can coping it with drugs which he thought is his Manna or Heal Potion but it just gives it worse. In the end of the day, he lost of all his life or his hearts as he has no idea what to do anymore.
Kendall was weak at Logan's eyes, since he count not defeat an old king. All the plots he muster are dependent of good will, logan plot with coercion and dependency. At the end, he plotted depending at the good will of his brothers, who was molded at Logan will. He cannot defeat the old king, even after his death...
I wish we could’ve seen what would’ve happened if Kendall wasn’t late for the vote of no confidence. I feel like it would’ve been even worse with him cowering in Logans presence in front of everyone. It would’ve been such a fun confrontation.
Kendall lost every time against Logan. After Logan died, Kendall lost the company and looked ready to join the waiter and his father in the water he was looking at.
When I saw the finale ,i thought the scene where kendall took the lift will show him get to the top of the building and jump, something he tried in season 1 but no jesse decided him to live because now it is harder than death
But that would've been two against one, Frank was being very confrontational to Logan but was basically alone at the job. Even Stewy would have other attitude.
Love the videos on Succession! Wish more people talked about the revelation of Kendall’s infertility though, that hurt me so badly and it put SOOOO much into context. Like it changed everything about how I viewed him and his insecurities and decisions concerning his kids and the way his family treated him
It literally makes everything more personal. His infertility makes Shiv's decision to support Tom really hurt. She knew he wanted kids and couldn't have his own biological kids, she knows how much it mustve hurt him, yet doesn't let him get the company. He just....needed it. He needed it and then he needed to figure out he was terrible at it. Shiv took that away from him.
I mean yeah. He was dead. But we saw the same thing happen in season 1. And like 20 times in season 2. And in season 3. Why do we need to see it again in season 4. The finale left me wondering why exactly this show was 4 seasons long.
Comment before watching video gonna add after watching. I knew kendall wasn’t going to win around season 2 where he does nothing to improve the the relationship between him & his kids and all how he does a lot to distract himself from the main objectives. Now I’ll watch the vid
Kendall's ending, while sad, could potentially be a blessing in disguise. It's clear his goal of being CEO of Waystar was never his own, but one that his father forced on him, and used to regularly abuse, neglect and control him. Becoming CEO would've validated all that abuse and trauma to Kendall and he'd start instilling the same toxic values to emulate his father, and it's been shown he doesn't have the same "killer instincts" and foresight as Logan. Without the control of his father and demand of the company, Kendall may finally be free to choose his own path, as opposed to Shiv, who's now stuck in a loveless marriage, and is most likely going to end up like her mother.
Kendall will never ascend to the heights of his father, that is certain. But, and maybe I’m being overly optimistic, I think he can find his way out of this. He had enough self-awareness in S3 to know that he would be a better man without Waystar, wishing to be paid out and left out of it. And in S4, he understands how cruel it was for Logan to promise him the company at such a young age. It won’t be easy, but I think Kendall can find freedom from this point.
I don’t think shiv should ever had the a chance to the throne. She never NEVER did the work. She is always going against the family and doing political things. Not waystar related. She chose to not do the work. Ken and Roman did the work. Them two working together makes sense.
The show's first, opening scene and final scene are Kendall. Every season finale is about Kendall (killing the waiter, the backstabbing speech, revealing the waiter storyline, losing the CEO seat). Every major storyline is about Kendall. This is absolutely Kendall's show, with the others being very important characters but in no way his equals.
this.
Kendall IS Logan's favorite child. Much like his favorite play thing. It's so sad.
Brian Cox literally said it is Siobhan.
Kendall is the one who can challenge him the most, but Siobhan is his veritable mirror.
@@Δ-Δ-Δ-Δ I know he's said that. I am assessing it solely by what I saw in the show.
@@trevorgerardfrederick Even then, I'd disagree.
When I watched the show (I binged it in 13 days) his dynamics with all of his children were different and interesting.
His energy towards Connor felt like a tundra. Cold and indifferent.
His energy towards Kendall felt like a volcano. It seemed they were the ones that clashed the most or had the most rivalry.
His dynamic with Roman felt like a dog owner and his chihuahua. He had complete control over him and kept him on a tight leash.
Yet his dynamic with Siobhan seemed to be the most "loving". I don't think Logan is capable of love at all, but I always felt his relationship with Siobhan felt like a father, brushing his daughter's hair as she sits on his knee.
It always seemed they shared the most moments of understanding together. Or it always felt like he was at his most vulnerable (or as close to vulnerability as he could get) with her.
Kendall didn't feel like the favourite child at all. He felt like the biggest threat, the biggest contender.
So Logan dedicated the most time and attention to him, but to keep him under his arm, controlled and subservient.
I really didn't notice any of the closeness he seemed to have with Siobhan when he interacted with Kendall.
@@Δ-Δ-Δ-ΔFor him because Siobhan is his only daughter after all. But, ironically, Siobhan/ Shiv is mostly confronting him the most like how in Season 1, she and Gil, the politician whom she consulted confronted him in a day before her weddig, in Season 2, she immediately comparing him with Dinosaur Cull on the interview but she's scared or even apologize to her vile comment, she even begged him to not putting Tom in prison for cruise scandal, in Season 3, she and her brothers together confronted him for stop the Gojo Deal and in Season 4, she confronted him again on karaoke.
@@margarethmichelina5146 What's a dinasaur cull? I never understood that.
Personally, I think Kendall has the biggest potential to reform as a better person or at least different person.
Because he has nothing to go back to.
Especially in times of crisis, people are most likely to completely change their ways and seek out something new.
History has shown that Humans can survive far better and more than one might think.
In the final shot he is shown in the dawn and I personally interpret it as the dawn before the next morning.
Shiv is probably the worst off in my opinion, as she will probably end up just like her mother...
Before Thorfinn, from Vinland Saga, had to be reborn, he had to start out hollow. Like Kendall, Thorfinn had his life's purpose taken from him and he was left empty, and thanks to the people around him, Thorfinn was reborn and became a better and happier person. In the end, whether Kendall follows a similar path or remains a broken and empty person is up to him.
This is a hypothetical and theoretical that has no basis in the reality of the character. Sure, someone with nothing to go back to could potentially start anew. But they could also crumble and implode. And Kendall is far likelier to do the latter.
@@seemonuzumaki723Kendall would only crumble because he was chasing something he was not I.e being like Logan. Logan is dead now and the company has gone with him, that pressure on Kendall is gone. That’s what the staring at the river symbolises
I wouldn't be surprised to see him further collapse, now that he has... you know, nothing.
His children don't even seem to like him, Rava is so over him.
He lost the company and everyone's respect.
@@cornpopisabaddudeI interpreted it as him, staring into the fact he has nothing now.
Nothing of importance.
It wasn't a happy ending.
He's looking at the water as if he wanted to throw himself there, but there's a bannister keeping him from it.
Collins was also by his side, like a dark figure, reminding him of his sins.
Kendall looked as if he had nothing inside. He told his siblings himself he would die if he didn't get to be Chief Executive Officer.
I don't know what this hopefulness you're talking about is.
There was 0 hope there.
the story of how you can be a billionair and still have nothing.
Kendall Roy was interested in succeeding his father from a very young age
I love Kendall. He's the most relatable and most human character on the show to me. I believe that Kendall is talented, and I think that others around think so too, but the problem is that everyone seems to recognize that Kendall has serious shortcomings, but Kendall does not. He has incredibly poor self awareness, and that is a trait that I think a lot of people struggle with. Self examination and the willingness/ability to face them is difficult. He's such a broken person, due to his abusive upbringing and personal demons that he is unable to conquer...and Logan is able to manipulate him at will, as a result.
2:30 Shiv may never have been hugged like Kendall, but in the final episode you can see she is the only child he has pictures on his desk.
Have you seen Vikings? There is a scene were MC loses his daughter and he says “a man can be jealous of his sons but never of her daughter” something like that, I think he has a picture of her because he never saw her as more than a girl in a mens world
@@mariocastro8253 No I have never seen Vikings. The viking stuff just never interest me hahah.
That's a great quote. But I don't think Logan is jealous of Kendall or any of his children. He just despise them probably because they are entitled and think too highly of themselves although most of it is ofc Logan's fault.
But Logan has been shown to also be very soft to Shiv until the end of S3.
@@mariocastro8253 thats a very absurd and ridiculous comment
@@manumaster1990 we can assume all we want and depending on each others perspective and experience in life what you see as absurd and ridicoulous could be the very thing that damages and destroys others
Of course he has pictures of Shiv in his office. She is a girl, and he has pictures of her looking as girly as she has ever looked and smiling. A pretty, smiling daughter is the perfect decoration for her dad's office, next to the photos of himself with various presidents and politicians and so on.
That's what a daughter is supposed to do, for him. He could never fit a whole woman in his head.
And he would never keep a picture of a grown man - who's not there just as a part of a photo showing his own achievement (him meeting presidents etc.) not even one of his sons, in his office. It is his territory, he would feel threatened (remember how annoyed he looked with Kendall being on the cover of Forbes?) or it would even be kinda "gay" ("I wuw my daddy... I never took you for a fag*ot" as he joked' to Roman). `
Jeremy has also said that he always knew Kenda'lls ending would be tragic because it was going to be tragtic either way, whether he got the 'throne' or didn't. And that's exactly how I saw it coming into the finale. Many people also expected him to gain the CEO position but be ulfilled and empty, and that's how it would have been if he had. He had thrown away everything, love, relationships, morality, his earlier belief he was or could be a good person, for this one thing... and let's be real, being CEO of Waystar Royco isn't really such a great thing objectively - for someone who has billions and could technically go and do whatever he wanted, becoming CEO of a failing infamous media conglomerate marred with scansals doesn't seem like the life's bigest prize. Objectively. For the kids however, and Kendall especially, it's not really about Waysar Royco, it's about love and approval and self-worth.
The one thing I disagree with you is your view of Shiv and Roman's futures. I don't see much hope in Shiv's ending. That final scene is so bleak, so emotionally frozen, and her agreeing to take his hand in that half arsed way while they're not even looking at each other feels so defeated. She's basically become her mother. She's living Caroline's life, with her marriage like the worst of both worlds of Caroline's marriages to Logan and Peter (a guy who even she knows is mostly interested in her because of his fascination with Logan, not that different from Tom really).Rom isn't happy either, but he's currently enjoying having some power relative to her. They're like "two pieces of porcelain" as Jesse described them, The happier and optimistic outcome would be the hope that she and Tom finally get that divorce and that Shiv tries to build some kind of career for herself again outside of Waystar (her throwing away her buddiing career outside of the company to come back was IMO one of the worst decisions any of the siblings made when manipulated by their dad), but the ending scene doesn't look hopeful for her future with Tom.
And Roman... A lot of people like to focus on the shot of him smiling - and ignore the fact that his smile then falls off. Jesse's view of his future is somewhat optimistic, but Kieran disagreed with him and made a good point that Roman basically has no one. And really, outside of his family, who does he have? He is even more alone than Kendall or Shiv. (Also, Jesse's view of Kenda'll' s future is also more optomistic than Jeremy's , since he thinks Kendall may go on to have a career and some success but on the other, more pessimistic hand, will never stop thinking about this time of his life and will always regret not getting his father's throne and feeling bad that he will never achieve the same level of susceess as his father did.)
I’ve seen others interpret Shiv’s ending that way and I get it. For me personally it doesn’t quite fit thematically (for reasons touched on in this video), nor does it really fit with Tom, but it’s definitely valid even if I disagree.
And with Roman, I go back and forth but since Jesse is the showrunner, I think that’s important.
A distinction that I think I need to emphasize to you is that I think you’ve slightly misinterpreted my point about these endings. My point isn’t that they aren’t depressing or pessimistic, it’s that they at least have some element of flexibility to them and some sort of substance for a new life. Whereas Kendall doesn’t have that.
I'm not sure what you mean by "doesn't fit thematically". Shiv ending up just like Caroline absolutely fits with the themes of the show.
Or what you mean that it doesn't fit with Tom.
More importantly, the reading of their last scene is hopeful is completely contrary to what's on screen. They could have made this scene look hopeful and emotional - based on what we had seen from Tom and Shiv's relationship earlier in season 4 - but they definitely did not. The last scene of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an emotional and hopeful scene between wife and husband who had put each other through gell. This one is not that at all. There is no emotion, no connection, not even any eye contact. They both look tired, indifferent and emotionally empty. He puts out his hand demanding hers, and she reluctantly puts her on it without even really holding his hand properly, like she's just going along with it because she has nothing else going on, so what else is there to do.
I meant that it doesn’t fit with Tom, nor the contrast and trajectories of the siblings given their respective personalities.
I don’t agree with your interpretation of what was on screen. I don’t agree that it’s contrary at all. I think there’s an exhaustion, a resignation, and ultimately an acceptance that they are intertwined with one another. It doesn’t need to parallel Virginia Woolf and frontload hope to bluntly illustrate that Shiv has more than nothing in her life.
It doesn’t fit with Tom because it’s literally not him, it’s not in his nature and it’s strange to me that anyone needs an explanation as to why he would do something so out of character. He’s never been the kind of character to even mildly desire to readily dismiss Shiv’s independence and overpower her. He’s been self-serving and petty in response and he has resented her for doing so to him but never wanted to wield that himself.
@@ivanacvetanovic7611I've watched some videos of this guy and he generally misses the point way hard.
We're all free to interpret things as we want, but I don't think I'd be able to watch the show with someone who pulls stuff out of thin air.
Just An Observation made WAY better insights into this wonderful show.
Watching Shiv change her mind in the last scene was just cruel in my opinion, regardless of if he was suited to the task or not. She can't accept actually letting Kendal win and just like her Father did with her she promises him the thing he wants the most just to shiv him in the back a few seconds before he gets it.
It felt cruel on a personal level, it was the worst thing she could have done to him
Morally, she was the worst. She was given a lot of changes by a lot of people,only to spit on each of their faces. She is amoral and cruel and forever lonely.
It was heartbreaking.
I believe Siobhan has felt sidelined her entire life, which we even see in the 4th season, when Kendall and Roman abandon her and make her take a backseat.
I imagine she simply couldn't let him become the thing he was promised, since she would feel sidelined yet again.
She had power over her brother in this instance and she chose to use it to hurt him where it hit the hardest.
Now she'll have a loveless marriage with Tom, and she's gonna be an awful mother, much like her own.
I even doubt she's gonna divorce Tom, because being the wife of the CEO is best than being a divorced, discarded spinster.
And as Siobhan told Tom in a scene in the 4th season, she feels safe with him, because they've said the worst things to each other, so Tom can't ever surprise her anymore.
She already knows their "underneaths", as she called them.
@@Δ-Δ-Δ-ΔI also think that her changing her mind and also vote yes to Gojo as her final revenge to her brothers. Roman and Kendall are mostly threatening her as "The Token Girl" and they mostly always doing something on her back and so she's scheming behind their back too. Also, in some cases, you notice that Kendall and Roman can be sexists towards women because they usually treat Shiv like a crap so they have to treat other women like crap too. Shiv who is feeling isolated at the time doesn't know about how to love someone hence why she doesn't know how to love Tom as a person. Because remember that those 3 are raised by a workaholic father who barely spend his time with his kids and a mother who doesn't know how to be a mother. Connor is also being abandoned but he never gives up and always being Optimistic. Why? Because Connor learns from his past and he's also the only one who gets out of his comfort zone. He doesn't want to work at company, he has his ranch business. He hired an escort to be his girlfriend but his girlfriend is a writer with bad writing and he wants to support her with her crappy play as much as he can. He wants to be the next President but he failed with only 1% vote but he wants to expanse his business on Slovenia.
Meanwhile, the other 3 are spoiled, delusional and pretentious but when there's a problem, they always throw other people under the bus. They don't want to take risk or work their ass off to solve the problem. They're mostly in love with themselves and then when they don't get the CEO position as Logan promised them one by one, they are totally hopeless like they have no future plan for themselves.
Kendall carved to be CEO since he was a kid for nothing, Roman tried to be a good boy for his dad for nothing, Shiv quits being Political Consultant for nothing.
While there is certainly personal damage done to these children (especially Kendall); the damage these broken people can do to the wider population, is arguably much worse. And, as Jung said, 'Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there, love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.'
Kenbros... how can it be over when it never even began?
In the final scene with the brothers I just wanted to cover Kendall's mouth. With ever eord he uttered he just sank himself deeper and deeper
There was nothing he could say to change either Roman or Shivs mind tbh. The way they keep Logan immortal is by rehearsing the same toxic cycles he taught them
@@720pchannelWell, Roman was on board. One could argue he was submissive until Kendall imploded, but he was on board never the less.
What I was sad was they could have gone down without tearing apart their relationship even more. I'm sure in a year they'll all be together making fun of Connor, but will that be unconditional familial love? I have my doubts
@@UseTheLess00 Roman backed down to keep the cycle going. As lonh as thet each keep behaving like competitors for no good reason, both Shiv and Roman feel like their father is still alive.
Roman was as on board with Kendall as he was on the first season. Ultimately he betrays him to obey hia father.
I dont see any other way or approach that Kendall could have chosen that would brinh different results. Roman and Shiv behave like this because they havent truly accepted Logan's death and moved past it
@@720pchannel And so did Kendall. He was doing that to his siblings throughout the final season in particular.
@@720pchannel But Kendall's way of dealing with Logan's death was to try to be Logan 2.0 and treat them pretty much just like Logan did. Manipulating them and finding ways to dominate Roman and exclude Shiv.
Thank you. He is the core.
Kendal''s downfall was always his father and his desperate need for recognition and affection from his family. Even before the last season, his breakdown always happens when the people he believed to stand by him failed to do so. When he thought that if he were to be Logan, he would be able to control the siblings and everyone else and whenever that fails, he falls along with it. Ironically, Kendall is better at winning when, for brief moments in the series, he steps out of Logan's shadow. He did have a better part to him that makes him a sharp businessman and is able to see past the bullshit and actually grow from it and when he is being him, he actually gets his fair share of respect from people. Because unlike his father, he was still someone that had his own hesitation on sacrificing his own morality and beliefs just to win. E.g: he could have "won" if he actually didn't pull a Logan and resort to power, control and threat but instead of genuine love and respect which he has proved to be capable of. But instead, he relied on what he thought(and was hammered into his soul) would give him the win, which was resorting to Logan's tactics. He was also the only one out of the 3 that truly believes that he could take down Logan, but you can never out-Logan Logan, instead the only way to win against him was to be someone else. But the shadow of his father is too big and the poison has dripped through, to the point that the curse of the crown has reached him without him even obtaining it. Even if he understood the curse of the crown (seen in season 3), he still has to have it. Despite the fact that there is so many other things that he may be capable of, that he can stand on top of, he still seeks that one throne because of what it represents. That if he can't obtain what he was promised, that if he can't live up to the mold that his father wants him to be, he is nothing. And that has shaped him and permanently become who he is and that the growth and pain that he experienced during the series was ultimately meaningless in the face of that cruel fate. He could have been a happier person but he gave that all away because he was never able to break free from the curse of his fate.
For me, Kendall's biggest sin was being a sh¡t parent, to the point I wouldn't even consider him one.
He treated his children as toys, honestly. He was interested in them only to feel like he had people that would unconditionally love him.
But he never really cared about them.
Nor did he know them.
Watching Succession from the point of view of Sophie or Iverson would be very interesting.
I'm pretty sure they see Kendall very much like Kendall saw Logan.
A distant figure, always more concerned with work and ambition than actual family.
Kendall roy is one of the greatest and tragic characters of television of all time, Jeremy strong gives one of the greatest television performance of all time, deserved his 2 emmy this year
He’s outstanding
Jeremy Strong is awesome!
He’s very captivating as an actor
It begins and ends with Kendall.
such a concise explanation and examination of kendall. truly such a tragic character that by all means we knew from the start but still were shocked to see him pull up short by the end. really loved the 14 music added in.
One of my favorite characters in TV history and also one of the most tragic
I don't think the show was ever about "who would win" and even less so "who was good/capable enough to succeed Logan'. That would mean we'd have to assume that Logan was someone admirable that people should emulate, and the only viewers who believe that are those who missed the entire point of the show. Some viewers really do drink Logan's Koolaid and believe that, but it was very clear from the beginning that, for starters, Logan didn't want to give up power to anyone because he was pathologically in need of control and terrified of giving it up. The pilot episode makes that very clear.
The real issue was, whether any of the kids would be able to free themselves from Logan's toxic influence, and the real "succession" was always about how they ended up reflecting his toxic traits. The poison drips through.
It seemed to me that everyone loses. That was what the show was about.
Not to mention the entirety of bridges he burned on his path to crowning himself. He Literally put his daughter in danger of discrimination and hate crimes by promoting the campaign of a fascist who had no intention of repaying that favor so he did it for Nothing. His final scene with Roman and Shiv likely wrecked their relationships for years to come. His dastardly schemes and attempts to emulate his father’s machinations once he died made a lot of people see him for what he was. He may have come into a lot of money but he lost so much power and it will take a lot to try and rebuild anything with the slimy reputation he started earning.
Kendall is left isolated on the beach of his own decimation.
Kendall is like a video game character who mostly doing the "pointless" side quests like :
-Getting Married
-Partying
-Doing Drugs
-Hanging Out with his siblings
-Going to work
And his main objective quest is being the CEO.
However, he mostly avoiding the other quest or objective like taking responsibility, taking criticism, doing any works or even spending time with his family.
The final boss is his dad but turns out not really because he didn't prepare for the real final boss: Himself.
He never finish to fight the mini boss which is his PTSD, Insecurity and also Trauma. He thinks he can coping it with drugs which he thought is his Manna or Heal Potion but it just gives it worse.
In the end of the day, he lost of all his life or his hearts as he has no idea what to do anymore.
Kendall was weak at Logan's eyes, since he count not defeat an old king. All the plots he muster are dependent of good will, logan plot with coercion and dependency. At the end, he plotted depending at the good will of his brothers, who was molded at Logan will. He cannot defeat the old king, even after his death...
kendall only has one brother lol
@@stockholmpublishings2937What about Connor?
Kendall was doom from the beginning
I wish we could’ve seen what would’ve happened if Kendall wasn’t late for the vote of no confidence. I feel like it would’ve been even worse with him cowering in Logans presence in front of everyone. It would’ve been such a fun confrontation.
Yep. Yep yep yep yep. Been thinking similar to this recently. So strange. Great work. You should be proud.
Kendall lost every time against Logan. After Logan died, Kendall lost the company and looked ready to join the waiter and his father in the water he was looking at.
Kendall is the definition of "Shooting yourself in the foot" as he keeps failing again and again.
When I saw the finale ,i thought the scene where kendall took the lift will show him get to the top of the building and jump, something he tried in season 1 but no jesse decided him to live because now it is harder than death
But that would've been two against one, Frank was being very confrontational to Logan but was basically alone at the job. Even Stewy would have other attitude.
nice seeing a succession fan and a ffxiv fan! great music choices
Nice work bro , keep it Up 💪🎉
The first episode showed us that he couldn’t get enough votes in the end he still couldn’t get enough votes
what votes in the first episode?
@@vitd5283 I think he's talking about season 1 episode 6
@@lissa6938 Oh. Thanks Lissa.
The poison drips through
Love the videos on Succession!
Wish more people talked about the revelation of Kendall’s infertility though, that hurt me so badly and it put SOOOO much into context. Like it changed everything about how I viewed him and his insecurities and decisions concerning his kids and the way his family treated him
Damn, that changes my perception of a lot of character dynamics in the show. When did they reveal that?
@@TheRockerX Roman mocked him at the final fight lol. He said Sophie is bought and Iverson is some other guy's sperm.
It literally makes everything more personal. His infertility makes Shiv's decision to support Tom really hurt. She knew he wanted kids and couldn't have his own biological kids, she knows how much it mustve hurt him, yet doesn't let him get the company. He just....needed it. He needed it and then he needed to figure out he was terrible at it. Shiv took that away from him.
Can I ask you why?
Don't think so , that was roman being roman
Kendall Roy was interested in being CEO at a very young age
Awesome video.
I mean yeah. He was dead. But we saw the same thing happen in season 1. And like 20 times in season 2. And in season 3. Why do we need to see it again in season 4. The finale left me wondering why exactly this show was 4 seasons long.
Comment before watching video gonna add after watching. I knew kendall wasn’t going to win around season 2 where he does nothing to improve the the relationship between him & his kids and all how he does a lot to distract himself from the main objectives. Now I’ll watch the vid
Kendall's ending, while sad, could potentially be a blessing in disguise. It's clear his goal of being CEO of Waystar was never his own, but one that his father forced on him, and used to regularly abuse, neglect and control him. Becoming CEO would've validated all that abuse and trauma to Kendall and he'd start instilling the same toxic values to emulate his father, and it's been shown he doesn't have the same "killer instincts" and foresight as Logan. Without the control of his father and demand of the company, Kendall may finally be free to choose his own path, as opposed to Shiv, who's now stuck in a loveless marriage, and is most likely going to end up like her mother.
Love your videos man! Always make my days😊😊😊😊❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉
Kendall was interested in being a CEO from a very young age.
Kendall will never ascend to the heights of his father, that is certain. But, and maybe I’m being overly optimistic, I think he can find his way out of this. He had enough self-awareness in S3 to know that he would be a better man without Waystar, wishing to be paid out and left out of it. And in S4, he understands how cruel it was for Logan to promise him the company at such a young age. It won’t be easy, but I think Kendall can find freedom from this point.
Nice vid
You're putting a spoiler warning at the beginning of the video whereas the headline is basically a spoiler :)
Changed :)
Please make a video about Roman 🫶
When did Logan write and underline Kendall name and wrote Greg name?
Around season 1.
I'm not gonna lie, seeing Kendall fail season after season is hilarious.
I don’t think shiv should ever had the a chance to the throne. She never NEVER did the work. She is always going against the family and doing political things. Not waystar related. She chose to not do the work. Ken and Roman did the work. Them two working together makes sense.
Ah yeah the " SUCC SION"
If Kendall was good enough, he'd have gotten it. Simple
Kendall is Pouf fr
Eh, maybe he'll rebuild himself as something else
Not a chance. The writers and Jeremy Strong have confirmed as much, but even if not he had nothing to build from due to all of this.
Season 4 of this show was an absolute disaster
TempleOS
dont say that
Not your best analysis
nice argument. now **** off kid
True! But it’s still a good one. Thanks for watching😁