'Succession' Season 4: Will the future of Waystar Royco be decided without Kendall and Roman?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The series finale of HBO’s blockbuster series ‘Succession’ will undoubtedly break many hearts and it might not be easy for some people to accept the outcome. Without any guesses, it would also be the final straw for the "CE-bros", as the future of Waystar Royco hangs in the balance. Though Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) seemed to be doing a decent job of leading the company alongside Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Logan's (Brian Cox) death rattled him to his core. Roman's breakdown at his father's funeral revealed his inability to handle such a massive and emotional situation, leaving the potential president-elect, Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk), and the rest of the audience on edge.
In contrast, Kendall delivered a speech that made everyone realize who will be better at leading the organization. The speech not only managed to save Roman's emotional breakdown but also salvaged their father's reputation. When he left the stage after the speech, it looked like we were watching a person who has the ability to take the company ahead with his wisdom and ability to tackle such emotional situations.
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Roman's inability to handle emotional situations gave a clear indication
Roman’s transition has been one of the strongest plotlines ‘Succession’. However, instead of dealing with his grief, Roman focused on "becoming" his father and thinking about what Logan would do or how Logan would behave in this matter. Unfortunately, this tactic led to irrational business decisions and made matters worse for him. On the other hand, his refusal to address how his father’s death affected him made some of his actions increasingly illogical. He made rash decisions such as firing Waystar studio head, Joy Palmer (Annabeth Gish), and long-standing Waystar member, Gerri (J Smith-Cameron), under the guise of his father's leadership.
But Roman's premature election call for Mencken was the final nail in the coffin. Kendall tried to justify Roman's decisions by convincing himself that their father would have made the same choices. However, when it came to the presidential election, Kendall and Shiv (Sarah Snook) discussed the potential fallout of calling the election for Mencken. Kendall revealed that he sometimes felt he could do it on his own and should be able to talk openly about that feeling, without it ending the family's legacy.
The election happened soon after Logan's death, which had a huge impact on everyone’s minds, especially the Roy siblings. This is the main reason why no one had actually given a thought that naming Roman “co-CEO” might be a bad idea. In short, people have realized that Kendall had everything that was needed to lead Waystar. Roman's grief clouded his judgment and decision-making, leading him to act like an irrational dictator.
Kendall was born to lead the company
If you have been following ‘Succession’ since its first season, you would already know that Kendall was the obvious choice for the CEO of Waystar, but it would have been just too obvious. However, as the season progresses, we got to know that he is not a perfect man and panicked when he was needed the most.
But the penultimate episode of ‘Succession’ made everyone realize that Kendall was born to lead the company and it would be a travesty if he is not given that responsibility. On the other hand, Roman won’t be sticking around as the co-CEO, especially after what happened at the end of the penultimate episode. So, the choice is pretty straightforward.