Who’s going to ‘win’ within the ‘Succession’ finale? Don’t depend out these excessive darkish horses

As Succession gears up for its large finale, followers are making their remaining bets on the end result. No, actually. Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ director of race and sportsbook operations crunched no matter numbers one can crunch a few fictional present(opens in a brand new tab), and has the good cash predictions for you: 

Sure, the corporate will probably be offered to GoJo, in response to Avello. So far as the stickier query of who will reign (since precisely what they’ll reign over depends on the reply to that first query), probably the most boring solutions are, in descending order of probability, Shiv Roy at 5-2 odds, adopted by Kendall, after which Roman. For those who’re in search of a lottery ticket wager, go along with Cousin Greg. At 50-1 odds, he’s not the one to stake your own home on, however you probably have some cash to threat, a Greg payout might be huge.

However right here’s the gorgeous factor about fiction: Actually something can occur. Kendall’s son Iverson could be CEO if the writers will it. Hell, there’s no legislation that claims showrunner Jesse Armstrong can’t make Logan come again from the useless, or have aliens materialize and take over Waystar Royco.

However someplace between “boring” and “completely, unsatisfyingly out-of-left discipline,” are the darkish horses. Tom, Frank, and Gerri are some examples of CEOs who would all make for fairly wild selections, in addition to most likely nice TV. But it surely doesn’t take a lot to think about these situations into existence. 

Right here, then, are three excessive darkish horses. None of those are probably, however I’m providing them up as hypotheticals anyway, as a result of, if nothing else, they present simply how a lot enjoyable TV writers can have in the event that they actually reduce themselves free.

Peter Munion 

For those who’re not a Munion stan, you could want a reminder that Caroline Collingwood’s fairly pathetic, social-climbing husband Peter (performed by Pip Torrens) even exists. A part of his character, in spite of everything, is that he’s simple to not discover. It was dangerous style within the excessive for the Roy siblings’ new stepdad to announce himself at Logan’s funeral by saying “Daddy’s right here!” But it surely was true in a way, and what if it all of the sudden grew to become queasily more true? 

On the finish of Season 3, you’ll in fact recall that when the siblings tried to wrest management of Waystar from Logan, the outdated man’s vice grip on the steering wheel was maintained by making some kind of attraction to his ex-wife Caroline. Their divorce settlement had as soon as stored the Roy Household Holding Firm — which owns 36 p.c of Waystar  — underneath the management of the siblings. However after renegotiating the divorce, the ex-couple froze out the siblings so the sale might go forward.

With Logan useless, in response to my math, Caroline controls — although she doesn’t personal — 36 p.c of Waystar. One of many present CEOs of Waystar Royco has simply been trampled, and the opposite is getting ready to wage boardroom battle towards his sister Shiv. All this turmoil could be resolved, nevertheless, and the GoJo sale can transfer ahead if Caroline simply makes use of her appreciable voting energy to seat one other CEO. And provided that Waystar’s newest Wall Road coup was pushed by Residing+, a brand new kind of retirement residence, it can actually assist to herald somebody with expertise in that space, as a result of different board members are going to want to vote for this particular person.

Welp, it’s price noting that Caroline occurs to be married to the CEO of Lavender Park Care Properties, a series of British retirement houses: our outdated buddy Peter Munion. One other win for awkward stepdads. 

To make sure, assuming Jeryd Mencken, together with his America-first mindset, does really grow to be U.S. president, the British Peter might by no means be promoted to CEO of GoJo, which might grow to be Waystar’s mother or father firm on this state of affairs. However assuming Shiv’s need for that job is only a fantasy, and Matsson has different, larger plans, Peter’s ascendancy to the place of Waystar CEO would make him seem to be the winner of the present anyway.   

Lawrence Yee

Rob Yang and Kieran Culkin in “Succession”
Credit score: {Photograph} by Peter Kramer/HBO

The media panorama was just a little completely different again when Succession debuted in the summertime of 2018, and the significance of Lawrence Yee (Rob Yang), founder and CEO of Vaulter, mirrored that. BuzzFeed and the opposite punching-above-their-weight on-line media organizations that impressed Vaulter had been breaking main information(opens in a brand new tab) and perceived as a menace to legacy companies like Information Corp. However that development reversed throughout Succession‘s run, and now the concept of a determine like BuzzFeed’s Jonah Peretti or Vice’s Shane Smith, absolutely taking on a serious conglomerate like Waystar is, nicely, laughable.

However when seen in that mild, Lawrence Yee’s return might be the funniest potential end result. If the Succession universe mirrors our personal, Yee’s total nook of the media biz, to not point out his personal totally defunct firm, would have quickly grow to be an afterthought between Season 1 and right now. However lest we overlook, Yee as soon as had the power to really vote in Waystar board conferences, and he was planning to make use of that potential to terrorize the Roy siblings — particularly Kendall.

 “You simply invited me into the rooster coop,” Yee mentioned on the finish of the pilot, “and with out Daddy round to guard you, I’m gonna eat you all. One by fucking one.” He by no means did that, however what if he was simply biding his time? There’s no simple solution to make the maths of this work given the present plot machinations of the present, but when we assume one thing’s been cooking within the background — probably some sort of plot by the devious Sandy and Stewy — it might, possibly, learn as believable.

Regardless of the necessity for a sweaty, last-minute exposition dump, having Yee pop up in Kendall’s face as a bounce scare towards the top of the ultimate episode could be price it. Simply think about Kendall shrinking into just a little puddle as the ultimate credit roll. 

Colin 

Scott Nicholson on the premiere of Season 3
Credit score: Picture by Lexie Moreland/Selection/Penske Media through Getty Photos

As Logan’s physique man, basic fixer of Waystar’s issues, and the corporate’s go-to absorber of human distress, Colin’s presence is sort of a haunting. As Logan sat throughout from him at dinner the day earlier than he died, his thoughts couldn’t assist however wander to the subject of loss of life, as a result of Colin (Scott Nicholson) is a reminder of the literal and figurative corpses which have paved the trail to the Logan household’s blood-drenched success. Throughout Kendall’s temporary second as an anti-Logan gadfly, when he got here to the Waystar workplace to throw his weight round, Colin confirmed up simply to mutter, “I do know you” — and we all know what Kendall noticed when Colin mentioned these phrases: the face of Andrew Dodds, the Scottish waiter whose loss of life Kendall is partly chargeable for.

Colin doesn’t also have a final identify. Apart from the truth that he’s married(opens in a brand new tab) and has a non secular father, we don’t know something about his backstory. However he is aware of all the things. As of their dialog on the funeral, Kendall has now employed Colin to do for him what Colin as soon as did for his father Logan, and little question Kendall would like to assume that by appropriating his father’s “biggest pal” and right-hand man, he’s turning into extra like him. However what he’s actually doing is cozying as much as the grim reaper who can, any time he desires, sink his scythe into Kendall’s again. 

If ever an actual ethical reckoning got here to Waystar, Colin would most likely be one of many first to be condemned, indicted, and usually made to endure. However up to now, Colin doesn’t appear to be pulling a Cousin Greg — he’s not conserving a ledger of the darkish favors he does for others so he can use them as forex. Actually, Logan’s loss of life appears to have left an enormous, gaping gap in his life, and he’s on a seek for solutions, together with visits with a psychiatrist. Remedy is time nicely spent, and it may gain advantage Colin particularly if, amid all that reflection, he’s woken as much as the ability he has. 

As soon as awake, an inaudible whisper within the ear of each Roy and Roy acolyte, and management might be Colin’s as soon as and for all. And okay, this one’s undoubtedly not taking place, nevertheless it’s price conserving Colin’s eerie potential in thoughts as we head towards a finale the place the one certain factor is that one thing goes to shock us.

The sequence finale of Succession airs Might 28 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.(opens in a brand new tab)