Caution: Major spoilers ahead for Succession season 3.
Succession season 3 ends with a bang, as the HBO series accomplishes the seemingly impossible task of topping its previous season, while also setting up another major conflict for season 4. Following up on the explosive season 2 finale, Succession was primed for a Roy family civil war—but the show continues to subvert expectations. It becomes clear early on that Kendall is no match for his father, and with no one in his corner, his attempted war fizzled out with a whimper.
Succession season 3 continues to track the fallout of Kendall's season 2 betrayal, but through the lens of the complicated family dynamics the show is well known for. It seems clear early on that season 3 is heading towards tragedy even while the war cools down. As Shiv, Roman, and Connor try to stay in their father's good graces (with Roman really shining in Succession season 3), Kendall is left to flounder as he searches for a way out of the hellscape that has become his life. This culminates in a devastating moment in Succession episode 8 where Kendall asks his father to let him leave the company.
As the entire Roy family converges on Italy for Roman, Shiv, and Kendall's mother's wedding, the series once again puts the characters in an opulent location as their world crumbles around them. The Succession season 3 finale has everything the show is known for: biting and expletive-laden insults, key developments, and a shocking ending that changes the fabric of the show once again. Here's everything that happens in the Succession season 3 ending, what it means, and how it sets up season 4.
Why Succession Season 3 Didn't Kill Kendall Roy
Kendall Roy is definitively alive. After the shocking cliffhanger ending of Succession season 3’s penultimate episode, the former CEO in waiting seems to be on the verge of leaving this mortal coil—and it would’ve made sense. Instead, it is revealed in the opening minutes of Succession episode 9 that Kendall’s assistant Comfry finds him in the pool and is able to save him before he drowns, and it ultimately makes more sense that Kendall remains alive.
Succession has teased a certain character's death since the beginning of its run, one that would shake the foundation of the show and upend everything. It's just not Kendall's. Logan dying before Kendall makes more sense and the show itself has positioned Kendall as someone who, as terrible as he is, could possibly be redeemed in some fashion. Kendall Roy will never be a good person and Succession has teased a tragic ending to Kendall's arc since the beginning, but the tragedy is that he has to live with everything he's done, rather than be able to skirt past any consequences of his actions.
Kendall Confesses To His Siblings (& What It Means)
When Shiv realizes that Logan is screwing them out of Waystar, she rallies Roman and Kendall to stand against their father. Kendall is still reeling from his near-death experience; one that hews eerily close to the way in which the young waiter died next to him in the Succession season 1 finale. Before Kendall can join his siblings in a fight against their father, he excises this demon and tells Shiv and Roman what happened. This unity not only brings the three siblings together in a way like never before, but it also gives Shiv and Roman the ability to turn on Logan now that they know the true extent of Kendall's emotional damage and the reasons behind his battle with their father.
Logan & WayStar's Deal With Matsson & GoJo Explained
What began as a merger of equals quickly shifts. Alexander Skarsgård’s Lukas Matsson, whose company GoJo Logan is hoping to acquire, soon finds itself with a bigger bargaining chip. Being the ruthless businessman that he is, though, Logan sees this as an opportunity. What was once unthinkable – Logan relinquishing control of Waystar to someone outside of his inner circle – becomes a reality in the Succession season 3 finale and by the end, it’s clear that Logan never planned to let one of his children take over the company.
When Shiv realizes in a classic Succession moment that she and her siblings are about to be screwed out of their stake in Waystar, she rallies them (sans eldest failchild Connor) to stop their father. Of course, Logan is one step ahead of them. It seems like a fool-proof plan: Logan would need a supermajority of the company to support a change of control and his children are suddenly unwilling to grant that to him. They’re playing checkers while Logan is playing chess, though. Their mother, Caroline Collingwood, proves once again that the children are mere pawns in a game that she and their father have been playing for years.
This moment is underscored by Shiv and Caroline’s conversations about motherhood in the penultimate episode. Logan never wanted custody of the kids because he loved them. He wanted to win. And he does once again by convincing their mother to restructure their divorce settlement, giving him a supermajority, and eliminating the very plan that Shiv, Roman, and Kendall had come up with before they even knew how to pitch it. This makes it clearer than ever why Logan was never confident one of his children could take over the company; ultimately, they are fueled by emotion, by some subconscious feeling that, despite all of his games, Logan is still a family man. Logan is only looking out for one person, though, and that’s himself, making everyone in Succession, but him, a loser.
Why Tom Told Logan & What It Means For Shiv
In Succession season 3’s final moments, the biggest shoe drops. It’s clear from the beginning of their meeting that Logan was prepared to be confronted by his children and, once Tom arrives—with a pat on the shoulder and a sly wink from the Roy family patriarch—it’s clear that Shiv’s husband is the one who tipped him off. This move from Tom has been in the works since the Succession season 2 finale. Shiv’s focus on the power struggles of Succession’s Roy family has made her a less-than-stellar partner to her husband culminating in the brutal delivery of “I may not love you, but I do love you,” in Succession season 3, episode 8.
Throughout this season, amidst his concerns about going to jail, Tom has grown closer to Logan and the pat on the shoulder epitomizes that. Shiv, being the observant failchild that she is, sees this, and the Succession season 3 ending hints at her anger from this betrayal on all sides. It’s clear that Succession season 4 is setting up a few major power struggles and the final shot of this season may hint that Shiv’s marriage will be a huge focus of the next batch of episodes.
Succession Season 3's Real Meaning: Logan Always Wins
It’s been clear from the beginning of Succession that Logan is the ultimate winner, but, despite this, his children seem to think that his decisions are still influenced by his desire to keep a tight inner circle both with family and with his consort of underlings at Waystar. The Succession season 3 ending makes it clear, though, that Logan sees his relationship with his children as nothing more than a game. Waystar is his real baby.
Logan will do anything to protect Waystar and his own interests and, after Lukas Matsson asks him if he is truly excited for the future, something seems to click into the place for him. His future may not involve Waystar, but it also doesn’t involve cleaning up his children’s messes at the company he once owned. Logan will do anything to win – even making amends with his estranged ex-wife or using his onetime opponent Sandy's rumored syphilis as a weapon – and that means sacrificing his children’s futures to secure his own.
How Succession Season 3's Ending Sets Up Season 4
Like Succession season 2’s ending, the season 3 finale sets up a major power struggle with Waystar at the center. This time though, Shiv, Roman, and Kendall will be the ones joining forces against Logan – and quite possibly Skarsgård’s Matsson. The once embattled siblings, united by Kendall’s emotional confession earlier in the episode (and their own selfish interests), try to shut Logan’s plan down and fail while Karl, Frank, and Waystar CEO Gerri watch. Still, the war is far from over and they have plenty in their arsenal to take Logan down, much of which was hinted at in the Succession season 3 finale.
From his cover-up of Kendall’s involvement in a waiter’s death at Shiv’s wedding to his affair with his assistant Kerry (not to mention all the impropriety at Waystar itself), there’s plenty of ammo to use against Logan. To get to him, though, Shiv, Roman, and Kendall will have to get through a slew of underlings. There’s also Tom to contend with. Now that his loyalties seemingly lie with Logan, Shiv will be dealing with two battles, one for her marriage and one for her future.
Ultimately, Succession season 3's ending does what all great season finale's do best: tie up the loose ends while deftly laying the foundation for what's to come. "All The Bells Say" brings out the best in the Roy family (if that's even possible) while creating new challenges for them to face. It seems that Succession season 4 could begin with some members of the Roy family more united than ever before. It also means that Kendall, Roman, and Shiv could finally learn to play the game like their father, by destroying him before he can do that to them.
Succession season 3 is streaming now on HBO Max.