History Recap / SuccessionS04E10

* AdoptionDiss: During their final argument, Roman points out that Shiv is carrying the Roy bloodline, since Kendall's kids aren't his: Sophie is "a buy-in" and Iverson the child of Rava and another guy[[note]]whether via infidelity, sperm donation, or from a previous relationship is not clear[[/note]].

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Mencken's future as President is left in murky territory, with the last mention of him being a reference to a judicial challenge being issued regarding the missing votes in Wisconsin.

* HeelRealization: Or at least as much as can be gotten from a member of the Roy family. Roman's choice to no longer back Kendall is backed by an outburst where he claims none of the siblings are truly cut out to lead the company and that every power play they've done to try and earn leverage is for naught. While all the Roy children are distraught by the episode's end, Roman's demeanor shows that by comparison to Shiv and Ken, he's [[GracefulLoser more accepting of the reality of the situation.]]

* HeelRealization: Or at least as much as can be gotten from a member of the Roy family. Roman's choice to no longer back Kendall is backed by an outburst where he claims none of the siblings are truly cut out to lead the company and that every power play they've done to try and earn leverage is for naught. While all the Roy children are distraught by the episode's end, Roman's demeanor shows that by comparison to Shiv and Ken, he's [[GraciousLoser more accepting of the reality of the situation.]]

** This extends to the three siblings -- the sale of Waystar-[=GoJo=] ultimately nets all of them tens of millions in the buyout, but functionally shatters the dreams of all three in various fashions. Roman is right back to where he was at the start of the series -- a lost kid spending time in bars. Shiv was glossed over for the CEO role immediately, and ends up in a situation where she has no real power and is following her husband's lead on a permanent basis. Kendall's impulsiveness leads to him losing the last opportunity he might have had to run Waystar, and he's left dejected and with everyone (save for his bodyguard, Colin) having abandoned him; he's hinted to be contemplating suicide as he sits near the Hudson River,

* AlasPoorVillain: Even after everything they have said and done, it’s weirdly difficult not to feel a little sorry about the fate of the main Roy siblings, since everything they have struggled for was all for nothing, and even end up in worse positions than they were last time. Shiv is forced to continue the cycle of her mother by being in an unhappy marriage with a Waystar CEO (and with a child she’s unsure if she wants); Roman is more or less back to being a carefree guy hanging out in bars, but it is still clearly broken by the entire ordeal; Kendall arguably gets hit the hardest, being left alone and and in disbelief, having lost everything and destroying every relationship he possibly still had left, with the strong implications of contemplating suicide.

* NotHelpingYourCase: Kendall's tirade against Shiv, coupled by him actively dismissing the death of the waiter in Season 1 in defiance, is ultimately the straw that breaks the camel's back fro Shiv. And even if she was still convinced, Ken's tirade is shown to be audible by much (if not most) of the office, causing them to reel in shock.

* AlasPoorVillain: Even after everything they have said and done, it’s weirdly difficult not to feel a little sorry about the fate of the main Roy siblings, since everything they have struggledfor was all for nothing, and even end up in worse positions than they were last time. Shiv is forced to continue the cycle of her mother by being in an unhappy marriage with a Waystar CEO (and with a child she’s unsure if she wants); Roman is more or less back to being a carefree guy hanging out in bars, but it is still clearly broken by the entire ordeal; Kendall arguably gets hit the hardest, being left alone and and in disbelief, having lost everything and destroying every relationship he possibly still had left, with the strong implications of contemplating suicide.

* AlasPoorVillain: Even after everything they have said and done, it’s weirdly difficult not to feel a little sorry about the fate of the main Roy siblings, since everything they have struggle for was basically Shiv is forced to continue the cycle of her mother by being in an unhappy marriage with a Waystar CEO (and with a child she’s unsure if she wants); Roman is more or less back to being a carefree guy hanging out in bars, but it is still clearly broken by the entire ordeal; Kendall arguably gets hit the hardest, being left alone and and in disbelief, having lost everything and destroying every relationship he possibly still had left, with the strong implications of contemplating suicide.

* BigBrotherBully: PlayedForDrama. Kendall is 40 and his younger siblings Roman and Shiv not too far behind, and they're all supposed to be corporate professionals, so Kendall putting hands on them when Shiv doesn't do what he wants is a sign that he's really losing it.

* HopeSpot: The "meal fit for a king" scene, where the Roy siblings childishly act like kids playing together for the first time in the series, takes place at around the episode's halfway point the night before the climactic board meeting, making the viewers think that maybe they can genuinely rally together despite their previously shaky relationships.[[note][In the "Controlling the Narrative" postcredits scene, WordOfGod confirms that this scene was intended to act as a ray of hope.[[/note]] Unfortunately, they end up backstabbing each other as always, except this backstabbing results in signing away the family company.

At the board meeting, six of the board members support the sale, and six vote no. The tiebreaker vote falls to Shiv, who gets second thoughts and exits the room. Kendall and Roman follow her and a fight ensues between the three. She claims that she cannot see Kendall as leader of Waystar, especially because he killed a man. Kendall claims that the waiter's death was a lie he told his siblings, but this only turns Shiv further against him. Shiv votes yes on the deal, which is finalized with Tom as CEO.

* ChekhovsGun: One that carries across multiple seasons -- Ken's accidental murder of the waiter in Season 1, and his dismissal of the incident when Shiv brings it up, is a large part of the reason why she casts the deciding vote to merge Waystar and [=GoJo=].

* HopeSpot: The "meal fit for a king" scene, where the Roy siblings childishly act like kids playing together for the first time in the series, takes place at around the episode's halfway point the night before the climactic board meeting, making the viewers think that maybe they can genuinely rally together despite their previously shaky relationships. (In the "Controlling the Narrative" postcredits scene, WordOfGod confirms that this scene was intended to act as a ray of hope.) Unfortunately, they end up backstabbing each other as always, except this backstabbing results in signing away the family company.

-->'''Shiv:''' You can't become CEO because you killed someone.
-->'''Kendall:''' [[ButForMeItWasTuesday Which?]]

%%* AHouseDivided: The ultimate reason of the ultimate fall of the Roys.

%%* MadnessMantra: Ken's "I'm the eldest boy!" which, as everyone knows, isn't even true.

%%* VillainousBreakdown: Kendall has one after Shiv decides she can't vote for him, yelling "I am the eldest boy!". Furthered after Roman points out that Kendall's kids aren't biologically his (at least according to Logan) and Kendall loses it completely and attacks him physically.

* SlowAndSteadyWinsTheRace: Tom emerges victorius mainly because he's seen as less problematic than the alternatives. And the other candidates fuck it up for themselves.

* AHouseDivided: The ultimate reason of the ultimate fall of the Roys.

* MadnessMantra: Ken's "I'm the eldest boy!" which, as everyone knows, isn't even true.

* VillainousBreakdown: Kendall has one after Shiv decides she can't vote for him, yelling "I am the eldest boy!". Furthered after Roman points out that Kendall's kids aren't biologically his (at least according to Logan) and Kendall loses it completely and attacks him physically.

* WhatNowEnding: The series ends with Ken alone, having functionally broken all trust with his siblings (and his family) and left alone to ponder what's happened, sitting on a bench by the Hudson River, with only Colin (his security guard) as his one remaining confidant.

* EveryoneHasStandards: Roman is visibly and vocally disgusted when Kendall claims to have no memory of killing the waiter, immediately switching to Shiv's position.

* DownerEnding: As far as the Roy kids' chances of trying to being the heir apparent to their father's company goes, this episodes marks the end of that and seemingly their relationships with each other for good. Shiv and Roman both turn on Kendall in the climactic board vote, resulting in an incredibly ugly public spat laying bare how none of them are truly ready for the CEO position. Waystar is subsequently bought out by Gojo, with Tom installed as a lapdog CEO for Mattson.

* AdoptionDiss: During their final argument, Roman points out that Shiv is carrying the Roy bloodline, since Kendall's kids aren't his: Sophie is adopted and Iverson is only Rava's.

* HopeSpot: The "meal fit for a king" scene, where the Roy siblings childishly act like siblings playing together for the first time in the series, takes place at around the episode's halfway point the night before the climactic board meeting, making the viewers think that maybe they can genuinely rally together despite their previously shaky relationships. In the "Controlling the Narrative" postcredits scene, WordOfGod confirms that this scene was intended to act as a ray of hope.