With Open Eyes

Technically speaking, it was a good finale. Things fit together, even from the first season, and it simply makes sense. Still, you can't help but feel somehow duped after 5 years of loyal following.

Unlike other great series like Better Call Saul, here we never see change. The world might change, but people don't. Worse, we don't see anything like evolution, redemption, not even degradation. Once you finished watching episode 1, you have essentially watched everything in the show, including the finale. And that cycle happens over and over again every episode, every season. We did see very well-crafted stories of victories, defeats and comebacks; but again, each character remains stagnant, relying on their own same tools and means, and never changing. It doesn't mean is not a good finale or show, totally the opposite, but I must admit I would not eagerly watch another show by Jesse Armstrong.

Now on defense of Jesse Armstrong, some decades ago, it has become very uncommon to portrait flattery they way he did. At some point in the 20th century, we lost interest in that aspect of humanity and power, maybe because we would like to believe flatterers are not as successful or influential as they actually are. But they are. And Succession rubs it in your face. Unlike GoT, here adulators are not masterminds, just bootlickers. Like in real world, they are mostly average people, sometimes highly educated, that could see opportunities to move up and took them. An ode to bootlicking and to remora-ism; attach to the most likely winner horse to be part of their success. Kudos to Jesse Armstrong to remind us of that.

It might be slightly farfetched to consider this series a representation of the western world decadence. Highly effective, but depraved psychopaths running transnational big companies, flawed rich yet influential children trying to find their own identity and life meaning, charming grovelers, politicians trying to get their piece of the pie... A western world where there are no heroes nor villains, just people with specific goals or not, some obsessed by success. At the end, everyone look pretty similarly pathetic, and you may conclude the only difference is one's upbringing, education, connections and being focused.

That said, I cannot tell if that representation is faithful, or if it ever was... Can the world be different than that? In The Wire, we kind of see the same patterns: almost no change on people and world; roles stay, performers are swapped; heroes and villains selfishly pursuing their own goals; but unlike it, there is no sense of relief at the end... well, maybe Roman experiences some. You can easily envision a 5th season, another attempt for the kids to grew up, and that's why I don't see this episode as a perfect finale, maybe because the world is not?

Overall, the show is a 9/10, and this final episode a 8/10.

Man.. this finale was such an emotional rollercoaster that I never wanted to end! This might not be the finale i had predicted but after watching it, it was hard for me to picture something better!

This episode had everything that I love qbout Succession! Great humor, great interactions, emotional moments, memorable monologues and shocking reveals qnd turn of events!

I think every character got a send off that were true to the story and their arcs! This is how they were portrayed over the seasons!

"Meal fit for a King" will forever remain iconic! Overall i loved the first half of the episode as it showed the sibs.. just being sibs together! It was emotional and bittersweet after everything they have been through, and even more meaningfull cause of what comes after!

Succession delivered one of my favorite final seasons of any TV show and this episode solidefied it!

This show might just be one of the greatest of ALL time!

Succession ended in a way that left me satisfied. I don't rate TV episodes too often (there are just too many and it's hard enough giving movies ratings) but this episode is probably a 10. It's Succession at its funniest, most intense, and least predictable, with everything hitting much harder than usual due to the finality of it all.

If you were watching this hoping for someone to win, sure, you might not like how it ends. But I think watching this like a sporting event by "barracking" for a character is missing the point, and a bit of a shallow way to watch a show like this. Yes, someone has to win - someone has to succeed, in more ways than one - but this cast is full of bad people, and none are really deserving. Watching them stumble over each other with all their flaws, and occasionally feeling sympathy for some (they are all deeply human, after all) has been a thrill. I was never too invested about who would actually "win."

That being said: the drama in this finale still worked for me. It was a tense 90 minutes. It moved very fast and it was thrilling. At a point, I remembered Succession is honestly more of a comedy than a drama. Then all the high-stress parts kind of got weirdly funny - I just appreciate this show being able to play with my emotions until the very end (I even kind of liked Caroline this episode? And she usually feels like the least likeable to me).

Great show. Excellent finale. I'm honestly glad they've ended it on a high - another season might've been stretching it, because for as great as the show is, the scope/story is pretty limited (not a criticism - just that I think it would have been hard to keep it going in a non-repetitive way without completely changing what the show was about).

Let me be clear about something: This was NOT the way I wanted the show to end. But at least the episode wasn't a disappointment, like the finale of Game of Thrones. With that being said, I believe this final episode gives most characters the ending they deserve.

Every single actor, especially for this episode, played their role beautifully. And, as always, Jeremy Strong was the one that delivered the best and most heartbreaking performance.

Out of the bottom of my heart, I'd like to thank the writers, the actors and everyone else involved in the making of this show that lasted 5 years. Looking forward to a spinoff (if possible)!

I appreciate having been a contemporary of this television series. Never before has a fiction managed to make me connect so much. Worthy, perfect and heartbreaking closing for what is without a doubt the best series in the history of television. Each of the characters completing their story arc. Tragedy, loss, new beginnings, repeated mistakes, grudges and revenge. All this in an hour and a half that puts the finishing touch to a story that has captivated me for years, Sunday after Sunday. A great emptiness and a feeling of enormous satisfaction is all I have left. We are on day 1 of the rest of our lives... the rest of our lives without Succession...