Succession‘s toxicity demands not clinging to anyone or hoping for the best. Never. For the Roy family, everything and everyone is part of the game and constant distrust is the difference between killing or scratching yourself. Because like billionaires and owners of communications conglomerates, they are not killed. And everyone’s teeth are sharp in the final season.

The formula has been the same for four seasons: Logan Roy (Brian Cox) mistreats, humiliates, and defies his three children from his second marriage, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) who, in turn, , humiliate, mistreat and challenge each other, destroying and mistreating anyone who crosses their path. They are horrible people by choice and addicted to the game created by Logan where there is never any winner but himself.
And why are we still following? Because we hope that at least one of the three will break the cycle, but it is a seemingly impossible task.

We’re back three months after last season’s surprise, where Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) appears to have broken his cycle of psychological abuse, catching Shiv around the bend and helping Logan in the process. The businessman is on top, but at his party, it is clear that he feels the absence of his children. Or simply already bored of not having anyone to play with.

As the NYT puts it perfectly, Succession always seems to have a tight deadline for some big negotiation of billions, but after the mutual betrayals, none of the agreements that move the Roys are concluded. This a great challenge for the farewell season because this time something will happen, we are 9 episodes from the end.

Tom and Shiv are on the brink of divorce and still unable to have a heart to heart conversation with each other. Tom’s passive aggressiveness belies his great ambition, which is even greater than the love he feels for his wife. He knows he’s only of value to Logan as an informant on Shiv and the brothers and as a witness to how the Roys operate, he has reason to be concerned.

The united trio achieves a victory that annoys Logan, but considering the first episode it is as if we were calmly seeing the defeat drawn on the horizon.

Succession delivered the beginning of the phase with everything, but nothing surprising. The only thing we know is that the match has started, the victory is still without a favorite.