LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: There isn’t a task that Kendall Roy cannot accomplish if he sets his mind to except charting an undisputed claim to the Waystar throne. For five years, ‘Succession’ teased us with the promised son who will take over from Logan Roy but what was delivered was an outsider that crept his way into the family by marrying their daughter, Shiv Roy, and using his sycophantic ways to please and obey. Kendall Roy lost to Tom Wambsgans, only because he trusted the one person he shouldn’t have - Shiv, his sister. And was Kendall wrong to trust her only sister, who anointed him as the King of Waystar in a heartfelt scene during the finale? The answer is now out in the open.
Logan Roy loved all his children. That’s what he said but he also told them that they are not serious people. Shiv’s decision to go with Lukas Matsson despite the Swede betraying her by offering the CEO position to her husband, is something Logan would have wiped the floor with. He would have used all his might to talk or force her daughter out of it. He wanted Kendall to have that same awful force but it is concluded that Kendall is no Logan. He’s surely a man with all the skills to play the game but he’s not a killer. Logan’s words echo louder than ever after the ‘Succession’ finale.
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Why does Kendall lack the killer instinct?
Kendall believes easily. Throughout the show, Kendall comes across as a man who has the heart to stomach the business but lacks the ultra-edge to close the deal or make his mark. “I’m the eldest boy,” he shouts when he learns of Shiv’s betrayal, demanding his younger siblings respect him and proving to them his rightful claim to Waystar's throne. Logan would have raised his eyebrows and everyone would have agreed to his whims. No words are required at all.
Kendall is a man of dwindling confidence. He has seasons of sheer clarity followed by a drought of ideas or will to live. This trait has made him unappealable to his siblings who see through his masked conviction. He has never been at the top and his only contention for the role of CEO has been that his dad promised it. Unfortunately, he has a decent resume to impress but he keeps resorting to the same argument that, “Dad promised me.” Kendall yearns for success. But that god-awful thing also evades him. And it did again, in the finale of ‘Succession’ as he sat during the twilight looking into the abyss.
Logan’s killer instinct came from his decision making
Regardless of the circumstances, Logan called the shots. He was the sole decision maker of Waystar with a plethora of executives and Yes men around him giving him unsolicited advice. But Logan stood tall with his decision and turned it into the holy grail for everyone to follow. Kendall however, was easily influenced and needed people around to arrive at a decision.
In the finale, Kendall begged Shiv for her vote but couldn’t close her. He thought he had made the decision on her behalf which was eventually overturned by the betraying sister who had her interests at heart. Kendall may have been the promised heir but he was surely not the one to receive it, no matter how hard he tried.
