Succession season 3 ending explained: What happened to the Roys?

The penultimate episode, titled Chiantishire, ended on something of a cliffhanger with some fans left fearing that the show had killed off Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) in a dramatic twist.

In the season 3 finale, titled All the Bells Say, Logan Roy (Brian Cox) attempted to reach an agreement with tech mogul Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard) about the acquirement of the latter's streaming service GoJo by Waystar Royco.

Amid the negotiations, Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) deals with the aftermath of accidentally sending an explicit image to his father, while Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) continued to have an awkward relationship with husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen).

Of course, there were many twists to be had and one that leaves the show in a very new place for the upcoming fourth season.

**Spoiler warning for Succession season 3, episode 9, All the Bells Say**

Succession season 3 ending explained

Picking up from the cliffhanger of the previous episode, Kendall's life was saved by PR specialist Comfrey (Dasha Nekrasova) after she found him in the pool.

Meanwhile, Gerri Kellman (J. Smith Cameron) informed Logan that GoJo has exceeded Waystar in its market capitalisation and their company faced heavy fines from the Department of Justice.

Heading to Lake Como to see Matsson, Logan is offered a buy-out by GoJo with Matsson as the new CEO and to give Logan a settlement.

Logan sent Roman back to Tuscany for the wedding of Lady Caroline Collingwood (Harriet Walter) to Peter Munion (Pip Torrens), with Frank Vernon (Peter Friedman) and Karl Muller (David Rasche) then arriving in Italy to advise Logan.

Later, Roman and Shiv confronted Kendall about his mental health and perceived suicide attempt but he brushed it off and claimed it was an accident that he was saved from.

The three were then confronted by their older half-brother Connor Roy (Alan Ruck) who feared what could happen to his presidential ambitions should Logan let the company be taken over by Matsson.

However, Connor's fury with his younger half-siblings was abated when his girlfriend Willa Ferreyra (Justine Lupe) agreed to marry him after his awkward proposal in the preceding episode.

Elsewhere, cousin Greg Hirsch (Nicholas Braun) awkwardly pursued an Italian contessa (Ella Rumpf) with aristocratic ties to the royal house of Luxembourg, despite Roman's obvious pursuit of her.

Later, at his mother's wedding reception, Roman feared what will come next for Waystar after noticing murmurings amongst other company employees and decided to tell all to Kendall and Shiv.

The three feared what giving Matsson control of Waystar's board would mean for any of them ever succeeding as CEO of Waystar.

Amid their discussion, Kendall broke down about his various professional and personal failings, confessing to his involvement in the death of the waiter in the season one finale which Logan covered up for him.

In a sweet moment for the siblings, Roman and Shiv comforted Kendall and even tried to convince him he was not to blame for what happened.

The trio then recalled that the divorce settlement between their mother Caroline and Logan meant that the three had voting power on any shifts in the company's control, meaning they could team up to stop Logan's plans based on that stipulation.

As the three planned to confront their father with their trump card, Shiv discussed her plan with her husband Tom, with whom she was on shaky ground.

Following this, Tom called Greg and offered him the chance for a "deal with the devil" that could see Greg's position in the company improve considerably, to which a delighted Greg agreed.

Facing their father at his villa, Kendall, Roman and Shiv confronted him over his plans but Logan revealed he thinks this loss of control over Waystar would be good for them in the long term.

A defiant Shiv then reminded her father of the clause in the divorce agreement but Logan raged back at her and then got Caroline on the phone, and it was revealed that the former spouses had renegotiated their divorce agreement, leaving their children with no voting power over the company's control.

Clearly devastated at being made powerless along with his siblings, a broken Roman tried to get his father to change his mind, but Logan held firm that this is what is best for himself.

Approaching Gerri, Roman begged her as the current CEO of the company to challenge Logan and stop the buyout by Matsson but she rejected Roman too as it was also in her best interests for GoJo to take over due to the financial recompense.

Succession season 3 final scene explained

The season ended, however, with a final twist as Tom arrived and received a clear happy greeting from Logan.

It was at that moment that Shiv realised that Tom had betrayed her and informed Logan of what the siblings were planning, enabling her father to outmanoeuvre them.

What does the mean for Shiv and Tom's already struggling marriage and will she tell her brothers what her husband has done?

Speaking to Vulture, Shiv actress Sarah Snook commented: "At the end of an episode, having something that narratively projects into the next season sets it up quite nicely. If Shiv knows, but her brothers don’t, and Tom doesn’t know that Shiv knows — there’s a lot of potential there."

Meanwhile, Greg actor Nicholas Braun told the publication: "It’s like a chess move that’s bringing Tom and Greg to a higher place. Season four is the siblings versus everyone. Now I’m against my friend Kendall and over with Logan. Maybe that is going to be a very exciting place for Greg."

Ultimately, the season ended with the Roy children out in the cold, Waystar in the control of Lukas Matsson, Logan receiving a substantial financial settlement, and likely Tom and Greg being left in much better positions for the company going ahead as Logan likely retains some influence despite his step back as CEO.

What will Kendall, Roman and Shiv do now? One thing is for sure, they are more united now than ever.

Will there be a Succession season 4?

Succession season 4 has already been confirmed by HBO and is expected to arrive on the platform late next year at the very earliest.

We can likely expect the entire cast back for the new episodes, plus additional appearances by Alexander Skarsgard as Lukas Matsson.

RadioTimes.com will be sure to keep you informed on the latest news regarding the fourth season.

Succession seasons 1 to 3 are available now on Sky and NOW.

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