Succession season 3 episode 8 hints at morbid twist

The critically-acclaimed HBO drama series has aired the penultimate episode of the drama’s third season, titled Chiantishire.

The Roy family and the rest of the cast descends on Tuscany for the wedding of Logan Roy’s second wife, Lady Caroline Collingwood (Dame Harriet Walter).

Amid the upcoming marriage of Caroline to Peter Munion (Pip Torrens), Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) makes a major error in comms with his father Logan (Brian Cox), and Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) faces further issues with husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen).

However, amidst Waystar Royco’s potential merger with streaming giant GoJo, owned by tech mogul Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard), Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) finally confronts estranged dad Logan.

Kendall reveals he is keen to finally get out of the company and requests a $2 billion buyout to leave Waystar behind.

However, Logan refuses and brings up the waiter whose death Kendall was accidentally responsible for in the season 1 finale.

A sad and drunken Kendall is last seen laying on a float in a pool.

He is then shown to sink his head beneath the water as bubbles emerge.

The episode ends here.

Has Succession just killed off Kendall Roy?

Is Kendall Roy dead in Succession?

Well, the final scene was certainly ambiguous.

Hints have been offered particularly in the second and third seasons that Kendall has suffered from suicidal ideation.

Just last week, Kendall stared over the side of his high-rise apartment in a manner that was slightly concerning.

Despite being comforted by girlfriend Naomi Pierce (Annabelle Dexter-Jones), Kendall was despondent after his 40th birthday party.

The reminders of the waiter’s death from season one caused Kendall to struggle in the last season and now he appears at an all-time low again, appearing to have lost to father Logan once more.

So, is Kendall thinking of ending his own life or was the final scene hinting that his drunken behaviour will prove fatal in the immediate future?

In the run-up to the episode, there was much discussion on social media about what the episode would include.

Stewy Hosseini actor Arian Moayed tweeted on Sunday ahead of the episode airing: “Watch it liveeeeee if you can or avoid social.”

Meanwhile, Gerri Kellman actress J Smith Cameron previously said the finale would be "very upsetting" and a "little shocking" in an interview with Andy Cohen.

Either way, the dramas in Tuscany look set to continue next week.

The series is keeping its cards close to its chest.

The promo trailer for the finale does not feature Kendall at all as the antics amongst the Roy family continue.

Would they be acting so normal if something had happened to Kendall or do they not know yet?

Actor Jeremy Strong has not commented on any potential departure from the series, but an extensive profile for The New Yorker released hours before this episode saw him discuss Kendall’s state of mind in the final episodes.

Strong said: “He thinks he’s flying, but he’s about to fall any second.”

Meanwhile, series showrunner Jesse Armstrong added: “That high Kendall had, the possibility of change, has dwindled, too. So he’s not in a great place.”

Could this really be the end of Kendall Roy’s story?

Succession season 3 concludes next Monday on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK. All previous episodes are available to stream now.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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