Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers from Season 4 Episode 4 of Succession.It took a long time, but Succession has finally revealed who Logan Roy's (Brian Cox) chosen child to replace him was: Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong). This past Sunday's episode answered the seasons-long question as to who would inherit the Waystar Royco empire when the old guard found a piece of paper written by Logan stating that Kendall was to take over as CEO in the event of his death. His rise to the throne was put in question and, officially, isn't even complete yet, as he shares the title of co-CEO with Roman (Kieran Culkin), but, ultimately, Ken showed he has no intention of letting it go.
It's no easy feat to replace Logan, but Kendall finally showed what he's capable of by the end of the episode. When Succession first began, Kendall was ready to take over from Logan, who was about to retire. In the following seasons, the old man made it clear multiple times that Kendall was "not a killer" and, thus, not suitable to replace him. We've all felt Ken's wavering, many viewers even think he can be fixed. In "Honeymoon States", however, he demonstrated he truly is his father's son, and why he deserves to succeed him when he blackmailed Hugo (Fisher Stevens) into disobeying the order issued by him and Roman as co-CEOs.
Why Kendall Revealed His True Colors
Succession has never been a show about good people. You may have your favorite characters or support the claim of this one or that one, but it's impossible to argue in favor of anyone being an actual good person. That said, Kendall himself was never good. We've seen him take up a few causes along the way and even try to stand up to his father to defend a few of them, but, to be worthy of succeeding Logan, one has to be despicable.
Being a Roy, lying has always come easy for Kendall, but, at most times, the person he was really lying to was himself. His personality is easily likable, showing a kind of uneasiness and vulnerability when taking big decisions, especially when they consist of standing up to his father. The Roy kids are all victims of Logan's abusive approach to fatherhood, but we should also keep in mind that, despite this, they turned out to be quite despicable themselves, when they could have gone a different way. Shiv (Sarah Snook) is proof that it was possible to follow other paths, though even she ended up surrendering to her Roy nature later.
Kendall was the one who turned to Logan for inspiration, however, either trying to be him, or the opposite. He spent his life trying to show that he was capable of running the family business and was denied every time, but he's never considered doing anything else. He's the one that has always been the most affected by Logan's shenanigans, and, even when he stands up to his father, it is always with the ulterior motive of trying to impress him. When he defends causes like gender parity in the workplace, it is to spite his father, it is no different when he breaks off from Waystar Royco. It's always been about trying to get a glimpse of the love that was never shown him, and he finally sees it in the piece of paper found in the last episode.
Seeing his name there on a document written who-knows-when is the proof of love he's always needed. And like a weight being lifted from his shoulders, he's not letting anybody get in the way of this win. The competition starts the moment the Roy kids see the paper, with Shiv questioning if his name is even underlined or crossed off and Roman rightfully attesting that, being CFO, the rules state that he should be the one to take over. Ken can't argue with his brother's point, but the two of them are ready to push Shiv aside. Cutting a deal with Roman might not be a gesture of good faith, it could well be the only way to protect his position, and that's what Logan would've done, too. Promise what they want, deliver what you think they deserve, but act on your own. That's Logan. That's how Kendall acts in the episode. That's who Kendall has always been, and now he has the validation.
Has Logan Been Grooming Kendall All Along?
Losing someone is never easy and can be traumatic even if the relationship with the person who has passed is estranged. Logan never had good relationships with any of his children and could be considered the best example of how not to be a father. He fed his children scraps of feelings that they mistook for love and approval to keep them hungry. For Kendall, having the proof of his name written on a piece of paper is as good as a declaration of love.
We don't know much about the document that is revealed in "Honeymoon States", only that it was typed some time ago and had addendums written in pencil, going so far as mentioning even Greg (Nicholas Braun). Regardless of when it was written, though, what's more important is it showed us that Logan had been actively thinking of what should happen in the event of his death. He knew his children and knew how he raised them. He knew their skills and hunger, but one thing is different in this situation. For him, relationships have always been a trade-off, but, now that he's dead, he can't get anything from them. So choosing his successor isn't about love, but, instead, about perpetuating his legacy, essentially trying to stay in command from beyond the grave. It's about choosing a replacement - a new model of himself - not a successor.
In this sense, Kendall Logan Roy has always been the right choice. It's even in the name like he was designed to be a mini-Logan from the start. Logan has been open to having the other kids prove him wrong and make them their successors — at different points in the series, he even promised the spot to Shiv and Roman. But Kendall was the one who was originally supposed to do it. In the very first episode, we see him preparing to take over as the new CEO. Did Logan really think Shiv or Roman could do better? Or did he want to make Kendall more like him, and the only way to do it was to pit the siblings against one another, as he always did?
There were many obstacles along the way, especially Kendall seeing himself as "something new". That's always been his motto in business, and he has tried to forge his own identity to stand up to Logan. The old man himself has been surprised a few times, like when he said Kendall was "not a killer" at the end of Season 2. Logan had seemingly lost faith in his son, but he ended up turning against Logan during the press conference. In the last shot of Season 2, we see the camera push in on Logan and he almost appears to be smiling — it amuses him. It was part of Kendall's growth and transformation into a more bloodthirsty businessman. In the end, the family business doesn't need someone new, it needs Logan. And, now, the Roy patriarch can finally rest, because, for all intents and purposes, Kendall has revealed he is ready not to be CEO, but to be Logan Roy.