"With Open Eyes" is the tenth and final episode of the fourth season of the HBO satirical drama series Succession, serving as the 39th and concluding episode of the series overall. Written by series creator Jesse Armstrong and directed by Mark Mylod, it originally aired on May 28, 2023, drawing 2.9 million viewers on its premiere night.[1][2]The episode centers on the Roy siblings—Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin)—as they navigate final maneuvers in the boardroom battle over Waystar Royco's sale to Lukas Matsson's (Alexander Skarsgård) tech firm GoJo, following their father Logan Roy's death earlier in the season. Key developments include strategic betrayals and alliances that resolve the central power struggle, with Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) emerging as a pivotal figure in the outcome.[3][4] The narrative underscores themes of familial dysfunction, corporate intrigue, and the illusion of control among the ultra-wealthy, culminating in a resolution that denies any Roy sibling the top position they covet.[5][6]Critically acclaimed, "With Open Eyes" earned a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 42 reviews, with praise for Armstrong's sharp scripting, the ensemble performances—particularly Strong's portrayal of Kendall's unraveling ambition—and Mylod's taut direction of the episode's high-stakes confrontations.[7] It garnered multiple Emmy nominations, including for Outstanding Drama Series, and has been analyzed for its realistic depiction of elite decision-making processes, drawing from real-world media mergers and dynastic conflicts without romanticizing the participants' moral failings.[1][8] The finale's reception highlighted its refusal to deliver triumphant heroism, instead emphasizing causal outcomes of chronic betrayal and incompetence within the Roy family empire.[9][5]
Episode Background
Air Date and Production Context
"With Open Eyes" aired as the tenth episode of Succession's fourth season on HBO on May 28, 2023, serving as the series finale after 39 episodes total.[1][10]The episode was written by Succession creator Jesse Armstrong, who penned the script to conclude the narrative arcs of the Roy family and Waystar Royco's corporate machinations.[1] Directed by Mark Mylod, a frequent collaborator on the series who helmed episodes in each of its four seasons, the production emphasized the high-stakes boardroom climax as the emotional and thematic capstone.[11][1]Filming for season 4 began in New York City in late June 2022, with the 10-episode order structured around escalating family and business conflicts leading to this resolution.[10] Armstrong executive produced alongside key figures including Adam McKay and Frank Rich, maintaining the series' focus on improvised dialogue and realistic power dynamics during principal photography.[10] The Barbados sequences, depicting a pivotal family retreat, were shot on location to capture authentic tropical isolation contrasting the corporate intrigue.[1]
Viewership and Ratings
The series finale "With Open Eyes" achieved the highest viewership in Succession's run, drawing 2.9 million viewers across HBO linear telecasts and Max streaming on its premiere night of May 28, 2023.[12][13] This marked a 5% increase over the season's prior peak of 2.75 million for episode 6, "Living+", and represented a 68% rise from the season 3 finale's 1.7 million viewers.[12][13]Season 4 as a whole averaged 8.7 million viewers per episode in the Nielsen 35-day window, a 1.5 million increase from season 3's average, reflecting sustained growth amid the series' conclusion.[13][12] These figures encompass multiplatform metrics, which HBO emphasized as indicative of the episode's broad appeal, though critics noted that prestige cable dramas like Succession often derive significant audiences from delayed viewing rather than live events.[14]Critically, the episode earned acclaim, holding a 9.5/10 rating on IMDb from over 24,000 user votes and 100% approval on Rotten Tomatoes based on 42 reviews.[15][7] Reviewers praised its narrative closure and performances, with outlets like IndieWire and The Ringer highlighting its thematic resolution as a fitting capstone, though some audience segments debated its pacing in online forums.[16][9]
Synopsis
Detailed Plot Breakdown
The episode opens in the aftermath of Logan Roy's funeral, with the Roy siblings—Kendall, Shiv, and Roman—navigating the impending board vote on the Waystar Royco acquisition by Lukas Matsson's GoJo. [6][9] The siblings convene at their mother Caroline's estate in Barbados, where Kendall pushes for unity to block the deal and install himself as CEO, leveraging his status as the "eldest boy." [6][9]Shiv, believing Matsson has promised her the CEO position post-deal, coordinates with him via phone but grows suspicious after receiving intelligence from Greg Hirsch, who uses a translation app to relay Matsson's private communications. [9] Greg reveals Matsson's plan to appoint Tom Wambsgans as CEO instead, citing Shiv's perceived unmarriageability and preference for an "American puppet" like Tom. [6][9] Confronting Matsson, Shiv demands clarity, but he confirms Tom's selection, leading her to pivot toward aligning with her siblings against the sale. [9]Roman, sporting facial bruises from a post-funeral bar scuffle, initially resists but emotionally concedes the CEO role to Kendall after a heated debate, marking his withdrawal from leadership contention. [6] The siblings seal their pact with a ritualistic toast using smoothies, symbolizing fragile solidarity as they return to New York for the board meeting. [9]At the Waystar offices, Kendall rallies support from allies like Stewy Hosseini, while Shiv and Roman feign alignment. [6] During the vote, tensions peak: Kendall, Roman, and Stewy vote against the deal; Frank Vernon, Sandy Furness, and Sandi Furness vote in favor, creating a 6-6 tie with Shiv holding the balance. [6][9] Shiv abruptly exits and casts her vote for the acquisition, citing Kendall's instability and referencing his involvement in a past fatal accident involving a waiter. [6] The deal passes, installing Tom as CEO under Matsson's oversight. [9]In the aftermath, Shiv joins Tom in his new office, negotiating a power-sharing dynamic in their marriage amid her pregnancy; they depart together in his car. [6][9] Kendall, devastated, wanders alone to a waterfront, staring at the Hudson River; Roman seeks solace in anonymous partying at a nightclub. [6][9]
Production Process
Script Development
The script for "With Open Eyes," the series finale of Succession, was written by creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong.[17] Development occurred within the context of season four's planning, which Armstrong structured as the conclusive arc after determining post-season three extensions would not sustain the narrative's intensity without resolution.[18] In the introduction to the published Succession: Season Four: The Complete Scripts, Armstrong detailed iterative refinements to the finale's structure, emphasizing decisions like Shiv Roy's pivotal board vote against her brother Kendall, which stemmed from character-specific analyses of her ambition, resentment, and relational dependencies rather than broader ideological shifts.[19]Armstrong's process for the episode aligned with Succession's established writing methodology: initial story-breaking in a collaborative writers' room to map plot contingencies and thematic payoffs, followed by his solo drafting of the teleplay, revisions incorporating actor notes, and table reads for pacing adjustments.[20] For the finale, this included exploring multiple endpoints—such as a Roy sibling securing permanent control of Waystar Royco—before settling on Tom Wambsgans' opportunistic elevation, which Armstrong described as reflecting real-world corporate realism where competence yields to political maneuvering and luck.[18][17] The script's 90-minute runtime allowed expanded scenes, such as the siblings' pre-vote confrontation and Kendall's post-defeat waterfront vigil, to crystallize long-arc failures without contrived redemption.[19]Key revisions addressed emotional authenticity; Armstrong recounted rejecting a more triumphant close for Kendall to avoid sentimentality, opting instead for his isolation to mirror the show's critique of dynastic entitlement.[18]Dialogue drew from observed elite behaviors, with phrases like "elder statesman" in board deliberations evoking actual media mergers, while maintaining the series' hallmark verbosity to expose interpersonal fractures.[17] The final draft, completed prior to principal photography in early 2023, integrated director Mark Mylod's input on visual cues, such as Shiv's detached gaze during the vote, to amplify subtextual betrayals without explicit narration.[21]
Filming Challenges and Incidents
The production of the "With Open Eyes" episode, serving as the series finale, involved intense emotional demands on the cast and crew, particularly in capturing the culmination of character arcs through high-stakes confrontations. Director Mark Mylod described directing the episode as akin to walking a "tightrope," balancing the buildup of tension leading to the pivotal boardroom scene where the Roy siblings' alliances fracture decisively.[22] This required multiple takes to achieve the desired raw authenticity, with actors Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, and Sarah Snook delivering fraught performances in scenes depicting familial betrayal.[23]A specific incident arose during the filming of Kendall Roy's desolate walk along the Hudson River, symbolizing his ultimate isolation. After completing a take, Strong, methodically immersed in Kendall's tragic defeat, impulsively attempted to jump into the river, reflecting the scene's profound emotional toll. Crew members intervened to prevent this, and Mylod noted that safety protocols explicitly barred actors from entering the water due to hazardous currents and production liabilities.[24] This moment underscored the psychological intensity of the finale's production, though no injuries occurred and filming proceeded without further disruption.[25]Unlike earlier seasons impacted by COVID-19 protocols, season 4 filming, including the finale, occurred in 2022 under normalized conditions, avoiding pandemic-related delays. However, the episode's interior-heavy sequences, such as the boardroom and private maneuvers, demanded meticulous choreography among ensemble cast members to convey shifting power dynamics without artificiality. No major logistical incidents, like location disputes or technical failures, were reported, allowing the production to wrap ahead of the 2023 writers' strike.[26]
Thematic Analysis
Power Dynamics and Corporate Realism
In the episode "With Open Eyes," aired on May 28, 2023, the central power struggle unfolds during a pivotal board meeting at Waystar Royco, where siblings Kendall, Shiv, and Roman Roy attempt to block the acquisition by Lukas Matsson's GoJo, aiming to retain control of the company.[27] Kendall positions himself as the potential savior-CEO, leveraging doubts about Matsson's stability, but the dynamics shift when Shiv, initially aligned, defects by voting against her brothers to approve the deal.[5] This betrayal stems from Shiv's assessment that Kendall's leadership would falter amid ongoing scandals and her receipt of Matsson's directive favoring an external CEO, highlighting how personal animosities and strategic calculations override familial bonds in corporate decision-making.[28]Tom Wambsgans, Shiv's husband and an outsider to the Roy inner circle, emerges as the unexpected beneficiary, appointed CEO by Matsson en route to the vote, underscoring a key realist element: advancement through sycophantic endurance rather than inherited entitlement.[27] Matsson explicitly praises Tom as a "pain sponge," capable of absorbing humiliations and aligning loyally with superiors, a trait that propels him over the Roy heirs despite their presumed advantages.[29] Series creator Jesse Armstrong has characterized Tom as a figure who consistently gains influence by rendering himself useful to those in power, reflecting observed patterns in real-world corporate hierarchies where adaptability and deference often trump charisma or lineage.[30]The episode portrays corporate power as a zero-sum game defined by opportunistic alliances and betrayals, eschewing romanticized notions of merit or loyalty. Shiv's final vote, influenced by her pregnancy and a desire to divest from the family's toxic legacy, seals the Roys' marginalization, while Tom's ascent—facilitated by his prior navigation of GoJo's cultural clashes and unwavering support for Shiv—exemplifies how mid-level executives can supplant dynastic claimants through calculated subservience.[31] This resolution aligns with the series' broader depiction of media conglomerates, drawing parallels to empirical observations of executive turnover in firms like News Corp, where external or peripheral figures occasionally consolidate control amid internal fractures.[5] Ultimately, "With Open Eyes" illustrates that corporate realism favors the pragmatic survivor over the visionary heir, as evidenced by the Roys' collective failure to adapt beyond inherited dysfunctions.[32]
Family Dysfunction and Personal Failures
The Roy family's dysfunction reaches its nadir in "With Open Eyes," where the siblings' ingrained patterns of rivalry and betrayal, cultivated under Logan Roy's domineering influence, precipitate their collective downfall following his death. Despite an initial pact to derail the Waystar Royco acquisition by Lukas Matsson—formed amid grief and a shared video revealing Logan's dismissive final words—the trio's unity fractures under personal animosities, culminating in Shiv's pivotal vote to approve the deal on May 28, 2023 (episode air date). This betrayal, driven by Shiv's assessment of Kendall's unfitness for leadership, underscores Logan's earlier verdict that his children are "not serious people," a prophecy fulfilled by their emotional volatility and strategic shortsightedness.[33][4]Kendall Roy embodies personal failure through his persistent delusion of entitlement, repeatedly undermined by emotional instability and a lack of the ruthless pragmatism his father possessed. In the finale, Kendall's boardroom vision of himself as the savior collapses when Shiv vetoes his CEO ascension, leaving him to wander despondently toward the Hudson River—a symbolic echo of prior self-destructive impulses—affirming his lifelong quest for validation as futile. Roman's arc similarly exposes fragility beneath bravado; his funeraleulogy devolves into sobs, revealing abuse-induced masochism and an inability to sustain conviction, as evidenced by his half-hearted opposition to the deal. Shiv, ostensibly the most calculating, falters through isolation and miscalculation, aligning with Matsson and Tom Wambsgans in a transaction that secures neither power nor familial reconciliation, highlighting her strategic overreach masked as pragmatism.[33][4][34]These failures perpetuate a cycle of inherited dysfunction, where Logan's legacy of psychological control renders the siblings incapable of transcending their roles as perpetual understudies. Critics note the caustic irony of an outsider like Tom ascending via calculated deference, contrasting the Roys' self-sabotage and affirming that their internecine conflicts blind them to external threats. The episode thus portrays family bonds not as redemptive but as the very mechanism of their undoing, with no viable path to maturity or independence.[35][33]
Reception and Critique
Critical Evaluations
"With Open Eyes" received widespread critical acclaim as the series finale of Succession, earning a 9.5/10 rating on IMDb from over 24,000 user votes.[1] Critics praised its execution of long-brewing character arcs, particularly Siobhan Roy's pivotal betrayal of her brothers during the board vote, which Variety described as bringing the Roy siblings "full circle" in their destructive family dynamics.[36] The episode's pacing, shifting from initial confidence to chaotic unraveling, was highlighted by IndieWire for effectively underscoring Kendall Roy's hubris and ultimate downfall, with his lakeside vigil symbolizing futile introspection.[16]Reviewers noted the finale's "feel-bad" resolution as a fitting capstone, avoiding redemptive tropes in favor of remorseless corporate pragmatism, as articulated by Rolling Stone, which called it a "masterful" endpoint where Tom Wambsgans' unexpected ascension via strategic deference proved more potent than overt ambition.[37]Entertainment Weekly commended its rewarding farewell, emphasizing how the script by Jesse Armstrong maintained the show's satirical bite without pandering to audience expectations of sibling unity or paternal vindication.[31]The Guardian characterized the conclusion as potentially "the most feel-bad ending in TV history," lauding its unflinching portrayal of inherited poison within elitepower structures.[5]Some evaluations critiqued the episode in context of the fourth season's broader narrative drift, with Variety arguing that "With Open Eyes" salvaged an otherwise "unfocused and narratively puffy" stretch by delivering concise, high-stakes closure.[38]The A.V. Club appreciated the avoidance of moral compromise as a cheap climax but observed that the finale's emphasis on idiocy over tragedy slightly diluted the series' earlier operatic intensity.[39] Performances drew particular acclaim, including Sarah Snook's layered depiction of Shiv's ambivalence and Matthew Macfadyen's subtle triumph as Tom, which IndieWire and Rolling Stone credited with elevating the boardroom intrigue to a crescendo of quiet devastation.[16][37]The New York Times reflected on the episode's fulfillment of Succession's thematic consistency, where the Roys' failure to transcend Logan's shadow affirmed the show's thesis on the inescapability of familial and institutional toxicity, though it noted the challenge of concluding a series renowned for subverting finales.[3] Overall, the finale was seen as reinforcing Succession's legacy as a pinnacle of prestige television, with its refusal to impose artificial uplift prioritizing causal realism in depicting power's corrosive effects.[9]
Awards and Industry Recognition
The finale episode "With Open Eyes" garnered specific recognition at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2024 for its contributions to Succession's fourth season. Jeremy Strong submitted his portrayal of Kendall Roy in the episode for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, securing a nomination but ultimately losing to Kieran Culkin, who submitted a different episode from the same season.[40] Editor Ken Eluto received a nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series specifically for his work on "With Open Eyes," highlighting the episode's technical execution amid its intense narrative climax, though it did not win.
Category
Nominee
Result
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jeremy Strong (as Kendall Roy)
Nominated
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series
Ken Eluto
Nominated
While the episode itself did not secure wins, its role in the season's arc contributed to Succession winning Outstanding Drama Series, with voters recognizing the finale's resolution of core character arcs as integral to the series' overall excellence.[41] No other major guild or critics' awards singled out "With Open Eyes" distinctly from the season, though its submission choices underscored industry appreciation for Strong's layered performance in the character's final defeat.[42]
Legacy and Debates
Fan Interpretations and Controversies
Fans extensively discussed the episode's title, drawn from John Berryman's 1964 poem "Dream Song 29," which features the line "Ghastly, with open eyes, he attends, blind," evoking a paradoxical awareness amid delusion.[43] Pre-finale theories posited that this foreshadowed protagonist Kendall Roy's repeated failures despite moments of clarity, aligning with the poem's themes of futile striving and inevitable downfall, as Henry (the poem's persona) confronts regret over lost opportunities symbolized by ringing bells interpreted as too-late judgments.[44] Post-episode analyses by viewers extended this to the Roy siblings' collective "open-eyed" reckoning: Kendall's breakdown by the battery, Roman's detached cynicism at the wedding, and Shiv's calculated vote against the Waystar-Gojo merger, revealing the family's incompetence in sustaining power without Logan Roy.[33]Interpretations often centered on cyclical dysfunction, with fans arguing the finale reinforces Succession's thesis that inherited wealth breeds parasitism rather than competence, as evidenced by Tom Wambsgans's opportunistic CEO appointment via board maneuvering rather than merit—echoing fan theories tying the Wambsgans surname (evoking "wampum" or empty value) to hollow victories.[45] Shiv's pivot, informed by her pregnancy and disillusionment with Matsson's takeover, was seen by some as a rare instance of pragmatic realism, prioritizing personal security over fraternal loyalty, though others viewed it as underscoring her isolation in a meritless dynasty.[46]The resolution sparked debate among viewers, with some praising its fidelity to the series' portrayal of aimless elites, where no Roy triumphs substantively, culminating in the empire's dilution under external control.[47] However, a portion of fans expressed frustration over perceived inconsistencies, such as Shiv's abrupt rejection of Kendall despite prior alliance-building, and Tom's elevation as an "undeserving" outsider, arguing it undermined the buildup toward sibling rivalry resolution.[47] These divisions manifested in online forums, where polls and threads highlighted splits between those lauding the bleak irony—Kendall's lakeside defeat mirroring his Season 1 "I am the eldest boy!" hubris—and detractors decrying a lack of catharsis or poetic justice, though empirical viewer metrics showed broad approval, with the episode garnering a 9.5/10 IMDb rating from over 24,000 votes.[1] No major external controversies arose, such as cast disputes or production leaks impacting reception, but interpretive rifts persisted on whether the open-eyed finale exposes causal truths about nepotism's failures or merely subverts expectations without deeper payoff.[11]
Broader Cultural Resonance
The finale episode "With Open Eyes," aired on May 28, 2023, encapsulated Succession's overarching critique of dynastic ambition and corporate myopia, resonating with audiences amid rising scrutiny of media conglomerates' societal influence. By depicting the Roy siblings' self-inflicted downfall—culminating in Shiv Roy's pivotal vote against her brother Kendall, enabling outsider Tom Wambsgans's ascension—the episode underscored themes of betrayal and perceptual blindness, directly referencing John Berryman's Dream Song 29 with its line "With open eyes, he attends, blind." This narrative choice mirrored real-world corporate fractures, such as succession battles in families like the Murdochs, prompting viewers to reflect on how unchecked elite rivalries perpetuate broader institutional inertia.[33][1]Creator Jesse Armstrong framed the resolution as a deliberate commentary on power's corrosive effects, noting that the characters' unresolved personal voids post-corporate defeat highlighted media titans' outsized role in shaping narratives without personal redemption.[18] The episode's ambiguity—leaving Kendall adrift by the Hudson River, Roman seeking superficial escape, and Shiv trapped in a hollow marriage—fueled discourse on the futility of inherited privilege, aligning with empirical observations of high-profile business failures where familial dysfunction overrides competence. Actor Jeremy Strong described the series, crystallized in this finale, as a "profound document of our times," capturing late-stage capitalism's moral entropy amid events like the 2023 writers' strike, which echoed the show's labor-media tensions.[48]Culturally, "With Open Eyes" amplified Succession's influence on perceptions of ruling-class detachment, inspiring analyses that link fictional satire to tangible harms like media-driven polarization and economic consolidation. While mainstream outlets praised its artistic synthesis of tragedy and farce, more ideologically driven interpretations, such as those emphasizing systemic critique over individual flaws, underscore the episode's role in exposing capitalism's inherent destructiveness—though such views often stem from partisan lenses predisposed to class-war narratives.[48] The finale's 90-minute runtime and Emmy-contending performances, including Strong's submission in the drama category, cemented its status as a benchmark for prestige television endings, influencing subsequent works to probe elite vulnerabilities without tidy resolutions.[49]