I know I said I was going to do MRS. MAISEL next but I'm still just so overwhelmed by the finale of SUCCESSION I have to go there next.
(And happy series finale of TED LASSO, for those who so celebrate. I'll have things to say about that soon.)
Showrunner Jesse Armstrong delivered an almost 90 minute series finale to the series, as HBO shows often do (call it Max and we rumble). And that allows for lots of different kinds of opportunities, like the extended midpoint in which Shiv, Kendall and Roman decide to let Kendall run the company, and then celebrate in their own weird Roy-an way.
I'm not a big fan of HBO's extra-super-duper-length episodes in general, but in this case it was really needed in order to get the three of them on the same page in a convincing (aka earned) way. We need the round and round of their time at the villa, and the ocean, and the kitchen scene.
Having said that, I suspect that they could have done without that kitchen sequence and had it still felt satisfying and complete.
But knowing how amazing that sequence is, I think we can all agree that would have been a huge missed opportunity. In a show filled with big iconic moments, that is one of the most iconic.
And here's why: In four seasons while we've gotten moments where the three main Roy kids are on the same page, they've never lasted for more than maybe a scene or two. There's always an undercurrent of insecurity among them. We've never, ever gotten a moment in which they're just okay with each other. And so, having kept that from us so long, we have both come to believe that that is impossible—which is to say, we're not looking for it to happen—and on some deeper level we want it to happen. It's basic human psychology. You want to make someone want something? Keep it away from them.
I don't think anyone went into the finale thinking, I just hope they have a nice moment together, because they've literally never done that. But in giving us that Armstrong and his writers and performers finally feed the part of us they've been starving. And that is just an incredibly satisfying thing to offer in a finale.
You want to create a great finale? Give them what you've been denying them.
