Pratik Handore
HBO’s ‘Succession‘ season 4 sees Kendall and Roman Roy stepping into their father’s shoes and facing the challenge of completing the deal to sell Waystar RoyCo to Lucas Mattson. As the fourth season progresses, the landscape drastically changes and the deal to sell Waystar RoyCo to Swedish tech tycoon Lukas Matsson hangs in the balance as the brothers mull over their options. While Kendall and Roman try to complete the deal after their father’s demise, the siblings make a drastic decision that raises questions about the company’s future. As a result, viewers are left wondering whether Kendall and Roman will sell Waystar to Matsson. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Why Are Kendall and Roman Selling Waystar?
Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) are the sons of Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and the heirs to his corporate empire known as Waystar RoyCo. However, Kendall and Roman face their own battles in proving their worth to their father. In the third season, the conflict between the Roy siblings and their father peaks when Logan modifies his divorce agreement with the children’s mother, Caroline Collingwood, to oust them from the company. Consequently, the fourth season premiere, titled ‘The Munsters,’ sees Roman, Kendall, and Shiv teaming up to start their own business empire outside Logan’s shadow. However, after Logan dies in the third episode, Roman and Kendall are back in the fold to lead the Waystar RoyCo’s top brass.
In the fourth episode, titled ‘Honeymoon States,’ Kendall and Roman are made the co-CEOs of Waystar RoyCo after their father’s demise, mostly to honor Logan’s desire to choose his next of kin as his successor. However, Roman and Kendall’s pitch to the board for them to land co-CEO roles is based on their interest in selling Waystar RoyCo. Before his death, Logan was in negotiations to sell Waystar to Swedish tech tycoon Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). The board members want the sale to go through, and Kendall and Roman promise they are the best faces to lead Waystar through the impending acquisition. Hence, Kendall and Roman are seemingly set to complete what Logan started by selling the company to Matsson. However, they must first navigate several complications, including their feelings about the sale.
Will Kendall and Roman Complete the Deal?
In the fifth episode of season 4, titled ‘Kill List,’ Matsson summons Roman and Kendall to a retreat in Norway to finalize the deal. However, the board wants the brothers to squeeze out more money from Matsson and renegotiate the deal. Matsson is not interested in bumping up the valuation of Waystar RoyCo, as he had previously agreed on the acquisition’s amount with Logan. As the negotiations proceed, Kendall and Roman realize Matsson is not taking them seriously. Moreover, Matsson demands they sell him ATN, the news network Logan had previously excluded from the deal. Ultimately, Kendall and Roman agree not to sell to Matsson as they want to run their father’s company together.
Kendall and Roman try to tank the deal by forcing Matsson to back out of the deal. However, Matsson sees through their plan and gives the valuation a significant bump, receiving the board’s approval for the sale. As a result, Kendall and Roman are hailed as heroes but are unhappy with the sale in general. Kendall and Roman were deemed unworthy of running the company by their father. Hence, they have a point to prove by keeping Waystar and returning the company to its former glory. However, Matsson’s offer is too lucrative for the siblings to ignore.
Considering the show’s core conflict concerns Logan finding a worthy successor, the fourth and final season could end on an anticlimactic note if the sale goes through. Therefore, we believe Kendall and Roman will try to sabotage the deal once again. Moreover, the series could have a satisfying and enthralling conclusion if Kendall and Roman were to battle it out to become the sole CEO of the company. In contrast, Roman and Kendall navigating the perils of the corporate world to keep hold of their father’s company and working together to keep it afloat could also be a fitting ending to the Roy family’s saga. In either scenario, Roman and Kendall seem unlikely to sell the company to Matsson, especially because of Waystar’s role in their complex relationship with their father.
