Pratik Handore
In the season finale of HBO’s ‘Succession,’ the Roy siblings band together once again to ensure their father’s legacy, Waystar RoyCo, remains in their control. However, Shiv makes the surprising decision to vote in favor of selling the company, drastically affecting Kendall and his dream to become the next CEO of Waystar. Hence, viewers must wonder why Shiv made that decision in the ‘Succession’ series finale. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Who Does Shiv Vote?
In the series finale of ‘Succession,’ titled ‘With Opens Eyes,’ it is time for the Waystar RoyCo board members to meet for a vote to decide whether GoJo’s proposal to acquire the company should be approved. Shiv’s alignment with Matsson seemingly works in her favor as the Swedish tech billionaire agrees to make her the company’s CEO while remotely controlling the business. However, the tables turn on Shiv when she learns from Kendall that Matsson is interviewing other candidates for the CEO position. As a result, Shiv jumps boats and decides to support Kendall, who wants to block the move. With Shiv on his side, Kendall has 7 out of the 13 votes, which could help him dispel Matsson.
However, the votes are tied 6-6 during the actual voting, with Shiv holding the decisive vote. Shiv has cold feet about her decision to vote against Matsson even though he betrayed her and chose her husband, Tom, as the next CEO of Waystar RoyCo. Shiv steps out of the conference room and contemplates her choice. Ultimately, Shiv cannot bring herself to vote in favor of her brother, Kendall, and his plans for the company. As a result, Shiv votes “Yes” in favor of Matsson acquiring Waystar RoyCo. By the time Kendall returns to the board meeting, the vote has concluded, and only the signing of the papers remains. Thus, Shiv votes against her own brother, taking over her father’s company.
The Reason Behind Shiv’s Vote
A recurring theme in ‘Succession’ is the trauma suffered by the Roy siblings, and some might argue that the trauma passed on to them by Logan is their true legacy. The constant bickering between the Roy siblings is likely a manifestation of this trauma. Kendall, Roy, and Shiv are characters who are, by design and their own fault, destined to get in each other’s way as they all share the dream of succeeding their father as the CEO of Waystar. Shiv decides to support Kendall in the finale when she learns that Matsson won’t make her the CEO. Therefore, the common theory that Shiv would rather have all three of them lose instead of seeing Kendall win the succession race can be squashed.
Instead, it seems like Shiv’s decision changes at a very important juncture in the finale. Ahead of the board meeting, Shiv, Roman, and Kendall are in Logan’s office, where Kendall sits on Logan’s chair, albeit with the permission of his siblings. However, moments after sitting on the chair, Kendall spreads his legs on the table and offers Stewy the role of Chairman of the board. This action makes Shiv question her brother’s competency. Moreover, earlier in the season, Kendall sweetly talks Shiv into supporting him and Roman becoming interim co-CEOs, only for her to be locked out of the decision-making. Hence, Shiv likely realizes she is about to make the same mistake of trusting Kendall.
However, Shiv does not decide to vote against Kendall until much later when the decisive vote falls to her, and she realizes it is not too late to change her mind. Moreover, when she steps out of the board meeting, Kendall’s yelling and pleading convince her of Kendall’s incompetency. Roman’s comment about the Roy family’s bloodline continuing with Shiv makes her realize she can still hold some power. Since Matsson chose her husband, Tom, as the next CEO, Shiv likely feels she can control Tom more than she can influence Kendall. Hence, Shiv’s decision to vote in favor of the sale boils down to several factors that are co-related with each other.
