Succession season 4 episode 9: Is it too late for Kendall Roy?

As we look back on Succession season 4 episode 8, it is increasingly clear the challenges that were present for Kendall Roy. He had a chance to make some decisions that could tilt the scale one way or another in regards to the future of this country. He could have bought seriously into the fire in Wisconsin, or chose to support fully the future of Mencken as President.

So what did he decide? Well, he picked the latter option, but with a surprisingly personal reason at the center of it. He felt betrayed personally by Shiv for her lies, and that gave him license to think in terms of his cold, business-oriented heart. Allowing Mencken to become President may give ATN access to a lot of things in the future — provided this goes through and doesn’t all blow up entirely down the road. (We do still think Roman’s connection to him is problematic.)

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Could this all blow up in Kendall’s face down the road? It’s possible and if it does, we think he is likely to use both Tom and Roman as fall guys to cement his position as king of the Waystar empire. Yet, the events of the season 1 finale still loom large and if any Roy family member feels betrayed especially by him, they could use that to destroy his future. It may be too late for Kendall to flip back and support Jimenez; that train has left the station. It may even be too late to avoid getting caught in the crosshairs if things start to go south with GoJo.

The final episodes of the season are either going to be a Kendall Roy masterclass or one of his biggest failures. There is a path forward for him to lead the way that perhaps isn’t there for either Shiv or Roman, but there are metaphorical landmines in all directions. Seeing if Jeremy Strong’s character can navigate these could be one of the most fascinating elements of the story to come.

Related – Want more info on the next Succession episode right now?

What do you think we will see Kendall do entering Succession season 4 episode 9 this weekend?

Be sure to let us know below! After you do just that, keep coming back for some other updates.

(Photo: HBO.)

This article was written by Jessica BunBun.