Longtime Succession director and executive producer Mark Mylod thinks Kendall Roy is still alive following the events of the season finale.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Mylod was asked about his interpretation of the show’s final scene and whether or not he thinks Kendall (played by Jeremy Strong) is still alive in the world of Succession.
“I very much hope that he’s still alive,” Mylod answered. “I think he is. That’s subjective. Other players in the show might disagree. My subjective opinion would be that he will probably go through a number of stages of grief with some cockamamie plans that perhaps won’t amount to much. But I have to be optimistic in the way of if one has a relative or even a child who is experiencing problems with their identity and role in the world: You have to hope they will find themselves and their place in the world.”
Breaking down Kendall’s final moments on Succession
During the Succession finale, Kendall believed he’d finally convinced his siblings, Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin), to let him become CEO of Waystar Royco following the passing of their father, Logan (Brian Cox). The board meeting where they were all supposed to cast their votes for Kendall took a turn, however. In a huge upset Shiv ultimately backed her husband, Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), instead of her brother.
The final scene of Succession sees Kendall solemnly walking out to a park and staring at the water, leaving the character’s fate unknown. Logan’s former bodyguard, Colin (Scott Nicholson), stands off to the side.
Strong previously told the Hollywood Reporter he doesn’t believe there’s any “coming back” for Kendall following the finale.
“There’s an episode in season one when I lead a failed attempt at a coup,” he said. “I’m running through the tunnel. I leave the board room through that same door in a very similar state of inner collapse and having failed and lost. I walked through the streets in a similar sunken daze. I said to Jesse [Armstrong] and Mark, ‘I can’t do this again. There’s a progression here. There’s much more at stake now. If I don’t become CEO now, I never will.’ This time, it’s the first time he’s finally lost everything. From inside of it, I felt there was no coming back from this.”
