'Succession 04': Name of Roy dynasty's successor was always out!
Well, maybe we did! HBO's sensational series Succession finally concluded on Sunday (early morning in India), and viewers have the answer to the question they grappled with for four seasons: Who will succeed Logan Roy? While the finale seems to have taken fans by surprise, a video has surfaced online that has unearthed a huge Easter egg that's the key to the entire show!
Who won the battle at the end?
Spoilers ahead. In the final episode, the control of Waystar Royco, the media conglomerate founded by Logan (Brian Cox), goes to Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), who is Shiv Roy's (Sarah Snook) husband. While Logan's children Shiv, Kendall, and Roman were in line to sit on the proverbial golden throne, Wambsgans, an outsider, outmaneuvered all of them. "It's me," Wambsgans says to his wife, Shiv.
What's in a name? Everything
Sophie Kihm, the editor-in-chief of Nameberry, an online catalog of baby names, has posted a TikTok video dissecting how names are consequential in Succession and foreshadow the characters' fates. Per Kihm, the German surname Wambsgans refers to a goose in German and "wambs" comes from the Gothic name "Wamba" (big paunch/womb). "Taken altogether, we can interpret Wambsgans to mean goose with the big belly."
Tom's surname has a deeper significance
However, the significance extends beyond the literal meaning. Per Nameberry's website, "Bill Wambsganss was a second baseman for the Cleveland Indians in the early 20th century. He would have been entirely lost to history were it not for one amazing feat — in 1920, Wambsganss completed the only unassisted triple play in World Series history." Here, Tom takes out Shiv, Kendall, and Roman.
Sports jargon: What does an unassisted triple play mean?
Per Baseballxgear, "An unassisted triple play occurs when one player is able to get all three outs in the defensive half of the inning in one continuous play without the help of any other defensive player. This is truly a rare feat and requires quick and precise action on the part of the defensive player involved." Wambsganss's record remains unbroken to this day.
Shiv and Roman's names have underlying meanings, too
In addition to Tom's surname, two other names are also pertinent to note here. Those are Shiv and Roman. Although Shiv's name is Siobhan, she mostly goes by Shiv in the entire series, and one of the meanings of her name is "an improvised knife." Roman's nickname Romulus comes from the namesake Roman king who murdered his twin brother Remus.
