What happened in the 'Succession' season 3 finale? A refresher

The Succession season 3 finale had everything: power moves, pasta and plenty of family backstabbing. 

We've been thinking about that shocker of an ending since the episode aired back in December 2021, and now after more than a yearlong wait, we'll finally see how the fallout of Logan Roy's actions will affect our favorite Succession characters, from Shiv and Tom to Roman and Gerri, when Succession season 4 premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, March 26. 

But before we dive back into the world of Waystar with the brand-new episodes, here's a primer on everything that went down in season 3 episode 9, "All the Bells Say."

A refresher on that 'Succession' season 3 finale:

The final episode of Succession season 3 picks up shortly after that scary "Kendall nearly drowns in a pool in Italy" incident from the episode prior. Thankfully, Kendall (Jeremy Strong) survives with the help of his assistant Comfrey, who gets him medical attention, but his siblings—Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Connor (Alan Ruck)—are concerned about whether the circumstance was really an accident or not. (“Too many limoncellos, fell off an inflatable, no biggie,” Kendall claims.) 

A pseudo-intervention between the siblings over lunch turns into an argument, with Connor, in particular, furious that the rest of the Roy clan seems to forget that he is actually Logan's eldest son and that he should be seriously considered for the top role at Waystar. At least one thing goes Connor's way in the finale: Willa (Justine Lupe) finally accepts his proposal with a very romantic, "F**k it. Come on. How bad can it be?"

After weeks of businessy "will-they, won't-they?" Logan (Brian Cox)and Roman go to Lake Como to talk merger with GoJo's tech-bro CEO Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). Matsson wants to acquire Waystar and take over the mergered firm as CEO, with Logan to receive a hefty settlement and Roman to stay on in leadership capacity to rep the Roy contingency. Logan isn't interested...or is he?  

He sends Roman back to Tuscany for his mom's wedding, during which the Roy siblings get wind of Logan potentially screwing them out of the lucrative GoJo deal. Shiv, Roy and Kendall gather to strategize, during which Kendall breaks down and reveals the car accident that resulted in the death of the cater waiter at Shiv and Tom's wedding back in season one. In their cynical Roy way, the siblings rally against Kendall, and he musters up the strength to help them take down Logan, remembering a clause in their parents' divorce settlement that gives the Roy children veto power over any change in company control.

However, when they go to confront their father, it's too late: Logan managed to convince their mother Caroline (Harriet Walter) to reopen and renegotiate the settlement, which gives up the kids' shares and effectively cuts them off at the knees. How exactly did Logan anticipate the siblings' strategy? He was tipped off by Shiv's husband Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), who majorly betrays his own wife to curry favor with his powerful father-in-law and ensure a spot in the new Waystar-GoJo structure for himself and his lacky Greg (Nicholas Braun). A literal pat on the back from Logan seals Tom's about-face, an allegiance switch that Shiv distressingly takes note of.

Roman's desperate pleading to both Logan and Gerri (J. Smith Cameron) doesn't help: the Roy kids are out in the cold, and a new Waystar order has risen. It goes without saying that there will be loads of drama to come in the show's fourth and final season!

All three seasons of Succession are available to watch on HBO and HBO Max. Succession season 4 premieres on Sunday, March 26 at 9pm on HBO.