Succession finale: who will triumph in the Roys' last ever outing ...

Anyway, with that, it’s time to say goodnight. Both to Succession, and to you. Thanks for reading. My god, what a show.

This will take some processing – certainly more processing than a liveblog is capable of – but luckily this is likely to be one of the most widely analysed episodes of television in all of history. My gut reaction is that it was perfect, and that I want more. Just one more episode, set five years from now, just so I can see where they all are. Will Tom last? Will Mencken become president? But, mostly, are the siblings OK?

Succession has always been keen to remind us of what a horrible bunch the Roys are. The patriarch was furious and abusive, and the kids were grasping, out of touch and incompetent. In a purely cold and logical world, they absolutely should not have been given the keys to Waystar Royco.

But Succession is also a human drama, and those three humans – as terrible and as messy as they were – needed each other. Forget the company. They could survive the loss of the company. But those last 20 minutes sliced a permanent schism between them, and I worry about how Kendall, Roman and Shiv will fare without one another. So, yes, one more episode in 2028 please, just for my peace of mind.

Well. Good lord. What an episode. What an ending.

Kendall, broken, stares out to sea. He might not survive this. This is as low as it could possibly get for him. But, for now, he just sits and stares. The credits roll. The end.

Tom gets into a car with Shiv. He’s newly powerful, and he makes her hold his hand. They both look utterly miserable.

Now the deal is done, let’s see where everybody is. Roman is at a bar, spinning through a million subtle emotions. Is he happy about losing the family business? Is he sad? Angry? We’ll never know.

Greg comes to Tom looking painfully contrite. And Tom, for whatever reason, promises to look after him. They just can’t quit each other, even though Greg’s life is going to be absolutely horrible from this point onwards.

It’s done. Waystar Royco now belongs to Gojo. Kendall Roy is out on his ear. The siblings have been fractured into a million pieces. Tom is the new CEO. Good LORD.

“We are bullshit. You are bullshit. I am bullshit. We’re nothing,” says Roman. Again, not entirely false. But, god, how excruciating.

Kendall just attacked Roman, trying to burst his skull with his hands. And now it’s over. He’s blown his shot, but he refuses to let it go. This is unbearable.

And now both siblings have turned against Kendall. Kendall screams “I AM THE ELDEST BOY” and this is rapidly becoming very messy.

Oh god, Kendall.

Shiv says “I don’t think you’d be good at this” to Kendall. And she’s right, and everyone knows that she’s right. Kendall says “If I don’t do this, I might die.” Shiv reminds Kendall that he killed someone. Kendall denies it.

Everything hinges on Shiv now. And she’s changed her mind. Kendall is now begging her to change it back, so he can control the company.

And here it is. We are going around the table. Roman hesitates before siding with Kendall. Shiv hesitates for even longer, and then leaves the room. Maximum drama currently occurring.

Kendall goes first, telling the board that the Gojo deal is bad. If the board wants it, they’ll have to fire him first. He suggests going straight to a vote.