This 'Succession' line gave a sneaky clue as to who would end up as CEO

Aug 18, 2023

Succession is over, and a new king has been crowned.

And while Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) wasn't a name that many people would likely have considered in the running, there were some clues earlier in the season – namely a line from Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) and a thread that follows on from it – that may have slipped under the radar.

So what does the GoJo boss say, and how does it point to his ultimate CEO choice? Let's recap.

During a video call with Kendall (Jeremy Strong) in Season 4, episode 2, Matsson makes a throwaway comment that is, in hindsight, quite a large piece of foreshadowing. It's about sleep.

Matsson: "I can't fucking sleep. You sleep good?"

Kendall: "Honestly, not really, no."

Matsson: "I've never met anyone I respect who sleeps good."

Kendall: "Tell me about it. One eye open, bro. One eye open."

Meaningless bro-talk? On the surface, yes. But that bit about sleep ends up being key, because there's one character who really doesn't sleep well in Season 4.

Throughout Season 4, there are constant references to Tom not getting enough sleep. In episode seven, at the pre-election party he and Shiv (Sarah Snook) are hosting, he complains through the night about how exhausted he is.

"I'm tired, you know. Election eve, it's a lot," he tells Shiv at the start of the party. Later, the horrendous argument they have starts when Tom says he's going to go to bed. "I'm bushwacked," he says, "my eyes are sandpaper."

In episode nine, Tom is unable to make Logan's funeral due to how busy he is at work. Matsson even asks Shiv "Where's your Tommy boy?", and when she tells him Tom is at work, there's a brief moment where you can see the cogs turning in his head.

Later, when Tom turns up briefly at the drinks after the funeral, he's talking once again about how tired he is. "I'm so, so, tired and I've been awake so, so long," he says to Shiv. "I just felt like I couldn't leave."

After his meal with Matsson in episode 10, Tom is asked to pitch himself. His answer makes it clear that he'd be the right fit for the "pain sponge" Matsson is looking for, but the cherry on the cake is Tom's comment about sleep. "I'm a grinder," he says. "I grind because I worry. I worry all night about everything."

Without even realising it, Tom has shown himself as Matsson's perfect fit. He sleeps badly because he's constantly thinking about work, and he misses key events in Season 4 because he's actually working while the other characters are busy scheming.

Maybe he wasn't such a random CEO choice after all.

All episodes of Succession are now streaming on Max.(opens in a new tab)