It was the betrayal heard ‘round the world. Or at least across every corner of Twitter where people obsess over prestige TV. If you watched Succession Season 3 Episode 9, titled "All the Bells Say," you know the feeling. It’s that pit in your stomach when you realize that even when the Roy siblings finally, finally get on the same page, they’re still no match for Logan.
Logan Roy is a monster. He's also a genius in the most Machiavellian sense.
The episode takes us to Tuscany. It’s beautiful, sun-drenched, and absolutely toxic. While Caroline Collingwood is busy celebrating a wedding that feels more like a business merger, her children are realizing their entire inheritance is about to evaporate. Lukas Matsson, the tech bro played with a terrifyingly calm arrogance by Alexander Skarsgård, is no longer just a partner. He’s the buyer.
The Logistics of the GoJo Takeover
Basically, Logan decided to sell. He looked at Kendall, Shiv, and Roman and saw a "conglomerate of losers." Harsh? Yeah. Accurate? From his perspective, totally. He realized that GoJo’s market cap and tech-forward momentum were worth more than his own kids' capabilities.
Most people focus on the emotional side of the finale, but the business mechanics are what make the ending of Succession Season 3 Episode 9 so devastating. The siblings thought they had a "super-majority." They believed they could block any sale because of a clause in Logan and Caroline’s divorce settlement.
They were wrong.
They walked into that dusty office in Italy thinking they were the kings and queen of the castle. They were ready to kill the king. But Logan had already made a deal with the "mummy." Caroline, in exchange for some restructured financial perks and probably a bit of spite, signed away her children’s veto power.
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Why We Can’t Stop Talking About Tom Wambsgans
Honestly, Tom is the MVP of this episode. For three seasons, we’ve watched him be the whipping boy. He’s the guy who took a water bottle to the face from Logan. He’s the guy Shiv told, on their wedding night, that she wanted an open marriage.
In Succession Season 3 Episode 9, Tom stops being the victim.
When he asks Greg if he wants to make a "deal with the devil," it isn't just a cool line. It’s the moment the power dynamic of the entire show shifts. Tom tips off Logan that the kids are coming to ambush him. Without that tip-off, Logan might not have had time to get Caroline on the phone. Tom chose the winner. He chose the guy who actually wins, rather than the wife who treats him like a footstool.
The look on Shiv’s face when she realizes Tom betrayed her? That’s 24-karat gold acting by Sarah Snook. It’s a silent realization that she’s been outplayed by the person she thought she owned.
Kendall’s Confession and the Dirt Path
Before the chaos, we got that scene. You know the one. The three siblings sitting in the dirt behind the wedding venue. Kendall is at his lowest point. He’s basically a ghost at this point in the season. When he confesses to the waiter’s death from the Season 1 finale, it’s the first time we see the siblings actually connect as human beings.
Roman tries to joke it off because he can’t handle real emotion. Shiv tries to be clinical. But they’re there. They hold him.
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It’s the most "human" the Roys have ever been. And it’s exactly what makes the subsequent betrayal so much harder to swallow. They found their soul just in time to have their father rip their hearts out.
What Most People Get Wrong About Logan’s Motive
There’s this idea that Logan did this purely to hurt his kids. I don’t think that’s true. Logan Roy is a capitalist. He’s a shark. He saw a dying legacy media company and a vibrant, growing tech company. He did the math.
If Kendall, Roman, or Shiv had shown a single shred of the killer instinct he respects, he might have stayed the course. But in Succession Season 3 Episode 9, they came at him with a piece of paper and a legal technicality. Logan comes at people with a sledgehammer.
- He saw them as weak.
- He saw Matsson as a peer.
- He saw an exit strategy that protected the "name" even if it didn't protect the "kids."
The Technical Brilliance of "All the Bells Say"
Director Mark Mylod and creator Jesse Armstrong did something weird here. They shot a tragedy in a place that looks like heaven. The contrast between the rolling hills of Italy and the absolute carnage happening inside those villas is striking.
The pacing is frantic. The dialogue is, as always, a mix of high-brow Shakespearean insults and "uh-huh" filler. But notice how the camera stays tight on the siblings’ faces in the final ten minutes. We are trapped in that room with them. We feel the air leave the room when Logan tells them he’s already talked to their mother.
"I have you beat," he says. It’s not a boast. It’s a fact.
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Actionable Insights for the Succession Obsessed
If you’re looking to understand the deeper layers of this finale or prepare for a rewatch, keep these things in mind:
Watch the background characters. During the final confrontation, look at Gerri. Look at Brian. They aren't looking at the kids with pity. They are looking at the floor. They are survivors. They knew which way the wind was blowing before the siblings even got in their SUVs.
Analyze the Tom and Greg dynamic. Go back and watch how Tom prepares Greg for this. It wasn't a snap decision. Tom has been bracing for impact for the entire season. His "checkmate" was months in the making.
Don't ignore the script's focus on "The Deal." Succession is often called a soap opera for smart people, but it’s a show about contracts. The Season 3 finale is a masterclass in how "the fine print" can destroy a family faster than any secret ever could.
The next step for any fan is to re-examine the pilot episode. If you watch the very first hour of the series right after finishing Succession Season 3 Episode 9, you’ll see that Logan was telling us the ending from the very beginning. He was never going to give it to them. They were always going to have to take it, and they simply weren't fast enough.