Succession finale: The episode 4 line that foreshadowed dramatic season 3 ending

The clues were there the entire time

Succession fans are highlighting a scene that directly foreshadowed the dramatic end to season three.

On Sunday (12 December), HBO broadcast the finale of the hit show’s latest season, which has been widely acclaimed by fans.

*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*

The ending to the season saw Logan Roy (Brian Cox) shut out his children while negotiating a merger of equals with Go-Jo dounder Lukas Mattson (Alexander Skarsgård).

After growing suspicious that a deal was being made behind their backs, Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong) decided to team up in order to stage a coup and block their father from making the deal thanks to a clause in his divorce settlement with their mother, Caroline (Harriet Walter).

On their way to Logan, Shiv calls her husband Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) to fill him in on the plan, which he says he’s on board with. A subsequent scene shows Tom telling Greg (Nicholas Braun) he has “things to do” and ask if he’d like to join him in making a “deal with the devil”.

However, the plan goes awry when Shiv, Roman and Kendall’s ambush backfires after its revealed he renegotiated the settlement clause with Caroline – and that they have been cut off from their father.

Piecing two-and-two together, Shiv works out that Logan must have enlisted the help of Caroline after being warned of their impending arrival – and, at this moment, Tom arrives to be given a hearty pat on the back from Logan.

Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) at the end of ‘Succession’ season three (HBO)

All season long, Tom has proven his loyalty to Logan – even going so far as to offer himself as the face of the Roy company’s wrongdoings should anybody need to go to jail.

It was this that heightened his distance from Shiv, who backed Tom’s decision but then failed to sympathise with his plight. It was noted that Shiv seemed disappointed when it was revealed Tom wouldn’t go to prison.

But, it’s a specific callback to a previous episode that predicted the outcome of the finale outright.

It occurs in the third season’s fourth episode when Tom recounts the Roman myth of Nero and Sporus. He tells Greg: “Well, Nero pushed his wife down the stairs, and then he had Sporus castrated and he married him instead.”

In one of the season’s most-quoted lines, he tells Greg: “I’d castrate you in a heartbeat.”

‘Succession’ foreshadowed the season three ending back in episode four (HBO)

Jump forward to the finale and, after Tom has clearly warned Logan about the forthcoming ambush, he calls Greg “Sporus”.

Following the episode, many fans highlighted the callback on social media, as well as many other clues that hinted at Tom’s betrayal.

Succession season three is available to own digitally and stream on NOW. The show will return for a fourth season.

Find our review of the episode here.