Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Succession Season 4.Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) and Siobhan Roy (Sarah Snook) are much better when they are on the same playing field. In this week’s episode ofSuccessionSeason 4, entitled “Kill List,” a bridge has been building between Tom and Shiv amidst their separation and pending divorce. The latest episode sees the Roy gang heading to Norway to meet with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard) in order to negotiate the GoJo deal, whereby we see the beginning of Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman’s (Kieran Culkin) moves as co-CEOs. Despite the agreed decision to keep Shiv in the loop, it is clear even from the beginning that it is “CE-bros,” not co-CEOs plus Shiv.
Regardless, this episode gave us great Tom and Shiv scenes that we have been sorely missing this season. With their divorce on the cards as well as the high tensions post Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) departure, it almost seemed like they were over for good. In the previous episode, “Honeymoon States,” Tom and Shiv share a touching scene whereMacfadyen leans into hisPride and Prejudicedaysto perform a romantic dialogue, reminding Shiv that she had once told him that “I like it all” — so simple, yet so poignant. It reminds us that yes, once upon a time Shiv and Tom were just dating and liked each other, enjoying an innocent romance before their companionship became entangled within the company. It also provides astark comparison to the depths their marriage had fallen to. Thankfully, the latest episode introduces a breath of fresh air into their relationship, and it made them both all the more interesting at the same time.
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We Need Tom and Shiv to Get Along — In Their Own Way
Individually, Tom and Shiv are interesting characters (as is the whole cast ofSuccession), but when emotionally disconnected it is far more bleak than when they are playing on the same field. They are significantly more engaging to watch on-screen when getting along — in their own way — as they bring out the sides of each other that we really don’t get to see all too often. It is a more vulnerable side of Shiv different from the insight into her character that we were given through the grief of her father.
In “Kill List,” they participate in refreshing banter that we have been starved of this season. Shiv tells Tom that “People are coming down from molly, and their pupils, they’re dilated. And your shoes are like looking at the sun,” before scuffing his perfectly white sneakers. It is interesting to watch them physically interacting as so and takes a second to work out how to interpret the scene as the viewer. And then, unexpectedly, Tom matches her energy by flicking her on the earlobe. Shiv is shocked, though it is exactly what she is going after. She pokes the bear, hoping that the bear will poke her back, and is surprised when he finally does. Tom tells her that her earlobes are “thick and chewy” and like “barnacle meat,” and she looks at him with more desire than she has ever in the last three seasons combined.
Tom decides to play the Shiv game, transforming from his reserved and ultimately submissive personality and instead mirroring Shiv. Tom not letting Shiv walk all over him and finally standing up for himself, even if only in playful banter, is essentially what she has wanted from him all along. Ultimately, it is great to watch as not only do we see the best in each character (a relaxed Shiv and confident Tom), but it is also fulfilling to see these characters happy even if for a moment. This season, although absolutely fantastic television, has been emotionally draining and dark. Tom and Shiv turning to and lightheartedly teasing each other, on a surface level, is entertaining and wholesome.
Tom and Shiv Are More Interesting to Watch Like This
The change in Tom and Shiv’s dynamic allows them to become extensively more interesting as individuals as well. Season 4, and specifically post-Logan’s death, offers a more vulnerable side of Shiv. Her father’s death impacted her (as it did her siblings) tremendously, and she even says in “Kill List” that “I have a giant hole in my heart and a 24-hour migraine.” However, this sort of vulnerability, grief, is virtually impossible to shove down with her other emotions. It isn’t a choice for her to show her emotions in these episodes in some grand act of emotional bravery. She’s been grieving. However, in this episode, Shiv lets her walls down momentarily with Tom through flirtatious banter and then, later on, asks him out for dinner, and it’s a return to form. Seeing Shiv less stoic with an agency of freedom to joke around and open herself to rejection is what she needed. Not being afraid to be emotional and harboring true connections, will send Shiv on the path to greatness into her most rounded self.
Most simply, the one thing that weSuccessionviewers crave more than anything is true, raw connections between characters. This is why duos like Roman and Gerri (J. Smith Cameron) orTom and Cousin Greg(Nicholas Braun) have gained cult followings. In a show like this, logic and personal gain forever triumph over trust and emotion. A glimpse of raw connection and true chemistry that provides a gateway into whom these characters really are is priceless. Without Shiv and Tom having each other, we as the audience will never know who they truly are.
In light of this, the motivations behind Shiv’s rekindling of her relationship with Tom are unclear.Her pregnancy could definitely be a factor— wanting to form a healthy bond again with the father of her unborn child is only a natural wish. Perhaps Shiv will give her marriage another go in an effort to form the nuclear family they had considered together. At the same time, this episode shows Shiv forming an association with Matsson, which could progress as the season continues. Alternatively, maybe Shiv just misses Tom. The divorce was largely decided due to separation as the other option over facing her emotions. Maybe after goingthrough the trauma of her father’s deathand now a pregnancy, she is ready to face the music. Whilst their motivations are unclear for now, we definitely still want to see more of Tom and Shiv getting along, in whatever form that takes for the rest ofSuccession’s final season.
New episodes ofSuccessionSeason 4 premiere every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.
