Tom Finally Learns Shiv is Pregnant on ‘Succession’

For weeks, Succession fans have been wondering if Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) is still pregnant after her nasty fall, cocaine bump, numerous alcoholic libations, and general chaotic energy. In last week’s episode, her estranged husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) brutally told her during their explosive balcony fight that she should not have children. Shiv was shaken by this, but didn’t take the opportunity to tell Tom that she was pregnant. This week, in Succession Season 4 Episode 8 “America Decides,” Shiv finally tells Tom that she is pregnant and the baby is his. And Tom’s reaction is incredibly fucked up, even for HBO’s darkly cynical show.

Early on in “America Decides,” Tom gives Greg (Nicholas Braun) some truly ironic advice about the nature of information. “Information, Greg, is like a bottle of fine wine. You store it. You hoard it. You save it for a special occasion and then you smash someone’s fucking face in with it.”

It’s ironic because for weeks (or days in Succession‘s timeline), Shiv has been hoarding the knowledge that she is in fact pregnant with Tom’s child. The show’s writers have let this information slip to the audience as early as the cold open to Succession Season 4 Episode 4, but have chosen to hold it back from the rest of the main characters until this all-too-tense episode. An already crotchety Tom — cranky from lack of sleep, furious over his failed marriage, and panicked about leading the first post-Logan election night — is feeling so unhinged at this point that he does cocaine. That bump might help him stay awake, but it also gives his every subsequent reaction a glean of insanity.

So it is when Shiv finally tells Tom that she’s pregnant, he responds in a wholly cruel way. How exactly did it go down? And what does this mean for the future of Tom and Shiv?

Photo: HBO

At some point after Tom freaks out over the interactive board malfunction — Steve Kornacki would never let that happen on his watch! — Shiv takes a quick opportunity to spirit her estranged husband into a private area to apologize for the horrible things she said to him at the Tailgate Party. Tom does not apologize in return. Instead, he twists the knife and suggests that Shiv not only didn’t love her father, but was responsible for his death. “You sort of killed him,” he said, emphasizing “sort of.” Which Shiv still (understandably) did not take well!

Shiv decides to finally tell Tom she is pregnant with his baby. For Succession fans, this was confirmation that she is still pregnant and that Tom is in fact the daddy.

Tom did not take the news well.

“Is that even true?” he asks with a cruel smirk.

Shiv’s face shatters. “What?”

“Like is that even true or is that like a new position or tactic?” he asks.

Tom’s reaction is brutally messed up on a number of levels. It shows just how much trust between the couple has corroded and also how low Tom believes Shiv, the woman he’s supposed to love, would stoop. Forget gifting the woman a scorpion, this might be the cruelest thing Tom could possibly do!

Shiv’s teary eyes and horrified reaction as she slinks away finally confirms to Tom that she is telling the truth. After that, we follow Shiv as she asks her brothers for support, which Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) give willingly. (There’s even a half-joking/half-serious offer to have Tom killed!) Tom, meanwhile, looks his soul has left his body as he returns to managing ATN’s programming.

So what does this mean for Tom and Shiv? The two have been off and on and off again over the course of this season. Shiv’s apology might have been a signal that she’s still open to getting back together, but can Tom win her back?

There are two supersized episodes — 75 and 90 minutes respectively — of Succession left, which means anything could happen.