Succession Reveals Major Split Between Two Fan-Favorite Characters
Succession season 4 SPOILERS follow! HBO has premiered the fourth season of Succession tonight and wasted no time dropping major reveals. While the episode begins with a clear jump in time from the ending of season 3, things seem to have stabilized a little for the Roys. Jeremy Strong's Kendall, Sarah Snook's Shiv, and Kieran Culkin's Roman have assembled together (notably located in LA rather than their native New York) to take on a business venture of their own, with the impending sale of Waystar to GoJo looming over everything. There's something else that is hanging above the series though, and that's the fallout of season 3's finale and the unraveling of Shiv and Tom's marriage.
The corporate merger and the Roy kid's own ambitions begin to collide as they cross paths with their dad in a surprising way, and that's not even the big split teased above. While figuring out the funding plans for their new company, a digital media publication that is meant to disrupt the industry, a new opportunity arises, Pierce Global Media. The rival media company that Logan has been after for some time is apparently coming back up for sale and the kids decide maybe they can make a play for it to have their own company beyond Logan. Unbeknownst to the Roy kids, Logan himself is also making a play for Pierce.
Amid even all of that, Shiv takes a phone call from Tom (Matthew Macfadyen). Though it has clearly been a few months since the end of season 3 and the ultimate betrayal that Tom took part in, things have clearly still gone bad for the pair. Despite their previous semi-open agreement for their marriage, Shiv resents Tom calling her to speak about being caught in public with Naomi Pierce. This not only tips them off that there's something happening with Pierce as a company, but tells us that things are as bad as possible between Shiv and Tom.
The episode ends with Shiv returning to New York, coming back to her apartment that she and Tom share. As the two finally talk face to face it becomes clear that the resentment that Shiv feels about that last moment in season 3 is too much to over come; but it's also a certainty that while the two were separated they had some freedom to do as they pleased while also eventually planning to come together for a "big talk." That big talk comes quicker than they might think though when Shiv says they seem to have "run out of road."
Despite Tom's protests Shiv thinks they should walk away with their "heads held high, and say 'Good Luck,' yeah?" Tom and Shiv still lay down in their bed together, even holding hands as the scene comes to a close. "We gave it a go," he tells her, and the scene comes to a close. The Roy-Wambsgans marriage is over, and divorce is looming.