Succession's Season 4 Premiere Wouldn't Have Worked Without Sarah Snook And Matthew Macfadyen
This piece contains spoilers for the "Succession" season 4 premiere.
There are a lot of interesting relationships that have been cultivated throughout the modern Shakespearean tragedy that is HBO's "Succession," almost all of them being twisted in their own unique ways. You've got codependent assistants, sadomasochistic wielders of power, and just plain old traumatized sibling rivalry. These relationships are not only important plot details — they easily dominate the show's entire plot.
However, few relationships on the show are as important as the one between Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) and Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen). From their poorly-timed proposal in the first season to Tom's ultimate betrayal at the end of its third, they have been on one hell of a rollercoaster together. If you search the hashtag "#failmarriage" on TikTok, almost every video is a fan-made edit of their scenes together. And yet, through all the storms they have weathered, it seemed unlikely that they would ever split up. After all, misery loves company, right?
Well, as we saw in the season four premiere, that's not going to be the case. Tom and Shiv have agreed to divorce, which is bound to make some fans upset and others happy. No matter what you think of the proceedings, their true final scene as a couple is an undeniable highlight of the series and a testament to how essential Snook and Macfadyen are to the greater show.
We gave it a go
Neither Shiv nor Tom are very likable people. They are hypocritical, power-hungry, and selfish, but then again, so is everyone else on "Succession." Pointing this out isn't exactly cutting-edge analysis, but what is unique about Shiv and Tom specifically is how complex their love story is because of these shared traits. How can two people with similarly selfish and mean-spirited attributes ever be together? Are they a ticking time bomb, or could they actually work together like a corporate Bonnie and Clyde?
Through the respective performances of Snook and Macfadyen, the latter of whom received a Best Supporting Actor Emmy in 2022, the characters of Shiv and Tom are given this much-deserved nuance. Every moment they share on-screen together, whether tender or spiteful, is embedded with a sense of genuine care. Snook and Macfadyen act as if they both understand that they don't work, but want to be with each other regardless — they know Tom and Shiv's relationship isn't so black and white. Even with all of their baggage and selfish desires, the two of them feel like they want their characters to stay in love. That dynamic is far more interesting than the disinterested and mutually exploitative couple they could have been. The latter certainly would have been easier to write and act out, but where is the challenge in that?
When you watch their final scene in this latest episode together as they intertwine their fingers on their bed, you realize just how important it is that Shiv and Tom were portrayed in this manner. They are the ultimate representation of love in the "Succession" universe — something that is to be cherished, but is doomed to fail.
"Succession" airs on HBO and streams on HBO Max every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.