In the early moments of the fourth episode of season four of “Succession,” which premiered April 16, Shiv (Sarah Snook), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) are reeling in the aftermath of their dad Logan’s sudden death. But Shiv gets a phone call that sheds new light on her emotional state this season — and makes the loss of her dad even more painful for her. Shiv is Pregnant. We’re breaking down the reveal ahead.
Is Shiv Pregnant on “Succession”?
Yes, Shiv is pregnant. As she lies in bed, she gets a call from her doctor, Dr. Sharon Hasford, who says, “I wanted to discuss your results and I didn’t know, but I thought you would want the chance to be aware, if you’re up to it.” Shiv says it’s OK.
“I won’t draw it out. It’s a good result,” the doctor says. “The journey we went on with the amniocentesis after what the blood test showed us, everything looks healthy.” An amniocentesis is done to test the baby for certain health conditions. The doctor checks that Shiv is “still well,” and Shiv confirms she hasn’t had spotting or bleeding. The doctor says there’s nothing Shiv should be concerned about and that her office will reach out to make the appointment for the 20-week scan.
So Shiv is pregnant. That does seem to explain some of her absences in the season’s early episodes, where her brothers try to figure out what she’s getting up to that she doesn’t want them to know about.
Near the end of the episode, Shiv has a trip and fall in her dad’s apartment, but we don’t find out in the episode if that had any consequence for her Pregnancy.
Does Tom Know Shiv Is Pregnant?
Shiv and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) are in the middle of a brutal divorce. Based on their conversations in the episode — most of which are painfully stilted — it does not seem Shiv has told Tom about her pregnancy, instead keeping it a secret from him and everyone else.
Is Tom the Father of Shiv’s Baby?
We don’t know yet if Tom is the father of Shiv’s baby. Shiv seems to be about halfway through her pregnancy. When Shiv attended her mother’s wedding at the end of last season, was she already pregnant? “Succession” never said exactly when the wedding took place, but it seemed to be early summer, which means Shiv could have just learned she was pregnant or that she found out immediately after returning from the wedding.
Though Tom and Shiv technically had an open relationship, it doesn’t seem like Shiv was sleeping with anyone else at the time, which would make Tom the father. It’s also possible they slept together after the wedding while they began separating, or Shiv could have also had a one-night stand leading to her pregnancy in the days after they separated. Viewers will have to wait and see.
Whatever happens, the season three finale makes it seem like this plot point has been in the works for a while. During the episode, Shiv has a conversation with her mother, Lady Caroline (Harriet Walter), about motherhood, and Caroline tells her, “You made the right decision. Some people just aren’t made to be mothers.” Ouch.
New episodes of “Succession” premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
