Succession Director Weighs In On Shiv And Tom's Relationship Status

The fourth and final season of "Succession" is no stranger to completely upending the status quo. We've been a mix of shocked, devastated, and terrified for the past six episodes, never knowing which one of the Roy siblings is next to self-destruct or what business development would arise next to decimate their plans. As Kendall (Jeremy Strong) would say, it's been a "tightrope on a razor blade."

If you wanted to pick the wildest moment of the season, you'd have plenty to choose from: the death of family patriarch Logan Roy? Potential Waystar buyer Lukas Matsson admitting that he mailed an employee several bricks of his blood? So far, my personal favorite comes from the compilation of nervous breakdowns that is "Living+": it's when Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) roll down their sleeves and play a fascinating round of Bitey, chomping down on each other's arms as hard as they can to crown a winner.

There are four episodes left in the season (a tragedy) and I haven't the slightest idea of where "Succession" will end. And thanks to the ever-fluctuating status of their relationship, the Roy-Wambsgans marriage is high on the list of unpredictable factors. It's hard enough to tell where they stand in any given scene, let alone what might become of their marriage in the remaining episodes! Thankfully, "Living+" director Lorene Scafaria (who's also behind brilliant episodes like "Too Much Birthday" and "Honeymoon States") has weighed in to answer the question that Bitey has everyone asking: are Shiv and Tom back together? The answer, much like their relationship, is far from simple.

"I think they feel like their roles have returned in a way, and they're happy to play the part of husband and wife in that moment," Scafaria told Variety. "There's an indignity to being separated, and there's a comfort in finding their footing again and finding their roles ... This feels like everyone's therapy. Maybe it's as good as it gets when you're used to a certain kind of love."

Shiv and Tom have been shifting in and out of their roles all season. They agreed upon a divorce by the end of the premiere episode but then Logan's death rocked everyone's world. Despite her residual rage (and the fact that they have yet to talk through Tom's betrayal or all the hurt Shiv previously caused him), Tom has been a port for Shiv in this storm of grief. In very brief interludes, she lets herself be comforted in his arms. "Living+" is the first time she doesn't pull away at the end. She still draws a line in the sand, telling him they "won't get into" all the emotional turmoil, but in plenty of other ways, their partnership has resumed: they're sleeping together, scheming together, and strategizing as a team. And it's all thanks to Bitey!

Scafaria went on to say that there's definitely something funny (and fitting) about Bitey being their way back to each other: "Of course, their expression of love can't help but have some violence in it."

Given the family she grew up in, this is no big surprise from Shiv. The Roys have long expressed their affection via jabs and casual insults. This is all coming from an episode where both Kendall and Roman obsessively rewatch videos (one real and one fake) of their father insulting them — how else would they feel close to Logan, who spent his life verbally destroying them? "She's learned to associate love with pain," Scafaria reasoned.

The other big Shiv and Tom moment of the episode comes afterward, alone in the hotel room where Tom finally offers some honesty. "I like nice things," he tells her. "If you think that's shallow, why don't you throw out all your stuff for love? Throw out your necklaces and your jewels for a date at a three-star Italian." It's often easy for folks to blame Shiv for all that's gone wrong in her marriage but Tom is equally responsible. Money — getting it and keeping it — has been in the back of his mind since day one. And when it mattered, he chose that over her. Of this moment, Scafaria said:

"It's so honest, because money is the last taboo. They have it in common, it does bring them together — and in a way, it sort of does make him the right man for her. They have that laugh at the end with each other that feels incredibly real and painful, but it's also so suspicious. He looks at her one last moment, just to see, "Is this real? Is this really happening?" I think they know it's messed up; maybe that's the beauty of it."

The way they both came into it, this marriage was destined to fail. Shiv was deadset on protecting herself from emotional devastation by keeping him at a distance, and Tom was so obsessed with financial security that he betrayed her at a critical moment. But now that they've reached this level of honesty, maybe there's hope. Neither of them is willing to throw everything away for love (they laugh hysterically at the sheer incredulity of that) but maybe they can still be a terrifying power couple: rich, influential, and not alone at the end of the night. But that only works if they can salvage some trust.