6 burning questions we have after Shiv's 'Succession' surprise in the newest episode (2024)

In the opening scene of Sunday's episode, we learn Shiv is pregnant. Her doctor says the "next scan" is for 20 weeks, but we don't know exactly how far along she is.

If Shiv is close to 20 weeks pregnant, that means she's in her second trimester. But maybe she's still in the late first trimester, which would mean she hasn't known she's pregnant for very long.

The show has been unspecific about how much time has passed, but we know the election is about a week away, which means it's October. So when did Shiv get pregnant?

How did Shiv get pregnant, and who is the father?

While Shiv and Tom discussed freezing fertilized eggs during season three (which took place in the summertime), Shiv didn't seem eager at the time to have Tom's baby.

It's possible Shiv eventually changed her mind, but it's also possible she slept with someone else while she and Tom were separated. After all, just because it happened offscreen doesn't mean it didn't happen.

How does Shiv feel about the pregnancy?

Shiv has unique mommy issues compared to her male siblings, and has always seemed to hate being treated differently by the people in her life because of her gender. In this episode, she doesn't seem happy about the news the she has a healthy growing baby at all.

Is her muted reaction to the doctor's news because her dad just died and she's feeling overwhelmed? Or because this pregnancy was accidental and she doesn't plan to move forward with it? Or is she just upset because she and Tom are (for now) moving forward with a divorce?

What does Shiv's pregnancy mean for her future with Tom?

If Tom had an agenda during Sunday's episode, it was to find a way to reconcile with Shiv. It's impossible to say for sure why he wants to get back with her, but given that Tom recently lost his staunchest advocate with Logan's passing, he might see a reunion as a way to gain some leverage in the family business. Either way, coming onto Shiv at her father's wake wasn't Tom's finest moment.

Shiv, for her part, seemed uninterested in Tom's less-than-subtle advances. When Tom tried to wax nostalgic with her about the first time they slept together, she flinched at his touch and eventually just walked away. But Shiv's attitude towards Tom could shift before the season ends, especially if she's carrying their child.

What does Shiv hope will be her future at Waystar Royco post-possible merger and with her brothers at the helm?

Throughout "Honeymoon States," Shiv was repeatedly put on her back foot when she tried to assert control in the business conversations. Though Roman and Kendall promised upon their dad's death that they wouldn't betray her, will they hold to that? Or will Shiv wind up pregnant and without any allies in either her business or her personal worlds?

When did the "Succession" writers decide Shiv's pregnancy would be a plotline for season four?

Nearly everything changes for Shiv now that she's pregnant, but was that plotline by design or by necessity? At the season four premiere of "Succession" in March, Sarah Snook debuted her own real-life baby bump, revealing she was 32 weeks pregnant with her first child at the time.

It all could be just a happy coincidence. But if the writers decided to write Snook's pregnancy into the show, it certainly wouldn't be the first time that happened. Emily Deschanel's real-life pregnancy became a plotline for "Bones"; Lisa Kudrow's pregnancy proved memorable onscreen in "Friends." The list goes on.