This article comprises spoilers for Succession season 4 episode 4.
Siobhan “Shiv” Roy actually isn’t reduce out to be a mom, however she’s going to be one anyway. In the opening moments of the most recent episode of Succession, entitled “Honeymoon States,” Shiv takes a name from her physician. Setting apart the completely wild incontrovertible fact that Shiv calls her physician by her first title — who does that?! — Dr. Hubbard, er, Sharon, delivers some information to her affected person. A latest take a look at returned with a “good end result” and “the whole lot appears to be like wholesome,” she says. The dialog solely lasts a minute or so, but it surely leaves viewers with so many questions. Shiv is having a child? When? How? With whom?! And what’s an amniocentesis?
Let’s begin with that final query. Given the Roy household’s proclivity to rabidly hunt down the best possible medical care at each time limit, it’s unsurprising that Shiv would need all of the assessments for her unborn little one. Amniocentesis is a process the place a skinny needle is inserted into the uterus and a small quantity of amniotic fluid — the fluid surrounding the fetus — is extracted throughout the second trimester of a being pregnant. The objective of this process is to check the fluid for potential genetic abnormalities within the fetus, corresponding to cystic fibrosis and Down syndrome. Because amniocentesis comes with a small elevated threat of miscarriage, it’s solely carried out if routine blood testing comes again with a regarding end result. It’s fairly unhappy to suppose that Shiv has been worrying concerning the outcomes of those assessments on their lonesome, with out the assist of a associate or perhaps a buddy, however transferring by life in an emotionally stunted approach is virtually the Roy household motto.
That brings us to a different query: Who is the daddy of this wholesome, thriving child? The timeline on Succession has always been a bit shaky, however latest episodes supply up some clues. According to physician Sharon, Shiv is due for her 20-week ultrasound, which implies that she’s about four-to-five months alongside in her being pregnant. In the Season 4 premiere, the children share that, within the wake of getting edged out of the GoJo deal, they’ve spent three months placing collectively their inane concept for a media hub known as “The Hundred.” So, it actually looks like Shiv was nonetheless with Tom on the time the newborn was conceived. Sure, they’d an open relationship, but it surely doesn’t really feel just like the present would introduce such a juicy plot system after which simply attribute it to some rando.