'Succession' Finale: How Shiv Roy failed to epitomise the 'boss woman' through weakness and doubt
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: For over four seasons, Shiv Roy was somewhat deemed as the one who will outsmart everyone to get to the Iron Throne of Waystar Royco in 'Succession.' She married a man, Tom Wambsgans fathoms beneath her with an agenda to use him to her advantage, she worked with a Presidential candidate to gain mileage and once upon a time, she was counted as an option to become Logan’s successor, only if she wouldn’t have blabbed about it at dinner when her father was trying to buy Pierce, another media conglomerate. Shiv seems to have everything planned but nothing works as per that plan.
Walking around in her pantsuits and bob-cut hair, Shiv believes that she knows more than everyone around her. She wants to be the decision maker, the one who calls the shot. She prays for a world without a fascist leader like Jeryd Mencken who her brothers helped elect as the new President of the United States but in the penultimate episode, she was ready to put aside her feelings and let Matsson and Mencken work on a deal while she got the sweetener of becoming the American CEO of Matsson’s operations. Throughout her career, Shiv portrayed herself as left centered feminist with ideologies of less government intervention in the private affairs of a company but instead, she is now willing to let an extreme right-wing leader take charge who may serve her interests. This is no moralistic victory for someone who stands for becoming the boss woman in this situation but only affirms that anyone, regardless of gender or sex will bow down to corporate greed. But why did Shiv shove an opportunity to become the flag-bearer of a moralistic corporate feminist movement down the drain?
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Logan shook her confidence
Logan once floated the idea of Shiv becoming her successor. He had his apprehensions but a cunning Logan wanted to have a dogfight amongst his children for the Waystar throne. Whoever emerged victorious would have won Logan’s respect and the right to inherit the vacant throne. Shiv lacked experience but Logan was willing to look it over. However, after witnessing Shiv’s instability in dealing with various matters, Logan decided otherwise. Logan considered Kendall and Roman, no matter how turbulent they were but Shiv, a woman, had to do away with excuses from Logan.
After Logan’s death, she had to submit to the whims of her brothers and let go of the CEO position. She felt betrayed and opened the door to Matsson. She couldn’t even beat Greg who exposed the explicit details of her dirty little deal with Matsson to Kendall. Shiv simply couldn’t keep herself safe, forget about bossing anything. At Logan’s funeral, Shiv stated that Logan was tough on women. Yes! He was but Shiv’s fight in the face of sexism is still tougher. She still has to prove her mettle to Matsson before she could be the boss.
Shiv’s husband Tom Wambsgans speaks up
Shiv’s husband, Tom Wambsgans was a man who wanted to climb the corporate ladder at all costs. Shiv knew it and married him, knowing that he will dance to her tunes all night long. Instead, their relationship soured due to Shiv’s incessant narcissism. She thought of him as a toy who could be paraded in public and throw him away if he stops functioning but Tom stood his ground, spoke back, and eventually the two are now reeling from a heartbreak.
Shiv thought Tom was the one thing that she could control. Instead, he became the face of her life’s biggest betrayal. Shiv who ventured out to shake the patriarchal world of corporate greed, returned as a pawn of the archaic structure that refuses to end.