Shiv Roy Was Never a Beacon of Feminism, but That Doesn’t Make These Reactions OK

It’s time we had a talk about Shiv Roy. For whatever reason, the internet, during season 4 of HBO’s Succession, has decided to root for Shiv (Sarah Snook) and erase all her past misdeeds in the name of their own warped ideas of feminism. Rooted in the idea that Shiv is the “only” female character on Succession (not true), the problem seemed to be that the way Shiv was acting was seen by some as a product of misogyny in the writers’ room, which in itself is a misreading of the show as a whole.

The conversations about Shiv and the finale of Succession have now spiraled into one of two thoughts: that she was a feminist and her character got ruined, and therefore there were no signs she would take the actions she ultimately did, and/or that it’s misogynistic for fans to hate her for her actions. Both are important things to talk about, because the first shows a lack of media literacy and understanding of Shiv as a character, and the second, well, the second is a true statement. There is a level of misogyny bleeding out from fans in regards to Shiv and what she did to her family’s legacy.

But being angry with Shiv for what she did and upset over the ending of the Roy legacy is not the same thing as saying “Shiv Roy is the worst sibling” because that’s categorically false and is rooted in misogyny. Does that make sense? Let’s talk about the aspects of Shiv’s character that gave us clues into how she’d always do what she did, but also why fan reactions differ from each other.

Shiv has always upheld men

Shiv Roy has always done whatever men tell her to do, but she parades it around as if it was her own idea. When you break down her actions, they are always to appease a man in her life. Before it became Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), it was Logan Roy (Brian Cox). In every aspect of her life, she did what Daddy wanted her to do, and the one time she pushed against him, he ousted her, and then she did whatever it was that her brothers wanted her to do.

Whether it was strong-arming a sexual assault victim not to speak up or taking a picture with a literal Nazi because daddy told her to do it, Shiv’s moves were rarely in the name of feminism and always in the vein of what was best for Shiv. So, season 4 being the result of Shiv constantly letting men get away with whatever they wanted and needed from her makes sense. Shiv throwing away her brothers to take Tom’s side at the company while he is CEO is just another man who used Shiv for his own bidding, and she let it happen because it would benefit her.

Shiv Roy has used misogyny to her advantage and constantly just played the part of a fake feminist who will do what it takes for her own success, and we just saw how far she was willing to go in season 4. But that doesn’t mean that the fandom reaction to Shiv isn’t without its own misogyny.

Being angry at her isn’t misogyny, but judging her differently is

To be clear, I don’t like any of the Roys enough that I’d want to be around them if they were real. I love Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), as a fictional character, because he’s horrible. I’ve just learned throughout my years as a fan of things how to like someone who is not morally good without excusing away their behaviors. It’s why I can like a character like Shiv but still be angry with what she did because I wanted Kendall to win just because.

What is rooted in misogyny is the take that Shiv Roy is the worst of the Roy kids. Because actually absolutely not. She’s the least offensive of them, and that is saying something. The kid who told a sexual assault victim not to talk in court because it was better for the men in her life is somehow the best one! The reaction to Shiv has gone from people rightfully calling her out for not being a feminist to now people having to defend her from those who want to say she’s the worst of them, being disproportionately hard on her in the midst of terrible men.

Misogyny tells you to hate women who are not perfect. It’s as simple as that. Shiv Roy is not perfect and therefore the misogyny is bleeding out into the conversation about her. Connor Roy (Alan Ruck) basically bought his wife Willa. Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) supported a Nazi in Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk). Kendall Roy murdered a man. You cannot tell me that out of all of that, Shiv is still the worst sibling.

If you think that, then yes, that is a misogynistic take. That is rooted in misogyny. Being mad that Shiv still upheld the men in her life at the end of the day instead of doing anything else? That’s not misogynistic. Shiv is complicated and not a feminist, and not a perfect character by any stretch of the imagination. But the conversation about her has gotten out of control.

I love Shiv Roy as a fictional character because she, like the rest of her family, is a disaster, and if she were real, I would not love this woman who made sure she sided with men time and time again over women who needed her help. But saying that she’s the worst Roy? Maybe reexamine that statement.

(featured image: HBO)