We NEED to talk about this.
In Tom's little mind there are two people that he continues to draw parallels between. Shiv and Greg.
Early on season one, Tom juxtaposed Shiv's unavailability with Greg's availability. Hence why he asks Greg out to dinner, and later party in a club and finally takes him to his home when Shiv expressed she wasn't available to be around.
Then, on season two, Tom is greatly affected by the fact that Shiv had asked him for an open relationship on their wedding night. When Greg talks about business and not wanting to work at ATN, Tom uses the term 'breaking up', as if their relationship was comparable to a romantic one. Then, when Greg uses the term 'open business relationship' Tom practically loses it and tells him that he 'won't let him do to that to him' and that he 'won't let go of what is his'. At this point, Tom already drew the parallel between his relationship with Shiv and his relationship with Greg. In his mind, both relationships are comparable and similar. Both people are his in a way.
Things get messy, and as Tom continues to think of both relationships as proportional to one another, he makes up his mind and chooses the one he's more comfortable with. His relationship with Greg.
This is clear as a day when he voices and shows the way he sees Greg and the way he sees Shiv:
Tom compares his relationship with Greg with the story of Nero and Sporus. He said he FAVOURED him, over his wife, and that he would choose to keep him IN A HEARTBEAT.
And then, he also shows what he thinks of Shiv, how he sees her: a scorpion. 'I love you, but you kill me, and I kill you.' Reminiscent of the fable of the scorpion and the frog, in which both animals drown because the scorpion stings the frog who agreed to help them cross the river.
Tom might love Shiv, but he doesn't favour her in the end. He chooses Greg, but he had already said he'd do so when he named him his Sporus. And Tom lets Shiv choose him, with a palm facing upwards for her to take it if she wants to, but he hasn't chose her, he hasn't favoured her, and he would likely never do.
He ultimately shows Shiv that it's her who has to cling to his back to be saved, because she needs him, whereas Tom has expressed vocally that he got Greg, that he would hold him willingly even before he has to ask for it.
And I think that's like, a little bit crazy.
