Severance Recap: Goat Expectations

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In the progression of Severance‘s second season, it seems a crucial theme revolves around what surpasses the boundaries established by the separation process. We observe that certain practical abilities like driving (Irv), knot-tying (Dylan), and drawing (both Helly and Irv) manage to cross over. Similarly, basic knowledge such as state names and general cultural understanding remains intact. However, there are aspects of the Innies’ lives that Lumon may not want them to retain – experiences deeply rooted in emotions like love, childhood bonds, and feelings of shame. As Mark undergoes reintegration this week, it becomes clear that these emotional memories cannot be erased by Lumon. This revelation might cause Lumon concern.

love permeates. It undeniably surpasses any restrictions imposed by the severance chip. The concept of love overcoming the chip’s limitations becomes increasingly significant in this episode, serving as a crucial key to unraveling some of the show’s enigmas.

In this episode, most characters act out of love-driven decisions and share significant physical interactions as well. These genuine expressions of affectionate touch serve to highlight the notion that although Lumon may be capable of separating minds, it can’t touch our bodies’ tangible memories of love. Essentially, Severance suggests that love transcends memories; it’s an inherent part of us, deeply rooted in every cell, and something that Lumon apparently cannot eliminate.

While the team embarks on the quest to find Miss Casey in the Innie world, Dylan expresses his wish to remain behind and continue working on his file. He doesn’t reveal the whole truth to the others, instead hiding the fact of the family visitation suite, but they accept his explanation. The remainder of the group sets off for their individual tasks, thus allowing Miss Huang to pick up Dylan without arousing suspicion.

I must confess that at first, I found the concept of the family visitation suite rather dubious, a seemingly hollow pledge from Milchick to keep Dylan at Lumon. However, it appears that this is indeed a genuine facility. Actress Merritt Wever portrays Gretchen, Dylan’s wife, in it. Known for her understated yet powerful performances, seeing her waiting for Dylan made me ecstatic. Initially, I assumed she was a Lumon spy, but later episodes reveal her interacting with the Outie Dylan and their three children in the real world. The contrast between how she treats the Innie and Outie versions of her husband offers a stark reminder of the harshness of reality.

Outside their home, Gretchen appears stressed and overwhelmed, finding herself in the role of caretaker for her husband, which feels more like managing another child. She rushes out the door, listing tasks for Dylan while she works a night shift, revealing a uniform underneath her winter coat (implying she could be a police officer). Inside Lumon, Gretchen finds herself attracted to the Innie version of her husband. As she departs, she gives him a tender farewell hug and expresses her love. She claims this is just a habit, but it seems more like an attempt to reconnect with a part of Dylan she believes has been lost for a long time.

Upon my arrival at O&D, I found myself captivated by the painting titled “The Courtship of Kier and Imogene,” another gentle hint at love, this time in the professional sphere. During my conversation with Felicia (played brilliantly by Claudia Robinson), she softly gripped my hand as we reminisced about Burt. Intriguingly, Felicia caught a glimpse of my sketches of Burt in my notebook, including one of a black hallway. Her curiosity peaked when she asked, “How do you know about the export hall?” This location was once used for O&D’s deliveries but has since been abandoned. Upon my request, Felicia kindly drew me a map to help me navigate this forgotten area.

In other parts of Lumon’s labyrinth, Mark and Helly hunt for goats. They revisit the spot where they encountered the solitary goat man during the last quarter and notice a tiny entrance that reminds them of the hallway on the 7 ½ floor from ‘Being John Malkovich’. Without hesitation, Mark squeezes through, exiting into a vast chamber filled with lush green hills and goats scattered everywhere. The stark contrast between tranquil countryside and cold corporate environment is striking. However, despite the stunningly surreal atmosphere and the intriguingly eccentric Gwendoline Christie, the goat encounter left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

In my perspective as a movie reviewer, the ‘goat sequence’ in this series left me with an abundance of intriguing questions. For instance, does the space where these extraordinary goats reside somehow expand as they age? And if so, where were the other 11 or so individuals when Helly and Mark stumbled upon the original goat caretaker not too long ago?

Helly’s character appears rather stiff as she delves into interrogating the intimidating goat herders, who identify themselves as Mammalian Nurturables. They do provide an answer to her question regarding Ms. Casey, but unfortunately, it doesn’t shed much new light on the situation.

Now, I’m not someone who yearns for definitive solutions when it comes to the enigmatic universe of ‘Severance.’ However, I must admit that I’m not fond of the mystery boxes being opened merely to reveal more puzzles.

Given glimpses from the trailer, I suspect we might return to the goat realm at some point this season. Here’s hoping for a deeper dive into these mysteries in the near future.

From a movie-loving perspective, I’d rephrase that as follows: In the larger world, we encounter an intriguing narrative involving Milchick, which delves into love from a spiritual perspective. Given his unwavering allegiance to the teachings of Kier Eagan, it’s no surprise. So when Natalie offers him a token to celebrate his promotion to manager of the separated floor – a compilation of paintings from the Kier cycle, but with each piece depicting Milchick as Kier – I found myself perplexed too. After all, it seems like Kier in a blackface portrayal.

In simpler terms, when Natalie informs Milchick that the board had given her the same gift during her promotion, which she found significant, he starts to concur. However, as soon as the board ends the call, Natalie’s face makes an unusual twitch before forcing a smile that seems insincere. This peculiar facial expression reminds me of a scene from Jordan Peele’s movie, “Get Out.” Additionally, this week’s visual reference to the mind passage in “Being John Malkovich” has left me questioning whether Natalie might have someone else inhabiting her mind. It makes me wonder if she really needs that earpiece to communicate with the board?

Besides discovering that the board is inept at gift-giving, we uncover that Cobel feels intimidated by it. Despite having journeyed a great distance from home in the opening scenes, she chooses to go back to Lumon to face Helena. This confrontation marks a significant standoff between a privileged insider (nepo baby) and an individual who has risen through her own efforts (self-made woman). Initially, it seems that Cobel will accept Helena’s offer to address the board. However, as they walk awkwardly through the parking lot, Cobel becomes nervous and flees before reaching the building entrance.

The details Cobel possesses regarding reintegration seem relevant at this point. She intends to discuss it with the company, but they seem hesitant, preferring not to address it. Yet, we’re unsure of her exact reasons for now, but what’s clear is that she’s committed to ensuring the reintegration process works well. Notably, she still has Petey’s termination chip and claims to have proof that the procedure had an impact on him, even before his brain malfunctioned. It’s surprising that Mark, who witnessed his friend collapse in front of a convenience store, is so swift to agree to the process when it’s presented to him.

After making amends with Devon, Mark embarks on a project to construct a light box displaying the question “Who is still among us?” This way, as he descends in the elevator each morning, he can fixate on it and retain an afterimage. While experimenting with this device, Dr. Reghabi (Karen Aldridge) taps on his car window. She presents arguments against his current strategy, urges him to rejoin Lumon for easier exchange of information, and shares that she spotted Gemma within the building recently. Remarkably, Mark doesn’t ask for further details about Gemma, but instead promptly consents to the termination process. In my opinion, if I were in Mark’s shoes, I would have plenty of questions regarding Gemma! However, he chooses to comply with the termination procedure immediately.

It’s been quite some time since the series explored the concept of reintegration, with the last appearance of Reghabi being a brief scene in episode seven. Consequently, this sudden turn of events seems remarkably swift. One moment we’re riding in Mark’s car, and the next, we’re in his basement, where Reghabi is connecting him and his vibrant red sweater to some devices. It’s quite amusing how Mark seems to be embodying the role from the intro of the show “Severance” with his attire!

In the beginning, Reghabi initiates questioning Mark, signaling the start of the process. The sequence becomes both emotionally and visually captivating as it demonstrates the potential blending of Innie and Outie consciousness. Notably, when the doctor queries about Mark’s mother’s eye color, a momentary pause occurs before he remembers. It is significant to note that this exact question had caused Helly to become very upset during her initial orientation. This interaction with Mark was the first time I found myself contemplating Helena Eagan’s mother’s existence. Until now, we have never learned anything about her, and the possibility of a missing maternal figure in her life seems pivotal.

Regarding Mark, his emotions surge when Reghabi queries him about his affection towards his mother. Isn’t love contagious? Noticing these emotions, the doctor takes advantage of the moment and poses additional questions that stir feelings of embarrassment and remorse in Mark, which appear to breach the emotional separation barrier. Then she delves into time, asking a question: “What year is it?” For a brief moment, Little Mark emerges, stuttering, “You’re referring to what quarter?” Reghabi brings up the past by asking, “What is your earliest recollection?

Mark’s awareness abruptly changes dramatically. His mind is enveloped in bewilderment, and we witness an astonishing montage depicting Mark waking up on a conference table. The boundaries between his inner and outer worlds blur chaotically. The scene is intensified by a brilliantly chosen song, making it incredibly thrilling. “Eminence Front” by the Who plays as the episode concludes, leaving us (and Mark) in a state of excitement over the prospects that lie ahead.

It’s time for my staggered exit, so I’m going to go grab the elevator. Until next time …

Severed Sentiments

It’s worth mentioning that Reghabi monitors five types of brain waves: delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma. These refiners are grouping numbers into five distinct containers. Each container should have a specific balance of the four emotions within it. Are they indeed creating Frankenstein-like severance chips?

Regarding Dr. Reghabi, “I’ve improved at it” might not be overly comforting, considering the nature of his profession.

If you’d like a recap of the reintegration events from season one, here are some crucial scenes to re-watch:

In episode two (second half) and continuing through episode three, Petey exhibits symptoms of reintegration illness. By the end of episode seven, Reghabi appears. While you could potentially view all the scenes involving Petey’s daughter, June (in episodes four and six), we’re crossing our fingers for a happier ending for Mark, so let’s hold off on that for now.

This week, Natalie takes up a significant portion of the screen time. Besides handing over the Kier blackface portfolio to Milchick, she also stops by Ricken to discuss transforming “The You You Are” into a hit among Innie readers. Now, I’m really intrigued about the idea of Ricken delivering an inspiring speech to the Innies in some way.

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2025-01-31 11:55