Severance Recap: Triangles of Sadness

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It’s really disappointing that the love stories in the show ‘Severance’ can’t have happy endings; instead, they seem destined for sorrow and despair. This week, we learned that Outie Burt is not just married, but could also be a high-ranking figure at Lumon – yet I still hope his inner self will wind up with Irving B. Furthermore, even though Mark is returning to the real world, I find myself yearning for him to be romantically involved with both Helly R. and Gemma simultaneously. Alas, this seems unattainable. ‘Severance’ is leading us towards emotional turmoil, and I’m trying (but failing) to steel my sensitive heart for the pain that’s coming.

Moving forward into the latter part of the season, our main quartet find themselves entangled in complex personal relationships that encompass both their inner and outer lives. Before we delve into these intricacies, let’s pause for a moment to focus on Milchick, as his storyline doesn’t revolve around romantic affairs. Following a negative performance review, he experiences deep regret and internal conflict over his mistakes. Initially, he spends hours placing paper clips on countless documents. In a melancholic scene, he confronts the criticism of “using too many big words” by looking at himself in a mirror and gradually simplifying his language. Over time, the sophisticated phrase “eliminate childish behavior” transforms into “grow up.” As Milchick becomes more assertive with himself, it eventually reduces to just “grow.

In this sequence, much like other sequences within this episode, there are hints of horror. Milchick is ready to alter every aspect of himself to suit the mold Lumon has created for him. The suggestion from Lumon for Milchick to moderate his language is intriguing, as it can be seen as a subtle form of discrimination, often referred to as a microaggression, directed at Black men. However, Lumon takes this a step further by making it personal. Notably, other high-ranking Lumon figures frequently use words like “contretemps” and “calamitous,” which makes the “Big Words” issue appear to be an attempt to keep Milchick in his subordinate role as a Black employee at the company. This, coupled with the Kier blackface paintings, pushes Milchick’s struggle between his faith and identity to the brink of insanity.

One fact remains clear: Milchick is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the refiners seem to be engaging in all kinds of mischief without him. In the initial part of the episode, Dylan informs them about the elevator map that Irving had given to him and left in the Break Room. Helly intends to get it, but is interrupted by Mark. It appears that Mark believes this person to be Helly, not Helena Eagan. He feels compelled to confess something to her. Clumsily, he reveals that they “were intimately involved,” meaning he had an intimate relationship with Helena at the ORTBO.

Helly is utterly shocked, to the point where she physically collapses onto the floor when she encounters this predicament. She removes her shoes and spends some time contemplating the situation. It’s hard not to empathize with Helly, given that learning someone has used her body just to sleep with a crush is truly terrifying. However, being the resilient individual she is, Helly decides to handle this situation in her unique manner – she plans on sleeping with Mark and gaining her own experience from it.

As a movie critic, I found the assertive delivery of “I don’t need her memory; I want my own,” by Helly, to be quite stirring. She’s decisive and unwavering in her pursuit, emitting a youthful, impulsive energy reminiscent of Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – yet this time, it’s infused with a delightful playfulness. Given that Mark and Helly are relatively fresh Innies, their relationship dynamics evoke the passionate intensity of teenage infatuation, or as I’d like to describe it, puppy love in its purest form. Their innocence is palpable, making their search for a private space to consummate their feelings feel remarkably adolescent, reinforcing the creator Dan Erickson’s statement to Vanity Fair that season one introduced Innies as children, while season two delves into their transition towards adolescence – and the “first love” between Mark and Helly serves as a poignant reflection of this theme.

Instead of the tense sexual encounter between Helena and Mark at ORTBO, the office liaison between Helly and Mark is tender and innocent. Director Uta Briesewitz emphasizes the affection shared by the two characters. Both Innies have a lovable innocence concerning intimacy, but their bodies instinctively react. Mark guides Helly, softly placing her on the desk and seeking her permission to touch various parts of her body. The scene avoids sensuality in favor of focusing on Helly’s emotions. In this way, the sexual encounter between Mark and Helly differs significantly from an Innie experience at a waffle party. This scene accurately portrays that while sex is primarily physical, the addition of genuine emotion and love transforms the experience into something entirely unique.

The affectionate couple, Helly and Mark, return down the corridor, and Helly queries if things are different for her with him. Mark leans in for a kiss (Adam Scott aims to create an endearing scene), but their intimate moment is interrupted by his nose, which begins to bleed. They seek aid from Miss Huang, who seems suspicious about his injury. As for Miss Huang, earlier in the episode we learn she’s working on the severed floor as part of a fellowship. I’m not sure what that implies, but it appears somewhat related to Scientology. So far, Miss Huang hasn’t contributed much beyond being an enigmatic presence, but I’m optimistic that her character may play a more significant role in the coming episodes.

In another part of the divided room, I find myself engaging intimately with my Outie’s spouse, Gretchen. I steal some passionate kisses from her, which is quite scandalous, I must admit. Later, we are all seated at dinner together with our three children who appear content and in good health (and rather unusually quiet for such young ones). In the background, there’s a plaque on a shelf that appears to honor Gretchen as “Dispatcher of the Month,” implying she might be a police officer but also hinting at the allure of recognition that Innie Dylan seems to crave, much like his wife. As for Gretchen, she deceives about our family visitation, claiming it was canceled. Is this a form of retaliation for Dylan’s insistence on examining a new car despite my objections? Or is there a more complex motive at play?

In another location, a different woman is capitalizing on Mark’s lack of awareness due to his separation. Helena tracks down Mark at a Chinese restaurant. He’s wrapping up a massive meal, a result of his reintegration process. The bright red light from the neon signs outside signals her arrival before she even steps inside.

Helena and Mark were sitting in a booth together, simply relaxing. However, Mark, who is known as Scout, isn’t familiar with Helena beyond her position as Lumon’s heir. Contrarily, Helena has a deep understanding of Mark. In fact, she makes it clear that she’s well-aware of his past, even referring to “Hannah,” which is another name for Gemma. Despite the unsettling nature of her actions—approaching him at a Chinese restaurant for seemingly no reason—Mark appears to engage with Helena, almost enjoying their conversation briefly. It’s worth noting that their exchange about Mark meeting Helena’s father seems surprisingly similar to the friendly banter between Helly R. and Mark S. regarding clipping coupons before they caused the OTC incident. Could it be possible that these two share genuine compatibility?

Additionally, does Mark identify Helena as ‘Helly’? As they bid farewell, Mark fixates on her for an awkward length of time before feeling a shiver. It appears that the process of him readjusting is starting, and he swiftly makes his way to his car and hastily departs from the parking lot, with the tattered red neon sign of the restaurant now displaying “FU” as he drives off.

Upon returning home, Mark shares with Reghabi that he’s now prepared to intensify the integration phase. Given Mark’s recent struggles, this move seems precarious. Throughout the storyline, we observe that Mark’s Innie (inner self) is transitioning between realms, indicating the process is underway. For the first time, Reghabi queries about the enigmatic elevator corridor, a topic generating much buzz this season. One wonders why Reghabi is so intrigued by the hallway? Will the series wrap up and reveal what’s happening there before the season ends? I sincerely hope so, or I fear my mind may implode from the suspense! Could we possibly glimpse that elevator before the season concludes?

In a grisly turn of events, Reghabi dissects Mark’s skull, exposing a considerable gap left by the procedure, and then inserts a large needle into this opening to saturate the chip. The visual is distressing, but the gap evokes the closing shot of the updated credits: the one depicting Innie Mark emerging from Outie Mark’s brain. It seems that Mark S. may at last gain his freedom.

In a twist, Devon goes to check on Mark because he’s not reachable by phone during their undercover work. Being the amazing sister she is (and with time on her hands as a new mom), she’s brainstorming ways to gather more details about Lumon. She brings up Gabrielle Arteta, the woman from season one who might have been terminated. Mark interrupts, claiming he’s pursuing another approach, and soon enough, his alternate strategy kicks in. Just before Mark experiences a seizure, his two worlds begin to overlap. He glances around and sees Gemma first dressed as Ms. Casey and then in a purple sweater with longer hair. The purple attire – the same shade of lilac worn by Dylan’s wife Gretchen – hints that the merging of Mark’s brain hemispheres may be occurring, as both sections seem to start communicating.

There’s little doubt that Mark will survive to experience another day, as his complicated romantic situation unravels more and more, with Mark S. embarking on a fresh journey. Complementing the love-centric narrative of this installment are Burt and Irving, who share an obvious chemistry. However, considering what we discover about Burt in this episode, it’s advisable for Irving to tread carefully.

As arranged, Irving attends dinner at Burt’s residence, feeling somewhat anxious, much like I imagine Felicia described Burt’s pre-meeting hair fidgeting. He follows through with the red wine as instructed and encounters Burt’s spouse, Fields. However, Fields is anything but calm. As they converse, Burt discloses that he was led to severance by Jesus. Well, alright then. It’s not entirely unexpected that Outie Burt is religious given his deep devotion to Kier on the severed floor. His reasoning for severing is somewhat endearing, with both Burt and Fields believing that Burt himself may not reach heaven due to his past actions, but that his Innie could have a chance. The minister of their church believes that all Innies are whole individuals with souls, and moreover, Fields suggests that all Innies have the right to experience love.

The show Severance primarily unfolds through dialogue, and the dinner scene in particular is quite conversational, using Burt and a slightly intoxicated Fields to disclose a wealth of information swiftly. Their back-and-forth conversation offers a glimpse into the world beyond Lumon’s boundaries, demonstrating that they have surmounted both physical obstacles (such as Burt being splashed with red paint) and emotional hurdles (struggling to accept Burt’s Innie having found love following his decision to sever). Although Irving remains mostly quiet during the dinner, he occasionally gazes at Burt tenderly, and it is apparent that Burt reciprocates these affectionate glances. If the show’s premise is correct – if Innies possess souls and there exists an afterlife – then it seems certain that Burt and Irving’s Innities are locating each other without a doubt.

Despite how delightful this scenario might seem (apologies in advance to Fields), there seems to be a complicating factor. It appears that Burt may have deeper ties with Lumon than we initially suspected. Fields chooses not to question Burt’s long-term employment history at Lumon, given that the concept of severance has been publicly established for just 12 years. One could attribute this oversight to Fields being intoxicated, but it also raises suspicions. Simultaneously, Mr. Drummond, or Frolic Hand, breaks into Irving’s house and rummages through a hidden trove of Lumon documents. This occurrence coincides with Burt’s absence. It seems almost as if Mr. Drummond knew Irving wouldn’t be home. And then there’s the subtle change in Walken’s expression as he closes the door behind Irving. His tightened lips and narrowed eyes give off an aura of a mafia boss evaluating a target. To quote Dylan G., “Isn’t he suspicious?

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

Severed Sentiments

The closing track, “Sunshine of Your Love” by Ella Fitzgerald, is spot-on. While Theodore Shapiro’s work on the soundtrack is often praised (rightfully so), we should also give credit to Music Supervisor George Drakoulias for consistently providing powerful songs that perfectly capture the film’s emotional landscape.

• My kingdom for a look at the fortune in Mark’s fortune cookie!

In my opinion, Fields’ subtle reference to unprotected sex strongly hints that Helena might be pregnant or on the verge of pregnancy. Noticeably absent are any condoms on the floor that was severed, and Helena has had two encounters with Mark Scout in a short span of time. Could she have intentionally timed this based on her menstrual cycle?

• If Drummond did anything to Radar, so help me Kier, I will find him.

As someone who’s not overly familiar with Attila the Hun, I can’t decipher the significance behind Burt and Fields’ chosen nicknames for each other. However, I encourage everyone to share their intriguing theories on the subject in the comments below!

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2025-02-21 12:55