Severance
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It has been said thatSeveranceis playing a game of chess while many other TV shows are playing checkers.
This is certainly true the show engages inintricateandintimateworld-buildinglike few other series on television.
Also, Miss Huang has been ferried away from Lumon to the ominous-sounding Gunnel Eagan Empathy Center in Svalbard.
The severed floor continues to be of great interest and importance to the Lumon brass.
Devon feels they have no other choice.
And you know what?
What else are they going to do?
Call the corrupt Kier PD and demand an investigation?
Unfortunately, Cobel is relatively withholding on what exactly is happening with Gemma.
In a chilling beat, she actually reveals the name of the project Mark is working on.
She also reveals a horrifying fact: Once Cold Harbor is completed, Gemma will die.
Either way, its bad news.
Cobel gets Mark to call in sick.
In doing so, Mark calls upon the Lumon mantra that work and life must be balanced.
(Like tempers!)
This hits a nerve with Milchick.
Hes silent for a moment as he seems to fight an overwhelming wave of nostalgia.
Throughout the episode, Milchick is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
Marks absence causes the entire company to postpone what was to be the greatest day in the companys history.
(I hope they didnt make T-shirts.)
Devour feculence, he says to his boss.
Or, eat shit.
Did Milchick just tell off a Lumon bigwig?!
(Drummond is terrifying, after all.)
Conclusion: The security at Lumon is terrifying but horribly lazy.
Case in point: Burt and Irving.
As Irving returns home, he finds his innies paramour sitting in a chair perusing all his Lumon research.
His information on Burt notes that hes a low-level enforcer or Lumon goon.
The portrait of Burt sitting comfortably in a chair and carefully considering this information is striking.
Everything but his face is in shadow.
This image, coupled with Walkens commanding presence, fully took my breath away.
Irving goes with Burt without protest.
This instance is different, however.
Burt brings Irving to an absolutely stunning train station.
(For all you location buffs, this is Union Station in Utica.)
He asks, Do you understand?
Irving responds, No.
I truly hope this is not the last well see of Irving.
(And why he has never known love before.Sob!)
Lets all pray to Kier that he (and Radar) will be back soon.
Gretchen decides to come clean about kissing her husbands innie.
Outie Dylan is outraged, stomping out the door in a huff.
Then when Gretchen goes to break the news to Innie Dylan, hes also upset.
This woman cant win!
Shes in love with both versions of her husband, and theyre both in love with her.
It feels as though they could all work this out somehow.
She rebuts this, saying Irving could tell, but Dylan isnt hearing it.
So with Dylan quitting, Irving gone, and Mark out of the office, Helly finds herself alone.
She finally gets Irvings note from the break room and proceeds to work on memorizing it.
Shes in the office past dark when a visitor arrives.
Its Jame Eagan, and somehow hes the most terrifying Lumon goon of them all.
In his trademark rasp, he croons, My Helly, you tricked me.
Helly instinctively sweeps the directions under her keyboard and responds, What the fuck?
Im getting a bad vibe from Jame in his relationship with his daughter.
She prepares herself a hard-boiled egg and arranges it on a plate with a truly insane image on it.
For his part, Jame says hell just watch her eat, which gave me full-body ick.
This feeling returned when Jame sidles up to that door on the severed floor.
Is Helly in trouble?
Why is he calling her my Helly?
Cobel waits until the dead of night to take him and Devon to the Damona Birthing Retreat.
There, Devon brings Innie Mark to life, guiding him upstairs to a fantastic Cobel tableau.
She is standing in the middle of a vast room, backlit by a raging fire.
In a near-whisper, Mark responds, Shes alive.
Time is running out.
Its time for my staggered exit, so Im going to grab the elevator.
Also, I hope she got to take her theremin with her.
Was he removed from his home as a child too?
Does he have a family?
Where did he get that fantastic leather jacket?
When shes attempting to console Innie Dylan, Helly tries to convince him Gretchen isnt his wife.
