Severance
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Its a huge bummer that none of the love triangles inSeverancecan end in anything other than sadness and tragedy.
Instead, in the wake of his performance review, he feels deep shame and conflict over his failings.
First, he practices putting paper clips on hundreds, perhaps thousands of documents.
The wonderfully eloquent phrase eradicate childish folly slowly becomes grow up.
Then, as Milchick begins to aggressively address himself, it simply becomes grow.
This sequence, like many sequences in this episode, is tinged with elements of horror.
One thing is for sure: Milchick is MIA.
And the refiners are getting up to all sorts of shenanigans in his absence.
Helly insists that shes going to retrieve it, but then she gets derailed by Mark.
Convinced that this is, indeed, Helly and not Helena Eagan, he wants to come clean.
He haltingly tells her that they shared vessels, er, he had sex with Helena at the ORTBO.
I mean, literally, she goes out into the hallway and sinks down to the floor.
She takes her shoes off and ponders this situation for a while.
I feel for Helly.
The way that Helly forcefully says, I dont want her memory.
I want my own, is rousing.
Their innocence is palpable as they giddily look for a place to have sex.
The first love between Mark and Helly certainly underscores that theme.)
Director Uta Briesewitz focuses on the tenderness between the two.
Instead of focusing on the physical, Briesewitz stays with Helly.
They go to Miss Huang for medical assistance, and shes very suspicious of his ailment.
Now, what that means, I could not tell you, but it felt very Scientology-coded.
Elsewhere on the severed floor, Innie Dylan canoodles with his Outies wife.
Gretchen even steals some passionate kisses from her husbands body.
He craves to be recognized, just like his wife.
For her part, Gretchen lies about the family visitation, saying it was canceled.
Or is it something deeper?
Somewhere else, another woman is taking advantage of the obliviousness inherent to severance.
Helena stalks Mark down at a Chinese restaurant.
Hes just finishing a gigantic meal, his hunger courtesy of the reintegration process.
The red glow from the neon lights outside telegraphs her arrival before she even walks in the door.
Two Outies just chilling in a booth.
Mark Scout obviously doesnt know Helena beyond her status as the Lumon heir, but Helena knows Mark.
She knows him well.
Do these two actually have natural chemistry?
Furthermore, does Mark recognize Helena as Helly?
When Mark gets home, he tells Reghabi hes finally ready to ramp up the reintegration process.
It sounds risky, and given what Mark has been experiencing, it doesnt feel advisable.
Throughout the episode, we see his Innie flash between worlds, so the process is working.
Why is Reghabi interested in the hallway?
Will this show get it together and show us whats going down there by the end of the season?
My brain might explode if we dont see that elevator soon.
It feels like Mark S. might finally get a chance to be free.
However, theres a complication.
Devon comes to check on Mark because hes not answering his phone while they do corporate espionage.
Mark cuts her off, saying hes trying something else, then the something else starts to take effect.
Right before Mark has a seizure, his worlds start colliding.
Rounding out the theme of love and connection in this episode are Burt and Irving.
I said it before, and Ill say it again: these two have a spark.
Yet, given what we learn about Burt in this episode, Irving should be cautious.
He brings the red wine as requested and finally meets Burts husband, Fields.
Fields so desperately wants to be chill, but he is absolutelynotchill.
As they start to talk, Burt reveals that he was brought to severance by Jesus.Mmmmkay.
If any of this is true if Innies have souls and theres an afterlife, etc.
Burt and Irvings Innies are finding one another, for sure.
Burt seems to actually be far more involved with Lumon than we may have thought.
Its almost like he knew Irving wouldnt be home.
Then theres that shift in Walkens face as he closes the door as Irving leaves.
With pursed lips and narrowed eyes, he looks like a Mafia don surveying a mark.
What is that look?
In the iconic words of Dylan G.: He a dick?
Its time for my staggered exit, so Im going to go grab the elevator.
People talk a lot about Theodore Shapiros contributions to the score and theyre correct!
My kingdom for a look at the fortune in Marks fortune cookie!
Did she plan this with her cycle?
If Drummond did anything to Radar, so help me Kier, I will find him.
Cobel Watch: We havent seen our favorite unhinged lactation fraudster for three whole episodes.
Where has she gone?
