Severance
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Seriously, if they offered a screening of this episode in a movie-theater format, Id go see it.
(See The Curious Case of Miss Huang.)
(Could that even happen?
Im holding out hope!)
Innie Mark doesnt want his life controlled (or ended).
He wants his own love and the ability to make his own choices.
She shares that every file he has refined has been a separate consciousness for his wife, Gemma.
(Lets all note that Cobel refers to Gemma as Innie Marks wife, too.)
Hes good at it because his intimate knowledge of her passes the severance barrier.
Hes been balancing her tempers in 24 (!)
different configurations, creating a different innie for her every time.
Weknow this already, but Patricia Arquettes matter-of-fact delivery is chilling nonetheless.
Innie Mark demands that Lumon be the next thing he sees, and Cobel and Devon dont disappoint.
In an electrifying whoosh, Mark S. steps out of the birthing cabin and off the elevator.
A terrifying new painting accosts his eyeballs.
Helly arrives, and she and Mark are directed to MDR, where an animatronic statue of Kier awaits.
(A remnant from Branch 5X, no doubt.)
Hes holding a pop-up waffle card with a note from Milchick.
Mark is to finish the file; Helly is to watch.
(A curious inverse of her father watching her Outie eat that egglast week.)
They catch each other up on their completely insane evenings.
Do we think that Jame possibly wants to crown Helly as the next in line at Lumon?
Could my wildest dreams of Hellys innie becoming her permanent state be coming true?!
Theres no time to think about that because Mark then shares what he knows.
Helly, for her part, thinks that he should trust his outie, Cobel, and Devon.
Helly scoots over to him, her body protectively spooning him.
At least its a happy one, Helly says as Mark banks the final cluster.
As soon as Mark completes the file, all hell breaks loose.
Milchick comes out and does a wackadoo comedy routine with the Kier Eagan statue.
And then, a new severed department is revealed.
The Choreography and Merriment team come marching down the hall, horns ablaze, to celebrate Marks victory.
Dylans return coincides with the completion of Cold Harbor.
His outie has declined his resignation.
Like Outie Marks first missive to his innie on the camcorder, the response is kind and mostly understanding.
Outie Dylan is upset that his innie made out with Gretchen but, ultimately, he gets it.
Maybe his outie really should do muscle shows.
Helly and Dylan stave off Milchick while Mark races to the black hallway.
Alas, he doesnt have a working key card when he gets there.
But Lorne and Drummond are in a secret room just beyond the mystery door.
Theyre dealing with a goat, and Lorne is visibly upset.
Lets talk about the goat for a minute, because there seems to be a concrete answer here.
(The removal fact is revealed in a throwaway line by Helly in the MDR scene with Mark.)
However, this concept does raise more questions.
So why is Gemma so special?
Also, what are they doing with the severance chips once theyre removed from a test subjects brain?
Its a relief when Marks loud banging shifts Drummonds attention elsewhere.
When he spots Mark, he slams him up against a wall and sucker punches him in the face.
And thus begins the most wildly violent sequence inSeverancehistory.
Mark is no match for Drummond, butBrienne, er, Lorne is.
Mark steps in from there, guiding Drummond down the hall and into the elevator at gunpoint.
This is what Outie Mark wakes up to.
This accidental murder is hilarious, gory, and victorious all at once.
I had myself a time.
Then, Outie Mark gets a John Wick moment.
His suit covered in blood, he carefully makes his way down the hall.
She feels nothing, he says.
This tableau gives us more insight into what Lumon is looking to do with the chips.
The crib, representing Gemmas deepest trauma, is the clear watermark for the severance chip to overcome.
He reaches out to her, telling her that hes her husband and reassuring her that its okay.
and takes Marks hand.
The evil doctor is in hot pursuit.
As they go up the elevator, the last thing we hear him say is Youll kill them all!
What could this mean?
Is he talking about all the innies, ever?
Or are there other test subjects secreted away on the testing floor?
If so, who were Dylan, Petey, Helly, and Irving refining?
And why do most of the files expire?
Because people cant take the addition of more than a few innies before their brains break?
Theres so much to consider.
Ms. Casey extracts herself from Innie Marks embrace, asking, Whats taking place?
This line gave me a genuine chuckle.
This episode is funny, yall!
But once the two reach the door to the stairwell, Innie Mark pauses.
He scoots Ms. Casey out, and she becomes Gemma.
But Mark does not follow.
Instead, Helly appears on the other end of the hallway, and he makes his choice.
Mark runs to Helly, grasping her hand and running further into the unknown depths of the severed floor.
Will season three see her as the leader of a true Innie revolution?
If so, sign me up for all of it.
The pregnant Kier in the birthing cabin is so fucking creepy.
Is Jame Eagan just always creeping around the floors below Lumon?
Otherwise, I dont have a good answer for this one.
