Spoilers Severance on Apple+

[tomalak301]

Britt Lower pretending to be Helena pretending to be Helly. I said a few weeks ago that this series is kind of giving me Orphan Black vibes because the actors/actresses are giving so many different personalities to their characters and this was Tatiana Maslany being a clone pretending to be another clone, one of the mainstays of that series.
I didn't want to believe it was Helena the whole time, but that was a hell of a reveal, and I loved that this episode focused on Irving, who really hasn't had an episode for him yet. The dream with the Zombie Girl and the numbers really did have a horror vibe, and I too was a little confused about the reintegration process but maybe it takes time? We are learning how it works just as Mark is. Yeah Petey was reintegrated, but that process killed him. We don't really know the specifics.

This might be the best show on TV at the moment and just great sci fi. Can't wait to see what happens next.

 

[1001001]

Well...that was something!

What's going on with Mark's reintegration? Other than the quick flashes in the tent, it doesn't seem to be working. Or is it just taking time? Or...?

Yes, the whole thing with Mark sleeping with Helena, thinking she was Helly, could make for some awkward conversations. From Helly's point of view, the last thing she's going to remember is freaking out at the Lumon event, right?

Irving...is he reintegrated secretly? Think about it for a minute.

The Lost Gospel of Kier...WTF? Was that all made up? They wanted Ricken to write a book for innies...

Cold Harbor is so important, they took a couple days off to go through that crazy exercise?

Damn, but the rabbit holes go down deep in this show!

 

[Commander Troi]

That was Seriously Weird. I mean, even more than normal. Somehow, it always seems to be the depths of winter where they are.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

On that point, how much time has actually gone by since the series premiere? We know that Milchick lied about how much time passed between the two seasons and season one didn't seem like that much time had passed, unless I'm forgetting something.

Plus, I remain convinced that the severed floor has to be some kind of virtual reality, at least certainly this episode.

 

[Gepard]

Helly is a shell of her former character, she has no goals and takes no actions not led by Mark. If she really is Helena they should have let the audience in on it up front to at least create some tension. Take a page from Hitchcock.

I'm sticking with this take.

The reveal was effective for Irv's character, but they sacrificed Helly to do it. Any plausible fake-Helly would have made decisions to push the story forward; problem is there's nothing Helena would want to do that wouldn't give the game away. The fact that they couldn't write her as an active protagonist without revealing the twist too early should have been a sign that this information shouldn't have been hidden from the audience in the first place.

Oh yeah, something something hope we'll see Irv again.

 

[tomalak301]

I love how everything is coming together. This week made last week's episode much more important, and we get some ramifications about that. I'm really interested in the Milchek and Ms. Haung relationship. I still find her a little creepy but in a good way. Her revelations are going to be amazing I think.

I love that they have added these behind the scenes stuff at the end of each episode. They have really been insightful.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The most shocking thing in this episode was the fact Lumon actually told Burt's outie the truth about his "canning." They lie about workplace injuries. They lie about changes of attire. They lie about how and why Ricken's book found its way on the severed floor and into Mark's outies hands. They lie about everything about what goes down there and who is there and why. So why the hell would they tell Burt's outie the full, scandalous truth? That ain't no slip-up. There's a reason for that.

As expected, Helly is having a hell of time adjusting to the fact that her outie replaced her for days and she has no damn clue what happened. Doesn't help that no one is telling her anything because Mark is understandably shutting down and Dylan's too bereaved about Irving's "murder." Question is will Milchick's tightening of the leash actually push Mark closer to telling Helly the truth of their sexual encounter or will he shut down even more?

I'm glad we got quick, satisfying answers on the progress of Mark's reintegration. They were slow drips at first but now Mark has had a full-blown experience on the severed floor. But is this some scrambled mixture of memories that recreated that scene/vision or is it somehow an actual genuine moment that Mark experienced with Ms. Gemma at some point in the past but then was erased from the mind of Mark's innie? Or am I overthinking it?

And why was face of the Man From the Exports Hall blatantly obscured? It's clearly not someone we've seen on the show before and yet we weren't allowed to see it. He looked a bit like Michael Harney (not sure about the voice) but it's probably some random unknown actor.

Oh, and I looked it up: For once Milchick wasn't completely full of horseshit. The story of Charles XI of Sweden and his Gråkappan ("grey coat") is actual Swedish legend except for one part, his motive. He was actually looking for corruption and oppression in the populace. So Milchick was partially full of horseshit.

 

[Gepard]

Now that's what I'm talking about. It was everything I want from this show: pitch-black corporate satire, great character work, and advances in the overall story.

And why was face of the Man From the Exports Hall blatantly obscured? It's clearly not someone we've seen on the show before and yet we weren't allowed to see it. He looked a bit like Michael Harney (not sure about the voice) but it's probably some random unknown actor.

Reddit thanks he'll turn out to be Fields, Burt's husband. He was whistling "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," and:

"[T]he combination of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and Burt's mention of a trip to Milwaukee was a massive hint - Milwaukee was the Edmund Fitzgerald's port of registry, and the song specifically mentions it setting out from Wisconsin for its fatal voyage."​

They've been right about a bunch of other stuff too, so...

 

[tomalak301]

Oh, and I looked it up: For once Milchick wasn't completely full of horseshit. The story of Charles XI of Sweden and his Gråkappan ("grey coat") is actual Swedish legend except for one part, his motive. He was actually looking for corruption and oppression in the populace. So Milchick was partially full of horseshit.

I wonder if we are going to see a turn from Milchick. His conversation with Natalie about the painting had so much uneasiness to it and he has butting heads with Ms. Haung.

 

[Kraig]

I never promised there would be no math. The banner at the service for Irving B. had him as a Lumon employee from Quarter 870 - Quarter 882. Four quarters in a year would be three years, wouldn't it? If Lumon was started in 1865, 882 quarters would be 220.5 years and make the date sometime in the year 2085 or 2086? Except for the use of smartphones, the place has a late 1980s feel, with pay phones in a booth, 1980s cars, dot matrix printers, track ball mice, low resolution monochrome cathode ray tube monitors.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Reddit thinks he'll turn out to be Fields, Burt's husband. He was whistling "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," and:

"[T]he combination of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and Burt's mention of a trip to Milwaukee was a massive hint - Milwaukee was the Edmund Fitzgerald's port of registry, and the song specifically mentions it setting out from Wisconsin for its fatal voyage."​

They've been right about a bunch of other stuff too, so...

Hm, that is possible. We know he's played by John Noble, so similar body type (although not as big of a gut)...but I surely would've recognized his voice!

I wonder if we are going to see a turn from Milchick. His conversation with Natalie about the painting had so much uneasiness to it and he has butting heads with Ms. Haung.

Perhaps but it's going to take something very extreme to finally push him over the edge. He's a very stubborn bull so even with his obvious misgivings, he won't budge easily.

I never promised there would be no math. The banner at the service for Irving B. had him as a Lumon employee from Quarter 870 - Quarter 882. Four quarters in a year would be three years, wouldn't it? If Lumon was started in 1865, 882 quarters would be 220.5 years and make the date sometime in the year 2085 or 2086? Except for the use of smartphones, the place has a late 1980s feel, with pay phones in a booth, 1980s cars, dot matrix printers, track ball mice, low resolution monochrome cathode ray tube monitors.

Maybe but I'm also trying to remember how long Irving said he had been working at Lumon (he mentioned it once either this season or the last) and I feel like it was more than three years. But I might be thinking of Burt who I also know mentioned a specific time.

 

[1001001]

Two different times, one by Ms. Huang, the other by Drummond, encouraging Milchick to "stop treating them like people."

The tiny moment between Milchick and Natalie, asking about the paintings. There's doubt there. And no matter what, Milchick better not fuck up the paperclips again!

Ricken's book passage about watches and clocks...???

Milchick confronting Mark in the elevator: "Have you told her you fucked her outie yet?"

Dayum!

 

[Commander Troi]

The bit with the paperclips blew my mind.

 

[Kraig]

The bit with the paperclips blew my mind.

That, and the glossy thick book of Seth Milchick's failures and contentions (Short-lived new refining team, Ineffective kindness reforms, calamitous out door retreat, team building, theft of access card, uses too many big words, in addition to incorrect use of paperclips) from his Performance Review.

Don't get me started on the sculpted watermelon head.

Hello Mark, I see you left work six minutes early! (Tightening the leash)

Milchick confronting Mark in the elevator: "Have you told her you fucked her outie yet?"

Helen Egan, leader in waiting of the company. (If I was Milchick, I would tread lightly in that area. The ass you're kicking on the way up, may wind up being the ass you have to kiss on the way down).

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Holy fucking damn. So much to unpack in this episode of love.

First and foremost, I was surprised not only how quickly Mark confessed to Helly how they had sex, but also how quickly she was able to process that information, that sense of violation, that she decided she needed and deserved to have her own memory.

And so Mark and Helly had sex in a makeshift tent (and they genuinely thought no one would walk by...?).

(Good thing Melchick was too busy getting paperclips right and deciding that it was time to not eradicate childish follies, but to grow up, grow. That level of vulnerability is the first time I felt sympathetic to him. It probably won't last...)

I was going to focus how I was grateful how Mark positioned himself in the bathroom stall when he confessed this knowledge and allowed Helly her quick escape and necessary space, how this demonstrated that innies are compassionate humans (and not animals like Miss Huang and Helena and others believe), but this warp drive in relationship development left me with whiplash.

And that was before Helena decided to ambush Mark's outie in the Chinese restaurant (undoubtedly having learned how her innie had sex with Mark's innie) in a desperate power move that even Mark knew something was seriously fucked up (regardless of the reintegration flashback that he had of her in his apartment).

If nothing else, that power move pushed Mark to fully commit, for better or for worse, to reintegration in a harrowing scene that left me cringing every step of the way (kudos to the show to sticking with the full surgery and making us feel the weirdness of the whole process). Collapsing like that and hitting his head can't be good, but I'm glad at least Devon was there...even though she's going to be furious when she finds out what he's done.

And then we get to that crazy dinner party with Irv, Burt, and Fields (does anyone else think it's weird his name is Fields or at least goes by that as his common name?). For the first time, we discover that Jesus Christ and at least the Lutheran Church exists in this world, in world that is confirmed to be roughly now (see Irv's research that Mr. Drummond rifled through that included dates like 2008). But more importantly, the discussion introduces the fascinating concept of one's innie going to heaven...while their outie goes to hell. Someone could (and probably will) write a whole dissertation on that concept alone! Either way, all is not well in the Burt and Fields relationship.

Which leaves us with Dylan and Gretchen's awkward relationship. Gretchen is clearly much more into Dylan's innie than she is Dylan's outie, perhaps seeing something of old Dylan in Dylan's innie, something she is cherishing to the point that'll she lie about it to his outie. Cheating on a spouse's outie with their innie! I'm very curious to see how this will play out.

Like I said, one hell of an episode of love.

 

[Kraig]

I see that Mark's outie used US currency at the Chinese Restaurant. That narrows it down to a rural area in the US with a lot of snow. Curious that I haven't seen a TV set or Computer with internet in any homes.

I wonder if Mark S. will let Mr. Milchick know that he has informed Helly R. that he had sex with Helly R's outie at the retreat, when he thought it was her innie.

I'm curious to see the reintegrated Mark S. and Mark Scott on the Severed floor, how will they (as innie and outie reintegrated) be able to cope, get by undetected by Lumon, and still complete the "Cold Harbor" file.

 

[Campe]

Wheres Cobel? She’s literally sat out most of this season.

 

[tomalak301]

This season is missing Patricia Arquette. It was a great episode and I loved that scene between Mark and Helena, and John Nobel is always great, but I miss Cobel. The season only has 4 episodes to go and I expect her return.

 

[CaptainWacky]

Yeah when Patricia Arquette's name popped up in the credits it occurred to me that she's basically only had two real scenes this season (screaming at Mark in her car and confronting Helena.) But then again DIchen Lachman is in the opening credits every week and Gemma's only appear in quick flashes of memory. They use the characters as much as the story requires of them, regardless of billing (but I'm sure both will get more to do before the end!)

Anyway it's a good show I don't have much to add.

 

[1001001]

I see that Mark's outie used US currency at the Chinese Restaurant. That narrows it down to a rural area in the US with a lot of snow. Curious that I haven't seen a TV set or Computer with internet in any homes.

We also see a map of Kier.

Based on other clues it seems that Kier is a state (we know Delaware exists).

We know almost nothing about the outside world, but I'm pretty sure I remember Mark watching TV at his house.