Yahoo Lifestyle My Head Is Spinning Like A Top After Watching The Latest Episode Of "Severance," And Here's What Happened
Note: This post contains spoilers for Severance Season 2, Episode 3, "Who Is Alive?" If you haven't watched it yet, keep this tab open and come back once you're done.
Hey there, all you fetid moppets! It's time once again to yell about everything that happened on Severance this week, and Season 2, Episode 3 was a doozy. Here's what happened, plus reactions and theories from the excellent Severance subreddit:
Innie-Mark and Helly went on a field trip to search for Ms. Casey, and they ended up in the goat department, aka Mammalians Nurturable, headed up by the formidable Lorne (Gwendoline Christie). They didn't learn anything new about what happened to Ms. Casey, but they did show us their bellies, and we finally got another look at the Goat Man.
"Get you a man that crawls down a small hallway that's dirty with goat poop and hay to find you "Do the Mammalians' outies put on suits each day and come back smelling like goat??" "I wonder if they were told about their outies but their outies don’t exist. How would an innie know whether they actually leave or not?" "Didn’t Petey or someone from Season 1 say there are people who never leave??" "Yes, he did!!! 'They don’t get to leave, as in, they are down there right now.' I LOVE this observation/theory and how it could potentially connect some dots. It would also explain why they seemed genuinely frightened when Mark said that any of them could just disappear one day like Ms. Casey did. Because wouldn’t that essentially end their entire lives? If they really are full-time innies?"
Meanwhile, Irving stopped by Optics and Design, where he bonded with Felicia about how much they both miss Burt (and yes, I did tear up during this scene). Felicia also spotted Irving's drawing of the mysterious dark hallway his outie paints on repeat and revealed that it's known to her as the "Exports Hall."
"John Turturro is such a delight to watch. The bashful little smile when Felicia tells him about Burt fixing his hair before the first time they meet up is so heartwarming."
"You could tell Irv really needed that hug."
"They both did. I'm glad they got a chance to talk and connect over their shared loss of Burt. He meant so much to them."
Dylan's innie got to meet his outie's wife and have an 18-minute visitation experience as a reward for getting work done, and it's safe to say that finger traps and coveted-as-fuck egg bars have absolutely nothing on this new perk.
"Gretchen: My husband has had trouble keeping other jobs.
Dylan: He dumb?
💀💀💀."
"Actually, I was a bit sad when he realized he wasn’t a total badass, it kinda ruined his fantasy a little bit. Although he did seem happy about his kids and family stuff."
"Oooh, Dylan's innie is what his wife wishes his outie was like. That's gonna add an interesting dynamic."
"I feel like they are a few weeks away from 'your innie would never do that.'"
While we're talking about this scene, an eagle-eyed redditor pointed out that it looks like Dylan's wife Gretchen stole Pam's look from her art show in The Office, Season 3, Episode 16, "Business School."
"It could just be a fun nod, but I think it thematically makes sense, too.
In this particular episode of The Office, most of the attendees at Pam’s art show turn their noses up at her work, finding it boring and unsophisticated. Even her own partner is uninvested. She’s feeling dejected. That is until Michael Scott shows up and appreciates the SHIT out of her art for exactly what it is on its face.
Meanwhile, the innies find Ricken’s book profound because they don’t have any way to contextualize it in the outside world. They take it completely at face value, just like an ‘unsophisticated’ Michael does with Pam’s art. It means a lot to her.
So I think with this wardrobe choice, we’re seeing Gretchen feel appreciated by Innie Dylan in a way that Outie Dylan doesn’t provide. That on the outside, she may be viewed as plain and boring, with a husband that doesn’t put much effort in, but on the inside, here’s her hardworking husband looking at her like she hung the moon."
Elsewhere on the severed floor, Natalie brought her signature jubilant smile with terrified eyes down to Milchick's office to present him with some bizarre race-swapped paintings of Kier while The Board (allegedly?) listened in.
"I got a very Get Out vibe as Natalie was looking at Milkshake in that moment…. Very uneasy feeling."
"The looks he gives Natalie after the phone call with the Board. He’s like, 'uh, can we talk? Black person to Black person?'"
"I get the feeling that he doesn’t really feel respected by Lumon. That was just another drop in the bucket, like the PC welcome screen.
Also I feel like Milkshake has some barely contained anger issues that are fed from the lack of respect.
When Mark got in his face and was disrespecting him, you can tell he lost his temper when he yanked Mark's keycard off."
Natalie was a busy gal this week. She also frolicked over to Devon and Ricken's place to chat with Ricken about creating a version of his book The You You Are that's just for innies. It looks like Devon saw right through Lumon's attempt to manipulate her husband, but will Ricken's hubris drive him right into Lumon's hands?
"Ricken's bullshit unwittingly starting a revolution will never not be funny."
"The Innie Ediiton is going to be all about freedom through compliance and victory through servitude or some shit."
We also saw Cobel sleeping in her car for some mysterious reason. Then she drove up to a road sign for Salt's Neck before turning around and heading back to Lumon HQ in Kier to try and talk Helena into putting her back in charge of Mark and his team of severed workers. I have so many questions about what the heck she is up to, and I cannot wait to find out more.
"Cobel really just called Helena a fucking nepo baby."
"I’m dying to know what she figured out when she approached Helena’s ride and security guard. Did she think they were going to kill her?"
"I thought she just sensed from the guard's body language and the overall vibe that Helena's offer was not as friendly as it initially seemed."
And finally, Outie-Mark attempted to burn a message into his retinas to ask his innie if Gemma is alive. Luckily, Reghabi caught him before he could accidentally blind himself and explained why that plan wouldn't work the way his computer told him it would. She also revealed that Gemma is alive inside of Lumon, spurring Mark to agree to undergo reintegration. The episode ends with his innie and outie consciousnesses merging. Fingers crossed it goes better for him than poor Petey.
"Reghabi saying 'oh shit' while doing a procedure that could go horribly wrong is the LAST thing I’d want to hear."
"'I’m better at it now.' Okay, girl, who have you worked on since Petey? We need testimonials."
In conclusion, "Five questions answered. 20 new questions. Every single week." And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Do you have any new theories after seeing this episode? What are your biggest questions now that Mark has started reintegration? Let's talk about it all in the comments.
