(Warning: Spoilers ahead)
Irving B (John Turturro) isn’t dead but might as well be. Or at least that is how Dylan (Zach Cherry) feels about the devastating events of the Lumon team-building excursion. You throw a funeral when someone dies, and Severance is no different.
The fallout from the ORTBO (Outdoor Retreat and Team-Building Occurrence) reverberates through the MDR team, with Helly (Britt Lower) catching up on everything she missed on account of her outie Helena Eagan taking her place on the severed floor. Complicating matters further is that Mark (Adam Scott) slept with Helena (thinking it was Helly), and he can’t bring himself to look at his recently returned co-worker. Talk about a love triangle with a twist for Valentine’s Day.
Trust is shattered on the severed floor, and Helena is told she cannot fake it again. Helena might be an Eagan, but nepo status isn’t a shield, and her father agrees that innie Helly is vital to Mark completing Cold Harbor.
Helena thinks the innies are “f---ing animals” for trying to kill her, but Helly and Dylan G. are equally aggrieved by recent events. Perspective is everything, and something as clearly defined as being severed means both innies and outies are rather myopic. “I don’t give three dry f---s about his outie,” Dylan proclaims when Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) says Irving is now on an “elongated cruise voyage.” It is a them vs us divide, and during the same conversation, Helly reiterates that her body and identity were stolen by her outie.
No one buys Milchick’s explanation that Helena was going incognito so she could learn the unfiltered grievances of the MDR team. Instead, Dylan calls Lumon “f---ing murderers” for what they did to Irving, and Helly remains aghast about her outie’s deception. The new work tri-station prompts another outburst from Dylan, to which Milchick reminds him that “words have consequences” regarding certain perks, quickly shutting him up.
Mark has been pretty quiet so far, agreeing to Irving’s funeral if it is quick. Despite his best efforts, Mark cannot avoid Helly—even when he hides in the bathroom. Helly is understandably disconcerted about everything. She has gone from finding out she is an Eagan during the OTC to waking up soaking wet and cold. If that wasn’t bad enough, the woman who doesn’t consider Helly human has been playing at being an innie. It is a lot to process, and that doesn’t even cover the sex part.
“You couldn’t tell that she wasn’t me?” Helly asks. It is a heartbreaking sentiment not to be known, and Lower should make space on her mantle for the Emmy come September. Mark is sheepish, saying that this imposter was “like you. Or you’re like her.” Instead, he was too busy “making goo-goo eyes” to consider otherwise. Helly wants to know what happened during the OTC and is eager to share what she saw, but Mark rebuffs her. At least he is consistent in saying he doesn’t want to know. If only Irving were here.
Another curious conversation occurs between Milchick and Miss Huang (Sarah Bock), as the latter doesn’t think Irving should have a funeral. “It makes them feel like people,” she observes. Milchick continues preparations but is noticeably perturbed when Miss Huang reminds him that his performance review is also today. Considering recent events it seems unlikely it will go well.
Dylan delivers a sweet eulogy at the funeral: “He was awesome, and I miss him.” The black beauty watermelon carved to look like Irving is suitably off-putting, and Mark is the ultimate wake party pooper: “He’s not dead. He’s just not here.” Way to bring the mood down further, Mark. In an act of pure pettiness, Dylan asks if Mark has caught Helly up on the news that Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) is Mark’s outie’s wife.
In response, Helly follows Mark, wanting to work as a team to resolve this mess. It is all beginning to feel like déjà vu, but Mark rebuffs Helly this time. Thanks to Helena’s spying, Mark says there is no point because “they” know everything already.
Given that Helly is none the wiser about the hot and heavy tent action, it is a little rich that Mark brings up the issue of trust. Yes, he was misled, but currently, Helly is operating off limited information. Nothing has felt more Helly than her telling him to “stop being a f---ing a--hole.” Mark is being an a--hole, but he isn’t equipped to deal with the brain-wrinkling scenario featuring Helly, Helena, Gemma, and Ms. Casey. No TV office romance is as layered as this one.
Meanwhile, Dylan is sad and alone, saying one final goodbye to his work bestie. “I’m sorry I let you down,” Dylan says to the empty room full of motivational posters that holds a secret. Dylan finds Irving’s “Exports Hall” sketch with directions on the back hidden behind the “Hang in There!” image, which he immediately returns to its secret spot. Perhaps Milchick’s comments about certain privileges have an impact.
Speaking of Milchick, his performance review includes a reminder that the completion of Cold Harbor will be legacy-making. The board wants Milchick to return to basics and treat the innies as “what they really are.” It all sounds very sinister, but Milchick agrees to tighten the leash.
Mark ditching work six minutes early means he is on the receiving end of Milchick’s verbal lashing. Mark is insolent to his boss first, and the vibes of the severed floor stink. “Did you tell that her you f---ed her outie at the ORTBO?” Milchick asks. Referring to Helena as the “leader-in-waiting” adds to the overall sour mood. Sex has a way of complicating things, and it is no wonder Mark has avoided telling Helly about crossing this intimate line.
Secrets unite Mark’s innie and outie, as he hasn’t told Devon (Jen Tullock) he has ditched trying to burn a message onto his eyeballs. Now, he is engaging in extracurricular activities to combine his innie and outie. Without any poking or prodding, Mark’s two realities begin to merge, and he sees the white corridors of the severed floor. He hears Ms. Casey saying things about “your outie.” When he sees his wife’s face, it is like time has stopped. Mark’s perspective flickers, and he is back in his basement.
It is another twisty end to an episode, but a brief check-in with Irving in the scene before adds to the relationship conundrums and connections. Irving isn’t dead or on an elongated cruise voyage; he’s making dinner plans with Burt (Christopher Walken) and Burt’s husband. Lumon tried to kill this “unsanctioned erotic entanglement” but love still finds a way. Perhaps there is hope for Mark after all.
