Warning: This article contains major spoilers. Don’t be a shambolic rube by reading this without watching the latest episode of “Severance” first.
After arguably hitting its peak with the Outdoor Retreat and Team-Building Occurrence (or ORTBO, for short), season 2 of “Severance” has settled back into a more familiar rhythm in the weeks since … though that’s not to say that the series hasn’t continued moving the story in fascinating directions. Episode 5 shifted gears considerably and opted for a much more low-key hour, but what about the sixth? This latest episode, titled “Attila,” just introduced some of our biggest wrinkles yet. Dylan G. (Zach Cherry) finally discerns the meaning of his bestie Irving B.’s (John Turturro) final words, “Hang in there,” and discovers his instructions leading to the creepy-looking hallway from his outie’s paintings. Mark S. (Adam Scott) and Helly R. (Brit Lower) consummate their romance — for real, this time. And, over in the real world beyond the walls of Lumon, Irving and Burt G.’s (Christopher Walken) respective outies share a tense dinner with Burt’s actual husband Fields (an always-welcome appearance by John Noble) and Irv discovers some surprising revelations.
It’s in this otherwise unassuming subplot that “Severance” showrunner Dan Erickson, director Uta Briesewitz, and credited writer Erin Wagoner tackle one of the biggest question marks surrounding the nature of innies and outies in this peculiar world. Throughout the show, we’ve received glimpses of the world’s reaction to the severance procedure. Back in season 1, Mark Scout’s antagonistic interactions with the Whole Mind Collective protest group and the storyline involving the pro-severance senator (Ethan Flower) prove just how divisive this remains on ethical, moral, and political grounds. And while Mark’s grief surrounding the (presumed) death of his wife Gemma (Dichen Lachman) provided one compelling reason for why someone would voluntarily choose to become severed, Irving and Burt’s unconventional dinner date adds a whole new layer into the mix: Religion and the debate over whether innies are, in fact, individuals separate and distinct from their outies.
All signs thus far have pointed to the idea that innies are obviously very different from their outies, but never before has it been laid out in such stark terms. Do innies truly have their own “soul” compared to their outies? Could one actually end up in hell while the other ends up in heaven? As it turns out … it’s complicated!
Severance reveals the religious motivations behind the severance procedure
If the debut season of “Severance” was all about Mark’s downward spiral into grief and his innie’s attempts to escape his Lumon prison, then season 2 has thrown the door wide open and shined a light on what drives the rest of our ensemble of characters. Dylan’s B-plot exploring his unusual family dynamic has led to several surprises (and even an inside joke about the show’s origins from creator Dan Erickson), while Helena Eagan continues to deal with the fallout of her imposter stunt gone horribly awry. Both had extremely different reasons to undergo severance (Dylan has struggled to find his true calling in life, while Helena’s justifications are altogether more sinister), but what about our favorite power couple of Irving and Burt? It was easy to imagine both falling out of the story altogether, particularly after their respective innies were “retired” by their corporate overlords. But, for the first time, we’ve received significant insights into what made Burt go under the knife.
“Severance” broaches the tricky topic of religion by following through on last week’s development, in which Burt’s outie invites Irving to dinner so that they can talk through their awkward situation over drinks … with Burt’s husband Fields as the third wheel. When Irving pushes for information on why Burt joined Lumon in the first place, the answer is as unexpected as it is fascinating. In effect, blame Jesus! Despite faithfully attending a Lutheran church with Fields, Burt admits he’s never been much of a saint. As a result, the couple decided years back to give the severance procedure a shot — not as an escape from their lives, but to save it. For the first time, the series tackles the idea of whether innies have separate souls from their outies and the possibility that one soul could make it to heaven while the other is damned to hell. As far as the church is concerned, this is indisputably the case. Burt seems somewhat less convinced, but clearly not enough to think better of this hail Mary maneuver (forgive the pun) anyway.
As usual, “Severance” isn’t interested in providing answers so much as asking questions, and rightfully so. This is simply one more piece adding to the show’s thematic puzzle. What’s clear is that the innie vs. outie debate is far from over.
Irving and Burt are both hiding their own secrets throughout Severance season 2
Even with season 2’s focus on Mark attempting the reintegration process, what better way to communicate the idea that innies and outies are utterly unique than by exploring the secrets they keep from one another? The twist regarding Helena’s deception has been well documented by now, representing as invasive an act as it gets between innie and outie. But if there’s anything this episode’s subplot is trying to get across, it’s the fact that both Irving and Burt are harboring some secrets of their own.
The mystery surrounding Irving’s outie might be the most intriguing one. A prolific artist, as we discovered back in season 1, Irving has remained holed up in his apartment and dedicated a significant amount of time and effort into some seriously creepy oil paintings. We’ve since learned, of course, that the dark hallway is actually a representation of a real location within the halls of Lumon itself. How does he even know about a place that his own innie has maybe never visited? Who knows! But the questions only get more and more interesting from there, considering that season 2 has shown Irving making phone calls at a payphone to some unknown person. Combine that with the intensive logbook he’s made of the names of various Lumon employees and where they live and, well, one has to wonder where this little investigation is truly leading.
As for Burt, episode 6 leaves us on an unsettling note as it cuts to credits. In an easy-to-miss moment of inconsistency, a slightly tipsy Fields reveals a mistruth his husband would rather brush over: That Burt first joined Lumon over 20 years ago, despite the company’s first public offices opening up only a little over a decade in the past. Does Burt know more about the conspiracy at the heart of this shady corporation than he’s letting on? Is this part of the reason why he feels like his soul is truly damned? We don’t have answers to these questions just yet, but that ominous look he gives a departing Irving before shutting the door in the episode’s final moments is enough to keep us guessing.
New episodes of “Severance” stream on Apple TV+ every Friday.