Severance Episode 9 Recap: She’s Alive
A hallmark of great seasons of Television is when you sense that the writers are not holding anything back. There will probably be complaints about Severance not revealing what is going on down at the severed floor. This however is not a Miniseries. Many TV shows promise one thing and when it’s time to deliver, the show chickens out, in the name of stretching out the plot. The reality is, the best shows lay out all their cards tell a story in full, move the plot forward with story lines and arcs that are well thought out and fully realized over the course of a season. Then find a new way to lay out those cards, that not only push the story forward, but also creates enough dramatic tension to keep us invested.
Coming at a time when a lot of people are in the process of reconsidering their relationship to their jobs and the very idea of work itself, Severance serves not only as an allegory for our current work culture, but also for many long held practices of Corporate America. Series Creator, Dan Erickson goes into it in more detail in this interview with Anne Helen Peterson. It masterfully details the many ways corporations try to take advantage of the labor that produces for them. Severance is more than that though, it expertly avoids being overly didactic. Weaving in excellent mysteries, interesting and lovable characters, it’s a show that scratches nearly every itch.
The final episode of season 1, the shortest of the season, starts right where we left it, with mark at Devon and Ricken’s for a reading of the you you are. We also see innie Irv and Innie Helly at the moments the are woken up. We quickly get a reveal of Helly R’s identity. Much like many had speculated, she’s an Eagan and she came down to prove that severance was something desirable.
Mark makes his way to the bathroom and in a moment that occurs for all three of the Innies where he looks at himself in a mirror and you realize they don’t know what they look like outside of the Severed floor. Mark tries to get a private conversation with Devon but can’t. Irv meanwhile is scanning his outtie’s room and finding out more stuff about him, including the fact that he has a medal. We meet Angelo and Gabby at the Gala. I wonder if they are being set up for important roles in season 2.
Most of Irving’s journey through this episode happens in complete silence. He makes some important discoveries regardless. Back at the book reading innie mark is chuffed to realize, his brother in-law is the author of the book that changed his life. Meanwhile, Irv is uncovering more military memorabilia and finds a picture of his father. I guess the medal is his father’s as well.
Cobel has spent the entire evening trying to suss out if something is up with Mark, but he slithers away and has a genuinely touching conversation with Ricken, when Ricken mentions to him that he got severed because of something that happened to his wife. Mark runs in to Cobel again when he mentions her name.
Helly is walking round the exhibit and Milchick always having a camera whenever Helly was doing anything finally makes sense. That’s another minor thing the show ties up here.
Cobel is racing to the Lumon offices, while Irving is finding clippings about the severance procedure in his outtie’s box. Is Irving’s outtie investigating Lumon? Irving quickly discovers Burt G’s address and a map is conveniently there. A little convenient?? yeah but nothing out of the realm of possibility. When the map is opened, there are names already written on specific locations and Burt’s name is already written in there. This show cannot avoid asking new questions.
Helly, nervous after seeing the displays, retreats to the bathroom where she meets her father for the first time. After her dad tells her how her enthusiasm has furthered Kier’s cause, Helly recites the compunction statement. Is she sorry for the part she played in making severance a reality? Is she trying to atone for her future “sins”?
The episode is racing towards the end, Severance apparently does not take away skill as Irv slowly but surely remembers how to drive.
The moment Mark tells Devon, I am incredibly shocked, I spent the whole episode up to that point wondering how they’d yank this rug from under us and they didn’t. They saw it through. Mark asks why Cobel is here and Devon quickly realizes she left the baby with her.
Cobel reaches Milchick and now the episode is in high gear. We are cross cutting from Dylan, to Helly, to Mark, to Irving racing towards Burt. Severance is very fond of ending episodes like this, cross cutting between the refiners and juxtaposing all their activities and states of mind.
Irving sees another man in Burt's house as Cobel arrives at Lumon and Helly is getting ready to go on stage.
I was so sure something would go wrong before everyone could do their thing, that Milchick would reach Dylan, that Cobel would stop Helly, that Mark wouldn’t see Gemma’s picture, that Irv would drive away,but the Television gods heard my cry and none of that happened, the show followed through on everything and we got a Brilliant final scene.
Remember that little formula I laid out for successful seasons of television well Severance has one part of it down. They delivered an incredible first season. Taking an incredible premise, coupling that with excellent crafts people in all departments from the production design to the score and telling an excellent story that was propulsive and personal and kind hearted and funny and fun. Now they have to do it all over again. And there is so much to cover, while the innies hang out outside, we still don’t know much about Irv and Dylan’s outties and their motivations. We don’t know outtie Helly at all. We don’t know what happens on the testing floor or why Irving keeps painting it, although we get some hints about Irv's motivations. We still don’t know what exactly is happening on the severed floor, or the rest of Lumon for that matter. There is lots to cover and by the grace of Kier we will get a second season every bit as thrilling as this one.
Bits X Bobs
When Irving finds his own address, the zipcode is 07452, that’s the zip code to Glen Rock NJ. The Bells Labs complex which serves as Outdoor Lumon is in New Jersey as well. Is Kier a New Jersey town???
I’ll fix it like I fix everything
Fuck you Mr Milchick
I can get you any perk you want Dylan
Just say the word and Ill get you a coffee cozy right now Dylan
Obnoxious dude from no dinner dinner claiming he found eleanor when Mark did is very much his character.
My name is Helly R and I’m an Innie an everything they told you about Severance is a lie
Burt! Burt!! BURT!!!!
