Hot damn, what an episode.

The one complaint I've seen from certain critics (like Andy Greenwald) is that this show is either too clinical or too obsessed with the Lumon quirks/mythology that the humanity of the characters comes second/suffers as a result. Well, I love how they're now making it so that the characters becoming more human *is* part of the plot (almost as if the filmmakers know exactly what they're doing). From the innies to Milchik to Helena, all of their passions, desires, curiosities, insecurities, etc all reached a boiling point this episode and it's just so awesome to see.

I also love how well Mark's reintegration is being handled, with such inventive editing, effects work, and then that cliffhanger ending. Man.

Not to mention, the conversation about innie souls being saved was so damn intriguing as well. I hadn't even thought of that. But yeah, Burt's outtie is definitely shadier than previously thought. Then again, speculation has been that Irving's outtie was at one point an un-severed Lumon employee as well, so who knows what ultimately happens there.

All I know is that all the little nuances and character work this episode easily made it one of my favorites yet.

Basically how I'm starting to feel...

the dynamic between mark and helly and their innies and outies on severance is quite literally one of the most fascinating things i’ve seen in any work of fiction ever i think. it makes my head hurt but in a good way

— zoë rose bryant (@zoerosebryant) February 21, 2025

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I don't fully trust the un-severed doctor lady.

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Agreed she sketch.

Why do yall think that Helena say "Hannah" instead of "Gemma"? Intentional mistake or an accident? Seems like the buttoned up CEO type that wouldn't get that detail wrong:

I think she was testing him. Either to see if it was Mark's innie she's talking to, or more likely if he's forgetting/has forgotten Gemma. I wonder if Cold Harbor is an effort to remove or cloud Gemma from Mark's memory.

Quinn said:

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Seems apparent to me that Burt is a bad guy and that he invited Irving over so that the security guy would have time to search his apartment.

Oooh, good call.

Britt Lower does an awesome job playing two completely different characters.

I don't fully trust the un-severed doctor lady.

I don't think she's necessarily bad, and I think she's genuinely trying to help Mark, but yeah, my guess is she's doing it for her own, selfish reasons as well that we'll hopefully soon learn.

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"There’s red only a few times [in the show], whenever there’s a bit of real love." - Jeremy Hindle, production designer #severance pic.twitter.com/HmHmjfvIGP

— sam (@burritoprophet) February 21, 2025

My first thought with this was that Fields was severed as well but got reintegrated so his memory is fuzzy and jumbled together

YNWA_AG said:

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Quinn said:

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Seems apparent to me that Burt is a bad guy and that he invited Irving over so that the security guy would have time to search his apartment.

Britt Lower does an awesome job playing two completely different characters.

I don't fully trust the un-severed doctor lady.

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Fields said burt worked for lumon for 20 years while the severance division started 12 years ago. I think Burt might be unsevered

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This was my thought as well; Burt was there pre-severance and is most likely unsevered.

At least in the story they shared with Irving, it was a sermon about severed individuals having multiple souls that prompted Burt to join Lumon, so Burt never worked at Lumon pre-severance.

But doesn't seem like they're sharing everything.

Perfect Friday afternoon wind down the work week background music.

I don't think people are gonna be talking about Burving after that episode.

Feel like Mark gonna get un-severed at the end of S2 but there's gonna be some extenuating circumstance where he's got to get re-severed in S3.

Was also a bit shocked to see how old Denethor (Fields) has gotten. And then I remember that LOTR is almost 25 years old. He was 54 in LOTR.

YouBet said:

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ElephantRider said:

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YNWA_AG said:

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Quinn said:

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Seems apparent to me that Burt is a bad guy and that he invited Irving over so that the security guy would have time to search his apartment.

Britt Lower does an awesome job playing two completely different characters.

I don't fully trust the un-severed doctor lady.

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Fields said burt worked for lumon for 20 years while the severance division started 12 years ago. I think Burt might be unsevered

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This was my thought as well; Burt was there pre-severance and is most likely unsevered.

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Interpreted that differently. Fields is accurate with 20 years. Burt went out of his way to try and cover that. First by telling Fields to tone down the drinking and then going out of his way when Irving was leaving to bring it up again that Fields misspoke. And then the evil glare at the end as Irving was leaving.

It was 20 years.

Oh, and this show is f'ing incredible. Milchick is incredible. His scene to correct his own usage of big words was the best scene in this episode. That guy is nails and deserves the Emmy.

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Maybe I phrased my post poorly, but I agree with you. I think Burt worked for Lumon for 20 years and was never actually severed. He didn't want Irv to know that he was at Lumon pre-severance

What about the theory that Helena's father is dying, and she wanted to get pregnant through Mark (because Mark is "special") so they can transfer her father's consciousness to the baby, maybe like they've been doing for generations (i.e., all the Eagan statues in that room).

ElephantRider said:

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YouBet said:

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ElephantRider said:

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YNWA_AG said:

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Quinn said:

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Seems apparent to me that Burt is a bad guy and that he invited Irving over so that the security guy would have time to search his apartment.

Britt Lower does an awesome job playing two completely different characters.

I don't fully trust the un-severed doctor lady.

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Fields said burt worked for lumon for 20 years while the severance division started 12 years ago. I think Burt might be unsevered

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This was my thought as well; Burt was there pre-severance and is most likely unsevered.

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Interpreted that differently. Fields is accurate with 20 years. Burt went out of his way to try and cover that. First by telling Fields to tone down the drinking and then going out of his way when Irving was leaving to bring it up again that Fields misspoke. And then the evil glare at the end as Irving was leaving.

It was 20 years.

Oh, and this show is f'ing incredible. Milchick is incredible. His scene to correct his own usage of big words was the best scene in this episode. That guy is nails and deserves the Emmy.

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Maybe I phrased my post poorly, but I agree with you. I think Burt worked for Lumon for 20 years and was never actually severed. He didn't want Irv to know that he was at Lumon pre-severance

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Its this or the work he was doing at Lumon was so bad the heaven story is actually true and Burt wanted to have a version of himself that was actually good.

Completed aside here. I am not a person with any real connections but we have known John Noble socially for some time and it was so fun to love this show and see him in those scenes with those two actors. Remember being told he was "filming scenes as Christopher Walkens husband" before I had watched season one.

AgHawkeye said:

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ElephantRider said:

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YouBet said:

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ElephantRider said:

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YNWA_AG said:

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Quinn said:

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Seems apparent to me that Burt is a bad guy and that he invited Irving over so that the security guy would have time to search his apartment.

Britt Lower does an awesome job playing two completely different characters.

I don't fully trust the un-severed doctor lady.

---

Fields said burt worked for lumon for 20 years while the severance division started 12 years ago. I think Burt might be unsevered

---

This was my thought as well; Burt was there pre-severance and is most likely unsevered.

---

Interpreted that differently. Fields is accurate with 20 years. Burt went out of his way to try and cover that. First by telling Fields to tone down the drinking and then going out of his way when Irving was leaving to bring it up again that Fields misspoke. And then the evil glare at the end as Irving was leaving.

It was 20 years.

Oh, and this show is f'ing incredible. Milchick is incredible. His scene to correct his own usage of big words was the best scene in this episode. That guy is nails and deserves the Emmy.

---

Maybe I phrased my post poorly, but I agree with you. I think Burt worked for Lumon for 20 years and was never actually severed. He didn't want Irv to know that he was at Lumon pre-severance

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Its this or the work he was doing at Lumon was so bad the heaven story is actually true and Burt wanted to have a version of himself that was actually good.

Completed aside here. I am not a person with any real connections but we have known John Noble socially for some time and it was so fun to love this show and see him in those scenes with those two actors. Remember being told he was "filming scenes as Christopher Walkens husband" before I had watched season one.

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That's really cool! I yelled out "It's Denethor!" When he came on screen and my wife was very perplexed.

AgHawkeye said:

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ElephantRider said:

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YouBet said:

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ElephantRider said:

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YNWA_AG said:

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Quinn said:

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Seems apparent to me that Burt is a bad guy and that he invited Irving over so that the security guy would have time to search his apartment.

Britt Lower does an awesome job playing two completely different characters.

I don't fully trust the un-severed doctor lady.

---

Fields said burt worked for lumon for 20 years while the severance division started 12 years ago. I think Burt might be unsevered

---

This was my thought as well; Burt was there pre-severance and is most likely unsevered.

---

Interpreted that differently. Fields is accurate with 20 years. Burt went out of his way to try and cover that. First by telling Fields to tone down the drinking and then going out of his way when Irving was leaving to bring it up again that Fields misspoke. And then the evil glare at the end as Irving was leaving.

It was 20 years.

Oh, and this show is f'ing incredible. Milchick is incredible. His scene to correct his own usage of big words was the best scene in this episode. That guy is nails and deserves the Emmy.

---

Maybe I phrased my post poorly, but I agree with you. I think Burt worked for Lumon for 20 years and was never actually severed. He didn't want Irv to know that he was at Lumon pre-severance

---

Its this or the work he was doing at Lumon was so bad the heaven story is actually true and Burt wanted to have a version of himself that was actually good.

Completed aside here. I am not a person with any real connections but we have known John Noble socially for some time and it was so fun to love this show and see him in those scenes with those two actors. Remember being told he was "filming scenes as Christopher Walkens husband" before I had watched season one.

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That's pretty cool.

But yeah, I'm with you. I think Burt was, indeed, severed and that the heaven thing was true. If so, I also think his outtie was up to no good, and prior to being severed, was involved in some truly evil **** at Lumon.

TCTTS said:

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AgHawkeye said:

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ElephantRider said:

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YouBet said:

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ElephantRider said:

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YNWA_AG said:

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Quinn said:

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Seems apparent to me that Burt is a bad guy and that he invited Irving over so that the security guy would have time to search his apartment.

Britt Lower does an awesome job playing two completely different characters.

I don't fully trust the un-severed doctor lady.

---

Fields said burt worked for lumon for 20 years while the severance division started 12 years ago. I think Burt might be unsevered

---

This was my thought as well; Burt was there pre-severance and is most likely unsevered.

---

Interpreted that differently. Fields is accurate with 20 years. Burt went out of his way to try and cover that. First by telling Fields to tone down the drinking and then going out of his way when Irving was leaving to bring it up again that Fields misspoke. And then the evil glare at the end as Irving was leaving.

It was 20 years.

Oh, and this show is f'ing incredible. Milchick is incredible. His scene to correct his own usage of big words was the best scene in this episode. That guy is nails and deserves the Emmy.

---

Maybe I phrased my post poorly, but I agree with you. I think Burt worked for Lumon for 20 years and was never actually severed. He didn't want Irv to know that he was at Lumon pre-severance

---

Its this or the work he was doing at Lumon was so bad the heaven story is actually true and Burt wanted to have a version of himself that was actually good.

Completed aside here. I am not a person with any real connections but we have known John Noble socially for some time and it was so fun to love this show and see him in those scenes with those two actors. Remember being told he was "filming scenes as Christopher Walkens husband" before I had watched season one.

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That's pretty cool.

But yeah, I'm with you. I think Burt was, indeed, severed and that the heaven thing was true. If so, I also think his outtie was up to no good, and prior to being severed, was involved in some truly evil **** at Lumon.

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His outie certainly is devious acting vs his innie.

The look Burt gave Irving when Irving left his house after the dinner looked pretty ominous/devious. My wife said it looked like he had an evil glint in his eyes.

Seeing John Noble just reminded me that it's been too long since I revisited Fringe. That was an exceptional and underrated show.

MW03 said:

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Seeing John Noble just reminded me that it's been too long since I revisited Fringe. That was an exceptional and underrated show.

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lol that's what I remember him most by, totally went over my head he was Denethor

But yes Fringe was fantastic

MW03 said:

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Seeing John Noble just reminded me that it's been too long since I revisited Fringe. That was an exceptional and underrated show.

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I loved this show and he was great in it and I never finished it. Got distracted. Only got through maybe S1. I need to go back and finish this.

We watched The Big Lebowski last night for the first time in many years. John Turturro was so great.