Severance Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Hide and Seek
Mary Littlejohn
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Praise Kier -- Severance has a fun side.
On Severance Season 1 Episode 6, strange alliances are beginning to form, while both versions of Mark search for answers.
It was a typically unsettling episode of Severance, but there was a good balance between the light and dark here.
It's hard to say what changed, but the vibe of Severance seems to have shifted. Tempers are flaring, but it no longer feels stagnant. Things are moving.
The "team walking through the hallway" wasn't necessarily any different from previous walks down the hallway -- and there have been many. But thanks to the music and the slowed-down filming style, there was energy and a sense of purpose.
Patricia Arquette, as Ms. Cobel, has descended into pure horror villain mode. She's had bite in her blow-up with Mark, but her most terrifying scene came when she sang the Hymn to Kier, acapella, with total conviction. Goosebumps!
I feared the worst when she showed up as Mrs. Selvig at Devon and Ricken's.
Ms. Cobel: I was doing some private research.
Mr. Graner: What’s that a euphemism for?
Why is Mrs. Selvig ingratiating herself into Mark's family? Is she going to try to threaten Innie Mark with danger to Outie Mark's loved ones? Is that legal (or does that even matter to her)? After all, she's doing Kier's work, which she believes in sacred.
Lumon is a religion to Ms. Cobel. She has a shrine. She attended the Myrtle Eagan School for Girls, where she was clearly indoctrinated into the cult of Kier. Ms. Cobel doesn't need to be severed. She is loyal to Lumon above all else.
Tame in me the tempers four, that I may serve thee evermore.
Ms. Cobel
Place in me the values nine, that I may feel thy touch divine.
Lumon's influence stretches beyond work. It is a way of life, and all that lore from Severance Season 1 Episode 3 is becoming more evident.
What if the second coming of Christ returned and created a giant corporation? Was Kier Eagan playing God in a more literal sense, rather than just creating technology, pharmaceuticals, and medical procedures (based on what's been hinted at in the first few episodes)?
Tame in me the tempers four, that I may serve thee evermore.
Ms. Cobel
Place in me the values nine, that I may feel thy touch divine.
The visit to Optics and Design clarified that none of the severed workers in any department seem to know what they are doing.
Again, this begs the question -- why are they severed? What is so sensitive about those ideographic cards, hatchets, watering cans, or baby goats?
Mark: The Eagan philosophy is "Illumination above all."
Irving: "Illumination beyond all," but yes.
Mark: Then why doesn't that include us? Why are we down here still working in the dark?
Dylan: That was poetic as shit, man.
Irving and Burt have become the heart of this show. The scene amongst the secret plants (were they real or fake plants?) was so sweet and touching.
Both of them want that connection, but they will have to be content in simply being each other's presence. They are the Romeo and Juliet of MDR and O&D, and have managed to bring their two departments together. Burt is so gentle, always respecting Irving's reticence.
Turturro and Walken play this pair sensitively, aware of the magnetic draw between their two characters. That the forehead touch was more romantic and full of longing than any kiss could convey.
There could be another "workplace romance" blossoming.
Dylan: Maybe love transcends severance.
Helly: You think so?
Dylan: No.
Helly has nothing to lose now, and she seems to be driven to find answers after the "mental health walk" with Mark.
The banter between Mark and Helly is much more pleasant and flirtatious now -- even Dylan notices it.
Is out possible that Mark's Innie and Outie selves are subconsciously influencing each other -- his feelings for Helly translating into warmth for Alexa, or vice versa?
It's unclear why Alexa is attracted to Mark -- maybe she trusts Devon enough to give her brother a second chance.
Mark is funny in a glum, self-deprecating way. It feels like she's doing all the work, though, listening to him and telling him it's okay. Maybe Alexa has lost someone close to her or understands people going through the grief process.
As far as characters go, we hardly know anything about Alexa -- she's a midwife from Montana, and she's very caring, that's about it.
But then, there are many characters we still don't know much about.
Mark keeps reaching out to June, but what is he hoping to accomplish? Is it just that he feels a kinship to her grief? After all, he lost Petey, too.
It must have been thrilling for Mark to loudly proclaim how much he hates Lumon. Seeing others present their rage against the mysterious mega-monster Lumon so viscerally probably jolted him awake, inciting him to action.
It's disconcerting that he just left Alexa there in bed while pursuing the voice on the other end of Petey's phone. Hopefully, the enigmatic Rugabe will be able to provide some answers.
At first, in Severance Season 1 Episode 5, Gabby was merely an aloof snob, but now that Devon has run into her again and done some research, I suspect that somehow she was severed during her labor.
Their second interaction was so strange, but it would explain why her son has a different name, why she didn't recognize Devon, and why her husband, the senator, is so pro-severance.
The implications are that severance is not a procedure exclusive to Lumon -- that it could be instituted in any facility with the capabilities.
That possibility is undoubtedly what is scaring the people vehemently opposed to it. We know it is not limited to the "severed floor" of Lumon Industries, as we saw Milchick in the closet Dylan. How many ways can the Innie/Outie switch be controlled?
The Dylan-in-the-closet scene was short and powerful.
Dylan comes across as juvenile much of the time, with his crush on Ms. Casey and his blind hatred of O&D. He liked to think of his Outie as a player because he had no context -- now he does.
Knowing he has a child, Dylan is going to want more answers, and it's going to drive him crazy. Milchick screwed up here, and Dylan may end up suffering the consequences.
With this short scene, Zach Cherry gave Innie Dylan a lot more depth, which only highlights the need for more Outie scenes from other characters, like Helly and Irving.
Irving: Everything we do here is important.
Helly: It’s important because it actually is or because you’re saying it is?
Severance still holds far more questions than answers, but now 2/3 of the way through, those answers are essential to the endgame. That is presuming that there is only one season.
There is so much lore here, and it's clear Dan Erickson has created a richly detailed and fleshed-out world -- I just want to see deeper instead of only scratching the surface.
It may be frustrating if there are still mysteries by the end of the final episode, but we shall reserve judgment until that actually happens.
Severance still feels like it's about two episodes too long, but if it can maintain this pace, it should be an exciting ride to the finish.
Only at the end, when we see what everything has been leading up to, will we fully be able to appreciate the scope of what has been achieved.
Are you feeling frustrated at the lack of answers or rejuvenated at the hope of what's possible?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
Mary Littlejohn Mary Littlejohn was a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic.
