The second season of Severance has achieved the impossible: to make me blog about television again after years. Mild spoilers ahead, so my zero readers are warned, but no real analysis—just some fresh and possibly malformed thoughts I have shared with my old teammates from Digital Lumon Loom.
Episode 8
We were away last weekend, so I waited to watch it longer than I wanted to.
I thought the episode was visually stunning, and I’m so glad we got Cobel back, but I feel a bit cheated. So very little information with so many implications all packed into the last maybe 10 minutes? Seems like a bit of a waste given how short the seasons are.
But it was a good setup for the following episode, in the end. I’m glad I ended up watching them pretty much back to back, because the wait would have been excruciating.
Episode 9
Mark has been hanging out in the woods for a whole day, it seems, impervious to the eternal snow that’s been blanketing the entire series. I’m not sure Devon’s idea to call Cobel was totally sound, but it’ll give us a pile of drama and a great runway for season 3, so I’m not holding my breath hoping to get too many answers (if Lost taught me anything is not to hope for any, and just go along for the ride). In the finale we may find out what Cold Harbor is and why it’s so important for Lumon and the world—but also for Mark and Gemma, who may or may not see each other by the end of the season. Not sure we’ll see Gemma fully extracted from Lumon yet. There’s also the possibility that she’ll get killed, but I don’t think they wanna be that cruel.
What I do want to know at this point, and what I think needs to happen in the season finale, is:
- What’s up with Helena? Why did her father show up on the severed floor and tell Helly she tricked him? I can’t imagine it was Helly eating an egg in the most deranged way an egg has ever been eaten. And her father wishing she’d take eggs raw (apart from being the creepiest words ever been uttered by a sicko watching his daughter eat an egg) must have some significance and some part in it, and I must know what that is, even more than I want to know what the heck is up with the goats.
- Milchick had two ways to go: become more of a bully or join the revolution. I’m still hoping he’ll choose the revolution and that he’ll make this decision soon, instead of having us dangle in doubt until the next season—who knows how long we’re gonna have to wait for that. “Devour feculence” would be a great resignation letter, by the way.
- Irving just gets on a train with his dog and leaves everything behind? I can’t imagine that’s the end of that story, and I want to know whom he has been talking to on that pay phone. Again, that’s the kind of thing that should happen in this season.
On the other hand, Dylan has had a good story arc in season 2, after his central role in the season 1 finale, but he kind of imploded after Irving was fired. And just like Irving’s, his personal interest is aimed at someone outside the severed floor, so he’s been isolated and ultimately hopeless. I’m curious to see if and how he gets involved in what I’m sure will be a maddening cliffhanger.