S2E19 - REWATCH05-PT01 - Trojan's Horse - Severed: The Ultimate Severance Podcast

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Severed The Ultimate Severance Podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hey, their Refiner, Welcome back to the Severed floor. Our
full rewatch of season two continues a stern warning as
always spoilers. It is imperative that you have seen all
ten of the seven season two episodes before listening to
any episode of this podcast. There are spoilers everywhere. You
have been warned. This is Severed, the Ultimate Severance Podcast.

(00:40):
I'm your host, Alan As It's time to continue our
full shot by shot, moment by moment rewatch of season
two of Severance. We need to recover from the intense
and emotional events of the Ortbo experience. During episode four,
alliances have been shattered. Trust is gone, and so is Irving.
This is episode five, Trojan's Horse. It was released for

(01:01):
download on February thirteenth of twenty twenty five. This episode
was directed by Samuel Donovan. This is Samuel's second trip
to the director's chair this season. He was also at
the helm for episode number two, Goodbye missus Selvig. For
bioinformation on Samuel, make sure to check out that episode
of the podcast. This episode was written by series creator

(01:23):
Dan Erickson and Megan Ritchie. Megan is not a new
name on the Severance writing staff, but this is the
first time she's had a writer credit. Megan is listed
in the additional crew section as a writer's assistant. She
has this designation in nine of the ten season two episodes,
including this one. Megan is not listed as a writer's

(01:45):
assistant for episode number seven, Cheek I Bardo. This is
Megan's only writer credit, and it's the only episode of
the season where Meghan is both listed as the episode
writer and writer's assistant. Not sure how it works when
she is assisting. Megan is no stranger to this writer's
assistant position. She also worked as a writer's assistant on

(02:06):
eight episodes of the Stars series American Gods. The function
of a writer's assistant, according to the Writer's Guild of America,
is as follows. Take notes during writer's room meetings, edit scripts,
and perform research as needed. This includes transcribing room notes
for distribution to the writers and producers. Okay, so now
that you've met the players behind the scenes, it's time

(02:29):
to open the file called Trojan's Horse. This episode opens
with a mystery. When we come up on video, we're
looking at the wheels of a cart. It's like, what
the mailroom would use to distribute mail to the rest
of the building. The soundtrack is a whistled version of
the nineteen seventy six Gordon Lightfoot hit The Wreck of
the Edmund Fitzgerald. Whoever's pushing the cart is also providing

(02:52):
the whistled accompaniment. They aren't going to let us see
him here, but the guy pushing the cart is new
cast member Robbie Benson. Yep, that Robbie Benson. He's playing
the character doctor Mauer. I'll introduce him properly when we
meet him for real later in the season. For now,
you're not supposed to know that's him. All we know
for sure is this is a guy from the testing

(03:14):
floor who has come up to Owen d for a
load of produced items, and he's a Gordon Lightfoot fan.
The choice of this song caused a lot of folks
to spin out creatively. It was selected quite simply because
it is one of Ben Stiller's favorite songs. The interpretations

(03:37):
prompted by this song ran the gamut from They're all
gonna die like they all did on the Edmund Fitzgerald two,
We're in some kind of underwater simulation. None of these
things have come to pass as of the end of
season two, but it was fun reading the theories. I love
how they're obscuring mister Benson's face as he makes his
way to Owen d He's like the Wilson character from

(03:59):
Home improve The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald was a
single released in the summer of nineteen seventy six. It
would be a huge number one smash in Canada and
a number two hit on the US Billboard Hot one hundred.
It details the true story of the sinking of bulk
freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November tenth
of nineteen seventy five. Lightfoot considers it one of the

(04:21):
best things he's ever written or recorded. He based the
lyrics on numerous reports following the incident, and the song
is quite factual. The Newsweek article titled The Cruelest Month
from late in November seventy five provided him with the
most valuable information. The music, according to Lightfoot, is just
an old Irish folk song or Irish dirge. It's basically

(04:43):
public domain folk music available for all to use, which
makes me wonder since the Severance production isn't using the
lyrics that they have to pay royalties for the tune.
Sounds like it should be free. Hmmm. The selection of
this song for inclusion here in Severnce really fired up
the upers. Remember Mike Cure got a land grant theory.

(05:03):
There is a corrollary to this theory that says Kure
got his land grant in the Upper Peninsula or Up
of Michigan. Podcast listener and motivated refiner Noah c wrote
me after I outlined my land grant theory in a
recent podcast episode. Noah stresses that he is not a Uper,
but he strongly believes Cure based his cult in Michigan's

(05:25):
Upper Peninsula. He laid out his arguments logically, and they
do add up. The Edmund Fitzgerald is just one of
many clues pointing in the up direction. It sank in
Lake Superior. The up separates Lake Superior from Lake Michigan.
The painting Heure invites you to drink of his water
is pretty clearly an artistic rendering of the Great Lakes.

(05:46):
The Macrodats who filled in from five ACX we discovered
came to Cure from Grand Rapids, Michigan. If Cure were
out on the East coast, that's quite a jaunt. If
cures in the Up, then this trip is not so
far at all. Bert, We'll mention he and Fields were
four to cancel a trip to Milwaukee. This is also
a drivable destination from the up. Noah even cites a

(06:07):
connection to one of the breakroom posters. He says the
poster headline no Malice Palace is a reference to an
incident that occurred at a Pacers Pistons NBA game in
two thousand and four. A fight involving players and fans
was so vicious and widespread the Associated Press has dubbed
it the most infamous brawl in NBA history. This huge fight,

(06:28):
which happened in Detroit, Michigan, has been labeled the Malice
at the Palace. Even the distances in the Upper Peninsula
workout versus the measurements we've been given in the show.
Remember the sign Cobell saw listing Salt's Neck as being
two hundred and thirty eight miles away. If Cobel were
to drive from one into the Up to the other

(06:49):
to get to Salt's Neck, it would be somewhere between
two hundred and twenty five and two hundred and fifty miles.
The actual city you'd find there is Sue Saint Marie.
If you take the U out of Sioux, it becomes salt. Additionally,
the UP is cut off from other land masses, so
there's no worry about other interstates or roads passing through.

(07:10):
I seventy five provides a border to the east and
Route two runs along the entire area to the south. Otherwise,
there is a lot of open room for lumen to
develop and run circular roads that don't connect up to anything.
Thanks Noah C for the note and the well presented info.
I am definitely amending my theory. Keir was awarded a

(07:31):
land grant, but what they gave him was a major
parcel In the UP. Robbie is casually passing by shells
filled with soap and disinfecting products. Looks like a lot
of hand sanitizer has been produced down here in O
and D. I'm curious how you make that with a
three D printer. Two blue frocked representatives from O and
D are waiting on this mysterious man from the testing floor.

(07:54):
Why look, it's Felicia, along with Rachel Addington who plays Elizabeth.
Big congratulations thanks to Rachel, who has gone from a
no line background player to a named character. This is
her fifth episode of the series, but it is her
only appearance in season two.

Speaker 3 (08:10):
Do you Have Them?

Speaker 2 (08:11):
In response, Elizabeth opens one of the blue lockers that
run along the back wall. We cut to a dan
angle close up as she opens a drawer. The items
being retrieved are dental instruments. Of the twenty four items
in the trays, about twenty of them are for picking
or poking, you know, the fun ones. There are only
two mirrors. As we'll find out, these aren't being used

(08:34):
to promote dental health. Instead, they're being used to deliver
horrific torture. For an origin's crossover, make sure to check
out my full breakdown of the movie Brazil. There's some
cringe inducing dental instrument torture happening there as well. Wordlessly,
a white gloved Elizabeth carefully hands the tray over to
doctor Mauer. Thank you, no paperwork, nobody signs for anything.

(08:57):
Maur turns with the tray and begins his track back
to the testing floor. We follow the good doctor out
of O and D and into the white hallways. He
jauntily makes his way to the testing floor elevator. His

(09:18):
key card grants him entry to the hallway of Herbs.
Nightmares cut to a reverse shot looking back down the
hallway from the elevator POV. The hallway door automatically closes
behind maur We follow as the Good Doctor walks under
the dashed line of fluorescent lights. Our casually gets on
the testing floor elevator and turns back towards the camera.

(09:40):
That's when we cut to a long shot. We don't
get a chance to see the Good Doctor up close.
The door closes and our opening theme begins. The extra
wag animation with Shapiro's theme music is back since we
haven't had it in a couple of weeks. Maybe enjoy

(10:01):
a bit of musical interlude. Refiner, I'll talk to you
on the other side. The first shot after the opening
animation is a close up. We're looking at one of
those segmented pillboxes. These usually help you keep your pills

(10:22):
organized by type of medicine and by the day you
need it. This one doesn't seem to be so much
about the days as it is about the kinds of
drugs being delivered. Each well holds three or four pills
of the same type. We have capsules and caplets. Most
of these are blue or blue and black. They aren't marked,
but the color scheme is screaming lumin to me. If

(10:43):
these pills aren't lumin produced, it is possible. We're looking
at generic acetominifin in the white caplet and ampicillin in
the black and blue capsule. Ampicillin is an antibiotic used
to treat meningitis. Since the meninges are the coverings of
the brain and spinal cord, this treatment would track for
something brain related. Before Mark takes his morning mede, you

(11:05):
should take a trip to the vending machine refiner. Severed
will be right back. Hi.

Speaker 4 (11:13):
I'm Adam Scott. I play Mark s on Severance, which
you likely already know since you're listening to sever The
Ultimate Severance Podcast.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
A hand reaches in and grabs certain pills. We cut
to a side view to reveal Mark he's dressed in
severed floor work clothes, standing at the counter in his kitchen.
This episode gets us back on the primary timeline for
season two. Woe's Hollow was a weekend diversion. It was
fun and team building and all but no work was
accomplished out in the woods. This episode is getting us

(11:46):
back to work on the severed floor. Admittedly, it's going
to be weird without IRV, but we must get back
to some semblance of normalcy and MDR. Things have been
too crazy around here since the OTC. Also, if you
remember the well, the last time we were with Mark
here at his house, he was connected to brain leads.
We've got more reintegrating to do. These pills are tied

(12:08):
to Mark's reintegration procedure. The follow up with the pills
and the goo we'll see Mark get out of the
refrigerator might be why PD's changeover didn't work. I don't
see PD doing the necessary maintenance, especially when he was
living at the abandoned greenhouse. Marks cell rings as he's
organizing his pills. Hey, it's Mark's best friend and his

(12:30):
biggest fan, his sister devn.

Speaker 5 (12:32):
How was the weekend thing h good?

Speaker 2 (12:34):
I guess yeah, But how would he know? Mark says
his Inny fell off a rope rope Devin wonders if
he got hurt. That's all this indicates. Mark's transition happened
at about the same time as Irv's. He was still
wet from comforting Helly at the riverside I'm pretty sure
once IRV transition they all did, there would be no

(12:56):
good way for outy IRV to interact with the innies.
They all had to switch at the same time, and
they were probably all locked down for transport right at
the switch. Devon doesn't trust whatever word is coming down
from the Evil Empire.

Speaker 1 (13:11):
You know what the book actually happens.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
Severance, for all its faults, is incredibly effective as the
ultimate non disclosure agreement. Nobody talks because nobody knows what
happened when they were switched. Devon is put out with
the ongoing lumin interference in Mark's life. Jesus, Oh, it's
all a glorious part of the mysterious and important Severance experience.

(13:35):
After downing his pills, Mark reaches into the refrigerator for
a tiny jar of goo. We never find out what's
in these things, but they look truly nasty. Nine of
these tiny, white capped bottles are sitting on the top
shelf of the fridge. The yellowish sludge inside is shot
through with white streaks. To me, these look like samples

(13:55):
of intestinal worms. I'm very glad I'm not the one reintegrating.
There are some pictures hanging on the front door of
Mark's refrigerator. They both contain Russian references, so probably a
reminder of Gemma the Russian lit Professor. The one to
the upper left is a cartoon that appeared in Harper's
Magazine in December of eighteen seventy one. It's called The

(14:16):
Russian Bear and the American Deers. It was poking fun
at the Grand Duke of Russia, who was corrupt, incompetent,
and a known womanizer. The other very visible item is
the cover art from an eighteen ninety nine Tolstoi novel.
This particular novel was titled Resurrection in English. Is there
a significance, Well, yeah, pretty big one. Once we understand

(14:38):
Gemma is going to be resurrected by the end of
this season.

Speaker 6 (14:42):
How's the old bernition and your eyeballs thing going?

Speaker 2 (14:46):
Wow? Things happen fast around here, don't they. The after
image burn in was the big plan. The last time
we were with Devon, Rigabi shot it down, and Mark
has never revisited the idea. It doesn't sound like he
shared any of this new informa with Devon. It also
feels like Mark is keeping his reintegration adventure a secret.
From his sister, which she think it's a reckless and

(15:08):
dangerous plan. Yeah. Probably, He pauses, then half heartedly says
he's not able to get the burn in thing to
last long enough.

Speaker 4 (15:17):
Okay, so what do we do?

Speaker 2 (15:19):
Devon is quite the fireball when you give her a mission.
She's like a bloodhound on the trail. Mark is hesitant.

Speaker 5 (15:26):
Just keep trying.

Speaker 1 (15:28):
I guess.

Speaker 2 (15:28):
Mark takes a big swig from the googlass. His face
says it all. Devin wants to know if Mark has
any other ideas. Mark is wanting to know if for
Gobby is trying to kill him with this stuff. Mark
down's the mouthful of goo. Just as a door slams,
Mark suddenly wants off this call.

Speaker 5 (15:46):
Uh hey, I'm sorry, I gotta get to work, all right,
good bye.

Speaker 2 (15:50):
But the reverses. Mark hangs up, reveals a blurred figure
in the foyer.

Speaker 3 (15:55):
You need to get your dryer fixed.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
It's great to have Karen Aldridge back as the question
Mark known as Regaby. She's a dynamic actress who is
very interesting to watch. Ben Stiller said, quote With Karen,
you never get to take the same way twice, but
it's always interesting and believable. Unquote. I just wish her
character had more to offer the story. She was my

(16:17):
nomination for character with the most potential after she was
introduced in season one. We're going to spend a lot
of time with Regaby and her reintegration procedure here in
the middle of season two, but ultimately she takes off
before anything is completed. Mark never seems to capture any
significant memories, and he continues to run the risk of
experiencing reintegration tremors like we saw during the ort bow.

(16:40):
Mark doesn't sound like he has any plans to fix
the dryer.

Speaker 5 (16:45):
Yeah, or you could just like not live here.

Speaker 2 (16:48):
Ben Stiller said he was kind of on board with
this idea that Mark has people living in his basement,
first PD, now Regaby. It's easy to have characters handy
when they're just downstairs. She says, she can't keep coming
in and out. Mark pauses as he's trying to drink from.

Speaker 5 (17:04):
The goo bottle and they're watching us.

Speaker 2 (17:06):
Yeah, probably remember how freaked Pete he was about going.

Speaker 6 (17:09):
Home, And depends on how dumb you played it.

Speaker 2 (17:12):
How dumb he's played it. You're the one going in
and out. When would he have even had a chance
to do something dumb. He goes from work to home,
to work and back again. Her attitude isn't surprising. Regabby
is usually ill tempered and she's always on the defensive.
I think it's become a defense mechanism, and she doesn't
even realize she's doing it anymore. Since she is here

(17:34):
and living in the basement. Mark wants to continue reintegrating.

Speaker 5 (17:38):
Hey, when do we keep going?

Speaker 2 (17:39):
He's fully invested in this idea that reintegration is the
only way to get information into or out of the
severed floor. Regaby is very noncommittal.

Speaker 3 (17:49):
Maybe tonight later.

Speaker 2 (17:50):
Mark doesn't let it drop. He says he hasn't remembered
anything else.

Speaker 3 (17:55):
Right, Well, maybe already has.

Speaker 2 (17:58):
Like those flashes where he was in bed with Ms. Casey,
Those were just confusing. Regabi heads down to the basement
with a fresh load of laundry. Mark is left standing
in the kitchen with a confused look on his face.
We cut to a stunning shot of the Belwarks campus. Wow,
this is very much the vision of a computer graphics artist,
but it is still a stunning look at the site.

(18:21):
Some folks have interpreted the shape of this site, especially
from this angle to be a biology book drawing of
the human female reproductive system. This theory has been fed
by the ongoing fixation the entire series has with pregnancy,
IVF and eggs. You can do your own research, but
this frame should be your starting point. There's a fantastic

(18:44):
shot from inside the mother ship. We're looking up at
four levels of open walkways. Silhouetted figures are moving with
purpose on all levels. You can see some people stopped
and talking, others walking in pairs. This scene feels distinctly
influenced by this subject of an other Origins episode. This
has the feel of several scenes from the nineteen sixty

(19:05):
seven French film Playtime. Make sure to check it out
as an Origins podcast episode wherever you found this podcast.
The Severed Origin series breaks down those things Dan Erickson
has cited as inspiration during his creation of Severance. We
dissolved to a close up on one specific walking silhouette.
It's pretty obvious this is Helena Egan. Her hair is

(19:28):
pulled down in a low bun. She's wearing a pants suit.
According to costume designer Sarah Edwards, around the Lumen offices
above ground, they always dress Helena in pants Edwards dresses
Helena as though she is the little prince the Egans
never had. There is a very androgynous quality to her outfits,
including the hairstyle. Helly r, on the other hand, is

(19:49):
always an address. Since her OUTI normally does not wear
clothes like what her Inny wears. This might be an
additional source of discomfort for any Helly and she doesn't
even realize why. Cut to those custom installed conference room doors,
Helena enters. Her expression is somber. Natalie and the man
we've come to know as Drummond are both seated at

(20:10):
the conference table. They have their backs to the window.
Looking out the windows of the conference room. The surrounding
countryside is as desolate as what we saw during the ort.
Bow Luhmann does value its privacy. Darry Olison's character Drummond
is speaking as Helena is still walking in.

Speaker 1 (20:28):
He took the rest of the weekend to recover.

Speaker 2 (20:30):
It's a statement phraised as a question if I'm interpreting
the timeline correctly. The attempted drowning happened fairly early in
the morning on Sunday. The rest of the weekend would
be the rest of the day on Sunday. I guess
taking any time off from work is in no no
for an Egan. They do keep some crazy hours in
the c suite. Ben Stiller confirmed that Dary Olisson is

(20:52):
a friend of his, dating back to Ben's twenty thirteen
movie This Secret Life of Walter Midti Dari portrayed a
helicopter pilot. Of course, can't display any weakness.

Speaker 3 (21:03):
I'm fine.

Speaker 2 (21:04):
Anything less than superhuman would be unbecoming of an Egan.
Helena takes a seat across from Nat and Drummond.

Speaker 5 (21:10):
Will I be updating father later?

Speaker 2 (21:12):
She got home yesterday, That is, if she went home.
There's every chance Helena has some apartment or quarters of
some kind here in the main building when she's home.
She does live in the same house with Jame. We'll
check in on them later in the season. It's a
really big house, so they may have just missed each other.
It's also possible Jame was not conscious or for some

(21:33):
other reason not available. Maybe he wasn't even at home.
I believe Jame may spend long periods in a hyperbaric
chamber or even in an induced sleep. It feels like
they're pulling out all the stops to keep the old
man alive. Whatever the reason, Helena didn't see Jame last
night or this morning, she also didn't feel the need

(21:54):
to seek him out on her own and update him
on what happened during the ort bow. We cut to
a cool shot looking across the table at Helena. She's
seated equidistant between Natalie and Drummond. Since Helena is facing
the windows, the shiny wall behind her is reflecting the
panorama outside. I definitely want to point something out here.

(22:14):
This is a really cool example of the hidden computer
graphics loaded throughout this series. This shot is impossible. Also
contained in the reflection behind Helena would be a huge camera, light, stands,
microphone booms, and people. Even if the people left, there
would still be a lot of equipment visible in that

(22:35):
expanse of glossy wall and her industrial light and magic.
They can remove those things we shouldn't see and replace
them with things that would probably be there in a
real world situation. The fetid Moppet wants to tell Daddy
all about the weekend.

Speaker 3 (22:51):
He should hear it from me.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
Maybe he'll get all fired up about those dirty innies
who once again tried to kill his little girl. There's
a pause, We cut to her reverse angle from behind Helena.

Speaker 1 (23:02):
We have decided to spare him knowledge of this contre ton.

Speaker 2 (23:06):
Oh, so they've decided. Sounds like the old man is
being treated like a mushroom. The word drummond used there
is spelled like contra attempts. It's from the French, but
it's mainly used in the UK. It indicates a small
argument which may have caused some social embarrassment contre toon.
In other words, Drummond is minimizing Helen is Woe's hollow situation.

(23:28):
He wasn't there. He doesn't realize how close to very
serious things became. Should we be concerned that james lieutenants
are deciding what information he's being given? Shouldn't he have
the full picture? Helena considers this withholding of information from
Daddy for a moment, she doesn't seem particularly bothered by it.

Speaker 6 (23:48):
Well, please let him know that his daughter's alive and wall.

Speaker 2 (23:50):
So, maybe Jame is the one not at home. It's
possible he's in for some lumin approved treatments. He might
be plugged into a lumen Brand longevity machine somewhere in
the building right now as we're sitting here. It sounds
like Helena has been examined since her return.

Speaker 1 (24:05):
The medical team says, your tempers will rebounce quickly.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
Okay, so what medical team are we talking about here?
Any medical team that's studying a patient's tempers has to
be a bit suspect. Don't you think could luman be
awarding their own medical degrees they are awarding fellowships. If
they aren't, I'm not sure where else in the world
you'd go from medical course of study that includes tempers.

(24:30):
Helena is unphazed by this diagnosis.

Speaker 1 (24:33):
Good to hear.

Speaker 2 (24:34):
She must not be feeling any temper imbalance at the moment.

Speaker 1 (24:38):
Some residual trauma is to be expected after such an ordeal.

Speaker 2 (24:42):
When Helena returned to her audi, the last moment of
memory she'd have retained would have been underwater and drowning.
There had to be some residual trauma when she transitioned
into that situation. Drummond then turns to Natalie.

Speaker 1 (24:57):
Perhaps we could arrange another obligement.

Speaker 2 (24:59):
Session, any idea what he was talking about there. Obligement
session is something new. It's a term entirely created for
the show. The word obligement existed. It's a noun meaning
and accommodation resulting from a favor. If you help a
neighbor build a retaining wall as an obligement, he might
let you use his bridge across a stream. The way

(25:21):
Drummond's using the term, it sounds like some kind of
mental or emotional therapy employed by Lumen. Helen is negative
reaction indicates the obligement session is possibly not the most
pleasant experience. He also says another obligement session. Did they
have one yesterday or last night? After she returned. This
is another one of those mysteries of Lumen. Obligement sessions

(25:45):
are never referenced again at any point during the second season.
I said, I'm fine, okay, okay, no obligement session. Natalie
says they're close. She's talking about Mark's progress on the
Cold Harbor file.

Speaker 3 (25:59):
What's it seventy eight percent eighty one?

Speaker 2 (26:03):
That's a Friday, meaning last Friday, the friday before the
ort bow. It was the last time the refiners were
on the severed floor and working. Who is Natalie? She
tells Helena, it won't be much longer.

Speaker 3 (26:16):
You can do this.

Speaker 2 (26:18):
I'm sure she can. But how are you in a
position to act as a cheerleader? To the daughter of
the CEO. Who are you, Natalie and what is the
source of your power? We need to continue this discussion
with Helena after you've refilled your coffee refiner. Severed will
be here right back.

Speaker 7 (26:38):
Hello, refiners, It's Mark keller ker Egan on Severance. Don't
let your dreary, dead end job get you down. Do
what I do for a workday, pick me up. Listen
to Severed The Ultimate Severance Podcast.

Speaker 3 (26:57):
I'm not going back down there.

Speaker 2 (26:58):
She says this with more more certainty than I think
I've ever heard anyone say anything. Natalie furrows her brow.
Of course, you won't be going back down there, silly.
It won't be you, It will be your any helly
Are rides again. Sounds like a blast with one little
fly in.

Speaker 5 (27:16):
The ointment Miami who tried to kill me?

Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yep one and the same She also threatened to lop
off several of your fingers. That girl is nuts.

Speaker 7 (27:24):
And then the other one tried to kill me.

Speaker 2 (27:26):
You mean, old IRV. He's as harmless as a mouse
unless you try to switch out his regular helly Are
with new and improved Helena Egan. Then he gets a
bit testy and drowny britt Lower is killing it as
the Ice Queen Helena. She is so incredibly detached and
so completely in control. It's fun to watch. But even

(27:47):
with her Ice Queen persona in high gear, I don't
think it's going to get her out of a trip
back to the severed floor.

Speaker 5 (27:54):
They're fucking animals.

Speaker 2 (27:55):
Don't hold back. How do you really feel about the innies?
There's an interesting shit here. It isolates Helena as she's
surrounded by all these empty chairs. She's also pressed to
the left edge of the frame, looking off left.

Speaker 7 (28:09):
I'll just fake it again.

Speaker 2 (28:11):
Yeah, because that went so well last time. Do you
have all the water out of your ears yet?

Speaker 3 (28:16):
We can't take that chance.

Speaker 2 (28:17):
No, you can't. Besides, Mark's gonna know pretty quickly they're
all going to be on high alert looking for more
counterfeit hellies. They'll probably be spotting counterfeits for everybody. It's
gonna be a paranoid palooza down on the Severed Floor
for quite a while. Mark is going to be on
especially high alert once he's realized he was sexually assaulted
during the ort. Bow Drummond says, they need to clean

(28:39):
this up. No more messing around.

Speaker 1 (28:42):
Miltchik's many errors this weeken to forest our hand.

Speaker 2 (28:46):
As we saw Miltchik doing with Kobel, it's good to
establish a scapegoat early Miltchik is the reason for all
the many problems during the ort Bow. Just ask Drummond,
he'll tell you all about it. It looks like Helena
thinks she found a way out of this severed floor assignment.

Speaker 3 (29:03):
And Father approves.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
Fingers crossed, big smile. Surely Daddy Jame won't force her
to go back down there with those awful innies. He
knows how truly evil they are. Helly has misjudged the
importance of the work of this MDR crew to the company.
Not only does Father approve, Father encouraged it. And no,
I don't believe Drummond is also James's son. He's using

(29:26):
it like a title echoing Helena. So much for Daddy
Jame bailing hapless Helena out of another severed adventure. As
the inscrutable Helly are, make no mistake, She's going back
down to the severed floor. Do not pass, go, do
not collect. Two hundred dollars cut to a down angle
exterior of the Lumen parking lot several cars from various
eras of Detroit are parked nose to nose, with a

(29:49):
ridge of snow running between them. Marks Volvo pulls into
the only empty slot. As we watch Mark park, we
can hear Natalie continue in voiceover it's a risk. We
know this, She says, there's no other solution.

Speaker 3 (30:03):
Mark ass won't work without.

Speaker 2 (30:04):
Her demand original helly are except no substitutes. Drummond seems
like an old school cure guy. We cut back to
him at the end of this talk bit.

Speaker 1 (30:14):
And the work is mysterious and important.

Speaker 2 (30:17):
You keep telling yourself that Drummond old buddy because of
the work being both mysterious and important. He concludes, so
we must give him her. Sorry, Helena, it may be
your body and all, but this is for the company.
You understand.

Speaker 3 (30:31):
The board appreciates your sacrifice.

Speaker 2 (30:33):
Cut to a side view of the large staircase leading
down to the severed elevator access area. Helena, dressed all
in blue under her red hair, is descending. Drummond and
the work seem to have won this debate. Jumpcats to
standing in the open elevator door. Helly Ara is about
to make her first appearance down on the severed floor
since before the OTC. Helena turns and puts her lanyard

(30:56):
around her neck. I don't understand why Helena is so worried.
Like Natalie said, it's not her, it's her any She's
not going to experience or even be aware of anything
that happens to her in the next eight hours or so,
short of another suicide attempt. What does she care? What
Helly are is up to? Oh man, I love the
elevator transition. Brit goes from annoyed arras to hunted animal

(31:20):
in the space of a few seconds. Her eyes get wide.
You can feel the tension invading her body. Helena gets
her Zollie and her ding. When the elevator door is open,
it's a fearal Helly r who is behind them? Think
about her last memories. How long was she conscious beside
that freezing stream before they switched her back. What did

(31:40):
they tell her? Helly's recent memories include being tackled at
the galla, then waking briefly out in the woods beside
a freezing stream with her mouth and nose full of water.
I don't know if I'd be as calm as she is.
Helly's greeted as the elevator door is open by none
other than Missus Wong. Miss Wang is sitting peacefully with
her hands in her lap. She's on the three cushion

(32:02):
bench and the severed elevator lobby. The frightening new painting
of Cure pardoning his Betrayer's looms behind her. The bench
she's sitting on has an interesting story. It was provided
to the production by vintage furniture dealer Rarefy. Rarefy provided
several pieces used throughout the show, including an incredibly rare
Gerald LUs Credenza. Will glimpse it when we visit Burtonfield's home.

(32:26):
This lobby bench started its life as a four seater.
It was originally designed by John Barringer for Fabric Associates.
It's a vintage piece that came out of an office
building in none other than Columbus, Indiana. The Severn set
Deck crew modified this bench to its current three seat configuration.
They also re upholstered it seems like it would have

(32:47):
been easier to build one from scratch. The original covering
was blue. They needed something in severed green for the
severed floor.

Speaker 5 (33:00):
Good morning, Helly are man?

Speaker 2 (33:02):
Is she creepy, quick weird aside here. I covered this
in the epicap but also wanted to point it out.
Several commenters mentioned the wounds on the side of the
head of each buried Macrodad in the painting. These bloody
spots roughly approximate the spot where Cobell drilled for PD's chip.
Does this painting imply Kure was removing Macrodat chips with

(33:24):
his sword? I don't think so, but it is an
interesting spot for a wound, considering their severed condition. Helly
is standing in the doorway of the elevator like she's
ready for a fight. Are we certain this is Helly
R this time?

Speaker 3 (33:38):
Who the fuck are you?

Speaker 2 (33:39):
Yep, it's Helly. Miss Wong is nothing but sunshine and smiles.
She rises from the bench and takes a couple of
steps towards the elevator and Miss Swan, Yeah, like that
helps anything. You were directing traffic as a crossing guard
the last time Helly R was on this floor. She
needs a bit more backstory than your name. We cut
to his side view of Miss Wog. We are actually

(34:01):
a few feet down the hallway to the left. As
you exit the elevator, check the shaky cam looking back
towards the elevator lobby. This is different and it's a
director's choice. The severed floor shots are always sedate and
solid Dolly shots. What's happening here? The director wants us
to experience Helly's shakiness and uncertainty during her first moments

(34:22):
back on the severed floor. Please following me, Sure, just
top off the severed elevator and follow a random schoolgirl.
Helly R. Must wonder what the heckx happens and she's
been gone.

Speaker 5 (34:32):
Mister Milchik Clok explained.

Speaker 2 (34:33):
At least that's a name Helly R. Would recognize, although
the last time she saw mister Miltchik he was a
short sleeved wearing floor manager with about as much authority
as Miss Wong. These days, he's wearing a suit coat
and sitting in the big chair, even if his computer
does still say hello to Miss Cobell. Make sure to
check Helly's fists. From the moment she transitions, britt Lauer
has them clenched to the point her knuckles are white.

(34:56):
Helly R. Is ready to punch anybody who might try
anything funny near her. She gives the enormous and bizarre
painting a long look as we hear the elevator door
close behind her. There's some hesitation, but Helly R eventually
does head off in the same direction as the random schoolgirl.
There are a few seconds of follow shot here. I
really think this is to let us see Helly R's walk.

(35:17):
She's definitely back. There's no way Helena Egan would be
caught dead trumping down the hallway like a teamster at
quitting time. They turn a familiar corner to find Mark
and Dylan waiting. They're standing in miss Wong's space, the
management outer office. You can see this exchange makes Helly frown.

(35:38):
Why would they be worried about whether this was her
any or not. Mark also has a look of concern
on his face. They are just about to address the
situation when Melchik's door opens.

Speaker 3 (35:48):
Mdr together again.

Speaker 2 (35:51):
Well at least seventy five percent together. Miltchik is standing
with his hands at his sides in the unusually narrow
doorway leading to his new office.

Speaker 3 (36:00):
Come on in.

Speaker 2 (36:01):
Helly storms into the room. She pushes between Mark and
Dylan to be the first one through Miltchic's door.

Speaker 5 (36:06):
I need to know what's going.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
On, Patience, helly You know how mister Miltchik likes a
bit of drama when he delivers news. He'll get to it,
just give him some time. Even though this is helly Are,
she does retain that big Egan energy, doesn't she like?

Speaker 7 (36:21):
Right now?

Speaker 2 (36:21):
Dylan follows through the door with a question of his
own we're serving? I think we know the answer to
that one. I'm pretty sure Dylan does too. He just
doesn't want to face the fact helly also has some
interest in herb Why was he trying to drown me?
Dylan has the answer for this one already chambered.

Speaker 5 (36:38):
Because you're fucking Megan.

Speaker 2 (36:39):
Helly Are shoots him a glance. She hasn't put it
all together yet, but things are starting to clarify.

Speaker 5 (36:45):
Was she spying on us?

Speaker 1 (36:46):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (36:46):
Yeah, you think the daughter of the CEO was hanging
out with you for the marshmallows. Helly Are is understandably
shocked by this revelation. Wait what, Dylan has already tried
and convicted her the whole time, as in since they
first returned to the severed floor the week after the OTC.
But guys, you're not taking the Inni into account. She

(37:08):
was acting as her audi. The inny wasn't around and
couldn't even stop it. You can't blame the inny. Miltchik
tries to calm the fray with his meter delivery and
golden tones.

Speaker 3 (37:19):
It's called a Glasgow block.

Speaker 2 (37:21):
He starts to explain how it allows one's oudi two,
but he's not allowed to finish. Helly has put it
all together.

Speaker 5 (37:27):
Wait will wait?

Speaker 4 (37:28):
Are you saying that she was down here as me?

Speaker 2 (37:31):
Helly is truly disgusted by this idea. You can see
it in her eyes, wounded and betrayed. Mark isn't looking
at Helly's eyes.

Speaker 5 (37:39):
Maybe she still is.

Speaker 2 (37:40):
Wait to get all defensive and protective, Mark, but you're
about three days too late with this attitude. You can
be mad at Helena all you want, but don't take
it out on Helly. You're not blameless here either. You
did go to Helena's tent on Saturday night. Sure she
was acting like Helly, but you've got to admit you
had your suspicions. Now that you realize you've been doing

(38:00):
taking it out on the wrong persona Helly r is
even more in the dark about what really happened during
the ort Bow than you are. Adam Scott said he
really pushed for there to be concerns about Helly's trustworthiness.
Even though Helly R had nothing to do with the deception,
there would logically be some residual concern regarding this person's
true identity. For all Mark knows, Helenam may have sharpened

(38:24):
her Helly R impersonation and is still acting as an impostor.
We need to interrupt this conversation so you can go
wash your hands, refiner. Severed will be here right back.

Speaker 7 (38:38):
Hello, Refiners, this is your beloved leader, Ker Egan. Actually
it's Mark Keller, who plays Ker Egan on Severance for
the latest on stopping the MDR Rebellion. I like to
check in with Severed the Ultimate Severance Podcast.

Speaker 2 (38:57):
Dylan's frustrations are focused elsewhere. He couldn't care less about
the love triangle Mark, Helly and Helena have gotten themselves into.
He's still meeting an update on his MDR buddies.

Speaker 5 (39:08):
Hey, I repeat myself, where is irving?

Speaker 2 (39:10):
Dylan was at the top of the waterfall when irv's
termination went down, but I can't imagine he doesn't have
any idea as to Irv's fate.

Speaker 5 (39:18):
Yeah, where is he?

Speaker 2 (39:19):
Come on, Mark, surely you know you were down there.
Mark's lack of recall regarding Irving's fate might speak to
how much of the events immediately preceding their switch were
erased from their memory. If Luman has as much control
in the Deeter Egan Forest as I think they do,
erasing a few minutes of perception from each Inny's memory
would be no problem. Helly claims to be confused. Dylan

(39:43):
starts pounding a fist into his other hand to punctuate
his words. Answer my question, Mister Miltchik has about had enough.
This outburst is unbecoming a severed floor worker. Both Ben
Stiller and Dan Erickson have claimed in interviews the innies
this season have matured to roughly adolescens. Dylan's outburst sounds
like a thirteen year old tantrum. Mister Miltchik has reached

(40:05):
the limits of his patients. He answers Dylan's outburst with
a low and frightening excuse me, whoa time to back
it down? Guys, teachers, mad, This might get ugly. There's
a long pause. Dylan realizes he may have stepped over
a line. Mark also pauses and rethinks his verbal attack.
Miltchik takes advantage of the pause. It sounds like the

(40:27):
lumen spin has already been established. Miltchik relates the company line.

Speaker 3 (40:32):
Helena Egan, in her executive capacity, was conducting valuable research.

Speaker 2 (40:37):
Oh okay, research, not spying on the innies to see
what happened during the OTC. This research proved to be
very invasive. There's another capacity Helena Egan was occupying, which
Helly R Is very concerned.

Speaker 4 (40:51):
About by stealing my fucking body.

Speaker 2 (40:53):
In fairness, it was her body long before you started
to use it. Sure you're sharing it now, But Helen
been occupying this particular meat suit since her actual birth.
So how does IRV figure into all of this? According
to Seth, IRV didn't know what management was up to.
Of course he didn't. Neither did you or anyone else
on the severed floor. You were all duped by Helena

(41:15):
and the decisions of the gang in the C suite.
IRV is the only one who took decisive action regarding
this deception.

Speaker 3 (41:22):
And in so doing he nearly drowned you.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
Well, he nearly drowned Helena. But the effect would have
been the same. If you killed the body, you kill
the Audi, but you also kill whatever innies may have
been residing there as well. It comes down to Irving
couldn't be allowed to kill Helena, and Luman couldn't kill Irving.

Speaker 3 (41:41):
Our only option was permanent dismissal.

Speaker 2 (41:43):
Oh I wouldn't say only option. Maybe from the vantage
point of the conference room, it was their only option.
Any IRV is truly gone. For some reason, the very
decisive and dramatic end to his any existence during the
Ortbow wasn't enough to convince the MDR crew unless, as mentioned,
the whole sordid business was erased from their memories. This

(42:03):
pronouncement from mister Miltchik seals the deals. So he is dead, Yes,
just like we all witnessed in no uncertain terms out
by the waterfall. No huh, but you just said what
about it will be like you never drew breath.

Speaker 3 (42:18):
Irvingbe's AUDI has departed on an elongated cruise voyage.

Speaker 2 (42:21):
Oh well, okay, sure his AUDI continues to exist, although
his Audi is not really going on a cruise. Miltchik's
default setting is lie to the innies. I'm also curious
would innies even know what a cruise voyage is. This
mention of a cruise might be a sidelong reference to
what we think is Irv's naval career. Ever since IRV

(42:43):
opened that foot locker in season one, a lot of
theorists have identified his Audi as being former military, specifically
based on the sailor's uniform. They think IRV was in
the navy, and because of his dog a radar operator.
Keep in mind, we have absolutely no proof about any
of this. Some of Herb's vocabulary, both as in Any
and Audi, also hints at military service. Herbs Audi really

(43:08):
isn't the topic of discussion here. Dylan puts it quite eloquently.

Speaker 3 (43:12):
I don't give three dry focks about his Audi.

Speaker 2 (43:15):
Dylan doesn't banter with herbs Audi while they're working. He
doesn't have lunch with him. What does Dylan care about
herbs Audi? Helly is still processing the Helena deception.

Speaker 3 (43:27):
She doesn't.

Speaker 5 (43:27):
She doesn't have the right to take my identity.

Speaker 2 (43:30):
No, she doesn't, especially when you consider how she used
your identity to manipulate and sexually assault any mark. There's
a long and uncomfortable pause here, mister Miltchake. Ever, the
wise leader takes advantage of the break in the discussion,
he decides to impart a parable to the Innies.

Speaker 3 (43:47):
Have you ever heard the story of the gluxupin the
what now the glux?

Speaker 2 (43:51):
Supin mark looking befuddled answers for the.

Speaker 5 (43:55):
Group, Let's assume we haven't.

Speaker 2 (43:57):
That word, Seth said, is a real Swedish word and
an actual historical occurrence. The thing is, when they wrote
this word into the script, nobody knew how it was pronounced.
If you sounded out with the twenty six character Arabic alphabet,
it looks like it would be graw cappin. This is
ignoring special characters and symbols that affect pronunciation. Ben Stiller

(44:18):
said it was Tremel Tillman who came up with the
pronunciation you hear in the show. Tremmell did his own
independent research as part of his character prep. One of
the big reasons he chose this particular pronunciation is because
it made the crew laugh when he used it on set.
When mister t came to set, he was ready with
three different pronunciations, all of them had some basis in

(44:40):
Swedish pronunciation rules at the time. He also believed this
was a made up word. He figured if it's not
a real word, there would be no actual pronunciation. Ben
Stillers says it differently, but admits he has no idea
how it's really pronounced. Of course, no one on set
had any reason to question mister Tillman. He'd done the homework,
so his version of the word became the go to

(45:02):
for the production. I truly admired Tremuel Tillman for putting
in the extra work to research the pronunciation of this word.
Even so, I'm afraid he's not close. During a late
show interview, Stephen Colbert read some reviews of Tillman's pronunciation.

Speaker 8 (45:19):
The pronunciation of grashupin in seven, Season two, episode five
is straight up the worst pronunciation, worstleatest pronunciation I have
ever heard.

Speaker 2 (45:27):
Trummel got points for trying, but still.

Speaker 8 (45:30):
The way Miltchik said grashupin is a crime against Swedish law.

Speaker 2 (45:34):
This left me wondering how you say this word and
if it's even a real word. Patron refiner tesh r
alerted me to the existence of a refiner and Facebook
contributor named Robin b. Robin is an actual Swedish person
who speaks Swedish Robin quite helpfully posted this interpretation of

(45:54):
the word to Facebook.

Speaker 5 (45:56):
Get a cup bung.

Speaker 2 (45:57):
So what we have is a case of potato the
gluckschupin potato giddle Kappung. I think Tremmel Tillman is a
great guy, but in this case my money is on
the actual Swedish person. No matter how you say it,
it's a real Swedish word, and this story behind the
word is true. Carl the eleventh was the king of
Sweden from sixteen seventy two until sixteen ninety seven. The

(46:19):
word means the gray cloak or the gray jacket. It
was the people's nickname for Carl. He was known to
wear a simple gray cloak when he would inspect various officials.
Dressing like a commoner allowed Carl a bit of anonymity.
Other rulers have done the same kind of thing, but
Carl is the only one who had it so closely
tied to his identity. It became his nickname giddle Kappung.

(46:43):
While telling the story, Miltchik mentions Keir's ether factories we
know from the Sweet Vitriol episode here really did have
at least one ether factory. I do hope he learned
more about the production of ether than when he claimed
to be cooking it over an open fire. Says' story
is an attempt to convince the innies what happened with
Helena down on the severed floor is nothing to be

(47:05):
upset about. She wasn't spying. Miss Egan was merely engaging
in the time honored tradition of.

Speaker 5 (47:11):
Get kapung or at least the sheep.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
Instead of moving among the peasants the way Carl did,
she was using her cloak of helly to allow her
to move among the innies.

Speaker 5 (47:22):
This smells like horseshit.

Speaker 3 (47:25):
Yeah, Swedish horseshit.

Speaker 5 (47:27):
And Irving is still dead.

Speaker 2 (47:28):
Miltchik tries to repeat the lie about Irv and his
elongated cruise. Dylan cuts him off.

Speaker 5 (47:34):
Yeah, I know. Is he gonna come back or not?

Speaker 2 (47:36):
Seth meets Dylan's gaze for several long moments. He takes
a deep breath and sits back in his chair.

Speaker 3 (47:41):
He is not.

Speaker 2 (47:42):
There is no way to come back from attempting to
drown the boss. Mark senses the truth of Sess' admission.

Speaker 5 (47:49):
Wow, some actual honesty.

Speaker 2 (47:50):
Mark turns away with a disgusted look. Dylan isn't letting
it go.

Speaker 5 (47:54):
So easily, You fucking murderers.

Speaker 2 (47:57):
Even Helly are piles on. Can't just be Oh, but
they can and they did. Meltchik then says, you'll get
used to it in the most Meltchik way possible.

Speaker 3 (48:07):
It would take time to absorb all that has occurred.

Speaker 2 (48:09):
So to review, Helly's back for real. She's pissed and confused,
but she is present. Also, Irving is definitely not coming back.
Good meeting gang this well, Meltchik stands and buttons his code.
He plans to escort the gang damndr.

Speaker 3 (48:23):
And help reacclimate you to your work environment.

Speaker 2 (48:26):
You can tell from her face Helly feels violated. She's
staring straight ahead, unblinking. Just wait until she hears the
rest of the ortmost story. Out in the hallway, mister
Miltchick is leading his reduced MDR crew back to their workspace.
Dylan pauses just inside the main doors.

Speaker 3 (48:43):
What in the abominable fuck?

Speaker 2 (48:46):
We can't see what he's seeing just yet. A potential
listener contacted me a couple of weeks ago, asking if
I remove the profanity from the podcast. They said they
watch an edited profanity free version of severance. I couldn't
even imagine such a thing. I explained that I don't swear.
It's just not who I am. I also sound awkward

(49:08):
doing it, I told them, even though I don't use
offensive language, I would never edit it out of the show. Hey,
I find Dylan a bit off putting A lot of
the time. His choice of vocabulary is intended to be offensive.
He usually hits the mark. But, and this is very important,
that's Dylan. The way he expresses himself is an important

(49:29):
part of his character. His attitudes and beliefs are mirrored
in his speech. If you take that away from him,
you're left with a very different and far less interesting character.
Mark is the last to enter the newly reconfigured MDR.
He walks past Helly and Dylan directly to the Diamond Desk.
Helly falls into step behind him, but Dylan hangs back.

(49:50):
When the shot widens, we can see the formerly four
seat Diamond Desk has lost a workstation. The dividers have
been moved, so they create thirds instead of quarters. This
is odd. In the past, when the MDR crew lost
a refiner, they were replaced. Dylan was a replacement for
Carol Helly was a replacement for Petie. Keeping four folks

(50:11):
around the diamond desks seemed to be important to the
proper operation of MDR. Based on this new configuration, four
must not be an absolute necessity. Speaking of fours, don't
miss this amazing detail pointed out by volunteer researcher of
NP as Mark and Helly cross in front of Miltchik.
The code rack is in its usual spot along the

(50:32):
wall behind Miltchik. Last season, Andrew Baseman told us how
they would configure things in MDR in fours as a
way to mirror the four Macrodats. For example, there used
to be four coat hangers on the cote rack. Not anymore.
We are down one refiner. That means we're also short
one coat hanger on the rack. Luhmann does not miss

(50:53):
a trick because the Severance set deck crew is incredible.
Before the Macrodats take a seat at the reeconfigure your
diamond desk. You need a quick wellness session. Refiner Severed
will be here right back. Hi.

Speaker 4 (51:09):
I'm Adam Scott. I play mark s on Severance, which
you likely already know since you're listening to sever did
the ultimate Severance podcast.

Speaker 2 (51:20):
As Mark and Helly approach, Helly sees the characters already
on the walls of one of the cubicles. She gestures
to Dylan, saying this is him.

Speaker 5 (51:29):
Oh no, I'm not going near that day.

Speaker 2 (51:30):
Miltchik is standing by feet together at attention, arms at
his side, He implores Dylan.

Speaker 1 (51:36):
Please.

Speaker 2 (51:37):
Dylan grudgingly steps to his workstation.

Speaker 5 (51:40):
If you're taking feedback, I hate.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
It, Helly quickly agrees same. We are given a down
angle view with the diamond desk centered in the frame.
The new configuration is heartbreaking. This new diamond desk configuration
is a pinwheel. We've gone from a lucky four leaf
clover to a common three leaf. The center post is
now a triangle, all three of them remaining Macrodat's power
on their machines. Helly Ar has no trouble finding her switch.

Speaker 3 (52:05):
The orbo is a challenge for us all in ways
expected and no.

Speaker 2 (52:10):
A challenge is a bit of an understatement. The ortbow
unmasked the Helly impostor and cause the death of any
irv all in about a twenty four hour period. Dylan
is taking inventory of his desktop when he picks up
the picture frame. This is pretty harsh. Someone has amended
the MDR group photo taken on Helly's second day at work. IRV,
who was standing to the far left of the picture,

(52:32):
has been drawn out. They didn't try to recenter the
rest of the group or anything. They left an obvious
hole to the left, the diamond desk being changed from
four seats to three, the photo with the obvious missing
macrodat the missing coat hanger. It's like Luman wants to
make sure the others don't forget what happened to IRV.
IRV becomes a cautionary tale to the other innies. You

(52:55):
need to make an effort to be more get along,
go along, or you might get dead like IRV. After
Dylan considers the amended photo, he has an example of
one of those ways none.

Speaker 1 (53:07):
I mean, like Jamie Egan's daughter grushuponing us.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
This statement gave me pause. When did they tell Dylan
who Helena was on the outside The macrodats know, or
at least they're assuming she's an Egan. This is based
on her pronouncement at the waterfall.

Speaker 5 (53:24):
Hey, he's an Egan.

Speaker 2 (53:26):
He must have been right, or they'd have corrected the
information by now. So IRV got the Egan part right.
Then Miltchik confirmed her name was Helena. Neither IRV nor
Dylan ever guess she was specifically Jamee Egan's daughter. I
also don't remember anyone else ever telling the Innies who
she was. Either they were told off camera or Dylan's

(53:47):
making a really good educated guess here. Dylan's comment gets
a disapproving glance from Helly.

Speaker 3 (53:53):
R Careful Dylan, Lords of Consequences.

Speaker 2 (53:57):
He approaches Dylan quickly, but with a.

Speaker 3 (54:00):
I'd hate to re send certain privileges.

Speaker 2 (54:02):
As in those Oudy family visitation privileges you were recently awarded.
His message is clearly received. Nice cut in of Mark.
He's glancing over the divider tops in MDR with a
worried expression. What privileges is mister Miltchik talking about Everyone
is settled in, but with some sour expressions. Miltchik points
out how their items have been moved to the new

(54:24):
try stations.

Speaker 3 (54:26):
Hall passes will still be available.

Speaker 2 (54:27):
Oh good, we can go be terrorized by goat people again. Oops,
looks like a continuity error here. Dylan's computer should be
booting up. We saw him flip his workstation switch the
same time as Helly. Even though he should be in
boot up mode, his monitor remains dark in the background.
As he's talking here, Dylan turns away from his try
station and interrupts, mister Miltchak.

Speaker 5 (54:49):
Let us have a funeral.

Speaker 2 (54:50):
At first this is met with silence. Then I'm sorry,
Dylan says, Irving is a person and he's gone, so
we'd like to have a funeral. Let's not confuse this
with the weird party they threw for Bert when he
was sent up for the final time.

Speaker 5 (55:06):
On a retirement party.

Speaker 2 (55:08):
A funeral as in any Dylan's most likely never attended
a funeral. He knows what one is and why you'd
have it, but none of these specifics involved. This must
be one of those institutional memories that came with Dylan
when he was switched. The look of defeat on Miltchik's
face made me chuckle.

Speaker 3 (55:25):
A funeral.

Speaker 2 (55:26):
I was surprised he didn't let loose with a long
and heavy sigh, Seth almost shrugs as he turns to
department head Mark.

Speaker 3 (55:33):
S is this Mdr's position.

Speaker 2 (55:36):
Mark keeps staring at his monitor. He's hoping he's invisible,
but it's not working, dude, Some solidarity here would be nice.
Mark glances to Miltchik, pauses, then answers the.

Speaker 4 (55:48):
Question, sure, as long as it's quick.

Speaker 2 (55:50):
Marcus is not much of a politician. He manages to
tick everybody off with that one. Miltchik would rather they
don't do anything. The commemorators dismissal and wants something profound
quick quick.

Speaker 5 (56:03):
Yes, so it doesn't take up the whole.

Speaker 2 (56:05):
Day doing something, but then making it quick becomes the
unsatisfying middle ground between these two options. Seth claims he
will put something together in regard to a funeral.

Speaker 3 (56:15):
In the meantime, let's make some forward progress on the
files at end, shall we?

Speaker 2 (56:20):
As Seth is leaving the MDR area, Dylan mutters at
thank you. At the same time he pushes the petition
up between himself and Mark s not you. Mark is
not one of his favorite people right now. Something jumps
into Mark's head. He considers whatever it is for a moment,
then watches into a coughing fit. He uses it as

(56:41):
a reason to head for the bathroom. Helly and Dylan
share a concerned look as Mark exits out in the halls.
Mister Miltchik has pulled out his monster ulophone.

Speaker 3 (56:50):
Miss Wong, we needs already a bereavement kit for MDR.

Speaker 2 (56:54):
Considering things like death don't happen here. I'm surprised they
would have as standard bereval and kit Seth tells mis
Wong to meet him in the back office. In the bathroom,
Mark is looking at himself in the mirror. The expression
on his face is freaked out. I'm almost wondering if
he had some kind of reintegration bump we didn't see.
There's a knock at the bathroom door, mar My, how

(57:16):
the tables have turned? Last season it was Mark knocking
on the door while Helly was hiding out in the bathroom,
just like Mark did. She gives him fair warning, I'm
gonna come in. Mark reacts like maybe he's not up
for visitors, but then backs down, coming in really and
seriously this time, no stopping her Mark. What's a napkin

(57:36):
at the sink? As Helly? Enters do not miss the
duality of Helly in this shot. Mister Donovan obviously has
a sophisticated visual vocabulary. I didn't figure Ben Stiller would
hand the reins over to someone without mad skills. We're
worried about Helly being split in two. Well, here she
is split in two or round Mark. While he is
at the sink. Helly is showing up in a sliver

(57:58):
of mirror on the right side of the frame. Her
positive image is bookending the frame on the left. Very cool,
Are you okay? Mark says no, not really.

Speaker 6 (58:08):
Yeah, seriously fucked up?

Speaker 2 (58:10):
Mark agrees. There's a pause. Then Helly asked the question
that's been on her mind since Miltchik's office.

Speaker 5 (58:17):
He couldn't tell that she wasn't me.

Speaker 2 (58:20):
Listen, Helly, she looked, sounded, acted, and even smelled like you. Okay,
So admittedly sometimes the acting wasn't so great, but Mark
was blinded by the rest of it. I mean, a
bunch of us could see it, but not Mark obviously not.
Come on, Helly, you need to give the guy a break.
The conversation turned. Now she's making him sound like a
cheating spouse, like how about very much the same, identical

(58:45):
almost like you? Exactly like you? Mark? You maybe you
should have stopped talking right there, He adds an ore,
which made me cringe, then continues.

Speaker 5 (58:56):
You're like her. I don't know, I don't know who
you are.

Speaker 2 (59:00):
I guess, stop being a drama king. Mark. My first
reaction to this statement was, oh, yes you do. I
was not alone in this thought.

Speaker 5 (59:08):
Yes you do.

Speaker 2 (59:09):
Mark is feeling betrayed, and he was betrayed by a
woman who looks exactly like you, Helly. Even in the
most normal of circumstances, this would be a lot to
get your head around. Okay, personally, I don't think Mark
is being very fair or understanding in this situation. Yes,
he was hurt, but think about Helly R and what
she's going through.

Speaker 6 (59:31):
It's not my fault that my audie hijacked me.

Speaker 2 (59:33):
There's no way Helly R could have even known what
was happening. There was definitely no way for her to
make it stop. Mark is making perfunctory sympathetic noises, but
you can tell he doesn't mean it.

Speaker 5 (59:44):
Yeah, no, no, totally, I get it. It sucks.

Speaker 2 (59:47):
I'm not thinking you really do get it, mister scount.
Helly is sensing his defensiveness. Mark is hiding something and
he's not very good at it.

Speaker 1 (59:55):
Mark, Yeah, what happened to you up there?

Speaker 2 (59:58):
He had sex with you, OUDI, but there's no way
he could admit it to you. Right now. Instead, he
says it doesn't matter and pushes past her.

Speaker 3 (01:00:06):
It doesn't matter.

Speaker 5 (01:00:07):
Nope, do you want to hear what happened to me?

Speaker 2 (01:00:09):
So what happened to her? She's been on ice since
the gala? Well, unless maybe she means the gala. She
hasn't told him about that bizarre experience yet. Mark is
not interested. He does not want to hear what happened
to her.

Speaker 5 (01:00:22):
And let's just try to forget it.

Speaker 1 (01:00:25):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:00:27):
Mark is having a lot of trouble processing the fact
he had sex with Helena Egan. She tricked him, and
now he's feeling guilty, violated, and weird. Unfortunately, it's Helly
r who's going to have to help him work through
what happened. She has some ideas that are going to
make Mark feel a lot better about everything.

Speaker 1 (01:00:44):
You just wait.

Speaker 2 (01:00:45):
We cut to close ups in the management office back room.
A print job is working. There's a close up of
the Macrodat coffee mugs. Each is emblazoned with a character
line drawing of one of our four refiners. Continuous perforated
paper is rolling through a large format dot matrix printer.
Does any of this ring a bell with you?

Speaker 1 (01:01:03):
For what?

Speaker 2 (01:01:04):
Little printing we do anymore. Laser printers have almost entirely
replaced the venerable dot matrix. The dot matrix printer broke
images down into points, then printed them out one line
of points at a time, using the ink from a
printer ribbon. It was almost a computer version of pointalism.
This dot matrix printer is one of the fastest I've

(01:01:24):
ever seen. It's probably because they aren't really printing anything.
Those sheets you can see being belched out of the
printer were pre printed. An actual dot matrix printer would
take a maddeningly long time to print a banner this size. Also,
it wouldn't be nearly that dark. The ink used by
those printer ribbons didn't cover very well.

Speaker 3 (01:01:43):
I thought bereavement events were for any to die on
the floor.

Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
First thought, just how often are any's dying on the floor?
The thought immediately behind that one, how would you know?
Ms Wong, you've been here a week. You should still
be asking for directions to the bathroom. But you know
the intricacies of severed floor policy regarding dead innies? Who
are you? No surprise? Irving is a special case.

Speaker 1 (01:02:09):
Well.

Speaker 3 (01:02:09):
The affections index for Irving b was in the high sixties.

Speaker 2 (01:02:12):
Remember the Q score that was such a big deal
back in the eighties and nineties. It's still around, but
it doesn't have quite the power over Hollywood it once did.
The Q score is a measurement of the appeal of
a brand, company, entertainment product, or, most importantly, a celebrity.
Celebrities used to have their Q scores memorized. There was
a time when a high Q score could be the

(01:02:34):
edge needed to land a proven star a leading role.
This Affection's Index sounds like it might be a similar
kind of metric. I'm just curious as to when they're
doing the measurements. Miltchik also believes a bereavement event has
a greater purpose.

Speaker 3 (01:02:50):
It will help the others to grieve.

Speaker 2 (01:02:51):
Seth and ms Wong continue to prepare the bereavement items
in silence. The shots we're getting here are very claustrophobic.
Ms Wong somewhat but awkwardly, initiates a conversation. I say
a question, Seth says she may miss Wong makes a
face and shakes her head.

Speaker 3 (01:03:08):
You shouldn't let them have a funeral.

Speaker 2 (01:03:09):
Seth pauses to look up at.

Speaker 3 (01:03:11):
Her, makes them feel like people.

Speaker 2 (01:03:13):
Okay, so it sounds like miss Wong has been attending
a lumen school. If you instill a strong hatred for
the ENnies while they're young, the prejudice will stay with
them throughout their lives. I think this comment and way
of thinking would also indicate Miss Wong is not severed.
Seth points out that was not a question.

Speaker 3 (01:03:32):
I was an opinion unsolicited.

Speaker 2 (01:03:36):
He looks perturbed by questioning the validity of the funeral.
She is challenging his management of the severed floor. Miss
Wang zags to a new topic.

Speaker 3 (01:03:45):
Your first performance reviews today.

Speaker 2 (01:03:47):
Right, this child has an evil side. She's taunting mister
m She knows he's had a rough couple of weeks.
Seth did allow an OTC to happen on his watch.
There was also the incident when Helena Egan was practically
drowned by another any during his ortbow. We'll find out.
There's another reason Miss Wong is particularly interested in this review.

(01:04:08):
As Tremel Tillman tells us in the post show, it
was Miss Wong who turned him in for one of
his contentions. I'll point it out when we get there.
I think this smug, little smile is her anticipating Seth
getting in trouble due to her complaint. We need to
interrupt these two for a moment, Refiner. We'll get back
to bereavement prep in a moment right now. I've got

(01:04:29):
an additional vending machine token for you. Severed will be
here right back.

Speaker 3 (01:04:36):
Hey, this is Ben Stiller.

Speaker 2 (01:04:38):
Thanks for listening to Severed the Ultimate Severance Podcast. Mister
Miltchik is obviously bothered by the thought of his impending review.
He glances over at miss Wong with a haunted look
in his eye, but doesn't say anything.

Speaker 4 (01:04:53):
That was a question.

Speaker 2 (01:04:54):
Well, now she is a bit of a smart ass,
isn't she. Seth realizes she's trying to get to him
may be working, but he decides to ignore this subtle
but pointed bit of harassment.

Speaker 3 (01:05:05):
Already the refreshments.

Speaker 2 (01:05:07):
Besides, there is still much to be done when it
comes to readying herv's bereavement kit.

Speaker 3 (01:05:11):
You focus on the mournful signage.

Speaker 2 (01:05:13):
Conversation over we cut to a video screen mounted in
a paneled wall. A very low res animation is visible
on the screen. There's an animated red curtain as backdrop.
A chunky, pixelated lumen logo over the curtain, and an
animated Irving walking out in front of the curtain. When
Irving is centered under the logo, he squares up to
the camera, smiles and waves. I cannot stress how very

(01:05:37):
low res and incredibly basic this animation is. I'm remembering
better game animation than this in the late nineteen eighties.
The low res eight bit musical piece you're hearing is
probably familiar. This is Friedrich Chopin's piano Sonata number two
in B flat minor. It is more commonly referred to

(01:05:59):
as the Funeral March. These days, you could probably make
this Irving animation on your phone after a few minutes
an iMovie. We might want to check with Adam Brustein
of Kent Street Video to see if that's what he did.
Adam's the one who produced this animation. Kent Street was
also the company behind the one hundred percent Here animation
hell he saw at the end of her first completed file.

(01:06:21):
They are good at the retro looking animations. We're still
looking at animated IRV, but we can hear Seth in voiceover.

Speaker 3 (01:06:28):
Today we honor Irving b as.

Speaker 2 (01:06:31):
The Macrodads file into the new and improved breakroom. He
is explaining the normal course of events for retiring any.

Speaker 3 (01:06:38):
Normally, when an Innie goes to be with Kere, we
hold a retirement party which they attend.

Speaker 2 (01:06:44):
Yeah, you remember we went to one when Bert retired.
It's a weird ritual that could only exist on the
severed floor. As Seth is talking, we are seeing irvhead
coffee mugs being picked up by the other Macrodats. It
seems like an odd way to memorialize your departed friend,
although it's perfect for the desktop and it does fit
in nicely with the rest of the weirdness on the

(01:07:05):
severed floor. Seth continues. He claims, due to the sudden
and frigid events which brought us here, that's not feasible.
I thought frigid was an interesting word choice considering conditions
at the ortbow as the Macrodats take their seats, I
wanted to point out something interesting volunteer researcher Vinnie p
discovered about this scene. Jeremy Hindall gave a talk at

(01:07:27):
a Designer's summit in May of twenty twenty five. One
of his slides included rehearsal stills for this gathering in
the break room. In some early versions, irv's funeral was
opened up to more attendees. Hindle displayed an image showing
Elizabeth and Felicia from O and D also attending Herb's services.
As the gang gets settled in, we cut to a

(01:07:49):
long overview shot from the back of the room. We
need to pause on this long shot to talk about
a couple of things. First, take a look at the
podium where Miltchik is standing. This was custom fabricated for
the production under the guidance of set decorator David Schlessinger.
David said it took three rounds of fabrication to get
it right. Then the podium was sent out for powder coating.

(01:08:10):
All of the Mourner chairs are from Cappellini. They are
called folding stitch style chairs. Schlessinger also had those sent
out for powder coating. In case you're unfamiliar with the process.
Powder coating is a method of painting metal objects. It
only works for objects that can hold an electromagnetic charge
and can withstand the heat of the curing process. A dry,

(01:08:31):
powdered color is applied to the object. A negative electric
charge makes the powder adhere evenly over whatever it is
you're painting. The powder is then baked to a shiny,
hard shell, much like the acrylic coatings they bake on ceramics.
David said he uses powder coating so often his crew
makes fun of him about it. Sometimes it seems like
there's nothing Schlessinger won't powder coat. Staying paused on this scene,

(01:08:55):
there's Miss Wong standing off to ces right. It looks
like she's going to provide I have some Theoreman accompaniment
for the proceedings. I think I've mentioned I worked on
Scout camp staff as a teen. I spent eight summers
out in the woods as a counselor. By the time
I was twenty one years old, I'd spent more than
fifty two weeks of my life living in a canvas tent.
You learn a lot about life when you work as

(01:09:17):
a Scout Camp counselor. For instance, Ms Wong is like
the staff member with a guitar. As soon as the
staffer shows up for the summer with a guitar, you
just know they're gonna lug that thing to every camp
event that happens throughout the summer. They're also going to
want to play it and have singalongs. Nobody is much
into it, but you don't want to be rude, so
you wind up singing He's got the whole world in

(01:09:38):
his hands, and Kumbayah about forty times a summer. Ms
Wong seems to have the same attitude about her thereman.
Even though nobody aside from Dan Eriksson is really all
that into it, She's more than happy to force the
Macrodats to sit through a therem and recital whenever she
gets the chance. One more detail. While we're on this
wide shot, I want to focus on the banner behind

(01:10:00):
cess head. There's a Lumin logo to the left, because
there's always a Lumin logo. The large type is Irving
b Across the top. Under his name, it says he
served from quote quarter eight seventy to quarter eight eight two.
This indicates Irving serve for twelve quarters or three years.
This is in conflict with his LinkedIn profile, which shows

(01:10:22):
him being a Lumin employee for nine years. This discrepancy
and how long Irv's served is the basis for the
many reset and clean slight theories about his work history.
IRV may have had a career with Lumen, he doesn't
remember prior to his three years in MDR during the uppercap.
I also had a big issue with the numbering of
the quarters. If you treat eight eight to two as

(01:10:44):
a straight count of quarters, it makes no sense for
quarters to each year would indicate Lumen is more than
two hundred and twenty years old. There's just no way.
I wasn't the only one to be drawn into this
potential discrepancy. On February eighteenth, screen Rant published an entire
article about the possible major timeline plot hole created by

(01:11:06):
episode five. This is why a rewatch like what we're
doing now is so important to improving understanding. We've had
some time to consider other possibilities. What other options are there?
A big thanks to podcast listener and refiner SUNJAYC for
potentially explaining this seeming error. Sunjay interpreted these numbers through

(01:11:29):
a Japanese filter. In Japan is common practice to number
years within the reign of each emperor. If Luman is
counting quarters under each emperor or in their case, CEO,
this numbering system makes a lot more sense. Jame is
the eighth CEO of Lumen, which explains the eight at
the front of these quarter numbers. Jame has been in

(01:11:50):
charge at LUMEN for a total of eighty two quarters
or twenty years and six months. This would put him
in the big chair starting about two thousand and three.
This track with what we know about the development of
the chip and the rough timeline of Leonora's tenure as CEO.
Thank you Refiners sn JC for that explanation of Irv's service.

(01:12:11):
Miltchik has already launched into the memorial portion of our show.

Speaker 3 (01:12:15):
As such, let us each take nine seconds to silently
remember Irving and thank here for our time with him.

Speaker 2 (01:12:22):
This nine second period of reflection seemed random. Volunteer research
of NYP suggested the nine principles as the reason for
the nine seconds. A good guess, but it still seemed
off somehow. Then I started looking into irv's work history.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he's been at LUMEN for
a total of nine years. I think we're taking one

(01:12:42):
second of reflection for each year IRV has served the
Evil Empire. During the nine seconds, we get a reverse
cut from CESSPOV. This shot is looking at the macrodats
and the weird IRV animation check the table in front
of the IRV animation screen. Look familiar, Look closely near
the edge of the table opposite the screen. Those blue

(01:13:02):
marks are filled in handprints. Yep, this is the table
the Macrodats were forced to sit at when repeating the
compunction's statement. The blue highlights show where they used to
put their hands so mister Miltchik could monitor their vitals
and determine their level of regret.

Speaker 3 (01:13:18):
I'm afraid you don't mean it. Excuse again, please.

Speaker 2 (01:13:26):
The screen animated herb appears on is formerly the glass
petition used to display the projected one sheet of the statement.
The breakroom may be gone, but no need to throw
out a good table just because it used to be
a torture device. Paint the hands to make them less threatening,
and we'll use the screen for something there.

Speaker 3 (01:13:44):
You may now lift your heads and open your eyes.

Speaker 2 (01:13:46):
The nine seconds was really more like five.

Speaker 3 (01:13:50):
We will now have a eulogy from Dylan g makes sense.

Speaker 2 (01:13:53):
Dylan was Orb's best buddy at Lumen. I just hope
he can rain in his emotions. Before Dylan makes his
way to the podium, this is where we're going to
have to shut things down for the day. This is
the end of part one of Trojan's Horse Refiner. Next time,
we'll get to Dylan's eulogy plus RB's melon Head. Trust me,
the story of irv's Melonhead is worth the price of admission.

(01:14:14):
That's next time, during part two of Trojan's Horse. As always,
a big thanks to volunteer researcher NTP for his contributions
to this week's podcast. Also a big thanks to those
of you who are leaving comments on the Facebook page,
reddit or as an Apple podcast review. I do read
them all and your kind words and encouragement are very appreciated.
Quick reminder before you leave, get to this Severed Patreon page.

(01:14:36):
Support this Severed podcast by pledging five dollars a month.
Signing up as easy go to patreon dot com slish
Severed Pod. That's patreon dot com slish Severed Pod. You'll
be supporting the podcast and supplementing my retirement income. Now
it's time to shut down your workstation and get to
the elevator refiner. Thanks for coming back again. As always,

(01:14:58):
please stagger your exits.

Speaker 6 (01:15:00):
You've been listening to Severed, the Ultimate Severance podcast. Severed
is written, produced, and hosted by Alan Stair.

Speaker 9 (01:15:08):
Severed is not endorsed by Red Hour Productions, Endeavor Content
or Apple TV Plus. This podcast is intended for entertainment
and informational purposes only.

Speaker 6 (01:15:18):
Severance, the Severance logo, and all video and audio of
Severance and Severance characters are registered trademarks of Red Hour
Endeavor Content, Apple TV Plus, or their respective copyright holders.

Speaker 9 (01:15:30):
Please make sure to leave a five star rating and
review for Severed at Apple Podcasts.

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S2E19 - REWATCH05-PT01 - Trojan's Horse

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