S2E47-ReRun-REWATCH05-PT02-Trojan's Horse

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Severed the Ultimate Severance Podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Hey the Refiner, welcome back for part two of Trojan's Horse.
Since this is part two, I figure there's no need
for formalities. Let's get to it. Dylan was about to
step to the podium in the breakroom to deliver an
Irving eulogy. Get your workstation, it's time to reopen the
file called Trojan's Horse. Uncharacteristically, this eulogy has been coordinated

(00:36):
in advance. Dylan pulls a sheet of paper from inside
his suit coat. He's actually prepared something to use for
his recollections. Dylan places his notes on the podium. He says,
it's hard to pinpoint any specific Irving story.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
The least fun guy in the world. He was really fun.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
He was also kind of all you had, so you
make do. The next comment doesn't even make sense.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
He puts a dick in country.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Dylan gets some odd looks after this line. Is he okay,
oh yeah, there's the Toner's story. IRV put Toner in
Dylan's water cup, but he didn't actually let him drink it.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
Just wanted to make a point, not harm me physically.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
For prepared remarks. This is an odd and disjointed group
of recollections. Dylan mentions how IRV wanted his help with
something towards the end, but he didn't listen.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
He was awesome and I miss him.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Short and sweet heartfelt a nice bit of commentary by
Dylan g.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
A little sugar with their usual salt.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
The reverse cut here feels awkward. The tone is all
over the place. Dylan, Helly, and Mark are sitting in
the stitch chairs, looking somber and sad. Barred Egan is
grinning like an idiot over Mark's shoulder, and animated IRV
keeps up plodding and doing little dance moves whenever the
spotlight hits him. In his series filled with odd images
and weird quotes, mister Miltchik delivers one of the weirdest

(01:56):
quotes yet.

Speaker 4 (01:57):
You may now briefly partake and Irv in fruit.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Heeadms Wong rolls a cafeteria serving cart into the breakroom.
On this cart is a melon bar, which includes one
of the creepiest images you will ever see. It is
a perfectly carved lightness of Irving in melon. When I
say perfectly, this is eerie beyond all bounds. In an

(02:21):
article about the creation of these Images. Entertainment Weekly called
this irvhead melon the most jarring scene yet in the
entire series. Dan Erickson has said the melon bars in
general were inspired by his own actual corporate business experiences.
He loved bringing the weirdness of what he calls being
gifted food in an office setting to the severed floor.

(02:44):
Ben Stiller's concern with this melon bar was the fact
they'd already done not one, but two melon bars in
the first season. How do you ratchet up the stakes
of a melon bar? He was worried if they didn't
do something new and interesting with this round of melon viewers,
we're gonna get bored. Enter Google. Dan said he was
looking at different Google images of melons when he came

(03:05):
across these horrifying carved faces. As soon as he saw them,
he told Hew quote, Okay, yeah, we definitely need to
do this. This is definitely something Luman would do unquote.
Erickson said he was getting uncomfortable when he was writing
this irvhead melon scene. The fact that made him uncomfortable
told him he was on the right track. The stories

(03:25):
surrounding this scene illustrate the disconnect that can happen between
creatives and production people. Creatives and vision, the scene production
people turn it into reality. In the EW interview, Dan
Erickson said, as soon as they rolled in that melon head,
he knew this season was going to work. His vision
had become reality. Ericson was also adamant that what you're

(03:48):
looking at is a real watermelon. He was certain they
really carved a real watermelon to look like IRV. He
claimed they had a couple of them because they kept
getting brown and squishy. His word for word quote from
the interview, I know it was a real watermelon and
they carved it for real. You stick with the word
processor there, Dano. When you're done with the writing, that's

(04:11):
when the production people do their thing to make your
words come to life. In a Polygon interview about this scene,
propmaster Catherine Miller filled in the actual details about creating
this bizarre image. It's probably no surprise that shows sculptor
Pinko Platinkonov was called in on this one. If you're
a regular listener to this podcast, you know that name. Well.

(04:31):
Penko is the guy who produces all the weird custom
lumen items. He's been involved with everything from the Perpetuity
wing mannequins to the waffle party mass worn by the
dancing tempers to the tiny cre in mis Wong's game.
He's the guy who created the seal carcass they found
at What's Hollow. Pinko is a wizard when it comes
to freehand sculpture. He didn't need a model or a

(04:53):
three D scan for this project. Nope, he free handed
Herb's head. But according to Miller, is first attempts were disasters.
Propmaster cat. Miller explained that Pinco had never done fruit
carving before. There was a learning curve. They bought a
bunch of watermelons for him to practice on. He spent
a couple of days carving them up. They called it

(05:14):
Melon R and D. According to Miller, Pinko's carving station
was covered with melon guts and it smelled like a
real melon party. As Miller told Polygon, quote, we learned
quickly that the high water content of the fruit made
it incredibly challenging to carve. It kept turning mushy unquote.
There was also the issue of the shooting schedule. It
wasn't like they were going to get all these shots

(05:36):
in a single afternoon. The shoot schedule for these scenes
was strung out over several months, Platinktov decided there was
no way to create the IRV heead out of real fruit.
The final sculpture was created using a very dense foam
coated with paint and lacquer. The lacquer layers were built
up to create the wet look of an actual watermelon.
Ericson loved using watermelon as the fruit because of its

(05:59):
red color and flesh like appearance. The irvhead is intended
to feel like a bloody face looking at you and
boil boy. Does it ever, you may be saying, now,
hold on, didn't they actually eat it? Oh? Yeah, they did,
And this was something Erickson was adamant they do. It's
not weird enough just to view the bloody IRV head.

(06:20):
You can only truly experience the corporate horror if you're
actually partaking of a slice of skull. Erickson said it
well in his EW interview. There's something just so horrific
and ritualistic about it, which again feels right for Lumen.
Creating the eating effect required a second sculpture. It was
created out of the same foam and lacquer, but this

(06:41):
one had a slice carved out of it. They matched
a real piece of melon to the missing slice. The
colors were the same. Thanks to platinking of it was
possible to pull a real chunk of melon out of
the carved head and eat it all in one take.
The effect was enough to fully fool Dan Erickson. As
a part of their reporting the episode, Polygon also talked

(07:02):
to Dan it must have been after the EW interview.
They told him what kat Miller had said regarding the
creation of the IRV heead and how it doesn't contain
any actual watermelon. Ericson got a good laugh out of
the story. He said his experience of producing the TV
show was enough to make him lose his grip on reality.
He said, quote, there's something so strange about imagining something

(07:25):
and then you give it to somebody else and they
make it real. This was definitely one of those cases. Unquote.
Miltchik goes on at length about the IRV melon's hair.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
Whose dark hair is courtesy of the Black Beauty watermelon.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
I never know when to trust these guys. All I
could think when I heard this was is it real? Yes?
It is. The Black Beauty is a real variety of watermelon,
and Platinkonov did practice his carving with real black beauties
from the country Malaysia. Seth is like a Food Channel documentary.
The Black Beauties are in fact a product of Malaysia.

(07:58):
They are quite popular thanks to their rich, sweet taste.
The outer rind is dark green to almost black. If
you'd like to try a Black Beauty, they are available,
but a bit pricey. At the time of this recording,
Amazon had them for about nine dollars each. Mis Wong
parks the cart with herbs head on it and returns
to the front of the room. She fires up her theoreman,

(08:19):
I'm betting we're in for some of the recital we
missed out on by the fire last Saturday night as well.
Check the time over Miss Wong's shoulders. See it up
high on the wall. It's one three pm. This clock
is called the Brick Flip, designed by Edwin Turmott for
LEF of Amsterdam. It was designed in twenty eleven based

(08:41):
on vintage brick style clocks. This one is fourteen inches
across and housed in solid stainless steel. The movement is silent.
Japanese quartz housewaares supplier Jasato has this clock listed for
three hundred and ninety nine dollars, but they're currently out
of stock. Miss Wong is denied as she's paring to play.
Seth strides past her and out into the hall. Miss

(09:04):
Wang looks after him, confused, then also rushes into the hall.
I can only imagine this is payback for her insolent
behavior in the back room earlier. Seth isn't directly disciplining her,
but he's making sure she is at least disappointed. After
mis Wong pulls the door shut behind her, we get
a shot of all three Macrodets turning in unison. A

(09:25):
reverse cut reveals they are taking another look at the
eerie irvehead melon. The way it is sitting, it is
centered directly under the poster with the phrase no Malice
Palace on it. Out in the halls, mis Wong is
caught up to mister Milchak.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
I thought I was going to perform.

Speaker 2 (09:41):
Seth doesn't break stride.

Speaker 4 (09:43):
Yes, well, I feel the theorem. It works best in moderation.

Speaker 2 (09:46):
Moderation, aside from underscoring your reading of the fourth appendix.
On Saturday night, we've barely heard a thing from Miss Wong.
She says she's practiced. Seth cuts her off, telling her
she can play her piece for him later. It's not
the same as for an audience, but this will have
to do. If luks could kill ms Wong shoots Seth

(10:06):
a toxic glance. Back in the break room, the music
has changed. We're hearing the nineteen fifty seven tune Coconut
Water from Robert Mitchum.

Speaker 5 (10:14):
What does the tonic man yet?

Speaker 2 (10:27):
This is the actor Robert Mitcham doing the singing. It's
from an album called Calypso is like so Dot Dot Dot.
It's an entire Calypso album featuring Mitcham. It would be
the first of two albums released by the actor during
his career. Unlike most actors who try to cash in
on their fame by recording an album I'm Looking at

(10:48):
You William Shatner, Mitcham could actually sing. They often used
his real voice when he would sing in movies. Coconut
Water was never a hit, but it's a lot of fun.
Here Mark is contemplating a four four of Melanie takes
a bite and choose. He is dead. Behind his eyes,
Helly and Dylan are standing on either side of the
earthhead Melon. The hang in their poster is prominent in

(11:09):
the background of many of these frames. They don't want
us to forget Irv's final words. The black cap of
the Black Beauty melon looks odd from behind. According to
Catherine Miller, Pinko Platinkinov, who Sculptedor's head quote, loved the
idea of using the skin of the watermelon as a
cap and the squiggly stem of vine as a cap topper.

(11:30):
You can definitely see how it all came together in
this from behind shot. See that column looking thing on
the wall to the left of the hang in their poster.
It's nestled into the corner by the wedge wall. That's
a candy vending machine from the nineteen forties. It was
the Model seventy four B. You select it where you
is just the letter. No one in the show ever

(11:51):
uses this for anything, but it does have a lumin
logo on the top of it. We get a close
up of a fork being loaded up with a big
hunk of HERVs the ear. This is the real slice
carved to fit into the rest of the melon. Helly
checks in with Dylan. This service was at his request, Okay,
Dylan shrugs. I don't think he really knew what to

(12:13):
expect when he requested a funeral. If this is what
it is, then okay. May The conversation causes Mark to
glance over his shoulder without a word. Mark sets his
plate down and begins to exit the room. In staying
he did specify quick. He claims he has to get
back to work.

Speaker 6 (12:30):
Great ceremony, guys, Seriously.

Speaker 2 (12:33):
Dylan looks disgusted Mark Fain's ignorance. He glances around and
asks if it isn't kind of over. Dylan and Helly
are shocked at this lack of empathy.

Speaker 3 (12:43):
Just let him go.

Speaker 2 (12:44):
Mark doesn't get it. Something may be broken in Mark.
I think he's just been hit with too many defeats lately.
The OTC was a loss for all of their work
and risk. It ultimately failed to produce any significant changes
in their living conditions. Now that Mark's discover he was
lied to and basically tricked into having sex with Helena
Egan during the Ortbow, he has checked out. He's resigned

(13:07):
himself to doing his any job. But that's it. I
think he's feeling like IRV when he said the only
time he was truly happy was when MDR was all
about refining and nothing else. Helly is trying to find
some humanity in the midst of Mark's hurt feelings.

Speaker 7 (13:22):
Irving was your friend and he's dead.

Speaker 2 (13:24):
Yeah, but he really isn't any Mark can't get all
torn up about dead Irv for one simple.

Speaker 6 (13:30):
Reason, because he's not dead. He's just not here.

Speaker 2 (13:33):
Mark has always had this attitude when it comes to
the divide between any and OUTI if the audi is
still alive, there's no tragedy. Nobody really died. Mark is
going to make the same kind of statement later when
he's talking with Regabi about Gemma. Mark heads for the
breakroom exit. As he does, Dylan pulls the pin from
a verbal grenade and lobs it into the middle of

(13:54):
the room.

Speaker 3 (13:55):
You two catch up.

Speaker 2 (13:56):
It's like he threw a lasso around Mark.

Speaker 3 (13:58):
What's up?

Speaker 2 (13:59):
Uh? Oh? So how much does Dylan know about Mark's
nocturnal adventures? During the ortbow, Helly is looking back and
forth between these two. She doesn't know what they're talking about,
and she's not sure where this is going.

Speaker 3 (14:11):
Did you tell her miss Casey's your wife?

Speaker 7 (14:12):
Yet?

Speaker 8 (14:13):
Oh? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (14:14):
There is also that bit of news regarding Mark's romantic entanglements.
I love Dylan's little eyebrow raise to punctuate this statement.
Man finding out Miss Casey is Jemma seems like such
an old topic. So much has happened since the big
finale reveal, it's easy to forget. Helly was locked in
her Oudy's brain during the first four episodes of season two.

(14:36):
She has no clue what's going on? Wait what, and
her expression says she's not happy about it any Mark
brushes it off. It's nothing, it's his audi's wife.

Speaker 6 (14:46):
But sure, no, it's pretty crazy.

Speaker 2 (14:49):
Important to note here this is foreshadowing for episode ten.
He's just not that into ms Casey down here on
the testing floor. Sure his Audi might be pas in
love with this woman, but not him. She's very nice,
she's caring wellness director, but that's it. Mark has no
deep feelings of love or devotion for the nice lady

(15:11):
who reads facts about their audies. Before Helly chases Mark
out the door, you should grab another cup of coffee refiner.
Severed will be right back.

Speaker 9 (15:22):
Hey, this is Ben Stiller.

Speaker 2 (15:23):
Thanks for listening to Severed, The Ultimate Severance Podcast. Kelly
open mouthed chases after Mark as he exits the break room.
Mark Dylan has this satisfied look on his face, his
crap stirring worked out in the halls. Helly is chasing
Mark the same way Ms Wong was chasing Miltchak Mark.

Speaker 10 (15:42):
What the hell?

Speaker 2 (15:43):
She wants to know why he won't talk to her,
He wonders, what would she want to talk to him
about anyway?

Speaker 11 (15:50):
I don't know. Maybe the fact the miss casey's your
Oudy's wife.

Speaker 2 (15:52):
She wants to know what they're going to do. She's
ready to go find this missing woman. Mark is not
so gung ho.

Speaker 3 (15:58):
Oh, we're not going to do anything.

Speaker 2 (16:00):
This is not the answer Helly was expecting.

Speaker 6 (16:02):
Seriously, yes, seriously, there's.

Speaker 2 (16:05):
A reason for not following through on this information. Mark
is very aware of it. Helly hasn't even given it
a thought. Helly is really selling him. She says, we'll
work as a team to figure this out.

Speaker 6 (16:16):
There's no we Helly.

Speaker 12 (16:18):
What.

Speaker 2 (16:19):
Mark is striding quickly through the halls. It's like he's
trying to run away from Helly so he doesn't have
to point out the obvious. She's demanding to know why.
Mark says they're smarter than us, meaning the innies. They
know everything, all of it everything they've done to this
point is worthless. He lists off, looking from his Casey,
visiting other departments, mapping the floor. None of it means anything.

Speaker 6 (16:43):
Now they know everything we're doing because Helena told them.

Speaker 2 (16:48):
Everything we're doing out true but still out. Helly can't
believe she's being blamed for this. It was her Audi.
Maybe Mark isn't really blaming any Helly, but it's hard
to look at this person and not immediately remember the
scam that's been run on you for the last few days.
Helly tries to defend herself.

Speaker 7 (17:07):
That wasn't me.

Speaker 2 (17:09):
This is so hard to separate out. It sure looked
and sounded like you. How do we know this new
story about really being Helly R isn't just another scam?
My solution for this problem would be code words. When
you know you're talking to an any, come up with
a code word you can use to identify yourself in
future situations. If the claimed any can't come up with

(17:30):
the code word, you know you're dealing with an impostor.
Sure it's not going to help in this situation, but
for future reference, I suggest code.

Speaker 7 (17:39):
Words Mark, I'm not her, I'm.

Speaker 2 (17:42):
Not and to prove it, come quat or crustacean, any
word you don't regularly use would be perfect. Oh man,
do I love this shot? Look at the back of
Mark's head. I mentioned this during the epicap It's the
deft and subtle visual vocabulary of a kick ass director.
Mister Donovan is showing us just how cloudy and confused

(18:02):
Mark's thinking is right now by obscuring the back of
his head. It's perfect. It says everything about Mark's current
metal state in this space of less than a second.
Helly is really trying. I'm me, but Mark's been burned
and it hurts.

Speaker 7 (18:19):
Helly.

Speaker 2 (18:19):
You can keep saying it all you want, but you
don't have any proof, as Mark has realized, And how
do I know that? Helly considers this for a few moments,
her whole body is shaking. She's so adamant about making
this point. After a few moments of mullings, she realizes
the position Mark is in right now. How could he know?

Speaker 11 (18:37):
You don't?

Speaker 2 (18:38):
She then asked him to take an enormous leap of faith.

Speaker 7 (18:41):
You just dot to trust me.

Speaker 2 (18:43):
So either you are about to be reunited with the
love of your Inny's life, or you're gonna continue to
give valuable intel to Helen Egan, who's posing as Helly.
Are what you're gonna do? Mark s he doesn't walk away.
That's a good sign from Helly's point of view. Helly
continue use her sincerity, pitch this is real, She's imploring

(19:04):
him with her eyes. Surely he can see this is
really Helly and not Helena play acting again.

Speaker 7 (19:10):
Not everything here is a lie.

Speaker 2 (19:12):
Which sounds like something Helena Egan would say. PD warned Mark,
it's all a lie.

Speaker 4 (19:18):
Nothing down there is what they say.

Speaker 2 (19:22):
I guess this would include whatever the hot any heiress
who's trying to convince you about. Mark is stone faced,
but you can see in his eyes he wants to
believe this is really Helly something a fucking asshole. I mean,
it sounds like Helly. She turns and leaves him standing
in the hall. There's a slow dissolve here. We've gone
from a side two shot with Mark facing Helly to

(19:45):
another setup for the same kind of two shot. When
the shot transitions, we're looking at Natalie, now standing in
the same area of the frame where Helly had been
making her case. Nat is up on one of the
catwalks just outside the conference.

Speaker 1 (19:58):
Room, your first performance review is to Hartman's chief excited.

Speaker 2 (20:02):
We don't see who she's talking to just yet, but
I have a pretty good guess. Miltchik enters the frame
in roughly the same spot where Mark had been standing.
Very much so he's changed his clothes. I mean, Seth
was in a blue turtleneck for ER's funeral. Now he's
wearing a white dress shirt with a tie. That might
be an entirely new suit. These performance reviews are monthly,

(20:24):
but wow, they do seem to carry some weight. Nat
is already to head back Sholly. Seth isn't wanting to
go just yet. He needs a few moments alone with Natalie.
Something has been bothering him. He takes a few steps closer.
This is intended to be a private conversation. The paintings, Yeah,
what about them? Nat doesn't speak, but cocks her head slightly.

(20:45):
Seth prefaces his remark, saying he's grateful for them truly. Okay,
so this is some BS. In reality, he's shocked and
annoyed by those paintings. At the very least, he isn't
even exactly sure why they were given to him. If
there a measure of appreciation than sure, he accepts that appreciation.
Seth may have preferred a gift card to Pips instead

(21:07):
of this weird gift. It would have been easier to
decipher the meaning behind a gift card. Seth is pausing
during this monologue. He's leaving big spaces for Natalie to respond.
A couple of times, you get the idea she's about
to say something, but then she doesn't. Seth continues, he's
wondering if Natalie could maybe explain how she felt when

(21:28):
she received her paintings. Nat is expressionless. She's not offering
anything but a brittle smile and terrified eyes. The silence
seems to compel Seth to continue. He claims their experiences
here at Luman have been similar in some ways.

Speaker 4 (21:44):
They face some of the challenges.

Speaker 2 (21:46):
And perhaps she can share some insight into the paintings
and the complicated feelings they evoke. Natalie Staire is expressionless
for several long moments. Finally, she offers Seth a slight
smile and.

Speaker 7 (22:00):
A nod mister Trummond's waiting.

Speaker 2 (22:02):
Seth doesn't pursue it. Natalie made it clear the paintings
are not a topic she wants to discuss. He drops
it and smiles. Of course, the get out comparisons between
Natalie and Georgina are very apt. Here. She looks like
she really wants to say something, but there's no way
she's going to endanger her position.

Speaker 4 (22:20):
Let us go.

Speaker 2 (22:21):
Natalie turns and leads him to the conference room. Back
down in the breakroom, Dylan is left alone with the
irvhead melon. A big chunk has been cut out of
the left side of the head, but the face is
still creepily intact. Animated IRV keeps dancing on the compunction
screen as spotlights play over him. Dylan addresses the melon head.

Speaker 3 (22:41):
Okay, a sole guess this is it.

Speaker 2 (22:44):
Dylan needed some closure. Oddly, the melon head, as horrifying
as it is, provided some comfort.

Speaker 3 (22:51):
Sorry, I let you down.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
He stands to leave and slowly ambles across the room.
He's not really ready to go just yet. Finally, he's
face to face with the hang in their poster. Zach
Cherry's dawning realization is fun to watch. He's facing the poster,
then he turns to the IRV head, then back to
the poster. I love this silent close up they give
us of the onlooking melon head. You'd think this poster

(23:14):
connection would come to Dylan easily, but there is the
matter of wiping the Innies memories. If some of the
events that occurred at the waterfall were wiped out of
the Innies minds, it may have affected Dylan's memory of
Irv's message. This is why he's working so hard to
make the connection. You can see the gears turning in
Dylan's noggin. He moves closer to the poster, his brow furrowed. Finally,

(23:38):
he's standing in front of his likeness holding open the
OTC switches. Dylan reaches for the frame with both hands.
When he runs a hand along behind the poster, he
finds RV's message. He'd stuck it to the back. On
one side is Irv's illustration of his oute's paintings. On
the other is something new. Directions. Felicia has written out
detailed directions that lead from Owen to the testing floor

(24:01):
I mean Exports Hall elevator. We get a close up
look at Felicia's notes. They are incredibly detailed. One entire
line is nothing but rights and lefts. Important to note
these directions start from oen d. Anyone using them starting
from Mdr would have to adjust accordingly. In a long shot,
Dylan glances over at irv's melon head, then turns it

(24:24):
over so he's looking at the illustration. Dylan refolds the
paper and sticks it back behind the framed poster. Why
didn't he take it with him? Good question. I think
maybe Dylan's a bit gunshy about carrying around contraband he
did get danged pretty hard for taking that card out
of Owen d Dylan may just be trying to avoid
further reprimand you never know when the Luman security machine

(24:47):
might be looking over your shoulder. It's probably best not
to have your dead friend's picture of a hidden hallway
in your pocket should you be pulled over for questioning.
He'd also hate to do anything that might endanger those
new privileges of his. Dylan exits the frame. We hold
on a final shot of the break room as we're
hearing Drummond in voiceover, Welcome, mister Bilchuk. It's definitely mister Drummond.

(25:11):
There's no denying the voice, but we've yet to see him.
We cut to a close up of a binder with
the title Performance Review Manual on the cover, under a
lumin logo of course.

Speaker 9 (25:21):
Today, I will be conducting your monthly performance review.

Speaker 2 (25:24):
I figured Drummond was head of security. Now here he
is doing HR duties. Natalie seemed like she was in
public relations, but she's also in on one of these
performance reviews. Employee functions, especially for upper management, need to
be better defined. Here at Lumen, we see the binder
open to the printed title page. The music is foreboding.

(25:45):
We get an inset shot of Natalie looking distressed. Reading
from the binder. Drummond lays out the day.

Speaker 9 (25:51):
This review can take anywhere from two to six hours,
depending on the number of atonements and approbations required.

Speaker 2 (25:57):
Dictionary break atonement refers to the concept of a person
correcting a previous wrongdoing. The atonement might take the form
of direct action correcting the wrong, or an equivalent action
which does good for others or expresses feelings of remorse.
Approbation isn't the exact opposite, but it does mean approval
or praise, often as given by an official group. I

(26:19):
get the feeling these reviews are long on atonements, while
the approbations are sparse. Drummond is reading from an intro
page much the same way Mark was reading from a
binder to on board. Helly, I'm sure it's a regular
part of the review. I'm curious as to why Seth
acts like he's hearing this information for the first time.

Speaker 9 (26:38):
If the review was to take longer than four hours,
there will be a break for lunch with the order
taken in advance.

Speaker 2 (26:44):
This is a monthly review, but it all seems new
to Seth. The up to six hour time period shouldn't
be a surprise, neither should lunch.

Speaker 4 (26:53):
Well, I hope that won't be necessary.

Speaker 2 (26:55):
Unless maybe this review is new to Seth because of
his promotion. Natalie did pacifically say it was his first
review as department chief. Maybe Luhman doesn't do monthly reviews
for lower level employees, or it's possible those employees' reviews
are handled by the department manager. If that's the case,
then Miltchik's past reviews would have been handled by Kobel.

(27:16):
Then it was Cobel who would have been the one
sitting for this review last month. This explains Drummond going
through everything in detail. Drummond hands a quarter sheet and
pen across the table.

Speaker 9 (27:27):
Here's the lunch menu.

Speaker 2 (27:29):
Drummond knows what's coming. They're gonna need lunch. Seth grudgingly
takes the pen and menu. I love this shot from
the foot of the conference table. We get a great
overview of the room and the breath taking panorama of
forests surrounding it. Before we get into this review, you
should probably wash your hands. Refiner Severed will be right back. Hi.

Speaker 6 (27:52):
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 9 (28:04):
Let's start with the positives.

Speaker 2 (28:06):
Oh good, at least there are positives.

Speaker 9 (28:08):
You have received the gift of Cure paintings with grace.

Speaker 2 (28:12):
It was a test, Natalie must have reported back. Drummond
tells his cess attendance in your analysis are both in
the excellent range. I thought it was strange to list
those two items together. So Luhman requires a p test
for their employees. No word as to whether this is
a health screening or a drug test. If it's a
drug test, it raises questions in my mind. As isolated

(28:35):
as the city of Cure is, I wonder where the
citizens of Cure are getting their illicit drugs well, aside
from ether that is Luman chemists must be doing a
little manufacturing on the side. Seth declares all these things
as wonderful, and that's it for the positives.

Speaker 9 (28:51):
Alternatively, and sadly, there have been three contentions reported anonymously.

Speaker 2 (28:57):
We know at least one of them came from his Wong,
but three you sure about that?

Speaker 9 (29:02):
Which have been investigated and confirmed?

Speaker 2 (29:05):
Yep, they're sure. So what are we talking here? Allowed
a sexual assault to occur on the ortbow almost oversaw
the murder of the CEO's daughter. What have you got?

Speaker 9 (29:15):
One uses too many big words.

Speaker 2 (29:18):
Oh, that's all big words. This is MS Wong's complaint.
It's anonymous, of course, mister Miltchik. You need to read
the room. After just being accused of using too many
big words? What is cess response?

Speaker 4 (29:31):
Well, perchance I may colloquially and.

Speaker 2 (29:34):
Pull back down the vocab. Big guy Drummond ignores him.
He raises a hand and continues.

Speaker 9 (29:39):
Anti deflections will be heard after the lunch break.

Speaker 2 (29:42):
Drummond sees, lunch is a certainty.

Speaker 4 (29:44):
Yes, I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (29:45):
The recitation of grievances continues.

Speaker 9 (29:48):
Two. On several of your daily logs, the paper clip
was installed back to front.

Speaker 2 (29:54):
These improperly installed clips caused confusion as to where in
the document one should begin reading quick at side. Here
they never tell us what paper clip orientation Lumen considers correct.
I've always been of a mind that the smaller section
of the clip should be oriented so it is visible
to the front of the document. The larger loop of
the clip always goes to the back. You want the

(30:15):
bigger loop in back because when you start flipping pages,
it's doing more work. Drummond lays out several clipped packets
of paper as examples.

Speaker 9 (30:24):
Here are the incidents.

Speaker 2 (30:26):
This contention reminded me a lot of another Severed Origins title.
This is almost exactly the TPS report sheet joke from
the movie Off of Space. Poking fun at bizarre office
minutia always makes for a good laugh. Invite you to
check out these Severed Origins podcast episodes covering Off of Space.
You'll find them in the same feed where you found

(30:46):
this episode. The paper clip orientation complaint may sound Captain
Quig level crazy, but there are real world examples of
similar specifics coming from huge companies. William S. Paley, president
and founder of the CBS Television Network, had a thing
about formatting business letters. Paley famously put a dot on
a piece of network stationary and proclaimed that dot was

(31:10):
where every letter ever written on CBS letterhead should start. Ah,
but big words and paper clips aren't really why we're here.
If that was all they had to talk about, we'd
almost be done Drummond's whole demeanor changes. He tells Seth,
the bulk of their time today will be devoted to
mister Miltchik's much bigger failures.

Speaker 9 (31:31):
You brought in a new refining team for Marks, which
failed to coalesce.

Speaker 2 (31:37):
To be fair, that wasn't all Seth's fault. It seemed
like a good idea until Marks tossed a verbal grenade
in the middle of everything.

Speaker 1 (31:45):
Do you even have a brother in law?

Speaker 5 (31:47):
Asshole?

Speaker 2 (31:48):
Drummond's list of Miltchik mistakes continues.

Speaker 9 (31:51):
You instituted kindness reforms.

Speaker 2 (31:53):
Seth pipes up here. He says, it's because he's not
Harmony Cobell, which is great and all, but the these
changes need to be moving us in a positive direction.
According to Drummond, that's not happening.

Speaker 9 (32:06):
Kindness reforms. It seemed to have in no way deterred
curiosity or idling by the team once they.

Speaker 2 (32:13):
Returned Jes playing Devil's advocate. Here drum a man. But
maybe it's the team and not the reforms. Drummond's litany
of grievances continues.

Speaker 9 (32:22):
You arranged an outdoor retreat and team building.

Speaker 2 (32:25):
Occurrence, Yes he did. It was a glorious ortbow, complete
with a dead seal, four apply toilet paper and marshmallows. Admittedly,
it got a little out of hand on Sunday morning.

Speaker 9 (32:37):
Which resulted in the termination of one employee and the
discovery of the true identity of another.

Speaker 2 (32:43):
We're seeing cut in shots of a concern Natalie. She's
looking on from the end of the table. During this
thrashing of cess any retreat, Drummond powerfully proclaims the discovery
of Helena's true identity was at great risk and harm
to the Eagan name. Seth shifts uncomfortably in his seat
as he's blinking, stung by Drummond's words. We cut to

(33:03):
the three cornered diamond dusk in Mdr. Mark is the
only one at a workstation. He's refining believe it or not,
so where are the others? Dylan might still be communing
with Irv's melonhead, but where's helly are they let time
slip a bit? In these next few scenes, we dip
into an out obsessed review, Plus we keep checking back
with Mark down in MDR. These things are happening during

(33:26):
the same day, but not at the same time as
the editing implies. When we first cut to Mark, he's
accessing the graphic rolodex that contains all the MDR file names.
I have yet to figure out the specific rules regarding
these file names. One of the first ones he flips
by is Allentown. We know for certain that Allentown was
completed a long time ago. It was Mark's freshman fluke

(33:49):
and the reason he has a glass headcube with the
name Allantown on it. It looks like completed file names
don't get taken out of the list. I used to
think they did. Additionally, I thought he complete files disappeared
after the end of the quarter. Also not true. There
are new names we've never seen that have been added
to this rolodex list. Since we discover Mark has completed

(34:10):
twenty four files and he only has one more to go,
we really don't need to concern ourselves with these other files.
The only one that matters is the one he selects
Cold Harbor. It's the one harmony mentioned out in the
parking lot. As Mark is opening this very important file,
mister Drummond is adding some information in voiceover look seth.

Speaker 9 (34:32):
Mark Scout's completion of Cold Harbor will be remembered as
one of the greatest moments in the history of this planet.

Speaker 2 (34:41):
We heard this line in multiple promos for the season.
I think mister d might be indulging in some hyperbole here,
greatest moment in the history of the planet. Checking the
big board for important moments in Earth's history, We've got
the discovery of fire, the invention of the wheel, the
dinosaur killing asteroid, and now this Mark Scout's completion of

(35:02):
an MDR file. We'll put it in the list right
above the evolution of man. What is he saying? It
sounds foolish to think this file could possibly be this
important crackpot theory time. With the information we've been given,
what do you think the completion of Cold Harbor might mean?
Several Internet prognosticators believe this could only mean Luman has

(35:24):
somehow cracked immortality. With one notable exception in the annals
of history, no one has ever defeated death is Mark
somehow going to achieve immortality by completing this file? It
won't help Jemma. A couple of folks have already said
the completion of this process is going to kill her
when it's all over. Is it possible whatever Mark and

(35:45):
Jemma have done is going to yield some kind of
youth serum or spa process that makes the rest of
us live forever. It's a popular theory, but there are
a lot of holes. Time travel comes in a close
second as the incredible important thing they've been working on.
It doesn't seem as plausible as immortality, but it is

(36:06):
in the running. Whether he likes it or not, This
historic feet will happen on Seth Miltchik's watch.

Speaker 9 (36:12):
It's quite a legacy, you believe.

Speaker 2 (36:14):
If he can actually get it across the finish line.
Harmony didn't have much faith in Seth being able to
pull it off.

Speaker 8 (36:21):
Welcheck Musco. He's not equip for the task.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
Seth thanks Drummond for the comment about his legacy.

Speaker 4 (36:28):
That means a great deal.

Speaker 2 (36:30):
There's a cut to close up. A bound booklet is
dropped into the shot. The layout of the cover reminds
me of print designs from the late eighties or early nineties.
As we open it, we are going to see more
pages designed in this same style. The whole thing looks
a lot like those pre rolled layouts included with Microsoft
Word or Adobe InDesign. The font being used as a

(36:50):
Sansera corporate font called forma DJR. Volunteer researcher vinnip referred
to it as being passive aggressive. It's a bit beefier
than st Andre Helvetica, but I don't know how aggressive
that makes it. We've seen this vont in other Lumen
produced printed items, like the apology note Mark got on
his car and the music list from the MD. There

(37:11):
are panels of muted color on the report cover, with
text reversed out of the panels. Its time for a
is all in a dark panel reversed white. Under that
the words performance review are dark reversed out of a
lighter panel. Then under that we've got the very large
names Seth Miltchik reversed white out of the lighter panel.
In the upper right corner of the cover, the nine

(37:32):
principles are listed in very light type. Luman goes all
out for these monthly performance reviews. The booklet is identified
as being a quote confidential employee assessment file. They must
be on a break. During this cut in shot, Seth
has his seat in an upholstered chair just outside the
conference room. He looks haunted. This review is really taking

(37:56):
it out of him. We are cutting between Cess look
at this printed report and Mark Gass while he is
refining Cold Harbor. Drummond continues in voiceover.

Speaker 9 (38:05):
I think it's time to go back to the basic Seth.

Speaker 2 (38:08):
He says, it's important to remember these severed workers greater purpose.
They are animals. You know, we lock them down in
the basement because no one should be forced to interact
with those horrible innies. When Drummond says get back to basics,
what he really means is it's time to crack the
whip on the innies.

Speaker 11 (38:25):
And.

Speaker 9 (38:27):
That's what they really are.

Speaker 2 (38:29):
In the conference room lobby, we get a look at
sas performance review. While he's flipping through it. There's a
double page spread entitled the Principal Achievements and Failures of Seth.
Miltchik dan Erickson really has the corporate speak down. The
sub paragraph under this rather hard hitting title says the
following point should be used as a guideline for initiating
a discussion to mitigate future failures and courage future achievements.

(38:53):
The facing page of the double page spread of shame
four of mister Miltchik's failures. They include to funny icons
for each main item. They show up as a line
drawn graphics placed on the left side of the page.
This list reiterates those things drum And mentioned. The first
three are the short lived MDR Team, the ineffective Kindness reforms,

(39:15):
and the quote calamitous Ortbow. A cartoonish campfire is the
icon being used next to the Ortbow entry. The fourth
one was not brought up in the meeting, and we're
kind of curious as to why it's on the list.
The fourth item on this page lists the theft of
cards seven to one nine seven slice G as a failure.

(39:36):
This is the laminated flish card Dylan spirited out of
O and D. If this performance review covers everything that
has happened to Seth in the last thirty days, the
stolen card should definitely be on there. If we're only
looking at those things that have happened during mister Miltchik's
tenure as a manager. The missing card would not be

(39:56):
on the list. Since these are monthly reviews, we must
be looking looking at everything that's happened to the employee
in the past month, Which makes me curious. If he
got hit with the stolen card, why wasn't there a
mention of the unauthorized OTC. I bet they've pinned that
one somehow on Kobel. The next page covers contentions or

(40:18):
minor performance incidents. These headlines for a section consistently crack
me up. This one says, now, let's discuss Seth Miltchik's contentions.
It's so hard hitting but also so friendly and chipper.
The whole book is a big volume of mixed messages.
Back down in MDR Mark continues to refine Cold Harbor.

(40:38):
We watch groups of numbers getting slammed into bins. Mark
is on a roll. Before we continue perusing mister Miltchik's report,
you should probably wash your hands, refiner Severed will be
right back.

Speaker 10 (40:53):
This is Mark Geller kier Egan on Severns. When I
want to hear the latest details about the company I founded,
I listened to Severed, the Ultimate Severance Podcast.

Speaker 2 (41:07):
Seth continues flipping through the performance report. We get another
glimpse inside. Seth pauses on the page that drills down
on contention Number one uses too many big words. This
page includes a word cloud of Seth's most frequently used
words from the past quarter. We don't get to see it.
We can just see solas and supplant at the top

(41:30):
of the cloud. But that's it. Solus was a word
Miltchik used at Mark's place on Saturday night.

Speaker 4 (41:35):
The solas you have given him down there will make
its way to you.

Speaker 2 (41:40):
I wanted more word cloud. I did a Google search.
I was hoping maybe somebody had made one. Something occurred
to me at the mention of the word cloud. In
order for Luhman to create a Seth Miltchik word cloud,
they would have to be recording every word that Seth
Miltchik ever says, even the ones he says in any
living rooms. It is so true. Luhman is listening. Seth

(42:05):
keeps flipping. The next page drills down on this paper
clip infraction. I wish they would spend more time here.
I want to know what clip orientation is correct. According
to Luhman, Mark is refining, Seth is flipping. We see
a concluding paragraph. They don't show us the entire thing,
but enough to get the gist. It starts with the line,
despite his many unprofound failings as a manager on the

(42:27):
severed floor in recent weeks, man, they do not pull punches.
Despite these profound failings. The report goes on to say,
mister Miltchik is a source of energy and enthusiasm rarely
found in middle management these days. They call him a
ballast by which the severed employees can anchor their days.
The creators of this review want mister Miltchik to continue

(42:49):
to be so enthusiastic, But let's tighten things up when
it comes to kindness. Innies don't need kindness, They need
a strong hand and the constant threat of discipline. Seth
flips past the page, drilling down on his calambitus ort bow,
I think mister Miltchick's narcissism is showing here. He angrily
glares over the top of the review booklet. You don't

(43:12):
condescend to Seth Miltchik in Mdr Mark's file clicks over
another percentage point. Cold Harbor now stands at eighty five
percent completed. There's a shot peaking at Mark over the
top of his monitor. He's studiously refining when suddenly reintegration
tremory puts a hand to his forehead and squints hard.

(43:33):
Whatever is happening is painful. Mark glances over at his
physical desktop. The picture of the now three macrodats stutters
in and out of existence. When the picture isn't there,
Mark is seeing three pills instead. It's one of the
two tone black and blue capsules sitting next to one
each of the white and tan kaplets. They're just sitting

(43:53):
there on the desk. The picture is gone. It's like
Mark is tapped into an alternate reality for just a moment.
When the tree rummer passes, the pick of the three
MDR workers is back, and the pills are gone. Mark
is rattled by this tremor. He's trying to catch his
breath through clenched teeth. As he's working to relax, he
looks up at the clock. It's six minutes before five pm. Oh,

(44:15):
what the heck? No one else is around. Mark decides
to knock off early. He reaches under the physical desktop
to switch off his monitor. Across the conference table, Drummond
is glaring seth shifts uncomfortably.

Speaker 4 (44:28):
I'm tightening the leash.

Speaker 2 (44:30):
This sits well with Drummond for the first time this
entire meeting. He smiles, his face really lights up. Back
down on the severed floor, Mark is about to insert
his key card in the severed elevator. Our camera view
is back to fixed and stable with a slight push in.
The music is so incredibly dramatic, while the action is
so mundane. Mark steps on the elevator and replaces his

(44:52):
lanyard around his neck. He's looking up, waiting for the
doors to close. The music swells. It feels like something
is about to happen. Then Hardmark, mister Miltchik's hand appears
between the closing doors. He causes them to reverse. Mister Miltchik,
check it out. Mister Meltchik is once again wearing his
blue turtleneck and suit. Oh, and talk about tightening the leash.

Speaker 4 (45:15):
I see you left work six minutes early.

Speaker 2 (45:16):
There's a reverse cud to Mark's pov Seth is standing
slightly off center in the elevator doorway. The new painting
looms behind him. Here's sword can just be seen protruding
from Miltchik's shoulder.

Speaker 3 (45:28):
They come in.

Speaker 2 (45:29):
I guess, but you aren't severed, although I don't think
he plans to ride. Seth locks the door open with
his key card and steps into Mark's personal space. We
cut to a side view. Standing face to face, Seth
is very close to Mark. It's maybe not so much
intimidating as it is uncomfortable.

Speaker 4 (45:49):
How was the rest of the funeral?

Speaker 2 (45:50):
At first? I couldn't tell if this was sarcasm, threat
or sincerity.

Speaker 4 (45:55):
Did you get what you needed from it?

Speaker 2 (45:57):
Then I got big sarcasm and threat vibes. Mark is
tight lipped. He's feeling it. There is definite discomfort. Mark
nods slightly as he answers the question.

Speaker 6 (46:07):
Yeah, sure, there's a pause.

Speaker 2 (46:09):
I don't even really know how they manage this, but
suddenly the tension level is off the charts.

Speaker 6 (46:15):
Hey, did miss Wong take notes for me?

Speaker 2 (46:19):
This feels like a bit of outing Mark seeping into
the personality of any Mark.

Speaker 6 (46:24):
I can't wait to read her article about it in
that newspaper you showed me. What was it called again?
The bullshit Gazette?

Speaker 2 (46:32):
Seth is motionless. He lets the comment land, then continues
as though nothing was said.

Speaker 4 (46:37):
Hopefully, now we can put all this grief in tumult
behind us and look forward to some productive workdays ahead.

Speaker 2 (46:44):
Oh sure, yeah, that's gonna happen. Mark has dialed his
smart assery up to eleven.

Speaker 6 (46:49):
Oh you mean putting the numbers in the thing refining?

Speaker 9 (46:53):
Right? Yes?

Speaker 4 (46:54):
Does that sound good?

Speaker 2 (46:56):
With the costic insolence of a thirteen year old, Mark sneers.

Speaker 6 (47:00):
Saying, mister Meltchik, praise cure.

Speaker 2 (47:02):
The impact of this next move is dependent on the framing.
This entire exchange has happened in a side shot. It's
like we're standing against the left wall of the elevator
as you enter, looking back towards the right. The framing
is only showing us the heads and tops of shoulders
of both Mark and Miltchik behind them. The opposite wall
to where we are standing is made up of two panels.

(47:24):
There is a thin black seam running between the panels
which has acted as a dividing line for this whole
dust up. They're getting heated, but since each combatant stays
in their own square, we get the sense nothing too
bad is going to happen. Seth then steps things up.
He crosses the line into Mark's square. This is an
aggressive move, especially in such a tight space. Mark backs

(47:47):
up slightly, but for the most part, holds his ground.
The tips of their noses are not more than three
inches apart.

Speaker 4 (47:54):
Did you and Helly are catch up?

Speaker 2 (47:56):
Mark says they did.

Speaker 4 (47:57):
Did you tell her that you fucked her out?

Speaker 9 (47:59):
Yet?

Speaker 2 (47:59):
The mister Miltchik profanity can be jarring coming from some people.
Miltchik is one of them. He never swears. The shock
of this profanity shuts Mark up. Miltchik knows he's got
him on the ropes. The shot then changes, looking at
Seth over Mark's right shoulder.

Speaker 4 (48:17):
Helena Eigen, leader in waiting of this company.

Speaker 2 (48:22):
There's a reverse cut to Mark. His brow is furrowed
and his expression is dark. He still has nothing to
say For the moment. Miltchik has the upper hand. Seth
holds eye contact as he starts to turn. Once turned,
he strides out of the elevator, grabbing his key cart
as he passes. Of a RESTful evening, Seth strides down
the hall. Tremlle tillman Is said in interviews he tries

(48:44):
to model Seth's physical movements on a panther. You can
really see it here as he confidently struts off down
the hall. Miltchik is like a cat who can pounce
at any moment. He's always watching, looking for an opening,
and of course there's that cheshire grin Mark looks stunned
as the elevator door closes up top. He has no
memory of it. Of course, he might still be feeling

(49:05):
a bit of an adrenaline buzz. That elevator encounter was intense.
Here at the end of the workday, we need to
pause to discuss the timeline of this day. If you
think it through, it's a mess. We started the day
with the innies gathering at Miltchik's office. After the office meeting,
the MDR crew, along with Seth, adjourned to the newly

(49:26):
configured MDR. It was here that Dylan requested herb's funeral.
Miltchik then meets mis Wong to work on the bereatman
kit in Seth's office back room. This is when she
asks Seth about his upcoming performance review. The funeral prep
is completed and the funeral takes place over the noon hour.
We can see by the brick clock in the breakroom

(49:47):
that Miltchik adjourns the event at one o three pm.
This is when he must go to his office and
change clothes before heading up to his performance review. At
the start of the review, Drummond acts as though it
is more. He's talking about planning for lunch, but we
know from the funeral it's after one pm. Drummond also
says to plan for up to six hours of review.

(50:10):
Miltchik is back down on the severed floor by four
fifty four pm so he can harass Mark in the elevator.
That's less than four hours. He's also had time to
change back to his blue suit and turtleneck. I'm pretty
sure what we're seeing here are logic errors and timing
mistakes on the part of the writers. I do not
believe this weird timeline is some hint about time travel,

(50:33):
alternate realities, or Miltchik clones. What happened now The writers
kind of blew it when it came to laying out
the day. It's one of those things I think we're
going to have to let slide. As Mark is walking
through the Bellworks complex, he coughs some more. Whatever this
cough is, it's becoming persistent. I think it has something
to do with reintegration. As Mark is walking out to

(50:55):
his car, we hear a familiar voice taking us to
a transition. It's Devin, she's reading. It sounds like that
segment in the episode Who Was Alive, where Natalie was
reading from the u ure going into a transition. This
message is skewed.

Speaker 1 (51:12):
The workers were diligent, focused on the task at hand.
Pleasantly surprised, I noticed that not a single worker had
to watch.

Speaker 2 (51:22):
There's a long shot through the lumen lobby. Mark is
making his way out into the parking lot. Check the
rack focus here. We're looking over someone's shoulder. At the
start of this shot, only there blurred out. Mark is
crisp in the distance. When the focus is changed, we
can make out the coppery tresses of the woman in
the foreground. We only see the back of her head,

(51:44):
but this is obviously the very conditioned, very shiny, very
pampered hair of Helena Egan Helena not Helly, was waiting
to catch a glimpse of Mark's oudy as he left work.
This woman, who has already seduced his inny, seems to
also have on his audie. Helen has got it bad
for this guy, and he doesn't even know it. Devin's

(52:05):
odd monologue continues.

Speaker 1 (52:07):
They simply reference to a large standard clock near the door.

Speaker 2 (52:10):
It has the meter and pomposity of Ricken, but the
message is all wrong. This is the guy who said
the clock on the wall may belong to your boss,
but the hour is yours. That's poetry and rebellion all
rolled into one tightly quotable phrase. These passages sound more
like surrender.

Speaker 1 (52:30):
Just hands and numbers and cogs and purpose.

Speaker 2 (52:32):
There is a slow dissolve to a typed page. To clarify,
not a page of type. This is a typed page.
If you're under forty, you may have never seen a
real typed page. The pages that come off to laser
printer look a little like they've been typed. This is
the real deal. This page was typed using a ribbon
that's probably three thousand words past its replacement date. It

(52:54):
was rolled off a typewriter Playton, and it is the
only copy of these words that exists. It might as
well be handwritten.

Speaker 1 (53:01):
This sovereign boss may own the clock that greets you
from the wall.

Speaker 2 (53:04):
It's a parody of the passages we read earlier in
the uu Are. They have a similar sound thanks to
Ricken's stilted and weird word usage, but the intent is
completely reversed, as per Luhman's wishes, I guess, but.

Speaker 1 (53:19):
You get to enjoy its ticking and thus should be happy.

Speaker 2 (53:22):
I learned a new word here. Devin stops reading it happy.
During the transition. We can see the first couple of
lines of the next paragraph. It says, quote, while observing
the synchronicity of my future team, epiphany engulfed me the
impulsions that swayed my parents to conduct. And that's where
it bleeds off the screen. I saw the word impulsions,

(53:43):
and I kind of thought Ricken was making up vocabulary. Nope,
turns out impulsion is a real word. It's a noun
that means a strong wish to do something or the
reason for doing something. The etymology of the word is
tied to both impulse and compulsion. It borrows from the French.
Ricken is also an adherent to the cure practice of

(54:04):
using old language. The earliest evidence for the printed use
of impulsion goes back to fourteen seventy five. When Devon
is finished reading aloud, she puts the page aside with
a bit of a sneer. She's hearing it. Ricken, on
the other hand, is not. He has his hands folded
under his chin, rapidly contemplating what she's read. Yes, No,

(54:26):
I'm glad Devon does not koutout or Ricken's supposed genius.
If Patent or rebec were here, they would be drooling
over these new pages. I'm sure Devon is more clear eyed, Dave.

Speaker 1 (54:38):
It's the literal opposite of what you were saying before.

Speaker 2 (54:40):
Because what you were saying before was subversive and inciting.
It made anis want something better for their lives. The
Evil Empire cantial out thoughts like those to invade the
Severed floor Before we continue this Ricken Devon conversation, why
don't you grab a cup of coffee? Refiner Severed will
be here right back.

Speaker 4 (55:03):
Hey, this is Ben Stiller.

Speaker 1 (55:05):
Thanks for listening to Severed, The Ultimate Severance Podcast.

Speaker 2 (55:09):
We cut to a wider shot of the table where
Ricken and Devon are sitting. It's the same table where
they met with Miltchik the night of the gala. That
enormous orangish looking device sitting in front of Ricken is
a typewriter. It would be the source of the typewritten
page we saw earlier. This specific typewriter is the Optimum
model M fourteen talk about a cold war boat anchor.

(55:32):
This model was manufactured in East Germany from nineteen sixty
two until nineteen seventy. I couldn't find an example of
an M fourteen for sale. In general, a well maintained
Optima typewriter seems to bring a good price on the
used market. After Devon slams his rewrite pretty hard, Ricken
uses what sound like negotiating words. An objection countering line

(55:56):
I was taught during my sales training was this, I
can certainly understand and appreciate how you'd feel that way.
Then you throw in a butt and counter whatever they've said.
Listen to how Ricken does it. It's almost the same line.

Speaker 11 (56:10):
I see how you'd feel that way. But one point
that Nat made was.

Speaker 2 (56:15):
Okay, so close. You probably shouldn't have quoted Natalie in
your counter. Definitely don't call her nat. Ricken pushes through.
He's trying to justify this extreme change in tone. It
is most definitely due to Natalie's input.

Speaker 11 (56:30):
She said that innies tend to thrive in an environment
of structure, and once that is established, then they are
more open to self expansion.

Speaker 2 (56:39):
That is some high octane mumbo jumbo. Ricken claims he's
just trying to speak the Innis language.

Speaker 1 (56:46):
I know, but this sounds like Luman's language.

Speaker 2 (56:48):
Because it is Luman's language. This next line is funny
on its own, but it's the way Michael Chernis delivers
it that makes me chuckle every time. It's the title
of our episode.

Speaker 11 (56:59):
Well, it's a the Trojan's horse.

Speaker 2 (57:01):
No, it's not. You're trying to say it's a Trojan horse,
but it's still not one of those either. The story
of the Trojan Horse is an ancient tale from either
Greek history or mythology. We all kind of know something
about this story, but the specifics are usually a bit vague.
Homer wrote about this event and the Odyssey, but never
mentions it in the Iliad. Some scholars believe it's more

(57:23):
of a parable or a cautionary tale than something that
actually happened. The story says those crafty Greeks were needing
a way to breach the city of Troy. If they
could enter the gated and heavily fortified Troy, they could
end a ten year old war. The solution. Odysseus wanted
to build a gift horse. A giant wooden horse on

(57:44):
wheels was constructed, it would be delivered as a gift
to the Trojans. The secret sauce of this deception was
the hollow body of the horse. Depending on whose account
you believe, somewhere between twenty three and fifty Greek soldiers
were loaded into the giant horse just before it was
rolled up to the gates at Troy. Modern accounts who
standardized the number of warriors at forty. The Greeks left

(58:07):
the giant horse full of soldiers just sitting there outside
the gates of Troy. The Trojans, upon finding the gift,
rolled it through the gates and into the city. That night,
the Greek soldiers snuck out of the horse and attacked
the unsuspecting city. Why is Ricken likening his book to
a famed wooden warhorse because of the stealth nature of

(58:29):
the attack. He's claiming this is a way to get
his real ideas into the building if they are wrapped
up in this outer covering of lumen speak.

Speaker 11 (58:38):
If I can get my ideas to severed workers all
across the world, it might beget a revolution.

Speaker 2 (58:45):
Great thought, but none of Ricken's original words seem to
have made it through.

Speaker 1 (58:49):
But these aren't your ideas.

Speaker 2 (58:50):
Devon is frustrated. She tries to explain these aren't his ideas,
but gives up mid thought. Ricken wants to know what
she was about to say. Vin has bigger concerns than
just fooling a group of innies. She decides to lay
it out, even though it might be painful for Ricken
to hear.

Speaker 1 (59:08):
Okay, lumen hurts people, you know that, And if you
want to water down your work so they can use
it for their fucking propaganda, then you're hurting people too.

Speaker 2 (59:15):
The past few weeks, she's been seeing more and more
just how ugly lumen really can be. Ricken isn't seeing it.
Natalie's smiling face, along with constant compliments about his talent,
have made Ricken rather fond of the evil Empire. Still,
this is his wife. He really should give her opinion
some consideration.

Speaker 11 (59:34):
I will reflect on your words.

Speaker 2 (59:36):
There is another reason Ricken has been so accommodating when
it comes to changing his words.

Speaker 11 (59:41):
This is a fiscal and creative opportunity unlike any I
have yet seen.

Speaker 2 (59:47):
I doubt he means it about the creative, but the
fiscal part of this opportunity must be breathtaking. Luman has
no shortage of cash. Buying off Rick and Hale for
thousands of dollars more than what he's worth would be
easy for Lumen, and.

Speaker 8 (01:00:01):
I'm not inclined to just walk away from it.

Speaker 2 (01:00:04):
The mortgage on beer House must also be breathtaking. Ricken
is looking at squeezing a bit more chin out of
his work. Why not grab a healthy additional paycheck for
nothing more than a rewrite. Selling out your personal ethics
is a bit harder to stomach, but the size of
the check must be enough to save those wounds. I
was curious what the costs might be on a home

(01:00:25):
like beer House. Since homes don't sell very often in
the Usonia district, there aren't a lot of comparisons. Another
smaller Demoto designed house in the neighborhood recently sold for
eight hundred and seventy five thousand. A Frank Lloyd Wright
designed home with similar specs to beer House recently went
for one point two million. If the Hails are on
a traditional thirty year mortgage, they're probably looking it's somewhere

(01:00:47):
around a sixty five hundred dollars a month payment, plus
taxes and insurance. I'm also guessing the HOA dues for
one of the most famous neighborhoods in the country aren't cheap.
High paying writing assignment could go a long way towards
covering the Hales household. Nut Ricken desperately tries to somehow
justify this decision based on his past success.

Speaker 11 (01:01:10):
Unless me selling millions of copies of my book and
the life that that manages to give us has somehow
lost its appeal for you.

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
This is not cutting any slack with Devin. Evil is evil,
no matter how much they're paying you. I'm also shocked
to discover Rickens's only source of income is as an author.
There has to be a trust fund somewhere. Not that
I think Ricken exaggerates, but I have real problems with that.
Millions claim books sell in the thousands. It is estimated

(01:01:39):
that an author can hit most of the major best
selling book lists with sales of between five and ten
thousand copies. If a book should actually go on to
sell true millions of copies, it becomes a famous title.
It can also take some books years to reach multimillion
sellers status Tuesdays with Maury, The Grapes of and Fifty

(01:02:01):
Shades of Gray have all sold right around fifteen million
copies each. I can't imagine any of doctor Hale's works
landing in the same company as these well known titles.
Devon is not impressed by Ricken's chest thumping okay whatever.
Fricken tries to call her back, but Devon is done
with him for the night.

Speaker 1 (01:02:21):
Babe, no thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:02:23):
There's a cut to one of Irving's passionate messes of
black paint. We see a hand and close up feeling
the texture of the dried black goo. It's Irving's hand.
He's standing in front of the wall of paintings he's
produced over what has to have been many weeks. They
are all dark and haunting, with a horrible overtone of
dread about them. After a few minutes of reflection, herb

(01:02:43):
suddenly moves to action. He begins pulling down the many
boards and canvasses. He's piling the paintings on his work table,
perhaps being fired from the severed floor as somehow freed
outy irv from the nightmare of this vision. He doesn't
seem compelled to keep painting this image, we cut to
IRV now walking outside. The stanchions of the Word street

(01:03:04):
bridge can be seen in the background. IRV is again
visiting his favorite phone booth. I'm guessing it's a local
call because he's able to dial with just a coin.
Usually if you were calling long distance on a payphone
and operator would have to get involved. IRV couldn't look
more suspicious if he tried. After he dials, he scans
up and down the street around him. It sounds like

(01:03:26):
someone answered.

Speaker 8 (01:03:27):
It's me again.

Speaker 2 (01:03:29):
Still no clue as to who IRV is calling. Top
theories suggests the Whole Mind collective, RIGABI, or someone from
Dorner Therapeutics. Dorner is the competitor Peggy Kay mentioned in
the Lexington letter. She thinks her Any somehow managed to
blow up a Dorner truck by refining a file. Prototypes
of some kind were destroyed in the explosion. If Dorner

(01:03:50):
is a sworn competitor to Luman, having a spy like
herve on the inside would be valuable. This is all conjecture.
We aren't told the entire season who IRV is calling.
Considering the fates of both Any and Oudy, IRV I'm
beginning to wonder if we'll ever know. These calls have
the feel of a check in. He's reporting his activities

(01:04:11):
to someone. Previous calls sounded like he was leaving a message.
He might actually be talking to someone on this call.

Speaker 8 (01:04:18):
So they fired me. I think they know what my
name was up to.

Speaker 2 (01:04:22):
What Wasserv's any up to. It's not like he was
hiding anything. In fact, he was pretty upfront about his
concerns regarding Helly slash Helena. If any IRV had something
else going on while he was on the severed floor,
he did a great job hiding it. IRV then says,
I'm telling you to but he's cut off. He's seen

(01:04:43):
something on the street that makes him in the call.

Speaker 8 (01:04:46):
I have to go.

Speaker 2 (01:04:47):
He's decided to do something about Audi Bert's snooping. Bert
is once again sitting on the street spying on IRV.
He's not much of a spy. Car and driver are
both plainly visible. IRV hangs up the foot and walks
directly towards Bert's car.

Speaker 8 (01:05:02):
Hey.

Speaker 2 (01:05:03):
IRV is in a black beanie and black leather code. Hey,
he's an intimidating presence, striding quickly over to confront the driver.

Speaker 8 (01:05:12):
You why are you following me?

Speaker 2 (01:05:15):
Bert rolls down his window. The motion he's making as
the window goes down would indicate he's using a manual crank.
Back in the old days, we didn't have all these tiny,
powerful electric motors doing work for us. We had to
roll car windows down by hand. These days, the majority
of new cars and trucks, especially retail direct to consumer models,

(01:05:35):
include power windows by default. If you want manual windows,
they are a special order, and that's if they're available
at all. The list of cars and trucks with available
manual windows is pretty short. Manufacturers continue to offer a
manual option on budget models and pickup trucks, but they
do it primarily as a way to keep the costs

(01:05:57):
down on fleet purchases. I've missed Christopher Walken this season,
so glad to have him back in the mix. He
says he's got this thing.

Speaker 8 (01:06:06):
When somebody shows up on my doorstep screaming my name,
I want to know why.

Speaker 2 (01:06:11):
Fair enough call it ak out. The Herb seems to
maintain a bit of paranoia about his former employer with Lumen.
I think he's indicating Bert is with Lumen as an audi.
Bert doesn't respond to this statement. He just wants to
know what RV was doing at his house the night
of the OTC. Audi IRV can't answer.

Speaker 8 (01:06:30):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:06:30):
He doesn't realize it, but his any was running the
show that night. Bert has a sense of what was happening.

Speaker 8 (01:06:36):
It wasn't you at all, was it.

Speaker 2 (01:06:38):
Bert is aware of Herb's situation. Seven IRV doesn't acknowledge
this statement. Bert is also severed, So what's it to you?
This silence causes Bert to continue, I.

Speaker 8 (01:06:49):
Got canned a couple of weeks ago.

Speaker 2 (01:06:50):
That's not the story they're telling down on the severed floor.
Based on the melon bar and video you recorded, everybody
thinks you retired. Bert says he pressed man management for
a reason. Why was he being let go.

Speaker 8 (01:07:03):
An He had an unsanctioned erotic entanglement with another work
of So.

Speaker 2 (01:07:08):
His AUDI did get the true story, even if they're
lying like dogs to the.

Speaker 8 (01:07:12):
Innies, So they wouldn't tell me.

Speaker 2 (01:07:14):
Not like he'd know him anyway. Then this guy shows
up at his door screaming his name. It didn't take
much to connect the dots. This is news to Audi IRV.

Speaker 8 (01:07:24):
Do you think we were an item it's.

Speaker 2 (01:07:26):
Not what Bert thinks that matters.

Speaker 8 (01:07:28):
Well, Fields suddenly thinks.

Speaker 2 (01:07:29):
So this is where he tells us they had to
cancel their trip to Milwaukee.

Speaker 8 (01:07:34):
Thanks for that.

Speaker 2 (01:07:34):
It's another one of those clues that Keir is located
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Milwaukee would be a great weekend
getaway from the up That is what he said.

Speaker 8 (01:07:44):
Fields, that's my husband's Fields.

Speaker 2 (01:07:47):
Not what IRV was wanting to hear, at least not
what any IRV was wanting to hear. Audi IRV hasn't
formed a strong opinion yet. Audi IRV says he's sorry
both for upsetting Fields.

Speaker 8 (01:07:58):
And I'm sorry I came at you just he.

Speaker 2 (01:08:00):
Was kind of aggressive coming out of that phone booth.

Speaker 8 (01:08:02):
It's fine.

Speaker 2 (01:08:03):
There's a long pause as Bert is considering something.

Speaker 8 (01:08:07):
We got a hand, we're planning to have it tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (01:08:09):
He says. It would be nice if IRV could come over.

Speaker 8 (01:08:12):
We could sit down, talk through it all.

Speaker 2 (01:08:14):
So this gathering would be IRV, Bert and Fields, Right. Fields,
IRV pauses to consider an evening of ham in conversation,
doesn't sound so bad, especially if this Bert fellow is
going to be there.

Speaker 8 (01:08:27):
I suppose.

Speaker 2 (01:08:28):
Bert says that will be great. They do like red
wine expensive, anything that would pair well with ham a
pino maybe okay tomorrow, And of course, as with most
TV dates, dinners or other appointments, nobody works out the details.
What time, what's your address? Where should I park? Should
I be on the street or can I use your driveway?
Bert asks if IRV needs a lift a walk?

Speaker 8 (01:08:51):
Thanks?

Speaker 2 (01:08:52):
Isn't he about half a block from his apartment?

Speaker 8 (01:08:54):
I know where you live?

Speaker 2 (01:08:55):
Now that's a bit threatening. Bert laughs it off when
he sees HER's reaction, he says, you'll see him tomorrow.
As RB is walking away from the car, we get
one of those scenes we saw a second of in
the previews. The car lights turn on and IRV is
swallowed up in the glare. Bert pulls away. As IRV
continues back to his apartment, we cut to a close
up of a hand pawing through what might be a

(01:09:17):
decorative net, possibly a macromy project. This is a dark
skinned female hand, So my powers of deduction tell me
it's Forgaby. Yeah, it's Regaby. There's a great cut to
her eyes. She's reacting to footsteps in the background. What
is she up to?

Speaker 5 (01:09:33):
Moving?

Speaker 2 (01:09:34):
The net reveals a necklace in a display box. Take
note of this necklace. It's Gemmas. Of course we're gonna
see her wearing it during the episode Cheeki Bardo. She
has it on as they visit the fertility clinic. The
footsteps Regabi was hearing belong to Mark.

Speaker 8 (01:09:49):
Sorry, there wasn't any eggnog.

Speaker 6 (01:09:52):
Might be out of season.

Speaker 2 (01:09:54):
Just another weird Severance reference to eggs. Mark finds Forgabi
in the basement. She's taking some kind of notes as
she goes through Mark's personal belongings. Fuck, don't miss the
grocery bag. Mark steps into frame with it visible, but
almost immediately puts it down. It's from the Egan Emporium.
The words are contained inside the graphic of a shopping cart.

(01:10:15):
This is the cure version of schnooks or Public's or
high ve the company town. Aspect of cure is so
prevalent in so many areas of people's lives. Before we
find out what the Fragabi is doing, I've got a
spare token for the vending machine. Refiner Severed will be
right back.

Speaker 10 (01:10:36):
Hello, Refiners, It's Mark keller ker Egan on severance.

Speaker 8 (01:10:41):
Don't let your.

Speaker 10 (01:10:42):
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 2 (01:10:54):
Getting back to Regabi, Yeah, what are you doing?

Speaker 8 (01:10:57):
I need some pressure points thanks to rat your memories.

Speaker 2 (01:11:01):
The polite thing might have been to go through those
memories with Mark, but that wouldn't be the Regabi way.

Speaker 6 (01:11:07):
Knitting yeah, she said, it gave her time to think.

Speaker 2 (01:11:10):
Okay, so I was closed with macromay. As Mark is
replacing the box of memories on a basement shelf, something
on the floor catches his eye. It's a very special
shipping container. Regabby glances over at it and asks if
that's her?

Speaker 4 (01:11:25):
What I thought it was her.

Speaker 2 (01:11:26):
Mark picks the container up off the floor. As he does,
he says something familiar.

Speaker 4 (01:11:31):
She's not dead, She's just not here.

Speaker 2 (01:11:34):
This is his Audi saying the same thing his inny
said about IRV. Is this bleed through or is this
such a strong belief with Mark? It's a part of
both sides of his personality. I've always believed this is
how Mark feels. Remember when Helly was complaining she'd never
leave this place. Mark's response was, no, you'll go home

(01:11:54):
at five. It's the same philosophy they are halves of
one complete person, and it's important to acknowledge both sides
of that existence, even if you don't get to participate
in it. Since that's not Gemma in the box, it
raises an interesting question.

Speaker 6 (01:12:10):
Who's in there.

Speaker 2 (01:12:11):
Forgabby kind of shrug, she says, Luman knows people let
the morgue on.

Speaker 1 (01:12:16):
The payroll like everywhere else.

Speaker 2 (01:12:18):
Since youre so, Mark may have an urn full of
cremated ashes, just not Gemma's cremated ashes. Mark has another
small bout of coughing. It's what he's been putting up
with for a couple of days.

Speaker 4 (01:12:30):
Now you feel all right?

Speaker 2 (01:12:31):
I think whatever you're doing to him is making him sick.
Pete also had a pretty nasty cough. I was attributing
it to living in the greenhouse, but it may have
been an effect of the procedure. Mark shrugs it off.
He's wondering if they're going to get back to the
reintegrating thing one more day. She pauses, then adds, usually
that's the usually made me pause. Mark also caught it

(01:12:52):
and usually done as once and by all indications, not
very well either.

Speaker 7 (01:12:57):
I don't want to rush things.

Speaker 2 (01:12:58):
Was it the rushing killed Pete. She says, there's risk. Yeah,
Mark went to the funeral. He's aware non exact science.

Speaker 1 (01:13:07):
Mark.

Speaker 2 (01:13:07):
Mark is starting to wonder if there's any actual science
involved at all. Okay, Mark shifts gears. He's about to
head up. Getgobby has a bizarre diet. Much of it
is loaded with sugar. Now remember the bug alien from
the First Men in Black movie. He was constantly in
need of sugar too. I'm just saying. Mark is slow

(01:13:29):
walking his way out of the basement. Something is weighing
on him. Are they hurting Hergabby says she doesn't know, Mark,
You are not gonna like this mour guy. As Mark
finally turns to head up, he hears a whisper. It's
enough to make him turn back. Gobby didn't say anything.
She's busy organizing her snacks. You're about to launch into

(01:13:50):
another crazy reintegration vision, Mark, and it's a weird one.
On the way up the stairs, there are flashes, the
background changes. There's a pretty cool whomp happening in the
soundtrack here. It's what I've always referred to as an
avalanche effect. It maxes out the decibel level of the
entire audible range. If you're wearing headphones, it can feel
like a sudden change in altitude. There's a voice in

(01:14:12):
the mix.

Speaker 7 (01:14:13):
Your a auty can parallel park in less than twenty seconds.

Speaker 2 (01:14:18):
Mark can hear this voice while he's still in his basement.
It's happening in his head. We're going to hear a
number of Audy facts in the next few moments. It
has always struck me there's a certain structure to an
Oudy fact. It's just the right blend of oddly specific
like twenty seconds, married with something a little off kilter,
like being able to parallel park. Who times something like that?

Speaker 7 (01:14:40):
Your Audi conroller scale with grace.

Speaker 2 (01:14:44):
They also tend to be oddly flattering. As soon as
ms Casey was introduced, contributors to the social spaces started
putting up their own versions of Oudy facts. A lot
of them just don't hit right. There is a special
craft to writing and fact.

Speaker 7 (01:15:00):
Your Audi pays all lay his gas and electrons within
three business games.

Speaker 2 (01:15:05):
I'm betting hundreds of these get written, but only a
very few are selected for use in the show. They
really blow through a bunch of them. Here.

Speaker 7 (01:15:13):
When you're an Audi listens to music shaving, he's not showing.

Speaker 2 (01:15:20):
Mark's perception changes to a hallway. It's long and dark
gray with square in set lights. At regular intervals, the
hallway will snap back and forth between the hallway at
his house and the gray, industrial looking hallway at Lumen.
This is something being created by his perception, because the
doorway at the end of the hall moves, the entire

(01:15:40):
hallway stretches away from Mark. He finally reaches the handle
and opens the door. We cut to a reverse angle
shot of Mark peeking around the opening door. The hallway
he's opening onto is one of the familiar, bright white
hallways of the severed floor.

Speaker 7 (01:15:56):
Your Audi prefers two scoops of ice cream and a serving,
but they must be the same flavor.

Speaker 2 (01:16:04):
It looks odd to see Audi Mark emerging onto the
severed floor. Adam Scott said it felt weird to be
on the severed floor sets while wearing his audy wardrobe.
Mark leaves the gray hallway and completely enters the all
white severed floor hallway.

Speaker 7 (01:16:19):
You're outing once captured a butterfly.

Speaker 2 (01:16:23):
Suddenly, something makes Mark turn. He spins a complete one
to eighty and comes face to face with Ms. Casey.
She is wearing her standard severed floor attire. The dress
as the feel of American designer Charles James suits for
ladies from the nineteen fifties. The hair is a Marcel
wave bob. It was the hot hairstyle of the nineteen thirties.

(01:16:43):
It got its name from the spring clamp curling iron
invented by Francois Marcel in nineteen eighteen. It's what allowed
hair to be styled in waves like this. Audie Mark
is speechless. He's face to face with a woman who
looks a lot like his thought to be wife, but
also somehow different.

Speaker 7 (01:17:02):
You're an Audi, miss Colley to viv.

Speaker 2 (01:17:06):
The structure of this one is changed. Audi facts are
delivered in the present tense. Your Audi is doing whatever
it is right now here. She was talking about something
you're out he is going to do. Since this was
a vision or hallucination, whatever you want to call it,
it's possible Mark's subconscious is trying to tell him something.

(01:17:27):
The message is cut off before she can finish. The
final shot is a close up on the face of
Audi Mark looking confused. Then it's like he's breaking down
in tears. Cut to black. Erie Schapiro music takes us
into credits. Adam Scott said he played that moment as
though Audi Mark was seeing his dead wife for the

(01:17:47):
first time in three years. It was a huge emotional shock.
Was ms Casey really being prophetic since this was a
creation of Mark's imagination? I don't think so. Since Audi
Mark I had never met ms Casey. This indicates crossovers
in memories. Maybe whatever voodoo Ragabi is trying in Mark's
head might be taking hold. That's gonna do it for

(01:18:10):
Trojan's horse refiner. Next time we.

Speaker 8 (01:18:13):
Meet Fields, is it Fields?

Speaker 2 (01:18:16):
As we start our deep dive into the sixth episode
of season two, it's called Attila. As always, a big
thanks to volunteer researcher Vinnip 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 reviewer. I do read them all
and your kind words and encouragement are greatly appreciated. Quick

(01:18:39):
reminder before you leave, get to the Severed Patreon page.
You can support this Severed podcast by pledging five dollars
a month on Patreon. Signing up is 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

(01:19:01):
workstation and get to the elevator refiner. Thanks for coming
back again. I'll see you next time. As always, please
stagger your exits.

Speaker 13 (01:19:10):
You've been listening to Severed, the Ultimate Severance Podcast. Severed
is written, produced, and hosted by Alan Stair.

Speaker 12 (01:19:17):
Severed is not endorsed by Red Hour Productions, Endevor Content,
or Apple tv Plus. This podcast is intended for entertainment
and informational purposes only.

Speaker 13 (01:19:27):
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 12 (01:19:39):
Please make sure to leave a five star rating and
review for Severed at Apple Podcasts

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