"Severance" season 2 is almost at an end. "The After Hours" is episode 9 of the 10-episode season, and while it wasn't the most dramatic episode, its cliffhanger ending leaves us on the precipice of an epic conclusion.
In fairness, we were already expecting an epic finale whether episode 9 popped or not.
Earlier in the week I wrote about the runtime for episode 10, "Cold Harbor," which is tipped to go for 76 minutes. Combined with an MA-15 rating in Australia, it's clear that Ben Stiller has something incredible saved for the end of season 2.
With that looming finale, I had five big questions going into this episode. One was answered, one was not, and the other three were answered to some degree but not completely.
This seems to be because the show is saving the big reveals left in season 2 for its final episode, using this episode to set the board. Here's where our major players stand after episode 9.
Spoilers for "Severance" season 2 episode 9 ahead
Mark, Devon and Ms. Cobel seem ready to take down Lumon
In "The After Hours" we finally got the Mark and Ms. Cobel reunion teased at the end of episode 8.
We also got a Mark S. and Ms. Cobel renuion. At the end of the episode Ms. Cobel smuggled Mark and Devon into the Damona Birthing Retreat to bring back Mark's Innie. We know she was successful because Mark tells Devon that his last words to Devon were "She's alive!"
Now, all that's left to do is determine what state Mark will be when he arrives at Lumon in "Cold Harbor." Will he be Innie Mark S.? Will he be reintegrated?
My guess is the latter but I imagine we won't have to wait long into the episode to find out.
The cracks at Lumon are starting to show
Meanwhile at Lumon, things are looking disastrous.
First, the MDR department working on Cold Harbor is shattered. Mark isn't showing up to work, Irving has been long gone and now Dylan has tendered his resignation.
Most shockingly of all, it seems Helly/Helena is now in real trouble. Toward the end of episode 9, we find Jame behind her declaring "You tricked me." Helly seems genuinely confused by this, and it's unclear to us what exactly Jame means by this. All we know is it can't be good.
While Jame is distraught, Lumon management is in disarray. Miss Huang completed her Wintertide Fellowship and is being sent to Svalbard, seemingly taking her off the board.
But it's Mr. Milchick whose status going into episode 10 most intrigues me. First, he tells Mr. Drummond to "Consume feculence," which, as he helpfully points out translates to "Eat shit."
Then, when Mark calls to say he just needed a personal day, he tells Mr. Milchick that "it's just work.
That seems to really resonate with Mr. Milchick, who gives Mark the day off as long as Mark promises to come into work the next day. Is the leader of the severed floor, like his predecessor. losing faith in Lumon? Or is he merely trying any means possible to get Mark back into Lumon to complete Cold Harbor. A Milchick turn from Lumon in episode 10 would be an incredible twist.
We say heartfelt goodbyes to key characters
As mentioned already, at the end of the episode Miss Huang is headed to Svalbard and Dylan is headed out the door at Lumon. But they're not the only characters seemingly bidding goodbye.
Going into the episode, one of my biggest questions was whether or not we'd see Irving's Innie again.
We didn't see Irving B. in this episode, but we did see the Outie version of John Turturro. And it looks like he is literally riding off into the sunset.
Irving's goodbye was heartbreaking. At first, it seems like he's been betrayed by Burt, something I've admittedly seen as likely for some time. Then, it looks like Burt's actually going to kill him, a stunning move given their Innies' relationship.
But in the end, Burt decides he can betray Lumon, but not his husband and not Irving. While he won't run away with Irving, he buys him a train ticket and tells him to leave Kier and never return. That's a move that could get Burt killed — maybe as part of the violence we're expecting in the finale?
I think we haven't seen the last of Irving, though. Not only does he feel like a major character with a major part to play in revealing the breadth of Lumon's malfeasance, but the cynical part of me just can't imagine anyone in this tale gets a fairy tale ending like Irving seemingly just got.
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