After taking a quick roadtrip to Salt’s Neck last week, Severance heads back into the office in the season two penultimate episode. “The After Hours” is filled with confrontations, confessions, and broken hearts.
The opening scene sets the stage for what’s to come. A bizarre breakfast between father and daughter Eagan builds the tension that continues throughout. It feels so unnatural how the eggs are eaten, but the reserved dialog and uneasy quiet are as uncomfortable.
The George family isn’t having it any easier with the unorthodox love triangle between Gretchen and innie and outtie Dylan. The results are a logical conclusion, but that doesn’t make the pain less. Even though the severed personalities are grown adults, you can forget how innocent they are emotionally. Innie Dylan’s first experience with rejection doesn’t end well with his destructive behavior and acting out. Equally heartbreaking is his walk to the elevator at the end of the day.
Similarly, outtie Irving has his own relationship problems. Initially, Severance does a good job keeping you on your toes when Burt shows up at his home uninvited. The early conversations between the Eagans along with our knowledge of Burt’s past has us fearing for the worst. Christopher Walken’s haunting presence and John Turturro’s apprehensive and fearful looks don’t make things any easier.
Fortunately, there are no devious plans behind the visit. It’s a little hopeful to see that in a way, love can transcend the severed process. Turturro delivers a moving and vulnerable performance opening up Irving’s soul to someone that the character he’s playing hardly knows. Sometimes, a mere touch or gesture can speak volumes and both Turturro and Walken convey so much. A coming together of foreheads, a caress of the cheek, a hand extended for a shake. Their goodbye is bittersweet considering that even the outties can’t fight against what their innies have.
Two other memorable scenes involve Mr. Milchick. He has lost control of the severed floor and Cold Harbor is running behind schedule. When the higher ups come to admonish him, there is only so much a man can take. His act of defiance reveals cracks within the Lumon hierarchy and shows that he has a backbone. Plus, his vast vocabulary is put to good use adding a bit of levity to the situation.
Are we seeing a new compassionate Milchick on Severance? It could be? How else can you explain him cutting Mark S. some slack. In that moment, everyone can sympathize with the protagonist as Adam Scott gives an earnest and real speech. Sometimes we all need a day off to regroup from personal stuff, and we’re not even dealing with a shady company holding our spouse, who we thought was dead, captive.
With an episode focusing on goodbyes, one that isn’t impactful as the others is Ms. Huang’s. The character hasn’t played too big a role this season, and has been more in the background. There is so much airtime given to her leaving. Her inclusion into the montage fits thematically, but compared to the other characters, she seems more as an afterthought.
Severance’s season two penultimate episode is tension filled where the personal interactions and well delivered character performances stand out.
New episodes of Severance release Fridays on Apple TV+.
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