Defiant Jazz – The show begins with Mark Scout (Adam Scott) asking Regabhi (Karen Aldridge) tells him to follow her. She questions why he never tossed Petey Kilmer’s (Yul Vazquez) phone in the trash weeks ago. He repeats his previous question about her identity. She identifies herself as the individual who helped your friend, Petey. Disagreeing, he reminds her reintegration contributed to Petey’s death. She assures him Petey’s death was not related to the procedure, but Petey’s unwillingness to follow the post-op recommendations.  He asks if she is a doctor. She admits to implanting the chip in his brain and having the ability to deactivate it. He tells her he may not want his chip deactivated. Reminding him of his innie, she asks what he may want.

Regabhi says she detests the term, innie. She describes Mark’s innie as a “baby” since he has only been severed for about two years. He tells her he and his innie live separate lives.  Disagreeing, she says they are one and the same. She asks if he believes his innie does anything differently than him. She says his innie may love or hate it, but he will never know. She accuses him of ignoring his innie when opting to enter Severance. He denies being a bad person. Mr. Doug Graner (Michael Cumpsty) refers to Mark as Mr. Scout. Mark questions if he is supposed to know him. Mr. Graner tells him they are co-workers. He asks who he is conversing with. When he doesn’t respond, he promises to be his friend. Regabhi hits Graner beats Mr. Graner unconscious. Hysterical, Mark demands to know what she is doing. She orders him to grab his arms. He says, “Oh my God, oh fu**, my God” as they pull Mr. Graner’s body to

Mark tells her they work together. She informs him Mr. Graner works on the severed floor as the head of security. When he alerts her of his need to vomit, she warns him it would spread his DNA everywhere. Suggesting he take Mr. Graner’s security card to work tomorrow, she says he will know what to do. He asks who will know. She says you. She orders him to get rid of his clothes when he returns home. Stumbling to the exit, he asks, “Wha…” She assures him everything will be all right and they will finish what Petey started. Raising her voice, she orders him to get out. He makes it a short distance away before vomiting on the ground.

When he returns home, he partially removes his clothes when he hears a loud noise.  He stuffs the bag of clothes in a bathroom cabinet when Alexa (Nikki M. James) enters the room. He claims to be getting water. She asks where he is has been. He pretends to be confused. She tells him about hearing the car. He suggests she may have been dreaming. She says it has been about an hour since he was there. He admits taking a drive. She eventually leaves.

Mark stares at Mr. Graner’s security card. He runs into Mrs. Selvig (Patricia Arquette) as the tosses his bag of clothes in the trashcan. She questions why he is disposing of his trash so early in the morning when he generally does it in the afternoon. He claims to be getting an early start for the day. After describing his appearance as looking troubled, she invites him for tea and a talk. He agrees to see how the day goes. She makes a joke about Jake Frost.

Milchick (Tramell Tillman) tests the elevator to ensure it is operating correctly. He walks into the toilet stall, where Dylan (Zach Cherry) claimed to have hidden the card from Optics and Design.  He finds it easily enough.

Milchick visits Optics and Design to give Burt G. (Christopher Walken) the card Dylan took the day before. Burt identifies the card as 7199-G. He assures Milchick Oswald will be thrilled. Milchick proposes they complete the final preparations without further interruptions. Burt is surprised when Milchick doesn’t leave. He looks at Burt’s work and calls it “outstanding” as Felicia (Claudia Robinson) watches from her workstation. Milchick tells Burt he deserves something special for his dedicated work. Burt says he doesn’t want another breakroom trip. He assures him it will not be that, but something different.

Milchick is standing in front of Dylan when the elevator door opens. Dylan demands to know what happened last night in his home. Milchick refers to it as the “Overtime Contingency.” He describes it as an off-site safeguard to reach workers remotely. Dylan denies knowing anything about Overtime Contingency. Milchick admits to implementing the method without consulting Cobel. He questions if the young boy was his son. Milchick says he violated his agreement to count to a thousand. Getting in Dylan’s personal space, Milchick suggests he not tell the others what happened. Dylan asks what’s his son’s (Blaze James Gorman) name. He assures him it is better to not know. Milchick promises to find him some special perks. Dylan appears confused.

While getting his name tag out of his locker, Mark discovers Mr. Graner’s security card. He peeks around to see if Judd (Mark Kenneth Smaltz) is watching. The elevator door opens to show Milchick, with a smile on his face, waiting for him. Mark questions if he is going to the breakroom. Milchick tells him he will be escorted to his desk. Confused, Mark is asked to lead the way. They run into a set of security doors. Mark asks if they are going to be locked in. Milchick informs him it is a new protocol to ensure they remain at their workstations.  He unlocks the doors as Mark questions if Mr. Graner is responsible.

Milchick informs the others of Mark’s presence. He ignores Helly (Britt Lower) when she asks, “What is this.” When he asks Dylan if he is okay, he gets a dull response. Milchick delivers Mark’s coffee and exits Macrodata Refinement. He contacts Harmon Cobel (Patricia Arquette) to alert her of Mr. Graner’s absence.

 

Mrs. Selvig demonstrates how to properly position a baby for breastfeeding. She tells Devon (Jen Tullock) to try. She is surprised when her baby feeds without hesitation. Mrs. Selvig tells her about an incident, where a woman attempts to express breastmilk in an airport restroom but fails miserably. Devon tells her about Gabby Arteta (Nora Dale) and her husband, Angela Arteta (Ethan Flower). Gabby didn’t remember her from the birth retreat when she tried to converse with her at the park. Mrs. Selvig calls Gabby a “snoot.” Devon explains how Mark’s employer, Lumon Industries, claims to only sever people at work. She asks what if one partner wanted a baby and the other didn’t. Mrs. Selvig shrugs off her concern, saying she probably wouldn’t remember anyone’s name either immediately after giving birth.

Mrs. Selvig asks her why she thinks Mark opted to be severed. Devon says he tried to work at the college after losing his wife. She asks if Mark ever sees his wife.

Irv questions why the restroom soap dispenser is not labeled. Dylan assures him everyone knows it is soap. Irv says it is a question for Optics and Design. Mark reminds him of them not being permitted to leave. Irv questions if Burt is being disciplined because they visited Optics and Design. Snarky, Dylan tells Irv he can blame it on himself if Burt was disciplined. Milchick rolls in a cart and asks Helly to approach. He awards her with a 5-minute dance experience for reaching 75 percent refinement of Siena. He snaps her photo while Irv complains she only has 73 percent refinement. She is asked to choose an accessory and genre. Dylan appears on the screen in a sullen state. Everyone joins in on the dance except Dylan.

Everyone stops dancing to watch Milchick dancing around Dylan who has a flashback of his son. Coming out of his seat, Dylan attacks Milchick. He has Milchick on the ground while demanding to know his name. Milchick screams for someone to get Dylan off of him. Dylan bites Milchick. Helly pushes the emergency button. As Dylan is being pulled off Milchick, you can see his mouth is full of blood. He will need to take a tetanus shot because Dylan bit through the skin. Milchick threatens to report his behavior to Cobel. Dylan suggests they talk to her at the same time. Irate, he tells them the dance experience is canceled. Mark demands to know what is wrong with him. He tells Mark about the Overtime Contingency on the outside.

He explains how Milchick woke him up in his home and he saw his son who was thrilled. Irv reminds him the boy belongs to his outie, not. Helly suggests they utilize Overtime Contingency for their own benefit. Mark asks what can stop them. She says they can find what Lumon utilizes to control them. Irv reminds them they are innies. He says it would be perverse. Mark pulls out Mr. Granger’s security card. Dylan recognizes it. Helly asks where he found it. He assumes it was in his pocket when he arrived at work. Helly questions how Mark’s outie has Mr. Granger’s key card. She says they all need a field trip. Dylan suggests they visit the security office. Helly reminds them of only seeing Mr. Granger and no other security guards.

They unlock the new security doors. Irv immediately heads to Optics and Design to check on Burt. Mark asks about the plan. Irv pretends to not be able to hear him clearly. Helly and Mark unlock the security room, where there is a wall of surveillance cameras and large control panels. One panel has controls for the severed workers. A red alert pops up on one of the control panels to alert of Cobel’s descent. Mark rushes over the surveillance camera to see Cobel. Helly assures him Cobel won’t visit the security office.

Irv combs his mustache while walking to Optics and Design. Cobel runs into Natalie (Sydney Cole Alexander) who informs her Mr. Graner is dead. Shocked, Cobel says, “What.” Natalie says the Board is deeply concerned and wants to know if she was aware Mr. Granger was missing. Cobel assumes Mr. Granger’s killer is the same person who reintegrated Petey. The Board designs reintegration occurred. Cobel claims to have proof of reintegration. Whispering in Natalie’s ear, Cobel offers to share her evidence in person. The Board agrees to meet Cobel next week at the Eagan Family Gala.

Irv sees Optics and Design having a party.

Dylan calls there being no one in the security room as “lax.” Mark suggests they think them knowing they are being surveilled is enough. Helly tells them everything in Lumon is “bullsh**.” Helly is studying a page from the Lumon security manual. Deciphering the process, Dylan offers to do it after work. Helly suggests the process will take two people to complete.  Dylan promises he can do it.

Irv watches as Milchick tells Optics and Design to applaud Burt. A note on the wall reads, “Goodbye, Burt!” When Milchick spots Irv he says the security doors will need to be checked. Milchick flips on the computer screen to show Burt’s outie. He tells Optics and Design that Burt has been working with them for about seven years, all of which he hopes were good. He describes how he feels fulfilled and satisfied after returning home from work. He tells the group this is his last day working with them. He promises to never forget them, even though he doesn’t know them subconsciously.

Interrupting, Irv asks if they are going to stand by and let Burt die. Burt demands to know what he is talking about. He questions if they are being punished. Milchick assures Irv he will retire one day like Burt. Irv calls Milchick a “smug, mothercu**er.” He goes on a tirade about never forgetting. Milchick orders him to return to Microdata Refinement. Burt pleads with him to let Irv stay. He agrees to let him stay. While Burt’s retirement song plays, his co-workers approach to say goodbye. Everyone stares at Irv when he returns to Optics and Design. Mark asks if he is okay. Irate, he says, “Let’s burn this place to the ground.”

Mark is having a drink while researching Ganz College. He opens the door to find Alexa standing there. She claims to have forgotten her phone. He tells her it was between the wall and bed. She asks if he is all right. Tipsy, he says everything is fine. When she tries to leave, he tries to convince her to stay. She tells him he just isn’t ready. He apologizes for talking about his wife, Gemma before ripping her photo into shreds. She turns and walks out of his apartment when him in toll. He assures her they can talk about Gemma all she wants. As she pulls away, he says Alexa is great. He pieces Gemma’s photo back together.

Mark explains how his wife was extraordinary and had a nutmeg allergy. She always sneezed two, not once. He loved everything about Gemma. He stares at the photo as the episode comes to an end.

 

Severance Review

A fantastic episode. Now, everyone, even heartbroken Irv, is on board with taking down Lumon. Burt’s leaving is most likely Cobel’s way of keeping them apart. The security doors didn’t work, thanks to Mr. Graner’s security pass.

It’s obvious, Dylan remembers Milchick’s visit to his home. So, there are some cracks in Lumon’s system. Since they now have access to Lumon’s severed control panel, what will be their next step?

They have something to hold over Milchick’s head since Cobel doesn’t know he implemented the Overtime Contingency technique.

Even though the series is quite extensive, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of unnecessary filler. The slow pace probably helps in some sense.

With Mr. Graner out of the way, the refiners are only left to deal with Milchick and Cobel. While both are desperate to keep their or Lumon’s secret, it is questionable how far they will push it. Desperation calls for desperate measures, which happens to be in this case.

Will they bring another security guard onboard? If so, it is likely he will be much more aggressive than Mr. Graner ever thought about being.

The directing, acting, and camerawork are excellent. Can’t wait for the next episode. The episode earns an 8. Get more Severance recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link to learn more.