WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Severance season 2 episode 2!An intriguing scene inSeveranceseason 2, episode 2 reveals not only thatIrving’s Outie (John Turturro) is in contact with someone about his Innie getting “a message,”but that he’s also secretly being followed. AmongSeverance’s main characters, the most mysterious Outie is still Irving. Little was revealed about Irving when his Innie went to the outside world during the overtime contingency in season 1, other than that he often paints a dark hallway, has a dog, lives alone, and was seemingly in the US Navy. However, Irving’s Outie is becoming all the more complex in season 2.
After solely focusing on the characters’ Innies in the premiere, “Goodbye, Mrs. Selvig” reveals what their Outies experienced in the aftermath ofSeverance’s season 1 finale. For Irving, that includes being fired and quickly rehired by Milchick, calling someone in a phone booth to reveal his “Innie got the message,” and unknowingly being followed in a car by someone close to his Innie. From the few moments spent with Irving’s Outie inSeveranceseason 2, episode 2, it seemsthe show is setting him up for some bigger twists involved with exposing the bleak realities of Lumon’s severance program.
Irving’s Outie Was Likely Calling Someone Connected To Lumon
Was Irving Calling Regabhi?
There are no specifics revealed about who Irving calls from a payphone inSeveranceseason 2, episode 2, but it’s clear that the conversation is meant to be hidden from Lumon. Otherwise, there’s no obvious reason why Irving would make the call from a phone booth rather than a cell phone or device that could be traced directly to him, or even potentially bugged by Lumon. Of course, that alsoindicates that his Outie is secretly trying to discover what’s really happening on the severed floor at Lumon, similar to Mark andPetey’s Outies inSeveranceseason 1.
Irving’s Outie was confused and on the verge of anger when Milchick revealed that he was being fired, and it seems that the reason is that he wouldn’t be able to continue his research and plans.
It’s also possible that Irving’s Outie got the severance procedure with the intention of taking down Lumon. Irving’s Outie was confused and on the verge of anger when Milchick revealed that he was being fired, and it seems that the reason is that he wouldn’t be able to continue his research and plans through his Innie at Lumon. Given the fact that his Outie has been trying to make his Innie sleep at work, making multiplepaintings of the black hallway leading to Lumon’s Testing Floor, and making cryptic phone calls about his Innie, it’slikely that Irving is working with someone else to try to expose the company.
Severance Season 2: Why Irving Wouldn’t Tell Anyone What He Saw On The Outside & Wanted To Leave
In Severance season 2, episode 1, Irving suffered from what he saw in the outside world, staying quiet and almost leaving Lumon as a result.
Therefore, the phone call that Irving makes inSeveranceseason 2, episode 2 is almost certainly to the person he’s working with to manipulate his Innie’s consciousness and memories. It’s possible that someone previously contacted Irving about paying him to use his Innie to get information about Lumon’s secret severance projects and experiments, such as the company’s testing withMs. Casey/Gemma and the Cold Harbor file, and they’resending his Innie a “message” to find the Testing Floor.
It’s still unclear who exactly this person could be, and whether it’s an established character or someone new inSeveranceseason 2.The most likely existing character would be Regabhi, the former Lumon surgeon who aided Petey’s “reintegration” process in season 1. Regabhi left the company due to moral opposition to the severance procedure, so it’s possible that she ended up contacting Irving after Petey’s death to attempt to get him to find proof about Lumon’s unethical work with severed people on the Testing Floor.
Burt G. Is Secretly Following Irving’s Outie In Severance Season 2
Burt Is The Man In The Car Watching Irving While He’s In The Phone Booth
In addition to working with an undisclosed individual against Lumon inSeveranceseason 2, Irving’s Outie is also unknowingly being followed while he makes these calls. As it turns out,the person following Irving’s Outie in the car is Burt Goodman (Christopher Walken), who retired from Lumon shortly beforeSeveranceseason 1’s ending. Another severed employee working in the Optics and Design department,Burt G. and Irving B. formed a romance inSeveranceseason 1that was cut short when Burt’s Outie decided to retire.
Burt G. worked in Optics and Design at Lumon for seven years, but it’s unclear what his Outie did before then.
During theovertime contingency inSeverance’s season 1 finale, Irving’s Innie found Burt’s address and went straight to his house, hoping that there would be a possibility for the two to be together. However, when Irving got there, he saw that Burt’s Outie was either married or in a relationship with another man, making Irving disillusioned with MDR’s plans to expose the reality of severed workers’ lives. When the overtime contingency ended,Irving’s Outie woke up while knocking on Burt’s door, with the aftermath of that interaction still unclear. However, its peculiaity led Burt to begin following Irving.
Why Burt Is Following Irving & What He Wants
Burt Wants To Know The Truth About Who Irving Is & Why He Was At His House
It’s not clear what Irving’s Outie said to Burt after waking up on his doorstep inSeverance’s season 1 finale, but it seems likely that Irving tried to explain it away as being at the wrong Burt’s house. However, Burt likely cued into the idea that it might have something to do with Lumon, given his Innie had just retired shortly before the incident.Burt’s Outie would be curious about who Irving was and what he really wanted with him, so he’s likely following him to figure out how they’re connected.
Who Was Watching Mark In The Background Of Severance Season 2’s Opening Scene?
Mark may not have noticed it, but someone was stalking him while he ran around the halls of Lumon in Severance season 2’s premiere episode.
Burt doesn’t speak to Irving after following him in “Goodbye, Mrs. Selvig,” but that’s likely to change inSeveranceseason 2’s upcoming episodes. It’s unknown how Burt’s Outie feels about Lumon and the morality of the severance procedure, so it’s equally possible thathe could end up trying to stop Irving from figuring out the truth or could end up joining Irving’s rebellious efforts. With Burt having retired from Lumon, he could prove to be a crucial part of exploring what the company does with former severed employees and whether they can still activate and use their Innies.
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Since Burt worked inLumon’s Optics and Design departmentrather than Macrodata Refinement,their different experiences could also be used to give the public a better look at how the employees’ jobs are secretly being used for the company’s propagandaand psychological experiments. However, Petey’s story inSeveranceseason 1 reveals that Lumon clearly keeps a close eye on severed employees, whether still with the company or not, so Burt and Irving working together would come with some major risks if Milchick or anyone from the Board discovered that they had met on the outside.
Cast
Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a “severance” procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
