Severance: The We We Are   Rewatch 
January 11, 2025 5:01 PM - Season 1, Episode 9 - Subscribe

Season one finale. Dylan activates the Overtime Contingency Protocol.

Ricken, to (innie) Mark, in a rare moment of open self-doubt:
I don’t know why my voice shakes like that. I sound like a sad old hamburger waiter prattling on about sauces.
Jame Eagen, to (innie) Helly, providing the best hint yet as to Lumon's overall plan:
Do you remember when I brought home the first chip to show you? The prototype. It had the blue and green lights back then. I remember you said to me, “It’s so pretty, Daddy. Everybody in the whole world should get one.” They will. Because of you. They’ll all be Kier’s children.
Helly, to herself in the bathroom before going on stage:
Forgive me for the harm I’ve caused this world. None may atone for my actions…but me. And only in me shall their stain live on. All I can be is sorry. And that is all I am.
Mark's last shout before Milchick tackles Dylan and ends the OCP:
She’s alive!
posted by simonw (9 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
The official Severance podcast is excellent - Ben Stiller & Adam Scott have released recaps of episodes one through five so far and will reach the end of the season before the 17th (when season two starts). Lots of guests talking about how the show was made too.

I also recently found this fascinating two year old 45 minute video from the Set Decorators Society of America interviewing Severance set decorator Andrew Baseman about his work on the show, which includes footage of sets that weren't shown on screen (like Cobel's desk where she makes creepy new items for her shrine).
posted by simonw at 5:07 PM on January 11 [6 favorites]


"Hamburger waiter" just killed my husband and me when we heard it the first time.
posted by cooker girl at 8:02 AM on January 12 [2 favorites]


Notable that John Turturro has almost no lines in this episode - he says "Hi" to Radar the dog and shouts Burt! a few times at the end, but the rest of his plot is entirely carred through physical acting.
posted by simonw at 5:49 PM on January 12 [8 favorites]


The official Severance podcast is excellent

I'm up to s1e7 with guest stars (America's Sweetheart) Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. I want a spin-off podcast that's just Adam Scott and Ben Stiller hanging out with their showbiz friends for an hour.
posted by nathan_teske at 8:06 AM on January 14 [2 favorites]


"One day you will sit with my at my revolving." is so magnificently sinister.

Cobel going full mask-off: "Your friends are gonna suffer. Mark will suffer. You'll be long gone, but we'll keep them alive, in pain." One of the things I really noticed on rewatch is how fucking good Patricia Arquette is in this: everything she does is slightly off-kilter and uncomfortable to watch. Cobel/Selvig is deliberately leading a double life and it feels like one of the consequences of that is that both her personas fall into the uncanny valley of not-quite-complete.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:37 PM on January 14 [8 favorites]


Yeah, Patricia Arquette is astounding. She's playing two completely different characters despite not even being severed.

In one of the official podcast episodes they mention that she does quite a bit of improvisation too. When Mark asks her if she wants the door open or closed and she says "Both", for example.

From the podcast episode with Britt Lower (Helly):
She just has such a great, fun, mysterious quality.
And it's funny and scary and everything.

The vulnerability and the wheels turning. I feel like when I first was working with Patricia, before a take, she would sort of whisper what her inner thoughts were to me.

And I think one time she was like, you little rascal or something. And I was like, this is so great. Like, I'm getting just this little insight.
posted by simonw at 6:49 PM on January 14 [1 favorite]


In case anyone missed it the first time around, there’s a promotional tie-in ebook available. It takes the form of journalists communicating about a contact with a former employee and includes a copy of an employee handbook!
posted by mikepop at 7:07 PM on January 14 [2 favorites]






« Older Movie: Dallas Buyers Club...   |  Special Event: Winter 2025 Ani... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments

poster