s3cretplaces

[s3cretplaces]

Irving

There's really no way to say what will happen with Irving.

Again I've seen some hand wringing on whether this is the end of Irving's character or role in the story. I'm of two minds. On one hand Irving's innie died. He makes a sacrifice and scores a hit against Lumon with revealing Helena. He plays foil to innie Marks position in the finale in that he does step out of the exit hallway in chase of who he loves in the outside world, fulfilling his initial desire to non-exist together with Burt. (Versus Dylan who chooses a more symbiotic coexistence and Mark choosing to go full innie)

I also kind of love that death has real stakes here. Some people may see this as Irving getting put on a bus but it speaks to the fact that there are real consequences to defying Lumon, and that fundamentally if Irving B "died" as an Innie he can't come back. He is lost to the MDR, and to his friends because he quite literally "died." It's just as traumatic and consequential as if his outtie were to die.

It would be quite different I think for the show to make the argument of the equivalency of severed and un-severed existence if they bring Irving B. back. it means there are less narrative stakes for the innies when they're being threatened.

Also like with Gemma I'm fundamentally rooting for the Innies to be free or to "escape" Lumon and the severed floor. Maybe that is disrespecting their autonomy but to me it's a poor argument that their existence as Lumon intends it and whatever agenda their work serves for Lumon is something we should be championing.

Like with Gemma freedom from Lumon and the ability to choose what comes next is a win for Irving. Like with Gemma it comes at the cost of his "love" but (for the last time) like with Gemma it may not be the end of Irving's story. As I wonder what or where they might take the character if they decide to bring him back I'm more hopeful for the possibilities than angry with the choices they made.

Irving was in some ways the best of them, his experience, his compassion for his fellow severed selves and his laser focus on the goal echoes a lot great qualities that we see emulated in the remaining members. Narratively he's the Obi-wan, you strike him down and he could become more powerful than ever before. He also as the old wise mentor figure needs to be removed so that Dylan, Mark, and Helly can make mistakes or decisions without his guidance and wisdom. He's the Gandalf and he is too much of a stabilizing voice of reason with the ability to suss out what the problems are to be left alive. His absence hurts because he's a great character that we do want to see come back which is why I'm glad he's gone. It meant something that he lived, and it means something that he's "dead."

Time will tell if like the mentor figures mentioned he can come back in glory in a time of great need. I could certainly see Devon, Gemma, and Harmony tracking him down to link up with whatever organization or individual he was plotting with to get the scoop on Lumon.

For now Irving gets my favorite track on the original score for season 2. A sendoff that hints at better things, and someone who is more whole for having lived a severed life. Someone who's ready now for whatever comes next.

*Pure speculation time:

Like with Burt there is room I think to make Irving antagonistic in the next season. For one the nuance of him wanting to wreck Burt's marriage and not fundamentally caring if Fields gets hurt puts him neatly alongside the rest of the crew in terms of chasing love for good or bad regardless of who they "hurt".

If Irving is trying to take down Lumon or get to the testing floor there is a good chance that the served floor as we know it will end or the people in it removed. That once again puts him at odds with the innies who desire to stay alive.

If I were to speculate at Irving's backstory two roads that I think would be interesting to go down would be to follow the millitary angle: the government's role and thoughts on Lumon and severance as a technology are nebulous. I think many of us can imagine some fairly nefarious use cases for a perfected or imperfect severed technology e.g. agents for black ops or spying as gimmies. Or to flip it there was an incident with a severed spy/agent that they're trying to track down and prove now.

Irving being some kind of terrorist cell or deep cover agent trying to investigate in service of a government? would be a fairly reasonable path. It would bring higher stakes but would move a little away from the work/life corpo angle by bringing in the military-industrial complex. That being said big pharma and big tech in bed with the gov/millitary is almost sci fi show 101. It feels almost redundant to say Lumon must have gov/military contracts already.

I feel like if anything it's more likely he serves as a private contractor type with his ex navy/military background and discipline on a long sting operation and he's one of many attempts to get a handle on Lumon by a rival corp. That would make him similar to Burt as a hatchet man or enforcer type.

Irving as a kind of deep plant of a company that we saw Lumon fencing with like in the Lexington Letter. It would give Irving less of a squeaky clean motivation and reveal that he like Burt may have a fair few skeletons in his closet.

What was his goal? It seems that it's tied to whatever floors lie below the severed floor. We've seen testing now and with the rate of turnover I suspect it's not a specific person like with Mark and Gemma that Irving was trying to find. He's certainly been with Lumon for too long for me to think that's the case.

The end product of the testing, and the Manchurian candidate Lexington Letter innie bots though, however those are shipped (be it the chip or the person) I could see being of interest. If I had to guess that's what I'd put money on.

[s3cretplaces]

tomorrow is the first thursday without severance. all tv addicts must prepare, tell your loved ones to check on them. drink water. listen to the soundtrack.

[s3cretplaces]

As the dust settles on severance season 2 I have to throw in my 2 cts with the choir of complaints on how the season was paced— the single-character centric bottle episodes for sure took some steam out of the back half of the season and contributed to that loss of footing in certain character arcs. In an alternate rewrite I feel like, for instance, Irving and Burt’s arc could have been better telegraphed in the eps leading up to 9 so that their goodbye didn’t feel so …….. unearned (hate to say that cause I love them down)??? At the same time, I can’t fathom this season without a “Chikai Bardo” which I thought was an amazing episode of television and feat of directing. frankly as a Barry season 4 enjoyer (burn me at the stake) I’m not even always mad when showrunners take big swings with storytelling style, like I think there’s space for it all but it leaves a lot for season 3 to move with and I hope it does. My hope is at least next season we could get a “Sweet Vitriol” for Irv lol

[s3cretplaces]

“see you at the equator” the equator is the imaginary line going around the planet, dividing the northern and eastern hemispheres of earth…. kind of like how the severance chip is placed in the middle of the left and right hemispheres of the brain… dividing sub consciousness and consciousness… the line between “innie” and “outie”is crumbling, specifically with helly and helena, dylan, irving, and burt… mark is reintegrating but both resist…. they will see each other at the equator

[s3cretplaces]

i think. Thee tragedy of severance is that love Doesn’t transcend severance. Mark S doesn’t feel anything for Gemma but a moral duty to get her out of Lumon. Cold Harbor Gemma doesn’t feel anything taking apart the crib. The boundary holds and nothing is remembered. The chips work.

[s3cretplaces]

mark saying "work is just work" felt like a bright piercing bolt of clarity, cutting through everything in the show to reveal its core. work is not "just work" for anyone at lumon. for innies, work is literally their whole life. after being severed, outies have trouble finding work elsewhere and end up tied to lumon. the unsevered higher-ups like milchick and cobel and drummond are cult members devoting their lives to serving the religion. severance is touted as providing a perfect work-life balance but in reality people's lives become wholly consumed by lumon. the idea that "work is just work", that work isn't all-consuming and all-important, is the most radical thing you can say in this universe. and it's no wonder that it hits so hard for milchick, who just took a step in that direction by asserting that he will stick to his job description and jurisdiction and they cannot demand any more of him than that. and mark's insistance that "work is just work" prevents him from going in and finishing cold harbor, thus saving gemma from being consumed fully. "work is just work" is the key to escape

[s3cretplaces]

How am I supposed to clock in and work at MY 9-5 desk job today when my head is completely empty but for “I’ve never had this” // “I know” // “My whole life” // “I know” // “I want to. I wanna have it” // “Irving…” // “I’m ready.” rattling around my skull like a pile of loose marbles. Huh?????

[s3cretplaces]

Oh the implications of this are SOMETHING …!!!!!

[s3cretplaces]

When I get my bearings I will write a 5000 word essay about the 4-note theme that scores Burt and Irving's early dalliances as innies and romance in the garden (their 'secret place') in season 1 and how that theme is woven much more into the score of season 2, culminating at the train station in the most heartwrenching goodbye between star crossed lovers I have ever seen literally strings swelling as he watched him walk away forever into the light type shit, the sound of your soul calling from over the severance barrier oh I’m on life support

teddy shapiro's score at the train station was . oh man . oh gee willikers. what the fuck is there even to say

[s3cretplaces]

We got him but also lost him again somehow at the same time in classic fashion

🕯️🕯️🕯️

irving b will return tonight!!!

🕯️🕯️🕯️

all my homies want to see the advancement of irving b plot and lore!!!!!!

🕯️🕯️🕯️

like to cast an irving b summoning spell!!!!!

🕯️🕯️🕯️

[s3cretplaces]

burt g was ready but irving b wasn't. irving b was ready but burt goodman wasn't. irving b crashed burt g's retirement party because he didn't want the man he loved to die. burt goodman drove irving bailiff out of town and bought him a one-way train ticket out of kier pe because he didn't want the man he loved to die. burt g left irving b behind. irving b left burt g behind. irving b was loved by burt g but wasn't ready to act on it because he didn't think he deserved it. and irving bailiff never knew what it was like to be loved until burt goodman let him go.

[s3cretplaces]

at least we got irving bailiff tonight

[s3cretplaces]

🕯️🕯️🕯️

irving b will return tonight!!!

🕯️🕯️🕯️

all my homies want to see the advancement of irving b plot and lore!!!!!!

🕯️🕯️🕯️

like to cast an irving b summoning spell!!!!!

🕯️🕯️🕯️

[s3cretplaces]

happy you cant make a tomlette without breaking some greggs day to those who celebrate

[s3cretplaces]

Cobelvigisode is def the most Barry (HBO) episode of severance if that makes sense

[s3cretplaces]

I do find it really interesting that Harmony's (presumably) first solution to the trauma she endured at the factory was inventing Severance. Some other types of people would have perhaps invented a self-stirring ether vat, or some type of high-tech automata that could take over the more dangerous and questionable jobs Lumon had been delegating to children. But no. Rather than trying to present an alternative to the exploitation, she dreamed up a way that people just wouldn't have to *feel* it.

I can't quite articulate it but it speaks to very deep indoctrination. Rather than saying 'here, you don't have to exploit people' she says 'here, if you're going to exploit people at least let them forget.' something something reverence to an all-powerful seeming company something something not even being able to imagine a world where people aren't being exploited so instead just trying to lessen the blow.

[s3cretplaces]