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[SteelBlue]

Holy shit.

Spoiler for spoilers:

I figured out there was going to be a reveal on Mark's wife a few seconds into the taping the pieces of the picture together scene. I wondered if it would be Helly, but Ms. Casey was a complete surprise. And after the Overtime Contingency, which was a trip, we're seeing something really sinister with Lumon. I wonder how the potential severance connection with the senator's wife's birthing is going to play out.

Agree that the music dance experience was done perfectly. Milchick was fantastic in it.

Spoiler for episode 7:

The Murder
The Overtime Contingency
The Music Dance Experience
Ms Casey is Mark's wife (Holy Shit!!!)

Some really funny moments too. Burt's goodbye video was laugh out loud funny. And perhaps the best line in the entire episode 7 was Irving's "shoulda gone with the castanets."

The Senator's wife was a huge reveal, right? Of course, this could be why so many people on the outside seem so childlike. Maybe they've been severed (with or without their consent). Then there's Ms Casey/Mark's wife. When Mrs Selvig/Cobel asked Mark's sister if he sometimes thought he saw his wife I realized she was probably alive (but my jaw hit the floor when Ms Casey was revealed). And it leads us to believe she has an Outie because otherwise how would Mark see and recognize her?. But why does everyone accept that she's dead? So that got me thinking, have they ever actually said that she died? Or has the dialog always been he/they "lost her?" I need to go back to episode 1 and check. It makes me wonder if there's some kind of "all in for Lumon" option like being a nun that people choose? In any case, it's further evidence that Lumon is much more than a corporation. The steady reveal of a fusion of corporation and cult/religion has been fascinating The singing, the visitors center, the paintings, some of that is a bit familiar, ha ha (even the concept of severance is theologically familiar). Another question I have is did you feel like his former school was in disarray? Like maybe there's been some war on higher education? Or were they just in the bowels of the building? So much to think about! One last question: What are your thoughts on the break room? It's such an odd statement they read. Like the data they sort is used for highly nefarious purposes, say drone strike coordinates or something. Man, just two episodes to go. It's going to be an excruciatingly long year waiting for Season 2.

[Jeff Lebowski]

OK, we are caught up.

Spoiler for a few thoughts:

Episode 7 was wild. Things are really picking up steam.

As for the reveal on Mark's wife, there were several easter eggs hinting at this. The last time they showed Mark in a session with her where she asked him to sculpt something, she lit up a red/green candle that was identical to one Mark has picked up and looked at in him home a time or two. The wife and I noticed that and wondered what the significance was. Also, when the two of them passed in a narrow hallway I found it odd that they there was so much dramatic tension in the scene.

As for his wife's "death", recall that one time Mark stopped by the side of the road and started crying next to a large tree with a dent in it. I am wondering if they faked her death by having a fiery car crash with a burnt body everyone assumed was her.

My favorite comedic moments are when Mark reads from his BIL's self help book. Hilarious.

[SteelBlue]

OK, we are caught up.

Spoiler for a few thoughts:

Episode 7 was wild. Things are really picking up steam.

As for the reveal on Mark's wife, there were several easter eggs hinting at this. The last time they showed Mark in a session with her where she asked him to sculpt something, she lit up a red/green candle that was identical to one Mark has picked up and looked at in him home a time or two. The wife and I noticed that and wondered what the significance was. Also, when the two of them passed in a narrow hallway I found it odd that they there was so much dramatic tension in the scene.

As for his wife's "death", recall that one time Mark stopped by the side of the road and started crying next to a large tree with a dent in it. I am wondering if they faked her death by having a fiery car crash with a burnt body everyone assumed was her.

My favorite comedic moments are when Mark reads from his BIL's self help book. Hilarious.

Spoiler for thoughts:

Ah yes, the candles! I had forgotten. Also forgot the crying at the tree scene. just went back and reviewed a bit (I have the day off!) and Mark flat out says "I lost my wife in a car accident."

When I try to describe the show for people, I like to say that it's like Black Mirror, Lost and Twin Peaks had a threesome and let Derek Zoolander watch and comment. That book is so damned funny.

[Northwestcoug]

This is why I wish Mrs. NWC was watching this with me.

Spoiler for episode 7:

The Murder
The Overtime Contingency
The Music Dance Experience
Ms Casey is Mark's wife (Holy Shit!!!)

Some really funny moments too. Burt's goodbye video was laugh out loud funny. And perhaps the best line in the entire episode 7 was Irving's "shoulda gone with the castanets."

The Senator's wife was a huge reveal, right? Of course, this could be why so many people on the outside seem so childlike. Maybe they've been severed (with or without their consent). Then there's Ms Casey/Mark's wife. When Mrs Selvig/Cobel asked Mark's sister if he sometimes thought he saw his wife I realized she was probably alive (but my jaw hit the floor when Ms Casey was revealed). And it leads us to believe she has an Outie because otherwise how would Mark see and recognize her?. But why does everyone accept that she's dead? So that got me thinking, have they ever actually said that she died? Or has the dialog always been he/they "lost her?" I need to go back to episode 1 and check. It makes me wonder if there's some kind of "all in for Lumon" option like being a nun that people choose? In any case, it's further evidence that Lumon is much more than a corporation. The steady reveal of a fusion of corporation and cult/religion has been fascinating The singing, the visitors center, the paintings, some of that is a bit familiar, ha ha (even the concept of severance is theologically familiar). Another question I have is did you feel like his former school was in disarray? Like maybe there's been some war on higher education? Or were they just in the bowels of the building? So much to think about! One last question: What are your thoughts on the break room? It's such an odd statement they read. Like the data they sort is used for highly nefarious purposes, say drone strike coordinates or something. Man, just two episodes to go. It's going to be an excruciatingly long year waiting for Season 2.

Spoiler for reply:

That part completely went over my head. I just thought that she was probing his sister for general signs of reintegration. But that makes total sense now.

Yeah now that you mention it the school looked in bad shape. Maybe another sign of general dystopia.

My first thoughts on the break room were just torture mentality, that Milchick just had them repeat the statement until it 'broke' them. And then the session finished, hoping that it was enough to subjugate the employees. But that's a really good thought. What in the hell do those numbers represent? Drone strikes would really be interesting.

OK, we are caught up.

Spoiler for a few thoughts:

Episode 7 was wild. Things are really picking up steam.

As for the reveal on Mark's wife, there were several easter eggs hinting at this. The last time they showed Mark in a session with her where she asked him to sculpt something, she lit up a red/green candle that was identical to one Mark has picked up and looked at in him home a time or two. The wife and I noticed that and wondered what the significance was. Also, when the two of them passed in a narrow hallway I found it odd that they there was so much dramatic tension in the scene.

As for his wife's "death", recall that one time Mark stopped by the side of the road and started crying next to a large tree with a dent in it. I am wondering if they faked her death by having a fiery car crash with a burnt body everyone assumed was her.

My favorite comedic moments are when Mark reads from his BIL's self help book. Hilarious.

Again, I completely whiffed on those easter eggs. Nice pickup. I need to go back and rewatch a couple of episodes.

[falafel]

https://books.apple.com/us/book/severance/id1613220757

[Northwestcoug]

https://books.apple.com/us/book/severance/id1613220757

Hmmm that looks interesting. And free!

[SteelBlue]

https://books.apple.com/us/book/severance/id1613220757

I’d heard something about this but wasn’t sure what it was. Could be interesting and I wonder if this is something we’ll start to see more of?

[SteelBlue]

Just took a look at the book. Definite House of Leaves vibe.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I don't get it. The series was based on the book? Or is this just a spin-off?

[SteelBlue]

I don't get it. The series was based on the book? Or is this just a spin-off?

It's supplemental material as far as I can tell. Kind of an interesting idea. I imagine it gives clues to the show and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Could be cool. Could be seen as homework. I mean, being free it doesn't seem to have a monetary purpose. I am going to wait to read it until after the first season ends. Maybe.

[SteelBlue]

I caved and read it on an afternoon break today. Not sure its purpose, but I got the sense it was to get people to notice some of the more important aspects of the story as they watch. I'm happy to report that we as a group have over-performed in that regard. I think we deserve a waffle party. No spoilers per se, but one bit of info that was interesting in regards to our conversations here. I'll put that bit of info in spoiler tags just in case. Anyway, kind of a fun read that may or may not add a bit of inside info.

Spoiler for Possible plot/show connection in book. READ AT OWN RISK:

In the book, an outie is communicating with her innie via a pictorial language she and her sister invented as children. Her innie has access to these memories and is able to leave notes in her pocket that do not set off the code detectors. Her innie reports having finished her first file "at 2:30 pm" and the joy it brought her. The outie goes home and sees on the news that a truck owned by a Lumon competitor was blown up and 6 killed at 2:32 pm. She has a strong feeling the events are related but doesn't know why. So, maybe I wasn't too far off with the drone strikes guess? In any case, the break room confessions could be a way for Lumon to thrown them under the bus should any nefarious activity be brought into public light.

[SteelBlue]

Spoiler for Episode 8:

Wow. That waffle party took a turn from the infantile.

Looking forward to all of your thoughts on this one.

[falafel]

Crap I didn’t realize there was a new episode tonight!!

[falafel]

Episode 8 was straight crazy!!! Man I love this show.

Spoiler for episode 8:

What the hell was that waffle party?? And the Egg bar? And the Kier video game after Helly completed her refinement? That had me rolling.

Other thoughts. When Miss Casey went back to the testing floor, it reminded me of West World where they sent the robots back to storage. But also she mentioned that her “life” had only been 107 hours long, mostly in 30 minute segments and the one 8 hour time she was in MDR. Maybe they only switch her on when they need her, then keep her in cold storage on site. I’ll bet she doesn’t even have an outie. Of course, that makes sense because her outie is supposed to be dead.

Also, how does Irv know about the hallway to the testing floor? He obviously has experience with it to be painting it over and over. That scene reminds me of the ending of 50 First Dates.

Finally, the one glimpse of Helly’s outie suggests she is at the Eagan Gala thing where the elusive Mark, er, Board was going to be. So she must be someone very high up in Lumon. Maybe she is even a board member, or a member of the Eagan family itself. That would support her outie’s determination to keep her innie severed, even after she tried to commit suicide. That would also explain why the Board was so upset to find out that Patricia Arquette’s character has kept that information from them and why she was fired. And why Milchik was so excited earlier on in the show when Helly had agreed to take the job and be severed.

[SteelBlue]

Episode 8 was straight crazy!!! Man I love this show.

Spoiler for episode 8:

What the hell was that waffle party?? And the Egg bar? And the Kier video game after Helly completed her refinement? That had me rolling.

Other thoughts. When Miss Casey went back to the testing floor, it reminded me of West World where they sent the robots back to storage. But also she mentioned that her “life” had only been 107 hours long, mostly in 30 minute segments and the one 8 hour time she was in MDR. Maybe they only switch her on when they need her, then keep her in cold storage on site. I’ll bet she doesn’t even have an outie. Of course, that makes sense because her outie is supposed to be dead.

Also, how does Irv know about the hallway to the testing floor? He obviously has experience with it to be painting it over and over. That scene reminds me of the ending of 50 First Dates.

Finally, the one glimpse of Helly’s outie suggests she is at the Eagan Gala thing where the elusive Mark, er, Board was going to be. So she must be someone very high up in Lumon. Maybe she is even a board member, or a member of the Eagan family itself. That would support her outie’s determination to keep her innie severed, even after she tried to commit suicide. That would also explain why the Board was so upset to find out that Patricia Arquette’s character has kept that information from them and why she was fired. And why Milchik was so excited earlier on in the show when Helly had agreed to take the job and be severed.

Spoiler for Episode 8:

Good questions Re: Ms Casey. Is she mostly on the outside just coming to the severed floor for short shifts? Or do they keep her somewhere in house? And what would that look like? Is her Outtie kept on site against her will, or was this a way she chose to disappear? (The book had what might be a pretty big hint about this but I'll leave it out). When Mrs. Selvig asked Mark's sister if Mark thought he was seeing his wife sometimes, I initially thought that meant Miss Casey had an Outtie. But since we've seen some memories cross over the procedure (Irving's painting, Mark's clay tree) Mrs. Selvig may have been wondering if seeing her on the severed floor was crossing into Mark's Outtie's memories.

But maybe Irv provides clues to Ms Casey's existence? Now we've seen that Irving's Outtie obsessively paints the same hallway that Ms Casey went down. The testing floor. Was Irving abducted and severed in the same way (assuming Ms Casey was)? Can we assume that maybe Ms.Casey lives in some Lumon owned, barely occupied townhouse complex like he does? He doesn't seem to have much of a life, just obsessively painting the same scene and not getting sleep. Does she suffer the same fate somewhere?

Re: Helly, I definitely think she's a Lumon VIP, maybe even an Eagan. This episode pretty much sealed the deal on that with the evidence you've mentioned.

What's up with Mrs. Cobel? Why does she seem to be rooting for Mark and Ms Casey to recognize each other? Remember Millchick saying "It's a good thing they don't recognize each other, it means the chip is working." It feels like Mrs. Cobel, though obviously wholly devoted to the cult based on the shrines she has in her home, has been struggling in her faith over the severance procedure itself. She seems to take pride in knowing that the procedure has been reversed at least once. And when she would talk with Doug Graner before he was killed, they seemed to share a mutual satisfaction in understanding this info better than (or in spite of) the Board. Until this episode, I'd assumed her spying on Mark and his Sister were Lumon approved. Now we know she'd gone rogue. What's her motivation? To return Lumon to it's purer form?

Re: Ricken. He is the greatest evidence that the outside world is not the world we inhabit and that perhaps there are alternate severances. While his book would certainly feel intellectual to innies who've only ever read the handbook, it's the equivalent of Derek Zoolander quotes in our world. So again, what has happened in the outside world that he gets paid to write that? And can pack a reading?

Man so many more thoughts and questions. The waffle party!! The cat o'nine tails with the virtues written on it. The weird masks. I was reading something that said the masks relate back to the painting Burt and Irving looked at when they first met. I'll have to go back and review.

Best show on tv. If you're not watching, get on it.