Sumith Prasad
The third episode of the second season of Apple TV+’s science fiction series ‘Severance,’ titled ‘Who Is Alive?’ follows Mark Scout’s quest for answers. His investigation into the secrets Lumon Industries harbors takes him and his companion, Helly Riggs (Helena Eagan), to a strange department within their company. After the groundbreaking rebellion, Dylan George starts to enjoy certain benefits, including meeting with his wife, Gretchen, who is introduced to her husband’s innie. Irving Bailiff also receives help from an unexpected person, while Lumon tries to deal with certain challenges, which happen to include the determined Harmony Cobel! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mark S. Continues His Search for Ms. Casey
‘Who Is Alive?’ begins with Mark’s outie keeping a timer to find out how long it will take him to leave his car in his company’s parking lot and enter the building as an innie. He then takes print-outs of an illustration of Ms. Casey and starts to search for her. While Helly accompanies him, Irving joins the effort on his own. Since he is promised multiple perks to remain “obedient,” Dylan does not join the search efforts, which Lumon does not encourage. Mark and Helly become drawn to each other as they join hands together to find the wellness counselor, but they move past the same to complete their mission.
Mark and Helly’s search takes them to the strange “goat department,” where they encounter several goats on a makeshift hill within the building. They are welcomed by an unnamed department head (Gwendoline Christie), who is doubtful about their visit. It does not take the duo a long time to overstay their welcome, forcing their new acquaintance to call for her colleagues. When they gang up together to isolate Mark and Helly, the data refiners show them Casey’s illustration and warn them that anyone can end up having a similar fate. The department head then steps forward and reveals that the wellness counselor used to take sessions for them.
Interestingly, before Mark and Helly can leave the department, the head of the same asks them whether they can see the duo’s bellies. They show them their stomachs by lifting their clothes a little, only for the gang to be surprised that the two of them don’t have pouches. Their expectation of seeing a pouch on a human being hints at a sense of abnormality concerning their existence, far removed from the Microdata Refinement and the Optics and Design divisions, which form the heart of the severed floor.
Harmony Cobel Continues to Demand Her Old Job Back
Ever since putting an end to her life as Mrs. Selvig, Harmony Cobel has been struggling with her uncertain future. She has been driving around deserted regions, including Salt’s Neck, without a proper direction regarding what’s ahead for her. While she ponders over whether or not to accept Helena’s offer to return to Lumon as the head of an advisory council, Seth Milchick is rewarded for his work as the new severed floor supervisor. On behalf of the Lumon board, Natalie gifts him several paintings of Kier Eagan in which he is Black.
Milchick is not too thrilled about the gifts, but he thanks the Lumon board for recreating Kier’s life in his likeness. He keeps the paintings away and gets on with his life and career. After the meeting with the severed floor supervisor, Natalie meets Ricken Hale, who is none other than Mark’s brother-in-law. She tells him how much his book has impacted Lumon’s severed employees and proposes creating a special edition of the literary work specifically for them. Ricken is immensely excited about the proposition, which is unsurprising since he is not used to similar appreciations.
After driving around aimlessly for a while, Harmony returns to Lumon Industries and meets Helena to demand her old job back. She makes it clear that she has done enough to become an essential part of the company, even though she was not born as an Eagan. As far as she is concerned, Milchick does not have the capability to oversee the completion of the extremely secretive Cold Harbor project, which makes her deserve the post. However, Helena replies that she is overestimating her significance and underestimating Lumon’s offer to her. Helena is up for another discussion with her, but Harmony runs away from the company as if she fears for her life.
Mark Scout Undergoes the Reintegration Process
While Mark and Helly look for Casey, Irving goes to the Optics and Design division to potentially learn more about the wellness counselor’s disappearance. He is welcomed by Felicia, who, surprisingly, behaves pleasantly towards the visitor. They sit and talk about Burt Goodman. Irving even shows his illustrations of his former partner, only for Felicia to see the drawing of the hallway that is featured in all of the data refiner’s paintings. She identifies the same as the exports hall, raising the question of how it is connected to Irving. Furthermore, Miss Huang takes Dylan to the security room, where he is allowed to meet his wife, Gretchen, only for them to bond as two strangers who meet for the first time.
After the working day ends, Mark meets his sister, Devon, and informs her about the time it takes to leave the car and enter the severed floor. The timer is part of an elaborate plan to ask his innie the question, “Who is alive?” which he shouted during the overtime contingency protocol. Mark believes that looking at the question for a long time will keep the same in his retina even after he enters the severed floor. While he practices doing it, Asal Reghabi shows up out of nowhere and dissuades him. The former Lumon surgeon, who is also behind Peter “Petey” Kilmer’s reintegration, informs him that the system in place at the company can erase anything on the retina, even by making him blind.
Reghabi then surprises Mark’s outie by saying that his wife, Gemma, is indeed alive as he doubts. The revelation stuns and motivates him enough to do anything to reunite with her. The former surgeon then suggests undergoing reintegration like Petey, and this time, the data refiner agrees to do it without any hesitation. As the procedure progresses, he sees glimpses of his innie’s life in his mind, confirming the reintegration’s gradual success.
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