I Just Rewatched Severance Season 2, & Irving's Final Line Is So Much Better Than I Remembered -

Warning! Spoilers for Severance season 2 ahead!

I just finished my second watch-through of Severance season 2, and this time around, I noticed something absolutely heartbreaking about Irving’s final line. This most recent installment didn’t go easy on Irv as he dealt with the after effects of Macrodata Refinement’s Overtime Contingency stunt of season 1. It had been hard enough for the man to deal with Burt’s retirement, but Irv’s time on the outside cruelly revealed just how out of reach his lover really was. Add in the fact that no one would listen to his suspicions about Helly (followed by his forced termination for trying to drown her), and it’s a pretty bad quarter for Irving B.

The last we saw of Irving’s Innie in Severance was at the ORTBO when he was terminated (devastatingly), but for the rest of the season, we had some time to get to know his Outie. This version of Irv is significantly less naive and religious, but there are apparent similarities between the Outie and Innie. For one, Outie Irv seems equally as drawn to Burt as his Innie had been on the Severance floor. Burt helped Irving escape Lumon’s pursuit in Severance season 2, and their goodbye was devastating to watch. However, my second time through, I noticed that Irving’s line here is quite significant.

Irving’s Final Line In Severance Season 2 Is A Callback To A Season 1 Moment

“I’m Ready”

When Outie Burt and Irving said goodbye in Severance season 2, their faces came intimately close. The tension was clearly pulling at Irving, and he desperately repeated the line “I’m ready” again and again. Burt ended the moment by telling Irving that they can’t—he’s a married man after all, and Irving’s status with Lumon and Burt’s involvement with the company make it all rather complicated. Irv pulled himself away without a word, hopped on a train, and rode away with a sad smile.

Burt and Irv are aware that their Innie’s had feelings for one another, but they aren’t aware of the details.

This scene was impactful on my first watch, but my second time through, I realized it was a direct parallel with Innie Irv and Burt’s intimate season 1 moment. In fact, these two scenes are so similar that I was struck by the fact that I hadn’t noticed it before. Back in season 1, the pair slipped away together and came similarly close to kissing, but Irv B. panicked and said “I’m not ready“ before pulling away. There’s bitter tragedy in that, regardless of whether Irv is ready or not, the outcome is the same. Moreover, the parallels here demonstrate some surprising carryover from Innie to Outie that shouldn’t exist.

Irving & Burt’s Season 2 Moment Could Be A Hint That 1 Severance Theory Is Correct

Burt May Not Be Completely Severed

John Turturro as Irving in Severance — Custom Image by Yeider Chacon.

Irving and Burt’s parallel Severance season 1 and season 2 moments demonstrate that Innies and Outies are still the same person in various ways. However, there may be a bit more to it than just that. Though Outie Irv doesn’t remember telling Burt he wasn’t ready, his scene in season 2 represents character development that shouldn’t have been possible. Even the way Irv says “I’m ready” indicates an understanding between the two that hadn’t been ready before, but they aren’t aware of that on the surface level. This has fed into a popular Severance theory.

In that moment, it seemed as if Innie and Outie Irv had bridged the gap between their consciousnesses.

Back in Severance season 1, there seemed to be some signs that Irv had been reintegrated. He kept having strange visions at work, and though these differed from what Petey experienced, viewers noticed the parallels. Then, the fact that Outie Irv repeatedly painted pictures of the black hallway hinted that he somehow had memories of the Severed floor. Irv’s final line in Severance season 2 takes this further. In that moment, it seemed as if Innie and Outie Irv had bridged the gap between their consciousnesses. They felt more like the same person. However, this might not have been because of any procedure.

Irving’s Final Scene With Burt May Just Be Evidence Of What Lumon Is Trying To Eliminate

It’s Clear That The Severance Procedure Isn’t Perfect Yet

The Crib in the Cold Harbor room in Severance

The fact that the intimacy between Irv and Burt in Severance season 2 appeared to merge their Innies and Outies may just be the show’s way of demonstrating what Lumon is fighting so hard to eliminate. Severed employees are told that the Severance procedure infallibly separates their consciousness. There is no overlap. However, we see throughout the two seasons of Severance that this is not true. Petey explained this to Mark back in season 1—Mark S. doesn’t know about Mark Scott’s pain, but he can still feel it. Lumon is entirely aware of this and is trying to fix the problem.

Gemma and Cold Harbor were the final test of whether what we observed with Irv and Burt in season 2 could come to an end.

Kier Eagan desired a pain-free world (fitting given his history in the ether industry). Jame Eagan used the Severance procedure (stolen from Harmony Cobel) to attempt to make his ancestor’s dream a reality. The goal is for the barriers between split consciousnesses to be so powerful that they block out every bit of the pain, with no residual effects crossing over. Gemma and Cold Harbor were the final test of whether what we observed with Irv and Burt in season 2 could come to an end. Lumon wants its employees to feel nothing. Whether it will succeed is still anyone’s guess.