This post contains spoilers for this week’s episode of Severance , “The After Hours,” which is now streaming on Apple TV+. For the last two weeks, Severance has set aside events on the severed floor to provide backstory on Gemma, and then on Harmony, with mixed results. The Gemma episode was frequently dazzling , but also a bit muddled in what it was and wasn’t managing to convey, while Harmony’s hometown visit felt like too long a detour from other stories, and more compelling characters.
“The After Hours” has some pacing issues of its own, particularly in how the season keeps straining to save whatever Harmony intends for the two Marks to do until next week’s finale. But it also takes us back to Lumon headquarters, to the severed floor, and to elsewhere in town, to provide a chance to check in with everyone else prior to the finale. And in the process, it’s an excellent table-setter for whatever Severance has planned next.
Though it’s unclear which characters will be involved in that plan, since “The After Hours” also seems to be writing several characters out of the narrative. At various points in the episode, Ms. Huang completes her fellowship and prepares to be relocated to another Lumon facility, Dylan resigns out of despair over never getting to live the life his outie has, and Burt encourages Outie Irving to get out of town before Lumon can hurt him.
And both Helly and Milchick decide that they have no more fucks to give with their superiors, i.
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