The latest episode of Severance, "The After Hours," was a big one for Irving Bailiff (John Turturro). Beware SPOILERS for Severance below.
Back in "Woe's Hollow," Irving B nearly drowned Helena Eagan after correctly deducing that she was not who she said she was. He was promptly terminated by Lumon Industries after that, meaning Irving as we knew him — Irving the Innie — was basically dead; the other Innies even had a funeral for him, complete with a bust of his head made out of watermelon.
But Irving Bailiff, Irving's Outie, lived on. There have been hints for a while that Irving has been investigating Lumon this whole time; based on what little information the show has given us, it seems like Lumon mistreated his father in some way, and now Irving is seeking revenge. He probably applied to work at Lumon just so he could get on the severed floor and investigate. And he's the only Outie we've seen who's been able to successfully get messages to his Innie, even if they're cryptic. Irving Bailiff is looking for the long dark hallway that leads to the testing floor in the bowels of the Lumon building. To this end, he painting the hallway over and over again until even his Innie started to look for it.
But with Irving B fired, actually finding the hallway is up to Dylan, Helly and Mark, the remaining Innies on the MDR team. Above ground, Irving Bailiff has been courted by Burt Goodman, the Outie of Burt G, whom Irving's Innie fell in love with on the severed floor. There was some ambiguity about Burt's intentions; was he working with Lumon to stifle Irving's investigation into the company, or was he just curious about this man whose Innie his Innie had an office romance with, like he said?
In "The After Hours," we find out the truth: that Burt's Innie could feel a pure, innocent kind of love for Irving's Innie awakened something in Irving's Outie, who had indeed worked for Lumon in the past. It sounds like he did some unsavory things in that job, but he's trying to make up for it. He puts Irving (and Irving's dog) on a train and tells them they have to leave the town of Kier and never come back, lest Lumon hurt them.
So is that it for Irving's time on the show? A while back, John Turturro said some things that make me feel like it is. “I didn’t like being in that office—the light there drove me insane,” he shared before the second season aired. “I did my second go round, but I feel like I’ve had a full meal.”
This makes it sounds like Turturro will not return for the show's third season, whenever that comes around. We don't know quite how long Severance will last, but it sounds like the showrunners have plans that go beyond this second season. "The After Hours" feels like a good exit for Irving. I'll miss him, but at least he survived and went out with his dignity (and his dog) intact.
The season 2 finale of Severance airs next Thursday night on Apple TV+. It sounds like it'll be a big one:
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