I want to get my big complaint about this episode out of the way right up top: it doesn't directly follow up on the cliffhanger from Episode 3, with Mark getting reintegrated. I know that Severance trades in mysteries and that it can't give us too many answers too fast, but opting not to tell us anything about Mark's situation (save for one hint we'll get to later) feels like it's pushing things too far. Even with a mystery box show like Severance, the audience will get annoyed if they feel like they're being jerked around.
That said, "Woe's Hollow" does make progress on some other mysteries, and is a uniquely weird watching experience besides. So let's dive into what is quite possibly the most atypical Severance episode yet. Beware major SPOILERS below!
Severance review: Season 2, Episode 4, "Woe's Hollow"
We begin with Irving B. snapping into existence on top of a frozen lake. We don't visit the Lumon office once in this episode. We don't check in with any of the Outies. This is all about the four Innies getting to know themselves better in the frigid wilderness, guided by Mr. Milchick in his bright white parka.
Why has Lumon awoken our foursome outdoors for this retreat? It seems to be some kind of team-building exercise. Standing on a lonely bluff, the Innies watch a creepy little video about Kier Eagan's personal journey to enlightenment, which took him through these very woods. They are to follow in his footsteps until they reach Woe's Hollow, the sight of what Milchick describes as "the biggest waterfall in the world," even though you could jump from the top and probably be okay so long as you pile some pillows at the bottom. Niagara Falls it ain't.
We get a lot of new lore about how Kier Eagan had a twin brother who was punished for his wickedness. Under certain circumstances, I think a lot of this would feel very mysterious and eerie; that seems to be what the episode is going for. There are lots of long still beautiful shots of snowy expanses, of ice hanging from tree branches, of torches burning in the night. Much time passes in contemplative silence. But none of the Innies really believe Lumon's lies anymore. Helly cracks up when Milchick reads from the hidden book of Kier. Irving has wanted nothing but to burn Lumon to the ground since the end of the first season, so he isn't buying any of this. I think that undercuts the spooky tone the episode is going for, since we now know it's all put on.
But you know how Lumon works; they always have an agenda. I think the retreat was less about re-indoctrinating the Innies into the religion of Kier and more about trying to get them to trust one certain member. That backfires spectacularly, which brings us to the part of the episode that unreservedly worked.
The mole
Ever since the season 2 premiere, I've joined tons of other fans in wondering just what was up with Helly. Why did she lie about what she experienced during the overtime contingency in the season 1 finale? Is that really our Helly, or is Helena Eagan posing as Helly in an attempt to put Mark at ease so he can finish "Cold Harbor," whatever that is?
Honestly, I don't think many fans had to think too deeply about this question. Of course that isn't Helly. Helly would never lie to the other Innies like that. And yet...maybe? I'll give the episode credit: it actually had me fooled for a second, when Helly confesses to Mark that she "didn't like who she was up there." Maybe Helly has been lying to her friends out of shame.
I was almost ready to buy that when Irving blew the roof off the place. He's been suspicious of Helly ever since she made up some hokum about "night gardeners." And he's had zero f*cks to give ever since Burt left the company, so why not say exactly what he feels when he feels it? He presses Helly over her lie and gets frustrated when the other Innies don't back him up, Mark because he's making "goo goo eyes" at her and Dylan because he's been lured back into the Lumon fold by his secret family visits. Helly makes a cruel remark about Irving being very lonely, which is the last straw. He stalks off into the night, sleeps under the stars, has unquiet dreams, and returns somehow having even fewer f*cks.
Irving finds Helly next to Woe's Hollow and says what we're all thinking: she isn't who she says she is. And he intends to prove it. He forces her head under the icy pool beneath the waterfall and demands that Milchick, who is watching in horror, bring Helly back...and it works! Helena implores "Seth" to do it, and he does.
And so we see Helly R. for the first time this season, cold and confused and scared, as Irving apologizes for what he's done. As punishment for bringing Helly back to life, Milchick condemns Irving to death: he will be permanently retired, never to come back, and it will be as if he never drew breath.
Severance Epsiode 204 ending explained
This is an edge-of-your-seat exciting sequence that raises all kinds of uncomfortable questions. What Irving does to Helena is brutal, and on one level I completely understand why he should be retired. On the other hand, Helena is an eager participant in Lumon's project to create a whole set of new people and then treat them like subhuman child slaves. Someone was bound to fight back.
This also leaves Mark in a bizarre place. Before Helena is found out, she and Mark sleep together, which is an incredibly fraught act; remember that the Innies are basically children with very limited understandings of the world. Mark was incredibly vulnerable and she took advantage of that. But I think she may have been telling him the truth when she said that she didn't like who she was up there. Why are the people at Lumon doing what they're doing? How firm a hold does the religion of Kier have on them? Through Helena, it feels like we're inching closer to answers.
Mark is surely left feeling very confused and betrayed. Also, when he's in the tent with Helly, she briefly turns into Gemma, his (maybe) late wife. Is that just a creepy little blip, or is this evidence that Mark's reintegration was successful, and that his two lives are now bleeding into each other? Obviously, we have to check back next week to find out.
And then there's the question of whether this is John Turturro's final appearance on Severance as Irving. Speaking about the show a few months ago, Irving made it sound like he won't be back for season 3. “I didn’t like being in that office—the light there drove me insane,” he said. “I did my second go round, but I feel like I’ve had a full meal.”
It sounds like Irving will be written out of the show sometime this season, and the show has set this up: remember that when Irving B. came back, he was so heartbroken he didn't want to exist anymore. Is this the point when Irving and Turturro leave the show? I don't think so, because there are too many plots involving Irving that still need to be resolved, like the dark hallway and the fact that Burt's Outie is stalking Irving's Outie, for some reason. But I wouldn't count on him lasting the whole season.
And what of Helly? Is there any scenario where Lumon allows her to return? I think Lumon designed this entire retreat to get Mark, Dylan and Irving to trust the imposter Helly, and it nearly works. But Irving demolished their plan and now the show is at an inflection point.
Severance Bullet Points
- Where exactly is the Lumon building located? It feels like it's snowy all year round here.
- This is Dylan's first time outside the Lumon basement, and he is adorably impressed with the bigness of the sky.
- Lumon hires creepy body doubles to creep out the Innies during their creepy journey into Kier Eagan's creepy past. It's a typical Lumon move, eerie and goofy in equal measure.
Episode Grade: A-
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