“Severance Season 2, Episode 5 Recap: Unnoticed Details and a Mysterious Character Revealed”

Guess who’s back. Back again. Helly’s back. TELL MARK S!

Following the events of “Woe’s Hollow” in Severance Season 2, Episode 4, where Irving uncovers Helena Eagan’s deception as Helly R., the original MDR crew, excluding Irving, who was permanently let go by Milchick, reunites at the office to confront the aftermath of the ORTBO.

Spoilers for Severance Season 2, Episode 5 ahead.

In the aftermath of the disastrous corporate retreat, Episode 5 of Severance named “Trojan’s Horse” portrays Mark, Helly, and Dylan grappling with the profound loss and betrayal they have experienced. The group holds a funeral, not a retirement celebration, for Irving. Dylan discovers directions left by Irving leading to a mysterious black hallway, while Mark and Helly struggle to reconnect. Natalie asks Ricken to create a version of The You You Are tailored for innies, and Milchick receives a disheartening performance review.

Given the intricacy of Severance as a series, Decider will be delving deeper into each episode until the finale on March 21. We will identify and analyze five moments from each episode that stand out, whether they are subtle details or significant scenes that warrant further discussion. Join us as we scrutinize, speculate, and deconstruct the series alongside you.

From the mysterious whistling man at the top of the episode and several opening credits Easter eggs to another Milchick/Natalie face off and more, here are five things you may have missed in Severance Season 2, Episode 5.

1. “Trojan’s Horse” kicks off with yet another Season 2 mystery man. This time, a ULM (Unidentified Lumon Man) rolls a silver cart through the Severed floor while whistling a tune to the melody of Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” Who is the man? And is there any deeper meaning behind his song choice? Let’s break it down!

   As he heads into O&D, a conveniently placed shelf hides the man’s face from viewers. When he finally reaches Felicia and her colleague, he asks, “Do you have them?” The O&D teammates hand him a metal tray of tools that look similar to those used in a dentist office. (Though in this case, perhaps they’re used for artsy O+D duties!) He thanks them and wheels the cart all the way down to the black Exports Hall, whips out a black keycard (signifying his high status), and takes the elevator down to the testing floor. Though we don’t find out his name, his job, or what exactly he’s doing down there with those tools, is it possible that he’s the same mystery man who was standing behind Mark in the Season 2 premiere? After we got eyes on MDR “twins” in Episode 4, the Mark Clone Standing Behind Mark theory seemed a bit more plausible. But wouldn’t it make more sense that this Lumon testing floor employee — who likely knows about Mark’s connection to Gemma and wanted to suss out what he knew post-OTC — would be checking in on him rather than an MDR twin randomly roaming the floor?

   Now onto the song he’s whistling! In an interview with The New York Times, Ben Stiller claimed, “I’m just a Gordon Lightfoot fan. I used ‘Carefree Highway’ in Escape at Dannemora. I will hopefully always be able to use his music because I think he’s one of the great artists of our time.” That said, when asked if the song lyrics were related to what Severance and Lumon are up to, Stiller replied, “I’m not going to say anything.” HMM.

   The 1975 SS Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck happened in Lake Superior and took the lives of 29 crew members. So what does that have to do with Lumon? Theories suggest the song ties back to the popular Lumon painting, Kier Invites You to Drink of His Water, which appears to feature the Great Lakes. Does Lumon have ties to Lake Superior or some connection to water? Is the show set near Michigan?! Or is Ben Stiller really JUST A GORDON LIGHTFOOT FAN?!

2. In honor of Irving’s funeral, Milchick goes into his back office and pulls out blue mugs with Irving’s face on them for the team. Why does he have MDR mugs in the first place?! Unclear. But we recognize Irv’s mug from the new Season 2 opening credits sequence. In Decider’s interview with opening credits animator Oliver Latta, he said, “As the story unfolds, perspectives on the intro may shift, which is exactly what I hoped for. It’s meant to evolve with the audience’s understanding of the show.” While we finally understand the Irving mug, the horn instruments spilling out of it remain a compelling mystery!

   Episode 205 also gives a closer look at the little juice shots and medication Mark takes now that he’s trying to reintegrate. The bottles were also featured in the opening credits sequence, and one even has a mini Mark inside! (Want more opening credits insights? Read Decider’s full interview with Latta.)

3. One of Season 2’s most memorable scenes took place in Episode 203 when Lumon finally addressed race in the most Lumon way possible. The Board had Natalie give Milchick a stack of reimagined Kier paintings, in which Kier was portrayed as a Black man. Milchick was visibly taken aback by the gesture, so The Board instructed Natalie to explain that she received the same gift when she was hired “and found it extremely moving.” Unsure how best to proceed, Milchick replied, “I’m grateful. It’s meaningful to see myself reflected in…” Before he could force himself to get the rest out, The Board concluded the call and he and Natalie locked eyes and shared a fleeting, powerful connection.

   In Episode 205, Milchick confronts Natalie about the complex emotions the paintings evoke and the similar challenges they may face as employees of color. She dismisses the conversation, but her facade briefly falls again. In an interview with Decider, Alexander unpacked both scenes. “I believe there were a lot of subconscious layers for her that I, as the actor, was conscious of complicated feelings that were going on inside of her. But I decided that Natalie isn’t necessarily conscious and awake to those. So the second it starts bubbling up and it gets too close to the surface, it becomes incredibly threatening. And it’s important to her to maintain her position in the company. She is a true believer of Lumon and everything that they’re accomplishing. And so I had to just push it back down and go back into my comfort zone, for lack of another word. I would also say that to me, there did feel like a moment of warning him that Lumon is listening,” she told Decider. “I think there is a little bit of an awakening in her. But at the same time, she has the ability to pass more and she has the ability to fly under the radar. She’s closer to the top of the company, so she enjoys the many privileges that allows her to enjoy.”

4. The Season 1 finale revealed that Outie Irv is extremely curious about Lumon. He’s got a trunk full of negative newspaper articles on the company, a list of severed employees, a map of Kier, and more! In Episode 202, when he left his home and headed to a phone booth, it became clear he had a bigger plan in motion. Thanks to closed captioning we know Irving said the following during his mysterious 202 call: “Okay. You’re not picking up. I get it. I want you to know my innie got the message.” In Episode 205, he heads back to the phone booth and starts to leave another message before he spots Burt spying on him and hangs up. What does he say this time? “It’s me again. So, they fired me. I think they know what my innie was up to. I’m telling you to — I have to go!”

   So how was Irv communicating with his innie? Who’s he calling? Why don’t they ever answer the phone? And can Irving take down Lumon from the outside? To be continued…again!

5. There was no doubt after Season 1 that Lumon had serious connections and friends in powerful places (like the senator!) but Episode 205 gives us additional insight into the scope of Lumon’s influence within Kier, PE. After Mark finds a box in his basement containing Gemma’s ashes, he asks Reghabi (Karen Aldridge) whose ashes they are if Gemma is still alive. She explains that Lumon “know[s] people at the morgue — on the payroll, like everyone else in Kier.” If you haven’t already, be sure to read Severance‘s free companion book, The Lexington Letter, for more compelling Kier/Lumon insights.

From claims that the innies achieved international fame for whistleblowing to claims that they witnessed the tallest waterfall in the world, we know Milchick loves a good lie. Yet when tasked with offering an explanation for Helena secretly descending to the Severed floor, he tells….THE TRUTH — even though it sounds like “horse shit,” as Mark so eloquently says. After learning how distressed the refiners are post-Glasgow Block, Milchick asks, “Have you ever heard the story of the GrÃ¥kappan?” After a hilariously long pause, Mark replies, “Let’s assume we haven’t!” So Milchick explains that “in ancient times, the King of Sweden himself was known to go incognito amongst his own people in the hopes of learning their true grievances. He would don an old, gray robe — a GrÃ¥kappan — the name for which he was remembered — to disguise his royal vestments. Kier Eagan himself was known to do so in his ether factories. And Miss Eagan was carrying on this noble tradition.” Like we said, the GrÃ¥kappan story checks out! BRB, deep diving into Swedish history.

This is simply to say, respectfully, that I want to sink my teeth into Irv’s gorgeous watermelon head. (RIP.) I ranked the Severance foods Season 1, and though you’ll have to wait a few more episodes for the full Season 2 ranking to drop, just know this handsome black Malaysian watermelon head is high on the list.

New episodes of Severance Season 2 premiere Fridays on Apple TV+.