Breaking down the cathartic confrontation between Milchick and Mr. Drummond in ‘Severance’ with Tramell Tillman

From the challenging gift he received from The Board in Episode 3 to the unsettling performance evaluation he underwent in Episode 5, Season 2 of Severance has been quite a tough journey for Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman). The combination of stress from the new position and the consistent lack of respect from both subordinates and superiors has been gradually eroding his usual composed and collected attitude. Finally, in Episode 9, he unleashed all the frustration he had bottled up.

Spoilers for Severance Season 2, Episode 9 ahead.

As highlighted in the recap of Episode 9, when Mr. Drummond (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) once again criticized Milchick and requested an apology for using “an unnecessarily complicated word,” the iconic manager of the Severed Floor began to comply before having a change of heart, thankfully.

Instead of crafting a conventional apology, Milchick retorted with “Devour feculence,” delivering a scorching burn so intense that it could prompt a medical expert to recommend stepping outside into the freezing Kier winter to cool off.

So what does “devour feculence” mean? Why is this scene so important for Milchick’s character development in the finale and beyond? And what does Tramell Tillman have to say about his character’s confrontation with Drummond?

Here’s what to know about the thrilling scene in Severance Season 2, Episode 9.

After saying “devour feculence” to Drummond’s face, Milchick spelled the burn out for his superior even further, saying, “It means ‘eat shit!’” *screams!!!!!* (Tramell Tillman Emmy, when?!) For those looking for an official definition, “devour” means “to eat up greedily or ravenously” and “feculence” means “foul with impurities” or “fecal” aka “of, relating to, or constituting feces.” So yeah, eat shit!

Once Milchick took Mr. Drummond’s feedback and simplified the “needlessly complex word” for him, he proceeded to destroy his boss even further. “I am manager of the severed floor, which means two things. First I am owed a measure of respect — even by my superiors. Second, and more obvious, that said floor comprises the whole of my jurisdiction,” Milchick continued. “To put that mo-no-syllabically, it’s not my fault what Mark Scout does when he is not at work. It’s yours.” Standing ovation, sir!

For anyone who’s ever wanted to tell someone off or has been praying that Milchick would finally rebel against Lumon, the scene is a cathartic, adrenaline-pumping watch. As you might imagine, it was a joy for Tillman to perform as well.

“It was great to have him have a voice, for him to step up and and say, ‘I’m not going to tolerate this. And that’s the condition,’” Tillman told Decider during an in-studio interview. “Unfortunately with middle management, you’re always receiving and having to give out and always receive, receive, receive. And let’s not forget that when he started the job in Season 1, we started in chaos. And from that point on to where we end in Season 2, it’s only been like a week or two weeks. So all of these things that are building up, he doesn’t have the time or the space to really breathe or expel that energy.”

As is the case with many viewers watching, this particular scene and Milchick’s character development over the first two seasons also resonated with Tillman on a personal level. “I definitely identify with Milchick more than I thought I would. I’m a former, reformed people pleaser, and Milchick definitely is a people pleaser. He’s a perfectionist. And I identify with that,” Tillman explained.

“There’s a passion. There’s a connection that he has as a man of faith and belief in what he’s a part of. I definitely identify with that as a man of faith. But learning the the importance of how much time we spend with it and who we spend it with was really illuminating for me, because we don’t get to see much of his external life outside of Lumon. And I think when you when you build a character who is so rich inside the space and then you take him out, I’m very curious about what that is,” the Severance star continued. “With him being a person who spends so much time inside, though, it really starts to challenge me as an actor and as a human being to ask myself, ‘Who am I spending my time with? Where’s my energy going? What’s important to me? What do I give value? And how does that connect with my own identity?’”

Shortly after Milchick walked away and returned to his office, Mark (Adam Scott) called to explain why he wasn’t at work. Initially, he made up a story about having his nose bleeds checked at a clinic, but like Milchick, he ultimately decided to cut the act. “I’m not sick. I just needed the day, OK?” Mark told his manager. “I’ve just got life stuff. Isn’t that what Lumon’s all about? Balance? I mean, work is just work, right? Do you know what I mean, Mr. Milchick?”

As Mark was speaking, Milchick looked up at a piece of art hanging above his desk — a literal image of the tip of an iceberg. As Milchick stared at the image and processed Mark’s words, he got emotional and asked, “I have your word you’ll report to work tomorrow? Good. And thank you for calling.” The “tip of the iceberg” definition, ”a small part of something (such as a problem) that is seen or known about when there is a much larger part that is not seen or known about,” is extremely Severance. But with the previous “eat shit” context, it also suggests we’ve seen but a small part of Milchick’s journey and his true feelings about the job.

“Once he gets these paintings in Episode 3, those trump the problematic issues that happen. And after his performance review, it all just comes out. And I think it is a setup for a wonderful release that we see in Episode 10,” Tramell teased.

We can’t wait to see what the future has in store for him in the finale and beyond. Please consider making my dreams for a Cobel/Milchik rebellion against Lumon come true in Season 3, Severance!

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