As Severance heads into its season finale, its devoted fans—including us obsessives here at io9—have come up with a million theories about the show’s many mysteries. But amid all the Cold Harbor speculation, the Mark/Mark S./Helly/Gemma drama, and the mystifying true purpose of those damn goats, a few things seem already settled thanks to “The After Hours,” the show’s penultimate season two episode. However, in the world of Severance… nothing is every really settled, is it?
In case you’re not caught up with “The After Hours,” beware…
One of the episode’s most heartbreaking moments came when Irving (John Turturro) hopped a train out of Kier with his dog Radar, leaving Lumon and his entire life behind. His escape came with the help of Burt (Christopher Walken). The two sparked a workplace romance as their innie personas, and later, when they met as their outies, felt a similar attraction.
That situation, explored in the latter half of season two, was exceedingly complicated by the fact that Burt has been with his husband for decades, and is also still in cahoots with Lumon in a more malevolent capability than his innie’s role as the folksy head of Optics and Design. However, just when you thought Burt was driving Irving (and Radar) to some kind of Sopranos-style doom, he instead bought Irving a train ticket and gently warned him never to return. The two men shared a poignant farewell, acknowledging their mutual feelings before dutifully setting them aside.
With Irv effectively in exile now, fans have wondered if it’ll be the last we see of the character. It’s a big loss for Severance, since Irv often served as the emotional heart of the show—as well as being someone unafraid to call bullshit, especially valuable in a place like Lumon that’s full of it.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Turturro said he wouldn’t feel satisfied if the train scene was really the end of Irving’s story. “If someone wanted the story to be complete? It could be! But I think there’s so much more here,” he explained, noting that there’s a lot more of the character’s backstory he’d like to dig into.
“Irving knows a lot that you don’t know. There’s a big reason why he’s making all those paintings, you know? All that he’s searching for. Everyone gets severed on this show for different reasons. Grief, maybe they’re lost, maybe they’re the daughter of the owner. Maybe it’s also searching for someone, too,” Turturro said.
There’s just one more episode of Severance season two to go—and though Apple TV+ has yet to confirm a third season, it feels like an inevitability at this point. Irving’s return is less of a certainty, but we’d sure love to learn more about him, and Turturro’s just given us fresh hope that might happen.
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