Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Severance Season 2.
Get it together, Seth.Severancesuperstar Seth Milchick’s (Tramell Tillman) recent performance review withDrummond (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) left him a shaken man, and he’s already begun the work to improve his image before the Board. In the series' latest episode, Milchick takes a good hard look at the man in the mirror and gets himself a new mantra. While that mantra is bound to grant him a boost in motivation to do well by Lumon, it stems from some wounded self-esteem, and fixing himself for the company might mean sacrificing his sense of self. Regardless of his personal journey, however, Mark (Adam Scott), Helly (Britt Lower), Dylan (Zach Cherry), and even Burt (Christopher Walken) and Irving’s (John Turturro) outies had better watch their backs with this post-review Milchick.
Milchick’s Performance Review in ‘Severance’ Humbles Him Real Quick
Seth’s first monthly performance review as the new manager of the severed floor inSeveranceSeason 2 Episode 5revealsa number of complaints, or “contentions,” pertaining to his management stylethat leave him with his tail tucked between his legs. To start off the review, Drummond grants him a couple of positives, like the fact that he accepted his gift ofagreeably disturbing Kier paintings“with grace,” and that he’s kept his attendance and urinalysis within the “excellent” range.
ButSeth’s high self-esteem is not to last as Drummond lays out his unfortunate missteps, not the least of which includes submitting some of his daily logs with the paper clip installed backward. His “kindness reforms” and other humane (in hindsight) actions towards the MDR gang have earned him a mark against his standing with the company. After learning of the apparent error of his ways, he’d be an even greater embarrassment to himself to let his name be the source of so much disappointment ever again.
What Does Milchick Say to Himself in the Mirror in ‘Severance’s Latest Episode?
InSeveranceSeason 2 Episode 6, after properly paper-clipping a stack of daily logs, Milchick asserts toMiss Huangthat she is expected to “eradicate from her essence childish folly” if she wants to graduate fromher fellowship at the company, to which she agrees and respectfully leaves. Once he’s left alone, Seth reopens his performance review packet to a page referring to his use of “too many big words.” Set on bettering himself for the greater good of Team Lumon, he stands himself in front of a mirror andmanages to strip the phrase “You must eradicate from your essence childish folly” down to the single-word command, “Grow.”
Milchick takes his role in the company incredibly seriously, so it makes perfect sense that he would not only replace some words here and there but fully simplify such an articulate instruction to one ambiguous word. He could have easily been expected to stop his fervent reductions at “Grow up,” which might have made an acceptable replacement had he only been directing his words toward Miss Huang. But in staring himself square in the eye and repeating a guttural “Grow,” Milchick’s mirror scene dramatics take on a deeper meaning – while simultaneously checkingthis episode’s “unsettling scene” box.Not only will Miss Huang need to grow for this company, but Milchick himself will need to grow as well. The only way to improve in the eyes of Lumon and the Eagans(solid band name) isto changehow he’s been approaching hismanagement style. If he wants a better review, he, too, will have to grow. But what exactly will growth entail for the character?
‘Severance’ Just Revealed Lumon’s Most Disturbing Recruiting Tactic Yet
There needs to be a separation of church and severance.
What Exactly Will It Mean for Milchick To Grow in ‘Severance’?
Although others at Lumon are known to speak rather formally,it clearly dimmed Milchick’s sparkle to address the way that he speaks. That it pained him to shift his own language tells us that he must have come to the company already comfortable using suchelaborate vocabulary. He holds himself to the same standard thathe imposes on his employees, of course, so it stands to reason that he would be obedient and then some when it came to resolving Contention Number 1 in Seth Milchick’s Performance Review. But considering that this stain on his performance is made up of such an unmistakable personality trait,he is forced tocompromise his sense of selfin exchange for taking on Lumon’s sense of self. And it seems that Milchick is prepared to bear some growing pains.
Despite rising through the ranks, power dynamics have switched up on Milchick, as his supervisors are privy to the fact that he’s no longer as on top of things as he previously felt. One of his main responsibilities in the series has been to keep control of his employees. His performance review revealed to him thathis former perception of himself was flawed, and it suggests that Drummond and The Board view Milchick’s sense of control over himself as lacking. If he can’t control himself, how much longer can he be expected to stay in his position? Now, instead of worrying about the improvement of his MDR team,Milchick must acknowledge that it’s himself who needs someLumon-izingin order to maintain the company’s vision. The sting of humiliation he must have felt (which he likely still carries) after learning this about himself is unimaginable.
If Milchick is indeed set on carrying this theme of growth moving forward, how far is he really willing to “grow”? Milchick has already proven himselfthreatening with a smile. But all things considered, Milchick has shown a semi-respectable amount of forgiveness towards MDR’s hijinks. It’s kind of shocking that he allowed his RefinersMusic Dance Experiencesandwaffle partiesafter their continued bouts of disobedience. It’s especially shocking that,after having busted themselves out, Milchick still granted the return of Mark’s team, and even presented them with less hostile work conditions – because let the record show thathe’s not Harmony Cobel. Now that his lenience with MDR has backfired on him through this performance review, he’s all but inclined to bring the hammer down on his annoyingly and increasingly disobedient employees. With MDR going fully insubordinate while he suffers the consequences as their supervisor,Milchick may go fromplain old scaryto legitimately dangerous.
MDR Better Be Wary of Mr. Milchick From Now On in ‘Severance’ Season 2
Gone are the days of Seth Milchick: Amateur Hour. It’s time for us all to prepare for a new level of Milchick madness thanks to his all-encompassing new mantra, “Grow.” Even thoughgrowth inSeverancetermscan’t possibly be good, especially when it’s coming from Milchick’s character,we all know how hard it isfor anything and anyone to actually grow, no matter the interpretation of the word.Milchick’s new perspective on himself has earned him some sympathy after all his hard work, and we might find it harder than expected to stay mad at him for however his growth affects our beloved MDR friends.
New episodes ofSeveranceSeason 2 premiere on Fridays on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.
