‘Severance’ Season 2 Episode 4 review: “Woe’s Hollow”

“Who are you?” 

Severance Season 2 Episode 4, “Woe’s Hallow,” brings that question to the forefront in one of the trippiest, horrifying, and most beautiful episode yet. At the center of Severance, there’s always been a question about the ethics and morality of splitting one’s consciousness in two. While the person who made that decision gets to relax after 5 o’clock on weeknights and chill during the weekends, the self born from the severance procedure is stuck at work. It’s all they know. And if it’s all they know, does that make them a person? Are we just the collection of our memories? 

Uncanny snowy valley

The perpetual cold and snow that blankets every outside scene of Severance takes center stage in “Woe’s Hollow.” It’s a perfect backdrop for multiple horror elements throughout the episode. Throwing the innies into a secluded forest is disorienting enough. The cold already feels isolating, and the sudden location change into parts unknown would set anyone on edge. 

And then there’s the twins.

Each innie’s “twin” that guides the way to Woe’s Hollow is horrifying on multiple fronts. Visually, the twins are disturbing; set at a distance, their silent guidance and slightly off-putting nature is an excellent uncanny valley. But their presence spells even larger horrific implications. Who are they? What are they? Are they somehow also severed individuals? Are they people too? 

The way the innies disregard the twins is interesting, as well. Their initial shock wears off into vague disinterest, too caught up in their wild circumstance of navigating the elements for the first time. 

But their lack of inquiry into where the twins came from speaks to that same “who are you?” question. As the outties pay little attention to how their innies are doing, the innies here too show a similar lack of concern for something they perceive as “not a person,” as Helena referred to Helly (Britt Lower) once before. Their creepiness factor aside, the twins are just another puzzle piece to Lumon’s capabilities. 

Irving B.’s swan song

But the real goat of the episode is Irving B. The episode bookends effectively on Irving B. When he awakes on the ice in the middle of nowhere, he’s terrified; and when he closes his eyes as he walks away from Lumon for good, he’s at peace. He saved his friend Helly, exposed Lumon for lying, and now, gets to join Burt on the other side. 

Severance Season 2 Episode 4 is a perfect culmination of Irving B. When he’s first introduced, he’s the company man, always trying to keep everyone on track and following the rules. His romance with Burt G. throughout Season 1 slowly uncovered different layers of Irving, shaking loose the revolutionary he is at heart. The company man version of Irving was a stark contrast to the brief glimpses the audience gets of outtie Irving. On the outside, Irving is perhaps even more mysterious than Lumon is. He knows something about Lumon, and he’s been trying to get innie Irving a message through his subconscious. 

But in “Woe’s Hollow,” Irving B. fully steps into the role of revolutionary. He’s been clocking Helena’s deception ever since Severance Season 2 Episode 1. When his creepy dream finally puts the final pieces together for him, he confronts Helena in one of the most intense and satisfying moments of the whole show. 

The complicated life of Helena Eagon

Helena’s life on the severed floor of Lumon has been marked in subtle inconsistencies to Helly’s rebellious and caring nature. From not knowing how to turn the computer on to her lack of energy in wanting to find Ms. Casey, Helena tried her best. Since the moment she watched Helly and Mark share an intimate moment on the security cameras, it was clear there was more to Helena than the company persona she gives off. She craves something, and she probably didn’t even realize it until she saw a version of herself being capable of having a close relationship with someone.

Helena infiltrating the severed floor makes sense. Why would you send a rebel back into battle? Lumon’s goal at the moment is to finish Cold Harbor, whatever that means. And they need Mark S. to do it. So when Mark S. asks for his friends back, he gets them back. Helena goes undercover to keep work on Cold Harbor on track. 

But her motivations become even more murky in “Woe’s Hollow.” Her connection with Mark S. culminates in a night spent together in MDR blue tents under the stars. Afterward, Helena, in perhaps the first time she’s ever been honest with herself, tells Mark S. that she didn’t like who she was up top. Her life as an Eagon daughter clearly was repressive and stifling. Knowing there’s a part of you that yearns for freedom from it is life changing. 

But her actions in this episode are questionably morally unsound. She sexully assaults Mark S, who thought he was sleeping with Helly. This was a violation of both Mark S. and Helly, one that Helena will have to reckon with if she ever wants to truly break free from being an Eagon. 

Reintegration’s a bitch

Mark S. was confusing for most of this episode, but then again, he might be in the middle of an identity crisis. However, it seems that the reintegration process is slower than imagined. Mark S. seems like his same innie self for the whole episode, except one moment where he sees Ms. Casey instead of Helena. 

Because of Petey, we know the innie and outtie life start to merge together. Outtie Mark triggered the reintegration process, so perhaps he’s slightly ahead of innie Mark. As outtie Mark remembers his innie life, innie Mark will start to remember his outtie life. 

Final thoughts and lingering theories

This may be the last we see of Irving B, but that might just mean it’s outtie Irving’s time to shine. More information on what he knows and how he knows it is hopeful coming forthwith. 

As with all good horror, an element of comedy must be present too, and the way Mr. Milchick held up the Dieter Eagon book like he was showing a group of kindergarten kids pictures was a top tier moment. 

Not only was this episode of Severance transformative in terms of best episodes of TV, but it also changed everything for the innies. It’s not the first time they have discovered Lumon’s life, but this time it’s definitely more personal.

Severance Season 2 Episode 4 is appropriately creepy, with fantastic performances, and exhilarating moments. It keeps complicating that “who are you?” question in all the best ways, forcing the characters, and the audience, to confront some uncomfortable realities.

---

Images courtesy of Apple TV+