Mark S. risks all as Severance bonds are tested [Apple TV+ recap]

In our Severance season 2 episode 6 recap of the episode titled “Attila,” we see strange liaisons inside and outside of Lumon Industries. Mark S. and Helly R. get busy in an unused Lumon office. Outie Irving attends a tense but ultimately rewarding dinner with Burt and his husband, Fields. Before the end, Mark S. takes a reckless risk that could be life-threatening.

Last week’s episode 5 brought us back inside Lumon Industries hallways in the aftermath of the ORTBO team-building event out in the wintry woods — and a few steps closer to solving the sinister company’s mysteries.

Severance season 2, episode 6 recap: ‘Attila’

In last week’s episode five, “Trojan’s Horse,” permanently dismissed innie Irving B. got a weird funeral, Lumon style, while his outie seemed to continue investigating the company and made plans to spend time with outie Burt (Christopher Walken). Helena Eagan allowed innie Helly R. to return to work, where Mark S. treated her with coldness and suspicion. Meanwhile, his outie continued shakily reintegrating to become a whole, unsevered person. Dylan G. got hold of Irving’s map to the mysterious Exports Hall but put it back where he found it.

Now the latest episode of Severance delivers some of the season’s most intimate moments while ratcheting up the tension around Mark’s increasingly dangerous reintegration process.

Can Mark S. actually get his wife back?

The episode opens with Mark sharing details about his haunting vision of Gemma, aka Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) with Asal Reghabi (Karen Aldridge), who is helping him in his reintegration process (a supposedly better version of the one that killed his boss, Petey, in the first season). Mark’s encounter with his supposedly deceased wife in that sterile, white hallway felt “like a nightmare,” but Reghabi sees it as progress.

For Mark, this brings up memories of bargaining during grief — except now, the impossible dream of getting Gemma back actually seems possible.

Mr. Milchick bears down on Ms. Huang (and himself)

Meanwhile, at Lumon, office politics are in full swing as Milchick (Tramell Tillman) takes a notably stern approach with Miss Huang (Sarah Bock). He reminds her she can’t graduate from her fellowship without his approval.

And in a quietly amusing subplot, we watch him practicing his paper clip skills and working to simplify his vocabulary in a mirror. He’s a man determined to address even the smallest complaints from his recent employee review with Mr. Drummond (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson).

Corporate-style tent sex

The episode’s emotional core revolves around Mark’s confession to Helly about sleeping with her outie, Helena, during the ORTBO. The revelation hits Helly hard, not because she’s angry at Mark (who was deceived), but because Helena used her body to manipulate someone she cares about.

So in a bold move that breaks multiple workplace rules, Helly and Mark create their own private moment under plastic sheets in an unfinished conference room, giving their innies the intimate experience Helena stole from them.

Post-coital blissful nosebleed (and increasing risk of brain hemorrhage)

But the aftermath of their sexual encounter brings consequences. Mark experiences yet another nosebleed — a sign of reintegration sickness. His consciousness begins flickering between his innie and outie lives, creating disorienting moments where realities blur. And in a surprising move, they seek medical aid from Ms. Huang.

She takes his blood pressure with Helly looking on. Mark’s awareness shifts back to his basement, where his outie, covered in electrodes, becomes frustrated with the faltering reintegration and shouts at Reghabi, before storming out to get food.

Dylan G. gets a kiss while Irving B. gets a fraught feeding

In parallel storylines, Dylan shares a tender but complicated moment with his outie’s wife, Gretchen (Merritt Wever), in the visitation suite. It culminates in a kiss that raises questions about the nature of relationships when one person has two distinct identities. It’s possible his hesitation to use the map to the Exports Hall comes from not wanting to risk losing this perk.

Meanwhile, Irving has an increasingly tense dinner with Burt and his husband Fields (John Noble), where an offhand comment about Burt’s “20 years” at Lumon (when the severed floor has supposedly only existed for 12) raises red flags about Burt’s true involvement with the company. And there was a whole lot of discussion about whether innies can go to heaven (yes, according to a Lutheran pastor).

Helena Eagan and Mark S. ‘meet’ over Chinese food

The episode builds to two crucial scenes. First, Mark has an unsettling encounter with Helena at a Chinese restaurant called Zufu (Chinese for “paternal grandfather”). She feigns sympathy about Gemma’s death while pushing for information about the overtime contingency (OTC) protocol. That was when the innie refiners briefly escaped Lumon at the end of season one, merging with their outies.

Helena and Mark’s verbal sparring masks deeper tensions, with Helena even suggesting Mark meet her father, Lumon CEO Jame Eagan. Mark and Helena sort of flirt amid the word games. And Mark’s disorientation during the strange exchange makes the viewer’s head spin.

Mark’s reckless risk

The episode’s climactic ending sees Mark returning to Reghabi, ready to accelerate his reintegration process. She floods his severance chip with chemicals through the hole in his head, triggering a rush of memories.

When Devon makes an unexpected visit, Mark ignores Reghabi’s warnings to stay still. The episode ends with Mark collapsed on the floor, foaming at the mouth — a shocking cliffhanger that leaves viewers wondering about the true cost of rebelling against Lumon and severance.

Deepening plot threads

Parallel mysteries deepen throughout the episode:

• Mr. Drummond searches Irving’s apartment and discovers maps and details about other severed employees.
• The true nature of Burt’s long-term connection to Lumon remains unclear. The way the camera lingers on him gazing at Irving as he departs in multiple scenes implies … something. And his nickname is “Attila” (named for Fields’ pet name for Burt, which evolved from “hon/hun.”)
• Gretchen chooses to lie to Dylan’s outie about her encounter with his innie. That adds another layer of complexity to the already complicated relationships between severed and un-severed individuals.

The “Attila” episode balances intimate character moments with mounting tension while pushing the season’s central mysteries forward. The episode leaves us with pressing questions about Mark’s fate, Burt’s true allegiance, and the increasingly dangerous game being played between the innies and their outie counterparts.

Previous Severance recaps:

• Season 2, episode 5: Severance: Innie Irving’s last words take on new meaning as Mark breaks through 
• Season 2, episode 4: Irving B. takes a brutal stand in the icy Severance wilderness
• Season 2, episode 3: Severance boldly sends Mark S. back to his Lumon beginnings
• Season 2, episode 2: Lumon deals with Severance outies in Overtime Contingency’s aftermath
• Season 2, episode 1: ‘It’s been a minute’ since we felt that Severance vertigo

Watch Severance on Apple TV+

Severance season one and season two’s new episodes now stream on Apple TV+. New episodes air on Fridays (though they’re usually available the night after 6 p.m. PT).

Apple TV+ is available by subscription for $9.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. Customers who buy a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

After launching in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 471 wins and 2,090 award nominations and counting,” the service said.

Apple TV+ is home to more than 200 exclusive movies and TV shows (including breakout soccer comedy Ted Lasso). The service also offers documentaries, dramas, comedies, kids shows and more.

★★★★☆