Severance

Petey, are you okay?

Petey?

Yeah, I'm good. I just slipped. You should invest in a bath mat, maybe.

Yeah, okay. The robe is a gift from my brother-in-law.

I've never worn it or anything. Sorry, it's weird.

I have pillows. Do you need anything else?

Yeah, I want you to stop shitting on this awesome robe.

Well, you can keep it.

I will.

Hey. Are you sure nobody can see in any of these transoms?

Yeah.

And everything's locked upstairs.

Anybody live in that unit next door?

No, it's just Mrs. Selvig in the other direction.

The neighborhood never really filled up, so it's nice. Quiet.

Fortress of solitude.

I still think an occasional mixer wouldn't hurt anything.

I checked, and it's not expressly prohibited in the manual.

Yeah, I bet!

Dude, I pressed Cobel for an all-floor mixer last quarter.

She said you'll get one when you earn it, whatever that means.

- Cobel? - I can't imagine Dylan's 4%

on Sunset Park's gonna help with...

Petey?

You okay?

I'm sorry. Yeah.

With this sickness, I just... I get disoriented.

It's temporary.

What's Sunset Park?

I don't know.

It's like having two different lives suddenly stitched together.

But the relativity's fucked.

So, my first day at Lumon's as far back as my fifth birthday.

And with two pasts, it blurs the present too.

But they said it will get better.

Who's "they"?

"They" is a group of people that know severance is a blight on mankind.

And they're gonna do something about it.

The Whole Mind Collective?

The kids trolling for signatures downtown? No, not the fucking WMC.

Someone else.

All right. Well...

So, what do you want from me?

Don't you wanna know what you're doing down there?

Okay, look. You know, I'm not gonna unsever.

Well, I don't want you to unsever because that's not a word.

- Reintegration. - All right. Well, whatever.

You know, it hasn't been a blight for me.

It's helped me.

Okay. What if the cost of that help

is that you're murdering people eight hours a day

and you don't even know it?

Well, am I?

Look, I found a department. One they don't tell us about.

One where you don't get to leave.

Well, don't none of us get to leave?

No, I mean you really don't get to leave. As in, they're down there right now.

Well, what? Like, chained up, or...

What?

I'm not gonna talk about it in here.

I don't know if the monitors are bugged. Or if Irving's gonna walk in.

Petey, we're not at Lumon.

Then where the fuck is June?

I'm sorry, Mark.

Who's June?

June is my daughter. Greatest kid on Earth and a hell of a guitar player.

How happy are you that you asked me to stay here?

Oh, Mark.

Are you all right?

But what do you say, Natalie, to the woman who became pregnant at work

less than a month after her company went severed?

Well, first, I'd suggest she reveal her identity

if she wants an honest conversation

- about her experience. - How could she have that conversation

- when her workie was the one involved... - Okay, first of all, workie?

That, as I understand, is the preferred term among...

I think it's exactly the condescending verbiage that I'd expect

from a group trying to save people from their own choices.

Choices? Did her insie have a...

Insie? Where are you getting these terms?

Fine. Call it someone who's had their brain split in half...

That has nothing to do with what we do at Lumon

nor any severance procedure.

I understand you don't wanna answer my questions…

- I'm answering your questions. - …because it'll reveal that you are

- complicit in something totally immoral. - What's immoral is...

Tell me it's not true.

Well, I want to, but I can't. See?

…continuing through the greater basin,

probably into the afternoon, just as we predicted yesterday.

The good news is, those clouds should dissipate somewhere over the Ganz area,

leaving a clear, sunny day, for our friends in and around Kier.

That said, the cold's not letting up anywhere.

And those roads are going to remain icy throughout the week

and on into the weekend.

So wherever you're headed, please do commute with care.

Petey.

Wake up, Petey. Petey?

Hey.

It's morning. You are in my basement.

Right.

So I'm going to work like you said. You can stay here if you want.

I just wanna let you know,

I'm not gonna reintegrate, you know?

Okay.

I lost my wife a couple years ago in a car accident.

This is... It's helping me, you know?

- I'm sorry, Mark. - No, no, no. No.

At work…

You'd come in sometimes with red eyes.

We had a joke that you had an elevator allergy.

There was even a song for it.

But I always wondered.

You carry the hurt with you.

You feel it down there too. You just don't know what it is.

Okay.

Why don't you grab whatever you want up in the fridge?

I should be back around 6:00.

Hi!

- Hey. - Mark, I'm sorry for the racket!

I'm just deicing my stoop.

No worries. Thanks again for the cookies.

I'll bring by more!

Please.

- Mr. Scout, how are you doing? - Hey, Judd.

I did a thing. I deleted the scary numbers.

When?

- Yesterday. You were gone. - I was?

Oh, yeah. Dylan took over training in your stead to great success.

You look trim, Mark. I wonder if you were food poisoned.

Welcome back, boss. New photos come in?

Oh, good. You can finally get rid of those old ones.

You may as well skip it actually, 'cause I put in my resignation request.

- You did submit it? - I did.

It's good. It means you won't get sent to the break room anymore.

Hello, Refiners.

Hello, Mr. Milchick.

Mark, I spoke to your outie yesterday.

He sounded just shattered not to be at work.

But now that you're here,

care to read your first morning announcements as department head?

Sure.

Should be easier without me in the audience.

Mark used to find it funny to interrupt Petey's announcements.

With gas having.

Okay, quiet down, all. I'm Mark, your new announcements person.

Just a couple things here.

Why are you standing weird? Stand normal.

I'm... I'm standing great.

Are you uncomfortable? We could all look away?

Okay, there's been some garbage in the recycling.

Please, everybody, don't do that.

As a reminder, Post-it Notes are not to be put on faces.

They clog your outie's pores.

That one's about me. I do this beloved character, Sticky Head.

Also, please refrain from boasting about previously earned waffle parties?

Feeling attacked.

And lastly...

Well, I've never seen a resignation request get such a quick turnaround.

Do I have to finish out the day or can I skip out now?

Lastly, Helly's resignation request…

Was denied.

Yeah, no, that can't be right.

My outie wouldn't do that.

You know, Petey used to say...

This is so fun.

Shall I, you know, tiptoe up and sneak to the door?

- He's at work, baby. It doesn't matter. - How do you know?

- Because his car's not here. - Maybe he played hooky.

Can you go do it? 'Cause I gotta pee.

Yes.

Against the door, or to the side?

I think either's really good.

- Do you think he'll be surprised? - I do.

My babe, I'm gonna put it off to the side.

Awesome.

- Perfect. - Good.

- I mean, it's perfect. - Yes.

He's gonna be so excited.

- Yeah. - I hope he comes home early.

He's not going to.

Hey. What's that? Sudoku?

It's nothing.

What were you drawing?

You getting back to work, in cubist form.

Kay, two things. How do you know what cubist form is?

And what the fuck are you wearing?

Oh, fuck.

No.

Yes?

What did he tell her after the announcement?

No, it's not so bad.

Just mildly aggressive.

Did you give her directed praise?

Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

I'm coming.

Hey, Helly?

Go away.

- Are you okay? - I'm fine.

I mean, it's been, like, 45 minutes.