Severance Review: In Perpetuity (Season 1 Episode 3)

Company culture can seem cultish even at the most innocuous places. Severance Season 1 Episode 3, “In Perpetuity,” dives further into Lumon’s history and portrays a picture of a company that may actually be a cult.

While Mark deals with Petey, who is still alive despite looking done for on Episode 2 thanks to his reintegration sickness, innie Mark deals with the woes of being a manager. All he wants is for things to go back to normal, whatever that means, but managing Helly’s rebellious nature becomes a full-time job for him.

Lumon rejecting Helly’s resignation only adds to her feeling of being trapped. Which honestly seems to be accurate considering there’s no way Lumon ever actually approves a resignation. Why would you trust them at this point?

To an outsider, Helly’s behavior makes sense. She’s living her own horror movie, trapped in a new consciousness unable to leave a creepy office or contact her outside self.

What makes it all the more fascinating to watch is how everyone around her acts like she’s the crazy one. Britt Lower manages to balance collegial work scenes cracking jokes with Dylan one minute and then trying to escape like a madwoman the next.

An introduction to Lumon’s cult-like history isn’t the balm Irv expects it to be. Unlike him, she’s not sold on the virtue of Lumon making the world a better place (not that they even truly know what they or anyone else is working on).

The episode only gets scarier standing in the house of horrors of the “Perpetuity Wing,” which includes a house of wax for the Egan legacy. You’re half expecting one to turn their head and watch them at any moment.

The photo gallery of unidentifiable smiles doesn’t warm the chill from your bones either.

It’s no wonder Helly cracks enough to try to make another escape, shoving her arm through busted glass just for a chance. At this point in Severance, it’s the horror of how Lumon treats its employees that’s more compelling than what they may be doing to the world outside.

If the ends justify the means, the means are much more frightening. The show leaves it ambiguous how long Helly is stuck in the break room where she is punished by repeating the same scripted apology over and over and over.

Just when you start to feel an ounce of sympathy for management after Harmony is admonished by her superiors in the same cold and cruel way she admonishes Mark, this scene reminds you they’re just as culpable.

Tramell Tillman keeps up Milchick’s benevolent sociopath vibes as he leads the punishment AKA torture. If there’s a breakout star among the juggernauts of this cast it’s going to be him.

Society’s understanding of company culture continues to change as workers’ priorities change, and Severance leans into that. Describing coworkers as your family is less of a cute sentiment now than it is a red flag of how a company expects you to prioritize them.

For old-fashioned workers like Irv, the mission of Lumon and its prestigious history are enough to soothe his innie’s identity crisis. Helly’s innie represents the more current mindset of refusing to sign over your individualism for the benefit of a corporation.

By the end of the episode, it looks like Mark’s foray into corporate espionage may be cut short when he finds Petey escaped to a gas station where he collapses and is taken away by an ambulance. If there are any questions about Mark’s bravery, they’re quickly answered when he flees the scene and immediately cleans up any traces of Petey in the basement.

From the start, Mark made it clear he wasn’t interested in reintegrating, but Severance set up crumbs for Mark to take a different path.

Petey revealing to Mark that his innie carries his sadness with him to work is a striking conversation and a reminder that you can’t run away from grief no matter how much you try. For him to dismiss this information from Petey would be disappointing.

Fortunately for viewers, Mark isn’t let off the hook so easily. Just as Mark thinks he’s washed his hands of it, Petey’s abandoned cell phone starts ringing.

There is no lack of suspense on this show, and I can’t wait to hear who is on the other end of the line. 

What did you think of this episode of Severance? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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