Severance: Trojan's Horse [2x05] ✦ Watchalong Reaction & Review

The ending of that episode always makes me so sad. I start tearing up, every time, with Mark seeing his wife as Miss Casey, confirming that she is, indeed, not dead. He's grieved her for 2 years! Also, on rewatch, I can really tell how awkward Mark S. is feeling at the beginning of the ep and why he was so curt with everyone. I noticed, when Helly was talking to him in the bathroom, asking him how he was and what's going on and you can tell he really feels violated, but he doesn't blame Helly and doesn't really know what to do with these feelings. It's an odd situation anyway and he's never felt these feelings before nor has he ever slept with anyone, so he's REALLY out of his element in how he should process any of this. That comes out in, how Helly described it as him being an asshole, in passive aggressive disassociation. To clear it up for you, Helena has been here this whole season, until they lifted the Glasgow block last episode. I had wondered a couple of times if it was her, but she did a really good job of impersonating Helly that I kept going back to, "No, I think that is Helly," then she'd do something else that'd make me question it. All of the behavior that seemed a little odd can be easily explained away by saying Helly is embarrassed she's an Eagan and doesn't know how to broach the subject. It's definitely interesting really observing her on rewatches because even knowing it is Helena, you still go, "She's doing a good job of impersonating Helly." She got her walk down and everything. I think there's only a couple of times where you question and think, "Helena's peaking through there." But, it's very interesting watching her because I feel you get a glimpse, sometimes, of the REAL Helena (the one she doesn't show anyone) because I think she admires Helly a bit, as much as she may protest that "they're animals." I think she was being truthful to Mark in her tent when she said that she didn't like who she was out there. Also, she was the one that cracked up and made fun of the whole Dieter Eagan story and said it was the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard, prompting Milchik to dump all the marshmallows into the fire because he was perturbed she wasn't taking this seriously. Helly is that inner Helena who wants to break away from this weird cult. Look at the scene with Milchik talking to Natalie. She doesn't SAY anything, but definitely look at her facial expressions while he's talking and while considering how to answer him, which she ends up not answering. That actress has really great subtle face acting. One thing you may not remember was Irving's last words to Dylan which were "Remember, hang in there." I didn't remember/notice on my first watch 'cause when Dylan found the note and drawing behind the poster, I was thinking, "How did he know to look there?" 😅

Thadman