Some spoilers beneath for Severance’s Season 2 premiere, so tread fastidiously whereas operating by the labyrinth of hallways should you haven’t but streamed it with an Apple TV+ subscription.
Few TV exhibits arriving on the 2025 premiere schedule are set to impress as many bonkers fan theories as Severance Season 2, and the Lumon-branded gloves have already come off now that we’ve lastly seen the collection’ first new episode in 3 years. “Hiya, Ms. Cobel” reignited so lots of the identical speculation-centered synapses, even with out Patricia Arquette’s character truly showing. One other absent fan-fave was Christopher Walken’s Burt, however the Emmy-nominated actor’s newest feedback seemingly verify one thing large is coming.
Or to be extra particular in relation to this present’s difficult nature: the feedback appear to verify one thing large already occurred, and that additional data might (re)floor for a few of these characters. Particularly, that Burt and Irving have recognized and cared for one another for a lot longer than their severed colleagues and viewers have been led to consider.
Talking with Collider, Walken was requested if he knew he was particularly requested by co-star John Turturro to play the R&D head that so clearly captured and held Irving’s consideration all through Season 1. The Deer Hunter alum stated he was solely just lately made conscious of that tidbit, after which spoke of Burt and Irv’s kinship in a VERY intriguing manner, saying:
I feel one of many issues about Burt and Irving has to do with Chris and John. I’ve recognized John for a really very long time — 40 or 50 years. We have been younger actors, going round New York on the lookout for work. I’ve recognized him a very long time. He is a terrific director, and I have been in two or three of his motion pictures. I do know his household. You’ll be able to inform if you see folks collectively that they’ve recognized one another a very long time, that they like one another, they snort at one another’s jokes, they end sentences, and so I feel it makes absolute sense that John and I’d be taking part in individuals who love one another.
By all means, I do not imply to indicate that something Christopher Walken stated above is brand-spankin-new data to anybody paying consideration. From the beginning, the chemistry between Walken and Turturro’s characters was heat and pleasant, amongst different issues, and the duo’s real-life friendship actually shone by.
However what did we actually see in these scenes? Burt and Irving speaking about Lumon subjects akin to the brand new tote for the handbook, artwork, and different issues. Some hand-touching. An embrace amidst some greenery. Moments that would simply indicate a deeper relationship, however inside a context that makes such a relationship appear unattainable.
So for Christopher Walken to say that he and Turturro are “taking part in individuals who love one another,” I am unable to consider another technique to take it than to imagine that their backstory goes a lot deeper than what we have been led to consider. Which, clearly, has been an enormous avenue for fan theories, notably relating to Outie Irving’s work.
Followers Like Me Imagine Lumon Reset Burt And Irving’s Chips After They Had A Earlier Relationship
With out going too deep down any rabbit holes, the fundamental thought is that Burt and Irving probably labored in the identical division collectively years previous to the beginning of the collection. And that they obtained slightly too shut for Lumon higher-ups’ consolation, main each of them to get despatched all the way down to the Coaching Flooring, the place the place it is theorized that severed workers go to get their chips reconfigured. At this level, it is assumed that they have been relocated to completely different departments in additional efforts to remove such fraternizing.
However such is the facility of affection that Irving and Burt did certainly reconnect, and that their innate emotions are apparently too robust for Lumon’s know-how to efficiently thwart in full. Fairly than making the identical selections and operating the identical dangers as earlier than, Lumon took the initiative to have Burt retire from the corporate outright, thus ending the duo’s inter-office mingling.
Clearly their connection hasn’t been severed altogether, although, or else Christopher Walken would not be doing any promotional interviews for Season 2. However I do assume it is attention-grabbing that Burt was left fully out of the stop-motion “Microdat Rebellion” video.
For now, it is unclear simply how and the place he’ll pop up once more, however I am making a hopeful fan’s wager that we’ll see Outie Irving and Outie Burt having a doubtlessly baffling dialogue sooner moderately than later. I doubt we’ll discover out what the goats give it some thought, although we did get a bit extra perception into the that thriller.
Severance streams new Season 2 episodes on Apple TV+ each Friday, as adopted by new episodes of Ben Stiller and Adam Scott’s companion podcast.