Severance: 5 Mr. Milchick moments that should qualify Tramell Tillman for an Emmy Award

Tramell Tillman's performance as Seth Milchick in Severance is a lesson in subtle, discomforting, and surprisingly funny character acting.

As severed-floor manager for Lumon Industries, after replacing Ms. Cobel, Milchick combines dreamlike corporate cheerfulness, underlying threat, and performing-over-eagerness, which made him the most fascinating character.

Many, like us, have mobilized to support Tillman for a possible Emmy nomination, with fans hailing his talent to steal every scene he is in. Whether he's dancing with his heart or running away from Dylan's emotional outburst, Tillman brings Milchick intensity and comedic instincts that make him unforgettable.

Below are five standout moments (mainly from the Severance Season 2 finale, can you blame us?) for which Tramell Tillman deserves an Emmy nomination.

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Severance: Tramell Tillman is Emmy-worthy as Milchick

1) The Music Dance Experience was the scene that started it all

Milchick's disturbingly manic but hilarious dance in Severance Season 1 was the starting point for his character's unsettling devotion to Lumon's strategies.

His over-the-top cheeriness as he forced Dylan into a "reward" of sorts was creepy, the creepiest dance party ever on television. The moment became a cult phenomenon when Milchick's fanatical enthusiasm translated into even more monumental performances in Severance Season 2.

Tramell Tillman's skill in showing what a nightmare of corporate surrealism with understated menace made this a scene to remember.

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2) The Choreography and Merriment sequence was a fever dream

The Severance Season 2 finale treated viewers to a surreal yet captivating marching band performance at the hands of Milchick, an upgrade of his Season 1 "Music Dance Experience."

Apple listened when you said you loved that GIF of Tramell Tillman bobbing his head… and brought you a whole marching band, as Them says.

This summarizes Milchick's corporate zealotry, as he goes into the performance with the same intensity that he uses in squashing the innies' rebellion.

Audience members were stunned at how improbable and beautiful the sequence was, with some proclaiming it so out of place but true to character. The dramatics and Milchick's desperation turn this scene into an inarguable Emmy moment.

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3) Is Milchick running from emotions or to the next act?

One of the season's most meme-able Severance moments is Milchick's sudden dash after he delivers Dylan his outie's note. Viewers initially took it for granted that he was running away from fear.

However, seeing that he was merely rushing to arrive on cue at some overproduced theatrics was anticlimactic. But others did it even more funnier after the fact, interpreting it as Milchick dodging emotional consequences.

The timing and dual nature of Milchick's motivation—backing away and moving forward—revel in Tillman's capacity to combine levels of humor and subtext, a sign of award-winning performances.

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4) The break room interrogations

Milchick's position as the enforcer of Lumon's ideology was most chillingly clear in his interactions in the Break Room in Season 1 of Severance.

From his stammered but incredibly unnerving readings of the company doctrine to his creepy enforcement of the mantra of "forgiveness," these exchanges reflect his unquestioning faith in Lumon's leadership.

Milchick is a man who does believe in the system, which is even more chilling. These near-ritualistic meetings are some of the most unsettling scenes.

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5) Dragging the Kier Eagan statue

Milchick's unsettling smile as he dragged the Kier Eagan statue is a disturbing image that lingered in viewers' minds long after the episode; he even reminded the statue that it was constructed five inches taller than the actual Kier.

The scene brought Hereditary vibes to the horror-infused tone of Severance.

Tillman's capacity to infuse Milchick's devotion with an unnerving passion (like when he asked Mr. Drummond to "devour feculence") adds to his character, turning him into more than a corporate hard man—a believer, a zealot whose faith teeters just sufficiently to render him unpredictable.

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Severance Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Apple TV+, where viewers can witness Tramell Tillman’s Emmy-worthy performance in full.