Severance Season 2 Episode 9: Top five new pieces of information we got

Disclaimer: Severance Season 2 Episode 9 spoilers ahead! The article also contains the writer's personal opinions.

The penultimate episode of Severance Season 2, "The After Hours," was nothing short of a revelation. With the season racing toward its end, Episode 9 brings us important plot revelations that reinterpret what we initially believed about Lumon, its protagonists, and why they are doing what they are doing.

From Ms. Cobel's partnership to Burt's undisclosed backstory and the birthing retreat's implications, the puzzle clicks into place. With allusions to The Twilight Zone and dubious practices of Lumon, this episode is full of revelations.

Below, we analyze the biggest revelations from Severance Season 2 Episode 9.

Severance Season 2 Episode 9 gives us more information

1) Ms. Cobel’s alliance with Mark and Devon changes everything

Ms. Cobel has formed an alliance with Mark and Devon (Image via Apple TV+)

One of the least expected turns of Severance Season 2, Episode 9 is Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette) aligning with Mark (Adam Scott) and Devon (Jen Tullock) to overthrow Lumon and free Gemma (Dichen Lachman).

Cobel's changing allegiances have been central to the season, but this action is a dramatic turning point. The allyship of the three implies that Cobel's ultimate objective has altered. She might no longer be a simple loyalist to Lumon but a player in pursuit of her own type of justice.

With her extensive understanding of how Lumon functions, her presence might be the determining factor for getting to the bottom of the whole operation.

The question is: can she be trusted?

2) Burt’s past as a Lumon "transporter" comes to light

Burt is played by Christopher Walken (Image via Apple TV+)

As forecasted following Episode 6, Episode 9 verifies that Burt (Christopher Walken) had been working for Lumon beyond the Severed Floor. Upon coming home, Irving (John Turturro) discovers Burt reading his notebook, which indicates he might have been connected to missing persons and even murders.

Burt suggests he unwittingly was a part of Lumon's darkest business:

"I never hurt anyone. You should know that... I drove people places. I didn’t ask what happened to them once they got there."

But in a breathtaking gesture of love, Burt purchases Irving a one-way ticket out of Kier, telling him to never return.

This act makes the duo one of the series' most heartbreaking romances and leaves us with troubling questions about Burt's actual past with Lumon.

3) The truth behind Damona Birthing Retreat

Cobel helps Mark's Innie come out at the Damona Birthing Retreat (Image via Apple TV+)

Episode 9 reaches further down into the creepy mystery of the Damona Birthing Retreat, where mutilated women deliver babies without recalling the horror.

When Cobel shows up, she says to a guard,

"She’s one of Jame’s. No one’s to know."

This opens alarming possibilities.

Does Jame Eagan (Michael Siberry) individually impregnate these women? Is Lumon planning births to keep its severed workforce going?

Severance has already teased us with suggestions of Lumon's interest in fertility, but this episode verifies that the organization's grasp is much darker than we could have ever imagined. If Helena (Britt Lower) is privy to her father's involvement here, might she be the solution to outing him?

4) The Twilight Zone reference reinforces Severance’s themes

The name of the episode, "The After Hours," is a nod to The Twilight Zone's 1960 episode of the same name. In the original tale, a woman named Marsha White purchases a gold thimble from a department store's imaginary ninth floor, only to discover that she is a mannequin.

Ms. Cobel's message at Damona Birthing Retreat makes a comparison—

"Miss Marsha White, 9th Floor. I’m looking for a gold thimble."

The allusion is that the severed people, such as the mannequins in The Twilight Zone, are in a state of liminality, moving between worlds. This reference to traditional sci-fi supports Severance's themes of identity and independence.

With only one episode remaining in Season 2, Severance is hurtling towards a fiery finale. The series' increasing mysteries and layered character development make it one of television's most thrilling shows currently airing.

5) Milchick’s breaking point and the iceberg metaphor

Milchick snaps at Drummond on Severance (Image via Apple TV+)

Milchick (Tramell Tillman) has been coiled ever since Season 1, and in Season 2 Episode 9, he finally snaps when asked to repeatedly apologize for using big words.

In a confrontation with Mr. Drummond, Milchick utters the now-famous line,

"Devour feculence. It means eat sh**, Mr. Drummond."

Milchick's anger runs deeper than office conflict—he's been worn down by being the Severed Floor manager.

Later, when Mark calls to inform him that he won't be going to work, Milchick glares at a picture of an iceberg in his office, a symbol for what lies beneath the surface. Severance is telling us that we’ve only seen a fraction of what Milchick knows and feels about Lumon—and his arc in the finale could be key.