What does Milchick's mirror scene mean in Severance Season 2 Episode 6? Speculations explored

Apple TV's psychological science fiction series Severance has been topping the viewership charts on the platform, thanks to the show's unique blend of psychological drama and black comedy and its premise that has won the show's first season a whopping fourteen Emmy nominations.

Led by protagonist Mark Scout, it revolved around a fictional office called Lumon Enterprise where the employees undergo a special procedure called severance, where their consciousness is divided in two parts that serve the purpose of dealing with Lumon's work, while the second consciousness deals with the outer, normal actions.

Currently in its season 2, Severance is uncovering deeper, darker secrets of the enterprise as the characters interact with the complex plot. One scene in episode 6 episode has raised eyebrows among fans, in which Deputy Manager Seth Milchick talks to a mirror after receiving some criticism of his performance.

The Board addresses Milchick using "big words" and using paper clips incorrectly. It is also implied that both the complaints were filed by Miss Huang- the new deputy manager of the severed floor.

Milchick assigns the young Miss Huang to oversee the severed floor in the sixth episode while he attends to these issues. He addresses the complaint about his big words, while standing in front of a mirror. He begins by rewording a statement he made to Miss Huang not long before, "You must eradicate from your essence childish folly," until he merely lands on "Grow," which he then repeats to himself again and again.

The scene sees him as he shortens his statement by cutting out words, one by one. “Eradicate from your essence childish folly” becomes “eradicate from yourself childish folly,” and then “you must abandon childish things,” followed by “you must grow up,” to “grow up,” finally turning into one-word, “grow.”

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What does the mirror scene in Severance mean?

The scene is a significant one, as it shows Milchick trying to compress himself, despite being a powerful asset to the team at Lumon Enterprise. Multiple fans speculated multiple theories on what the scene stands for as a heated discussion took place on Reddit.

Some users seemed to comprehend the scene as a critique of the racial double standards Black employees face in the real world. When the Board is criticizing Milchick's use of 'big words' they do so by using big words themselves. It highlights the hypocrisy in the enterprise.

Another user pointed out that the scene is a layered one, and that as he repeats the sentence in the mirror, his words are meant more for himself and his inner child than for Ms. Huang. As he breaks down his eloquent sentence to a singular word, the dialogue "Grow" is something he is telling himself.

The scene has been praised for its brilliant cinematography as well, something Severance is well-known for. It starts off as a standard mirror shot, with the camera slightly off-angle to avoid being in the reflection of the mirror.

However, we become aware that the camera is in an untenable position as the focus gets closer. Behind the glass, Milchick himself is staring at us. He is staring directly at us, not reflecting back, while the "Grow!" gets louder and the attention becomes more intense. It's certainly a significant scene for the show and holds importance.

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Severance is available to stream on Apple TV.