In Perpetuity

"In Perpetuity"
Severance episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 3
Directed by	Ben Stiller
Written by	Andrew Colville
Cinematography by	Jessica Lee Gagné
Editing by	Erica Freed Marker Geoffrey Richman
Original release date	February 25, 2022 (2022-02-25)
Running time	56 minutes
Guest appearances
Yul Vazquez as Peter "Petey" Kilmer Sydney Cole Alexander as Natalie Michael Cumpsty as Doug Graner Michael Siberry as Jame Eagan

"In Perpetuity" is the third episode of the American science fiction psychological thriller television series Severance. The episode was written by executive producer Andrew Colville, and directed by executive producer Ben Stiller. It was released on Apple TV+ on February 25, 2022.

The series follows employees of Lumon Industries, a biotechnology corporation that uses a medical procedure called "severance" to separate the memories of their employees depending spatially on whether they are at work or not. When severed workers are at work, they are dubbed "innies" and cannot remember anything of their lives or the world outside. When outside work, they are dubbed "outies" and cannot remember their time at work. Due to this, innie and outie experience two different lives, with distinct personalities and agendas. In the episode, Helly tries to get her "outie" to accept her resignation request, while Petey struggles to diffentiate the present from the past.

The episode received highly positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, production design and intrigue.

Plot

Mark (Adam Scott) checks on Petey (Yul Vazquez), whose memories begin to be affected as he struggles to differentiate the present from the past. He explains that other benefactors, who oppose the severance procedure, helped him with surviving the experience. He wants Mark to do the same, but he refuses to participate, as he feels the severance procedure helped him after his wife's death.

Helly (Britt Lower) submits a resignation request to her "outie", but is shocked when she finds that it has been denied. Desperate, she locks herself in the restroom to leave a message in her body, but Mark warns that it will not work. Irving (John Turturro) suggests she could go to the Perpetuity Wing for help. Devon (Jen Tullock) and Ricken (Michael Chernus) arrive at Mark's house, leaving a book in his porch. After they leave, Mrs. Selvig (Patricia Arquette) retrieves the book and sneaks into Mark's house. Petey hides and flees from the house, having recognized her. She later returns to Lumon, assigning Milchick (Tramell Tillman) to check for hidden messages.

Mark, Irving and Dylan (Zach Cherry) take Helly to the Perpetuity Wing, a section that details Lumon's history. It shows the history of Lumon's founder, Kier Eagan, and his succeeding dynasty, with his descendant Jame as the current CEO. Despite them explaining how Lumon has made a positive impact in their lives as well as other people, Helly chooses to leave. She breaks a window in a door with a fire extinguisher to sneak a note, alerting security. Graner (Michael Cumpsty) takes her to Milchick, who forces her to enter the break room. There, she must read a statement wherein she apologizes for her actions, with Milchick forcing her to do it multiple times.

When the shift is over, Mark checks photos of Petey in his desk. As he checks different frames, he finds a hidden drawing of Lumon's structure. At a convenience store, Petey experiences a severe breakdown and collapses. After finding that Petey has left, Mark follows an ambulance to the convenience store and witnesses Petey being carried away by paramedics after his breathing stops. Shaken, Mark returns home and cleans the basement to hide Petey's presence. Suddenly, he finds Petey's cellphone ringing.

Development

Production

The episode was written by executive producer Andrew Colville, and directed by executive producer Ben Stiller. This marked Colville's first writing credit, and Stiller's third directing credit.

Critical reviews

"In Perpetuity" received highly positive reviews from critics. Matt Schimkowitz of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" and wrote, "Consuming Severance's third episode is an intense albeit interesting history lesson. To give its suspense a solid foundation, “In Perpetuity” relies heavily on exposition. This isn't a complaint by any means because a TV show as dense as this one needs it. Plus, Severance has already developed a potent visual language that communicates subtext along with the explanation. What I mean is that to cram it in this single hour can be a lot to handle so early on. At least everything we learn about Lumon Industries' cryptic origins sheds a little light on how this company came to be, the family that runs it, and what the ultimate goal might be."

Erin Qualey of Vulture gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "It seems to be a combination of guilt-ridden prayer, the classic and agonizingly repetitive “write it 100 times” chalkboard punishment, and downright torture. Milchick's steely presence and curt responses fill the scene with a sense of impending dread and an understanding that any refusal to do exactly as he says will be met with severe consequences."

Oliver VanDervoort of Game Rant wrote, "Directed by Ben Stiller, the overall tone of the third episode stayed very in tune with the first two episodes. However, when it came to the "edge of the seat" approach that was prevalent through the end of the first episode and the entirety of the second, "In Perpetuity" didn't quite hit the mark." Breeze Riley of Telltale TV gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "There is no lack of suspense on this show, and I can't wait to hear who is on the other end of the line."

Mary Littlejohn of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "This show continues to exude a sense of unease and low-grade terror. In that way, it does its job well." Caemeron Crain of TV Obsessive wrote, "I expect he'll continue to investigate what's going on as best he can, which will mean continuing to go to work and the perpetuation of the split between the two versions of himself. Presumably he could quit, and it would just have to be the outie version of himself who did so, with work memories (and innie Mark) being forever lost to the void. But that wouldn't make a very good TV show. I wonder who is on the other end of that ringing phone Petey left behind."

External links

• "In Perpetuity" at IMDb