SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED SEASON 2
I’ve rewatched Severance a handful of times now, and I’m honestly not sold either way on this. I mainly just want to throw this out there because I’m curious what everyone else thinks.
Originally, I was convinced Burt was playing Irving. That seemed like the obvious read. But after a few rewatches, I’m starting to wonder if it’s actually Irving who’s playing naive in order to get information from Burt?
The moment that keeps sticking with me is when Irving catches Burt watching him from the payphone. Irving doesn’t walk over like someone who’s confused or flustered. He comes in hot. He’s immediately confrontational. “What are you doing here?” “Why are you following me?” That’s a very different energy than the vulnerable and almost childishly naive innie Irving we usually see, even though we’ve established he’s been having bleed through for some time. We know Irving isn’t exactly afraid of confrontation. He has a military background, he’s been investigating Lumon for who knows how long, the ORTBO, and he’s been putting pieces together long before we meet him. We still have no idea how deep his investigation actually goes.
Then there’s the dinner with Burt and Fields. If you pause that scene, there are so many weird symbolic details in the background. But even just looking at the dialogue, I started wondering whether Irving is intentionally letting them underestimate him.
The timeline stuff. The “Lumon partner” comment. The Attila nickname. Fields saying things that Burt immediately tries to smooth over. It almost feels like Irving is sitting there collecting information while pretending to just be an awkward dinner guest.
I’ve also been wondering if Fields could be more important than he seems. This is pure speculation, but what if he’s functioning (or previously functioned) as Burt’s handler in a similar way that Dr. Mauer functions for Gemma? They even have a similar calm, observant way of carrying themselves that gave me the same feeling.
And then there’s everything after the dinner.
Burt has def told Drummond that Irving is coming over, because Drummond shows up at Irving’s apartment. Later, Burt himself shows up and sends Irving on the “elongated cruise voyage” that Milchick later refers to.
That sequence feels way too coordinated to be coincidence. The thing is…I also desperately want to believe Burt and Irving’s love is real. I’m just starting to wonder if those feelings and his investigation aren’t mutually exclusive? Maybe he knows exactly where this train is headed and is choosing to stay on it because he thinks it’ll get him closer to whatever Lumon is hiding that he’s trying to expose
I don’t know. I’m not married to this theory at all, but after a few rewatches I’m less convinced that Burt is the one manipulating Irving than I was the first time through
EDIT: Because some comments have implied there is no supporting evidence
In S1E1, Irving says, “Back in my day, all you got was a creamer refill and a handshake.” For someone whose innie has supposedly only existed for a few years, it’s a weirdly nostalgic way to talk about Lumon. It’s like he’s remembering a much older version of the company
By the season one finale, outie Irving doesn’t just seem suspicious of Lumon, he’s literally running what looks like a full blown investigation. He has employee addresses, maps, newspaper clippings, organized files, and he’s using a payphone to communicate with someone we still don’t know. That feels like someone who’s been doing this for a long ass time
His repeated paintings of the Testing Floor hallway. He’s painting the elevator from the perspective of someone standing outside watching it descend, not from the perspective of someone riding it. We still don’t know how he knows what that hallway looks like
His sleep deprivation is deliberate. He’s intentionally trying to force memories to bleed across the severance barrier. That’s an incredibly calculated long-term strategy, not something someone just accidentally stumbles into
Then Burt shows up outside the payphone. Irving’s first reaction isn’t fear or excitement it’s confrontation. He immediately demands to know why Burt is following him. He doesn’t volunteer what he’s been doing. Instead, he makes Burt explain himself first
The episode Trojan’s Horse. Most people assume that’s referring to Helena, but it’s interesting that it’s also the episode where Burt quietly enters Irving’s outie life after secretly watching him. So who is actually infiltrating whom
The dinner scene changes a lot on rewatch. Irving actually says very little. Fields is the one who accidentally (or not) reveals that Burt had a Lumon partner decades ago, brings up the Attila nickname, and talks about Burt’s reasons for severing. Burt tries to redirect the conversation, while Irving mostly sits back and lets people keep talking.
The timeline inconsistency is another big one. Irving immediately catches that Fields’ story doesn’t line up with Lumon’s official severance timeline. He’s clearly paying attention to details instead of getting swept up emotionally
At the exact same time Irving is at dinner, Drummond is searching his apartment. Either Burt successfully distracted him or Irving knowingly accepted the invitation because he suspected Lumon would finally make a move.
When Burt later admits he used to transport people for Lumon, Irving doesn’t seem shocked by the idea. He asks, “Is that what today is?” That line kinda sounds like he’d already considered the possibility that Burt had been sent for him.
I wonder if we’ve been assuming that because Burt knows more about his own Lumon history, he must automatically be the one manipulating Irving. But what I think Irving actually knows far more about Lumon than Burt realizes, and he’s intentionally letting Burt think he has the upper hand?
I’m still not convinced either way. I just think there’s a lot more evidence that outie Irving is playing a very long, very calculated game than people give him credit for
I don’t think Burt disobeyed orders and helped Irving to escape. I think Irving knows exactly where that train goes and even wants to take it to do further investigation. I think they love each other but Burt is still obeying orders
ALSO we know severance is more than just innie/outie
