S2EP2: Goodbye Mrs. Selvig (with Dan Erickson)

Summary

Summary of "The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller & Adam Scott" - Season 2, Episode 2: "Goodbye Mrs. Selvig (with Dan Erickson)"

Introduction

In the second episode of Season 2 of The Severance Podcast, hosts Ben Stiller and Adam Scott delve deep into the intricacies of the latest episode of the Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning TV show Severance. Titled "Goodbye Mrs. Selvig," this episode features a special guest appearance by Dan Erickson, the creator of Severance. Throughout the discussion, Ben and Adam explore key scenes, character developments, behind-the-scenes insights, and fan interactions, providing listeners with an engaging and comprehensive breakdown of the episode.

Guest Appearance: Dan Erickson

At [04:02], Dan Erickson joins the hosts, humorously referred to as "the brain in a jar," playing on the show's severance theme. His presence adds depth to the conversation, allowing fans to gain a deeper understanding of the show's creative process and narrative decisions.

Writing Process for Season Two

Dan Erickson discusses the evolution of the writing process from Season 1 to Season 2. At [04:29], he mentions the initial excitement about experimenting with the show's format, particularly the separation of "innie" and "outie" episodes. This structural choice allowed the writers to explore both the severed employees' internal lives and their external realities independently.

Ben Stiller recalls [05:17], "We were thinking, how do you deal with what's going on in the outie world? How do you deal with what's going on in the innie world?" This duality became a cornerstone for Season 2, enabling a more nuanced exploration of the characters' experiences.

Episode Highlights and Favorite Scenes

Ben and Adam share their favorite moments from "Goodbye Mrs. Selvig," highlighting the introduction of new characters and settings. At [09:01], Ben expresses excitement about Helena's character, played by Dari Olofson, noting, "Really for the first time... a new space, some sort of a conference room. And it just was fun to sort of introduce this other world for the first time."

They also commend Britt Lower's portrayal of Helly, emphasizing her "chilling" performance during interactions with Cobell ([10:17]).

Behind the Scenes: Directing and Choreography

The hosts delve into the complexities of directing the episode, particularly the synchronized scenes where characters return to work. At [12:17], Ben explains, "We knew that we wanted those shots to match each other. And both shots are pretty much the same exact timings that we tried to get."

Adam praises the cooperation required on set, stating at [13:11], "It requires so much focus and sort of cooperation and concentration from everybody on set. And when you finally get it, it's so satisfying and so much fun."

Fan Interaction: Hotline Questions

Dan Erickson takes on listeners' questions submitted via the hotline. The first question from Gray at [24:35] asks about the differences between shooting Season 1 and Season 2.

Dan responds, "[25:05]...there was definitely more pressure because, you know, season one, we were pretty sure that we were doing something cool, but it was like, worst case scenario, nobody will watch this. And it'll sort of fade away."

Other questions involve the benefits packages for severed employees and how to pack a lunch, to which Dan provides insightful and humorous answers, blending the show's lore with practical advice.

Specific Scene Analysis: Door Factory Interview

A standout discussion revolves around the door factory interview scene featuring Dylan. At [19:14], Ben and Adam dissect the scene, appreciating the meticulous alignment of actors and the scene's composition:

Adam notes, "[20:25]...the way you guys really lined them up so it just almost looks mirror like."

The conversation highlights how real-life elements influenced the scene, with Dan revealing, "[20:12]...the exact interview that I actually had at the Door Factory."

Character Development and Emotional Depth

The hosts explore the emotional layers of Mark's character as he grapples with his decision to return to Lumen. Ben reflects at [41:45], "I think it's also kind of realistic when you think about how someone might react to this in terms of being told, no, that person who died is actually alive."

Adam adds depth to Mark's internal conflict, explaining, "[42:44]...it's a moment of you and Devon connecting in terms of not trusting what's going on."

Behind the Scenes: Opening Credit Sequence

A significant segment discusses the new opening credit sequence designed by Oliver Lata. Ben shares at [34:05], "We were thinking, what could it be for season two that is maybe more specific and has more Easter eggs and more little nods to the season."

Adam appreciates the uniqueness of the animation, stating, "[36:12]...it feels very singular."

Predictions with Zach Cherry

As the episode progresses, Zach Cherry returns to offer his predictions for the next episode. At [59:27], Zach humorously forecasts, "Ms. Cobell is going to be mandated to some court-ordered anger management classes and she's going to end up coaching a group of rapscallions who go by the name of the Mighty Ducks."

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a recap of key insights and a teaser for the next installment. Ben and Adam express their enthusiasm for the ongoing narrative and their appreciation for the show's evolving complexity. They encourage listeners to continue engaging with the podcast and the series, ensuring a lively community of fans eager to dissect each new episode.

Notable Quotes

• Ben Stiller [05:17]: "We were thinking, how do you deal with what's going on in the outie world? How do you deal with what's going on in the innie world?"

• Dan Erickson [25:05]: "There was definitely more pressure because, you know, season one, we were pretty sure that we were doing something cool, but it was like, worst case scenario, nobody will watch this. And it'll sort of fade away."

• Adam Scott [24:35]: "I was trying to remember back to when that actually took shape. The first episode being Annie's, the second episode being Outie's. Cause it is a really fun way to kick off the season."

• Zach Cherry [59:23]: "Ms. Cobell is going to be mandated to some court-ordered anger management classes and she's going to end up coaching a group of rapscallions who go by the name of the Mighty Ducks."

Final Thoughts

This episode of The Severance Podcast offers a comprehensive exploration of "Goodbye Mrs. Selvig," blending analytical discourse with behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Dan Erickson's participation enriches the conversation, providing fans with exclusive insights into the show's creative direction. The dynamic between Ben, Adam, and their guest ensures that listeners gain a multifaceted understanding of the episode's themes, character arcs, and production nuances.

Transcript

[Ben Stiller]

This episode of the Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott is presented by State Farm. Learn [e-mail] severance like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Hey, Adam.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah?

[Ben Stiller]

Is your experience at work a bit dysfunctional lately?

[Adam Scott]

I don't know. I think it's. It's okay.

[Ben Stiller]

I'll take that as a yes. Your team could undergo a highly controversial surgical procedure that would mercifully sever any and all memories of that work experience from your home lives. Or you could try Confluence by Atlassian.

[Adam Scott]

Oh, my God. Well, if it's a choice between those two things, I think I would 100% choose confluence by Atlassian.

[Ben Stiller]

Confluence is the connected workspace where teams can collaborate and create like never before, where teams have easy access to the relevant pages and resources their projects call for, while discovering important context they didn't even know they needed. A space where AI streamlines the things that normally eat up their time, letting teams generate, organize, and. And deliver work faster. In fact, with Confluence, teams can see a 5.2% average boost in productivity in one year.

[Adam Scott]

So that would equal out, like, if we're playing with, like, let's just say, 100%, 5.2 of those percentage points. Yeah, that's the improvement.

[Ben Stiller]

I mean, I'm not great at math, but that sounds very close.

[Adam Scott]

Well, I'm doing the math in my head right now as we speak, and I think that's great.

[Ben Stiller]

So why not keep your team unsevered in Confluence, the connected workspace where teams can do it all set, knowledge free with Confluence. Learn more at atlassian.com confluence that's a T L a S S I-a n.com C-O-N-F L U-E-N C e hey, I'm Ben Stiller.

[Adam Scott]

I'm Adam Scott, and this is the.

[Ben Stiller]

Severance Podcast with Ben and Adam, where we break down every episode of Severance.

[Adam Scott]

Today we're diving into the second episode of season two, Goodbye, Mrs. Selvig, written by Mohammed El Masri and directed by Sam Donovan.

[Ben Stiller]

First, we'll be joined by the creator of Severance, Dan Erickson, to help us unpack some of your burning hotline questions, which is very exciting.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

Then Adam and I will talk about a few of our favorite scenes from the episode and get into it a little.

[Adam Scott]

And finally, Zach Cherry will give us his predictions for what happens in episode three. My goodness.

[Ben Stiller]

It's always interesting.

[Adam Scott]

It's exciting.

[Ben Stiller]

I'm always wondering what, like, Zach has actually read or seen of the show.

[Adam Scott]

I'M always interested in anything Zach is.

[Ben Stiller]

Thinking, and it's always a surprise when it comes out, isn't it?

[Adam Scott]

Always. There's always something in there, yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, and also, spoiler warning. We'll be talking about everything and anything from this episode, so make sure to watch the second episode of season two and then come back to us. So just pause if you haven't watched it and just go right to Apple. You can do it all on your phone now. Everything can happen on your phone.

[Adam Scott]

How weird would it be if you listen to these episodes and then watch the television episodes?

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, yeah, that would be probably less fun.

[Adam Scott]

I think I've done that before with other recap podcasts.

[Ben Stiller]

You've listened to recaps of shows you haven't seen?

[Adam Scott]

Well, I listened to some Sopranos recap episodes and I hadn't seen the episodes in like 20 years or whatever and then went back and why am I doing it like this?

[Ben Stiller]

So what was your thinking on that? That you would reacquaint yourself with the episode first and then be able to enjoy it more?

[Adam Scott]

I guess so. I guess I had listened to the episode that was recapping the episode I had watched and just let it run and was like, why not? I like listening to these guys talk and just got comfortable listening to them. But then watching the episode, I was like, okay, well, now I know what happens and I'm distracted by all the behind the scenes stuff, so it's really not the way to do it.

[Ben Stiller]

Great. Well, you learned something.

[Adam Scott]

I did, and I'm able to with our audience and with you.

[Ben Stiller]

Great.

[Adam Scott]

It's actually dangerous to do that.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay. I'm excited that we're gonna talk to Dan here. Yeah, I mean, the brain in a jar. Dan Erickson.

[Dan Erickson]

Hey, guys. The jar is back.

[Adam Scott]

That's what we call your head.

[Dan Erickson]

I was gonna say good to see you both, but the brain has no eyes. But they tell me that you're here, right?

[Adam Scott]

You can feel us, right?

[Dan Erickson]

I can feel you. I can feel your presence.

[Ben Stiller]

So how was it, Dan, I'm gonna ask you. As if I all or around.

[Adam Scott]

Just.

[Ben Stiller]

Just curious. What was it like, the writing process for you on season two?

[Dan Erickson]

Oh, man. So easy. It was fun, though. I do remember sitting down with you guys and starting to talk about, like, okay, how can we sort of mess with the form of the show? And like, can we play with presenting the episodes different ways and that sort of gets into how episodes one and two ended up panning out with being this sort of all in y thing? And then this all out y thing. And I remember being really excited about trying that and trying different sort of variations on the formula.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, I was trying to remember back to when that actually took shape. The first episode being Annie's, the second episode being Outie's. Cause it is a really fun way to kick off the season.

[Ben Stiller]

I remember we were thinking about there's so much to kind of deal with, you know, so many loose ends to sort of tie up or like just questions to address, you know, what happens after you say she's alive.

[Adam Scott]

Right, right.

[Ben Stiller]

And we were thinking, how do you deal with what's going on in the outie world? How do you deal with what's going on in the innie world?

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, well, it's funny cause I think it's a show that lends itself well to a direct pickup. Especially the way that we ended season one. It's like you want to know what happened immediately after that, but because of the conceit of the show, you can sort of do two different direct pickups. It's like what happens to any Mark immediately after, you know, he comes to and then what happens to Audi Mark when he returns at the party? And I always was so excited about that idea of that sort of reverse shot of, you know, she's alive. And then suddenly we're back at the party and everyone is looking at Mark. It was just such a fun opportunity to just jump right back in.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And then there was this cool thing of like people starting to embrace the show. And all of a sudden it was a very different environment in working on the show because for so long you had been working on it in a vacuum and now a world of people out there who were waiting for the next season.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah. I mean, it was so, so strange because like I have all these sort of like, you know, nerdy entertainment YouTube channels that I like to watch just on my free time, just like to decompress. And suddenly those guys were talking about severance.

[Ben Stiller]

Can I ask you a question?

[Dan Erickson]

Yes.

[Ben Stiller]

How do you watch them without having eyes? Do you wire them directly into your brain? Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

How do you listen without ears?

[Dan Erickson]

These are the existential questions of my brain jar existence.

[Adam Scott]

That's right. It's just a brain in a jar.

[Ben Stiller]

But was it fun for you, Dan, to kind of jump back in, thinking about episodes one and two? Was it fun to do this new structure, having one fully innie episode and one fully outtie episode?

[Dan Erickson]

I loved it. And to me that was. Once we sort of latched onto that structure and knew that that's what we were gonna do. That's when it started to get fun for me because I remember sitting down and it did feel so daunting because, like we said, there's all the questions you have to answer on the out and then everything on the Innieside, and the characters have to get caught up. They have to catch each other up. Like, Devon has to tell Mark what she heard, all of this stuff. And it wasn't until we sort of came up with this separation of, okay, innie episode, outie episode, that it started to make sense and take shape for me. But then it is like there's a really fun, just sort of procedural pleasure in. It's like, what immediately would happen if Mark really did wake up? Like, what would his Audi know? What would Milchick be doing? What would Lumen be doing? And all of these pieces having to come together in this sort of. It sort of continues the kind of manic pace of episode 109, but in a different way.

[Adam Scott]

One thing that's kind of a fun byproduct of this Innie episode and then purely Audi episode is we get to experience the, you know, going to work or leaving work from inside or outside as it is for an Innie and an Audi, which is just an instantaneous experience. You don't experience that full day of work or that full night of rest or whatever. You see what it's for an innie going home at the end of the day and then immediately starting work the next day and vice versa for the Audi.

[Ben Stiller]

Totally. And that was something in episode one that we talked about a little bit, was the idea of the claustrophobic nature of it that I felt directing wise in episode one was that idea of, like, you feel more of the weirdness of Mark's experience and all the. In his experience, I realized, oh, the show really could never exist. Just on the severed floor. You'd go crazy.

[Dan Erickson]

Right.

[Ben Stiller]

So, Dan, it was really fun for me to see Helena.

[Dan Erickson]

Yes.

[Ben Stiller]

Really for the first time, except for the video that we saw in the first season. And we get to see that there's this new character that Dari Olofson plays who sort of seems like he's an important person there, who helps bring in Jaime Egan when they talk. And we see a new space, some sort of a conference room. And it just was fun to sort of introduce this other world for the first time.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, in a way, it feels like just a whole new arena to play in with all of these strange new characters that are, you know, higher in status. But still very much in this Lumen world and just trying to figure out what they're doing and what's making them tick.

[Ben Stiller]

And also we had to sort of pick up the thread now on the other characters who've now been exposed to the Audi world in terms of with Irving and with Dylan. And even though Dylan hadn't gone up, but we still were going to see what's happening with Dylan.

[Adam Scott]

I mean, just specifically to Helena. It's just incredible, like you said, getting to see her outside of that one video in season one and see just how different she is from Helly and how great Britt is at playing this other person and this person that is. I found her to be chilling in this episode, talking to Cobell.

[Ben Stiller]

An apology is warranted. I apologize. My father apologizes. The board apologizes. We've treated you poorly.

[Dan Erickson]

I'm sorry.

[Adam Scott]

I welcome your contrition.

[Ben Stiller]

I'm so glad. Yeah. I mean, the fun thing is to see the flip side of this dynamic that we've seen the whole first season of Cobell, you know, sort of over heli. And now it's the. You know, which is one of the things in the show that only you can do in the show is, you know, see two characters in a totally different dynamic.

[Adam Scott]

Totally. Yeah. And it's fun in this episode getting to see the kind of new replacement workers on the outside of Lumen. Bob Balabanon, Ali Ashokat, Stefano Carinante. Yes, he. God is Stefano's fantastic, isn't he? All three of them.

[Ben Stiller]

Great Italian actor. Yeah.

[Dan Erickson]

By the way, Bob Balaban needs to be hired to June's band from season one because of how well he shouts Fuck you, Lumen.

[Adam Scott]

That's exactly what I thought, too. I thought immediately of that band, like.

[Dan Erickson]

If they need a new lead singer.

[Ben Stiller]

I love that little callback to episode six, right from season one. The feeling of the fuck you, Lumen, that's out there in the world.

[Dan Erickson]

It's out there in the air.

[Ben Stiller]

I really enjoyed also the whole sequence of the first team coming back in episode one, and then as you see them doing the same thing in episode two, but coming into the locker room and Sam Donovan and I sort of collaborated on that because we knew that we wanted those shots to match each other. And. And both shots are pretty much the same exact timings that we tried to get. And it was really fun watching Sam choreograph that scene, which I thought you guys, it was very complicated to do.

[Adam Scott]

So what you're referring to specifically is the scene in episode one where Everyone comes back and comes out of the elevator and we greet. Each one matches the scene in episode two of them getting ready and entering the elevator from their lockers.

[Ben Stiller]

Supposedly. I've never really actually checked it though. We did try to get the timings right when we shot. But somebody probably will do a YouTube.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, I'm sure someone will look into that for us.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. But it was really fun because we had to figure out that shot for episode one and then Sam had to really figure out it was complicated. Cause it's really just one shot and you see a new section of the locker room, Dylan's locker, and you have to believe that they're not seeing each other as they come in. And the timings are all staggered.

[Adam Scott]

It was hard to do.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, it was very challenging for both camera wise and for the actors. And also to make it interesting. And I thought Sam did it a great, great job with it.

[Adam Scott]

I love doing stuff like that because it's just so satisfying when you do it. And it requires so much focus and sort of cooperation and concentration from everybody on set. And I don't know how many times we went through it a lot. But when you finally get it, it's so satisfying and so much fun and everyone celebrates and it's great.

[Ben Stiller]

It was also fun in this episode to see how what we learn about them. I haven't been out for five months. Supposedly. That's kind of not true at all.

[Dan Erickson]

It's kind of not true at all. Yeah, I think it was just a couple of days.

[Ben Stiller]

How did you come up with that idea of the Kier Chronicle?

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, it feels so specifically Kir and Lumen to come up with this five month lie and then the bad Photoshop, all that stuff.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, Lumen is always, you know, telling the Innies what they think they want to hear and showing them what they think they want to see. And it's like they're a proclamation approximation of what the workers want is often so clumsy and weird in addition to being dark and sinister. That to me is where it gets really funny. And it's so funny to me that Lumen wrote the article and then redacted half of it. Like half of the article that they themselves had written to publish.

[Adam Scott]

It's a mind game on top of a mind game.

[Dan Erickson]

It's mind games in mind games. In mind games.

[Ben Stiller]

And also the fact that Mark would actually. That actually might work on Mark S. Yeah. You know, because not because he's, you know, not smart, just because of his world knowledge and his worldview and, and also the amount of time that Milchick lets him see it for, it's just like kind of like pulls it out just.

[Adam Scott]

I remember the amount deciding on how long he lets me look at it. We really kind of tried to balance that perfectly. And, and it's timing wise the way you guys, you and Jeff cut it, it's kind of perfect.

[Ben Stiller]

But what I love Dan, is that the solution sometimes for a very complicated question of how do they deal with this? You know, the innies have been on the outside world is such a simple and kind of almost rudimentary device that they're, that you know, it's not some high tech. First of all they're not punishing them, they're going the opposite way. But then they're doing it in a way that's almost so simplistic.

[Dan Erickson]

Well and I think that like where the five month thing comes in to me is like, I mean there's a couple reasons behind it, but one thing is there is just this intrinsic sense of. It's like, well, we're not punishing you for what happened, but just so you know, five months has passed. Like you're now five months older. There's this sense of lost time that you know, it's not us, we would never punish you, but the consequence of your action is that now five months have passed and just that would be such a strange thing to suddenly learn. It's like, oh, I just lost half a year of time, you know. So again it's mind games in mind games with these guys. But it's funny, I was watching the, you know, the eight minute sneak peek with my mom and the moment where Mark goes, I'd like to hear it from them. She goes, yeah, because it was such a. It's like that's something that any mark in season one probably wouldn't have said. Like he has come back with this more of a sense of being able to call out the bullshit a little bit.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, yeah, for sure. All right. I hate to shut the proverbial door in the listeners faces, but we gotta take a quick break. But you know what they say? When one door closes, another one opens. Any guesses on what scene we'll talk about when we get back.

[Ben Stiller]

I don't. But you know what they also say?

[Adam Scott]

What?

[Ben Stiller]

One man's ceiling is another man's floor.

[Adam Scott]

Whoa, okay.

[Ben Stiller]

I don't know how that relates to the door thing, but.

[Adam Scott]

All right, we'll be right back. It's hard to know when a company really has your back Lumen keeps a lot of secrets from its own employees. And needless to say, that can be pretty stressful for both your Innie and your Audi. And when you're severed from your work self, trying to figure out the truth is even more confusing. Luckily, you never have to worry when it comes to insurance, because State Farm is here to make things clear. They're in the business of helping, offering products and solutions to meet your ever changing needs to ensure you're getting coverage that works best for you. Whether you prefer in person, over the phone, on statefarm.com or through the app, your agent is there to help you make it a seamless transition into your your new insurance reality. Learn how an agent can help you get the coverage you [e-mail] severance. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[Ben Stiller]

We're so done with New Year, new you. This year it's more you on Bumble. More of you shamelessly sending playlists, especially that one filled with show tunes. More of you finding Geminis because you know you always like them. More of you dating with intention because you know what you want and you know what? We love that for you. Someone else will too be more you this year and find them on Bumble.

[Dan Erickson]

If you need three new reasons to love Jack wraps at Jack in the Box even more, here they are. Chicken fajita, chicken Caesar, and delicious starting at $3. Coincidentally, those are the same three reasons you should come to Jack in the Box right now at Jack. Every bite's a big deal.

[Adam Scott]

Dan, before we get to the voicemails, since you're here, we really want to talk about one specific scene from episode two. Okay, now, when we had you on from the first season, you told us that you used to work at a door factory. And in this episode we see Dylan interviewing at a door Factory. So let's listen to the scene here real quick.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay, great. Yeah. You know, I think this is going to be a really great fit for me, Mr. Saliba. You know, ever since I was a kid, I've always felt like doors Old. Sorry, how old were you when you.

[Adam Scott]

Knew you loved doors?

[Ben Stiller]

5. If you could be any kind of door, what would it be?

[Dan Erickson]

Pocket.

[Adam Scott]

Interesting.

[Ben Stiller]

Tell me more. Well, you're doing your door thing, and.

[Dan Erickson]

Then when you're not needed, you can.

[Adam Scott]

Just take yourself away. Oh, man, Adrian Martinez is so great.

[Dan Erickson]

Absolute national treasure. That was verbatim the exact interview that I actually had at the Door Factory.

[Ben Stiller]

Word for word.

[Adam Scott]

Really?

[Dan Erickson]

No, it's very different.

[Ben Stiller]

I love how. Yeah, he's just like, he really loves doors. This guy wants somebody working there who really cares about doors as much as he does.

[Adam Scott]

And just the look of the scene, it's just really kind of beautifully composed. And how much Zack and Adrien look like each other in real life. They don't really resemble each other all that much. But in these shots, you guys really lined them up so it just almost looks mirror like.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Sam Donovan did a great job. And Jeremy Hindle, our production designer, created this space within this factory is actually. The location is in Brooklyn. It's actually. We shot a scene from Escape at Dannemora there, too. It's a factory. Yeah. And which scene? The flashback episode in Escape at Dannemora where we see Patricia Arquette's character where she's working at the shoe factory.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Dan Erickson]

So you're saying, Ben, that there's a shared universe between these two shows?

[Ben Stiller]

There is.

[Dan Erickson]

And then there's also the same.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, I mean, the stellar verse. And then Adrian Martinez was in Secret.

[Adam Scott]

Life of Walter Mitty.

[Ben Stiller]

And so you're in that too. And we'll. Well connected. And also, Jeremy did this really cool thing where he had the doors on this sort of, like, assembly line, like, hook. Reminds me of Monsters, Inc. Where they're, like, kind of going by 100%. Yeah. So I thought that was. It's such a funny scene to me watching that. And also how then he turns on him when he finds out he's severed.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, the look when he finds out he's severed and he says, you're a severed. And then also, like when he. The look when Dylan makes the door prize joke. And it's just this sort of, how dare you? How dare you make light of this?

[Adam Scott]

Holy slander.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, it was going so well until he said the wrong thing. Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

It's always fun to just get a peek into the kind of the cultural reaction to severance and how severance is perceived in the outside world, too.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, that's something I always love when we get to do. Similar to the non dinner party in season one, where you just. It's like, how are people actually talking about this out in the world? What are the sort of public perceptions of it?

[Ben Stiller]

But yeah, that was just such a great way also to understand Dylan's dilemma in the outside world and what he's doing. You know, things aren't going great for him, his family, he's a little unhappy. And Scott obviously has these responsibilities. And, you know, we see how he ends up coming back to work, really.

[Adam Scott]

He seems to be sort of grasping for an identity of sorts, trying to look for somewhere to put himself and something to latch onto.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, his is such an interesting dual performance because sort of on the surface, I feel like it's maybe one of the more different portrayals of an innie and an outie. Like he. You know, there's a little bit more of a natural feel to how he's. Or at least a recognizable feel to how he's acting on the outtie side. But at the same time, Zack does such an amazing job of putting the same, like, you feel some of the same kind of insecurities, but they're expressed very differently because in the indie world, he sort of knows who he is, and out here, he doesn't have that. And there's this sense of being a little bit lost. A lot of the scenes that make me sort of emotional are seeing Audi Dillon and how kind of. He just doesn't have. Like you said, he doesn't have an identity really, and he's looking for it. And he doesn't realize that he has one at Lumen and is sort of, in a way more. Has a more rewarding existence there.

[Adam Scott]

On a certain level, his innie is very sure of who he is and the parameters of his place in the world. In fact, he's striving in reaching for more. He wants more life to grab onto, whereas his Audi seems to be sort of shrinking away from life and from these responsibilities and things. It's really interesting. And Zach is just wonderful one, especially.

[Dan Erickson]

With the sort of grandiose way that he speculates about his Audi.

[Adam Scott]

That's right.

[Dan Erickson]

When he's down on the floor. And that in reality, he's this. He's this very different figure.

[Ben Stiller]

He's not doing muscle shows.

[Dan Erickson]

No muscle shows.

[Adam Scott]

Bummer.

[Ben Stiller]

All right, We've been getting some really cool fan questions from our hotline, Dan.

[Dan Erickson]

Oh, okay.

[Ben Stiller]

So would you be up for answering some of those with us?

[Dan Erickson]

I would love it. I've been waiting to hear these, actually. So this is. This is two.

[Ben Stiller]

We have not heard these questions.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, this is our first time, right? Oh, really? Okay.

[Dan Erickson]

All right. Hi, this is Gray. My question is, what was the biggest difference between shooting season 2 versus season 1? Congrats on the show. Me and my boyfriend love it.

[Ben Stiller]

Thank you.

[Adam Scott]

Thank you, Gray.

[Ben Stiller]

Dan, why don't you start? For you, what was the biggest difference?

[Dan Erickson]

Well, certainly I felt like there was definitely more pressure because, you know, season one, we were pretty sure that we were doing something cool, but it was like, worst case scenario, nobody will watch this. And it'll sort of fade away. But this time, you have all of these people who have found it and invested in it and given their time to it and gotten excited about it, and you really want to do right by those people, and you don't want to let anybody down. So in writing it, I would say I remember sitting down and the first time I was writing an episode for season two, it was like, okay, how do I do this again? Am I even sure I can still do this? And am I even sure what actually worked about the first season? And it took actually getting into it and writing a couple scenes to be like, okay, no, I can still do this. But it was scarier in a way, because the pressure is on a bit more.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. How about you, Ben?

[Ben Stiller]

For me, it was actually. It was fun to know that there was an audience for the show going into it. And, of course, all along the making of the season, you're always trying to make it the best it can be, and you are still working in a bit of a vacuum because you're making all the episodes, and nobody's gonna see them until they're all done. So that part of it is always what it is. But the fun of it was that we kind of were, like, doing a series now, and we, you know, we're coming back, and we kind of knew what the challenges were. We knew how to work within the sets. We knew we were gonna go for some new things and challenge ourselves and kind of try not to stay exactly in the box we had in the first season. But, yeah, I'd say, you know, defin a feeling of like, oh, gosh, I hope we can live up to something that people expect. But just the fact that people even expected something was pretty great.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I. I think all of that. And I figured out how to wear more comfortable shoes in season two. Season one was just dress shoes for 10 episodes, and that really kind of takes a toll. And so season two, I realized when my feet are not on camera, I can wear these, like, super comfortable sneakers. And it just made life so much.

[Ben Stiller]

Easier, which I was admiring and you got me as a gift.

[Adam Scott]

Got you a pair of them.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, they are really comfy. It makes me think of the great Owen Wilson, who I've done a number of movies with back in the day. And if his feet weren't on camera, you'd see him wearing a nice pair of Uggs, usually good flip flops, or, you know, just barefoot.

[Adam Scott]

It's a great move.

[Dan Erickson]

I always wear uncomfortable shoes when I write out of Solidarity to the actors because I know that they'll have to. So shame on you, Adam.

[Ben Stiller]

Very humane of you.

[Adam Scott]

No more of that, I guess. I guess now you can slip on some Uggs.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, now that I know.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay, let's hear another question.

[Adam Scott]

Hi there. I was just wondering what the benefits of packages are like for the severed floor. I was thinking about doing it, but I just want to make sure that I'm going to be able to support.

[Dan Erickson]

Myself and get the healthcare I need. Thank you. Get back to me as soon as you can. Bye. Hmm.

[Adam Scott]

That's a good question.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, it's a really good question. I mean, I would say that they are ample, I would say, especially because, as Irving says in this episode, you never know what your innie's gonna eat down there. Your innie could drink white out or something. And so you have to be sure that the company is going to take care of you. They're also a med tech company, so I feel like the health benefits would be pretty good.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, my. I was thinking, like, it would probably good medical benefits, but it's probably like lumen doctors that they refer you to.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

There has to be some sort of disclaimer or release or something for what happens when you're down there in terms of like, maybe or some sort of, like, in case of emergency, call this number. Right. Must have that, like, at school or something.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Adam Scott]

Like legally, it must be something ironclad that they have everyone signed.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah. Although I think any minor injuries can be treated with a visit to Pips, the variety section at Pips. The food there is very restorative.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. Delicious Denver omelets.

[Ben Stiller]

So should we refer this person? We didn't get the name, but should we refer them to Mr. Milchick or who does intake? Who's the.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, Milchick would be the, you know, the liaison for that kind of thing.

[Ben Stiller]

I'm sure he would do a good sales job.

[Adam Scott]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Dan Erickson]

Milchick would probably. He could probably do some of the medical stuff himself. He's a very handy handicapped.

[Ben Stiller]

That's right. He does.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, he does just about everything.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay. All right, now our next and last question.

[Adam Scott]

Hello, my name is George. I was about to apply for a position, but I have one major concern. How do I pack a lunch? Ah, thanks. Oof. Excellent question.

[Dan Erickson]

Well, the answer, George, is that you don't. I don't think that we've ever actually explained this on screen, but the way that the lunches work is that, you know, if you're an innie, you have a lunch in the fridge ready for you every day, and you don't get to pick it because those are selected in advance at the start of the week by your Audi, who would be like, okay, Monday I want fish piccata, you know, Tuesday, I want jello, you know, whatever. We don't know yet what's in the lunches necessarily, but that's how that works.

[Adam Scott]

Interesting.

[Ben Stiller]

No cafeteria down there that we know of at this point.

[Adam Scott]

Well, not that we've seen.

[Ben Stiller]

Not that we've seen. Yeah. Or food services.

[Adam Scott]

I have to say, listening to that message, I'm not sure that guy's real name is George.

[Dan Erickson]

I don't know.

[Adam Scott]

I'm just not buying it.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And he's also asking, how do I pack a lunch?

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, I guess we could provide instructions on how to pack a lunch.

[Dan Erickson]

George strikes me as someone who's trying to get away with something, and I don't think we should hire him.

[Adam Scott]

That's why he's using the moniker George, quote, unquote.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And also if he's thinking of getting severed, of having a brain chip implanted into his head, and it's an irreversible procedure. And his one major concern is how do I pack a lunch?

[Adam Scott]

Man, there's something going on there.

[Ben Stiller]

All right, well, Dan, thank you for joining us.

[Dan Erickson]

Thank you, guys.

[Ben Stiller]

This was fun. I'm excited that we're off and running on season two.

[Adam Scott]

Doesn't it feel great now to have people finally seeing season two? It just feels terrific.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah. Such a release. I'm feeling very good about it.

[Ben Stiller]

All right, well, we'll be talking to you again. And is somebody going to actually grab your brain or is it what's.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, yeah, no, they're going to come. It's Milchick. He's going to come and take it away and put me. Put me away.

[Adam Scott]

Here he comes.

[Dan Erickson]

Tuck me away, tuck me away. Like a pocket door.

[Adam Scott]

Just take the mic off of the jar and we'll talk to you next time. If you want to call the post box for Lumen Industries severed floor, call 212-830-3816.

[Ben Stiller]

All right, we'll be back in a second to talk about more of episode two. The MDR team continues to search for answers as they try to piece together memories from the overtime contingency. But luckily, you don't have to take a mind erasing elevator to work every day. So your workplace productivity can be much simpler. With Confluence by Atlassian. Confluence is the connected workspace where teams can collaborate. Collaborate and create like never before, where teams have easy access to the relevant pages and resources their projects call for, while discovering important context they didn't even know they needed. A space where AI streamlines the things that normally eat up their time, letting teams generate, organize, and deliver work faster. In fact, with Confluence, teams can see a 5.2% average boost in productivity in one year. So goodbye several workplace alienation. Hello teamwork with Confluence. Set knowledge free with Confluence. Learn more at atlassian.com confluence that's a T L a S S I-a n.com C-O-N-F L-U-E-N-.

[Dan Erickson]

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[Ben Stiller]

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[Dan Erickson]

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[Ben Stiller]

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[Dan Erickson]

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[Adam Scott]

Hard to install?

[Ben Stiller]

No, it's easy.

[Dan Erickson]

I installed these and then got some from my mom.

[Ben Stiller]

She talked to a design consultant for.

[Dan Erickson]

Free and scheduled a professional measure and install hall of fame son. They're the number one online retailer of custom window coverings in the world. Blinds.com is the goat shoplines.com right now.

[Adam Scott]

And get up to 45% off select.

[Dan Erickson]

Styles plus a professional measure. Rules and restrictions may apply.

[Adam Scott]

All right, I'm excited to talk about this episode with you. But you know, first up, there's something very exciting at the beginning of the episode, which is a new opening credit sequence.

[Ben Stiller]

Yes. Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

So how did this come about? Why did you feel we needed to shift and change a bit?

[Ben Stiller]

Well, it was probably because as time was going by, I was thinking looking at the opening credits, which we all love, and they were created by Oliver Lata, who's a German artist who works with the computer, and Teddy Blanks, who works in New York, who does the graph part of it, but the computer animation is Oliver Lata. And it was so in a way specific to season one, even though it was created not with specific nods to necessarily story points, but images and different settings that it felt to me that there was an opportunity. As time was going by, as we were making the season, I thought, well, people are going to have Waited a while for season two. It might be fun to have something else new for them as well. And Oliver, I talked to him and he was totally up for it. I mean, he did. He won an Emmy for that. It's the first title sequence he ever did.

[Adam Scott]

And do you want to talk about how you found Oliver?

[Ben Stiller]

I happened upon his Instagram feed, but just had this incredible computer animation of these sort of amorphous blobs of humanoid forms that fall into one another and kind of bubbles and the texture of it. It's just something incredibly captivating and satisfying.

[Adam Scott]

Watching his work, it really feels like nothing else you see out there. Animation wise, it feels very singular.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And so it was just like one day on the way to work, I saw it and thought, oh, wow, this could be really cool for the show. Oliver, first time I met him was at the Emmys, actually, when he won his Emmy.

[Adam Scott]

Really? In person, you'd never.

[Ben Stiller]

He came to LA for the Emmys and for the, you know, in the after party where, you know, we lost 12 of our forces.

[Adam Scott]

Yes, I remember.

[Ben Stiller]

But he won. He and Teddy Shapiro won and both very deservedly.

[Adam Scott]

Well deserved.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And so it was great to meet him there. He's a young guy, he's super talented, and it was just a great connection that he had with the show. And it ended up informing, in a way, imagery for season two. I mean, when you look at you carrying those balloons in episode one for me, that came out of his balloon image.

[Adam Scott]

Is that right?

[Ben Stiller]

That he did in the credits for season one. Oh, right. I mean, just in my mind, I was like, oh, it just made me think of that. So in that way, it was fun to think about. Okay, what could it be for season two that is maybe more specific and has more Easter eggs and more little nods to the season that people might not even appreciate until the season is over and they look back at it. And that was a fun process with him. And first one took about eight or nine months. And this one, same thing. And it's been really fun, exciting, a little bit scary on my end because I know people love the season one credits so much, but it seems like people have been responding to the season two 1.

[Adam Scott]

I love these ones. I also love it because other characters find their way into the opening credits now.

[Ben Stiller]

Yes.

[Adam Scott]

And remember, they were getting kind of the. Everyone had to go and get their kind of. The scan that I had to do for season one.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. A 3D scan where they take pictures of you with, like, hundreds of still cameras. And then he can Recreate your image. Do you have a favorite image from the credits?

[Adam Scott]

I really. Well, from season one. I really love the balloons with the heads. And it's so funny that it didn't even occur to me that that's where the balloons with the faces on them came from. Was from the opening credits from season one.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. It's not really a direct line.

[Adam Scott]

No, no, no.

[Ben Stiller]

But it's just an image in there for me for the season two credits. One of the things that I really love is you jumping off of the desk little. You jumping off the desk, and then instead of going into the head that it does in season one, it goes into a painting of your head in season one. Oh, yeah, yeah. And there's other. There are other nods to episodes as they go along, as I said, that we can get into maybe as we go along, too.

[Adam Scott]

Ending of the opening credit sequence is. Is super interesting, too.

[Ben Stiller]

Yes. When you see, like, a little baby Kier kind of crawling by.

[Adam Scott]

Yes.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Interesting.

[Adam Scott]

All right, all right.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay. You know what I want to talk about a little bit is you, because, you know, your character is going through a lot in episode two. Really, you kind of Audi. Mark is deciding whether or not he wants to return to Lumen. And we started out with that creepy visit from Milchick.

[Adam Scott]

Mm.

[Ben Stiller]

What happened tonight is what we call the overtime contingency. It's a safeguard we employ if we ever need to access your work personage off company grounds.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. You never told me about this.

[Ben Stiller]

OTC disclosure can be found in your start paperwork. It's clear that you just don't feel right about it, and you don't know if you're gonna go back. And he kind of lays that sort of little guilt trip on you about your innie and how brave your innie was to do what he did, and you wouldn't want to reward him by ending his life.

[Adam Scott]

He literally lays it out like I would be killing someone.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Yeah. And that scene was. I thought Sam, again, did a great job with that in terms of just the weirdness of that scene. How Rickon admires his helmet.

[Adam Scott]

Rickon, in all of these scenes here is so deeply funny.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, no, it's great. Cause, you know, it's also, like, how do you deal with that moment of she's alive? Like you said, she's alive. And of course, you know, Rickon kind of goes to the point, well, it had to be the baby, right?

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

And also, he's really a little bit more focused on how it affected his book party.

[Adam Scott]

That's Right. He's really preoccupied and decides everything's completely fine and they can just do it over again.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, but it's a moment of you and Devon connecting in terms of not trusting what's going on, but you kind of. You're kind of like, at a point where you don't want to go back. You want to. Right. I mean, I think until Devon comes to see you and the diner. Right, At Pip's.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. I think at the end of season one, Mark had made a decision that. Or Mark was veering towards a decision to maybe move away from Lumen and maybe in a way, sort of move on from everything. I mean, he come to this party ready to tell his sister he's thinking about quitting his job, and that's the last thing he said to Mrs. Selvig at the party before he switches over to his innie in episode nine of season one. So I think he was heading in that direction anyway, and this just sort of pushes him over the edge. It's just too weird. And Devon now kind of talking, you know, bringing up this idea of she's alive is just all. It's just all absurd noise to Mark at this point, I think.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. I think it's also kind of realistic when you think about how someone might react to this in terms of being told, no, that person who died is actually alive, which is such a crazy hard thing to wrap your head around. And also, Mark probably feeling. And I'm speaking for you, but from my point of view watching, is that Mark all of a sudden was taken out of the equation by his innie taking over. And then all of a sudden he's back and he's being told that his innie said she's alive. And everybody's sort of like, debating what that means. And I think a natural reaction would be like, this is just like digging something up. You're just in the process of trying to get over this in some way. You're grieving, you're at the point where you're thinking, no, I can start to try to really move from being severed, and then all of a sudden, you're being told, no, wait a minute. She's. A lot. Like, I could understand just wanting to. No, no, no, no, don't. Like, this is crazy. I don't want to go there.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, it's ridiculous to even consider it. And ultimately hurtful that Devin keeps sort of coming at me with this. I was at the time sort of trying to figure out how to play this with Audi, Mark, and kind of Landed on. It had to feel like the most absurd, stupid thing in the world. Like someone coming to you and telling you that someone in your life who passed away years ago is actually. I mean, it's just unthinkable and hurtful to even like, bring up something like that.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

Particularly in this situation where his feelings are clearly still quite raw about his. His wife who died.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Yeah. Let's listen to that scene with you and Devin at. @ pips. My thing is, if we could just get like a half step more confirmation, then it's not gonna be something that continues to haunt us. Do you know what I mean?

[Adam Scott]

Us? Yes.

[Ben Stiller]

She was my family too, Mark.

[Adam Scott]

Fuck. Yeah, but she was my wife.

[Ben Stiller]

I know, but you're not the only one her death affected.

[Adam Scott]

Oh, really? It affected you?

[Dan Erickson]

Yes.

[Adam Scott]

Did you have to tell her parents that she was dead? How about her students? How about this? Did your ship sheets smell like her for weeks afterwards? You know what, Honestly, if Rickon died and his body burned, I'd be sad for you, but I wouldn't be affected. This is obscene.

[Ben Stiller]

I just wanna be sure.

[Adam Scott]

I am sure. Yeah. It's pretty hurtful language.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And a little bit of sort of the tension with Rickon comes through there too. And yeah, I mean, makes total sense to me that why Mark would say, I'm not into this.

[Adam Scott]

I think one interesting thing there is how Mark goes pretty hard at Devin here talking about, if your husband died, I would be sad but not affected. And talking about his body potentially being burned. It's a real peek into, first of all, the brother, sister relationship and how with people you've known your whole life, you can go and poke a little further and you kind of give each other the permission to go too far sometimes. But also it's a bit of a shot across the bow, like, don't with me because I will bite back harder than you're ready for. So just leave this alone.

[Ben Stiller]

You know, I totally got that.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, totally got that.

[Ben Stiller]

And as I said, I think it's very believable. Also in that scene, we see that character from the beginning of the episode who we'll come to know as Mr. Drummond is sort of eavesdropping possibly on the scene.

[Adam Scott]

It's funny, the last time I watched through the episode, I didn't even notice him there.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, that was his point. He didn't want to notice.

[Adam Scott]

And on some takes, I high fived him as I walked.

[Ben Stiller]

And you saw his frolic tattoo on his hand as you high five. High fived him?

[Adam Scott]

Yep.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. We shot that up at the Phoenicia Diner in the Catskills, as we did.

[Adam Scott]

In season one for Pips.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And every time we shot there, there would always be a discussion. You know, there are other diners that are, like, a lot closer to New York.

[Adam Scott]

It is quite far.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. It's totally worth it when you get there.

[Adam Scott]

What is it about this particular diner?

[Ben Stiller]

I mean, there's something about that diner. It's been in other things. And, you know, usually I don't like to shoot things that are in other movies or show, but, like, it's so good. And we were able to put our little spin on it, but it's just like a great classic diner, and it's in the middle of this, you know, beautiful wooded area.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

And it just felt. It just felt right for our. You know, we picked it when we were trying to establish the environment of Kir in the first season.

[Adam Scott]

And the parking lot figured prominently in season one as well.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And we didn't want to do. When we were figuring it out in the beginning, like, we wanted to make Kir feel a little bit desolate and not too urban and not too developed. And so, you know, we didn't want to do a diner that was in a town. And that one came up, much to the chagrin of our line producer.

[Adam Scott]

It is beautiful out there.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And much to the credit of our Ryan Smith, our amazing location manager, who also did some second unit directing work on season two, and he's got an amazing eye. Meanwhile, we've been tracking Milchick, who has had to sort of clean up a little bit and go and find out what people know, what the Innies who were activated know, or the Audis know of what their Innie did. And then, you know, we know that he has this directive that they have to get Mark to come back. And we don't quite know how that plan has been working. We get a little insight into where the new team came from.

[Adam Scott]

Yep. Which is super interesting.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Very interesting. In that we learned that there are other branches.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

Which we knew there were a little bit from probably the first episode, you know, from the Lumen animated special that they made.

[Adam Scott]

I mean, according to the primetime animation special, there are offices all around the globe.

[Ben Stiller]

That's right.

[Adam Scott]

Even out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on one point. But you never know what's real and what's not. But here they're having this internal conversation, and they're talking about overseas offices and also offices that may have shut down for one reason. Or another.

[Ben Stiller]

Yep.

[Adam Scott]

Yep. It's interesting.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And so we get the sense that Lumen sort of, you know, strung this together last minute to try to create a team around Mark that's gonna keep him being productive. So you get the sense that maybe the other people aren't as important as Mark. We've always known that Mark is special and a very good refiner. And Obviously from season one, we know the Mark and Ms. Casey interaction. We got that idea that Cobell was sort of up to something with that. But I think we get a sense when Milchick gets to see Mark and to try to talk him in, he comes with a pineapple, a special pineapple plate that apparently is meant to entice.

[Adam Scott]

You going all out.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And he sits down with you and he kind of does a little bit of Attempts a bit of sort of sales job here with you want to listen to that?

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

You said since she died, every day feels like a year that you felt like you were choking on her ghost. Do you still feel that way? Mr.

[Adam Scott]

Scout.

[Ben Stiller]

The mark I've come to know at Lumen is happy. He cares for people and he's funny. He knows nothing of the pain I see in you right now. He's found love.

[Adam Scott]

Love with who?

[Ben Stiller]

The solace you have given him down there will make its way to you. It just takes time. I hope you'll give us that time, Mr. Scout. First of all, just want to say, listening to it, not watching it, the sound design. I want to just give credit to Jacob Ribicoff and Bob Chifalas, our sound designer and mixer. The bubbling of the fish tank.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. And I gotta say, my favorite part, the sound of the leather jacket throughout the episode. Tramiel wears it incredibly well. He looks beautiful in that leather jacket. But also, that jacket sounds great.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. I think that's a case of turning the bug into a feature type of thing. Yeah. I would imagine it was an amazing Sarah Edwards leather jacket or a costume designer that was not gonna be denied.

[Adam Scott]

Not quiet.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. But no, that scene is also really interesting to me because Milchick for the first time, is actually talking about your innie in a way and his well being and kind of. I think it's the first time it's ever even insinuated that. That his feelings would somehow benefit you on the outside.

[Adam Scott]

Well, I think that for Mark, he probably isn't really considering going back seriously. But I think the fact that Milchik is doing what you just said is talking about these feelings will rise up and come and meet you and you'll feel better because of what a good place your innie is at. That will transfer to you shows some measure of desperation. At least we, the audience, can sense that. But I think the fact that he brings up Gemma after all of this absurd noise he's been hearing from his sister and Rickon, it just sort of piques his interest. I don't think he's anywhere near believing that she's alive, but it's just too much of a coincidence.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, also, I think the. It's picking up on sort of the guilting that he started with you a little bit when you were at Devin and Rickens, where, you know, he says you're gonna end his life. But it's really great the way you play that scene, I think. Cause we're seeing, like, how much all of that is weighing on you. And, you know, like, you're putting this all together, and it really. It's really. I think, feels very effective.

[Adam Scott]

And Tramiel is just so, so great. I mean, just this whole episode of him riding around on the motorcycle. What is that motorcycle? Was there a particular motorcycle you really wanted Milchick to be riding?

[Ben Stiller]

It was an idea that Dan and I discussed. I remember when it came up. It was an idea that came up at one of the events when we were in Los Angeles for season one, when we were all together. And I remember I said to Dan one night, I said, wouldn't it be cool if Milchick rode a motorcycle? And he was like, yeah, yeah, I like that. And then it was sort of like. Then it went from there. And it just seemed to me like that we've talked a lot, and this came out of really what Dan's idea of Milchick's outer life is, which we have yet to see. So this is a little glimpse into, like, what his personal style is.

[Adam Scott]

Right.

[Ben Stiller]

And what his vibe is in the outside world. He's kind of a cool guy, it seems, who rides a motorcycle. And, yeah, the motorcycle itself is a Royal Enfield, but we customized it. But that's the. That's the make of the bike.

[Adam Scott]

It's really cool.

[Ben Stiller]

You know, it's tricked out, and it's.

[Adam Scott]

Well, it's just. It fits Milchick so perfectly to be riding around on a motorcycle, a fast motorcycle. He's like a singular guy. He's sort of always kind of armored up and isolated from everyone around him. And now he gets this opportunity to step up and be the floor manager. And his first job is to clean up Cobell's Mess, in a sense. And so he's gonna do it. And he is out there on a mission. And just. It just feels so right to have him on a motorcycle on that mission.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And we thought, you know, he's gonna be traveling around the whole episode, kind of going to each person's house. So it might be fun to have, you know, this kind of cool vibe of these motorcycle shots going through Kier.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

And then he kind of has to basically come back around and real. His other plan of the new team wasn't working. And he kind of catches some shit for that and has to basically bring a pineapple to everybody to get them to come back, because that's the only way that you're really gonna come back. We've learned in episode one. So that comes back to the parallel events of episode one and two, which are there. And we really were very aware of how to sort of have both episodes work in concert with each other. They're not exact in terms of, you know, like, beat to beat, because we're seeing different things happen. But there are places where you can correlate what happened in episode one. Like when Ini. Mark made the recording to the board, and then you hear him playing the cassette recording of the. You know, the recording to the board for Helena and Mr. Drummond. And so, you know, we see these little touchstones that happen in episode one and how they happened on the outside in episode two. And that was the fun thing about putting both these episodes together. And even the title, Goodbye, Ms. Cobell. Hello, Mrs. Selvig, for episode one and episode two. Work together also. But that was fun. And like, we talked about with Dan putting together that shot of you guys coming back to work, which matches the shot that we see in episode one.

[Adam Scott]

It's really great. Sam did a great job with that, too.

[Ben Stiller]

And then we should talk about the scene between you and Mrs. Selville.

[Adam Scott]

Oh, yeah. Kind of the confrontation that Mark certainly has been waiting for and gearing up for this whole episode.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. I feel like, as an audience, you have all these questions you want to ask, like, what are you doing? What are you up to? Why are you doing this? And you get to ask all those questions about. And she is at a point where basically she's just decided that she's, you know, she's getting out. So we don't really know, as we always don't know, what her agenda is.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. I mean, she has this scene with Helena where Helena tries to give her a promotion, which feels to Cobell like bullshit.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. It's a job that doesn't really exist. A new position. And she senses that they are scared of something that she could, you know, do or say, and she decides to walk. And so then when she runs into you, she's basically packing up her rabbit and getting out of there. We don't know where she's going, but you stop her and you demand to know what's going on. And I just love Patricia's response in this scene.

[Adam Scott]

Me too. Who are you? I thought you were quitting. I trusted you. I told you what I'd gone through these past two years. You. You were in my house. You. I ate your shitty fucking cookies.

[Ben Stiller]

They convinced you to stay. Was a pineapple involved?

[Adam Scott]

You're so easy to sway.

[Ben Stiller]

The truth comes out.

[Adam Scott]

The chamomile cookies weren't particularly good, as it turns out.

[Ben Stiller]

And she knows all the lumen moves of the pineapple.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. And she knows how to manipulate. I mean, she's been studying this guy and kind of insulting him in this way is the perfect move.

[Ben Stiller]

And we really don't know what her agenda is. So then when you say, do you know something about Gemma? It's like, where that scream comes from, it's obviously part frustration, part, part anger, part. I mean, we don't know what it.

[Adam Scott]

Is, but, yeah, I mean, there are cracks in her loyalties and in her armor that we saw. The last thing she said to me in episode nine was, get away from them. Whispered it in my ear. And so her not answering and holding the company line when I ask her some of these questions is super interesting.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. It almost feels like she knows something that she's not telling you.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. And Mark sort of derives quite a bit from this.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And then she just lets out the primal scream, the long pause that she takes.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. I mean, I think she is really trying to communicate something to Mark there.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, right before she runs you down.

[Adam Scott]

Before she tries to murder me. Great relationship they have.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, man. All right, well, before we go, we should just check in with our friend Zack Cherry.

[Adam Scott]

Oh, yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

To find out what he thinks is gonna happen in episode three.

[Adam Scott]

I can't move on from episode to episode without getting his predictions.

[Ben Stiller]

I'm so interested at what he's gonna say here. So let's. Let's. Let's talk to Zach. Hey, Adam. Hey, Ben. Thanks for having me back. As you know, it's my job to sort of analyze and go deep and calculate everything that's going on and spit out a prediction about what's gonna happen next. So I'M sorry I didn't get it 100% right last time, but this time I'm definitely gonna nail it. Next time on Severance. Based on that last scene where Ms. Cobell and little interaction with the car, I think Ms. Cobell is going to be is going to be mandated to some court ordered anger management classes and she's going to end up coaching a group of rapscallions who go by the name of the Mighty Ducks. And she's going to take them all.

[Dan Erickson]

The way to the title.

[Ben Stiller]

Let's find out on episode three of Severance.

[Adam Scott]

Wow. Well.

[Ben Stiller]

Never disappoints.

[Adam Scott]

No. And who can argue with that?

[Ben Stiller]

All right, that's it. Right?

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. The Severance Podcast with Ben and Adam will be back next week to talk about season two, Episode three.

[Ben Stiller]

That's right, in real time here as the episodes play out. And you can stream every episode of Severance on Apple tv, with new episodes coming out every Friday.

[Adam Scott]

And then make sure you're listening to our podcast, which drops right after the episode airs. The Severance Podcast this podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott is a presentation of Odyssey, Pineapple Street Studios, Red Hour Productions and Great Scott Productions.

[Ben Stiller]

If you like the show, be sure to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, the Odyssey app, or your other podcast platform of choice. Our executive producers are Bari Finkel, Henry Malofsky, Gabrielle Lewis, Jenner Weiss Berman and Leah Rees Dennis. The show is produced by Zandra Ellen, Ben Goldberg and Naomi Scott. This episode was mixed and mastered by Chris Basel. We had additional engineering from Javi Krustas and Davey Sumner.

[Adam Scott]

Show clips are courtesy of fifth season music by Theodore Shapiro. Special thanks to the team at Odyssey. Maura Curran, Eric Donnelly, Michael Lavey, Melissa Wester, Matt Casey, Kate Rose, Kirk Courtney and Hilary Schuck.

[Ben Stiller]

And the team at Red John Lesher, Carolina Pesikov, John Pablo Antonetti, Martin Valderruten, Ashwin Ramesh, Maria Noto, John Baker and Oliver Acker.

[Adam Scott]

And at Great Scott, Kevin Cotter, Josh Martin and Christy Smith.

[Ben Stiller]

At Rise Management, we had additional production help from Kristen Torres and Melissa Slaughter. I'm Ben Stiller.

[Adam Scott]

And I'm Adam Scott. Thank you for listening and thank Kobelvig for not running Marques over.

[Ben Stiller]

Good. Yeah, good reaction there.

[Adam Scott]

Well, I'm lightning fast.