Severance's stand-out employee is the best character on TV, right now
You're not the boss of me
Along with many others, I find myself obsessed with Severance on Apple TV+. It’s not enough to just watch each episode and admire the mystery ongoing, but as the credits roll each time, I dash off to Reddit or YouTube to devour any and all theories on the business of Lumon and the severed. While I greatly admire the overall mystery, which reminds me so much of Lost, it’s the characters that sweep me along from episode to episode. None more so than Mr Seth Milchick, the greatest character on TV right now.
Already captivated by the performance of Tramell Tillman as Milchick throughout season one, his creepy, yet endearing showing as the new boss of the severed floor, in season two, has been a masterclass in becoming an enigma. The Milchick of season one was a toadying lackey, happy to be a jobsworth, but he’s evolved into one of the more intriguing characters on the show, purely because his alliances appear to deviate every episode.
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Of course, the aspiring career man has the best interests of Lumon at heart, however he’s shown more humanity in the latest episodes, questioning his place at Lumon, and perhaps in the greater world around him. Milchick was already becoming slightly unhinged as he deals with his precocious intern, Miss Huang. The two are constantly dancing around one another, trying to derail the work day of the other colleague. However, after his performance review, we’re starting to see a more dangerous version of Milchick.
Until recent episodes, Milchick was a sturdy wall of a man, barely showing anything but determination for his work and the rule of the severed staff. That was interesting enough - Milchick never felt ‘evil’ he is simply a stern man doing his job, one that is so important it’s shrouded in secrecy. That alone made him fascinating as he travelled everywhere at the beck and call of Lumon. And as season one ended, I desperately hoped we’d get under the skin of the severed supervisor.
Now, it seems that the very foundations of this man are starting to crumble. As Milchick was rewarded for his work by Lumon, receiving a gift of paintings, we saw his stony facade crack. Understandably so; Milchick was gifted a horrifying collection of paintings of Lumon’s founder “reimagined” as a Black man. We saw that Milchick didn’t know how to react, other than stashing the paintings away in his supply closet. Suddenly, the complex issue of Lumon’s attitude to race - and Milchick’s place within the company - entered the workplace. Milchick is a proud man, and one of only a few people of colour we see within the walls of Lumon.
He is obviously being manipulated, and I have to wonder if Milchick will accept the actions of his employers, or begin to rebel. Better yet, will he start to lose his mind as he loses control over the severed employees?
When Milchick attempts to ask another other Black worker at Lumon how they felt upon receiving the paintings, the brilliant Sydney Cole Alexander, who plays Natalie, delivers some of the most understated acting of the show. When she first presents Milchick with the artwork, her face twitches, belying a wealth of emotion beneath the surface. As he asks her about how she felt about them, she once again lets her face slip, showing there’s something there.
Milchick, despite being manipulated, holds all the cards. He is responsible for the output of the severed floor; he’s familiar with most, if not all, of the secrets at Lumon. However, he is betrayed by Miss Huang who lodges complaints about his work; he’s belittled by Mr Drummond in his performance review and is forced to put paperclips on hundreds of documents before standing in front of a mirror to change his vocabulary - he uses too many big words.
Topics: TV And Film, Opinion, Features