What's for Dinner?

"**What's for Dinner?**" is the eighth episode in the first season of the Apple TV+ thriller series ***Severance***. It was released on the first of April in 2022.

## Synopsis

The team prepares a plan. Mark attends Devon and Ricken's party.

## Plot

### Intro

Irving sits on a bench in a park in winter reading *The Emperor's Handbook* by Marcus Aurelius. He walks his dog from the park to his apartment at Leonora Lake Apartments. He pours a cup of coffee then puts a finished painting on a stack of similar paintings — each one depicting a long, dark, narrow hallway leading to a mysterious door — before placing a blank canvas on his easel and prepping for a new painting. He turns on the song *Ace of Spades* by Motorhead then begins frenetically painting.

### Act One

Mark, Helly, Dylan, and Irving each ride the elevator to start their day in Macrodata Refinement, each clicking into Innie mode with a visible twitch. Helly focuses on refining a file as Mark asks if she's going to finish in time. She says she will. Mark checks in with Irving and Dylan who are concerned that Helly isn't going to finish refining her file in time. Ms. Cobel and Mr. Milchick watch Helly work through her in-monitor camera and discuss whether "she'll make it." Harmony says Helly will make it, says, "Let's prep for when she makes it," and mentions that she's going to schedule Mark an "end-of-the-quarter" wellness session "one last time." Milchick questions Harmony but she responds by saying that Graner (who "sits with Kier now") and Kier are satisfied with Milchick's work. This frightens Milchick.

Helly finishes refining the file, to Mark's, Dylan's, and Irving's excitement. The 100% refinement animation plays, showing Kier's approval and appreciation for Helly's work for Lumon. This pleases her. The animated Kier says he loves Helly, to which she conspicuously doesn't react, and then flies away. Helly sighs in relief. Dylan is excited about meeting quota. Irving says, "So it's on now."

In Harmony's office, Mark and Harmony are laughing and talking about how the department just made quota, despite staffing changes and wasting time in the halls. Harmony asks who Mark is going to give the Waffle Party to. Mark says Dylan has worked hard and that the waffle party is Dylan's thing. Harmony disapproves of the choice of Dylan, telling Mark he can pick himself or anyone other than Dylan, but allows it. Harmony states that Mark is going to have a wellness session and that she's sending all department heads in for wellness sessions given "all the stress of Mr. Graner retiring and everything." They laugh again, pleased at the department's quota success, and she thanks him saying, "Lumon needed this."

### Act Two

Mark is brought into Ms. Casey's office for his wellness session. Mark comments that everything is in boxes, to which Ms. Casey responds that Lumon has been blessed with a new wellness director and that she's retiring at the end of the session. Mark is confused and asks when Lumon told Ms. Casey, who responds, "Just now. Just a moment ago." Ms. Casey tells Mark that he has successfully led his department to meet their quota and then begins reading off affirmation statements to Mark. Mark interrupts her, offering to talk to someone about Ms. Casey being fired. Ms. Casey indicates that she's been alive for 107 hours, most of which were half-hour sessions. She states that she her favorite time was the 8 hours she spent with the MDR department watching Helly. "It's the longest I've ever been awake." Mark states that there must be something they can do, prompting Ms. Casey to respond, "Why do you care what happens to me?" Mark responds that they are "people, not parts of people. No one gets to just turn you off." Harmony is watching their session intently through her monitor. Ms. Casey continues the wellness session.

Harmony is interrupted by Milchick, who states that the Severance chips work because Mark and Ms. Casey don't remember each other. Harmony tells Milchick to take Ms. Casey down to "the testing floor." Ominous music plays.

When Ms. Casey arrives at the hallway leading to the elevator to take her down to the testing floor, she asks Milchick if she's happy "up there." He affirms to her that she is. Ms. Casey walks to the end of the hallway and gets in the elevator. When the elevator doors close and the down arrow illuminates, we see the imagery that Irving paints over and over.

### Act Three

Mark goes back to MDR. Mark informs Dylan that they are set for the waffle party. Dylan asks about Ms. Casey and Mark informs that she's been fired. Helly asks if they can help her. Mark says, "I don't know" and then asks the others, "Is everyone sure they want to do this?" Milchick shows up with the pre-waffle party egg bar social. Milchick present Dylan with an award in a box and indicates that Dylan has won the Refiner of the Quarter award for a third time. Milchick jokes that Dylan's mind is as sharp as his incisors, referring to when Dylan bit Milchick during Helly's 75% Music Dance Experience.

Helly asks Dylan to open the award, to which Dylan initially refuses but then relents. The others appear impressed (but we don't see what's inside the box). Milchick kicks off the egg bar social by turning on the lights and music. Helly expresses her surpise to Dylan that the food "is actually … good," while Milchick goes around taking photos. Helly offers to stay behind instead of Dylan, but Dylan refuses saying that it's just the first step.

Harmony arrives at her office to find Natalie there with photos of Helly's attempted suicide three weeks prior. Natalie asks why Harmony didn't tell Natalie and the Board. Harmony asks, "Did Milchick give you those?" Natalie states that they also know that Harmony has been spending time at Devon's house, and that Harmony is being fired from her position immediately. Harmony reacts with shock and asks if the Board is even there. Someone replies "Yes" over the speaker. Harmony offers to explain everything to the Board tonight. Natalie indicates that the Board has ended the call.

Irving reads from one of the MDR compliance books (reading aloud from it: "Endow with each swing of your axe or swipe of your pen the sum of your affections, that through me they may be purified and returned. No higher purpose may be found than this. Nor any higher love."), then desecrates the book by smashing a deviled egg inside while staring at a painting of Kier and looking satisfied. Helly and Mark talk in the kitchen and she jokes, "I figured it out. The goats lay the eggs." Helly asks Mark if he's scared of getting caught and he responds affirmatively. Helly tries to soothe Mark by saying that Lumon is too dumb to notice them. Mark says he's scared of not waking up and hopes that he finds out that he has things he cares about. Helly says Mark has pretended to care about her pretty well. Mark says that Helly is easy to pretend to care about. She is pleased and thanks him, saying, "As are you."

### Act Four

Milchick arrives to tell MDR that the social is over, that he needs to tend to a management issue, that he's leaving the food, and that he'll be back to escort Dylan to the Perpetuity Wing shortly. Irving thanks Milchick. Milchick escorts Harmony to the stairwell, asks her for her key card, hands her a box of her items, and sends her on her way. Harmony leaves.

The members of MDR discuss their plan for Dylan to "wake" the others on the outside. Mark begins to read from the book *The You You Are* by Ricken Hale ("Our job is to taste free air. Your so-called boss may own the clock that taunts you from the wall but, my friends, the hour is yours.)" but Dylan finishes the passage from memory and says that Page 197 "slaps." Irving, Helly, and Mark go to the elevator to leave work. Irving is ready to learn "what's for dinner." Helly and Mark discuss what could happen on the outside, such as meeting their spouses and that it would be a hoot if they were married to each other. Mark jokes that they'd be mid-argument over car-wash coupons. Helly is about to go up the elevator when she stops the door and kisses Mark, explaining, "in case we don't come back … I don't know ... in case we do?" Helly wishes Mark "Good luck out there, boss," then goes up the elevator. Mark waits a few moments then enters the elevator.

Dylan is in the restroom going over the steps to "awaken" the other members of MDR on the outside. Milchick goes to get Dylan from MDR, but is initially puzzled when he can't find Dylan. Mark leaves the building. Milchick escorts Dylan to the Perpetuity Wing and tells Dylan to enjoy the Waffle Party. Dylan enters Kier's home and finds a plate of waffles on the table in Kier's bedroom. Dylan begins to eat the waffles. Harmony screams angrily about Natalie as she drives home.

Dylan finishes the waffles and then, as the plate instructs, goes to Kier's bed, which has a mask of Kier's face on it next to a cat o' nine tails. Dylan places the mask on his face and sits on the bed. People in various outfits with masks enter the room and begin sensually dancing in front of him.

Harmony arrives home and in a rage begins tearing down the various decorations she has around the house. She destroys her shrine to Kier and embraces some medical tubing and medical wrist band belonging to Charlotte Cobel (which appears to have a date of birth in 1944).

The dancers end their dance and notice that Dylan is no longer on the bed and that he's left the mask and cat o' nine tails.

### Act Five

Dylan takes his award and walks to the security room. Harmony is on the ground crying when Mark rings her doorbell. Mark asks if Harmony is coming to Devon's dinner. Harmony initially states that she's not feeling up to it, but then changes her mind, saying she can drive herself so she can leave early if she desires. Irving arrives home, pets his dog, and begins drinking a cup of coffee.

Mark arrives at his sister's party and is greeted by Ricken. Ricken tells Mark that the reading is beginning shortly and asks about Mark's copy "to follow along." Devon joins in and continues the conversation after Ricken moves on to other guests. Mark says that they should talk later and that he's pondering a life change when Harmony joins the conversation.

Dylan arrives at the security room. Irving sets aside a finished painting, then places a blank canvas on the easel. Harmony apologizes to Mark and states that she had a rough day at work. Mark consoles her, telling her that "work's just work, right?" She agrees.

Dylan wraps his tie around the door so no one can burst in. He places his award on the desk, which is a 3D laser-engraved acrylic block of the MDR team, apparently made from the picture of the four members taken together shortly after Helly joined. Dylan activates the computer, looking for the members of MDR. Dylan activates "manage mode" and then looks for the members of MDR on the display. He reads through the instructions again selecting Helly, Mark, and Irving on the computer.

Irving plays *Ace of Spades* by Motorhead again and starts painting. Dylan confirms the list of people to "awaken." The computer indicates he has 19 seconds to open a connection to them and he switches their respective panels to the "unlock" position. Harmony asks about Mark's potential life change, and he responds saying that he was going to talk to Devon and that he may quit his job at Lumon. Dylan navigates the computer to the "overtime" function. Harmony asks Mark if he's serious, and he says he is and that he's not sure he needs "this severance thing" anymore. Harmony tells Mark, "Do it. Get away from them, Mark." Dylan activates the overtime program, takes one last glance at the instructions, then struggles to activate both of the override switches before ultimately engaging them.

## Cast

### Starring

* Adam Scott as Mark Scout
* Zach Cherry as Dylan George
* Britt Lower as Helly Riggs
* Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick
* Jen Tullock as Devon Scout-Hale
* Dichen Lachman as Ms. Casey
* Michael Chernus as Ricken Hale
* John Turturro as Irving Bailiff
* Christopher Walken as Burt Goodman (credit only)
* Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel

### Guest Starring

* Sydney Cole Alexander as Alexa
* Michael Siberry as Jame Eagan

### Co-starring

* Annie McNamara as Danise
* Grace Rex as Rebeck
* Donald Webber Jr. as Patton
* Olivia Alboher as Woman in Old Woman Mask
* Samantha Easton Farrow as Woman in Bride Mask
* Sarah Gold as Woman in Jester Mask
* Tara Rodriguez as Choreographer
* Weston Krukow as Man in Sheep's Head Mask
* Marc Geller as Kier Eagan

## Trivia

* This is the eighth episode overall.
* The Celebration Wedding Chapel filmed in Kingston, New York, was known for same-sex wedding celebrations.

## Gallery

* Promotional
* Screenshots