Irving Bailiff

Irving Bailiff is the senior-most Macrodata Refiner at Lumon Industries. He has a no-nonsense demeanor and takes the Kier philosophy very seriously. Irving is known to abide by Lumon rules strictly and often cautions his colleagues when they are in violation of them. He comes from a very regimented background.

At work, he has a reputation for falling asleep at his desk. He has terrifying dreams about his cubicle being overtaken by thick black goo. Irving seems to be punished less harshly than other Innies, likely because he is such a diligent worker and commits infractions so infrequently.

Irving develops strong romantic feelings towards Burt, the head of Optics and Design. They begin to have intense but somewhat innocent meetings in various parts of the Severed Floor.

At home, he has an obsessive impulse to paint the hallway leading to the Testing Floor elevator, though his Outie can have no memory of that location. He paints with great gusto, slathering thick acrylic paint with a pallet knife while listening to hard rock. He may always listen to The Ace of Spades when he paints, as that song seeps into the black goo dreams his Innie experiences.

Irving’s father was in the US Navy. Irving has some of his medals displayed in his home. Irving himself also appears to have been in a branch of the military.

Irving’s Innie mentions that he has worked at Macrodata Refinement (and possibly Lumon) for three years,^[1] making him the longest-tenured employee in his department. There are theories that he has actually worked for Lumon for much longer, but his memory has been reset in some way on the Testing Floor.

According to the facts about his Outie shared in his wellness session in episode two, Irving likes the sound of radar. He is fond of movies and has a machine that can play them. He is also fond of records. Irving paints the same image of the long dark hallway leading to the Testing Floor over and over again. He is a powerful swimmer and popular dancer, and is skilled at kissing and lovemaking.

• While clocks are plentiful on the Severed Floor, there is a conspicuous absence of anything that shows a date. On the outside, however, Irving’s papers reference 2009 as a past date.^[2] Given that Mark’s date of birth is April 3, 1978 and he is seemingly in his forties, it may be correct to assume that the events of the show take place in the 2020s.

• In Season 1, Episode 8, Irving's outie is seen reading a book peacefully in a park. It is The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. From the Amazon.com description of the translation he is reading: Marcus knew the secret of how to live the good life amid trying and often catastrophic circumstances, of how to find happiness and peace when surrounded by misery and turmoil, and of how to choose the harder right over the easier wrong without apparent regard for self-interest.

Let’s burn this place to the ground.

Season 1, Episode 7, Defiant Jazz (42:29)

You smug motherfucker.

Season 1, Episode 7, Defiant Jazz (38:30)

Hey, Mark. I just printed out the passage of the handbook on changing out group photos. Just might be good to peruse when you’re between things.

Season 1, Episode 2, Half Loop (12:24)

It’s an unnatural state for a person to have no history. History makes us someone. Gives us a context. A shape. But waking up on that table, I was shapeless. But then I learned that I work for a company that has been actively caring for mankind since 1866.

Season 1, Episode 3, In Perpetuity (37:28)

1. Good News About Hell
2. Half Loop
3. In Perpetuity
4. The You You Are
5. The Grim Barbarity of Optics and Design
6. Hide and Seek
7. Defiant Jazz
8. What’s for Dinner?
9. The We We Are

• List of Characters