What’s for Dinner? is the eighth episode of the first season of Severance.

Irving reads a book on a park bench in front of a church building, his dog resting at his feet. A bird calling overhead breaks his concentration. Irving and his dog trudge home in the snow, to a housing complex named Leonora Lake.

Inside his apartment, Irving pours himself a fresh cup of coffee and takes a sip. The galley kitchen is bright, tidy, and spartan. Irving moves to the living area on other side of the room which has been converted into a makeshift art studio—dark, cluttered, and crowded with painting supplies. Dozens of canvases are propped against one wall, all bearing the same shadowy, amorphous painted image. Irving settles a blank wood canvas on an easel, squeezes globs of black paint on a palette, and queues up “Ace of Spades” on his boom box. Music blaring, Irving blackens the canvas in a fury of thick paint.

It’s the final day of the quarter, and the MDR office is atingle—quota is due. The clock ticks as Helly stares intensely at her computer screen, hurrying to complete her file. Mark, Irving, and Dylan are congregated in the kitchenette having completed their files, anxiously waiting. Mark reassures the other two that Helly will make it.

In the Management office, Mr. Milchick monitors Helly from a hidden camera feed displayed on his computer while an impatient Ms. Cobel hovers over his shoulder. Will Helly make it?! Ms. Cobel requests Mr. Milchick to schedule an end-of-quarter Wellness check for Mark, which Mr. Milchick finds unusual.

At long last, Helly completes her file. The other three refiners gather around Helly’s computer to watch the animated video message congratulating her success. After breathing brief sighs of relief, the team steels themselves as a shared realization sets in. Irving turns to Mark and says, “So, it’s on now.” It is.

Mark sits in Ms. Cobel’s office, both giggling uncontrollably. They reflect fondly on the trying events of the past quarter and acknowledge MDR’s display of resilience in spite of those difficulties. Mark tells Ms. Cobel that he’s chosen to award the Waffle Party to Dylan, to which Ms. Cobel reluctantly agrees. She then instructs Mark to drop by Wellness, claiming, “I’m having all department heads do an end-of-quarter” due in particular to Mr. Graner’s sudden retirement. She ends their meeting by giving Mark a choked, breathless “Thank you. Lumon needed this.”

Mark sits in the Wellness waiting room until Ms. Casey invites him in. He enters the Wellness room and immediately notices the large tree is missing and the room itself is bare. Mark asks Ms. Casey why everything is in boxes, and she informs him she learned only moments ago that Lumon has a new Wellness director and she will be retiring at the end of this session. Ms. Casey turns on the sound machine and proceeds to read from the list of Mark’s Outie’s facts, including “Your outie is kind” and “Your outie has brightened people’s days by merely smiling.” Mark interrupts her, offering to speak to someone on her behalf. Ms. Casey confesses that she enjoyed her time in the MDR office, sharing, “My life has been 107 hours long. …For me, my favorite time was the 8 hours I spent in your department watching Helly. It’s the longest I’ve ever been awake.” Ms. Cobel, entranced, monitors Mark’s reaction from a hidden camera feed displayed on her computer. Ms. Casey’s eyes flutter, and she resumes reading from the outie fact list, adding, “Your outie can set up a tent in under three minutes” and “Your outie knows a beautiful rock from a plain one.”

Ms. Cobel stops the Wellness Center camera feed, crestfallen. Mr. Milchick, looking on, reassures her that it’s good Ms. Casey and Mark don’t remember each other and that it means the severance chips work properly. In her despondency Ms. Cobel instructs Mr. Milchick to take Ms. Casey back down to the testing floor.

Mr. Milchick escorts Ms. Casey along the corridor and ushers her through an unmarked door. Ms. Casey begins walking down the dark, narrow hallway. After several steps, she turns back to Mr. Milchick and asks if he knows whether she’s “happy up there.” Mr. Milchick, silhouetted in the door frame, responds, “Of course. You do all sorts of wonderful things,” Ms. Casey, a lone tear streaming down her face, continues on to the end of the hallway where she boards an elevator. As the doors slide shut, it dings and a downward arrow lights up, plunging the hallway into an ominously familiar image—the shadowy, amorphous image painted by Irving’s outie.

Mark returns to the MDR office to find his team in the kitchenette. He tells them Ms. Casey has been fired. Before they can discuss further, Mr. Milchick wheels in a food cart equipped with treats for the Pre-Waffle Party Egg Bar Social. He also presents Dylan with a gift box with his special perk for being the three-time Refiner of the Quarter. The pre-party social commences.

Ms. Cobel finds Natalie in her office, perched on the corner of her desk. Natalie confronts Ms. Cobel with two printed screenshots from security footage of Helly hanging herself in the elevator, demanding an explanation. Natalie also says The Board is aware of Ms. Cobel spending time at the home of Mark’s sister. Natalie then informs Ms. Cobel that she is fired, effective immediately. Stunned, Ms. Cobel curses Natalie and demands, “Is the Board even there?” The speaker on Ms. Cobel’s desk suddenly crackles to life and responds, “Yes.” Ms. Cobel composes herself and offers to explain everything to the Board this evening, but Natalie tells her that the Board has concluded the call.

Back at the pre-party social, music plays and the lights are festively colorful. Irving reads a passage from the Compliance Handbook as he stares at the portrait of Kier Eagan on the wall. He slams a deviled egg in the book. Mark and Helly share a tender moment in the kitchenette, indirectly admitting that they care for each other. Suddenly Mr. Milchick flips the overhead lights back to work mode and abruptly ends the pre-party social, excusing himself to see about a management issue.

Mr. Milchick escorts Ms. Cobel along the corridor to the severed threshold stairwell. Carrying a box of her office belongings, Ms. Cobel exits.

The refiners huddle together in the Supply Closet running through their plan one last time, and they bond as a team over an encouraging passage from page 197 of The You You Are.

Mark, Irving, and Helly go to the Elevator together. Irving takes the elevator first, then Helly. Just as the elevator doors begin to close on Helly, she runs back out and pulls Mark into a kiss. He kisses her back. After Helly leaves, Mark takes one last look around the foyer before boarding the elevator himself. Meanwhile, Dylan hides in the Restroom re-reading the Overtime Contingency Protocol instructions once to himself as he waits for Mr. Milchick.

As Mark exits the Lumon building, he notices workers decorating the front entrance for The Eagan Family Gala with a welcome sign and a blue carpet.

Mr. Milchick escorts Dylan along the corridor to the Perpetuity Wing and ushers him into the replica of Kier Eagan's home. Inside, Dylan enters Kier Eagan’s bedroom and takes his seat at a table set with a plate of waffles and a glass of milk. He drizzles syrup on the waffles, and the Waffle Party begins.

Ms. Cobel drives home in a blind rage, spewing medieval curses in the air and wailing.

After finishing his meal, Dylan follows the instructions printed on the plate that read “Go now to the founder’s bed.” Resting on the bed is a Kier Eagan mask and a special Cat o’ Nine Tails. Donning the mask and clutching his gift box, Dylan sits on the bed as four dancers dressed like The Four Tempers perform a sensual yet ominous interpretive dance for him.

Ms. Cobel arrives home, her anger spiraling into a physical tantrum. She pounds her fists on the walls of her home as she makes her way to the basement. She proceeds to rip the Core Principles posters from her walls and demolish her Shrine to Kier.

Back at the Waffle Party, the interpretive dancers strike their end pose and look to the founder’s bed which, to their surprise, is empty. Dylan is gone.

Ms. Cobel sobs in a heap of rubble in her basement when the doorbell rings. It’s Mark, double-checking if she—Mrs. Selvig—wants to come to the book reading at Devon and Ricken’s house, to which she agrees.

Irving returns home to his apartment carrying a bag of groceries and is greeted by his dog. He pours himself a fresh cup of coffee and takes a sip.

Mark arrives at Devon and Ricken’s house. Mark realizes he forgot his copy of Ricken’s book, so Ricken goes off to ask Rebeck if she will share her book with Mark. Mark tells Devon that he wants to talk to her later about a decent-sized life change he’s considering. Then Mrs. Selvig arrives.

Still clutching his gift box, Dylan enters the Security Office without any trouble.

Irving adds last night’s finished painting to his collection and immediately props another blank canvas on his easel.

Mrs. Selvig apologizes to Mark for being terse with him when she answered the door, blaming her bad mood on work.

Dylan secures the door handle of the Security Office with his belt and enters the control room. He opens his gift box and places next to him his requested prize—a laser-etched crystal block of the MDR group photo. Dylan gets to work, following the Overtime Contingency Protocol instructions.

Irving queues up “Ace of Spades” and starts in on his next painting.

Mrs. Selvig asks Mark about the life change she overheard him mention to Devon, and Mark reveals he is thinking about quitting his job. He tells her he’s not sure he needs severance anymore, and Mrs. Selvig pulls Mark into a tight hug, whispering to him, “Do it.”

Completing the computer system configuration, Dylan locates the override switches on either side of the door frame. He gets his grip situated on the first switch and stretches his arm toward the second switch.

Helly holds a champagne flute. Mark continues hugging Mrs. Selvig as she whispers “Get away from them, Mark.” Irving blackens his canvas.

Dylan flips the second switch.

• 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
  _with
• John Turturro as Irving Bailiff
• Christopher Walken as Burt Goodman (credit only)
  _and
• Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel

• Sydney Cole Alexander as Natalie
• Michael Siberry as Jame Eagan (voice)

• 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 Fool Mask
• Tara Rodriguez as Choreographer (credit only)
• Weston Krukow as Man in Ram’s Head Mask
• Marc Geller as Kier Eagan (credit only)

• Ben Stiller as Animated Kier Eagan (voice)
• Radar
• Eleanor

• The uncredited voice of the animated Kier Eagan in the congratulations video after Helly hits her quota is that of director Ben Stiller.

Don’t laugh. […] I just wonder if it might be helpful for us to stand behind her and perhaps chant her name.

— Irving, (06:03)

I knew you could do it, Helly R. Even in your darkest moments, I could see you arriving here. In refining your macrodata file, you have brought glory to this company and to me. Kier Eagan. I… I love you. But now I must away, for there are others who need me around the world. Goodbye, Helly.R, and thank you.

— Kier Eagan [on computer], (08:41)

Oh, Mark. I don’t know how you knew for the end of the quarter I wanted a heart attack.

— Cobel, (09:53)

I know I vexed you. I know I’m… strange.

— Ms. Casey, (13:22)

For me, my favorite time was the eight hours I spent in your department watching Helly. It’s the longest I’ve ever been awake. I suppose it’s what you could call my good old days.

— Ms. Casey, (13:39)

Because we’re people, not parts of people. Even with what little they gave us, these are our lives. No one gets to just turn you off.

— Mark, (14:31)

Do you know if I’m happy up there?

— Ms. Casey, (16:45)

But before we begin…A very special gift for a very special Dylan. Our three-time R of the Q! A man whose mind is as sharp as his incisors.

— Milchick, (18:49)

Yeah, the egg bar is coveted as fuck.

— Dylan, (20:16)

I figured it out. The goats lay the eggs.

— Helly, (24:18)

You’re easy to pretend to care about.

— Mark, (25:43)

Page 197 slaps.

— Dylan, (29:02)

Okay, kids. Let’s find out what’s for dinner.

— Irving, (29:20)

[kisses Mark] In case we don’t come back. Or, I don’t know, in case we do?

— Helly, (30:26)

Fuck her goddamn soul forever into hell! Filth and fucking fire until she fucking dies! Fuck her and her fucking fake smile! Oh, God. Fuck her goddamn soul!

— Cobel, (33:40)

You know, maybe I could drive my own car. And that way I could leave if I’m uncomfortable or afraid.

— Cobel, (38:10)

This severance thing, it…Not sure I need it anymore.

— Mark, (44:37)

• List of Severance Episodes
• What’s for Dinner? transcript