Pre-Finale Airing of Grievances

I want to love this season. I really do. I had the season 2 premiere in my phone the moment it was announced. But... every episode, I keep feeling blue balled and angry, and so I need to just put all out there what's on my mind, knowing that there's an episode left, and at this point, I probably have unrealistically high hopes.

Probably the overarching issue that's made smaller plot/writing issues more aggravating all centers around wtf is going on with reintegration. I get that it takes time and it's complicated and whatever, but it's been most of the season, and they haven't explained it in any way that would help us feel invested. With how aggressively they swept the overtime contingency under the rug, reintegration should be the major driving force this season, but instead, it's felt like a slow, frustrating loop to nowhere. Just when it feels like Mark is having his seizure and a whole flashback episode is going to mean it's done, they do a 180 to have Mark at the birthing retreat so we can ask his innie about Gemma. Wtf new information is he going to give? "Oh ya, she was the wellness person..." Ok great - thanks! Cobel knows literally everything that Mark is going to say, and whatever he says is going to mean nothing to Devon, so what's the point of the E9 cliffhanger? All of this could have been dealt with when they spent 12 hours staring at each other in silence in the forest.

On that note, the two "cliffhangers" from E8, with the audience learning Cobel invented severance and Devon telling her that Mark is reintegrating, were COMPLETELY ignored in E9. Cobel doesn't believe reintegration can happen and says "tell me everything" but then Devon says nothing? Mark says nothing? Reintegration isn't happening? Let's get innie Mark again?? Reintegration at this point just feels like a trick to try to keep our attention, where Devon could have called Cobel 9 episodes ago if it would have sped this up. Like... you ignored reintegration, you ignored that the audience now knows that Cobel is the inventor of severance, and instead gave us the softest easiest plot of them just going to the birthing retreat.

What makes this even more frustrating is that no one in this season is asking questions. Every time there’s an opportunity for someone to push forward, the dialogue just… stops.

Beyond all of that, the Helly vs. Helena plotline has stalled majorly. For sure, there's some messed up Eagan family drama. Jame is a freak, Helena is questioning things as she falls in love, but... Lumon/Helena knows how dangerous Helly can be, and after the ORTBO, the one person who was on to Helena being down there is gone. Like, in theory, couldn't they keep sending Helena down there but do a better job being a spy? (I say this thinking that there's gotta be something more to Jame being on a severed floor at the end of E9 though, so I'm probably speaking too soon).

On to the "good" though, I really hope that train wasn't taking Irving out of the show for good. At this point, he's the only character that I'm sort of interested in. I’m kind of banking on/guessing this train ride is going to open up a new plot line that he’s involved in something far bigger. His overtime contingency of just taking the whole time to drive to see Bert was the least satisfying of the overtimes, so it would feel redeeming if his innie is the one obsessed with a guy, but his outie is actually the smartest of them all (as sort of indicated with all of his notes and maps). And that might redeem this season a decent amount if it's a big enough thing (like he's head of some big organization gearing to take on Lumon, was never severed, idk), but I don't trust we're going to get that next episode if they end up focusing on Mark.

Milchick's story has possibly been the most rewarding so far - I feel excited about his potential to become an important “asset” in whatever Mark does next, maybe. And the pieces around his performance review and the paintings actually felt like they fit together to lead to this point.

Miss Huang is... I don't even know. I feel like might be inconsequential at this point, which sucks but doesn’t? Like it was a weird distraction trying to figure out who she was, but other theories I’ve read that she’s part of something bigger, just feel too optimistic and at this point, they need to kill some plot lines.

Also, missing from this season, answers on why the board doesn't speak on those calls and who Natalie is - her role at the end of season 1 at that presentation with Helly/Helena made me want to think she was bigger than was being let on, but in this season, she was just used to move Milchick's plot forward. AND Ricken - probably something is going to happen here still, but it was one scene probably 4 episodes ago that gave an indication that maybe he's up to something and then nothing since.

I feel like episode 10, MIGHT be good, but the natural conclusion likely won't be a conclusion at all (and obviously can't be a full conclusion so there can be another season), but if it's just outie Mark seeing Gemma for the first time and fade to black... great. Ideal. Fun use of 10 episodes. See you in 2027. 76 minutes isn't enough to solve Dylan (likely not being let out), Irving (likely not on a fun train ride to nowhere), Ms. Huang (likely not just a kid going to Norway), Milchick (likely checked out of helping Lumon), Mark (likely going to see Gemma and still not reintegrated), Cobel (likely not totally a good guy), Jame (likely eating raw eggs and getting employees pregnant), Ricken (like he's the board at this point idk), Devon (likely yelling), goats (likely still just being goats), Burt (likely in love with Irving), and Helly (likely still memorizing the map - just take it with you ffs).

I get this is a super pessimistic post, and I am still watching and excited but compared to season 1, this just feels like a mess.