'Severance' Episode 5 Review: A cold, heartless Cobel begins mysterious experiment

As interactions between the employees of two departments increase, we learn that its all part of a bigger plan

PUBLISHED MAR 11, 2022

Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel, Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick in 'Severance' (Apple TV+)

Spoilers for 'Severance' Episode 5 'The Grim Barbarity of Optics and Design'

Apple TV+ returns with the gripping thriller 'Severance' and each episode is more interesting than the next as the series slowly explores the enigmatic Lumon Industries and its employees.

Previously in 'Severance', we saw Ms Cobel under the guise of Mrs Selvig drill and hole in Petey's corpse to retrieve his brain implant in order to confirm her suspicion. We also saw Helly pushed to her limits which resulted in her hanging herself from the elevator ceiling with an extension cord, ending the episode on an unsettling note. So read on to know what happens next and our thoughts on it.

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The episode opens on an intense note as we see Helly (Britt Lower) thrash about as she slowly loses consciousness from hanging herself. But what we thought would have been a sad start turns hopefully as Mark (Adam Scott) while heading home finds her and along with Mr Graner (Michael Cumpsty)saves her in the nick of time. She's alive but there are consequences in store as Mark is also held responsible as it happened under his watch. The unfeeling side of Lumon raises its head even taller as Ms Cobel (Patricia Arquette) says that Helly's outie still won't resign and that the woman who tried to kill herself will be back in a few days' time.

Britt Lower as Helly in 'Severance' (Apple TV+)

Adam Scott gave some great emotional performances in this episode. His transition from being clueless to utterly shocked and breathless as the memories kick in was fantastic to watch. He too smells something fishy and is slowly taking initiative to investigate the unsettling policies of the company. The episode also brought in new enigmas as we see the Macrodata Refinement (MDR) employees find a painting depicting barbaric scenes of the Optics and Design (O&D) division gutting them and murdering them, while they find the opposite in the office of O&D division. What's even more curious is the increased interaction between departments but what do you know? It's all Cobel's doing. Patricia Arquette chills us in each episode with her creepy smiles and devilish plans. Her character is one of the most attention-holding and she is brilliant each time.

Adam Scott as Mark Scout in 'Severance' (Apple TV+)

Adding more mystery we also see Mark and Kelly find a new department while Burt (Christopher Walken) introduces Irving (John Turturro) and Dylan (Zach Cherry) to the entire O&D team. This meeting sets the stage for a potential reenactment of the painting as everyone assumes a defensive stance. Cobel is monitoring everything and this is all part of a sick experiment that we cannot wait for to be revealed. 'Severance' continues to get better and bewitching each week, with the series becoming a must-watch.

'Severance' returns with a new episode each Friday on Apple TV+.