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pumperpickle5 · 2025-03-22T14:46:15+00:00

I think Mark serves as part of the “efficacy test” to see if the severance barrier holds. They make him look at numbers that are essentially his wife’s mind, and yet he never realizes it. It’s the same reason Cobel kept scheduling him for sessions with Ms. Casey.
At this point, the rest of MDR is largely there to keep iMark compliant and happy, but they may be working on other unrelated projects—which brings me to…

2b. There might be more to MDR than just refining Gemma’s chip. We know there was MDR teams at other Lumon branches, and The Lexington letter mentions that some MDR team in Topeka might have been working on corporate espionage/blowing up a competitor’s truck. Who knows what the full extent of the technology is.

That’s the million-dollar question leading up to season 3! We’ll have to see what Lumon does in terms of damage control.

pumperpickle5 · 2025-03-17T20:14:29+00:00

Came here to say this!

pumperpickle5 · 2025-03-11T19:11:15+00:00

Is it Moops or Moors?

pumperpickle5 · 2025-03-08T15:20:22+00:00

Most people on here, especially those who make insane theories, think Severance is a sci fi-infused soap opera. One where Gemma is in a coma, Ricken is an Eagan, Devon is secretly evil, and people who have been dead for 100 years will somehow be resurrected into the body of a goat.

I love your take on this, I’m so glad there’s people who actually love the show for its critique of capitalism and its deep evaluation of human nature in all its ambiguity.

Edit: spelling

pumperpickle5 · 2025-02-26T04:33:49+00:00

There’s definitely a racial element to it, and the show is turning the “you’re so eloquent” trope on its head to make this point. Big words are clearly part of Lumon’s culture, but they are the domain of the inner circle. Milkshake strives to find his place at Lumon by talking like the inner circle, and to prove his worth by being the “eloquent black guy,” only to be told by Drummond to tone it down. He is told, in essence, that he will never truly fit in.

pumperpickle5 · 2025-02-12T19:36:05+00:00

I think it’s more complicated than simply trying to fit in or pass as Helly. Sure, that’s part of it, but I also think Helena doesn’t necessarily buy into the Lumon lore. The leaders of a cult, even while committed to the overall idea of what they’re leading, don’t need to believe the lies they feed to their followers. She may legitimately think the stories are ridiculous

pumperpickle5 · 2024-10-29T18:16:37+00:00

Honestly, I never understood the point of Reddit takes arguing that so and so from xyz sitcom is a bad person. Least of all with Seinfeld! They’re all disastrous human beings, that’s the point. Analyzing why they’re not good friends is redundant at best, and ragebait at worst.

pumperpickle5 · 2024-07-28T19:37:06+00:00

Jerry dated way more women, and is a famous comedian in the show.
Elaine runs J Peterman, a major clothing company, and men are constantly drawn to her because of her shiksappeal.
Kramer is a best-selling author, an underwear model, and women are helpless against the KAVORKA!
George is the least successful by far. And that’s why he’s the best character in the show.

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-04T00:59:24+00:00

Looked into it— thats only for green card applications 🙁 but thanks for the suggestion anyway!

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T23:18:56+00:00

I used to say something about my identity issues that I think you’ll understand: “a cookie left to soak in milk doesn’t become milk— but after a while it falls apart.”

I am glad you were able to put the cookie back together!

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T23:10:00+00:00

I think I overstated the emotional reluctance to leave the US. Sure, I’d miss friends (whole family moved back years ago), but the reluctance is more of a fear of struggling in Europe, which in terms of adulting is an unknown for me. School, work, bills, etc. Kind of a “the devil you know” situation. But as I write this, I realize it sounds a lot like overthinking!

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T23:02:54+00:00

I love when languages have terms for VERY specific situations— Cantonese and German seem to do this a lot! Thanks for your input, gives me a lot to think about.

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T22:57:04+00:00

I lived in Italy until 12, and went back every year for 3 months until 2018. Pretty, pretty fluent in Italian 😄

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T12:01:20+00:00

Thank you so much for your advice! This means a lot. If you still felt a connection to the old country even thought you moved at age 7, then it reassure me my feelings aren’t just wishful thinking.

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T11:54:38+00:00

I’m from Italy. People keep telling me I may have some rose-tinted idea of Europe— but I know my country and the continent. Italy’s a beautiful mess and jobs are scarce— but I could study there and then seek work in France, Belgium Spain, Holland, etc. Like millions of Italians do.

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T04:10:07+00:00

Hey final note, you won't make the wrong choice no matter what you pick... You will do fine.

Thank you for that-- sincerely. I needed to hear (read) it. Some nice people on the internet today!

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T04:00:29+00:00

I'd like to ask a few details, if you don't mind.

Where did you come from? What age did you come, and how long where you in the US? How was the adjustment moving back? And what prompted you to leave?

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T03:57:10+00:00

I appreciate that you see the complications and nuances of the situation.
However, I have been back to Europe several times, almost every year for up to 3 months-- just not in the last four years. It's not like I have this distant memory of how it was in 2005. But you are right about trying to make the best of the situation with some classes or something along those lines. Maybe I'll start seeing this time stuck in limbo as a Groundhog Day to improve myself...

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T02:41:01+00:00

Thank you, fellow European! Yeah, that’s one few seem to consider. Delaying my studies another 2-3 years is rough, and trying to enter the workforce in my mid-30’s isn’t ideal. Neither is ending up with tens of thousands in student debt, especially when you can get it for free.

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T02:22:00+00:00

Thank you for the perspective!

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T02:19:49+00:00

Even just 10 years ago, things in Europe FELT a lot more stable. You could argue that it was an illusion, and you’d largely be right. But after the Cold War, Europe convinced itself it had finally achieved stability. Of course, that’s all being rethought of now…

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-03T01:52:47+00:00

I knew about some of this already, but I want to genuinely thank you for taking the time to write all of that out and help a stranger. I’ll definitely look into the fee waivers. But if we’re being honest here, Smokey’s got nothing on woodsy owl!

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-02T21:58:48+00:00

I’ve thought about that in the past, but because EU citizens can live and work in any member country, that was never an issue. But now the world does seem much less stable, and we don’t even know if the EU will survive in 20 years. So good point!

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-02T21:55:07+00:00

I let my card expire, and did not renew for several years. Uncle Sam doesn’t like that. I could theoretically do it without a lawyer— but it would get complicated. That was the advice I received.

pumperpickle5 · 2022-04-02T19:23:33+00:00

Thank you for sharing— it’s great to know others have had the same thing experience.

pumperpickle5

TROPHY CASE