Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Severance season 2, episode 9!John Turturro, who plays Irving in Severance, addresses his character’s fate and mysterious origin story. Season 2 shows that Irving’s Outie has been keeping track of other severed employees and painting a mysterious black hallway. In episode 9, Burt (Christopher Walken) takes Irving for a ride and reveals that Burt has been doing Lumon’s dirty work for years. At the end of the episode, Burt spares Irving from a much worse fate, as he and his dog Rader board a train, seemingly leaving for good.
In an interview with TheWrap, Turturro discusses Irving’s fate and the origin story of why he joined Lumon as a severed employee in the first place. Without spilling too much, the actor teases that even though Irving has boarded a train, the paintings he left behind could potentially lead to “big, big surprises” in season 3. Turturro also shares that he does know Irving’s backstory from a conversation with show creator, Dan Erickson, but the only hint he can drop is that perhaps Irving is “looking for something.” Check out what he said below:
When you’re doing scenes at the end of the season, it’s always tricky to find that sweet spot. Because you think it could be the end, but maybe it’s not the end. If there’s stuff that’s good and active and interesting to do, then I could see that, yeah. If people wanted there to be [a third season], there could be, and there could be big, big surprises too. You know, Irving’s left all those paintings behind. There’s a reason why they went into his apartment, why they’re looking around.
I know, kind of, because Dan gave me a whole backstory, which I used when I did all my research. Some people do it for personal reasons and some people do it because they’re looking for something.
The Character’s Mystery Continues
Even though Turturro can’t disclose where Irving is headed past Severance season 2 episode 9, it seems that there are still a lot of mysteries to unpack with Irving’s storyline. While Apple TV+ has yet to renew the hit sci-fi show for another season, the writers’ room has already been working on season 3’s scripts. Turturro’s comments also offer a small update on the process, seemingly revealing that the creative minds behind the show already have some “surprises” in mind if the show comes back for another season.
Related
Where Is Irving Going After Severance Season 2 Episode 9 & Why Does Burt Make That Decision With Him?
Severance season 2, episode 9 ends with Irving leaving for an unknown location, leading many to wonder where and why Burt helped him escape.
So far, the series has touched on the backstories of the majority of the main characters. Mark and Dylan became severed employees for personal reasons, while Elena Eagen did it for her family’s company. Both Irving’s Innie and Outie seem to be working on a project that target Lumon and its employees. Turturro’s comment about Irving potentially investigating something sheds some light on the character’s strange behavior and the fact that the character’s arc is far from finished.
Our Take On Irving’s Fate In Severance
His Backstory Has Yet To Be Addressed
Image via Apple TV+
Based on Turturro’s comment, it doesn’t look like Irving is being written off the show, though the character’s arc in season 2 has likely come to an end. Whether he will be back has a lot to do with whether Severance will be renewed for season 3. The new season has received high ratings among critics. Recently, the show also hit a new viewership high by crossing the 3 billion streaming minutes line.
It’s very likely for Irving to continue his journey past season 2, and as for his backstory, many fans have theorized that Irving might be a detective of some sort in Severance. He is the only one to recognize Helly’s Outie pretending to be her Innie, and he somehow manages a way to carry the memory of the dark hallway outside Lumon while being severed. By leaving instructions for other Innies to find the dark hallway, Irving seems to have an agenda, but the answers to that will be in future seasons.
The Severance season 2 finale airs Friday, March 21 on Apple TV+.
Source: TheWrap
Severance
8/10
- Release Date
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February 18, 2022
- Showrunner
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Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman
- Writers
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Dan Erickson