Last we saw Harmony Cobel on Severance, she was speeding away from Lumon to avoid an impromptu meeting with the board. On this week’s episode, we catch up with the former manager of the severed floor.
“Sweet Vitriol” does a good job characterizing the damage that Lumon can do. In Cobel’s hometown, we witness a rundown seaside village with an ailing community, many of whom resort to substance abuse to get by. Even before the severance program, the company engaged in shady employment practices. It’s one thing to infer how evil Lumon can be, but we actually see the negative results of their actions on a large scale. Too bad there doesn’t seem to be any repercussions since it still wields significant influence while the town has been forgotten.
The series delivered back to back character profiles beginning with Gemma last week and Cobel this week. Patricia Arquette convincingly portrays a tortured soul coming to terms with her former employer. She was indoctrinated in its cult like culture since she was a child making so many sacrifices. Yet she is so easily dismissed and replaced albeit for a monumental mistake. But you can still see she hasn’t completely broken free and still resorts to her brainwashed side when dealing with an old chum.
Photo: Apple TV+
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An intriguing reveal about Cobel is her ties to the severance program. It explains her interest in Mark S. And Ms. Casey previously. More importantly, with outtie Mark encountering issues with reintegration, Cobel’s knowledge could play a vital role moving forward. However, there will always be this tension since she can’t be completely trusted. Her actions here are partially motivated by self-interest. But it is also motivated by spite, which is as good a reason to tear the whole thing down.
As much as “Sweet Vitriol” is a good dive into Cobel’s backstory, and that it pairs with “Chikhai Bardo,” it’s narrative didn’t quite warrant an entire episode. Parts seemed long and drawn out to fill up the approximately 37 minute runtime. It would have been better served as a B plot since there aren’t too many strong connections to the overarching story other than final reveal. Independently, it’s a fine melancholy homecoming tale, but it takes constant ignored calls from Mark’s sister to remind you this is Severance.
Despite delivering an insightful character profile on Harmony Cobel, this week’s episode is a little light and the story would be better utilized as a B plot.