Severance Fan Theory Finds a Hidden Message in [SPOILER’S] Final Words

The following contains spoilers for Severance Season 2, Episode 4: “Woe’s Hollow”.

Season 2 of Severance continues to take no prisoners, with the latest episode, “Woe’s Hollow,” resulting in the tragic termination of John Turturro’s Irving B. A fan theory posits that the Macrodata Refiner commits one last act of subtle rebellion by nesting a hidden message in his final words to the team.

In “Woe’s Hollow,” Irving B. risks everything to revive his coworker and friend Helly R., who has not returned to Lumon’s severed floor since the Overtime Contingency was initiated in Season 1’s finale. While, much like Irv, many Severance fans suspected Helena was posing as Helly from the jump, this reveal and Irving’s subsequent fate left a bevy of new theories in its wake. Vic, also known as BenWyattsInnie on X, offers one possible explanation for Irving B.’s cryptically encouraging last words: “Hang in there.”

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Beyond a ubiquitous expression, “Hang in There!” has a specific home on Lumon’s walls as one of the many timeless and somewhat eerie posters that serve to “brighten up” the workplace. Vic suspects that Irving B. may have hidden something behind that poster, with his final words serving as a call to action. Irv specifically directs this parting wisdom to his trusted confidant, Dyan G., who he’s previously confided in about his disappointing discovery regarding Burt during the Overtime Contingency and his outie’s numerous paintings of the Exports Hall.

Irving’s vulnerability with Dylan in Season 2’s premiere foreshadowed his capacity to act drastically, expressing a desire to leave shortly after returning to Lumon. While the Macrodata Refiner made true on that promise in a violent and climatic fashion in “Woe’s Hollow,” Irving still harbors a vested interest in his team’s overall goal to expose Lumon. It would make sense that, much like Season 1’s Petey, Irving would want to arm his colleagues with the information he collected about the Exports Hall during the Overtime Contingency.

Severance‘s puzzle box mystery keeps digital water coolers buzzing week to week, ushering a fresh wave of conspiracies with each episode. “Woe’s Hollow” gifted fans the satisfaction of proving their Helly R. theories correct, though it raised entirely new questions about the Eagan family, the MDR team’s “twins,” and where exactly Ms. Huang learned to play the theremin. This suspicion about Irving’s last words could certainly come to fruition when the Macrodata Refiners return to the severed floor and their investigation of Lumon, but only time will tell.