TV Severance

This Clever Severance Fan Theory Perfectly Explains Irving Outie's Odd Behavior

This Clever Severance Fan Theory Perfectly Explains Irving Outie's Odd Behavior
Image credit: Apple TV+

It wasn't for nothing that they told us the man served in the Navy.

The second season of Severance was released two weeks ago, and it seems that viewers still haven't gotten answers to the main questions. But this is only at first glance.

One of the most mysterious characters in the series remains Irving, whose outie is clearly conducting some kind of investigation into Lumon's activities.

However, the short screen time given to Irving in the first two episodes of the new season vaguely hints at how he learned information about other Lumon employees and why his outie draws dozens of dark paintings with a mysterious hallway.

One Line in Episode 2 Hinted That Irving Was Communicating With His Innie

In the second episode, we see Irving calling someone from a phone booth and saying that his innie got a message. Reddit user Umgar claims that the phrase should be taken literally:

“Irving and someone (probably Burt) have been communicating for a long time through the severed barrier using coded signals.”

Most likely, Burt's outie, who watched Irving from the car when he called from the phone booth, now knows more about Lumon. We were not shown what happened to Irving after the overtime contingency was turned off, and maybe he told Burt what he learned about the company.

This Clever Severance Fan Theory Perfectly Explains Irving Outie's Odd Behavior - image 1

Irving Transmits Messages Using His Watch

But how does Irving communicate with his innie? In Season 2, we saw him put on his analog watch before getting into the elevator, and the theory is that this watch is a means of communication.

We know that Irving served in the Navy before working at Lumon, and he could have learned various codes and encryptions there, such as the flag semaphore system. According to it, a certain position of the hands represents letters – the hands on Irving's watch can be used in this way.

Considering that one position of the hands on the watch is one letter, a message from outie to innie could take weeks or even months. However, the man has been working for Lumon for a long time, so such a method of transmitting information is quite possible.

Perhaps It Was Irving's Innie Who Remembered the Hallway – Not the Other Way Around

We can assume that it is not Irving's outie who remembers the creepy black corridor with the elevator. It is Irving's innie, using the watch, explained to his outie what it looks like in order to find out where this elevator leads.

And the fact that the black goo from the paintings "seeps" into the innie's consciousness can be explained by the fact that the two parts of Irving's mind are in constant communication, blurring the barrier between the innie and the outie.