Severance is one of Apple TV’s best shows because of its many mysteries that baffle fans and the online discourse it causes. For example, the most recent episode brought to light a discrepancy in Burt's (Christopher Walken) timeline at Lumon, leading fans to doubt this fan-favorite character. Then, in a recent interview with CinemaBlend, Walken seemingly tried to calm worries surrounding the issues with his character's timeline, but his explanation only encouraged fans' suspicions.
Warning bells sounded for fans this episode when Burt's husband Fields (John Noble) recalled the origins of Burt's nickname “Attila”. Fields adamantly claimed it started 20 years prior because he remembers it happening over drinks with Burt’s old Lumon partner. The problem arises when Irving points out the first severed office opened only 12 years ago.
This interaction did not go unnoticed by audiences. In fact, CinemaBlend's Riley Utely took the chance to ask Christopher Walken about the timeline slip-up and what it might mean for the rest of the season. Unlike his Severance counterpart, the Catch Me If You Can actor had an answer prepared to ease fans’ worries:
I can tell you that if somebody asks me, ‘When did such and such happen?’ And I say, ‘Well, that’s about five years ago.’ The chances are it’s more than ten years or fifteen years. I do that all the time. It’s always longer than I thought it was. And maybe that’s just the nature of life.
It seems like Walken was trying to use common lapse in memory to explain Burt and Field’s confusion over his time at Lumon. However, rarely do things happen without meaning in Severance, and fans in the TikTok and Instagram comments of this interview were not so easily convinced by the Pulp Fiction actor’s offered explanation:
- Innie Burt said 7 years in the first season so I’m skeptical either way -@Chris_y on Tiktok
- Ok Burt… nice try -@kim.beckett on Tiktok
- Ah and night gardeners are a thing too huh? -@user308060475160 on Tiktok
- I believe Christopher, but Burt is shady as hell -@schneiderwho on Instagram
- Christopher covering for his innie. We’re onto you Burt -@taylorrosario_ on Instagram
- Same! Time goes so fast but I do believe there is some significance here -@shelleyc69 on Instagram
Their suspicion is not without reason. At this point in the series, it’s clear that not everyone is who they seem, and little slips have later revealed a person’s true character.
I’m, of course, talking about Helena in the ORTBO episode. As it happens, it was Innie Irv who caught onto the imposter in the group, first tipped off by her night gardener comment back in Season 2, Episode 1 and later because of her cruel words toward him at the campfire.
While Walken's character now holds uncertainty, Outie Irving is still one of the biggest question marks in Severance. Who is always calling on the payphone? How does he know about the testing floor? Why and how does he have a secret locked trunk full of documents about severed employees?
What we do know is that both Burt and Irv have worked at Lumon for nearly a decade, give or take. There are even a number of fan theories speculating that Walken and Turturro’s characters have been involved with each other before, but that their chips have been reset.
This is a theory I fully buy into. I mean, if they both worked at Lumon for so long, wouldn’t it make sense they had met before, perhaps even pre-severance, and have such a long history that dates get mixed up? Unfortunately, the King of New York actor is being as vague as his character, making sure not to let anything slip. Maybe we’d have better luck talking with Noble…
@cinemablend ♬ original sound - cinemablend
My extended theory here is that Irving is Burt’s past Lumon partner that Fields mentions at dinner, right before he accidentally reveals that Burt may not be exactly who we think. Perhaps they were both involved in the early developmental stages of severance at Lumon, and Irving felt one way about the direction of the company while Burt felt another.
While I would love to take the Sleepy Hollow actor’s words at face value, this episode has given us reason to doubt Burt’s true character, and I think a little suspicion moving forward is warranted. Hopefully, we find out more about Burt and Irving’s pasts when the new episode drops this Friday on the 2025 TV Schedule and we stream it with an Apple TV+ subscription.
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