Spoilers

Awkward conversations…

Several big movements this week but the biggest, emotionally and potentially for fuelling the theories around what is going on was the dinner between Bert, Fields and Irving. A challenging time which Irving attended for reasons that remain unclear but are almost certainly confused and layered.

And, in the most upsetting moment of it all, Bert turns out to be something else, potentially a monster (certainly those were the words out of his own mouth) and, definitely, someone extremely senior at Lumon.

The relationship between Bert and his partner, Fields, is exquisite in its delicacy, in the frisson of people who’ve grown comfortable in each other’s skins who have had to deal with their flaws, failures and simply growing old together.

Yet the dinner inadvertently reveals something unexpected about Bert which casts everything about him in a new light. I won’t spoil that nor what’s happening while Irving is at dinner with Bert and Fields but it’s clear Bert is not the hero and when he speaks of having done evil he really isn’t joking.

Two other things worth talking about.

Milchick. Milchick is reeling from his performance review and, as is so often the case, rather than resist he looks at how he can distort himself to become what is being demanded of him. Pressure and stress disrupt us, twisting us out of shape and demanding that we then continue that process willingly, internalising the criticisms as part of our identity.

And Milchick does that thing that so many of us do when under pressure – he finds someone to do the same to. Abuse too often breeds abuse and Milchick, alone, isolated and without any kind of support network falls right into that trap.

What’s worse, from a racial politics point of view, and there’s been a lot of racist activity by Lumon as far as Milchick is concerned, his entire performance review revolves around the kind of racist micro-aggressions many of us experience in real life. Not least being told to be less ‘intellectual’ when, at the same time, we’re told we’re not smart enough. Or being picked up on ridiculous process points when no one else is. The list goes on.

The complaints can come from anywhere, it’s how the institution filters and applies those comments to the individual that renders them hateful. Milchick has a choice – walk away or absorb them. Walking away is a choice but it isn’t at the same time, because to walk away would be to admit the inescapability of Lumon’s power even if it was also an act of resistance. A cutting off of one’s nose to spite one’s face you could say.

Which leaves him with fitting himself into the shape required by those around him. Except their demands continue to change. I hate what Milchick does to our severed team but I also feel so, so sorry for him too.

The last thing I want to talk about is Mark. There’s a lot going on for Mark in this episode. Events pile pressure on him to make some decisions. Mark is not good at making decisions, but the world conspires to leave him looking down the barrel of a gun and faced with such threats he finally decides to take the big risks. Don’t get me wrong, Outie Mark is driven but he’s been hedging his bets (even while innie Mark has been wrestling with despair), thinking he’s got time and that Lumon won’t, itself, take action.

Except Lumon is busy managing its enemies into the ground and those enemies include Mark no matter how important his Innie is to them.

Verdict: This episode felt like being stuck in the thigh with a knife – I’m waiting for the shock to wear off so I can see how bad the wound is.

9/10 Chinese meals

Stewart Hotston