Up until this point,Severancehas beena relatively isolated show.
A world that is undeniably bleak.
Things start with Cobel entering Salts Neck, a place we saw her driving towards a few episodes back.
© Apple TV+
(She drives past the Thanks for visiting sign but its on the other side of the road.
So it looks like shes leaving but really shes coming back.)
The best way to describe Salts Neck inSeveranceterms is, well, its a cold harbor.
© Apple TV+
Also, this place is decrepit.
Old cars, old buildings, old people.
Almost everything onSeveranceis a little dated and retro but this place takes things to a whole new extreme.
© Apple TV+
Its Devon Scout, Marks sister, doing the exact thing Regabhi told her not to do last week.
How much time has passed since that conversationin other words, when is Devon calling?
We dont know, but Harmony doesnt answer.
© Apple TV+
He flirts with the woman and passes the man a bottle of what well soon realize is ether.
He and the others are not happy to see Harmony when she comes in the door.
They all recognize her and its clear she was not expected to appear, nor is she welcome.
© Apple TV+
As Harmony drives across town, youll notice the word Lumon on at least one building.
And, eventually, when she gets to the factory, it also says Lumon Industries on it.
This whole town has Lumon roots but its now desolate and run down.
At the factory, Harmony tells Hampton she needs him to drive her to Sissys.
Sissy (Jane Alexander), well later learn, is a relative of Harmonys (an aunt?
Could be either.)
and Hampton hates her.
He says she still lives by the Nine and is considered a pariah by everyone in town.
Harmony is only worried that someone could be watching Sissys house and would recognize her car.
She needs to get up there unnoticed and find something.
Even though Hampton is still very put off by Harmony, he goes.
Well, he loves that shes in trouble with Lumon.
We hear that the two grew up together and were once friends working for the company.
She calls it colleagues.
He calls it child labor.
Over the course of the episode, well get bits and pieces of this towns history.
Along the way, Devon Scout calls again and Harmony ignores it again.
Shes focused on Sissy, who is extremely agitated when Harmony arrives at the house.
Harmony storms around the house looking for something and lots of info is delivered kind of rapid fire.
What does that mean?
The answer is found on a plaque on the wall of the house.
It sure sounds like she was one of the leaders at the ether mill that employed young kids.
There were more revelations too.
Later in the episode, Sissy claims Mom did that to herself, so we arent sure.
We just know that Harmonys mom was not smitten with Lumon or its ideals.
Harmony starts to rip through Sissys room looking for the key and its like an Easter egg factory forSeverancefans.
Theres a shrine with various tenants on it (are these the Nine?
She hooks up her moms oxygen machine, uses it a bit, cries, and falls asleep.
The two sniff some ether which prompts two chilling responses.
I havent done that since I was eight, Harmony says.
Hampton replies, You ready to man the vat for 10 hours?
They laugh but the subtext of what Lumon did to them is terrifying.
The tension is eased when the two kiss, solidifying their reforged alliance.
Knowing Sissy wouldnt have thrown out her belongings, Harmony heads outside to some kind of underground storage area.
There she begins to find her things scattered about.
Also a bust of Kier, her reward for the latter.
Harmony pries launch the bust to, finally, find what she was looking for: an old notebook.
As she leaves, Harmonys phone rings again.
This time, she picks up Devons call.
Devon tells her about Marks reintegration and Harmony asks to speak to Mark.
Entirely shot in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, Sweet Vitriol is a fascinating episode ofSeverance.
But can she be trusted?
We cant wait to find out.
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