What’s the deal with Mr. Milchick?Severanceseason 2 has increased the questions about Lumon tenfold but has made an increased effort to give audiences some answers. Through nine episodes, creator Dan Ericksonhas lightly colored in the backstoriesof Mark S. (Adam Scott), Helly R. (Britt Lower), Dylan G. (Zach Cherry), Irving B. (John Turturro), Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman), and Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette). Still,Tramell Tillman’s deputy manager remains as mysteriousas ever.
Mr. Milchick is as loyal as they come to Lumon. He began his tenure with the cryptic company as the supervisor of the severed floor, overseeing the work of Mark S. and company, before being promoted to deputy manager in season 2. While just about everyLumon employee has made efforts to revolt, Milchick has stayed unfazed, adhering to his employer’s mission without a second thought.
Milchick’s origins are still unexplored, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist already.ScreenRantinterviewed Tillman to discuss his personal vision for Milchick’s backstory, why he believes his character is so faithful to Lumon, andwhat cliffhanging ending fans can expectin theSeveranceseason 2 finale.
Tramell Tillman Knows Mr. Milchick’s Backstory
“I Have An Idea In My Own Book Of Who He Is”
Viewers remain in the dark on Mr. Milchick’s history, but the man behind the mask has his own headcanon already mapped out.
“I definitely have,“Tramell Tillman toldScreenRantwhen asked if he formulated his own backstory for Mr. Milchick.“That’s always the best part for me, to create an origin story for a character. I wouldn’t be able to embody Milchick in the way that I do if I didn’t give him a backstory, if I didn’t give him a life to make him full. I have an idea in my own book of who he is, where he started, I should say. Whether or not that completely aligns with [EP] Ben Stiller and [creator] Dan Erickson’s vision, time will tell.”
Whatever those secret origins are, they laid the groundwork for Milchick to bea model citizen at Lumon. When prompted with the idea of Milchick approaching Lumon himself rather than being recruited, Tillman admitted that it is"very possible"that that was the case.
There’s got to be something beneath the surface, right?
“We look at what Lumon is and how it’s set up and this almost cultish infrastructure, and many times in these cult groups they get people who are in vulnerable situations,“Tillman elaborated.“Those people attribute or attach themselves to these ideas because it gives them a sense of purpose, some direction, hope. There’s got to be something beneath the surface, right? If this man is 10 toes down for this corporation, he’s got to be getting something out of it.”
Part of what he gets out of Lumon is trust, in that he is trusted to guardsome of the company’s biggest secrets, many of which remain unearthed to audiences.
“One thing is for sure that he buys into this philosophy, and he has created himself to be a man of a mission,“Tillman continued.“And if you give him a mission, he is going to carry it out so very much that makes him very vulnerable at times, and extremely powerful, because he’s also a holder of secrets. Someone who holds that many secrets and is willing to do anything that he can to carry out a mission. It’s very dangerous.”
Severance Puts Mr. Milchick In “Fight Or Flight” Constantly
“There’s A Lot Of Pressure From The Gate”
Part of Milchick’s loyalty to Lumon could come from the fact that he rarely has the luxury to process the work he’s doing.
“Milchick has always been infight or flightsince day one,“Tillman explained.“Day after day after day, we see that every time Milchick tries a new tactic, whether it’s the break room or some kind of incentive, it blows up in his face.”
What contrasts Milchick from other higher-ups at Lumon,like Harmony Cobel, is he puts the brand above everything. Part of Cobel’s downfall at Lumon was her obsession with Mark S., an employee she took a particular interest in seeing his progress completely through. That said, even if Milchick doesn’t lead with empathy, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have it.
Severance: Why Milchick Makes Miss Huang Smash Her Ring Toss Game
Miss Huang is clearly disappointed when Milchick makes her smash her ring toss game with Jame Eagan’s head in Severance season 2, episode 9.
“I believe that he does have some level of care. I think there’s a humanity to him,“Tillman detailed.“There’s this discussion about whether or not he’s a villain, and I love that discussion because that means it’s ambiguous. And because it’s ambiguous, it means that there is some semblance of hope, some semblance of light potentiality that he may care on some level.”
In season 1, when he sits with Helly during the break room, Helly tries to reason with him and says, ‘You seem like a reasonable guy.’ And there’s this moment where he stops and he says, ‘Not right now.’ There’s always this practice there. There’s something in him. He’s not completely cold. I think that’s what also makes him in a weird way, likable.
Severanceleft its audience with a brutal cliffhanger at the end of its first season, one which took three years to resolve. While creator Dan EricksontoldScreenRantthat he doesn’t foresee another three-year waitfor a not-yet-renewed third season, Tillman teased that viewers may find themselves left on the edge once again.
“It wouldn’t be severance if we didn’t leave you hanging, right?“Tillman teased.“Just a little bit. That’s the brand, right? That’s who we are now.”
