Severance is a psychological thriller that also happens to be a corporate drama that centres on the employees of Lumon Industries. The creepy workplace of the corporation serves as the background for a stunning conspiracy that is slowly developing in front of our own eyes. As the Lumon employees struggle to understand the true nature of their jobs and the severance process, viewers gain a better understanding of the company and its ethics.
In the eighth episode of the first season, Dylan, a fan-favorite character, is rewarded for his outstanding performance during the quarter with a waffle party. However, as viewers are well aware, the waffle party is much more than just a fun lunch to enjoy with friends. For anyone looking for an explanation of the show’s perplexing Waffle Party sequence, we have provided all of the information you need! WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
What Is the Importance of the Waffle Party? Who Are the Individuals Wearing Masks?
After successfully completing their quarterly quota in the eighth episode of “Severance,” the MDR team is left wondering, “What’s for dinner?” Dylan is named Refiner of the Quarter and is treated to a waffle party, as is customary in this case. Dylan mentions the waffle party for the first time in the second episode of the series, and he appears to be rather enthused about it. According to him, it’s one of the most valuable incentives an employee can earn at Lumon for their efforts. After all, the waffle party appears to be a parody of the business world, where employees are frequently rewarded with insignificant tokens of appreciation in exchange for their efforts.
Viewers will, however, get a glimpse of the waffle party in the eighth episode, which turns out to be something quite different than planned. Despite the fact that Dylan does receive a serving of waffles, the meal is followed by a very erotic encounter. This scene features Dylan donning a mask of Lumon’s founder, Kier Egan, and the audience witnessing an intimate performance by four people dressed in masks. Three of them look to be female, while the fourth appears to be male. Kier’s works, as indicated in the third episode, are the inspiration for the masks worn by the four actors. The four tempers represented by the masks are: Woe, Frolic, Dread, and Malice. Dylan appears to be at liberty to have a sexual encounter with these individuals, based on the situation. However, he fails to show up for this portion, resulting in the activation of the Overtime Contingency.
Dan Erickson, the show’s creator, opened out about the Waffle Party culture in a recent interview with Variety. In his explanation, he stated that the image depicts the commercialization of sex and intimacy in a setting where such aspects of human existence are not supposed to be conveyed. According to Lumon, the sexual aspect of the picture symbolizes the taming of the four temperaments, and as such, it is justified by the fact that it has relevance to the company’s founder and his philosophy. As a result, I just thought it was a really unusual, incredibly unpleasant subject that we should investigate further.” What would sex look like on a floor that has been severed? In the end, this is about the best we could come up with,” Erickson continued.
Ben Stiller, the episode’s director, also shared his thoughts on the Waffle Party scene, stating that it represents the highest kind of compensation accessible to Lumon employees at the time. Sexual satisfaction is frequently seen as the highest type of reward available to human beings. The Waffle Party is a disguised (literally and metaphorically) sexual event, which makes sense given that the Lumon employees are simply a fraction of their genuine selves and do not exist outside of the cut floor. Even more significantly, Stiller stated that this particular sequence contributes to the cult-like feature of Kier’s worldview, making the sexual experience a quasi religious one.
Ultimately, the Waffle party scenario contributes to the enigma surrounding Lumon’s ethics and serves as a depiction of the philosophy of the company’s founder. Moreover, it provides more complexity to the life of the Innies, who are confined to the severed ground level of the building. It provides a whole new meaning to the humanity of these folks and the events that they have gone through.