[Spoiler] Is Showing Voldemort Traits, Who Is Severance’s Snape?

In Harry Potter, Severus Snape [spoiler alert] is posed from the beginning as an antagonist. His name even sounds like a snake, and he’s built up to be a menacing force of evil. His unyielding black attire, his low, eerie tone, his marauding lurks around corners – all of these aspects paint him as a sure-fire villain. Yet, it turns out, he is the opposite, in the protagonist’s corner the entire time.

In Severance, Seth Milchick, played by Tramell Tillman, is posed as an antagonist from the beginning. The name Seth not only mirrors the Sith, but it sounds like the sound a snake makes. He speaks in foreboding rhythms and seems omni-present on the Severance floor, assuring severed employees they are being watched. His clothing, less dour than Snape’s to say the least, projects an air of authority, while he opts for black leather outside the office in classic bad boy fashion. Like Harry Potter before it, Milchick may actually be Severance‘s Snape.

Related

This Severance Easter Egg Is Based On A True Story

A pivotal scene in Severance Season 2 draws from creator Dan Erickson’s real life.

Severance’s Snape

Severance has already pulled a fast one on audiences, leading viewers to see a character one way, only to discover they’re actually an entirely different person (looking at you, Helena.) Patricia Arquette’s Ms. Cobel is likely as insidious as she seems. Though she appeared genuinely pleased to find out Mark S. was leaving Lumon, she also surveils and torments him, at one point nearly hitting him with her car. Mr. Milchick is menacing in his own right, but has shown a few glimpses of humanity lately, possibly alluding to a heroic redemption.

Tramell Tillman’s portrayal of Milchick has been haunting. It’s just impossible to know what that guy is even about, let alone what he’s up to. There is nothing behind his smile, almost as if he’s the personification of automated customer service. As an unsevered Lumon employee, his infamous groovy moves during the music dance experience were mockingly loose. Milchick isn’t inhuman, though. His interaction with fellow Black employee, Natalie, after receiving race-swapped paintings of Lumon’s founder revealed some hidden insecurities. He appeals to Natalie with a sympathetic gaze there, but his appeal is shot down.

In season 2, episode 5, titled ‘Trojan’s Horse,’ Mr. Milchick faces his first performance review. In it, his superiors slap him with multiple failing grades in various categories, citing his use of big words and, most pressingly, his kind demeanor toward the severed employees. Milchick is told to instead “treat them as what they really are.” This comment echoes the sentiments of one character who may truly be the evil that Milchick pretends to be.

Severance’s Voldemort

That’s right, Miss Huang is the devil. In ‘Trojan’s Horse,’ Milchick prepares recently dismissed Irving’s rites in an effort that seems altruistic. Milchick doesn’t appear to have any ulterior motive for allowing a funeral except to grant the severed workers their due dignity. When asking Milchick about his performance review among the preparations, Miss Huang says something that should be reserved for sociopaths and maniacs: “You shouldn’t let them have a funeral. It makes them feel like people.” Miss Huang tells him how she really feels without a shred of remorse.

The comment is so void of empathy, it suggests Miss Huang may actually be the most heartless villain on the severed floor. This tracks, given Miss Huang’s baffling role at the company. She seems to be a child in a role of authority over the severed workers. As Milchick’s dastardly right hand, it’s possible she’s still learning while fully indoctrinated into the cult of Kier, Lumon’s godhead founder.

In Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort is a treacherous antagonist. He’s conniving, lacks empathy, and strives for ultimate power. He was also abandoned as a child and raised in an orphanage before discovering he was a wizard at age 11. Severance hasn’t yet made it clear where Miss Huang came from, but what parents would allow their child to work in such an environment at an age so clearly close to 11? Perhaps she was abandoned and taken in by Lumon to help propel their nefarious aims.

What’s for sure is that Miss Huang is conniving and clearly lacks empathy. On top of that, it seems she’s just itching to steal Milchick’s job at the first opportunity, that evil climber. When it comes to ambiguous motives, Miss Huang is shaping up to be a student who becomes the master. She’s quick to smile, but every time she does, it betrays an obvious apathy toward any employee she gazes upon.

Is Miss Huang Actually Evil?

Severance‘s performances so far have been phenomenal. Helly R.’s character twist in Woe’s Hollow was a huge shocker, but well-established by subtle cues from actress Britt Lower since Season 2’s beginning. There’s no telling what Severance has in store for these characters moving forward. One thing is for certain, though. Miss Huang is evil incarnate and likely born of tragedy. She has to be if she speaks that way about human people.

A big question to consider: She Who Shall Not Be Named says funerals can make severed workers feel like real people. Mr. Milchick is told to treat them “as what they really are.” These comments beg the question of severed staff: if somehow they’re not actually people, what are they, really?

Severance

Release Date

February 18, 2022

Showrunner

Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman

• 
• 
• 
• 

  Tramell Tillman

  Seth Milchick