”Half Loop” (S1, E2)
“My schedule for today lists a six-hour self-accusatory depression.” — Philip K. Dick
Mark arrives in the office first. He hits the overhead lights, which illuminate in a pleasing right-to-left order overhead. He reaches for his daily manager work checklist. In addition to numerous chores, it also includes acknowledging the Kier Eagan portrait (verbally or silently). inspecting keyboards for weak keys and performing a leadership self-assessment.
Assuming he passed the self assessment, Mark gets to work on his tasks. He seems to enjoy this aspect of his new job, making the Lumon branded coffee, refilling the hand soap in the washroom. (According the the employee handbook, employees are expected to wash their hands an unreasonable number of times per day.) Then he sweeps the green carpet, dusts the computer monitors and the compliance manuals. We then see Mark dusting his personalized etching, and then the staff photo. This activity seems to make Mark sad, which leads him to pick up all of the photo frames and stash them in the office closet.
While doing this, Helly walks in. She asks if it is tomorrow and Mark responds that it’s actually Monday morning, so a weekend just happened. Mark explains to Helly that since they don’t experience weekends or sleep, he likes to focus on the physical changes within as a result of the time off — does he feel more refreshed and spry?
Mark explains that they stagger the entrances too, to make sure they don’t meet on the outside. Helly responds to this by saying “so I guess we’re not friends.” Mark responds “guess not.”
Next we see Helly thumbing through the employee manual (which is available, by the way, in Apple Books for free) while Dylan brags about his sorting success and all of the perks he has earned. This includes finger traps — Dylan looks to have about eight of those — and 100 percent is a caricature portrait, which in Dylan’s case tends to show him doing some athletic in a much more fit body than he actually has.
Then Dylan talks about the refiner of the quarter award and the waffle party — which we will be hearing more about later — and Dylan assures Helly that he has this quarter’s award in the bag already. Helly asks then about Mark’s “crystal head cube,” leading Dylan to sourly respond “that’s not a prize, it’s just something they gave him.”
Mark then calls Helly over to turn on her computer. He’s under the desk doing something. Why Milchick doesn’t have her desk set up for her already, who knows. While the computer is booting up, Irving lowers his divider to observe that he noticed Mark removed the group photos from the desk. Mark responded, yeah, we’re going to take the new ones at Helly’s party today. Irv seemed non-impressed with the answer and raises the divider
Mark now begins to explain emotional sudoku to Helly. It makes no sense whatsoever, and Mark’s explanation that the numbers give off a feeling doesn’t connect with Helly (Dylan chimes in that it “sounds dumb and Mark said it dumb.”) But while doing this, Irv lowers the barrier again to opine that the old photos are supposed to stay on the desk until the new photos arrive. Why Irv cares so much about this — or is just a stickler for rules — is a little hard to grasp too. The numbers may not suggest an emotion, but I find Irv’s behavior unsettling. His comment leads Mark to just stare at him, annoyed.
While explaining the emotions and numbers to Helly, Irv steps over and hands Mark, on blue paper, the passage of the handbook on changing out group photos. It’s remarkable that they actually had to outline this procedure in the handbook. Irv says “just might be good to peruse when you’re between things.” He then apologizes to Helly for interrupting her training, which frankly feels like the much larger office abuse at this moment.
Helly then asks “am I trapped here?” Mark sits on the desk and notes that there is a process for submitting resignation requests to your outside self — which Dylan notes tend to be denied. Then Mark adds “since this perceptual version of you exists only at Lumon, quitting would effectively end your life.”
As this sinks in, Milchick arrives with melon on a cart. Let the party begin!