Patricia Arquette breaks down Severance’s latest bombshell
The eighth episode, “Sweet Vitriol”, features Patricia Arquette’s Harmony Cobel. In a new interview with the True Romance star, she discussed not only what the bombshell reveal means for the future of the show but also how it impacts her character. But it involves Harmony Cobel, played by Patricia Arquette, who is front and center of the eighth episode called “Sweet Vitriol.” In a new interview, the True Romance star discussed not just what the bombshell reveal means for the future of the show, but how all the new information in the episode impacts her character.
The episode follows Cobel to her hometown of Salt’s Neck, which has been decimated by Lumon. In her childhood home she discovers an old notebook proving that she, and not Jame Eagan, invented severance. She’s been keeping a secret for years, and was told to suppress it. Arquette teased what it means for Cobel moving forward in a conversation with Collider. She gave a bit more context and explained that she has been hiding a secret from us. Arquette teased Cobel’s future in an interview with Collider. She gave more context to the situation and explained what it meant for Cobel. Arquette added, “She never received that kind of recognition.” She didn’t have a mother, and her aunt wouldn’t give her the approval she was looking for. She will never get the approval she has been looking for her entire life. She’s not getting the love she wants, or the approval she’s been looking for, but this is all she’s ever known, a giant, broken and complex organization. But she is proud of herself inside, and I think she also does have a lot of what she considers righteous anger about what she is contributing and how that is just constantly being belittled and how she’s not being treated with any kind of respect.”
Because the audience first meets Cobel as a leader at Lumon, we see her as an authority figure. Arquette shows her vulnerability, revealing how Cobel has been manipulated all of her life, and now she is finally taking control. She revealed that she knew about all of this during season one. Arquette revealed that she was told early on that she had grown up in a town that was heavily impacted by Kier, Lumon and the school. She also said that her mother was a ether addict. It was nice to be able to see the school, the world, and start from scratch. I had all of that in season one, but it was nice to have it again. I’d already had all of that from the first season, but it was nice to be able to see the school, see the world, see the beginning.”
“Nice” for her, maybe, but terrifying and heartbreaking for us.
Hopefully we’ll see what Cobel does with the proof of link to severance, and how this past will impact the future, over the next two episodes as season two wraps up. You can stream Severance on Apple TV+ and read more from Arquette over at Collider.
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