Because I have seen a frankly strange amount of confusion/mischaracterization regarding Mark Scout’s character and his motivations, it is worth pointing out all of the questions raised by his choice to sever himself. Because yes, the general consensus seems to be that Mark severed to forget Gemma, but that is only the tip of the iceberg? The show is offering much more. Like, the basic premise of the show is this: a surgical procedure where one blacks out and ceases to exist for 8 hours a day, then coming back home as if nothing happened. A procedure that beyond any shadow of doubt involves a form of self-harm and self-mutilation, but that nonetheless remains appealing to some people because of the easy money—and to others, the appeal resides precisely in its self-destructive quality. In this regard, I think severing meant a lot of things for Mark: it's an avoidant behaviour, sure, but also it's an unconscious “I want to hurt myself”, it's a “grief makes it impossible for me to hold down a job”, a “grief makes life is exhausting”, it's a “I want to numb everything I feel because my feelings are too deep and horrifying”, it's a “I hate myself so much that being rid of myself is a relief”, it's a “remembering the past life I shared with you hurts so much that unconsciousness is a relief”, it's a “I just want someone else to take over the wheel”, it's a “it’s terribly unfair that I get to live longer than you”, it's a “going on without you is too much”, it’s a “I want time to pass faster to be closer to the day I die and you and I are reunited”, it's a “I want to be gone because my loved one is gone but I can't gather the courage to actually do it”. In short, microdosing suicide, as other people have already pointed out. Actually, my hot take is that Mark severing is almost identical to the moment when Irving goes to the exit stairwell at the start of s2 and knowing he lost Burt again, he says: “if he's gone and I'm gone, then somehow we'll be together” it is fucked up, but they both seek togetherness in non-existence and WHAT A CONCEPT!!!
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