'Severance' sneak peek: An exclusive glimpse at Season 1, Episode 5

Hi, kids. What’s on the ceiling?
 By 
Nicole Gallucci
 on 
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.
A man (John Turturro as Irving on "Severance") sitting in an office staring at the ceiling,
Watch Next

Can't get enough of Severance, Apple TV+'s new mysterious workplace thriller? Join the club.

If you just can't quit thinking about Lumon and are impatiently waiting for Season 1, Episode 5 to drop, you've come to the right place. Apple TV+ shared an exclusive look at Severance's March 11 episode, "The Grim Barbarity of Optics and Design," with Mashable, and it looks like another doozy.

The clip, titled "Irving's Nightmare," shows Irving (John Turturro) dozing on the job again. A plop of cryptic black sludge lands on his right hand, and he looks up to see it seeping in from the light fixtures. After sludge starts raining down from the office ceiling, Mark (Adam Scott) peers around the cubicle to check on Irv. For a brief (extremely cursed) moment, Mark's eye starts leaking black goop. Thankfully, Irving wakes up a few seconds later and the nightmare comes to an end.

We first saw Irv fall asleep on the job in Episode 2, "Half Loop." Once he slipped into a stressful slumber, a mess of black sludge (that looks a lot like the sludge from Severance's opening sequence) started seeping down his cubicle, creeping across his desk, and overtaking his keyboard. He screamed himself awake, was sent for a wellness check with Ms. Casey, and met Burt (Christopher Walken) in the hallway.

What will come from Irving's latest nightmare? And will we finally find out what's up with all the goop? Stay tuned.

Season 1, Episode 5 of Severance premieres on Apple TV+ on March 11.

Recommended deals for you

HBO Max — top pick for premium content

Disney+ — best for families

Hulu — popular choice for originals

Peacock — low-cost choice for live sport

Topics Apple Severance

Mashable Image
Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.


Latest Videos

Jimmy Kimmel reacts to the midterm election results
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage. A list of large words is visible behind him.


Uncle Roger judging fried rice with Mythical Kitchen is the crossover we deserve
Nigel Ng and Josh Scherer try fried rice together in a studio kitchen.


Jimmy Kimmel roasts Trump's 'last stand' before the midterms
A side-by-side image shows two men in suits. The man on the left is on a talk show stage, the man on the right standing at a podium in front of a large pool.

Jon Stewart roasts Trump's pre-midterms Reflecting Pool speech
A man sits behind a talk show desk. In the top left is an image of the president.

What do regular people really think of the iPhone Duo?
iPhone Duo reactions

Why Jordan Klepper thinks we're living in "dumb McCarthyism"
Jordan Klepper

John Oliver shares a passionate message ahead of the midterms
A an in a suit sits behind a talk show desk. The word "Midterms" is visible top-left.

Inde Navarrette mocks Shane Gillis' gym joke in 'SNL' monologue
Episode 1908 -- Pictured: Host Inde Navarrette during the Monologue on Saturday, October 31, 2026