Sweet Vitriol

"Sweet Vitriol" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American science fiction psychological thriller television series Severance. It is the 17th overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Adam Countee and consulting producer K. C. Perry, and directed by executive producer Ben Stiller. It was released on Apple TV+ on March 6, 2025. The series follows employees of Lumon Industries, a biotechnology corporation that uses a medical procedure called "severance" to separate the memories of their employees: at work, Lumon employees, called "innies", can't remember anything outside of work. Outside work, Lumon employees, called "outies", can't remember anything about work. As a result, innies and outies experience two different lives, with distinct personalities and agendas. In the episode, Harmony Cobel visits her derelict hometown, revealing key details about her history with Lumon. The episode received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Patricia Arquette's performance and its character development, although some were polarized by the episode's placement in the season's narrative arc and the script's character logic. Arquette submitted the episode to support her Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Jane Alexander, who played Sissy, also received an Emmy nomination for her performance in the episode, for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.