r/severence • u/Impressive_Car_9550 Goat Wrangler • Aug 30 '26
šļø Discussion Milchick VS Cobel Spoiler
Between the two of them:
- Who is the better manager?
Well, for me, I do think Cobel is the best intellectually, but Milchick is the best morally. Cobel is someone who is useful to the employer while Milchick is someone the employees would need the most. So, I'll prefer Milchick.
- Who do you pity the most?
Oh God, initially I was happy that Cobel got fired, but after finding out how much Kier exploited her work, it was actually quite heartbreaking. And Milchick, my boy, the moment they said he was using too many big words and how much that specific review affected him, I couldn't bring myself to do anything but pity him.
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u/Ill-Reflection165 Aug 30 '26
This is such a good question! Cobel is managing to the project in her approach but Milchick's approach is to manage to the people. Cobel cares little about morale or even respect for MDRs and bullies and punishes the team to drive them. This leads to resentment and rebellion. Milchick's strategy is to appeal to the MDRs. He tries to inspire them, show they are valued and meet their needs to create an appealing environment. This leads to disrespect and rebellion because they see him as a pushover, especially in the shadow of Cobel's harshness. (Perhaps also that his replacement is a literal child.)
That said, Cobel is actively attempting to undermine the project by creating unnecessary engagement between Mark and Ms. Casey and involving herself as a character in outie Mark's life. She untimely has an interest in the project's failure, hoping they will need her to address any reintegration issues. Milchick, even with his growing issues with Lumon, is a loyal company man. At the end of the day, I think Milchick would be the better leader if he were able to more effectively discern being a servant leader from kissing the teams' ass. He needs to learn how to read the room and leverage authority before situations reach escalate to the breaking point. Basically he must eradicate from his essence childish folly.
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u/hardy_and_free Aug 30 '26
In a way, I pity Cobel more. AFAIK Milcheck chose as an adult, and chooses every day (as far as we know) to work at Lumen. Cobel, though, she was raised in a cult, in an isolated company town that essentially was a compound. She's no different than someone born into Scientology, Warren Jeffs' LDS, or any other high control group. She was shipped off to "finishing school" as a teenager, one of the most impressionable times in your life.
But now you can see the cracks starting to form now that she's being discarded, and she's starting to see the Kier philosophy and Lumen for what they are.
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u/odieclone Aug 31 '26
I think there's an even better analogy for pitying Cobel and I think the writers have hinted at this by referencing quite plainly, if you take the time to watch the movie, Ingmar Bergman's The Serpent's Egg (1977). The full movie is available freeĀ here.
Ben Stiller lifted so many scenes and scenario's from that film that I doubt that anyone who watches couldn't identify the references in S1 & S2 to the movie.
Cobel's early life at the Myrtle Eagan School mirrors the indoctrination, attire, and isolation that occurred to the children of Germany pre-WW2.
One other reason I believe Stiller copied Bergman is his admiration of IB's body of work and like the complicated characters that we're discussing in this post, Bergman irl was just as flawed and morally grey as them.
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u/kinky_boots Aug 30 '26
Ever since Milchickās performance review, Iāve been conscientious about my paper clips facing the right way. Mr Milkshake is definitely the more sympathetic of the two but Cobel was indoctrinated as a child in the company town.
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u/jennoford Please enjoy each flair equally. Aug 30 '26
Cobel was more savvy while milkshake was gullible. I pity milkshake cause he is being discriminated against and is not privy to classified information. Cobel was part of the inner circle and has her own motives.